Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/47

 could possibly make.

He farther signified, that wee were riding at an island called Capul, which was at the end of the island of Manilla, being but one shippe with small force in it, and that the other ship, as he supposed, was gone for the North-west passage, standing in 55 degrees: and that if they could use any meanes to surprize vs being there at an anker, they should dispatch it: for our force was but small, and our men but weake, and that the place where we roade was but 50 leagues from them. Otherwise if they let vs escape, within fewe yeeres they must make account to haue their towne besieged and sacked with an armie of English.

This information being giuen, our Generall called for him, and charged him with these things, which at the first he vtterly denyed: but in the ende, the matter being made manifest and knowen of certaintie by especiall tryall and proofes, the next morning our General willed that he should be hanged which was accordingly performed the 16 of Ianuary.

We roade for the space of nine dayes about this of Capul, where we had diuerse kindes of fresh victuals, with excellent fresh water in euery bay, and great store of wood.

The people of this island go almost all naked and are tawny of colour. The men weare onely a stroope about their wastes, of some kinde of linnen of their owne weauing, which is made of plantan leaues, and another stroope comming from their backe vnder their twistes which couereth their priuie parts, and is made fast to their girdles at their nauels.

These people vse a strange kind of order among them, which is this. Euery man and man-childe among them hath a nayle of Tynne thrust quite through the head of his priuie part, being split in the lower ende and riuetted, and on the head of the nayle is as it were a crowe: which is driuen through their priuities when they be yong, and the place groweth vp againe, without any paine to the child: and they take this nayle out and in, as occasion serueth: and for the truth thereof we our selues haue taken one of these nailes from a sonne of one of the kings which was of the age of 10 yeeres, who did weare the same in his priuie member.

This custome was granted at the request of the women of the countrey, who finding their men to be giuen to the fowle sinne