plentifull of Elephants, Lyons, Rhinocerotes, Corne, and Trees, besides her hidden
treasures, and mines of yron, brasse, siluer, gold, and salt. It hath also Heben wood,
as Lucan
singeth, Laetacomis Hebeni. It receiued that name
of Meroe, sister of
Cambyses, or after
Eusebius, of Merida, the mother of Chenphris, King of Egypt.
They worshipped a Barbarian God, and besides Pan, Hercules. and Isis.
They cast
their dead into the Riuer, others reserued them at home in glasse shrines, others in ear∣then
receptacles buried them neare to their Temples. They esteemed them for Gods,
and sware by them. They ordayned him King, who excelled in strength, or in person,
or in husbandrie of cattell, or in wealth. Their Priests enioyed the chiefe ranke of ho∣nour,
who sending their Herald or Messenger, enioyned the King his death, and set
vp an other in his roome. At length a certaine King abolished this custome, and rush∣ing
with his armed Souldiers into their Temple, where was a golden Chappell, slew
all those Priests. This was at Meroe the head City of the Iland, where (Pausanias
saith) they shewed the Table of the Sunne, and that they were the iustest men of all
the Aethiopians.
Concerning that Table, and the expedition of Cambyses into these parts, Herodotus
relateth: He affirmeth, that Cambyses designed at once three inuasions; against the
Carthaginians, the Ammonians, and Macrobians (all in Africa.) These last haue their
names of their long liues, which they draw forth farre beyond the vsuall course. Hee
placeth them on the South shores of Africa, but Mela
in Meroe: Seneca, Plinie, and
Solinus beyond. That Table of the Sunne, Herodotus and Mela, thus describe. Neare
to the Citie was a place alwaies furnished with variety of rosted meates, there set in
the night by the Magistrates, and eaten on the day by such as listed, and therefore of
this open feasting, called the Sunnes table: whom the ignorant people also thought
to be the Cater of these dainties. Cambyses sent an Embassage vnto the King with
presents, but principally to espie the Country: whom the Aethiopian requited with
a Bow, and bad that the Persians should then inuade the Macrobians, when they were
able to shoote in such bowes: thanking GOD that hee was contented with his owne.
And because he had sent him golden chaines, hee asked to what vse they were, they
said, for ornaments; he answered with smiling, thinking them to bee chaines for pu∣nishment,
That he had stronger fetters then those. The like account hee made of his
purple Robes, ointments, and wine: and asked further what the Persians eate, and
when they told him bread made of wheat, (the nature whereof they declared) and
withall, that the oldest Persians exceeded not fourescore yeares; hee said, that it was
no maruell of their short life, that fed vpon dung: neither could they liue so long, were
it not for that drinke of wine which they vsed; It was not extraordinarie
there to
attayne to a hundred and twentie yeares, their meat was boiled flesh, and their drinke
milke. He brought them to a Fountaine, wherein being bathed they smelled as of
Violets, it was so subtle that nothing could swimme thereon, not wood, or other ligh∣ter
matter: this water was supposed to lengthen their liues. He brought them also to
the Prisons, where they saw many manacled and bound with chaines of gold.
Lastly, he shewed them their Sepulchres made of glasse, in this manner. After they
haue embalmed the dead corps, they annoynt it with a kinde of pargetting mortar,
and then put it in a case or coffin of glasse, through which it shineth, and is apparant
without any ill sauour. This they keepe one yeare in the house, offering thereto Sa∣crifices,
and the first fruits of all thinges: and then carrie it out of the Citie. Thus farre
Herodotus.
Wherein, that which some penny-father would most admire, their golden fetters,
how common and rife is it in an other sort with vs? euery couetous miser, manacling,
fettering, strangling himselfe with his gold, in shew his ornament, in affect his God,
in effect his Deuill, Iaylour, chaines, and hell. The Macrobiy (Mela addeth) vsed
brasse for honour, gold for punishments.
Of the table of the Sunne before mentioned, thus writeth Frier Luys de Vrreta,
in
that his large historie, which he hath composed in Spanish, of Aethiopia: that the King
in a curious brauerie & sumptuous vanitie, caused there to be set by night in a certaine