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And schortly to seye zou; thei suffren so grete peynes and so harde martyrdomes, for love of here ydole, that a Cristene man, I trowe, durst not taken upon him the tenthe part of the peyne, for love of oure Lord Jhesu Crist.
And among theise othere, there is a gret ymage, more than ony of the othere, that is alle covered with fyn gold and precyous stones and riche perles: and that ydole is the god of false Cristene, that han reneyed hire feythe. And it syttethe in a chayere of gold, fulle nobely arrayed; and he hathe aboute his necke large gyrdles, wroughte of gold and precyous stones and perles.
And the custome also there is this, that whan thei that han such devocioun and entent, for to sle him self, for love of his god, thei senden for alle here frendes, and han gret plentee of mynstrelle, and thei gon before the ydole ledynge him, that wil sle himself for such devocioun, betwene hem with gret reverence.
And as men here devoutly wolde writen holy seyntes lyfes and here myracles, and sewen for here canonizaciouns, righte so don thei there, for hem that sleen hem self wilfully, for love of here ydole; and seyn, that thei ben gloriouse martyres and seyntes, and putten hem in here wrytynges and letanyes, and avaunten hem gretly on to another of here holy kynnesmen; that so becomen seyntes; and seyn, I have mo holy seyntes in my kynrede, than thou in thin.
And many folk that comen fro fer londes, to seche that ydole, for the gret devocyoun that thei han, thei loken nevere upward, but evere more down to the erthe, for drede to see ony thing aboute hem, that scholde lette hem of here devocyoun.
And this chirche is fulle richely wroughte, and alle over gylt with inne. And to that ydole gon men on pylgrimage, als comounly and with als gret devocioun, as Cristene men gon to seynt James, or other holy pilgrimages.
And summe ther ben, that gon on pilgrimage to this ydole, that beren knyfes in hire hondes, that ben made fulle kene and scharpe; and alle weyes, as thei gon, thei smyten hem self in here armes and in here legges and in here thyes, with many hydouse woundes; and so thei scheden here blood, for love of that ydole. And thei seyn that he is blessed and holy, that dyethe so for love of his God.
And zif it so befall, that the fadre or modre or ony of here frendes ben seke, anon the son gothe to the prest of here law, and preyethe him to aske the ydole, zif his fadre or modre or frend schalle dye on that evylle or non. And than the prest and the sone gone to gydere before the ydole, and knelen fulle devoutly, and asken of the ydole here demande.
And thei knowen wel, that it may not be with outen specyalle grace of God; and therfore maken thei here God, of an ox the on part, and the other halfondelle of a man: because that man is the most noble creature in erthe; and also for he hathe lordschipe aboven alle bestes: therfore make thei the halfendel of ydole of a man upwardes, and the tother half of an ox dounwardes: and of serpentes and of other bestes, and dyverse thinges, that thei worschipen, that thei meten first at morwe.
And othere there ben, that leden hire children, for to sle, to make sacrifise to that ydole; and aftre thei han slayn hem, thei spryngen the blood upon the ydole.
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