[ A] heauen seuen eyes of the Sun, which shall d••ie vp riuers, and the sea, and burne the earth, and that there shall remaine among the ashes two egges, from whence shall come a man and a woman which shall renew the world, and then there shall be no more sea with salt water, but pleasing lakes, pooles, brookes, and riuers, which shall water the whole earth in such sort as it shall abound in all good things without the labour of man.
They haue an infinit number of Idols, and among other things they worship the foure elements, and euerie man at his death makes choice of the manner of his funerals, accor∣ding to the element which he hath worshipped, they that haue adored the earth are bu∣ried, and they that haue borne any honour to fire are burnt: they that haue reuerenced [ B] the aire, are hung, to the end they may be deuoured by birds; and they that haue had any particular veneration to the water, are drowned.
In Pegu, the wiser sort make innumerable worlds successiuely one after another, and an infinit number of gods, yet not all together, but more or lesse to euerie world. They attribute fiue to that wherein we are, and say that there are foure alreadie past. They be∣leeue that the world shal end by fire, and that it renews continually with his proper gods. They put also certaine men in the number of their gods, but with condition, that they shall passe before into fish, beasts, and birds of all sorts. They hold that there are three places appointed after this life, that is to say, one of torments, another of delights, and the third of satisfaction, or abbrogating, which they call Miba. They hold, that the soules re∣maine [ C] so long in the two first places, and return so often into this world, as in the end they are worthie to be admitted into Miba. From these principles spring so many vanities and superstitions, and such foolish ceremonies and opinions, as any man of judgement may sooner conceiue them than know how to expresse them. They do also worship certaine lumps of earth, and chalke gilt ouer, made like vnto the Pyramides of Aegypt, the which they call Varelles, and they are so high, as the least of them is of fortie fadome. The grea∣test is in the towne of Degum, the which is of such a heigth as they may discouer the greatest part of the realme. Vpon the top of it, there are certaine peeces of yron, with a ball and head of brasse, enuironed with little bells, where they hang the jewels and other things which they offer vnto them: they worship these Varelles as their gods, and make [ D] them high, to signifie their greatnesse, as they say.
They haue conuents of priests neere vnto the Temples of their Idols, being aboue three hundred for euerie place. They haue the head & the chin shauen, and weare long gownes [ XIX] with sleeues hanging to the ground. They neuer conuerse with any women, and seldome with men: yet they receiue all strangers courteously: Some of these conuents liue of their reuenues, and other of almes. They haue also houses appointed for women that will retire themselues: and certaine lodgings for the keeping of their Idols, which they put there for deuotion; there is one of them in which they say there is aboue one hun∣dred and twentie thousand. They fast thirtie daies euerie yeare, and eat nothing vntill night. They hold that in the other life a thefee shall be slaue to him from whom he hath [ E] stollen any thing; and they beleeue that it is a sinne to kill any thing that hath life. By reason whereof, the king doth often command through deuotion that they should not fish, nor kill any thing that liues, but it is little obserued by reason of the couetousnesse of officers who suffer themselues to be easily corrupted for money.