Hamilton’s account of the east indies. 403

He is never removed out of the temple, but his effigy is often carried abroad inproceffion, mounted on a coach four dories high. It runs on eight or ten wheels, andis capable to contain near two hundred perfons. It is drawn through a large ftreetabout fifty yards wide, and half a league long, by a cable of fourteen inches circum-ference, and at convenient diftances, they fallen fmall ropes to the cable, two or threefathoms long, fo that upwards of two thoufand people have room enough to draw thecoach, and fome old zealots, as it paflfes through the ftreet, fall flat on the ground, tohave the honour to be crufhed to pieces by the coach wheels, and if they meet withthat good fortune, to be killed outright, the priefts make the mob believe, that thedefundl’s foul is much in favour with the idol, but if only a leg, a thigh, or an armare cruffied, then the devotee is not fandtified enough to be taken notice of; however,if they die of their bruifes, their bodies are burned as well as the others, and their foulsgo into paradife, or a place very near it, without Hopping at the half-way houfe to bepurged from their fins, as others lefs pure are obliged to do.

They have a tradition, that this famous idol was not originally of the country henow ftays in, but 3 or 4000 years ago, he fwimmed over the fea, and fome filhersfeeing him lie at high-w r ater mark, went near him, and to their great aftonilhmentheard him fay in their own vernacular language, “ that he came out of pure charityto refide among them, and defired that he might have a good lodging built for him,on that fame fpot of ground that he now dwells on.” The filhers told this ftoryto their ghoftly fathers, who came in troops to fee the ftone that could talk fo prettily,and would have excufed themfelves of the trouble of building an houfe fit to entertainhis godffiip, but he would not be denied; and though their are no ftone-quarriesnor mountains to be feen within reach of the eye, he promifed to furnifli them withgood ftone and lime to build his houfe, if they would but take the trouble, and fo,every night, materials were brought as there was need, and, in a ffiort time, his houfewas built, as it nov; is. And there are reckoned, in the fame town, no lefs than 400temples built in honour to Jagarynat and his relations.

Had Jagarynat ftaid but twenty or thirty centuries, and fwimmed to the ffiore offome Chriftian Catholick country, he would have found an hearty welcome, andwould not have been obliged to confine himfelf to one houfe without windows, buttyould have had an hundred palaces built for him, with fwinging great window’s for togive him day-light, and hundreds of good wax-candles burning before him night andday, inftead of lamps, whofe charge is much lefs than virgin wax, and their light muchdimmer.

Whether this ftory of Jagarynat, or thofe of the miraculous adventures of Xavier?and the fhip that run from Cape Bona Efperanza to Goa in one night, are moft to becredited, I leave to the determination of dm unprejudiced judges of controverfy inpoints polemical.

The prince of this country is an Heathen, and pays a tribute to the Mogul of a lackof rupees yearly, or 12,500k fterling, which is paid into the exchequer at Cattack.And the Prince exadts a tax of half a crowm per head on every pilgrim that comes tothe pagod to worffiip, which generally amounts to 75,000k per annum.

This country abounds in corn, cloth, cattle, deer and antelopes. Bears and mon-kies are very numerous and fearlefs. There is alfo plenty of w'ater-fowl, partridge andpheafant, all tame, becaufe none dares kill them but the prince, except thofe whom he•gives written licences to, and they are but feldom obtained. The country is watered'with many fmall rivers, whofe outlets to the fea are Manikapatam and Arfipore, and

3 f 2 there