which passage the first city that you come to in the Indies, is called Diu,
[Footnote: Off South extremity of Kathiawar Peninsula, Bombay Presidency.]
and is situate in a little Iland in the kingdome of Cambaia, which is the
greatest strength that the Portugals haue in all the Indies, yet a small
city, but of great trade, because there they lade very many great ships for
the straights of Mecca and Ormus with merchandise, and these shippes belong
to the Moores and Christians, but the Moores can not trade neither saile
into those seas without the licence of the Viceroy of the King of
Portugall, otherwise they are taken and made good prises. The marchandise
that they lade these ships withall commeth from Cambaietta a port in the
kingdome of Cambaia, which they bring from thence in small barks, because
there can no great shippes come thither, by reason of the sholdnesse of the
water thereabouts, and these sholds are an hundred or fourescore miles
about in a straight or gulfe, which they call Macareo, which is as much as
to say, as a race of a tide, because the waters there run out of that place
without measure, so that there is no place like to it, vnlesse it be in the
kingdome of Pegu, where there is another Macareo, where the waters run out
with more force than these doe. The principall city in Cambaia is called
Amadauar, it is a dayes iourney and an halfe from Cambaietta, it is a very
great city and very populous, and for a city of the Gentiles it is very
well made and builded with faire houses and large streets, with a faire
place in it with many shippes, and in shew like to Cairo, but not so great:
also Cambaietta is situate on the seas side, and is a very faire city. The
time that I was there, the city was in great calamity and scarsenesse, so
that I haue seene the men of the countrey that were Gentiles take their
children, their sonnes and their daughters, and haue desired the Portugals
to buy them, and I haue seene them sold for eight or ten larines a piece,
which may be of our money x.s. or xiii.s. iiii.d. For all this if I had not
seene it, I could not haue beleeued that there should be such a trade at
Cambaietta as there is: for in the time of euery new Moone and euery full
Moone, the small barks (innumerable) come in and out, for at those times of
the Moone the tides and waters are higher then at other times they be.
These barkes be laden with all sorts of spices, with silke of China, with
Sandols, with Elephants t