eginnest to serve and honour the goddes, then thou
shalt feele the fruit of thy liberty: After that the great Priest had
prophesied in this manner, with often breathings, he made a conclusion
of his words: Then I went amongst the company of die rest and followed
the procession: everie one of the people knew me, and pointing at
me with their fingers, said in this sort: Behold him who is this day
transformed into a man by the puissance of the soveraigne goddesse,
verily he is blessed and most blessed that hath merited so great grace
from heaven, as by the innocencie of his former life, and as it were by
a new regeneration is reserved to the obsequie of the goddesse. In the
meane season by little and little we approached nigh unto the sea cost,
even to that place where I lay the night before being an Asse. There
after the images and reliques were orderly disposed, the great Priest
compassed about with divers pictures according to the fashion of the
Aegyptians, did dedicate and consecrate with certaine prayers a fair
ship made very cunningly, and purified the same with a torch, an egge,
and sulphur; the saile was of white linnen cloath, whereon was written
certaine letters, which testified the navigation to be prosperous,
the mast was of a great length, made of a Pine tree, round and very
excellent with a shining top, the cabin was covered over with coverings
of gold, and all the shippe was made of Citron tree very faire; then all
the people as well religious as prophane tooke a great number of Vannes,
replenished with odours and pleasant smells and threw them into the sea
mingled with milke, untill the ship was filled up with large gifts and
prosperous devotions, when as with a pleasant wind it launched out into
the deep. But when they had lost the sight of the ship, every man caried
againe that he brought, and went toward the temple in like pompe and
order as they came to the sea side. When we were come to the temple, the
great priest and those which were deputed to carrie the divine figures,
but especially those which had long time bin worshippers of the
religion, went into the secret chamber of the goddesse, where they put
and placed the images according to their ordor. This done, one of the
company which was a scribe or interpreter of letters, who in forme of a
preacher stood up in a chaire before the place of the holy college, and
began to reade out of a booke, and to interpret to the great prince, the
senate, and to al