These Were Surrounded By
Forty Beautiful Young Ladies, Led By An Equal Number Of Old Ladies, And
Attended By A Great Number Of _Talegrepos_, Who Are A Kind Of Monks Or
Religious Men, Habited Like Capuchins, Who Prayed With And Comforted The
Captives.
Then followed the king of Martavan, seated on a small she
elephant, clothed in black velvet, having his head, beard, and eyebrows
shaved, and a rope about his neck.
On seeing the Portuguese, he refused
to proceed till they were removed, after which he went on. Being come
into the presence of the king of the Birmans, he cast himself at his
feet; and being unable to speak owing to grief, the _Raolim_ of
_Mounay_, _Talaypor_, or chief priest of Martavan, who was esteemed a
saint, made a harangue in his behalf, which had been sufficient to have
moved compassion from any other than the obdurate tyrant to whom it was
addressed, who immediately ordered the miserable king, with his wife,
children, and attendant ladies, into confinement. For the two following
days, a number of men were employed to remove the public treasure of
Martavan, amounting to 100 millions in gold; and on the third day, the
army was allowed indiscriminate plunder, which lasted for four days, and
was estimated at 12 millions. Then the city was burnt, and above 60,000
persons were supposed to have perished by fire and sword, an equal
number being reduced to slavery. On this occasion, 2000 temples and
40,000 houses were destroyed.
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