pigafetta’s voyage round the world.

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On Monday, the King of Tadore fent a dinner to the King of Bachian carried byfifty women drefl: in garments of filk extending from the waift only to the knees.They marched two and two with a man between them. Each of them carried a largedifh in which were fmall plates containing different ragouts. The men carried winein large vafes. Ten of the oldeft women performed the office of miftreffes of theceremony. In this order they proceeded to the veffel and prefented the whole to theKing who was feated on a carpet beneath a red and yellow canopy. On their returnthe women faftened on fome of our people whom curiofity induced to be prefent onthe paffing of the proceffion, and who were unable to releafe themfelves until they hadmade them fome trifling prefents. The King of Tadore next fent provifions to us,confifting of goats, cocoa-nuts, wines, and other edibles.

The fame day we hoifted a new fet of fails on which were painted the crofs ofSt. Iago de Compoftella, with this infcription: questa e la figura dela nostra

BUENA VENTURA *.

On Tuefday, we prefented to the King fome of the mufquets we had taken fromthe Indians when we feized their junks, together with fomeberfils, and four barrelsof gunpowder.

On board each of the veffels we fhipped eighty tons of water; we had to take inwood afterwards at the ifland of Mare, near which our courfe laid, and where the Kinghad fent a hundred men to get us a ftock in readinefs.

The fame day the King of Bachian received permiffion from the King of Tadore tocome on fhore to contrafl: an alliance with us. He was preceded by four men whocarried each a poignard raifed in their hands. He declared, in prefence of the Kingof Tadore and all his fuite, that he fhould ever be ready to devote himfelf to the ferviceof the King of Spain ; that he would referve for him alone the cloves which the Por-tuguefe had left in his ifland until another Spaniflt fquadron fhould come to take themon board, and would difpofe of them to no other perfon without his confent; and thathe fhould fend him, by us, a Have and two bahars of cloves: he would indeed havefent ten, but our veffels were fo deeply laden they could take no more on board.

He likewife prefented for the King of Spain two beautiful dead birds. They wereof the fize of a thruffi, with a fmall head, long beak, legs of the length of a fpan, andthick as a writing-pen : the tail of thefe birds refembles that of the thrufli alfo ; andthey have no wings like other birds, but, inflead, long feathers like tufts of differentcol ours : the whole of the feathers, thofe only excepted which are in lieu of wings, areof a dull colour. This bird never flies but when it blows. It is faid to come fromthe terreftrial Paradife, and is called bolondilallah, that is to fay, the Bird of God f.

The King of Bachian appeared to be feventy years of age. A very ftrange matterwas related to us concerning him : whenever about to combat his enemies, or to under-take any thing of importance, he previoufly fubmitted himfelf twice or three timesto the enjoyment of one of his fervants, deftined for this purpofe, in the fame manneras, according to Suetonius, Cedar was wont to fubmit himfelf to Nicodemus .

One day the King of Tadore fent to advife the people who kept the warehoufe inwhich our merchandize was lodged, not to leaye their home during the night, becaufe,

* This is the image of our good fortune.

-|- Pigafetta is poffibly the firft who undeceived the Europeans refpe&ing the bird of Paradife, ( avI ®paradifiaca, Linn.) which previous to his relation was believed to have no legs or feet, (on account ottheir being cut from all that came to Europe ;) and fo ftrongly did this opinion prevail, that the greatnaturalift Aldrovandus (De Avib. book i. p. 807.) condemns our author for attributing legs and feet tothem ; Aldrovandus alfo gives a reprefentation of the bird without them.

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