5 o 6 The V O Y 
Stiltans, i. t. Kings, though their Authority is not much 
extended in confequence of their new Tides, There is one 
of them who is particularly called the Company's Sultan , 
becaufe he is always attached to the Dutch Intereft. To 
fay the Truth, they might be all four very properly called 
the Company's Sultans , fince they are under her Protection, 
and are delivered from all Apprehenfions from the King of 
Bantam ; who was heretofore continually at War with them, 
and had undoubtedly reduced them under his Subjection, 
if the Company had not affifted them, and driven the 
Bantamefe out of their Territories. Thefe Princes have, 
fince that time, as well out of Gratitude for Favours paft, 
as in Expectation of conftant Protection for the Time to 
come, granted the Company great Privileges in their Do- 
minions j amongft the reft, that of ereCting a Fort at 
Cherihon , where they have a Garilbn of fixty Men, as 
well as a FaCtory, very well fituated, and in perfeCt good 
Order. 
About half a League from this Fort are the Tombs of 
the Princes of Cherihon , in a vaft Temple, ereCted pro- 
bably for that Purpofe : They are three Stories high, and 
are built of various Kinds of fine Stones. It is faid, that 
thele Tombs contain immenfe Riches, which, though left 
unguarded, the Princes are in no Apprehenfion fhould be 
carried away, from a Perfuafion, that they are protected 
in fome fupernatural Way •, and they report many Inftances 
of Perfcns who have dropped down dead on approaching 
the Places, where thole Riches are hid, with a thievilh 
Intent. There are many People who believe, that the 
Javanefe Priefts, who are Mohammedans , have a Power of 
cauling fudden Death by their Inchantments : Our Author 
intimates fome Doubt of this, and yet tells us fome very 
odd Stories, of his own Knowledge ; ftich as, that thefe 
Priefts are able to inchant Crocodiles and Serpents, making 
the former go in and out of the Water at their Pleafure •, 
and the latter remain in what Pofture they pleafe. If this 
was really the Effed of any fupernatural Power, and not 
produced by fome natural Caufe, concealed by the Priefts 
Ifom the People, one would think they might have de- 
livered their Princes from the Bantamefe , without leaving 
them to feek Afiiftance from the Company : However that 
be, here are a Multitude of thefe Priefts maintained about 
this Temple, many of whom have gone in Pilgrimage to 
Mocha , for which Reafon they have much Refped paid 
them. The whole Body of this Priefthood is governed by 
one fovereign Pontiff, who is more revered than the Sul- 
tans themfelves. Our Author tells us, that there was 
formerly a very confiderable Englijh FaClory at Cherihon , 
with a little Town belonging to it •> but that thePerfons 
belonging to the FaCtory intriguing with the Natives 
Wives, this fo provoked the People, that, in one Night’s 
time, they maffacred them all, and deftroyed the Town. 
It is very probable, if we could come at the T ruth of this 
Story, that they were put upon this cruel ACtion by fome 
of their Chriftian Neighbours. 
The fecond Refident has the Direction of the Company’s 
Affairs in the Kingdom of Siam , and has an Affiftant or 
Book-keeper under him. The Company carry on a very 
confiderable Trade here, in Tin, Lead, Elephants Teeth, 
Gums, Lack, Wool, and other Commodities. The King 
of Siam is a very confiderable Prince, and his Territories 
are near three hundred Leagues in Extent ; and, as he is 
himfelf much addicted to Commerce, he fuffers all Na- 
tions to trade freely through his Dominions : Ships, how- 
ever, of any great Burden, are obliged to come to an An- 
chor, at the Diftance of thirty-fix Leagues from his Ca- 
pital, becaufe the River Menan , upon which it ftands, is 
fo rapid, that they could not get up without great Diffi- 
culty. This, River, like the Nile, and many others in the 
Indies , overflows its Banks at a certain Seafon, fo that for 
half the Year the belt Part of the Country is under Wate^ ; 
and, for this Reafon, the Houles are all built upon 
Pofts. 
The Capital of this Country is a very large City, confift- 
ing of at leaft 50,000 Houfes ; and, as our Author reports, 
of 30,000 Temples ; The People are all Pagans, and are 
famous for a certain Maxim they have, that all Religions 
are good, provided they tend to the Honour of Gad. 
They think, however, their own the beft •, though, upon 
AGES of Book 1. 
fome Occafions, they are ready to own, that the God of 
the Chriftians is moft powerful, becaufe the Head of their 
principal Idol has been twice beat to-pieces by Thunder. 
This Statue is, perhaps, the biggeft in the World, and 
the Dutch call it in Derifion The great Blockhead of Sufi. 
He is reprefented fitting, with his Legs under him, like a 
Taylor ; in which Pofition he is feventy Feet high, and 
every Finger of him as big as a Man : At three Leagues 
Diftance from the Capital there is a Temple, prodigioufly 
large, in which there is an Idol, not quite fo tall as the 
former. The Priefts tell the People, that this is the Wife 
of the other ; and that once in feven Years fhe goes to fee 
him, or he goes to vifit her. They likewife perfuaded 
them, that this enormous Statue, as well as the other, was 
all of folid Gold *, but the laft Clap of Thunder that fell 
upon it, deteded this Part of the Cheat, and flhewed it 
to be no more than Brick and Lime, very artificially gilded 
over. 
One may juftly wonder, that this did not put an End to 
the Adoration of fo wretched a Deity ; but, where Super- 
ftition prevails, the plaineft Proofs very feldom produce 
any Effeds. It is, however, proper to obferve here, that 
our Author’s Account fets us perfectly right as to this 
Matter, which has been ftrangely embaraffed by the Ac- 
count given by the Jeluits, who attended the Embaffador 
fent to the King of Siam by Lewis XIV. They give us a 
large Defcription, both of the Temple and the Idol j but, 
it feems, they fwallowed the Story of the Javanefe Priefts ; 
for, after talking of the prodigious Size of the Statue, and 
afferting, that one Foot weighed one hundred and twenty- 
five Pounds, they inform us, with great Aftoniffiment, 
that this monftrous Idol is all of pure Gold and then enter 
into a Computation as to the Value of the God of Siam , 
which they very judicioufiy fixed at twelve Millions and 
an half of French Money. At the fame time they acknow- 
ledge, that it is not eafy to conceive, how this Mafs of 
Gold was got together, fince, at the Time they were there, 
the Siamefe were not prodigioufly rich : But the Thunder- 
clap has folved all thefe Doubts, and fhewn us, that there 
is no Reafon to give Credit to the wonderful Stories that 
are told by Indian Priefts, to magnify the Power of their 
Gods, or the Wealth of their Worffiippers. 
As for this Kingdom of Siam , it feems to be a perfect 
Land of Wonders * for our Author tells us, that they 
fhew there a Gallows of a prodigious Height, made of a 
Wood as hard as Iron, which they affirmed to be the in- 
dividual Gallows that Haman was hanged upon : And this 
Story, no doubt, is as true as the former ; and the Gal- 
lows is much the fame with that recorded in the Book of 
EJlher , as the gigantic Idol was pure Gold. I am, how- 
ever, inclined to believe, that the Jews might formerly 
ered this Gallows in Memory of that of Haman \ whence 
the Miftake might arife. The Country of Siam is very 
rich and fruitful, and there is a confiderable Trade carried 
on by the Chinefe. Our Author juftly obferves, that the 
Dutch have great Privileges here, and are confidered as the 
moft favoured Nation ; and he has likewife affigned the 
true Caufe of this, which, he fays, was the bad Behaviour 
of other Strangers, meaning very probably the Englijh, 
who, he fays, loft their Credit with the Natives, by their 
being too familiar with their Women. The Truth of the 
Matter is, that, fince the great Revolution which happened 
at Siam, a little after the Departure of the French Em- 
baffadors, the Dutch grew into Credit with the new King, 
becaufe the Englijh were intrufted with the beft Places in 
the Government, civil and military, by his Predeceffor, 
whom he had murdered. It was not, therefore, corififtent 
with his Policy, to have any great Correfpondence with the 
Nation that he knew was not yvell affeded to his Title 1 
The Favour he fire wed the Dutch , became a Rule to his 
Succeffors, and they have been very much careffed ever 
fince. They have a Fadory about a Mile below the 
City of Siam , on the Side of the River, which enables 
them to colled great Quantities of Deer-fkins, which are 
annually fent to Japan •, and this Commerce, together with 
that of Tin, of which there is great Abundance, and very 
fine, in this Kingdom, makes the Company take more 
Pains to oblige the King of Siam , than moft of their Neigh- 
bours, The Siamefe themfelves are much addided to 
Trade, 
