CAESAR FREDERICK ad. 



1563-81. 



Cochin is a mile and a halfe up higher in the land, but 

 they are both set on the bankes of one river which is 

 very great and of a good depth of water which river 

 commeth out of the mountaines of the king of the 

 Pepper, which is a king of the Gentiles, in whose king- 

 dome are many Christians of saint Thomas order : the 

 king of Cochin is also a king of the Gentiles and a 

 great faithfull friend to the king of Portugale, and to 

 those Portugales which are married, and are Citizens in 

 the Citie Cochin of the Portugales. And by this name 

 of Portugales throughout all the Indies, they call all 

 the Christians that come out of the West, whether they 

 bee Italians, Frenchmen, or Almaines, and all they that 

 marrie in Cochin do get an office according to the 

 trade he is of: this they have by the great privileges 

 which the Citizens have of that city, because there are 

 two principal commodities that they deale withal in that Great privi- 



place, which are these. The ^reat store of Silke that ^'^'' ^^""^f' 



• citi'ZjCfis or 



commeth from China, and the great store of Sugar Cq^i^i^ f^ave. 



which commeth from Bengala : the married Citizens pay 



not any custome for these two commodities : for all 



other commodities they pay 4. per cento custome to 



the king of Cochin, rating their goods at their owne 



pleasure. Those which are not married and strangers, 



pay in Cochin to the king of Portugale eight per cento 



of all maner of merchandise. I was in Cochin when the 



Viceroy of the king of Portugale wrought what hee 



coulde to breake the privilege of the Citizens, and to 



make them to pay custome as other did : at which time 



the Citizens were glad to waigh their Pepper in the 



night that they laded the ships withall that went to 



Portugale and stole the custome in the night. The 



king of Cochin having understanding of this, would 



not suffer any more Pepper to bee weighed. Then 



presently after this, the marchants were licensed to doe 



as they did before, and there was no more speach of 



this matter, nor any wrong done. This king of Cochin [II. 1. 224.] 



is of a small power in respect of the other kings of 



393 



