A.D. 



1563-81, 



A painted 

 kind of cloth 

 y died 

 of divers 

 colours which 

 those people de- 

 light much in^ 

 and esteeme 

 them of great 

 price. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



and great trade : there come every yeere two or three 

 great ships very rich, besides many other small ships : 

 one of the two great ships goeth for Pegu, and the other 

 for Malacca, laden with fine Bumbast cloth of every sort, 

 painted, which is a rare thing, because those kinde of 

 clothes shew as they were gilded with divers colours, and 

 the more they be washed, the livelier the colours will 

 shew. Also there is other cloth of Bumbast which is 

 woven with divers colours, and is of great value : also 

 they make in Sant Tome great store of red Yarne, which 

 they die with a roote called Saia, and this colour will 

 never waste, but the more it is washed, the more redder 

 it will shew : they lade this yarne the greatest part of it 

 for Pegu, because that there they worke and weave it 

 to make cloth according to their owne fashion, and with 

 lesser charges. It is a marvelous thing to them which 

 have not seene the lading and unlading of men and 

 merchandize in S. Tome as they do : it is a place so 

 dangerous, that a man cannot bee served with small 

 barkes, neither can they doe their businesse with the 

 boates of the shippes, because they would be beaten in 

 a thousand pieces, but they make certaine barkes (of 

 purpose) high, which they call Masadie, they be made 

 of litle boards ; one board being sowed to another vv^ith 

 small cordes, and in this order are they made. And 

 when they are thus made, and the owners will embarke 

 any thing in them, either men or goods, they lade them 

 on land, and when they are laden, the Barke-men thrust 

 the boate with her lading into the streame, and with 

 great speed they make haste all that they are able to 

 rowe out against the huge waves of the sea that are on 

 that shore, untill that they carie them to the ships : and 

 in like maner they lade these Masadies at the shippes 

 with merchandise and men. When they come neere the 

 shore, the Barke-men leap out of the Barke into the Sea 

 to keepe the Barke right that she cast not thwart the 

 shore, and being kept right, the Suffe of the Sea setteth 

 her lading dry on land without any hurt or danger, and 



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