traueling on further toward the south, i arriued at a certain island called bodin, [marginal note: or, dadin.] which signifieth in our language vnclean. in this island there do inhabit most wicked persons, who deuour and eat raw flesh committing al kinds of vncleannes and abominations in such sort, as it is incredible. for the father eateth his son, and the son his father, the husbande his owne wife, and the wife her husband: and that after this maner. if any mans father be sick, the son straight goes vnto the soothsaying or prognosticating priest, requesting him to demand of his god, whether his father shall recouer of that infirmity of no: then both of them go vnto an idol of gold or of siluer, making their praiers vnto it in maner folowing: lord, thou art our god, and thee we do adore, beseeching thee to resolue vs, whether such a man must die, or recouer of such an infirmity or no: then the diuel answereth out of the foresaid idol: if he saith (he shal liue) then returneth his son and ministreth things necessary vnto him, til he hath attained vnto his former health: but if he saith (he shal die) then goes the priest vnto him, and putting a cloth into his mouth doth strangle him therewith: which being done, he cuts his dead body into morsels, and al his friends and kinsfolks are inuited vnto the eating thereof, with musique and all kinde of mirth: howbeit his bones are solemnely buried. and when i found fault with that custome demanding a reason thereof, one of them gaue me this answer: this we doe, least the wormes should eat his flesh, for then his soule should suffer great torments, neither could i by any meanes remooue them from that errour. many other nouelties and strange things there bee in this countrey, which no man would credite, vnles he saw them with his owne eyes. howbeit, i (before almighty god) do here make relation of nothing but of that only, whereof i am as sure, as a man may be sure. concerning the foresaid islands i inquired of diuers wel-experienced persons, who al of them, as it were with one consent, answered me saying, that this india contained 4400. islands vnder it, or within it: in which islands there are sixtie and foure crowned kings: and they say moreouer, that the greater part of those islands are wel inhabited. and here i conclude concerning that part of india. of the vpper india: and of the prouince of mancy. first of al therefore, hauing traueled many dayes iourney vpon the ocean-sea toward the east, at length i arriued at a certaine great prouince called mancy, being in latine named india. concerning this india i inquired of christians, of saracens, and of idolaters, and of al such as bare any office vnder the great can. who all of them with one consent answered, that this prouince of mancy hath mo then 2000. great cities within the precincts thereof, and that it aboundeth with all plenty of victuals, as namely with bread, wine, rise, flesh, and fish. all the men of this prouince be artificers and marchants, who, though they be in neuer so extreme penurie, so long as they can helpe themselues by the labor of their hands, wil neuer beg almes of any man. the men of this prouince are of a faire and comely personage, but somewhat pale, hauing their heads shauen but a litle: but the women are the most beautiful vnder the sunne. the first city of the said india which i came vnto, is called ceuskalon, [marginal note: or, ceuskala.] which being a daies iourney distant from the sea, stands vpon a riuer, the water whereof, nere vnto the mouth, where it exonerateth it selfe into the sea, doth ouerflow the land for the space of 12. daies iourney. all the inhabitants of this india are worshippers of idols. the foresaid city of ceuskalon hath such an huge nauy belonging thereunto, that no man would beleeue it vnlesse he should see it. in this city i saw 300. li. of good and new ginger sold for lesse than a groat. there are the greatest, and the fairest geese, and most plenty of them to be sold in al the whole world, as i suppose: [sidenote: he meaneth pellicans, which the spaniards cal alcatrarzi.] they are as white as milke, and haue a bone vpon the crowne of their heads as bigge as an egge, being of the colour of blood: vnder their throat they haue a skin or bag hanging downe halfe a foot. they are exceeding fat and wel sold. also they haue ducks and hens in that country, one as big as two of ours. there be monstrous great serpents likewise, which are taken by the inhabitants and eaten: whereupon a solemne feast among them without serpents is not set by: and to be briefe, in this city there are al kinds of victuals in great abundance. from thence i passed by many cities, and at length i came vnto a city named caitan, [marginal note: or, zaiton.] wherin the friers minorites haue two places of aboad, vnto the which i transported the bones of the dead friers, which suffred martyrdom for the faith of christ, as it is aboue mentioned. in this city there is abundance of al kind of victuals very cheap. the said city is as big as two of bononia, and in it are many monasteries of religious persons, al which do worship idols. i my selfe was in one of those monasteries, and it was told me, that there were in it iii. m. religious men, hauing xi. m. idols: and one of the said idols which seemed vnto me but litle in regard of the rest, was as big as our christopher. these religious men euery day do feed their idol-gods: wherupon at a certeine time i went to behold the banquet: and indeed those things which they brought vnto them were good to eat, and fuming hote, insomuch that the steame of the smoke thereof ascended vp vnto their idols, and they said that their gods were refreshed with the smoke: howbeit all the meat they conueyed away, eating it vp their owne selues, and so they fed their dumb gods with the smoke onely. of the citie fuco. traueling more eastward, i came vnto a city named fuco, which conteineth 30. miles in circuit, wherin be exceeding great and faire cocks, and al their hens are as white as the very snow, hauing wol in stead of feathers, like vnto sheep. it is a most stately and beautiful city, and standeth vpon the sea. then i went 18. dates iourney on further, and passed by many prouinces and cities, and in the way i went ouer a certain great mountaine, vpon the one side whereof i beheld al liuing creatures to be as black as a cole, and the men and women on that side differed somwhat in maner of liuing from others: howbeit, on the other side of the said hil euery liuing thing was snow-white, and the inhabitants in their maner of liuing, were altogether vnlike vnto others. there, all maried women cary in token that they haue husbands, a great trunke of horne vpon their heads. [sidenote: a great riuer.] from thence i trauelled 18