ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1553- 



other fish or fresh meate. In mine opinion there be 

 no such people under the sunne for their hardnesse of 

 living. Well, I will leave them in this poynt, and 

 will in part declare their Religion. They doe observe 

 the lawe of the Greekes with such excesse of superstition, 

 as the like hath not bene heard of. They have no 

 graven images in their Churches, but all painted, to the 

 intent they will not breake the commandement : but to 

 their painted images they use such idolatrie, that the 

 like was never heard of in England. They will neither 

 worship nor honour any image that is made forth of 

 their owne countrey. For their owne images (say they) 

 have pictures to declare what they be, and howe they be 

 of God, and so be not ours : They say, Looke how the 

 Painter or Carver hath made them, so we doe worship 

 them, and they worship none before they be Christened. 

 They say we be but halfe Christians : because we observe 

 not part of the olde law with the Turks. Therefore 

 they call themselves more holy then us. They have 

 none other learning but their mother tongue, nor will 

 suffer no other in their countrey among them. All their 

 service in Churches is in their mother tongue. They 

 have the olde and newe Testament, which are daily read 

 among them : and yet their superstition is no lesse. For 

 when the Priests doe reade, they have such tricks in their 

 reading, that no man can understand them, nor no man 

 giveth eare to them. For all the while the Priest 

 readeth, the people sit downe and one talke with another. 

 But when the Priest is at service no man sitteth, but 

 gagle and ducke like so many Geese. And as for their 



[I. 242.] prayers they have but little skill, but use to say As bodi 

 pomele : As much to say, Lord have mercy upon me. For 

 the tenth man within the land cannot say the Pater noster. 

 And as for the Creede, no man may be so bolde as to 

 meddle therewith but in the Church : for they say it 

 shoulde not bee spoken of, but in the Churches. Speake 

 to them of the Commandements, and they wil say they 

 were given to Moses in the law, which Christ hath nowe 



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