Of the Kingedome of Mabaron.
FROM this lande men go many journeys to a countrey that men call Mabaron,1 and this is a greate Kingdome, therein is many fayre cities & townes. In this lande lyeth Sainct Thomas in a fayre tombe, in fleshe and bones, in the Citie of Calamy, and the arme and hande that hee put in our Lordes syde after his resurrection, when Christ sayde unto hym, Noli esse incredulus sed fidelis:, that is to saye, Be not of vaine hope but beleve; that same hande lyeth yet without the tombe bare, and with this hande they giue theyr domes2 in that countrey, to mete3 who saith righte, and who doeth not, for, if any stryfe be betwene two parties, they write their names, & put them into the hand, & then incontinently the hande casteth away the byll4 of him that hath wronge and holdeth the other still that hathe righte, and therefore they come from farre countreys to have Judgementes of causes that are in doubte. In this church of Saint Thomas is a great image, yt is a simulacre, & it is richly beset with precious stons & perles, to that image men come in pilgrimage from farre countreys, with great devocion, as Christen men go to Saint James, & there come some pilgrims yt beare sharp knives in theyr handes, & as they go by the waye they shere5 theyr shankes & thyghes, that the bloude may come out for the love of that ydoll and they saye that he is holy that will dye for that ydols sake. And there is some that for the time that they go out of their houses at eche third pace they knele till that they come to this idole. And when they come there they have ensence6 or such other thing for to ensence the ydole, as we would do to Gods body. And there before that mynster or church of this ydol, is a river full of water, & in that river pilgrims cast gold, silver, perles & other precious stones without number, in stede of offerings, and therefore, when ye maister of the minster hath any neede of helping, as sone they go the river & take thereout as much as they haue neede to helping of ye minster. And ye shall understande when that any greate festes come of ye Idol, as the dedication day of the church, or of the throning of the Idol, all the countrey there about assemble them there togither and then men set this Idoll with great reverence & worship in a chaire well dressed with cloth of gold, and other tapistry, & so they carry him with great reverence & worship, rounde about the citie, and before the chaire goeth firste in procession all the maidens of the countrey two & two togither, & so after them go the pilgrimes that are come fro far countreys, of the which pilgrims some fall downe before the chaire, & letteth all go over them and so are they slaine, and some haue theyr armes broken & leggs,7 and this they doe for love of the Idol, and they beleve the more paine that they suffer here for their Idol the more joy shall they haue in ye other world, & a man shall finde few Christen men will suffer so much penaunce for our Lordes sake as they do for the ydoll. And nighe before the chaire go all the mynstrels of the countrey, as it were without nomber with many divers melodyes. And when they are come againe to the Church they sette up the ydol againe in his throne, and for worship of the ydoll two or three8 are slaine with sharpe knives with their good will. And also a man thinketh in our countrey that he hath a great worshippe to haue an holy man in his kyn, lykewise they saye that those that are there slayne are holye men and sayntes & they are wrytten in their letany, and when they are thus dead theyr frendes brene theyr bodies & they take the ashes, and those are kepte as relykes, and they say it is an holy thing, & that they doubte of no perill when they haue of those ashes.
