3 1555, Richard Edens’ Translation of an Account of India
From the city of Tarnafferi, to the city of Bangala, is 11 days faring. This city has a king: and the country is very fruitful with great plenty of wheat, flesh, sugar, ginger, and gossampine cotton: and has therefore very rich merchants. There yearly passes from this city 60 ships freighted with gossampine cotton, and silk clothes: which are carried from thence to the Turks, Syrians, Arabians, Persians, Ethiopians, and Indians. Here are also found certain Christian merchantmen, which come out of the empire of the great Cham of Cathay: bringing with them aloe, castoreum and the sweet gum called Laserpitium, with other sweet savors. In this city the men spin and card and make cloth, and not the women. From this city eastward, is another great city called Pego, being situated by a very fair river. The king of this city, is an Idolater, and has innumerable men of war, both horsemen and footmen. The soil bears wheat plentifully: and brings forth in manner all kinds of beasts, and has therefore great abundance of flesh, yet there are but few elephants: but of other beasts and souls great plenty is as at Calicut: and especially of poppinjays, which are of louder voice than in any other place. There is little traffic or merchandise in this region, except jewels and precious stones, and especially rubies, called pyropi, which are brought thither from the city of Capelan. These precious stones shine so bright in the dark night, as though it were from the sun’s beams. The country adjoining, brings forth lacha, sandalum, called sandalwood: also brazile, gossampine cotton and silk. From Pego to the city of Malacca (which some call Melaqua) is 8 days sailing: where on the other side is seen a great island called Sumatra, otherwise Samotra, and was in time past called Taprobana. This Malacca, has a goodly and commodious haven: by reason whereof, more ships arrive there than in any other place: bringing with them spices and other merchandise in great abundance. The region is not generally fruitful, yet has it wheat and flesh: but great scarcity of wood. The fowls wander in the fields as they do in the region of Calicut. But the poppinjays are here much fairer. It brings forth also spices, sandalwood, tin, elephants, horses, sheep, wild oxen, Peacocks, and such other kinds of beasts. It is not lawful there to buy and sell, except you buy spices and silk. It is also there very dangerous to walk in the city in the night season because of the theft and cruelness of the inhabitants, which kill one another like dogs. And therefore the merchant strangers lodge not out of their ships. How are the Portuguese subdued Malacca, shall be said hereafter in the description of the new islands.
On the great and rich island of Sumatra
Some think this Sumatra, to be that island of which the old writers is called Taprobana. It is very great and rich: and has in it four kings crowned with diadems. They are Idolaters: in religion, manner of language, and apparel, not much unlike the king of Tarnafseri. They exceed all other men in bigness of body. They have gray or blue eyes, and are of cruel countenance, and terrible voice. They are long lived and live even unto 100 years of age The sea in certain channels is of such height and depth, that no anchor may come to the bottom thereof. The inhabitants are great fishers on the sea and have great pleasure to take the shells fish, called the tortoise of the sea: of which some are of such huge bigness, that the shells of one of them may suffice to make a house well able to receive a whole family. Were some of them bear shells of 10 cubits in length: and are therefore apt for that purpose. The most part of this island is burnt with heat, and has in it many desolate places and wildernesses. There are found many and great pearls. For their money, they use coined gold, silver and tin. The golden coin, has a one side a devil’s head graven, and on the other side a chariot with elephants draw. This region brings forth more plenty of elephants, of greater stature, and of better breed than are found in any other place. In the sea about this island, are oftentimes seen the great monstrous fishes, and kind of whales, called baleen, which bring many incommodities to the inhabitants. They are of such monstrous bigness, that when they approach to the sea banks, they seem like unto hills: they have rough facts full of sharp prickles. And except men walk very rarely by the sea banks, they are in danger to be suddenly swallowed up by these monsters. Some of them have so great and wide mouths, that they sometimes swallow whole ships with the men. This country brings forth Lacca which stains silk and cloth in high red or Crimson color. It is engendered in a tree, not much unlike unto our walnut trees. There is also great plenty of pepper, higher than is found in other places. In their mother tongue pepper is called Mologa. It is sold there by measure, as wheat is with us, and not by weight. There is so great plenty hereof, that there are yearly certain ships laden therewith to Cathay, where the air is colder. From Sumatra to the island of Banda, which is but rude and barren, and of plain and low ground, whose inhabitants are barbarous, and little differing from the beasts, having low houses, and no apparel but shirts, barefooted and bareheaded, with long hair, of despicable stature, dull witted, of no strength, and idolaters. The soil of this country, bringing forth nothing but nutmegs, and few other fruits. The stalk or body of the nutmeg tree, is not much unlike the stalk of a Peach tree, bringing forth like branches and leaves but somewhat narrower. Before these nuts be ripe, the mace creeps on the tree, like a flourishing rose. And when the nut waxes ripe, the mace embraces it round about. And so they gather both together in commune, at a time appointed: for they use no distribution thereof, but he that gathers most has most. This tree brings forth his fruit plentifully without any art of husbandry or tillage. They are gathered at such time as we gather chestnuts. From this island within six days faring, is the island of Monoch, in which cloves are found as, as also in other islands, thereto adjoining. The tree which bears cloves, has his stalk not much unlike unto the box tree, with leaves like the cinnamon tree, but somewhat rounder. And when the cloves begin to wax ripe, they beat the tree with reeds, spreading first coverlets or mats under the same. The ground where these trees grow, is of the color of clay or sand. This region is situated so low, that the seven stars called Septentriones (being not far from Ursa Major, called Charles’ Wain) can not there be seen, because the south pole (called pole Antarctic) appears above the Earth.
Eden, Richard, Edward Arber, Sebastian Cabot, Pietro Martire d’ Anghiera, Sebastian Münster, and Jay I. Kislak Reference Collection (Library of Congress). 1885. The First Three English Books on America, 1555 : Being Chiefly Translations, Compilations, &c. by Richard Eden from the Writings, Maps, &c. of Pietro Martire, Sebastian MüNster, Sebastian Cabot: With Extracts, &c. from the Works of Other Spanish, Italian, and German Writers of the Time. New York: Klaus Reprint Co.
