The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10: Asia, Part IIIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10: Asia, Part III
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
louse; for they holde it a sinne to kill any thing. They eate no flesh, but
liue by rootes, and ryce, and milke. And when the husbande dieth his wife
is burned with him, if shee be aliue: if shee will not, her head is shauen,
and then is neuer any account made of her after. They say if they should be
buried, it were a great sinne, for of their bodies there would come many
wormes and other vermine, and when their bodies were consumed, those wormes
would lacke sustenance; which were a sinne, therefore they will be burned.
In Cambaia they will kill nothing, nor haue any thing killed: in the towne
they haue hospitals to keepe lame dogs and cats, and for birds. They will
giue meat to the Ants.
Goa is the most principal citie which the Portugals haue in India, wherein
the Viceroy remaineth with his court. It standeth in an Iland, which may be
25. or 30. miles about. It is a fine citie, and for an Indian towne very
faire. The Iland is very faire, full of orchards and gardens, and many
palmer trees, and hath some villages. Here bee many marchants of all
nations. And the Fleete which commeth euery yeere from Portugal, which be
foure, fiue, or sixe great shippes, commeth first hither. And they come for
the most part in September, and remaine there fortie or fiftie dayes; and
then goe to Cochin, where they lade their Pepper for Portugall. Oftentimes
they lade one in Goa, the rest goe to Cochin which is from Goa an hundred
leagues southward. Goa standeth in the countrey of Hidalcan, who lieth in
the countrey sixe or seuen dayes iourney. His chiefe citie is called
Bisapor. [Sidenote: This wa the 20 of Nouember.] At our comming we were
cast into prison, and examined before the Iustice and demanded for letters,
and were charged to be spies, but they could prooue nothing by vs. We
continued in prison vntill the two and twentie of December, and then we
were set at libertie, putting in sureties for two thousand duckets not to
depart the towne; which sureties father Steuens an English Iesuite which we
found there, and another religious man a friend of his procured for vs. Our
sureties name was Andreas Taborer, to whom we paid 2150. duckats, and still
he demaunded more: whereupon we made sute to the Viceroy and Iustice to
haue our money againe, considering that they had had it in their hands
neere fiue moneths and could prooue nothing against vs. The Viceroy made vs
a very sharpe answere, and sayd we should be better sifted before it were
long, and that they had further matter against vs. Whereupon we presently
determined rather to seeke our liberties, then to bee in danger for euer to
be slaues in the countrey, for it was told vs we should haue the strapado.
Wherupon presently, the fift day of April 1585. in the morning we ranne
from thence. And being set ouer the riuer, we went two dayes on foote not
without feare, not knowing the way nor hauing any guide, for we durst trust
none. [Sidenote: Bellergan a towne.] One of the first townes which we came
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