Pepper, ungarbled, which cost 1 3/4 dollars at Bantam the sack, was worth at our coming ten tayes the pecul, which is 100 cattea of Japan, or 130 pounds English.  A taye is worth five shillings sterling.  A rial of eight, or Spanish dollar, is worth there in ordinary payment only seven mas, or three shillings and sixpence sterling, one mas being equal to a single rial.  The pecul of tin was worth thirty tayes; the pecul of elephants teeth eighty tayes:  Cast iron six tayes the pecul:  Gunpowder twenty-three tayes the pecul:  Socotrine aloes the cattee, six tayes:  Fowling-pieces twenty tayes each:  Calicos and such little commodities, of Guzerat or Coromandel, were at various prices, according to their qualities.

On the 7th of July the king of the Gotto islands, which are not far from Firando to the S.W. came upon a visit to king Foyne, saying he had heard of an excellent English ship being arrived in his dominions, which he greatly desired to go aboard of.  King Foyne requested of me that this might be allowed, the king of Gotto being an especial friend of his; wherefore he was banqueted on board, and several cannon were fired at his departure, which he was much pleased with, and told me he would be glad to see some of our nation at his islands, where they should meet a hearty welcome.  Three Japanese, two men and a woman, were put to death for the following cause:  The woman, in the absence of her husband, had made separate assignations with both the men.  He who was appointed latest, not knowing of the other, and weary of waiting, came too soon, and enraged at finding her engaged with another man, drew his cattan and wounded both very severely, almost cutting the man’s back in two.  Yet the wounded man, getting hold of his cattan, wounded the aggressor.  This fray alarming the street, word was sent to king Foyne and to know his pleasure, who accordingly gave orders to cut off all their heads.  After their execution, all who thought proper, as many did, came to try the temper of their weapons upon the dead bodies, which they soon hewed in small pieces, which were left to be devoured by the ravens.

The 10th three others were executed in the same way with the former, being beheaded and afterwards cut in pieces, for stealing a woman long since from Firando and selling her at Nangasaki.  When any are to be executed, they are led out of town in the following manner:  First there go two men, one having a mattock and the other a shovel, to dig the grave, if that be allowed to the criminal.  Then a third person carrying a small table or board, on which is written the crime of the party, which is afterwards affixed to a post on the grave in which he is buried.  Next comes the party to be executed, having his hands bound behind him by a silken cord, and having a small paper banner, much like one of our wind-vanes, on which the offence is written.  The criminal is