Page:Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas His Pilgrimes Volume 12.djvu/439

 conceit. Whosoever he be that commeth into their Countrey, they shut him up in a verie homely house, not suffering him to goe abroad.

The Kings Palaces are verie great; and albeit in the excellencie of Architecture they bee not comparable to those of our Europe, yet they much exceed in the hugenesse of Building. They have three wals foure square, the circuit of the first may be as bigge as the wall of a good Citie. Betweene the first and the second wall, there is a wall which environeth the greatest part of the House, and here are many Houses of the Eunuches of the lowest sort, which exercise Mechanicall Arts, or the like, as Porters, &c.

Betweene the second and the third wall there are many pieces of the Kings House, which is not joyned altogether, but in divers parts there be divers Roomes, built for divers purposes, one answering to another. These parcels of Buildings which are here (which are everie one as long as the Careere of an Horse, and very high) have no under Roome, but a great Building raised up with foundations of great Brickes, as broad and long as all the Building, wherein there are Gates of Marble stone very wel wrought to passe from one place to another. This house or Foundation is about eight fathomes high little more or lesse. Above these are guilded Galleries, Tarasses, Hals, and Chambers, which on the out-side shew verie gallant (which is as much as can be scene ; for no man can get in to see them.) The greatest part of them is of Timber, with many gilded Embossements, and many other pleasant Pictures. The Roofes are verie well made. The Tiles are of a farre better fashion, in mine opinion, then ours, and so even joyned together that they seeme to be all one piece: they are all anneled with yellow, which is the Kings Colour. To conclude, I say, that it seemed unto me in multitude of Houses and greatnesse a stately thing. Also betweene these wals the River runneth which I spake of: and to passe from one to another there are many faire Bridges of Marble made of very great stones: betweene