The Diary Of John Evelyn Vol-2

i682 JOHN EVELYN 169

29th May, 1682. I gave notice to the Bishop of Roch-
ester of what Maimburg had published about the
motives of the late Duchess of York's perversion, in his
<c History of Calvinism;» and did myself write to the Bishop
of Winchester about it, who being concerned in it, I
urged him to set forth his yindication.

3ist May, 1682. The Morocco Ambassador being ad-
mitted an honorary member of the Royal Society, and
subscribing his name and titles in Arabic, I was deputed
by the Council to go and compliment him.

i9th June, 1682. The Bantam, or East India Ambas-
sadors (at this time we had in London the Russian,
Moroccan, and Indian Ambassadors), being invited to
dine at Lord George Berkeley's (now Earl), I went to the
entertainment to contemplate the exotic guests. They
were both very hard-favored, and much resembling in
countenance some sort of monkeys. We ate at two tables,
the Ambassadors and interpreter by themselves. Their
garments were rich Indian silks, flowered with gold, viz,
a close waistcoat to their knees, drawers, naked legs, and
on their heads caps made like fruit baskets. They wore
poisoned daggers at their bosoms, the hafts carved with
some ugly serpents' or devils' heads, exceedingly keen, and
of Damascus metal. They wore no sword. The second
Ambassador (sent it seems to succeed in case the first
should die by the way in so tedious a journey), having
been at Mecca, wore a Turkish or Arab sash, a little part
of the linen hanging down behind Ms neck, with some
other difference of habit, and was half a negro, bare leg-
ged and naked feet, and deemed a very holy man. They
sat cross-legged like Turks, and sometimes in the pos-
ture of apes and monkeys; their nails and teeth as black
as jet, and shining, which being the effect, as to their
teeth, of perpetually chewing betel to preserve them from
the toothache, much raging in their country, is esteemed
beautiful.

The first ambassador was of an olive hue, a flat face,
narrow eyes, squat nose, and Moorish lips, no hair ap-
peared; they wore several rings of silver, gold and copper
on their fingers, which was a token of knighthood, or
nobility. They were of Java Major, whose princes have
been turned Mahometans not above fifty years since; the
inhabitants are still pagans and idolaters. They seemedbathing my legs in milk up to the knees, mademmodiouslyh expectation