rt or wagon all gilded, which is drawen by 16. goodly horses:
and this cart is very high with a goodly canopy ouer it, behind the cart
goe 20. of his Lords and nobles, with euery one a rope in his hand made
fast to the cart for to hold it vpright that it fal not. The king sitteth
in the middle of the cart; and vpon the same cart about the king stande 4.
of his nobles most fauored of him, and before this cart wherein the king is
goeth all his army as aforesaid, and in the middle of his army goeth all
his nobilitie, round about the cart, that are in his dominions, a
marueilous thing it is to see so many people, such riches and such good
order in a people so barbarous as they be. This king of Pegu hath one
principal wife which is kept in a Seralio, he hath 300. concubines, of whom
it is reported that he hath 90. children. [Sidenote: The order of Iustice.]
This king sitteth euery day in person to heare the suites of his subiects,
but he nor they neuer speake one to another, but by supplications made in
this order. [Sidenote: No difference of persons before the King in
controuersies or in iustice.] The king sitteth vp aloft, in a great hall,
on a tribunall seat, and lower vnder him sit all his Barons round about,
then those that demaund audience enter into a great Court before the king,
and there set them downe on the ground 40. paces distant from the kings
person, and amongst those people there is no difference in matters of
audience before the king, but all alike, and there they sit with their
supplications in their hands, which are made of long leaues of a tree,
these leaues are 3. quarters of a yard long, and two fingers broad, which
are written with a sharpe iron made for that purpose, and in those leaues
are their supplications written, and with their supplications, they haue in
their hands a present or gift, according to the waightines of their matter.
Then come the secretaries downe to read these supplications, taking them
and reading them before the king, and if the king think it good to do to
them that fauour or iustice that they demaund, then he commandeth to take
the presents out of their hands: but if he thinke their demand be not iust
or according to right, he commandeth them away without taking of their
gifts or presents. In the Indies there is not any marchandise that is good
to bring to Pegu, vnlesse it bee at some times by chance to bring Opium of
Cambaia, and if he bring money he shall lose by it. Now the comm