RALPH FITCH ad. 



1583-91. 

 people goe to the sea to robbe & steale. Their chiefe 

 captaine is called Cogi Alii ; he hath three castles under 

 him. When the Portugals complaine to the king, he 

 sayth he doth not send them out : but he consenteth 

 that they go. They range all the coast from Ceylon 

 to Goa, and go by foure or five parowes or boats 

 together ; and have in every one of them fifty or 

 threescore men, and boord presently. They do much 

 harme on that coast, and take every yere many foists 

 and boats of the Portugals. Many of these people be 

 Moores. This kings countrey beginneth twelve leagues 

 from Cochin, and reacheth neere unto Goa. I remained 

 in Cochin untill the second of November, which was 

 eight moneths ; for that there was no passage that went 

 away in all that time : if I had come two dayes sooner 

 I had found a passage presently. From Cochin I went 

 to Goa, where I remained three dayes. From Cochin Goa. 

 to Goa is an hundred leagues. From Goa I went to 

 Chaul, which is threescore leagues, where I remained Ckau/. 

 three and twenty dayes : and there making my pro- 

 vision of things necessary for the shippe, from thence I 

 departed to Ormus ; where I stayed for a passage to Ormus. 

 Balsara fifty dayes. From Goa to Ormus is foure 

 hundred leagues. 



Here I thought good, before I make an end of this 

 my booke, to declare some things which India and the 

 countrey farther Eastward do bring forth. 



The pepper groweth in many parts of India, espe- [^^- ^- ^^5- 

 cially about Cochin: and much of it doeth grow in ^ P^PP^r 

 the fields among the bushes without any labour : and 

 when it is ripe they go and gather it. The shrubbe 

 is like unto our ivy tree : and if it did not run about 

 some tree or pole, it would fall downe and rot. When 

 they first gather it, it is greene ; and then they lay it 

 in the Sun, and it becommeth blacke. 



The ginger groweth like unto our garlike, and the Ginger. 

 root is the ginger : it is to be found in many parts of 

 India. 



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