CAESAR FREDERICK ad. 



1563-81. 



thereof are the fayrest that I have seene, they are as 

 streight as a line from one gate to another, and standing 

 at the one gate you may discover to the other, and they 

 are as broad as 10 or 12 men may ride a breast in them : 

 and those streetes that be thwart are faire and large, these 

 streetes, both on the one side and on the other, are 

 planted at the doores of the houses, with nut trees of 

 India, which make a very commodious shadowe, the 

 houses be made of wood and covered with a kind of 

 tiles in forme of cups, very necessary for their use, the 

 kings palace is in the middle of the citie, made in forme A rich and 

 of a walled castle, with ditches full of water round about ^^^^^h P^^^'^^- 

 it, the lodgings within are made of wood all over gilded, 

 with fine pinacles, and very costly worke, covered with 

 plates of golde. Truely it may be a kings house: within 

 the gate there is a faire large court, from the one side 

 to the other, wherein there are made places for the 

 strongest and stoutest Eliphants appointed for the service 

 of the kings person, and amongst all other Eliphants, he 

 hath foure that be white, a thing so rare that a man shall ^'^^f^^ ^^^^^ 

 hardly finde another king that hath any such, and if this ^^ ^^ ^' 

 king knowe any other that hath white Eliphantes, he 

 sendeth for them as for a gift. The time that I was 

 there, there were two brought out of a farre Countrey, 

 and that cost me something the sight of them, for they ^]\^f^^^ 

 commaund the marchants to goe to see them, and then ^^ ^^/^ ^ 

 they must give somewhat to the men that bring them : duckat which 

 the brokers of the marchants give for every man halfe may be three 

 a duckat, which they call a Tansa, which amounteth to ^^'^^^^^^K^ ^ 

 a great summe, for the number of merchants that are in -^ ^ 

 that citie ; and when they have payde the aforesayde Tansa, 

 they make chuse whether they will see them at that time 

 or no, because that when they are in the kings stall, every 

 man may see them that will : but at that time they must 

 goe and see them, for it is the kings pleasure it should 

 be so. This King amongst all other his titles, is called 

 the King of the white Eliphants, and it is reported that 

 if this king knewe any other king that had any of these 



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