is another Macareo in Cambaya, [Sidenote: The
Macareo is a tide or a currant.] but that is nothing
in comparison of this. By the helpe of God we
came safe to Pegu, which are two cities, the olde and
the newe, in the olde citie are the Marchant strangers,
and marchants of the Countrey, for there are the greatest
doings and the greatest trade. This citie is not
very great, but it hath very great suburbes.
Their houses be made with canes, and couered with
leaues, or with strawe, but the marehants haue all
one house or Magason, which house they call Godon
which is made of brickes, and there they put all their
goods of any valure, to saue them from the often mischances
that there happen to houses made of such stuffe.
In the newe citie is the pallace of the king, and
his abiding place with all his barons and nobles,
and other gentlemen; and in the time that I was there,
they finished the building of the new citie:
it is a great citie, very plaine and flat, and foure
square, walled round about and with ditches that compasse
the wals about with water, in which ditches are many
crocodils, it hath no drawe bridges, yet it hath twentie
gates, fiue for euery square on the walles, there
are many places made for centinels to watch, made of
wood and couered or guilt with gold, the streetes
thereof are the fayrest that I haue seene, they are
as straight as a line from one gate to another, and
standing at the one gate you may discouer to the other,
and they are as broad as 10 or 12 men may ride a breast
in them: [Sidenote: A rich and stately palace.]
and those streetes that be thwart are faire and large,
these streetes, both on the one side and on the other,
are planted at the doores of the houses, with nut
trees of India, which make a very commodious shadowe,
the houses be made of wood and couered with a kind
of tiles in forme of cups, very necessary for their
vse, the kings palace is in the middle of the citie,
made in forme of a walled castle, with ditches full
of water round about it, the lodgings within are made
of wood all ouer gilded, with fine pinacles, and very
costly worke, couered with plates of golde. Truely
it may be a kings house: within the gate there
is a faire large court, from the one side to the other,
wherein there are made places for the strongest and
stoutest Eliphants appointed for the seruice of the
kings person, and amongst all other Eliphants, he
hath foure that be white, a thing so rare that a man
shall hardly finde another king that hath any such,
and if this king knowe any other that hath white Eliphantes,
he sendeth for them as for a gift. The time that
I was there, there were two brought out of a farre
Countrey, and that cost me something the sight of
them, for they commaund the marchants to goe to see
them, and then they must giue somewhat to the men
that bring them: the brokers of the marchants
giue for euery man halfe a duckat, which they call
a Tansa, [Marginal note: This money called Tansa
is halfe a duckat which may be three shillings and