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The citie of Sion , or Siam .

SION was the imperiall seat, and a great Citie, but in the yeere of our Lord God one thousand five hundred sixtie and seven, it was taken by the king of Pegu , which king made a voyage or came by lande foure moneths journey with an armie of men through his lande, and the number of his armie was a million and foure hundreth thousand men of warre: when hee came to the Citie, he gave assault to it, and besieged it one and twentie monethes before he could winne it, with great losse of his people, this I know, for that I was in Pegu sixe moneths after his departure, and sawe when that his officers that were in Pegu , sent five hundreth thousand men of warre to furnish the places of them that were slaine and lost in that assault: yet for all this, if there had not beene treason against the citie, it had not beene lost: for on a night there was one of the gates set open, through the which with great trouble the king gate into the citie, and became governour of Sion : and when the Emperour sawe that he was betrayed, and that his enemie was in the citie, he poysoned himselfe: and his wives and children, friends and noblemen, that were not slaine in the first affront of the entrance into the citie, were all caried captives into Pegu , where I was at the comming home of the king with his triumphs and victorie, which comming home & returning from the warres was a goodly sight to behold, to see the Elephants come home in a square, laden with golde, silver, jewels, and with Noble men and women that were taken prisoners in that citie.

Now to returne to my voyage: I departed from Malacca in a great shippe which went for Saint Tome, being a Citie situate on the coast of Coromandel: and because the Captaine of the castles of Malacca had understanding by advise that the king of Assi would come with a great armie and power of men against them, therefore upon this he would not give licence that any shippes should depart: Wherefore in this ship wee departed from thence in the night, without making any provision of our water: and wee were in that shippe foure hundreth and odde men: we departed from thence with intention to goe to an Iland to take in water, but the windes were so contrary, that they would not suffer us to fetch it, so that by this meanes wee were two and fortie dayes in the sea as it were lost, and we were driven too and fro, so that the first lande that we discovered, was beyonde Saint Tome, more then five hundreth miles which were the mountaines of Zerzerline, neere unto the kingdome of Orisa, and so wee came to Orisa with many sicke, and more that were dead for want of water: and they that were sicke in foure dayes dyed: and I for the space of a yeere after had my throat so sore and hoarse, that I could never satisfie my thirst in drinking of water: I judge the reason of my hoarsenesse to bee with soppes that I wet in vineger and oyle, wherewith I susteyned my selfe many dayes. There was not any want of bread nor of wine: but the wines of that countrey are so hot that being drunke without water they will kill a man: neither are they able to drinke them: when we beganne to want water, I sawe certaine Moores that were officers in the ship, that solde a small dish full for a duckat, after this I sawe one that would have given a barre of Pepper, which is two quintalles and a halfe, for a litle measure of water, and he could not have it. Truely I beleeve that I had died with my slave, whom then I had to serve mee, which cost mee verie deare : but to provide for the daunger at hand, I solde my slave for halfe that he was worth, because that I would save his drinke that he drunke, to serve my owne purpose, and to save my life.

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