] those people especially that be within the land doe greatly worship the riuer of ganges: for when any is sicke, he is brought out of the countrey to the banke of the riuer, and there they make him a small cottage of strawe, and euery day they wet him with that water, whereof there are many that die, and when they are dead, they make a heape of stickes and boughes and lay the dead bodie thereon, and putting fire thereunto, they let the bodie alone vntill it be halfe rosted, and then they take it off from the fire, and make an emptie iarre fas about his necke, and so throw him into the riuer. these things euery night as i passed vp and downe the riuer i saw for the space of two moneths, as i passed to the fayres to buy my commodities with the marchants. and this is the cause that the portugales will not drinke of the water of the riuer ganges, yet to the sight it is more perfect and clearer then the water of nilus is. from the port piqueno i went to cochin, and from cochin to malacca, from whence i departed for pegu being eight hundred miles distant. that voyage is woont to be made in fiue and twentie or thirtie dayes, but we were foure moneths, and at the ende of three moneths our ship was without victuals. the pilot told vs that wee were by his altitude not farre from a citie called tanasary, in the kingdome of pegu, and these his words were not true, but we were (as it were) in the middle of many ilands, and many vninhabited rockes, and there were also some portugales that affirmed that they knew the land, and knewe also where the citie of tanasari was. [sidenote: marchandise comming from sion.] this citie of right belongeth to the kingdome of sion, which is situate on a great riuers side, which commeth out of the kingdome of sion: and where this riuer runneth into the sea, there is a village called mirgim, in whose harbour euery yeere there lade some ships with verzina, nypa, and beniamin, a few cloues, nutmegs and maces which come from the coast of sion, but the greatest marchandise there is verzin and nypa, which is an excellent wine, which is made of the flower of a tree called nyper. [sidenote: niper wine good to cure the french disease.] whose licquour they distill, and so make an excellent drinke cleare as christall, good to the mouth, and better to the stomake, and it hath an excellent gentle vertue, that if one were rotten with the french pockes, drinking good store of this, he shall be whole againe, and i haue seene it proued, because that when i was in cochin, there was a friend of mine, whose nose beganne to drop away with that disease, and he was counselled of the doctors of phisicke, that he should goe to tanasary at the time of the new wines, and that he should drinke of the myper wine, night and day, as much as he could before it was distilled, which at that time is most delicate, but after that it is distilled, it is more strong, and if you drinke much of it, it will fume into the head with drunkennesse. this man went thither, and did so, and i haue seene him after with a good colour and sound. this wine is very much esteemed in the indies, and for that it is brought so farre off, it is very deare: in pegu ordinarily it it good cheape, because it is neerer to the place where they make it, and there is euery yeere great quantitie made thereof. and returning to my purpose, i say, being amongst these rockes, and farre from the land which is ouer against tanasary, with great scarcitie of victuals, and that by the saying of the pylot and two portugales, holding then firme that wee were in front of the aforesayd harbour, we determined to goe thither with our boat and fetch victuals, and that the shippe should stay for vs in a place assigned. we were twentie and eight persons in the boat that went for victuals, and on a day about twelue of the clocke we went from the ship, assuring our selues to bee in the harbour before night in the aforesaid port, wee rowed all that day and a great part of the next night, and all the next day without finding harbour, or any signe of good landing, and this came to passe through the euill counsell of the two portugales that were with vs. for we had ouershot the harbour and left it behind vs, in such wise that we had lost the lande inhabited, together with the shippe, and we eight and twentie men had no maner of victuall with vs in the boate, but it was the lords will that one of the mariners had brought a little rice with him in the boate to barter away for some other thing, and it was not so much but that three or foure men would haue eaten it at a meale: i tooke the gouernment of this ryce, promising that by the helpe of god that ryce should be nourishment for vs vntil it pleased god to send vs to some place that was inhabited: [sidenote: great extemitie at sea.] and when i slept i put the ryce into my bosome because they should not rob it from me: we were nine daies rowing alongst the coast, without finding any thing but countreys vninhabited, and desert ilands, where if we had found but grasse it would haue seemed sugar vnto vs, but wee could not finde any, yet we found a fewe leaues of a tree, and they were so hard that we could not chewe them, we had water and wood sufficient, and as wee rowed, we could goe but by flowing water, for when it was ebbing water, wee made fast our boat to the banke of one of those ilandes, and in these nine dayes that we rowed, we found a caue or nest of tortoises egges, wherein were one hundred fortie and foure egges, the which was a great helpe vnto vs: these egges are as bigge as a hennes egge, and haue no shell about them but a tender skinne, euery day we sodde a kettle full of those egges, with an handfull of rice in the broth thereof: it pleased god that at the ende of nine dayes we discouered certaine fisher men, a fishing with small barkes, and we rowed towardes them, with a good cheare, for i thinke there were neuer men more glad then we were, for wee were so sore afflicted with penurie, that we could scarce stande on our legges. yet according to the order that we set for our ryce, when we sawe those fisher men, there was left sufficient for foure dayes. [sidenote: tauay under the king of pegu.] the first village that we came to was in the gulfe of tauay, vnder the king of pegu, whereas we found great store of victuals: then for two or three dayes after our arriuall there, we would eate but litle meate any of vs, and yet for all this, we were at the point of death the most part of vs. from tauay to martauan, in the kingdome of pegu, are seuentie two miles. we laded our bote with victuals which were aboundantly sufficient for sixe moneths, from whence we departed for the port and citie of martauan, where in short time we arriued, but we found not our ship there as we had thought we should, from whence presently we made out two barkes to goe to looke for her. and they found her in great calamitie and neede of water, being at an anker with a contrary winde, which came very ill to passe, because that she wanted her boat a moneth, which should haue made her prouision of wood and water, the shippe also by the grace of god arriued safely in the aforesaid port of martauan. the citie of martauan. [sidenote: martauan a citie vnder the king of pegu.] we found in the citie of martauan ninetie portugales of merchants and other base of men, which had fallen at difference with the retor or gouernour of the citie, and all for this cause, that certaine vagabondes of the portugales had slaine fiue falchines of the king of pegu, which chaunced about a moneth after the king of pegu was gone with a million and foure hundred thousand men to conquere the kingdome of sion. [sidenote: a custome that these people haue when the king is in the warres.] they haue for custome in this countrey and kingdome, the king being wheresoeuer his pleasure is to bee out of his kingdome, that euery fifteene dayes there goeth from pegu a carouan of falchines, with euery one a basket on his head full of some fruites or other delicates or refreshings, and with cleane clothes: it chaunced that this carauan passing by martauan, and resting themselues there a night, there happened betweene the portugales and them wordes of despight, and from wordes to blowes, and because it was thought that the portugales had the worse, the night following, when the falchines were a sleepe with their companie, the portugales went and cut off their heads. [sidenote: a law in pegu for killing of men.] now there is a law in pegu, that whosoeuer killeth a man, he shall buy the shed blood with his money, according to the estate of the person that is slaine, but these falchines being the seruants of the king, the retors durst hot doe any thing in the matter, without the consent of the king, because it was necessarie that the king should knowe of such a matter. when the king had knowledge thereof, he gaue commaundement that the malefactors should be kept vntill his comming home, and then be would duely minister iustice, but the captaine of the portugales would not deliuer those men, but rather set himselfe with all the rest in armes, and went euery day through the citie marching with his drumme und ensignes displayd. [sidenote: great pride of the portugales.] for at that time the citie was emptie of men, by reason they were gone all to the warres, and in businesse of the king: in the middest of this rumour wee came thither, and i thought it, a strange thing to see the portugales vse such insolencie in another mans citie. and i stoode in doubt of that which came to passe, and would not vnlade my goods because that they were more sure in the shippe then on the land, the greatest part of the lading was the owners of the shippe, who was in malacca, yet there were diuerse marchants there, but their goods were of small importance, all those marchants tolde me that they would not vnlade any of their goods there, vnlesse i would vnlade first, yet after they left my counsell and followed their owne, and put their goods a lande and lost euery whit. the retor with the customer sent for mee, and demaunded why i put not my goods a lande, and payed my custome as other men did? to whom i answered, that i was a marchant that was newly come thither, and seeing such disorder amongst the portugales, i doubted the losse of my goods which cost me very deare, with the sweate of my face, and for this cause i was determined not to put my goods on lande, vntil such time as his honour would assure me in the name of the king, that i should haue no losse, and although there came harme to the portugales, that neither i nor my goods should haue any hurt, because i had neither part nor any difference with them in this tumult: my reason sounded well in the retors eares, and so presently he sent for the bargits, which are as counsellors of the citie, and then they promised mee on the kings head or in the behalfe of the king, that neither i nor my goods should haue any harme, but that we should be safe and sure: of which promise there were made publike notes. and then i sent for my goods and had them on land, and payde my custome, which is in that countrey ten in the hundreth of the same goods, and for my more securitie i tooke a house right against the retors house. the captaine of the portugales, and all the portugall marchants were put out of the citie, and i with twentie and two poore men which were officers in the shippe had my dwelling in the citie. [sidenote: a reuenge on the portugales.] after this the gentiles deuised to be reuenged of the portugales; but they would not put it in execution, vntil such time as our small shippe had discharged all her goods, and then the next night following came from pegu foure thousand souldiers with some elephants of warre; and before that they made any tumult in the citie, the retor sent, and gaue commaundement to all portugales that were in the citie, when they heard any rumour or noyse, that for any thing they should not goe out of their houses, as they tendered their owne health. then foure houres within night i heard a great rumour and noyse of men of warre, with elephants which threw downe the doores of the ware-houses of the portugales, and their houses of wood and strawe, in the which tumult there were some portugales wounded, and one of them slaine; and others without making proofe of their manhoode, which the day before did so bragge, at that time put themselues to flight most shamefully, and saued themselues a boord of litle shippes, that were at an anker in the harbour, and some that were in their beds fled away naked, and that night they caried away all the portugalles goods out of the suburbes into the citie, and those portugales that had their goods in the suburbes also. after this the portugales that were fledde into the shippes to saue themselues, tooke a newe courage to themselues, and came on lande and set fire on the houses in the suburbes, which houses being made of boorde and strawe, and the winde blowing fresh, in small time were burnt and consumed, with which fire halfe the citie had like to haue beene burnt; when the portugales had done this, they were without all hope to recouer any part of their goods againe, which goods might amount to the summe of sixteene thousand duckats, which, if they had not set fire to the towne, they might haue had againe without any losse at all. then the portugales vnderstanding that this thing was not done by the consent of the king, but by his lieutenant and the retor of the citie were very ill content, knowing that they had made a great fault, yet the next morning following, the portugales beganne to bende and shoot their ordinance against the citie, which batterie of theirs continued foure dayes, but all was in vaine, for the shotte neuer hit the citie, but lighted on the top of a small hill neere vnto it, so that the citie had no harme. when the retor perceiued that the portugales made battery against the citie, be tooke one and twentie portugales that were there in the citie, and sent them foure miles into the countrey, there to tarry vntill such time as the other portugales were departed, that made the batterie, who after their departure let them goe at their owne libertie without any harme done vnto them. i my selfe was alwayes in my house with a good guard appointed me by the retor, that no man should doe me iniurie, nor harme me nor my goods; in such wise that hee perfourmed all that he had promised me in the name of the king, but he would not let me depart before the comming of the king, which was greatly to my hinderance, because i was twenty and one moneths sequestred, that i could not buy nor sell any kinde of marchandise. those commodities that i brought thither, were peper, sandols, and porcellan of china: so when the king was come home, i made my supplication vnto him, and i was licenced to depart when i would. from martauan i departed to goe to the chiefest citie in the kingdome of pegu, which is also called after the name of the kingdome, which voyage is made by sea in three or foure daies: they may goe also by lande, but it is better for him that hath marchandize to goe by sea and lesser charge. and in this voyage you shall haue a macareo, which is one of the most marueilous things [marginal note: a thing most marueilous, that at the comming of a tide the earth should quake.] in the world that nature hath wrought, and i neuer saw any thing so hard to be beleeued as this, to wit, the great increasing and diminishing of the water there at one push or instant, and the horrible earthquake and great noyse that the said macareo maketh where it commeth. we departed from martauan in barkes, which are like to our pylot boates, with the increase of the water, and they goe as swift as an arrowe out of a bow, so long as the tide runneth with them, and when the water is at the highest, then they drawe themselues out of the channell towardes some banke, and there they come to anker, and when the water is diminished, then they rest on dry land: and when the barkes rest dry, they are as high from the bottome of the chanell, as any house top is high from the ground. [sidenote: this tide is like to the tides in our riuer of seuerne.] they let their barkes lie so high for this respect, that if there should any shippe rest or ride in the chanell, with such force commeth in the water, that it would ouerthrowe shippe or barke: yet for all this, that the barkes be so farre out of the chanell, and though the water hath lost her greatest strength and furie before it come so high, yet they make fast their prowe to the streme, and oftentimes it maketh them very fearefull, and if the anker did not holde her prowe vp by strength, shee would be ouerthrowen and lost with men and goods