Book: An Historical Relation Of The Island Ceylon In The East Indies

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[The Skin bears strings as strong as wyer.] It bears a leaf like to
that of a Betel-Nut-Tree, which is fastned to a Skin as the Betel-Nut
Leaves were, onely this Skin is hard and stubborn like a piece of
Board: the Skin is all full of strings as strong as Wyer; they use
them to make Ropes withal. As long as the Tree is growing the leaves
shed; but when the Tree is come to its full growth, they remain many
years upon the Tree before they fall; and when they fall, there are
no new ones come again: The top-bud, as it ripens and withers, other
buds come out lower and lower every Year till they come to the bottom
of the Boughs, and then it hath done bearing, and so may stand seven
or ten years, and then dyeth.

[The Wood; its Nature and Use.] The Wood of this Tree is not above
three inches thick, mighty strong and hard to cut in two, but very
apt to split from top to bottom; a very heavy wood, they make pestles
of it to beat their Rice with; the colour black, but looks not like
natural wood, but as if it were composed of divers pieces. The budds
of this Tree, as also of the Coker, and Betel Nut-Tree, are excellent
in tast, resembling Walnuts or Almonds.

[The Cinnamon Tree.] I proceed to the third Tree, which is the
Cinnamon, in their Language Corunda-gauhah. It grows wild in the
Woods as other Trees, and by them no more esteemed; It is most on
the West side of the great River Mavela-gonga. It is much as plenty
as Hazel in England in some places a great deal, in some little, and
in some none at all. The Trees are not very great, but sizable. The
Cinnamon is the [The Bark.] Bark or Rind, when it is on the Tree it
looks whitish. They scrape it and pull it off and dry it in the Sun:
they take it onely from off the smaller Trees, altho the Bark of the
greater is as sweet to the smell and as strong to the tast. The [The
Wood.] Wood has no smell, in colour white, and soft like Fir. Which
for any use they cut down, favouring them no more than other wild
Trees in the Wood. The [The Leaf.] Leaf much resembleth the Laurel
both in colour and thickness; the difference is, whereas the Laurel
hath but one strait rib throughout, whereon the green spreads it self
on each sides, the Cinnamon hath three by which the Leaf stretches
forth it self. When the young leaves come out they look purely red
like scarlet: Break or bruise them, and they will smell more like
Cloves than Cinnamon. It bears a [The Fruit.] Fruit, which is ripe
in September, much like an Acorn, but smaller, it neither tasts nor
smells much like the Bark, but being boyled in water, it will yield an
Oyl swimming on the top, which when cold is as hard as tallow and as
white; and smelleth excellently well. They use it for Oyntments for
Aches and Pains, and to burn in Lamps to give light in their houses:
but they make no Candles of it, neither are any Candles used by any
but the King.

Here are many sorts of Trees that bear Berries to make Oyl of, both in
the Woods and Gardens, but not eatable, but used only for their Lamps.

There are other Trees remarkable either for their strangeness, or use,
or both. Of these I shall mention a few.

[The Orula, the Fruit good for Physick, and Dying.] The Orula, a
Tree as big as an Apple-Tree, bears a Berry somewhat like an Olive,
but sharper at each end, its Skin is of a reddish green colour, which
covereth an hard stone. They make use of it for Physic in Purges; and
also to dy black colour: Which they do after this manner; They take
the fruit and beat it to pieces in Mortars, and put it thus beaten
into water; and after it has been soaking a day or two, it changeth
the water, that it looks like Beer. Then they dip their cloth in it,
or what they mean to dy, and dry it in the Sun. And then they dip it
in black mud, and so let it ly about an hour, then take it and wash it
in water: and now it will appear of a pale black. Then being dry, they
dip it again into the aforesaid Dy, and it becomes a very good black.

[This water will brighten rusty Iron, and serve instead of
Ink.] Another use there is of this water. It is this: Let any rusty
Iron ly a whole night in it, and it will become bright; and the water
look black like Ink, insomuch that men may write with it. These Trees
grow but in some Parts of the Land, and nothing near so plentiful
as Cinnamon. The Berries the Drugsters in the City there, do sell in
their Shops.

[The Dounekaia] The Dounekaia gauhah, a shrub, bears leaves as broad
as two fingers, and six or eight foot long, on both sides of them set
full of Thorns, and a streak of Thorns runs thro the middle. These
leaves they split to weave Matts withal. The Tree bears a bud above a
span long, tapering somewhat like a Sugar-loaf. Leaves cover this bud
folding it about, like the leaves of a Cabbage. Which leaves smell
rarely sweet, and look of a lovely yellow colour like gold. This
bud blowes into divers bunches of Flowers, spreading it self open
like a Plume of Feathers, each Flower whitish, but very small. The
Roots of this shrub they use for Ropes, splitting them into Thongs,
and then making them into Ropes.

[The Capita.] The Capita gauhah, is a shrub never bigger than a
mans arm. The Wood, Rind and Leaves have all a Physical smell; and
they do sometimes make use of it for Physic. The Leaf is of a bright
green, roundish, rough, and as big as the palm of an hand. No sort
of Cattel will eat it, no, not the Goats, that will sometimes brouze
upon rank poyson. There is abundance of these Trees every where, and
they grow in all Countreys, but in Ouvah. And this is supposed to be
the cause, that the Ouvah Cattle dy, when they are brought thence
to any other Country. They attribute it to the smell of this Tree,
of such a venomous nature it is to Beasts. And therefore to destroy
their Fleas, or to keep their houses clear of them, they sweep them
with Brooms made of this shrub. 'Tis excellent good for firing, and
will burn when it is green. There are no other coals the Goldsmiths
use, but what are made of this wood.

[Rattans.] Rattans grow in great abundance upon this Island. They
run like Honey-suckles either upon the Ground, or up Trees, as it
happens, near Twenty fathom in length. There is a kind of a shell or
skin grows over the Rattan, and encloseth it round. Which serves for
a Case to cover and defend it, when tender. This Skin is so full of
prickles and thorns, that you cannot touch it. As the Rattan growes
longer and stronger, this Case growes ripe, and falls off prickles
and shell and all.

[Its Fruit.] It bears fruit in clusters just like bunches of Grapes,
and as big. Every particular Berry is covered with a husk like a
Gooseberry, which is soft, yellow and scaly, like the scales of
a Fish, hansome to look upon. This husk being cracked and broken,
within grows a Plum of a whitish colour: within the Plum a stone,
having meat about it. The people gather and boyl them to make sour
pottage to quench the thirst.

[Canes.] Canes grow just like Rattans, and bear a fruit like them. The
difference onely is, that the Canes are larger.

[The Betel Tree.] The Tree that bears the Betel-leaf, which is so much
loved and eaten in these parts, growes like Ivy, twining about Trees,
or Poles, which they stick in the ground, for it to run up by: and as
the Betel growes, the Poles grow also. The form of the Leaf is longish,
the end somewhat sharp, broadest next to the stalk, of a bright green,
very smooth, just like a Pepper leaf, onely different in the colour,
the Pepper leaf being of a dark green. It bears a fruit just like
long Pepper, but not good for seed, for it falls off and rots upon
the ground. But when they are minded to propagate it, they plant the
spriggs, which will grow.

[The Bo-gauhah, or God Tree.] I shall mention but one Tree more
as famous and highly set by as any of the rest, if not more, tho
it bear no fruit, the benefit consisting chiefly in the Holiness of
it. This Tree they call Bo-gauhah; we, the God-tree. It is very great
and spreading, the Leaves always shake like an Asp. They have a very
great veneration for these Trees, worshipping them; upon a Tradition,
That the Buddou, a great God among them, when he was upon the Earth,
did use to sit under this kind of Trees. There are many of these Trees,
which they plant all the Land over, and have more care of, than of any
other. They pave round under them like a Key, sweep often under them to
keep them clean; they light Lamps, and set up their Images under them:
and a stone Table is placed under some of them to lay their Sacrifices
on. They set them every where in Towns and High wayes, where any
convenient places are: they serve also for shade to Travellers. They
will also set them in memorial of persons deceased, to wit, there,
where their Bodies were burnt. It is held meritorious to plant them,
which, they say, he that does, shall dy within a short while after,
and go to Heaven: But the oldest men onely that are nearest death
in the course of Nature, do plant them, and none else; the younger
sort desiring to live a little longer in this World before they go
to the other.






CHAP. V.

Of their Roots, Plants, Herbs, Flowers.


[Roots for Food.] Some of these are for Food, and some for Medicine. I
begin with their Roots, which with the Jacks before mentioned,
being many, and generally bearing well, are a great help towards
the sustenance of this People. These by the Chingulays by a general
name are called Alloes, by the Portugals and us Inyames. They are of
divers and sundry sorts, some they plant, and some grow wild; those
that grow wild in the Woods are as good, onely they are more scarce
and grow deeper, and so more difficult to be plucked up. It would be
to no purpose to mention their particular names; I shall onely speak a
little in general of them. They serve both for Food, and for Carrees,
that is, sauce, or for a relish to their Rice. But they make many
a meal of them alone to lengthen out their Rice, or for want of it:
and of these there is no want to those that will take pains but to
set them, and cheap enough to those that will, buy.

[The manner of their growing.] There are two sorts of these Alloes;
some require Trees or Sticks to run up on; others require neither. Of
the former sort, some will run up to the tops of very large Trees, and
spread out very full of branches, and bear great bunches of blossoms,
but no use made of them; The Leaves dy every year, but the Roots grow
still, which some of them will do to a prodigious bigness within a
Year or two's time, becoming as big as a mans wast. The fashion of
them somewhat roundish, rugged and uneven, and in divers odd shapes,
like a log of cleft wood: they have a very good, savoury mellow tast.

Of those that do not run up on Trees, there are likewise sundry sorts;
they bear a long stalk and a broad leaf; the fashion of these Roots
are somewhat roundish, some grow out like a mans fingers, which they
call Angul-alloes, as much as to say Finger-Roots; some are of a
white colour, some of a red.

Those that grow in the Woods run deeper into the Earth, they run up
Trees also. Some bear blossoms somewhat like Hopps, and they may be
as big as a mans Arm.

[Boyling Herbs.] For Herbs to boyl and eat with Butter they have
excellent good ones, and several sorts: some of them are six months
growing to maturity, the stalk as high as a man can reach, and being
boyled almost as good as Asparagus. There are of this sort, some having
leaves and stalks as red as blood, some green: some the leaves green,
and the stalk very white.

[Fruits for sawce.] They have several other sorts of Fruits which
they dress and eat with their Rice, and tast very savoury, called
Carowela, Wattacul, Morongo, Cacorebouns, &c. the which I cannot
compare to any things that grow here in England.

[European Herbs and Plants among them.] They have of our English Herbs
and Plants, Colworts, Carrots, Radishes, Fennel, Balsam, Spearmint,
Mustard. These, excepting the two last, are not the natural product
of the Land, but they are transplanted hither: By which I perceive
all other European Plants would grow there: They have also Fern,
Indian Corn. Several sorts of Beans as good as these in England:
right Cucumhers, Calabasses, and several sorts of Pumkins, &c. The
Dutch on that Island in their Gardens have Lettice, Rosemary, Sage,
and all other Herbs and Sallettings that we have in these Countreys.

[Herbs for Medicine.] Nor are they worse supplyed with Medicinal
Herbs. The Woods are their Apothecaries Shops, where with Herbs,
Leaves, and the Rinds of Trees they make all their Physic and
Plaisters, with which sometimes they will do notable Cures. I will not
here enter into a larger discourse of the Medicinal Vertues of their
Plants, &c. of which there are hundreds: onely as a Specimen thereof,
and likewise of their Skill to use them; I will relate a Passage or
two. A Neighbour of mine a Chingulay, would undertake to cure a broken
Leg or Arm by application of some Herbs that grow in the Woods, and
that with that speed, that the broken Bone after it was set should
knit by the time one might boyl a pot of Rice and three carrees,
that is about an hour and an half or two hours; and I knew a man who
told me he was thus cured. They will cure an Imposthume in the Throat
with the Rind of a Tree called Amaranga, (whereof I my self had the
experience;) by chawing it for a day or two after it is prepared,
and swallowing the spittle. I was well in a day and a Night, tho
before I was exceedingly ill, and could not swallow my Victuals.

[Their Flowers.] Of Flowers they have great varieties, growing wild,
for they plant them not. There are Roses red and white, scented like
ours: several sorts of sweet smelling Flowers, which the young Men
and Women gather and tie in their hairs to perfume them; they tie up
their hair in a bunch behind, and enclose the Flowers therein.

[A Flower that serves instead of a Dial.] There is one Flower
deserves to be mentioned for the rarity and use of it, they call it
a Sindric-mal, there are of them some of a Murry colour, and some
white. Its Nature is, to open about four a clock in the Evening,
and so continueth open all Night until the morning, when it closeth
up it self till four a clock again. Some will transplant them out
of the Woods into their Gardens to serve them instead of a Clock,
when it is cloudy that they cannot see the Sun.

There is another white Flower like our Jasmine, well scented, they call
them Picha-mauls, which the King hath a parcel of brought to him every
morning, wrapt in a white cloth, hanging upon a staff, and carried
by people, whose peculiar office this is. All people that meet these
flowers, out of respect to the King, for whose use they are, must turn
out of the Way; and so they must for all other things that go to the
King being wrapt up in white cloth. These Officers hold Land of the
King for this service: their Office is, also to plant these Flowers,
which they usually do near the Rivers where they most delight to grow:
Nay, they have power to plant them in any mans Ground, and enclose
that ground when they have done it for the sole use of their Flowers
to grow in: which Inclosures they will keep up for several years,
until the Ground becomes so worn, that the Flowers will thrive there
no longer, and then the Owners resume their own Lands again.

Hop-Mauls, are Flowers growing upon great Trees, which bear nothing
else, they are rarely sweet scented; this is the chief Flower the
young people use; and is of greatest value among them.






CHAP. VI.

Of their Beasts, Tame and Wild, Insects.


[What Beasts the Country produceth.] Having spoken concerning the Trees
and Plants of this Island, We will now go on to speak of the Living
Creatures on it, viz. Their Beasts, Insects, Birds, Fish, Serpents,
&c. useful or noxious. And we begin first with their Beasts. They have
Cowes, Buffaloes, Hogs, Goats, Deer, Hares, Dogs, Jacols, Apes, Tygers,
Bears, Elephants, and other Wild Beasts. Lions, Wolves, Horses, Asses,
Sheep, they have none. [Deer no bigger than Hares.] Deer are in great
abundance in the Woods, and of several sorts, from the largeness of
a Cow or Buffalo, to the smalness of a Hare. For here is a Creature
in this Land no bigger, but in every part rightly resembleth a Deer,
It is called Meminna, of colour gray with white spots, and good meat.

[Other Creatures rare in their kind.] Here are also wild Buffalo's;
also a sort of Beast they call Gauvera, so much resembling a Bull,
that I think it one of that kind. His back stands up with a sharp
ridg; all his four feet white up half his Legs. I never saw but one,
which was kept among the Kings Creatures. Here was a Black Tygre
catched and brought to the King, and afterwards a Deer milk white;
both which he very much esteemed; there being no more either before
or since ever heard of in that Land.

[The way how a Wild Deer was catched.] If any desire to know how this
white Deer was caught, it was thus; This Deer was observed to come on
Evenings with the rest of the Herd to a great Pond to drink; the People
that were ordered to catch this Deer, fenced the Pond round and plain
about it with high stakes, leaving onely one wide gap. The men after
this done lay in ambush, each with his bundle of Stakes ready cut. In
the Evening the Deer came with the rest of the Herd to drink according
to their wont. As soon as they were entred within the stakes, the men
in ambush fell to their work, which was to fence in the gap left,
which, there being little less than a Thousand men, they soon did;
and so all the Herd were easily caught; and this among the rest.

[Of their Elephants.] The King hath also an Elephant spotted or
freckled all the body over, which was lately caught; and tho he hath
many and very stately Elephants, and may have as many more as he
pleases, yet he prefers this before them all. And since I am fallen
upon discourse of the Elephant, the creature that this Countrey is
famed for above any in India, I will detain my self a little longer
upon it.

[The way of catching Elephants.] I will first relate the manner of
taking them, and afterwards their Sagacity, with other things that
occur to my memory concerning them. This Beast, tho he be so big
and wise, yet he is easily catched. When the King commands to catch
Elephants, after they have found them they like, that is such as have
Teeth, for tho there be many in the Woods, yet but few have Teeth,
and they males onely: unto these they drive some She-Elephants,
which they bring with them for the purpose; which when once the
males have got a sight of, they will never leave, but follow them
wheresoever they go; and the females are so used to it, that they
will do whatsoever either by a word or a beck their Keepers bid them;
and so they delude them along thro Towns and Countreys, thro the
Streets of the City, even to the very Gates of the Kings Palace;
Where sometimes they seize upon them by snares, and sometimes by
driving them into a kind of Pound, they catch them. After they have
brought the Elephant which is not yet caught together with the She,
into the Kings presence, if it likes him not, he commands to let him
go; if it does, he appoints him some certain place near unto the City,
where they are to drive him with the Females; for without them it is
not possible to make him stay; and to keep him in that place until
the Kings further order and pleasure is to catch him, which perhaps
may not be in two or three or four Years; All which time there are
great men with Souldiers appointed to watch there about him: and if
he should chance to stray a little out of his bounds set by the King,
immediately they bring him back fearing the Kings displeasure, which
is no less than death it self. Here these Elephants do, and may do,
great dammage to the Country, by eating up their Corn, and trampling
it with their broad feet, and throwing down their Coker-Nut Trees,
and oftentimes their Houses too, and they may not resist them. It
is thought this is done by the King to punish them that ly under his
displeasure; And if you ask what becomes of these Elephants at last;
sometimes after they have thus kept watch over them two or three Years,
and destroyed the Countrey in this manner, the King will send order
to carry them into the Woods, and let them go free. For he catcheth
them not for any use or benefit he hath by them, but onely for his
recreation and pastime.

[The understanding of Elephants. Their Nature.] As he is the greatest
in body, so in understanding also. For he will do any thing that
his Keeper bids him, which is possible for a Beast not having hands
to do. And as the Chingulayes report, they bear the greatest love
to their young of all irrational Creatures; for the Shees are alike
tender of any ones young ones as of their own: where there are many
She Elephants together, the young ones go and suck of any, as well
as of their Mothers; and if a young one be in distress and should
cry out, they will all in general run to the help and aid thereof;
and if they be going over a River, as here be some somewhat broad, and
the streams run very swift, they will all with their Trunks assist and
help to convey the young ones over. They take great delight to ly and
tumble in the water, and will swim excellently well. Their Teeth they
never shed. Neither will they ever breed tame ones with tame ones;
but to ease themselves of the trouble to bring them meat, they will
ty their two fore-feet together, and put them into the Woods, where
meeting with the wild ones, they conceive and go one Year with young.

[The damage they do.] It is their constant practice to shove down
with their heads great Trees, which they love to eat, when they be
too high, and they cannot otherwise reach the boughs. Wild ones will
run much faster than a man, but tame ones not. The People stand in
fear of them, and oftentimes are kill'd by them. They do them also
great dammage in their Grounds, by Night coming into their Fields and
eating up their Corn and likewise their Coker-nut-Trees, &c. So that
in Towns near unto the Woods, where are plenty of them, the people
are forced to watch their Corn all Night, and also their Outyards and
Plantations; into which being once entred with eating and trampling
they will do much harm, before they can get them out. Who oftentimes
when by lighting of Torches, and hollowing, they will not go out,
take their Bowes and go and shoot them, but not without some hazard,
for sometimes the Elephant runs upon them and kills them. For fear
of which they will not adventure unless there be Trees, about which
they may dodg to defend themselves. And altho here be both Bears
and Tygers in these Woods, yet they are not so fierce, as commonly
to assault people; Travellers and Way-faring men go more in fear of
Elephants than of any other Beasts.

[Serve the King for Executing Malefactors.] The King makes use of
them for Executioners; they will run their Teeth through the body, and
then tear it in pieces, and throw it limb from limb. They have sharp
Iron with a socket with three edges, which they put on their Teeth at
such times; for the Elephants that are kept have all the ends of their
Teeth cut to make them grow the better, and they do grow out again.

[Their Diseases.] At some uncertain seasons the males have an infirmity
comes on them, that they will be stark mad, so that none can rule
them. Many times it so comes to pass that they with their Keepers on
their backs, run raging until they throw them down and kill them: but
commonly there is notice of it before, by an Oyl that will run out of
their cheeks, which when that appears, immediately they chain them fast
to great Trees by the Legs. For this infirmity they use no Medicine,
neither is he sick: but the females are never subject to this.

[The Sport they make.] The Keepers of the Kings Elephants sometimes
make a sport with them after this manner. They will command an Elephant
to take up water, which he does, and stands with it in his Trunk, till
they command him to squirt it out at some body, which he immediately
will do, it may be a whole paleful together, and with such a force,
that a man can hardly stand against it.

[Ants of divers sorts.] There are Ants of several sorts, and some
worthy our remark.

First of all, there are the Coumbias, a sort of small reddish Ants
like ours in England.

Secondly, the Tale-Coumbias, as small as the former but blackish. These
usually live in hollow Trees or rotten Wood, and will sting most
terribly.

Thirdly, the Dimbios, great red Ants. These make their nests upon
the Boughs of great Trees, bringing the Leaves together in clusters,
it may be as big as a mans head; in which they lay their Eggs and
breed. There will be oftentimes many nests of these upon one Tree,
insomuch that the people are afraid to go up to gather the Fruits
lest they should be stung by them.

A fourth sort of Ants are those they call Coura-atch. They are great
and black, living in the ground. Their daily practice is to bring
up dirt out of the ground, making great hollow holes in the Earth,
somewhat resembling Cony-Burrows; onely these are less, and run
strait downwards for some way, and then turn away into divers paths
under ground. In many places of the Land there are so many of these
holes, that Cattle are ready to break their Legs as they go. These
do not sting.

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