out of the towne and wash themselues in Ganges.
And there are diuers old men which vpon places of earth made for the
purpose, sit praying, and they giue the people three or foure strawes,
which they take and hold them betweene their fingers when they wash
themselues: and some sit to marke them in the foreheads, and they haue in a
cloth a litle Rice, Barlie, or money, which, when they haue washed
themselues, they giue to the old men which sit there praying. Afterwards
they go to diuers of their images, and giue them of their sacrifices. And
when they giue, the old men say certaine prayers, and then is all holy. And
in diuers places there standeth a kind of image which in their language
they call Ada. And they haue diuers great stones carued, whereon they poure
water, and throw thereupon some rice, wheate, barly, and some other things.
This Ada hath foure hands with clawes. Moreouer, they haue a great place
made of stone like to a well with steppes to goe downe; wherein the water
standeth very foule and stinketh: for the great quantitie of flowers, which
continually they throwe into it, doe make it stinke. There be alwayes many
people in it: for they say when they wash themselues in it, that their
sinnes be forgiuen them, because God, as they say, did wash himselfe in
that place. They gather vp the sand in the bottome of it, and say it is
holy. They neuer pray but in the water, and they wash themselues ouerhead,
and lade vp water with both their handes, and turne themselues about, and
then they drinke a litle of the water three times, and so goe to their gods
which stand in those houses. Some of them will wash a place which is their
length, and then will pray vpon the earth with their armes and legs at
length out, and will rise vp and lie downe, and kisse the ground twentie or
thirtie times, but they will not stirre their right foote. And some of them
will make their ceremonies with fifteene or sixteene pots litle and great,
and ring a litle bel when they make their mixtures tenne or twelue times:
and they make a circle of water round about their pots and pray, and diuers
sit by them, and one that reacheth them their pots: and they say diuers
things ouer their pots many times, and when they haue done, they goe to
their gods, and strowe their sacrifices which they thinke are very holy,
and marke many of them which sit by, in the foreheads, which they take as a
great gift. There come fiftie and sometime an hundred together, to