I Have Seen When Some Of
Them Lay Dying, That There Were Set Up Seven Burning Perfumes, Four Of
Them Great Shining Lights, Arranged On A Cane Laid Across Two Crochets,
Six Feet From The Ground, And Three Small Dim Lights On The Ground
Directly Under The Others.
On asking frequently the meaning of this
ceremony, I could never get any other answer than that it was the custom
of China.
They do many other such foolish things, not knowing wherefore,
but only that it has been so done by their ancestors.
They delight much in the exhibition of plays, and in singing, but
certainly have the worst voices in the world. These plays and interludes
are exhibited in honour of their gods, after burning sacrifices at the
beginning, the priests many times kneeling down, and kissing the ground
three times in quick succession. These plays are made most commonly when
they think their junks are setting out from China, and likewise when
they arrive at Bantam, and when they go away back to China. These plays
sometimes begin at noon, and continue till next morning, being mostly
exhibited in the open streets, on stages erected on purpose. They have
likewise among them some soothsayers, who sometimes run raging up and
down the streets, having drawn swords in their hands, tearing their hair
like so many madmen, and throwing themselves on the ground. When in this
frantic state, they themselves affirm, and it is believed by the
Chinese, that they can foretell what is to happen.
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