castell is a very faire prospect: in the city dwell the maried men,
souldiers and marchants of euery nation, amongst whom there are Moores and
Gentiles. [Sidenote: Great trade of merchandise in Ormus.] In this city
there is very great trade for all sorts of spices, drugges, silke, cloth of
silke, brocardo, and diuers other sorts of marchandise come out of Persia:
and amongst all other trades of marchandise, the trade of Horses is very
great there, which they carry from thence into the Indies. This Iland hath
a Moore king of the race of the Persians, who is created and made king by
the Captaine of the castle, in the name of the king of Portugall. At the
creation of this king I was there, and saw the ceremonies that they vse in
it, which are as followeth. The olde King being dead, the Captaine of the
Portugals chuseth another of the blood royall, and maketh this election in
the castle with great ceremonies, and when hee is elected, the Captaine
sweareth him to be true and faithfull to the King of Portugall, as his Lord
and Gouernour, and then he giueth him the Scepter regall. After this with
great feasting and pompe, and with great company, he is brought into the
royall palace in the city. This King keepeth a good traine, and hath
sufficient reuenues to maintaine himselfe without troubling of any, because
the Captaine of the castle doth mainteine and defend his right, and when
that the Captaine and he ride together, he is honoured as a king, yet be
cannot ride abroad with his traine, without the consent of the Captaine
first had: it behooueth them to doe this, and it is necessary, because of
the great trade that is in the city: their proper language is the Persian
tongue. There I shipped my selfe to goe for Goa, a city in the Indies, in a
shippe that had fourescore horses in her. [Sidenote: A priuilege for
Marchants.] This is to aduertise those Marchants that go from Ormus to Goa
to shippe themselues in those shippes that carry horses, because euery
shippe that carrieth twenty horses and vpwards is priuileged, that all the
marchandise whatsoeuer they carry shall pay no custome, whereas the shippes
that carry no horses are bound to pay eight per cento of all goods they
bring.

Goa, Diu, and Cambaia.

Goa is the principall city that the Portugals haue in the Indies, where is
resident the Viceroy with his Court and ministers of the King of Portugall.
From Ormus to Goa is nine hundred foure score and ten miles distance, in