[How they dress their heads.] Their other ornaments and Apparel show very comely on them Their Hair they oyl, with Coker-nut oyl to make it smooth, and comb it all behind.  Their hair grows not longer than their wasts, but because it is a great ornament to have a great bunch of hair, they have a lock of other hair fastened in a Plate of engraved Silver and guilded, to tie up with their own, in a knot hanging down half their Backs.  Their hands are bare, but they carry a scarf of striped or branched Silk or such as they can get, casting it carelesly on their head and shoulders.  About their Wasts they have one or two Silver girdles made with Wire and Silver Plate handsomly engraven, hanging down on each side, one crossing the other behind.  And as they walk they chew Betel.  But notwithstanding all their bravery neither man nor woman wears shoos or stockings, that being a Royal dress, and only for the King himself.

[They commonly borrow their fine cloths.] It is in general a common custom with all sorts of People, to borrow Apparel or Jewels to wear when they go abroad, which being so customary is no shame nor disgrace to them, neither do they go about to conceal it.  For among their friends or strangers where they go, they will be talking saying, This I borrowed of such an one, and this of another body.  Their Poverty is so great, that their ability will not reach to buy such Apparel as they do desire to wear; which nevertheless is but very mean and ordinary at the best.

CHAP.  VII.

Of their Lodging, Bedding, Whoredom, Marriages, and Children.

Having been thus entertained with the fine Ladies abroad, it is time now to return home to our Lodging.  And the night coming on, we will lead you to their Bed-Chambers, and shew you how they sleep.  About which they are not very curious.  If their house be but one room (as it often is) then the men sleep together at one end and the women at the other.

[Their Bed, and how they sleep a nights.] They have Bedsteads laced with Canes or Rattans, but no Testars to them, nor Curtains; that the King allows not of; neither have they nor care they for more than one Bedstead, which is only for the Master of the house to sit or sleep on.  To this Bedstead belongs two mats and a straw Pillow.  The Woman with the Children always lyes on the ground on mats by the fire-side.  For a Pillow she lays a block or such like thing under her mat, but the Children have no Pillows at all.  And for covering and other bedding they use the cloth they wear by day.  But always at their feet they will have a fire burning all night.  Which makes more work for the Women; who must fetch it all upon her head.  For it is accounted a disgrace for the man to meddle or make with those affairs, that properly do belong unto the Woman.

[They rise in the night.] The younger sort of Children, such as go naked by day, creep in under a corner of their mothers cloths.  And if they feel themselves cold in the night, they rise and blow the fire with their mouths, having no Bellows in that Countrey, and so sit and warm themselves thereby.