The excellent and pleasant worke of Iulius Solinus Polyhistor Contayning the noble actions of humaine creatures the secretes prouidence of nature the description of Countries the maners of the people with many meruailous things and strange antiquities seruing for the benefitt and recreation of all sorts of persons Translated out of Latin into English by Arthur Golding Gent. At London Printed by I. Charlewoode for Thomas Hacket 1587. The Right Hon ble Charles Viscount Bruce of Ampthill Son Heir Apparent of Thomas Earl of Ailesbury Baron Bruce of Whorleton THE LIFE OF SOLINVS VVRITTEN BY IOHN CAMERTES THere is no certaintie left in writing by them that are skilfull in what time Iulius Solinus florished which thing I beleeue to haue happened because the monuments of such as writ after him perrished almost vniuersally at such time as the barbarous nations made hauock of all things I maruel that the coÌ„piler of the Supplement of Chronicles in all other respectes a base wrâ—ter hath reported that this Solinus florisâ—ed in the time of Augustus Caesar to whom he surmiseth him to haue dedicated hys Polyhistor For it is euident that in this woorke Solinus maketh mentioÌ„ of the Emperor Vespasians dooings Furthermore hee speaketh of Suetonius Paulinus whoÌ„ Plinie saw as he witnesseth himself Besides this Solinus hath drawn almost all his matter out of Plinies fountaines and yet neuerthelesse in wryting these things hee desireth hys freende in the beginning of his worke to beare wyth hys simplicitie But forasmuch as he no where maketh mention of Plinie by whom he was furthered I coniecture that Solinus wrate this work while Plinie was yet aliue And therevppon by likelihoode it comes to passe that hee made no mention of hys author at that time liuing By like reason it might fall out that Plinie no where maketh mention of Dioscorides a famous wrighter of the same time that he was when notwithstanding it is apparant that Plinie borowed many thinges out of him into his work The same fault also might bee imputed to Dioscorides for it might bee founde in Ammon which of them purloyned from other if hee suppressing the name of Plinie haue filched so manie thinges out of him They that haue written moste precisely of the liues and manners of Xenophon and Plato and sundry other things of theÌ„ report that in al the nuÌ„bers of Volumes which eche of theÌ„ wrate neyther Plato made once mention of the name of Xenophon nor Xenophon of the name of Plato Beleeue â—e such is Enuies kind that Readers very seeld To wryters in their present times deserued thanks do yeeld For Enâ—y feedeth on the quick but when that men be dead The sting of Enuie stints and hath no poison more to shead VVhich saying of Naso is very true VVhat may be sayd of Macrobius who diuers times taketh whole leaues out of Gellius Or of Placidus who boroweth of Serâ—ius or of Acron who stealeth from Porphyrio What shall wee say of sixe hundred others who in long treatises suppressing the names of them from whome they borowed them haue word for word attributed all things to themselues No maÌ„ doubteth but that Aulus Gellius the very Diamond of the Latin tongue profited greatly by reading Liuie and yet he wil not in any wise that Liuie the prince of Latin Historiographers should be partaker of his Nights Yet am I not of the opinion of some meÌ„ which thinke that Solinus made no mention of Plinie in hope that Plinies works should vtterly haue perished so his collections onely haue remained and in processe of time no maÌ„ shold haue bin able to discouer his filchings as Florus Iustine are thought to haue trauelled to the like end purpose would God there were none other cause then this of the losse of so many good Authors Then to passe ouer the Greekes by the way the monuments of Cato Varro Nigidius Salust Higinius Celsus Ennius Furius Varrius Actius Neuius and Pacuuius all noble Authors which now are perrished to the great hinderaunce of Students shoulde haue remained vnto this day But howsoeuer the case staÌ„deth Solinus courteously confesseth that whatsoeuer he hath comprehended in hys Polyhistor proceedeth out of most allowable Authors hechalengeth nothing for his owne in as much as sayth he the diligence of men in olde time hath beene such that nothing hath continued vntouched to our dayes And againe he sayth plainly that hee leaueth the auouchiâ—g of the trueth of thinges to such Authors as hee hath followed in this worke Neither is it to be vpbraided to Solinus as a shame that hee hath euery where followed Plinie more then Virgill is to be found fault with for translating into his worke the verses of the auncient Poets specially of Homer For it is no small commendation to counterfet singulerly a singuler Author That Solinus was a Romaine it is to be coniectured both by his phrase of wryting and also for that commonly when occasion serueth to speake of the Romaines hee is wont in most places to call them our men or my countrymen Not onely the latter wryters as Sipontinus Perottus Domitius Calderinus Angelus Politianus Hermolaus Barbarus Ianus Parrhasius and diuers others such like whom not without cause a man might account among the auncient wryters But Seruius also in his seconde booke vpon Virgills Husbandry and Priscian two of the sixe notable Gramarians haue cited the authoritie of Solinus by name Also the interpreter of Dennis whither it were Priscian or Rhemninus hath oftentimes put whole sentences of Solinussis in his verses If I be not deceiued all that which Macrobius reciteth of the diuision of the yeere and of the odde dayes are Solinussis Moreouer the Doctors of the Church Ierom Ambrose and Auâ—ten and other Doctors also haue many times borowed sentences worde for worde out of Solinus There are some that terme Solinus by the name of Plinies Ape in like manner as Iulius Capitolinus Plinius Caecilius and Sidonius Apollinaris reporte that Titian was called the Ape of the Orators and Arulen the Ape of the Stoiks But these men consider not that such are wont to be called Apes as eyther repeate things writteÌ„ by others altogether in the same order without alteration or els such as counterfet not the Authors but theyr shadowes But Solinus hath so followed Plinies phrase that vnder correction bee it spoken there may scarce any other be found that hath approched neerer to the maiestie of Plinies stile He intitled his Booke as is found in certaine old Coppies to his freend Autius to who also he deliuered it to be corrected Some hold opinion that he left other monumeÌ„ts also of hys wyt which eyther by force of time are perished or els perchaunce lie hyd in some blinde corner among Mothes Finis ¶ C. Iulius Solinus sendeth hartie commendations to his freende Autius FOrasmuch as certain persons rather of too much eagernesse then of good vvill haue hasted to snatch vp this little peece of vvorke that I
of which floweth a clammy gumme which of the place it commeth fro we call Ammoniack Furthermore among the Cyrenenses groweth Syrpe y e rootes whereof haue a pleasant flauor and it is more like a shrubbie hearbe then a fruite Trée Out of the stalke thereof yssueth in the summer time a fatte dew which cleaueth to the beards of Goates that feede thereon and when it is there throughly dryed it is gathered in dropps like Isickes to serue vppon Tables or rather to serue for medicine It was first called the mylke of Syrpe because it â—zeth in the manner of Mylke Afterward custome drawing it thereunto it was named Laser Thys Herbe was afterwarde almoste vtterlie dygged vppe by the Inhabiters of the Countrey by reason of the intolerable burthâ—n of trybute that was layde vppon them when their Countrey was wasted at the firste inuasion of strange nations On the left hande of Cyrene is Affrick on the right side Egypt on the foreside the rough and harborowlesse sea on the backpart diuers barbarous nations and a wildernesse not to be come vnto vninhabited and forlorne which bréedeth the Cockatrice such a singuler mischiefe as is not in all the whole worlde beside It is a serpent almost halfe a foote long white wyth as it were a little myter proportioned in lynes on his heade Hee is giuen to the vtter destruction not onely of man and beast or whatsoeuer hath life but also euen of the earth it selfe which he stayneth burneth vppe and seareth away wheresoeuer he hath his deadlie denne To be short he destroyeth hearbs kylleth Trées and infecteth the very aire insomuch that no byrd is able to flye ouer the place which he hath in fected wyth hys pestilent breath When hee mooueth himselfe he créepeth wyth hys one halfe and wyth the other halfe auaunceth himselfe aloft All other Serpents are horiblie afraide to heare his hyssing and as soone as they heare him they flee euerye one wyth as much haste as they can euery one hys way Whatsoeuer is kylled of his byting no wylde beaste will feede of it no foule wyll touche it And yet for all this he is ouercome of Weasels which menne bring thether and sende them into the dennes where he lurketh Notwithstanding he wanteth not power euen when he is dead The Cittizens of â—ergamus gaue a full * Sestertium for the carkasse of a Coâ—katrice and hanged it vpp in a nette of gold in the Temple of Apollo which was notable for the great workmanshypp thereof to the intent that neyther Spyders shoulde spynne there nor byrds flye in there About the vttermost nooke of the Syrts there runneth by the Cittye Berenice the Riuer Lethon which as is supposed issueth from the springes of hell and is renowmed among the auncient Poets for his forgetfull waters The foresaide Cittie was builded and fortified in the great Syrte by Berenice that was marryed to the third Pâ—olomie All the large contry that lyeth betwéen Egypt Aethyope and Lybia as farre as there is anye woods to cast shaddowe is replenished wyth sundry kyndes of Apes and I would not that any man shold be greeued at the mistaking of the name For surely it is not expedient to omit any thing wherein the prouidence of nature is to be séene Among these is the common sorte of Apes which we sée euery where not without great aptnesse to counterâ—et by means wher of they are the easier taken For while they desirouslie practise the gestures of Hunters who for the nonce leaue byrdlime to noynt them withall they dawbe vp theyr eyes as they had séene them pretende to doo before and so when theyr sight is stopped vppe they are easie to be caught They make merry at the newe of the Moone and they become sadde when shee is in the wane They loue their yong ones out of all measure in so much as they easiler loose the whelps that they are most chare ouer and carry in theyr armes because those that are not set by doo euer folow their dam hard at her bréech The Moonkyes haue tayles and this is the onely difference betweene them and the Apes The Dog-heads are also of the number of Apes most plenteous in the parts of Aethyop sprightish in leaping cruel in byting neuer so tamed but that they be more rather wyld Among Apes are also accounted the Sphinxes shacke hayred side and déepe dugged apt to be taught to forget theyr wyldnesse There are also that menne call Satyres very swéetefaced and full of mopping and toying continually The Callytriches are almost altogether vnlike the other On their face is a bearde and on their rumpe a broade tayle To catch these is no hard matter but so bring them out of the Country is a rare thing For they liue not but in the soyle of Acthiop that is to say in their owne soyle CAP. XL. Of the nation of the Hammanients and of the houses therein builded of salt BEtween the Nasamonits and the Troglodits is the nation of the Hammanients which build theyr houses of Salt which they heawe out of y e Mountaines in manner of stone and laye it with morter Such is the aboundance of this vaine that they make them houses of Saltstones These are the Hammanients which haue intercourse of Merchandise wyth the Troglodits The precious stones called Carbuncles are on this side the Hammanients more néerer the Nasamones The Asbysts lyue by Laser This is their nourishment and this is their â—oode CAP. XLI Of the Garaments and of a wonderfull fountayne among them Among the Garamants is the Towne Debris with a wonderfull Fountaine in it which by turnes is â—old a day times and hote a night times one while séething like water on the fire and another while becomming as cold as Ise both contrarieties procéeding out of y â— selfe same veynes It is a meruailous thing to be spoken of y â— in so short a time nature should so strangly disagrée with her selfe that whosoeuer tried her doings in the dark would think there were a continuall fire in the spring and he that felt it in the day would beléeue it were none other thing then a winters Water continually frozen By meanes whereof not with out good cause Debris is famous among those nations for that the waters change their propertie according to the moouing of the heauen though after a maner cleane conâ—rarie to the disposition of the Planets For whereas the euentide asswageth the heate of the world this spring beginneth to heate in such wise at the Sunne going downe that if yee touch it yee shall find it scalding Againe when the Sunne is rysen aboue the ground and all things are chauffed with hys rayes the water thereof is so excéeding colde that no man is able to drinke it be he neuer so thirstie Who then would not wonder at a Fountaine y â— becommeth cold through heate and hote
ayre For while it runneth Northward it is bytter but when it turneth into the South if is swéete There is not more strangenesse in the Waters then in the Saltmynes If yee throwe the Salt of Arigent into the fire it meâ—â—cth in burning and if ye put water to it it crackeâ—h as if it were burned Aena beareth salt of a purple colour In Pachynnus it is founde so shéere that yée may sée through it The other Saltmynes that are néere eyther to Arigent or Centuripe serue in stéâ—de of quarries For out of them they haue Images to the likenesse of men or Gods In the places where the whoâ—e waters are is an Ilande that groweth full of Reedes vorye méeâ—e to make pypes of all manner of sortes whither they be Precentories whose vse is to play before the shrynes of the Gods or Vasks which excéede the Prerentories in number of holes or maydenpipes which haue that name of their cléere sounde or Gingrynes w t though they be shorter yet haue they a shriler sound or Miluines which haue sharpest sounde of all or Lydians which they call also Turaries or Corâ—â—thyans or Aâ—giptians or any others howe diuerslie soeuer they bee named by Musicians according to the diuers and sundrie vsâ—s which they serue for In the Country Halesine there is a Fountaine at all times quiet calme when no noyse is made which riseth vpp if a Sâ—alme be plaid vpon leaping at the sound and swelling ouer his brimmes as though he were in loue with y â— swéetnesse of the Musicke The Pooâ—e of â—eâ—on with hys stinking sauour dryueth away such as come night Also there are two springes whereof if a barraine Woman taste the one she shall become fruitfull and if a childbearing Woman taste of the other shee becommeth barrain The Poole of the Petrenses is hurtfull to serpents but wholsome to men In the Lake of Arigent swimmeth an Oyle aboue This fatnes throgh the continuall wauing of the Réedes cleaueth to the coppes of them out of the sedgie heare wherof is gathered a medicinable oyntment against the diseases of great Cattell Not farre from thence is Vulcans Hyll vpon which when men doo sacrifice they lay Uynâ—sticks vppon the Alters without putting fire thereto when they cast on the offalles If the God like well of it for that is the tryall of the sacrifice the sticks bee they neuer so gréene doo take fire alone and the God to whome the sacrifice is made causeth it to burne without kindling And as they are making mery the flame playeth with them and scoping out in wreathed flakes among them sindgeth not any man whom it toucheth but sheweth it selfe to be none other thing then the Image of fire declaring that the vowe is rightfully performed In the same field of Arigent doo burste out quagmyres of mudde And as y â— vaines of Fountaines serue to make Riuers so in this part of Sicill the soile neuer faileth and earth with continuall vtterance casteth out earth Sicill yéelded first the stone Achates founde in the banks of the Ryuer Achates which was of no small price as long as it was found no where els For the vaines imprinted in it do portrait such natural shapes therein that when it is of the best making it representeth the likenesse of many thinges For which consideration the Ring of King Pyrrhus that made war against the Romaines was not meanely spoken of the stone whereof was an Agate wherein were to bée séene the nine Muses euerie one with theyr seuerall cognisaunces and Apollo with hys viall in hys hand not â—â—grauen by arte but growne by Nature But nowe it is founde in diuers other places Candy yéeldeth a kind of them which they call Corallagats because they are like Corall It is powdered with drops glistering like Golde and it resisteth Scorpions Inde yéeldeth of them expressing the proportions of Forrests and Beastes the sight whereof comforteth the eyes And béeing receiued into the mouth it stauncheth thyrst There are also of them which béeing burned doo cast a sent like Myrrhe The Achate is ful of redde spots like bloode But those that are most sette by haue the cléerenesse of Glasse as the Achate of Cyprus For those that looke like ware because there is aboundance of them are as little estéemed as y â— stones in the stréetes The circuit of all thys whole Ile is thrée thousand furlonges about In the narrowest Sea of Sicill are the Iles Hephestiae fiue and twenty myles distant from Italy The Italians cal them Vulcans Iles. For these by reason of the whole nature of their soile doo eyther borrow fire of the Mountaine Aetna or els minister fire vnto it by priuie intercourse vnder the grounde Héere was appointed the dwelling place of the God of fire They are in number seauen Lypara tooke that name of King Lyparus who gouerned it before Aeolus Another they called Hiera The same is chéefely halowed vnto Vulcane and burneth moste in the night time wyth an exceeding hygh hyll The thirde named Strongyle which was the Pallace of Aeolus standeth toward the Sunne rysing It is least couered and it differeth some what from the reste in cléerenesse of flames Héere vppon it commeth to passe that chiefely by the smoake thereof the inhabiters vnderstand before what windes are like to blowe three daies after And this is the cause why Aâ—olus was beléeued léeued to be the God of wyndes The rest Didymee Ericusa Phaenicusa and Euonimon because they be like the other we haue as good as spoken of them already CAP. XI Of the thyrd Coast of Europe of the Countryes and places of Greece of many thinges worthy to be recounted in them and of the Nature of Partriches THe third Coast of Europe beginneth at the Mountaines of Ceraunii and endeth at Hellespont In this coast among the Molossians where as is the Temple of Iupiter of Doâ—on is the Mountaine Tomarus renowmed for y â— hundred Fountaines y â— are about the foote of it as Theopompus reporteth In Epyre is a holy wel cold aboue all other waters and of approoued contrarietie For if yée dippe a burning brand therein it quencheth it and if you hold it a good way of without any fire on it of it owne nature it kindleth it Dodon as Maro sayth is hallowed vnto Iupiter Delphos is renowmed with the Riuer Cephisus the Fountaine Castalie the mountain Parnasus Acarnania vawnteth of Aracynth This Country is deuided froÌ„ Aetolia wyth the Mountaine Pindus which bréedeth Aclelous a ryuer anciently renowmed among the chiefe Riuers of and not vnworthely considering that among the little stones that lye glistring in his bancks there is founde the Galactite which béeing it selfe blacke if it bee chased yéeldeth a whyte iuyce that tasteth like Milke Béeing tyde about a woman that gyueth sucke it maketh her breasts full of milke béeing tyde to a
wyld beastes Olyphants together All day long there is no noyse but al is whist not without an horror But in the night time he glystreth wyth fires and rings with the noyse that the Aegyptians make in dauncing on a ryng There are also hearde the sounde of shalmes and playing vppon Cymballs all along the Seacoast it is distaunt from Lyx two hundred and fiue miles and Lyx is from the straights of Marock a hundred twelue myles sometime it was inhabited as the plat of the place witnesseth and throughly occupyed as where there remaine a fewe Uines and Date trées for a token Perseus and Hercules made themselues passage ouer the toppe of it but no man els came euer there as the inscriptions of the Altars doo plainly manifest Where it looketh Westward betwéene it and the Ryuer Anatis by the space of foure hundred fourescore and sixtéene myles together is nothing but woods full of wylde beastes There are Riuers about him not to bee passed ouer wyth silence which though they be seperated a greate waie one from another yet they serue all after a sort to doo the Mount Atlas pleasure Asaua is brackish of fast like the Sea water Bambothum swarmeth with Waterhorses and Crocodiles and beyond them another Ryuer which béeing of colour blacke runneth through the innermost and scorched deserts that are broyled continually wyth vnmeasurable heate of the parching sunne burning hoter then any fire and is neuer wythdrawne from the heate Thus much of Atlas which the Mores call Dyris according to the instructions of the Books of Hanno of Carthage and of our owne Chronicles and also of Iuba the Sonne of Piolome who helde the kingdome of both the Mauritanies Suetonius Paulinus also hath finished the certaintie hereof who first and almost only of all the Romaines aduaunced hys banners beyonde Atlas CAP. XXXVII of Mauritanie and of Oliphants and Dragons and whereof Cinnabar is made DIuers are the prouinces of Mauritanie The prouince of Tingie where it butteth vpon y e Northwest and where it extendeth toward the midland Sea ryseth with seuen Mountains which of their likenesse one to another are called Brothers and butt vpon the Sea These Mountaines are full of Oliphants Thys kinde of beast putteth me in remembraunce from the beginning to intreate of theÌ„ Oliphants therefore according to mans perceiueraunce haue vnderstanding and excell in memory and obserue the discipline of the starres When the Moone shineth bright they goe in heards to the riuers and there hauing washed themselues with water they â—alute the sunrysing with such gestures as they can and then return againe into the Forrests There are two kindes of them the nobler sorte are knowne by theyr greatnes the lesser sort are called bastards By the whytenesse of their téeth it is known that they be yong whereof the one is euer occupyed and the other is spared least béeing made blunt with continuall chaufing it shoulde haue no force when they haue néede of it in fighting When they bee chaced in hunting they breake them both to the intent y â— when the Iuorie is gone they may be pursued no further for they vnderstand that that is the cause of their danger They goe together in heards The eldest of them leadeth the bande and the eldest next him followeth the trayne When they passe a Ryuer they sende the smallest before least the treading of the greater sorte should weare the channell and make déepe gutts in the Foordes The Females goe not to make before they bee ten yéeres olde nor the Males before they bee fiue Two yéeres they giue themselues to generation whereabouts they spend fiue dayes in eche yéere not aboue and they returne not to the heard before such tyme as they haue washed theÌ„selues in running water They neuer stryue for the Females for there is no adultery knowne among them They haue in them the vertue of pittie For if they happen to finde a man going astray in the wildernesse they guide him into some beaten and knowne way Or if they méete wyth any Heards of Cattell as they are trauelling themselues they make way gentlie and courteously with theyr hand because they woulde not kill any beast that meeteth them But if it so chaunce that they must fight they haue no small regard of them that be wounded for they receiue the wearyed and wounded into the middes of them When they are taken and come into mennes hands they become tame with drinking meshes made of Malt. When they shall passe the Seas they wyll not take shypping before it bee sworne to them that they shall return The Oliphants of Mauritanie feare the Oliphants of Inde and as though their consciences grudged at theyr owne â—malnesse they are afraide to come in their sight They growe in their dams bellies not tenne yéeres as the common reporte goeth but two yéeres as Aristotle determineth And they neuer ingender but one time nor bring forth mo then one at that once They liue thrée hundred yeres but in anie wyse they can not awaie with cold They eate the bodies of Trees swallowe stones and loue aboue all things to feede of Dates Most of all things they shunne the sauour of a Mouse and they wyl not eate of anie thing that Mise haue touched If anie of them by chance deuoure a Camaeleon which worme is a poyson to Olyphants he remedieth the mischiefe by eating a wilde Oliue The hyde on theyr backs is very hard and the skinne on their bellies is but soft and they are altogether smooth without haire Betwéene them and the Dragons is continuall enmitie and the ambush is laide for them in this wilie sorte The Serpents lurke by y e waie sides where the Olyphants vse to goe customablie and letting y e formoste slippe by they assaile the hindermost to the intent the first should not be able to rescue the last and first they wrythe their tailes in knottes about theyr féete that hauing snarled their legges they may staie them from going awaie For the Oliphants if they be not preueÌ„ted and staied by this winding about their féte doo leane themselues to trées or stones and there with enforcing themselues treade the Dragons to drath The chiefe cause of their fighting is as men saie for that Olyphants haue great store of blood which is colder then the blood of other beastes and therefore the Dragons doo vnsatiatiably desire it in the excesse of heate Finallie they neuer sette vpon them but when they haue drunk theyr bellies full to the intent when their vaynes be well stuffed with moysture they may suck the more out of them when they haue ouercom them They séeke nothing so much as the eyes of theÌ„ which alonelie they know may be perished or els the inner parts of their eares because that part cannot be defended with their snowâ—e But when the Dragons haue sucked out their bloode they themselues are also ouerwhelmed with the fall of the beaste and so the
rather iabber and gnarre then speake The Augyles worship none but the deuils The first nyght that they are married they compell theyr wyues to haue to doo with as many as will come and from that time forward they bind them by most straight lawes to continuall chastitie The Gamphasants abstayne from warres eschew intercourse of merchandise and will not abide to intermedle with any straunger It is thought that y e Blemmyes but not those Blemmyes that dwell by the Red sea are borne headlesse that they haue theyr mouth and eyes in their breste The Satyres haue no resemblance of manne sauing onely shape The Egypanes are the very same that wée see them painted The Hymamtopodes hauing y e ioynts of their legges bowed doo rather créepe then goe and in walking vse rather to slyde then to steppe The Pharusians hauing brought Hercules on the waie as he was going toward the Hesperids were so wearie of the iourney that they taryed there And thus much of Lybie CAP. XLIIII Of Egypt of the head encrease mouthes of Nile of the Oxe Apis of the Crocodiles of the bird Trochyle of the Skinks waterhorses and the bird Ibis of the wonderfull trees of Egypt of Alexandria and of Pyramyds or Broches EGypt runneth to the South inward vntill it méete with the Aethiopyans Behind it floweth Nile about the lower part thereof The which Riuer béeing deuided at the place that is named Delta embraceth a péece of grouÌ„d within it like an Ile and it is almost vnknowne where the head is from whence it commeth as we shall declare It hath hys beginning from a Mountaine of the lower Mauritanie that is nâ—ere the Ocean Thus affirme the Punick bookes and so reported King Iuba as I vnderstand By and by therefore it maketh a Lake which they call Nilides And it is coniectured that Nile commeth froÌ„ thence because thys Poole bringeth forth the same kinds of hearbs fishes and beasts that we sée in Nyle and that if Mauritanie from whence it hath his originall happen to bee watred eyther with ouer déepe snowe or rage of raine the flood in Egypt is thereby increased But the Nyle when he runneth out of his Lake is sucked into the sandes and hydden in the loose moulde of the earth and afterward bursting foorth in the Caue of Caesarea larger then hee was before bringeth the same tokens with him which we noted in him at hys first spring Afterward hee sinketh downe againe and venteth not aboue the ground till after a long weary iourney he come to the Aethyopians Where it ryseth vppe againe it maketh the Ryuâ—r Nygris which we told you before bounded the borders of Affrick The Inhabiters there call it Astapus which is as much to say as a water flowing out of darknesse It inuironeth many and great Iles whereof some are of so large and huge bignesse that a man can scarce lakey through them in fiue dayes runne he as fast as he can The noblest of them is * Meroe about which the Ryuer béeing deuided is named on the right Channell Astusapes and on the left Astabores Then also trauelling through great Countryes a long iourney as soone as y e Rocks méeting him by the way make him rough hee caryeth his waters with such violence through the cragged cliffs that he may séeme to fal rather then to flow and at lenght when he hath passed the last leape for so the Egyptians call certaine straights of hys there is no daunger in him Then leauing the name of Syris behinde him he runneth from thenceforth playne wythout any stoppe Lastly he is deuided into seauen channels and so turning towarde the North is receiued into the Sea of Egypt Such as are ignorant of Astronomie and Cosmographie haue aledged manie causes of his increase Some affyrme that the East wyndes called Etesiae do driue great store of clowdes to the place where the Ryuer springeth and that the spring rysing by the moysture comming from aboue afoordeth so much water to the flowing of the Riuer as the clowdes haue let fal moysture to the féeding of the spring Othersome reporte that béeing driuen backe by the violence of wyndes when hee cannot vtter his waues which kéepe their accustomed swiftnesse the water béeing pent in the straight ouerfloweth his banckes and the more the blasts of the contrarie wynds resist so much the higher dooth the swift Riuer being beaten backe mount aloft because that neyther the accustomed course can emptie the channel and yet the weyght of the streame commeth on still from the head of the spring vpon the Ryuer which is dammed vp And that thus by the agréeable violence of the Element on the oneside stryuing forward and on the otherside beating backward the waues swell and gather into a heape whereby is made the floodde Diuers hold opinion that this spring which is called Phiala is raysed by the influence of the stars and that béeing haled out by the Sunne beames it is heaued vpp by the celestiall fire but not wythout a sure and orderly custome that is to say at the newe of the Moone howbeit that the Sunne is the verye grounde of hys excesse For the first rysing and swelling thereof beginneth when the Sunne mooueth through y â— signe of Cancer and afterwarde when the thirâ—y partes thereof are runne out so as the Sunne is entred into Leo and the starre called Sirius ryseth then the Riuer flushing forth wyth so great a violence breaketh ouer his bancks which time the Priests iudged to be the byrth day of the worlde that is to wéete betwéene the thirtéenth of the Calends of August and the eleuenth day of August and that afterward all the excesse is called back againe when the Sunne passeth into Virgo and is driuen cleane againe within hys banks when the Sunne is entred into Libra They adde this moreouer that he hurteth both wayes whether he swell too high or too lowe forasmuch as hys scantnes bringeth small store of increase and his ouer great aboundance hindreth the tyllage by to long continuance of moistnes They say that his greatest excesse riseth to eightéene cubits and his measurablest to sixtéene and y â— at fiftéene wanteth no store of fruite But if it be vnder it causeth derth They attribute also this maiestie vnto him that hee shoulde foreshewe thinges to come grounding their argument héerevppon that at y â— battell of Pharsalie it excéeded not fyue fathome This is most certaine that hee onely of all Riuers breatheth forth no ayres It beginneth to appertaine to the Realme of Egypt from Syene wherein is y e vttermost bounde of Aethyop so from thence vntill it fal into the Sea it keepeth the name of Nyle Among all the thinges that Egypt hath woorthye to be spoken of they make a wonder specially of the Oxe which they call Apis. Him they worshyppe as a God and hee is notable for the whyte specke which groweth naturally on hys
goeth about it there is contayned a cindrye soote whych at euerye lyght touch puffeth out lyke a smoke and crumbleth into loose dust The inner partes of Iewrye towarde the West are possessed by y e Essaenes who vsing a notable trade of dyscypline by themselues haue departed from the custome of all other Nations ordeyned heereunto as I thynke by the prouidence of the diuine maiestie There are no Women among them they haue vtterly renounced fleshlie lust they occupy no mony they liue by Dates no manne is there borne and yet there wanteth no store of men The place it selfe is deputed to chastitie wherevnto though many resorte from all places about yet is none admitted vnlesse his approoued chastitie and innocent life make him woorthie For hee that is guiltie of neuer so light a fault cannot get in there make he neuer so much sute but is remooued by the power of God Thus time without minde a wonderfull thing to bée spoken the nation continueth and yet no chyldbeddes among them Beneath the Essaenes was the Towne of Engaddie which nowe is vtterly rased Neuerthelesse the notable woods kéepe theyr reputation still and the high groues of Date trées are nothing at all defaced neither by time nor by warres The vttermost bounde of Iewry is the Castle of Massada CAP. XLVIII Of the Towne Scythopolis and the Mountaine Casius I Passe ouer Damasco Philadelphia and Raphana and will tel who were the firste inhabyters and who was the founder of Sâ—ythopolis At suche time as Bacchus had buried his Nourse he builded this Towne to the intent by rearing the walles thereof to aduaunce the renowme of her Sepulture And forasmuch as inhabiters wanted he chose out of his company the Scythians and the more to encourage them to defende the Cittie hee gaue it their name In the Countrey Selucia is another Mount Casius harde by Antioche from the toppe whereof a manne may in the fourth watch sée the Globe of the Sunne and with turning his body about a little aside behold day on his one side by meanes of the Sun dispersing the darknesse wyth his bright beames on hys other side still night Such a prospect is there out of Mount Casius that yée may sée the light before the day appeare CAP. XLIX Of the Ryuers Euphrates and Tygris and of sundry sorts of precious stones EVphrates coÌ„meth out of the greater Armenia rysing aboue Zimara vnder the foote of a Mountayne that is next Scythia which the dwellers by call Capotes This Riuer receiuing certaine others vnto him wexeth bigge and béeing encreased with forraine waters wrestleth wyth the straights of the Mountaine Taurus whom he cutteth through at Eligea albeit he withstand hym twelue myles broade and so running still foorth a long way leaueth Comagene on his right side and Arabie on his left Afterwarde swéeping by many Nations hee deuideth Babylon sometime the heade Citty of Chaldey Hée enricheth Mesopotamia with the excesse of his yéerely ouerflowing and maketh the soile fruitful by shedding himselfe vpon the land in the like sort as the Riuer of Egypt doth He passeth ouer his bankes in a manner the same time that Nylus doth namelye when the Sunne is in the twentye degrée of Cancer And it falleth againe at such time as the Sunne hauing trauailed ouer Leo is setting foote into the vttermost Marches of Virgo The Cosmographers holde opinion that it happeneth so vnto like paralleles which by the plat bothe of the heauen and of the earth méete iust and euen together according to the order of the imaginitiue line Whereby it appeareth that these two Ryuers béeing situate plomme vnder one parallele albeit they flowe out of sundry quarters haue neuerthelesse one selfe same cause of both theyr increasings It is conuenient also to speake of Tygris in this place In the Realme of the greater Armenie it lyfteth vppe hys head wyth a meruailous fayre and cléere spring in a hygh ground which is named Elongosine and yet is hee not bygge from the beginning Fyrst he goeth slowly not wyth hys owne name but as soone as he entreth the borders of Medea hee is forthwyth called Tygris for so doo the Medes call an arrowe Hée runneth into the Lake Arethusa which sustaineth all weyghts the Fysh whereof neuer come within the Channell of Tygris lyke as the Fysh of Tygris neuer passe into the Poole of Arethusa through which hee shooteth vnlyke of colour and a very swift pace Anon after béeing letted by the Mountaine Taurus hée sinketh into a déepe Caue and so running vnder him venteth againe on the otherside of hym at Zoroanda bearing before him wéedes other drosse and a little way of sinketh againe and afterwarde auauncing himselfe hee runneth by the Adiabines and Arabians embraceth Mesopotamia receiueth the noble Ryuer Choaspes into him and carryeth Euphrates into the Sea of Persia. As many Countryes as drinke of Euphrates doo glyster wyth sundry precious stones The Smilax is gathered in Euphrates owne Channell a Iewell like to the Marble of Procomiesus but that in the belly of thys stone there shynes a yellow like the ball of ones eye The Sagda commeth to vs from the Chaldyes not easie to bee founde but that as they affyrme it offereth it selfe to be taken For by the naturall operation of the spyrite thereof it ryseth out of the bottome to the shyps that sayle ouer it and cleaueth so fast to theyr Kéeles that it can hardly bee seperated from them wythout scraping away part of the timber This Sagda for the effects that they knowe it hath is hyghly estéemed of the Chaldyes and it hath such an orient gréene that the beauty thereof maketh it to bee liked aboue all others The Myrrhite is common among the Parthyans If yée should iudge thys stone by the eye it is of the colour of Myrrhe and hath nothing that may delight the sight But if ye try him throughly and chafe hym tyll hée bee hote hee hath as sweete a flauor as Nardus In Persia is such aboundance of stones and such varietie that it woulde bee a long matter to reporte theyr names The Mythridax béeing stryken wyth the Sunne glystereth wyth sundry sorts of colours The Tecolythe beeing lyke the kernell of an an Oliue is despised in sight but in goodnes for medicine it excelleth the beautie of other stones For béeing beaten into powder and drunke it breaketh the stone and easeth the diseases of the rayne and y e bladder The Ammochryse béeing medled wyth sparkes of golde and fine grauell together hath héere and there little square spots of goldfoyle and dust The Aetite is both yellow and round of proportion contayning another stone within it which maketh a noyse when it is styrred albeit that the cunningest Iewellers say it is not the little stone within it that maketh that tingling but a spirite This Aetite Zâ—roaster preferreth before all other stones and attributeth very great vertue
concerning her deserts she that by the sentence of y â— Iudges is deemed to haue béene more dutifull seruicable then the rest receiueth thys reward of her victory that at her pleasure shee may leape into the fire where her Husbande is a burning and offer herselfe as a sacrifice vpon hys herse The rest lyue wyth infamie The hugenesse of theyr Serpents is so excessyue that they swallow vp Harts and other beasts of lyke bygnesse whole yea and as great as the Indian Ocean is they swym through it and passe ouer into Ilands a great way distant from the firme â—ande to séeke feeding And the selfe same thing is a good argument to proue theyr hugenesse that they haue force to passe ouer such a bredth of salt water and to attaine to the places that they ayme at There are many and wonderfull beasts out of the which multitude I wyll pick some to treate of The Leucocrote passeth all wylde Beastes in swiftnesse It is of the bygnesse of an Asse haunched like a Stagge breasted and legged like a Lyon headed like a Cammell clouen cléed mouthed vp to bothe the eares and wyth one whole round bone instéede of téeth Thus much as to his shape In voyce hee counterfetteth the spéech of man There is an Eale otherwyse like a horse tayled like an Olyphant of colour blacke chapped like a Bore armed with hornes aboue a cubit long plyable to what vse soeuer he lyst to put them For they are not stife but are bowed as neede shall require in fighting of which he putteth out the one when he fighteth and rolleth vp the other that if by any stripe the point of the one be blunted the other may succéede sharpe in hys roome He is compared to the Waterhorses and to say y e truth he delighteth in waters to The Bulls of Inde are of colour bright yellowe excéeding wight of foote with their hayre growing the contrarie way and as much mouth as head These also beare hornes plyable to what purpose they liste so hard hyded that nothing is able to enter so vnmercifullie cruell that béeing caught they kill themselues for moodinesse Among these bréedeth also y â— Manticora wyth three sette of téeth in his head checkquerwise one against another faced like a man gray eyed sanguine coloured bodied like a Lyon tayled like a Scorpion wyth a stinging pricke in the ende with so shrill a voyce that it counterfetteth the tunes of pypes and the harmony of Trumpets Hée séeketh most gréedilie after mans flesh He is so swift of foote and so nimble in leaping that there is no space so long that may forslowe hym nor anie thing so broade that can let him of hys way There are also Oâ—en with one horne and thrée horns whole hooued and not clouen cléed But the cruellest is the Unicorne a Monstar that belloweth horriblie bodyed like a horse footed like an Oliphant tayled like a Swyne and headed like a Stagge His horne sticketh out of the midds of hys â—orehead of a wonderfull brightnesse about foure foote long so sharp that whatsoeuer he pusheth at he striketh it through easily Hée is neuer caught aliue kylled he may be but taken he cannot bée The waters also bréede no lesse wonders Ganges bréedeth Eeles of fortie foote long and Statius Sebosus saith that the same Ryuer among the chiefest miracles swarmeth with wormes bothe in name and colour gray These haue as it were armes not vnder sixe cubits long a péece so boystrous of strength that with the hande thereof they take holde of Olyphants that come thither to drinke and hale them so rudelye that they pull them vnder the water The Indian Seas haue Fyshes called Thyrlpooles aboue the bygnesse of foure Acres of grounde There are also which they call Physeters which béeing huge beyonde the measure of great Pyllars lift themselues aboue the sayleyards of Shyppes and puffe out the water that they haue haled in at theyr venting pipes in such wise that many times they sinkâ— the vessels wyth the rage of water that they let fall vppon the Marryners Only Inde bréedeth the Poppiniey of colour gréene wyth a redde list about hys neck whose byll is so hard that when he is throwne from high vpon a stone he saueth himselfe vppon his byll vsing it as an extraordinary defence of hys infirmitie And his heade is so stronge that if at any time he haue néede of stripes to put him in mind of hys lesson for he learneth to speake like a man he must be knockt on the pate wyth a wande of yron While he is a Chicken and as yet vnder two yeeres old he learneth the things that are taught him more spéedilie and beareth them more stedfastly in remembraunce Aboue that age hee is somewhat more slow of taking forgetfull and vâ—apt to be taught The number of toes maketh the difference betwéene the nobler and the rascaller sorte The better haue fiue toes on a foote the worse haue thrée Hys tongue is broade and much broader then the tongues of other byrds and that is the cause of his perfection in vttering words so distinctly This naâ—ure of his made the Romaines to haue so great pleasure and delight in him that the barbarous people made a merchandise of their Poppinieyes The trées if Inde grow vp in such an excessiue height that they cannot shoote an arrowe ouer them The Orchyards haue Fig trées the bodies whereof are thréescore paces about and theyr boughes shadow two furlongs euerie way the largenesse of their leaues is compared to the shielde of the Amazons and the fruit is of verie singuler swéetnes The Fenny grounds bring foorth a Réede of such grosenes that betwéene knot and knot they make boates of theÌ„ to rowe in Out of the rootes whereof is pressed a swéete iuyce as pleasant as honny There is an Iland of Inde called Tylos which beareth Date trées bringeth forth Olyues and aboundeth in Uynes It surmounteth all landes in this one wonder that what tree soeuer groweth therein is neuer without leaues There beginneth Mount Caucasus which wyth his continuall ridge peirceth through the most part of the worlde The same hyll on hys front that faceth the Sunne beareth Pepper Trées which men affyrme to be like the Iuniper Trée and to bring forth sundrie fruits That fruite that commeth forth first is like the agglets of Hasles and is called long Pepper That which is vncorrupted is called white Pepper That which hath the skynne wrinckled and scorched wyth the heate is called black Pepper Lastly that which falleth downe and is parched with the burning Sun taketh â—ys name of hys colour But that which is stripped of the Trée as it is is called white Pepper And as onely Inde yéeldeth Pepper so alonely yéelddeth it Ebonye yet not in all places but in a verie little part of the Countrey doth it yéelde thys kynd of woode The Trée