and there they sit with their supplications in their
hands, which are made of long leaues of a tree, these
leaues are 3. quarters of a yard long, and two fingers
broad, which are written with a sharpe iron made for
that purpose, and in those leaues are their supplications
written, and with their supplications, they haue in
their hands a present or gift, according to the waightines
of their matter. Then come the secretaries downe
to read these supplications, taking them and reading
them before the king, and if the king think it good
to do to them that fauour or iustice that they demaund,
then he commandeth to take the presents out of their
hands: but if he thinke their demand be not iust
or according to right, he commandeth them away without
taking of their gifts or presents. In the Indies
there is not any marchandise that is good to bring
to Pegu, vnlesse it bee at some times by chance to
bring Opium of Cambaia, and if he bring money he shall
lose by it. Now the commodities that come from
S. Tome are the onely marchandise for that place, which
is the great quantity of cloth made, which they vse
in Pegu: which cloth is made of bombast wouen
and painted, so that the more that kinde of cloth is
washed, the more liuelie they shewe their colours,
which is a rare thing, and there is made such accompt
of this kinde of cloth which is so great importance,
that a small bale of it will cost a thousand or two
thousand duckets. Also from S. Tome they layd
great store of red yarne, of bombast died with a roote
which they call Saia, as aforesayd, which colour will
neuer out. With which marchandise euery yeere
there goeth a great shippe from S. Tome to Pegu, of
great importance, and they vsually depart from S.
Tome to Pegu the 11. or 12. of September, and if she
stay vntill the twelfth, it is a great hap if she
returne not without making of her voiage. Their
vse was to depart the sixt of September, and then they
made sure voyages, and now because there is a great
labour about that kind of cloth to bring it to perfection,
and that it be well dried, as also the greedinesse
of the Captaine that would made an extraordinary gaine
of his fraight, thinking to haue the wind alwayes
to serue their turne, they stay so long, that at sometimes
the winde turneth. For in those parts the windes
blow firmely for certaine times, with the which they
goe to Pegu with the winde in poope, and if they arriue
not there before the winde change, and get ground
to anker, perforce they must returne backe againe:
for that the gales of the winde blowe there for three
or foure moneths together in one place with great
force. But if they get the coast and anker there,
then with great labour they may saue their voyage.
Also there goeth another great shippe from Bengala
euery yeere, laden with fine cloth of bombast of all
sorts, which arriueth in the harbour of Pegu, when
the ship that commeth from S. Tome departeth.
The harbour where these two ships arriue is called
Cosmin. From Malaca to Martauan, which is a port