Fish days and fasts

Suscepti autem hospites ducantur ad orationem, et postea sedeat cum eis prior aut cui iusserit ipse. Legatur coram hospite lex divina, ut aedificetur, et post haec omnis ei exhibeatur humanitas. Ieiunium a priore frangatur propter hospitem, nisi forte praecipuus sit dies ieiunii qui non possit violari; fratres autem consuetudines ieiuniorum prosequantur.

Once the guests are received, they should be led to prayer. Afterward the prior, or someone he chooses, should sit with them. The divine law should be read to the guest, to strengthen his faith. After this, show him every kindness. The prior should break his fast for the guest’s sake, unless it is a special fast day that must not be broken. But the brothers should keep their usual fasts.

شاهدت أيام الطاعون الأعظم بدمشق في أواخر شهر ربيع الثاني سنة تسع وأربعين، من تعظيم أهل دمشق لهذا المسجد ما يعجب منه وهو أن ملك الأمراء نايب السلطان أرغون شاه أمر مناديا ينادي بدمشق أن يصوم الناس ثلاثة أيام ولا يطبخ أحد بالسوق ما يؤكل نهارا، وأكثر الناس بها إنما يأكلون الطعام الذي يصنع بالسوق، فصام الناس ثلاثة أيام متوالية كان آخرها يوم الخميس،

In the days of the Great Plague at Damascus, at the end of the month of Rabi II in the year [7]49, I saw something remarkable: how much the people of Damascus revere this mosque. The king of the emirs, the sultan’s deputy, Arghun Shah, ordered a crier to proclaim through Damascus that the people should fast for three days, and that no one should cook food in the market during the day. (Most people there eat only food prepared in the market.) So the people fasted three days in a row, the last of them a Thursday.

Payn Ragoun. Take hony suger and clarifie it togydre. and boile it with esy fyre, and kepe it wel fro brennyng and whan it hath yboiled a while; take up a drope þerof wiþ þy fyngur and do it in a litel water and loke if it hong togyder. and take it fro the fyre and do þerto the thriddendele an powdour gyngener and stere it togyder til it bigynne to thik and cast it on a wete table. lesh it and serue it forth with fryed mete on flessh dayes or on fysshe dayes.

Payn ragoun. Clarify honey and sugar together, and boil it over a gentle fire. Take care that it does not burn. When it has boiled a while, take up a drop on your finger and put it in a little water, to see if it holds together. Then take it off the fire and add a third part [of bread] and ground ginger. Stir it until it begins to thicken, then pour it out on a wet table. Cut it in slices and serve it with fried food, on meat days or fish days.

Era costumbre entre estos naturales, que el que habia de ser sucesor i heredero del señorío o cacicazgo de su tio, a quien heredaba, habia de ayunar seis años, metido en una cueva que tenian dedicada i señalada para esto, i que en todo este tiempo no habia de tener parte con mujeres, ni comer carne, sal ni ají, i otras cosas que les vedaban; i entre ellas que, durante el ayuno, no habian de ver el sol; solo de noche tenian licencia para salir de la cueva, i ver la luna i estrellas, i recojerse ántes que el sol los viese; i cumplido de este ayuno i ceremonias se metian en posesion del cacicazgo o señorío, i la primera jornada que habian de hacer, era ir a la gran laguna de Guatavita a ofrecer i sacrificar al demonio, que tenian por su dios i señor.

Among these natives, the man who was to inherit his uncle's lordship, or chiefdom, had to fast for six years. He was shut in a cave set apart for this purpose. In all that time he could not be with women, or eat meat, salt, or chili peppers, or certain other forbidden things. Among the rules was that during the fast they must not see the sun. Only at night were they allowed to leave the cave and see the moon and stars, and they had to go back in before the sun could see them. When the fast and ceremonies were complete, they took possession of the chiefdom or lordship. The first journey they had to make was to the great lake of Guatavita, to make offerings and sacrifice to the devil, whom they held to be their god and lord.