ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1558. 

 Wantofprea- They have no preachers no not one in al the land to 

 chers cause of mstruc t the people, so that there are many, & the most 

 once and P art °^ tne P 00re m the country, who if one aske them 

 idolatry. how many gods there be, they wil say a great many, 



meaning that every image which they have is a god : 

 for all the countrey and the Emperours majesty him- 

 selfe wil blesse and bowe, and knocke their heads before 

 their images, in so much that they will crie earnestly 

 unto their images to helpe them to the things which 

 they need. Al men are bound by their law to have 

 those images in their houses, and over every gate in 

 all their townes and cities are images set up, unto 

 which the people bow and bend, and knocke their 

 heads against the ground before them : as often as they 

 come by any church or crosse they do in like maner. 

 And when they come to any house, they blesse them- 

 selves 3. or 4. times before they will salute any man 

 in the house. 



They reckon and hold it for great sinne to touch or 

 handle any of their images within the circle of the boord 

 where the painting is, but they keep them very daintily, 

 and rich men deck them over and about with gold, silver 

 and stones, and hang them over and about with cloth 

 of gold. 



The priestes are married as other men are, and weare 

 all their garments as other men doe, except their night- 

 caps, which is cloth of some sad colour, being round, 

 & reacheth unto the eares : their crownes are shaven, 

 but the rest of their haire they let grow, as long as 

 nature will permit, so that it hangeth beneath their 

 eares upon their shoulders : their beards they never 

 shave : if his wife happen to die, it is not lawfull for 

 him to mary againe during his life. 



They minister the Communion with bread and wine 

 after our order, but he breaketh the bread and putteth 

 it into the cup unto the wine, and commonly some are 

 partakers with them : and they take the bread out 

 againe with a spoon together with part of the wine, 



442 



