A Voyage to East India, Account of voyage · Section 4
SECTION IV.
Of the diſcommodities, inconveniences, and annoyances, that are to be found or met withall in this Empire.
AS the Poets feigned that the Garden of the Heſperides (wherein were Trees that bare Golden apples) was guarded by a Serpent: ſo there are ſtings here, as well as fruits; all conſidered together may not unfitly be reſembled by thoſe Locuſts mentioned, Re. 9. 7, 8, 10. verſes, who had the Faces of men, and the haire of women, and Crowns as of Gold on their heads, but they had too, the teeth of Lyons, and the tayles of Scorpions, and there were ſtings in thoſe tayles. Here are many things to content and pleaſe the enjoyers of them, to make their life more comfortable, but withall here are Teeth to tear, and ſtings to Kill: All put together, are nothing but a mixture made up (as indeed all earthly things are) of good, and bad; of bitter, and ſweet; of what contents, and of what contents not.
The annoyances of theſe Countryes are, firſt many harmfull beaſts of prey, as Lions, Tygres, Wolves, Jackalls, with others; thoſe Jackalls ſeem to be wild Doggs, who in great companies run up and down in the ſilent night, much diſquieting the peace thereof; by their moſt hidious noyſe. Thoſe moſt ra…enous creatures will not ſuffer a man to reſt quietly in his grave, for if his body be not buried very deep they will dig him thence, and bury as much of him again, as they can conſume, in their hung…y bellyes. In their Rivers are many Crocodiles, and—Latet anguis in herbâ, on the land, not a few overgrown ſnakes, with other vene…ous, and pernicious creatures. In our houſes there we often ſee Lyzards, ſhaped like unto Crocodiles, of a ſad green colour, and but little creatures, the fear of whom preſents its ſelf moſt to the eye, for I do not know that they are hurtfull. There are many Scorpions to be ſeen, which are oftentimes felt, which creep into their houſes eſpecially in that time of the raines, whoſe ſtinging is moſt ſenſible, and deadly, if the patient have not preſently ſome oyl that is made of Scorpions, to annoint the part affected, which is a ſuddain, and a certain cure. But if the man can get the Scorpion that ſtung him, (as ſometimes they do) the oyly ſubſtance it affords, being beaten in peeces, ſuddenly applyed, is a preſent help. The ſting of the Scorpion may be a very fit reſemblance of the ſting of Death, the bitterneſs and angu…ſh whereof nothing can aſſwage; and cure ſo well, as a ſerious conſideration, and a continuall application of the thoughts of Dying. Facile contemnit omnia, qui cogitat ſe ſemper moriturum, that man may trample upon every thing, whoſe meditations are taken up with the thoughts of his change. He cannot dye but well, who dyes dayly, dayly in his preparations for death, though he dye not preſently.
The Scorpions are in ſhape like unto our Crafiſhes, and not bigger, and look black like them, before they are boyled: they have a little round tayl which turns up, and lyes uſually upon their backs, at the end whereof is their ſting, which they do not put in, and l…t out of their bodyes, as other venemous creatures doe, but it alwayes appeares in their tayles ready to ſtrake; it is very ſharp, and hard, and not long, but crooked like the talon of an Hawk.
The aboundance of Flyes (like thoſe ſwarmes in Egypt Ex. 8. 21.) in thoſe parts did likewiſe very much annoy us, for in the heat of the day their numberleſs number was ſuch, as that we could not be quiet in any place for them, they beeing ready to fly into our cupps, and to cover our meat aſſoon as it was placed on the table, and therefore we had alwayes ſome of the Natives we kept there, who were our ſervants, to ſtand round about us on purpoſe while we were eating, with Napkins to fright them away. And as in the day one kinde of ordinary flyes troubled us; ſo in the night we were likewiſe very much diſquieted with another ſort called Muſqu…etoes, like our Gnatts, but ſomewhat leſs, and in that ſeaſon we were very much troubled with Chinches, another ſort of little troubleſome and offenſive creatures, like little Tikes, and theſe annoyed us two wayes, as firſt by their biting, and ſtinging, and then by their ſtink. From all which we were by far more free when we lodged in tents (as there we did much) than when we abode in houſes; where in great cities and towns, (to adde unto the diſquiets I before named) there were ſuch an aboundance of large hungry Ratts, that ſome of us were bitten in the night as we lay in our bedds, either on our toes or fingers, or on the tipps of our eares, or on the tops of our noſes, or in any part of our bodies beſides they could get into their mouths.
The winds in thoſe parts (as I obſerved before) which they call the Mo…t ſoone, blow conſtantly one way, altering but few points, ſix months Southerly, and ſix months Northerly. The months of April, May, and the beginning of June, till the rain falls, are ſo extremely hot, as that the winde when it blowes but gently, receives ſuch heat from the parched ground, that the reflection thereof is ready to bliſter a mans face that receives the breath of it, And if God did not provide for thoſe parts, by ſending a breeze or breath, or ſmall gale of winde daily, which ſomewhat tempers that hot ſulphureous air there were no living in that Torrid Zone for us Engliſh, who have been uſed to breath in a tē perate climate; and notwithſtanding that benefit, the air in that place is ſo hot to us Engliſh, that we ſhould be every day ſtewed in our own moiſture, but that we ſtirre very little in the heat of the day, and have cloathing about us as thin as we can make it. And no marvail, for the coldeſt day in the whole year at noon (unleſs it be in the time when thoſe raines fall) is hotter there than the hotteſt day in England.
Yet I have there obſerved moſt ſtrange and ſuddaine changes of heat and cold within few houres, as in November and December the moſt temperate months of their year (as before) and then at midnight the air was ſo exceeding freſh and cold, that it would produce a thin Ice on the water, and then as we lay in our Tents, we would have been very glad of the warmth of a Rugg upon us, and the Noon of that following day would be ſo extreme hot, as that it was troubleſome then to keep on the thinneſt cloathing.
Sometimes there, the winde blowes very high in thoſe hot and dry ſeaſons, not long before the rain begins to fall raiſing up into the air a very great height, thick clouds of Duſt and Sand, which appear like dark clouds full of moyſture, but they deceive like the bro…k in Job 6. 15. that hath no water in it. Theſe dry ſhowers (which Almighty God threatens to ſend among a people as an heavy judgment, Deut. 28. 34. When he will make the rain of a land pouder and duſt) moſt grievouſly annoy all thoſe amongſt whom they fall, enough to ſmite them all with a preſent blindneſs; filling their eys, ears, noſtrills and their mouths are not free if they be not alſo well guarded; ſearching every place as well within as without our tents or houſes, ſo that there is not a little Key-hole, of any trunk or cabinet, if it be not covered, but receives ſome of that duſt into it, the duſt forced to finde a lodging any where, every where, being ſo driven and forced, as it is, by the extreme violence of the winde.
But there is no place nor Countrey under Heaven, nor yet ever hath been, without ſome diſcommodities. The Garden of Eden had a Serpent in it, Gen. 3. He that made all things by his abſolute command, hath ſo mixed, and tempered, and ordered all things here below by his infinite wiſdom, that either too much Heat, or too much Cold; Either the barrenneſs of the ſoyl, or the unwholeſomeneſs of the air, or ſome thing elſe, miniſters matter of exception more or leſs againſt every place, that the ſons of men might hence learn, that there is no true and perfect content to be found in any Kingdom, but in that of Heaven: For while we are here, trouble and peace, mourning and joy, comfort and diſcontent come all of them by courſes and ſucceſſions, ſo that there is no weeding up of thoſe tares, no removing of thoſe Annoyances from the life of man.
And ſo having obſerved what is truth, and what is enough to be ſaid of the inconveniences and annoyances, as well as of the commodities and contentments which are to be found in thoſe parts, I come now to ſpeak of the people that inhabit there. And becauſe many particulars will neceſſarily fall within the compaſs of this part of my obſervations, which would more w…ary my Reader if they ſhould be preſented unto him in one continued diſcourſ… ▪ I ſhall therefore (as I have begun) break this into Sections, and proceed to ſpeak