both
men and women marke themselues with red-hot yron in 12. sundry spots of
their faces: and this nation is at continual warre with certaine naked
people in another region. [Sidenote: Iaffa.] Then I traueled further vnto
another island called Iaua, the compasse whereof by sea is 3000. miles. The
king of this Iland hath 7. other crowned kings vnder his iurisdiction. The
said Island is throughly inhabited, and is thought to be one of the
principall Ilands of the whole world. In the same Iland there groweth great
plenty of cloues, cubibez, and nutmegs, and in a word all kinds of spices
are there to be had, and great abundance of all victuals except wine. The
king of the said land of Iaua hath a most braue and sumptuous pallace, the
most loftily built, that euer I saw any, and it hath most high greeses and
stayers to ascend vp to the roomes therein contained, one stayre being of
siluer, and another of gold, throughout the whole building. Also the lower
roomes were paued all ouer with one square plate of siluer, and another of
gold. All the wals vpon the inner side were seeled ouer with plates of
beaten gold, whereupon were engrauen the pictures of knights, hauing about
their temples, ech of them a wreath of golde, adorned with precious stones.
The roofe of the palace was of pure gold. With this king of Iaua the great
Can of Catay hath had many conflictes in war: whom notwithstanding the said
king hath alwayes ouercome and vanquished.

Of certaine trees yeelding meale, hony, and poyson.

Nere vnto the said Iland is another countrey called Panten, or
Tathalamasin. And the king of the same country hath many Ilands vnder his
dominion: In this land there are trees yeelding meale, hony, and wine, and
the most deadly poison in all the whole world: for against it there is but
one only remedy: and that is this: if any man hath taken of the poyson, and
would be deliuered from the danger thereof, let him temper the dung of a
man in water, and so drinke a good quantitie thereof, and it expels the
poyson immediatly, making it to auoid at the fundament. Meale is produced
out of the said trees after this maner. They be mighty huge trees, and when
they are cut with an axe by the ground, there issueth out of the stocke a
certain licour like vnto gumme, which they take and put into bags made of
leaues, laying them for 15 daies together abroad in the sun, and at the end
of those 15 dayes, when the said licour is throughly parched, it becomm