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TO THE NORTHERN PARTS OF RUSSIA AND SIBERIA. a7
images for their houfehold faints, and for the moft part they are put in the darkeft place
of the houfe: he that comes into his neighbour’s houfe doth firft falute his faints,
although he fee them not. If any form or ftool ftand in his way, he oftentimes beateth
his brow upon the fame, and often ducking down with his head and body, worfhippeth
the chief image. The habit and attire of the priefts and of the laymen doth nothing at
all differ. As for marriage it is forbidden to no man, only this is received and held
amongft them for a rule and cuftom, that if a prieft’s wife doth die, he may not marry
again, nor take a fecond wife ; and therefore they of fecular priefts, as they call them,
are made monks, to whom then chattity for ever is commanded. ‘Their divine fervice
is all done and faid in their own language, that every man may underftand it: they re-
ceive the Lord’s fupper with leavened bread, and after the confecration they carry it
about the church in a faucer, and prohibit no man from receiving and taking of it that
is willing fo to do. They ufe both the Old and the New Teftament, and read both in
their own language, but fo confufedly, that they themfelves that do read underftand not
what themfelves do fay; and while any part of either Teftament is read, there is liberty
given by cuftom to prattle, talk, and make a noife: but in the time of the reft of the
fervice they ufe very great filence and reverence, and behave themfelves very modeftly,
and in good fort. As touching the Lord’s Prayer, the tenth man amongft them knows
it not; and for the articles of our faith, and the ten commandments, no man, or at the
leaft very few of them, do either know them or can fay them; their opinion is,
that fuch fecret and holy things as they are, fhould not rafhly and imprudently be com—
municated with the common people. They hold for a maxim amongft them, that the
old law and the commandments alfo are abolifhed by the death and blood of Chrift :
all ftudies and letters of humanity they utterly refufe: concerning the Latin, Greek,
and Hebrew tongues, they are altogether ignorant in them.
Every year they celebrate four feveral fafts, which they call according to the names
of the faints. The firft begins with them at the time that our Lent begins; the fecond
is called amongft them the faft of St. Peter; the third is taken from the day of the
Virgin Mary ; and the fourth and laft begins upon St. Philip’s day. But as we begin
our Lent upon Wednefday, fo they begin theirs upon the Sunday. Upon the Saturday
they eat flefh. Whenfoever any of thofe fafting feafts do draw near, look what week
doth immediately go before them, the fame week they live altogether upon white meats;
and in their common language they call thofe weeks the faft of butter.
In the time of their fafts, the neighbours every where go from one to another, and
vifit one another, and kifs one another with kifles of peace, in token of their mutual love
and chriftian concord; and then alfo they do more often than at any other time go to
the holy communion. When {even days are paft from the beginning of the faft, then
they do often either go to their churches, or keep themfelves at home and ufe often
prayer; and for that fevennight they eat nothing but herbs: but after that feven-
night’s faft is once paft, then they return to their old intemperance of drinking, for
they are notable toflpots. As for the keeping of their fafting days, they do it very
ftraightly ; neither do they eat any thing befides herbs and falt fith as long as thofe
fafting days do endure; but upon every Wednefday and Friday in every week through-
out the year they faft.
There are very many monafteries of the erder of St. Benedict amongft them, to
which many great livings for their maintenance do belong; for the friars and the monks
do at the Jeaft poffefs the third part of the livings throughout the whole Mofcovite em-
pire. To thofe monks that are of this order there is among(t them a perpetual prohi-
bition
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