A display of two forraigne sects in the East Indies vizt: the sect of the Banians the ancient natiues of India and the sect of the Persees the ancient inhabitants of Persia· together with the religion and maners of each sect collected into two bookes by Henry Lord sometimes resident in East India and preacher to the Hoble Company of Merchants trading thether

THE PROEME, shewing the cause that mo∣ued the Author to produce the following Tract.

HAuing declared the Reli∣gion, Rites, Customes & Ceremonies, of a people liuing in the East Indies called the Banians, a Sect not throughly publisht by any heretofore, whilst my obseruation was be∣stowed in such Inquiry, I obserued in the towne of Surratt the place where I resided, another Sect called the Persees; who because I did discerne them to differ both frō the Moore & Banian in the course of their liuing, & in the forme of their Religion, as also that the Scripture Dan. 6.15. speaketh of the law of the Medes & Persians that might not alter, finding these to bee that same people that are linked with the Medes, I thought it would not be vn∣worthy

of my labour to bring to the eyes of my Countrymen this Religion also, especially since I neuer read of any that had fully pub∣lished the same, but that it hath remained o••scure and hidd from common knowledge. For this cause desirous to add any thing to the ingenious, that the oportunities of my Trauayle might conferre vpon mee, I ioyned my selfe with one of their Church men cal∣led their Daroo, and by the interpretation of a Persee, whose long imployment, in the Companies seruice, had brought him to a mediocrity in the English tongue, and whose familiarity with me, inclined him to further my inquirie: I gained the knowledge of what hereafter I shall deliuer, as it was com∣piled in a booke writ in the Persian Chara∣cter, containing their Scripture, and in their owne language, called their ZVNDAVASTAVV. But because wee should bee better informed concerning the People spoken of, before wee lay downe their Religion, we will first declare who these Persees are, and then proceed to their worshippe.