his eares and naile them to the maste. Pinteado gaue the foresaid counsell
to go no further for the safegard of the men and their liues, which they
should put in danger if they came too late, for the Rossia which is their
Winter, not for cold, but for smothering heate, with close and cloudie aire
and storming weather, of such putrifying qualitie, that it rotted the
coates of their backs: or els for comming to soone for the scorching heat
of the sunne, which caused them to linger in the way. [Sidenote: The king
of Benin his court.] But of force and not of will brought he the ships
before the riuer of Benin, where riding at an Anker, they sent their pinnas
vp into the riuer 50 or 60 leagues, from whence certaine of the marchants
with captaine Pinteado, Francisco, a Portugale, Nicholas Lambert gentleman,
and other marchants were conducted to the court where the king remained,
ten leagues from the riuer side, whither when they came, they were brought
with a great company to the presence of the king, who being a blacke Moore
(although not so blacke as the rest) sate in a great huge hall, long and
wide, the wals made of earth without windowes, the roofe of thin boords,
open in sundry places, like vnto louers to let in the aire.

And here to speake of the great reuerence they giue to their king, it is
such, that if we would giue as much to our Sauior Christ, we should remooue
from our heads many plagues which we daily deserue for our contempt and
impietie.

So it is therefore, that when his noble men are in his presence, they neuer
looke him in the face, but sit cowring, as we vpon our knees, so they vpon
their buttocks, with their elbowes vpon their knees, and their hands before
their faces, not looking vp vntil the king command them. And when they are
comming toward the king, as far as they do see him, they do shew such
reuerence, sitting on the ground with their faces couered as before.
Likewise when they depart from him, they turn not their backs toward him,