The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 429 pages of information about The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10.

The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 429 pages of information about The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10.
not so much as a louse; for they holde it a sinne to kill any thing.  They eate no flesh, but liue by rootes, and ryce, and milke.  And when the husbande dieth his wife is burned with him, if shee be aliue:  if shee will not, her head is shauen, and then is neuer any account made of her after.  They say if they should be buried, it were a great sinne, for of their bodies there would come many wormes and other vermine, and when their bodies were consumed, those wormes would lacke sustenance; which were a sinne, therefore they will be burned.  In Cambaia they will kill nothing, nor haue any thing killed:  in the towne they haue hospitals to keepe lame dogs and cats, and for birds.  They will giue meat to the Ants.

Goa is the most principal citie which the Portugals haue in India, wherein the Viceroy remaineth with his court.  It standeth in an Iland, which may be 25. or 30. miles about.  It is a fine citie, and for an Indian towne very faire.  The Iland is very faire, full of orchards and gardens, and many palmer trees, and hath some villages.  Here bee many marchants of all nations.  And the Fleete which commeth euery yeere from Portugal, which be foure, fiue, or sixe great shippes, commeth first hither.  And they come for the most part in September, and remaine there fortie or fiftie dayes; and then goe to Cochin, where they lade their Pepper for Portugall.  Oftentimes they lade one in Goa, the rest goe to Cochin which is from Goa an hundred leagues southward.  Goa standeth in the countrey of Hidalcan, who lieth in the countrey sixe or seuen dayes iourney.  His chiefe citie is called Bisapor. [Sidenote:  This wa the 20 of Nouember.] At our comming we were cast into prison, and examined before the Iustice and demanded for letters, and were charged to be spies, but they could prooue nothing by vs.  We continued in prison vntill the two and twentie of December, and then we were set at libertie, putting in sureties for two thousand duckets not to depart the towne; which sureties father Steuens an English Iesuite which we found there, and another religious man a friend of his procured for vs.  Our sureties name was Andreas Taborer, to whom we paid 2150. duckats, and still he demaunded more:  whereupon we made sute to the Viceroy and Iustice to haue our money againe, considering that they had had it in their hands neere fiue moneths and could prooue nothing against vs.  The Viceroy made vs a very sharpe answere, and sayd we should be better sifted before it were long, and that they had further matter against vs.  Whereupon we presently determined rather to seeke our liberties, then to bee in danger for euer to be slaues in the countrey, for it was told vs we should haue the strapado.  Wherupon presently, the fift day of April 1585. in the morning we ranne from thence.  And being set ouer the riuer, we went two dayes on foote not without feare, not knowing the way nor hauing any guide, for we durst trust none. [Sidenote:  Bellergan a towne.]

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The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.