292 JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
Pegu is equally faithful. “ From the bar of 
Negrais to the city of Pegu, is ten days’ journey 
by the rivers: we went from Cosmin to Pegu in 
paroes, or boats; and passing up the rivers, we 
came to Medon, which is a pretty town, where 
there be a number of paroes; for they keep their 
houses and markets in them, all upon the water. 
They row to and fro, and have all their mer¬ 
chandize in their boats, with a great sombrera, or 
shadow, over their heads, to keep the sun from 
them, which is as broad as a great cart-wheel, 
made of the leaves of the cocoa-trees and fig-trees, 
and is very light.” The indiscriminate diet of the 
people is alluded to as follows : “ The people do 
eat roots, herbs, leaves, dogs, cats, rats, serpents, 
and snakes ; they refuse almost nothing.”—The 
account given of the priests is particularly strik¬ 
ing. “ In Pegu, they have many tallipoies, or 
priests, which preach against all abuses. Many 
men resort unto them. When they enter into 
their Kiack (Kyaong,)—that is to say, their holy 
place or temple—at the door there is a great jar of 
water with a cock or ladle in it, and there they 
wash their feet, and then they enter in, and lift 
up their hands to their heads, first to their preach¬ 
er, and then to the sun, and so sit down. The 
tallipoies go very strangely apparelled, with one 
gamboline, or thin cloth, next to their body, of 
a brown colour ; another of yellow, doubled many 
