for that purpose: and this profession continued, as I haue said, the space of one whole yeere: du∣ring the which time, their fathers, and they themselues had made a vow to serue the Idoll in this manner, and from thence they went to be married.
I doe not know that in Peru there is any proper houses for men, but for the Priests and Sorce∣rers, whereof there is an infinite number. But it seemeth, that in Mexico the Deuill hath set a due obseruation: for within the circuit of the great Temple there were two Monasteries, as be∣fore hath beene said, one of Virgins, whereof I haue spoken, the other of young men secluded of eighteen or twentie yeeres of age, which they called religious. They weare shaued crownes, as the Friars in these parts, their haire a little longer, which fell to the middest of their eare, except the hinder part of the head, which they let grow the breadth of foure fingers down to their shoulders [ 10] and which they tyed vp in tresses. These young men that serued in the Temple of Vitzliputzli li∣ued poore and chastly, and did the Office of Leuites, ministring to the Priests and chiefe of the Temple, their Incense, Lights, & garments; they swept and made cleane the holy places, bringing Wood for a continuall fire to the harth of their god, which was like a lampe that still burnt before the Altar of their Idoll. Besides these young men, there were other little boyes, as novices, that serued for manuall vses, as to deck the Temple with boughs, roses, & reeds, giue the Priests water to wash with, giue them their rasors to sacrifice, and goe with such as begged almes to carry it. All these had their superiors, who had the gouernment ouer them, they liued so honestly, as when they came in publike, where there were any women, they carried their heads very low, with [ 20] their eyes to the ground, not daring to behold them: they had linnen garments, and it was law∣full for them to goe into the Citie foure or sixe together, to aske Almes in all quarters: and when they gaue them none, it was lawfull to goe into the Corne fields, and gather the eares of Corne, or clusters of Mays, which they most needed, the Master not daring to speake, nor hinder them. They had this libertie, because they liued poorely, and had no other reuenues, but Almes. There might not be aboue fiftie liue in penance, rising at midnight to sound the Cornets and Trumpets to a∣wake the people. Euery one watched the Idoll in his turne, lest the fire before the Altar should die: they gaue the Censor, with the which the Priest at midnight incensed the Idoll, and also in the morning at noone, & at night. They were very subiect and obedient to their superiors, and passed not any one point that was commaunded them. And at midnight after the Priest had [ 30] ended his censing, they retired themselues into a secret place, apart, sacrificing, and drawing blood from the calfes of their legs with sharpe bodkins: with this bloud they rubbed their tem∣ples, and vnder their eares: and this sacrifice finished, they presently washt themselues in a little poole appointed to that end. These young men did not annoint their heads and bodies with any Petum, as the Priests did: their garments were of course white linnen cloth they doe make there. These exercises and strictnesse of penance continued a whole yeere, during which time they liued with great austeritie and solitarinesse.
It hath beene said that the Priests and religious of Mexico, rose at midnight, and hauing cast Incense before the Idoll, they retired themselues into a large place, where there were many Lighs; and sitting downe, euery one tooke a point of Manguay, which is like vnto an awle or [ 40] sharpe bodkin, with the which, or with some other kindes of Launcets or Rasors, they pierced the calfes of their legs neere to the bone, drawing forth much bloud, with the which they anointed their temples, and dipt these bodkins or lancets in the rest of the bloud, then set they them vp∣on the battlements of the Court, stickt in gloabes or bowles of straw, that all might see and know the penance they did for the people: they doe wash off the bloud in a lake appointed for that purpose, which they call Ezapangue, which is to say, water of bloud.
There were in the Temple a great number of bodkins or lancets, for that they might not vse one twice. Moreouer, these Priests and Religious men, vsed great Fastings, of fiue or ten dayes together, before any of their great Feasts, and they were vnto them as our foure Ember weekes: they were so strict in continence, that some of them (not to fall into any sensualitie) slit their [ 50] members in the midst, and did a thousand things to make themselues vnable, lest they should offend their gods. They drunke no Wine, and slept little, for that the greatest part of their exer∣cises were by night, committing great cruelties and martyring themselues for the Deuill, and all to bee reputed great fasters and penitents. They did vse to discipline themselues with cords full of knots, and not they onely, but the people also vsed this punishment and whipping, in the procession and feast they made to the Idoll Tezcalipuca, the which (as I haue said before) is the god of penance; for then they all carried in their hands new cordes of the threed of Manguey a fadome long, with a knot at the end, and wherewish they whipped themselues, giuing great la∣shes ouer their shoulders. The Priests did fast fiue dayes before this Feast, eating but once a day, and they liued apart from their wiues, not going out of the Temple during those fiue dayes, they did whip themselues rigorously in the manner aforesaid.
[ 60] In Peru to solemnize the feast of the Yta, which was great, all the people fasted two dayes; during the which, they did not accompanie with their Wiues, neither did they eate any meate with Salt or Garleeke, nor drinke Chica. They did much vse this kinde of fasting for some sins, and did penance, whipping themselues with sharpe stinging Net••les, and often they strooke