‘The perillous and most unhappy voyages of John Struys, through Italy, Greece, Lifeland, Moscovia, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other places in Europe, Africa and Asia. Containing, I. Most accurate remarks and observations of the distinct qualities, religion, politie, customs, laws and properties of the inhabitants: II. A due description of the several cities, towns, forts and places of trust, as to their site and strength, fortifications by nature, or art, &c. with other things worthy of note: and III. An exact memorial of the most disastrous calamities which befell the author in those parts (viz) by ship-wrack, robberies, slavery, hunger, tortures, with other incommodities and hardships’ [‎47] (90/470)

Chap. IX. The Voyages of l&hnStruts. 47
to a pale: which done the Elephants were brought forth. Now the fetsz .
Reader muft underftand that at Syam they have no other Execu- 16 ^ G "
tioners, on the fcore of Death , than Elephants. When the great £/«-
Elephant was brought , and viewed the Condemned party, went
twice or thrice round about him and at laft took him up with his
Trunk j pale and all j and tofs'd him aloft into the Air, and catch'd »»Siam.
him at coming down upon his teeth, which ftruck quite through
his body, afterwards throwing him off, trampled him under his
feet till his Gutts burfl out, and trode his body flat to the ground.
When the Elephant had difpatched, the Soldiers draggd the Car-
cafes to the River , which made the way flippcry with blood.
On this manner were the greateft part executed > but others Were
brought to the path , which leads to the City , and there put in
holes , digged in the Earth on purpofe , where they were clofed
up j to the neck , and every one that palled by , was to fulfill
the Emperours pleafure. (for foot Id) commanded to fp it upon them j
to which order 1 was fain to fubmit my felf, being to pafs by that
way , fo that I could not avoid it. Thefe were to remain there
fo till they died , and none daring to give them any thing to eat
or drink. It was lamentable to hear them cry out to every one that
paflcd by to difpatch 'em > but the Officers kept fo Unci an eie
that none durft move his hand. Four moneths long dured this
horrible Maffacre, and every day a great number put to death : on
one day I have feen 50 , and the like number on a forenoon.
The general number of all that died was by fome reckoned to be
2900 Souls , by others almoft 300 more ; and certainly few had
efcaped if they had not abfented themfelves from Court during the
implacable fury of the King.
This may feem to be a meanreafon, for fo great a piece of Ty--
ranny , but it was well known afterwards that the King had for
merly a defign to cut of the chief of the , of whom he
himfelf began to Hand in aw j and therefore took an opportunity
to do it under this fpecious pretence: and the better to effect it with
out mutiny or rebellion, he had newly levied an Army of 250000
men, and made as if he would denounce war againfl
On the 28 of Febr. were 300 of the Domeftics of the latePrin-
cefs brought to the place of Execution, who were alfo led through the