Pilgrimage, To the reader
TO THE READER.
AND now, Reader, I come vntounto thee, with whom I dare bee somewhat bolder. Being, I know not by what naturall inclination, addicted to the studie of Historie, my heart would sometimes obiect a selfe-louelove, in following my priuate delights in that kind. At last, I resolued to turne the pleasures of my studies into studious paines, that others might againe, by delightfull studie, turne my paines into their pleasure. I here bring Religion from Paradise to the Arke, and thence follow her round about the World, and (for her sake) obserue the World it selfe, with the seuerall Countries and peoples therein; the cheife Empires and States; their priuate and publique Customes; their manifold chances and changes; also the wonderfull and most remarkeable effects of Nature; Euents of Diuine and Humane Prouidence, Rarities of Art; and whatsoeuer I find by relations of Historians, as I passe, most worthie the writing. Religion is my more proper aime, and therefore I insist longer on the description of whatsoeuer I finde belonging thereto; declaring the Religion of the first men; the corrupting of it before, and after the Floud; the lewish obseruations; the Idols, Idolatries, Temples, Priestes, Feastes, Fastes, Opinions, Sects, Orders and Sacred Customes of the Heathens; with the Alterations and Successions that hauehave therein happened, from the beginning of the World hitherto.
This Worke I diuide into foure partes. This first exhibiteth, Relations and Theologicall discouerie of ASIA, AFRICA, and AMERICA: The second, when God will, shall doe the same for EVROPE: The third and fourth, in a second visitation, shall obserue such things in the same places, as I hold most remarkeable in the Christian and Ecclesiasticall Historie; and that according to the same method, which is squared in the Whole by order of Place: going still out of one Countrie into the next, in each particular part and seuerall Countrie, by the order of Time; deducing our Relations, so farre as wee hauehave others foot-prints to guide vsus, (though not exactly naming the day and yeare, and determining questions in Chronologicall controuerfies, yet in some conuenient sort) from the Ancient times, and by degrees descending to the present. If thou demaundest what profit may bèe hereof; I answere, That here Students of all sorts may find matter fitting there Studies: The naturall Philosophers may obserue the different constitution and commixtion of the Elements, their diuerse working in diuerse places, the varietie of heauenly influence, of the yearely seasons, of the Creatures in the Aire, Water, Earth: They which delight in State-affaires, may obserue the varietie of States and Kingdomes, with their differing Lawes, Politics, and Customes, their Beginnings and Endings. The Diuine, besides the former, may here contemplate the workes of God, not in Creation alone, but in his Iustice and Prouidence, pursuing sinne eueryevery were with such dreadfull plagues; both bodily, in rooting vp and pulling downe the mightiest Empires; and especially in spirituall Iudgments, giuing vp so great a part of the World vntounto the efficacie of Errour in strong delusions, that hauing forsaken the fountaine of liuing waters, they should digge vntounto themselues these broken pittes that can hold no water; deuout in their superstitions, and superstitiuous in their deuotions; agreeing all in this, that there should bee a Religion; disagreeing from each other, and the TRVTH, in the practise thereof.
Likewise our Ministers may bee incited vntounto all godly labours in their function of preaching the Gospell, seeing otherwise, for outward and bodily ceremonies, the Turkes and Iewes in their manifold deuotions in their Oratories eueryevery day, and other Heathen would conuince vsus of Idlenesse. And let mee hauehave leaue to speake it for the glorie of God, and the good of our Church; I cannot find any Priestes in all this my Pilgrimage, of whom wee hauehave any exact Historie, but take more bodily paines in their deuotions, than is performed by not-preaching Ministers, especially in Countrie-villages, where on the weeke daies they cannot hauehave occasion, or companie, for publique prayers: and therefore if they onelyonly read the seruice then, and neuer studie for more (which I would it were not the idle practise of some) euen the Heathen shall rise vp in judgment against them. I subscribe with hand and practise to our Liturgie, but not to such Lethargie: whose darknesse is so much the more intolerable, in this Sun-shine of the Gospell, wherein wee hauehave a gratious King, so diligent a frequenter of Sermons; and Reuerend Bishops (notwithstanding other their weightie Ecclesiasticall employments) yet diligent Preachers.
The studious of Geographie may somewhat be helped in that kind: not that wee intend an exact Geographie, in mentioning eueryevery Citie with the degrees of longitude and latitude, but yet limiting euerie Countrie in his true situation and bounds; and performing happily more then some, which take vponupon them the title of Geographers, as their chiefe profession: and more then any, which I know, hath done in our language.
He which admireth and almost adoreth the Capuchine Iesuite, or other Romanists for selfe-inflicted whippings, fastings, watchings, vowes of obedience, pouertie, and single life, and their not sparing their limmes and liues for their wil-worships, may see, in all these, the Romanists equalled by Heathens, if not out-stripped euen by the reports of the Iesuites and other their Catholiques. I. Tim. 4.8.Bodily exercise profiteth little, but Godlinesse is profitable vntounto all, and hath the promise of this life and that which is to come.
Here also the Reader may see most of their Popish Rites, deriued out of Chaldaean, Aegyptian, and other fountaines of Paganisme; as in the later taske we shall hauehave more occasion to shew. Here euerie Englishman may see cause to praise God continually for the light of his truth, communicated to vsus: whereas it is (in comparison) but a small part of the world, that soundeth the sacred name of IESVS; and of those that professe it, how infinite are the sectes and superstitions? God hath shewed his Word vntounto our IACOB (THE DEFENDER OF HIS FAITH) his Statutes and his iudgments vntounto this Israel of Great Britaine. He hath not dealt so with eueryevery Nation, neither hauehave the Heathen, nor scarsely, if sarcely any other Christian Nation, so much knowledge of his iudgments. And yet how seditious are some? how prophane are other? how vnthankfull the most? That beastly Sinne of Drunkennesse, that biting Sinne of Vsurie, that Deuilish Sinne of Swaggering, ruffling in deformitie of clothes, like monstrous Chimaeras, and barking out a multiformitie of oathes, like hellish Cerberi, as if men could not be Gallants, vnlesse they turned Deuils: These are the payments we returne vntounto the Lord, instead of prayers for, and loialtie to his Maiestie; peaceablenesse and charitie to each others; modestie and sobrietie in our selues.
For the forme, I hauehave sought in some places, with varietie of phrase, in all, with varietie of matter, to draw thee along with mee in this tedious Pilgrimage. Some names are written diuersely, according to the differing Copies which I followed, which thy discretion will easily conceiu.e I doe not in euerie question set downe my censure; sometimes, because it were more then needes; sometimes because of the difficultie. I mention Authours sometimes, of meane qualitie, for the meanest hauehave sense to obserue that which themselues see, more certainly then the contemplations and Theorie of the more learned. I would also acknowledge the labour of the meanest. I hauehave laboured to reduce relations to their first Authours, setting their names to their allegations: the want where of hath much troubled me, whilst the most leaue out their Authors, as if their own assertion were sufficient authoritie in things borrowed. I hauehave (to my great paines) contracted and epitomized whole volumes (and some very large) into one chapter; a thing vsuall through these relations. Where I hauehave found plentifull discourse for Religion (my chiefe aime) I am shorter in other relations; and where I hauehave had lesse helpes for that discouerie, I insift more on the wonders of Nature, and discoueries by Sea and Land, with other remarkeable accidents. These Rarities of Nature I hauehave sometimes suted in a differing phrase and figure of speech; not that I affect a fantasticall singularitie; but that these diuine workes might appeare in Robes, if not fitting their Maiestie, yet such as our Word-Robe did willingly without any great affectation or studie, afford: not without example of the Scripture, which vseth to bring in the mute creatures, speaking and performing, (as it were) other personall offices; nor without this effect, to make the Reader staie a while with obseruation and wonder; besides that varietie, of it selfe, is delightsome.
If any mislike the fulnesse in some places, and the barrennesse of wordes in others; let them consider, wee handle a World, where are mountaines and vallies, fertile habitations, and sandie desarts: and others steps, whom I follow, hold me sometimes in a narrower way, which elsewhere take more libertie. I touch sometimes a Controuersie; both for illustration of Historie; and in season, and out of season, to shew my affection to the truth.
Now if any man thinke, that it were better these rotten bones of the passed and stinking bodies of the present Superstitions were buried, then thus raked out of their graues; besides that which hath beene said, I answere, That I hauehave sufficient example in the Scriptures, which were written for our learning to the ends of the World, and yet depaint vntounto vsus the vgly face of Idolatrie in so many Countries of the Heathens, with the Apoitasies, Sects, and Heresies of the Iewes, as in our first and second booke is shewed: and the Ancient Fathers also, Iustin, Tertullian, Clemens, Irenaeus, Origen, and more fully, Eusebius, Epiphanius, and Augustine, hauehave gone before vsus in their large Catalogues of Heresies and false Opinions. And what doth more set forth the glorie of Gods grace, then in pardoning; his power, then in reforming; his justice, then in giuing men vp to such delusions? Are not these the Trophees and glorious victories of THE CROSSE OF CHRIST, that hath subuerted the Temples, Oracles, Sacrifices, and Seruices of the Deuill? And maist not thou see herein, what Man is, and thou thy selfe maist be, if God leaue thee to thy selfe? Reade therefore, with praises vntounto God, the father of thy light; and prayers, for these Heathens, that GOD may bring them out of the snare of the Deuill, and that Christ may be his saluation to the ends of the World.
And let me also obtaine thy prayers in this my Pilgrimage, to be therein directed, to the glorie of God, and good of my Countrie. Euen so Lord IESVS. (*⁎*)