A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar in the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century
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Title: A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar in the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century
Dubious author: Duarte Barbosa
Fernão de Magalhães
Translator: Baron Henry Edward John Stanley Stanley
Release date: December 9, 2011 [eBook #38253]
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38253
Credits: Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper and the Online
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Transcriber's Note
Single characters following '^' or mutiple characters following '^'
enclosed within '{ }' denote superscript text.
Hyphenation has been standardised.
WORK ISSUED BY
The Hakluyt Society.
DESCRIPTION OF THE COASTS OF
EAST AFRICA AND MALABAR.
A DESCRIPTION
OF THE COASTS OF
EAST AFRICA AND MALABAR
IN THE BEGINNING OF
THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY,
BY
DUARTE BARBOSA,
A PORTUGUESE.
TRANSLATED FROM
AN EARLY SPANISH MANUSCRIPT IN THE BARCELONA LIBRARY
WITH NOTES AND A PREFACE,
BY
THE HON. HENRY E. J. STANLEY.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.
JOHNSON REPRINT CORPORATION JOHNSON REPRINT COMPANY LTD.
111 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003
Berkeley Square House, London, W1X6BA
_Landmarks in Anthropology_, a series of reprints in cultural
anthropology
_General Editor_: Weston La Barre
First reprinting 1970, Johnson Reprint Corporation
Printed in the United States of America
_Note to Thirty-fifth Publication of the Hakluyt Society,
"Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar."_
This volume was published by the Hakluyt Society as the work of
Duarte Barbosa on the authority of Ramusio, for neither the three
Spanish MSS. of Barcelona and Munich, nor the Portuguese MS., give
his name; it is probable that Barbosa contributed a largo part of
it, for Damian de Goes refers his readers for an account of Malabar
and its religion and customs to a book by Duarte Barbosa, who is
stated to have spoken the language of Malabar with great
correctness, and who resided a long time in that country; yet the
authorship must be ascribed to Magellan, for I have just seen, in
the possession of Don Pascual de Gayangos, another Spanish MS. which
states at the top of the first page,--"Este libro compuso Fernando
Magallanes Portugues piloto lo qual el vio y anduvo." "This book was
composed by the Portuguese Fernando Magellan the pilot, the things
narrated in which he saw and visited." This heading is in the same
writing as the rest of the MS., which is clear handwriting of the
sixteenth century, and like that of the second part of the MS. No
571 of the Munich Library. The MS. of Mr. Gayangos appears to be
part of a larger book, since its second leaf is numbered 111 (the
corner of the first is worn off), and the last is numbered 170, and
ends with the description of the Lequeos. The _Epitome de la
Biblioteca Oriental, Occidental, Nautica y Geografica_ of D. Antonio
de Leon Pinelo, Madrid, 1737, mentions, at p. 667 a work of
Magellan's under the following heading: _Fernando de Magallanes,
Efemerides, or Diary of his Navigation_, a MS. which existed in the
possession of Antonio Moreno, Cosmographer of the House of Trade,
according to Don Nicolas Antonio.
THE TRANSLATOR.
_Madrid, February 1867._
ERRATA.
Page iii, line 11, _for_ "dearer," _read_ "clearer."
" 44 " 34, " "Atuxsia," " "Atauxia."
" 73, " 19, " "albejas," " "mussels."
" 96, " 13, " "laced," " "placed."
" 159, " 8, " "antoridade," " "autoridade."
" 200, " 7, " "they burn," " "they burn it."
" 232, " 10, " "et d'aller," " "est d'aller."
NOTE TO pp. 228-229.--See pages 249-251 of _The Travels of Ludovico
de Varthema_ Hakluyt Society, and notes, also Mr. R. Major's able
Introduction to the _Early Voyages to Terra Australis, now called
Australia_. This passage, written about five years later than when
Varthema wrote, is a fuller statement than Varthema's: and taking
the two together, there can be little doubt that the information
they contain was based on actual knowledge of Australia.
COUNCIL
OF
THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.
SIR RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, K.C.B., G.C.St.S., F.R.S.,
D.C.L., Corr. Mem. Inst. F., Hon. Mem. Imp. Acad. Sc.
Petersburg, etc., etc., PRESIDENT.
REAR-ADMIRAL C. R. DRINKWATER BETHUNE, C.B.}VICE-PRESIDENTS.
THE RT. HON. SIR DAVID DUNDAS, M.P. }
REV. G. P. BADGER, F.R.G.S.
J. BARROW, ESQ., F.R.S.
REAR-ADMIRAL R. COLLINSON, C.B.
SIR HENRY ELLIS, K.H., F.R.S.
GENERAL C. FOX.
R. W. GREY, ESQ.
JOHN WINTER JONES, ESQ., F.S.A.
JOHN W. KAYE, ESQ.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE COUNT DE LAVRADIO.
THOMAS K. LYNCH, ESQ.
R. H. MAJOR, ESQ., F.S.A.
SIR WILLIAM STIRLING MAXWELL, BART., M.P.
SIR CHARLES NICHOLSON, BART.
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR HENRY C. RAWLINSON, K.C.B.
VISCOUNT STRANGFORD.
WILLIAM WEBB, ESQ.
ALLEN YOUNG, ESQ., R.N.R.
CLEMENTS R. MARKHAM, ESQ., F.S.A., HONORARY SECRETARY.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
The Spanish manuscript from which this volume has been translated is
in the handwriting of the beginning of 1500, full of abbreviations,
and without punctuation or capital letters at the beginnings of
sentences or for the proper names, which adds much to the difficulty
of reading it. It contains eighty-seven leaves. The handwriting more
resembles an example of the year 1510 than those dated 1529 and
1531, given at p. 319 of the "Escuela de Leer Letras Cursivas
Antiguas y Modernas desde la entrada de los Godos en Espana, por el
P. Andres Merino de Jesu Christo, Madrid, 1780." This work was
translated into Spanish from the original Portuguese in 1524, at
Vittoria, by Martin Centurion, ambassador of the community of Genoa,
with the assistance of Diego Ribero, a Portuguese, cosmographer and
hydrographer to his Majesty Charles V. There are reasons (as will be
shewn in the notes) for supposing that the Spanish translation,
probably this copy and not the Portuguese original, assisted the
compilers of the early atlases, especially that of Abraham Ortelius,
of Antwerp, 1570, other editions of which were published in
succeeding years.[1] The similarity of the orthography of this
manuscript and of that of the names in maps as late as that of
Homann, Nuremberg, 1753, shews how much geography up to a recent
period was indebted to the Portuguese and Spaniards. It may also be
observed that from their familiarity at that time with the sounds of
Arabic, the proper names are in general more correctly rendered in
European letters, than used to be the case in later times.
This MS. is in the Barcelona Library and is there catalogued "Viage
por Malabar y costas de Africa, 1512: letra del siglo xvi." It was
supposed to be an original Spanish work, for the statement of its
having been translated is in the body of the MS., no part of which
can be read without more or less difficulty. This work is not a book
of travels as the title given in the catalogue, though not on the
MS., indicates; it is rather an itinerary, or description of
countries. It gives ample details of the trade, supplies, and water
of the various seaports mentioned in it. It contains many
interesting historical details, some of which, such as the account
of Diu, the taking of Ormuz, the founding of the Portuguese fort in
Calicut, their interruption of the Indian trade to Suez by capturing
the Indian ships, the rise of Shah Ismail, etc., fix pretty nearly
the exact date at which this narrative was composed as the year
1514.
Two other MS. copies of this work are preserved in the Royal Library
at Munich: the first of these, No. 570 of the catalogue of that
library, is in a handwriting very similar to that of the Barcelona
MS., and apparently of the same period. It consists of one hundred
and three leaves, and is stated to have proceeded from the episcopal
library of Passau. This MS. does not contain the appendix respecting
the prices of the precious stones. The other MS. No. 571, is of
fifty-three leaves, and is written in two handwritings, both of
which are much rounder and clearer than that of No. 570; the
catalogue states that this MS. came from the library of the Jesuits
of Augsburg. There are several verbal differences between the two
MSS., and perhaps No. 571 agrees more exactly with the Barcelona MS.
The two Munich MSS. frequently write words such as rey with a double
r, as _rrey_, which does not occur in the Barcelona MS., where,
however, words begin with a large r, which is also used for a double
r in the middle of a word.
The piracies of the Portuguese are told without any reticence,
apparently without consciousness of their criminality, for no
attempt is made to justify them, and the pretext that such and such
an independent state or city did not choose to submit itself on
being summoned to do so by the Portuguese, seems to have been
thought all sufficient for laying waste and destroying it. This
narrative shows that most of the towns on the coasts of Africa,
Arabia, and Persia were in a much more flourishing condition at that
time than they have been since the Portuguese ravaged some of them,
and interfered with the trade of all. The description of the early
introduction of the cultivation and weaving of cotton into South
Africa by the Arab traders will be read with interest; and the
progress then beginning in those regions three hundred and fifty
years ago, and the subsequent stand still to which it has been
brought by the Portuguese and by the slave-trade to America, may be
taken as supporting the views lately put forward by Captain R.
Burton and others at the Anthropological Society.
The greater part of this volume was printed in Italian by Ramusio in
1554 in his collection of travels (Venetia, nella Stamperia de'
Giunti), as the narration of Duarte Barbosa, and a large part of
this work must have been written by Barbosa; and a Portuguese
manuscript of his was printed at Lisbon in 1812 in the "Colleccao de
noticias para a historia e geografia das nacoes ultramarinas." This
manuscript of Barbosa's, however, is much less full than this
Spanish MS. of Barcelona, or than the Italian version of Ramusio,
and the Lisbon editors have added from Ramusio translations of the
passages which were wanting in their MS. These publications do not
contain the number of leagues between one place and another which
are given in the Spanish translation.
That the Portuguese manuscript printed at Lisbon in 1812 belongs to
Barbosa, stands only on the authority of Ramusio, who gives an
introduction by Odoardo Barbosa of the city of Lisbon, which is not
to be found either in the Barcelona MS. or in the Portuguese MS.,
and which has been translated from the Italian of Ramusio and
published in the Lisbon edition. The introduction to the Lisbon
edition states that the Portuguese MS. is not an autograph MS., and
that the account of Barbosa is bound up along with other papers.
This introduction refers to the passages in the Portuguese MS. which
are not to be found in Ramusio, and says it may be doubted whether
these were additions posterior to the work of Duarte Barbosa.
It had occurred to me that this work might be attributed to the
famous navigator Magellan, and that it must have been through him
that it found its way to Charles the Fifth's court: there are
several reasons for this supposition, and some difficulties in the
way of it; I will, however, follow Sr. Larranaga's advice, and state
both sides of the question.
Duarte Barbosa, cousin of Magellan, Alvaro de Mezquita, Estevan
Gomez, Juan Rodrigues de Carvalho were Portuguese employed by Spain
along with Magellan[2] in the fleet which sailed on the 21st
September 1519, from San Lucar de Barrameda to Brazil and the
straits which bear the name of that Admiral.
Now the _Panorama_ or Spanish version of the _Univers Pittoresque_
states (page 140):
"It was at that time, although it has not been possible to
ascertain exactly the year, when the illustrious Viceroy of the
Indies sent Francisco Serrano to the Moluccas, a friend, and
also, as it is believed, a relation of Magellan, the same person
who by reason of the exact and precise data which he furnished
to the celebrated navigator deserved later to see his name
inscribed amongst those of other notable persons, whose fame
will last as long as history endures."
* * * * *
"At the beginning of the same century Duarte Barbosa also
proceeded to the Moluccas, and cruised among those countries for
the space of sixteen years, collecting interesting notes, which
although they were not published till three centuries after the
event, are not on that account the less admirable and precious;
these reports were published in Lisbon in a work which bears the
following title: _Colleccao de noticias para a historia e
geografia das nacoes ultramarinas_; those reports which relate
to Barbosa are contained in the second volume."
Now this Barcelona MS. contains in an appendix the voyage of three
Portuguese, a Spaniard, and five Malays, whose captain was Francisco
Serrano, to the Moluccas in the year 1512: this supplies the date of
his voyage which the above quoted paragraph says could not be
ascertained, and this account is not in Ramusio's collection, and
there is every reason to suppose that it was as yet unpublished.
In addition to what has been said by the writers of the _Panorama_
and _Univers Pittoresque_, in which statement they follow the 3rd
Decade of the "Asia" of Barros, lib. v. cap. 8:--
"We wrote before how Francisco Serrao wrote some letters from
the Maluco Islands where he was, to Fernao de Magalhaes, on
account of being his friend from the time when both were in
India, principally at the taking of Malaca:"
it was to be expected that Barbosa and Serrano would furnish their
information to Magellan, whether as the head of their family, or as
the Portuguese who had been longest at the Spanish Court, and
through whom they might hope for advancement and further employment,
such as Duarte Barbosa obtained with the fleet which discovered the
Straits of Magellan.
Magellan returned to Europe in 1512. Duarte Barbosa probably did not
return till 1517, since he is said to have remained sixteen years in
the Indian Ocean, and in that case he could not have returned before
1515--however, it is said in the introduction to the Lisbon edition
that he is the son of Diego Barbosa, named in the Decades as having
sailed in 1501 with the first fleet with Joao de Nova: the same
introduction also says that the time of his departure to and return
to India are unknown.
Ramusio's edition of Barbosa's narrative says the writing of it was
finished in 1516; it does not, however, mention any facts which
occurred later than the year 1514. There is reason to suspect that
Ramusio obtained his copy from the same source as the Barcelona
manuscript, because the name of the precious stone zircon is spelled
differently, giagonza, jagonza, and gegonza, and this difference of
orthography coincides in the same places in the Spanish manuscript
and in Ramusio. Ramusio gives an appendix containing the prices of
precious stones and of spices, but has not got the voyage to the
Moluccas of Francisco Serrano. The only reason I can conjecture for
this not having reached Ramusio is, that it was a confidential
paper, on account of the rivalry of Spain and Portugal with regard
to those islands; and it is stated in history that Serrano increased
the distances so as to enable Magellan to persuade the Spaniards
that the Moluccas were more to the eastward, and that they fell
within the demarcation of territories assigned by the Pope to
Castille. This account of Francisco Serrano's voyage, and of his
remaining behind married at Maluco, was either written by the
Spaniard who accompanied him, or was translated by some other person
than Diego Ribero and the Genoese ambassador Centurione, since all
the points of the compass which in the body of the work are
indicated by the names of winds, are here described by their names,
as este, sudoeste, etc. Tramontana, greco, maestro, siloque, are all
Spanish terms, but are less literate than the names of the points of
the compass, and seem to be owing to the Genoese translator, to whom
they would be familiar. It must be observed that the handwriting and
paper of the narrative and two appendices of the Barcelona MS. are
identical, and the leaves are numbered consecutively, so that there
is no reason for supposing that the whole papers were not
originally, as they now are, placed together.
Ramusio in various parts of the narrative leaves a blank with the
words, _Here several lines are wanting_; this may be owing to
passages having been struck out for political reasons. The
Portuguese edition has a short passage not in the Spanish MS., the
only apparent motive for its omission being that it was to the
glorification of the Portuguese.
Since so large a portion of the present volume is contained in the
Portuguese manuscript of Barbosa printed at Lisbon, it would be
natural to follow Ramusio in attributing the work to him: at the
same time it is not easy to understand how Barbosa, who was in the
Indian Ocean at the time, should have confounded the two naval
actions at Diu in 1508 and 1509, which he relates as one only,
although the Portuguese were beaten in the first and victorious in
the second. It is also difficult to imagine that one person visited
all the places described in this volume, even in the space of
sixteen years, at a period when travelling was slower than at
present: and the observations on the manners and customs show a more
intimate knowledge than what could be acquired by touching at a port
for a few days only.
This work is that of no ordinary capacity; it shews great power of
observation, and also the possession by the writer of great
opportunities for inquiry into the manners and habits of the
different countries described. It could hardly have been drawn up by
an ecclesiastic, there is too great an absence of condemnation of
idolatrous practices, and the deficiencies of St. Thomas's
Christians are too lightly spoken of. An ecclesiastic would not have
been so indifferent to their mode of communion and to the sale of
the sacraments, which caused many to remain unbaptized. The scanty
mention of Albuquerque and of Goa, and its being the sort of
political memorandum which a person in Magellan's position, seeking
service from Spain, and desirous of pushing the Spanish government
to eastern as well as western enterprise, would be likely to write;
the commercial details, which are not those of a merchant, but
rather of a soldier, for the prices given chiefly relate to
provisions, horses and elephants, things useful in war, whilst the
prices of jewels and spices, drawn up in a business-like manner, are
in an appendix and not referred to in the narrative,--all these
circumstances seem almost to justify the conclusion that this volume
was drawn up by Magellan, or under Magellan's guidance, for the
purpose of being laid before Charles V, at the time that Magellan
was seeking the command which he received a short time later.
This volume derives additional value from the numerous passages in
which it runs parallel to the _Lusiad_, so that the two confirm one
another, and this prose description serves as a commentary to
Camoens. Several passages descriptive of the customs of the nairs of
Malabar in this work present very forcibly the connection between
Plato and the Hindus.
The travels of Varthema, a former publication of the Hakluyt
Society, gave evidence of the good administration of India
especially in regard to justice in olden times; similar testimony
will be found in this volume. The expedient of the King of Narsinga
for correcting his high officials, without either removing them or
lowering them in the eyes of those they had to rule, has not, I
believe, been before narrated. Though Suttee has been so often
described, the account of it in these pages possesses much interest
and novelty, probably from having been written by an eye-witness,
before that institution was disturbed by European influence. An
allusion to the English longbow as to a weapon in actual use, gives
an appearance of antiquity to this narrative even greater than that
which belongs to its date. The orthography of the manuscript is not
always uniform, therefore where a name is spelt in two different
ways, I have left them as they are given. I have altered the
original spelling of the names of only a few familiar places, and
have retained the Portuguese expressions of Moor and Gentile, which
mean Mussulman and heathen, one of which has survived up to the
present time in Southern India as Moorman.
Any further observations I may have to make on this manuscript will
be found in the notes.
I wish to express my thanks to Sr. D. Gregorio Romero Larranaga, the
head of the Barcelona Library, and to the other gentlemen of his
department, for the cordial manner in which they have supplied me
with the contents of their Library, and for their assistance in
discussing doubtful points.
London, October 21, 1865.
[Illustration: facsimile of handwritten manuscript.]
[Illustration: facsimile of handwritten manuscript.]
PREFACE.
(TRANSLATED FROM THE PORTUGUESE EDITION, LISBON, 1812.)
I, Duarte Barbosa, a native of the very noble city of Lisbon, having
navigated for a great part of my youth in the Indies discovered in
the name of the king our lord, and having travelled through many and
various countries neighbouring to the coast, and having seen and
heard various things, which I judged to be marvellous and
stupendous, and which had never been seen nor heard of by our
ancestors, resolved to write them for the benefit of all, as I saw
and heard of them from day to day, striving to declare in this my
book the towns and limits of all those kingdoms to which I went in
person, or of which I had trustworthy information; and also which
were kingdoms and countries of the Moors and which of the Gentiles,
and their customs. Neither have I left in silence their traffic, the
merchandise which is met with in them, the places where they are
produced, nor whither they are transported. And besides what I saw
personally, I always delighted in inquiring of the Moors,
Christians, and Gentiles, as to the usages and customs which they
practised, and the points of information thus gained I endeavoured
to combine together so as to have a more exact knowledge of them,
this being always my special object, as it should be of all those
who write on such matters; and I am convinced that it will be
recognized that I have not spared any diligence in order to obtain
this object, as far as the feeble extent of the power of my
understanding allows of. It was in the present year of 1516 that I
finished writing this my book.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EAST INDIES AND COUNTRIES ON THE SEABORD OF THE
INDIAN OCEAN IN 1514.[3]
THE CAPE OF ST. SEBASTIAN AFTER PASSING THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
Having passed the Cape of Good Hope in a north-easterly direction,
at Cape San Sebastian, there are very fair mountain lands, and
fields, and valleys, in which there are many cows and sheep, and
other wild animals; it is a country inhabited by people who are
black and naked. They only wear skins with the fur of deer, or other
wild animals, like some cloaks in the French fashion, of which
people the Portuguese, up to the present time, have not been able to
obtain information, nor to become acquainted with what there is in
the interior of the country. They have no navigation, neither do
they make use of the sea, neither have the Moors of Arabia and
Persia, or the Indies, ever navigated as far as this, nor discovered
them, on account of the strong currents of the sea, which is very
stormy.
ISLANDS OF THE GREAT UCIQUES.[4]
Having passed Cape San Sebastian towards the north-east for India,
there are some islands close to the mainland to the east, which are
called the Great Uciques; in which, on the side towards the mainland
there are a few small towns of Moors, who deal with the people of
the continent, and they provision themselves from them. In these
Uciques much amber is found of good quality, which the Moors collect
and sell in other places, and likewise many pearls and small seed
pearls are found in the sea in beds (crusts), which they cannot
gather or fish up, and whenever they do get them out they boil them,
and extract the said pearls and seed pearls dingy and burnt, and
there is no doubt that there are many and good ones, if they knew
how to extract them, as is done in Sael, Cochoromandel, and in
Barahe,[5] which will be mentioned hereafter.
THE LITTLE VCIQUES ISLANDS IN RIVERS.
Having passed the Vciques grandes towards Sofala, a fortress which
the King of Portugal made there, and where there is much gold, at
xvii or xviii leagues from it there are some rivers, which make
between their branches, islands, called the Little Vciques, in which
there are some villages of the Moors, who also deal with the
Gentiles of the mainland in their provisions, which are rice,
millet, and meat, and which they bring in small barks to Sufala.[6]
SOFALA.
Having passed the Little Vciques, for the Indies, at xviii leagues
from them there is a river which is not very large, whereon is a
town of the Moors called Sofala,[7] close to which town the King of
Portugal has a fort. These Moors established themselves there a long
time ago on account of the great trade in gold which they carry on
with the Gentiles of the mainland: these speak somewhat of bad
Arabic (garabia), and have got a king over them, who is at present
subject to the King of Portugal.[8] And the mode of their trade is
that they come by sea in small barks which they call zanbucs
(sambuk), from the kingdoms of Quiloa, and Mombaza, and Melindi; and
they bring much cotton cloth of many colours, and white and blue,
and some of silk; and grey, and red, and yellow beads, which come to
the said kingdoms in other larger ships from the great kingdom of
Cambay, which merchandise these Moors buy and collect from other
Moors who bring them there, and they pay for them in gold by weight,
and for a price which satisfies them; and the said Moors keep them
and sell these cloths to the Gentiles of the kingdom of Benamatapa
who come there laden with gold, which gold they give in exchange for
the before mentioned cloths without weighing, and so much in
quantity that these Moors usually gain one hundred for one. They
also collect a large quantity of ivory, which is found all round
Sofala, which they likewise sell in the great kingdom of Cambay at
five or six ducats the hundred weight, and so also some amber, which
these Moors of Sofala bring them from the Vciques. They are black
men, and men of colour--some speak Arabic, and the rest make use of
the language of the Gentiles of the country. They wrap themselves
from the waist downwards with cloths of cotton and silk, and they
wear other silk cloths above named, such as cloaks and wraps for the
head, and some of them wear hoods of scarlet, and of other coloured
woollen stuffs and camelets, and of other silks. And their victuals
are millet, and rice, and meat, and fish. In this river near to the
sea there are many sea horses, which go in the sea, and come out on
land at times to feed. These have teeth like small elephants, and it
is better ivory than that of the elephant, and whiter and harder,
and of greater durability of colour. In the country all round Sofala
there are many elephants, which are very large and wild, and the
people of the country do not know how to tame them: there are also
many lions, ounces, mountain panthers, wild asses, and many other
animals. It is a country of plains and mountains, and well watered.
The Moors have now recently begun to produce much fine cotton in
this country, and they weave it into white stuff because they do not
know how to dye it, or because they have not got any colours; and
they take the blue or coloured stuffs of Cambay and unravel them,
and again weave the threads with their white thread, and in this
manner they make coloured stuffs, by means of which they get much
gold.
KINGDOM OF BENAMATAPA.
On entering within this country of Sofala, there is the kingdom of
Benamatapa, which is very large and peopled by Gentiles, whom the
Moors call Cafers. These are brown men, who go bare, but covered
from the waist downwards with coloured stuffs, or skins of wild
animals; and the persons most in honour among them wear some of the
tails of the skin behind them, which go trailing on the ground for
state and show, and they make bounds and movements of their bodies,
by which they make these tails wag on either side of them. They
carry swords in scabbards of wood bound with gold or other metals,
and they wear them on the left hand side as we do, in sashes of
coloured stuffs, which they make for this purpose with four or five
knots, and their tassels hanging down, like gentlemen; and in their
hands azagayes, and others carry bows and arrows: it must be
mentioned that the bows are of middle size, and the iron points of
the arrows are very large and well wrought. They are men of war, and
some of them are merchants: their women go naked as long as they are
girls, only covering their middles with cotton cloths, and when they
are married and have children, they wear other cloths over their
breasts.
ZINBAOCH.[9]
Leaving Sofala for the interior of the country, at xv days journey
from it, there is a large town of Gentiles, which is called
Zinbaoch; and it has houses of wood and straw, in which town the
King of Benamatapa frequently dwells, and from there to the city of
Benamatapa there are six days journey, and the road goes from
Sofala, inland, towards the Cape of Good Hope. And in the said
Benamatapa, which is a very large town, the king is used to make his
longest residence; and it is thence that the merchants bring to
Sofala the gold which they sell to the Moors without weighing it,
for coloured stuffs and beads of Cambay, which are much used and
valued amongst them; and the people of this city of Benamatapa say
that this gold comes from still further off towards the Cape of Good
Hope, from another kingdom subject to this king of Benamatapa, who
is a great lord, and holds many other kings as his subjects, and
many other lands, which extend far inland, both towards the Cape of
Good Hope and towards Mozambich. And in this town he is each day
served with large presents, which the kings and lords, his subjects,
send to him; and when they bring them, they carry them bareheaded
through all the city, until they arrive at the palace, from whence
the king sees them come from a window, and he orders them to be
taken up from there, and the bearers do not see him, but only hear
his words; and afterwards, he bids them call the persons who have
brought these presents, and he dismisses them. This king constantly
takes with him into the field a captain, whom they call Sono, with a
great quantity of men-at-arms, and amongst them they bring six
thousand women, who also bear arms and fight. With these forces he
goes about subduing and pacifying whatever kings rise up or desire
to revolt. The said king of Benamatapa sends, each year, many
honourable persons throughout his kingdoms to all the towns and
lordships, to give them new regulations, so that all may do them
obeisance, which is in this manner: each one of the envoys comes to
a town, and bids the people extinguish all the fires that there are
in it; and after they have been put out, all the inhabitants go to
this man who has been sent as commissary, to get fresh fire from him
in sign of subjection and obedience; and, whoever should not do this
is held as a rebel, and the king immediately sends the number of
people that are necessary to destroy him, and these pass through all
the towns at their expense: their rations are meat, rice, and oil of
sesame.[10]
RIVER ZUAMA.
Leaving Sofala for Mozambich, at forty leagues from it, there is a
very large river, which is called the Zuama;[11] and it is said that
it goes towards Benamatapa,[12] and it extends more than 160
leagues. In the mouth of this river there is a town of the Moors,
which has a king, and it is called Mongalo.[13] Much gold comes from
Benamatapa to this town of the Moors, by this river, which makes
another branch which falls at Angos, where the Moors make use of
boats (almadias), which are boats hollowed out from a single trunk,
to bring the cloths and other merchandise from Angos, and to
transport much gold and ivory.
ANGOY.
After passing this river of Zuama, at xl leagues from it, there is a
town of the Moors on the sea coast, which is called Angoy,[14] and
has a king, and the Moors who live there are all merchants, and deal
in gold, ivory, silk, and cotton stuffs, and beads of Cambay, the
same as do those of Sofala. And the Moors bring these goods from
Quiloa, and Monbaza, and Melynde, in small vessels hidden from the
Portuguese ships; and they carry from there a great quantity of
ivory, and much gold. And in this town of Angos there are plenty of
provisions of millet, rice, and some kinds of meat. These men are
very brown and copper coloured; they go naked from the waist
upwards, and from thence downwards, they wrap themselves with cloths
of cotton and silk, and wear other cloths folded after the fashion
of cloaks, and some wear caps and others hoods, worked with stuffs
and silks; and they speak the language belonging to the country,
which is that of the Pagans, and some of them speak Arabic. These
people are sometimes in obedience to the king of Portugal, and at
times they throw it off, for they are a long way off from the
Portuguese forts.
MOZAMBIQUE ISLAND.
Having passed this town of Anguox, on the way to India, there are
very near to the land three islands, one of which is inhabited by
Moors, and is called Mozambique.[15] It has a very good port, and
all the Moors touch there who are sailing to Sofala, Zuama, or
Anguox. Amongst these Moors there is a sheriff, who governs them,
and does justice. These are of the language and customs of the Moors
of Anguox, in which island the King of Portugal now holds a fort,
and keeps the said Moors under his orders and government. At this
island the Portuguese ships provide themselves with water and wood,
fish and other kinds of provisions; and at this place they refit
those ships which stand in need of repair. And from this island
likewise the Portuguese fort in Sofala draws its supplies, both of
Portuguese goods and of the produce of India, on account of the road
being longer by the mainland.
Opposite this island there are many very large elephants and wild
animals. The country is inhabited by Gentiles, brutish people who go
naked and smeared all over with coloured clay, and their natural
parts wrapped in a strip of blue cotton stuff, without any other
covering; and they have their lips pierced with three holes in each
lip, and in these holes they wear bones stuck in, and claws, and
small stones, and other little things dangling from them.
ISLAND OF QUILOA.
After passing this place and going towards India, there is another
island close to the mainland, called Quiloa,[16] in which there is a
town of the Moors, built of handsome houses of stone and lime, and
very lofty, with their windows like those of the Christians; in the
same way it has streets, and these houses have got their terraces,
and the wood worked in with the masonry, with plenty of gardens, in
which there are many fruit trees and much water. This island has got
a king over it, and from hence there is trade with Sofala with
ships, which carry much gold, which is dispersed thence through all
Arabia Felix, for henceforward all this country is thus named on
account of the shore of the sea being peopled with many towns and
cities of the Moors; and when the King of Portugal discovered this
land, the Moors of Sofala, and Zuama, and Anguox, and Mozambique,
were all under obedience to the King of Quiloa, who was a great king
amongst them. And there is much gold in this town, because all the
ships which go to Sofala touch at this island, both in going and
coming back. These people are Moors, of a dusky colour, and some of
them are black and some white; they are very well dressed with rich
cloths of gold, and silk, and cotton, and the women also go very
well dressed out with much gold and silver in chains and bracelets
on their arms, and legs, and ears. The speech of these people is
Arabic, and they have got books of the Alcoran, and honour greatly
their prophet Muhamad. This King, for his great pride, and for not
being willing to obey the King of Portugal, had this town taken from
him by force, and in it they killed and captured many people, and
the King fled from the island, in which the King of Portugal ordered
a fortress to be built, and thus he holds under his command and
government those who continued to dwell there.
ISLAND OF MOMBAZA.
Passing Quiloa, and going along the coast of the said Arabia Felix
towards India, close to the mainland there is another island, in
which there is a city of the Moors, called Bombaza,[17] very large
and beautiful, and built of high and handsome houses of stone and
whitewash, and with very good streets, in the manner of those of
Quiloa. And it also had a king over it. The people are of dusky
white, and brown complexions, and likewise the women, who are much
adorned with silk and gold stuffs. It is a town of great trade in
goods, and has a good port, where there are always many ships, both
of those that sail for Sofala and those that come from Cambay and
Melinde, and others which sail to the islands of Zanzibar, Manfia,
and Penda, which will be spoken of further on. This Monbaza is a
country well supplied with plenty of provisions, very fine sheep,
which have round tails, and many cows, chickens, and very large
goats, much rice and millet, and plenty of oranges, sweet and
bitter, and lemons, cedrats, pomegranates, Indian figs, and all
sorts of vegetables, and very good water. The inhabitants at times
are at war with the people of the continent, and at other times at
peace, and trade with them, and obtain much honey and wax, and
ivory. This King, for his pride and unwillingness to obey the King
of Portugal, lost his city, and the Portuguese took it from him by
force, and the King fled, and they killed and made captives many of
his people, and the country was ravaged,[18] and much plunder was
carried off from it of gold and silver, copper, ivory, rich stuffs
of gold and silk, and much other valuable merchandize.
MELINDE.
After passing the city of Mombaza, at no great distance further on
along the coast, there is a very handsome town on the mainland on
the beach, called Melinde,[19] and it is a town of the Moors, which
has a king. And this town has fine houses of stone and whitewash, of
several stories, with their windows and terraces, and good streets.
The inhabitants are dusky and black, and go naked from the waist
upwards, and from that downwards they cover themselves with cloths
of cotton and silk, and others wear wraps like cloaks, and handsome
caps on their heads. The trade is great which they carry on in
cloth, gold, ivory, copper, quicksilver, and much other merchandise,
with both Moors and Gentiles of the kingdom of Cambay, who come to
their port with ships laden with cloth, which they buy in exchange
for gold, ivory, and wax. Both parties find great profit in this.
There are plenty of provisions in this town, of rice, millet, and
some wheat, which is brought to them from Cambay, and plenty of
fruit, for there are many gardens and orchards. There are here many
of the large-tailed sheep, and of all other meats as above; there
are also oranges, sweet and sour. This King and people have always
been very friendly and obedient to the King of Portugal, and the
Portuguese have always met with much friendship and good reception
amongst them.[20]
ISLAND OF SAN LORENZO.[21]
Opposite these places, in the sea above the Cape of the
Currents,[22] at a distance of eighty leagues, there is a very large
island, which is called San Lorenzo, and which is peopled by
Gentiles, and has in it some towns of Moors. This island has many
kings, both Moors and Gentiles. There is in it much meat, rice, and
millet, and plenty of oranges and lemons, and there is much ginger
in this country, which they do not make use of, except to eat it
almost green. The inhabitants go naked, covering only their middles
with cotton cloths. They do not navigate, nor does any one do so for
them; they have got canoes for fishing on their coast. They are
people of a dark complexion, and have a language of their own. They
frequently are at war with one another, and their arms are azagayes,
very sharp, with their points very well worked; they throw these in
order to wound, and carry several of them in their hands. They are
very well built and active men, and have a good method of wrestling.
There is amongst them silver of inferior quality. Their principal
food is roots, which they sow, and it is called yname,[23] and in
the Indies of Spain it is called maize. The country is very
beautiful and luxuriant in vegetation, and it has very large rivers.
This island is in length from the part of Sofala and Melinde three
hundred leagues, and to the mainland there are sixty leagues.
PENDA, MANFIA, AND ZANZIBAR.
Between this island of San Lorenzo and the continent, not very far
from it, are three islands, which are called one Manfia, another
Zanzibar, and the other Penda;[24] these are inhabited by Moors;
they are very fertile islands, with plenty of provisions, rice,
millet, and flesh, and abundant oranges, lemons, and cedrats. All
the mountains are full of them; they produce many sugar canes, but
do not know how to make sugar. These islands have their kings. The
inhabitants trade with the mainland with their provisions and
fruits; they have small vessels, very loosely and badly made,
without decks, and with a single mast; all their planks are sewn
together with cords of reed or matting, and the sails are of palm
mats. They are very feeble people, with very few and despicable
weapons. In these islands they live in great luxury, and abundance;
they dress in very good cloths of silk and cotton, which they buy in
Mombaza of the merchants from Cambay, who reside there. Their wives
adorn themselves with many jewels of gold from Sofala, and silver,
in chains, ear-rings, bracelets, and ankle rings, and are dressed in
silk stuffs: and they have many mosques, and hold the Alcoran of
Mahomed.
PATE.
After passing Melinde, and going towards India, they cross the Gulf
(because the coast trends inwards) towards the Red Sea, and on the
coast there is a town called Pate,[25] and further on there is
another town of the Moors, called Lamon;[26] all these trade with
the Gentiles of the country, and they are strongly-walled towns of
stone and whitewash, because at times they have to fight with the
Gentiles, who live in the interior of the country.
BRAVA.
Leaving these places, further on along the coast is a town of the
Moors, well walled, and built of good houses of stone and whitewash,
which is called Brava. It has not got a king; it is governed by its
elders,[27] they being honoured and respectable persons. It is a
place of trade, which has already been destroyed by the Portuguese,
with great slaughter of the inhabitants, of whom many were made
captives, and great riches in gold, silver, and other merchandise
were taken here, and those who escaped fled into the country, and
after the place was destroyed they returned to people it.
MAGADOXO.[28]
Leaving the before-mentioned town of Brava, on the coast further on
towards the Red Sea, there is another very large and beautiful town,
called Magadoxo, belonging to the Moors, and it has a king over it,
and is a place of great trade in merchandise. Ships come there from
the kingdom of Cambay and from Aden with stuffs of all sorts, and
with other merchandise of all kinds, and with spices. And they carry
away from there much gold, ivory, beeswax, and other things upon
which they make a profit. In this town there is plenty of meat,
wheat, barley, and horses, and much fruit; it is a very rich place.
All the people speak Arabic; they are dusky, and black, and some of
them white. They are but bad warriors, and use herbs with their
arrows to defend themselves from their enemies.
AFUNI.[29]
Having passed the district and town of Magadoxo, further on along
the coast is another small town of the Moors, called Afuni, in which
there is abundance of meat and provisions. It is a place of little
trade, and has got no port.
CAPE GUARDAFUN.
After passing this place the next after it is Cape Guardafun,[30]
where the coast ends, and trends so as to double towards the Red
Sea. This cape is in the mouth of the Strait of Mecca, and all the
ships which come from India, that is to say, from the kingdom of
Cambay, of Chaul, Dabul, Baticala, and Malabar, Ceylon, Choromandel,
Bengal, Sumatra, Poggru, Tanaseri, Malacca, and China, all come to
meet at this cape, and from it they enter into the before-mentioned
Red Sea with their merchandise for Aden, Berbera, and Zeyla, and
Guida, the port of Mecca, for which ships the ships of the King of
Portugal sometimes go and lie in wait and take them with all their
riches.
MET.
In doubling this Cape of Guardafun, towards the inner part of the
Red Sea, there is, just near the said cape, a town of the Moors
called Met,[31] not very large, where there is plenty of meat; it is
of little trade.
BARBARA.
Further on, on the same coast, is a town of the Moors called
Barbara;[32] it has a port, at which many ships of Adeni and Cambay
touch with their merchandise, and from there those of Cambay carry
away much gold, and ivory, and other things, and those of Aden take
many provisions, meat, honey, and wax, because, as they say, it is a
very abundant country.
ZEYLA.
Having passed this town of Berbara, and going on, entering the Red
Sea, there is another town of the Moors, which is named Zeyla,[33]
which is a good place of trade, whither many ships navigate and sell
their cloths and merchandise. It is very populous, with good houses
of stone and whitewash, and good streets; the houses are covered
with terraces, the dwellers in them are black. They have many
horses, and breed much cattle of all sorts, which they make use of
for milk, and butter, and meat. There is in this country abundance
of wheat, millet, barley, and fruits, which they carry thence to
Aden.
DALAQUA.
After continuing along the coast from the town of Zeyla, there is
another place of the Moors, called Dalaqua,[34] the seaport which is
most made use of by the Abaxins[35] of the country of Prester John.
And all round this place there are much provisions, and much gold
comes there from the country of Prester John.
MASAVA SAVAQUIN[36] AND OTHER PLACES.
Leaving Dalaqua for the interior of the Red Sea, there are Massowa,
Suakin, and other towns of the Moors; and this coast is still called
Arabia Felix, and the Moors call it Barra Ajan,[37] in all which
there is much gold which comes from the interior of the country of
Prester John, whom they call Abexi. All these places on this coast
trade with the country with their cloths and other merchandise, and
they bring from it gold, ivory, honey, wax and slaves; and sometimes
they are at war with them, for they are Christians, and they capture
many of them; and such captives are much valued by the Moors, and
amongst them are worth much more money than other slaves because
they find them sharp and faithful, and well-built men in body, and
when they turn Moors, they become greater emperors than the original
Moors. These Moors of Arabia Felix are all black[38] and good
fighting men; they go bare from the waist upwards, and from thence
downwards they cover themselves with cloths of cotton; and the more
honourable men amongst them wear their cloths over them like
Almalafas,[39] and the women are covered in the same way:[40]...
KINGDOM OF PRESTER JOHN.
Leaving these towns of the Moors and entering into the interior of
the country, the great kingdom of Prester John is to be found, whom
the Moors of Arabia call Abexi;[41] this kingdom is very large, and
peopled with many cities, towns, and villages, with many
inhabitants: and it has many kings subject to it and tributary
kings. And in their country there are many who live in the fields
and mountains, like Beduins: they are black men, very well made:
they have many horses, and make use of them, and are good riders,
and there are great sportsmen and hunters amongst them. Their
provisions are flesh of all kinds, milk, butter, and wheaten bread,
and of these things there is a great abundance. Their clothes are of
hides because the country is wanting in cloths; and there is a law
amongst them by which certain families and ranks of persons may wear
cloths, and the rest of the people may wear only hides well dressed
and tanned. Amongst them there are men and women who have never
drunk water, but only milk, which greatly supports them, and
quenches the thirst, on account of its being more healthy and
substantial, and there is great abundance of it in the country.
These people are Christians of the doctrine of the blessed Saint
Bartholomew, as they say; and their baptism is in three kinds, of
blood, fire, and water: that is to say, that they circumcise
themselves, and mark themselves on the temples and forehead with
fire, and also in water, like the Catholic Christians. Many of them
are deficient in our true faith, because the country is very large,
and whilst in the principal city of Babel Malech, where Prester John
resides, they may be Christians, in many other distant parts they
live in error and without being taught; so that they are only
Christians in name.
BABEL MELECH.
In the interior of this country is the great city of Babel
Melech,[42] where Prester John holds his residence. The Moors call
him the great King of the Habeshys: he is Christian, and lord of
many extensive countries and numerous people, with whom he makes
subject many great kings. He is very rich, and possesses more gold
than any other prince. This Prester John holds a very large court,
and he keeps many men at arms continually in his pay, whom he takes
about with him. He goes out very rarely from his dwelling; many
kings and great lords come to visit him. In this city a great feast
takes place in the month of August, for which so many kings and
nobles come together, and so many people that they are innumerable:
and on this day of the feast in August they take an image out of a
church, which is believed to be that of Our Lady, or that of St.
Bartholomew, which image is of gold and of the size of a man; its
eyes are of very large and beautiful rubies of great value, and the
whole of it is adorned with many precious stones of much value, and
placing it in a great chariot of gold, they carry it in procession
with very great veneration and ceremony, and Prester John goes in
front of this car in another gold car, very richly dressed in cloth
of gold with much jewellery. And they begin to go out thus in the
morning, and go in procession through all the city with much music
of all sorts of instruments, until the evening, when they go home.
And so many people throng to this procession, that in order to
arrive at the car of the image many die of being squeezed and
suffocated; and those who die in this wise are held as saints and
martyrs; and many old men and old women go with a good will to die
in this manner.
SUEZ.
Leaving this country of Prester John and the coast of the sea of
Arabia Felix, and turning to the other part of the Red Sea, which is
also called Arabia, and the Moors call it Barra Arab, there is a
village, a seaport called Suez,[43] and thither the Moors of Guida,
the port of Mecca, bring all the spices, drugs, precious stones,
seed pearl, amber, musk, and other merchandise of great value from
the parts about India; and from there they load them on camels to
carry them by land to Cairo, and from Cairo other merchants carry
them to Alexandria; and from there the Venetians and other
Christians usually export them. And this trade now, in a great
measure, ceases on account of the Portuguese, whose fleets prohibit
the navigation of the Moors from India to the Red Sea.[44] And the
Great Sultan, lord of Cairo, who loses most by this, ordered a fleet
to be built in the port of Suez, for which he had the wood and
artillery, and other equipments transported by land, in which much
money was expended; and this fleet was of ships and galleys, in
order to pass with it to India and there forbid the Portuguese from
cruising. And when this fleet was built many people of different
nations went with it to the first India, which is the Kingdom of
Cambay; and the Captain of it was Amir Ucen,[45] and with this fleet
they met that of Portugal in front of a city named Dyu, and there
they fought vigorously, and many people were killed, and at last the
Moors, Turks, and Mamelukes were conquered and all their fleet was
taken and part of it burned, and on this account and several other
victories which the Portuguese gained over the before-mentioned
Moors, they lost their navigation in the Red Sea, and the said port
of Suez remains without the trade in spices.
MOUNT SINAI.
Near the said city of Suez there is in the country of Arabia on the
Red Sea, the mountain of Sinai, where lies the blessed Saint
Catharine in a church, in which there are Christian friars, under
the lordship of the Sultan, to which building the devout of all
Christian countries come in pilgrimage, and the chief part of those
that throng thither are from the country of Prester John and
Armenia, Babilonia, Constantinople, and Jerusalem.
ELIOBON AND MEDINA.
Having passed Mount Sinai, which the Moors call Tur, along the coast
of the Red Sea going out of it, there is a village of the Moors, a
seaport called Eliobon,[46] and it is a port where they disembark
for Medina, which is another town of the Moors, up the country at
three days' journey from the port, and the body of Mahomed is buried
in it.
GUIDA PORT OF MECA.
Leaving the port of Eliobon to go out of the Red Sea, there is a
town of the Moors, called Guida, and it is the port of Mecca,
whither the ships used to come every year from India with spices and
drugs, and they returned thence to Calicut with much copper,
quicksilver, vermillion, saffron, rose-water, scarlet silks,
camelots, tafetans and other goods, of stuffs used in India, and
also with much gold and silver; and the trade was very great and
profitable. And from this port of Guida these spices and drugs were
transported in small vessels to Suez, as has been already said.
MECA.
At one day's journey up the country from the port of Guida is the
great city of Meca, in which there is a very large mosque, to which
all the Moors from all parts go in pilgrimage, and they hold for
certain that they are saved by washing with the water of a well
which is in this mosque: and they carry it away from there in
bottles to their countries as a great relic. In the aforesaid Guida
port of Mecca a fortress has been lately built by Emir Hussein, the
Moorish captain of the ships of the Sultan, which the Portuguese
destroyed in India: this captain when he saw himself defeated, did
not dare return to his country without performing some service to
his king, and he decided on begging of the King of Cambay (who is
called Sultan Mahamud) assistance in money, and so also from the
nobles and merchants of his kingdom and from other Moorish kings, in
order to construct this fortress, saying: that since the Portuguese,
(whom they call Franks) were so powerful, it would not be wonderful
if they were to come into this port and were to go and destroy the
house of Mahomet. And these Moorish kings and people hearing his
petition, and seeing the power of the King of Portugal, it seemed to
them that this might come to pass, and thus all gave him great
gifts, by means of which he loaded three ships with spices and other
merchandise, and went with them to the Red Sea, and arrived at
Guida, where he sold them, and with the money he made the said
fortress, and during the time that he was building it, the
Portuguese were making another inside the town of Calicut,[47] and
the King of Calicut begged the Captain Major of the King of Portugal
to give him permission to send then a ship laden with spices to
Mecca. And this permission was given him, and the ship was sent. And
there went in it as captain an honourable person of the Moors named
Califa, and he arrived at Guida the port of Mecca, where he came on
shore very well dressed out, along with his people, and he found
Emir Hussein building his fortress, and was asked by him news of the
Portuguese. And this Califa answered him, telling him how they were
in great peace at Calicut, and making a handsome fortress. And Emir
Hussein asked him, how dare you come to Mecca being a friend of the
Portuguese? Califa answered him, I am a merchant and am unable to do
anything, but you who are a captain of the great Sultan if you go to
India to turn them out of it, how came you to leave them there, and
to make a fortress here? At which Emir Hussein was much put out, and
ordered Califa immediately, and well dressed as he was, to take
stones and mortar, he and his people, and help to build the
fortress: and he made him work for the space of an hour.[48] And
Califa related this in Calicut later when he returned there.[49]
JAZAN, HALI, ALHOR.
Leaving Jiddah the port of Mekkah, to go out of the Red Sea there
are three towns of the Moors, which have got kings over them, one is
called Jazan,[50] another Hali, and the other Alhor; in these there
are many horses and plenty of provisions. This king does not obey
the Sultan nor any other king whatever; he holds many countries
under him in which he has many towns with many sea ports, from which
the Moorish merchants used to export a few horses to India in their
merchant ships, because there they are worth a good deal.
HODEYDA, MAHA, BABEL MENDE.
Having passed these places and kingdom, there are three places
further on the coast which belong to the kingdom of Aden; the one
they call Hodeyda, the other Maha,[51] the other Babelmende, which
is in the mouth of the strait of the Red Sea where the ships enter
it, and at this place the ships take pilots as far as Jiddah, who
live by it.
ISLAND OF CAMARON.
In the sea of these other places, there is a small island called
Camaron,[52] inhabited by Moors, in which the ships were accustomed
to take refreshments when they passed by it to Jiddah. This island
was ravaged by Alonso de Alboquerque, captain of the King of
Portugal; and he staid there for some days repairing his fleet in
order to leave the Red Sea, for the season did not allow him to go
as far as Jiddah, to which he wished to arrive.
ADEM.
Coming out of the Red Sea by Babelmendel, which is in the straits,
as has been said, towards the open sea, further on the coast there
are several towns of Moors, which all belong to the kingdom of Aden,
and having passed these villages you arrive at the town of Aden,
which belongs to the Moors, and has a king over it. It is a very
handsome city, with very large and fine houses, and a place of much
trade, with good streets, and surrounded with a strong wall in their
fashion. This city is on a point between a mountain and the sea; and
this mountain ridge on the side of the main land is a precipitous
rock, in such manner that on that side it has no more than one
entrance, and on the top of this ridge, where the town is, there are
many small towers, which look very pretty from the sea. Inside the
city there is no water at all, and outside of the gate towards the
main land there is a building to which they make water come in pipes
from another mountain at some little distance from there, and
between one ridge and the other ridge there was a great plain. In
this city there are great Moorish merchants, and many Jews.[53] They
are white men, a few of them black, they dress in cloth of cotton,
silk, scarlet wool, and camelots. Their clothes are long robes, and
they wear caps on their heads, and with low shoes on their feet.
Their victuals are plenty of meat, wheaten bread, and rice which
comes from India: there is plenty of fruit as in our parts, and
there are in this place many horses and camels. The king is always
in the interior of the country, and he maintains his governor in
this city. Many ships, great and small, come there from many parts;
that is to say, from Jiddah, whence they bring them much copper and
quicksilver, and vermillion, coral, cloths of wool and silk. And
they take from here in return spices, drugs, cotton cloths, and
other things from Cambay, with provisions and other goods. Many
ships also touch there from Zeyla and Berbera with provisions and
other goods, and carry away from there stuffs from Cambay,
alaquequas,[54] and large and small beads perforated for stringing,
with which they trade in Arabia Felix, and in the country of Prester
John. Some ships from Ormuz likewise touch there to trade, and also
from Cambay, whence they bring much cotton stuff, spices, drugs,
jewels and pearls, alaquequas, spun cotton, and unspun; and they
take from these madder, opium, raisins, copper, quicksilver,
vermillion, rose-water which they make there, woollen and silk
stuffs, coloured stuffs from Mecca, and gold in ingots or coined,
and thread and camelots. And these ships of Cambay are so many and
so large, and with so much merchandise, that it is a terrible thing
to think of so great an expenditure of cotton stuffs as they bring.
There come likewise to this port of Aden many ships from Chaul and
Dabul, and from Bengal and the country of Calicut; they used to come
there with the before-mentioned goods and with a large quantity of
rice and sugar, and cocoa-nuts which grow on the palm trees, and
which are like nuts in flavour, and with the kernels[55] they make
drinking cups. There also arrive there ships from Bengal, Samatra,
and Malaca, which bring much spices and drugs, silks, benzoin,
alacar,[56] sandal-wood, aloes-wood, rhubarb, musk, and much cotton
stuffs from Bengal and Mangala,[57] so that it is a place of as much
trade as there can be in the world, and of the richest merchandise.
The fleet and armament of the King of Portugal came to this city,
and took and burned in its harbour several ships laden with much
merchandise, and several empty ships, and it made an assault to
enter the town, and mounted the walls with scaling ladders, which
broke with the weight of the many people on them; so that the
Portuguese went out again, and abandoned the town: and at this entry
the Moors defended themselves very vigorously, and many of them
died, and some of the Christians.
KINGDOM OF FARTACH.
Having passed the said kingdom of Aden, going out of the strait
towards the East, there is another kingdom of the Moors about
twenty-five leagues off, near the sea, it has three or four towns on
the coast, and they are called Xebech, Diufar,[58] and Fartach.[59]
These Moors have got a king over them and are very good fighting
men: they have got horses which they make use of in war, and good
arms with short blades; the said king is subject to the King of Aden
and is his servant.
CAPE FARTACH AND THE ISLAND OF SACOTORA.
In this country and kingdom there is a cape which is called Cape
Fartach, where the coast turns and makes a bend towards the said sea
between north-east and east,[60] and between this cape and that of
Guardafun, is the mouth of the strait of Mecca, which runs
north-west and south-east,[61] and it is xl leagues in width, where
all the ships pass for those voyages and to the Red Sea. Above Cape
Guardafun, to the north-east by east, twenty-seven leagues off, is
an island called Sacotora, with very high mountains, it is inhabited
by dusky people, who are said to be Christians; but they are
deficient in the teaching of the Christian law and baptism, and have
got only the name of Christians: they have in their chapels crosses,
+.[62] It was in former times a country of Christians, and the
Christian doctrine was lost there on account of Christian navigation
having ceased there; and the Moors say that this was an island of
Amazons, who later in the course of time mixed with men, and
something of this appears to be the case, since there the women
administer property and manage it, without the husbands having a
voice in the matter. These people have a language of their own; they
go without clothes, and only cover their nakedness with cotton
cloths and skins: they have many cows and sheep, and date palms.
Their victuals are meat, milk, and dates. In this island there is
much dragon's blood[63] and aloes of Socotra. And the Moors of
Fartach built in it a fortress, to subjugate them, and turn them
Moors; and some of those that lived around the fortress were Moors,
and served the Moors of the fort like their slaves, both in their
persons and property. A fleet of the King of Portugal arrived at
this island, and took this fortress by force of arms from the Moors
of Fartach, fighting with them: and they defended themselves much
more vigorously than any men of these parts; so that they never
would give themselves up, and all died in the fight, for none of
them escaped; so that they are very good and daring fighting men.
The Captain of this fleet left troops and artillery in this fortress
in order to keep it in the name of the King of Portugal. And quite
near to this island of Sacotora there are two other islands
inhabited by coloured people and blacks, like the people of the
Canary Islands, without law or knowledge, and they have no dealings
with any other people. In these two islands much amber and of good
quality is found, and many shells of the valuable and precious kind
in the mine, and much dragon's blood and aloes of Socotra; and there
are large flocks of sheep and oxen.
DIUFAR.
Leaving Cape Fartach towards the coast of the open sea to the
north-east by east, going along the coast L leagues off is a town of
the Moors and seaport called Diufar,[64] a city of the kingdom of
Fartach, in which the Moors of Cambay trade in cotton stuffs, rice,
and other goods.
XEHER.[65]
Further on from this place, in the direction of the same wind, at xx
leagues off, along the same coast, is another town of the Moors,
called Xeher; it also belongs to the kingdom of Fartach, and is very
large; it has a large trade in the stuffs, which the Moors of
Cambay, Chaul, Dabul, and Baticala, and the country of Malabar,
bring in their ships to this port and town of Xeher; these are
coarse and fine cotton stuffs, with which they clothe themselves;
granates on strings and several other jewels of small value, much
rice, sugar, and spice of all kinds, cocoa-nuts, and other goods,
which they sell there to the merchants of the country, who carry
them from there to Aden and all this part of Arabia. And the
importers afterwards employ the money in horses for India: these are
very large and very good, and each one of them in India is worth
five or six hundred ducats. And they also take from there much
wormwood,[66] which grows in that country. And in the interior of
the country all the people are Beduins: in this country there is
much wheat and plenty of meat and dates, grapes, and all other
fruits which are in our parts. And all the ships which sail from
India for the Red Sea, and having been delayed cannot arrive in good
time[67] with their merchandise at the place of their destination,
remain to sell them in this port of Xeher, and from there they go to
India along the coast to Cambay. And so this port is large and of
much trade at all times. This King of Fartach is, with the whole of
his kingdom, in obedience to the King of Aden, because he holds a
brother of his a prisoner. The wormwood which grows in this country
of Xeher is carried from here to all the world, and the ships of
this place load[68] the said wormwood, which is there worth a
hundred and fifty maravedis the hundred weight.
FASALHAD.
Having passed this town of Xeher, along the coast there are other
small towns, and Beduins in the interior of the country. This coast
lasts as far as Cape Fasalhat, which is xxv leagues from Xeher,
between north-east and east, where the kingdom and rule of the King
of Ormuz begins. At this cape there is a fortress which the King of
Ormuz holds there which is called Cor: and from there the coast
begins to bend inwards towards Ormuz.
KINGDOM OF ORMUZ.
After passing this Cape of Fasalhat along the coast to the
north-east, there are many towns and castles of the kingdom of Ormuz
in Arabia, fifty leagues to the north-east, and then twenty-five
leagues to the east, and as much again to the north-east and north,
and then it makes a bay to the north-west for twelve leagues, and
turns to the north-east twenty-five leagues as far as Cape
Refalcate,[69] and then it turns to the north-west, making bays
until Madea, which are eighty-six leagues off, and from there it
trends to the north-east by north thirty leagues until Cape
Mocondon,[70] which is at the mouth of the sea of Persia, which is
twelve leagues in width, and on this sea also further on, this rule
and lordship continue to extend, and there are in it many towns and
forts; and islands which are in the midst of the said sea of Persia,
inhabited by Moors. These places belonging to this kingdom are the
following. In the beginning of this kingdom on the coast outside of
this sea of Persia, is:--
First Calhat,[71] a very large town of handsome houses, and well
situated; the inhabitants are rich nobles and merchants: it is
forty-four leagues from Cape Fasalhat. Thirty-two leagues further on
there is another small place called Tybi, which has good water with
which the ships navigating all this coast provide themselves.
Twenty-five leagues further on is another small place called Daxnia,
also a seaport.
Thirty leagues further on is another large place which is a very
good town of much trade in merchandise, which is called Curiat,[72]
in which, as well as in the others in the neighbourhood, there is
plenty of meat, wheat, dates, and other fruit in abundance: there
are plenty of horses, which are bred in the country, and they are
very good, and the Moors of Ormuz come to buy them for exportation
to India.
Leaving this town of Curiat, at twelve leagues along the coast is
another place with a fortress which is called Sar,[73] which the
King of Ormuz keeps there.
Having doubled the Cape of Resalcate, the coast turns to the sea of
Persia. Forty leagues further on from this cape is another town upon
the coast itself called Mazquate. It is a large town, and of very
honourable people, and of much trade in merchandise, and a place of
great fisheries: they catch large fish there, which they export
dried and salted to other parts.
Going along the coast further on to the sea of Persia there is at a
distance of ten leagues another place called Sohar.[74]
Leaving this town of Sohar, further inland from the coast, at
fourteen leagues off is another fortress of the King of Ormuz called
Rosach; and with these fortresses this king is better able to keep
all this country in subjection.
Having passed the fortress of Rosach, there is another fortress
called Nahel twelve leagues off.
Twelve leagues further on is another place they call Madeha; it is a
small place, of few inhabitants, inside the mouth of the Sea of
Persia, thirty leagues to the south-west.[75]
Further on, there is a large place of many inhabitants called
Corfasan,[76] around which and the other neighbouring places are
many very agreeable country houses belonging to the chief men and
most honoured of the Moors of Ormuz, who come during certain months
of the year there to repose, and to collect their provisions, and
enjoy their fruit.
Fifteen leagues further on there is another place on the coast,
called Dadena.
As much again further on to the south-west, another place called
Daba. Further on, on the coast to the south-west by west, at a
distance of lxxxv leagues, is another very large town called
Julfar,[77] where there are many very respectable people, and many
merchants and sailors. And there they fish up many large pearls and
seed pearls, which the merchants of the city of Ormuz come there to
buy, to carry them to India and other parts. This place is one of
much trade, and produces a great deal to the king of Ormuz.
Further along the coast of the Persian Sea, in the before-mentioned
inner part, are three other places belonging to the king of Ormuz:
Racolhiman,[78] which is a good town, at a distance of twenty-four
leagues, and another beyond this, called Melquehoan,[79] and six
leagues further on there is a fortress called Calba,[80] which the
king maintains to defend his country from the Bedouins, who live in
the interior of the country, and who are governed by sheikhs; and at
times they go against these towns of the kingdom of Ormuz, and make
war upon them, and sometimes they make them rebel against the king.
This king of Ormuz possesses, besides these places already
mentioned, on the coast of Arabia, many other towns in the country
of Persia, on the sea-coast, and in the midst of the Persian Sea
many islands inhabited by Moors, in which he has many large towns,
very rich and handsome, all of which are named separately further
on, and afterwards the island and city of Ormuz and its customs are
mentioned.
On this coast the king of Ormuz has a town called Baha,[81] in which
he maintains his governors.
Having passed this place, further along the coast is another place
called Dexar.
Further on another place called Xahen.
Further on another place called Ygun.[82]
Further on another place called El-guadun.
Further on another place called Nabani,[83] from which place they
carry much water to drink to Ormuz, because there is no drinkable
water there; and from this and all those other places they carry to
Ormuz all its supplies.
Further on is another place called Guan-meda, and from there further
on there are also some other places belonging to the king of Ormuz,
which are the following--Lefete, Quesebi,[84] and from here further
on the coast turns to the north-west by north as far as the mouth of
the river Eufrates, and it begins here to be a wide estuary.
Berohu,[85] Caljar, Xuza, Mohimasim,[86] Lima,[87] Gorbaz, Alguefa,
Carmon.[88] Which lasts two hundred and forty leagues, and then
Bazera, a castle of Sophi. At the entrance of the river Eufrates the
land turns to the sea in a southerly direction eighty leagues, and
then returns as much again to the north, and after that turns again
to the south, when there begin these towns--Cohomo, Barque Guex,[89]
Ganguan, Basido,[90] Goxtaque, Conch, Conga, Ebrahemi,[91] and as
far as this there are one hundred and sixty-five leagues, and after
that Xenase,[92] Menahao Xamile, Leytam, Bamtani, Doani,[93] and
from this point the coast trends to the east for a distance of
thirty leagues as far as Lorom.[94] Between these places there are
many large towns with much trade, and very respectable inhabitants,
and great merchants; and many castles, which the King of Ormuz
maintains for the defence of his country, and they are all on the
coast of the Persian Sea. They are places abundantly supplied with
meat and wheaten bread, barley, vines, and all other things which
are found in our parts, and many dates; and the inhabitants of these
towns are white, and very polite people; they dress in long clothes
of silk and cotton stuffs and camelots; and this is a very rich
country.
THE ISLANDS OF THE KINGDOM OF ORMUZ.
In the mouth of this sea of Persia there are the following islands
belonging to the king of Ormuz. Cuyx, Andrany,[95] Baxeal,
_Quiro_,[96] _Lar_,[97] Cojar,[98] Tomon,[99] _Firror_ Guolar,
Melugan,[100] Gory, Queximi,[101] Baharem.[102]
These two islands of Queximi and Baharem are large; and Queximi has
eight inhabited towns and has plenty of provisions. Baharem has a
large town of many Moors, important and honourable personages. And
it is distant from Lorom to the north-east xxxiv leagues, and to the
island of Queximi fifty leagues of channel; and between it and the
mainland from two to four leagues; and after that the coast turns
between north-east and east, until the island of Ormuz for xxxv
leagues, of which island mention is made lower down.[103]
Merchants from many parts reside in this island, and it is situated
in the middle of this sea, and many ships with great merchandise
sail to it; and here and in the neighbourhood much seed pearl and
many pearls are produced, and they fish them on the island itself,
from which there is a great profit to the inhabitants; and the king
draws from this island and from all the others large revenues. The
merchants of Ormuz go to this island of Baharem to buy the pearls
and seed pearl for India and other parts where they find it
profitable, and for the kingdom of Narsinga; and also those of
Persia and Arabia go there to buy them, and in all this sea of
Persia these pearls are found, but not in such quantity as in this
island of Baharem.
COUNTRY OF SHEIKH ISMAIL.
After passing these countries along the coast of Persia, there are
many towns, places, and villages of the Moors, very handsome and
rich enough. From here further on it is no longer the country of the
king of Ormuz, but belongs to other lords, of whom we do not possess
so much information, except that Xeque Yzmael[104] subjugates and
governs them. He is a Moor, and a young man, who in a short time has
subjugated these parts, and a great part of Persia and Arabia, and
many kingdoms and lordships of the Moors, not being a king nor the
son of a king, except that he was only a sheikh of the house and
lineage of Aly, the brother-in-law[105] of Mahomed; and, being poor,
he united with other young Moors, and they took up the habit of
going without clothes, which is a custom amongst them; they
abandoned their property, honours, and clothes, and only covered
themselves with skins of goats, and leopards, and deer with the fur,
which many are in the habit of carrying, and they mark their arms
and breasts with many scars of burns; and they carry heavy iron
chains, and in their hands some weapons, different from those of
other people, such as small battle-axes of much workmanship, and
iron maces; they go as pilgrims, and do not sustain themselves
except by alms; and to such people, wherever they go, much honour
and entertainment is shown by the other Moors; and they always go
shouting and crying out in the villages the name of Mahomet. So this
Sheikh Ismail took this habit, and determined to shout and cry out
for Aly, whilst he took no heed of Mahomed. Many people began to
collect round him, so that he began soon to take towns and to grant
property to the persons who flocked to him, and were with him at a
conquest; and, in case they took nothing, he decided on making some
hoods of scarlet wool, of ample dimensions, and ordering them to be
worn by the persons who followed him;[106] thus he collected many
people, and with them he went on taking many towns, and making war
in many parts; and he did not choose to be called king, but the
leveller of property, who took from those who had much, and gave to
those who had little; neither did he choose to rest in any place.
But all that he conquered he gave away and distributed to those who
followed and obeyed him; whenever he found any very rich people
whose riches did not profit any one, he took them away and
distributed them amongst honourable people and the poor; and to the
owners of the property he left a share equal to that which he gave
to each one of the others; this he did many times, on which account
they called him the Equaller. This king sent ambassadors to all the
Moorish kings to persuade them to wear those coloured hoods, and if
they did not choose to accept them, he sent to challenge them, and
to say that he would come against them, to take their country, and
make them believe in Aly. He sent this embassy to the great Sultan
of Cairo and to the Grand Turk, who gave him a hostile answer and
made a league against him. As soon as Sheikh Ismail saw their
answers he determined to go against the Grand Turk, and he went
against him with large forces, horse and foot, and the Turk came out
to receive him, and they had a great battle,[107] in which the Grand
Turk was the conqueror, on account of the quantity of artillery
which he brought with him, which Sheikh Ismail did not bring, and he
only fought with his men with the strength of their arms. They
killed there many of his people, and he took to flight, and the Turk
followed him, killing many of his troops, until he left him within
Persia, when he returned thence to Turkey. This was the first time
that this Sheikh Ismail was routed, for which he said that he wished
to return to Turkey with greater power and provided with artillery.
This king ruled over a part of Babilonia, and Armenia, and Persia,
and a large part of Arabia, and of India, near to the kingdom of
Cambay. His design was to get into his hands the house of Mekkah.
This sheikh sent an embassy with many presents to the captain of the
king of Portugal, who was exercising his functions in India, and
asked him to agree to peace and friendship. And the Portuguese
captain-major received this embassy and presents, and in return sent
another embassy.[108]
At the extremity of this Sea of Persia there is, as has been said, a
fortress called Basera, inhabited by Moors, in subjection to Sheikh
Ismail, at which there comes out from the mainland to the sea a very
large and beautiful river of good fresh water, which is called
Frataha.[109] This is said to be one of the four rivers which flow
out of the terrestrial Paradise, which river is the Eufrates, and
these Moors say it has sixty thousand branches, and that one of the
principal ones comes out at the kingdom of Dahulcino, in which is
the first India, which we call the river Indus; and the river Ganges
is the other branch, which comes out in the second India to the sea;
and the Nile, which is another branch, which comes through the
country of Prester John, and waters Cairo.[110]
ISLAND AND CITY OF ORMUZ.
On coming out of the Sea and Strait of Persia, in its mouth there is
a small island, in which is the city of Ormuz, which is small and
very handsome, and with very pretty houses, lofty, of stone,
whitewash, and mortar, covered with terraces, and because the
country is very hot, they have fans made in such a manner that they
make the air come from their summits to the lower part of the houses
and rooms. It is a very well situated town, which has very good
streets and squares. Outside of this city, in the island itself,
there is a small mountain, which is entirely of rock salt and
sulphur; this salt is in great lumps, and very white and good: they
call it Indian salt, because nature produces it there; and the ships
which come there from all parts take this salt as ballast, because
in all other parts it is worth much money.
The inhabitants of this island and city are Persians and Arabs, and
they speak Arabic and another language which they call Persian. They
are very white, and good-looking people, of handsome bodies, both
men and women; and there are amongst them black and coloured people
also, who are from the country of Arabia. And the Persians, who are
very white, are fat and luxurious people, who live very well. They
are very voluptuous, and have musicians with various instruments.
There are among them very rich merchants, and many ships, because
they have a good port, and they trade in many kinds of goods, which
are imported there from many parts, and exported thence to other
parts of India. They bring there all sorts of spices, drugs,
precious stones, and other goods, such as pepper, ginger, cinnamon,
cloves, mace, nutmeg, long pepper, aloes-wood, sandal-wood,
brasil-wood, balsam, tamarinds, Indian saffron, beeswax, iron,
sugar, rice, cocoa-nuts, rubies, sapphires, giagonzas,[111]
amethysts, topazes, chrysolites, hyacinths, porcelain, benzoin; and
upon all these goods much money is made, and many stuffs from the
kingdom of Cambay, Chaul, Dabul, and Bengala, which are called
Sinabasos, Chautars, Mamonas, Dugasas, Soranatis, which are kinds of
stuffs of cotton very much valued amongst them for caps and shirts,
which are much made use of by the Arabs and Persians, and people of
Cairo, Aden, and Alexandria. They also bring to this city of Ormuz,
quicksilver, vermillion, rose-water, brocade and silk stuffs,
scarlet woollens, coarse camelots, and silk. And from China and
Catuy they bring to this city by land much fine silk in skeins, and
very rare musk and rhubarb;[112] and they bring from Babilonia very
fine torquoises, and some emeralds, and very fine lapis lazuli from
Acar. And from Baharem and Julfar they bring much seed pearl and
large pearls, and many horses from Arabia and Persia, of which they
carry away to India every year as many as five or six hundred, and
at times a thousand; and the ships which export these horses load
much salt, dates, and raisins, and sulphur, and of the other goods
which the Indians are pleased with.
These Moors of Ormuz are very well dressed, with very white, long,
and fine cotton shirts, and their fine drawers[113] of cotton, and
above that, very rich silk clothes and camelots, scarlet cloth, and
very rich gauzes, with which they wrap their waists[114], and they
wear in their girdles daggers and knives, ornamented with gold and
silver, and some heavy short swords, all adorned with gold and
silver, according to the rank of the wearers: and large round
shields, richly garnished with silk, and in their hands they carry
Turkish bows, painted with gold and very pretty colours, and their
cords are of silk. These bows are of stiff wood and of buffaloe's
horn; they carry very far, and these people are very good archers;
their arrows are slender and well worked. Others carry in their
hands iron maces, well wrought and elegant; others again,
battle-axes of various patterns and of very good temper, and inlaid
or enamelled.[115] They are very agreeable and polite people, and
very civil in their mutual relations. Their food is of very good
meats, very well cooked, wheaten bread, and very good rice, and many
other dishes very well prepared, and many kinds of conserves, and
preserved fruits, and others fresh: that is to say, apples,
pomegranates, peaches, apricots, figs, almonds, melons, radishes,
salads, and all the other things which there are in Spain; dates of
many kinds, and other eatables and fruits not used in our parts.
They drink wine of grapes in secret, because their law forbids it
them; and the water which they drink is flavoured with pistachio
nuts, and set to cool, for which purpose they employ and seek many
methods for cooling and preserving it cool. And all the noblemen and
honourable merchants always take, wherever they go, both in the
streets and public places, and on the road, a page with a bottle of
water, which is covered underneath with silver, or with a silver
cup, as much for state and show as for use and comfort. All these
people possess gardens and farms, to which they go to enjoy
themselves for some months of the year.[116]
This city of Ormuz is, as has been said, very rich and well supplied
with everything in the way of provisions, but everything is very
dear, because it is brought by sea from the towns of Arabia and
Persia, for in the island there is nothing that can be made use of
except salt; neither have they water to drink, for they bring it
each day in boats from the mainland or other neighbouring islands.
But for all that, the squares are full of all sorts of things, and
everything is sold by weight, and with great order and regulation.
And they give a very proper punishment to whoever falsifies the
weights or sells above the regulation price; and they also sell
cooked and roasted meat by weight, and so with all other cooked
victuals; and all these so well arranged and so clean that many
people do not have cooking done in their houses, but eat in the
squares.
The king is always in this city of Ormuz, in which he has some
beautiful palaces, and a fortress, where he has his residence, and
where he keeps his treasury; and there he holds all his court, and
out of it provides governors or judges for all his states and
lordships. But it is his council that does everything; and he does
not meddle with any affair, but only amuses himself, neither would
it have been in his power to do otherwise; for if he wished to
govern in person, and wished to be free and exempt like other kings,
immediately they would put his eyes out, and would put him in a
house with his wife, and maintain him there miserably; and they
would raise up another son of his as king, or some one else more
fitting for it, of his lineage, in order that his council may govern
all his kingdoms and territories peacefully in his name. And with
respect to all the other heirs of the kingdom, as they grow up and
become persons able to command and govern, if it should appear to
the council that they desire to meddle with the government, they
take them and put their eyes out also, and put them also in a house;
so that there are always ten or twelve of these blind men, and those
who reign live with this fear before them.[117] They give food there
to them and to their wives and children. This king has many
men-at-arms, and many gentlemen who guard and serve him, and they
receive very good pay and rations, and are always at the court with
their arms; and they send some to the frontiers on the mainland
whenever they are required.
They make gold and silver money in this city; the gold coins are
called Sarafin, and are worth three hundred maravedis, and most of
them are halves, which are worth a hundred and fifty, a round coin
like ours,[118] and with Moorish letters on both sides, and about
the size of a fanon of Calicut, with Moorish letters, and it is
worth fifty-five maravedis; they call these tanga, and they are of
very fine silver, and of the standard of twelve dinars.[119] There
is a large quantity of this money, both gold and silver, and much of
it goes out to India, where it has much currency.
There came a Portuguese fleet to this kingdom of Ormuz, and its
captain-major was Alfonso de Alborquerque, who attempted to come to
an understanding with this kingdom of Ormuz, but the Moors would not
agree, and on that account this captain began to make war upon the
whole kingdom at all the seaports, and he did them much injury, and
at last he came and touched at the port of Ormuz with his fleet, and
there was a great battle there, with many and great ships full of
many and smart well-armed men. And the said captain routed the fleet
of the Moors, and killed many of them, and sunk many of their ships,
and took and burned many which were moored in the harbour, drawn up
by the wall of the city. And when the king and the governors of the
country saw such great destruction of their people and ships,
without being able to assist them, they offered peace to the
before-mentioned captain, who accepted it under the condition that
they should let him make a fortress at one extremity of the city;
and they agreed, and this began to be done; and the work having
commenced, the Moors repented again, and did not choose that more
should be built; and then the Portuguese began again to make war
upon them, and they did them so great damage, and slaughtered so
many people, that they made them tributary to the King of Portugal
to the amount of fifteen thousand serafins of gold each year.
Some years from that time the king and governors of Ormuz sent an
ambassador with offers of services and letters to the King of
Portugal, and the before-named captain returned with his answer and
a good fleet to the city of Ormuz,[120] and there they received him
very peacefully in this city, and at once gave him permission and a
place in which to built the fortress, which on a former occasion the
Portuguese had begun to build: and he ordered it to be built at
once, very large and magnificent. At this time the king, who was a
Moor, and very young, and in the power of the governors, and so
ruined that he did not dare do anything of himself, found the means
to inform the captain-major secretly of the little liberty he
enjoyed, and that the governors kept him like a prisoner, and that
they had forcibly taken the government which belongs to others who
were accustomed to exercise it, and that it appeared that they were
exchanging letters with Sheikh Ismail in order to give him the
kingdom. The captain-major kept this very secret, and determined to
have an interview with the king; and they agreed that this interview
should be in some large houses near the sea. On the day on which the
interview was to take place, the captain-major entered the houses
with ten or fifteen captains, leaving his people well arranged, and
all concerted as was most convenient. So the king and his principal
governor came there with many people, and the king and the governor
entered the houses with ten or twelve honourable Moors, and the door
was well shut and guarded. Then the captain-major ordered them to
kill the governor[121] with their daggers in his presence and that
of the king: and he said to the king, "Have no fear, Sir, for I do
this to make you absolute king." However those who were without
heard the noise, and began to raise a disturbance, that it to say,
the relations, servants, and friends of the said governor, who were
many in number, and all came armed, so that it was necessary for the
captain-major to take the king by the hand; they went up on to the
roof, both of them armed, in order that the king might speak thence
to the Moors, and might pacify them; so he spoke to them, but could
do nothing with them. They, on the contrary, required that he should
confide to them his brother and lord: and they went thence to
establish themselves in the king's palace, saying they would make
another king. The captain-major wished to lay hands upon them, and
thus they remained a great part of the day, and the king sought how
to turn them out, and the captain-major determined to kill them by
force or to drive them out, as they did not choose to go out of the
fortress. So when the Moors saw that the captain-major, with the
king, was determined to attack them, they resolved to give the
fortress to the king; and when they gave it up, the king commanded
that they should be banished immediately, they and their families;
and this was done, and they went to the mainland.
The captain-major conducted the king from these houses to the palace
in triumph and honourably, and with many people, both of ours and of
his, and entrusted him to the other governor who was so before. He
then committed to him his palaces and the city very freely, and told
the governor to serve the king very honourably, and to leave him to
govern his country at his pleasure, and only give him advice, as
happens with other Moorish kings: and thus he put him at liberty. He
then left in the fortress that was built a captain and many men of
Portugal, and ships, in order to favour this king, who does nothing
without the advice of the captain of the fort. And he is in
submission to the King of Portugal, with all his kingdoms and
territories.
After the captain-major had put everything in quiet and order, and
under his command, he then had banished by the public crier, and
turned out of the island all the paiderastoi, with a warning that if
they returned there again they would be burned, at which the king
showed great satisfaction. He likewise ordered all the blind kings
who were in the city to be taken, and there were thirteen or
fourteen of them, and put in a large ship, and he sent them to
India, and they were landed at Goa, where he gave orders for them to
be maintained at the expense of his revenues, so that they might end
their days there, and not cause any disturbance in the kingdom of
Ormuz, and be in peace and quietness.
DIULCINDI.
Leaving the kingdom of Ormuz, from the mouth of the Sea of Persia
the coast goes to the south-east for a hundred and seventy-two
leagues as far as Diulcinde,[122] entering the kingdom of
Ulcinde,[123] which is between Persia and India. It is a kingdom,
and has a Moorish king over it, and most of the inhabitants of the
country are Moors, and there are some Gentiles subject to the Moors.
This king has an extended rule over the country in the interior, and
few seaports. They have many horses. On the eastern side this
country is bounded by the kingdom of Cambay, and on the west by
Persia. It is in obedience to Sheikh Ismail. The Moors are white and
coloured; they have a language of their own, and also speak that of
the Persians and of Arabia. There is much wheat and barley in this
country, and plenty of meat. It is a level country, with little
timber. They make little practice of navigating the sea; they
possess extensive sea-beaches, where there are great fisheries, and
they catch large fish, which they dry and salt, both for consumption
in the country and for exportation in small vessels to other
kingdoms. In this country they give dried fish to their horses to
eat. A few ships which sail to this country from India, bring rice,
sugar, and some spices, timber, planks, and Indian canes, which are
as thick as a man's leg. And in all this trade they make much money;
and from this place they carry away cotton, horses, and cloth. A
great river comes into the sea through this kingdom; it comes
through the middle of Persia, and they say that it comes out of the
river Eufrates. Along this river there are many large and rich towns
of Moors. It is a very fertile and fruitful land, and very abundant
in provisions.
KINGDOM OF GUZERAT, IN INDIA.
Leaving the kingdom of Ulcinde, in the same direction, at a distance
of fifty leagues, the traveller enters the first[124] India, in the
great kingdom of Guzarat, which kingdom had belonged to King Darius.
And the Indians have long histories of him and of King Alexander.
This kingdom has many cities and towns in the interior of the
country, as well as ports along the sea; and very much shipping. It
has many merchants and shipowners, both Moors and Gentiles.
The king, and the men-at-arms, and nobles of the country were all
Gentiles formerly, and now they are Moors, since the Moors conquered
the country in war, and hold the Gentiles subject to them, and
molest them and treat them ill. There are three qualities of these
Gentiles, that is to say, some are called Razbutes, and they, in the
time that their king was a Gentile, were knights, the defenders of
the kingdom, and governors of the country; they used to carry on
war, and even now there remain some towns of them in the mountains,
which have never chosen to pay obedience to the Moors, but, on the
contrary, make war upon them; and the King of Cambaya is not
sufficiently powerful to destroy them or subject them. They are very
good knights and great archers, and they have many other kinds of
arms with which they defend themselves from the Moors, without
owning any king or lord to govern them. The others are called
Banians, and are merchants and traders. These live amongst the
Moors, and trade with them in their goods. They are men who do not
eat meat nor fish, nor anything that has life; neither do they kill
anything, nor like to see it killed, because their idolatry forbids
it them; and they observe this to such an extreme that it is
something marvellous. For it often happens that the Moors bring them
some worms or little birds alive, saying they intend to kill them in
their presence; and they ransom them, and buy them to set them
flying, and save their lives for more money than they are worth. And
in the same way, if the governor of the country has got a man to be
executed, these Banians unite together and buy him from the officers
of justice, that he may not die; and frequently they sell him to
them. And in the same manner the Moors who beg for alms, when they
want alms from these people, take great stones and strike themselves
with them on the shoulders and the breast, and on their stomachs, as
if they were going to kill themselves with them, and they receive
alms not to do it, and to go away in peace. And others bring knives
and stab themselves in the arms and legs before them, in order to
extract alms; and others come to their doors to decapitate rats and
snakes and other reptiles, and they give them money not to do it, so
that they are very ill-treated by the Moors. If these people meet
with a band of ants in the road, they hasten out of the road, and go
and look for a place to pass without treading upon them. They
likewise sup in the daytime because they do not light candles at
night, in order that the mosquitoes and other insects may not come
and die in the flame; and if of necessity they must have a candle,
they keep them in lanterns of paper, or of stuff dipped in gum, so
that no living thing can get there to suffer. If these people have
lice they do not kill them, and if they worry them very much, they
send to fetch some men whom they have amongst them, also Gentiles,
whom they esteem of holy lives, like hermits, and who live in much
abstinence for the love of their idols, and these people pick out
their insects, and all those that they extract they put in their own
heads, and they nourish them on themselves and on their flesh for
the service of their idols. And so this law of not killing anything
is held in great observance. On the other hand, they are great
usurers and falsifiers of weights and measures, and merchandise, and
coin; and liars and cheats. These Gentiles are brown people, well
built and of good proportions, smart in their dress, and delicate
and temperate in their food. Their victuals are milk, butter, sugar,
rice, preserves of many kinds, many fruits, bread, vegetables, and
field herbs; they all have gardens and orchards wherever they live,
and many pools of water where they bathe twice every day, both men
and women; and having ended their washing, they hold the belief that
they are pardoned for all the sins which they have committed up to
that time. They wear the hair very long like the women in Spain, and
they wear it gathered on the top of the head, and made into a band
which is much adorned, and upon this a cap to fasten it; and they
always wear many flowers stuck into their hair, and sweet smelling
things. They also anoint themselves with white sandal mixed with
saffron and other scents; they are much given to fall in love. They
go bare, only covering themselves from the waist downwards with very
rich silk stuffs; they wear embroidered shoes of very good leather,
well worked, and some short silk skirts, and other short ones of
cotton, with which they cover their bodies. They do not carry arms,
only some small knives garnished with gold and silver, for two
reasons: one because they are persons who make little use of arms,
the other because the Moors forbid it to them. They use many
ear-rings of gold and jewellery in the ears, and many rings, and
belts of gold and jewellery upon the cloths with which they gird
themselves. The women of these Gentiles have very pretty, delicate
faces, and well made bodies, a little dark. Their dress is silk
stuff like their husbands' as far as the feet, and jackets[125] with
narrow sleeves of silk stuff, open at the shoulders, and other silk
cloths with which they cover themselves in the manner of morisco
almalafas; their heads bare, the hair gathered up upon the head;
they wear thick ankle rings of gold and silver on the legs, and
rings on their toes, and large coral beads on their arms, with beads
of gold filigree, and gold and silver bracelets; and round their
necks, necklaces of gold and jewellery, fitting closely; they have
large holes pierced in their ears, and in them rings of gold or
silver large enough for an egg to pass through them. They are modest
women, and when they go out of their houses they are much covered up
with their wraps over their heads. The other set of people are
called Bramans, and are priests and the persons who administer and
direct the idolatry; they have very large houses of prayer, some of
them with revenues, others are maintained by alms. In these they
keep many idols: some of stone, some of wood, and other of copper.
In these houses and monasteries they always perform many ceremonies
to their gods; they make feasts for them magnificently, with
instruments and songs, and with many lights of oil, and they have
bells in our fashion. These Bramans have got images which represent
the Holy Trinity: they pay much honour to the number three, and in
trine make their adoration to God, whom they confess to be the true
God, Creator, and Maker of all things, which are three things in one
sole person; and they say that there are many other gods governed by
him, in which they also believe. These Bramans, wherever they find
our churches, enter willingly into them, and adore our images; and
they always ask for Santa Maria, our Lady, like men who have some
knowledge of her. And as they see our manner of honouring the
churches, they say that there is no great difference between them
and us. These Bramans go bare from the waist upwards; they wear upon
their shoulder a thread of three threads, which is a sign by which
they are known to be Bramans. They are men who also do not eat
anything which receives death, nor do they kill anything. They hold
it to be a great ceremony to wash their bodies, and say that they
wash on that account. These Bramans, and also the Banians, marry in
our fashion, with one woman only, and only once. They make great
feasts at their weddings, which last many days, and there are many
people assembled at these very well dressed and decked out. These
festivities are magnificent. For the most part they are married when
very young, both men and women, and on the day of the betrothal, and
of the wedding, the couple are both of them seated on a
platform,[126] very much bedizened with gold and jewellery and
precious stones, and in front of them is a small table with an idol
covered with flowers, and many lighted oil lamps all round it; and
both of them have to remain there with their eyes fixed on that idol
from the morning until the evening, without eating or drinking, or
speaking to anybody during that time. The people make great
rejoicings over them with their instruments and songs and dances;
they let off many cannons, rockets and other fireworks to divert
themselves. And if the husband dies the woman does not marry again,
and so also does the husband should the wife die. And the children
are his rightful heirs; and Bramans must be sons of Bramans, amongst
whom there are some of a lower rank who serve as messengers and
travellers, and they go in security to all parts without any one
vexing them in any way. Even if there should be war or thieves, they
always pass safely. These are called _pater_.
OF THE KING AND THE LORDS OF GUZARAT, WHICH IS OF THE KINGDOM OF
CAMBAY.
The King of Guzarat is a great lord, both in revenue and people, and
extensive and rich territory. He is a Moor, as also are his
men-at-arms, as has been said. He has a large court of many knights,
and he is the lord of many horses and elephants, which are brought
for sale to this kingdom from the country of Malabar and Ceylon. And
with the horses and elephants he makes war upon the Gentiles of the
kingdom of Guzarat who do not pay obedience to him, and upon some
other kings with whom at times he is at war. And they make wooden
castles on the top of the elephants, which hold four men, who carry
bows and guns, and other weapons, and fight thence with the enemy.
And the elephants are so well trained, that they know how to take
part in the battle, and with their tusks wound the men and horses so
severely, that in a very short time they put any array into
confusion. But they are so timid, and subject to pain when wounded,
that they take to flight at once, and put one another into
confusion, and rout their own side. This king has four or five
hundred of these at his residence, very large and fine. They buy
them for one thousand five hundred ducats each, at the seaports
where the Malabars bring them for sale. And they make war much with
the horses bred in the country, for it has a wonderful quantity; and
the Moors and Gentiles of this kingdom are bold riders, ride small
saddles,[127] and use whips. They carry very thick round shields,
edged with silk, and two swords each man, a dagger, and a Turkish
bow, with very good arrows; and some carry steel maces, and many of
them coats of mail, and others tunics quilted with cotton. And the
horses have housings and steel head pieces, and so they fight very
well and are light in their movements; and they are so supple in
their saddles that they can play on horseback at the choga[128] or
at any other game. They have amongst them the game of the jerid, as
in Spain. These Moors are white, and of many countries: both Turks
and Mamelukes, Arabs, Persians, Khorasanys, Turkomans, and from the
great kingdom of Dily, and others born in the country itself. These
people come together there on account of the country being very
rich, and well supplied; and the king gives good pay and rations,
and regularly paid. These people are very well dressed, with very
rich stuffs of gold, silk, cotton, and goats' wool, and all wear
caps on their heads, and their clothes long, such as morisco shirts
and drawers, and leggings to the knee of good thick leather, worked
with gold knots and embroidery; and their swords are borne in their
girdles, or in the hands of their pages. They are richly ornamented
with gold and silver. Their women are very white and pretty, also
very richly decked out. They may marry as many as they like and are
able to maintain, to honour the sect of Mahomed; and so there are
many of them who have three or four or five wives, and of all of
them they have sons and daughters. And these Moors of Cambay speak
many languages, that is to say, Arabic, Persian, Turkish,[129] and
Guzaraty. They eat wheaten bread, rice, meat of all kinds, leaving
aside pork, which is against their law. They are luxurious people,
who live well and spend much money. They always go with their heads
shaved, and the women with very fine hair. When they go out of their
houses, they go on horses, or in cars, and so covered up that nobody
can see them. They are very jealous men, and can unmarry themselves
when they please, on paying to the wife a certain sum of money
(which is promised when they marry them), if at any time they repent
of it; and the women have also the same liberty.
This King of Cambay has been king since a short time only, and his
father was called Sultan Mahomed, who was brought up from a child
and nourished with poison, for his father desired that he should so
be brought up in order that it should not be possible to kill him
with poison; for the Moorish kings of these parts often have one
another killed by poison. And this king began to eat it in such a
small quantity that it could not do him any harm, and from that he
went on increasing this kind of food in such manner that he could
eat a great quantity of it; for which cause he became so poisonous
that if a fly settled on his hand it swelled and immediately fell
dead. And many wives with whom he slept died at once of his poison,
which he was unable to leave off eating, for he feared if he did not
use it, to die soon after; as we see by experience with the opium
which the Indians eat, for if they leave off eating it they die
immediately, that is, if they begin as children to eat it in such a
small quantity that it can do them no harm, for some length of time,
and then increasing the quantity by degrees until they remain
accustomed to it. This anfion is cold in the fourth degree, and on
account of being so cold it kills. We call it opio, and the women of
India when they wish to kill themselves in any case of dishonour or
of despair, eat it with oil of sesame, and so die sleeping without
feeling death.
CITY OF CHAMPAVER.[130]
This King possesses great cities in his kingdom, and especially the
city of Champaver, where he resides continually, with all his court.
This city is to the north of Guzerat, eighty leagues inland. It is a
very fertile country: of abundant provisions, wheat, barley, millet,
rice, peas and other vegetables, and many cows, sheep, goats, and
plenty of fruit, so that it is very full of all things; and it has
in its neighbourhood many hunting grounds, and deer and other
animals, and winged game. And this country possesses dogs and
falcons for the chase, and tame leopards for hunting all sorts of
game. And the King for his pastime keeps many animals of all kinds,
which they send to find and bring up. This King sent a Ganda[131] to
the King of Portugal, because they told him that he would be pleased
to see her.
ANDAVAT.
Leaving this city and going further inland there is another city
called Andavat, which is larger than the said city of Champaver, and
it is very rich, and well supplied. The former kings used always to
reside in this city. These towns are walled, and embellished with
good streets and squares, and houses of stone and whitewash, with
roofs in our fashion; and they have large courts, and much water in
wells and pools. They make use of horses, donkeys, mules, camels and
carts, and have fine rivers, with plenty of fresh water fish, and
many orchards and gardens. There are also in this kingdom, inland,
many cities, towns and villages, in which the king keeps his
governors and collectors of his revenue. If these commit a fault he
summons them, and after having heard them he bids them drink a cup
of poison, with which anyone dies immediately; and in this way he
chastises them, so that they are in great fear of him.
PATEMXI.
The places which this king has on the sea coast are these. Firstly,
leaving the kingdom of Ulcinde for India at a distance of
thirty-seven leagues, is a river, on the shore of which there is a
great city called Patemxi, a good seaport, very rich, and of great
trade. In this city many silk stuffs are made, coloured with much
embroidery, which are used over the whole of India, Malacca, Bengal,
and also many cotton stuffs. To this port come many Indian ships
laden with cocoa nuts, sugar of palms which they call xagara[132],
and from there they carry away a great quantity of cloth and much
cotton, horses, wheat, and vegetables, by which much money is made.
Their voyage, with the delays, is of four months.
SURATIMANGALOR.
Passing by this city, further on the coast to the east and south, at
fifteen leagues distance, there is another town of commerce, which
has a very good port, and is called Suratimangalor, where also many
ships from Malabar touch, for horses, wheat, rice, cotton cloths,
vegetables and other goods which are of use in India. And they bring
cocoa nuts, hurraca[133] (which is something to drink), emery,
beeswax, cardamums, and all sorts of spices, in which trade and
voyage great profit is made in a short time.
DUY.
Fifty leagues further along the coast, towards the south, there is a
promontory, and joining close to it is a small island, which
contains a very large and fine town, which the Malabars call
Diuixa[134], and the Moors of the country call it Diu. It has a very
good harbour, and is a port of much trade in merchandise, and of
much shipping from Malabar, Baticala, Goa Dabul and Cheul; and the
people of Diu sail to Aden, Mekkah, Zeyla, Barbara, Magadoxo, Brava,
Melinde, Mombaza, Xer[135], Ormuz, and all parts of the kingdom. And
the Malabars bring hither rice, cocoa nuts, jagara, wax, emery,
iron, and sugar from Baticala, and all the spices that can be got in
India and Malacca; and from Chaul and Dabul they bring a large
quantity of cotton stuffs, which they call _beyranies_, and caps for
women, which are carried from this place to Arabia and Persia. And
they load at this port for the return voyage cotton cloths of the
country and silk stuffs, horses, wheat, vegetables, sesame, cotton,
oil of sesame, and opium, both that which comes there from Aden, and
that which is made in the kingdom of Cambay, which is not so fine as
that of Aden; and they export many coarse camlets and silk stuffs
made in this kingdom of Cambay, and thick carpets,[136] taffeta,
scarlet cloth, and of other colours. They also export the spices and
things brought to them from India, by the people of the country, to
Aden, Ormuz, and all parts of Arabia and Persia, so that this town
is the chief emporium of trade which exists in all these parts. This
town gives such a large sum of money as revenue to the king, for the
loading and unloading of such rich goods, that it is a subject of
marvel and amazement; for they also bring to it from Mekkah much
coral, copper, quicksilver, vermillion, lead, alum, madder,
rose-water, saffron, and much gold and silver coined and uncoined.
The king keeps a Moorish governor in this place called Melquiaz; an
old man, and a very good gentleman, discreet, industrious, and of
great information, who lives with great order and regularity in all
his affairs. He makes much artillery, and has many rowing barges,
very well arranged, small and very light, which are called
Talayas.[137] He has had constructed in the port a very strong and
fine bulwark, in which he has very good artillery, with many
lombards,[138] and he always keeps with him many men-at-arms, to
whom he pays very good appointments. They are very well armed. He is
always on his guard, and is very apprehensive of the power of the
King of Portugal.[139] He shows great honour and attention to the
ships and people of Portugal who come to his port. The people of his
country are kept in very good order, and governed with much justice
and good treatment; he dispenses many favours and presents to
voyagers and strangers in his country.
A large fleet of the Great Sultan[140] of sailing ships and row
galleys arrived at this port, well equipped, with large crews and a
good armament; its captain was Emir Hussein. He came to reinforce
himself in this port with the assistance of the king of Cambay and
the before-mentioned governor Meliquiaz, and from thence to go to
Calicut, to fight with the Portuguese, and turn them out of India.
He was for some time in the port making many preparations, and the
Portuguese fleet came there to seek for them, of which Don Francisco
de Almeyda, viceroy of India, was the captain major. And the Moors
put out to sea to meet them, and the two fleets fought in the
entrance of this roadstead vigorously, and many people were killed
and wounded on both sides; and at the end the Moors were beaten and
captured with great slaughter, and the Portuguese took their ships
and galleys, with all their arms and heavy artillery. They captured
there many Moors, and the said Emir Hussein escaped, and left his
fleet to suffer as has been told; and when Meliquiaz, who assisted
and favoured them with his guard-boats and forces, saw the havoc, he
at once sent messengers to the before-mentioned viceroy to seek
peace of him, and he sent many provisions and refreshments and other
presents as a sign of peace.[141]
GOGARI.
Further on after this the coast begins to make a bend into Cambay
towards the north, in which bend are several seaports of the same
king, and towns of great trade. One of these is Guogari, at a
distance of twenty-five leagues (from Diu), which is a very large
town and a good port, where they always load many ships from Malabar
and other parts of India; and many other ships bound for Mekkah and
Aden. At this place all sorts of merchandise are dealt in, as at
Diu.
BARBESY.
Another is called Barbesy, a seaport twelve leagues further on to
the north, in which stretch of coast are several seaports of the
King of Cambay. All sorts of goods are traded in for all parts, and
the dues upon them produce very much to the king, who has in each of
these two places his custom houses, and all are well supplied with
provisions.
BUENDARI.
Further on, to north-west by north, there is another place in the
mouth of a small river which is called Guendari, twenty leagues
distant from Barbesy. And it is a very good town, a seaport of the
same trade, because further up that river is the great city of
Cambay. There arrived there many zambucos,[142] which are small
vessels of the Malabar country, with areca (nuts), spices, wax,
sugar, cardamums, emery, ivory, and elephants:[143] and these goods
are sold there very well. And from there they carry away cotton,
sesame, thread, wheat, peas, horses, alaquequas, and many other
goods. The navigation of these places is very dangerous, especially
for ships with keels which draw much water, because in this gulf
which the coast here makes, the ebb and flow is so great, that in a
very short space of time the sea leaves uncovered four or five
leagues of dry land, and in some places less; and it is expedient
for those who go in there to take country pilots, because, when the
tide runs down, they may know how to remain in pools of deep
water[144] such as there are there, and sometimes they make mistakes
and remain upon rocks, where they are lost.
CITY OF CAMBAY.
Entering this river of Guendari, to the north-east is the great city
of Cambay, inhabited by Moors and Gentiles. It is a very large city
of handsome houses of stone and whitewash, very lofty, with windows,
and covered with roofs in the Spanish fashion; it has very good
streets and squares, and is situated in a rich, fertile, and pretty
country, full of abundant provisions. There are in it rich merchants
and men of great property, both Moors and Gentiles; and there are
many workmen and mechanicians of subtle workmanship of all sorts,
after the fashion of Flanders, and all very cheap. They make there
many cloths of white cotton, fine and coarse, and other woven and
coloured fabrics of all kinds; also many silk fabrics, of all kinds
and colours; and camlets of silk and velvets of all colours, both
smooth and fluffy, coloured tafetans, and thick alcatifas. The
inhabitants of this city are all white, both men and women, and
there are many people from outside living in it who are very white
and very well dressed, and of luxurious lives, much given to
pleasure and amusement. They are very much accustomed to wash
themselves; they eat very well, and always go perfumed and anointed
with sweet smelling things. They wear in their hair, both men and
women, many jessamine and other flowers that grow amongst them. They
have many musicians, and various kinds of instruments and songs.
There are always carts with oxen and horses going about the city, of
which they make use for everything; and they go in these with rich
mattrasses, shut up and well fitted up with their windows, after the
manner of cabins; furnished and ornamented with silk stuffs, and the
seats within with cushions and pillows of silk and stamped kid
skins:[145] and with their waggoners. Men and women go in these to
see amusements and diversions, or to visit their friends, or
wherever they wish, without being known, and they see all that they
wish. And they go singing and playing on instruments in these same
waggons for their amusement. And these people possess many orchards
and gardens, where they go to take their ease, and where they grow
much fruit and vegetables for the sustenance of the gentiles, who do
not eat meat nor flesh. In this city a very large quantity of ivory
is employed in very delicate works, well known in commerce, like
inlaid works of gold, and things made by turning, and handles of
knives and daggers, bracelets, games of chess and chess-boards.
There are also great artists with the turning lathe, who make large
bedsteads, and they make beads of great size, brown, yellow, blue
and coloured, which they export to all parts. There are also great
lapidaries, and imitators of precious stones of all kinds, and
makers of false pearls which seem real. So also there are very good
silversmiths of very skilful workmanship. In this city they make
very delicate cushions, and pretty ceilings (or canopies) of
bedsteads, of delicate workmanship and paintings, and quilted
clothes for wearing. There are many Moorish women who produce very
delicate needlework. They work there too in coral alaquequas and
other stones.
LIMADURA.
Leaving this city of Cambay there is a town inland called Limadura,
where there is a stone with which they make aquequas, for making
beads for Berberia. It is a stone white as milk, and has some red in
it, and with fire they heighten the colour, and they extract it in
large blocks. In these places there are great artists who
manufacture and pierce these beads in various fashions, oval,
octagonal, round, and of other shapes; and with this stone they make
rings, buttons, and knife handles. And the Cambay merchants go there
to buy them, and they harden[146] them to take them away to sell in
the Red Sea, from whence they are in the habit of arriving in our
parts by way of Cairo or Alexandria: and they also carry them
throughout all Arabia, Persia, and Nubia, and now they take them to
India, because our people buy them. They also find in this town much
chalcedony, which they call _babagore_. They make beads with it, and
other things which they wear about them, so that they touch the
skin, as they say that it is good for chastity. These stones are of
little value there, for there are many of them.
RAVEL.
Returning to the towns on the sea, and passing Gandar, to the east
there is a good river twenty leagues further along the coast, and on
this side of it there is a good town of the Moors, called
Ravel,[147] built of very pretty houses and squares. It is a rich
and agreeable place, because the Moors of this town trade with their
ships at Malacca, Bengal, Tarvasery, Pegu, Martaban, and Samatara,
in all sorts of spices, drugs, silks, musk, benzoin, porcelain, and
all other valuable merchandise. They possess very large and fine
ships, so that those who would wish to get Chinese articles, will
find them there more completely than in any other part, and at very
fair prices.
The Moors of this place are white and well dressed, and very rich.
They have very pretty wives, and in the furniture[148] of their
houses they have many china vases of different shapes, and they keep
them in glass cupboards very well arranged. These women are not
secluded like those of other Moors and other places, but go about
the city in the daytime attending to their business, with the face
uncovered as in our parts.
SURATI.
Having passed this river of Ravel, at twenty leagues to the south is
a city called Surat, at the mouth of a river. This also is a city of
very great trade, in all classes of merchandise. Many ships of
Malabar and all other parts sail thither continually, and discharge
and take in goods, because this is a very important seaport, and
there are in it very vast quantities of merchandise. Moors,
Gentiles, and all sorts of people live in this city. Its
custom-house, which they call the Divana,[149] produces a very large
revenue for the King of Guzarat: and until now Malaguioy, a Gentile,
commands in, and governs it, as lord of it. And he is the greatest
nobleman in all India, and he gave orders to kill the King of
Guzerat for some gossip which they reported respecting him.
DENVY.[150]
After leaving the town of Surat, at ten leagues along the coast to
the south, there is place called Denvy, of Moors and Gentiles, also
of great trade, where many merchant ships from Malabar and many
other parts always take in cargo.
BAXAY.
Having passed this town of Dendi, twenty leagues further on to the
south[151] is another town of Moors and Gentiles, a good seaport,
which also belongs to the King of Guzarat, in which much goods are
exchanged; and there is a great movement of the shipping which comes
there from all parts, and many Zambucs from the Malabar country
laden with areca, cocoas, and spices, which they delight in, and
they take thence others which are used in Malabar.
TANAMAYAMBU.
Twenty-five leagues further on the coast is a fortress of the before
named king, called Tanamayambu, and near it is a Moorish town, very
pleasant, with many gardens, and very fertile--a town of very great
Moorish mosques, and temples of worship of the Gentiles. It is
nearly at the extremity of the kingdom of Cambay or Guzarat, and it
is likewise a seaport, but of little trade. And there are in this
port small vessels of rovers like watch boats, which go out to sea,
and if they meet with any small ship less strong than themselves,
they capture and plunder it, and sometimes kill their crews.
KINGDOM OF DACANI.
On coming out of this kingdom of Guzarat and Cambay, towards the
south and the inner parts of India, is the kingdom of Dacani, which
the Indians call Decani. The king is a Moor, and a large part of his
people is Gentile. He is a great lord, and possesses many subjects
and an extensive territory, which stretches far inland. It has very
good seaports, of great trade in the goods used on the mainland, and
they are the following places:
CHEUL.
Leaving the kingdom of Cambay, along the coast towards the south, at
eight leagues distance, there is a fine large river, and on it is a
place called Cheul,[152] not very large, of handsome houses, which
are all covered with thatch. This place is one of great commerce in
merchandise, and in the months of December, January, February and
March there are many ships from the Malabar country and all other
parts, which arrive with cargoes. That is to say, those of Malabar
laden with cocoa nuts, arecas, spices, drugs, palm sugar, emery, and
there they make their sales for the continent and for the kingdom of
Cambay; and the ships of Cambay come there to meet them laden with
cotton stuffs, and many other goods which are available in Malabar,
and these are bartered for the goods which have come from the
Malabar country. And on the return voyage they fill their ships with
wheat, vegetables, millet, rice, sesame, oil of sesame, of which
there is much in this country; and these Malabars also buy many
pieces of fine muslin[153] for women's head dress, and many
beyranies, of which there are plenty in this kingdom. A large
quantity of copper is sold in this port of Cheul, and at a high
price, for it is worth twenty ducats the hundred weight, or more,
because in the interior money is made of it, and it is also used
throughout the country for cooking pots. There is also a great
consumption in this place of quicksilver and vermilion for the
interior, and for the kingdom of Guzarat, which copper, quicksilver
and vermilion is brought to this place by the Malabar merchants, who
get it from the factories of the King of Portugal; and they get more
of it by way of the Mekkah, which comes there from Diu. These people
wear the beyranies put on for a few days nearly in the raw state,
and afterwards they bleach them and make them very white, and gum
them to sell them abroad, and thus some are met with amongst them
which are torn. In this port of Chaul there are few inhabitants,
except during three or four months of the year, the time for putting
in cargo, when there arrive merchants from all the neighbourhood,
and they make their bargains during this period, and despatch their
goods, and after that return to their homes until the next season,
so that this place is like a fair in those months. There is a
Moorish gentleman as governor of this place, who is a vassal of the
King of Decani, and collects his revenues, and accounts to him for
them. He is called Xech, and does great service to the King of
Portugal, and is a great friend of the Portuguese, and treats very
well all those that go there, and keeps the country very secure. In
this place there is always a Portuguese factor appointed by the
captain and factor of Goa, in order to send from this place
provisions and other necessaries, to the city of Goa, and to the
Portuguese fleets; and at a distance of about a league inland from
Cheul is a place where the Moors and Gentiles of the cities and
towns throughout the country come to set up their shops of goods and
cloths at Cheul during the before-mentioned months; they bring these
in great caravans of domestic oxen, with packs like donkeys, and on
the top of these long white sacks placed crosswise, in which they
bring their goods; and one man drives thirty or forty beasts before
him.
DAMDA.
Having passed this place, Cheul, at twelve leagues further on along
the coast to the south towards Malabar is another town and seaport,
also belonging to the kingdom of Dacani, called Damda; where there
enter and go out many Moorish ships, both Guzaratis and Malabaris,
with cloth and other goods, as at Cheul.
MANDABAD.
Five leagues further on is a river called Mandabad, on which is a
town of Moors and Gentiles, of the same kingdom of Decani; likewise
a seaport. Many ships from various parts congregate at this harbour
to buy stuffs, particularly from the Malabar country. And they bring
there many cocoa-nuts, arecas, and also a few spices, copper and
quicksilver: for the merchants of the country buy all these goods.
DABUL.
Having left this place, Mandabad, and going along the coast to
Malabar and the south, at eight leagues distance is another fine
large river, at the mouth of which is a large town of Moors and
Gentiles, belonging to the same kingdom of Decani. It is called
Dabul,[154] and in the mouth of the river near this same town there
is a rampart, with artillery to defend the entrance of the river.
This town of Dabul has a very good harbour, where there always
congregate many Moorish ships from various parts, and especially
from Mekkah, Aden, and Ormuz with horses, and from Cambay, Diu, and
the Malabar country. It is a place of very great trade in all sorts
of merchandise; there are in it very respectable Moors and Gentiles,
and Guzarati merchants. Much copper, quicksilver, and vermilion is
sold here for the interior of the country: a great quantity of
country fabrics are brought to this town down the river for
embarcation in the ships, and also much wheat and vegetables of all
sorts. The custom-house of this port produces much money, and the
collectors take the dues there for the lord of the town. And this
town is pretty and well situated, but its houses are covered with
thatch, and it also has very beautiful mosques. Higher up this
river, on either bank there are many pretty towns, plentifully
supplied, and owning much cultivated land and flocks. A fleet of the
King of Portugal arrived at this city, of which the viceroy was the
captain, and landed his people on the shore for the purpose of
taking and destroying this town.[155] And the Moors put themselves
on the defensive, and fought very courageously with the Portuguese.
In the fight many Moors and Gentiles died, and at last the
Portuguese took this city by assault, making a great slaughter of
the inhabitants, and plundering and burning the city, in which much
wealth and merchandise were burned, and at the same time several
ships which were lying in the river. And those who escaped thence
returned later to restore this city, so that now it is already
inhabited as before.
SINGUYCAR.
Ten leagues further on from this river, along the coast southwards,
is another river called Singuycar, upon which is a town of much
commerce and merchandise. And many ships from divers parts put in
there; and it is a town of Moors and Gentiles, and belongs to the
kingdom of Dacani.
RIVER DOBETALA.
Twelve leagues further along the coast, to the south, is another
river called Dobetela; and there are along its course several small
places, with very pretty gardens and orchards, where they gather a
great quantity of betel; this is a leaf which they eat, and it is
put on board small vessels, and carried away for sale in other towns
and seaports. We call this betel Indian leaf, and it is as large as
a leaf of the plantain,[156] and about of the same pattern; and it
grows like ivy, and climbs up other trees by means of poles placed
for that purpose: it does not give any fruit or seed. It is a very
favourite leaf, and all the Indians both men and women eat it both
day and night in their houses, in the streets, and on the road, and
in their beds. They always go about eating this leaf, which they mix
with some small fruits called arecas, and the leaf is smeared with
moistened lime, which is made with sea-shells, and the shells of
oysters and mussels. And these three things being added together,
they eat this betel, not swallowing more than the juice; and it
colours the mouth and makes the teeth brown: and they say that it is
good for drying and purging the stomach, and for preserving the
brain, and it drives out flatulence, and quenches thirst: so that it
is very much esteemed among all Indians, and in general use from
this place further on throughout India. There are great quantities
of it, and it is one of the principal revenues which the kings of
the country possess. The Moors and Arabs and Persians call it
tanbul. After passing this river of Betala, further along the coast
are other small places and seaports, likewise belonging to the
kingdom of Dacani, in which small vessels from Malabar enter to take
on board inferior rice and vegetables which are found there: and one
of them is called Arapatani, and another Munaryni.[157]
BANDA.
After leaving these places, about six leagues along the coast
southwards is a river, upon which is a town of Moors and Gentiles
called Banda, in which there are many merchants who trade on the
continent with the merchants whom the Malabars bring thither. And
many ships come there from many parts on account of its being a good
harbour, and there is a great exportation of goods and provisions
from the interior of the country. Many ships fill here with rice,
coarse millet, and other vegetables that are profitable to them; and
they bring to this place cocoa-nuts, pepper, and other spices and
drugs which have a good sale there, because thence they ship them
for Diu, Aden, and Ormuz. And leaving this place, between it and Goa
there is another river called Bardes, on which there are other towns
which are not of much trade.
GUOA.
Leaving these places, there are twenty leagues of coast southwards
as far as a cape, which must be doubled to enter Goa; and after that
ten leagues to the north-west, then ten more to the east, and
south-south-west twenty leagues, then seventeen leagues to the
north-west, as far as the Cape Rama. And in this gulf there are many
small islands, the chief of which is Goa. There is a large river
which issues by two branches into the sea, between which is formed
the island of the city of Goa, which belonged to the kingdom of
Decani, and was a lordship of itself along with other towns in the
neighbourhood; and the king gave it to a vassal of his, a great lord
called Vasabaxo, who was a very good knight, and on account of his
being very distinguished and skilful in warlike matters, this
lordship of Goa was given him, in order that he might carry on war
thence with the King of Narsinga, as he always did until his death.
This city then remained to his son, Sabaym Delcani, and it was
inhabited by many Moors, respectable men, and foreigners, white men
and rich merchants, and several of them are very good gentlemen.
There are also many great Gentile merchants, and others, gentlemen
and cultivators, and men-at-arms. It was a place of great trade in
merchandise. It has a very good port, to which flocked many ships
from Mekkah, Aden, Ormuz, Cambay, and the Malabar country. And the
before mentioned Sabaym Delcani resided much in this place, and he
kept there his captain and men-at-arms, and no one entered or went
out of this island and city, either by sea or by land, without his
permission; and all those who entered there were registered with all
their signs and particulars, and from whence they came; and so, with
this precaution and arrangement, they allowed them to return. This
town was very large, with goodly edifices and handsome streets and
squares, surrounded by walls and towers. There is a very good
fortress in it, and in the environs many gardens and orchards of
fine trees and fruits, and many pools of good water. There were many
mosques and houses of worship of the Gentiles. The country all round
was very fruitful and well cultivated, and enjoyed much produce both
from sea and land. This Sabaym, as soon as he knew that the
Portuguese viceroy had routed the Rumes[158] and the fleet of the
great sultan before Diu, immediately sent to call the Rumes,
knights, and other people of the sultan, who having escaped thence,
arrived, leaving their captain in the kingdom of Guzarat. And this
Sabaym Delcani received them very well, and determined on putting
all India at their disposition for their assistance, and to refit
them again with the aid of all the Moors and kings of India, in
order to again carry on war against the Portuguese. They then
collected together much money and began to build in this city of Goa
very large ships, and handsome galleys and brigantines, all after
the manner and fashion of ours, and likewise to prepare much
artillery of brass and iron, and all other munitions of maritime
war. And the Moors were so expeditious in this that they had got a
large part of the fleet made, and vast magazines of munitions for
the fleet; and they already went out with guard boats and rowing
galleys, to take the Sambuks which passed by, because they carried
Portuguese safe-conducts. And Alfonso de Albuquerque, who was then
captain-major in India, had information of all this, and determined
to go and seek them, and drive them from their design. He therefore
collected the most that he could of a fleet of ships, caravels, and
galleys, and with these entered the before mentioned river, and
attacked the city of Goa[159] and took it. Upon which many great
things occurred, which I say nothing about, in order not to be more
prolix. He captured many people, and all the ships and galleys of
the Rumes, and he burned some of them; and the city submitted to the
commands of the King of Portugal, as it now is. And he fortified it
with several castles. This city is inhabited by Portuguese, Moors
and Gentiles; and the fruits of the earth and provisions now produce
a yearly revenue to the King of Portugal of twenty thousand ducats,
without the port, which has much trade in merchandise of Malabar,
Cheul, Dabul, Cambay and Diu. They sell there many horses for other
parts, at two, three and four hundred ducats each, according to
their quality, and upon each the King of Portugal levies forty
ducats as duty; and although they pay less dues than in the time of
the Moors, this harbour produces much revenue to the King of
Portugal.[160]
In this kingdom of Decani there are many great cities, and many
other towns within the country inhabited by Moors and Gentiles. It
is a country very well cultivated, and abundantly supplied with
provisions, and it has an extensive commerce, which produces much
revenue to the king, who is called Mahamuza, and is a Moor; and he
lives very luxuriously, and with much pleasure, in a great city
inland, which is called Mavider. This king holds the whole of his
kingdom, divided amongst Moorish lords, to each one of whom he has
assigned cities, towns, and villages; and these lords govern and
rule, so that the king does not give any orders in his kingdom, nor
does he meddle except in giving himself a pleasant life and
amusement. And all these lords do obeisance to him, and bring him
the revenue, with which they have to come into his presence. And if
any one of them were to revolt or disobey, the others go against him
and destroy him, or reduce him again to obedience to the king. These
lords frequently have wars and differences among one another, and it
happens that some take villages from others; but afterwards the king
makes peace, and administers justice between them. Each one has many
horsemen, very good archers with the Turkish bow, white people, of
good figures. Their dress is of cotton stuffs, and they wear caps on
their heads. They give large pay to the soldiers: they speak Arabic,
Persian and the Decani language, which is the natural language of
the country. These Moorish lords take tents of cotton cloth into the
field, in which they dwell when going on a journey, or to war.
They ride a small saddle, and fight tied to their horses. They carry
in their hands very long light lances, with four-sided iron points,
very strong, and three palms in length. They wear tunics quilted
with cotton, which they call _laudes_, and some wear tunics of mail,
and their horses caparisoned; some carry iron maces and battle-axes,
two swords and a buckler, Turkish bows supplied with many arrows, so
that each man carries offensive weapons for two persons. Many of
these take their wives with them to the wars; they make use of pack
oxen, on which they carry their chattels when they travel. They are
frequently at war with the King of Narsinga, so that they are at
peace but for a short time. The Gentiles of this kingdom of Decani
are black, well made and courageous; most of them fight on foot, and
some on horseback: and these foot soldiers carry swords and shields,
bows and arrows, and are very good archers. Their bows are long,
after the fashion of Englishmen. They go naked from the waist
upwards, and wear small caps on their heads; they eat all meats
except cow; they are idolaters, when they die their bodies are
burned, and their wives burn themselves alive with them voluntarily,
as will be related further on.
CINTACOLA.
Seventeen leagues further along the same coast to the south-east,
and towards Malabar, there is another river called Aliga,[161] which
separates the kingdom of Decani from the kingdom of Narsinga, and at
the mouth of the river on the top of a hill is a fortress,
Cintacola;[162] and it belongs to the Zabayo, for the defence of his
country. In it he continually keeps horse and foot soldiers. Here
the said kingdom of Decani comes to an end at its southern portion,
and the northern part ends at Cheul; and from one place to the other
along the coast there are eighty leagues.
KINGDOM OF NARSINGA.
Beyond this river commences the kingdom of Narsinga, which contains
five very large provinces, with a language of their own. One
province is along the coast, and is called Tulinat; another has the
name of Legni, which confines with the kingdom of Tisa; another is
Canari, in which is the great city of Visenagar,[163] and the other
is Chomendel,[164] a kingdom which they call Tamul. This kingdom of
Narsinga is very rich and well supplied with provisions, and is very
full of cities and large townships; and all the country is very
fertile and brought into cultivation. The province of Tulinat
contains many rivers and seaports, in which there is much trade and
shipping bound for all parts, and many rich merchants dwell in them.
Between the others there is a very large river called Mergeo, from
which is produced a large quantity of inferior rice for the common
people, which the Malabars come here to buy, with their sambuks, in
exchange for cocoa nuts, oil, and jagra, which are much used in this
country.
HONOR.
Having passed this river Aliga,[165] and going along the coast to
the south-east, there is another river, at ten leagues distance,
with a good town near the sea, called Honor,[166] and the Malabars
call it Povaran; many of them come to this place to fetch cargoes of
inferior brownish rice, which is their peculiar food: and they bring
cocoa nuts, oil and jagra, and wine of the palm trees, from which
grow the cocoa nuts.
BATECALA.
Ten leagues further along this coast to the south is another small
river, with a large town called Baticala,[167] of very great trade
in merchandise, inhabited by many Moors and Gentiles, very
commercial people. And at this port congregate many ships from
Orguz, to load very good white rice, sugar in powder, of which there
is much in this country, for they do not know how to make it in
loaves; and it is worth at the rate of two hundred and forty
maravedis the arroba.[168] They likewise load much iron, and these
three kinds of goods are what are chiefly shipped at this place: and
also some spices and drugs, which the Malabars import. There are
many myrobalans of all sorts, and very good preserves are made with
them, which the ships of Ormuz, which traffic at this place, export
for the Arabs and Persians. They used each year to bring to this
port many horses and pearls, which were there sold for the whole
kingdom of Narsinga, and now they take them all to the city of Goa,
on account of the Portuguese. Some ships are also laden at this
place for Aden, risking themselves, although it is forbidden them by
the Portuguese. Many Malabar ships and sambuks also come to this
port to take in rice, sugar, and iron; and they bring cocoa nuts,
palm sugar, cocoa nut oil, and palm wine, in return for these
things, and spices and drugs, concealed from the Portuguese who
prohibit them. This town produces much revenue to the king. Its
governor is a Gentile; he is named Damaqueti. He is very rich in
money and jewels. The king of Narsinga has given this place and
others to a nephew of his, who rules and governs them, and lives in
great State and calls himself king, but he is in obedience to the
king his uncle. In this kingdom they make a great practice of
duelling, for on account of anything they at once challenge one
another, and the king at once grants them a field and arms, and
appoints a time for killing each other, and gives them seconds, who
back up each his own man. They go to fight one another bare from the
waist upwards, and from the waist downwards wrapped in cotton cloths
drawn tightly round, and with many folds, and with their arms, which
are swords, bucklers and daggers.[169] And the king appoints them of
equal length. They enter the lists with great pleasure, first saying
their prayers, and in a very few passes they kill each other in the
presence of the king and many people, without any one speaking
except the seconds, of whom each encourages his own man. This town
of Baticala pays a yearly tribute to the king of Portugal; much
copper is also sold in it each year, which is taken into the
interior of the country to make money, and cauldrons and other pans
which they use. There is also sold there much quicksilver,
vermilion, coral, alum and ivory. This town is situated in level
country, it is very populous, and not walled; it is surrounded with
many gardens, very good estates, and very fresh and abundant water.
There is in this place gold coin called Pardan,[170] and it is worth
three hundred and twenty maravedis; and there is another silver coin
called _dama_, worth twenty. The weights are called bahars, and each
bahar is equal to four quintals of Portugal.[171]
MAYANDUR.
Having passed Baticala, at ten leagues towards the south is another
small river, on which there is a town called Mayandur, under the
jurisdiction of Baticala, in which much rice is gathered of a good
quality, which is shipped at Baticala. The people of this town sow
it principally in certain watery valleys, which they plough with
oxen and with buffaloes, two and two, in couples, with their ploughs
after our fashion, and they put the rice for seed in some hollow
irons placed in the ploughshare, which entering the earth ploughing
it and making a furrow, leave behind the seed in it, because
otherwise they would not be able to sow it on account of the
quantity of water; and on dry land they sow it by hand. They gather
the harvest twice every year from this watery land, and it is of
four sorts of rice. The first they call girazat, which is the best;
the second jani bazal,[172] the third camagar, and the fourth
pachari: each one has its price, and there is a great difference
between one and the other.
BACAVOR BAZALOR.
There are two small rivers ten leagues further along the coast to
the south, and on both of them towns, one of which is called
Bacavor, and the other Basalor;[173] both belong to the kingdom of
Narsinga. In these also there is much rice of good quality, which is
there shipped for all parts: and many ships come from Malabar, and
sambuks great and small, which take this rice on board in sacks of a
fanega[174] each, which is worth from one hundred and fifty to two
hundred maravedis each fanega, according to its goodness. Ships also
put in here from Ormuz, Aden, Xeher, and many other places, to take
in cargo for Canaor and Calicut. They also ship there much rice in
exchange for copper, cocoa nuts, jagra, oil of cocoa nuts, for the
Malabars maintain themselves with scarcely anything else but rice,
since the country of Malabar is small and very populous: so full of
inhabitants, that it may almost be said that all the country is one
single city from the mountain Deli to Coulam.
MANGALOR.
Having left these places, at ten leagues distance there is another
large river towards the south, along the sea-shore, where there is a
very large town, peopled by Moors and Gentiles, of the kingdom of
Narsinga, called Mangalor.[175] There many ships always load brown
rice, which is much better and more healthy than the white, for
Malabar, for the common people, and it is very cheap. They also ship
there much rice in Moorish ships for Aden, also pepper, which
henceforward the earth begins to produce, but little of it, and
better than all the other which the Malabars bring to this place in
small vessels. The banks of this river are very pretty, and very
full of woods and palm trees, and are very thickly inhabited by
Moors and Gentiles, and studded with fine buildings and houses of
prayer of the Gentiles, which are very large, and enriched with
large revenues. There are also many mosques, where they greatly
honour Mahomed.
CUNBALA.
Ten leagues further along the same coast to the south, is another
town of the Gentiles, of the kingdom of Narsinga, which is called
Cunbala. In it also much brown and very bad rice is harvested, which
the Malabars go to buy there, and load it in their vessels for the
lowest people amongst them, and of the Mahaldiu islands, which are
across from Malabar, because it is very cheap, and the people poor;
and they sell it there in exchange for thread for making cordage for
ships. This thread is made of a covering and integument which grows
upon the cocoa nuts of the palm trees, and a great quantity of it is
produced; and in that place it is a great article of commerce with
all parts. This town of Cunbala has a lord to rule and govern it for
the kingdom of Narsinga, and it is frontier to the kingdom of
Cananor: because here the kingdom of Narsinga comes to an end along
the coast of this province of Tulinat.
OF THE CUSTOMS AND GREATNESS OF THIS KINGDOM OF NARSINGA IN THE
INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY.
Leaving this sea coast, and going inland into the kingdom of
Narsinga, at twelve or fifteen leagues distance there is a very high
mountain range, precipitous and difficult of ascent, which stretches
from the beginning of this kingdom to Cape Comeri,[176] which is
beyond the Malabar country; and the before-mentioned province of
Tulinat is at the foot of this range, between it and the sea. And
the Indians say that in former times all these low grounds were sea,
which reached to the said range, and that in process of time the sea
uncovered it, and swelled it up in other parts, and to the foot of
those mountains. There are many traces of things of the sea, and all
the low ground is very level like the sea, and the mountain chain is
very craggy, and seems to rise to the heavens; and it is not
possible to ascend, except in a few parts, and with difficulty,
which is a cause of great strength to the Malabars, for were it not
for the difficulty of entering their country on account of the
roughness of these mountains, the King of Narsinga would already
have conquered them. This range is peopled in several parts, with
good towns and villages, very luxuriant in water and delicious
fruit: and in it there are many wild boars, and large and fine deer,
many leopards, ounces, lions, tigers, bears, and some animals of an
ashy colour, which look like horses, very active, and which cannot
be caught.[177] There are serpents with wings, which fly, very
venomous, so that their breath and looks kill whatever person places
himself very near them, and they always go amongst the trees. There
are also many wild elephants, and many stones of gegonzas,[178]
amethysts, and soft sapphires, are found in the rivers where they
are deposited. They carry them from the mountains to sell them in
the Malabar towns, where they are wrought. After passing this
mountain range, the country is almost entirely plain, very fertile
and abundantly supplied in the inland districts, which belong to the
kingdom of Narsinga, in which there are many cities and villages and
forts, and many large rivers run through it. There is in this
country much cultivation of rice and other vegetables, with which
they maintain themselves, and many cows, buffaloes, pigs, goats,
sheep, asses, and diminutive ponies, all of which they make use of;
and they carry their goods by means of buffaloes, oxen, asses, and
ponies, and do their field work with them. Almost all the villages
are of Gentiles, and among them are a few Moors; some of the lords
of these villages are of these last, to whom the king of Narsinga
has granted the villages, and others are his, and he keeps his
governors and tax collectors in them.
BIJANAGUER.
Forty-five leagues from these mountains inland, there is a very
large city which is called Bijanaguer, very populous and surrounded
on one side by a very good wall, and on another by a river, and on
the other by a mountain. This city is on level ground, the King of
Narsinga always resides in it. He is a Gentile and is called Raheni:
he has in this place very large and handsome palaces, with numerous
courts in which are many mounds, pools of water with plenty of fish,
gardens of shrubs, flowers, and sweet-smelling herbs. There are also
in the city many other palaces of great lords who live there. And
all the other houses of the place are covered with thatch, and the
streets and squares are very wide: they are constantly filled with
an innumerable crowd of all nations and creeds; for, besides many
Moorish merchants and traders, and the Gentile inhabitants of the
country who are very rich, an infinite number of others flock there
from all parts, who are able to come, dwell, trade, and live very
freely and in security, without anyone molesting them, or asking or
requiring of them any account of whence they come, or in what creed
they live, whether they be Moors, Christians, or Gentiles; and each
one may live according to any creed, or as he pleases. There is an
infinite trade in this city, and strict justice and truth are
observed towards all by the governors of the country. In this city
there are very many jewels which are brought from Pegu and Celani,
and in the country itself many diamonds are found, because there is
a mine of them in the kingdom of Narsinga and another in the kingdom
of Dacani. There are also many pearls and seed-pearls to be found
there, which are brought from Ormus and Cael; and all these jewels
and pearls are much esteemed among them, because they adorn
themselves much with them, and on that account a great quantity are
poured in. In this city they wear many silks and inferior brocades,
which are brought from China and Alexandria, and much scarlet cloth,
and of other colours, and much coral worked into round beads; and
they import copper, quicksilver, vermilion, saffron, rose-water, much
anfiani which is opium, sandal and aloes wood, camphor, musk,
because the inhabitants of this country are much in the habit of
anointing themselves with these perfumes.
There is also a great consumption in this place, and in the whole
kingdom, of pepper, which is brought from Malabar on oxen and asses.
The money is of gold, and is called parda, and is worth three
hundred maravedis;[179] it is coined in certain cities of this
kingdom of Narsinga, and throughout all India they use this money,
which passes in all those kingdoms; its gold is a little inferior.
This coin is round, and made in a mould. Some of them have some
Indian letters on one side, and two figures on the other of a man
and a woman, and others have nothing but the lettering on one side.
CUSTOMS OF THIS KINGDOM OF NARSINGA AND OF ITS INHABITANTS.
This king constantly resides in the before-mentioned palaces, and
very seldom goes out of them: he lives very luxuriously and without
any labour, because he discharges it all upon his governors. He and
all the dwellers in this city are Gentiles, coloured men and nearly
white, of long and very smooth black hair; they are well
proportioned men, of features and ----[180] similar to our own, and
so likewise are the women. The costume of the men is from the waist
downwards with many folds and very tight, and a short shirt which
reaches half way down the thigh, made of white cotton stuff, silk,
or brocade, open down the front, small caps on their heads, and the
hair gathered up on the top, some caps of silk or brocade, and their
sandals on their bare feet, cloaks of cotton stuff or silk on their
arms, and their pages with their swords behind them, and their
bodies anointed with white sandal, aloes-wood, camphor, musk, and
saffron; all ground together with rose-water. They bathe every day,
and after bathing, anoint themselves. They wear small gold chains
and jewels round their necks, and bracelets on their arms, and rings
on their fingers of very valuable jewels, and also many jewels in
their ears of pearls and precious stones. And they take a second
page who carries for them a slender canopy with a long handle with
which to shade them and protect them from the rain. These shades are
of silk stuff, much ornamented with gold fringes, and some of them
have jewels and seed-pearls, and made in such a manner that they
shut up and open; and some of these cost three or four hundred gold
pieces, according to the quality of the persons. The women wear a
cloth of very fine white cotton, or of silk of pretty colours, which
may be about six cubits long; they gird themselves with part of this
cloth from the waist below, and the other end of the cloth they cast
over the shoulder and the breasts, and one arm and shoulder remain
uncovered; on their feet sandals of gilt and well-worked leather;
their heads bare, only their hair combed, and they put a plait of it
over their heads, and in this many flowers and scents; and in the
nostrils a small hole on one side, and in it a gold thread with a
drop, either a pearl, or a ruby, or a sapphire drilled with a hole;
their ears also are bored and in them they wear many gold rings with
pearls and precious stones; and jewel necklaces round their throats,
bracelets on their arms of the same fashion, and also strings of
fine round coral on their arms, many rings with precious stones on
their fingers; and girt over their clothes with belts of gold and
jewels; and rings of gold on their legs; so that for the most part
these are very rich and well-dressed people. They are great dancers;
they sing and play on various instruments; they are taught to tumble
and to perform many feats of agility. They are pretty women, and of
a grand presence. These people marry in our manner; they have a
marriage law, but the great men marry as many women as they can
maintain, and the king has with him in his palaces many wives,
daughters of the great lords of his kingdom; and, besides these, he
has many others as concubines, and others as serving women who are
chosen throughout the kingdom as the most beautiful. And all the
attendance on the king is done by women, who wait upon him within
doors; and amongst them are all the employments of the king's
household: and all these women live and find room within these
palaces, which contain apartments for all. They bathe every day in
the pools of water, they sing and play on their instruments, and in
a thousand ways amuse the king: and he goes to see them bathe, and
from thence sends to his chamber the one that pleases him most; and
the first son that he has from any of these, inherits the kingdom.
Amongst them there is so much envy and rivality for the preference
of the king, that sometimes they kill themselves with poison. This
king has a house in which he meets with the governors and his
officers in council upon the affairs of the kingdom; and there all
the great men of the realm go to see him with great gifts; and he
dispenses great favours and likewise great punishments to those that
deserve them. These great men, his relations and those of great
lineage, when they do anything ill-done or prejudicial to his
service, are summoned to him; and they have to come immediately: and
they come in very rich litters on men's shoulders, and their horses
are led by the bridle before them, and many horsemen go in front of
them. They get down at the door of the palace and wait there with
their trumpets and musical instruments, until word is brought to the
king, and he commands them to come to his presence; and if they do
not give a good excuse and account of themselves and of the evil of
which they are accused, he commands them to be stripped and thrown
on the ground, and there bids them to receive many stripes. If such
a person were a near relation of the king's or a very great
personage, the king himself scourges him with his own hand, and
after he has been well beaten, the king orders very rich garments to
be given him from his own clothes chests, and then directs him to be
reconducted to his litter, and carried with great honour and great
clang of musical instruments and festivity to his abode. Many
litters and many horsemen always stand at the door of this palace:
and the king keeps at all times nine hundred elephants and more than
twenty thousand horses, all which elephants and horses are bought
with his money: the elephants, at the price of fifteen hundred to
two thousand ducats each, because they are very great and
well-fitted for war, and for taking about with him continually for
state. And the horses cost from three to six hundred ducats each,
and some of the choicest for his personal use, nine hundred or a
thousand ducats. These horses are distributed amongst the great
lords who are responsible for them, and keep them for the gentry and
knights to whom the king bids them to be given: and he gives to each
knight a horse and a groom and a slave girl, and for his personal
expenses four or five pardaos of gold per month, according to who he
is; and, besides that, each day's provisions for the horse and
groom; and they send to the kitchen for the rations both for the
elephants and horses. The kitchens are very large and numerous, they
contain many cauldrons of copper, and several officials who cook the
food of the elephants and horses; which, it must be said, is rice,
chick-peas, and other vegetables. In all this there is much order
and arrangement, and if the knight to whom the king has given a
horse cares for it and treats it well, they take away that one and
give him another and a better one; and if he is negligent, they take
his away and give him another that is worse. And thus all the king's
horses and elephants are well fed and cared for, at his cost: and
the grandees, to whom he gives a great quantity of them, act in the
same manner with their knights. These horses live but a short time;
they are not bred in this country, for all of them are brought there
from the kingdom of Ormuz and that of Cambay, and on that account,
and for the great need of them, they are worth so much money. This
king has more than a hundred thousand men, both horse and foot, to
whom he gives pay: and fully five or six thousand women, to whom
also he gives pay. And wherever there is war, according to the
number of men-at-arms whom he sends there, he likewise sends with
them a quantity of women; because they say that it is not possible
to bring together an army, nor carry on war well, without women.
These women are like enchantresses, and are great dancers; they play
and sing, and pirouette. And whenever the king's officers take and
enrol any man, they strip him and look what marks he has got on his
body, and measure what his stature is, and set it all down in
writing, and from whence he comes, and the names of his father and
mother: and so he remains enrolled with all these particulars in the
pay books. And after being enrolled, it is with difficulty that he
can again obtain permission to go to his country; and if he flies
and is taken, he runs great danger, and is very ill treated. Among
these men-at-arms there are many knights, who arrive there from many
parts to take service, and these do not cease to live in their
creeds. In this kingdom there are three sects of Gentiles, and each
one of them is distinguished from the others, and their customs are
different. In the first place, the king and the grandees, and lords
and chief people of the men-at-arms, can marry more than one wife,
especially the grandees, who can maintain them: their children are
their heirs. The wives are bound to burn themselves and to die with
their husbands when they decease, because when the people die, their
bodies are burned, both of men and women. And the wives burn
themselves alive with them to honour them, in this manner: that is
to say, if she is a poor woman of little rank, when the body of the
husband is borne out to be burned in an open space outside the city,
where there is a great fire, and whilst the body of the husband is
being consumed, the wife casts herself, of her own will, into the
fire, and burns there with him. And if she is some honourable woman,
and of much property, and whether she be a young woman of beautiful
presence, or old, when her husband dies, the relations all go to the
before mentioned open space, and make a wide grave as deep as a
man's height, and fill it with sandal and other wood, and place the
dead body within and burn it; and his wife, or wives, weep for him,
and then, should she desire to honour her husband, she asks for a
term of a certain number of days to go and be burnt with him. And
they bid all her relations, and those of her husband, come and do
her honour, and give her a festal reception. And in this manner all
collect together, and entertain and pay court to her, and she spends
what she possesses among her relations and friends, in feasting and
singing, in dances and playing on musical instruments, and
amusements of jugglers. And when the term fixed has ended, she
dresses herself in her richest stuffs, and adorns herself with many
precious jewels, and the rest of her property she divides amongst
her children, relations, and friends, and then mounts a horse, with
a great sound of music, and a large following. The horse must be
grey, or very white if possible, for her to be seen better. And so
they conduct her through the whole city; paying court to her as far
as the place where the body of her husband was burned; and in the
same grave they place much wood, with which they light a very great
fire, and all round it they make a gallery with three or four steps,
whither she ascends with all her jewels and robes; and when she is
upon the top she takes three turns round it, and raises her hands to
heaven, and worships towards the east three times. And having ended
this, she calls her relations and friends, and to each she gives a
jewel of those which she wears: and all this with a very cheerful
demeanour, not as though she were about to die. And after she has
given them away, and there only remains a small cloth with which she
is covered from the waist downwards, she says to the men, "See,
gentlemen, how much you owe to your wives, who, whilst enjoying
their freedom, burn themselves alive with their husbands." And to
the women she says, "See, ladies, how much you owe to your husbands,
for in this manner you ought to accompany them even in death." And
when she has concluded uttering these words, they give her a pitcher
full of oil, and she places it on her head and says her prayer, and
takes three more turns and worships to the east, and casts the
pitcher of oil into the pit where the fire is: and she springs into
it, after the pitcher, with as much good will as though she were
jumping into a pool of water. And the relations have ready for this
occasion many pitchers and pots full of oil and butter, and dry
wood, which they immediately throw in, so that so great a flame is
at once kindled, that she is suddenly reduced to ashes. And
afterwards they collect these ashes, and cast them into flowing
rivers. All perform this in general, and if any women do not choose
to do this, their relations take them, shave their heads, and turn
them out of their houses and families with disgrace. And so they
wander through the world as lost ones. And those of this sort to
whom they may wish to show favour, are sent to the houses of prayer
of the idols, to serve and gain for that temple with their bodies,
if they are young women. And of these houses there are many, which
contain fifty or a hundred women of this sort; and others, who of
their own accord, being unmarried, place themselves there.[181]
These have to play and sing, for certain hours of the day, before
their idols, and the rest of the time they work for themselves.
So also when the king dies, four or five hundred women burn
themselves with him in the same manner, and they throw themselves
suddenly into the pit and fire where they burn the body of the king:
for the pit and fire are very large, and a great quantity can be
burned in it, with great abundance of wood, sandal, brasil, eagle
wood, aloes wood, and much oil of sesame and butter to make the wood
burn well. So great is the haste of those who wish to burn
themselves first, that it is something wonderful, and many men,
confidants of the king, burn themselves with him. These people eat
meat, fish, and all other viands, only cow is forbidden them by
their creed. There is another sect of Gentiles who are called
Bramans, who are priests and directors of the houses of prayer.
These do not eat meat or fish, they marry only one wife, and if she
dies they do not marry again: their children inherit their property.
They wear over the shoulder three threads as a sign of being
Bramans. These do not die for any cause, or crime which they may
commit; they are very free and easy, and are very much venerated
amongst the people. They enjoy amongst them large alms from the
kings, lords, and honourable people, with which they maintain
themselves; and many of them are rich, and others live in the houses
of prayer which there are about the country, after the manner of
monasteries. These temples also have great revenues. These people
are great eaters, and do no work except in order to eat: and they at
any time go eight leagues to satisfy themselves with food, which
they can eat on the road. Their food is rice, butter, sugar,
vegetables, and milk. In this country there is another sect of
people, who are like Bramans: they wear round their necks hung with
silk cords and wrapped in coloured cloth, a stone of the size of an
egg, and they say that it is their god. These people are much
venerated and honoured in this country; they do them no harm for any
offence which they may commit, out of reverence for that stone,
which they call tabaryne.[182] Neither do these people eat flesh nor
fish; they go safely in all countries, and they transport from one
kingdom to another much merchandise and money of the merchants, on
account of their greater security from thieves. And there are some
of them who deal in merchandise with their tani bar ine round their
necks. These likewise marry only one woman, and if they die before
their wives, they bury these alive in this manner.[183] It must be
said, that they make a grave for her a little deeper than she is
tall, and put her in it standing, and while she is quite alive they
throw in earth all around her, and press it down with their feet
until she is walled in with earth much pressed down, which reaches
to her neck, and then they put some large stones above her, and
leave her there alive covered with earth until she dies; and on this
occasion they perform great ceremonies for them. The women of this
country are so enterprising and idolatrous, that they do marvellous
things for the love of their idols, in this manner. There are
amongst them young girls who desire to marry some man for whom they
have a liking, and one of these will promise her idol to do it a
great service if she should marry such a one whom she wishes for.
And if she marries that one, she then says to him, I have to make a
feast for such a god, and I have to offer my blood before I deliver
myself to you. And so they appoint a day for celebrating that feast.
And she takes a large waggon with oxen, and they fix it in a very
high crane, such as those with which they draw water, and they
fasten it to an iron chain with two iron hooks, and she comes out of
her house with great honour, accompanied by all her relations and
friends, men and women, with much singing and playing of
instruments, and many dancers and jesters; and she comes wrapped
very tightly round the waist with her white stuffs, covered from the
waist to the knees, the rest bare, and at the door of her house,
where the car stands, they lower the crane, and stick the two hooks
into her in the loins between the skin and the flesh, and put into
her left hand a small round shield, and a little bag with lemons and
oranges. They then raise the crane with great shouting and sound of
instruments, firing guns, and making other festal demonstrations:
and in this manner the car begins its march on the way to the house
of the idol to which the promise was made, and she goes suspended by
those hooks fastened into her flesh, and the blood runs down her
legs. And she continues to sing and shout for joy, and to strike
upon the shield, and to throw oranges and lemons to her husband and
to her relations, who go with her in this manner to the door of the
said house of prayer, where they take her down, and cure her, and
deliver her to her husband; and she gives at that place great alms
to the Bramans and offerings to the idols, and a great feast to as
many as accompanied her.
There are other persons also who offer the virginity of their
daughters to an idol, and as soon as they are ten years of age they
take her to a monastery and the house of prayer of that idol, with
great honour, and accompanied by her relations, entertaining her
like one that is going to be married. And outside of the monastery,
at the door, there is a bench of hard black stone, square, of half a
man's height, and surrounded with wooden steps, with many oil lamps
placed on the steps, which are lit at night.[184]
* * * * *
This King of Narsinga is frequently at war with the King of Dacani,
who has taken from him much of his land; and also with another
Gentile King of the country of Otira,[185] which is the country in
the interior. And he always sends his captains and troops to this
war, and on some occasions, if of necessity, he goes to the war in
person; and as soon as it is determined on, he goes out to the
country, on a certain day, on an elephant or in a litter, very
richly adorned with gold and jewels, accompanied by many knights and
horse and foot-men: and many elephants go before him, all covered
with scarlet cloth and silk, and much bedizened and dressed out as
for a feast. And as they go through the fields they bring the king a
horse, on which he rides, and a bow and an arrow, which he shoots
towards the part where he intends to go and make war. And they name
the day of his setting out, and this news immediately runs
throughout all the kingdom. He then pitches his tents and camp in
the country, and there remains until the appointed term of days is
accomplished for his departure. When this is concluded he orders the
city to be set on fire, and directs it all to be burned except the
royal palaces, castles, houses of prayer, and those of some of the
grandees which are not covered with thatch, in order that all may go
to the war to die with him, and with his wives and children, whom he
has with him in the wars. In order that these may not take to flight
he directs large pay to be given to all: in the first place, to the
enchanting single women, who are numerous, and who do not fight, but
their lovers fight for love of them very vigorously. And it is also
said that many men come from all the other kingdoms to this king's
camp for the love of these women,[186] amongst whom there are many
very honourable ones, great confidantes of the king, who come of
great houses, and are very rich. Each one of them keeps seven or
eight pretty waiting women, who are given to them by their mothers
to bring them up, and put them in the court enrolled on the pay
list. They hold this service in great honour, and it is but a short
time since one of them died who had no son nor heir, and left the
king for her heir; and he gathered from the inheritance sixty
thousand gold pardaos, besides twelve thousand which he gave to a
waiting woman of his, whom he had brought up from a girl: which is
not to be wondered at for the great wealth of the kingdom.
In this kingdom jewels are esteemed as treasure by the king and also
by the rich, who buy them at large prices. The people of this
kingdom are great hunters both of flying game and wild beasts. There
are many small hacks, and very good ones to go.
HOTISA.
Having passed the said kingdom of Narsynga inland, there is next
another kingdom called Hotisa,[187] which confines with it on one
side, and on another with the kingdom of Bengal, and on the other
with the kingdom of Dely: and it is inhabited by Gentiles. The king
is also a Gentile, very rich and powerful, who has many foot
soldiers; he is frequently at war with the kingdom of Narsinga, from
which he has taken lands and villages; and the King of Narsinga has
taken others from him: so that they are rarely at peace. Of the
customs of these people I have little information, on account of
their being placed so much in the interior of the country. It is
only known that in that country there are very few Moors, and that
they are almost all Gentiles and very good fighting men.
KINGDOM OF DELY.
Having passed this kingdom of Otisa, more inland there is another
great kingdom, which is called Dely, of many provinces, and of large
and rich cities of great trade. This kingdom is of the Moors, and
has a Moorish king, a great lord; and in former times this kingdom
was of the Gentiles, of whom there are still many who live amidst
the Moors, with much vexation. And many of them nobles and
respectable people, not to be subject to the Moors, go out of the
kingdom and take the habit of poverty, wandering the world; and they
never settle in any country until their death; nor will they possess
any property, since they lost their lands and property, and for that
go naked, barefooted, and bareheaded; they only cover their
nakedness with coverings[188] of brass, in this manner: it must be
said, that they wear belts of Moorish brass of pieces fitted
together, of four fingers in breadth, carved with many images of men
and women, sculptured and shining: and they wear it so tight that it
makes their guts rise high up; and from the girdle below the hips
there comes a bandage of the same brass, and in front it forms a
sort of braguette, which comes and fastens in the girdle in front
with its fastenings: all very tight. Besides this, they carry very
heavy chains round their necks, and waists, and legs; and they smear
all their bodies and faces with ashes. And they carry a small brown
horn at their necks, after the fashion of a trumpet, with which they
call and beg for food at the door of any house where they arrive:
chiefly at the houses of kings and great lords and at the temples;
and they go many together, like the gipsies.[189] They are
accustomed to stop very few days in each country. These people are
commonly called jogues, and in their own speech they are called
zoame, which means servant of God. They are brown, very well made
and proportioned, of handsome faces; they wear their hair without
ever combing it, and made into many plaits, wound round the head.
And I asked them many times why they went in this fashion. And they
answered me, that they wore those chains upon their bodies as
penance for the sin which they committed for allowing themselves to
be captured by such bad people as the Moors, and that they went
naked as a sign of dishonour, because they had allowed their lands
and houses to be lost, in which God brought them up; and that they
did not want more property since they had lost their own, for which
they ought to have died; and that they smeared themselves with ashes
in order to remind themselves perpetually that they were born of
earth and had to return again to the earth, and that all the
rest[190] was falsehood. And each one of them carries his little bag
of these ashes with him; and all the Gentiles of the country honour
them greatly, and receive from them some of these ashes, and put it
on their heads,[191] shoulders, and breasts, making a few lines with
it. And throughout all the country the Gentiles are in the habit of
doing this. And so also throughout all India among the Gentiles,
many of them turn jogues; but most of them are from the kingdom of
Dely. These jogues eat all meats and do not observe any idolatry,
and they mingle with all kinds of people: neither do they wash like
other Gentiles, except when the wish to do so comes to them.
In this kingdom of Dely there are many very good horses, which are
born and bred there. The people of the kingdom, both Moors and
Gentiles, are very good fighting men and good knights, armed with
many kinds of weapons; they are great bowmen, and very strong men;
they have very good lances, swords, daggers, steel maces, and
battle-axes, with which they fight; and they have some steel wheels,
which they call chacarani, two fingers broad, sharp outside like
knives, and without edge inside; and the surface of these[192] is of
the size of a small plate. And they carry seven or eight of these
each, put on the left arm; and they take one and put it on the
finger of the right hand, and make it spin round many times, and so
they hurl it at their enemies, and if they hit anyone on the arm or
leg or neck, it cuts through all. And with these they carry on much
fighting, and are very dexterous with them.
This king of Dely confines with Tatars, and has taken many lands
from the King of Cambay; and from the King of Dacan, his servants
and captains, with many of his people, took much, and afterwards in
time they revolted and set themselves up as kings. In this kingdom
of Dely there are some trees, the root of which is called
Baxarague,[193] and it is so poisonous that any one who eats it dies
at once; and its fruit is called Nirabixy,[194] and it is of such
virtue that it extinguishes all poison, and gives life to any one
poisoned with the said root or with other poisons. These jogues, who
come from the kingdom of Dely, carry this root and fruit; some of
them give it to some Indian kings; and so likewise they carry with
them sometimes rhinoceros' horn and Pajar stone, which possess great
virtue against all poisons. And this stone, Pajar, is grey and soft,
of the size of an almond; and they say that it is found in the head
of an animal: it is greatly esteemed amongst the Indians.[195]
COUNTRY OF MALABAR.
Having passed the province of Tulynate, which is of the kingdom of
Narsinga, along the coast of the sea, which province begins from
Cinbola near the mountain Dely, and ends at the Cape of Conmery,
which is a distance of seventy leagues along the coast towards the
south and south-east. And there begins the country of Malabar, which
was governed by a king who was called Sernaperimal,[196] who was a
very great lord. And after that the Moors of Mekkah discovered
India, and began to navigate near it, which was six hundred and ten
years ago; they used to touch at this country of Malabar on account
of the pepper which is found there. And they began to load their
ships with it in a city and seaport, Coulom,[197] where the king
used frequently to be. And so for some years these Moors continued
their voyages to this country of Malabar, and began to spread
themselves through it, and became so intimate and friendly with the
said king, that they made him turn Moor, and he went away with them
to die at the house of Mekkah, and he died on the road. And before
he set out from his country, he divided the whole of his kingdom of
Malabar amongst his relations; and it remained divided amongst them
and their descendants as it now is. And when he distributed the
lands, he abandoned those that he gave, never to return to them
again; and at last, when he had given away all, and there did not
remain anything more for him to give, except ten or twelve leagues
of land all round the spot from which he embarked, which was an
uninhabited beach, where now stands the city of Calicut. And at that
moment he was accompanied by more Moors than Gentiles, on account of
having given to the latter almost all that he possessed, and he had
with him only one young nephew, who waited on him as a page, to whom
he gave that piece of land; and he told him to get it peopled,
especially that very spot whence he embarked. And he gave him his
sword and a chandelier, which he carried with him for state. And he
left an injunction to the other lords, his relations to whom he had
made grants of lands, that they should obey him, only leaving exempt
the King of Coulam and the King of Cavanor:[198] so that he
instituted three kings in the country of Malabar, and commanded that
no one should coin money except the King of Calicut. And so he
embarked at the same place where the city of Calicut was founded;
and the Moors held this time and place in much veneration, and would
not after that go and load pepper any more in any other part since
the said king embarked there after becoming a Moor and going to die
at Mekkah. This city of Calicut is very large, and ennobled by many
very rich merchants and great traffic in goods. This king became
greater and more powerful than all the others: he took the name of
Zomodri,[199] which is a point of honour above all other kings. So
that this great King of Malabar did not leave more kings than these
three: that is to say, the Zomodry, who was named Cunelava-dyri, and
the King of Culaon, who was named Benate-diry, and the King of
Cananor, who was named Coletry.[200] And there are many other lords
in the country of Malabar, who wish to call themselves kings; and
they are not so, because they are not able to coin money, nor cover
houses with roofs under penalty of all the others rising up against
whomsoever should do such a thing, or of having to destroy them. And
these kings of Culam and Cananor afterwards struck money for a
certain time in their countries without having the power of doing
so. In all the country they use one language, which is called
Maleama, and all the kings are of one sect, and almost of the same
customs.
In these kingdoms of Malabar there are eighteen sects of Gentiles,
each one of which is much distinguished from the others in so great
a degree that the ones will not touch the others under pain of death
or dishonour or loss of their property: and all of them have
separate customs in their idol-worship, as will be set forth further
on.
CUSTOMS OF THE SAID KINGDOMS AND COUNTRY OF MALABAR.
In the first place, the Kings of Malabar are, as has been said,
Gentiles, and honour their idols: they are brown, almost white,
others are darker; they go naked from the waist upwards, and from
the waist downwards are covered with white cotton wraps and some of
them of silk. Sometimes they clothe themselves with short jackets
open in front, reaching halfway down the thigh, made of very fine
cotton cloth, fine scarlet cloth, or of silk and brocade. They wear
their hair tied upon the top of their heads, and sometimes long
hoods like Galician casques, and they are barefooted. They shave
their beards and leave the moustaches[201] very long, after the
manner of the Turks. Their ears are bored, and they wear in them
very precious jewels and pearls set in gold, and on their arms from
the elbows upwards gold bracelets, with similar jewels and strings
of very large pearls. At their wrists over their clothes they wear
jewelled girdles three fingers in width, very well wrought and of
great value.
And on their breasts, shoulders, and foreheads, they make marks by
threes with ashes, which they wear in accordance with the custom of
their sect, saying that they do it to remind themselves that they
have to turn to ashes: for when they die they burn their bodies, and
so this ceremony continues among them. And many use it mixed with
sandal wood, saffron, aloes wood, and rose water, all this ground
up. When they are in their houses they always sit on high benches,
and in houses without stories; these benches are very smooth, and
are slightly smeared once every day with cow dung. And they keep
there a stand very white and four fingers high, and a cloth of brown
wool undyed, after the manner of a carpet of the size of a
horsecloth[202] folded in three folds; and upon this they sit, and
they lean upon pillows, round and long, of cotton, silk, or fine
cloth. And they also sit on carpets of cloth of gold and silk; but
they always keep under them, or near them, that cloth of brown wool,
on account of their sect, and for state. And frequently they happen
to be lying on couches and cushions of silk and very fine white
sheets, and when any one comes to see them, they bring him this
brown woollen cloth and put it near him, and when he goes out, a
page carries the cloth folded before him for state and ceremony. And
likewise he always keeps a sword near him, and when he changes from
one spot to another, he carries it in his hand naked, as they always
keep it. These kings do not marry, nor have a marriage law, only
each one has a mistress, a lady of great lineage and family, which
is called nayre, and said to be very beautiful and graceful. Each
one keeps such a one with him near the palaces in a separate house,
and gives her a certain sum each month, or each year, for expenses,
and leaves her whenever she causes him discontent, and takes
another. And many of them for honour's sake do not change them, nor
make exchanges with them; and they seek much to please their king,
for that honour and favour which they receive. And the children that
are born from these mistresses are not held to be sons, nor do they
inherit the kingdom, nor anything else of the king's; they only
inherit the property of the mother. And whilst they are children,
they are favoured by the king like children of other people whom he
might be bringing up; but not like his own, because since they are
men, the children are not accounted for more than as children of
their mothers.[203] The king sometimes makes grants of money to
them, for them to maintain themselves better than the other nobles.
The heirs of these kings are their brothers, or nephews, sons of
their sisters, because they hold those to be their true successors,
and because they know that they were born from the body of their
sisters. These do not marry, nor have fixed husbands, and are very
free and at liberty in doing what they please with themselves.
In this wise the lineage of the kings of this country, and the true
stock, is in the women: that is to say, if a woman[204] gives birth
to three or four sons and two or three daughters, the first is king,
and so on, all the other brothers inherit from one another; and when
all these have died, the son of the eldest sister, who is niece of
the king, inherits, and so also his other heirs after him; and when
these have deceased, the children of the next sister. And the
kingdom always goes in this way to brothers, and nephews sons of
sisters, and if by good or evil fortune these women happen not to
give birth to male children, they do not consider them as capable of
inheriting the kingdom; and these ladies, in such a case, all unite
in council and institute some relation of theirs as king, if they
have one, and if there is none, they name any other person for this
office. And on this account the kings of Malabar are old men when
they succeed to reign, and the nieces or sisters from whom has to
proceed the lineage of the kings are held in great honour, guarded
and served, and they possess revenues for their maintenance. And
when one of these is of age to bring forth, on arriving at from
thirteen to fourteen years, they prepare to make festivity and
entertainment for her, and to make her enceinte. And they summon
some young man, a nobleman and honourable person, of whom there are
many deputed for this. And they send to fetch him that he may come
for this purpose. And he comes, and they give him a great
entertainment, and perform some ceremonies, and he ties some gold
jewel to the neck of the damsel, and she wears it all her life in
sign of her having performed those ceremonies, in order to be able
to do with herself whatever she chooses; because, until the
performance of this ceremony, she could not dispose of herself. And
the before mentioned youth remains with her for some days, very well
attended to, and then returns to his land. And she sometimes remains
in the family way, and sometimes not, and from this time forth for
her pleasure she takes some Braman, whomsoever she likes best, and
these are priests among them, and of these she has as many as she
likes.
This King of Calicut, and so also the other kings of Malabar, when
they die, are burned in the country with much sandal and aloes wood;
and at the burning all the nephews and brothers and nearest
relations collect together, and all the grandees of the realm, and
confidantes of the king, and they lament for him a
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