down. And the Custome is, that every man, during the
reaping of his Corn, finds all the rest with Victuals. The womens work
is to gather up the Corn after the Reapers, and carry it all together.

[They tread out their Corn with Cattel.] They use not Threshing,
but tread out their Corn with Cattel, which is a far quicker and
easier way. They may tread out in a day forty or fifty Bushels at
least with the help of half a dozen Cattel.

[The Ceremonies they use when the Corn is to be trodden.] When
they are to tread their Corn they choose a convenient adjoyning
place. Here they lay out a round piece Ground some twenty or five
and twenty foot over. From which they cut away the upper Turf. Then
certain Ceremonies are used. First, they adorn this place with ashes
made into flowers and branches, and round circles. Then they take
divers strange shells, and pieces of Iron, and some sorts of Wood,
and a bunch of betel Nuts, (which are reserved for such purposes)
and lay all these in the very middle of the Pit, and a large stone
upon them. Then the women, whose proper work it is, bring each their
burthen of reaped Corn upon their heads, and go round in the Pit three
times, and then fling it down. And after this without any more ado,
bring in the rest of the Corn as fast as they can. For this Labour,
and that of weeding, the Women have a Fee due to them, which they
call Warapol, that is as much Corn, as shall cover the Stone and the
other Conjuration-Instruments at the bottom of the Pit.

They will frequently carry away their new reaped Corn into the
Pit; and tread it out presently as soon as they have cut it down,
to secure it from the Rains, which in some Parts are very great and
often; and Barns they have none big enough, But in other places not
so much given to Rains, they will sometimes set it up in a Cock,
and let it stand some months.

[How they unhusk their Rice.] They unshale their Rice from its
outward husk by beating it in a Mortar, or on the Ground more often;
but some of these sorts of Rice must first be boyled in the husk,
otherwise in beating it will break to powder. The which Rice, as it
is accounted, so I by experience have found, to be the wholsomest;
This they beat again the second time to take off a Bran from it;
and after that it becomes white. And thus much concerning Rice-Corn.

[Other sorts of Corn among them.] Besides this, tho far inferior to it,
there are divers other sorts of Corn, which serve the Pe