RALPH FITCH 



, for they be so great 

 they stand in foure 



themselves gilded all 

 shew like a blacke 



r of their ima; 



are 



the same place where they do stand 

 that they be not to be remooved : 

 houses gilded very faire, and are 

 over save their heads, and they 

 Morian. Their expences in gildin^ ^ 



wonderfull. The king hath one wife and above three 

 hundred concubines, by which they say he hath foure- 

 score or fourescore and ten children. He sitteth in 

 judgement almost every day. They use no speech, but 

 give up their supplications written in the leaves of a tree 

 with the point of an yron bigger then a bodkin. These 

 leaves are an elle long, and about two inches broad ; they 

 are also double. He which giveth in his supplication, 

 doth stand in a place a little distance off with a present. 

 If his matter be liked of, the king accepteth of his 

 present, and granteth his request : if his sute be not 

 liked of, he returneth with his present ; for the king 

 will not take it. 



In India there are few commodities which serve for 



Pegu, except Opium of Cambaia, painted cloth of S. 

 Thome, or of Masulipatan, and white cloth of Bengala, 

 which is spent there in great quantity. They bring 

 thither also much cotton, yarne red coloured with a root 

 which they called Saia, which will never lose his colour : 

 it is very wel solde here, and very much of it commeth 

 yerely to Pegu. By your mony you lose much. The 

 ships which come from Bengala, S. Thome, and Masu- 

 lipatan, come to the bar of Nigrais and to Cosmin. To 

 Martavan a port of the sea in the kingdome of Pegu 

 come many ships from Malacca laden with Sandall, Por- 

 celanes, and other wares of China, and with Camphora 



from 



of Borneo, and Pepper from Achen in Sumatra. 

 Cirion a port of Pegu come ships from Mecca 

 woollen cloth. Scarlets, Velvets, Opium, and such 

 There are in Pegu eight Brokers, whom they 



To 



with 

 like, 

 call 

 Tareghe, which are bound to sell your goods at the 

 price which they be woorth, and you give them for their 

 labour two in the hundred : and they be bound to make 



491 



A.D. 

 1583-9 



Paper of the 

 leaves of a 

 tree. 



An excellent 

 colour with a 

 root called 

 Saia. 



Woollen cloth 

 and scarlets 

 solde in 



