Bezeneger.
THE city of Bezeneger was sacked in the yeere 1565,
by foure kings of the Moores, which were of great power
and might: the names of these foure kings were these
following, the first was called Dialcan, the second Zamaluc, the third Cotamaluc, and the fourth Viridy: and
yet these foure kings were not able to overcome this city
and the king of Bezeneger, but by treason. This king
of Bezeneger was a Gentile, and had, amongst all other
of his captaines, two which were notable, and they were
Moores: and these two captaines had either of them in
charge threescore and ten or fourescore thousand men.
These two captaines being of one religion with the foure
kings which were Moores, wrought meanes with them
to betray their owne king into their hands. The king
of Bezeneger esteemed not the force of the foure kings
his enemies, but went out of his city to wage battell
with them in the fieldes; and when the armies were
joyned, the battell lasted but a while not the space of
foure houres, because the two traitourous captaines, in
the chiefest of the fight, with their companies turned
their faces against their king, and made such disorder
in his army, that as astonied they set themselves to
flight. Thirty yeeres was this kingdome governed by
three brethren which were tyrants, the which keeping the
rightfull king in prison, it was their use every yeere once
to shew him to the people, and they at their pleasures
ruled as they listed. These brethren were three cap
taines belonging to the father of the king they kept in
prison, which when he died, left his sonne very yong,
and then they tooke the government to themselves. The
chiefest of these three was called Ramaragio, and sate
in the royall throne, and was called the king: the second
was called Temiragio, and he tooke the government on
him: the third was called Bengatre, and he was captaine
generall of the army. These three brethren were in this
battell, in the which the chiefest and the last were never
heard of quicke nor dead. Onely Temiragio fled in the
battel, having lost one of his eyes: when the newes
came to the city of the overthrow in the battell, the wives
and children of these three tyrants, with their lawfull
king (kept prisoner) fled away, spoiled as they were, &
the foure kings of the Moores entred the city Bezeneger
with great triumph, & there they remained sixe moneths,
searching under houses & in all places for money & other
things that were hidden, and then they departed to their
owne kingdomes, because they were not able to maintaine such a kingdome as that was, so farre distant from
their owne countrey.
When the kings were departed from Bezeneger, this
Temiragio returned to the city, and then beganne for
to repopulate it, and sent word to Goa to the Merchants,
if they had any horses, to bring them to him, and he
would pay well for them, and for this cause the aforesayd two Merchants that I went in company withall,
carried those horses that they had to Bezeneger. Also
this Tyrant made an order or lawe, that if any Merchant
had any of the horses that were taken in the aforesayd
battell or warres, although they were of his owne marke,
that he would give as much for them as they would: and
beside he gave generall safe conduct to all that should
bring them. When by this meanes he saw that there
were great store of horses brought thither unto him, hee
gave the Merchants faire wordes, untill such time as he
saw they could bring no more. Then he licenced the
Merchants to depart, without giving them any thing for
their horses, which when the poore men saw, they were
desperate, and as it were mad with sorrow and griefe.
I rested in Bezeneger seven moneths, although in one
moneth I might have discharged all my businesse, for
it was necessary to rest there untill the wayes were cleere
of theeves, which at that time ranged up and downe.
And in the time I rested there, I saw many strange and
beastly deeds done by the Gentiles. First, when there
is any Noble man or woman dead, they burne their
bodies: and if a married man die, his wife must burne
herselfe alive, for the love of her husband, and with the
body of her husband: so that when any man dieth, his
wife will take a moneths leave, two or three, or as shee
will, to burne her selfe in, and that day being come,
wherein shee ought to be burnt, that morning shee goeth
out of her house very earely, either on horsebacke or
on an eliphant, or else is borne by eight men on a smal
stage: in one of these orders she goeth, being apparelled
like to a Bride, carried round about the City, with her
haire downe about her shoulders, garnished with jewels
and flowers, according to the estate of the party, and
they goe with as great joy as Brides doe in Venice
to
their nuptials : shee carrieth in her left hand a looking
glasse, and in her right hand an arrow, and singeth
thorow the City as she passeth, and sayth, that she goeth
to sleepe with her deere spowse and husband. She is
accompanied with her kindred and friends untill it be
one or two of the clocke in the afternoone, then they
goe out of the City, and going along the rivers side
called Nigondin, which runneth under the walles of the
City, untill they come unto a place where they use to
make this burning of women, being widdowes, there is
prepared in this place a great square cave, with a little
pinnacle hard by it, foure or five steppes up: the foresayd cave is full of dried wood. The woman being come
thither, accompanied with a great number of people which
come to see the thing, then they make ready a great
banquet, and she that shall be burned eateth with as
great joy and gladnesse, as though it were her wedding
day: and the feast being ended, then they goe to dancing
and singing a certeine time, according as she will. After
this, the woman of her owne accord, commandeth them
to make the fire in the square cave where the drie wood
is, and when it is kindled, they come and certifie her
thereof, then presently she leaveth the feast, and taketh
the neerest kinseman of her husband by the hand, and
they both goe together to the banke of the foresayd river,
where shee putteth off all her jewels and all her clothes,
and giveth them to her parents or kinsefolke, and covering herselfe with a cloth, because she will not be seene
of the people being naked, she throweth herselfe into
the river, saying: O wretches, wash away your sinnes.
Comming out of the water, she rowleth herselfe into a
yellow cloth of foureteene braces long: and againe she
taketh her husbands kinseman by the hand, and they go
both together up to the pinnacle of the square cave
wherein the fire is made. When she is on the pinnacle,
shee talketh and reasoneth with the people, recommending unto them her children and kindred. Before the
pinnacle they use to set a mat, because they shall not
see the fiercenesse of the fire, yet there are many that
will have them plucked away, shewing therein an heart
not fearefull, and that they are not affrayd of that sight.
When this silly woman hath reasoned with the people a
good while to her content, there is another woman that
taketh a pot with oile, and sprinckleth it over her head,
and with the same she anoynteth all her body, and afterwards throweth the pot into the fornace, and both the
woman and the pot goe together into the fire, and
presently the people that are round about the fornace
throw after her into the cave great pieces of wood, so
by this meanes, with the fire and with the blowes that
she hath with the wood throwen after her, she is quickly
dead, and after this there groweth such sorrow and such
lamentation among the people, that all their mirth is
turned into howling and weeping, in such wise, that a
man could scarse beare the hearing of it. I have seene
many burnt in this maner, because my house was neere
to the gate where they goe out to the place of burning:
and when there dieth any great man, his wife with all
his slaves with whom hee hath had carnall copulation,
burne themselves together with him. Also in this kingdome I have seene amongst the base sort of people this
use and order, that the man being dead, hee is carried
to the place where they will make his sepulchre, and
setting him as it were upright, then commeth his wife
before him on her knees, casting her armes about his
necke, with imbracing and clasping him, untill such time
as the Masons have made a wall round about them, and
when the wall is as high as their neckes, there commeth
a man behinde the woman and strangleth her: then when
she is dead, the workemen finish the wall over their
heads, and so they lie buried both together. Besides
these, there are an infinite number of beastly qualities
amongst them, of which I have no desire to write. I
was desirous to know the cause why these women would
so wilfully burne themselves against nature and law, and
it was told mee that this law was of an ancient time, to
make provision against the slaughters which women
made of their husbands. For in those dayes before this
law was made, the women for every little displeasure that
their husbands had done unto them, would presently
poison their husbands, and take other men, and now by
reason of this law they are more faithfull unto their
husbands, and count their lives as deare as their owne,
because that after his death her owne followeth presently.
In the yeere of our Lord God 1567, for the ill successe
that the people of Bezeneger had, in that their City was
sacked by the foure kings, the king with his Court went
to dwell in a castle eight dayes journey up in the land
from Bezeneger, called Penegonde. Also sixe dayes
journey from Bezeneger, is the place where they get
Diamants: I was not there, but it was tolde me that it
is a great place, compassed with a wall, and that they
sell the earth within the wall, for so much a squadron,
and the limits are set how deepe or how low they shall
digge. Those Diamants that are of a certaine sise and
bigger then that sise, are all for the king, it is many
yeeres agone, since they got any there, for the troubles
that have beene in that kingdome. The first cause of
this trouble was, because the sonne of this Temeragio
had put to death the lawfull king which he had in prison,
for which cause the Barons and Noblemen in that kingdome would not acknowledge him to be their King, and
by this meanes there are many kings, and great division
in that kingdome, and the city of Bezeneger is not
altogether destroyed, yet the houses stand still, but
empty, and there is dwelling in them nothing, as is
reported, but Tygers and other wilde beasts. The circuit
of this city is foure & twentie miles about, and within
the walles are certeine mountaines. The houses stand
walled with earth, and plaine, all saving the three palaces
of the three tyrant brethren, and the Pagodes which are
idole houses: these are made with lime and fine marble.
I have seene many kings Courts, and yet have I seene
none in greatnesse like to this of Bezeneger, I say, for
the order of his palace, for it hath nine gates or ports.
First when you goe into the place where the king did
lodge, there are five great ports or gates: these are
kept with Captaines and souldiers: then within these
there are foure lesser gates : which are kept with Porters.
Without the first gate there is a little porch, where there
is a Captaine with five and twentie souldiers, that keepeth
watch and ward night and day: and within that another
with the like guard, wherethorow they come to a very
faire Court, and at the end of that Court there is another
porch as the first, with the like guard, and within that
another Court. And in this wise are the first five gates
guarded and kept with those Captaines: and then the
lesser gates within are kept with a guard of Porters:
which gates stand open the greatest part of the night,
because the custome of the Gentiles is to doe their businesse, and make their feasts in the night, rather then by
day. The city is very safe from theeves, for the Portugall merchants sleepe in the streets, or under porches,
for the great heat which is there, and yet they never
had any harme in the night. At the end of two moneths,
I determined to go for Goa in the company of two other
Portugall Marchants, which were making ready to
depart, with two palanchines or little litters, which are
very commodious for the way, with eight Falchines which
are men hired to cary the palanchines, eight for a palanchine, foure at a time: they carry them as we use to
carry barrowes. And I bought me two bullocks, one of
them to ride on, and the other to carry my victuals and
provision, for in that countrey they ride on bullocks with
pannels, as we terme them, girts and bridles, and they
have a very good commodious pace. From Bezeneger to
Goa in Summer it is eight dayes journey, but we went
in the midst of Winter, in the moneth of July, and were
fifteene dayes comming to Ancola on the sea coast, so
in eight dayes I had lost my two bullocks: for he that
carried my victuals, was weake and could not goe, the
other when I came unto a river where was a little bridge
to passe over, I put my bullocke to swimming, and in
the middest of the river there was a little Iland, unto
the which my bullocke went, and finding pasture, there
he remained still, and in no wise we could come to him:
and so perforce, I was forced to leave him, and at that
time there was much raine, and I was forced to go seven
dayes a foot with great paines: and by great chance I
met with Falchines by the way, whom I hired to carry
my clothes and victuals. We had great trouble in our
journey, for that every day wee were taken prisoners,
by reason of the great dissension in that kingdome: and
every morning at our departure we must pay rescat foure
or five pagies a man. And another trouble wee had as
bad as this, that when as wee came into a new governours countrey, as every day we did, although they were
al tributary to the king of Bezeneger, yet every one of
them stamped a several coine of Copper, so that the
money that we tooke this day would not serve the next:
at length, by the helpe of God, we came safe to Ancola,
which is a country of the queene of Gargopam, tributary
to the king of Bezeneger. The marchandise that went
every yere from Goa to Bezeneger were Arabian Horses,
Velvets, Damasks, and Sattens, Armesine of Portugall,
and pieces of China
, Saffron, and Skarlets: and from
Bezeneger they had in
Turky for their commodities,
jewels, and Pagodies which be ducats of golde: the
apparell that they use in Bezeneger is Velvet, Satten,
Damaske, Scarlet, or white Bumbast cloth, according to
the estate of the person with long hats on their heads,
called Colae, made of Velvet, Satten, Damaske, or
Scarlet, girding themselves in stead of girdles with some
fine white bombast cloth: they have breeches after the
order of the Turks: they weare on their feet plaine high
things called of them Aspergh, and at their eares they
have hanging great plenty of golde.
Returning to my voyage, when we were together in
Ancola, one of my companions that had nothing to lose,
tooke a guide, and went to Goa, whither they goe in
foure dayes, the other Portugall not being disposed to
go, taried in
Ancola for that Winter. The Winter in
those parts of the Indies beginneth the fifteenth of May,
and lasteth unto the end of October: and as we were in
Ancola, there came another Marchant of horses in a
palanchine, and two Portugall souldiers which came from
Zeilan, and two cariers of letters, which were Christians
borne in the Indies; all these consorted to goe to Goa
together, and I determined to goe with them, and caused
a pallanchine to be made for me very poorely of Canes;
and in one of them Canes I hid privily all the jewels I
had, and according to the order, I tooke eight Falchines
to cary me: and one day about eleven of the clocke wee
set forwards on our journey, and about two of the clocke
in the afternoone, as we passed a mountaine which
divideth the territory of Ancola and Dialcan, I being a
little behinde my company, was assaulted by eight
theeves, foure of them had swordes and targets, and
the other foure had bowes and arrowes. When the Falchines that carried me understood the noise of the assault,
they let the pallanchine and me fall to the ground, and
ranne away and left me alone, with my clothes wrapped
about me: presently the theeves were on my necke and
rifeling me, they stripped me starke naked, and I fained
my selfe sicke, because I would not leave the pallanchine,
and I had made me a little bedde of my clothes; the
theeves sought it very narrowly and subtilly, and found
two pursses that I had, well bound up together, wherein
I had put my Copper money which I had changed for
foure pagodies in
Ancola. The theeves thinking it had
beene so many duckats of golde, searched no further:
then they threw all my clothes in a bush, and hied them
away, and as God would have it, at their departure there
fell from them an handkercher, and when I saw it, I
rose from my pallanchine or couch, and tooke it up, and
wrapped it together within my pallanchine. Then these
my Falchines were of so good condition, that they
returned to seeke mee, whereas I thought I should not
have found so much goodnesse in them: because they
were payed their mony aforehand, as is the use, I had
thought to have seene them no more. Before their comming I was determined to plucke the Cane wherein my
jewels were hidden, out of my coutch, and to have made
me a walking staffe to carry in my hand to Goa, thinking
that I should have gone thither on foot, but by the faithfulness of my Falchines, I was rid of that trouble, and
so in foure dayes they carried me to Goa, in which time
I made hard fare, for the theeves left me neither money,
golde, nor silver, and that which I did eat was given
me of my men for Gods sake: and after at my comming
to Goa I payed them for every thing royally that I had
of them. From Goa I departed for Cochin, which is a
voyage of three hundred miles, and betweene these two
cities are many holdes of the Portugals, as Onor, Mangalor, Barzelor, and Cananor. The Holde or Fort that
you shall have from Goa to Cochin that belongeth to the
Portugals, is called Onor, which is in the kingdome of
the queene of Battacella, which is tributary to the king
of Bezeneger : there is no trade there, but onely a charge
with the Captaine and company he keepeth there. And
passing this place, you shall come to another small castle
of the Portugals called Mangalor, and there is very small
trade but onely for a little Rice: and from thence you
goe to a little fort called Barzelor, there they have good
store of Rice which is carried to Goa: and from thence
you shall goe to a city called Cananor, which is a harquebush shot distant from the chiefest city that ye king of
Cananor hath in his kingdome being a king of the
Gentiles: and he & his are very naughty & malicious
people, alwayes having delight to be in warres with the
Portugales, and when they are in peace, it is for their
interest to let their merchandize passe : there goeth out
of this kingdom of Cananor, all the Cardamomum, great
store of Pepper, Ginger, Honie, ships laden with great
Nuts, great quantitie of Archa, which is a fruit of the
bignesse of Nutmegs, which fruite they eate in all those
partes of the Indies and beyond the Indies, with the leafe
of an Herbe which they call Bettell, the which is like unto
our Ivie leafe, but a litle lesser and thinner: they eate it
made in plaisters with the lime made of Oistershels, and
thorow the Indies they spend great quantitie of money
in this composition, and it is used daily, which thing I
would not have beleeved, if I had not scene it. The
customers get great profite by these Herbes, for that
they have custome for them. When this people eate and
chawe this in their mouthes, it maketh their spittle to
bee red like unto blood, and they say, that it maketh a
man to have a very good stomacke and a sweete breath,
but sure in my judgement they eate it rather to fulfill
their filthie lustes, and of a knaverie, for this Herbe is
moyst and hote, & maketh a very strong expulsion.
From Cananor you go to Cranganor, which is another
smal Fort of the Portugales in the land of the king of
Cranganor, which is another king of the Gentiles, and a
countrey of small importance, and of an hundreth and
twentie miles, full of thieves, being under the king of
Calicut
, a king also of the Gentiles, and a great enemie
to the Portugales, which when hee is alwayes in warres,
hee and his countrey is the nest and resting for stranger
theeves, and those bee called Moores of Carposa, because
they weare on their heads long red hats, and these thieves
part the spoyles that they take on the Sea with the king
of Calicut
, for hee giveth leave unto all that will goe
a roving, liberally to goe, in such wise, that all along
that coast there is such a number of thieves, that there
is no sailing in those Seas but with great ships and very
well armed, or els they must go in company with the
army of the Portugals. From Cranganor to Cochin is
15 miles.
