57 ® The VOYAGES 
called Qrgmwm , and the People' thereof had their proper 
Language* and their peculiar kind of writing * But it was 
now inhabited by the People called Con tomans. The Nefto- 
rians likewife in thofe Parts ufe the very fame kind of Lan- 
guage and Writing i they are called Organa , becaufe they 
were wont to be moft fkilful in playing upon Organs, as 
was reported unto me. Here did I firft fee Worftiijpers 
of Idols, concerning whom, let me obferve to your Ma- 
jefty, that there be many Sects of them in thefe Eaftern 
Countries. 
31. The firft* fort of thefe Idolaters are called Jugures , 
whofe Country borders upon the Land of Organum, within 
the faid Mountains Eaftward, and in all their Cities Nefto- 
rians inhabit, and they are difperfed likewife towards Perjia 
in the Cities of the Saracens. The Citizens of the aforefaid 
City of Cailac had three Idol Temples, and I entered into 
two of them, and beheld their foolilh Superftitions. In 
the firft I found a Man, having a Crofs painted with Ink 
upon his Hand ; whereupon I fuppofed him to be a Chri- 
ftian, for he anfwered like a Chriftian unto all Queftions 
which I demanded of him ; and I alked him. Why there- 
fore have you not the Crofs with the Image of Jesus 
Christ thereupon? and he anfwered, we have no fuch 
Cuftom „ 
I thereupon conje&ured, that they were indeed Chri- 
ftians, but that for lack of Inftrudtion they omitted the 
aforefaid Ceremony ; for I faw there behind a certain Cheft, 
which was unto them inftead of an Altar, whereon they 
fat Candles and Oblations, an Image having Wings like 
unto the Image of St. Michael , and other Images alfo, hold- 
ing their Fingers as if they would blefs fome body. That 
Evening I could not find any thing elfe, for the Saracens 
only invite Men thither, but will not have them fpeak of 
their Religion, and therefore when I enquired of the Sara- 
cens concerning fuch Ceremonies, they were offended 
thereat. 
On the next Day after was the New Moon, and the 
Saracens Feaft of Paffover, and changing my Inn or Lodg- 
ing the fame Day, I took my Abode near another Idol 
Temple; for the Citizens of the faid City of Cailac cour- 
teoufiy invite, and lovingly entertain, all Meffengers, every 
Man of them according to his Ability and Station ; and 
entering into the Temple, I found the Priefts of the faid 
Idols there, for always at the New Moons they fet open their 
Temples, and the Priefts adorn themfelves, and offer up 
the Peoples Oblations of Bread and Fruits. Firft, there- 
fore, I will defcribe to you thofe Rites and Ceremonies 
which are common unto all their Idol Temples, and then 
the Superftitions of the aforefaid Jugures , which are, as it 
were, a Se£t diftinguiflied from the reft. They all of 
them worlhip towards the North, clapping their Hands 
together, and proftrating themfelves on their Knees on the 
Earth, holding alfo their Foreheads in their Hands : Where- 
upon the Neftorians in thofe Parts will in no cafe join their 
Hands together in the Time of Prayer, but they pray, 
difplaying their Hands before their Breafts. 
They extend their Temples in Length Eaft and Weft, 
and on the North Side they build a Chamber in the Man- 
ner of a Veftry, for themfelves to go into, or fometimes it 
is otherwife. If it be a Four-fquare Temple, in the midft 
of the Temple towards the North Side thereof, they take 
in one Chamber in that Place where the Choir Ihould 
ftand, and in the faid Chamber they place a Cheft long and 
broad like a Table, and behind the faid Cheft towards the 
South, ftands their principal Idol, which I faw at Caraca- 
rum , and it was as big as the Idol of Saint Chriftopher ; alfo 
a certain Nejlorian Prieft, which had been in Cathay , faid, 
that in that Country there is an Idol of fuch Bignefs, that 
it may be feen two Days Journey before a Man came at it ; 
and fo they place other Idols round about the principal 
Idol, being all of them finely gilt over with pure Gold, 
and upon the Cheft, which is in a manner a Table, they 
fet Candles and Oblations. The Doors of their Temple 
are always open towards the South, contrary to the Cuftom 
©f Saracens : They have alfo great Bells like us, and that 
is the Caufe, as I think, why the Chriftians of the Eaft will 
in no cafe ufe great Bells, notwithftanding they are com- 
mon among the Ruffians and Grecians of Gafaria. 
32, All their Priefts had their Heads and Beards fhaven 
1 
and T R A YE L S Book I. 
quite over, and they are dad in faffron-ooloured Gar- 
ments ; and being once fhaven, they lead an unmarried 
Life from that Time forward, and they li ve an hundred 
or two hundred of them together in one Cfoifter. Upon 
thefe Days, when they enter into their Temples, they 
place two long Forms therein, and fo; fitting upon the faid 
Forms, like Singing-men in a Choir, one half of them 
direttly over-againft the other, they have certain Books 
in their Hand, which fometimes they lay down by them 
upon the Forms, and their Heads are bare fo long as they 
remain in the Temple, and there they read fofdy to them- 
felves, not uttering any Voice at all. On my coming in 
among them at the Time of their luperftkious Devotions, 
and finding them all fitting mute in a manner, I attempted 
feveral Ways to provoke them unto Speech, and yet could 
not by any Means poifibly. They have with them alfo, 
whitherfoever they go, a certain String with an hundred 
or two hundred Nut-fhells thereupon, much like to our 
Beads which we carry about with us ; and they do always 
utter thefe Words, Ou mam haBavi ; God, thou know eft, as 
one of them expounded it unto me. And fo often do 
they expeft a Reward at God’s Hands as they pronounce 
thefe Words in Remembrance of God. 
Round about their Temple they always make a fair 
Court like a Church-yard, which they environ with a good 
Wall ; and upon the South Part thereof, they build a 
great Portico, wherein they fit and confer together : And 
upon the Top of the faid Portico, they pitch a long Pole 
upright, exalting it if they can, above all the Buildings ia 
the Town ; and by the View of the fame Pole, People may 
know that there ftands a Temple of the Idols. Theft; 
Rites and Ceremonies are common to all Idolaters in thofe 
Parts. Once I made a Vifit to this Idol-temple, and 
found certain Priefts fitting in the outward Portico, and 
thofe which I faw feemed, by their fhaven Beards, as if 
they had been our Countrymen. They wore certain Orna- 
ments upon their Heads like Mitres, made of Paper. The 
Priefts of the Jugures above-mentioned, ufe thofe Orna- 
ments where-ever they go. They go always in their faffron- 
coloured Jackets, which are very ftraight laced or buttoned, 
from the Bofom downwards, after the French Falhion ; and 
they have a Cloak upon their Left-flioulder defcending un- 
der their Right-arm, like a Deacon carrying the Collec- 
tor’s Box in time of Lent. Their Letters or Writings, the : 
Tartars ufe as well as they. They begin to write at the : 
Top of their Paper, drawing their Lines right down, and 1 
fo they read and multiply their Lines from the Left-hand i 
to the Right. They ufe certain little Papers and uncouth 1 
Chara&ers in their magical Practices, and their Temples 1 
are full of fuch Ihort Scrolls hanging round about them. 
Mangu-Khan hath fent Letters unto your Majefty, writ- ■ 
ten in the Language of the Moals or T mars ; but in the i 
Characters thefe Jugures , they burn the Dead, according ; 
to the ancient Cuftom, and lay up their Afhes on the Top 1 
of a Pyramid. After I had fat a while with thefe Priefts, , 
and entered into their Temple, and feen many of their 1 
Images both great and fmall, I demanded of them. What ! 
they believed concerning God ? They anfwered. We believe s 
that there is only one God ; Whether do you believe that : 
he is a Spirit or fome bodily Subftance ? They faid, We be - • 
lieve that he is a Spirit. Then faid I, do you believe that : 
God ever took Man’s Nature upon him ? They anfwered, , 
No. Again, I faid, fince you believe that he is a Spirit, , 
to what end do you make fo many bodily Images to re- - 
prefent him, fince alfo you believe that he was not made : 
Man ? Why do you rather reprefent him by the Image of : 
a Man than of any other Creature ? Then they anfwered, , 
We frame not thefe Images to reprefent God ; but when any < 
rich Manamongft us , or his Son , or his Wife , or any of his ; 
Friends dieth , he caufeth the Image of the dead Perfon to be f 
made , and to be placed here , and we , in Remembrance of 1 
him , do Reverence thereunto. I replied then. Do you thefe ; 
Things only for Friendfhip and out of Flattery to Men? r 
No, faid they, but out of regard to their Memories. 
Then they demanded of me, in Scorn and Difdain, , 
where is God? To whom I anfwered, Where is your : 
Soul ? They faid in our Bodies : Then faid I, is it not in 1 
every Part of our Body, ruling and guiding the whole : 
Body, and yet, notwithftanding, it is not perceived? f| 
Even 3 
