Page:Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas His Pilgrimes Volume 12.djvu/450

 of pitchy cleaving, whence they make Sandaracha, a varnish for their houses and houshold, ships, and other things: yeelding a smooth touch to the hand and glassie splendour to the eye with long continuance. Thus can they more then counterfeit the colours of any wood, and hereby are provided against provisions of Napery, this serving for Table linnen; they recovering any greasie contagion with a little rinsing of water. They have an Oyle also pressed from an apple not unlike it in use, but not so resplendent.

They have Cinamon and Ginger growing, Pepper and other Spices are brought from other parts. They have store of Gun-powder, not so much for Artillerie (which they can use but meanely) as for Fire-works in pompous spectacles, thereby representing, Trees, Fruits, Battels, and other things with great Art and cost. We saw at Nanquin, in the first moneth of the yeere, as much this way spent as would have served a continued fight two yeeres.

For Mechanicall Arts, they are not comparable to our mens Architecture, whether yee regard the beautie or continuance of their buildings, they not so much as conceiving or crediting the stately magnificence or long durance of some in these parts. They either make no foundation, or verie sleight, and thinke a mans age to be age enough for a house, and that scarcely without reparations: their houses being also of Timber, and where the walls are Stone, they have Timbers to beare up the roofe, that the wall may easily be repaired or renewed without meddling with the supporters.

Printing is ancienter there then here; some thinke before the Incarnation, and most certaine above five hundred yeeres old: much differing from ours because of the multitude of their Characters. They grave or cut these Characters in a table of Peare-tree, Apple-tree or Zizyphus. In this Table they lightly glue on a whole leafe written, and then cunningly shave the drie paper, that they make very little transparence; after which they cut the wood, that onely the prints or lineaments of the