"The King had a very rich canopy
with embossings of gold borne over him, and was guarded with
twelve lances.
From the waist to the ground was all cloth of
gold, and that very rich; in the attire of his head were finely
wreathed in, diverse rings of plaited gold, of an inch or more in
breadth, which made a fair and princely show, somewhat resembling
a crown in form; about his neck he had a chain of perfect gold,
the links very great and one fold double; on his left hand was a
diamond, an emerald, a ruby, and a turky; on his right hand in
one ring a big and perfect turky, and in another ring many
diamonds of a smaller size."
All this glitter of barbaric gold was the produce of the spice
trade, of which the Sultans kept the monopoly, and by which they
became wealthy. Ternate, with the small islands in a line south
of it, as far as Batchian, constitute the ancient Moluccas, the
native country of the clove, as well as the only part in which it
was cultivated. Nutmegs and mace were procured from the natives
of New Guinea and the adjacent islands, where they grew wild; and
the profits on spice cargoes were so enormous, that the European
traders were glad to give gold and jewels, and the finest
manufactures of Europe or of India, in exchange. When the Dutch
established their influence in these seas, and relieved the
native princes from their Portuguese oppressors, they saw that
the easiest way to repay themselves would be to get this spice
trade into their own hands.
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