The Weapons Of These People Are Very Bad, Their Swords Being Short And
Blunt At The Points.
They have arquebusses also, but they shoot very
badly with them.
The king keeps great state, sitting in public twice
every day, having all his nobles, which they call _shemines_, sitting on
each side at a good distance, and a numerous guard on the outside of
all, so that the hall, or court is very large. If any one wish to speak
to the king, he maketh three profound reverences, when he enters, in
the mid way, and when he comes near the king; at each of these he kneels
down, holds his hands above his head, and bows with his head to the
ground three times. He then sits down to speak to the king, and if
favoured is allowed to come near, within three or four paces, but
otherwise is made to sit at a greater distance. When the king goes to
war he is accompanied by a great military force. While I was in Pegu, he
went to Odia, in the kingdom of Siam, with 300,000 men and 5000
elephants. His particular guard was 30,000. When the king rides abroad,
he is accompanied by a strong guard and many nobles, and often rides on
an elephant having a great castle on its back superbly gilded; sometimes
he travels on a great frame of wood like a horse-litter, having a small
house or canopy upon it, covered over head, and open at the sides, which
is all splendidly gilded with gold, and adorned with many rubies and
sapphires, of which he hath an infinite store, as a vast many of them
are found in this country.
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