Chapter IV: Part III: Chap. I

Concerning the Inhabitants of this Island.

The several Inhabitants of the Island. The Original of the
Chingulays. Wild Men. Who pay an acknowledgement to the
King. How they bespeak Arrows to be made them. They rob the
Carriers. Hourly wild Men Trade with the People. Once made
to serve the King in his War. Their Habit and Religion. A
skirmish about their Bounds. Curious in their Arrows. How they
preserve their Flesh. How they take Elephants. The Dowries
they give. Their disposition. The Inhabitants of the Mountains
differ from those of the Low-Lands. Their good opinion of
Virtue, tho they practice it not. Superstitions. How they
Travel. A brief character of them. The Women, their habit
and nature.

CHAP. II.

Concerning their different Honours, Ranks, and Qualities.

How they distinguish themselves according to their
Qualities. They never Marry beneath their rank. In case
a Man lyes with a Woman of inferior rank. Their Noble
men. How distinguished from others. The distinction by
Caps. Of the Hondrews or Noble men two forts. An Honour like
Unto Knighthood. Goldsmiths, Blacksmiths, Carpenters, and
Painters. The Privilege and state of the Smiths. Craftsmen.
Barbers. Potters. Washers. Jaggory-makers. The Poddah,
Weavors, Basket-makers. Mat-makers. The lower ranks may not
assume the habit or names of the higher. Slaves. Beggers. The
reason the Beggers became so base and mean a People. They live
well. Their Contest with the Weavors about dead Cows. Incest
common among them. A Punishment, to deliver Noble women to
these Beggers. Some of these Beggars keep Cattel and shoot
Deer. Refuse Meat dressed in a Barbar's house, and why.

CHAP. III.

Of their Religion, Gods, Temples, Priests.

Their Religion is Idolatry. They worship Gods and Devils. And
the God, that saves Souls. The Sun and Moon they seem to repute
Deities. Some of their Temples of exquisite work. The form
of their Temples. The shape of their Idols. They worship not
the Idol, but whom it represents. The Revenues of the Temples,
and the Honours thereof. They are dedicated to Gods. Private
Chappels. The Priests. The first Order of them. The habit of
these Priests. Their Privileges. What they are Prohibited. When
any are religiously disposed, these Priests sent for in
great Ceremony. None ever used violence towards them before
this present King. The Second Order of Priests. The third
Order. How they dedicate a Red Cock to the Devil. Their Oracle.

CHAP. IV.

Concerning their Worship and Festivals.

The chief dayes of Worship. How they know what God or
Devil hath made them sick; The Gods of their Fortunes,
viz the Planets. What Worship they give Devils. Who eat the
Sacrifices. Their Gods are local. The Subjection of this People
to the Devil. Sometimes the Devil possesseth them. The Devils
voice often heard. Their Sacrifice to the chief Devil. Their
Festivals. Festivals to the honour of the Gods that govern
this World. The Great Festival in June, with the manner of
the Solemnity. The Feast in November. The Festival in honour
of the God of the Soul. The high honour they have for this God.

CHAP. V.

Concerning their Religious Doctrines, Opinions and Practices.

As to their Religion they are very indifferent. If their
Gods answer not their Desires, they curse them. They
undervalue and revile their Gods. A Fellow gives out
himself for a Prophet. His Success. The King fends for one
of his Priests. Flyes to Columbo. Pretends himself to be a
former Kings Son. Flyes from the Dutch. The King catches
and quarters him. The Peoples high opinion still of this
new God. Their Doctrines and Opinion. The highest points of
their Devotion. Their Charity. The Privilege of the Moorish
Beggars. Respect Christians, and why.

CHAP. VI.

Concerning their Houses, Diet, Housewifery, Salutation, Apparel.

Their Houses mean. No Chimneys. The Houses of the better
sort. Their Furniture. How they eat. How the great Men
eat. Discouraged from nourishing Cattel. Cleanly in dressing
their meat; Their manner of drinking and eating. Their manner
of washing before and after meals. None must speak while the
Rice is put into the Pot. Sawce made of Lemmon juice. Their
sweet meats. A kind of Puddings. The Womens Housewifry. How
they entertain Strangers, And Kindred. When they Visit. Their
manner of Salutation. The Nobles in their best Apparel. The
fashion of their hair. The Women dressed in their Bravery.
How they dress their heads. They commonly borrow their
fine Cloths.

CHAP. VII.

Of their Lodging, Bedding, Whoredome, Marriages, Children.

Their Bed, and how they sleep a Nights. They rise often in the
Night. Children taught to sing at going to bed. Young People ly
at one anothers Houses. Nothing so common as Whoredome. They
are guilty of the thing, but love not the Name. The man may
kill whom he finds in bed with his Wife. The Womens craft
to compass and conceal their Debauchery.They do treat their
Friends with the use of their Wives or Daughters. The Mother
for a small reward prostitutes her Daughter. Marriages. No
Wooing The Bridegroom goes to the Brides house. How the
bridegroom carries home his Bride. A Ceremony of Marriage. Man
and Wife may part at pleasure. Men and Women change till they
can please themselves. Women sometimes have two Husbands. Women
unclean. Privileges of Men above Women. Privileges of
Women. They often destroy New-born Infants, But seldom a
First-born. Their Names. They are ambitious of high Titles.

CHAP. VIII.

Of their Employments and Recreations.

Their Trade. Work, not discreditable to the best
Gentleman. How they geld their Cattle. How they make
Glew. Their Manufactures. How they make Iron. How they make
Butter. Shops in the City. Prices of Commodities. Or their
Measures. Their Weights. Measures bigger than the Statute
punishable; but less, not: And why. Of their Coin. Of their
Play. A Play or a Sacrifice: For the filthiness of it forbid
by the King. A cunning Stratagem of an Officer. Tricks and
Feats of Activity. At leisure times they meet and discourse
of Newes. Drunkenness abhorred. Their eating Betel-Leaves. How
they make Lime.

CHAP. IX.

Of their Lawes and Language.

Their Lawes. Lands descend. In case Corn receives dammage by
a Neighbours Cattel. The loss of letting out Land to Till. The
great Consideration for Corn borrowed. A Debt becomes double in
two years. If the Debtor pay not his Debt, he is lyable to be
a Slave for it. Divers other Lawes and Customes. For deciding
Controversies. Swearing in the Temples, The manner of swearing
in hot Oyl. How they exact. Fines. Of their Language. Titles
given to Women according to their qualities. Titles given to
Men. No difference between a Country-man and a Courtier for
Language. Their Speech and manner of Address is courtly and
becoming. Their Language in their Address to the King. Words of
form and Civility. Full of Words and Complement. By whom they
swear. Their way of railing and scurrility. Proverbs. Something
of their Grammar. A Specimen of their Words. Their Numbering.

CHAP. X.

Concerning their Learning, Astronomy and Art Magick.

Of their Learning. Their Books and Arts. How they learn
to write. How they make and write a Book. The Priests
write Books of Bonna. The Kings Warrants how wrapped
up. They write upon two sorts of Leaves. Their Skill in
Astronomy. Their Almanacks. They pretend to know future things
by the Stars. Their Æra. Their Years, Months, Weeks, Days,
Hours. How they measure their Time. Their Magic. The Plenty
of a Country destroyed by Magic. Their Charm to find out a
Thief. The way to dissolve this Charm. Inscriptions upon Rocks.

CHAP. XI.

Of their Sickness, Death and Burial.

The Diseases this Countrey is subject to. Every one a Physician
to himself. To Purge: To Vomit. To heal Sores. To heal an
Impostume. For an hurt in the Eye. To cure the Itch. The Candle
for Lying-in Women. Goraca, a Fruit. Excellent at the Cure
of Poyson. They easily heal the biting of Serpents by Herbs,
And Charms. But not good at healing inward Distempers. They
both bury and burn their Dead. They send for a Priest to pray
for the Soul of the Departed. How they mourn for the Dead. The
nature of the Women. How they bury. How they burn. How they
bury those that dy of the Small Pox.