686 
1 The HI STOUT of the look L 
vice, pronlifing to condu£l them to the lilands of Lequi- 
m " ; but when they were at Sea, the Weather proved fo 
bad, and the Chinefe Captain’s Ship fo leeky, that there 
was an abfolute Neceffity of putting into fome Port to rent ; 
and accordingly the Captain bore away for a certain Port in 
the Ifland of Japan , which our Author tells us was that 
of Niaygima in the Ifland of Tanuximaa , where they fafely 
arrived. Before they entered the Port, two Barks came 
from the Shore- to know" who they were, and what they 
wanted ? The Captain anfwered, that they- were come from 
China , that his Ship was full of Goods;, and that his Inten- 
tion was to trade, if they might obtain Permiffion ; to which 
the principal Perfon in the Barks anfwered, that the Lord 
of the Ifland was called Nautaquim , and that if they paid 
the Port Duties, they might have Leave to Trade 0 . The 
Chinefe Captain inftantly complied with this Demand *, 
the Patron of the Barks ufed him thereupon with great 
Civility, and conducted him immediately into the Har- 
bour. 
About two Hours after the Lord of the Ifland came thi- 
ther, accompanied by feveral Perfons of Diftinbtion, and 
fome Merchants. At the Sight of the three Portugueze he 
was very much aflonifhed, and demanded immediately who 
thofe Strangers were, and of what Nation ? The Captain 
anfwered, that they came from a great City called Malacca , 
and that they were of a certain Kingdom in Europe called 
Portugal. At thefe Words Nautaquim appeared more fur- 
prized than before, and at laft, turning to thofe who were 
about him, hefaid, let me die, if I don’t believe thefe are the 
GhimhicogtSy of whom we read in our old Books that they 
fly upon the Waters, and make themfelves Matters of every 
rich Country they hear of: We fhali think ourfelves very 
happy, if they are content to be our Allies. He then called 
a Woman,- who could fpeak the Chinefe Language, in 
which he was but indifferently fkilled, and defired her to 
afk the Captain with what View he brought thefe Strangers 
into Japan-. The Captain anfwered very candidly, that he 
found them at Macao much diflreffed for a Paffage to fome 
Port in the Indies , and that he, from a Principal of Hu- 
manity, took them on Board his Veffel, in hopes that Pro- 
vidence would raife him a like Friend, in cafe he fhould 
fall into the fame Diftrefs. This fatisfied Nautaquim per- 
fedlly, fo that he made no Difficulty of going aboard the 
Chinefe Veffel, with fome of the principal Perfons about 
him and afked the Portugueze abundance of Queftions, 
whom he alfo invited to-vifit him on Shore, promifing to 
entertain them kindly.- 
They went accordingly, and carried him a Prefent, 
which was very gracioufly received, and Nautaquim entered 
Into a long Converfation with them about their Country, 
and particularly infilled on thefe three Points, which he 
laid he had been told by the Chinefe and Lequians in his 
Country. Firft, that Portugal was bigger than China , and 
richer ; the fecond, that the King of Portugal had con- 
quered the bell Part of the World ; and thirdly, that his 
Portugueze Majelly had better than two thoufand Houfes 
full of Gold and Silver. Pinto ingenioufly owns, that he 
did not flick exactly to Truth in his Anfwers, but con- 
trived fuch as were moil likely to keep up the high Opinion 
that Nautaquim had conceived of their Monarch. All the 
Time they flayed here, they were treated wkb the utmoft 
Civility and Refpefl, being permitted to fee every thing 
they defired, and to go where they would. Zeimoto had a 
very fine Gun, with which the Japanese were extrpa'mly 
taken, infomuch that they fpoke of it to Nautaquim , who 
defired to fee it, and how it was ufed’; which- Requett of 
his being complied with, lie thought himfelf fo* much 
obliged thereby, that he fet the Portugueze upon one of 
his own Horfes, and obliged him to ride through the Town 
with a Crier before him, who proclaimed him Nautaquimh 
Coufin, and admonifked the People to confider him as- 
fuch : At his Return he had an Apartment affigned him in 
the Palace ; upon which he made a Prefent to Nautaquim 
of his Fowling-piece, in return for which, he Cent him in 
ready Money a thoufand Taels,, which, make in our Moo- 
ney three hundred and thirty-three Pounds p . 
The People imitated the Generofity of their Prince, and 
bought all the Captain’s Goods at fuch round Rates, that 
for a Cargo which coff him two thoufand five hundred 
Taels, they gave him to the Value of thirty thoufand*.. 
We need not doubt that People fo well entertained, fpent 
their Days there very agreeably, and were not in any great 
Hurry about their Departure. After a Month’s Stay,, 
however, the Chinefe Captain having refitted his Ship, pre- 
pared to put to Sea , but before he was ready an Accident 
happened, which changed the Face of their Affairs entirely.. 
A Boat arrived in the Harbour, having on Board a Gen- 
tleman charged with a Letter from the King of Bungo t.o 
the Lord of the Ifland, flgnifying that he was. informed 
that certain Strangers were come into his Dominions, by 
which it was apparent, that the W orld was much larger 
than they imagined, and that he defired he would fend at 
leaft one of thefe Strangers to difeourfe with him, the ra- 
ther, becaufe at that Time he was very much indilpofed,, 
and fuffered by repeated Fits of black Melancholy, which 
oppreffed him to the laft Degree. The Lord of the Ifland 
fent immediately for the Portugueze , and having informed 
them, that the King of Bungo was both his Uncle and his 
Father-in-Law, he moft earneftly defired that they would 
gratify the Requeft of that Prince. At the fame time, how- 
ever, he declared, that he could not part with his Coufira 
Zeimoto , but. that the Embaffador might take which of the 
other two he pleafed ^ but after a little Recollection, he 
fixed upon Pinto as the moft proper Perfon to go to his 
Uncle, becaufe he was of a brilk and lively Temper,, and 
therefore the moft likely to divert him ; and- at the fame 
time made him a Prefent of two hundred Taels, as a Com- 
penfation for the Trouble of this Journey. 
Things being thus regulated, Pinto took his Leave of 
his Friends, and embarqued with the Embaffador for the 
Kingdom of Bungo , which lies but at a very final! Diftance 
from the Ifland of Tacuxima. They arrived, without meet- 
ing with any Accident,, at the Fortrefs of Ofqui , where they 
remained two Days, and then they fet out for the Capital*, 
where they arrived the very fame Day. The King had no 
fooner Notice of their coming than he immediately fent 
one of his Sons to complement them, to whom the Embaf- 
fador delivered a Letter from Nautiquam for the King’s 
Father, whofe Name was Origendo , who,, as foon as he re- 
ceived it, defired the Portugueze to- come to him, whom 
he received with all the Refpect imaginable. The firft: 
Queftion he afked Pinto was, whether the Gout, with which 
he was dreadfully afflicted, was a Diftemper known in any 
of the Countries through which he had patted, and if he 
had ever heard of any Remedy that would effectually cure 
it ? Pinto told him honeftly, that he was no Phyfidan,, but 
that he had brought with him from China a kind of Wood., 
which had a Quality of relieving the moft violent Pains, let 
their Caufe be what it would, but that he had left it in the 
Ifland where he firft arrived ;. upon which the King imme- 
n Thefe Mantis, of which it feems the Portugueze had already fome Knowledge, pafs under different Names ; and even at this Day we are not 
able to fay much with any Certainty about them. Some Writers call them the Iflands of Liqueios, others the Iflands of Rinku. T. hey lie between 26 
•and jo® of North Latitude, having the Ifland of Formofa on the South-Weft, the Continent of China on the Weft, the Iflands of Japan on the 
North, and the Ocean on the Ealt } on which Side they feem to have no Land nearer to them than America. The Japanefe report, that they are 
the moft fertile Countries in the World, and that the Inhabitants are the eafleft, happieft, and beft conditioned of the Human Race. They are fub- 
Jedt to the Prince of Saxuma, who is one of the principal Lords of the Empire of Japan. It may not be amifs to obferve, that the Chinefe were for- 
merly Mailers of thefe Iflands, and that at prefent there is fome Commerce between them and the Philippines. _ 
0 This Ifland, which Pinto calls Tanuximaa , is, undoubtedly, Tacuxima, belonging to the Kingdom of Firando. It lies in the Latitude of 31 0 !. 
North, at a very i'mall Diftance off the great Ifland of Ximo, which is the fecond in Size of thofe three Iflands which are known in Europe under the 
common Name of Japan, which is not, as we generally apprehend it, the Name of a particular Country, but of a large Archipelago of Iflands, the 
'moft considerable of which is Niphon. It is true, that later Authors fpeak of no fuch Port as Pinto mentions, but that is no juft Objection to the Truth, 
of his Relation, fince it is on all Hands allowed, that prodigious Changes have been made in the Names of the principal Ports and Places m theie 
Iflands _ 
P One of the moft Angular things in Pinto's Relation is this ; that notwithftanding the Aftonilhment of the People ongheir firft beholding the CjUR 
which his Companion brought over, they were, however, fo ingenious as to comprehend the whole Mechanifm of it in a very little time ; fo that 
before he was lent for to Bungo, they had made feveral of them, and in the Space of a few Years they became very expert in the I radej which 
though very extraordinary in itfelf, is, notwithftanding, confirmed by later Writers. 
w - diateiy 
