it, and hath done great
harme to the boroughes thereof, but the citie alway withstood him
valiantly, and with their ordinance did great spoile to his campe. At
length I came to the citie of Malacca.

The Citie Malacca.

Malacca is a Citie of marueilous great trade of all kind of marchandize,
which come from diuers partes, because that all the shippes that saile in
these seas, both great and small, are bound to touch at Malacca to paie
their custome there, although they vnlade nothing at all, as we do at
Elsinor: and if by night they escape away, and pay not their custome, then
they fall into a greater danger after: for if they come into the Indies and
haue not the seale of Malacca, they pay double custome. I haue not passed
further then Malacca towards the East, but that which I wil speake of here
is by good information of them that haue bene there. The sailing from
Malacca towards the East is not common for all men, as to China and Iapan,
and so forwards to go who will, but onely for the king of Portugall and his
nobles, with leaue granted vnto them of the king to make such voiage, or to
the iurisdiction of the captaine of Malacca, where he expecteth to know
what voiages they make from Malacca thither, and these are the kings
voiages, that euery yere there departeth from Malacca 2. gallions of the
kings, one of them goeth to the Moluccos to lade Cloues, and the other
goeth to Banda to lade Nutmegs and Maces. These two gallions are laden for
the king, neither doe they carie any particular mans goods, sauing the
portage of the Mariners and souldiers, and for this cause they are not
voiages for marchants, because that going thither, they shal not haue where
to lade their goods of returne; and besides this, the captaine wil not cary
any marchants for either of these two places. There goe small shippes of
the Moores thither, which come from the coast of Iaua, and change or guild
their commodities in the kingdom of Assa, and these be the Maces, Cloues,
and Nutmegs, which go for the streights of Mecca. The voiages that the king
of Portugall granteth to his nobles are these, of China and Iapan, from
China to Iapan, and from Iapan to China, and from China to the Indies, and
the voyage of Bengala, Maluco, and Sonda, with the lading of fine cloth,
and euery sort of Bumbast cloth. Sonda is an Iland of the Moores neere to
the coast of Iaua, and there they lade pepper for China. [Sidenote: The
ship of drugs, so termed of the Portu