Some Inftances of this we met with in the Country between Arguna, where we enter the Mufcovite Dominions, and a City of Tartars and Ruffians together, call'd Nortziuskoy, in which is a continu'd Defart or Forreft, which coft us twenty Days to travel over its in a Village near the laft of thofe Places I had the Curiofity to go and fee their Way of Living, which is most brutish and unsufferable; they had I fuppofe a great Sacrifice that Day, for there ftood out upon an old Stump of a Tree, an Idol made of Wood, frightful as the Devil, at least as any Thing we can think of to represent the Devil can be made; it had a Head certainly not fo much as refembling any Creature that the World ever faw; Ears as big as Goats Horns, and as high; Eyesas big as a Crown-Piece, a Nofe like a crooked Ram's Horn, and a Mouth extended four Corner'd like that of a Lion, with horrible Teeth, hooked like a Parrot's under Bill; it was dreffed up in the filthiest manner that you could fuppofe; its upper Garment was of Sheeps-Skins, with the Wool outward, a great Tartar Bonnet on the Head, with two Horns growing through it, it was about eight Foot high, yet had no Feet or Legs, or any other Proportion of Parts.

This Scare-crow was fet up at the outer Side of the Village, and when I came near to it, there was fixteen or feventeen Creatures, whether Men or Women, I could not tell, for they make no Diftinction by their Habits, either of Body or Head, Thefe lay all flat on the Ground, round this formidable Block of fhapelefs Wood: I faw no Motion among them any more,than if they had been all Logs of Wood like the Idol, and at firft, really thought they

had

had been fo; but when I came a little nearer, they started up upon their Feet, and rais'd a howling Cry, as if it had been fo many deepmouth'd Hounds, and walk'd away as if they were difpleas'd at our disturbing them: A little Way off from the Ifland; and at the Door of that Tent or Hut, made all of Sheep-Skins and Cow-Skins, dry'd, ftood three Butchers, I thought they were fuch; when I came nearer to them, I found they had long Knives in their Hands, and in the middle of the Tent appear'd, three Sheep kill'd, and one young Bullock or Steer: These it seems, were Sacrifices to that fenflefs Log of an Idol, and thefe three Men, Priests belonging to it; and the feventeen proftrated Wretches, were the People who brought the Offering, and were making their Prayers to that Stock.

I confefs I was more mov'd at their Stupidity and brutish Worship of a Hobgoblin, than ever I was at any Thing in my Life; to fee God's moft gloricus and beft Creature, to whom he had granted fo many Advantages, even by Creation, above the rest of the Works of his Hands, vefted with a reasonable Soul, and that Soul adorn'd with Faculties and Capacities, adapted both to Honour his Maker; and be honoured by him, funk and degenerated to a Degree, fo more than ftupid,as to proftrate it felf to a trightful Nothing, an meer imaginary Object drefs'd up by themfelves, and made terrible to themselves by their own Contrivance; adorn'd only with Clouts and Rags; and that this fhould be the Effect of meer Ignorance, wrought up into hellish Devotion by the Devil himself, who envying (to his Maker) the Homage and Adoration of his Crea

tures,

tures. had deluded them into fuch grofs, furfeiting, fordid and brutish Things, as one would think fhould fhock Nature it felf.

But what fignify'd all the Aftonifhment and Reflection of Thoughts; thus it was, and I faw it before my Eyes, and there was no room to wonder at it, or think it impoffible; all my Admira¬ tion turn'd to Rage, and I rid up to the Image, or Monster, call it what you will, and with my Sword cut the Bonnet that was on its Head in two in the Middle, so that it hung down by one of the Horns; and one of our Men that was with me took hold of the Sheep-Skin that cover'd it, and pull'd at it, when behold a moft hideous Outcry and Howling run thro' the Village, and two or three hundred People came about my Ears, fo that I was glad to fcour for it; for we faw fome had Bows and Arrows but I refolv'd from that Moment to vifit them again.

Our Caravan refted three Nights at the Town, which was about four Miles off, in order to provide fome Horses which they wanted; feveral of the Horfes having been lam'd and jaded with the badness of the Way and long March over the laft Defart, fo we had fome Leifure here to put my Defign in Execution; I communicated my Project to the Scots Merchant of Mufcow, of whofe Courage I had had fufficient Testimony, as above; I told him what I had feen, and with what Indignation I had fince thought that human Nature could be fo degenerate: I told him, I was refolv'd if I could get but four or five Men well arm'd to go with me, I was refolv'd to go and destroy that vile abominable Idol, and let them fee that it had no Power to help itfelf, and confequently could

not

not be an Object of Worship, or to be pray'd too, much less, help them that offer'd Sacrifices to it.

He laugh'd at me; fays he, Your Zeal may be good, but what do you propofe to your felf by it? Propofe, faid I, to vindicate the Honour of God, which is infulted by this Devil Worship. But how will it vindicate the Honour of God, faid he? While the People will not be able to know what you mean by it, unless you could speak to them and tell them fo, and then they will fight you and beat you too, I'll affure you, for they are defperate Fellows, and that especially in Defence of their Idolatry. Can we not, faid I, do it in the Night and then leave them the Reasons and Caufes in Writing in their own Language? Writing! faid he, why there is not a Man in five Nations of them that know any thing of a Letter, or how to read a Word in any Language, or in their own. Wretched Ignorance! faid I to him, however I have a great Mind to do it, perhaps Nature may draw Inferences from it to them, to let them fee how brutish they are to worship fuch horrid. Things. Look you, Sir, faid he, if your Zeal prompts you to it fo warmly, you must do it; but in the next Place I would have you confider thefe wild Nations of People are fubjected by Force to the Czar of Muscovy's Dominions, and if you do this, 'tis ten to one, but they will come by Thoufands to the Governour of Nertfinskay, and complain and demand Satisfaction, and if he cannot give them Satisfaction, 'tis ten to one but they revolt, and it will occafion a new War with all the Tartars in the Country.

This, I confefs, put new Thoughts into my Head for awhile, but I harp'd upon the fame

String ftill, and all that Day I was uneafy to put my Project in Execution; towards the Evening the Scots Merchant met me by Accident in our Walk about the Town, and defir'd to speak with me; I believe, faid he, I have put you off of your good Defign, I have been a little concern'd about it fince, for I abhor the Idol and the Idolatry as much as you can do: Truly, Jays I, you have put it off a little as to the Execution of it, but you have not put it at all out of my Thoughts, and I believe I fhall do it ftill before I quit this Place, tho' I were to be deliver'd up to them for Satisfaction. No, no, fays he, God forbid they should deliver you up to fuch a Crew of Monsters, they fhall not do that neither, that would be murdering you indeed. Why, fays I, how would they use me? Ufe you, fays he, I'll tell you how they ferv'd a poor Ruffian, who affronted them in their Worfhip juft as you did, and who they took Prifoner; after they had lam'd him with an Arrow that he could not run away; they took him and stripp'd him ftark naked, and fet him up on the Top of the Idol Monster, and stood all round him, and shot as many Arrows into him as would ftick over his whole Body, and then they burnt him and all the Arrows sticking in him as a Sacrifice to the Idol: And was this the fame Idol? Yes, fays he, the very fame. Well, fays I, I'll tell you a Story, fo I related the Story of our Men at Madagascar, and how they burnt and fack'd the Village there, and kill'd Man, Woman and Child, for their murdering one of our Men, just as it is related before; and when I had done, I added, that I thought we ought to do fo to this Village.

He liften'd very attentively to the Story, but when I talk'd of doing fo to that Village, Jays he,

You