weare white thread shoes, and hats of straw.  The man doth mourne for his wife two yeeres, the wife for her husband three yeeres:  the sonne for his father a yeere, and for his mother two yeres.  And all the time which they mourne they keepe the dead in the house, the bowels being taken out and filled with chownam or lime, and coffined:  and when the time is expired they carry them out playing and piping, and burne them.  And when they returne they pull off their mourning weeds, and marry at their pleasure.  A man may keepe as many concubines as he will, but one wife onely. [Sidenote:  The writing of the people of China &c.] All the Chineans, Iaponians, and Cauchin Chineans do write right downwards, and they do write with a fine pensill made of dogs or cats haire.

Laban is a Iland among the Iauas from whence come the diamants of the New water.  And they finde them in the riuers:  for the king will not suffer them to digge the rocke.

Iamba is an Iland among the Iauas also, from whence come diamants.  And the king hath a masse of earth which is golde; it groweth in the middle of a riuer:  and when the king doth lacke gold, they cut part of the earth and melt it, whereof commeth golde.  This masse of earth doth appeare but once in a yere; which is when the water is low:  and this is in the moneth of April.

Bima is another Iland among the Iauas, where the women trauell and labour as our men do in England, and the men keepe house and go where they will.

The 29 of March 1588, I returned from Malacca to Martauan, and so to Pegu, where I remained the second time vntill the 17 of September, and then I went to Cosmin, and there tooke shipping; and passing many dangers by reason of contrary windes, it pleased God that we arriued in Bengala in Nouember following:  where I stayed for want of passage vntill the third of February 1589, and then I shipped my selfe for Cochin.  In which voyage we endured great extremity for lacke of fresh water:  for the weather was extreme hote, and we were many marchants and passengers, and we had very many calmes, and hote weather.  Yet it pleased God that we arriued in Ceylon the sixth of March, where we stayed fiue dayes to water, and to furnish our selues with other necessary prouision.  This Ceylon is a braue Iland, very fruitfull and faire; but by reason of continuall warres with the king thereof, all things are very deare:  for he will not suffer any thing to be brought to the castle where the Portugals be:  wherefore often times they haue great want of victuals.  Their prouision of victuals commeth out of Bengala euery yere.  The king is called Raia, and is of great force:  for he commeth to Columbo, which is the place where the Portugals haue their fort, with an hundred thousand men, and many elephants.  But they be naked people all of them; yet many of them be good with their pieces which be muskets.  When the king talketh with any man, he standeth vpon one legge, and setteth the other