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. LXX. The King of Bramaaes raising his siege from before the City of Odia••; with a description of the Kingdome of Siam; and the fertility thereof. (Book 70)

THe King of Bramaa,* 1.1 seeing that neither the great Ordnance vvherewith he had battered the City, nor the assaults vvhich he had given unto it, nor his inventions of Castles, accompanied vvith so many artifices of fire, whereon he had so much relied, had served him to any purpose for the execution of that which he had so mightily desi∣red, and being resolved not to desist from the enterprise vvhich he had begun, he called a Councell of War, vvherein all the Princes, Dukes, Lords, and Commanders that vvere in the Army were present. Having then propounded his desire and intention unto them, he required them to give him their advice thereupon; immediately the affair be∣ing put into deliberation, and thoroughly debated on either part, they concluded in ••he end, that the King vvas by no means to raise this siege, in regard this enterprise was the most glorious, and most profi••able of all that ever might be offered unto him; they represented moreover unto him the vvorld of treasure that he had imployed therein, and that if he continued battering the City without desisting from his assaults, at length the enemies would be spent, because it vvas apparent (as they vvere informed) that they vvere no longer able to vvithstand the least attempt that should be made against them. The King being exceedingly contented, for that their opinions proved to be conforma∣ble to his desire, testified the great satisfaction that he received thereby, so that he gave them many recompences in money, and vovved to them, that if they could take the Ci∣ty, he vvould confer upon them the greatest commands of the Kingdome, vvith very honorable titles and revenues. This resolution being taken, there was no further que∣stion but of considering in vvhat manner the businesse should be carried; whereupon by the counsell of Diego Suarez, and of the Ingineer, it was concluded, that vvith bavin•• and green turfe a kind of Platform should be erected higher then the vvalls, and that there on should be mounted good store of great Ordnance, wherewith the princi∣pall fortifications of the City should be battered, since that in them alone consisted all the enemies defence. Order then vvas presently given for all that vvas judged neces∣sary thereunto, and the threescore thousand Pioners vvhich vvere in the Camp vvere imployed about it, vvho in tvvelve days brought the Fort or Platform into the estate vvhich the King desired. There vvere already planted on it then forty pieces of Canon for the battering of the City the day ensuing, vvhenas a Post arrived vvith Letters to the King, vvhereby he vvas advertised, That the Zemindoo being risen up in the King∣dome

of Pegu, had cut fifteen thousand Bramaaes there in pieces, and had withall seiz••d on the principall places of the country. At these news the King was so troubled, that with∣out further delay he raised the siege, and imbarqued himself on a river, called Paca••au, where he stayed but that night, and the day following, which he imployed in retiring his great Ordnance and ammunition. Then having set fire on all the Pallisadoes, and lodgings of the Camp, he parted away one Tuesday, the fifteenth day of October, in the year a thousand five hundred forty and eight, for to go to the Town of Mar••a∣bano. Having used all possible speed in his voyage, at seventeen days end he came thither, and there was amply informed by the Chalagonim, his Captain of all the Zemindoos proceedings, in making himself King, and seizing on his treasure; by kil∣ling fifteen thousand Bramaaes, and that in divers places he had lodged five hundred thousand men, with an intention to stop his passage into the Kingdome. This news ve∣ry much perplexed the King of Bramaa, so that he fell to thinking with himself what course he should take for the remedying of so great a mischief as he was threatned with: In the end he resolved to tarry a while at Martabano, to attend some of his forces that were still behind, and then to go and fight a battell with his enemy; but it was his ill luck, that in the space of fourteen days only which he abode there, of four hundred thousand men which he had, fifty thousand quitted him: For whereas they were all Peg••es, and consequently desirous to shake off the Bramaaes yoke, they thought it best to side with the new King the Zemindoo, who was a Pegu as well as they; and they were the rather induced thereunto, by understanding, that this Prince was of an eminent condition, liberall, and so affable to every one, that he thereby won most men to be of his party. In the mean time the King of Bramaa, fear∣ing lest the defection of his souldiers should daily more and more increase, was advi∣sed by his Councell to stay no longer there, in regard the longer he should tarry, the more his forces would diminish, for that a great part of his Army was Pegues, which were not likely to be very faithful unto him. This counsell was approved of by the King, who presently marched away towards Pegu, neer unto which he was no soon∣er arrived, but he was certified that the Zemindoo, being advertised of his coming, was attending ready to receive him. So these two Kings being in the view of one an∣other, incamped in a great ••laine, some two leagues from the City of Pegu, the Zemindoo with six hundred thousand men, and the Bramaa with three hundred and fifty thousand. The next day these two Armies being put into battell array, came to joyn together one Friday the sixteenth of November, the same year, a thousand five hundred forty and eight. It was about six of the clock in the morning when first they began their incounter, vvhich vvas performed vvith so much violence, as a generall de∣feat ensued thereupon, yet fought they with an invincible courage on either part; but the Zemindoo had the worse, for in lesse then three hours his whole Army was rout∣ed, with the slaughter of three hundred thousand of his men, so that in this extre∣mity he vvas forced to save himself only with six horse in a fortress, called Battelor, where he stayed but one hour, during the vvhich, he furnished himself with a little Ves∣sell, wherein he fled the night ensuing up the river to C••daa. Let us leave him now fly∣ing, untill we shall come to him again whenas time shall serve, and return to the King of Bramaa, who exceedingly contented vvith the victory vvhich he had gotten, march∣ed the next morning against the City of Pegu; where as soon as he arrived, the inha∣bitants rendred themselves unto him, on condition to have their lives and goods sa∣ved. Whereupon he took order for the dressing of them that were hurt; as for those that he lost in this battell, they were found to be threescore thousand in number, a∣mongst the which were two hundred and fourscore Portugals, all the rest of them being grievously wounded.

* 1.2Having already intreated of the successe which the King of Bramaas voyage had in the kingdom of Siam, and of the rebellion of the Kingdom of Pegu, me thinks it will not be amisse for me to speak here succinctly of the scituation, extent, abundance, riches, and fertility which I saw in this kingdom of Siam, and in this Empire of Sorna••, to shew that the conquest thereof would have been far more utile unto us, then all the estates which now we have in the India's, and that we might obtain it with a great deal lesse

charge. This kingdom, as may be seen in the Map, is seven hundred leagues in length, and a hundred and threescore in bredth; the most part of it consists in great plaines, where are a world of corn grounds, and rivers of fresh water, by reason whereof the Country is exceeding fertile, and abundantly stored with cattell and victualls. In the most eminent parts of it are thick Forests of Angelin wood, whereof thousands of ships might be made; there are also many mines of Silver, Iron, Steel, Lead, Tin, Saltpetre, and Brimstone; likewise great abundance of Silk, Aloes, Benjamin, Lacre, Indico, Cot∣ton wooll, Rubies, Saphires, Ivory and gold; There is moreover in the woods marvai∣lous store of Brasill and Ebony, wherewith an hundred Juncks are every year laden, to be transported to China, Hainan, the Lequios, Camboya and Camp••aa; besides Wax, Honey, and Sugar, which divers places there do yeeld very plentifully. The Kings yearly revenue is ordinarily twelve millions of gold, over and above the presents which the great Lords make him, that comes to a great matter. In the jurisdiction of his territories there are six and twenty hundred populations, which they call Prodou, as cities and towns amongst us, besides villages and small hamlets, whereof I have no reckoning. The most part of those populations have no other fortifications or walls, then palisadoes of wood, so that it would be easie for any that should attaque them to make themselves masters thereof; the rather for that the inhabitants of those places are naturally effemi∣nate, and destitute of arms offensive and defensive. This coast of this kingdom joyns up∣on the two North and South Seas; on that of the Indiaes by Iunçalo and Tanauçarius, and on that of China by Monpolocata, Cuy, Lugor, Chintabu, and Berdio. The capitall City of all this Empire is Odiaa, whereof I have spoken heretofore; it is fortified with walls of brick and mortar, and contains, according to some, foure hundred thousand fires, whereof an hundred thousand are strangers of divers countries of the world: for whereas the country is very rich of it self, and of great traffick, there passes not a yeare whereunto from the Provinces and Islands of Iaoa, Bale, Madoura, Augenio, B••rneo, and Solor, there sailes at the least a thousand Iuncks, besides other smaller vessells where∣with all the rivers and all the harbors are full. The King naturally is no way given to ty∣ranny. The customs of all the Kingdome are charitably destinated for the maintenance of certain Pagodes, where the duties that are paid are very easie; for whereas the religi∣ous men are forbidden to trade with money, they take no more of Merchants then what they will give them out of almes. There are in this Country twelve Sects of Gentiles, as in the Kingdome of Pegu; and the King for a soveraigne title causeth himself to be called Prechau Saliu, which in our tongue signifies, A holy member of God. He shewes not himself to the people save only twice in the year, but then with so much riches and majesty, as he hath power and greatnesse, and yet for all this that I say, he less not to acknowledge himself the vassall and tributarie to the King of China, to the end that by means thereof his subjects Juncks may be admitted into the port of Combay, where or∣dinarily they exercise their commerce. There is also in this Kingdome a great quantity of Pepper, Ginger, Cinamon, Camphire, Allume, Cassia, Tamarinds and Cardamon; so as one may truly affirm that, which I have often heard say in those parts, namely, that this Kingdom is one of the best countries in the world, and easier to be subdued then a∣ny other Province, how little soever, I could here report likewise many more particula∣rities of things which I have seen only in the city of Odiaa, but I am not minded to make mention of them, that I may not beget in them that shall read this the same grief which I have for the losse which we made of it through our sins, and the gain we might make in conquering this Kingdom.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 1.
• * 1.2

  §. 2.