Biflorie of the Indies, lib. 5. 



a great Lord, who with great quiet and leafureperfor- 

 mcth his workes, and that the ^unae doth never ceafe 

 hiscourfe, faying, that the thing which laboured fo 

 much could not fecme to be God. Wherein hee fpakc 

 truth. Even fo,when they fliew the Indians their blind 

 errors , by lively and plaine reafons, they are prefently 

 perfwadedand yeeldeadmirably to the trueth. 



Of another kinde of idolatry vpon the dead. 

 CHAP. 6. 



f-pHere is an other kinde of idolatry, very different 

 JL from the reft,which the Gentiles have vfed for the 

 deads fake whom they loved and eftecmed : and it lee- 

 meth that the Wife man would give vs to vnderftand, 

 that the beginning of idolatry proceeded thence , fay 

 ing thus ; Tbefceking ofldolks was the beginning of firm- 

 cation, And the bringing up of them it the deftruttion of&ft^ 

 for they were net from the beginning , neither jhall they con. 

 ^linuefir ever y but thevanitit and idleneffc of men hath 

 found out this invention , therefore Jhall they flwrtly come to 

 j an wd :for when a father mourned heavily for the death of 

 his mifirablefonnei he made for his confilaticn, an Image of 

 <ths dead man i andbeganne to worjhippe him asagM^whoA 

 -lit tie before had ended hit daks like a mortallman, comman~ 

 ding hlsfervants to make ceremonies &focrijices in remsm- j^ // 

 irance of him. TbtMinproceffi of time this vngratiotx cu- * 



Jlornc waxtngflrwg) WM hddfor a latve , and Images were 

 worfbipped by the commaundemwt of Kings and Tir antes. 

 Then th^ybeganne to doe the like to them that were abfint, 

 tndfuchas they could not honour in preface, being farre off ] 

 they did worship in thufort, canfmg the Images of Kings to 

 fa brought whom they woulb worflrip, fepptyng (h ^u in 

 vention) 



