( 
Chap. II. from J. B. T avernier. 845 
feen after that, and it is thought he was fecretly murdered 
in the Palace. This Story came to my Remembrance, 
when I found my Brother did not come along with them 
that were fent to fetch me. However, I refolved to go, 
taking with me twelve or thirteen thoufand Rupees Worth 
of Jewels, the greateft Part being in Role Diamond Rings, 
ibme confiding of feven, fome of nine, and fome of eleven 
Stones, with fome fmall Bracelets of Diamonds and Rubies, 
I found the King with three of his Captains, and my Bro- 
ther, fitting together, after the Manner of the Eaft, with 
five great Plates of Rice before them of different Colours. 
For their Drink they had Spanijh Wine, ftrong Waters, 
and feveral forts of Sherbets. After I had complimented 
the King, and prefented him with a Diamond Ring, a blue 
Saphire Ring, and a little Bracelet of Diamonds, Rubies, 
and blue Saphires, he commanded me to fit down, and 
ordered me a Glafs of ftrong Water, to whet my Appetite. 
The Glafs held a Quarter of a Pint, and therefore I refufed 
It, which the King very much wondered at *, but being told, 
by my Brother, that I never drank any ftrong Water, he 
ordered me a Glafs of Sack. After that he rofe up and 
feated himfelf in a Chair, the Elbows of which were gilded ; 
his Feet and Legs were bare, having a Perfian Carpet of 
Gold and Silk to tread upon. He was clad with a Piece 
of Calicut, part whereof covered his Body from his Waift 
to his Knees, the reft being wound about his Back and 
Shoulders like a Scarf. Inftead of Shoes he had a Pair of 
Sandals that flood by the Chair-fide, the Straps whereof 
were embroidered with Gold, and fmall Pearl. About his 
Head he had a thing like a Handkerchief, with three Cor- 
ners, bound about his Head like a Fillet. His Hair alfo, 
which was very long, was twilled, and tied together over 
his Head ■, two Perfons Hood behind him with Fans of 
long Peacock Feathers, the Handles of which were five or 
fix Foot in Length. Upon his right Hand flood an old 
black Woman, holding in her Hand a little Mortar and 
Peftle of Gold to beat his Beetle in, wherewith he mixed 
the Kernel of the Nut of Araqui, and Seed of Pearl dif- 
folved. When it was all beaten together, the old Woman 
gave it the King over his Shoulders, who, opening his 
Mouth, the old Woman fed him, as our Women feed their 
Children j for the King had chewed fo much Beetle, and 
taken fo much Tobacco, that his Teeth were all fallen out of 
his Head. 
9. The King of Bantam * s Palace was never built by any 
qurious Architect : It is a fquare Place, encompafied with 
a great many Pillars, varnillied over with feveral forts of 
Colours, againft which the King leans when he fits down. 
At the four Corners there are four great Pillars fet in the 
Earth, at forty Foot Diftance one from another, lined with 
a Mat made of the certain Rind of a Tree, fo thin, that it 
looks like a Piece of Linnen, which neither Fleas nor Punes 
will come near. The Roof was covered with Cocoa Bran- 
ches. Not far off, under another Roof, fupported by 
four great Pillars, he hath fixteen Elephants, the nobleft of 
all thofe that are in the King’s Service •, for he has a far 
greater Number trained up for War, that are not afraid of 
Wild-fire. For his Guard he might not have above two 
thoufand Men that were drawn up in Companies under the 
Shade of the next Trees. They are good Soldiers, as well 
by Sea as by Land, ftrid Mohammedans , and ftand not at 
all in Fear of Death. His Haram, or the Womens Apart- 
ment, was certainly a very fmall Place ; for when he had 
viewed what I brought him, he fent for two old Women, 
to whom he gave fome of the Jewels to go and fhew them 
to his Wives. The two Women returned back through 
a little pitiful Door, the Enclofure being nothing but a kind 
of a Wall made up of Earth and Cow-dung mixed toge- 
ther. Whatever he fent to the Women, they never re- 
turned any thing again, which made me believe they 
would bear a good Price , and indeed, whatever I fold to 
him, I fold to good Profit, and had my Money well paid 
me. 
After this we took our Leaves •, but the King obliged us 
to come next Day in the Evening, becaufe he had a Defire 
to fhew us a Turky Dagger, the Haft whereof being thin 
of Diamonds, he had a mind to enrich with more Stones. 
Coming to the EngUJh Houfe with our Money, they won- 
dered that the King had laid out twenty thoufand Rupees, 
Numb. LYIL 
telling me, they believed it was the beft Part of his Trea- 
fure. The next Day my Brother and I went to wait upon 
him at the appointed Hour, and we found him fitting in 
the fame Place where he fat before. There was a Moulla 
then read to him, who feemed to interpret to him fome- 
thing of the Alcoran in the Arabic Language, 
The Ledlure being ended, they both rofe and went to 
Prayers, which being concluded, the King fent far the 
the Dagger, and the Haft, which was of Gold ; the Top of 
Handle was already fet with Diamonds, and the upper Part 
of the Crofs-bar was cut in Facets, which could not be lefs 
worth than fifteen or fixteen thoufand Crowns. They told 
me it was prefented to him by the Queen of Borneo , and 
that it was cut at Goa, but that he put a far higher Value 
upon it than I efteemed it to be worth. The Dagger, as 
well as the Sheath, was full of Beazells or Colledts, and 
therefore defired me to help him to fome that might come 
at an eafy rate. I told him it was impofiible to find Stones 
that would fit the Beazells, and therefore it was better, when 
he had got Stones enough, to fix other Beazells according to 
the Proportion of the Stones ; to which Purpofe he muft be 
forced to range all his Stones in Wax, and I ftiewed him 
how to do it at the fame time ; but that was above his Skill, 
and therefore do what I could to excufe myfelf from the 
Truft, he would needs oblige me to carry the Dagger to 
Batavia ; whereupon I took my Leave of the King, and 
departed. 
10. About eleven o’clock at Night we embarked for 
Batavia, for the Night Winds blowing from the Land, 
are the only Winds to ferve our Turn, fo that we were at 
Batavia between ten and eleven the next Morning. There 
I flayed twenty Days for the King of Bantam's fake, to 
make him believe I had fought for that which I knew was 
impofiible to be found. I had nothing to do all the while, 
for in Batavia there is no other Recreation but Gaming and 
Drinking, which was none of my Bufinefs ; at that Time 
the Sieur Cam died, one of the Indian Counfellors, who 
was fumptuoufly buried for his good Services done to the 
Company ; but the People complained heavily of the In- 
juftice which he had done, as well to the Soldiers, as the 
Mariners. 
Having flayed twenty Days at Batavia , I refolved to go 
and return the King of Bantam his Dagger again, for that 
it was impofiible to meet with Stones to fit his Beazells., 
However, I took along with me fome other Stones, which 
he had not feen. Coming to Bantam, the King caufed u£ 
to be lodged in one of his own Houfes in the City, which 
was made of Bamboos ; thither, in lefs than a Quarter of 
an Hour, the King fent us fome Pateches, or fweet Water 
Melons, red within like Scarlet. We had alfo Mangoes, 
and a certain large Fruit called Pompone, red alfo within, 
the Meat of it being foft and fpungy, but of an excellent 
Tafte. Having flayed our Stomachs, we went to wait 
upon the King, whom we found in the fame Place with his 
old Mortar-beater, who every Minute fed him with Beetle 
with her Fingers. There were fitting about the Hall five 
or fix of his Captains, viewing a certain Piece of Fireworks, 
as Granadoes, Rockets, and other Devices, to run upon 
the Water, which the Chinefe had brought, who are the 
moft exquifite at thefe Works of any People in the World. 
When the King was at leifure, I returned him his Dag- 
ger, telling him, Batavia was no Place to meet with Stones, 
and that fuch as were to be found were valued at double 
the Price they were worth ; and that there was no Place 
where he could fit himfelf, but at Golconda, or Goa , or the 
Diamond Mines. Thereupon the old V 7 oman took the 
Dagger, and carried it into his Haram ; nor did the King 
fpeak a Word more about it, after that I had fhewed him 
what other Stones I had brought, a Parcel whereof I fold 
him for good Profit. 
The King ordered us to come the next Day for Pay- 
ment. The next Day, about fix in the Morning, my Bro- 
ther, and I, and a Butch Chirurgion, were going along a 
narrow Way between a River on the one Hand, and the 
Pales of a great Garden on the other. Behind the Pales a 
rafcally Bantamois had hid himfelf, one of thofe that was 
newly come from Mecca , and was upon the Defign of 
Mocca ; that is, in their Language, when the Rafcallity 
of the Mohammedans return from Mecca , they prdenriy 
jo f ~ take 
