Purchas his pilgrimes. part 2 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.

§. V.

Of the Prouince of Engoy, and other Regions of Loango, with the Customes [ 30] there obserued by the King and people.

FRom the Point of the Palmar, which is the North-side of the Riuer Zaire, is the * 1.1 Port of Cabenda, where many ships vse to water and refresh themselues; and it is fiue leagues Northwards. This place is called Engoy, and is the first Prouince of Longo, and is full of Woods and Thickets. And seuen leagues North-wards of that place is the Riuer Cacongo; a very pleasant place and fruitfull. Here is great store of Elephants Teeth: and a Boat of ten tunnes may goe vp the Riuer.

The Mombales haue great Trade with them, and passe the Riuer Zaire in the night, be∣cause * 1.2 then it is calme; and carrie great store of Elephants Teeth to the Towne of Mani Sonna, [ 40] and sell them in the Port of Pinda to the Portugals, or any other stranger, that first commeth.

And foure leagues from Cacongo, is the Riuer of Caye, or Longo Leuyes. This Towne of Caye * 1.3 is one of the foure Seates or Lordships of Longo: and then the Angra, or Gulfe das Almadias. In this Gulfe or Bay are great store of Canoes and Fishermen, because the Sea is smoother there, then vpon the Coast. And two leagues North-ward is the Port of Longo. And it is a sandie Bay, and a ship may tide within a Musket shot of the shoare in foure or fiue fathomes.

The Towne of Mani Longo is three miles from the waters side, and standeth on a great Plaine. This Towne is full of Palme and Plantan Trees, and very fresh; and their Houses are builded vnder the Trees. Their streets are wide and long, and alwayes cleane swept. The King hath his Houses on the West-side, and before his doore hee hath a Plaine, where hee sitteth, when hee hath any feasting or matters of warres to treate of. From this Plaine there goeth a great wide [ 50] street some Musket shot from the place; and there is a great Market euery day, and it doth begin at twelue of the clocke.

Here is great store of Palme-clothes of sundry sorts, which is their Merchandizes: and great store of Victuals, Flesh, Hens, Fish, Wine, Oyle and Corne. Here is also very fine Logwood, * 1.4 which they vse to dye withall: it is the root of the Logwood, which is the best, and Molangos of Copper. Here is likewise great store of Elephants Teeth, but they sell none in the Market place. The King hath ten great Houses, and is neuer certaine to be found, but in the afternoone, when he commeth to sit. And then he keepeth alwayes one House. The House is very long, and at twelue of the clocke it is full of Noblemen. They sit vpon Carpets vpon the ground. The [ 60] House is alwayes full of people till mid-night. The last King Gembe, neuer vsed to speake in the day, but alwayes in the night. But this King speaketh in the day: howbeit hee spendeth most of the day with his Wiues. And when the King commeth in, he goeth to the vpper end of the House, where hee hath his seate, as it were a Throne. And when the King is set, they clap

their hands and salute him, saying in their Language; Byani Pemba, Ampola, Moneya, Quesinge.

On the South-side of the Kings Houses he hath a circuit or Village, where his Wiues dwell: * 1.5 and in this circuit no man may come in paine of death. He hath in this place one hundred & fifty Wiues and more. And if any man be taken within this Circuit, if he be with a woman, or doe but speake to her, they be both brought into the Market place, and their heads bee cut off, and their bodies quartered, and lye one day in the streets. The last King Gymbe, had foure hundred children by his women.

When the King drinketh he hath a cup of wine brought, and he that bringeth it hath a Bell * 1.6 in his hand, and assoone as he hath deliuered the cup to the King, hee turneth his face from the [ 10] King, and ringeth the Bell: and then all that be there fall downe vpon their faces, and rise not till the King haue drunke. And this is very dangerous for any stranger, that knoweth not the fashions: for if any seeth the King drink, he is presently killed, whatsoeuer he be. There was a Boy of twelue yeares, which was the Kings Sonne; This Boy chanced to come vnaduisedly when his Father was in drinking: presently the King commanded he should be well apparelled, & victuals * 1.7 prepared. So the youth did eat & drink: afterward the King commanded that he should be cut in quarters, and carryed about the Citie; with Proclamation that he saw the King drinke. Likewise for his Dyet, when it is dinner time, there is an House of purpose, where hee alwayes eateth; and there his Dyet is set vpon a Bensa, like a Table: then hee goeth in and hath the doore shut. So when he hath eaten, then he knocketh and commeth out. So that none see the King eat nor [ 20] drinke. For it is their Beliefe, that if hee bee seene eating or drinking, hee shall presently dye. And this is an order with all the Kings that now are, or shall succeed, vnlesse they abolish this cruell custome.

This King is so honoured, as though hee were a God among them: and is called Sambe and Pongo, that is, God. And they beleeue that he can giue them raine, when hee listeth. So once a * 1.8 yeare when it is time to raine; which is in December, the people come to begge raine, and bring their gifts to the King: for none come emptie. Then he appointeth the day, and all the Lords farre and neere come to that Feast with all their troupes, as they goe in the warres. And when all the troupes of men be before the King, the greatest Lord commeth forth with his Bow and Arrowes, and sheweth his skill with his weapons, and then he hath a merrie conceit or iest, that [ 30] he speaketh before the King, and kneele that his feet, and then the King thanketh him for his loue: and in like manner they doe all. The King sitteth abroad in a great place, and hath a Car∣pet spread vpon the ground, which is some fifteene fathomes about of fine Ensacks, which are wrought like Veluet, and vpon the Carpet his seat, which is a fathome from the ground. Then he commandeth his Dembes to strike vp, which are Drums, so great that they cannot carrie them, and others that are very great. He hath also eight Pongos, which are his Wayters, made of the greatest Elephants Teeth, and are hollowed and scraped light: which play also. And with the Drums and Waytes they make an hellish noyse. After they haue sported and shewed the King pleasure, he ariseth and standeth vpon his Throne, and taketh a Bow and Arrowes in his hand and shooteth to the Skie, and that day there is great reioycing, because sometimes they haue raine. I was once there when the King gaue raine, and it chanced that day to raine migh∣tily, * 1.9 [ 40] which made the people to haue a great beliefe in their folly.

Here are sometimes borne in this Countrey white children, which is very rare among them, * 1.10 for their Parents are Negroes. And when any of them are borne, they bee presented vnto the King, and are called Dondos. These are as white as any white man. These are the Kings Wit∣ches, and are brought vp in Witchcraft, and alwayes wayte on the King. There is no man that dare meddle with these Dondos. If they goe to the Market, they may take what they list, for all men stand in awe of them. The King of Longo hath foure of them.

This King is also a Witch and beleeueth in two Idols, whch are in Longo. The one is called, [ 50] Mokisso à Longo, the other is called, Checocke. This last is a little blacke Image, and standeth in * 1.11 a little house, at a Village that is called, Kinga, which standeth in the landing place of Longo. This house of Checocke standeth in the high-way, and they that go by clap their hands, which is the courtesie of the Country. Those that be Crafts-men, as Fishermen, Hunters & Witches do, of∣fer to this Idol, that they may haue good lucke. This Checocke doth sometimes in the night comea and haunt some of his best Beloued: sometimes a man, sometimes a Boy, or a Woman. And then they be franticke for the space of three houres. And whatsoeuer the franticke Person speaketh, that is the will of Checock. And they make a great Feast and dancing at his house.

There is another Mokisso, which is also in Kinga, and it is called, Gomberi. It is the name of a woman, and is in an house, where an old Witch dwelleth, and shee is called, Ganga Gomberi, * 1.12 which is, the Priest of Gomberi. Here once a yeare is a Feast made, and Ganga Gomberi speaketh [ 60] vnder the ground. And this is a common thing euery yeare. I haue asked the Negroes what it was, and they told me, that it is a strong Mokisso, that is come to abide with Checocke. * 1.13

The children in this Countrey are borne white, and change their colour in two dayes to a perfect blacke. As for example, the Portugals which dwell in the Kingdome of Congo, haue

sometimes children by the Negro Women, and many times the Fathers are deceiued, thinking when the child is borne that it is theirs, and within two dayes it proueth the sonne or daughter of a Negro; which the Portugals doe greatly grieue at: for they reioyce when they haue a Mu∣lato child, thought it be a bastard.

The Towne of Longo standeth in the middest of the foure Lordships; and is gouerned by * 1.14 foure Princes, which are the Kings sisters sonnes. For the Kings sonnes neuer come to be Kings. The first is, Mani Cabango. The second, Mani Salag. The third Mani Bock. The fourth, Ma∣ni Cay. This Mani Cay is next to be King, and hath his Traine and Court as a Prince. And when the King dieth, he commeth presently into the seat of the King. Then Mani Bock com∣meth to Gay: Mani Sabag commeth to Bock, and Mani Cabango commeth to Salag. And then [ 10] they prouide another to goe to Cabango. So there be foure Princes that wait to be Kings, when their turnes come. The Mother of these Princes is called, Mani Lombo: and shee is the high∣est and chiefe woman in all the Land. Shee maketh choice of her husband, and when shee is wearie of him, she putteth him away, and taketh another. Her children are greatly honoured; and whosoeuer passeth by them, kneele downe and clap their hands, which is the curtesie of the Countrie. These Lordships are champaine grounds, and full of Corne, and Fruit. The men in this Kingdome make great store of Palme-cloth of sundrie sorts, very fine and curious. They are neuer idle: for, they make fine Caps of needle-worke, as they goe in the streets.

There is a place two leagues from the Towne of Longo, called Longeri, where all their Kings * 1.15 be buried: and it is compassed round about with Elephants teeth pitched in the ground, as it [ 20] were a Pale, and it is ten roods in compasse.

These people will suffer no white man to be buried in their Land. And if any Stranger or * 1.16 Portugall come thither to trade, and chance to die, he is carried in a Boat two miles from the shoare, and cast into the Sea. There was once a Portugall Gentleman, that came to trade with them, and had his house on shoare. This Gentleman died, and was buried some foure moneths. That yeere it did not raine so soone as it was wont, which beginneth about December: so that they lacked raine some two moneths. Then their Mokiso told them, that the Christian which was buried, must be taken out of the earth, and cast into the Sea. And so he was taken vp, and east into the Sea; and within three dayes it rained: which made them haue a great beliefe in the Deuill. [ 30]

Notes

• * 1.1

  Puntada Pal∣mar. Eng〈…〉〈…〉 is the first Prouince of Longo. The Riuer Ca∣congo.
• * 1.2

  The Mombales.
• * 1.3

  The Riuer of Caye. Golfam das Al∣madias. The Port of Longo.
• * 1.4

  Fine Logwood Molangos, or Copper. Elephants Teeth.
• * 1.5

  The King Ma∣comas, or wiues.
• * 1.6

  Strange cu∣stome of drin∣king.
• * 1.7

  Tyrannicall custome.
• * 1.8

  Arrogating to giue raine. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 raineth here in December.
• * 1.9

  Policie of the Deuill.
• * 1.10

  Some white children borne among them.
• * 1.11

  Their Mekisso and Checocke. A Village cal∣led Kinga.
• * 1.12

  Mokisso Gom∣beri.
• * 1.13

  Colour of their children when they are borne.
• * 1.14

  Foure Prince•• in Loango.
• * 1.15

  Burial of thei•• Kings.
• * 1.16

  No white man may be buried in Longo.