are very few tame in the Countrey. Their food is altogether Rice, with some Hens, and some Fish, but not much, or in no abun••ance. The Iauans houses are altogether built of great Canes, and some few small Timbers, being slight buildings: In many of the principall mens houses, is good workmanship shewed, as car••ings, &c. And some of the chiefest haue a square Brick roome, being built in no better forme then a Brickill, which is onely to put in all their houshold stuffe, when fire commeth, but they seldome or neuer lodge, nor eate in them. There are many small Riuers running through the Towne: also, there is a good road for shippes, whereby if they were people of any reasonable capacity, it would be made a very goo••ly Citie, also it is walled round with a Bricke wall, being very warlike built, with Flankers, and Turrets scouring euery way▪ [ 10] I haue beene told by some that it was first built by the Chinesses. In many places it is fallen to de∣cay for want of repairing. At the very end of this Towne, is the China Towne, a narrow Riuer parting them, which runneth crosse the end of the China Towne, vp to the Kings Court, and so through the middle of the great Towne, and doth ebbe and flow, so that at a high water, both Gallies and Iuncts of great burthen, may goe vp to the middle of the great Towne.
This China Towne, is for the most part built of Brick, euery house sq••are, and flat ouer-head, some of them hauing Boords, and small Timbers, or s••lit Canes ouer-crosse, on which are laid Bricks and Sand, to defend them from fire. Ouer these Bricke Ware-houses is set a shed, being built vp with great Canes, and Thatched, and some are built vp with small Timber, but the grea∣t••st number with Canes onely. Of late yeares, since we came thither, many men of wealth [ 20] haue built their houses to the top, all fire free, of the which sort of houses, at our first comming, there was no more but the Sabindars house and the rich Chyna Merchants house, which neuerthe∣lesse by meanes of their windowes, and sheds ro••nd about them, haue beene consumed with fire. In this Towne stand the English and Dutch houses, which are built in the same manner, on∣ly they are very much bigger, and higher then ordinary houses, and the Dutch-men of late (though with great cost and trouble) haue built one of their houses vp to the top all of Bricke, fire free, as they suppose.
The King of this place is absolute, and since the deposing and death of the late Emperour of Damacke, is held the principall King of all that Iland: he vseth alwaies Marshall law vpon any offender whom he is disposed to punish. If any priuate mans Wife or Wi••es be taken with di∣shonesty, [ 30] so that they haue good proofe of it, they cause them presently to be put to death, both the woman, and the man that is taken in Adultery with her. And for their Slaues, they may execute them for any small fault. To euery Wife that a Iauan, being a free-man, marrieth, he must keepe ten women-slaues, which they as ordinary vse as their wiues; and some of them keepe for euery wife, fortie slaues, for so they keepe ten: they may haue as many more as they will, but they may haue but three wiues onely.
The Iauans, are generally exceeding proud, although extreame poore, by reason that not one amongst an hundred of them will worke. The Gentlemen of this Land are brought to bee poore, by the number of Slaues that they keepe, which eate faster then their Pepper or Rice groweth. The Chinois, doe both plant, dr••sse, and gather the Pepper, and also sowe their Rice liuing as Slaues vnder them, but they sucke away all the wealth of the Land, by reason that [ 40] the Iauans are so idle. And a Iauan is so proud, that he will not endure one to ••t an inch in height aboue him, if he be but of the like calling. They are a people that doe very much thirst after blood, yet they will seldome fight face to face one with another, or with any other Nation, but doe altogether seeke reuenge of their enemy cowardly, albeit they are for the most part men of a goodly stature. Their law for murther, is to pay a fine to the King, and that but a small summe: but euermore the friends of the party murthered, will be reuenged on the mur∣therer, or his kindred, so that the more they kill one another, the more fines hath their King. Their ordinary weapon which they weare, is called a ••rise, it is about two foot in length, the bla••e being waued, and crooked to and fro, Indenture like, and withall exceeding sharpe, most of them hauing the temper of their Mettle poysoned, so that not one amongst fiue hundred that [ 50] is wounded with them in the body escapeth with his life. The handles of these weapons, are either of horne or wood, curiously carued in the the likenesse of a Diuell, which many of them doe worship. In their warres, their fight is altogether with Pikes, Darts, and Targets. Of late, some few of them haue learned to vse their Peeces, but very vntowardly.
The apparell of the be••ter sort, is a tucke on their heads, and about their loynes a faire Pin∣tadoe, all the rest of their bodies naked; sometimes they will weare a close coate, somewhat like a Mandillion, of V••luet, Chamblet, Cloath, or some other kind of Silke: but it is but seldome, and vpon some extraordinary occasion. The common sort weare on their head, a flat cap of Vel∣uet, Taffita, or C••llico-cloath, the which is cut in many peeces, and seamed with a faire stitch, to make them sit flat and compasse: about their loynes they weare a kind of Callico-cloth, which [ 60] is made at Clyn, in manner of a silke girdle, but at the least one yard broad, being of two colours. Also, there commeth from thence many sorts of white colours, which they themselues do both Dye Paint and Gild, according to the fashions of that Countrey: Likewise, they can weare a kin•• of striped stuffe, both of Cotten, and Rindes of trees, but by meanes of their lasinesse, there