Having a mind to visit the admiral on board ship, the king sent before hand four large canoes, filled with his most dignified attendants, all in white dresses, and having large awnings of perfumed mats borne over their heads on a frame of canes or bamboos.  They were surrounded by servants, all in white; outside of whom were ranks of soldiers, and beyond them were many rowers in well-contrived galleries, three of these on each side all along the canoes, raised one above the other, each gallery containing eighty rowers.[36] These canoes were well furnished with warlike implements and all kind of weapons, both offensive and defensive, and were filled with soldiers well appointed for war.  Bowing near the ship in great order, they paid their reverence to the admiral, saying that their king had sent them to conduct his ship into a safer road than that it now occupied.

[Footnote 36:  This surely is a great exaggeration, employing 480 rowers to each canoe.—­E.]

The king himself came soon afterwards, attended upon by six grave and ancient persons.  He seemed much delighted with English music, and still more with English generosity, which the admiral expressed in large presents to him and his attendants.  The king promised to come aboard again next day, and that same night sent off great store of provisions, as rice, poultry, sugar, cloves, a sort of fruit called Frigo, and Sago, which is a meal made out of the tops of trees, melting in the mouth like sugar, and tasting like sour curds, but when made into cakes will keep fit for eating at the end of ten years.  The king did not come on board next day, according to promise, but sent his brother to excuse him, and:  to invite the admiral on shore, while he remained as a pledge for his safe return.  The admiral declined going ashore himself, but sent some gentlemen of his retinue along with the king’s brother, detaining the viceroy till their return.

They were received on shore by another of the king’s brothers with several nobles, and conducted in great state to the castle, where there was a court of at least a thousand persons, the principal of whom were sixty grave counsellors, and four Turkish envoys dressed in scarlet robes and turbans, who were there to negociate trade between the Turkish empire and Ternate.  The king came in under a glorious canopy, embroidered with gold, and guarded by twelve men armed with lances.  He was dressed in a loose robe of cloth of gold, having his legs bare, but with leather shoes or slippers on his feet.  Several circular ornaments of gold were braided among his hair, a large chain of gold hung from his neck, and his fingers were adorned with rich jewels.  A page stood at the right-hand side of his chair of state, blowing cool air upon him with a fan, two feet long and a foot broad, curiously embroidered, and enriched with sapphires.  The English gentlemen were kindly received; and, having heard their message, he sent one of his counsellors to conduct them back to the ships.  The king of Ternate is a prince of great power, having seventy islands under his authority, besides Ternate, which is the best of the Molucca islands.  His religion, and that of all his subjects, is Mahometism, in obedience to which they keep the new moons and many fasts, during which they mortify the flesh all the day, but make up for their abstemiousness by feasting in the night.