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

CHAP. II.

Containing the Opinion of the Persees, tou∣ching the Creation of the world, and the Crea∣tures therein; together with a short mention of the Flood, and the generall diuision of the follow∣ing discourse.

NOw after the consideration of these Persees, of whose Religion we are to speake, we proceede more particu∣larly to the Subiect of this booke, which is their worshippe and Religion; wherein firs•• commeth to bee rendred their opinion tou∣ching the Creation.

Touching this, the Persees affirme, that be∣fore any thing was, there was a God, that was the maker of all things, who when he did de∣termine to make himselfe knowne by his workes in the Creation of the Vniuerse, and the creatures therein, did diuide this great worke of the creation, into a sixfold labour.

First then, they say hee made the heauens with their Orbes, a place most glorious and pleasant, which he adorned with great lights and lesser; as the Sunne, Moone, and Stars; as also hee did make the Angels, which accor∣ding to their seuerall dignities, he placed in their seuerall Orders one aboue another, which place he made a habitation of blessed∣nesse, for such as should liue holily in this life,

and hauing thus done, that he might teach vs to doe great designes with consideration and aduise, he rested fiue dayes from the worke of further creation.

Next he made Hell, in the lower parts of the world, from which he banished all light and comfort; that as heauen might be a place of happinesse, to those that are good and please the Almighty, so this might be a place of horrour and punishment, to such as offend his Maiesty; wherein as in heauen, so God had made seuerall mansions that exceeded each other in dolour, which were proportioned ac∣cording to the degrees of offenders; about which time Lucifer, the chiefe of Angels, with other of his Order, conspiring against God, to gaine the Soueraignety and command ouer all, God threw him from the Orbe of his happinesse, together with his confederates and accomplices, dambd him to hel the place that was made for offenders, and turned them from their glorious shapes, into shapes blacke, vgly, and deformed; till the times of the world should be consummate, when al of∣fenders in generall should receiue their sen∣tence of punishment and condemnation. So God hauing accomplished this second la∣bour, desisted from the worke of the creation fiue dayes more.

After this, the Almighty begunne the third labour of the creation, which was to make

the Earth, which together with the Waters called Seas, make this lower world like a Globe or Ball, so agreeing together, that the Seas humidity maketh the Earth fruitfull, and the Earths soliditie, boundeth the waters in their due confine; which worke thus fini∣shed, God suspended the worke of the Crea∣tion for fiue dayes more and rested.

The fourth labour was to make the Trees, Plants, and Hearbes, that so the earth might bring forth fruites pleasant to the eye, and taste, and for the comfort of the Creatures liuing in the earth; this also done, God rested and gaue the former respite to his labours.

The fift worke was to make Creatures fit to abide in the places forementioned, as Beasts of all sorts, to forrage in the greene pastures; Fowles to cleane the Ayre with their nimble Pencions; Fishes to swimme in the vnknowne depths of the watery Ocean. The world thus replenished with creatures, God resumed his wonted rest and intermissi∣on from this labour.

And lastly vndertooke his sixt labour, which was the forming of Man and Woman, to whom the rest of the Creatures were made ministratory and seruile, whose name their Records deliuer to be Adamah, and Euah, who being the first two by whom the multitudes of mankinde should be propagated: God as they affirme, did cause Euah to bring forth

two twinnes every day: for a thousand yeeres together, death did diminish none of the numbers of mankinde by mortality.

But Lucifer thus deposed with the rest of his Order, grew malignant both to God and man; and as God did good, so he laboured to doe euill, and to perturbe his actions, and tempt men to sinne and wickednesse, labou∣ring to make man odious to his Maker, as al∣so making himselfe an enemy to all good∣nesse, which God yet did not fully reuenge, as knowing nothing but euill to bee in him and his confederates.

But the better to preuent his mischiefe, set certaine superuisors ouer his creatures to preserue them in that state wherein they were at first created. Thus to one Hamull was committed the charge of the heauens; to Acrob the ouersight of the Angels, that they relapsed not as Lucifer had done; to Ioder the ouersight of the Sunne, Moone, and Starres; to Soreh the care of the Earth; to Iosah the command of the Waters; Sumbolah had the charge of the beasts of the field; Daloo of the Fish of the Sea; Rocan of the trees; Cooz of Man and Woman; and Sertan and Asud to whom God had giuen strength and power, were made the guardians of Lucifer, and the euill spirits, to master and conjure them from mischiefe to Gods creatures, who yet not∣withstanding the watch of Sertan and Asud,

did much mischiefe in the world by sugge∣stion and temptation to wickedn••sse; which made God offended with mankinde for their wickednesse.

The sinnes of men growing great, they say it appeareth in their Records, that there came a Flood or Inundation, which ouer∣flowed the Earth and the Inhabitants there∣of, some few onely God preserued to propa∣gate the generations of the times following; that so there might not bee an vtter ruine of mankinde. These generations were dispersed to people the earth againe, from which all Nations haue had their descent. And as their Historiographer Mircond reporteth, in times not long distant from the Flood, these Persees had a Race of Kings that were their proper Gouernours, continued for aboue a thousand yeeres by the succession of fiue and forty Kings. The first whereof was Guiomaras, who as Mircond reports, was the son of Aram, the sonne of Sem, the sonne of Noah, by the Per¦sees called Adam Asseny, that is, the second Adam; the last, in whom the Monarchie of this people concluded (as is before shewed) was Yesdegerd. The Abridgement of which Chronicle I would haue gathered from them▪ but that I found it to agree punctually both i•• matter, and order, with that translation of M^r. Grimstones, called Estates and Empires, &c in the Chronicle of the Kings of Persia, to

whom I referre those that desire informati∣on therein.

What Religion this people had in the Reignes of Guiomaras, Syameck, Ouchang, Tha∣mull, Iimshed, Zoack, Traydhun, and Manoucher, vnto Lorasph, which was their fifteenth King, is not the scope of this present worke, though then they had a peculiar kinde of worshippe. But the Religion that is the Subiect of this booke, is a Religion that was receiued in the Reigne of Gustasph, the sonne of Lorasph, their sixteenth King in succession, concerning the worshippe of Fire: in the defence of which Religion Gustasph was so zealous, that hee made warre against Ariaseph, King of Turron, for that he reprehended him in a letter about this worshippe.

Hauing then limited this Booke to his pro∣per Subiect, three things in generall are to be treated of in this worke. First, to declare who was their Law-giuer, how their Law was deliuered, and came to bee receiued of Gu∣stasph King of Persia. Next to shew the sub∣stance of their Law. Lastly, to proceede to other Ceremonies obserued by them, not improper to this present Tract.