the women do 

 so burne 

 themselves. 



AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1563-81. 



great man, his wife with all his slaves with whom hee 



[II. i. 221.] hath had carnall copulation, burne themselves together 

 with him. Also in this kingdome I have seene amongst 

 the base sort of people this use and order, that the man 

 being dead, hee is carried to the place where they will 

 make his sepulchre, and setting him as it were upright, 

 then commeth his wife before him on her knees, casting 

 her armes about his necke, with imbracing and clasping 

 him, untill such time as the Masons have made a wall 

 round about them, and when the wall is as high as 

 their neckes, there commeth a man behinde the woman 

 and strangleth her : then when she is dead, the worke- 

 men finish the wall over their heads, and so they lie 

 buried both together. Besides these, there are an infinite 

 number of beastly qualities amongst them, of which I 



The cause why have no desire to write. I was desirous to know the 

 cause why these women would so wilfully burne them- 

 selves against nature and law, and it was told mee that 

 this law was of an ancient time, to make provision against 

 the slaughters which women made of their husbands. 

 For in those dayes before this law was made, the women 

 for every little displeasure that their husbands had done 

 unto them, would presently poison their husbands, and 

 take other men, and now by reason of this law they 

 are more faithfull unto their husbands, and count their 

 lives as deare as their owne, because that after his death 

 her owne followeth presently. 



In the yeere of our Lord God 1567, for the ill 

 successe that the people of Bezeneger had, in that their 

 City was sacked by the foure kings, the king with his 

 Court went to dwell in a castle eight dayes journey up 

 in the land from Bezeneger, called Penegonde. Also 

 sixe dayes journey from Bezeneger, is the place where 

 they get Diamants : I was not there, but it was tolde 

 me that it is a great place, compassed with a wall, and 

 that they sell the earth within the wall, for so much a 

 squadron, and the limits are set how deepe or how low 

 they shall digge. Those Diamants that are of a certaine 



386 



Penegonde. 



