To the Reader.

ND now, Reader, The Pilgrime comes vnto thee the fourth time, with whom hee dares be ſomewhat bolder. Being, I know not by what naturall inclination, addicted to the ſtudie of Historie, my heart would ſomteimtes object a ſelfe-loue, in following my priuate delights in the kinde. At laſt I reſolued to turne the pleaſures of my ſtudies into ſtudious paines, that others might againe, by delightfull ſtudie, turne my paines into their pleaſure. I heere bring Religion from Paradiſe to the Ark, and thence follow her round the World, and (for her ſake) obſcrue the World it ſelfe, with the ſeureral Countries and Peoples therin; the chiefe Empires and States: their priuate and publique Cuſtomes; their manifold chances and changes; alſo the wonderfull and moſt remarkable effects of Nature; Enents of Diuine and Humane Prouidence, Rarities of Art; and whatſouer I finde by Relations of Hiſtorians, as I paſſe, moſt worthie the writing. Religion is my proper aime, and therefore I inſiſt longer on the deſcription of whatſoeuer I finde belonging thereto; declaring the Religion of the firſt Men the corrupting of it before and after the Floud; the Iewiſh obſeruations; the Idols, Idolatries, Temples, Prieſts, Feaſts, Faſts, Opinions, Sects, Orders, and ſacred Cuſtomes of the Heathens; with the Alterations and succeſſions that haue therein happened, from the beginning of the World hitherto.

This Worke I diuide into foure parts. This firſt exhibiteth the Relations and Theologicall diſcouerie of Asia, Africa, and America: The ſecond when God will, ſhall doe the ſame for Evrope: The third and fourth, in a ſecond viſitation, ſhall obſerue ſuch things in the ſame places as I holde moſt remarkeable in the Chriſtian and Eccleſiaſticall Hiſtorie, and that according to the ſame Method; which is ſquared in the Whole by order of Place, going ſtill out of one Countrie into the next; in each particular part and ſeuerall Countrie, by the order of Time, deducing our Relations, ſo farre as we haue Others foot-prints to guide vs, (though not exactly naming the day and yeere, and determining queſtions in Chronologicall controuerſies, yet in ſome conuenient ſort) from the ancient times, and by degrees deſending to the preſent.

If thou demandeſt what profit may be hereof; I anſwere, that heere Students of all ſorts may finde matter fitting their ſtudies: The naturall Philoſophers may obſerue the different conſtitution and commixtion of the Elements, their diuers working in diuers places, the varietie of heauenly influence, of the yeerely ſeaſons, of the Creatures in the Aire, Water, Earth: They which delight in State-affaires, may obſerue the varietie of States and Kingdomes, with their differing Lawes, Polities, and Cuſtomes, their Beginnings and Endings. The Diuine, beſides the former, may heere contemplate the workes of God, not in Creation alone, but in his Iustice and Prouidence, purſuing ſinne euery where with ſuch dreadfull plagues; both bodily, in rooting vp and pulling downe the mighieſt Empires; and eſpecially in ſpirituall Iudgements, giuing vp ſo great a part of the World vnto the eſficacie of Errour in ſtrong deluſions, that hauing forſaken the Fountaine of liuing waters, they should dig vnto themſelves theſe broken Pits that can hold no water; deuout in their ſuperſtittuons, and ſuperſtituions in their deuotions; agreeing all in thgis, that there ſhould bee a Religion, diſagreeing from each other, and the Trvth, in the practice thereof.

Likewiſe our Miniſters may be incited vnto all godly labours in their function of preaching the Goſpel, ſeeing otherwiſe, for outward and bodily ceremonies, the Turkes and Iewes (in their manifold deuotions in the Oratories euery day) and other Heathen would conuince vs of idleneſſe. And let mee haue leaue to ſeake it for the glory of God, and the good our Church; I cannot finde any Prieſts in all this my Pilgrimage, of whom wee haue any exact Hiſtory, but take more bodily paines in their deuotions, than is performed by not preaching Miniſters, eſpecially in Countrie villages, where on the weeke dayes they cannot haue occaſion, or company, for publique prayers & therfore if they read only the Seruice on holy dayes, and neuer ſtudie for more (which I would it were not the idle practiſe of ſome) euen the Heathen ſhall riſe vp in iudgement aginſt them. I ſubſribe with hand and practice to our Liturgie, but not the ſuch Lethargie: whoſe darkeneſſe is ſo much the more intollerable; in this Sun-ſhine of the Goſpell, wherein wee haue a gracious King, ſo diligent a frequenter of Sermons; and Reverend Biſhops (notwithſtanding other their weightly Eccleſiaſticall employments yet) diligent Preachers.

The ſtudious of Geographie may ſomewhat be helped in that kinde: not that we intend an exact Geographie, in mentioning euery Citie with the degrees of Longitude and Latitude, but yet limiting euery Countrie in his true ſituation and bounds; and performing happily more than ſome, which take vpon them the tiel of Geographers, as their cheife profeſſion: and more then any which I know hath done in our language.

He which admireth and almoſt adoreth the Capuchine, Ieſuite, or other Romaniſts, for ſelfe inflicted whippings, faſtings, watchings, vowes of obedience, pouertie, and ſingle life, and their not ſparing their limmes, and liues for their Will-worſhips, may ſee, in all theſe, the Romaniſts equalled by Heathens, if not out-ſtripped, euen by the reports of the Ieſuites and other their Catholiques. 1. Tim. 4.8.Bodily exerciſe profiteth little, but Godlineſſe is profitable vnto all, and hath the promiſe of this life and that which is to come.

Here alſo the Reader may ſee moſt of their Popiſh Rites, deriued our of Chaldean, Egyptian, and other Fountaines of Paganiſme, as in the later taske we ſhall haue more occaſion to ſhoew. Heere euery Engliſh man may ſee caussſe to praiſe God continually for the light of his truth, communicated to vs: whereas it is (in compariſon) but a ſmall part of the World, that ſoundeth the ſacred name of Euſus; and of thoſe that profeſſe it, how infinit are the ſects and ſuperſtitions? God hath ſhowed his Word vnto our Iacob ( The Defender Of His Faith) his Statues and his Iudgements vnto this Israel of Great Brittaine. Hee hath not dealth ſo with euery Nation, neither haue the Heathen, nor ſcarcely, if ſcarcely, any other Chriſtian Nation, ſo much knowledge of his iudgements. And yet how ſeditious are ſome? how prophane are others? how vnthanfull the moſt? That beaſtly Sinne of Drunkenneſſe, that biting Sinne of Vſurie, that Deuiliſh Sinne of Swaggering, ruffling in deformitie of clothes, like monſtrous Chimaras, and barking out a multiformitie of oathes, like helliſh Cerberi, as if men could not be Gallants, vnleſſe they turned to Deuils. Theſe are the paiments wee returne vnto the Lord, in ſtead of prayers for, and loyaltie to his Maieſtie; peaceableneſſe and charitie to each others; modeſtie and ſobrietie in our ſelues.

For the forme, I haue ſought in ſome places, with varietie of phraſe, in all, with varietie of matter, to draw thee along with mee in this tedious Pilgrimage. Some names are written duerſly, according to the differing Copies which I followed, which thy diſcretion will eaſily conceuie. I doe not in euery queſtion ſet downe my censure; ſometimes, becauſe it were more then needes; ſometimes becauſe of the difficultie. I mention Authors ſometimes of meane quality, for the meanſthaue ſence to obſerue that which themſelues ſee, more certainly ten the contemplations and Theorie of the more learned. I would alſo acknowledge the labour of the meaneſt. I haue laboured to reduce Relations to their firſt Authors, ſetting their names to their Allegations: the want whereof hath much troubled mee, whilſt the moſt leaue out their Authors, as if their owne aſſertion were ſufficient authoritie in things borrowed. I haue (to my great paines) contracted and Epitomized whole Volumes (and ſome very large) into one Chapter; a thing vſuall through theſe Relations. Where I haue found plentifull diſcourſe for Religion (my chiefe aime) I am ſhorter in other Relations; and where I haue had leſſe helpes for the diſouerie, I inſiſt more on the wonders of Nature, and diſoueries by Sea and Land, with other remarkeable accidents. Theſe Rarities of Nature I haue ſometimes ſuted in a differing phraſe and figure of ſpeech; not that I affect a fantaſticall ſingularitie; but that theſe Diuine workes might appeare in Robes, if not fitting their Maieſtie, yet ſuch as our Word Robe did willingly without any great affectation or ſtudie, afford not without example of the Scripture, which vſeth to bring the mute Creatures, ſpeaking and performing (as it were) other perſonall offices; nor without this effect to make the Reader ſtay a while with obſeruation and wonder; beſides that, variety of it ſelfe is delighſome.

If any miſlike the fulneſſe in ſome places, and the barrenneſſe of words in others; let them conſider, we handle a World, where are Mountaines and Vallies, fertile habitations, and ſandy deſarts: and others ſteps, whom I followed, hold me ſometimes in a narrower way, which elſewhere take more libertie. I touch here and there a Controuerſie; both for illuſtration of Hiſtorie; and in ſeaſon, and out of ſeaſon, to ſhew my affectation to the Truth.

Now if any man thinke, that it were better theſe rotten bones of the paſſed, and ſtinking bodies of the Preſent ſuperſtitions were buried, then thus raked out of the graues, beſides that which hath beene ſaid, I anſwere, That I haue ſifficient examples in the Scriptires, which were written for our learning to the ends of the World, and yet depaint vnto vs the vgly face of Idolatry in ſo many Countries of the Heathens, with the Apoſtaſies, Sects, and Herſies of the Iewes, as in our firſt and ſecon booke, is shewed: and the Ancient Fathers alſo, Iuſtin, Tertullian, Clemens, Irenæus, Origen, and more fully, Euſebius, Epiphanius, Philaſtrius and Auguſtine, haue gone before vs in their large Catalogues of Hereſies and falſe Opinions.

I appeale vnto any indfferent Reader (for ſome not Readers, nor indifferent, I reſpect not, whoſe Authoritie, perhaps, would be but indfferent, if they muſt firſt win it by being Authors of ſo big, I dare not ſay, ſo great volumes) if there be any, either Idolatries, or other impieteis, in this worke of mine expreſſed beyond theirs which heere out of the Scriptures are mentioned; Stewes in the Temple, humane Sacrifices to Meloch, Tamuz his mourning, Sodomites, Inceſts, with other fleſhly, worldly, beaſtly, Deuilliſh monſters of iniquitie, obtruded vnder Religions Sacred Mantle, amongſt the Amorites, Egyptians and Iewes, before the coming of Chriſt: or greater darkeneſſe and more helliſh then when the Light it ſelfe was made manifest, and the Darkneſſe comprehended it not: Herods butcheries, Iudas his treacherie, the blaſphemies of the Scribes, Prieſts, and phariſes, and the crucifying of the Sonne of God, by men, for men: or ſince, if as ſtinking, loathſome, monſtrous, abuſes have not beene offered to the Chriſtian Name in worſe impoſtures and pollutions, by the Nicholaitans, and other incarnat Deuils, recorded by thoſe Fathers and other Eccleſiaſticall Authors, then any of thoſe heere in this booke obſerued: to which, if that which Epiphanius hath writeen of the Gnoſtikes alone, fully and particularly, be conſidered, all theſe Ethnike and Mahumetan ſuperſtitions would comparatiuely be iuſtified: So true is that olde ſaying, Corruptio opsimi peßima; and of the Truth it ſelfe, Sodom and her daughters not comparable to Ieruſalem with hers; and of the iuſteſt Iudge, that it ſhall bee eaſier at the day of Iudgement for Thoſe then Theſe. And what indeede doth more ſet forth the glory of Gods grace, then in pardoning; his power, then in reforming; his juſtice, then in giuing men vp to ſuch deluſions? Are not theſe the Trophees and glorious victories of The Crosse Of Christ, that hath ſubuerted the Temples, Oracles, Sacrifices, and Seruices of the Deuill? And maiſt not thou ſee herein, what Man is, and thou thy ſelfe maiſt bee, if God leaue thee to they ſelfe? Read therefore, with prayſes vnto God, the Father of thy light; and prayers for theſe Heathens, that God may bring them out of the ſnare of the Deuill, & that Chriſt may be his ſaluation to the ends of the World. And let me alſo obtain thy prayers in this my Pilgrimage, to be therein directed, to the glorie of God, and good of my Countrie. Euen ſo Lord Iesvs.