MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BENGALESE 291
Portuguese merchants of Goa and Cochin. Under the
government of this king are men of many religions,
Jews, Mohammedans, and Gentiles, or pagans, these lat-
ter showing as great a diversity of ceremonies as of
countries and provinces. The great king is a pagan; he
of Chartican, whom I saw, was a Mohammedan.
The Gentile people of this Bengal country have for
their pagoda, or idol, a white elephant; it is but rarely
met with, and is deemed sacred. The kings worship
it, and even go to war to get it from their neighbours,
not having one themselves, and sometimes grand battles
are fought on this score.
As for dress, the men attire themselves bravely with
very large cotton shirts, which fall to the ground; over
it is worn a silk mantle, and on the head a turban of
very fine linen. The women wear little chemisettes of
cotton or silk, reaching to the waist; round the rest of
the body is thrown a cloth or taffetas; when they go
abroad, they wear about that a large piece of silk, with
one end brought over the head. They are disorderly
and very barbarous in their eating and drinking; they
have many servants, and have each three or four wives,
very richly adorned with gold chains and pearls. They
make wines of sugar and other materials, and get drunk
therewith. A large number of Portuguese dwell in
freedom at the ports on this coast of Bengal; they are
also very free in their lives, being like exiles. They do
only traffic, without any fort, order, or police, and live
like natives of the country; they durst not return to
India, for certain misdeeds they have committed, and
