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.
One of the first townes which we came vnto, is called Bellergan, where there is a great market kept of Diamants, Rubies, Saphires, and many other soft stones. [Sidenote:  Bisapor.] From Bellergan we went to Bisapor which is a very great towne where the king doeth keepe his court.  Hee hath many Gentiles in his court and they be great idolaters.  And they haue their idols standing in the Woods, which they call Pagodes.  Some bee like a Cowe, some like a Monkie, some like Buffles, some like peacockes, and some like the deuill.  Here be very many elephants which they goe to warre withall.  Here they haue good store of gold and siluer:  their houses are of stone very faire and high. [Sidenote:  Gulconda.] From hence we went for Gulconda, the king whereof is called Cutup de lashach.  Here and in the kingdome of Hidalcan, and in the countrey of the king of Decan, bee the Diamants found in the olde water.  It is a very faire towne, pleasant, with faire houses of bricke and timber, it aboundeth with great store of fruites and fresh water.  Here the men and the women do go with a cloth bound about their middles without any more apparell.  We found it here very hote.

[Sidenote:  Masulipatan.] The winter beginneth here about the last of May.  In these partes is a porte or hauen called Masulipatan, which standeth eight dayes iourney from hence toward the gulfe of Bengala, whether come many shippes out of India, Pegu, and Sumatra, very richly laden with Pepper, spices, and other commodities.  The countrie is very good and fruitfull. [Sidenote:  Seruidore.] From thence I went to Seruidore which is a fine countrey, and the king is called, the king of Bread.  The houses here bee all thatched and made of lome.  Here be many Moores and Gentiles, but there is small religion among them. [Sidenote:  Bellapore.] From thence I went to Bellapore, and so to Barrampore, which is in the country of Zelabdim Echebar.  In this place their money is made of a kind of siluer round and thicke, to the value of twentie pence, which is very good siluer.  It is marueilous great and a populous countrey.  In their winter which is in Iune, Iuly, and August, there is no passing in the streetes but with horses, the waters be so high.  The houses are made of lome and thatched.  Here is great store of cotton cloth made, and painted clothes of cotton wooll:  here groweth great store of corne and Rice. [Sidenote:  Strange mariages.] We found mariages great store both in townes and villages in many places where wee passed, of boyes of eight or ten yeeres, and girles of fiue or six yeeres old.  They both do ride vpon one horse very trimly decked, and are caried through the towne with great piping and playing, and so returne home and eate of a banket made of Rice and fruits, and there they daunce the most part of the night and so make an ende of the marriage.  They lie not together vntill they be ten yeeres old.  They say they marry their children so yoong, because it is an order that when the man dieth, the woman

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