The ocean of story, being C.H. Tawney's translation of Somadeva's ...

APPENDIX II ROMANCE OF BETEL-CHEWING 261
cake or role * made of a certaine wood or tree called Kaate,
and then they annoint the Bettele leaves with the chalke
made of burnt oyster shelles, which can doe no hurt in their
bodies, by reason of the small quantitie of it, all this being
chawed togeather, and the Iuice swalloed downe into their
bodies, for all the rest they spit forth, they say it is very good
for the maw, and against a stinking breath, [a soveraigne
medicine] for the teeth, and fastning of gummes, and [very
good] 2
against the Schorbucke, 3 and it is most true that in
India verie few men are found with stinking breathes or
tooth aches, or troubled with the Schorbuch or any such diseases,
and although they be never so old, they alwaies have
their teeth whole and sound, but their mouthes and teeth
are still as if they were painted with black blood as I said
before and never leave spitting reddish spittle like blood.
The Portingale women have the like custome of eating these
Bettele leaves, so that if they were but one day without
eating their Bettele, they perswade themselves they could not
their Beddes
live : Yea, they set it in the night times by
heades, and when they cannot sleepe, they doe nothing els
but chaw Bettele and spit it out againe. In the day time
wheresoever they doe sit, goe, or stand, they are continually
chawing thereof, like Oxen or Kine chawing their cud : for
the [whole] exercise of [many Portingale] 4 women, is onely
all the day long to wash 5
themselves, and then fal to the
chawing of their Bettele. There are some Portingales that
by the common custome of their wives eating of Bettele, doe
likewise use it. When the Indian women 6
go to visit one
an other, the Bettele goeth with them, and the greatest pleasure
or entertainment they can shew one to the other, is
presently to present them with some Bettele, Arecca, and
chalke in a woodden dish, which they keepe onely for that
purpose. This Bettele is to be sold in every corner, and
streete, and shoppe 7
[of the towne], as also in every high
way for travellers and passengers, and is ready prepared,
that is to say, so many Bettele leaves, one Arecca and some
1
2
Orig. Dutch: " little ball."
Orig.
Dutch :
"
remedy."
3 Schorbucke (Dutch, " scheurbuyck ") is scurvy.
4 Orig. Dutch :
"
the."
5 Orig. Dutch : (add) "and bathe."
Dutch :
"
when the women or Indians."
6
Orig.
7
Orig. Dutch: "on all corners of the streets and shops.'