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 INTRODVCTION OR PREAMBLE, PREPA∣ring the Reader for the know∣ledge of the following WORKE.

HAuing by Gods Proui∣dence (who swayeth vs as it pleaseth him to our seuerall places of being) gained a charge of soules in the Aduenture of the honourable Company of Merchants trading to the East-Indies: It happened that I was transferred from my Charge aboard the Shippe, to reside in their prime Factorie in Guzzarat, in a place called Surrat, with the President ouer their affaires in that place M^r. Thomas Kerridge; where ac∣cording to the busie obseruance of Trauai∣lers, inquiring what noueltie the place might

produce, a people presented themselues to mine eyes, cloathed in linnen garments, some∣what low descending, of a gesture and garbe as I may say, maidenly and well nigh effemi∣nate; of a countenance shy and somewhat estranged: yet smiling out a glosed and bash∣full familiarity, whose vse in the Companies affaires occasioned their presence there.

Truth to say, mine eyes vnacquainted with such obiects, tooke vp their wonder and ga∣zed; and this admiration the badge of a fresh Trauailer, bred in mee the importunity of a Questioner: I asked what manner of people those were, so strangely notable, and notably strange? Reply was made, they were Banians, a people forraigne to the knowledge of the Christian world; their Religion, Rites, and Customes, sparingly treated of by any, and they no lesse reserued in the publication of them: but some opinions they deriued from the Philosopher Pythagoras, touching Trans-animation of soules. It was thought the nouelty would make the discouery there∣of, gratefull and acceptable to some of our Countrey men, that some of my Predeces∣sors had beene scrutinous to bring this Re∣ligion to light; but whether deterred with the Fictions and Chymeraes, wherewith Banian writings abound, that might make it vnwor∣thy of acceptation, or the shynesse of the Bramanes, who will scarce admit a stranger

conuersation, the worke was left to him that would make a path through these impedi∣ments.

The President, M^r. Thomas Kerridge, was vrgent with me, to redeeme their omissions, and to see if I could worke somewhat out of this forsaken Subiect. The truth was, I was willing to earnest his loue to mee by this in∣iunction, who to giue this vndertaking the better promotion, interested himselfe in the worke, by mediating my acquaintance with the Bramanes, whose eminence of place, was an attractiue to draw on this discouery and manifestation.

I that thought my obseruance would bee well tooke, if I could present my Countrey∣men with any thing new from these forraigne parts, begun my worke, and essayed to fetch materials for the same out of their Manu∣scripts, and by renewed accesse, with the helpe of Interpreters, made my collections out of a booke of theirs called the SHASTER, which is to them as their Bible, containing the grounds of their Religion in a written word.

If any therefore bee affected to peruse or reuise the Religion, Rites, and Customes, of the said Banians, leauing out for the most part such prodigious Fictions as seeme inde∣pendant on sense and reason; here they shall meete with the best Essence and ground of

this Sect, digested into such a forme, as shall best cleare the knowledge thereof, and such as I presume neuer had a like discouery by any yet in the Presse. So handfesting the Reader with as good hopes, as may bee expected from a Subiect of this nature, I referre them to the proofe of the following Chapters.