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

To the Honourable and Worthy Knight, S^r. Mau∣rice Abbot, Gouernor of the Companie of Merchants trading to the East Indies: Christopher Cle∣therow Alderman of the City of London, and Deputie of the said Company, and to all the worthy Aduenturers, Members of the same Society.

Right Honourable:

SJnce the purposed tender of my first Noueltie, time that is sometimes propitious to gratefull Intentions, hath made me fruitfull in a second producement. As therefore I resigned to you my display of the Banian Sect, so also may you be pleased to accept this of the Persees:

since by the strength of your fauours, and the oportunities of your imployment, I haue beene inabled to bring it forth also. As for the strength of the Superstition, why the Persees should make the Fire their God, seemes to weake purpose, as one Canopus an Aegyp∣tian Priest once euinced. For vpon a time when there was a publique Tryall and Contention amongst the Nations, whose God was most powerfull, and the Chaldeans and Persees as Ruffinus testifies, in the second Booke of his Ecclesiasticke Histo∣rie, ostentated their god of Fire; affirming that it was able to destroy all the Aegyptian gods, and Idols of gold, siluer, brasse, wood, stone, or whatsoeuer, and consume them to no∣thing: Canopus to elude this Assertion brings in a stone vessell, orbicular and full of holes like a Cullender, filled with water; and the ventages thereof so cunningly pla∣stered with waxe, that the fraud went vnde∣tected; which being set to mannage his con∣tention with the Fire, the heate melting the waxe, gaue the liquid humour within liber∣ty

to extinguish the Fire, which was the Persians god; which proiect if it seeme but circumuentiue and deceiptfull, to iustifie the power of the Aegyptian god of Stone, aboue the Persians god of Fire; yet who sees not, that if so be any be pleased to make the Wa∣ter his god, it would quickly extinguish the Fiery god which these Persees worshippe? and so by consequence wee may hold this a poore Superstition. Howsoeuer then both these and the former, seeme to bee issues ille∣gitimate and branded in the Conception with the name of base begotten, because they are Superstitious; Yet since our Physitians in England, haue learned to make the poy∣sons in forraigne Countries medecinable and soueraigne in our owne; J hope t••e good Christians in England, haue learned al∣so to conuert the Heresies of the Heathen, though in themselues banefull and obnoxious, to vses cauearie against relapse, and defecti∣ous Apostasie. Accept it then Right Ho∣nourable, and take it according to his b••st Vse, (as men at some times of the yeere make

of weedes, things both healthfull and vse∣full) from him who would haue affoorded you some thing more worthy, if there might haue come any thing good out of Gallile. Jn de∣fect whereof, accept my dutie in this, which shall be euer forward to witnesse it selfe in all good prayers and wishes, for the flourish∣ing and prosperous estate of your Affaires forraigne and Domesticke, as becommeth

Your thankfull Seruant, and Minister: Henry Lord.