Forasmuche as for the most parte noble spirites are delyted with
nouelties of great and straunge thyngs, therefore, to satisfie their
expectation, I wyll describe theyr maner of sacrifycyng. Therefore,
when they intend to sacrifice, some of them kyll three sheepe, some
foure, and tenne; so that the butcherie sometyme so floweth with blood
that in one sacrifice are slayne above three thousande sheepe. They are
slayne at the rysyng of the sunne, and shortly after are distributed to
the poore for Gods sake: for I sawe there a great and confounded
multitude of poor people as to the number of 20 thousande. These make
many and long dyches in the feeldes, where they keepe fyre with camels
doong, and rost or seeth the fleshe that is geuen them, and eate it
euen there. I beleue that these poore people came thither rather for
hunger than for deuotion, which I thinke by this coniectur,that great
abundance of cucumbers are brought thyther from Arabia Fælix, whiche they
eate, castyng away the parynges without their houses or tabernacles,
where a multitude of the sayde poore people geather them euen out of
the myre and sande, and eate them, and are so greedie of these parynges
that they fyght who may geather most.[FN#41] The
[p.351] daye folowing,[FN#42] their Cadi (which are in place with them
as with vs the preachers of Gods worde) ascended into a hygh mountayne,
to preach to the people that remaineth beneath; and preached to them in
theyr language the space of an houre. The summe of the sermon was, that
with teares they should bewayle theyr sinnes, and beate their brestes
with sighes and lamentation. And the preacher hymselfe with loude voyce
spake these wordes, O Abraham beloued of God, O Isaac chosen of God, and
his friend, praye to God for the people of Nabi. When these woordes were
sayde, sodenly were heard lamenting voyces. When the sermon was done, a
rumor was spredde that a great armye of Arabians, to the number of
twentie thousande, were commyng. With which newes, they that kept the
caraunas beyng greatly feared, with all speede, lyke madde men, fledde
into the citie of Mecha, and we agayne bearyng newes of the Arabians
approche, fledde also into the citie. But whyle wee were in the mydwaye
between the mountayne and Mecha, we came by a despicable wall, of the
breadthe of foure cubites: the people passyng this wall, had couered
the waye with stones, the cause whereof, they saye to be this: when
Abraham was commaunded to sacrifice his sonne, he wylled his sonne
Isaac to folowe hym to the place where he should execute the
commaundement of God. As Isaac went to follow his father, there
appeared to him in the way a Deuyl, in lykenesse of a fayre and
freendly person, not farre from the sayde wall, and asked hym freendlye
whyther he went. Isaac answered that he went to his
[p.352] father who tarryed for him. To this the enemie of mankynde
answered, that it was best for hym to tarrye, and yf that he went anye
further, his father would sacrifice him. But Isaac nothyng feareyng
this aduertisement of the Deuyl, went forward, that his father on hym
myght execute the commaundement of God: and with this answere (as they
saye) they Deuyell departed. Yet as Isaac went forwarde, the Diuell
appeared to hym agayne in the lykenesse of an other frendlye person,
and forbade hym as before. Then Isaac taking vp a stone in that place,
hurlde it at the Deuyl and wounded him in the forehead: In witnesse and
remembraunce whereof, the people passyng that waye when they come neare
the wall, are accustomed to cast stones agaynst it, and from thence go
into the citie.[FN#43] As we went this way, the ayre was in maner
darkened with a multitude of stock doues. They saye that these doues,
are of the progenie of the doue that spake in the eare of Mahumet, in
lykenesse of the Holye Ghost.[FN#44] These are seene euery where, as in
the villages, houses, tauernes and graniers of corne and ryse, and are
so tame that one can scharsely dryue them away. To take them or kyll
them is esteemed a thyng worthy death,[FN#45]
[p.353] and therefore a certayne pensyon is geuen to nourysshe them in
the temple.