564 lord’s discovery of the. banians and persees.

grant him four demands which he would propound to him, he would believe his law,and be ever a profelfor of that religion contained in the book he brought with him.Zertoofl then bade him propofe his demands, and, if they were fuch as were reafonable,they Ihould be granted. The King then propofed them. The firft whereof was, thathe might afcend to heaven, and defcend from thence when he lift. The fecond was,that he might know what God would do at prefent, and in time to come. The third,was, he might never die. The fourth was, that no inftrument whatfoever might havethe power to wound him or hurt him,

Zertooft thus replied, that thefe were difficult and high demands; neither did fo greata power reft in him as to grant them ; neither was it meet that any one man Ihould havethem all, for that therein he ffiould rather feem to be a God than a man ; yet difficultthough they were, that the book of laws he had brought might be known to proceedfrom God , he would procure that thefe requefts might be granted to feveral perfons, butnot all to one : So the firft, which was to afcend to heaven and defcend from thenceat pleafure, was obtained for Guftafph, who, they fay, had this power granted him.The fecond, which was to know what would fall out at prefent or hereafter, was grantedto the King’s churchman, that fo he might direfl the King in his defigns, what ffiouldbe undertaken, what ffiould be left undone. The third, which was to live for ever,was granted to Guftafph’s eldeft fen, called Pifchiton, who yet liveth (as they fay) ifwe will believe them, at a place in Perfia called Demavvando Cohoo, in a high moun-tain, w'ith a guard confifting of thirty men, to which place all living creatures elfe areforbidden to approach, left they ffiould live for ever, as they do that abide there, whonever fuffer mortality. The laft, which was never to be wounded with inftrument orweapon, was granted to the youngeft fon of Guftafph, called Efpandier, who, theyfay, by ZertoolPs prayers was made invulnerable, that he might put himfelf into thedanger of battle, without fear or hazard.

So Guftafph and the three other mentioned, proving the power of thefe feveral gifts,they all determined to live according to the precepts in Zertooft’s book; wherein thatthey might be informed, Zertooft unfolded to them the contents thereof: the matteror fubjedt of which book, of what nature it was, fhall be declared in the chapterfollowing.

Chap. VI. — Wherein is Jhewed the main Contents of the Book delivered to Zertooft, andby him publijhed to the Perfians, or Perfees.

HAVING ffiewed who Zertooft was, that was the lawgiver of thefe Perfees, in whatmanner, according to their alfertion, he received the book by ftrange revelation ; w'ithwhat wonders, as they affirm, he wrought affent thereunto, and belief thereon, byGuftafph and his nobles ; after this it will perhaps be defired to know, what this bookcontained, that this feet deliver to be received after fo wondrous a manner, which willbe the drift of that which followeth.

They affirm then that this booh contained in it three feveral tracts. The firft whereoftreated of that which we call judicial aftrology, foretelling the events of things to comeby judgment of the ftars, which by them is called Aftoodeger.

The fecond did treat concerning phyfick or the natural knowledge of things, withtheir caufes, and the cures of the difeafes incident to man.

The third was called Zertooft, becaufe Zertooft was the bringer thereof, and thiscontained their law and matters that concerned religion ; which books, according astheir matters was divers, fo they were delivered to men of feveral ftudies and learning*

The