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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	great_a	pass_v	time_n	1,706	5	3.1051	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04899	Cochin-China containing many admirable rarities and singularities of that countrey / extracted out of an Italian relation, lately presented to the Pope, by Christophoro Borri, that liued certaine yeeres there ; and published by Robert Ashley.	Borri, Cristoforo, 1583-1632.; Ashley, Robert, 1565-1641.	1633 (1633)	STC 1504.5; ESTC S659	39,255	72

one Ships lading of Aquila is sufficient to inrich a Merchant all his life And the best recompense that the King can giue to a Captaine of Malacca is to trade and traffique with this Aquila by reason that the Brachmans and Banians of India being accustomed to burne the bodies of the dead with this odoriferous wood will quickly dispatch and rid him of an infinite quantity thereof In conclusion there are also in Cochin-China many Mines of the preciousest Metalls and of Gold especially So to comprehend in few words the fertility of this country which meriteth a more larger discourse I will conclude this Chapter with that which the Merchants of Europe that trade thither commonly say That the riches of Cochin-China are greater then those of China it selfe which is knowne to be so exceeding rich and plentifull in all good things CHAP. IIII. Of the Eelphants and Rhinoceros THere are many Elephants in the woods of Cochin-China of which they make no vse because they haue not the skill to catch them and to make them tame but they haue some brought vnto them from a neighbouring countrey called Cambogia which are instructed and disciplined before These are as great againe as the Indian Elephants the print of their foot which they leaue behind them is a foot and halfe in the Diameter The teeth which come out of their mouthes of which Iuorie is made are oft times thirteene sometimes fourteene foot in length but those of the female Elephants are much shorter Whence may easily be coniectured how much greater the Elephants of Cochin-China are then those which are brought into Europe whose teeth are not aboue two foot and a halfe in length They are long liued and thereupon when I once demanded how old one of them was his Conductor answered me that he was threescore yeeres old when he was brought out of Cambogia and had liued fourty yeeres in Cochin-China And because I haue trauelled many times on Elephants in this Kingdome I can report many things of them which will seeme very strange but are neuerthelesse true The Elephant doth ordinarily carry thirteene or foureteene persons who are thus in this manner accommodated Euen as we put Saddles on our Horses so doe they put vpon their Elephants a kind of Engine fashioned like vnto a great Hors-Litter within the which there are foure seates and it is fastned and tied with chaines vnder the belly of the Elephant in like manner as the Saddle is with the Girthes to the Horse This Litter hath two entries or open places on each side in which are bestowed sixe persons being ranked by three and three and another behind wherein two persons are placed and then the Nayre who is as the Coach-man or Conductor placing himselfe on the Head of the Elephant that he may guide and gouerne him It hath not onely happened vnto me to trauell by Land in this manner but many times also by Water passing in this sort ouer some arme of the Sea sometimes more then halfe a league from the Land And to speake trueth it is a maruellous thing to him that neuer saw it to see such a great and huge masse of flesh loaden with so heauy a burden to goe swimming and crossing the waters like a Boate with Oares True it is that he made it sufficiently appeare that he suffered much as well in the paines he tooke to carry the great masse of his body as for his difficulty of breathing Insomuch that to ease and refresh himselfe in this great trauell he tooke vp the water in his trunke and cast it vp so high in the aire that one might haue thought it had beene some Whale of the Sea By reason of his great corpulency it is an extreame difficulty for him to bow downe and although he must needs doe it for the commoditie of those that are to goe out or enter into the Litter yet he neuer doth it but when the Nayre commandeth him and if whiles he is so bowed downe any make too long stay either in complying with friends or otherwise he raiseth himselfe on his feet with impatience to remaine so long in such a violent posture It is no lesse wonder to see how at the commandment of the Nayre he maketh his body in manner of a Ladder for the greater commodity of those that are to enter into the Litter For the first step he offereth his Foot which is distant enough from ground for the second he presenteth his Pasterne at a conuenient distance from the first and for the third he boweth his Knee the fourth step is on the bone of his Flanke which is cast somewhat outward for the purpose and from thence he receiueth you on his trunke and carrieth you to a chaine fastned to his Litter Hereby euidently appeareth how much they haue bin deceiued who haue written that the Elefant could neither bow himselfe nor lie downe and that the only way to take him was to cut the tree against which he was to leane when he went to sleepe because that by the fall of that tree which was to sustaine and support him he must of force fall downe without any ability to raise himselfe againe by which meanes he should be an assured prey to the Hunter that pursued him All this is but a fable although it be out of doubt that he neuer lieth downe to sleepe that Situation being so incommodious and violent for him as hath beene expressed and therefore hee sleepeth alwayes standing with a continuall agitation of his head In occasion of Warre and Battaile they take off the couering of the Litter wherehence as out of a Tower the Souldiers fight with Arrowes and Muskets and sometimes also with Field-pieces the Elephant hauing strength enough to cary them For this beast is exceeding strong and hath not his like I haue seene one my selfe cary excessiue burdens on his trunk Another that lifted vp a great piece of Artillery Another alone to draw ten small Boats one after another taking them betweene his Teeth with great dexterity and casting them into the Sea I haue seene others pull vp great Trees by the rootes as easily as a man would pull vp a Colewort or a Lettice With as much facilitie they will throw downe and ouerturne Houses beat downe whole Streetes when they are commanded in the Warres to endammage the enemie and in Peace when a House is on fire that it take not hold of the rest The trunke of the Elephant is long proportionally to the rest of his body so that without stooping or bowing downe he can easily reach from the ground what hee list It is composed of many little nerues bound and linked one vnto the other in such sort that on the one side it is so flexible and maniable that he extendeth and turneth it as he list to receiue any the least things and on the other side it is therewithall as hard and strong as we haue said His whole body is couered with a hard and

Moneths Iune Iuly and August it be there very hot as in a Countrey seated vnder the Torrid Zone and hauing the Sun in those moneths in the highest point of eleuation ouer their heads Yet in September October and Nouember being their Autumne the heat ceaseth and the Aire is very temperate by reason of the continuall raines which doe ordinarily fall at those times on the Mountaines of the Kemois from whence there come waters in such abundance that they ouerflow all the Countrey and ioyning themselues with the sea they seeme to be one selfe thing therewith Moreouer these Inundations of waters come commonly once in a fortnight continuing about three dayes together The benefit that commeth thereby is not only the refreshing of the Aire but also the fatning of the earth making it more fruitfull and abundant in all things and especially in Rice which is the best Manna and the commonest nourishment of all the Kingdome In the other three moneths of Winter which are December Ianuary and February the Northerly windes bring such cold raines that thereby they sufficiently distinguish Winter from their other seasons of the yeere Finally in the Moneths of March Aprill and May there are seene the effects of a pleasant spring-time all being greene and flourishing amongst them Hauing thus declared these Inundations I must also acquaint you with some particular curiosities and remarkable obseruations thereof before I conclude this Chapter The first shall be that they are generally desired of all men nor onely because the Aire is refreshed by them becōming more ●●de● and pleasant but much more in regard of the fruitfulnesse which they cause in the Earth Whereupon as soone as they see them the pleasure and contentment they haue is such and so great that they make it sufficiently appeare by their visiting feasting and presenting one the other crying oft for ioy and all repeating and reiterating Daden Lut Daden Lut which signifieth the Water is come the Water is already come Insomuch that there is none amongst them of what degree or qualitie soeuer but Feasteth and reioyceth Yea euen the King himselfe Yet in as much as these inundations come so suddenly and sometime so vnexpected that when in the Euening they thought not of them they find themselues in the Morning inuested on all sides and shut vp in their houses and that throughout all the Countrey it falls out now and then that they loose their Cattell that haue not had the leisure to retire and withdraw them for refuge into the hills and higher places In regard whereof there is a constitution in the Kingdome that those Beeues Goats Hoggs and other beasts which are drownd in these deluges shall no longer belong to the proprietarie and owner of them but shal be his that first seifeth on them which custome occasioneth good sport amongst them in regard that when the water commeth they betake themselues to their Boates in quest of such drowned cattell with which they afterwards make merry and feast their friends The young Children haue also their playes and pastimes according to their age by reason that these great plaines couered ouer with Rice abounding likewise with Rats and Mice they are forced by the water which hath filled their holes to saue themselues by swimming and to climbe vpon the tres for refuge by meanes whereof the trees are loden with Rats and Mice in lieu of leaues and fruits Therupon the boyes get themselues into boates by bands betaking themselues to the shaking of the trees dismounting those Rats and Mice drowning them in the water of which their childish disport there commeth a great good to the Land which by such meanes remaineth the more cleered and freed of this vermine which otherwise by little and little would much waste and spoile their fields The last commodity yet not the least which the Lut bringeth is that euery one thereby furnisheth and prouideth his house the better of all necessaries for in three dayes it maketh all the countrey nauigable euery where with such ease and facilitie that there is nothing but may easily bee conueyed from one Towne to another in regard whereof they keepe all their Faires and great Markets at these times when the concourse is alwayes greater then at any other time of the yeere In those dayes also they make their prouision of wood for their firing and for Building which they bring from the Mountaines in their Boates that passe easily through the streetes euen into their Houses which for the purpose are mounted on ranckes of pillars raised very high to giue the water a free entrance and issue euery one retiring meane time into the vppermost story of his House Vnto which the water which cannot bee sufficiently admired the Lut or Inundation neuer mounteth for they take their measure so well through long experience of the height of the waters that they haue no feare thereof being well assured that the waters will alwayes remaine below their Buildings CHAP. III. Of the Fertility of the Land ALbeit one may easily iudge of the fruitfulnes of Cochin-China by the profit which the Lut bringeth as hath beene said yet somewhat may bee said in particular The Land becommeth so fat and so fruitfull by this Lut or ouerflowing that thrice euery yeere they gather their Rice and that in such great quantity and aboundance that there is none will labour for his liuing euery one hauing plentiously whereon to liue The plenty and the variety of fruits is great all the yeere long of as many seuerall sorts as there are in India for Cochin-China lieth in the same Climate Yet in particular it hath fairer and greater Oranges then we haue in Europe and those very succulent the rinde of them being so soft so tender and so sauoury that it is as vsually eaten as the inside which is of as pleasing a relish and taste as the Limons of Italy There are also certaine fruits which the Portugals call Bananes and others terme them Indian Figgs but with no great reason in my opinion seeing neither the tree which in India is called the figtree nor yet that of Cochin-China hath any resemblance of our figtree either in the wood or in the fruit The tree is like that plant which wee call Turkie-wheat though much higher and the leaues so long and broad that two of them will serue to couer a man from the top to the toe and so compasse him round about which haply made some to be of opinion that this was the tree of the terrestriall Paradise with the leaues whereof Adam sought to couer his nakednesse This tree beareth a grape at the top of twenty thirty or fourty together in a cluster euery of which in his shape as also in his length and greatnesse resembleth the common Citrons of Italy When the fruit is not ripe the rinde is greene of colour and groweth yellow afterward as the Citrons doe One shall not neede a knife to open and to pill this fruit for the