Storia do Mogor 66.1.4

66.1.4

Among all the races of India there is none which has books of laws. But these Burmans keep books of the ordinances, applications, arguments, sentences, and appeals before the king's tribunal. It happened once to a Portuguese that he had bought a ruby of great value. He meant to sell it to the King of Seilao (Ceylon) at a profit. The lapidary on close examination found it had been joined, and with the consent of the Portuguese separated the one piece from the other and then joined them again as before. The Portuguese went off to lodge a complaint before the King of Pegu, without having recourse to the usual tribunal. The king, who was ignorant of the law, asked the Portuguese whether he would take the sentence he should give, without appealing or complaining elsewhere. The Portuguese, assuming the king to be educated and intelligent, said he was content with any finding the king should announce. His order was that he who had sold the stone should be deprived of both eyes as a cheat, and the Portuguese who bought it should lose one eye for being an inefficient trader [272]. Angered at such a judgment, the Portuguese threw down the stone, and coming out, said : ' A barbarous king, a barbarous sentence.' There is much that might be said of this kingdom, but as I am getting very far from my history, I cannot dilate further on it, having, as it is, quite enough to say of the Mogul empire, which is my text.