[Footnote 427:  All the names of these islands among the Javas, or isles of Sunda are unintelligibly corrupt.—­E.]

The 28th of March 1588, I returned from Malacca to Martaban, and thence to Pegu, where I remained the second time till the 17th of September, and then went to Cosmin where I took shipping; and escaping many dangers from contrary winds, it pleased God that we arrived in Bengal in November.  I had to remain there, for want of a passage, till the 3d February 1589, when I embarked for Cochin.  In this voyage we suffered great hardships for want of water; for the weather was very hot, and we were many on board, merchants and passengers, and we had many calms.  It pleased God that we arrived in Ceylon on the 6th of March, where we staid five days, to furnish ourselves with water and necessary provisions.

Ceylon is a beautiful and fertile island, yet by reason of continual wars with the king, every thing is very dear, as he will not suffer any thing to be brought to the castle belonging to the Portuguese, so that they are often in great want of victuals, and they are forced to bring their provisions every year from Bengal.  The king is called rajah and is very powerful, for he comes sometimes against Columbo, where the Portuguese have their fort, with 100,000 men and many elephants.  But they are all naked people, though many of them are excellent marksmen with their muskets.  When the king talks with any man, he stands on one leg, setting the other foot on his knee, with his sword in his hand; as, according to their customs the king never sits.  He is dressed in a fine painted cotton cloth wrapped about his middle; his hair long and bound about his head with a small fine cloth, and all the rest of his body naked.  His guard is a thousand men, which stand round about him.  They are all Chingalese, who are said to be the best kind of the Malabars.  They have very large ears, as the larger they are the more honourable they are esteemed, some being a span long.  They burn the wood of the cinnamon tree, which gives a pleasant scent.  In this island there is great store of rubies, sapphires, and spinels of the best kind, but the king will not allow the inhabitants to dig for them, lest they should tempt his enemies to make war upon him and deprive him of his dominions.  There are no horses in this country, but many elephants, which are not so large as those of Pegu, which are of prodigious size; yet it is said all other elephants are afraid of those of Ceylon, and refuse to fight them, though small.  The women of this island wear a cloth round their middles, reaching only to the knees, all the rest of their bodies being bare.  Both men and women are black and very little.  Their houses are small, being constructed of the branches of the palmer or coco tree, and covered with the leaves of the same tree.