The voyages and adventures of Fernand Mendez Pinto, a Portugal, during his travels for the space of one and twenty years in the Kingdoms of Ethiopia, China, Tartaria, Cauchinchina, Calaminham, Siam, Pegu, Japan, and a great part of the East-Indiaes with a relation and description of most of the places thereof, their religion, laws, riches, customs, and government in time of peace and war : where he five times suffered shipwrack, was sixteen times sold, and thirteen times made a slave / written originally by himself in the Portugal tongue and dedicated to the Majesty of Philip King of Spain ; done into English by H.C. Gent.

CHAP. LXIII. That which the King of Bramaa did after his arrivall at the City of Pegu, together with his besieging of Savady. (Book 63)

TWo and twenty daies after the King of Bramaa arrived at the City of Pegu, he perceived by the Letter which his Ambassador brought him from the Calaminham, that he had concluded the League with him against the Siamon, yet in regard the season was not fit for him, either to commence that war, or to assail the Kingdome of Avaa, as he desired, he resolved to send his Foster-brother, unto whom, as I have already de∣clared, he had given the title of lawfull Brother, to the siege of Savady, which was some hundred and thirty Leagues from thence to the North-East. Having assembled an Army then of an hundred and fifty thousand men, amongst whom were thirty thousand strangers of divers Nations, and five thousand fighting Elephants, besides three thou∣sand others that carried the baggage, and the victualls, the Chaumigrem departed from Pegu with a Fleet of thirteen hundred rowing Vessells, the fifteenth of the moneth of March. Fourteen daies after he arrived in the sight of Savady, and having cast Anchor neer to a great Plain, called G••mpalaor, he remained there six daies in attending the five thousand Elephants which were to come to him by land, who were no sooner arrived, but he began to besiege the Town, so that having begirt it round, he assaulted it three times in the open day, and retreated still with very great losse, as well in regard of the notable resistance which they within made against him, as of the extreme trouble his

people were at in planting their ladders against the walls, by reason of their bad scitu∣ation, which was all of Slate; whereupon consulting with his Commanders about what he should do, they were all of opinion to have it battered with the Canon on the weakest side, untill that by the overthrow of some part of the wall, a breach might be made, whereby they might enter with more ease and lesse danger. This resolution was as soon executed as taken, so that the Ingineers fell to making of two manner of bull∣works on the outside upon a great Platform, composed of great beams and bavins, which in five daies they raised up to such an height, as it surpassed the wall two fathom at the least. This done, they planted on each bulwark twenty great pieces of Ordnance, wherewith they began to batter the Town so violently, that in a little time they beat down a pane of the wall; and besides those pieces of battery, there were above three hundred Falcons that shot incessantly, with an intention only to kill those that were in the streets, as indeed they made a great havock, which was the cause that seeing them∣selves so ill-intreated, and their people slain in that manner, they resolved, like valiant men as they were, to sell their lives as dearly as they could, so that one morning having sallied forth by the same breach of the wall which the Canon had made, they gave so valiantly upon those of the Camp, that in lesse then an hour they almost routed the Bramaas whole Army. Now because it began to be day, the Savadis thought it fit to re-enter into the Town, leaving eight thousand of their enemies dead on the place. After this they repaired the breach in a very little time by the means of a rampire of earth, which they made up with bavins and other materialls, that was strong enough to resist the Canon. Hereupon the Chaumigrem seeing the bad successe he had had, re∣solved to make war, both upon the places neer about, as also upon the frontiers that were furthest off from the Town, for which purpose he sent Diosa••ay, high Treasurer of the Kingdome, whose Slaves we Portugals were, Colonel of five thousand men to spoil a certain Borough, called Valentay, which furnished the besieged Town with pro∣visions; but this voyage was so infortunate unto him, that before his arrivall at the de∣signed place, his forces were by two thousand Savadis, whom he incountred by the way, all cut in pieces in lesse then half an hour, not one escaping with life that fell into the enemies hands. Neverthelesse it pleased our Lord that amidst this defeat we saved our selves by the favour of the night, and without knowing whither we went, we took the way of a very craggy mountain, where we marched in exceeding great pain three daies and an half, at the end whereof we entred into certain Moorish Plains, where we could meet with no path or way, nor having other company then Tygers, Serpents, and other savage beasts, which put us into a mighty fear. But as our God, whom incessantly we invoked with tears in our eys is the true guide of travellers, he out of his infinite mercy permitted, that at length we perceived one evening a certain fire towards the East, so that continuing our course towards that place where we saw this light, we found our selves the next morning neer to a great Lake, where there were some Cottages, which in all likelyhood were inhabited by very poor people; howbeit not daring to discover our selves as yet, we hid us all that day in certain hanging pre∣cipices that were very boggy, and full of Horsle••ches, which made us all gore blood. As soon as it was night we fell to marching again untill the next morning, whenas we arrived neer to a great river, all alongst the which we continued going for five daies to∣gether. At last with much pain we got to another Lake, that was far greater then the former, upon the bank whereof was a little Temple in the form of an Hermitage, and there we found an old Hermite, who gave us the best entertainment that possibly he could: This old man permitted us to repose our selves two daies with him, during which time we demanded many things of him that made for our purpose; whereunto he alwaies answered according to the truth, and told us, that we were still within the Territories of the King of Savady, that this Lake was called Oreg••ant••r, that is to say, the opening of the night, and the Hermitage, the God of succour. Whereupon being desi∣rous to know of him the signification of this abuse, he laid his hand on an horse of brasse, that stood for the Idoll upon the Altar, and said that he often read in a book, which intreated of the foundation of the Kingdome, that some two hundred, thirty, and seven years before, this Lake being a great Town, called O••umhaleu, a King that was named Ava•• had taken it in war, that in acknowledgement of this victory, his

Priests, by whom he was wholly governed, counselled him to sacrifice unto Quiay Gua∣••or, the God of war, all the young male children which had been made captives; and in case he did not so, they would when they became men regain the Kingdome from him. The King apprehending the event of this threatning, caused all these children, being fourscore and five thousand in number, to be brought all into one place, and so upon a day that was kept very solemn amongst them, he made them to be put most inhumanely to the edge of the sword, with an intent to have them burned the next morning in Sa∣crifice; but the night following there came a great earthquake, and such lightning and fire fell from heaven upon the Town, as within lesse then half an hour it was quite de∣molished, and all that was in it reduced to nothing, so that by this just judgement of God, the King, together with all his were strucken dead, not so much as one escaping, and besides them thirty thousand Priests in like manner, who ever since during all the New Moons are heard to cry and roar so dreadfully, that all the inhabitants therea∣bouts were ready to go besides themselves with fear, by reason whereof the Country was utterly depopulated, no other habitation remaining therein, save only fourscore and five Hermitages, which were erected in memory of the fourscore and five thousand children, whom the King had caused to be butchered through the evill counsell of his Priests.