-Cftf^Bittsaatnof 25 wgaleti,f t!)e3Rittet(0ange2(, 27 
ifrom Mufulepatan tljc coatt rmmetb a* 
gam $ortbealf and bp Gaft, to ttje btngQom 
of Bcngalen, tohich is i * o. miles, and ft to 
tbe lanDe and hingdome of Orixa,' tohich 
ficctcbctljalong the fame coalt bnto the Ki* 
tier of Ganges, tbe beginning of t&e btngoom 
Of Bcngalen. ^l)tS coaft of Narfingay Bif- 
nagar aiiDOnxa, are bp tbe portingalles 
commonly called (as alfo tbe coalt of Nega- 
patananb ^attlt Thomas) ChoramandeL, 
Until pou come to Bengaicn,tobcre tbe ^or* 
tingalles baue great fraffique, for tbat it is a 
berp ricb anD plentiful Countrp of all things, 
as Kpce anp all manner of fotoles,anD bcatts 
in great abundance. 3t is alfo a bolcfomc 
countrepanoa goodapre for ffrangc nati* 
ons, for that the l^ortingals and other coun* 
trepmen can better broohe it then other places 
in India : jfrom tbefe coaftcs tbcp bfe great 
traffique bnto Bcngala, Pegu, Sian, f Ma - 
lacca, ant) alfo to India: there fserceUent 
fade linnen of Cotton made in Negapatan, 
^ailtt Thomas, anD Mu fuleparan, of all 
colours ,ant) toeuen toith Diners forts of tome 
looses anD figures, berie fine anD cunning* 
Ip torougbf, tohich is much toorne in India,- 
anD better efiecmcD then Elbe, fo: that it is 
higher prtfed then filhe, bccaufe of the finenes 
I cuning toojUmafhiP'.thcp are calleD Recha* 
tas $ Chcy ias,U3hcrof the Civilians $ por* 
tingals in /ndia do commolpmabe bjdcbcs. 
SLhep libetoife make clothes thereof for too* 
men to put about them from their nauctles 
DQtonctoaro,bounD about their bodies,tohich 
thep toeare to (thin the houfe, berp finelp 
mate, the belt fort arc nameD clothes of Sa- 
railo, feme being mingleD toith tbrddes of 
golDc anD filuer,and fucb Itbe ftuffe of a t&ou* 
fanD fortes, berp beautiful! to bebolo, tobere* 
toith thep cloath themfelues inberp cemelp 
manner, Bn this coalt grotoc the great anD 
tbicbe rdds,tobicb are bfcD in Indi a to mate 
the ^allanhins, tohereiit thep earrp the too* 
men, as in the Bndian figures pou Iballfd, 
tohicharcfo tbicbe, that a man can harDlp 
gripe them toith both his hanDcs, berp fairc 
fotobebpon, anD berp high, being of Diners 
colours, as blachc, reDDe, $c ^Ilhercof m an 
other place 31 toill Cap more. 
The 1 6, Chapter* 
•• Of the KingdomeofBengalen,and the 
riuer Ganges* 
SCtheenDcoffhe Iking* 
Dome of Orixa anD the 
COalt Of Choramandcl 
beginneth the ftiuer 
Ganges in the kingdom 
Of Bengalcn : SDljiS iS 
one of the molt famous 
The i. books. 
ftiuers in all the too?lo,ano it is not bnotone 
from tohence it fprmgetb* ^omc arc of opim* 
onthatitcommethont of the earthlp para* 
Dife becaufe of an olD fpeecb of the Bengalees, 
tohich is, that in time pait a cerfaine iking of 
Bengal en toas Defirous to bnoto fro tohence 
the riner Ganges hath her beginning, to the 
lohicb ends bee taufeD cerfaine people to bee 
brought bp and nourifijeo toith nothing but 
ratoe fith,anD fuch like fatfie, thereby - to mate 
them the aptcr to accomplifl) his Defire, 
tohtch peoplc(hauing rnaDe boats fitte fortbc 
purpofe) he fent bp the riuer, tobo toere cer* 
tain montbes bpon the toafer,fo long til thep 
came tobere thep felt a molt plcafant UnD 
ftodte faucur, anD founde a berp cleare anD 
moft temperate shfe, toith Hill anD plcafant 
toatcr, that it fdmeo bnto them to bee an 
earthlp paraDife, anD being Defirous to rotoe 
further bptoarces tbcp coulD not,fo that thep 
toere compellcd(feing no rcmcDie)fo return? 
againe the fame toap that thep camc,anD be* 
ing returncD, certifico the Iking tobat thep 
haD fame* <Ebep that toill net creed this are 
barD of hcIicfe,fo;mp parte 3 leaue it to the 
readers iuDgcment. 
‘Ehis tamer hath Croeomles in if, libe 
the riuer of Nilus in ^EgipCthe mouth en tn* 
trptljereoflpeth bnDcr 2 2, Degrees, and the 
coaft runneth C-att anb bp §>outhi to the 
IkingDome of Aracan, tohich is about 80. 
miles: it is an bneuen coalt full of BfianDes, 
Iholes, hfflbes, anD erdbes, fo? the lanDe of 
Bengal cn Ipeth intoarDs oftbe gulf,tohich is 
calleD 5 engala,foj that fro Aracan,tbe coalt 
beginnethagaine to rimne &)outh anD Calf 
outtoarDes totoarDcs Malacca; anD to the 
bttermott hcobe tohich is called Smgapura; 
But returning to Bengal a and the Hiuer 
Ganges, pou mult bnoerffanD that this riuer 
is boldcii and accounted of all the Bndians to 
be a bolp anD a blcSTcd toatcr,aud thep Do cer* 
tainelp belicue, that fuch as toaih and hath 
themfelucsthcrein (bee thep ncuerfo great 
finners) all their finnes are clcane fojgiuen 
them; and that from thenceforth thep are fo 
cleane and pure from finne, as if thep toere 
nctoc borne againe, anD alfo that bee tohich 
toalbctb not himfelf therein cannot be faueD, 
for tbe tohich caufe there is a molt great and 
incredible reforte bnto the fame, from all the 
partes of India % the Call countries,in great 
troupes, tobere thep bfe Diuers ffrange cere¬ 
monies, and fuperttittons, moff horrible fo 
beare, for thep doe moil IfeDfaltlp beldue 
that thep fljall tberebp merit etcrnall life* 
ifrom this Kiuer CatttoarD $ o, miles lp> 
etb the totone of Chatigan, tohich is the chief 
totone of Bcngala** ^he naturall borne peo* 
pie of Bcngala are in a manner libe tbofe of 
% Scylora 
A fable of 
t lie people 
of Benga* 
len concern 
ningthe . 
headeor 
fpringof 
f/ riunc 
Ganges. 
Tbcfuperft; 
tious opini¬ 
ons ofthc 
Indians 
concerning 
the Riuer 
of Ganges. 
