A Voyage to East India, Account of voyage · Section 14
SECTION. XIV.
Of the moſt excellent moralities which are to be obſerved amongſt the People of thoſe Nations.
NExt to thoſe things which are Spiritually good, there is nothing which may more challenge a due and deſerved commendation, than thoſe things which are Morally and Materially ſo; and many of theſe may be drawn out …o life, from the examples of great numbers amongſt that people.
For the Temperance of very many, by far the greateſt part of the Mahometans and Gentiles, it is ſuch, as that they will rather chooſe to dye, like the Mother and her ſeven Sons mentioned in the ſecond of Machabees and ſeventh Chapter, then eat or drink any thing their Law forbidds them. Or like thoſe Rechabites, mentioned Jer. 35. Where Jonadab their father commanded them to drink no wine, and they did forbear it for the Commandement ſake. Such meat and drink as their Law allowes them, they take only to ſatisfie Nature, (as before) not, appetite, ſtrictly obſerving Solomons Rule, Proy. 23. 2. in keeping a knife to their throats, that they may not tranſgreſs in taking too much of the Creature; hating Gluttony and eſteeming drunkennes, as indeed it is, another Madnes, and therefore have but one word in their language, (though it be very Copious) and that word is Moſt, for a drunkard, and a mad-man. Which ſhewes their hatred of drunken diſtempers; for none of the people there are at any time ſeen drunk, (though they might find liquor enough to do it, but the very offal and dreggs of that people, and theſe rarely, or very ſeldom.
And here I ſhall inſert another moſt heedfull particular to my preſent purpoſe, which deſerve a moſt high commendation to be given unto that people in general, how poor and mean ſoever they be; and that is, the great exemplary care they manifeſt in their piety to their Parents, that notwithſtanding they ſerve for very little (as I obſerved before) but five ſhillings a Moon for their whole livelyhood and ſubſiſtence; yet if their Parents be in want, they will impart at the leaſt half of that little towards their neceſſities, chooſing rather to want themſelves, then that their Parents ſhould ſuffer need.
I would have this read, and read over again by many who call themſelves Chriſtians, yet moſt ſhamefully neglect thoſe loynes from which they fell, looking upon their Parents, if they be in need, either with a ſcornfull, or a grudging eye. Whence we have this ſaying amongſt us (which that people would ſpit at) that one Father and Mother will better provide for ten helpleſs Children, then ſo many Children make fitting proviſion for one poor Father and Mother, as if they were not the Sons and Daughters of men, but rather Children of the Horſeleeches, who are ever Crying, Give, give, never returning ought, or any thing proportionable to anſwer that love and care they have received from their Parents.
It is the Precept of the Apoſtle, Epheſ. 6. 2. (which is often repeated before in the ſacred ſtorie) Honour thy Father and thy Mother, which is the firſt Commandement with promiſe, with promiſe of a bleſſing unto all thoſe who perform that duty as they ought. Now this honouring of Parents muſt be expreſſed by all wayes that manifeſt Childrens duty, not only in an outward reſpect and diſtance, but alſo in a free releaſe of them, if Children be able, and Parents ſtand in need.
'Tis well obſerved, that when Noah once ſurprized by wine, had layd open his Nakednes in his Tent, Gen. 9. and by one houres drunkenneſs had diſcovered that, which more then ſix hundred years ſobriety had modeſtly concealed, (for drunkennes doth both make imperfections, and prefents them thus made to others eyes) that his Sons Shem and Japhet, out of duty and reſpect unto their Father, took a garment and went backward, that they might cover, not behold their Fathers nakednes. Which act of Duty and reſpect unto their Father, was largely repayed unto them in their poſterity; whereas Cham their brother for his undutifulnes in this caſe, beares his Fathers curſe, and lives under it, and is plagued in his children. We may conclude it as a rule, that there have not been any very neglectfull of, or rebelliouſly undutifull unto their Parents, that have proſpered in themſelves and ſeed. Abſolon lifts up his hand againſt his Father David, and his head is after lifted up, and hanged in an Oke, where he dyed miſerably. 2 Sam. 18. I could inſtance further, if it were the buſines of this diſcourſe. But I return again to the place from whence I am digreſſed, and muſt ſay
Further for this people, (which is not the leaſt commendation of them) they are in general a Nation that do never pride it in any new Faſhions; for as they are very civilly clad, ſo I am confident, that they keep to the very ſelfe ſame Faſhion, that their Anceſtors did weare, many hundred yeares agoe (as before I obſerved)
And certainly if a man ſhould take his journey from the riſing of the Sun, to the going down of the ſame, he ſhould not find a people in all the world ſo overrun with an Itch after a new faſhion, as the French and Engliſh are, [of which likewiſe ſomething before.]
For the Mahometans [who live much upon the labours of the Hindooes, keeping them under, becauſe they formerly conquered them] there are many of them Idle, and know better to eat than work, & theſe are all for to morrow, a word very common in their mouths, and the word is Sub-ba, which ſignifies to morrow, and when that day comes, to morrow, and ſo ſtill to morrow, they will ſet down upon their buſineſſes to morrow, will do any thing you would have them to do to morrow, they will beſtow any thing upon you Sub-ba, to morrow. Pollicitis divites, moſt rich in promiſes, in performances not ſo. That being true of many of thoſe Mahometans, which Livie ſometimes ſpake of Hannibal, that he ſtood moſt to his promiſe, when it was moſt for his Profit [though to do the Mahometans in general right, ſuch as are Merchants and Traders▪ are exact in their dealings] or, as Plutarch writes of Antigonus the King, who was called foreign as being ever about to give, but ſeldome giving. Or as Martial of his Poſthumus.
Cras te venturum, Cras dicis Poſthuma ſemper:
Dic mihi cras iſtud Poſthume quando venit.
To morrow ſtill thou ſayeſt thou't come to me:
Say Poſthumus when will that morrow be.
But for the Hindooes or Heathens, the ancient inhabitants of Eaſt India, they are a very induſtrious people very diligent in all the works of their particular callings, believing that bread ſweeteſt, and moſt ſavoury, which is gain'd by ſweat. Theſe are for the generality the people that plant and till the ground; Theſe they which make thoſe curious Manifactures that Empire affords; working [as we ſ…y with tooth and nail] imploying their eares and toes, as well as their fingers, to aſſiſt them [by holding threds of ſilke] in the making of ſome things they worke. Theſe are a people who are not afraid of a Lion in the way, of a Lion in the ſtreets, as the ſlothfull man is, Prov. 26. 13. but they lay hold on the preſent time, the opportunity, to ſet upon their buſineſſes which they are to do to day, they being very laborious in their ſeveral imployments, and very ſquare and exact to make good all their engagements.
Which appeares much in their Juſtnes manifeſted unto thoſe that trade with them; for if a man will put it unto their conſciences to ſell the Commodity he deſires to buy at as low a rate as he can afford it, they will deal ſquarely, and honeſtly with him; but if in thoſe bargainings a man offer them much leſs than their ſet price, they will be apt to ſay, what, doeſt thou think me a Chriſtian, that I would go about to deceive thee?
A ſalt, a ſharp, a biting Sarcaſme, or rather an horrible truth to be put upon the Score of many who call themſelves Chriſtians, yet reſolve, quocun que Modo Rem, to get what they can gain, however they get it. It therefore concernes all, and that moſt highly, who trade in thoſe parts, and are called by that Name, if they will trade for Heaven as well as Commodities (which if they do not, their returnes will be ſad and poor, and all their labour loſt) to look about them, and to be very circumſpect, in all their doings and dealings, that the Name of God & his Doctrine be not blaſphemed, and Chriſtianity it ſelf made to ſuffer, by any of their unjuſtifiable carriages.
I never obſerve that place, Gen. 20▪ 18. where Abimelech reprooves Sarah, but methinks it is ſad for Sarah, the wife of Abraham, of Abraham the Father of the Faithfull, to do that for which ſhe might be reprooved by Abimelech. It was a ſhamefull reproof indeed for a woman of her ſort to be taught her duty, and upbraided with her faults by an Heathen man. Surely, it cannot but grieve every good heart, to hear that which is too often, and truly ſpoken, to the ſhame and reproach of the Goſpel; that there is more Truth and Fidelity, more juſt dealing and moral honeſty, more care of their word, more good neighbourhood and kindnes, more Charity and mercifulnes, among a number of meer natural men, nay, among Turks and Infidels, than amongſt a great many, who are of chief note for the profeſſion of the Goſpel.
When the Canaanites and Perizzitos had ſeen what the Sons of Jacob, Symion and Levi, had done unto the Shechemites, how that they had broken their promiſe and Covenant with them, how cruelly and barbarouſly they had us'd them, this made Jacob to ſay (though alas he was far from approoving and conſenting to that they did) that it would make his Religion to ſtinke among the Inhabitants of the Land. Gen. 34. 30.
Surely for Moral Honeſty it is moſt true, (that even thoſe Heathens I have named) marvailouſly exceed us in it; and Oh! that Chriſtians would be made to bluſh at the Conſideration thereof. Chriſtians, that have the Book of God for their direction, where they may run and read their duties, beſides that Book of Nature, which is the only guide that people have to walk by; yet that theſe who live in darknes and in the ſhadow of death, ſhould perform many of the ſtricteſt things of the law of bondage, and Chriſtians who li… under a Law of Liberty, Liberty in and though Chriſt Jeſus, Liberty (I ſay) for all thoſe that do not abuſe it, ſhould be ſo blinded with light, that they perform not the things, no no… of Nature.
It is a moſt ſad and horrible thing to conſider, what ſcandal there is brought upon the Chriſtian Religion, by the looſenes, and remiſnes, by the exorbitances of many, which come amongſt them, who profeſs themſelves Chriſtians, of whom I have often heard the Natives [who live neer the Port where our ſhipps arrive] ſay thus, in broken Engliſh, which they have gotten, Chriſtian Religion, Devil Religion, Chriſtian much drunk, Chriſtian much do wrong, much beat, much abuſe others.
The unmatcht extremities of Tyranny and Cruelty [to which nothing could be added to make it more cruel] practiſed by the Spaniards upon the people of Weſt India, is above all example, and almoſt belief. When their bloody outrages were ſuch, as made thoſe wretched Natives to ſubmit unto any kinde of death, which they would voluntarily impoſe upon themſelves, rather than endure the Spaniards Tyranny. Benzo in his ſtory of Weſt India, writes ſtrange things of them. Firſt, of their cruelty, that they deſtroyed more than twenty Millions of people amongſt them, and then that thoſe Indians would ſay of them, En Chriſtiane, quid ſunt Chriſtian … &c. O Chriſtian, what are Chriſtians? and thus they anſwered themſelves by defining them. Chriſtians are ſuch as thirſt after innocent blood, Chriſtians ſuch as deſire other mens Lands, other mens Wives, other mens Gold, and Silver, and would hold out little wedges of Gold, and ſay, En Deus Chriſtianorum, behold the God of the Chriſtiſtians! They would further add, that the Chriſtians ſaid, that they were the Children of God, and that after death they went to Heaven, upon which they gave this judgment. Qualis Deus iſte, qui tam impuros & ſceleratos filios habet? What kind of God was the God of the Chriſtians, which had ſuch impure and wicked ſons? And if he were like them, there could be no goodnes in him. And if thoſe Chriſtians went to heaven, they would not deſire to go thither, for they would not be where the Chriſtians were. And thus was the honour of God, the Name of Chriſtianity, by their moſt lewd and moſt cruel behaviour, derided, defamed, reproached by thoſe which were Infidels and Paynims.
But to return again unto the people of Eaſt-India, though the Chriſtians which come amongſt them do not ſuch horrible things, yet they do enough to make Chriſtianity it ſelf evill ſpoken of, as a Religion that deſerves more to be abhorred, than imbraced. For truly it is a ſad ſight there to behold, a Drunken Chriſtian, and a ſober Indian; a temperate Indian, and a Chriſtian given up to his appetite. An Indian that is juſt and ſquare in his dealing, a Chriſtian not ſo, a Laborious Indian, and an Idle Chriſtian, as if he were borne only to fold his Armes, or fruges tantum Conſumere natus: to devour Corne, and wear out wooll. Oh what a ſad thing is it for Chriſtians to come ſhort of Indians, even in Moralities, to come ſhort of thoſe, who themſelves believe, come ſhort of Heaven.
Now if any aske whence thoſe moral virtues flow that ſo much adorne Heathens; I anſwer in thoſe words of our Saviour ſpoken to Peter in another caſe, Mat: 16. 17. that fleſh and blood hath not revealed this unto them. But certainly it proceedes from more then theſe, and that is, from thoſe Remnants & Remaines, from thoſe common impreſſions & norions, which are ſealed up in the minds of every one that hath a reaſonable Soule, a part of Adams firſt integrity before his fall, a ſubſtance or bleſſing in a tree that ſeemed to be dead. Little ſparkes raked up (as it were) under many aſhes, which can never die nor be utterly extinguiſhed ſo long as the Soule liveth. Hence the Apoſtle ſpeaks this of the Gentiles, Ro: 2. 14, 15. that they having not the Law, doe by nature the things conteyned in the law, which ſhews the works of the law written in their hearts, &c. But ſo much be ſpoken of the Moralities of that people. I come now to take notice