This However Did Not
Satisfy Them, And They Insisted On Our Company, And That Of Mr Eaton; So
We Went And Had A Place Appointed For Us, Where We Sat At Our Ease And
Saw Every Thing.
The old king himself brought us a collation in sight of
all the people; Semidono afterwards did the like in the name of both
kings, and a third was brought us in the sequel by several of their
principal nobles or attendants.
But that which we most noted was their
play or comedy, in which the two kings, with their greatest nobles and
princes, were the actors. The subject was a representation of the
valiant deeds of their ancestors, from the commencement of their kingdom
or commonwealth to the present time, which was mixed with much mirth to
please the common people. The audience was very numerous, as every house
in the town of Firando, and every village, place, or hamlet in their
dominions brought a present, and all their subjects were spectators. The
kings themselves took especial care that every one, both high and low,
should eat and drink before they departed. Their acting, music, singing,
and poetry, were very harsh to our ears, yet the natives kept time to
it, both with hands and feet. Their musical instruments were small drums
or tabors, wide at both ends and small in the middle, resembling an
hour-glass, on one end of which they beat with one hand, while with the
other they strained the cords which surround it, making it to sound soft
or loud at their pleasure, and tuning their voices to its sound, while
others played on a fife or flute; but all was harsh and unpleasant to
our ears.
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