ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1589. 



countreys are : That this king of Pegu is the mightiest 

 king of men, & the richest that is in these parts of the 

 world : for he bringeth into the field at any time, when 

 he hath warres with other princes, above a million of 

 fighting men : howbeit they be very leane and small 

 people, and are brought unto the field without good 

 Abundance of order. He is lord of the Elephants, and of all the golde 

 golde, silver, an j s il ver mines, and of all the pearles and precious 



^Lll t tn„*, stones: so that he hath the greatest store of treasure 



precious stones . o 



in Pegu. that ever was heard of in these parts. The countrey 



people call him The God of trueth and of justice. I had 

 great conference with this king, and with the head 

 captaine of the Portugals, which is one of the countrey. 

 They demanded of me many questions as touching the 

 law and faith of Jesus Christ, and as touching the Ten 

 Commandements. And the king gave his consent that 

 our Order should build a Church in his countrey, which 

 was halfe builded ; but our perverse and malicious 

 Portugals plucked it downe againe: for whereas it is a 

 countrey wherein our nation gaine very much by their 

 commodities, they fearing that by the building of this 

 Church there would be greater resort thither, and so 

 The great their trade should be impaired, if their great gaines 

 game of the should be knowen unto others then those which found 

 oitugasn t ]^ s countre y out £ rstj therefore they were so unwilling 

 that the building of this Church should goe forward. 

 Our Portugals which are here in this realme are woorse 

 people then the Gentiles. I preached divers times among 

 those heathen people; but being obstinate they say, that 

 as their fathers beleeved so they will beleeve : for if their 

 forefathers went to the divell so they will. Whereupon 

 I returned backe againe to our monastery to certifie our 

 father provinciall of the estate of this New found 

 Pegu the best countrey. It is the best and richest countrey in all this 

 y richest g ast i nc [i a . anc [ ft [ s thought to be richer then China. 



'tfoEast India * am a f ra yd tnat tne warres which his Majesty hath 

 with England will be the utter undoing and spoile of 

 Spaine : for these countreys likewise are almost spoiled 



386 



