Parc ni Travels into the INDIES. 6$ 
before him , andtliat lie will be damned if he take another Coiirfe : They 
make no doubt but that their Religion is the firft of all Religions -, that it was The Indians 
Eilablifhed in the days of Adam, and preferved in Noah : They believe Hea- j^^l^ Reh^io 
ven and Hell, but they affirm that none fhall enter there before the llniver- -sthe firit^ôf" 
fal Judgment : They fay alfo , that no body ought to find fault with them all. 
for the honour they (hew to the Cow, that they prefer her before other Ani- ^çç^^st to the 
mais, only bccaufe fhe furniflies them more Food, by means of her Milk , cw. 
than all tHc reft put together ; and that fhe brings forth the Ox which is fo 
iifeful to the World , feeing he makes it fubfift by his Labour , and feeds 
Men by his Pains. 
The Bramens believe the Metempfychojïs or Tranfmigration oïSouls into New Metempjjcho- 
Bodies , more or lefs noble , according to the merit of their Adions which p. 
they have done in their Life-time. And many of the other Caftes follow that 
Opinion oïVythagoras^ They believe that every Soul muft thus make many Pythagoras. 
Tranfmigrations, but they determine not the number ^ and therefore there 
are fome who kill no Beaft , and never kindle Fire nor light Candle , for 
fear fome Butterflie fhould burn it felf thereat : It being poffible (fay they) 
that the Soul of a Butterflie may have lodged in the Body of a Man -, and 
they have the lame Sentiment of other Animals. In profped of fa- 
ving living Creatures, they often follicite the Mogul Governours,to forbid 
Fifliing on certain Feftival days -, and fometimes that prohibition is procu- 
red by Prefents. Thcy_ would willingly alfo hinder the killing of Cows , 
but they can never obtain that. The Mahemetans will needs eat Flefli, and 
that of the Cow is the beft of all the grofs Meats of the Indies. 
After all, the vulgar Opinion of the Gentiles, touching the God Ram^ is J^j^j^e^èntiks 
that he was produced, and came out of the Light , in the fame manner as concerning' ^* 
the Fringe of a Belt comes out of that Belt -, and if they Affign him a Father their God 
whom they call Defier, and a Mother named GaouceUa -, that is only for form Ram, 
fake, feeing he was not born : And in that confideration, the Indians render 
him divine Honours in their Pagods, and elfe where -, And when they falute 
their Friends, they repeat his Name, faying, Ram, Ram. Their Adoration 
confifts in joyning their hands, as if they Prayed, letting them fall very low, 
and then lifting them up again gently to their mouth, and laftofall, in rai- 
fing them over their head. They call Chita the. Wife of Ram ; and feeing c^/f4 the Wife 
they know what refped Chriftians bear to the Holy Virgin , they have of ^'w. 
the boldnefs to compare that Wife to her -, and if they meet with her Image, 
they take it to be the reprefentation of Chita. 
In this Opinion many Gentiles go to Baffaim , a Town belonging to the fn'^T eof 
Tertuguefe , where there is the Image of a Virgin , who is called our Lady theVirehi! 
of Remedies , and where(they fay)Miracles are wrought. When they come Our Lady of 
to the Church-door ,they falute it, bowing to the ground and having taken Remedies, 
off their Shoes, and come in, they make many Reverences -, they put Oyl 
into the Lamp that hangs before the Image-, burn Wax-Candles, and caft: 
fome Money into the Box, if they be able. At firft they would have ad- 
ded to this Oblation, Fruits, and the Anointing of their Body, that fo they 
might call it Sacrifice , but the Porf«çMe/ê hindred them. It may eafily be 
concluded, from the averfion they nave to the killing of Beafts , that their 
Sacrifices are never bloody j they only con fift in bringing into their Pagods xhe Indian 
many things fit to be eaten. When they are come there , and have taken Sacrifices. 
Direftions from the Bramen , they Anoint their Body with Oyl, and fay 
their Prayers , before the Idol they intend to Invocate -, and having pre- 
fented their Oblation to it, they return out of the Pagod again. The chief 
Bramen takes of it what he pleafes, and then all that have a mind to eat of it, 
may, of what Religion foever they be. They perform alfo Sacrifices to the 
Sea. 
CHAR 
