fB 2 fhe Voyages and Obfervations of J. A. de Mancfel(loe ? Book L 
the Dutch, who were always ready to give them Affif- 
tance againft their Enemies. The King of Siam knowing 
that his chief Strength confifts in his Elephants, keeps a 
greater Number than any other Indian Prince, the Ele- 
phants of Siam being both for their Strength and Quick- 
nefs of Apprehenfion efteemed above all the reft. They 
take them after the fame Manner as they do in Pegu , by 
fending divers Females into the Forefts, who decoy them 
into the Stables, where they are tamed, either by putting 
them into Pens exadlly fitted to the Bulks of their Bodies, 
or by tying their Legs to three or four tame Elephants. 
It is to be obferved, that fometimes they meet with 
White Elephants in Siam, but they are fo rare, and fo 
much admired in thofe Parts, that in 1568, the King of 
Pegu being informed that the King of Siam had two white 
Elephants, he fent an Ambaffador to defire he might have 
one of them, at what Price he would be pleafed to fet up- 
on it-, which the King of Siam refilling to accept, the 
King of Pegu entered Siam with a vaft Army, and con- 
quered it, making the King his Tributary, tho* with the 
Lofs of no lefs than 500,000 Men. The Siamefe call the 
white ones the Kings of the Elephants, and attribute to 
them fomething of Divinity; for which reafon alfo the 
King of Siam, when he meets with one, caufes him to be 
ferved in Veffels of Gold, allows him a good Attendance, 
and a Canopy to be born over his Body. The King and 
his Subjects are Pagans , and have an infinite Number of 
Idols, of Gold* Silver, Stone, Wood, and other Materi- 
als, fome twenty, fome thirty, and others forty Feet high. 
Their Temples have gilt Towers, or Pyramids. Their 
Ecclefiafticks are compofed of a kind of Hierarchy, under 
the Direction of a High-Prieft, refiding in the City of 
Judda, where are at leaft 30,000 Ecclefiafticks, that wear 
Garments of yellow Calicoe, and have their Crowns fhaved. 
The moft learned among them are chofen for Priefts to 
preach in their Temples, and to facrifice. They are under a 
Vow of Chaftity, upon Pain of Death, but may change 
their Profeffions, and marry whenever they think fit. 
Each Temple has a kind of a Convent to it, for the En- 
tertainment of a certain Number of Priefts who attend the 
Service every Day Morning and Evening. 
They live for the moft Part upon Alms, like our Men- 
dicant Friars. They have alfo a kind of religious old 
Women, but thefe are not bound by any particular Difci- 
pline. They believe one Creator of the Univerfe, who 
governs the World by diverfe inferior Gods. They fay 
that the Soul is immortal, and after it is purified by paffing 
through feveral Bodies, is either condemned to eternal 
Torments, or enjoys Beatitude. They tell you, that this 
has been tranfmitted to them by Tradition, Time out of 
Mind ; for the reft, they hold that good Deeds, and es- 
pecially Charity, are the chief Means to attain Salvation, 
which is the reafon they extend their Charity even to the 
Beafts, fuch as Birds and Fifh, which they buy to fet 
them at Liberty, as believing the Tranfmigration of the 
Soul. This is the Reafon why they never condemn any 
other Religion, or difpute with them : But their Ecclefi- 
afticks preach without Intermiflion againft the old Cuftom 
of invoking the Devil, which is ftill retained among the 
vulgar fort. They have abundance of Lamps hanging be- 
fore their Idols in the Time of Service. Thefe they fet 
out with Garlands of Flowers, and in fome of them they 
have certain Days, each Quarters of the Moon, appointed 
for their general Devotions, and a Lent of three Months. 
Their dead Corps they {have, wafti and perfume, and 
afterwards burn them near a Temple, where the Allies 
are buried under a Tomb, or Pyramid. The Relations 
mourn for their Friends by fhaving themfelves, by giving 
Alms and Benevolences to the Priefts, to pray for them at 
their Obfequies. The Corps is attended with Mufick and 
Fireworks. The Siamefe are ftrong limbed, and well pro- 
portioned, but their Courage is not anfwerable to it, which 
makes them life their Vidlims with a great deal of Info- 
lence. They are bale, and very crafty in their Dealings. 
They are fo much addifled to Idlenefs, that they leave all 
Toils to their Wives and Slaves. They wear a painted 
Piece of Calicoe from the Middle down to the Knees, tho* 
the Men have alfo Shirts with Sleeves hanging down to 
the Elbows. The Women cover their Breafts with a Piece 
of Calicoe faftened about their Necks ; there is fo little 
Difference in the cloathing of the People of Quality and thofe 
of the inferior Rank, that they are not to be diftinguifhed 
but by their Train of Slaves. Their Houfes are built either 
of Timber, or Canes, covered with the Leaves of Cocoa- 
tree, and raifed three or four Foot from the Ground ; each 
Apartment has feveral Windows for the more commodi- 
ous Paffage of the Air they know of no other Furniture 
but what is abfolutely neceffary for their Conveniency in the 
Chambers and Kitchen. 
They feed commonly upon Rice, Fifh, and Puife; their 
ordinary Drink is Water ; but they don’t refufe ftrong Li- 
quors, if they are invited to them. Perfonsof any Fafhion here 
make no ufe of Priefts for the Confirmation of their Mar- 
riages, which, after the Parents Confent is obtained, and 
Agreement made, they confummate and live together as 
long as they like one another ; and in cafe of Separation, 
all the Goods and Children are divided betwixt them, and 
both Parties are at liberty to marry again ; but the Concu- 
bines are tied to the Pleafure of their Mafters, who confi- 
der them no otherwife than as Slaves, their Children having 
but a ftender Share of their Father’s Eftates, which, after 
their Death, is divided into three Parts ; one goes to the 
King, the fecond to the Priefts, who are to bear the Fu- 
neral Charges, which are very great, and the third to the 
Children, who have an equal Share, except that the eldeft: 
is allowed fome fmall Advantage. People of an inferior 
Rank purchafe their Wives, notwithstanding which both 
Parties are at liberty to be divorced. They don’t take the 
leaft Care for the Education of their Children till they are 
fix Years old, when they put them to their Ecclefiafticks 
to be inftru&ed in Reading and Writing, afterward breed 
them either to manual Arts, Commerce, or the Court. 
The Peafants lead a miferable Life, by reafon that Pro- 
vifions are fo cheap here, that they can’t gain any thing 
by their Labour. The chief Trade of the City of Judda 
lies in Stuffs brought thither from Surat, and the Coaft of 
Coromandel , in all forts of China Commodities, Precious 
Stones, Gold, Benjamin, Wax, Copper, Lead, Indigo, 
Calamba-Wood, Brafil-Wood, Cotton, and Deer-Skins, 
of which they export fifty thoufand every Year to Japan ; 
and their Rice is tranfported in vaft Quantities to all the 
neighbouring Countries. The King himfelf is a Merchant 
here, and has his Factors at Pegu , Ava, Jangoma , on the 
Coaft of Coromandel , and in China itfelf. The Money is 
very good, being of three different forts, viz. Pi cals, 
Mafes , and Poanges two Poanges make a Mafe, and four 
Mafes a Pical, which is equivalent to a French Half-Crown ; 
four of thefe Picals go to a Tael , twenty of which make a 
Catta in Silver. Their fmalleft Silver Money is the Poang ; 
but Provifions being fo very cheap here, they make ufe of 
certain Shells brought thither from Manilas , eight or nine 
hundred of which go to a Poang. 
The Portugueze being fufficiently fenfible what prodigi- 
ous Advantage they were able to reap from this Kingdom 
for fupporting their Traffick to the Molucca's and Philip- 
pine Ifles, the Viceroys of Goa were always very careful to 
cultivate a good Correfpondence with the King of Siam , 
who in return granted them many Privileges, till fuch 
time that the Dutch got Footing there at the Beginning 
of this Age. The Portugueze were fo alarmed thereat, 
that they not only obftrudfed the Trade of the Siamefe to 
St. Phomas and Negapatan , but alfo attacked a Dutch Vef- 
fel in the River Menam , which, with fome other Outrages, 
ferved only to incenfe the King of Siam againft them, who 
ever after encouraged the Dutch in their Settlement and 
Commerce, which is very advantageous to them in refpect 
of the Ifles of Java and Sumatra , of which they are now in 
Pofleffion. 
10. The Kingdom of Cambodia borders to the North- 
Weft upon the Kingdom of Siam, being inclofed by the 
Sea on the other Side ; the capital City is feated upon a 
River fixty Leagues from the Sea-fhore, which rifes out 
of a Lake, as do all the other Rivers of this Kingdom. 
That which runs by Cambodia overflows every Year like 
the Nik ; its firft Rife is in the Beginning of June , rncreaf- 
ing by degrees to ten or twelve Foot, and in July or Au- 
guft it overflows the Country to that degree, that it is quite, 
innavigable ; 'for which reafon it is that the City of Cam- 
Mm 
