Purchas his pilgrimes. part 3 In fiue bookes. The first, contayning the voyages and peregrinations made by ancient kings, patriarkes, apostles, philosophers, and others, to and thorow the remoter parts of the knowne world: enquiries also of languages and religions, especially of the moderne diuersified professions of Christianitie. The second, a description of all the circum-nauigations of the globe. The third, nauigations and voyages of English-men, alongst the coasts of Africa ... The fourth, English voyages beyond the East Indies, to the ilands of Iapan, China, Cauchinchina, the Philippinæ with others ... The fifth, nauigations, voyages, traffiques, discoueries, of the English nation in the easterne parts of the world ... The first part.

§. I. Of Camboia and the Bramenes there; the cause of his going to China: Of China and the neighbouring Regions.

I Being in Malaca building an house of my Order, and preaching, was informed that in the Kingdome of Camboia (which is subiect to the King of Siam,* 1.1 and ly∣eth toward the parts of China, and doth confine with Champa, whence commeth [ 30] the most precious Calambach) was great oportunitie to preach the Gospell, and to reape some fruit. Hauing leaue of my Prelate, I tooke the iourney in hand. And after the passing many troubles and hunger in the iourney, with dangers and sicknesses, I came a land, and after I had reasonably informed my selfe by a third person, conuersing with the People and with the Fathers, euen before I knew it I found all to the contrary of that which they had told, and that all were deceits of the simple Laytie, which of light matters were moo∣ued to presume of the people that which was not in them. And besides this, I found many hin∣derances for the obtayning of my desires and intent;* 1.2 for first, the King is a Bramene, and the Bramenes are his principall men and his fauourites, and most familiar, because they are Witches, for they are much giuen to bee pleased with witchcrafts, and they doe nothing without con∣sulting [ 40] the Witches and Bramenes that are in the Kingdome (for by this meanes they thriue) by the Deuill. And so the first thing that the King asked me, was if I were a Witch.

* 1.3The Bramenes doe worship among others one God, which they call Probar missur (which they said made the Heauens and the Earth;* 1.4 and another God, which they call Pralocussar, this also hauing obtayned power of another which they call Praissur, for to giue this licence to Probar missur) and I shewed them, that not onely he had not made the Heauen and the Earth, but that hee had beene a very wicked man and a great sinner: wherefore these Priests said, that they would worship him no more, hauing worshipped him thitherto with their God Praput prasar metri:* 1.5 whereupon the hatred of the Bramenes increased towards me, and from thence forward I had disfauours of the King, which was mooued for the zeale of his God, and the God of his Bra∣menes. [ 50] There met about these matters, the Priests of the Idols, and all of their troupe, which goe for Priests, and hold themselues for religious men, and in their conuersation and life they are separated from all other people, which to my thinking is the third part of the people of the Land; the King thereof setting an hundred thousand men in the field. This religious people, or that holds it selfe for such, are exceedingly proud and vaine, and aliue they are worshipped for gods,* 1.6 in sort that the inferiour among them doe worship the superiour like gods, praying vn∣to them and prostrating themselues before them: and so the common people haue a great confi∣dence in them, with a great reuerence and worship: in sort that there is no person that dare con∣tradict them in any thing, and their wordes among them are held for so sacred, that in no wise they will endure to be gainsayed. Insomuch that it hapned sometimes whiles I was preaching, [ 60] many round about me hearing me very well, and satisfying themselues of that which I said vnto them; if there came any of these Priests, and said this is good, but ours is better, they would all depart and leaue me alone. Further, they being very ignorant presumed to be very wise, and the common people did hold them for such, all their knowledge being ignorances and Heathenish follies.

They make seuen and twenty Heauens, some where there is meate and drinke and faire wo∣men whether they say all liuing things doe goe, euen the Flea and the Lowse, for they say,* 1.7 that as they haue soules, that they must liue in the other World. And to these, they say, all doe goe that are not Religious men as they are. They place others higher, whether they say, their holy Priests doe goe that liue in the Wildernesses, and all the felicitie they giue them there, is to sit refreshing themselues with the wind. They place others yet higher, the gods of the which, they say, haue round bodies like Bowles, those which goe to these Heauens, and the honour w••ich they giue them is, to giue them round bodies as the Gods themselues haue.* 1.8 And euen as they make many Heauens, so they doe many Hels, for they make thirteene, to the which they goe [ 10] according to the grieuousnesse of the sinnes of euery one, eyther higher or lower.

They haue a diuision of their religious men, for some they call Massancraches,* 1.9 which are as supreame, which sit aboue the King: others they call Nascendeches, which are as our Bishoppes here. These sit equall with the King. Others they call Mitires, which are in the common de∣gree of Priests, which do sit vnder the King: vnder the which there are yet two degrees, which they call Chaynizes and Sazes. And all these they ascend in degree, so they doe in vanitie and pride, and are more reuerenced. Besides all this, there is another very great inconuenience, that except the Priests and all those that holds themselues for Religious men, all the rest are slaues of the King, and when the owner of the House dyeth, all that is in it returneth to the King, and let the Wife and Children hide what they can, and begin to seeke a new life: the people of the [ 20] Countrey is of such a nature, that nothing is done that the King knoweth not: and any bodie be he neuer so simple may speake with the King; wherefore euery one seeketh newes to carry vnto him, to haue an occasion for to speake with him: whereby without the Kings good will nothing can be done, and wee haue already shewed before, that hee is vnwilling to the matter of Chri∣stianitie. To these things was joyned some disorders of the Portugals, so that by all meanes I found crosses and inconueniences for to obtayne my desires and my pretence: wherefore I hauing beene in the Countrey about a yeare, and seeing I could make no fruit beside the passing of grie∣uous sicknesses, I determined to leaue this Countrey, and because they told mee many things of China, and the people of it to haue a disposition to Christianitie, and that they loued reason, I determined, seeing in this Countrey I did no good, nor baptized more then one Gentile, which I [ 30] left in the Caue, to goe to China in a ship, of China which was then in the Countrey; in which they carryed me with a very good will, giuing me the best roome in the ship, not taking any in∣terest of me; yea, they dealt very charitably with me. This name China is not the proper name of the people of this Countrey, nor of the Countrey it selfe, neither is there commonly in the Countrey notice of such a name, onely among all the people of India, and among those which dwell in the South parts, as in Malaca, Siam, Iaoa, this denomination of Chinas goeth currant, and also among those Chinas which doe traffique among vs. The proper name of the Countrey is Tame, the e. not well pronounced, but almost drowning it: and the name of the people of the Countrey is Tamgin, whence this name China doth come,* 1.10 which is currant a∣mong the strangers we know not, but it may be conjectured, that the people which in old time [ 40] did sayle to those parts, because they passed by the Coast of a Kingdome, which they call Cau∣chin-china, and traffique in it, and victuall, and take refreshings there for the Iourney of the Countrey that lyeth forward, which is that of China, in the which Kingdome they liue after the manner of the Chinas, and is subject to the Chinas, it s••emeth, that omitting Cauchin, from the denomination of this other Kingdome, they called all the Countrey that lyeth along China.

China is a great part of Scythia; for as Herodotus saith, Scythia extendeth it selfe vnto India, which may be vnderstood, because the Chinas did possesse many parts of India, and did conquer them of old time, whereof at this day there are some Monuments, as in the Coast of Choro∣mandell, which is towards the Coast of the Kingdome of Narsinga, on that side which we call Saint Thome, because there is a House built by the Apostle, and the Relikes of his bodie. There [ 50] is at this day a great Temple of Idols, which is a ma••ke for the Nauigators to know the Coast which is very low, the which as the men of the Countrey affirme, was made by the Chinas, of whom there remayned among them a perpetuall memory, and therefore they call it Pagode, of the Chinas, which is to say, Temple of the Chinas. And in the Kingdome of Callecut, which is the head of M••lauar,* 1.11 there be very ancient fruit-trees which the men of the Countrey say were planted by the Chinas, and on the shoales of Chilao, which doe runne from the Iland of Ceylan, toward the Coast of Cheromandel, is affirmed, by the men of the Countrey, a great Ar∣my of the Chinas to be cast away which came for India, which was lost, because the Chinas were but young in that Nauigation. And so the men of the Countrey say the Chinas were Lords of all Iaoa, and of Iautana, which is the Kingdome of Malaca, Siam, and of Chapaa, as it is com∣monly [ 60] affirmed in those parts: wherefore some doe affirme, many of this people to bee like the Chinas, that is, hauing small eyes, flat noses, and long faces, for the great commixture that the Chinas had with all of them, especially with them of Iaoa, which commonly are more China-like. But the King of China seeing that his Kingdome went to decay, and was in danger by

their seeking to conq••er other strange Countreyes, he with-drew himselfe with his men to his owne Kingdome, making a publike Edict vnder paine of death that none of the Countrey should sayle out of the Kindome of China: the which lasteth to this day.

* 1.12The Liquos are not continued with mayne Land, but it is an Iland which standeth in the Sea of China, little more or lesse then thirtie leagues from China it selfe. In this Iland liue these people, which is a well disposed people, more to the white then browne. It is a cleanly and well attyred people; they dresse their haire like women; and tye it on the side of their head, fastened with a siluer bodkin; their grounds are plentifull of many and good waters; it is a people that sayle very seldome being in the middest of the Sea. They weare good shore Swords, they were in times past subject to the Chinas, with whom they had great conuersation, therefore are very [ 10] like the Chinas. Now this Iland remayning to the Sea from China, as we haue said, the Coast of China runneth, winding from the Prouince of Cantano, and from her Coast vnto the Coast of the Prouince of Nanquin, whether to the Portugals haue sayled, the Coast making neuer a point as the Maps doe make, the which may be seene well pointed in the Sea-cards and in the Maps made among the Portugals.

The Tartars are reckoned among the Scythians, and runne so far along China, with the which it hath continuall Warre, that commonly they affirme to haue betweene the Chinas and the Tar∣tarians, a Wall of an hundred leagues in length. And some will affirme to bee more then a hun∣dred leagues: the first Kingdome that doth confine with it on the Sea-side of India, is one that is called Cauchin-china, which hath about an hundred leagues little more or lesse a long the Sea-coast,* 1.13 [ 20] the Sea maketh a great entrance betweene it and the Ile Daman, which is of fiftie leagues in length, and is already of the Chinas: and in the end of this entrance this Kingdome abutteth with the Kingdome of China, and is subiect to the King of China. The people of this Kingdome in their Habit, Policie, and Gouernment, doe vse themselues like the people of China. The Countrey is much inhabited and of much people, it is also a very plentifull Countrey. They haue the same Writing that the Chinas haue, although their speech be diuers. Beyond this King∣dome of the Cauchin-chinas,* 1.14 lyeth another very great Kingdome, which runneth within the Land along China, which some doe call Laos, and others Siones, Maons: this by the otherside towards India, doth confine with the Kingdome of Camboia, and with the great Kingdome of Syam, and with the rich Kingdome of Pegu, with all the which Kingdomes it hath Traffique: [ 30] in sort that there remay••eth to this Kingdome towards the Sea of India, all the Coast of Pegu, vnto the ends of the Kingdome of Champaa, which doth confine with Cauchin-china. And so there remayne to these Laos toward the ••ide of the Indian Sea, the great Kingdome of Pegu, the Kingdome of Tanaçarin, and that of Quedaa, and that of Malaca, and the Kingdomes of Pa••, of Patane, of Syam, of Camboia, and of Champaa which abutteth vpon the Cauchin-chinas. This Kingdome of the Laos,* 1.15 or Sions Maons, was subdued by the Bramas (of the which we will speake presently) in the yeere of fiftie sixe, and among some which they brought captiue to Pegu▪ they brought some Chinas which the Laos held Captiues, as one George Mello affirmed vnto mee, which went for Captayne of the Voyage to Pegu. And though commonly there be no Warres betweene these Laos and the Chinas, because of the great Mountaynes that are betweene them, [ 40] on the which the Chinas haue good forces on that side in the Prouince of Camsi, which doth confine with these and with the Bramas: and in the forces they haue continually men in Garri∣son for the defence of those parts: there bee notwithstanding, continually assaults on the one side and of the other: whereby the Laos might haue some Chinas captiue. Before that these Laos were subdued by the Bramas, they carryed to Sion, to Camboia, and to Pegu some very good Muske and Gold, whereof is aff••rmed to be great store in that Countrey, and these people hauing Muske, makes a conjecture the great store of Muske which the Chinas haue, they get it from the many beasts tha•• are in the Confines of this Kingdome in the Prouince of Camsi, from whence they bring it.

The Muske is the flesh and bloud of certayne beasts, which they say, to be as bigge as Foxes, [ 50] the which beaten with strokes and killed,* 1.16 they tye the skinne with the flesh together in lumps, the which they cut after the flesh is rotten, and so they sell it, which the Portugals do call Muske Cods. And when it commeth fresh, presently it appeareth to be rotten flesh and bloud: the rest they sell loose, holding these Cods for the finer Muske. Returning to the Laos, whereof we were speaking, these be the Wares which they brought to the aboue-said Kingdomes, carrying in re∣turne Cotton-clothes and other things they had need of. This people is not very browne, they weare their haire all cut round vnderneath, and all the rest aboue ruffled, raysing it many times vpward with their hands, that it remayneth to them like a Cap, and serueth in stead of one, for they weare nothing on their heads; they goe naked from the middle vpward, and from the hips downward, they weare certayne Cotton-clothes girt about them all white: the women goe couered from the brests to the halfe legge: they haue their faces some-what like the Chinas, they [ 60] haue the same Heathenish Ceremonies that the Pegus and Siones, and the Camboias: The Priests of their Idols doe weare yellow clothes girt about as the rest of the people, and a certayne man∣ner of yellow Copes, with certayne folds and seames in which they hold their Superstitions.

Of this people I saw many in Camboia, which remayned there the yeere before by the way of Traffique, and that yeare that I was there, they came not because of the Warres, wherein (as I said) they said they were subdued by the Bramas.

These Laos came to Camboia, downe a Riuer many daies Iournie, which they say, to haue his beginning in China, as many others which runne into the Sea of India: it hath eight, fifteene, and twentie fathome water, as my selfe saw by experience in a great part of it: it passeth through many vnknowne and desart Countries of great Woods and Forrests, where there are in∣numerable Elephants, and many Buffes, of which I saw many wild in that Countrie, and Me∣rus, which is like a good Mule, and certayne beasts which in that Countrie they call Badas:* 1.17 of [ 10] the which the Male haue a pointlesse and blunt Horne in their fore-head, and some of the Hornes are spotted with singular colours, and others all blacke, others of a waxe colour, but they haue no vertue, but only for the Hemorroides, or Piles: and after the Elephant there is no other greater beast; the haire of it is browne and footed like an Elephant, the head like a Cow, and it hath a great lumpe of flesh that falleth vpon his head, whereof I did eate trauelling in those parts. There are also many other wilde Beastes. There bee some Thorny Trees, like Limons and Oranges, and many wilde Grapes through the Woodes. When these Laos doe re∣turne to their Countrie, going against the streame, they goe in three moneths. This Riuer cau∣seth a wonder in the Land of Camboia, worthy of reciting. Comming neere to a place which they call Chudurmuch, which is twelue leagues from the principall Citie of Camboia, it maketh [ 20] a passage to another Riuer which commeth from a great Lake, that is in the vttermost parts of Camboia, and hath Siam, on the other side: in the middest of the which his bignesse being great,* 1.18 yee can see no Land on neither-side, and this Riuer passeth by Loech, which is the principall Ci∣tie of Camboia, vnto Chudurmuch: the waters of this Riuer, which is also verie great, the most of them doe passe to the Riuer that commeth from the Laos, neere to Chudurmuch, and the rest doe run downe the Riuer directly to the Sea, when the great Winter floudes doe come, which happen when it raines not in the Countries of Camboia.* 1.19 The many waters which doe come by the Riuer that commeth from the Laos, which there they call Sistor, doe make a passage right against Chudurmuch, to the Riuer that passeth through Loech, with so great furie,* 1.20 that where the waters of Loech did run downward, by multitude of the other that entreth into it, they are [ 30] turned backe and run vpward with a great current: in sort that it ouerfloweth all the Countrie of Camboia, whereby all the Countrie is not trauelled in the time of these flouds, but in Boates, and they make their Houses all with high lofts, and vnderneath they are all ouerflowne, and sometimes these flouds are so high, that they are forced to make higher Roomes with Canes to keepe their houshold-stuffe in, and to lodge themselues. This Riuer runneth vpward from Iuly to September, and with the passing from the Riuer that commeth from the Laos, (or from the Riuer Sistor, which is his proper name) of so many waters to the Riuer of Loech, it doth not leaue his running to the Sea, making below verie great armes, and goeth verie high ouer-flowing many Countries downward, but not so much as aboue. The Portugals did shew mee in Loech a field, a great hill of Earth, ouer the which they affirmed that in the time of the flouds a great [ 40] ship that was made in the Countrie did passe without touching, which ship might well haue say∣led from India to Portugall.

Beyond these Laos, follow the Brames, which is a great people,* 1.21 and very rich of Gold and Precious stones, chiefly of Rubies. It is a proud Nation and valiant, these are now Lords of Pegu, which subdued it by force of Armes some yeares before they subdued the Laos, they are men of good complexion, and well made, they are browne. They haue Pegu and part of Ben∣gala toward the Sea of India. It is a Countrey very scarce of victuals, they apparell themselues as we said of the Laos, but that their clothes are fine, and many do weare them painted or wrought: they are also somewhat like the Chinas in the faces, they haue very rich and gallant shippings garnished with Gold, in the which they sayle in the Riuers: they vse Vessels of Gold and of [ 50] Siluer, their Houses are of Timber very well wrought, the Kingdome is very great, they haue not commonly warre with the Chinas, because of the great Mountaynes that are betweene the one and the other, and because the Chinas are well fortified on that side: notwithstanding this, sometimes there are Robbers on the one side, and the other that doe make assaults, whereby the Chinas haue some Bramas Captiues, as some Portugals which were Captiues in those parts, which saw them did affirme, and did speake with them in the great Citie of Camsi: and these slaues told them, that from thence it was not very farre to Brama, and that in Pegu, they had seene Portugals.

There followeth along the China beyond the Bramas, the Kingdome of the Patanes,* 1.22 which now are Lords of Bengala, and after them the Mogores. Beyond these Mogores there runneth [ 60] along the China, the Tartarians, which doe extend themselues from Mogor to the Lake Meotis and the Riuer Thanais, which is a very great Kingdome and of much and innumerable people. This people are commonly red and not white, they goe naked from the waste vpward, they eate raw flesh, and anoint themselues with the bloud of it: whereby commonly they are stin∣king and haue an ill sent.

An old man of China did affirme vnto me, that sometimes when they came against the Coun∣tries of China, if the wind stood on that side where they came, they were discerned by their smell: and when they goe to warre they carry the flesh raw vnder them for to eate, they eate it in this manner, and anoint themselues with the bloud to make themselues the more sturdie and strong, and to prouoke themselues to crueltie in the Warre: these also fight on Horse∣backe with Bowes and Arrowes, and vse short Swords. With these is the continuall Warre of the Chinas, and as I haue said the Chinas haue an hundred leagues (others saying there are more) of a Wall betweene them and the other,* 1.23 where are continually Garrisons of men for the defence of the entries of the Tartarians. It may bee beleeued that this Wall is not conti∣nued, but that some Mountaynes or Hils are intermixt betweene; for a Lord of Persia affir∣med [ 10] to me, that the like Workes were in some parts of Persia, with intermixing some Hils and Mountaynes.

It was affirmed to the Portugals which were Captiues, and in Prison in their Dungeons, in the yeare 1550. that some yeares there is Truce betweene the Chinas and the Tartarians: and in the same yeare the Tartarians made a great entry in China,* 1.24 in the which they tooke a very prin∣cipall Citie from them: but a great number of people of the Chinas comming and besieging the Citie, and not being able to enter it by force of Armes, by the Councell of a man of low degree, they had a meanes whereby they killed them and their Horses, and remayned Lords againe of the Citie. The same Portugals which afterward were set at libertie, affirmed, that all the Prisoners made great Feasts, and made a great stirre when the Tartarians made this [ 20] entry, with the hope of being set at libertie by the meanes of the Tartarians, if they did pos∣sesse China.

In the Citie of Cantan I saw many Tartarians Captiues, which haue no other captiuitie then to serue for men at Armes in other places farre from Tartarie, and they weare for a difference red Caps, in all the rest they are like the Chinas with whom they liue: they haue for their mainte∣nance a certayne stipend of the King,* 1.25 which they haue paid them without faile. The Chinas call them Tatos, for they cannot pronounce the Letter r. Aboue the Lake where Thanais hath his beginning, they doe confront with the skirts of high Almayne, although on the side of Europe, and betweene them and Almayne are Hils that doe diuide them: and of these people of the skirts of the Mountaines, the Chinas say that the King of China hath many men of Warre in [ 30] pay, that doe keepe the weake passages and the Wals on the side of the Tartarians: and say, they are great men with great Beards, and weare cut Hose, and Caps, and blunt Swords, and a Portugall that was carryed captiue the Land inward, told me that he heard the Chinas say, that they called these * 1.26 Alimenes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Camboia. Siam. Champa.
• * 1.2

  King of Cam∣boia a Bramene.
• * 1.3

  Probar missur.
• * 1.4

  Pralocussur.
• * 1.5

  Praput prasar mitri.
• * 1.6

  Men aliue worshipped.
• * 1.7

  Twenty seuen Heauens.
• * 1.8

  Thirteene Hels.
• * 1.9

  Massanchraches. Nassendeches. Mitires.
• * 1.10

  As this word Tame in English
• * 1.11

  The Tartars ra∣ther set forth fleets from Chi∣na to these Ex∣ploits as in Po∣lo you reade.
• * 1.12

  Liquos an Iland
• * 1.13

  Cauchin china. Daman an Iland.
• * 1.14

  Laos, or Siones Maons.
• * 1.15

  1559.
• * 1.16

  Muske what it is.
• * 1.17

  Riuer of the Laos.

  Merus are a kind of wild Asses.

  Badas are the Rhinocerores: by the fore∣head vnder∣stand the face; for the horne is lower then the fore-head. Chudurmuch.
• * 1.18

  Loe••h.
• * 1.19

  Sistor.
• * 1.20

  Strange ouer∣uer-flow, a fresh Riuer running vp without Sea-force.
• * 1.21

  The Brames.
• * 1.22

  The Patanes.
• * 1.23

  Wall of China.
• * 1.24

  Tartarian rodes into China.
• * 1.25

  See Pinto.
• * 1.26

  Here fol∣lowed the diui∣sion of the Countrey into shires or King∣domes, with their Cities, &c. which wee referre to later and better In∣telligence.