The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The Gouernment.

[ VIII] THe king hath a gouernor in euery prouince, who makes his aboad in the chiefe town of his gouernment. He hath many noblemen in his dominions, but they all acknow∣ledge the king for absolute lord of what they hold These lords are called Mani, as Mani Loanda, Mani Coanza, &c. Lord of Loanda, Lord of Coanza. The king is wonderful∣ly [ C] honoured by his subiects: & there is a good policie obserued throughout all his realm by the meanes of his gouernours. They haue no written lawes and ordinances, but they judge according to their ancient customes, and the equitie of euery mans cause. Among the rest, there is one law, that no man may sell Zebres skinnes▪ vnlesse with all he sell that which is vnder the arme holes (the which is venimous) to take away all meanes and sub∣iect to do ill. And as for the sea hog, the fishermen are bound to bring it presently vnto the king vpon paine of death.

The inhabitants of Cong obserue these orders in time of war: they are all footmen, and they strech themselues out, or march close together, according to the commoditie of the place, or they diuide themselues into diuers squadron••. The armie doth march, and [ D] is gouerned by the signalls and cries which come from the generall being in the mid∣dest: for be it to beginne the battaile, or that he will haue the armie turne to the right hand, or to the left, aduance, or retire, or doe any other thing, he hath particular signes, and certaine cries which declare his will, and what they must doe. He hath three chiefe instruments which he vseth to giue any signe: for, first they vse instruments of wood, which make a horrible noise whenas they sound them, or else drummes, putting a skin on the barke of some hollow tree, and they beat them with stickes of Iuorie. They haue also a triangular instrument like vnto a pyramed turned vpward, which being made of plates of yron closely ioined together, is beaten with stickes of wood. Lastly they vse elephants teeth, the which are made hollow, and pierced on the side like vnto phyphes; [ E] these make a warlike sound, the which puts courage into the souldiers, and makes them contemne dangers.

The generall of the armie is forced to carrie a great number of these kinds of instru∣ments, both great and small: for whenas he giues a signe to the whole armie, he must vse the great instrument: if to a part, then he vseth a lesse; so as euery troupe hath a particular signe, the which they vnderstand. The souldiers haue also signals amongst themselues; for the formost are for the most part men exceeding actiue, who in the mid∣dest of the fight, giue courage to the rest with little bells, and instruct them how to auoid daungers.

Whenas they beginne to fight, they open their rankes, that they may the more eas••y [ F] cast their darts, and auoid their enemies blowes by their disposition: whenas the for∣most seeme to be wearie, they presently sound a retreat, and then they that fight retire by little and little, to giue place to them that are fresh; and this they do sometimes vntil that both armies ioyne.

[ A] There is not any one in the realme of Congo that hath any thing proper to himselfe, or that can dispose of any thing to his heires, for that all belongs vnto the king, who giues and takes away at his pleasure. The kings children are subiect to this law, so as if they pay not that yearely, which they owe vnto the king, they are depriued of that which they hold.

The Gouernor of the prouince of Batta, who is of the bloud royall, sits alwaies nee∣rest vnto the king, and hath such authoritie in consultations, as no man dares contradict him. He eats sometime at the kings table, but standing, and no man receiues this honour, no not the kings owne children. He carries with him flute players, and other musitions [ B] like vnto the king, and he hath this priuiledge, to haue Harquebuziers of his own gouern∣ment, the which is not graunted vnto the kings children, to whom, if need require, they giue Harquebuziers that be strangers.

They seldome put any criminall offendor to death, and if any one of Congo hath a suit against one of Portugal, it is decided according to the laws of Portugal.