A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 50 – Subpart 60
The City of Pegu described.
Pegu is a very great, strong, and fair City, and very populous: Its made square, with very fair walls, and a great Trench round about it, full of water, wherein are many Crocodiles: It hath twenty fair Gates made of stone, on every side five Gates; there are upon the walls many Turrets, guilded with gold very fair; the streets are as streight as a line, from one Gate to another, and so broad, that twelve men may ride abreast in them: On both sides, at every mans door there grows a Palmer tree, which yeilds a pleasing shadow, so that a man may walk in the shade all day long: their houses are covered with Tiles. The Kings house is in the midst of the City, walled, and trenched about, the buildings within are very curious, and sumptuously guilded, having costly workmanship on the front, which is also fairly guilt. The house wherein his Idol stands is covered with tiles of silver, and all the walls are guilt with gold.
Not far from this City there is an Idol-house of a wonderfull bigness, and all guilt from the top to the bottome; unto which adjoyneth an house for their Tallipoies, or Priests to preach in. It is five and fifty paces long, and hath three walks in it, and between them four great Pillars guilded: The house it self is guilded with gold within, and without, and round about it are very fair houses for Pilgrims to lodge in: and many goodly houses for their Priests which are full of Images of men, and women, all covered with gold. Sir Walter Raughly in his History of the World, proves by many probable arguments that this was the Ophir from whence Solomon fetched his gold, and Ivory. Pur. Pil.
This Kingdome of Pegu is bounded by Siam, Ganges, and the Ocean, and is Commandresse of many Islands, as Monim, Barongo, Nogomallo, Cocos, &c. It is a Kingdome full of all earthly delights, and blessings of nature, as gold, silver, lead, and Iron: Also Smaragds, Topaz, Rubies, Saphires, Garnats, Emeralds, Espinels, and Cats eyes. As also of Rice, long Pepper, Sugar, Benoin, Musk, Gum-Lack, Cotton, Calicoes, and what else a reasonable man can desire. Their habit is thin and fine; they wear no beards: they dye their teeth black, because Dogs teeth are white, they cut and pink their flesh as a mark of bravery.
The King of Pegu on festival dayes rides abroad in his triumphant Chariot all guilded, which is drawn by sixteen goodly horses: His Chariot is high, with a rich Canopy over it. About, and behinde it go twenty of his Nobles, each of them having a rope in his hand that is fastened to the Chariot, to hold it upright from falling. The King sitteth in the midst of the Chariot, and about him stand four of his Nobles that are in greatest favour, &c. Hee hath one Principal wife, and at least three hundred Concubines. Every day▪ hee sits to hear the suits of his Subjects in this manner: Hee sits on an high seat in his great Hall, and under him sit his Nobles; and they which desire audience come and set them down before him at forty paces distance, holding up their supplications in one hand, and in the other a present, according to the weightiness of the matter; then come the Secretaries, take their petitions, and read them before the King, and if hee grants their requests, hee sends one to take their present, otherwise not: but never speaks to them himself.
The Noble and simple are all apparelled alike for the fashion, only differing in the finenesse of the cloth, which is of Bombast: First they have a shirt of white Bombast; then another painted cloth which they binde up betwixt their legs, and on their heads they wrap an other cloth in fashion of a Miter: they go all barefooted: all sorts of women wear a smock that reacheth to their middle, and from thence downward they wear a cloth open before, so that they cannot go but they discover natures secrets, which they say was invented to keep men from sin against nature; they go also barefooted, having their arms adorned with hoopes of gold, and Jewels, and their fingers full of precious rings.
Sumatra described.
Sumatra is that famous Isle formerly called Trapabone: Its six hundred miles long, and two hundred and forty broad. Its rich in gold, fruits, and precious stones, but miserably overspread with ignorance, and superstition; the Inhabitants worshiping Cats, Rats, Dogs, yea and the Devil himself: both sexes go for the most part naked: The soil is good where the Rivers water it, but barren where the veins of gold are found. There are many good inland Towns, but the Ports are best known, as Aken, Aru, Daru, &c. but especially Passaman, where is most store of gold; the Rivers abound in Fish, and Crocodiles, which Creature is a wonder in nature, comming from a little Egg, and growing till it bee eight or ten yards long: their tailes are as long as their bodies; their mouths and throats so wide, that they are able to swallow a horse, and man at one bit; their teeth are engrailed; they have no tongue, and contrary to all other Creatures move only the upper jaw; their bellies are penetrable, their backs hard to bee peirced. In the winter quarter they fast from food; all the rest of the year devour their prey with much greedinesse; sixty dayes passe before the female layes her eggs, which are commonly sixty in number, and shee is sixty dayes in hatching them, and usually they live sixty years: some call them Aligartos. The Jchneumon steals into his belly, and gnaws in sunder his guts whilst hee lies gaping that the little Trochil may pick his teeth, which gives it feeding.
Java Major described.
Java the greater is an Island neer the Bengalan Sea, in length four hundred and fifty miles, in breadth two hundred and seventy: the midland is for the most part Mountainous, and ill peopled; the Sea coasts low, and populous, yet unhealthful. The Sea-coasts by reason of trade for Pepper, hath well-built Towns, especially Bantam, Palamban, Jackatra, Japarra, Tuban, Jortan, &c.
Bantam is the biggest City in the Island, nigh two miles long: It yeelds Rice, Pepper, and Cotton-wool; though most of the Pepper bee brought thither by the Chineses from Janeby, Borneo, and Malacca. Four Vice-Royes are under the Mattarans, or great Kings command; who is able to bring into the field two hundred thousand desperate slaves, black, but valiant: the Climate is so hot, that for the most part they go naked; their weapons are lances, darts, arrows, but especially creezes, two foot long, broad, waved, sharp, and small pointed, and basely poisoned: the hilt of wood, horn, the better sort of gold, silver, or Ivory, cut in the figure of a deformed Pagod: They are given to murders, theft, Adultery, deceit, &c. also Magick, and Astrology delight them, in which Satan instructs them, the better to oblige them to his worship. They are excellent swimmers; they delight in hunting Tygers, Ouzces, &c. They are friendly to the English, especially ever since the Dutch took Jackatra from them. Their Orankayes, or great men are idle, sociable, but not to be trusted.
The Isle of Celibes Described.
Celibes is by some called Makasser, from her best City in the Island: Its oval, and above two hundred miles long: well peopled, but with bad people: Its fruitful, though under the hotest part of the burning zone; They are black, naked, only having a few plantane leaves tyed about their middles; the better sort wear Tulipants, and white shirts upon their coal-black skins. The women are very immodest. The men use long Canes, out of which they can blow a little pricking quill, which if it draw bloud in any part of the body, it kills immediately, so strong is the poyson.
The Molucco Isles described.
The Molucco Isles are five in number: Molucco, Gillolo, Tirnate; Tidore, and Machan: The English were the first Traders hither, and the natives acknowledged our King their Sovereign, though since the Dutch thrust us out, as if all India was theirs by title from the Creation. Gillolo is the greatest, but in Cloves, Mace, Nutmegs, Ginger, Pepper, Oile, Aloes, and Honey, all of them alike plentifull.
The Bandaneza Islands Described.
Neer unto the former, are the Islands of Amboyna, Banda, Puloway, Pulerone, Lantore, Batan, Labatacka, Nero, Ticobassa, Cumber, Salamo, &c. All of them, especially Pulerone, and Puloway, seeming continued wildernesses of Nutmeg, and Clove trees, Pepper, Vines, and Olives. These two last, first traded with our Merchants, and acknowledged fealty to our King James, till the uncivil Dutch dispossessed us, cruelly abusing our men, and entitling themselves Lords of the Banda-Islands.
The Isle of Borneo described.
Borneo resembles an Oval shield, and for the most part groans u…der the Spanish servitude: It hath many villages and people, which are great Idolaters: It yeilds Mines of gold, and Diamonds, Bezar, Musk, Lignum Aloes, Amber, Sanguis Draconum, VVax, Rice, and Rattoons. Her chief haven Towns are Socodania, and Bemermassin.
The Isle of Japan described.
Japan is in length six hundred miles: in breadth One hundred four score and ten: The best towns and Ports in it are Meacco, Ozacca, Tenze, Firando, Fuccate, &c. Macco is an inland City as big as Florence, but not so beautifull; Hath a sweet and large River: low but comely houses: abundance of stately Fotiquees, or Temples full of guilded Idols, called by them Mannada's. The Government is Monarchicall, above sixty petty Kings do homage to the Emperor: whose frowns are worse than an ordinary death. The Countrey is for the most part mountainous, full of Rivers, Trees, Corn, Grasse, and Mines: It hath plenty of villages swarming with Heathen Idolaters. The people in the North, and East parts of it are more savage, treacherous, idle, Lascivious, and awed by no Law: malefactors they crucify. The Civil Japonians are valiant, courteous, and great affectors of Novelties. The best port in it is Ozacca, strong, and beautifull, famous for its royal Castle, varnished, tiled, and burnished over with pure Gold: rich, and Majesticall, of excellent stone, and well built; the walls are every where twenty foot thick, well polished, and curiously cemented; circled with deep trenches ful of water, having above twelve Iron Gates, with draw-bridges.
Fuccate is a pretty sweet Town, well watered, having a strong, and defensive Castle, Its environed for three miles compasse with spreading Sycamore Trees, wherein are many small, but richly-tiled Fotiquees, or Temples, in which they worship Pan, or Priapus, yea the Devil in his ugliest shapes.
In Meacco are seventy Temples, wherein they number three thousand three hundred thirty and three little guilded Devils: but more memorable is that in Meacco, huge, and wonderfull, of guilt Copper: Its posture is sitting in a chair seventy foot high, and fourscore broad: fifteen men may conveniently stand upon his head, his thumb is forty inches about, and his other limbs proportionable. At Dabis is another of these Idols, made of Copper; hollow, vast, thick, and double guilt: his height is twenty four foot, though formed kneeling, his buttocks resting on his legs, his arms are stretched out, and sometimes making a fire in him, they sacrifice a child, which in his embraces is fryed to death with horrible torture.
The women of Japan, if they want means to bring up their children, most unnaturally deprive them of that life, which not long before they had given them. Their houses are most of wood; because of their frequent Earth-quakes: With them black is a feastival colour, and white a Funeral. They dye their teeth black. Reproaches, Thefts, Pe…ry, and Dice-play, is very hateful to them. Herb. and Purch.
The Kingdome of China described.
China hath on the East, the sea of Japan: On the West the Deserts of Judustan: On the North the Tartars: On the South the Philippine Islands: And on the South West, Cochinchina, Pegu, with part of Siam. In form its square, each way One thousand five hundred miles over: The circuit above four thousand miles: The Country is generally plain, and fruitfull, full of sweet and Navigable Rivers, which are no lesse inhabited than the Cities, and villages; There are in it six hundred Cities: two thousand walled Towns, and four thousand unwalled; one thousand Castles, and Villages numberlesse: it feeds above sixty millions of men, and boyes, besides women which bee not inrolled: The whole Empire is divided into fifteen Provinces; each of which hath a Metropolis, full of people, fairly built, and very spatious. One of their Kings to keep out the Tartars, built a wall of one thousand and two hundred miles in length, six fathom high, twelve yards thick: it was twenty and seven years in building, though constantly wrought upon by seven hundred and fifty thousand men.
Pequin the now Regal City of China described.
Pequin is in compasse thirty Leagues, or fourscore and ten English miles, environed with two walls, upon which are innumerable Towers and Bulwarks. It hath three hundred and sixty gates, each having over it a Castellet with two Towers, and a draw-bridge. There are in it three thousand eight hundred Temples, wherein are continually sacrificed birds, and wild beasts, and amongst these, four very admirable, for their curiosity, and costlinesse. The streets are long, and large; the houses fair, encompassed with Iron, and Latten grates: at each street end is a Triumphal Arch, shut up at nights, in the chief whereof are Watch-bells. There are one hundred and twenty large Channels of water, and over them eighteen hundred rich, and fair bridges:
There are in this City one hundred and twenty Shambles, one hundred and twenty market-places; besides in every street five or six shops, wherein they sell flesh, poultry, and Bacon. There are without the City sixteen hundred Garden-houses belonging to persons of Principal note: And twenty four thousand Sepulchres of Mandarines, [Justices of Peace] with their little gilded Chappels, encompassed with Grates of Iron, and Latten, with rich Arches at their entries. The gardens, groves, Tanks, and Fountains, have their walls lined within with fine Porcelane which makes a gallant shew. There are also store of other houses with great walls, in which are Gardens, and groves with game for hunting, which belong to several companies.
The City of Nanquin described.
The City of Nanquin is thirty and six miles in compasse, circled with three strong walls and ditches: the Kings Palace in it is vast, and glorious: the other buildings many: the inhabitants are reckoned to bee twenty thousand: the Temples are above a thousand: the streets fair and the people industrious.