_The description of the kingdome and the confines that it hath
belonging._
This great and mightie kingdome of China, which we do meane to treat of
in this Historie, hath beene discouered by cleere and true notice,
within this tenne yeares, by Spanyards that were dwellers in the Ilands
Philippinas, that are three hundreth leagues distant from the said
kingdome: Notwithstanding, that long time before, there was relation
giuen, by way of the Portingall Indias, by such as dwelt in Macao, and
did trafike to Canton, a citie of the same kingdome of China. But this
was by relation so, that the one nor the other could satisfie, for that
there was founde varietie in that which was true, till the yeere of
1577. Frier Martin de Gorrada,[7] prouincial of the Augustine friers,
who were the first discouerers of the said Ilands Philippinas, and
ministred first the holy baptisme amongst them, with his companions,
frier Hieronimo Martin, Pedro Sarmiento, and Myghell de Loarcha, cheefe
officers of the citie of Marrila[8] in the said Ilands, by the order and
commandement of Guido de Labassares, gouernour thereof, did enter into
the saide kingdome of China, led and gouerned by a captaine belonging to
the king of the said kingdome, called Omoncon.
Of the comming of this Omoncon vnto the Ilands Philippinas, and of his
hardines to carrie the aforesaid vnto the firme land, he being commanded
to the contrarie vpon paine of death, and how he was receiued, and great
courtesie shewed, and of other things verie curious, you shall finde in
the second part of this historie, where as is the substance and whole
relation of all that was brought vnto the king of Spaine.
You shall vnderstande that this mightie kingdome is the Orientalest part
of all Asia, and his next neighbour towards the Ponent is the kingdome
of Quachinchina,[9] whereas they doo obserue in whole all the customes
and rites of China. The greatest part of this kingdome is watred with
the great Orientall Ocean sea, beginning at the Iland Aynan,[10] which
is hard by Quachinchina, which is 19 degrees towards the North, and
compassing towards the South, whereas their course is northeast. And
beyond Quachinchina towards the North, the Bragmanes[11] do confine,
which are much people, and verie rich, of golde, siluer, and pretious
stones, but in especiall, rubies: for there are infinit. They are proude
and hawtie men, of great corage, wel made, but of browne colour: they
haue had (but few times) warre with them of China, in respect for that
betwixt both the kingdomes, there are great and mightie mountaines and
rockes that doth disturbe them. And harde vnto this nation ioyneth the
Patanes[12] and Mongores,[13] which is a great kingdome, and warlike
people, whose head[14] is the Gran Samarzan:[15] They are the true
Scythas or Massagetas, of whom it is affirmed that they were neuer
ouercome by any other nation: they are a people well proportioned and
white: by reason they dwel in a cold countrie. Betwixt the West and the
South is the Trapobana, or Samatra, a kingdome very rich of gold,
pretious stones, & pearles: and more towards the South, are the two
Iauas, the great and the lesse, and the kingdome of the Lechios:[16] and
in equall distance, are the Iapones: yet notwithstanding those that are
more indifferent to this kingdome are the Tartarians, which are on the
selfe firme land or continent, and are alonely diuided by a wal, as shal
be declared in the 9 chapter of this booke. These Tartarians haue had
many times wars with them of China: but at one time (as you shall
perceive) they got the whole kingdome of China, and did possesse the
same for the space of 93 yeares, till such time as they of China did
rebell and forced them out again. At this day they say that they are
friends one with another, and that is, for that they bee all Gentiles,
and do vse all one manner of ceremonies and rites. They doo differ in
their clenes[17] and lawes, in the which the Chinas doth exceede them
very much. The Tartarians are very yellow and not so white: and they go
naked from the girdlested vpwards, and they eate raw flesh, and do
annoint themselues with the blood of raw flesh, for to make them more
harder and currish, by reason whereof they doo so stinke, that if the
aire doth come from that part where they be, you shall smel them afar
off by the strong sauor. They haue for certainty, the truth of the
immortalitie of the soule (although it be with error), for they say that
the soule doth enter into other bodies, and that soule that liued well
in the first bodie, doth better it from poore to rich, or from age to
youth: and if it liued evill, to the contrarie in worse. The sons of the
Tartarians do very much obserue and keepe the commandement in obeying
their parents, for that they doo wholly accomplish the same without
failing any iot of their will, vnder paine to be seuerly and publikelie
punished. They confess one God, whom they worship, and haue him in their
houses carved or painted, and every day they doe offer vnto it incense,
or some other sweet smelles: they do call him the high God, and do craue
of him vnderstanding and health. They haue also another god, which they
say is son vnto the other; they do call him Natigay: this is their god
of terestriall things. They haue him likewise in their houses, and every
time they go to eate they doo annoint his face with the fattest thing
they haue to eate: that being doone they fall to eating, hauing first
giuen their gods their pitance. They are a kinde of people that verie
seldome doo fable a lie, although their liues should lie thereon, and
are verie obedient vnto their king: but in speciall in their warres, in
the which euerie one doth that he is appointed to doo: they are led by
the sound of a drome or trumpet, with the which their captaines do
gouerne them with great ease, by reason that they are trained vp in the
same from their youth. And many other things are amongst them, in the
which they do resemble them of China, (who) if they did receiue the
faith of our Lord Jesu Christ, it is to be belieued that the Tartarians
would do the same, for that they are taken for men very ducible, and do
imitate verie much them of China.