ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



c. 1565. 



at his necke one handfull broad, in length reaching downe 

 to his knees, cleft in two parts, and with a hole one 

 handfull downeward in the table fit for his necke, the 

 which they inclose up therein, nailing the boord fast 

 together ; one handfull of the boord standeth up behinde 

 in the necke : The sentence and cause wherefore the 

 fellon was condemned to die, is written in that part of 

 the table that standeth before. 



This ceremony ended, he is laid in a great prison in 

 the company of some other condemned persons, the 

 which are found by the king as long as they do live. 

 The bord aforesaid so made tormenteth the prisoners 

 very much, keeping them both from rest, & eke 

 letting them to eat commodiously, their hands being 

 manacled in irons under that boord, so that in fine there 



[II. ii. 74.] is no remedy but death. In the chiefe Cities of every 

 shire, as we have erst said, there be foure principall 

 houses, in ech of them a prison : but in one of them, 

 where the Taissu maketh his abode, there is a greater 

 and a more principal prison then in any of the rest : 

 and although in every City there be many, neverthelesse 

 in three of them remaine onely such as be condemned 

 to die. Their death is much prolonged, for that ordinarily 

 there is no execution done but once a yeere, though many 

 die for hunger and cold, as we have seene in this prison. 

 Execution is done in this maner. The Chian, to wit, 

 the high Commissioner or Lord chiefe Justice, at the 

 yeres end goeth to the head City, where he heareth againe 

 the causes of such as be condemned. Many times he 

 delivereth some of them, declaring ye boord to have bene 

 wrongfully put about their necks : the visitation ended, 

 he choseth out seven or eight, not many more or lesse 

 of the greatest malefactors, the which, to feare and keepe 

 in awe the people, are brought into a great market place, 

 where all the great Louteas meete together, and after 

 many ceremonies and superstitions, as the use of the 

 Countrey is, are beheaded. This is done once a yeere : 

 who so escapeth that day, may be sure that he shall not 



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