RALPH FITCH ad. 



1583-91. 

 thence to goe for Persia and then for Aleppo or Con- 

 stantinople, whether hee could get soonest passage unto, 

 and directed me to goe for Bengala and for Pegu, and 

 did promise me, if it pleased God, to meete me in 

 Bengala within two yeeres with a shippe out of England. 

 I left William Leades the jeweller in service with the ^'^i^- Leades 

 king Zelabdim Echebar in Fatepore, who did entertaine J^^/J^^^^^^^ 

 him very well, and gave him an house and five slaves, an 

 horse, and every day sixe S. S. in money. I went from 

 Agra to Satagam in Bengala, in the companie of one 

 hundred and fourescore boates laden with Salt, Opium, 

 Hinge, Lead, Carpets, and divers other commodities 

 downe the river Jemena. The chiefe marchants are 

 Moores and Gentiles. In these countries they have 

 many strange ceremonies. The Bramanes which are ^^^ supersti- 



their priests, come to the water and have a string about ^^^^\ ^^^^~ , 

 , . ^ ' , . , . 111 monies of the 



their necks made with great ceremonies, and lade up Bramanes: 



water with both their hands, and turne the string first 



with both their hands within, and then one arme after 



the other out. Though it be never so cold, they will 



wash themselves in cold water or in warme. These 



Gentiles will eate no flesh nor kill any thing. They 



live with rice, butter, milke, and fruits. They pray in 



the water naked, and dresse their meat & eate it naked, 



and for their penance they lie flat upon the earth, and 



rise up and turne themselves about 30. or 40. times, 



and use to heave up their hands to the sunne, & to 



kisse the earth, with their armes and legs stretched along 



out, and their right leg alwayes before the left. Every 



time they lie downe, they make a score on the ground 



with their finger to know when their stint is finished. 



The Bramanes marke themselves in the foreheads, eares 



and throates with a kind of yellow geare which they 



grind, & every morning they do it. And they have 



some old men which go in the streetes with a boxe of 



yellow pouder, and marke men on their heads &: necks 



as they meet them. And their wives do come by 10. 



20. & 30. together to the water side singing, & there 



475 



