Page 210 - A History of Siam

A HISTORY OF SIAM
198
received in a manner becoming to their dignity, and must
be the humiliation of in their
spared appearing stockinged
soles and prostrating themselves before His Majesty.
After some these conditions were and
delay accepted,
the Siamese nobles were scandalised by the sight of the
and seated at a audience.
Bishop priests remaining royal
The letters were but certain valuable
duly presented,
sent the and the French had
presents, by Pope King,
been left behind at Bantam.
perforce
Not long afterwards, the Bishops were conducted in
almost state to and were a
Royal Lopburi, given private
of land for the mission ; the further
grant King promised
to build them a fine church at his own
expense.
The from the and the French never
presents Pope King
arrived. A Siamese vessel was sent to them from
bring
Bantam, but the vessel, with its cargo, was captured by
the Dutch after it had left that
port.
The was a niemorable for in that
year 1675 one, year
the Phoenix, a ship belonging to Captain George White,
arrived at White's factor was none
Ayut'ia. Captain
other than the celebrated Constant or Constantine
Phaulkon, whose romantic and dazzling career in Siam
has been so often related.
Phaulkon was born in the Greek Island of
Cephallonia,
about the His father was a small
year 1650. inn-keeper
named Yeraki a Yeraki ran
(meaning falcon). Young
away from home when about ten years old, and joined an
He lived in London until about
English ship. 1669,
when he went to sea as White's
again Captain cabin-boy.
He had his name to and his
anglicised Falcon, shipmates
re-hellenised it to Phaulkon. He rose to be
again
White's factor, and saved a little money, which he in-
creased by helping White in his trading operations at
1 " Constant Phaulkon."
Phaulkon himself invariably signed his name as