in religion, what he thought of God? He made answere that they held no
other god but the sun, (to which planet they pray both at the rising and
setting) as I haue seene sundry doe in Aleppo: his reason was drawen from
the effects which it worketh in giuing light to the moone and other
starres, and causing all things to grow and encrease vpon the earth:
answere was made, that it did moue with the rest as the wheeles of a
clocke, and therefore of force must haue a moouer. Likewise in the Eclipse
being darkened it is manifestly prooued that it is not god, for God is
altogether goodnesse and brightnesse, which can neither be darkened nor
receiue detriment or hurt: but the Sunne receiueth both in the Eclipse, as
is aparant: to which hee could not answere; but so they had receiued from
their ancestors, that it was without beginning or ende, as in any Orbicular
or round body neither beginning or end could be found. He likewise sayd,
that there were other Gentiles in the Indies which worship the moone as
chiefe, and their reason is. The moone when she riseth goeth with thousands
of starres accompanied like a king, and therefore is chiefe: but the Sunne
goeth alone, and therefore not so great. Against whom the Banianes reason,
that it is not true; because the Moone and starres receiue their light from
the Sunne, neither doth the Sunne vouchsafe them his company but when he
list, and therefore like a mighty prince goeth alone, yet they acknowledge
the Moone as Queene or Viceroy. Law they hold hone, but only seuen precepts
which they say were giuen them from their father Noe, not knowing Abraham
or any other. [Sidenote: The seven precepts of Banianes.] First, to honor
father and mother; secondly, not to steale; thirdly not to commit adultery;
fourthly not to kill any thing liuing; fiftly, not to eat any thing liuing;
sixtly not to cut their haire; seuenthly to go barefoot in their churches.
These they hold most strictly, and by no means will breake them: but he
that breaketh one is punished with twenty stripes; but for the greatest
fault they will kill none, neither by a short death nor a long, onely he is
kept some time in prison with very little meat, and hath at the most not
aboue twenty or fiue and twenty stripes. In the yeere they haue 16 feasts,
and then they go to their church, where is pictured in a broad table the
Sun, as we vse to paint it, the face of a man with beames round about, not
hauing any thing els in it. At their