Noble women to these Beggers Some of these Beggars keep Cattel and shoot Deer Refuse Meat dressed in a Barbar's house and why CHAP. III. Of their Religion Gods Temples Priests THeir Religion is Idolatry They worship Gods and Devils And the God that saves Souls The Sun and Moon they seem to repute Deities Some of their Temples of exquisite work The form of their Temples The shape of their Idols They worâ—hip not the Idol but whom it represents The Revenues of the Temples and the Honours thereof They are dedicated to Gods Private Chappels The Priests The first Order of them The habit of these Priests Their Privileges What they are Prohibited When any are religiously disposed these Priests sent for in great Ceremony None ever used violence towards them before this present King The second Order of Priests The third Order How they dedicate a Red Cock to the Devil Their Oracle CHAP. IV. Concerning their Worship and Festivals THE chief dayes of Worship How they know what God or Devil hath made them sick The Gods of their Fortunes viz. the Planets What worship they give Devils Who eat the Sacrifices Their Gods are local The Subjection of this People to the Devil Sometimes the Devil possesseth them The Devils voice often heard Their Sacrifice to the chief Devil Their Festivals Festivals to the honour of the Gods that govern this World The Great Festival in Iune with the manner of the Solemnity The Feast in November The Festival in honour of the God of the Soul The high honour they have for this God CHAP. V. Concerning their Religious Doctrines Opinions and Practices AS to their Religion they are very indifferent If their Gods answer not their Desires they curse them They undervalue and revile their Gods A Fellow gives out himself for a Prophet His Success The King sends for one of his Priests Flyes to Columbo Pretends himself to be a former Kings Son Flyes from the Dutch The King catches and quarters him The Peoples high opinion still of this new God Their Doctrines and Opinion The highest points of their Devotion Their Charity The Privilege of the Moorish Beggars Respect Christians and why CHAP. VI. Concerning their Houses Diet Housewifery Salutation Apparel THeir Houses mean No Chimneys The Houses of the better sort Their Furniture How they eat How the great Men eat Discouraged from nourishing Cattel Cleâ—â—ly in dressing their meat Their manner of drinking and eating Their manner of washing before and after meals None must speak while the Rice is put into the Pot. Sawce made of Lemmon juice Their sweet meats A kind of Puddings The Womens Housewifry How they entertain Strangers And Kindred When thâ—y Visit. Their manner of Salutation The Nobles in their best Apparel The fashion of their hair The Womâ—n dressed in their Bravery How they dress their heads They commonly borrow their fine Cloths CHAP. VII Of their Lodging Bedding Whoredome Marriages Children THeir Bed and how they sleep a Nights They rise often in the Night Children taught to sing at going to bed Young People ly at one anothers Housâ—s Nothing so common as Whoredome They are guilty of the thing but love not the Name The man may kill whâ—â— he finds in bed with his Wife The Womens craft to compass and conceal their Debauchery They do treat their Friends with the use of their Wives or Daughters The Mother for a small reward prostitutes her Daughter Marriages No Wooing The Bridegroom goes to the Brides house How the Bridegroom carries home his Bride A Ceremony of Marriage Man and Wife may part at pleasure Men and Women change till they can please theâ—selves Women sometimes have two Husbands Women unclean Privileges of Men above Women Privileges of Women They often destroy New-born Infants But seldom a First-born Their Names They are ambitious of high Titles CHAPâ— VIII Of their Employments and Recreations THeir Trade Work not discreditable to the best Gentleman How they geld their Cattle How they make Glew Their Manufactures How they make Iron How they make Butter Shops in the City Prices of Commodities Of their Measures Their Weights Measures bigger than the Statute punishable but lâ—ss not And why Of their Coin Of their Play A Play or a Sacrifice For thâ— filthiness of it forbid by the King A cunning Stratagem of an Officer Tricks and Feats of Activity At leisure times they meet and discourse of Newes Drunkenness abhorred Their eating BetelLâ—â—ves How they make Lime CHAP. IX Of their Lawes and Language THeir Lawes Lands descend In case Corn receives dammage by a Neighbours Cattel The loss of letting out Land to Till The great Consideration for Corn borrowed A Debt becomes double in two years If the Debtor pay not his Debt he is lyable to be a Slave for it Divers other Lawes and Customes For deciding Controversies Swearing in the Temples The manner of swearing in hot Oyl How they exact Fines Of their Language Titles given to Women according to their qualities Titles given to Men. No difference between a Country-man and a Courtier for Language Their Speech and manner of Address is courtly and becoming Their Language in their Address to the King Words of form and Civility Full of Words and Complement By whom they swear Their way of railing and scurrility Proverbs Something of their Grammar A Specimen of their Words Their Numbering CHAP. X. Concerning their Learning Astronomy and Art Magick OF their Learning Their Books and Arts. How they learn to write How they make and write a Book The Priests write Books of Bâ—nna The Kings Warrants how wrapped up They write upon two sorts of Leaves Their Skill in Astronomy Their Almanacks They pretend to know future things by the Stars Their AEra Their Years Months Weeks Days Hours How they measure their Time Their Magic The Plenty of a Country destroyed by Magic Their Charm to find out a Thief The way to dissolve this Charm Inscriptions upon Rocks CHAP. XI Of their Sickness Death and Burial THE Diseases this Countrey is subject to Every one a Physitian to himself To Purge To Vomit To heal Sores To heal an Impostume For an hurt in the Eye To cure the Itch. The Caudle for Lying-in Women Goraca a Fruit. Excellent at the Cure of Poyson They easily heal the biting of Serpents by Herbs And Charms But not good at healing inward Distempers They both bury and burn their Dead They send for a Priest to pray for the Soul of the Departed How they mourn for the Dead The nature of the Women How they bury How they burn How they bury those that dy of the Small Pox. PART IV. CHAP. I. Of the reason of our going to Ceylon and Detainment there THE subject of this Fourth Part. The occasion of their coming to Ceylon They were not jealous of the People being very Courteous A Message pretended to the Captain from the King The beginning of their Suspition The Captain seized and seven more The Long-boat men seized The General
Boar. CHAP. VII Of their Birds Fish Serpents and Commodities THeir Birds Such as will be taught to speak Such as are beautiful for Colour A strange Bird. Water-Fowls resembling Ducks and Swans Peacocks The King keeps Fowl Their Fish How they catch them in Ponds And how in Rivers Fish kept and fed for the King's Pleasure Serpents The Pimberah of a prodigious bigness The Polonga The Noya The Fable of the Noya and Polonga â— The Carowala Gerendo Hickanella Democulo a great Spider Kobbera-guson a Creature like an Aligator Tolla-guion The people eat Rats Precoius Stones Minerals and other Commodities The People discouraged from Industry by the Tyranny they are under PART II. CHAP. I. Of the present King of Cande THE Government of this Island The King's Lineage His Person Meen and Habit. His Queen and Children His Palace Situation and Description of itâ— Strong Guards about his Court Negro's Watch next his Person Spies sent out a Nights His Attendants Handsome Women belong to his Kitchin His Women And the Privileges of the Towns where they live His State when he walks in his Palace or goes abroad His reception of Ambassadors His delight in them CHAP. II. Concerning the Kings Manners Vices Recreation Religion SPare in his Diet. After what manner he eats Chast himself and requires his Attendants to be so He committed Incest but such as was allowable His Pride How the People address to the King They give him Divine Worship Pleased with high Titles An instance or two of the King 's haughty Stomach He slights the defection of one of his best Generals He scorns to receive his own Revenues The Dutch serve their ends upon his Pride by flattering him The People give the way to the Kings foul Cloths His natural Abilities and deceitful temper His wise saying concerning Run-awayes He is naturally Cruel The Dogs follow Prisoners to Execution The Kings Prisoners their Misery He punisheth whole Generations for the sake of one The sad condition of young Gentlemen that wait on his Person His Pleasure-houses Pastimes abroad His Diversions at home His Religion He stands affected to the Christian Religion CHAP. III. Of the King's Tyrannical Reign HIS Government Tyrannical His Policy He farms out his Countrey for Service His Policy to secure himself against Assassinations and Rebellions Another Point of his Policy Another which is to find his People work to do A Vast work undertaken and finished by the King viz. Bringing Water divers Miles thro Rocks Mountains and Valleys unto his Palace The turning this Water did great injury to the People But he little regards his Peoples Good By craft at once both pleaseth and punisheth his People In what Labours he employs his People He Poisons his only Son The extraordinary Lamentation at the Death of his Sister His Craft and Cruelty shewn at once CHAP. IV. Of his Revenues and Treasure THe King's Rents brought three times in a year The first is accompanied with a great Festival How the Nobles bring their Gifts or Duties Inferior Persons present their New-years Gifts What Taxes and Rents the People pay The accidental incoms of the Crown The Profits that accrue to the King from Corn-Lands Custom of Goods Imported formerly paid His Treasuries He has many Elephants Great Treasures thrown into the River formerly The Treasure he most valueth CHAP. V. Of the King's great Officers and the Governors of the Provinces THe two Greatest Officers in the Land The next Great Officers None can put to Death but the King Theso Dissauvas are Durante bene placito Whom the King makes Dissauvas And their Profits and Honours Other benefits belonging to other Officers They must always reside at Court The Officers under them viz. The Cour-lividani The Cong-conna The Courli-atchila The Liannah The Vndia The Monannah Some Towns exempt from the Dissauvas Officers Other Officers yet These Places obtained by Bribes But remain only during pleasure Country Courts They may appeal Appeals to the King How the Great Officers Travel upon Public Business Their Titles and signs of State The misery that succeeds their Honour The foolish ambition of the Men and Women of this Country CHAP. VI. Of the King's Strength and Wars THe King 's Military affairs The natural strength of his Countrey Watches and Thorn-gates None to pass from the King's City without Pasports His Soldiery All men of Arms wait at Court The Soldiers have Lands allotted them insted of Pay To prevent the Soldiers from Plotting The manner of sending them out on Expeditions Requires all the Captains singly to send him intelligence of their affairs When the War is finished they may not return without order The condition of the Common Soldiers He conceals his purpose when he sends out his Army Great Exploits done and but little Courage They work chiefly by Stratagems They understand the manner of Christian Armies Seldom hazard a Battel If they prove unsuccessful how he punishes them CHAP. VII A Relation of the Rebellion made against the King A Comet ushereth in the Rebellion The Intent of the Conspirators How the Rebellion began The King flyes They pursue him faintly They go to the Prince and Proclaim him King The carriage of the Prince Upon the Prince's flight the Rebels scatter and run A great Man declares for the King For the space of eight or ten days nothing but Killing one another to approve themselves good Subjects The King Poysons his Son to prevent a Rebellion hereafter His ingratitude Another Comet but without any bad Effects following it PART III. CHAP. I. Concerning the Inhabitants of this Island THe several Inhabitants of the Island The Original of the Chingulays Wild Men. Who pay an acknowledgement to the King How they bespeak Arrows to be made them They rob the Carriers Hourly wild Men Trade with the People Once made to serve the King in his War Their Habit and Religion A skirmish about their Bounds Curious in their Arrows How they preserve their Flesh. How they take Elephants The Dowries they give Their disposition The Inhabitants of the Mountains differ from those of the Low-Lands Their good opinion of Virtue tho they practice it not Superstitions How they Travel A brief character of them The Women their habit and nature CHAP. II. Concerning their different Honours Ranks and Qualities HOw they distinguish themselves according to their Qualities They never Marry beneath their rank In case a Man lyes with a Woman of inferior rank Their Noble men How distinguished from others The distinction by Caps Of the Hondrews or Noble men two sorts An Honour like unto Knighthood Goldsmiths Blacksmiths Carpenters and Painters The Privilege and State of the Smiths Craftsmen Barbers Potters Washers Iaggory-makers The Poddah Weavors Basket-makers Mat-makers The lower ranks may not assume the habit or names of the higher Slaves Beggers The reason the Beggers became so base and mean a People They live well Their Contest with the Weavors about dead Cows Incest common among them A Punishment to deliver
prompted to or earnestly solicited for it neglect to do it others delay to do it so long till they have forgotten what they intended Such as these Importunity would prevail upon to disclose their knowledge if fitting Persons were found to Discourse and ask them Questions and to Compile the Answers into a History Of this kind was lately produc'd in High Dutch a History of Greenland by Dr. Fogelius of Hamborough from the Information of Frederick Martin who had made several Voyages to that Place in the doing of which he made use of the Instruction given by the Royal Society 'T is much to be wondred that we should to this Day want a good History of most of our VVest-Indian Plantations Ligon has done well for the Barbadoes and somewhat has been done for the Summer Islands Virginia c. But how far are all these short even of the knowledge of these and other Places of the VVest-Indies which may be obtain'd from divers knowing Planters now Residing in London And how easie were it to obtain what is Defective from some Ingenious Persons now Resident upon the Places if some way were found to gratifie them for their Performances However till such be found 't is to be hoped that the kind Acceptance only the Publick shall give to this present Work may excite several other Ingenuous and knowing Men to follow this Generous Example of Captain Knox who though he could bring away nothing almost upon his Back or in his Purse did yet Transport the whole Kingdom of Cande Uda in his Head and by Writing and Publishing this his Knowledge has freely given it to his Countrey and to You Reader in particular 'T was not I confess without the earnest Solicitations and Endeavours of my self and some others of his Friends obtain'd from him but this uneasiness of parting with it was not for want of Generosity and Freedom enough in Communicating whatever he knew or had observed but from that usual Prejudice of Modesty and too mean an Opinion of his own Knowledge and Abiâ—â—ties of doing any thing should be worthy the view of the Publick And had he found leisure to Compose it he could have filled a much greater Volume with useful and pertinent as well as unusual and strange Observations He could have inrich't it with a more particular Description of many of their curious Plants Fruits Birds Fishes Insects Minerals Stones and told you many more of the Medicinal and other uses of them in Trades and Manufactures He could have given you a compleat Dictionary of their Language understanding and speaking it as well as his Mother Tongue But his Occasions would not permit him to do more at present Yet the Civil Usage this his First-born meets with among his Countreymen may 'tis hoped oblige him to gratifie them with further Discoveries and Observations in his future Travels To conclude He has in this History given you a tast of his Observations In which most Readers though of very differing Gusts may find somewhat very pleasant to their Pallat. The Statesman Divine Physitian Lawyet Merchant Mechanick Husbandman may select something for their Entertainment The Philosopher and Historian much more I believe at least all that love Truth will be pleas'd for from that little Conversation I had with him I conceive him to be no ways prejudiced or byassed by Interest affection or hatred fear or hopes or the vain-glory of telling Strange Things so as to make him swarve from the truth of Matter of Fact And for his opportunity of being informed any one may satisfie himself when he understands his almost 20 years Abode and Converse among them His Skill in the Language and Customs of the People his way of Employment in Travelling and Trading over all Parts of the Kingdom add to this his Breeding till 19 years of Age under his Father a Captain for the East-India Company and his own Natural and acquired parts but above all his good Reputation which may be judged from the Employment That Worshipful Company have now freely bestowed upon him having made him Commander of the Tarquin Merchant and intrusted him to undertake a Voyage to Tarquin Read therefore the Book it self and you will find your self taken Captive indeed but used more kindly by the Author than he himself was by the Natives After a general view of the Sea Coasts he will lead you into the Country by the Watches through the Thorney Gates then Conduct you round upon the Mountains that Encompass and Fortifie the whole Kingdom and by the way carry you to the top of Hommalet or Adam's Peak from those he will descend with you and shew you their chief Cities and Towns and pass through them into the Countrey and there acquaint you with their Husbandry then entertain you with the Fruits Flowers Herbs Roots Plants and Trees and by the way shelter you from Sun and Rain with a Fan made of the Talipat-Leaf Then shew you their Beasts Birds Fish Serpents Insects and last of all their Commodities From hence he will carry you to Court and shew you the King in the several Estates of his Life and acquaint you with his way of Governing Revenues Treasures Officers Governors Military Strength Wars and by the way entertain you with an account of the late Rebellion against him After which he will bring you acquainted with the Inhabitants themselves whence you may know their different Humours Ranks and Qualities Then you may visit their Temples such as they are and see the Foppery of their Priests Religious Opinions and Practices both in their Worship and Festivals and afterwards go home to their Houses and be acquainted with their Conversation and Entertainment see their Housewifery Furniture Finery and understand how they Breed and Dispose of their Children in Marriage and in what Employments and Recreations they pass their time Then you may acquaint your self with their Language Learning Laws and if you please with their Magick Iugling And last of all with their Diseases Sickness Death and manner of Burial After which he will give you a full account of the Reason of his own Going to and Detainment in the Island of Ceylon and Kingdom of Conde-Uda And of all his various Conditions and the Accidents that befel him there during Nineteen years and an halfs abode among them And by what ways and means at last he made his Escape and Returned safe into England in September last 1680. Aug. 1. 1681. Robert Hooke To the Right Worshipful Sir William Thomson Knight Governor Thomas Papillon Esquire Deputy and the 24 Committees of the Honorable EAST-INDIA Company hereunder Specified Viz. The Right Honorable George Earl of Berkley The Right Honorable Iames Lord Chandois Sir Matthew Andrews Knight Sir Iohn Bancks Baronet Sir Samuel Barnardiston Baronet Mr. Christopher Boone Iohn Bathurst Esquire Sir Iosia Child Baronet Mr. Thomas Canham Collonel Iohn Clerk Sir Iames Edwards Knight Mr. Ioseph Herne Richard Hutchinson Esquire Iames Hublon Esquire Sir Iohn Lethieullier
above two â—oot in bigness but built upon a Pillar three or â—our â—oot from the ground wherein they do place certain Image of the Buddou that they may have him near them and to testifie their love and service to him Which they do by lighting up candles and lamps in his house and laying â—lowers every morning before him And at some times they boyl victuals and lay it before him And the more they perform such ceremonious service to him here the more shall be their ward hereafter All blessings and good success they say come from the hand of God but sickness and diseases proceed from the Devil not that of himself he hath such absolute power but as servants have power licence and authority from their Masters so they from God But the Gods will require some to wait at their Altars and the Temples men to oâ—â—iciate in them their Priests therefore fall under the next consideration Oâ— these there are three sorts according to the three differences of Gods among them And their Temples are also called by three different names The first and highest order of Priests are the Tirinanxes Who are the Priests of the Buddou God Their Temples are styled Vehars There is a religious house in the City of Digligy where they dwell and assemble and consult together about their affairs which being the meeting place of such holy men they call it a Vihar also they admit none to come into their order but persons of the most noble birth and that have learning and be well bred of such they admit many But they do not presently upon their admission arrive unto the high degree of a Tirinanx For of these there are but three or four and they are chose out of all the rest of the order unto this degree These Tirinanxes only live in the Vihar and enjoy great Revenues and are as it were the Superiors of all the Priests and are made by the King Many of the Vehars are endowed and have Farms belonging to them And these Tirinanxes are the Landlords unto whom the Tenants come at a certain time and pay in their Rents These Farmers live the easiest of any people in the Land for they have nothing to do but at those set times to bring in their dues and so depart and to keep in repair certain little Vehars in the Countrey So that the rest of the Chingulais envy them and say of them Though they live easy in this world they cannot escape unpunished in the life to come for enjoying the Buddou's land and doing him so little service for it All the rest of the order are called Gonni The habit is the same to the whole order both Tirinanxes and Gonni It is a yellow coat gathered together about their wast and comes over their left shoulder girt about with a belt of fine pack-thread Their heads are shaved and they go bare-headed and carry in their hands a round fan with a wooden handle which is to keep the sun off ther hands They have great benefit and honour They enjoy their own lands without paying scot or lot or any Taxes to the King They are honoured in such a measure that the people where ever they go bow down to them as they do to their Gods but themselves bow to none They have the honour of carrying the Tallipot with the broad end over their heads foremost which none but the King does Wheresoever they come they have a mat and a white cloth laid over upon a stool for them to sit upon which is also an honour used only to the King They are debarred from laying their hands to any manner of work and may not marry nor touch women nor eat but one meal a day unless it be fruit and rice and water that they may eat morning and evening nor must they drink wine They will eat any lawful flesh that is dressed for them but they will have no hand in the death of it as to give order or consent to the killing of it They may lay down their order if they please which some do that they may marry This is done by pulling off their coat and flinging it into a River and washing themselves head and body and then they become like other lay-men A Tirinanxy or Cheif Preist Some of these Priests against whom the King took displeasureâ— were beheaded afterwards cast into the River Which thing caused amazement in all the people how the King durst presume to do it towards such holy and reverend persons And none hereâ—oâ—ore by any â—ormer Kings have ever been so servedâ— being reputed and called Sons of Boddon But the reason the King â—lew them was because they conspired in the Rebellion They threw aside their Habits and got their swords by their sides The second order of Priests are those called â—eppuâ—â— Who are the Priestâ— that belong to the Temples of the other Gods Their Temples are called â—â—walâ— These are not distinguished by any haâ—bit from the rest of the People no nor when they are at their worship only they wear clean cloths and wash themselves before they go to their service These are taken out from among the Hondrewâ— They enjoy a piece of Land that belongs to the â—ewal where they officiate and that is all their benefit unless they steal somewhat that is dedicated to the Gods They follow their Husbandry and employments as other men do but only when the times of worship are which usually is every morning and evening oftner or seldomer according as the Revenue will hold out that belongs to that Templeâ— whereof each is Priest The service is that when the boyled rice and other vicâ—uals are brought to the Temple door by others he takes it and presents it before the Idol Whence after it hath â—â—ood a while he brings it out again and then the drummers pipers and other servants that belong to the Temple eat it These Gods have never any flesh brought in sacrifice to them but any thing else The third order of Priests are the Iaddeâ—es Priests of the Spirits which they call Dayaâ—taus Their Temples are called Coâ—els â— which are inâ—erior to the other Temples and have no revenues belonging to them A man piously disposed builds a small house at his own chargeâ— which is the Temple and himself becomes Priest thereof Therein are Bills and Swords and Arrows and Shields and Images painted upon the walls like â—ierce men This house is seldom called Gods house but most usually Iacco the Devils Upon some extradinary festival to the Iacco the Iaddese shaveâ— off all his heard When they are sick they dedicate a red Coâ—k to the Devil Which they do after this manner They send for the Iaddese to their house and give him a red Cock chicken which he takes up in his hand and holds an Arrow with it and dedicates it to the God by telling him that if he restore the party to his health
might follow suddenly dispatched and carried all what he had plundered out of the Pagods with him to Columba and stole one of the King's Elephants to carry it upon Wherâ— being arrived he declares himself to be Son of the King of Mautoly who was elder Brother to this King that now is and for fear of whom he fled to Columba being at that time when the Portugals had it who sent him to Goa where he died This being noised abroad that he was a Prince made the People flock faster to him than before Which changed both his heart and behaviour from a Priest to a King Insomuch that the Dutch began to be in doubt what this might grow to Who to prevent the worst set a watch over him which he not liking of took the advantage of the night and fled with all his Followers and Attendance up to the King again and came to the same place where he lay before No sooner had the King notice of his arrival but immediately he dispatched five of his greatest Commanders with their Soldiers to catch him and to bring him up to him Which they did laying both him and all his followers in Chains The King commanded to keep him in a certain Pagoda of the Chingulayes until the matter were examined the People in general much lamenting him tho not able to help The chief of their Church-men viz. their Gonni-nancies were all commanded to make their Personal appearance at Court Which all thought was to see the Prince or Priest should have a legal Trial. But in the mean time the King commanded to cut him in four quarters and hang them in places which he appointed Which was done Nevertheless the Vulgar People to this day do honour and adore the name memorial of the nameless God With which if he could have been content and not have gone about to usurp the Crown the King so little regarding Religion he might have lived to dye a natural death These people do firmly believe a resurrection of the body and the Immortality of Souls and a future State Upon which account they will worship their Ancestors They do beleive that those they call Gods are the spirits of men that formerly have lived upon the earth They hold that in the other world those that are good men tho they be poor and mean in this world yet there they shall become high and eminent and that wicked men shall be turned into beasts There is a Spider among them that breeds an Egg which she carries under her belly 't is as wide as a groat and bigger then the body of the Spider This egg is full of young Spiders that breed there it hangs under her belly wheresoever she goes and as their young ones grow to bigness they eat up the old one Now the Chingulayes say that disobedient children shall become Spiders in the other world and their young ones shall eat them up They hold that every mans good or bad Fortune was predetermined by God before he was born according to an usual Proverb they have Ollua cottaula tiana It is written in the head They reckon the chief poynts of goodness to consist in giving to the Priests in making Pudgiahs sacrifices to their Gods in forbearing shedding the blood of any creature which to do they call Pau boi a great sin and in abstaining from eating any flesh at all because they would not have any hand or any thing to do in killing any living thing They reckon Herbs and Plants more innocent food It is religion also to sweep under the Bogaha or God-Tree and keep it clean It is accounted religion to be just and sober and chast and true and to be endowed with other vertues as we do account it They give to the poor out of a Principle of Charity which they extend to forraigners as well as to their own Country-men But of every measure of rice they boyl in their houses for their families they will take out an handful as much as they can gripe and put into a bag and keep it by it self which they call Mitta-haul And this they give and distribute to such poor as they please or as come to their doors Nor are they charitable only to the poor of their own Nation but as I said to others and particularly to the Moorish beggars who are Mahometans by religion These have a Temple in Cande A certain former king gave this Temple this Priviledg that every Free holder should contribute a Ponnam to it And these Moors go to every house in the land to receive it And if the house be shut they have power to break it open and to take out of goods to the value of it They come very confidently when they beg and they say they come to fulfill the peoples charity And the people do liberrally releive them for charity sake There is only one County in the Land viz. Dolusbaâ—g that pays not the aforesaid duty to the Moors Temple And the reason is that when they came first thither to demand it the Inhabitants beat them away For which act they are free from the payment of that Ponnam and have also another priviledg granted them for the same That they pay no Marral or Harriots to the King as other Countreys do These Moors Pilgrims have many pieces of Land given them by well disposed persons out of charity where they build houses and live And this land becomes theirs from generation to generation for ever They lay Flowers out of religion before their Images every morning and evening for which Images they build little Chappels in their yards as we said before They carry beads in their hands on strings and say so many prayers as they go Which custom in all probability they borrowed of the Portugueze They love a man that makes conscience of his ways Which makes them respect Christians more than any others because they think they are just and will not lye And thus we have finished our discourse of their Religion CHAP. VI. Concerning their Houses Diet Housewifry Salutation Apparel HAving already treated of their Religion we now come to their secular concerns And first we will lead you into their houses and shew you how they live Their Houses are small low thatched Cottages built with sticks daubed with clay the walls made very smooth For they are not permitted to build their houses above one story high neither may they cover with tiles nor whiten their walls with lime but there is a Clay which is as white and that they use sometimes They employ no Carpenters or house-builders unless some few noble-men but each one buildeth his own dwelling In building whereof there is not so much as a nail used but instead of them every thing which might be nailed is tyed with rattans and other strings which grow in the woods in abundance whence the builder hath his Timber for cutting The Country being warm many
to the rest of our Country-men and see how they do They reckoning themselves in for their Lives in order to their future settlement were generally disposed to Marry Concerning which we have had many and sundry disputes among our selves as particularly concerning the lawfulness of matching with Heathens and Idolaters and whether the Chingulays Marriages were any better than living in Whoredome there being no Christian Priests to join them together and it being allowed by their Laws to change their Wives and take others as often as they pleased But these caâ—es we solved for our own advantage after this manner That we were but Flesh and Blood and that it is said It is better to Marry than to burn and that as far as we could see we were cut off from all Marriages any where else even for our Life time and therefore that we must marry with these or with none at all And when the People in Scripture were forbidden to take Wives of Strangers it was then when they might intermarry with their own People and so no necessity lay upon them And that when they could not there are examples in the Old Testament upon Record that they took Wives of the Daughters of the Lands wherein they dwelt These reasons being urged there was none among us that could object ought against them especially if those that were minded to marry Women here did take them for their Wives during their lives as some of them say they do and most of the Women they marry are such as do profess themselves to be Christians As for mine own part however lawful these Marriages might be yet I judged it far more convenient for me to abstain and that it more redounded to my good having always a reviving hope in me that my God had not forsaken me but according to his gracious promise to the Iews in the xxx Chapter of Deuteronomy and the beginning would turn my Captivity and bring me into the Land of my Fathers These and such like meditations together with my Prayers to God kept me from that unequal Yoke of Unbeleivers which several of my Countrey men and fellow Prisoners put themselves under By this time our People having plyed their Business hard had almost knit themselves out of work and now Caps were become a very dead Commodity which was the chief stay they had heretofore to trust to So that now most of them betook themselves to other employments some to Husbandry Plowing Ground and sowing Rice and keeping Cattle others stilled Rack to sell others went about the Countrey a Trading For that which one part of the Land affords is a good Commodity to carry to another that wants it And thus with the help of a little allowance they make a shift to to subsist Most of their Wives spin Cotton yarn which is a great help to them for cloathing and at spare times also knit After this manner by the blessing of God our Nation hath lived and still doth in as good fashion as any other People or Nation whatsoever that are Strangers here or as any of the Natives themselves only the Grandees and Courtiers excepted This I speak to the Praise and Glory of our God who loves the Stranger in giving him Food and Raiment and that hath been pleased to give us Favour and a good Repute in the sight of our Enemies We cannot complain for want of justice in any wrongs we have sustained by the People or that our cause hath been discountenanced but rather we have been favoured above the Natives themselves One of our men happened to be beaten by his Neighbour At which we were all very much concerned taking it as a reproach to our Nation and fearing it might embolden others to do the like by the rest of us Therefore with joint consent we all concluded to go to the Court to complain and to desire satisfaction from the Adigar Which we did Upon this the man who had beat the English man was summoned in to appear before him Who seeing so many of us there and fearing the cause will go very hard with him to make the Iudg his friend gave him a bribe He having received it would have shifted off the Punishment of the Malefactor But we day after day followed him from house to Court and from place to place where-ever he went demanding Iustice and Satisfaction for the wrong we received shewing the black and blew blows upon the English mans shoulders to all the rest of the Noble men at Court He fearing therefore lest the King might be made acquainted herewith was forced tho much against his will to clap the Chingulay in Chains In which condition after he got him he released him not till besides the former fee he had given him another Lately was Richard Varnham taken into the Kings service and held as Honourable an employment as ever any Christian had in my time being Commander of Nine Hundred and Seventy Soldiers and â—et over all the great Guns and besides this several Towns were under him A place of no less Profit than Honour The King gave him an excellent Silver Sword and Halberd the like to which the King never gave to any White man in my time But he had the good luck to die a natural Death For had not that prevented in all probability he should have followed the two English men that served him spoken of before Some years since some of our Nation took up Arms under the King Which happened upon this occasion The Hollanders had a small Fort in the Kings Countrey called Bibligom Fort. This the King minded to take and demolish sent his Army to beseige it But being pretty strong for there were about Ninety Dutch men in it besides a good number of Black Soldiers and four Guns on each point one being in this condition it held out Some of the great men informed the King of several Dutch runnaways in his Land that might be trusted not daring to turn again for fear of the Gallows who might help to reduce the Fort. And that also there were white men of other Nations that had Wives and Children from whom they would not run and these might do him good service Unto this advice the King inclined Whereupon the King made a Declaration to invite the forrain Nations into his Service against Bibligom Fort that he would compel none but such as were willing of their own free accord the King would take it kindly and they should be well rewarded Now thâ—re entred into the Kings Service upon this Expedition some of all Nations both Portugueze Dutch and English about the number oâ— Thirty To all that took Arms he gave to the value of Twenty shillings in money and three pieces of Callico for Cloaths and commanded them to wear Breeches Hats and Doublets a great honour there The King intended a Dutch-man who had been an old Servant to him to be Captain over them all But the Portugueze
for the King Betel-Nuts The Trees The Fruit. The Leaves The Skins and their use The VVood. The profit the Fruit yields Iacks Iombo Other Fruits found in the Woods Fruits common with other parts of India The Tallipot the rare Uses of the Leaf The pith good to eat The Kettule yields a delicious juice The Skin bears strings as strong as wyer The VVood its Nature and Life The Cinnamon-Tree The Bark The VVood. The Leaf The Fruit. The Orula the Fruit good for Physick and Dying This water will brighten rusty Iron and serve instead of Ink. The Dounekaia The Capita Rattans It s Fruit. Canes The Betel Tree The Bo-gauhah or God-Tree Roots for Food The manner of their growing Boyling Herbs Fruits for sawce Europaean Herbs and Plants among them Herbs for Medicine Their Flowers A Flower that serves instead of a Dial. What Beasts the Country produceth Deer no bigger than Hares Other Creatures rare in their kind The way how a Wild Deer was catched Of their Elephants The way of catching Elephants The understanding of Elephants Their Nature The damage they do Their Diseases The Sport they make Ants of divers sorts How these Coddia's come to sting so terribly These Ants a very mischievous sort The curious Buildings of the Vaeos The manner of their death Bees of several kinds Bees thaâ— build on Trees like Birds The people eat the Bees as well as their honey Leaches that ly in the grass and creep on Travellers Legs The remedies they use against them Apes and Monkeys of divers kinds How they catch wild Beasts How they take the Wild Boar. Their Birds Such as will be taught to speak Such as are beautiful foâ— colour A strange Bird. Water-Fowls resembling Ducks and Swans Peacocks The King keeps Fowl Their Fish How they catch them in Ponds Fish kept and fed for the Kings pleasure Serpents The Pimberah of a prodigious bigness The Polongâ— The Noya The Fable of the Noya and Polonga The Carowala Gerende Hickanella A great Spider Kobbera-guion a Creature like an Allegator Tolla-guion The People eat Ratâ— Precious Stones Minerals and other Commodities The People discouâ—aged from Industry by the Tyranny they are under The Government of this Island The King 's Lincage His Person Meen and Habit. His Queenâ— and Children His Palace Situation and Description of it Strong Guards about his Court. Next his own Person Negro's watch Spies sent out a Nights His attendants Handsom women belong to his Kitchinâ— His Women and the Priviledg of the Towns where they live His State when he walks in his Palace or goes abroad His reception of â—â—bassadors His delight 〈◊〉 them Sparing iâ— his Dyet After what manner he Eats Chast himself and requires his Attendants uo bâ— so He â—ommiâ—â—ed Iuâ—â—st but such aâ— waâ— allowable His Pride How the people Address to the King They give him divine worship Pleased with high â—uleâ— An insâ—anâ—â— oâ—â—wo oâ—â—he King'â— haughâ—y 〈…〉 He slighâ—â— the 〈◊〉 of one of hiâ—â—eâ—◠〈◊〉 He 〈…〉 hi◠〈◊〉 â—he Dutâ—h seâ—ve â—heâ—◠〈◊〉 upon hiâ— Pâ—â—de by â—laâ—â—â—â—ing him The people givâ— way â—o the King 's â—â—â—l â—loths Hiâ— natural 〈◊〉 and deceâ—â—â—ul 〈◊〉 His wise saying concerning Runnawayes Naturally cruel The Dogs follow Prisoners to execution The Kings Prisoners their Misery He punishes whole generations for theâ— sake of one The sad condition of young Gentlemen that wait on his Person His Pleasure Houses His Pastimes abroad His Diversion at hâ—mâ— Hâ—s Religion How he stands affected to the Christian Religion His Government Tyrannical His Policy He Farms out his Countrey for Service His Policy to secure himself from Assassination or Rebellion Another point of â—iâ— Policy Another which is to find his People work to do A vast work undertaken and finished by the King The turning this water did great injury to the People But he little regards his Peoples good The King by craft at once both pleased and punishâ—d his People In what labours he employs his People He â—oyâ—onâ— his only Son The extraordinary lamentation at the death of his Sister His câ—afâ— and cruâ—lty shâ—wn at once The King's 〈◊〉 brought three 〈◊〉 in the year The first 〈◊〉 â—ompâ—â—nded with a great Festival How the Nobles being their 〈◊〉 of Dâ—â—â—â—s Inferior Persons present their New-year Gifts What Taxes and Rents the People pay The accidental Incomes of the Crown The Profits that accrue to the King from Corn-Lands Custom of goods imported formerly paâ—d His Treasuriesâ— He has many Elephants Great Treasure thrown into the River formerly The Treasure he most valueth Two greatest Officers in the Land The next great Officers None can put to death but the King These Dissauva's are duâ—ants bene phâ—â—â—â—â— Whom the King makes Dissauva's And their Proâ—â—â—â— and Honours â—he Liannah The Undia The Monnannah Some Towns â—xempt from the Piâ—â—uva's Officers Other Officers 〈◊〉 These places obtained by Bâ—â—â—es But remain only during pleasure Counâ—rey-Courts They may appeal Appeals to the King How thâ—sâ— great Offiâ—ers â—rave upon publick Business Their Titles and Signs of 〈◊〉 The misery that succeeds their Honour The foolish ambition of the Men and Women of this Countrey The King 's Military Aâ—fairs The natural strength of his Countrey Watches and Thorn-gates None to pass from the Kings City without Pasports Their Soldiery All Men of Arms wait at Court The Soldiers have Lands allotted them instead of Pay To prevent the Soldiers from Plotringâ— The manner of sending them out oâ— Expeditionâ— The King requireâ— all the Captains singly to send him intelligence of their Affairs When the War is finished they may not return without order The Condition of the common Soldiers He conceals his purpose when he sends out his Army Great exploits done and but little Courage They work chiefly by Stratagems They understand the manner of Christian Armies They seldom hazzard a battel If they prove unsuccessful how he punishes them A Comet ushered in the Rebellion The intent of the Conspirators How the Rebellion began The King Flyes They pursue him faintly They go to the Prince and Proclaim him King The carriage of the Prince Upon the Princes Flight the Rebells scatter and run A great man declares for the King For eight or ten days nothing but killing one another to approve themselves good Subjects The King poysons his Son to prevent a Rebellion hereafter His ingratitude Another Comet but without any bad effects following it The several Inhabitants of this Island The Original of Chinguluys Wild-men By an acknowledgment to the King How they bespeak Arrows to be made them They violently took away Carriers goods Hourly Vadahs trade with the people One made to serve the King Their habit and Religion A Skirmish about their bounds Curious in their Arrows How they preserve their flesh How they take Elephants The dowrâ—eâ— they give Their disposition A description of a Chingulay Their disposition The Inhabitants of the Mountains differ from those of the Low-lands Their good opinion of Virtue though they practice it not