Japan and the Japanese

JAPANESE DRAMA. 165
their favors, and " exhibiting comedies of war, love and such like,
with several shifts of apparel for the better grace of the matter
acted."
It appeared, however, on a subsequent occasion, on which several
of the English were present, that, besides these professional actors,
the king and his principal courtiers were accustomed, on certain
great festivals, at which the whole country was present, to present a
play, of which the matter was the valiant deeds of their ancestors,
from the beginning of their kingdom or commonwealth, intermixed,
however, with much mirth, "to give the common people content." .
On that occasion they had as musical instruments, to assist their
voices, little tabors or stringed instruments, small in the middle and
large at both ends, like an hour-glass ; also fifes ; but though they
kept exact time, the whole performance was very harsh to English
ears.
While waiting for Adams, who presently arrived, after being sev-
enteen days on his way, a house on shore for a factory was hired,
furnished with mats, according to the custom of the country, for a
rent of about ninety-five dollars for six months. Not long after,
leaving Mr. Richard Cocks in charge of the factory and the trade,
Captain Saris set out on a visit to the emperor, attended by Adams
and seventeen persons of his own company, including several mer-
cantile gentlemen, a tailor, a cook, the surgeon's mate, the Jap-
anese interpreter, the coxswain, and one sailor. He was liberally
furnished by old king Foyne with a conductor for the journey, a
large galley, of twenty -five oars a side, manned with sixty men, and
also with a hundred taels in Japanese money (equal to one hundred
and twenty-five dollars), to pay his expenses, which, however,
Captain Saris directed Cocks to place to king Foyne's credit as so
much money lent.
The galley being handsomely fitted up with waist-cloths and
ensigns, they coasted along the western and northern shores of the
great island of Ximo (or Kiusiu), off the north-west coast of which
the small island of Firandolay. As they coasted
along, they passed
a number of handsome towns. Faccata, distant two days' rowing
from Firando, had a very strong castle of freestone, with a wide and
deep ditch and drawbridge, kept in good repair, but without canncr
or garrison. Here, finding
the current too strong, they