Pilgrimage, Title page – Dedication
PVRCHAS his PILGRIMAGE. OR RELATIONS OF THE WORLD AND THE RELIGIONS OBSERVED IN ALL AGES And places discouered, from the CREATION vntounto this PRESENT.
In foure Partes. THIS FIRST CONTAINETH A THEOLOGICALL AND Geographicall Historie of ASIA, AFRICA, and AMERICA, with the Ilands Adiacent.
Declaring the Ancient Religions before the FLOVD, the Heathnish, Iewish, and Saracenicall in all Ages since, in those parts professed, with their seuerall Opinions, Idols, Oracles, Temples, Priestes, Fasts, Feasts, Sacrifices, and Rites Religious: Their beginnings, Proceedings, Alterations, Sects, Orders and Successions.
With briefe Descriptions of the Countries, Nations, States, Discoueries, Priuate and Publike Customes, and the most Remarkable Rarities of Nature, or Humane Industrie, in the same.
By SAMVEL PVRCHAS, Minister at Estwood in Essex.
Ʋnus DEVS, vna Ʋeritas.
LONDON, Printed by WILLIAM STANS BY for Henrie Fetherstone, and are to be sold at his Shoppe in Pauls Church-yard at the Signe of the Rose. 1613.
TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, GEORGE BY THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE, LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBVRIE, Primate and Metropolitane of all ENGLAND, and one of his Maiesties most Honourable Priuie COVNCELL.
MOst Reuerend, Dutie makes me bold, euen at my first looking and leaping out of the dungeon of Obscuritie, which hitherto had inclosed me, to interrupt your more serious affaires, with the view of these my labours. It is not their worth, but your worthinesse that causeth this presumption. For to whom should I rather present my first-fruits, then vntounto the High Priest, That hee might shake them before the Lord, to make them acceptable? Neither is any meeter to Patronise a Historie of Religion, then he, to whose Person Religion giueth, and from the same mutually receiueth, Patronage. And therefore I, the meanest of Leui's sonnes, doe here offer vntounto your Grace, ASIA, AFRICA, and AMERICA, and that in their withered and fouler hue of passed out-worne rites, or present Irreligious Religions; not washed with the purer streames of sacred Baptisme. EVROPE challengeth a roome in this kind by her selfe: nor would Christian Historie vouchsafe these Strangers her holy companie, and therefore hath enioyned me a second Pilgrimage, and Perambulation ouer the World, to trace her footsteps, and obserue eueryevery where her Planters, Corrupters, and Reformers.
Great is this burthen of atwofold World, and requires both an Atlas and an Hercules too, to vndergoe it. The newnesse also makes it more difficult, being an enterprise neuer yet (to my knowledge) by any, in any language, attempted; conioyning thus Antiquitie and Moderne history, in the obseruations of all the rarities of the World, and especially of that soule of the world, RELIGION. Yet hauehave I aduentured, and (I speake it not to boast, but to excuse my selfe, in so haughtie designes) this my first Voyage of Discouerie, besides mine owne poore stocke laide thereon, hath made mee indebted to seuen hundred Authors, of one or other kind, in I know not how many hundreds of their Treatises, Epistles, Relations and Histories, of diuers subiects and Languages, borrowed by my selfe; besides what (for want of the Authors themselues) I hauehave taken vponupon trust, of other mens goods in their hands. Wherein had I enioyed that Academicke leisure, foreign Or the benefits of greater Libraries, or conference with men more skilful: my Braine might hauehave yeelded a fairer issue, a more compleate and better-armed Minerua. But besides the want of these, the daily cares of my Family, the weekly dueties (in Preaching and Catechising) of my Ministerie, the grossenesse of the Aire where I liue, which (some say) makes a duller wit, I am sure, a sicklier body; maypleade excuse for me. If not, Clades Authore leuatur, The World is the weight that presseth me, and my booke shall hauehave this praise in the greatest dispraise, Magnis tamen excidit ausis.
Howsoeuer; I shall thinke my selfe happie in your Graces Examination and Censure, if it be not Impietie in me to offer to intercept, and with interposition of these lines a while to Eclipse, your Gracious aspect and influence vntounto our Church and State. And though your Grace cannot, for more necessarie imployments, and needes not, as knowing them better alreadie, afford your Precious time to these things of baser worth: Yet if your Recreations shall vouchsafe them as Remembrancers, out of my labours to refresh yours, I shall bee more then sufficiently recompenced. Others may hence learne by that most laborious, though not mostlearned argument of Induction, two lessons fitting these times, the Vnnaturalnesse of FACTION and ATHEISME: That law of Nature hauing written in the practise of all men (as we here in the particulars doe shew) the profession of some Religion; and in that Religion, wheresoeuer any societie of Priests or Religious persons, are, or hauehave beene in the World, no admittance of Paritie; the Angels in Heauen, Diuels in hell, (as the Royallest of Fathers, the Father of our Countrie hath pronounced) and all Religions on Earth, as here we shew, being equally subiect to inequalitie, that is, to the equitie of subordinate Order. And if I liue to finish the rest, I hope to shew the Paganisme of Antichristian Poperie, and other Pseudo-Christian heresies; and the Truth of Christianitie as it is now professed and established in our Church, vnderunder the Great Defender of the Faith: for whose long Raigne, and your Graces prosperous seruice vnderunder so Religious a Soueraigne, I heartily pray vntounto the King of Kings, and cheefe Shepheard of our Soules, IESVS CHRIST. Nouemb. 5. 1612.
Your Graces in all duetie, Samuel Purchas.