An historical relation of the island Ceylon, in the East-Indies together, with an account of the detaining in captivity the author and divers other Englishmen now living there, and of the authors miraculous escape : illustrated with figures, and a map of the island / by Robert Knox.

PART I.

CHAP. I. A General Description of the Island.

THE Inland Parts of it hitherto un∣known. The chief Places on the Sea-Coasts. The Names of the Provinces and Counties of the Inland Country. Which are divided from each other by Woods. The Countrey Hilly, but inriched with Rivers. The great River Mavelagonga de∣scribed. Woody. Where most Populous and Healthful. The nature of the Vallies. The great Hill, Adams Peak, described. The natural Strength of this Kingdom. The dif∣ference of the Seasons in this Country. What Parts have most Rain.

CHAP. II. Concerning the chief Cities and Towns of this Island.

THE most Eminent Cities are Five. Viz. Cande, Nellemby, All••utneur. The Country of Bintan described. Badoula. The Province of Ouvah. Digligy, the place of the King's Residence. Gauluda. Many ruines of Cities. Anarodgburro. The na∣ture of the Northern Parts. The Port of Portaloon Affords Salt. Leawava Affords Salt in abundance, Described. Th••ir Towns how built. Many ly in ruins and forsaken, and upon what occasion.

CHAP III. Of their Corn, with their manner of Husbandry.

THE Products and Commodities of the Country. Corn of divers sorts. Rice. Growes in water. Their ingenuity in wa∣tering their Corn-lands. Why they do not always sow the best kind of Rice? They sow at different times, but reap together. Their artificial Pooles, Alligators harbor in them. They sow Corn on the mud. A sort of Rice that growes without water. The Seasons of Seed-time and Harvest. A parti∣cular description of their Husbandry. Their Plow. The convenience of these Plowes. Their First plowing. Their Banks, and use of them. Their Second plowing. How they prepare their Seed-Corn: And their Land af∣ter it is plowed. Their manner of Sowing. How they manure & order Young Corn. Their manner of reaping. They tread out their Corn with Cattel. The Ceremonies they use when the Corn is to be trodden. How they unhusk their Rice. Other sorts of Corn among them. Coracan, Tanna, Moung, Omb.

CHAP. IV. Of their Fruits and Trees.

GReat Variety of Fruits and delicious. The best Fruits where ever they grow re∣served for the Kings use. Betel-Nuts, The Trees, The Fruit, The Leaves, The Skins, and their use. The Wood. The Profit the Fruit yields. Iacks, another choyce Fruit. Iombo another. Other Fruits found in the Woods. Fruits common with other Parts of India. The Tallipot; the rare use of the Leaf. The Pith good to eat. The Kettule. Yields a delicious juice. The Skin bears strings as strong as Wyer. The Wood; its Nature and Use. The Cinnamon Tree. The Bark, The Wood, The Leaf, The Fruit. The Orula. The Fruit good for Physic and Dying. Water made of it will brighten rusty Iron, and serve instead of Ink. The Doune∣kaia. The Capita. Rattans. Their Fruit. Canes. The Betel tree. The Bo-gauhah or God-Tree.

CHAP. V. Of their Roots, Plants, Herbs, Flowers.

ROots for Food, The manner of their growing. Boyling Herbs, Fruits for Sawce. European Herbs and Plants among them. Herbs for Medicine. Their Flowers. A Flower that serves instead of a Dyal, cal∣led Sindric-mal. Picha-mals, Hop-mals.

CHAP. VI. Of their Beasts Tame and VVild. Insects.

WHat Beasts the Country produceth. Deer no bigger than Hares. Other Creatures rare in their kind. The way how a wild Deer was catched for the King. Of their Elephants. The way of catching Ele∣phants. Their understanding. Their Nature. The dammage they do. Serve the King for executing his Malefactors. Their Disease. The Sport they make. Ants of divers sorts. How one sort of them, called Coddias, came to sting so terribly. These Ants very mis∣chievous. The curious Buildings of the Vaeos, another kind of them. The manner of their death. Bees of several kinds. Some build on Trees like Birds. The people eat the Bees, as well as their Honey. Leaches, that ly in the grass, and creep on Travaylers Legs. The Remedies they use against them. Apes and Monkeys of divers kinds. How they catch Wild Beasts. How they take the Wild Boar.

CHAP. VII. Of their Birds, Fish, Serpents, and Commodities.

THeir Birds. Such as will be taught to speak. Such as are beautiful for Colour. A strange Bird. Water-Fowls resembling Ducks and Swans. Peacocks. The King keeps Fowl. Their Fish, How they catch them in Ponds, And how in Rivers. Fish kept and fed for the King's Pleasure. Serpents. The Pimberah of a prodigious bigness. The Po∣longa. The Noya. The Fable of the Noya and Polonga•• The Carowala. Gerendo. Hickanella. Democulo, a great Spider. Kob∣bera-guson, a Creature like an Aligator. Tol∣la-guion. The people eat Rats. Precoius Stones, Minerals, and other Commodities. The People discouraged from Industry by the Tyranny they are under.