Over These Brick
Warehouses A Shed Is Placed, Constructed Of Large Canes, And Thatched;
Some Being Of Small Timber, But Mostly Of Canes.
Of late years, since we
came here, many wealthy persons have built their houses fire-proof all
the way to the top:
But, on our first coming, there were none other in
that manner except the house of the Sabander, and those of the rich
Chinese merchants: yet even these, by means of their windows, and the
sheds around them, have been consumed by fire. In this town stand the
houses of the English and Dutch, built in the same manner with the
others; but of late the Dutch have built one of their houses to the top
of brick, but with much trouble and expence, in hopes of securing
themselves from fire.
The King of Bantam is an absolute sovereign, and since the deposition
and death of the late Emperor of Damacke he is considered as the
principal king of the whole island. He uses martial law on any offender
he is disposed to punish. If the wife or wives of any private individual
are guilty of adultery, upon good proof, both the woman and her paramour
are put to death. They may put their slaves to death for any small
fault. For every wife that a free Javan marries he must keep ten female
slaves, though some keep forty such for each wife, and may have as many
more as they please, but can only have three wives; yet may use all
their female slaves as concubines. The Javanese are exceedingly proud,
yet very poor, as hardly one among them of a hundred will work. The
gentry among them are reduced to poverty by the number of their slaves,
who eat faster than their pepper and rice grow. The Chinese plant,
dress, and gather all the pepper, and sow the rice, living as slaves
under the Javanese proprietors; yet they absorb all the wealth of the
land by their industry, from the indolent and idle Javanese. All the
Javanese are so proud that they will not endure an equal to sit an inch
higher than themselves. They are a most blood-thirsty race, yet seldom
fight face to face, either among themselves or with other nations,
always seeking their revenge after a cowardly manner, although stout men
of good stature. The punishment for murder among them is to pay a fine
to the king: but evermore the relations of the murdered person seek for
revenge upon the murderer or his kindred; so that the more they kill one
another the more fines come to the king. The ordinary weapon, which they
all wear, is a dagger, called a criss, about two feet long, with a
waved blade, crooked to and fro indenture ways, like what is called a
flaming sword, and exceedingly sharp, most of them being poisoned, so
that not one among five hundred wounded in the body escapes with life.
The handles of these weapons are of horn or wood, curiously carved in
the likeness of a devil, which many of these people worship. In their
wars they use pikes, darts, and targets; and of late some of them have
learnt to use fire-arms, but very awkwardly.
The better sort wear a tuke or turban on their heads, and a fine piece
of painted calico round their loins, all the rest of their bodies being
naked. They sometimes wear a close coat like a mandilion,[122] made of
cloth, camblet, velvet, or some other silk; but this is seldom, and only
on extraordinary occasions. The common people have a flat cap of velvet,
taffeta, or calico, on their heads, cut out in many pieces, and neatly
sewed together, so as to fit close. About their loins they wrap a piece
of calico made at Clyn, put on like a girdle, but at least a yard
broad, being mostly of two colours. There come also from the same place
many sorts of white cloth, which they dye, paint, and gild, according to
their own fashions. They can also weave a kind of striped stuff, either
of cotton or the rinds of trees; but, owing to their indolence, very
little of that is made or worn. The men for the most part wear their
hair, which is very thick and curly, and in which they take great pride,
and often go bare-headed to show their hair. The women go all
bare-headed, many of them having their hair tucked up like a cart-horse,
but the better sort tuck it up like our riding geldings. About their
loins they wear the same stuffs like the men; and always have a piece of
fine painted calico, of their country fashion, thrown over their
shoulders, with the ends hanging down loose behind.
[Footnote 122: The editor of Astley's Collection substitutes the word
cassock at this place. - E.]
The principal people are very religious, yet go seldom to church. They
acknowledge Jesus to have been a great prophet, calling him Nabu Isa,
or the prophet Jesus, and some of them entertain Mahometan priests in
their houses: but the common people have very little knowledge of any
religion, only saying that there is a God who made heaven and earth and
all things. They say that God is good, and will not hurt them, but that
the devil is bad, and will do them harm; wherefore many of them are so
ignorant as to pray to him, for fear he should harm them. Assuredly, if
there were here men of learning, and having a sufficient knowledge of
their language to instruct them, many of these ignorant people might be
drawn over to the true Christian faith, and civilized; for many with
whom I have conversed upon Christian laws have liked all very well,
except the prohibition of a plurality of wives, as they are all very
lascivious, both men and women.
The better sort of the Javanese, who are in authority, are great takers
of bribes; and all of them are bad payers when trusted, although their
laws for debt are so strict, that the creditor may take his debtor,
wives, children, slaves, and all that he hath, and sell them in
satisfaction of the debt.
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