goeth for Mecca, because that in times past the officers of the king
of Portugale made a contract with the king of Cochin, in the name of the
king of Portugale, for the prizes of Pepper, and by reason of that
agreement betweene them at that time made, the price can neither rise nor
fall, which is a very lowe and base price, and for this cause the villaines
bring it to the Portugales, greene and full of filthe. The Moores of Mecca
that giue a better price, haue it cleane and drie, and better conditioned.
All the Spices and drugs that are brought to Mecca, are stollen from thence
as Contrabanda. Cochin is two cities, one of the Portugales, and another of
the king of Cochin: that of the Portugales is situate neerest vnto the Sea,
and that of the king of Cochin is a mile and a halfe vp higher in the land,
but they are both set on the bankes of one riuer which is very great and of
a good depth of water, which riuer commeth out of the mountaines of the
king of the Pepper, which is a king of the Gentiles, in whose kingdom are
many Christians of saint Thomas order: the king of Cochin is also a king of
the Gentiles and a great faithfull friend to the king of Portugale, and to
those Portugales which are married, and are Citizens in the Citie Cochin of
the Portugales. And by this name of Portugales throughout all the Indies,
they call all the Christians that come out of the West, whether they bee
Italians, Frenchmen, or Almaines, and all they that marrie in Cochin do get
an office according to the trade he is of: [Sidenote: Great priuiledges
that the citizens of Cochin haue.] this they haue by the great priuileges
which the Citizens haue of that city, because there are two principal
commodities that they deale withal in that place, which are these. The
great store of Silke that commeth from China, and the great store of Sugar
which commeth from Bengala: the married Citizens pay not any custome for
these two commodities: for they pay 4. per cento custome to the king of
Cochin, rating their goods at their owne pleasure. Those which are not
married and strangers, pay in Cochin to the king of Portugale eight per
cento of all maner of merchandise. I was in Cochin when the Viceroy of the
king of Portugale wrought what hee coulde to breake the priuilege of the
Citizens, and to make them to pay custome as other did: at which time the
Citizens were glad to waigh their Pepper in the night that they laded the
ships withall that went to Portugal