Chap. II. through the greateft Part 
Village of Gacon to the City of Jacatra , and thence to Ban- 
tam, the moft confiderable in the whole Ifland, feated at 
the Foot of a Mountain about twenty-five Leagues from the 
oppofite Coaft of the Ifland of Sumatra. Three Rivers rife 
out of this Mountain, two furrounding its Walls, and the 
third pafling through the Middle of it. The Houfes are 
miferably built, and the Walls very wretched, as well as 
the Gates, though at every hundred Paces provided with a 
great Piece of Cannon, which are of little Ufe in a Place 
where the Curtains are not defenfible, and have, inftead of 
Towers, only Scaffolds. The whole City has only three 
principal Streets which are not paved, but fandy, the Chan- 
nels which run through them being very {linking and foul, 
which fend forth a very naufeous Smell all over the City. 
At each Corner of the Streets Hand Guards, as alfo at the 
Pl-ifon Gate near the Palace, and each Perfon of Note keeps 
a Guard of ten or twelve, for his own Security, in his Houfe. 
Their Houfes are meanly built, upon Piles *, they are com- 
monly of Reeds and Canes, and the Partitions all of Bam- 
boes/or Canes flit very thin. All the Foreigners here live 
without the City, and the Merchants meet dailyin one or 
other of the three great Market-places belonging to this 
City. 
The Bazar , or Exchange, is chiefly frequented by Fo- 
reigners, who meet there at Break of Day, and continue 
till nine of the Clock. The fecond Market-place faces 
the Grand Mofque, where the Women buy and fell Pep- 
per, Beetle, Areca, Bananas, Melons, Chiches, &c. and 
white and yellow Sandal Wood. The Armourers, who 
fell Arms, Guns, Piftols, Swords, &c. {landing higher up 
to the Right ; and to the Left, the Confedlioners with their . 
Sweetmeats : Near them is the Place where they fell all 
forts of Beans •, and next to that the Onion Market, where 
the Cloth-fellers and Ufurers have their Meeting. Hard 
by this you fee the Poulterers, who deal in Geefe, Kids, 
Pidgeons, Parrots, and all forts of tame Fowl. Thence 
you fee three feveral Ways, one leading to the Chinefe 
Shops, the fecond to the Herb-market, the third to the 
Shambles. Among the Chinefe , to the Right, the Jewel- 
lers, who deal in precious Stones, have their Station ; and 
the Bengalians with their Toy-fhops, on the Left. The 
Sale of all thefe things lafts only till Nine o’Clock, when 
the Markets for all forts of Provifions are opened before 
the Palace, and about Noon the Chinefe Market begins. 
The City of Tuban , or Tubaon , challenges the next Place 
after Bantam in the Ille of Java , being {Longer than all 
the reft, and tho’ not fo large, yet better built than Ban- 
tam. Its Palace is very fpacious, and remarkable for the 
many Apartments made here for divers forts of Beafts that 
are kept with more than ordinary Care ; fuch as Elephants, 
Fighting-cocks, and Parrots, the {all of which are much 
more beautiful than thofe tranfported into Europe, becaufe 
they are too tender to endure the Fatigues of fo long a 
Voyage. Their chief Traffick lies in Pepper, which they 
exchange in the Me of Baly for Caiicoe, Cotton, and Silk, 
and carry thofe Commodities to' Banda, Ternate , and the 
Philippine Ifles, to truck for Cloves, Mace, and Nut- 
megs. 
The Natives live moftly upon Fifh. They have no 
other Garments but a Piece of Caiicoe wrapped round 
their Loins, except that the better Sort wear a kind of 
loofe Camblet Coats, reaching only to their Thighs. They 
are great Lovers of Horfes, their Saddles being made like 
our great Saddles. The Natives inhabiting the inland 
Countries of Java are all Pagans, and believing the Tranf- 
migration of the Soul, eat neither Fifh nor Flelh. To 
the South there are a few Mohammedans of the Purkifh 
Sedt. They have two great Fafts, the Chief of which 
is upon the 5 th of Auguji. There are, few among the Ja- 
vans but what have three or four, nay, fometimes ten or 
twelve Wives, befldes their Concubines, who are obliged 
to wait upon the Wives, tho’ their Children have the 
lame Prerogative as the legitimate Off-fpring. Their 
Children go naked, the Girls having only a Plate of Sil- 
ver or Gold to cover their Privities. They marry at 
eight, nine, or ten Years of Age. In their Marriages 
they ufe but few Ceremonies ; certain Poles are ftuck 
on the Wedding-Day before the Houle of the Bride and 
Bridegroom, with TafTels of white and red Cotton, and 
- Numb. LIU. 
of the EAST-INDIES. 785 
after Dinner the Bridegroom goes on Horfeback through 
the Town, where the Slaves, who are Part of his Dowry, 
go to meet him, and bring him fome Prefents. 
Women of Faftiion are kept under fuch Reftraint, that 
they are not permitted fo much as to fee their own Sons 
in their Chambers ; neither does a Man fpeak, or approach 
a Woman of Rank when fhe goes abroad, but every body 
gives her Way, even the King himfelf. They are known only 
by their Retinue, being for the reft clad after the com- 
mon Faftiion, viz. in a kind of Caiicoe or .filk Petticoat, 
reaching down from the Breaft to the middle oi the Leg. 
They wear neither Stockings nor Head Ornaments, but 
tie their Hair upon the Crown,* except it be at Weddings, 
or any other Solemnity, when they have Coronets on their 
Heads, and Rings and Bracelets upon their Fingers, and 
about their Arms. They are fo much addidteci to Clean- 
Jinefs, that they never do any thing without walking and 
bathing themfelves, which is one of their chief Employ- 
ments, and which they look upon as a proper Means to 
intice their Hufbands to Venery, in which they ftnve to 
outvie one another. 
In their Courts of Judicature, the Plaintiff and Defen- 
dant are obliged to plead both their own Caufes. Their 
Punifhment of Criminals is to tie them to a Poll, and ftab 
them with a Dagger. Foreigners have this Advantage, 
that provided they can make their Peace with the Party 
complaining, they may redeem themfelves from Death, 
except in the Cafe of premeditated Murder. The King’s 
Council, which conflfts fometimes of five hundred Perfons, 
meet by Moon-light, under a great Tree, where they con- 
tinue till the Moon fets. The King, when prefent, fits in 
the Middle. The Natives of Java are a proud, perftdi- 
dious, and cruel Generation, and fo ftubborn, that fuch 
as know they have deferved Death, will rather be killed 
than taken. Their Hair, which is very long, is generally 
of a Chqfhut Colour. They have broad flat Faces, and 
large Jaw-bones and Eye-brows, little Eyes and thin 
Beards, are for the reft middle- fized, but very ftrong 
Limbs. They feem not to want Courage, were they bred 
up to all the Advantages of. our modern Arms ; but 
they are contented with their Pike, Battle-ax, Broad- 
fwords, and a Dagger. Their Bucklers are of Wood, and 
fometimes of boil’d Leather. They wear alfo Armour, 
the Pieces of which are joined together with iron Rings. 
Their Soldiers receive no Pay in Time of Peace. They 
have a Way of blowing fmall poifoned Arrows through 
Trunks, by which the Wound is made incurable. 
But thole inhabiting upon the Strait of Sunda, being 
tranfplanted thither from Pajfarvafe, and living under 
their own King, are much more honeft and open hearted. 
The Grounds of Java are either farmed out by the King, 
or Lords, to certain free People, or cultivated by Slaves, 
and produce Rice, Pepper, and Cocoa. Some Slaves here 
take their Mailers Trees, and other Commodities, at a cer- 
tain Rate, which they fell to the beft Advantage they can ; 
others work abroad for their Mailer’s Profit, at a fet Rate 
per Diem. Others maintain themfelves, and work alter- 
nately, fix Days for their Matters, and as many for them- 
felves. They commonly adulterate their Pepper with black 
Gravel, as they do all other Commodities they fell to 
Strangers, being very crafty in their Commerce ; tho’ ve- 
ry few rich Merchants venture their Perfons on any long 
Voyage, but traffick, like our European Merchants, by the 
Afliftance of Factors. Bonds and other Securities are 
writteh upon the Bark of Trees, the Characters being en- 
graven with a fort of Bodkin, which is either rolled up af- 
terwards, or laid together four-fquare, betwixt two Boards, 
which they have a Way to tie neatly together with Pack- 
thread ; fometimes they ufe Chinefe Paper. 
They have a Language peculiar to themfelves, but the 
Malayan is moft in ufe hei:e, and the Arabian ufed by the 
Mohammedans. The Traffick of the Perfians that live 
here is precious Stones, Stuffs, and Drugs, and the Arabi- 
bians and Banyans exchange their Commodities chiefly foj^ 
China Ware. Thofe of Guzarat live for the moft Part 
upon Fifhing-, all thofe Foreigners are clad after the fame 
Faftiion, in a Caiicoe Garment, with a Turban of the 
fame Stuff, At their Arrival they purchafe a Woman, 
who is to ferve for all Ufes.’ At their Departure, they dift 
9 O , pofe 
