All cities are walled. All the cities and townes of this kingdome are walled about with stone walles, and at euerie fifteene paces a bulwarke; and without the wall commonly all of them haue a riuer, or else a great deepe moote, wherein they may bring water at all times, with the which they are very strong: they doo vse no fortes, neyther haue they any, but onely ouer the gates of the cities, towers (as hath been declared), and in them is put all the artilerie, the which is for the defence of that citie or towne.
They vse hargabushes, bowes, and lances. They vse many sortes of weapons, but in especiall hargabushes, bowes, lances of three or foure manners, swords like vnto faunchers, and with them targets. All the souldiers when they go to fight, they weare long garments down to their knees, very wel stuffed with cotton wooll, the which doth resist the thrust of a lance, or a stabbe: all such souldiers as haue the king's ryall pay weare, in token thereof, red and yellowe hats, of the which there is so great a number, as well horsemen as foot men, that almost it is impossible to Englande, France, Spaine, and the Turke hath not so many souldiers as this kingdome. number them. And it is a common opinion of all them that haue bin in this kingdome, and haue seene them, that all Spaine, France, and the Great Turke, hath not so many as this kingdome hath. They haue amongst them captaines of Captaines of few and many souldiers. ten souldiers, some of a hundreth souldiers, some of a thousand, of ten thousand, of twentie thousand, and in this sort to a hundred thousand. The number of souldiors that these captains do leade, are knowen by certain ensignes that they beare. They muster and make show of their people euery new moone; and the same day they do pay them royally, and their pay must be in siluer, and in no other money. It is saide by such as have seene this pay, but especially the aforesaid father, Fryer Ignacio, that they giue them a peece of siluer, which may weigh so much as a ryall and halfe of Spaine, and is as much worth there as foure crownes amongest vs, in respect of the value of all things. But both in the one and in the other kingdom, that day that they do receiue their pay, euery one must make a show of some act in armes, the which is done in the presence of viewers or muster-masters: and such as are found that doo not his exercise with dexteritie, they are reprehended and cruelly punished: they doo skirmish with great consort, and in that which toucheth obedience to their captaines, and vnto the ensignes, the which they do vse in their wars, they may compare with all nations of the world.
CHAP. XVIII.
This Chapter doth treat of certaine rites and ceremonies, and other signes and tokens which be found, and do show that they haue had notice of the holy law of the Gospel.
Such ceremonies as vnto this day haue bin seene amongst the people of this kingdom, are gentilicas,[83] without any mixture with the Moores, nor with any other sect: yet there is found amongst them, that is a sufficient indition,[84] that they haue had in some time past, some particular notice of the euangelical law, as is plainly seene by certaine pictures which haue beene found and seene amongest them, whereof we haue made particular mention, the which they beleeue was knowen by the preaching of the Apostle S. Thomas, who passed through this kingdome when as he went vnto the Indians, and from thence to the city of Salamina,[85] which, Salamina where S. Thomas was martred. in their language, is called Malipur, whereas he was martyred for the name and faith of Jesus Christ: of whom, at this day, they do remember in that kingdome, by the tradition of their antecessors, who said, that many yeares past there was in that kingdome a man that did preach vnto them a new law, whereby they might goe vnto heauen: who, after that hee had preached certaine daies, and saw little fruit thereof (for that they were all occupied in ciuill wars) he departed from thence vnto the Indians. But first he left certaine disciples behind him that were baptised and well instructed in matters of faith, that they might preach vnto them whenas occasion did serue for the same. In many places they do worship the diuell, only for that he should do them no harme; and so the said fryer did tell me, for that hee was diuers times in presence whereas they did obsequies of certaine Chinos that lay a dying: and he saw that they had painted before the dead man a furious diuell, having in his left hand the sunne, and in his right hand a dagger, with the which he made a show as though he would strike him. This picture was put before him at the point that hee should yeelde vp the ghost, strengthening him that he should put great trust thereon.
[83] The original Spanish word, meaning "pagan", left untranslated.
[84] From the Spanish indicio, "proof".
[85] More properly Calamina. Tillemont upon this subject says: "Les Portugais pretendent qu'il y a une ancienne inscription à Maliapur dans les Indes, où l'on apprend entre autres choses que Saint Thomas fut percé d'une lance au pié d'une croix près de cette ville. C'est peutêtre ce qui fait dire aux auteurs nouveaux que Calamine est la même ville que Maliapur."
And as the fryer did demand of them what reason they had to do the same, some of them answered and saide, because the diuell should do no harme vnto the dead man in the other world they put his picture before him, that he might knowe him, and take him for his friend.