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The Voiage and Travayle of Sir John Maundeville Knight

Note 1: — CAP. CIX.

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Traveling from thence by the Ocean sea 50 daies journey southward, I came unto a certaine land named Lammori,1 where, in regard of extreeme heat, the people both men and women go stark-naked from top to toe: who seeing me apparelled, scoffed at me, saying that God made Adam and Eve naked. In this countrey al women are common, so that no man can say, this is my wife. Also when any of the said women beareth a son or a daughter, she bestowes it upon anyone that hath lien with her, whom she pleaseth. Likewise al the land of that region is possessed in common, so that there is not mine & thine, or any propriety of possession in the division of lands: howbeit euery man hath his owne house peculiar unto himselfe. Mans flesh, if it be fat, is eaten as ordinarily there as beefe in our countrey. And albeit the people are most lewd, yet the countrey is exceeding good, abounding with al commodities, as fleshe, corne, rise, silver, gold, wood of aloes, Camphir, and many other things. Marchants coming unto this region for traffique do usually bring with them fat men, selling them unto the inhabitants as we sel hogs, who immediately kil and eat them. In this island towards the south, there is another kingdome called Simoltra,2 where both men and women marke themselves with red-hot yron in 12 sundry spots of their faces: and this nation is at continual warre with certaine naked people in another region. Then I traveled further unto another island called Java, the compasse whereof by sea is 3000 miles. The king of this Iland hath 7 other crowned kings under his jurisdiction. The said Island is throughly inhabited & is thought to be one of the principall Ilands of ye whole world. In the same Iland there groweth great plenty of cloves, cubibez, and nutmegs, and in a word all kinds of spices are there to be had, and great aboundance of all victuals except wine. The king of the said Iland of Java hath a brave and sumptuous pallace, the most loftily built, that euer I saw any, & it hath most high greeses3 and stayers to ascend up into the roomes therein contained, one stayre being of silver, & another of gold, throughout the whole building. Also the lower roomes were paved all ouer with one square plate of silver, & another of gold. All the walls upon the inner side were seeled ouer with plates of gold, wherupon were ingraven ye pictures of knights, having about their temples, ech of them a wreath of golde, adorned with precious stones. The roofe of the palace was of pure gold. With this King of Java the great Can of Catay hath had many conflicts in war; whom notwithstanding the said king hath always overcome and vanquished.

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