The 10 of January I went from Pegu to Malacca, passing by many of the ports of Pegu, as Martauan, the Iland of Taui, from whence commeth great store of tinne, which serueth all India, the Ilands of Tanaseri, Iunsalaon, and many others; and so came to Malacca the 8 of February, where the Portugals haue a castle which standeth nere the sea.  And the countrey fast without the towne belongeth to the Malayos, which is a kinde of proud people.  They go naked with a cloth about their middle, and a litle roll of cloth about their heads; Hither come many ships from China and from the Malucos, Banda, Timor, and from many other Ilands of the Iauas, which bring great store of spices and drugs, and diamants and other iewels.  The voyages into many of these Ilands belong vnto the captaine of Malacca:  so that none may goe thither without his licence:  which yeeld him great summes of money euery yeere.  The Portugals heere haue often times warres with the king of Achem which standeth in the Iland of Sumatra:  from whence commeth great store of pepper and other spices euery yeere to Pegu and Mecca within the Red sea, and other places.

[Sidenote:  The voyage to Iapan.] When the Portugals go from Macao in China to Iapan, they carry much white silke, golde, muske, and porcelanes:  and they bring from thence nothing but siluer.  They haue a great caracke which goeth thither euery yere, and she bringeth from thence euery yere abouve sixe hundred thousand crusadoes:  and all this siluer of Iapan, and two hundred thousand crusadoes [Marginal note:  Eight hundred thousand crusadoes in siluer imployed yerely by the Portugals in China.] more in siluer which they bring yeerely out of India, they imploy to their great aduantage in China:  and they bring from thence golde, muske, silke, copper, porcelanes, and many other things very costly and gilded.  When the Portugales come to Canton in China to traffike, they must remaine there but certaine dayes:  and when they come in at the gate of the city, they must enter their names in a booke, and when they goe out at night they must put out their names.  They may not lie in the towne all night, but must lie in their boats without the towne.  And their dayes being expired, if any man remaine there, they are euill vsed and imprisoned.  The Chinians are very suspitious, and doe not trust strangers.  It is thought that the king doth not know that any strangers come into his countrey.  And further it is credibly reported that the common people see their king very seldome or not at all, nor may not looke vp to that place where he sitteth.  And when he rideth abroad he is caried vpon a great chaire or serrion gilded very faire, wherein there is made a little house, with a latice to looke out at:  so that he may see them, but they may not looke vp at him:  and all the time that he passeth by them, they heaue vp their hands to their heads, and lay their heads on the ground, and looke not vp vntil he be passed.  The order of China is when they mourne, that they