halfe.

The wayes echwhere are galantly paued with fouresquare stone, except it be
where for want of stone they vse to lay bricke: in this voyage wee
trauailed ouer certaine hilles, where the wayes were pitched, and in many
places no worse paued then in the plaine ground. This causes vs to thinke,
that in all the world there bee no better workemen for buildings, then the
inhabitants of China. The Countrey is so well inhabited, that no one foote
of ground is left vntilled: small store of cattell haue we seene this day,
we sawe onely certaine oxen wherewithall the countrey, men do plow their
ground. One oxe draweth the plough alone not onely in this shire, but in
other places also, wherein is greater store of cattell. These countreymen
by arte do that in tillage, which we are constrained to doe by force. Here
be solde the voydings of close stooles, although there wanteth not the dung
of beastes: and the excrements of man are good marchandise throughout all
China. The dungfermers seek in euery streete by exchange to buy this dirtie
ware for herbs and wood. The custome is very good for keeping the Citie
cleane. There is great aboundance of hennes, geese, duckes, swine, and
goates, wethers haue they none: the hennes are solde by weight, and so are
all other things. Two pound of hennes flesh, geese, or ducke, is worth two
foi of their money, that is, d. ob. sterling. Swines flesh is sold at a
penie the pound. Beefe beareth the same price, for the scarcitie thereof,
howbeit Northward from Fuquieo and farther off from the seacoast, there is
beefe more plentie and solde better cheape; We haue had in all the Cities
we passed through, great abundance of all these victuals, beefe onely
excepted. And if this Countrey were like vnto India, the inhabitants
whereof eate neither henne, beefe, nor porke, but keepe that onely for the
Portugals and Moores, they would be sold here for nothing. But it so
falling out, that the Chineans are the greatest eaters in all the world,
they do feed vpon all things, specially on porke, which, the fatter it is,
is vnto them the lesse lothsome. The highest price of these things
aforesaid I haue set downe, better cheap shal you sometimes buy them for
the great plentie thereof in this countrey. Frogs are solde at the same
price that is made of hennes, and are good meate amongst them, as also
dogs, cats, rats, snakes, and all other vncleane meates.

The Cities be very gallant, specially neere vnto the gates,