have not seen this island,
and what I shall say about it has been related to us by the Moros who
carry on trade with that land. It is said that the island possesses
silver mines, and that silks and other necessary articles from China
are purchased with the silver; for all the people, both men and women,
are well clad and shod. And because of being so near China, they have
acquired the civilization of that country. These people manufacture
very good cutlasses, which they call _legues_. These have single or
double hilts, are very sharp, and are curved like Turkish cutlasses. On
the side without any edge, they are about half as thick as the finger,
but the edge is very sharp. It is said that Theatin religious have
gone thither from Portugal; but I do not know the result of their
mission. The Portuguese tell me that the natives of that land are
considered very warlike. The women are virtuous, modest, and very
jealous of the men [a very rare thing for these regions]. They [S:
the men] shave or pluck out the hair from their heads.

A little to the east between these islands and China are the islands
of Lequios. They are said to be rich; but we have been unable to learn
much about them, for I have not seen any one who has been there. For
this reason I conclude that they must be small, and that the people
are not much given to commerce.

Likewise immediately north is the mainland called China. This is a
vast country--so much so that, as we are assured, it extends as far as
Tartary; for merchants who have traded there say that the two nations
are at war with each other. The Chinese are highly civilized. They
work iron with tools. I have seen iron inlaid with gold and silver,
as cunningly and skilfully wrought as they could be in any part of the
world. In like manner they work in wood and all other materials. The
Portuguese say that the Chinese are good people--that they possess
somewhat of the light of the world, but they see it with only one
eye. They make gold into threads as is done in Milan, and weave raised
designs of it on damasks and other silken fabrics. They possess
all kinds of weapons that we have. Their artillery, judging it by
some culverins I have seen that came from China, is of excellent [S:
better] quality and better cast than ours. They have also a form of
government; but they do not elect a governor (or captain, as they
call him) unless he is a great astrologer and has first foretold
the weather, future even