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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09829	The most noble and famous trauels of Marcus Paulus, one of the nobilitie of the state of Venice, into the east partes of the world, as Armenia, Persia, Arabia, Tartary, with many other kingdoms and prouinces. No lesse pleasant, than profitable, as appeareth by the table, or contents of this booke. Most necessary for all sortes of persons, and especially tor trauellers. Translated into English; Travels of Marco Polo. English	Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?; Frampton, John, fl. 1577-1596.	1579 (1579)	STC 20092; ESTC S105055	116,899	196

which the great Cane was glad and toke him into his seruice and gaue order to place him in his Court among his Lordes and Gentlemen Here foloweth the discourse of many notable and strange things that the noble and vvorthy Marcus Paulus of the Citie of Venice did see in the East partes of the world ¶ Howe Miser Marco Polo vsed himselfe in the Court of the Great Cane CHAP. 1. MArco Polo learned well not onely the vsed language and conditions of those people but also other thrée languages and coulde write and reade them and by that meanes came in great fauour with the great Cane whose pleasure was to proue what he could do to be sent Embassage and made hym ●is Embassadour in one of his Countreys sixe Monethes ●ourney And he perceyuing the great Cane had greate plea●ure to heare newes and oftentimes would find fault with his Embassadoures and messengers when they coulde not make ●iscourse and tell him newes of the Countreys and places ●hey trauelled into he determined with himselfe to note and ●nderstand in that iourney all that could be spoken as well of ●he Townes Cities and places as also the conditions and ●ualities of the people noting it in writing to be the more ●eadie to make his aunswere if any thing should be demaun●ed of him and at his returne declared to the great Cane the ●unswere of the people of that Countrey to his Embassage ●nd withall declared vnto hym the nature of Countreys ●nd the conditions of the people where he had bin and also ●hat he had heard of other Countreys which pleased well the ●reat Cane and was in great fauoure with him and set great ●ore by him for which cause all the noble men of his Courte ●ad him in great estimation calling him Senior or Lorde He ●as in the greate Canes Court .xvij. yeares and when anye ●reate Embassage or businesse shoulde be done in any of hys Countreys or Prouinces he was alwayes sente wherefore ●iuers great men of the Court did enuie him but he alwayes kepte thys order that whatsoeuer he sawe or heard were 〈◊〉 good or euill hée alwayes wrote it and had it in minde to declare to the great Cane in order The manner and vvayes that the tvvo breethren and Marcus Paulus had for their returne to Venice CHAP. 2. THe sayd Nicholas and Mapheo and Marcus Paulus hauyng bin in the greate Canes Court of a long time demaunded licence for to returne to Venice but he louing and fauouring them so well would not giue them leaue And it fortuned in that time that a Quéene in India dyed whose name was Balgonia and hyr Husbande wa● called Kyng Argon This Quéene ordeyned in hir Testamente that hyr Husbande shoulde not marrie but with one of hyr bloud and kynred and for that cause the sayde Kyng Argon sente hys Embassadors with great honor and companye to the Greate Cane desiring hym to sende hym for to bée hys Wife a Mayde of the lignage of Balgonia his firste Wi●● The names of these Embassadors were called Onlora Apusca and Edilla When these Embassadors arriued at th● Courte they were very well receyued by the Great Ca●● ▪ And after they hadde done theyr message the Greate Ca●● caused to bée called before him a Mayden whiche was called Cozotine of the kindred of Balgonia the whyche was very● fayre and of the age of seauentéene yeares And as she was come before the Great Cane and the Embassadors the great Cane sayde to the Embassadors thys is the Mayden that you demaunde take hyr and carrie hir in a good houre an● wyth thys the Embassadors were very ioyfull and merrie And these Embassadors vnderstandyng of Nicholas and Mapheo and Marcus Paulus Italians which before that tyme ha●● ●one for Embassadors vnto the Indians and were desirous to ●epart from the greate Cane desired hym to gyue them li●ence to goe and accompanye that Lady and the Greate ●ane although not wyth good will but for manners sake and ●lso for honour of the Ladye and for hyr more safegarde in ●assing the Seas bycause they were wise and skilfull menne ●as content they should goe Hovv they sayled to Iaua CHAP. 3. HAuing licence of the Great Cane the sayde Nicholas Mapheo and Marcus Paulus as aforesayde as his custome was gaue them two Tables of golde by the whiche he did signifie that they should passe fréelie through all his prouinces and dominions and that theyr charges should be borne and to be ho●ourably accompanyed And besides this the great Cane sent ●iuers Embassadors to the Pope and to the Frenche King ●nd to the King of Spayne and to many other Prouinces in Christendome and caused to be armed and sette forth foure●éene great Shippes that euery one of them had four Mastes To declare the reason wherefore he did this it were too long ●herefore I let it passe In euery Shippe he put sixe hundreth men and prouision for two yeares In these Shippes wente ●he sayd Embassadors with the Lady and Nicholas and Ma●heo bréethrē and Marcus Paulus aforesayd and sayled thrée Monethes continually and then arriued at an Ilande called ●aua being in the South partes in the which they found mar●ellous and strange things as héereafter shall be declared And departing from this Iland sayling on the Indian Seas ●viij Moneths before they came to the place they would come to founde by the w●y many maruellous and strange things ●s héereafter shall be declared Hovv Nicholas and Mapheo and Marco Polo returned to Venice after they had seene and heard many maruellous thinges CHAP. 4. AFter their arriuall with this foresayde Lady to the Kingdome they went vnto they found that the King Argon was dead and for that cause married that mayde to his sonne and there did gouerne in the roome of the Kyng a Lorde whose name was Archator for bycause the King was very yong And to this Gouernoure or Viceroy was the Embassage declared and of him the two Bréethren and Marco Polo demaunded licence to goe into their Countrey whiche he graunted and withall gaue them foure Tables of gold two of them were to haue Ierfawcons and other Hawkes with them The thirde was to haue Lyons And the fourth was that they shoulde goe frée withoute paying any charges and to be accompanyed and enterteyned as to the Kings owne person And by this commaundement they had company and gard of two hundreth Knightes from Towne to Towne for feare of manye Théeues vppon the wayes and so much they traueiled that they came to Trapesonsia and from thence to Constantinople and so to Nigro Ponte and ●●●al●ie to Venice in the yeare of oure Lord God .1295 This we doe declare for that all men shall knowe that Nicholas and Mapheo bréethren and Marco Polo haue seene hearde and did knowe the maruellous things written in this Booke the which declaring in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost shall be declared as héereafter followeth Of

Kingdome of the Persians of a great and long inheritance In this Countrey they doe finde greate plentie of pretious stones and of Turkies great store in the Mountaynes in the whiche Mountaynes is greate plentie of Vayne or Ore of Stéele and of Calamita In this Citie they do make greate plentie of costly saddles bridles and harnesses for Horses and for noble men Swords bowes and other riche furniture for Horse and man The Women of this Countrey doe nothing but commaunde their Seruauntes They make also there very riche cloth of gold and silke And in those Mountaynes be excéeding good Hawkes valiaunte and swifte of wings that no fewle can scape them And departing from Crerina you shall goe eyght dayes iourney in playne way full of Cities and Townes very faire and there is pleasaunte Hawking by the way great plentie of Partriches And being past the sayd eyght dayes iourney there is a going downe the hil of two dayes iourney whereas there is great plenty of frutes In the olde time there was manye Townes and houses and now there be none but heardmen that kéepe the Cattell in the field From the Citie of Crerina so this going down al the winter is so great cold that although they go very wel clothed they haue ynough to do to liue And being past this going downe two dayes iourney forwarde you shall come into a faire playne way the beginning whereof is a great faire Citie called Camath the whiche was in the old time noble and greate and nowe is not so for that the Tartars haue destroyed it That playne is very hote and that Prouince is called Reobarle There be apples of Paradise and Festucas and Medlars and diuers other goodly frutes in great abundance There be Oxen maruellous great the heare short and soft and the hornes short bigge and sharp and haue a greate rounde bunche betwéene the shoulders of two spannes long And when they will lade these Oxen they do knéele downe on theyr knées like Camels and being ladē do rise and they carrie great weight There the Shéepe be as greate as Asses hauing a greate tayle and thicke that will weigh .32 pound and be maruellous good to eate In that playne be many Cities townes with walles and Towers of a great heigth for the defence of the enimies called Caraones which be certaine Villages The people of that Countrey their Mothers be Indians and their fathers Tartars When that people will go a robbing they worke by enchantment by the Deuill to darken the aire as it were midnight bycause they woulde not bée séene a farre off and this darkenesse endureth seauen dayes And the Théeues that know well all the wayes goe togither withoute making anye noyse and as many as they can take they robbe The olde men they kill and the yong men they sell for slaues Their King is called Hegodar and of a truth I Marcus Paulus do tell you that I escaped very hardly from taking of these 〈◊〉 and that I was not slaine in that darkenesse but it pleased God I escaped to a towne called Ganassalim yet of my companie they tok● and slewe many This playne is towardes the South and is of seauen dayes iourney and at the end of them is a moūtayne called Detustlyno that is eightéene miles long more and is also very daungerous with théeues that do rob Merchauntes and all trauellers At the ende of this mountaine is a faire playne called the goodly playne which is seauen dayes iourney in the which there be many wels and date trées very good and this playne bordereth vpon the Ocean Sea and on the riuer of the sea is a Citie called Carmoe Of the Citie Carmoe and of many maruellous and straunge things that be there CHAP. 16. Carmoe is a greate Citie and is a good porte of the Ocean sea Thither do occupie Merchāts of the Indeas with spices cloth of gold silke and with precious stones and Elephantes téeth and is a Citie of great trade with merchaundize and is heade of that kingdome and the king is called M●nedanocomoyth It is very hote there and the ayre infectious When there doth dye any Merchaunt they doe make hauocke of all his goods In this Citie they do drinke wine made of Dates putting good spices to it yet at the beginning of dinner it is daungerous for those that be not vsed to it for it will make them very soluble streight waye but it is good to purge the body The people of that Countrey do not vse of our victuals for when they eate bread of wheate and fleshe by and by they fall sicke Their victuals is Dates salte Tonny Garlike Onyons The peopl● of that Countrey be blacke and be of the sect of Mahomet And for the great heate in the Sommer they dwell not in the town but in the 〈◊〉 and in gardens and Orchyards There be many riuers and Wels that euery one hath faire water for his garden and there be manye that dwell in a desart wheras is al sande that ioyneth to that playne And those people assoone as they féele the great heate they goe into the waters and there tarrie till the beate of the daye be past In that countrey they do sowe their wheate and corne in Nouember and gather it in Marche And in thys time the fruites be greater than in any place And after March is passe the grasse hearbes and leaues of trées doe drie sauing of Date trées which continue till Maye And in that countrey they haue this custome ●hat when the husband doth dye the wife and hir friendes doe wéepe once a day for the space of foure yeares Of the Citie of Crerima and the death of the Olde man of the Mountaine C●AP 17. LEauing hers this Citie and not declaring any more of the Indians I retourne to the Northwar●●● declaring of those prouinc●s 〈◊〉 ●nother way to the Citie Crerima aforesayde for bycause that way that I would tell of could not be trauelled to Crerima for the crueltie of the king of that c●●untrie wh●●●e is called Ren 〈◊〉 ela vacomare from whome fewe coulde scape bu● eyther were robbed or slayne And for this cause manye kings did paye him tribute and hys name is as muche to saye as the olde man of the mountayne But I wyll nowe declare vnto you howe this cruell King was taken prisoner in the yeare of our Lord .1272 Alan King of the Tartars of the East hearing of the greate crueltie of this olde m●n of the Mountayne that he did sent a great host of men and besette his Castell rounde about and thus continued three yeares and coulde neuer take it till that victuals did sayle them for it was very strong and vnpossible to be gotten At the length Alan toke the Caste●● and the old man of the Mountayne and of al his Souldioures and men be caused the heads to be stricken off and from that time forwarde that way was

very good for ●ll trauellers What is found in that Countrey CHAP. 18. DEparting from the foresayd Castell you shall come into ● very faire playne full of gr●sse with all things in it fitte for mans sustenance And this playne dothe last ●ixe dayes iourney in the whiche there is man● fayre Cities and Townes The ●●●ple of that Countrey ●peake the Persian language and haue greate lacke of water and sometimes they shall fortune to go .40 miles and not finde water Therfore it shall be needefull for those that do trauell that way to carrie w●ter with them from plac●●o place And being past these sixe dayes iourn●y there is a Citie called Sempergayme faire and pleasaunte with abundance of victuals There be excellen●e good Mellones and the best Hunters for wilde beastes and t●king of wilde Fowle that be in the world Of the Citie of Baldach and of many other things CHAP. 19. TRauelling forward in this Countrey you shall come to a Citie called Baldach in the whiche King Alexander married with the daughter of Darius king of the Persians This Citie is of the Kingdome of Persia they do t●●re speake the Persian tong and be all of the sect of Mahomet And this Countrey dothe ioyne with the Tartar of the East betwéene the Northeast and the East And departing from this Citie towardes the Countreys of the said Tartar you shall goe two dayes iourney withoute finding any Towne bycause the people of that Countrey do couet to the strong Mountaynes bycause of the ill people that be there In that Countrey be many waters by reason whereof is greate plenty of wild Fowle and of wylde Beasts and there be man● Lions It is néedefull for the trauellers that way to carrie prouision with them that shall be néedefull for themselues and for their Horses those two dayes iourney And being past that you shall come to a Towne called Thaychan a pleasaunt place and well prouided of all vittayles néedefull and the hilles be tow●rdes the South faire and large That prouince is .xxx. dayes iourney And there is great plētie of salt that all the Cities and Townes thereaboutes haue their salt from thence Of that Countrey CHA● ▪ 20. DEparting from that towne and trauelling Northeast and to the East for the space of thrée dayes iourney you shall come to faire Cities and Townes well prouided and victuals and frutes in great abundance and these people do speake the Persian language and be Mahomets There be singular good wines and great drinkers and yll people They go bareheaded hauing a Towell knit about● their browes They weare nothing but skinnes that they do dresse Of the Citie Echasen CHAP. 12. AFter that you haue trauelled forwarde foure dayes iourney you shall come to a Citie called Echasen on a playne and there is not farre from it manie Cities and townes and great plentie of woods about it There goeth through the middest of this Citie a gret riuer There is in that countrie many wilde beastes and when they be disposed to take anye of them they will cast dartes and shoot● them into the flancks and into the sides The people of that countrey doe speake the Persian tong and the husbandmen with their cattayle do liue in the fieldes and in the woods Of the manner of the Countrie CHAP. 22. DEparting from this Citie you shall trauayle thrée dayes iourney without comming to any towne or finding any victuals eyther to eate or drinke and for thys cause the trauellers do prouide themselues for the time at the end of these thrée days iourney you shal come to a prouince called Ballasia Of the prouince called Ballasia and of the commodities there CHAP. 23. BAllasia is a great prouince they do speake the Persian tong be Mahomets and it is a great kingdome and auncient There did raygne the successours of king Alexander and of Darius king of Persia. And their king is called Culturi which is as much to say as Alexander and is for remembraunce of the great king Alexāder In this countrey grow the precious stones called Ballasses of greate value And these stones you can not carrie out of the countrey without speciall licence of the king on pain of léesing life and goods And those that he doth let passe be eyther he doth forgiue tribute of some king or else that he doth sell and if they were not so straightlye kept they would be little worth there is such great plentie of them This countrie is very colde and there is found greate plenty of siluer there be very good coursers or horses that be neuer shod bycause they bréede in the mountaines and woods There is great plentie of wilde foule and greate plentie of corne and Myl● and Loli● In this kingdome be great woods narrow ways strong men and good Archers and for this cause they feare no bodie There is no cloth they apparell themselues with skinnes of beastes that they kil The women do weare wrapped aboute their b●dies lik● the neather part of garments some an hundreth fathom some fourescore of linnen very fine and thinne m●de of flaxe and Cotton wool for to séeme great and fayre and they doe weare bréeches very fine of silke with Muske put in them Of the Prouince of Abassia vvhere the people be blacke CHAP. 24. AFter you be departed f●ō Ballasia eyght dayes iourney towards the South you haue a prouince cal●ed Abassia whose people be blacke and do speake the Persian tong and doe worship Idolles There they do vse Negromancie The men do weare at their heares iewels of golde siluer and pretious stones They be malicious people and leacherous by reason of the great heate of that Countrey and they eate nothing but flesh and Rice Of the Prouince called Thassimur and of many things there CHAP. 25. WIthin the iurisdiction of this Countrey betwéene the East and the South there is a Prouince called Thassymur and the people do speake the Persian tong They be Idolaters and great Negromancers and do call to the Spirits and make them to speake in the Idols and do make their Temples séeme to moue They doe trouble the ayre and doe many other diuelish things From hence they may go to the Indian Sea. The people of that Countrey be blacke and leane and do eate nothing but flesh and Rice The Countrey is temperate In this Countrey be many Cities and Townes and rounde about many hilles and strong wayes to passe And for this cause they feare no body and their King dothe mainteyne them in peace and iustice There be also Hermit●s that do kéepe great abstinence in eating drinking And there be Monasteries and many Abbeys with Monkes very deuout in their Idolatrie and naughtinesse Of the saide prouince of Thassymur CHAP. 26. I Minde not now to passe further in this prouince for in passing of it I sh●uld enter into the Indeas wherof for this time I wil not declare any thing but at the returne I wil

toppe to the grounde painted verses playing thrée daies vpon certain instrumēts of Copper They do giue vnto the poore for Gods sake Other do wéep thrée dayes for the deade and all the kinsfolkes and neighbors goe vnto the deade bodies house and they doe carry victualles but it is not dreste in the dead mans house In these thrée dayes those that haue buried their father or mother do carry a bitter leafe in their mouth and in a whole yere after they doe not chaunge their apparell nor eate not but once a day nor yet cutte theyr nailes nor haire of their heade or bearde The women which wéepe for the dead are many they stande neare vnto the deade bodies bedde being naked vnto the nauell and strike theyr breastes wyth a loude voyce saying alacke alacke and one of them beginneth to praise vertues of the deade bodye and all the reste aunswered vnto hir wordes striking theyr breasts some put in certaine vessels of gold and of si●uer The ashes of their Prince they cause to be cast into a lake that they haue saying it is hallowed by their Goddes and that that waye they goe downe vnto their Gods. The Priestes whyche they doe call Bachales eate of no kinde of beastes especially not of the Oxe for they will neither eate nor kill him saying he is verye profitable vnto menne aboue al beastes They doe eate Rice hearbes fruites and such like and haue but one wife whiche is borne with hir husbande when he dyeth laying hir armes aboute his necke receyuing hir death with so so good a wil that she sheweth no signe of paine Through out al India there is founde a lynage of Philosophers named Bramanos whiche studye Astrologie and prognosticate things to come They are apparelled more honestly and liue more holily than the others Nicholas saide Men liue three hūdreth yeares that he hadde séene amongest these men some of .300 yeares and among them it was hadde for a miracle for wheresoeuer that man wente the boyes woulde followe hym as a thing of noueltie and among them is muche vsed the superstition whyche they doe call Geomancia by the whiche they tell thinges to come as thoughe they were present Also they are gyuen vnto inchauntementes so that dyuers tymes they doe moue and cause t●mpestes to cease and for this cause manye do eate in secret for that they should be enchaunted by those that looke vppon them ¶ The saide Nicholas dydde tell for a trueth that hée béeyng patrone and owner of a Shyppe hée hadde a calme seauen dayes and hys marriners fearyng they wente all vnto the mayne maste and sette vppe a Table and after they had made their sacrifices vppon it they leapte and daunced rounde aboute calling manye times the name of their Gods whyche they name Mutia and among these there entred a Féend in a Alarabe or Moore whyche was amongest them he beganne to sing maruellouslye running aboute the Shippe lyke a madde man and afterwardes he came vnto the Table and dydde eate vppe all the meate vnto the bones and fire Also hée didde demaunde a Cocke and killed it and drunke vp the bloude and immediatelye hée demaunded of those of the Shippe what they woulde haue that hée shoulde doe and they demaunded that he shoulde gyue them wind he promised to giue it them within thrée dayes and suche that they shoulde come vnto harborowe and he shewed setting his handes behinde from whence the wind should come and willed them to prepare for the strength that the winde woulde bring and when he hadde thus saide the manne fell downe as halfe deade without anye knowlege or remembraunce of anye thing that he hadde saide and in fewe dayes after they were sette in harborowe Commonly the Indians sayle by the guiding of the Starres of the Pole Antartique for seldome times they doe sée oure North Starre They vse not the Loademans stone as wée doe they doe measure their waye and distaunce of places according as their Poale riseth and falleth and so they doe knowe by this meanes what place they are in Their Pole riseth and falleth They doe make bigger Shippes than wée doe that is to saye of twoo thousande Tunnes wyth fyue sayles and so manye mastes they builde their Shippes wyth thrée plancke● one vppon another vnder water that they maye the better resiste the tempestes for there chaunceth many These Shippes are made with Chambers after suche a sorte that if one of them shoulde breake the others maye goe and finish the voyage Throughout al India they doe worshippe Idolles and haue Churches muche like vnto oures painted within with diuers pictures whiche they doe decke with floures at their feasts They haue within Idolles of stone and gold of siluer and of Iuorie some of .60 foote in height They haue among themselues diuers manners in worshipping and sacrifizing When they enter into the Church they wash themselues in cleane water and so they go in the morning and in the afternoone they go in lying along vpon the ground lifting vppe their féete and handes and so praye a whyle then they doe kisse the grounde and sense their Idolles with the smoake of swéete woodde On this side of Gange the Indians vse no belles but in steade of them they doe strike vppon a vessell of Copper and with an other vessel they doe offer victualles vnto their Gods as the Gentiles did and afterwarde doe imparte it to the poore that they maye eate it ¶ In the Cittie whiche they name Cambayta the Priestes preache vnto the people in presence of the Idoll their God declaring howe they shoulde worshippe him howe much it pleaseth their Gods when they do kill themselues for their loue and there stande in presence many that determine to kill themselues for them They haue a hoope of Iron aboute their neckes the vtter parte of the hoope is rounde and within it is sharpe like vnto a Rasar also they doe hang vnto the fore parte of the hoope down theyr breaste a chaine and being sette downe they fasten theyr féete vnto it and béeyng thus as the Prieste sayeth certaine wordes they stretch forth their legges and lifte vp their heades and thus with the sharpenesse of the hoope cutte off their heades in sacrifice of their Idoll yéelding vppe their liues And they that kill themselues in this order are estéemed as Saints In the Citie of Bizenegalia in certaine time of the yeare they doe carry about the Cittie in procession their Idoll betwéene two cartes in the company of muche people and the Damoysellesride in cartes in trimme aray singing in the praise of hym with muche solempnitie and manye induced by the strength of theyr faith do lay themselues vpon the ground that the whéeles of the cartes may goe ouer them to bruse their bones and so to dye saying that that death is acceptable vnto theyr god Others there be that for the better adorning of the carts make holes throgh the sides of their bodies putting a rope throughe it and

there be founde any signe of burning hée is guiltie if not he is quytte There is no pestilence in the Indias nor yet other of the diseases that vse to trouble oure regions and for this cause there is more Townes and people than is to be beléeued There be manye that make hostes of a million of menne whych is .1000000 Nicholas declared that of one to●●e there went out against another tow●● great hosts and had battayle and when the one had ouercome the other for a great triumph they did bring twelue Cart loades of gold laces and of silke with the whych the men that remayned deade had tyed theyr locke hayres that hanged downe vpon their backes He sayd more that sometimes he had gone to their wars only for to sée both parties and they dyd not hurt hym for that they knew hé● was a straunger In an Iland named Laua the great is founde in a fewe places a trée that hath in the middest of the harte a rodd● of yron very small but so long as the hart goeth and hée that hath of this yron next vnto his flesh shall not perishe by no kinde of yron and for this cause there be many that cut their skinnes and put a péece of it betwéene the skinne and the flesh it is much estéemed The things that of the byrde Phoenix be declared and written in verses by Latancio séeme not to be fables for the sayde Nicholas doeth say that at the end of India there is only one byrde named Seuienda whose bil is like vnto Alboge or togither with many hoales and when the time of his death commeth he gathereth togither dry woodde into his neste and sitting vpon it he singeth so swéetely wyth his bill that he delighteth and pleaseth muche those that heare him and then flittering with his wings vppon the wood there cōmeth fire and he letteth hymselfe burne then there commeth a worme out of his neste and of hys ashes and of it bréedeth the birde vnto the likenesse of that byrdes byl Those of that country made the Alnogue with the which they play very swéetly And Nicholas maruelling much of it they tolde him of what the making of it procéeded Also there is in the first India in an Iland called Saylana a riuer named Arotanie so full of fishe that easily they maye take them vp with their handes but as soone as a manne holdeth one of these fishes in his hande there commeth vnto him a Feuar and letting the fish go the Feuar is gone from hym the cause of it appeareth to be the nature of the fish as among vs there is a fish which we call Torpedo whych fish if a man do hold in his hand it will be num and grieue him although the Indians saye that it commeth by meanes of their Goddes by a certaine tale that they do tell of it AFter for an information to the reader kéeping the truth of the Historie I did write those things rehearsed as the sayd Nicholas gaue report and then there came another out of the high India which standeth towardes Septentrion or the North and he came sente vnto the Pope for to sée the things and manners of these parties for in those parties they had fame that in the Occident or west there was another worlde being Christians And this mā declared that neare vnto Cataya there was a kingdome which indured twentie dayes iourney the which king and people were Christians but of the sect of the Nestorians He declared that the Patriach of the Nestorians had sent him for to bring him tydings certaine from these parties He rehearsed that they had bigger more richer Churches than ours being al vaulted and that their Patriarch was very rich in golde and in siluer that euery father of family did giue yearelye vnto him an ounce of siluer I communed with this man by an interpretet whych could the Turkish tong and the Latin and I demaunded of him by meanes of this the wayes townes houses customs manners and of other things that a man delighteth to heare there was great difficultie to learne it for lacke of the interpreter and also of the Indian but he affirmed the power of the great Cane or Emperoure of al men to be greate and mighty for he had vnder him nyne mighty kings Also he declared that he hadde trauelled many months through the high Scithia is nowe Tartaria and throughe Persia and that finallye he came vnto the riuer Euphrates from whence he entered into the sea and sayled vnto Trip●le and from thence to Venice and from thence to Florence He reported to haue séene manye Cities more fai●e than ours both in publike edifications and of Citizens for he declared to haue séene many cities ten myles and of twentie myles in compasse And after that this man had spokē with Eugenius the fourth Pope of that name he wēt from Florence for to sée Rome in deuotion he demaunded neyther siluer nor gold séeming that he came not for gain but only to fulfil the message of hym that sent him IN the same time there came vnto the Pope certaine men from Ethiopia in deuotion of the faith with whō I had communication by an interpreter to knowe if they knew any thing of the riuer of Nilus and of his springing Two of them gaue answere that they were of a countrey being very neare vnt● two welsprings from whence the riuer Nilus procéedeth when I hearde this I coueted to knowe the things that of this matter the olde auntiente Phylosophers namely Ptolomes did write firste of the fountaines of Nilus It appeareth not that they knewe it but only by coniecture to appeare that they drew out some things of the Originall increase of the sayde riuer And as these witnesses of sighte did tell me of these and of others worthy to remayne in memorie it séemed vnto me verye good to write them They declared that the Riuer Nilus hadde his heade and Welspryng neare vnto the Region Equinoctiall at the foote of verye hyghe mountaynes whyche are alwayes couered on the toppe with Mistes from thrée welsprings two of them standing 40. paces the one from the other and in 500. paces they méete and make the riuer so great that no man may passe ouer but with boate The thirde which is the biggest standeth a thousand paces frō the other two and he commeth into the riuer of the others ten myles off Also they sayde that more than 1000. riuers did enter into Nilus and it increaseth so muche in those countryes with the raine of March April and May that it maketh Nilus to swell ouer so muche that it made wonderfull great floudes Also they declared that the water of Nilus was verye swéete and sauerie before he entereth among the other Riuers and it hath vertue to heale those that haue the leaprie and scabs if they washe themselues in it And beyonde the headsprings of Nilus fiftéene dayes iourney there be verye fruitefull countries ful of