I Feasted Them, And Gave Them Several English
Commodities, And After Two Hours Stay, They Returned On Shore.
At this
interview I requested the king to let us have a house in the town, which
he readily granted, taking two of my merchants ashore with him, to whom
he pointed out three or four houses, desiring them to make their choice,
paying the owners as we could agree.
On the 13th I went ashore, attended by the merchants and principal
officers, and delivered our presents to the king, to the value of about
L140, which he received with great satisfaction, feasting me and my
whole company with several kinds of powdered wild-fowl and fruits.
He called for a standing cup, which was one of the presents, and ordering
it to be filled with their country wine, which is distilled from rice,
and as strong as brandy, he told me he would drink it all off to the
health of the king of England, which he did, though it held about a pint
and a half, in which he was followed by myself and all his nobles. As
only myself and the Cape merchant sat in the same room with the king,
all the rest of my company being in another room, he commanded his
secretary to go and see that they all pledged the health. The king and
his nobles sat at meat cross-legged, on mats, after the fashion of the
Turks, the mats being richly edged with cloths of gold, velvet, sattin,
or damask.
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