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these fair musicians, and that young lady that fanned him, not so much as one of those great personages daring to enter besides: not long after one of those twelve boys that carried the sceptres before mentioned, came to the Mitaquer, and told him from his sister, that the king commanded him to depart away, which he held for a singular favour, by reason this message was delivered to him in the presence of those kings and lords that were in the room, so that he stirred not, but sent us word, that we should go unto our tent with this assurance, that he would take care the Son of the Sun should be mindful of us."

Although the king here appears a tolerably sensible man, his expedition does not denote much wisdom, and he lost so many soldiers from sickness and want, that he commanded his camp to be set on fire, and having embarked his infantry and ammunition, set out by land himself for his own country with three hundred thousand horse, and twenty thousand rhinocerots. "Now after they had taken an account of all the dead, they appeared to be four hundred and fifty thousand, the most of whom died by sickness, as also an hundred thousand horses, and threescore thousand rhinocerots,* which were eaten in the space of two months and a half, wherein they wanted victual; so that of eighteen hundred thousand men, wherewith the King of Tartaria came to besiege Pequin, he carried home seven hundred and fifty thousand less than he brought."

Notwithstanding these losses, we find the king no way diminishing his state, which with that of many other great sovereigns is described as, "the Calaminhan lord of the indomitable force of the elephant of the earth"--the "lord of the white elephant, &c." whose land" borders on that of a certain people called Muscovites, who are fair, as may be seen by some of them now in this country, and apparelled with breeches, cassocks, and hats, like to the Flemings in Europe."

The ambassador of the Emperor of Caran was, however, more splendid than any other, having for his guard

"Sixscore men armed with arrows and partisans, damasked with gold and silver, and attired in violet and green. After them marched on horseback twelve ushers carrying silver maces, before whom were led twelve horses, each covered with carnation cloths, bordered with gold and silver; followed by twelve huge tall men like giants, clothed in tigers' skins. Then appeared, twelve little pages mounted on milk white hacknes, with green velvet saddles trimmed with silver lace and

By rhinocerots, we apprehend Mendez Pinto means buffaloes, provided for victualling this mighty army.

fringe. They were all apparelled alike in crimson satin cassocks, lined with marterns, breeches and hats of the same, and had great chains of gold scarf-wise about them. These twelve boys were all of equal stature, so fair of face, so well favoured, and of so sweet proportion of body, I believe there never have been seen any more accomplished. For himself, he was seated in a chariot, with three wheels on each side, called a pirange, it was garnished with silver, and round it walked forty footmen in jerkins and breeches of green and red cloth, laced all over with carnation silk lace, having swords by their sides three fingers broad, with hilts and chaps of silver, and hunting horns hanging in silver chains (brandric wise) about them, and on their heads they wore caps full of feathers with spangles. Thus was the ambassador so sumptuous and stately, we might well conclude he belonged to a mighty prince."

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The King of Tartaria engages the Portuguese in his service occasionally, and Jorge Mendez devotes himself entirely to him, though not "without many tears.' In this new country immense idols and many particulars of worship engage their attention, and they experience great generosity, but on their departure are again plundered by a Chinese pirate, and at the town of Pungar they are accused of being spies, and sentenced by the King of the Lequios " to be quartered, as an example to all others to the end of the world."

From this horrible end they were saved by a Portuguese woman, who was married to a native, and by her extraordinary grief raised up a number of ladies in their behalf, who petitioned the queen-mother, who undertook their care, and finally carried it so effectually, that they were not only pardoned but sent honourably out of the country, laden with presents from the charitable; the petition to the princess who espoused their cause is long, and completely oriental; it commences thus:

"Sacred pearl! congealed in the profoundest depth of the waters; thou star! enamelled with rays of fire; thou tress of golden hair, intermixed with roses; whose feet are so replenished with greatness, that they rest upon the top of our hands, like unto rubies enchased in gold," &c.

After this, many long voyages and dangerous journeys occur, but they arrive safely at the bar of Martabano, and make part in an armament against the King of Mattaban, whose capital is taken and most horribly sacked; and not content with abundant pillage and massacre, on the following day the queen, with her two young children, and one hundred and forty ladies of her court, are all cruelly executed by being hung up by their

heels until they were choaked. This dreadful scene is described with painful minuteness, and commented upon with sensibility. We should be glad to disbelieve our historian in this place; but when we recollect how much of the horrible has been practised in our own times, both in France and Ireland, we are compelled to admit its possibility; for the demon-man Plays such fantastic tricks before high Heaven, As would make angels weep."

But from this scene, we are led to witness the splendid pageantry arriving from victories so unmerited, and completed by tying a stone round the neck of the king, and casting him into the sea. These accounts of the rejoicings are again interrupted by a new siege, and a moving letter from a widowed queen, which failed to avert a fresh scene of sin and suffering, from which the very senses recoil. This is followed by a curious account of the worship of the country, and the manner of installing a new bishop, or high-priest, into his office; which was by apparently burying him with great pomp, then sending a beautiful child drest as an angel into the grave, who is supposed to breathe into him a new and purer soul, whereby he is fitted for the holy office, which he, arising, claims with great dignity. It appears from this work, that there are various institutions all over India, resembling the nunneries of Europe, into which rich women are given to retire, in which case their wealth is generally left to the pagodas; and it seems worthy of remark, that women are equal to the holding of considerable rank, and even political importance, as queens are frequently found acting as regents, and appear to exercise full powers of discretion, as other despotic sovereigns. We must, however, hasten through this voluminous work, and present a picture of the court of the Calaminham, on his return from these victories, and his reception of an ambassador, in whose train the Portugal wanderers were placed, as it contains a dramatic entertainment.

"We past along through the midst of a great garden, made with such art, and where appeared so many goodly things, so divers and so pleasing to the eye, as words are not able to express them: for here were many alleys environed with ballisters of silver, and many arbours of extraordinary scent, which we were told had so much sympathy with the moons of the year, that in all seasons whatsoever they bare flowers and fruits; withall there was such abundance and variety of roses and other flowers, as almost passeth belief. In the midst of this garden we saw a great many young women, very fair, and well clad, whereof some past away their time in dancing, and others in playing on sundry sorts of instruments much after our manner, which they performed with so much harmony, as we were not a little de

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lighted therewith: some also bestowed themselves in making of curious needle-works and gold-strings, some in other things, whilst their companions gathered fruit to eat; and all this was done so quietly, and with such order and good behaviour, as made us admire it. At our going out of this garden, where the Monvagarun would needs have the ambassador to stay awhile, that he might there observe something worthy to entertain his king with at his return to Pegu, we went into a very great antichamber, where many commanders and lords were sitting, as also some great princes, who received the ambassador with new ceremonies and compliments, and yet not one of them stirred from his place. Through this antichamber we came to a door, where there were six gentlemen ushers with silver maces, by which we entered into another room very richly furnished: in this was the Calaminham, seated on a most majestical throne, encompassed with three rows of ballisters of silver. At the foot of the degrees of his throne sat twelve women, that were exceeding beautiful and most richly apparelled, playing on divers sorts of instruments, whereunto they accorded their voices. On the top of the throne, and not far from his person, were twelve young damsels about nine or ten years old, all of them on their knees round about him, and carrying maces of gold in the fashion of sceptres; amongst them, there was also another that stood on her feet, and fanned him. Below, all along the whole length of the room, were a great many of old men, wearing mitres of gold on their heads, and long robes of satin and damask curiously embroidered, every one having silver maces on their shoulders, and ranked in order on either side against the walls over all the rest of the room were sitting, upon rich Persian carpets, about two hundred young ladies, as we could guess, that were wonderful fair, and exceeding wellfavoured."-p. 228.

"Then began the women to play on instruments of music, and six of them danced with little children for the space of three or four credos; after that, other six little girls danced with six of the oldest men that were in the room, which seemed to us a very pretty fantasticalness. This dance ended, there was a very fine comedy represented by twelve ladies, exceeding beautiful and gorgeously attired, wherein appeared on the stage a great sea-monster, holding in his mouth the daughter of a king, whom the fish swallowed up before them all, which the twelve ladies seeing, went in all haste weeping to an hermitage that was at the foot of a mountain, from whence they returned with an hermit, who made earnest supplications to Quiay Patureu, god of the sea, that he would bring this monster to the shore, so as they might come to bury the damsel according to her quality. The hermit was answered by Quiay Patureu, that the twelve ladies should change their lamentations and complaints into so many consorts of music, that were agreeable to his ears, and he would then command the sea to cast the fish upon the strand, to be done withal as they thought good; whereupon comes on the stage, six little boys with wings and crowns of gold upon their heads, in the same manner as we use to paint angels, and naked all over, who falling on their knees before the ladies, presented them with three harps and three viols, saying, that Quiay Patureu sent

them these instruments from the heaven of the moon, therewith to cast the monster of the sea into a sleep, that so they might have their desire on him; whereupon the twelve ladies took them out of the hands of the little boys, and began to play upon them, tuning them unto their voices with so lamentable and sad a tone, and such abundance of tears, that it drew some from the eyes of divers lords that were in the room. Having continued their music about half a quarter of an hour, they saw the monster coming out of the sea, and by little and little, as it were, astonished-making to the shore where these fair musicians were; all which was performed so properly, and to the life, that the assistants could hardly imagine it to be a fable, and a matter devised for pleasure, but a very truth, besides the scene was set forth with a world of state and riches. Then one of the twelve ladies, drawing out a poniard, all set with precious stones, which she wore by her side, ripped up the fish, and out of the belly of it drew the Infanta alive, which presently went and danced to the tune of their instruments, and so went and kissed the Calaminham's hand, who received her very graciously, and made her sit down by him. It was said that this young lady was his niece, the daughter of a brother of his; as for the other twelve, they were all the daughters of princes, and of the greatest lords of the country, whose fathers and brothers were there present. There were also three or four comedies more like this, acted by other young ladies of great quality, and set forth with so much pomp and magnificence, as more could not be desired."-p. 229.

On leaving the court of the Calaminham, they sail down the great river Ritsey, where the ambassador makes a trading voyage. In this voyage they see a great variety of natives, and among others, "the merchants mention certain tawny men who are great archers, having their feet like oxen, but their hands are like unto other men, except that they are exceeding hairy they are very much addicted to cruelty, and have below, at the end of the backbone, a lump of flesh as big as one's two fists." They saw also men, "named Magares, who feed on wild beasts, which they eat raw, such as serpents and adders; they hunt these wild beasts, mounted on certain animals as big as horses, which have three horns in the middle of their foreheads, with thick short legs, and on the middle of their backs a row of prickles, all the rest of their body is like a great lizard, besides they have on their necks instead of hair, other prickles, far larger and bigger than those on their backs; and on the joints of their shoulders short wings, wherewith they fly, as it were, leaping the length of five or six and twenty paces at a grasp. These creatures are called Banazes."

Many other remarkable people were seen in this voyage, though none equally marvellous; after which, we find an account of the death of another potentate, the Roolim of Mounay, whose funeral pyre is honoured by such splendid exhibitions, and terrible sacrifices, that we cannot forbear to wish that

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