1
古里 〈今印度科澤科德 〈（又名“卡利卡特”）〉 ，位於印度戲海岸。 鄭和第一次下西洋，於此立碑，曰：『其國去中國十萬餘裡，民物鹹若，熙皓同風，刻石於茲，永昭萬世。』 是為鄭和於國外最早建立的一塊碑。 後，鄭和第七次下西洋，返航途中病逝於此〉 ，西洋大國。 西濱大海，南距柯枝國，北距狼奴兒國，東七百里距坎巴國。 自柯枝舟行三日可至，自錫蘭山十日可至，諸蕃要會也。
Calicut 〈This is present-day Kozhikode in India It is also known as Calicut)〉 , on the Malabar Coast of India. On his first voyage to the Western Ocean, Zheng He set up a stele here inscribed: 'This land lies more than a hundred thousand li from China; its people and customs mirror our own; under the same bright harmony we carve this stone, that it may shine through all ages.' This was the earliest stele Zheng He erected outside China. Later, on his seventh voyage home across the Western Ocean, he fell ill and died here.)〉 It was a great power of the Western Ocean. It lay on the open sea to the west, with Cochin to the south, Langnu'er to the north, and Kanba seven hundred li to the east. A three-day sail from Cochin or ten days from Ceylon brought one there; it was the great entrepôt of the maritime states.
2
永樂元年命中官尹慶奉詔撫諭其國，賚以彩幣。 其酋沙米的喜遣使從慶入朝，貢方物。 三年達南京，封為國王，賜印誥及文綺諸物，遂比年入貢。 鄭和亦數使其國。 十三年偕柯枝、南渤利、甘巴裡、滿剌加諸國入貢。 十四年又偕爪哇、滿剌加、佔城、錫蘭山、木骨都束、溜山、南渤利、不剌哇、阿丹、蘇門答剌、麻木、剌撒、忽魯謨斯、柯枝、南巫裡、沙裡灣泥、彭亨諸國入貢。 是時，諸蕃使臣充斥於廷，以古裡大國，序其使者於首。 十七年偕滿剌加十七國來貢。 十九年又偕忽魯謨斯等國入貢。 二十一年復偕忽魯謨斯等國，遣使千二百人入貢。 時帝方出塞，敕皇太子曰：「天時向寒，貢使即令禮官宴勞，給賜遣還。 其以土物來市者，官酬其直。」 宣德八年，其王比裡麻遣使偕蘇門答剌等國使臣入貢。 其使入留都下，正統元年乃命附爪哇貢舟西還。 自是不復至。
In Yongle 1 (1403) the emperor sent the eunuch Yin Qing with an edict to reassure the realm and gifted it patterned silks. The ruler Shamidixi sent envoys with Qing to the capital, bearing regional tribute. They reached Nanjing in the third year; he was invested as king and granted a seal, patent, brocades, and other gifts, after which tribute arrived yearly. Zheng He likewise visited the realm on repeated missions. In the thirteenth year it sent tribute together with Cochin, Nanboli, Gambali, Malacca, and others. In the fourteenth year it again joined Java, Malacca, Champa, Ceylon, Mogadishu, Liushan, Nanboli, Barawa, Aden, Samudra, Mombasa, Las'a, Hormuz, Cochin, Nanwuli, Sarafan, Pahang, and the other realms in tribute. Envoys from the maritime states thronged the court, and because Calicut was a great power its mission was placed at the head of the order. In the seventeenth year it presented tribute alongside Malacca and sixteen other states. In the nineteenth year it again sent tribute with Hormuz and other states. In the twenty-first year it again joined Hormuz and others, dispatching twelve hundred envoys on a tribute mission. The emperor was on campaign beyond the passes and wrote to the crown prince: 'Cold weather is setting in; have the ritual officials feast and reward the tribute envoys, grant them gifts, and send them home. Whoever has brought native goods to sell, let the officials pay them at fair price. In Xuande 8 (1433) King Bilima sent envoys with those from Samudra and other states to present tribute. Those envoys stayed on in the capital and were not sent home until Zhengtong 1 (1436), when they were told to sail west on Java's tribute ship. After that no further missions arrived.
3
其國，山多地瘠，有谷無麥。 俗甚淳，行者讓道，道不拾遺。 人分五等，如柯枝，其敬浮屠、鑿井灌佛亦如之。 每旦，王及臣民取牛糞調水涂壁及地，又鍛為灰抹額及股，謂為敬佛。 國中半崇回教，建禮拜寺數十處。 七日一禮，男女齋沐謝事。 午時拜天於寺，未時乃散。 王老不傳子而傳甥，無甥則傳弟，無弟則傳於國之有德者。 國事皆決於二將領，以回回人為之。 刑無鞭笞，輕者斷手足，重者罰金珠，尤重者夷族沒產。 鞫獄不承，則置其手指沸湯中，三日不爛即免罪。 免罪者，將領導以鼓樂，送還家，親戚致賀。
The land is mountainous and lean, with grain crops but no wheat. Customs were notably upright: wayfarers gave way to one another, and lost goods were left untouched on the road. Society was divided into five ranks, as in Cochin, and they showed the same devotion to Buddhism, digging wells, and bathing the Buddha image. Each dawn the king and people mixed cow dung with water to coat walls and floors, burned the rest to ash for their foreheads and thighs, and called this homage to the Buddha. Roughly half the population followed Islam and maintained several dozen mosques. They worshipped every seven days, when men and women bathed, fasted, and set aside worldly business. At noon they prayed in the mosques and did not leave until the early afternoon. Kings did not pass the throne to sons but to nephews; without a nephew it went to a younger brother, and without a brother to a worthy man of the realm. State affairs were settled by two generals drawn from the Muslim community. There was no flogging: minor crimes cost a hand or foot, serious ones a fine in gold and pearls, and the gravest brought extinction of the clan and forfeiture of property. If a prisoner denied guilt, his fingers were plunged into boiling water; if they had not rotted after three days he was acquitted. The acquitted were escorted home with drums and music by the generals, and kin came to congratulate them.
4
富家多植椰子樹至數千。 其嫩者漿可飲，亦可釀酒，老者可作油、糖，亦可作飯。 干可構屋，葉可代瓦，殼可制杯，穰可索綯，鍛為灰可鑲金。 其他蔬果、畜產，多類中國。 所貢物有寶石、珊瑚珠、琉璃瓶、琉璃枕、寶鐵刀、拂郎雙刃刀、金系腰、阿思模達涂兒氣、龍涎香、蘇合油、花氈單、伯蘭布、苾布之屬。
Wealthy families might plant thousands of coconut palms. Young nuts gave drinkable sap and wine, while mature ones yielded oil, sugar, and a staple food. Trunks served for timber, leaves for roofing, shells for cups, husks for cordage, and the ash for gold inlay work. Other produce and livestock largely resembled those found in China. Tribute included gems, coral beads, glass bottles and pillows, fine steel knives, Frankish double-edged blades, gold belts, asafetida, ambergris, storax, flowered felts, Persian textiles, bhuti cloth, and similar goods.
5
柯枝，或言即古盤盤國。 宋、梁、隋、唐皆入貢。 自小葛蘭西北行，順風一日夜可至。
Cochin, said by some to be the ancient realm of Panpan. It sent tribute in the Song, Liang, Sui, and Tang dynasties. From Little Kulam a fair wind carried one northwest to it in a day and a night.
6
永樂元年，遣中官尹慶齎詔撫諭其國，賜以銷金帳幔、織金文綺、彩帛及華蓋。 六年覆命鄭和使其國。 九年，王可亦裡遣使入貢。 十年，鄭和再使其國，連二歲入貢。 其使者請賜印誥，封其國中之山。 帝遣鄭和齎印賜其王，因撰碑文，命勒石山上。 其詞曰：王化與天地流通，凡覆載之內、舉納於甄陶者，體造化之仁也。 蓋天下無二理，生民無二心，憂戚喜樂之同情，安逸飽暖之同欲，奚有間於遐邇哉。 任君民之寄者，當盡子民之道。 《詩》雲「邦畿千里，惟民所止，肇域彼四海」。 《書》雲「東漸於海，西被於流沙，朔南暨聲教，訖於四海。」 朕君臨天下，撫治華夷，一視同仁，無間彼此。 推古聖帝明王之道，以合乎天地之心。 遠邦異域，咸使各得其所，聞風向化者，爭恐後也。
In Yongle 1 (1403) the eunuch Yin Qing carried an edict of reassurance and gifts of gold-inlaid hangings, brocades, silks, and state umbrellas. In the sixth year Zheng He was again dispatched to the realm. In the ninth year King Keyili sent a tribute mission. In the tenth year Zheng He visited again, and tribute arrived two years running. The envoys asked for a seal and patent and for a mountain in their land to be enfeoffed. The emperor sent Zheng He with the seal to invest the king, composed an inscription, and ordered it cut into the mountain stone. It read: Imperial civilizing power moves with Heaven and Earth; all that heaven covers and earth bears, shaped in the cosmic kiln, partakes of creative benevolence. Heaven admits but one principle and mankind but one heart; grief and joy, comfort and sufficiency are felt alike—what gap could there be between the near and the far? Whoever holds the trust of ruler and ruled must fulfill the duty of a father to his people. The Book of Odes says: 'The royal domain stretches a thousand li where the people rest, and begins to bound the four seas.' The Book of Documents says: 'Eastward it reaches the sea, westward to the drifting sands; north and south its transforming voice extends to the four seas. I rule the realm, governing Chinese and foreign peoples alike, with one benevolence for all and no division between near and far.' I extend the way of the ancient sage kings to align with the mind of Heaven and Earth. Distant realms are each settled in their place, and those who hear our transforming influence hurry to follow, fearing to lag behind.
7
柯枝國遠在西南，距海之濱，出諸蕃國之外，慕中華而歆德化久矣。 命令之至，拳跽鼓舞，順附如歸，咸仰天而拜曰：「何幸中國聖人之教，沾及於我！」 乃數歲以來，國內豐穰，居有室廬，食飽魚鱉，衣足布帛，老者慈幼，少者敬長，熙熙然而樂，凌厲爭競之習無有也。 山無猛獸，溪絕惡魚，海出奇珍，林產嘉木，諸物繁盛，倍越尋常。 暴風不興，疾雨不作，札沴殄息，靡有害菑。 蓋甚盛矣。 朕揆德薄，何能如是，非其長民者之所致歟？ 乃封可亦裡為國王，賜以印章，俾撫治其民。 並封其國中之山為鎮國之山，勒碑其上，垂示無窮。 而系以銘曰：「截彼高山，作鎮海邦，吐煙出雲，為下國洪龐。 肅其煩高，時其雨暘，祛彼氛妖，作彼豐穰。 靡菑靡沴，永庇斯疆，優遊卒歲，室家胥慶。 於戲！ 山之嶄兮，海之深矣，勒此銘詩，相為終始。」 自後，間歲入貢。
Cochin lies far to the southwest on the seaboard, beyond the other maritime states, and has long yearned for China and its civilizing power. When the imperial command arrived they knelt and rejoiced, submitting as though coming home, and all bowed toward Heaven crying: 'How blessed we are that the teaching of China's sages has reached us! For years the realm has been abundant: people have homes, full meals of fish and turtle, ample cloth and silk; the old cherish the young and the young honor their elders; life is serene, and the old fierce rivalries have vanished.' The hills hold no savage beasts, the streams no poisonous fish; the sea yields rare treasures and the forests fine timber; every bounty exceeds the common measure. Violent winds and sudden rains do not come; pestilence has ceased and no calamity harms the land. Surely prosperity has reached its height. My own virtue is slight; how could this be unless it came from those who govern the people? Keyili was therefore invested as king, granted a seal, and charged to govern his people. A mountain in the realm was enfeoffed as the state-protecting peak, with an inscription carved there to endure forever. The inscription read: 'Hew that lofty peak to guard the seaboard state; breathing mist and sending forth clouds, a mighty blessing to the land below. Temper its storms and lofty airs, balance rain and fair weather, banish harmful mists, and bring forth rich harvests. Free of disaster and plague, ever sheltering this realm; at peace through the year, every household sharing its joy. Ah! Lofty the mountain, deep the sea—this verse is carved to stand from first to last. Thereafter tribute arrived in alternate years.
8
宣德五年，復遣鄭和撫諭其國。 八年，王可亦裡遣使偕錫蘭山諸國來貢。 正統元年，遣其使者附爪哇貢舶還國，並賜敕勞王。
In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He was again dispatched to reassure the realm. In the eighth year King Keyili sent envoys with Ceylon and other states on a tribute mission. In Zhengtong 1 (1436) its envoys were sent home on Java's tribute ship, and an imperial letter of praise was granted to the king.
9
王，瑣裡人，崇釋教。 佛座四旁皆水溝，復穿一井。 每旦鳴鐘鼓，汲水灌佛，三浴之，始羅拜而退。
The king is of the Suoli people and follows Buddhism. Water channels surround the Buddha's seat on four sides, and a well is dug nearby. Each dawn bells and drums sound; water is drawn to bathe the image three times before worshippers bow and withdraw.
10
其國與錫蘭山對峙，中通古裡，東界大山，三面距海。 俗頗淳。 築室，以椰子樹為材，取葉為苫以覆屋，風雨皆可蔽。
The realm faces Ceylon across the water, links inland to Calicut, borders great mountains to the east, and is surrounded by sea on three sides. Customs are comparatively upright. Houses are built of coconut timber with leaf thatch for roofing, giving shelter from wind and rain alike.
11
人分五等：一曰南昆，王族類； 二曰回回，三曰哲地，皆富民； 四曰革全，皆牙儈； 五曰木瓜。 木瓜最貧，為人執賤役者。 屋高不得過三尺。 衣上不得過臍，下不得過膝。 途遇南昆、哲地人，輒伏地，俟其過乃起。
Society was divided into five ranks: first, the Nankun, of the royal line; second, the Hui Muslims; third, the Zhedi—all wealthy classes; fourth, the Gequan—all brokers; fifth, the Mugua. The Mugua were the poorest and performed menial labor for others. Their dwellings could be no more than three feet high. Their garments could not rise above the navel or fall below the knee. On meeting a Nankun or Zhedi they had to prostrate themselves in the road and not rise until the other had passed.
12
氣候常熱。 一歲中，二三月時有少雨，國人皆治舍儲食物以俟。 五六月間大雨不止，街市成河，七月始晴，八月後不復雨，歲歲皆然。 田瘠少收，諸谷皆產，獨無麥。 諸畜亦皆有，獨無鵝與驢雲。
The climate is perpetually hot. In the second and third months there is a brief rainy season, when everyone repairs their homes and lays in stores of food. From the fifth through the sixth month monsoon rains turn the streets into rivers; skies clear in the seventh month, and after the eighth month the rains cease—the same cycle every year. Fields are lean and yields modest; every grain grows except wheat. All common livestock are found there, but not geese or donkeys.
13
小葛蘭大葛蘭
These are Little Kulam and Great Kulam
14
小葛蘭，其國與柯枝接境。 自錫蘭山西北行六晝夜可達。 東大山，西大海，南北地窄，西洋小國也。 永樂五年遣使附古裡、蘇門答剌入貢，賜其王錦綺、紗羅、鞍馬諸物，其使者亦有賜。
Little Kulam bordered Cochin. Six days' sail northwest from Ceylon brought one there. Great mountains lay to the east and the open sea to the west; the land was narrow north and south—a small state of the Western Ocean. In Yongle 5 (1407) envoys joined Calicut and Samudra on a tribute mission; the king received brocades, gauzes, saddles, horses, and other gifts, and the envoys were rewarded as well.
15
王及群下皆瑣裡人，奉釋教。 重牛及他婚喪諸禮，多與錫蘭同。 俗淳。 土薄，收穫少，仰給榜葛剌。 鄭和嘗使其國。 厥貢惟珍珠傘、白棉布、胡椒。
The king and his people were Suoli and followed Buddhism. Their veneration of cattle and their wedding and funeral customs largely matched those of Ceylon. Customs were upright. The soil was poor and yields modest; the realm depended on Bengal for grain. Zheng He had visited the realm on mission. Tribute consisted of pearl umbrellas, white cotton cloth, and pepper.
16
又有大葛蘭者，波濤湍悍，舟不可泊，故商人罕至。 土黑墳，本宜穀麥，民懶事耕作，歲賴烏爹之米以足食。 風俗、物產，多類小葛蘭。
Great Kulam had fierce seas where ships could not anchor, so merchants seldom called. The black fertile soil could bear grain and wheat, but the people were slack farmers and each year lived on rice shipped from Udai. Customs and products largely resembled those of Little Kulam.
17
錫蘭山
Ceylon
18
錫蘭山，或云即古狼牙修。 梁時曾通中國。 自蘇門答剌順風十二晝夜可達。
Ceylon, identified by some with the ancient realm of Langyaxiu. It had contact with China as early as the Liang dynasty. Twelve days' sail with a fair wind from Samudra brought one there.
19
永樂中，鄭和使西洋至其地，其王亞烈苦奈兒欲害和，和覺，去之他國。 王又不睦鄰境，屢邀劫往來使臣，諸蕃皆苦之。 及和歸，復經其地，乃誘和至國中，發兵五萬劫和，塞歸路。 和乃率步卒二千，由間道乘虛攻拔其城，生擒亞烈苦奈兒及妻子、頭目，獻俘於朝。 廷臣請行戮，帝憫其無知，並妻子皆釋，且給以衣食。 命擇其族之賢者立之。 有邪把乃那者，諸俘囚咸稱其賢，乃遣使齎印誥，封為王，其舊王亦遣歸。 自是海外諸蕃益服天子威德，貢使載道，王遂屢入貢。
During the Yongle reign Zheng He reached the island on a Western Ocean mission; King Yalie Kunai'er plotted against him, but He sensed danger and sailed elsewhere. The king also feuded with neighbors and repeatedly robbed passing envoys, to the distress of every maritime state. On his return voyage He passed the island again; the king lured him ashore, sent fifty thousand men to attack him, and cut off his retreat. He led two thousand infantry by a hidden route, took the city by surprise, captured Yalie Kunai'er with his family and chiefs, and sent them to the court as prisoners. Ministers urged execution, but the emperor pitied their ignorance, freed the king and his family, and provided food and clothing. He ordered a worthy member of the royal clan to be chosen and enthroned. A man named Xiebanaina was praised by all the captives as worthy; envoys invested him with seal and patent as king, and the deposed ruler was sent home. Thereafter the maritime states submitted ever more to imperial majesty; tribute missions crowded the routes, and the king sent repeated embassies.
20
宣德五年，鄭和撫諭其國。 八年，王不剌葛麻巴忽剌批遣使來貢。 正統元年命附爪哇貢舶歸，賜敕諭之。 十年偕滿剌加使者來貢。 天順三年，王葛力生夏剌昔利把交剌惹遣使來貢。 嗣後不復至。
In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He was dispatched to reassure the realm. In the eighth year King Bulagemabahulapi sent a tribute mission. In Zhengtong 1 (1436) they were sent home on Java's tribute ship with an imperial letter of guidance. In the tenth year envoys arrived with those from Malacca on a tribute mission. In Tianshun 3 (1459) King Gelishengxialixibajiaolara sent envoys with tribute. No further missions followed.
21
其國，地廣人稠，貨物多聚，亞於爪哇。 東南海中有山三四座，總名曰翠藍嶼。 大小七門，門皆可通舟。 中一山尤高大，番名梭篤蠻山。 其人皆巢居穴處，赤身髡發。 相傳釋迦佛昔經此山，浴於水，或竊其袈裟，佛誓云：「後有穿衣者，必爛其皮肉。」 自是，寸布掛身輒發瘡毒，故男女皆裸體。 但紉木葉蔽其前後，或圍以布，故又名裸形國。 地不生谷，惟啖魚蝦及山芋、波羅密、芭蕉實之屬。 自此山西行七日，見鸚哥嘴山。 又二三日抵佛堂山，即入錫蘭國境。 海邊山石上有一足跡，長三尺許。 故老雲，佛從翠藍嶼來，踐此，故足跡尚存。 中有淺水，四時不乾，人皆手蘸拭目洗面，曰「佛水清淨」。 山下僧寺有釋迦真身，側臥床上。 旁有佛牙及舍利，相傳佛涅槃處也。 其寢座以沉香為之，飾以諸色寶石，莊嚴甚。 王所居側有大山，高出雲漢。 其顛有巨人足跡，入石深二尺，長八尺餘，雲是盤古遺蹟。 此山產紅雅姑、青雅姑、黃雅姑、昔剌泥、窟沒藍等諸色寶石。 每大雨，沖流山下，土人競拾之。 海旁有浮沙，珠蚌聚其內，光彩瀲灩。 王使人撈取，置之地，蚌爛而取其珠，故其國珠寶特富。
The realm was broad and populous, with goods gathered in quantity rivaled only by Java. Three or four isles in the southeastern sea were together called the Emerald Isles. Seven channels, large and small, all allowed passage for boats. One peak in their midst was especially tall, known locally as Mount Suoduman. The inhabitants lived in tree nests and caves, naked and with shaven heads. Legend held that Shakyamuni once passed the mountain and bathed there; when someone stole his robe, the Buddha vowed: 'Whoever wears clothes hereafter shall have his flesh rot away. After that even a scrap of cloth on the skin brought sores and poison, so men and women went entirely naked.' They wore only leaves strung before and behind, or sometimes a cloth wrap, and the land was also called the Realm of Naked Forms. Grain did not grow there; the people lived on fish, shrimp, taro, jackfruit, plantains, and similar foods. Seven days' sail west from the isle brought one to Parrot-Beak Mountain. Two or three days farther brought one to Buddha-Hall Mountain and the border of Ceylon. On a seaside rock there was a footprint some three feet long. Elders said the Buddha came from the Emerald Isles, stepped here, and left the print. Shallow water there never dried; people dipped their hands to wash eyes and face, calling it the Buddha's pure water. In a monastery below lay the true body of Shakyamuni, reclining on a couch. Beside it were the Buddha's tooth and relics at the place where he was said to have entered nirvana. The couch was of agarwood set with gems of every hue, splendidly adorned. Beside the royal residence stood a great mountain towering into the clouds. On the summit was a giant footprint two feet deep in the rock and more than eight feet long, said to be a relic of Pangu. The mountain yielded red, blue, and yellow yagu, sirani, gululan, and other colored gems. Heavy rains washed gems down the slopes for the people to gather. Drifting sand by the shore held pearl oysters of shimmering luster. The king had men dredge the oysters ashore; when the shells rotted the pearls were taken, making the realm especially rich in gems.
22
王，瑣裡國人。 崇釋教，重牛，日取牛糞燒灰涂其體，又調以水，遍塗地上，乃禮佛。 手足直舒，腹貼於地以為敬，王及庶民皆如之。 不食牛肉，止食其乳，死則瘞之，有殺牛者，罪至死。 氣候常熱，米粟豐足，民富饒，然不喜啖飯。 欲啖，則於暗處，不令人見。 遍體皆毫毛，悉薙去，惟發不薙。 所貢物有珠、珊瑚、寶石、水晶、撒哈剌、西洋布、乳香、木香、樹香、檀香、沒藥、硫黃、藤竭、蘆薈、烏木、胡椒、碗石、馴象之屬。
The king was a native of Suoli. He followed Buddhism and revered cattle; each day he burned cow dung to ash for his body, mixed the ash with water to coat the ground, and then worshipped the Buddha. King and people alike prostrated with limbs extended and belly to the earth. They did not eat beef, only drank milk; dead cattle were buried, and killing a cow was a capital crime. The climate was perpetually hot, grain plentiful, and the people prosperous, yet they disliked eating rice openly. When they ate rice they did so in private, out of sight. Body hair was shaved away, but the hair of the head was left. Tribute included pearls, coral, gems, crystal, sahala and Western cloth, frankincense, costus, aromatic woods, sandalwood, myrrh, sulfur, gamboge, aloe, ebony, pepper, bowl-stone, tame elephants, and similar goods.
23
榜葛剌
Bengal
24
榜葛剌，即漢身毒國，東漢曰天竺。 其後中天竺貢於梁，南天竺貢於魏。 唐亦分五天竺，又名五印度。 宋仍名天竺。 榜葛剌則東印度也。 自蘇門答剌順風二十晝夜可至。
Bengal was the Shendu realm of Han times, called Tianzhu in the Eastern Han. Later Central India sent tribute to the Liang and Southern India to the Wei. Tang likewise spoke of the Five Indias. Song sources still used the name Tianzhu. Bengal was Eastern India. Twenty days' sail with a fair wind from Samudra brought one there.
25
永樂六年，其王靄牙思丁遣使來朝，貢方物，宴賚有差。 七年，其使凡再至，攜從者二百三十餘人。 帝方招徠絕域，頒賜甚厚。 自是比年入貢。 十年，貢使將至，遣官宴之於鎮江。 既將事，使者告其王之喪。 遣官往祭，封嗣子賽勿丁為王。 十二年，嗣王遣使奉表來謝，貢麒麟及名馬方物。 禮官請表賀，帝勿許。 明年遣侯顯齎詔使其國，王與妃、大臣皆有賜。 正統三年貢麒麟，百官表賀。 明年又入貢。 自是不復至。
In Yongle 6 (1408) King Saiyasiding sent envoys to court with regional tribute and was entertained and rewarded in due measure. In the seventh year envoys came twice, with more than two hundred thirty followers. The emperor was courting distant realms and gave lavish gifts. Tribute then arrived yearly. In the tenth year officials were sent to entertain the approaching envoys at Zhenjiang. As the audience drew near, the envoys reported their king's death. Envoys were sent to perform the mourning rites and invest the heir Saiwuding as king. In the twelfth year the new king sent envoys with a memorial of thanks, offering a qilin, fine horses, and other tribute. Ritual officials proposed a congratulatory memorial, but the emperor refused. The following year Hou Xian carried an edict to the realm; the king, queen, and ministers all received gifts. In Zhengtong 3 (1438) a qilin was sent as tribute and the whole court offered congratulations. Tribute came again the following year. No further missions followed.
26
其國，地大物阜。 城池街市，聚貨通商，繁華類中國。 四時氣候常如夏。 土沃，一歲二稔，不待耔耘。 俗淳龐，有文字，男女勤於耕織。 容體皆黑，間有白者。 王及官民皆回回人，喪祭冠婚，悉用其禮。 男子皆薙發，裹以白布。 衣從頸貫下，用布圍之。 歷不置閏。 刑有笞杖徒流數等。 官司上下，亦有行移。 醫卜、陰陽、百工、技藝悉如中國，蓋皆前世所流入也。
The realm was vast and abundantly supplied. Its walled cities and markets teemed with trade, flourishing like those of China. The climate was summer-like year round. The soil was rich and yielded two harvests a year without transplanting or heavy tillage. Customs were plain and honest; they had a written language, and men and women worked diligently at farming and weaving. The people were generally dark-skinned, though a few were fair. The king, officials, and people were Muslims who followed Islamic rites for death, worship, coming of age, and marriage. Men shaved their heads and wrapped themselves in white cloth. Garments hung from the neck and were wrapped about the body with cloth. Their calendar had no intercalary months. Punishments ranged through beating, cudgeling, penal servitude, and exile. Government offices exchanged written documents as in China. Medicine, divination, yin-yang lore, crafts, and arts all resembled China's, having been introduced in earlier times.
27
其王敬天朝。 聞使者至，遣官具儀物，以千騎來迎。 王宮高廣，柱皆黃銅包飾，雕琢花獸。 左右設長廊，內列明甲馬隊千餘，外列巨人，明盔甲，執刀劍弓矢，威儀甚壯。 丹墀左右，設孔雀翎傘蓋百餘，又置象隊百餘於殿前。 王飾八寶冠，箕踞殿上高座，橫劍於膝。 朝使入，令拄銀杖者二人來導，五步一呼，至中則止； 又拄金杖者二人，導如初。 其王拜迎詔，叩頭，手加額。 開讀受賜訖，設絨毯於殿，宴朝使； 不飲酒，以薔薇露和香蜜水飲之。 贈使者金盔、金繫腰、金瓶、金盆，其副則悉用銀，從者皆有贈。 厥貢：良馬、金銀琉璃器、青花白瓷、鶴頂、犀角、翠羽、鸚鵡、洗白苾布、兜鑼綿、撒哈剌、糖霜、乳香、熟香、烏香、麻藤香、烏爹泥、紫膠、藤竭、烏木、蘇木、胡椒、粗黃。
The king held the Celestial Court in reverence. When envoys arrived he sent officials with ceremonial gear and a thousand horsemen to welcome them. The palace was lofty and vast, its pillars sheathed in gilt bronze carved with flowers and beasts. Long corridors flanked the hall; within stood more than a thousand armored horsemen, and without giant guards in bright armor with sword, bow, and arrow—a formidable display. More than a hundred peacock-feather parasols lined the court, with another hundred elephants before the hall. The king wore a crown of eight treasures, sat with legs spread on a high throne, and rested a sword across his knees. When the envoy entered, two attendants with silver staffs led him forward, calling out every five paces and halting at the center; Two more attendants with gold staffs then led him forward in the same manner. The king bowed to receive the imperial edict, kowtowed, and pressed his hands to his forehead. Once the edict had been read and the gifts accepted, a wool carpet was laid in the hall and a banquet was held for the envoy; No wine was served; instead they drank rose water blended with honeyed perfumed water. The envoy was given gold helmets, gold belts, gold bottles, and gold basins; his deputies received silver equivalents, and every member of the retinue was rewarded. Their tribute included fine horses, gold and silver glassware, blue-and-white porcelain, hornbill casques, rhinoceros horn, kingfisher plumes, parrots, bleached cotton, douluo cotton, sahala cloth, sugar crystals, frankincense, prepared incense, black incense, hemp-vine incense, uddamli, lac, rattan gum, ebony, sappanwood, pepper, and orpiment.
28
沼納朴兒
Ganenapuli
29
沼納朴兒，其國在榜葛剌之西。 或言即中印度，古所稱佛國也。 永樂十年遣使者齎敕撫諭其國，賜王亦不剌金絨錦、金織文綺、彩帛等物。 十八年，榜葛剌使者醞其國王數舉兵侵擾，詔中官侯顯齎敕諭以睦鄰保境之義，因賜之彩幣； 所過金剛寶座之地，亦有賜。 然其王以去中國絕遠，朝貢竟不至。
Ganenapuli lay west of Bengal. Some identified it with Middle India, the Buddhist realm known to earlier ages. In Yongle 10 (1412) an envoy carried an edict of reassurance to the realm and granted King Yibulajin velvet brocade, gold-woven silk, colored cloth, and other gifts. In the eighteenth year a Bengal envoy complained that its king had repeatedly invaded and raided; the court sent the eunuch Hou Xian with an edict on good neighborly conduct and border peace, along with colored silks; Gifts were also bestowed at the Diamond Throne site through which he passed. But the king, judging China impossibly distant, never sent tribute to court.
30
祖法兒
Dhofar
31
祖法兒，自古裡西北放舟，順風十晝夜可至。 永樂十九年遣使偕阿丹、剌撒諸國入貢，命鄭和齎璽書賜物報之。 二十一年，貢使復至。 宣德五年，和再使其國，其王阿里即遣使朝貢，八年達京師。 正統元年還國，賜璽書獎王。
Dhofar lay northwest of Calicut; ten days' sail with a fair wind brought one there. In Yongle 19 (1421) envoys arrived with those from Aden, Las'a, and other states; Zheng He was dispatched with an imperial letter and return gifts. Tribute envoys came again in the twenty-first year. In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He visited again; King Ali promptly sent tribute envoys who reached the capital in the eighth year. They returned home in Zhengtong 1 (1436), and the king received an imperial letter of commendation.
32
其國東南大海，西北重山，天時常若八九月。 五穀、蔬果、諸畜咸備。 人體頎碩。 王及臣民悉奉回回教，婚喪亦遵其制。 多建禮拜寺。 遇禮拜日，市絕貿易，男女長幼皆沐浴更新衣，以薔薇露或沉香油拭面，焚沉、檀、俺八兒諸香土ＣＬ，人立其上以薰衣，然後往拜。 所過街市，香經時不散。 天使至，詔書開讀訖，其王遍諭國人，盡出乳香、血竭、蘆薈、沒藥、蘇合油、安息香諸物，與華人交易。 乳香乃樹脂。 其樹似榆而葉尖長，土人砍樹取其脂為香。 有駝雞，頸長類鶴，足高三四尺，毛色若駝，行亦如之，常以充貢。
The realm faced the open sea to the southeast and rugged mountains to the northwest, with weather perpetually like late summer or early autumn. Grain, fruit, vegetables, and livestock were all abundant. The people were tall and strongly built. The king and his subjects were Muslims who observed Islamic rites for marriage and mourning. Mosques were built throughout the land. On the day of prayer commerce halted; everyone bathed, donned clean clothes, and washed their faces with rose water or agarwood oil; fragrant incense powders—agarwood, sandalwood, and anba'er—were burned, and people stood over the smoke to perfume their garments before going to worship. The fragrance lingered long in the streets they passed through. When the imperial envoy arrived and the edict had been read, the king proclaimed it to the whole country; the people brought out frankincense, dragon's blood, aloe, myrrh, storax, and benzoin to trade with the Chinese. Frankincense was a tree resin. The tree resembled an elm with long pointed leaves; locals cut the bark and collected the sap for incense. There was an ostrich with a crane-like neck, legs three or four feet tall, camel-colored plumage, and a camel's gait; it was often sent as tribute.
33
木骨都束
Mogadishu
34
木骨都束，自小葛蘭舟行二十晝夜可至。 永樂十四年遣使與不剌哇、麻林諸國奉表朝貢，命鄭和齎敕及幣偕其使者往報之。 後再入貢，覆命和偕行，賜王及妃彩幣。 二十一年，貢使又至。 比還，其王及妃更有賜。 宣德五年，和復頒詔其國。
Mogadishu was twenty days' sail by boat from Little Kulam. In Yongle 14 (1416) envoys from Barawa, Malindi, and other states presented tribute; Zheng He was sent with an edict and gifts to accompany their envoys on the return mission. When they sent tribute again, Zheng He returned with them and granted colored silks to the king and queen. Tribute envoys arrived again in the twenty-first year. On their departure the king and queen received additional gifts. In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He again proclaimed an imperial edict to the realm.
35
國濱海，山連地曠，磽瘠少收。 歲常旱，或數年不雨。 俗頑嚚，時操兵習射。 地不產木。 亦如忽魯謨斯，壘石為屋，及用魚臘以飼牛羊馬駝雲。
The realm lay on the coast amid linked hills and open country; the soil was poor and yields were scant. Drought was common, and rain sometimes failed for years on end. The people were rough and warlike, frequently drilling with weapons and practicing archery. Timber did not grow there. As at Hormuz, they built stone houses and fed their cattle, sheep, horses, and camels on dried fish.
36
不剌哇
Barawa
37
不剌哇，與木骨都束接壤。 自錫蘭山別羅里南行，二十一晝夜可至。 永樂十四年至二十一年，凡四入貢，並與木骨都束偕。 鄭和亦兩使其國。 宣德五年，和復往使。
Barawa bordered Mogadishu. Twenty-one days' sail south from Beruwala on Ceylon brought one there. From Yongle 14 through 21 (1416–1423) they sent tribute four times, always alongside Mogadishu. Zheng He visited the realm on two missions. In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He returned on mission.
38
其國，傍海而居，地廣斥鹵，少草木，亦壘石為屋。 其鹽池。 但投樹枝於中，已而取起，鹽即凝其上。 俗淳。 田不可耕，蒜蔥之外無他種，專捕魚為食。 所產有馬哈獸，狀如麞； 花福祿，狀如驢； 及犀、象、駱駝、沒藥、乳香、龍涎香之類，常以充貢。
The people lived by the sea on broad saline ground with little vegetation, building their homes of stacked stone. They had salt pans. Branches were dipped into the brine and later lifted out crusted with salt. The people were plain and honest. The land could not be farmed; apart from garlic and scallions nothing else would grow, and the people lived entirely on fish. Among their products was the maha beast, resembling an antelope; the huafu lu, which looked like a donkey; along with rhinoceros, elephants, camels, myrrh, frankincense, and ambergris—goods often sent as tribute.
39
竹步，亦與木骨都束接壤。 永樂中嘗入貢。 其地戶口不繁，風俗頗淳。 鄭和至其地。 地亦無草木，壘石以居，歲多旱，皆與木骨都束同。 所產有獅子、金錢豹、駝蹄雞、龍涎香、乳香、金珀、胡椒之屬。
Zhufu also bordered Mogadishu. It sent tribute once during the Yongle reign. The population was sparse and the customs comparatively simple. Zheng He visited the place. The land likewise lacked vegetation; people lived in stone houses, and drought was frequent—conditions much like Mogadishu. Its products included lions, golden leopards, ostriches, ambergris, frankincense, golden amber, and pepper.
40
阿丹，在古裡之西，順風二十二晝夜可至。 永樂十四年遣使奉表貢方物。 辭還，命鄭和齎敕及彩幣偕往賜之。 自是，凡四入貢，天子亦厚加賜賚。 宣德五年，海外諸番久缺貢，覆命和齎敕宣諭。 其王抹立克那思兒即遣使來貢。 八年至京師。 正統元年始還。 自後，天朝不復通使，遠番貢使亦不至。 前世梁、隋、唐時，並有丹丹國，或言即其地。
Aden lay west of Calicut, twenty-two days' sail with a fair wind. In Yongle 14 (1416) envoys arrived with a memorial and local tribute goods. When they prepared to depart, Zheng He was sent with an edict and colored silks to accompany them home with imperial gifts. Thereafter they sent tribute four times, and the emperor richly rewarded each mission. In Xuande 5 (1430), after long silence from the maritime states, Zheng He was again dispatched with an edict of encouragement. King Mubarak Nasir promptly sent envoys with tribute. They reached the capital in the eighth year. They did not return home until Zhengtong 1 (1436). Afterward the court sent no further missions, and tribute envoys from the distant maritime states ceased to come. The Dandan realm of Liang, Sui, and Tang times was identified by some with this same land.
41
地膏腴，饒粟麥。 人性強悍，有馬步銳卒七八千人，鄰邦畏之。 王及國人悉奉回回教。 氣候常和，歲不置閏。 其定時之法，以月為準，如今夜見新月，明日即為月朔。 四季不定，自有陰陽家推算。 其日為春首，即有花開； 其日為秋初，即有葉落； 及日月交食、風雨潮汐，皆能預測。
The soil was rich and millet and wheat were plentiful. The people were warlike, fielding seven or eight thousand crack troops, and their neighbors feared them. The king and his subjects were Muslims. The climate was mild year-round, and their calendar had no intercalary months. They reckoned time by the lunar month: sight the new moon tonight, and tomorrow is the first of the month. The seasons had no fixed calendar dates; specialists in yin-yang lore calculated them. On the day marked as spring's beginning, flowers opened; on the day marked as autumn's beginning, leaves fell; and they could forecast eclipses, weather, and the tides.
42
其王甚尊中國。 聞和船至，躬率部領來迎。 入國宣詔訖，遍諭其下，盡出珍寶互易。 永樂十九年，中官周姓者往，市得貓睛，重二錢許，珊瑚樹高二尺者數枝，又大珠、金珀、諸色雅姑異寶、麒麟、獅子、花貓、鹿、金錢豹、駝雞、白鳩以歸，他國所不及也。
The king held China in the highest regard. When word came that Zheng He's fleet had arrived, he personally led his officials out to welcome it. After the edict was proclaimed in the capital, he made it known throughout the realm, and the people brought out precious goods to trade. In Yongle 19 (1421) a eunuch surnamed Zhou went there and bought cat's-eyes weighing about two mace, several two-foot coral trees, large pearls, golden amber, gems of many hues, giraffes, lions, leopards, deer, golden leopards, ostriches, and white doves—treasures no other realm could equal.
43
蔬果、畜產咸備，獨無鵝、豕二者。 市肆有書籍。 工人所制金首飾，絕勝諸蕃。 所少惟無草木，其居亦皆壘石為之。 麒麟前足高九尺，後六尺，頸長丈六尺有二，短角，牛尾，鹿身，食粟豆餅餌。 獅子形似虎，黑黃色無斑，首大、口廣、尾尖，聲吼若雷，百獸見之皆伏地。
Fruit, vegetables, and livestock were plentiful, but geese and pigs were absent. Books were sold in the markets. Gold jewelry made by local craftsmen surpassed anything found among the maritime states. The only scarcity was vegetation; even the houses were built of stacked stone. The giraffe stood nine feet at the forelegs and six at the hind, with a neck sixteen feet two inches long, short horns, an ox's tail, and a deer's body; it fed on millet, beans, and cakes. The lion resembled a tiger, tawny and unmarked; its head was large, its maw wide, and its tail tapered; its roar thundered, and every beast fell prostrate at the sight.
44
嘉靖時制方丘朝日壇玉爵，購紅黃玉於天方、哈密諸蕃，不可得。 有通事言此玉產於阿丹，去土魯番西南二千里，其地兩山對峙，自為雌雄，或自鳴，請如永樂、宣德故事，齎重賄往購。 帝從部議，已之。
During the Jiajing reign, when crafting the jade libation cup for the Square Mound and Sun Altar, the court sought red and yellow jade from Tianfang, Hami, and other western regions without success. An interpreter reported that the jade came from Aden, two thousand li southwest of Turfan, where two facing mountains were said to be male and female and sometimes to resound on their own; he asked that, as in the Yongle and Xuande reigns, a richly laden mission be sent to buy it. The emperor accepted the ministry's advice and dropped the plan.
45
剌撒，自古裡順風二十晝夜可至。 永樂十四年遣使來貢，命鄭和報之。 後凡三貢，皆與阿丹、不剌哇諸國偕。 宣德五年，和復齎敕往使，竟不復貢。 國傍海而居，氣候常熱，田瘠少收。 俗淳，喪葬有禮。 有事則禱鬼神。 草木不生，久旱不雨。 居室，悉與竹步諸國同。 所產有乳香、龍涎香、千里駝之類。
Las'a was twenty days' sail with a fair wind from Calicut. In Yongle 14 (1416) tribute envoys arrived, and Zheng He was dispatched to return the courtesy. They sent tribute three more times, always together with Aden, Barawa, and the other states. In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He returned with an edict, but no further tribute ever came. The people lived by the sea in a perpetually hot climate, and the poor soil yielded little. The customs were simple and honest, and funerals were conducted with proper ceremony. When trouble arose, they prayed to spirits and deities. Nothing green would grow, and prolonged drought brought no rain. Their houses were much like those of Zhufu and the neighboring realms. Local products included frankincense, ambergris, dromedaries, and the like.
46
麻林，去中國絕遠。 永樂十三年遣使貢麒麟。 將至，禮部尚書呂震請表賀，帝曰：「往儒臣進《五經四書大全》，請上表，朕許之，以此書有益於治也。 麟之有無，何所損益，其已之。」 已而麻林與諸蕃使者以麟及天馬、神鹿諸物進，帝御奉天門受之。 百僚稽首稱賀，帝曰：「此皇考厚德所致，亦賴卿等翊贊，故遠人畢來。 繼自今，益宜秉德迪朕不逮。」 十四年又貢方物。
Malindi lay at the farthest remove from China. In Yongle 13 (1415) it sent envoys bearing a giraffe as tribute. As the tribute mission neared, Minister of Rites Lü Zhen asked to submit a congratulatory memorial. The emperor said, "When scholars once presented the Great Compendium of the Five Classics and Four Books and asked to memorialize the court, I allowed it because that work truly served good government. Whether a qilin appears or not makes no difference one way or the other. Drop the matter. Not long afterward, Malindi and the other foreign envoys presented a giraffe together with heavenly horses, sacred deer, and other exotic gifts, and the emperor received them in state at Fengtian Gate. The court officials kowtowed in congratulation. The emperor said, "This comes from my late father's accumulated virtue, and from your loyal support as well—that is why peoples from afar gather here. Henceforth you must hold still more firmly to virtue and help me where I fall short. In the fourteenth year they sent tribute goods again.
47
忽魯謨斯
Hormuz
48
忽魯謨斯，西洋大國也。 自古裡西北行，二十五日可至。 永樂十年，天子以西洋近國已航海貢琛，稽顙闕下，而遠者猶未賓服，乃命鄭和齎璽書往諸國，賜其王錦綺、彩帛、紗羅，妃及大臣皆有賜。 王即遣陪臣已即丁奉金葉表，貢馬及方物。 十二年至京師。 命禮官宴賜，酬以馬直。 比還，賜王及妃以下有差。 自是凡四貢。 和亦再使。 後朝使不往，其使亦不來。
Hormuz was a major power of the Western Ocean. Twenty-five days' sail northwest from Calicut brought one there. In Yongle 10 (1412), noting that the nearer maritime states had already sailed to court with tribute and prostrated themselves before the throne while remoter realms had not yet submitted, the emperor ordered Zheng He to carry imperial letters to those countries and grant their kings brocades, colored silks, and gauzes; queens and ministers received gifts as well. The king at once dispatched his minister Yijiding with a memorial on gold leaf, offering horses and local tribute. They reached the capital in the twelfth year. The court ordered ritual officials to feast and reward them, paying the full value of the horses. On their departure, the king, queen, and their party received gifts in graded amounts. From then on they sent tribute four times in all. Zheng He visited twice as well. Afterward imperial missions ceased, and Hormuz sent no envoys either.
49
宣德五年復遣和宣詔其國。 其王賽弗丁乃遣使來貢。 八年至京師，宴賜有加。 正統元年附爪哇舟還國。 嗣後遂絕。
In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He was again sent to proclaim an imperial edict to the realm. King Saifuddin thereupon sent envoys with tribute. They reached the capital in the eighth year and received an especially generous feast and gifts. In Zhengtong 1 (1436) they sailed home on a Javanese ship. After that the tribute missions ended.
50
其國居西海之極。 自東南諸蠻邦及大西洋商舶、西域賈人，皆來貿易，故寶物填溢。 氣候有寒暑，春發葩，秋隕葉，有霜無雪，多露少雨。 土瘠穀麥寡，然他方轉輸者多，故價殊賤。 民富俗厚，或遭禍致貧，眾皆遺以錢帛，共振助之。 人多白晰豐偉，婦女出則以紗蔽面，市列廛肆，百物具備。 惟禁酒，犯者罪至死。 醫卜、技藝，皆類中華。 交易用銀錢。 書用回回字。 王及臣下皆遵回教，婚喪悉用其禮。 日齋戒沐浴，虔拜者五。 地多咸，不產草木，牛羊馬駝皆啖魚臘。 壘石為屋，有三四層者，寢處庖廁及待客之所，咸在其上。 饒蔬果，有核桃、把聃、松子、石榴、葡萄、花紅、萬年棗之屬。 境內有大山，四面異色。 一紅鹽石，鑿以為器，盛食物不加鹽，而味自和； 一白土，可涂垣壁； 一赤土、一黃土，皆適於用。 所貢有獅子、麒麟、駝雞、福祿、靈羊； 常貢則大珠、寶石之類。
The realm stood at the western edge of the ocean. Merchants from the southeastern barbarian states, Atlantic trade fleets, and Western traders all gathered to exchange goods, and precious commodities filled the markets. The climate knew both cold and heat: flowers opened in spring and leaves fell in autumn; frost came but not snow, and dew was plentiful while rain was scarce. The land was poor and grain scarce, but because so much was shipped in from abroad, prices were remarkably low. The people were prosperous and customs humane: when misfortune reduced someone to poverty, neighbors gave money and cloth and joined together in mutual aid. Most people were fair-complexioned and sturdily built; women veiled their faces in gauze when they went abroad; market streets were lined with shops stocked with every sort of goods. Wine alone was forbidden, and violators could be punished with death. Medicine, divination, and the arts all resembled those of China. Trade was conducted in silver coin. Writing employed Arabic script. The king and his subjects all followed Islam, and weddings and funerals were conducted by its rites. Each day they purified themselves through ablution and performed five devout prayers. Much of the soil was saline and bore no vegetation; cattle, sheep, horses, and camels were all fed on dried fish. They built stone houses, some three or four stories high, with bedrooms, kitchens, privies, and guest rooms all on the upper floors. Fruit and vegetables were plentiful, including walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pomegranates, grapes, pears, jujubes, and the like. Great mountains within the realm showed a different color on each face. One slope yielded red salt rock that could be carved into vessels: food placed in them needed no added salt, yet tasted perfectly seasoned; another gave white clay fit for whitewashing walls; and red and yellow earths, each useful in its own way. Tribute animals included lions, giraffes, ostriches, zebras, and antelope; ordinary tribute consisted of large pearls, gems, and the like.
51
溜山比剌
Liushan and Bira
52
溜山，自錫蘭山別羅里南去，順風七晝夜可至； 自蘇門答剌過小帽山西南行，十晝夜可至。 永樂十年，鄭和往使其國。 十四年，其王亦速福遣使來貢。 自後三貢，並與忽魯謨斯諸國偕。 宣德五年，鄭和復使其國，後竟不至。
Liushan lay seven days' sail with a fair wind south from Beruwala in Ceylon; or ten days' sail southwest from Samudra past Little Hat Mountain. In Yongle 10 (1412) Zheng He was dispatched on mission there. In the fourteenth year King Yusuf sent envoys with tribute. They sent tribute three more times, always together with Hormuz and the other states. In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He visited again, but no further missions ever came.
53
其山居海中，有三石門，並可通舟。 無城郭，倚山聚居。 氣候常熱，土薄谷少，無麥，土人皆捕魚，暴乾以充食。 王及群下盡回回人，婚喪諸禮，多類忽魯謨斯。 山下有八溜，或言外更有三千溜，舟或失風入其處，即沉溺。
Its islands rose from the sea, with three stone channels through which boats could pass. There were no walled cities; the people clustered along the hillsides. The climate was perpetually hot, the soil poor and grain scarce, and wheat absent; the people lived mainly on fish caught and sun-dried for food. The king and his people were all Muslims, and their wedding and funeral customs largely matched those of Hormuz. Eight channels lay below the hills, and some said three thousand more beyond; any vessel driven off course into them was lost.
54
又有國曰比剌，曰孫剌。 鄭和亦嘗齎敕往賜。 以去中華絕遠，二國貢使竟不至。
Two other states were called Bila and Sunla. Zheng He also once carried an imperial edict and gifts to them. They were so far from China that neither realm ever sent tribute envoys.
55
南巫裡
Nanwuli
56
南巫裡，在西南海中。 永樂三年遣使齎璽書、彩幣撫諭其國。 六年，鄭和復往使。 九年，其王遣使貢方物，與急蘭丹、加異勒諸國偕來。 賜其王金織文綺、金繡龍衣、銷金幃幔及傘蓋諸物，命禮官宴賜遣之。 十四年再貢。 命鄭和與其使偕行，後不復至。
Nanwuli lay in the southwestern seas. In Yongle 3 (1405) envoys were sent with an imperial letter and colored silks to offer reassurance to the realm. In the sixth year Zheng He visited again. In the ninth year its king sent envoys with local tribute, arriving together with Kelantan, Kayal, and other states. The king received gold-woven brocades, dragon robes embroidered in gold, gilded curtains and parasols, and other gifts; ritual officials feasted the envoys, rewarded them, and saw them on their way. They sent tribute again in the fourteenth year. Zheng He was ordered to return with their envoys, but no further missions followed.
57
加異勒
Kayal
58
加異勒，西洋小國也。 永樂六年遣鄭和齎詔招諭，賜以錦綺、紗羅。 九年，其酋長葛卜者麻遣使奉表，貢方物。 命賜宴及冠帶、彩幣、寶鈔。 十年，和再使其國，後凡三入貢。 宣德五年，和復使其國。 八年又偕阿丹等十一國來貢。
Kayal was a small state of the Western Ocean. In Yongle 6 (1408) Zheng He was dispatched with an edict of invitation and granted brocades and gauzes. In the ninth year its chief Gebozhe Ma sent envoys with a memorial and local tribute. The court ordered a feast and gifts of official cap and belt, colored silks, and paper money. In the tenth year Zheng He visited again, and they sent tribute three more times thereafter. In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He visited the realm again. In the eighth year they came again with Aden and ten other states to present tribute.
59
甘巴裡
Cambay
60
甘巴裡，亦西洋小國。 永樂六年，鄭和使其地，賜其王錦綺、紗羅。 十三年遣使朝貢方物。 十九年再貢，遣鄭和報之。
Cambay was likewise a small state of the Western Ocean. In Yongle 6 (1408) Zheng He visited and granted the king brocades and gauzes. In the thirteenth year it sent envoys to court with local tribute. They sent tribute again in the nineteenth year, and Zheng He was dispatched to return the courtesy.
61
宣德五年，和復招諭其國。 王兜哇剌札遣使來貢，八年抵京師。 正統元年附爪哇舟還國，賜敕勞王。
In Xuande 5 (1430) Zheng He again carried an edict of reassurance to the realm. King Douwala Zha sent envoys with tribute, and they reached the capital in the eighth year. In Zhengtong 1 (1436) they sailed home on a Javanese ship, and the emperor granted an edict commending the king.
62
其鄰境有阿撥把丹、小阿蘭二國，亦以六年命鄭和齎敕招諭，賜亦同。
Two neighboring states, Abobadan and Little Oman, were likewise visited in the sixth year when Zheng He carried edicts of invitation; the gifts granted were the same.
63
急蘭丹
Kelantan
64
急蘭丹，永樂九年，王麻哈剌查苦馬兒遣使朝貢。 十年命鄭和齎敕獎其王，賚以錦綺、紗羅、彩帛。
Kelantan: in Yongle 9 (1411) King Mahala Cha Kuma'er sent envoys to court with tribute. In the tenth year Zheng He was sent with an edict commending the king and bearing brocades, gauzes, and colored silks.
65
沙裡灣泥
Sarwani
66
沙裡灣泥，永樂十四年遣使來獻方物，命鄭和齎幣帛還賜之。
Sarwani: in Yongle 14 (1416) it sent envoys with local tribute, and Zheng He was ordered to carry silks back with gifts in return.
67
底里，永樂十年遣使奉璽書招諭其王馬哈木，賜絨錦、金織文綺、彩帛諸物。 其地與沼納朴兒近，並賜其王亦不剌金。
Delhi: in Yongle 10 (1412) envoys were sent with an imperial letter to summon King Mahmud, granting velvet brocades, gold-woven brocades, colored silks, and other gifts. Because the realm lay near Gawadar, its king Ibrahim received gifts as well.
68
千里達
Qalhat
69
千里達，永樂十六年遣使貢方物。 賜其使冠帶、纟寧絲、紗羅、彩帛及寶鈔。 比還，賜其王有加。
Qalhat: in Yongle 16 (1418) it sent envoys with local tribute. The envoys were granted official cap and belt, fine silk, gauze, colored silks, and paper money. On their departure the king received additional gifts.
70
失剌比
Shiraz
71
失剌比，永樂十六年遣使朝貢。 賜其使冠帶、金織文綺、襲衣、彩幣、白金有差，其王亦優賜。
Shiraz: in Yongle 16 (1418) it sent envoys to court with tribute. The envoys received official cap and belt, gold-woven brocades, ceremonial robes, colored silks, and silver in graded amounts, and the king was likewise favored with generous gifts.
72
古裡班卒
Gur Bandar
73
古裡班卒，永樂中，嘗入貢。 其土瘠谷少，物產亦薄。 氣候不齊，夏多雨，雨即寒。
Gur Bandar: during the Yongle era it once sent tribute. The land was poor and grain scarce, and its products were likewise thin. The climate was changeable: summers brought heavy rain, and rain brought sudden cold.
74
白葛達黑葛達
White Gur Dad and Black Gur Dad
75
白葛達，宣德元年遣其臣和者裡一思入貢。 其使臣言：「遭風破舟，貢物盡失，國主惓惓忠敬之忱，無由上達。 此使臣之罪，惟聖天子恩貸，賜之冠帶，俾得歸見國主，知陪臣實詣闕廷，庶幾免責。」 帝許之，使附鄰國貢舟還國，諭之曰：「倉卒失風，豈人力能制。 歸語爾主，朕嘉王之誠，不在物也。」 宴賜悉如禮。 及辭歸，帝謂禮官曰：「天時漸寒，海道遼遠，可賜路費及衣服。」 其國，土地瘠薄，崇釋教，市易用鐵錢。
White Gur Dad: in Xuande 1 (1426) it sent the minister Hezheli Yisi with tribute. The envoy reported: "A storm wrecked our ship and all the tribute was lost, so our king's earnest loyalty could not reach Your Majesty. The fault is mine alone. I beg the Son of Heaven to show mercy, grant me cap and belt, and let me return to my king so he may know his minister truly reached the court—then perhaps I may be spared punishment." The emperor consented and sent him home on a neighboring tribute ship, telling him: "A sudden storm at sea is no fault of yours. Tell your king when you return that I honor his sincerity, not the tribute itself." He was entertained and rewarded fully according to protocol. As he prepared to depart, the emperor told the Ministry of Rites: "The weather is turning cold and the voyage home is long—give him traveling funds and clothes." The realm itself had poor soil, honored Buddhism, and used iron coins in trade.
76
又有黑葛達，亦以宣德時來貢。 國小民貧，尚佛畏刑。 多牛羊，亦以鐵鑄錢。
There was also Black Gur Dad, which likewise sent tribute during the Xuande era. It was a small, impoverished realm whose people revered Buddhism and feared the law. Cattle and sheep were abundant, and iron was cast into coin as well.
77
拂菻 〈（即東羅馬帝國，又稱“拜占庭帝國”）〉 ，即漢大秦，桓帝時始通中國。 晉及魏皆曰大秦，嘗入貢。 唐曰拂菻，宋仍之，亦數入貢。 而《宋史》謂歷代未嘗朝貢，疑其非大秦也。
Byzantium that is, the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire)〉 , the Da Qin known to the Han—first contact with China came in the reign of Emperor Huan. The Jin and Wei dynasties likewise called it Da Qin, and it sent tribute on occasion. The Tang renamed it Fulin; the Song kept the term, and tribute missions came several times. The Song History, however, says it never sent tribute through the ages, which casts doubt on its identification with Da Qin.
78
元末，其國人捏古倫入市中國，元亡不能歸。 太祖聞之，以洪武四年八月召見，命齎詔書還諭其王曰：「自有宋失馭，天絕其祀。 元興沙漠，入主中國百有餘年，天厭其昏淫，亦用隕絕其命。 中原擾亂十有八年，當群雄初起時，朕為淮右布衣，起義救民。 荷天之靈，授以文武諸臣，東渡江左，練兵養士，十有四年。 西平漢王陳友諒，東縛吳王張士誠，南平閩、粵，戡定巴、蜀，北定幽、燕，奠安方夏，復我中國之舊疆。 朕為臣民推戴即皇帝位，定有天下之號曰大明，建元洪武，於今四年矣。 凡四夷諸邦皆遣官告諭，惟爾拂菻隔越西海，未及報知。 今遣爾國之民捏古倫齎詔往諭。 朕雖未及古先哲王，俾萬方懷德，然不可不使天下知朕平定四海之意，故茲詔告。」 已而覆命使臣普剌等齎敕書、彩幣招諭，其國乃遣使入貢。 後不復至。
Late in the Yuan, a subject of Fulin named Niegu Lun came to trade in China and was stranded when the dynasty fell. When the Hongwu Emperor learned of this, he summoned Niegu Lun in the eighth month of Hongwu 4 (1371) and sent him home with an edict for the king: "Since the Song lost the Mandate, Heaven ended their line. The Yuan rose from the desert and ruled China for more than a century, until Heaven, sickened by their corruption, cut short their reign as well. For eighteen years the heartland knew only turmoil. When the warlords first rose, I was a commoner of Huai-you and took up arms to deliver the people. Heaven's favor gave me able ministers; I crossed the Yangzi to the southeast, drilled armies and gathered talent, for fourteen years. I crushed Chen Youliang in the west and Zhang Shicheng in the east, pacified Fujian and Guangdong in the south and Sichuan in the southwest, secured the north around Beijing, and restored the old borders of the Middle Kingdom. At the urging of my subjects I took the throne, named the realm Great Ming, and proclaimed the Hongwu era—now in its fourth year. I have sent envoys to announce my accession to every foreign realm, but Fulin lies beyond the Western Sea and word has not yet reached you. I now send your subject Niegu Lun back with this edict. I am no sage-king of old who wins the world's hearts by virtue alone, yet I cannot let the world remain ignorant of my purpose in pacifying the realm—hence this proclamation." Niegu Lun returned, and later envoys led by Pula brought imperial letters and silks of invitation; Fulin then sent tribute missions. No further missions followed.
79
萬曆時，大西洋人至京師，言天主耶穌生於如德亞 〈Judea，今巴勒斯坦地區中部的朱迪亞 〈（猶地亞）〉〉 ，即古大秦國也。 其國自開辟以來六千年，史書所載，世代相嬗，及萬事萬物原始，無不詳悉。 謂為天主肇生人類之邦，言頗誕謾不可信。 其物產、珍寶之盛，具見前史。
During the Wanli era, a man from the Atlantic Ocean came to the capital and declared that Jesus, Lord of Heaven, was born in Judea 〈(Judea—the central hill country of present-day Palestine Judea))〉 , the old land known to China as Da Qin. They claimed their land had existed for six thousand years since creation, with histories recording every age and the origin of all things in exhaustive detail. Their claim that this was where God first created mankind struck the court as extravagant and incredible. The wealth of its products and treasures is already recorded in earlier dynastic histories.
80
意大里亞
Italia
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意大里亞 〈即今義大利〉 ，居大西洋中，自古不通中國。 萬曆時，其國人利瑪竇至京師，為《萬國全圖》，言天下有五大洲。 第一曰亞細亞洲，中凡百餘國，而中國居其一。 第二曰歐羅巴洲，中凡七十餘國，而意大里亞居其一。 第三曰利未亞洲，亦百餘國。 第四曰亞墨利加洲，地更大，以境土相連，分為南北二洲。 最後得墨瓦臘泥加洲為第五。 而域中大地盡矣。 其說荒渺莫考，然其國人充斥中土，則其地固有之，不可誣也。
Italia 〈present-day Italy〉 , lay in the Atlantic Ocean and had never had contact with China. In the Wanli era, Matteo Ricci of Italia came to the capital, drew the Complete Map of All Nations, and declared that the world comprised five great continents. The first was Asia, containing more than a hundred realms of which China was one. The second was Europe, with more than seventy realms including Italia. The third was Libya—Africa—with more than a hundred realms as well. The fourth was America, larger still, its connected landmass divided into North and South. Magellanica, discovered last, formed the fifth. In this way, they said, the earth was fully accounted for. The account seemed fantastic and beyond proof, yet since their countrymen were already scattered across China, their homeland could hardly be dismissed as fiction.
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大都歐羅巴諸國，悉奉天主耶穌教，而耶穌生於如德亞，其國在亞細亞洲之中，西行教於歐羅巴。 其始生在漢哀帝元壽二年庚申，閱一千五百八十一年至萬曆九年，利瑪竇始泛海九萬里，抵廣州之香山澳，其教遂沾染中土。 至二十九年入京師，中官馬堂以其方物進獻，自稱大西洋人。
Most European states followed the teaching of Jesus, Lord of Heaven. Born in Judea in Asia, he carried his doctrine west into Europe. They dated his birth to Yuanshou 2 of Emperor Ai of Han (1 BCE). One thousand five hundred eighty-one years later, in Wanli 9 (1581), Ricci sailed ninety thousand li across the sea to Macao at Guangzhou, and the faith first took root in China. In Wanli 29 (1601) he reached Beijing; the eunuch Ma Tang presented his gifts to the throne, and Ricci styled himself a man of the Atlantic Ocean.
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禮部言：「《會典》止有西洋瑣裡國無大西洋，其真偽不可知。 又寄居二十年方行進貢，則與遠方慕義特來獻琛者不同。 且其所貢《天主》及《天主母圖》，既屬不經，而所攜又有神仙骨諸物。 夫既稱神仙，自能飛昇，安得有骨？ 則唐韓愈所謂凶穢之餘，不宜入宮禁者也。 況此等方物，未經臣部譯驗，徑行進獻，則內臣混進之非，與臣等溺職之罪，俱有不容辭者。 及奉旨送部，乃不赴部審譯，而私寓僧舍，臣等不知其何意。 但諸番朝貢，例有回賜，其使臣必有宴賞，乞給賜冠帶還國，勿令潛居兩京，與中人交往，別生事端。」 不報。 八月又言：「臣等議令利瑪竇還國，候命五月，未賜綸音，毋怪乎遠人之郁病而思歸也。 察其情詞懇切，真有不願尚方錫予，惟欲山棲野宿之意。 譬之禽鹿久羈，愈思長林豐草，人情固然。 乞速為頒賜，遣赴江西諸處，聽其深山邃谷，寄跡怡老。」 亦不報。
The Ministry of Rites reported: "The Statutes recognize Choli in the Western Ocean but not the Atlantic—his origin cannot be verified. Moreover, he had lived here twenty years before offering tribute—hardly the same as envoys who voyage from afar out of admiration for our civilization. The images of the Lord of Heaven and his Mother that he presented were already heterodox, and he also carried saintly relics and the like. If these were truly immortals who ascended to heaven, how could their bones remain? They are precisely the "filthy remnants" Han Yu of Tang condemned—unfit for the inner palace. Worse, these objects reached the throne without our ministry's review or translation—the eunuchs' impropriety and our own negligence are alike indefensible. When ordered to report to us, he refused examination and lodged instead at a monastery—we cannot fathom his purpose. Foreign missions customarily receive return gifts and banquets; we ask that he be granted cap and belt and sent home, and not allowed to linger in the capitals consorting with eunuchs and stirring up trouble." The emperor did not respond. In the eighth month they wrote again: "We recommended sending Ricci home; he has waited five months without an answer—small wonder the foreigner grows ill with longing to return. His pleas ring sincere: he wants no imperial bounty, only to live in mountain seclusion. Like a deer long caged that yearns for open woods, his wish is only human nature. We beg a prompt decree sending him to Jiangxi, where he may retire to deep valleys and live out his days in peace." Again there was no response.
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已而帝嘉其遠來，假館授粲，給賜優厚。 公卿以下重其人，咸與晉接。 瑪竇安之，遂留居不去，以三十八年四月卒於京。 賜葬西郭外。
In time the emperor welcomed his long journey, lodged him at court, provisioned him generously, and favored him with rich gifts. Officials high and low respected him and sought his company. Ricci settled in and stayed; he died in Beijing in the fourth month of Wanli 38 (1610). The court granted him burial outside the western gate.
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其年十一月朔，日食。 歷官推算多謬，朝議將修改。 明年，五官正周子愚言：「大西洋歸化人龐迪我、熊三拔等深明曆法。 其所攜曆書，有中國載籍所未及者。 當令譯上，以資採擇。」 禮部侍郎翁正春等因請仿洪武初設回回曆科之例，令迪我等同測驗。 從之。
On the first day of the eleventh month that year, a solar eclipse occurred. The astronomical bureau's predictions had been widely wrong, and the court debated reforming the calendar. The following year, Zhou Ziyu, Director of the Five Offices, reported: "Diego de Pantoja, Sabatino de Ursis, and other Atlantic converts are masters of calendrical science. Their astronomical texts contain methods not found in Chinese records. They should be translated and submitted for the court's consideration." Vice Minister Weng Zhengchun and others then asked that Pantoja and his colleagues be put to the test, as the Muslim calendrical bureau had been at the start of Hongwu. The emperor agreed.
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自瑪竇入中國後，其徒來益眾。 有王豐肅者，居南京，專以天主教惑眾，士大夫暨裡巷小民，間為所誘。 禮部郎中徐如珂惡之。 其徒又自誇風土人物遠勝中華，如珂乃召兩人，授以筆札，令各書所記憶。 悉舛謬不相合，乃倡議驅斥。 四十四年，與侍郎沈㴶、給事中晏文輝等合疏斥其邪說惑眾，且疑其為佛郎機假托，乞急行驅逐。 禮科給事中余懋孳亦言：「自利瑪竇東來，而中國復有天主之教。 乃留都王豐肅、陽瑪諾等，煽惑群眾不下萬人，朔望朝拜動以千計。 夫通番、左道並有禁。 今公然夜聚曉散，一如白蓮、無為諸教。 且往來壕鏡，與澳中諸番通謀，而所司不為遣斥，國家禁令安在？」 帝納其言，至十二月令豐肅及迪我等俱遣赴廣東，聽還本國。 命下久之，遷延不行，所司亦不為督發。
After Ricci's arrival, his fellow missionaries came in growing numbers. One Wang Fengsu lived in Nanjing, preaching Catholicism and winning converts among scholars and commoners alike. Xu Ruke, a director in the Ministry of Rites, despised the movement. When their disciples boasted that their homelands surpassed China in every way, Xu summoned two of them, gave them paper, and told each to write down what he recalled. Their accounts contradicted each other entirely, and he began calling for their expulsion. In Wanli 44 (1616), he joined Vice Minister Shen Jin, Supervising Secretary Yan Wenhui, and others in a memorial denouncing the sect's heresy and suspecting the missionaries of being Portuguese impostors, urging immediate expulsion. Yu Maozi of the Rites Section also wrote: "Since Ricci came from the east, the Lord of Heaven's teaching has taken root in China. In Nanjing, Wang Fengsu, Yang Manuo, and others have swayed more than ten thousand followers, with thousands gathering for worship at each new and full moon. Unauthorized foreign contact and heterodox teachings are both forbidden by law. They now meet openly by night and disperse at dawn, in the manner of the White Lotus and Wuwei sects. They travel freely to Macao and consort with foreigners there, while the authorities do nothing—where, then, is the force of imperial law?" The emperor accepted the memorial, and in the twelfth month ordered Fengsu, Pantoja, and the others sent to Guangdong and permitted to return home. The order lingered unenforced for months, and the responsible offices never pressed for compliance.
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四十六年四月，迪我等奏：「臣與先臣利瑪竇等十餘人，涉海九萬里，觀光上國，叨食大官十有七年。 近南北參劾，議行屏斥。 竊念臣等焚修學道，尊奉天主，豈有邪謀敢墮惡業。 惟聖明垂憐，候風便還國。 若寄居海嶼，愈滋猜疑，乞並南都諸處陪臣，一體寬假。」 不報，乃怏怏而去。 豐肅尋變姓名，復入南京，行教如故，朝士莫能察也。
In the fourth month of Wanli 46 (1618), Pantoja and his colleagues petitioned: "We and the late Ricci—more than a dozen in all—crossed ninety thousand li of ocean to behold your civilization and have been fed at the state's table for seventeen years. Recently censors from both capitals had impeached them and proposed their expulsion. We who burn incense and study the Way, worshipping the Lord of Heaven, would never harbor evil designs or fall into wickedness. We beg only for imperial mercy and a fair wind to carry us home. Dwelling on offshore isles would only breed suspicion; we ask that the attendant envoys in Nanjing and elsewhere receive the same clemency. They received no answer and left in displeasure. Wang Fengsu soon assumed another name, returned to Nanjing, and preached as before without detection by the court.
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其國善制礮，視西洋更巨。 既傳入內地，華人多效之，而不能用。 天啟、崇禎間，東北用兵，數召澳中人入都，令將士學習，其人亦為盡力。
They excelled at casting cannon even larger than those of the Western Ocean. Once the art reached the interior many Chinese copied it but could not make it effective. During the Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns, with war in the northeast, Macao gunners were repeatedly summoned to the capital to train the troops, and they gave their full effort.
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崇禎時，曆法益疏舛，禮部尚書徐光啟請令其徒羅雅谷、湯若望等，以其國新法相參較，開局纂修。 報可。 久之書成，即以崇禎元年戊辰為歷元，名之曰《崇禎歷》。 書雖未頒行，其法視《大統歷》為密，識者有取焉。
Under Chongzhen the calendar grew increasingly inaccurate; Xu Guangqi, Minister of Rites, asked Schall, Ruggieri, and others to compare their new methods and open a bureau to revise the calendar. The request was approved. When the work was finished it took Chongzhen 1 (1628), year wuchen, as its epoch and was named the Chongzhen Calendar. Though never officially promulgated, its methods were finer than those of the Great Unity Calendar, and experts valued it.
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其國人東來者，大都聰明特達之士，意專行教，不求祿利。 其所著書多華人所未道，故一時好異者咸尚之。 而士大夫如徐光啟、李之藻輩，首好其說，且為潤色其文詞，故其教驟興。
Those who came from the West were mostly brilliant men devoted to preaching, not seeking office or profit. Their books treated matters Chinese scholars had not addressed, and for a time every lover of novelty admired them. Scholar-officials such as Xu Guangqi and Li Zhizao were the first to embrace their teaching and even polished their prose, so the faith spread swiftly.
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時著聲中土者，更有龍華民、畢方濟、艾如略、鄧玉函諸人。 華民、方濟、如略及熊三拔，皆意大里亞國人，玉函，熱而瑪尼國人，龐迪我，依西把尼亞國人，陽瑪諾，波而都瓦爾國人，皆歐羅巴洲之國也。 其所言風俗、物產多誇，且有《職方外紀》諸書在，不具述。
Others who won renown in China included Longobardo, Fabri, Aleni, and Terrenz. Longobardo, Fabri, Aleni, and Sabatino de Ursis were Italians; Terrenz was German; Pantoja was Spanish; Yang Ma-no was Portuguese—all from Europe. Their accounts of customs and products are often exaggerated; works such as the Record of Foreign Lands Beyond the Offices already cover them, and they are not repeated here.