Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

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feen after the pafs. They abound in filks both wrought and raw, much ftronger thanwhat China produces.

Japon , with the neighbouring iflands under its dominions, is about the magnitude ofGreat Britain . It is in length from north-eaft to fouth-weft near 300 leagues, and themean of its breadth about 160 miles. It is well peopled, and produces all things necef-fary for human fuftenance, in great plenty. They are exact obfervers of juft ice, andrigorous in their punilhing crimes.

A man of diftinftion, if convidled of a capital crime, the Emperor fends him a letter,that on l'uch a day, and Inch an hour, he mult be his own executioner , on penalty ofexquifite torments, if he furvives the appointed hour. So the common cuftom is, thatthe delinquent fends for his neared and bed friends to a fumptuous fead on the day fethim, and after the fead is over, he thews them the Emperor ’s letter, and while they arereading it,- he takes a dagger that he has about him for the purpofe, and with it hedabs himfelf below the navel, and rips himfelf up to the bread-bone.

The inferior fort has not that honour, but are forced to be contented with hanging,beheading, or throwing over an high precipice, and for fmall faults, whipping anddigmatizing are common punilhments.

Their houfes are for the mod part built of wood, but the Emperor ’s palaces are ofmarble, and covered with gilded copper. Their gilding is very durable, and canvvithdand all winds and weather many years. The city of Jeddo is their metropolis,and its magnitude may be gueffed by a fire that happened in it about the year 1660,which confumed, in eight days that it raged, above 120,000 houfes, befides above500 temples.

Their religion is purely Pagan , and Amida is their favourite god; but he lives agreat way off, for a foul is three years in continual travel before it can reach paradife,which is only the fuburbs of heaven ; however, when they once get thither, they arepretty fure of getting to heaven, and they live very quietly in paradife, becaufe not onedevil dares come there to difturb them.

The magotty zealots have a trick of leaping over high cliffs into the fea, in orderto give their fouls an eafy paffage to paradife, the priefts giving them bills of creditto defray their charges by the way, and, no doubt, the madman pays the prieft veryhandfoinely for the bills, and thofe bills are fo good, that I never heard of one proteftedand returned.

They have feveral other reputable gods, and every one of them has their adorersand devotees. One has three faces, and he is father of the fun, moon, and liars.Every god has his own particular paradife, but none are nearer than three years journey.Some of their zealots cut their own throats to get an eafy paffage, and others hangthemfelves.

They carry their idols in proceffion on horfeback, with inftrumental and vocal muficto entertain them. They make many feafts and facrifices to their idols, but they areonly fed with the fmoke, the votaries eat up the meat.

No Japonefe dares leave his country, and if he does he never muff return. They arefo wedded to their own cuftoms and opinions, and fo jealous of having new or foreigncuftoms introduced, that they will not fend embaffies to other Kings or ftates, or fuffertheir merchants to have commerce out of their own dominions ; only they fend fomefmall jonks or veffels in the fummer time, over to the land of Efo, about 50 leaguesfrom the north end of Japon , and I have heard fay, that they bring much gold fromthence j but whether that country is a part of their dominions or no, I never could get

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