CHAP. XXV.
This chapter treateth of manie kingdomes of that newe worlde, the rites and customes of the inhabitants, and of some curious thinges.
The afore saide father Martin Ignacio, departed with his Ilandes of Nicobar. companions from this cost, and went towards the Ilands of Nicobar, whereas are many Moores and gentiles, al mingled the one with the other. They did not stay there, but presently passed to the town of Cuylan, which is inhabited with Portingals, and from Malaca foure hundred and sixteene leagues. This iland is situated from sixe vnto ten degrees vnder our pole, and hath in longitude three score and sixe leagues, and nine and thirtie of latitude. Of old time it was an iland much celebrated, and in those partes had in great reuerence, for that it is saide that there dwelt and died there in times past, men, whose soules are in heauen, and are celebrated and honoured by them of the countrie as though they were gods, with many sacrifices and orations, the which they do ordinarily. There come from other kingdomes bordering thereupon, vnto this ilande, many pilgrimes; but our people could neuer vnderstand the ground and occasion thereof, neither how they liued, whom they doo hold for saints. There is vpon the same iland a very high mountaine, which is called Pico de Adan, which father Martin did see, and did heare the naturall people thereof say, that it had that name, for that by the same Adam went vp into heauen; but what Adam it was they could not declare.
There is on this Pico like a monasterie, the which the naturall people doo call pagode: at one time they had therein An apes tooth for a god. an apes tooth, the which they did worship for their God: and there came thither vnto that effect some two hundred and three hundred leagues. [It so happened, in the yeare 1554, the vizroy of India, called Don Pedro Mascarenas, sent an army vnto this kingdome, with many Portugals, with intent to reduce them vnto the obedience of the king of Portugall, all of that country, as they were before, who few yeares past did rise against them, and tooke away and denied their fewter.[105] The souldiers did sack that pagoda or monastery, and thinking to finde some treasure therein, they broke it, and beat it downe vnto the foundation: and there they found the aforesaid apes tooth, the which they did worship, put in a chest of golde and stones, and carried it vnto Goa, vnto the said vizroy. When that this was vnderstood and knowne to other kings their borderers, and vnto him of Pegu, of this losse (the which of them was iudged to bee great) they sent their ambassadors to the said vizroy, that they might in the name of them all, demaunde the saide tooth, the which they did worship, and to offer for the ransome thereof seuen hundred thousand ducats of gold. The viceroy would haue giuen it them for that quantitie of gold which they did offer, and would haue done it in effect, if it had not bin for the archbishop of Goa, who was called Don Gaspar, and other religious men, who did disturbe him, putting great scrupulositie, and laide vnto his charge the hurt that come by their idolatrie, in giuing them the same, of the which he should giue a straight account vnto God. The which did so much in him, that he dispatched away the ambassador, without any regard of the gold that they would haue giuen him in their presence: he did deliuer the same vnto the said archbishop and religious men, and they before their eies did break it, and burnt it, and threw the dust thereof into the sea, which was not a little woonder vnto the said embassadors, to see how little they did esteeme so great a quantitie of golde, and for a thing which they esteemed not, but threw it into the sea with so great liberalitie.]
[105] The passage inserted between brackets is supplied by the translator from the French of De la Porte. The clause of the sentence thus strangely translated is as follows: "pour le reduire à l'obeyssance de la couronne de Portugal, comme il estoit auparavant et de la quelle il s'étoit soustrait depuis peu d'années par une rébellion générale."
This ilande is fertile, peaceable, and healthfull, and all full of woods, and there are mountaines very thicke of orange trees, siders, limas, plantanos, and palmas, and many synamon trees, which be the best in all the world, and of most strength and effect, for the which they go to buy, for to bring it vnto Europe, and they giue it for a small price. Likewise there is pepper, but the naturall people did pull vp certaine hils that were ful of it, and of synamon, because they saw there came from farre to buy these two commodities, and fearing that it would be an occasion that their country would be taken from them. It is a countrie of great prouision, and doth bring foorth mightie elephants, and they say that there is many mynes of diamonds, rubies, and other stones that are called girasolis. In no part of this Orientall Indies, there was none of so good a beginning in the conuersion of the soules, as was in this iland: for that certaine religious friers of the order of S. Francis did labor very much, and did baptise in a few daies more than fiftie thousand soules, which gaue to vnderstand that with a verie good will they did receiue the law of the gospell, and had edified many churches, and fourteene monasteries of the same religion: but few yeares past, a king of that kingdome, being weary of certaine things, which in all that Indians are very publicke, he forsooke the religion and faith he had receiued, and did raise and destroy many Portingals that were there inhabited, thrusting forth all the religious men that did baptise, and minister the sacraments. This euill king was called Raxu. Many of them that were christened, and content with the faith of Iesus Christ they had receiued, detesting that which this tirannous king had done, they went and dwelt in the company of the Portingals, and others did build a town, the which is called in their language Columbo, whereas is a great number of them: vnto this day do indure throughout al that kingdom the crosses, in token of their ancient Christianitie: alongst all the coast they doe vse many galiotas or gallyes, and goe with them, robbing and spoyling al thereaboutes. The naturall people doo say, that with a good will they would againe returne and receiue the law of the gospell, if they had it there preached. From this iland, after they had passed a little gulfe, they came vpon the coast of a kingdome called Tutucurin, and ran all alongest the cost of the same, running from the cape of Comerin to Cuylan. Here there is a pagode or temple of their gods very great and rich, thether come all the gentiles of that kingdom, at certain feasts in the year with great deuotion: there is in it a triumphant chariot, so great that twentie horse cannot mooue it, they bring it foorth in publike vpon their festiual daies, and is carried by elephants, and by an infinite number of men, who voluntarily do hale and pull at certaine roapes that are made fast therunto. Upon the highest of this chariot is made a tabernacle very richly adorned, and within the same an idol, whom they do worship: then immediately vnder the same are the kings wiues that go singing. They doo bring it forth with much musicke and reioysings, and do carry it a good way in procession, and amongest many thinges of honor that they doo vnto it, they A brutish vse. do vse one so brute and beastly as the reader may well iudge thereof, which is, that many of them doo cut peeces of their owne fleshe and doo throwe it vnto the idoll, and the other, not contented with this, doo throwe themselues on the grounde that the chariot may passe ouer them, and there they remaine all to peeces. Those that do die in this sort, they account them for great saints, and are had in singular veneration. Many other maners and fashions of idolatrie is declared of this kingdome, and more beastly than this we haue spoken of, the which I let passe because I would not be tedious in this itinerario. All the people of this kingdom be very bad and ill inclined, for which cause the fathers of the company of Iesus, that are in certaine townes nigh vnto the same, cannot as yet bring them out of their errors, although they haue put therein great care and diligence.
Upon the same cost, and a little distant from this kingdom, there is a towne of Portingals called Coulan, and twentie-fiue leagues further a citie which is called Cochin, in the which there are religious men of St. Francis, of S. Dominicke, and of S. Austin, and of the companie of Iesus, who haue there a very good studie or seminarie, whereas they do bring foorth much fruite. Nigh vnto this citie is Santo Tome, whereas are many baptised and good Christians, very abstinent and chast, vnto whom the patriarkes of Babylon doo prouide them of bishops: the authoritie where with they do it is not knowen, nor whence they haue it, for that as I do vnderstand, seat apostolicke did neuer giue it them. About the same matter, at this present there is in Rome a bishop of this kingdome, and one of the kingdome of Pimienta, with whom I haue talked diuers times, and is come thether to giue his obedience vnto the pope, and to knowe of him the order that his pleasure is should be obserued, in receiuing of those bishops which come thether by the commandement of the patriarke. In this kingdome there are many kings, but the principallest of them is he of Cochin, and next vnto him, he of Coulan, and nigh vnto them are many petie kings, as is hee of Mangate and Cranganor, and are all gentils, although amongst them there are mixed many Moores. There hath bin found in this kingdome certaine Iewes, that haue gone from Palestina and those parts. There is in this countrie vniuersally, a lawe verie strange and little heard of, which is, that the sonnes doo not inherite after their fathers, but his brothers sonne, and the reason they giue for the same is, for that they haue no certaintie of their children, for that they haue no wiues proper nor appointed to themselues, I promise you it seemeth to me, their reason to be as barbarous as their law, for that the like inconuenience doth folow their brothers children. They haue many rites and blindnes amongst them, but one aboue all the rest, which is, that in certaine feastes amongst them, they do vse bathes, and after that they are bathed, they say that they remaine free and cleare from all their sinnes. They haue many augorismes, of whom I will not intreat, for that they are not worthy of memorie. In this country is gathered most of the pepper that is brought into Europe, for which cause this kingdome is called that of the Pimienta.