Chapter CXXVI: Section IX

_Of the Island of Ceylon, and of the Mountain where Adam mourned the Death of Abel_.

From thence I passed another island named Sylan, or Ceylon, which is 2000 miles in circuit, in which there are infinite multitudes of serpents, great numbers of lions, bears, and all kinds of ravenous beasts, and a great many of elephants. In this island there is a great mountain, on which the inhabitants pretend that Adam mourned for the death of his son Abel, during 500 years. On the top of this mountain there is a most beautiful plain, in which is a small lake always full of water, which the inhabitants allege to have proceeded from the tears of Adam and Eve; but this I proved to be false, as I saw the water to flow out of the lake. This lake is full of horse-leeches, and numbers of precious stones are to be found on its bottom, which the king of the island, instead of appropriating to his own use, allows certain poor people to dive for once or twice a-year, for their own profit, that they may pray for blessings upon his soul. On this occasion they smear their bodies with lemon juice, which prevents the leeches from hurting them while they are in the water. The water from this lake runs into the sea, at which place the inhabitants dig on the shore, at low water, for rubies, diamonds, pearls, and other precious stones, which are found in such abundance, that the king of this island is believed to possess more precious stones than any other monarch in the world. There are wild beasts and birds of all kinds in this island in great numbers; and I was informed by the natives, that these beasts never attack or do harm to strangers, but only kill the indigenous inhabitants. I saw in this island certain birds, as large as our geese, having two heads, and other wonderful things I do not here write of.

Still farther to the south, I came to a certain island, called Bodin[1], which name signifies _unclean_; and this island is inhabited by a most wicked people, who devour raw flesh, and commit all manner of wickedness and abominable uncleanness to an incredible extent; insomuch, that they kill and eat each other, the father eating his son, the son his father, the husband his wife, and the wife her husband. If any man be sick, the son goes to the soothsayer, or prognosticating priest, requesting him to inquire of his god, whether or not his father is to recover. Then both go to an idol of gold or silver, which they thus address: "We adore thee as our lord and god, and we beseech thee to inform us, whether such a man is to die or to recover from his present infirmity." Then the devil returns an answer from the idol, and if he says the man is to recover, the son returns to the house of his father, and ministers to him in all things necessary, until he regain his former health; but if the response is that the man is to die, the priest then goes to him, and putting a cloth into his mouth, immediately strangles him. After this the dead body is cut in pieces, and all the friends and relations are invited to feast upon this horrible banquet, which is accompanied with music and all manner of mirth; but the bones are solemnly buried. On my blaming this abominable practice, they alleged, as its reason and excuse, that it was done to prevent the worms from devouring the flesh, which would occasion great torments to his soul; and all I could say was quite insufficient to convince them of their error. There are many other novel and strange things in this country, to which no one would give credit, who had not seen them with his own eyes; yet, I declare before God, that I assert nothing of which I am not as sure as a man may be of any thing. I have been informed by several credible persons, that this India contains 4400 islands, most of which are well inhabited, among which there are sixty-four crowned kings.

[1] Explained on the margin by Hakluyt, _or Dadin_, which is equally
inexplicable.--E.