In the year 1519, Antonio Correa concluded a treaty of amity and commerce with the king of Pegu, which was mutually sworn to between him and the kings ministers, assisted by the priests of both nations, Catholic and Pagan.  The heathen priest was called the grand Raulim, who, after the treaty or capitulation was read, made according to their custom in the golden mine[147], began to read from a book, and then taking some yellow paper, a colour dedicated to holy purposes, and some sweet-smelling leaves impressed with certain characters, set both on fire; after which, holding the hands of the minister over the ashes, he pronounced some words which rendered the oath inviolable.  By way of a parallel to this solemnity, Correa ordered his priest to attend in his surplice with his breviary; but that was so tattered and torn that it was unfit to be seen by these heathens, on which he ordered a book of church music to be brought, which had a more creditable appearance, being larger and better bound; and opening at the first place which appeared, the priest began the lesson Vanity of Vanities, which answered among these ignorant people as well as if it had been the gospel[148].  The metropolis of the kingdom is called Bagou, corruptly called Pegu, which name is likewise given to the kingdom.  It has the Bay of Bengal on the west, Siam on the east, Malacca on the south, and Aracan on the north.  This kingdom is almost 100 leagues in length, and in some places of the same breadth, not including the conquered provinces.  The land is plain, well watered, and very fertile, producing abundance of provisions of all kinds, particularly cattle and grain.  It has many temples with a prodigious multitude of images, and a vast number of ceremonies.  The people believe themselves to have descended from a Chinese dog and a woman, who alone escaped from shipwreck on that coast and left a progeny; owing to which circumstance in their opinion, the men are all ugly and the women handsome.  The Peguers being much addicted to sodomy, a queen of that country named Canane, ordered the women to wear bells and open garments, by way of inviting the men to abandon that abominable vice.

[Footnote 147:  This singular expression may have been some court phrase of the court of Pegu, meaning the royal presence.—­E.]

[Footnote 148:  On this trifling incident, the editor of Astley’s Collection gives the following marginal reference, A merry passage.  Ludere cum sacris is rather a stale jest, and perhaps the grand Raulim was as ingenious as Correa and his priest, to trick the ignorant unbelievers in their sacred doctrines of Bhudda.—­E.]