nese captain still continued
sick, and sent to beg some spiced cakes and two wax-candles, which I
sent him, as I had done before. Mr Melsham now grew weary of his
Japanese doctor and his prescriptions, and returned to our surgeon Mr
Warner, to the great displeasure of Zanzibar and the bonze.

Sec.10. _Conclusion of Observations by Mr Cockes_.

Our Chinese landlord came to our house on the 30th October, to inform me
of a general collection of provisions of all kinds, then making at every
house in Firando, to be sent to the two kings, in honour of a great
feast they were to give next day, together with a comedy or play. By his
advice, and after consulting with the other gentlemen of the factory, I
directed two bottles of Spanish wine, two roasted hens, a roasted pig, a
small quantity of rusk, and three boxes of confections and preserves to
be sent, as a contribution towards their feast. Before night the young
king sent one of his men to me, requesting me to furnish him with some
English apparel, for the better setting out their comedy, and
particularly to let him have a pair of red cloth breeches. I answered,
that I had nonesuch, and knew not any of our people who had; but any
clothes I had that could gratify his highness were much at his service.
At night the old king sent to invite me to be a spectator of their
comedy on the morrow, and to bring Mr Foster, our master, along with me.

Next day, being the 31st, I sent our present, formerly mentioned, to the
kings by our jurebasso before dinner, desiring their highnesses to
excuse the master and myself, and that we would wait upon them some
other time, when they had not so much company. This however did not
satisfy them, and they insisted on our company, and that of Mr Eaton; so
we went and had a place appointed for us, where we sat at our ease and
saw every thing. The old king himself brought us a collation in sight of
all the people; Semidono afterwards did the like in the name of both
kings, and a third was brought us in the sequel by several of their
principal nobles or attendants. But that which we most noted was their
play or comedy, in which the two kings, with their greatest nobles and
princes, were the actors. The subject was a representation of the
valiant deeds of their ancestors, from the commencement of their kingdom
or commonwealth to the present time, which was mixed with much mirth to
please the common people. The audience was very numerous, as every house