Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	great_a	see_v	word_n	2,798	5	3.6685	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34454	A true description of the mighty kingdoms of Japan and Siam written originally in Dutch by Francis Caron and Joost Schorten ; and novv rendred into English by Capt. Roger Manley.; Benschrijvinghe van het machtigh coninckrijcke Japan. English	Caron, François, 1600-1673.; Schouten, Joost.; Manley, Roger, Sir, 1626?-1688.	1663 (1663)	Wing C607; ESTC R22918	62,553	163

the like to great persons and truly it is admirable to see how full of substance and with how few words these sort of writings are penned They have not the Italian manner of keeping of Books and yet fail not in their calculations they reckon with little pellets stuck upon little sticks upon a board for the same purpose after the manner of the Chineses wherewith they will add multiply and divide with more facility and certainty then we with Counters They have many Books and Libraries though the common people are most illiterate The Deyro himself writeth the Annales of his Country and all other Books are written by himself or his Lords and Gentlemen which are at least eight hundred strong or by their Wives and Women for these Gallants as well Men as Women being of kin and married into each other do nothing but spend their time in all worldly pleasures and the studies of humain knowledge Men are esteemed and honoured with Titles in this Court according to the merit of their understanding not their births and it happens sometimes that the greatest are by their weakness and folly brought down and unconsidered These Grandees proud with their birth and breeding consider no body but themselves neither converse with any save only their own Comrades for their dwellings and streets joyn upon each other being invironed and shut up from the rest of the world They speak a higher style then the vulgar wherein all their learning is couched and many of them esteem themselves more noble then the Emperour being indeed dignified with higher and more honorable Titles then their Soveraign Printing and Gun-powder was in use in this Nation above one hundred and fifty years before we in Europe had the knowledg of them these they learned from the Chineses who have had them long as their Histories and Chronicles filled with wonders too long for this short relation to mention do abundantly witness An Extract out of the Governour of Indiaes Letter to the Overseers of the East-India-Company touching the Traffick in Japan THis year trade as we mentioned in our last of the twelfth of this instant hath been but little advantagious by reason of the disasters at Sea which hath much weakned and put behinde hand the India Capital or Stock which will without question suddenly change God preserve the Company from more misfortunes at Sea We hope if your Honours will second us this following year with fifteen Tonne of Gold and Merchandise we shall be able to make a return of thirty being the Indian Commodities may probably rise more then they are now fallen Iapan will in all appearance yeild us eleven or twelve Tonne profit Persia at least three hundred thousand and the other indulgent Cantoors above three Tonne The Dutch expences which arose this year will certainly fall being the building and fortification of the dwellings and pack-houses come to cease There is but little hope of advantage from the Enemy nor shall we be able to Cape much this year about Spirito Sancto by reason of the Portugals sufficiency We will endeavour to better all things by an advantagious negotiation hoping much from Iapan It were not strange if the Chineses were hindered to frequent that Kingdom or diverted by us They profit fifty Tonne of Gold every year and more by the Iapan trade for they transport more then for one hundred Tonne yearly God grant that we may enjoy this trade alone and that the Gold Mine in Formosa flourish that the ingaged may once enjoy the fruits of their charges and pains by rich returns without sending any monies out of the low Countries I send you herewith a Copy of Siragemondenne Governour of the Island Kisma in Naviga-sacki where the Companies Servants and Factors do reside and trade his Letter which I mentioned in my last be pleased to consider of the contents thereof with such as understand the affairs of Iapan It seems if we do not meddle with Christianity but behave our selves modestly they will grant us the more liberty and greater freedom in trading we will order all things to the most advantage of the Company and endeavour for as much as it shall be possible that we may enjoy all or at least the principal trading which God grant of A Formosa a Land enriched with Gold near China and lately conquered by the Castlians A short Relation of the Profits and Advantages which the Dutch East-India-Company in Iapan might acquire in case they could compass the China Trade and Commerce By Leonard Camps MAny men are of opinion and have by experience found that during the time it pleased the mighty States General of the united Provinces and his princelie Excellencie to give their Subjects leave to saile into the East-India for the increase of Traffick and the common good that to what place or by what Prince soever we come we were admitted and received for fear of harm or for hopes of profit and yet I believe as my Predecessours did before me that his Imperial Majesty of Iapan suffered us not to harbour and to trade freelie in his Countrie upon these considerations but only to shew the goodness of his Nature the greatness of his Dominions and his civilitie to Strangers especiallie those Nations who came into his Countrie as Friends His Majesties goodness to Foraigners appears abundantly in this in that he still suffers the Chineses to traffick in his Land favouring them in his impositions more then his own Subjects whereas they persecute the Iapaners in their own Territories as Enemies having set a price upon their heads which by mistake hath cost many a Portugal his life further his ambition doth not extend beyond the bounds of his own Empire and contenting himself with those confines God and Nature hath prescribed him he wages no war against his Neighbours neither suffers his Subjects to molest or disturb any out of his obedience No foraign Princes fall out by his instigation neither doth he give or demand help or assistance upon any account His power and might consists in the vastness of his Kingdom and multitudes of his Souldiers he hath arms at will Castles that seem impregnable Provisions in abundance and Treasure without end The plenty of Gold Silver Copper Iron Lead and Pewter Mines is great and the abundance of Silk Cotton Hemp and thousands other commodities incredible Brifley this Countrie wants nothing having no need of its neighbours at all whence his Majesty never sought to foraign Princes and yet received all that came or sent to him with all imaginable civilitie and kindeness The Spaniards and Portugals not ignorant of the commodious scituation might and riches of the Japanish Empire were no less earnest in the enlarging of their own state planting the Christian Religion and advancing their traffick there where other Princes seemed to desire Don Iohn the first of that name and the tenth King of Portugal was very industrious in this Disquisition his Countrey men having in fourscore years

gilded Cabinets and Tents each in their Barges apart lastly the Gentry Courtiers Guards and other Attendants follovv the vvhole amounting to five or six and tvventy thousand persons The River is bordered on both sides vvith Boats and an infinite number of People vvho reverence and adore their King in his passage vvith bended heads and folded hands The Dominion and Revenue of the Crovvn is great amounting yearly to many Millions arising out of in-land Commodities as Rice Sappang Tin Lead Salt-peter as also the profits of the Sand and Mountain Gold which are only sold by the Kings Factors to forraign Merchants He hath also his Customs for outlandish Wares his Tributes and Presents from Subject-Princes and Governours of Cities and Provinces who know how much they must contribute as also the profits of his Traffick with Chormandel and China add to these the inland trade carried on by his Factours in the City Iudica or elsewhere and his Majesty of Siam will be found to be one of the richest Princes of India There are several Officers appointed for the receipt of incomes who must account every year and that exactly Most of these monies are expended in building and repairing of Temples in rewarding of merits and defraying the publick charges of the Kingdom the residue being brought into the Treasury which is esteemed rich and great The Laws and Customes of Siam are strange though orderly in the succession of their Princes when the King dies it is not his Son but his Brother who is Heir to the Crown but in case he have no Brother then indeed his Son steps in by course whose Brothers do succeed successively lastly all the Sons of the eldest Brother who hath reigned follow by turns the Daughters being wholly excluded any pretence to the Government But this order is not alwaies observed the Scepter being sometimes usurped by him of the family who is most powerful and most gracious with the people which is the present Kings case who having raised himself before his turn caused all his Competitors and their Adherents to be slain to the end he might peaceably enjoy what he had unjustly got and leave the Crown to his Brother or Children after him The ordinary Justice both Criminal and Civil is administred through the Kingdom according to their ancient Customes and Laws by Officers purposely appointed But in the City of Judica they have besides the ordinary Courts of Judicature a Colledge of twelve Councellours with one principal President which doth definitively decide all Appeals and other businesses whether Criminal or Civil It is indeed permitted though with extraordinary expence and cost to appeal to the King and his Council who ordinarily confirm and cause the former sentence to be put in execution In this and lesser Courts all Civil disputes are brought in by Lawyers and the cause being pleaded and witnesses examined on both sides before the Commissioners the Secretary makes an extract of the whole which being writ in a Book it is signed by both Plantiff and Defendant or others deputed by them that done the Book is sealed up and kept by the Judge till next Sessions at which time it is again opened in the presence of both parties and their debates heard noted and sealed as before So that the Lawyers by their several exceptions demurs and practices do very often delay and keepe up the parties for many years until at length after much sollicitings and expence the cause is anew opened and examined and finally adjudged and ended by a full Colledge But in Criminal matters as injuries robberies murther treason or the like the guilty or suspected person is apprehended imprisoned and examined if he deny the fault against witnesses or great presumptions he is forced by torture to confession all which being noted in a Book and presented to the Judges they immediatly proceed to Sentence and Execution except in Capitall crimes such being reserved for the Kings pleasure who either pardons banishes or causes the condemned person to be put to death according to the sentence Offences are ordinarily punished as they are more or less heynous with cashiering banishments into Desarts slavery confiscations mutilation of hand or foot burning in oyl quartering and other severe executions Where the case is doubtfull no witnesses appearing nor no strong presumptions against the accused so that the Judge knows not how or what to do he then permits both parties to try it out by common purgation either by ducking under water holding their hands in boyling oyl to go bare-foot upon hot coales or to eat a mess of charmed rice this conjured mess being made up into balls is given them by the Priest with much ceremony and he that can swallow it without casting it up again and behaves himself in this and the other trials with most courage is esteemed most innocent and acquitted whilest the other whether accusor or accused is most severely punished according to the nature of the crime The Kings power and military force by water and land consists most of his own Vassals and Natives he hath indeed some few Strangers as Moors Malayers and some five hundred Iapanners the most esteemed for their courage and fidelity although the Prince now reigning drove them out of his Country but they are now crept in again so that most of his forces are Siammers who must serve without pay and be alwaies in a readiness the hundredth fiftieth twentieth tenth or fifth man being levied according to the Kings pleasure and occasions Besides these the Grandees have ordinarily some hundreds of men in their service who wait upon them in the field so that his Majesty can raise an Army when he thinks good of two or three thousand men with two or three hundred Elephants Victuals Ammunition and other warlike Instruments for all this his Armies seldom exceed one hundred thousand men and not ordinarily forty or fifty thousand as his affairs require either for offensive or defensive His foot are in reasonable good order though merely armed with Bows and Arrows Shields Swords Pikes and a few Guns the horse are not better though generally armed with Swords Shields Bows and Lances Most of their force consists in some hundreds of tramed Elephants each of them furnished vvith three armed men and they have a good quantity of Cannons but do not well know how to use them At sea his Majesty hath several Gallies and Frigots vvell provided vvith great Guns though the Seamen and Mariners are but pitiful The Pravvs vvherevvith the Siammers can stoutly scuffle are vvithout number but ill ordered and armed and yet sufficient to deal vvith their neighbouring enemies as unskilful as they are though far short of our Europian Vessels and Mariners either to fight or sail These Mariners especially vvhen their Princes have been brave have conquered many of the neighbouring Kingdoms and Provinces but being all human things they have their vicissitudes these victories did but follovv the fortune of their favorites There