Iewish Mahumetan and Gentilish religions there 〈◊〉 The Princes of greatest account either inhabiting or at least possessing large territories there are first The grand Neguz or Christian Emperour of Abassia or the higher Ethiopia commonly called Presbyter Iohn or as Zagazabo his owne ambassadour would haue him Pretious Iohn but bicause 〈◊〉 all the Ethiopick relation of Francis Aluarez being the best that euer was written of those parts he is continually named Prete Ianni in imitation of him I also most commonly call him by that name And so likewise though Zagazabo for the more magnificent reputation of his prince will haue his dominions called Ethiopia yet with the consent of some approoued authors and also to distinguish the country of this emperour from many other regions situate both in the higher Ethiopia and in the lower I haue set it downe in my mappe and in my discourses do most vsually speake thereof vnder the name of Abassia The other great Princes intreated of in the said relations are The K. of Spaine The Turkish Emperour The Xarifo otherwise called The Miramonin or the king of Maroco Sus and Fez and the emperour of Monomotapa My methode in the discourse before Leo is after a generall preface of Africa to begin at the Red sea where Leo endeth and thence as well in the description of the maine lands as of the isles by him vntouched to proceed on southerly to the cape of Buena esperança from which cape we returne toward the north describing all along the westerne countries and isles of Africa till we haue brought our whole descriptions to an end vpon the most southwesterly parts 〈◊〉 Barbarie where our author Iohn Leo beginneth his Et quoniam as one saith turpe non est per quos profeceris agnoscere my principall authors out of whom I haue gathered this store are of the ancienter note Ptolemey Strabo Plinie Diodorus Siculus c. and amongst later writers I haue helped my selfe out of sundrie discourses in the first Italian volume of Baptista Ramusio as likewise out of Iohn Barros Castanneda Ortelius Osorius de reb gest Eman. Matthew Dresserus Quadus Isolario del mundo Iohn Huighen van Linschoten out of the Hollanders late voiages to the east Indies and to San Tomé but I am much more beholding to the history of Philippo Pigafetta to the Ethiopick relations of Francis Aluarez of Damianus a Goez and beyond all comparison both for matter and method most of all to the learned Astronomer and Geographer Antonius Maginus of Padua and to the vniuersall relations written in Italian by G. B. B. And heere before I surcease I must admonish the Reader of certaine faults escaped in some copies as namely in the description of the isles in the Barbarian bay Açotatado for Açotado in a marginall note ouer against the description of Tombuto in the seuenth booke of Iohn Leo Money for Gold in the relation of the Christianitie of Egypt Hypostasis twise togither in stead of Hypostases and in the discourse of the Christianitie of Congo Paulo Aquitino for Panso Aquitimo Other literall faults if there be any will not be hard for the Reader himselfe to amend AFRICA A generall description of all Africa togither with a comparison of the ancient and new names of all the principall countries and prouinces therein THat part of inhabited lande extending southward which we call Africa and the Greeks Libya is one of the three generall parts of the world knowen vnto our ancestors which in very deed was not throughly by them discouered both bicause the Inlands coulde not be trauailed in regard of huge deserts full of dangerous sands which being driuen with the winde put trauailers in extreme hazard of their liues and also by reason of the long and perilous nauigation vpon the African coasts for which cause it was by very few of ancient times compassed by nauigation much lesse searched or intirely known Of which few the principall were Hanno a Carthaginian captaine sent by the gouernours of that commonwelth for discouerie of the saide lande and one Eudoxus that fled from Ptolemaeus Lathyrus the king of Alexandria Howbeit in these latter times it hath beene often by the Portugals sailed round about and diligently searched especially along the shore euen from the streights of Gibraltar to the enterance of the red sea but the first Portugall that euer doubled the cape of Buena esperança and coasted the south and southeast parts of Africa in former 〈◊〉 vnknowne was Vasco da Gama in the yeere 1497. who from hence sailed to Calicut in the east Indies to the vnspeakeable gaine of the Portugals To omit Iohn Leo his etymologies of this name Africa Festus will haue it to be deriued from the Greeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth horror or colde and from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the particle priuatiue as who shoulde say Africa is a place free from all horror and extremitie of colde bicause it lieth open to the heauens and is sandie drie and desert Others say that it is called Africa quasi Aprica that is exposed and subiect to the scorching beames of the sunne the most part there of lying betweene the Tropicks Iosephus wil haue it so called from 〈◊〉 one of the posteritie of Abraham and others from Afer sonne to Hercules of Libya But it was by the Greekes called Libya bicause it was in old time conquered by Libs the king of Mauritania In the holie Scriptures it is called Chamesis by the Arabians and Ethiopians 〈◊〉 and by the Indians Besecath In situation shape this land of Africa is almost an islle being by a very small and narrowe neckland passing betweene the Mediterran sea and the gulfe of Arabia 〈◊〉 the red sea conioined to Asia and in extension of ground being almost twise as bigge as Europe albeit for inhabitants it is not halfe so populous Wherefore though in longitude from west to east Africa be shorter then Europe in some places yet extendeth it so farre vnto the south that Europe in that respect is nothing comparable vnto it for Africa containeth almost seuentie degrees in latitude whereas Europe stretcheth but fiue and thirtie degrees moreouer Africa is more vniforme and spacious but Europe is of a more distracted and manifolde shape being in sundry places dispersed restrained by the sea Howbeit notwithstanding Africa hath farre greater extension of ground then Europe yet is it not so populous nor so commodious to inhabite for the lande of Africa is in many places vnhabitable the principall causes whereof are the scarcitie of water the barrennes of the soile being either couered with 〈◊〉 sande dust or ashes or else being subiect to extreme heate of the sunne also there are certaine dangerous heapes of sande which being raised by the winde are driuen vp and downe like the waues of a tempestuous sea In briefe there are such abundance of venemous and hurtfull
not so well inhabited and manured Situate it is beyond the Equator in seuenteene degrees and stretcheth from thence to sixe and twentie degrees and an halfe of southerly latitude It is plentifully endowed with all things needfull for mans vse for it yeeldeth cotton Millet Rice Potatos sweete orenges sugar-canes and sundry kindes of pulse as likewise amber Iette siluer copper red sanders saffron a spice somewhat like vnto cloues and some quantitie of ginger Moreouer heere are lions leopards stags roe-deere goates kine sheepe and other beastes both tame and wilde Heere are likewise innumerable elephants so that from hence is conueied great quantitie of iuorie They haue also great store of camels whose flesh the inhabitants eate for the holesomenes thereof The people except some few Moores vpon the coast are idolaters of colourblack with curled haire very barbarous and in fashions resembling much the Cafres They go naked all saue their priuities which they couer with cloth of cotton and they vse in the warre certaine crooked staues headed with bone The Iesuits in their letters report that in one part of this island there are white people found who as they affirme are descended from the people of China whereby may be gathered the great length of the Chinians nauigations and the largenes of their empire The Portugals sailing towards India in due time do passe betweene this great isle and the firme land but if the season groweth towards winter they holde on their course as themselues report on the backe side thereof In these two courses of nauigation they haue found and daily do discouer sundrie isles but of small account part whereof we haue mentioned before Amongst others as it were ouer against Moçambique lieth on a certaine strand or shold an isle called Langane of a reasonable bignes with a great riuer therein being inhabited by Moores And the farthest toward the west are those isles which the Portugals call Os Romeros On the northeast part of this isle is the Bay of Antogill being one of the safest and most commodious harbours in the world Of the Isles of the Ethiopian sea about the cape of Buena esperança THis sea I take to be most exceeding deepe because it hath fewer Isles then the former and those few which it hath are but little ones The first that was discouered on this side the cape of Buena Esperança is that of Don Aluarez situate in thirtie degrees and an halfe And to the northwest of that is the Isle of Tristan d' Acunna beeing distant 〈◊〉 miles from the cape and beyond the Equinoctiall eight and thirtie degrees which beeing of a round forme containeth in compasse fiftie leagues It is full of birdes and especially of sea-crowes or cormorants and round about it lie foure other small islets The marriners hold that neere vnto this isle as vnto that of Bermuda there are continual stormes and tempestes Not far from the main are certaine dry and rockie isles and others of none account The Isles of Santa Helena and of the Ascension NExt followeth in the height of sixteene degrees of southerly latitude the isle of Santa Helena discouered by Iuan da Noua being so fitly and commodiously situate for such as returne home from the east Indies into Europe as it seemeth there of purpose to haue beene planted by God for the furtherance of this voiage and for the refreshing and comfort of nauigators In compasse it containeth nine miles hath a most perfect healthfull 〈◊〉 and sundry freshets of excellent water The soile is of a red colour and like vnto ashes it giueth way to ones footing like sand and a man may shake euery tree vpon the isle Heere the kings of Portugall haue enacted that none may remaine to inhabite except it be sometime two or three 〈◊〉 persons for the recouerie of their health to the end that the fleets may heere plentifully and of free cost furnish themselues with fresh victuals fruits and water So that when they arriue they vsually plant or sow some one thing or other which presently springeth and groweth to ripenes and then the seed falling into the earth it multiplieth of it selfe Heere are woods of Ebà n and Cedar with infinite store of 〈◊〉 orenges and all sorts of fruits as likewise hogs geese hens partridges feasants Guinie-cocks and other like creatures brought thither by the Portugals out of Europe or from other countries In sailing from Portugall toward India it is not so easily found but in their returne home they do heere in fewe daies cure all their diseases and relieue their wants and heere to their 〈◊〉 solace and recreation they hunt foule and fish and prouide themselues of water wood and all things necessarie To the west thereof appeere in the sea the isles of Santa Maria and of the Trinitie which serue for signes vnto the mariners To the northwest of this isle towards the coast of Brasil are the isles of Ascension so called bicause they were first discouered by Tristan Acunna in his returne from the Indies vpon Ascension day in the yeere 1508. They are all vnhabited and desert and haue vpon them infinite swarmes of a kinde of fowles of the bignes of duckes Of the Isles of Loanda Nobon and Saint Thomas HArd vpon the firme land of the south part of Congo is situate the isle of Loanda before mentioned And ouer against the cape of Lopo Gonsalues in a manner lieth the small isle of Nobon being a rockie and desolate place but of great importance for fishing for which cause it is frequented by the inhabitants of Saint Thomas isle This isle of Saint Thomas being an hundred and fower-score miles distant from the maine is of a round forme containing threescore Italian miles from side to side and an hundred and fower-score miles also in compasse of which isle bicause it is situate iust vnder the Equinoctiall so that the horizon thereof passeth by both the poles it will not be from our purpose to intreat somewhat at large to the end we may the better vnderstand the qualitie and temperature of such places as are seated in that part of the world This isle when it was first discouered was nothing else but a woode of vnprofitable trees with their boughs turning crookedly vpward The aire is extremely hot in the moneths of March and September when the sunne passeth perpendicularly ouer it raineth heere out of measure and in other moneths heere falleth onely a moist dewe which watereth the ground In the verie midst it hath a woodie mountaine which is continually ouershadowed with a thick cloud which cloud so moistneth the trees that grow in great abundance vpon this mountaine that from hence droppeth water sufficient for the watering of al their fields of sugar-canes By how much the sun is more perpendicular ouer this isle by so much is the aire more cloudie darke and contrariwise the farther it is distant from perpendicularitie the cleerer and brighter is the skie In the moneths of
king of Maroco and vnto the Seriffo that the king of Fez his brother was presently to depart vnto Duccala for which cause they were requested to prouide soldiers for the better resistance of the Portugals armie Of the citie of Azamur AZamur a towne of Duccala was built by the Africans vpon that part of the Oceā sea shore where the riuer of Ommirabih disemboqueth being distant from Elmadina southward about thirtie miles Very large it is and well inhabited and containeth to the number of fiue thousand families Here doe the Portugall merchants continually reside The inhabitants are very ciuill and decently apparelled And albeit they are diuided into two parts yet haue they continuall peace among themselues Pulse and corne they haue great plentie though their gardens and orchards bring foorth nought else but figs. They haue such plentie of fishes that they receiue yeerely for them sometime sixe thousand and sometime seuen thousand duckats And their time of fishing dureth from October to the end of Aprill They vse to frie fishes in a certaine pan with oile whereby they gather an incredible quantitie of trane neither vse they any other oile to put into their lampes Once a yeere the Portugals make a voiage hither and doe carrie away so great abundance of fish that they onely doe disburse the summe of duckats aforesaid Hence it is that the king of Portugal being allured for gaine hath often sent most warlike fleetes to surprise this towne the first whereof in regarde of the Generals indiscretion was the greatest part dispersed and sunke vpon the sea Afterward the king sent another nauie of two hundred saile well furnished at the very sight whereof the citizens were so discomfited that they all betooke themselues to flight and the throng was so great at their entrance of the gates that moe then fowerscore citizens were slaine therein Yea a certaine prince which came to aide them was for his safetie constrained to let himselfe downe by a rope on the farther side of the citie The inhabitants were presently dispersed hither and thither some fleeing on horse-backe and others on foote Neither could you I know haue refrained from teares had you seene the weake women the silly old men and the tender children run away bare-footed and forlorne But before the Christians gaue any assault the Iewes which shortly after compounded with the king of Portugall to yeeld the citie to him on condition that they shoulde sustaine no iniurie with a generall consent opened the gates vnto them and so the Christians obtained the citie and the people went to dwell part of them to Sala and part to Fez. Neither doe I thinke that God for any other cause brought this calamitie vpon them but onely for the horrible vice of Sodomie whereunto the greatest part of the citizens were so notoriously addicted that they could scarce see any young stripling who escaped their lust Of the towne called Meramei THis towne was built by the Gothes vpon a plaine almost fourteene miles distant from Azafi and it containeth to the number of fower hundred families the soile thereabout aboundeth greatly with oliues and corne It was gouerned in times past by the prince of Azafi but afterward being surprised by the Portugals and the inhabitants being all put to flight it remained well nigh one whole yeere destitute of people Howbeit soone after making a league with the Portugals each man retired vnto his owne home And now I thinke it not amisse to report as concerning the mountaines of Duccala those things which may seeme woorthie of memorie Of the mountaine called Benimegher BEnimegher is distant from Azafi about twelue miles containing diuers artizans of all sortes euery one of which hath an house at Azafi This mountaine is so exceeding fruitful for oile and corne that a man would scarce beleeue it It was once in subiection vnto the prince of Azafi but the inhabitants of Azafi being put to flight as hath beene aforesaid had no other place for their refuge but onely this mountaine of Benimegher Afterward they paid tribute for certaine yeeres vnto the Portugals but when the king of Fez came thither with his army he caried with him part of them vnto Fez and the residue returned to Azafi for they were determined rather to indure any iniurie then to submit themselues to the Christians gouernment Of the greene mountaine THis mountaine is of an exceeding height beginning eastward from the riuer of Ommirabih and extending westward to the hils called in their language Hasara and it diuideth Duccala from some part of Tedles Likewise this mountaine is very rough and full of woods affoording great store of acornes and pine-apples and a certaine kinde of red fruit which the Italians commonly call Africano Many Hermites also doe inhabite vpon this mountaine liuing with no other kind of victuals but such as the woods yeeld vnto them For they are aboue fiue and twenty 〈◊〉 distant from all townes and cities Here are great store of fountaines and of altars built after the Mahumetan fashion and many auncient houses also erected by the Africans At the foot of this mountaine there is a notable lake very like vnto the lake of Bolsena in the Roman territorie In which lake are found infinite numbers of fishes as namely eeles pickrels and of diuers other sorts which to my remembrance I neuer saw in Italie but there is no man that goeth about to take any fish in this lake no maruell therefore though the number be so great Vpon a certaine time when Mahumet the king of Fez trauelled that way towards the kingdome of Maroco he encamped his armie eight daies vpon the side of this lake Some of his companie he licenced to fish the same amongst whom I saw certaine that tooke off their shirts and coats sowing vp their sleeues and collars and putting certaine hoops within them to keepe them from closing together and so vsed them in steed of nets wherewith notwithstanding they caught many thousand fishes but others which had nets indeed got more then they And all by reason that the fishes as we will now declare were perforce driuen into the nets For king Mahumet being there accompanied with fourteene thousand Arabian horsemen which brought a great many more camels with them and hauing fiue thousand horsemen vnder the conduct of his brother with an huge armie of fooremen caused them all at once to enter the lake insomuch that there was scarce water ynough to satisfie the camels thirst wherefore it was no maruell though the fishes came so fast into the nets Vpon the banks of this lake are many trees bearing leaues like vnto pine-leaues among the boughes whereof such abundance of turtles doe nestle that the inhabitants reape woonderfull commoditie by them Mahumet hauing refreshed himselfe eight daies by the foresaid lake was then desirous to view The greene mountaine aforesaid my selfe with a great number of courtiers and learned men attending vpon him So often as he
the kings brother will make a truce Which the Portugals no sooner yeelded vnto but the sauage and merciles Moores put them euery one to the sword sauing three or fower onely who were saued at the request of a captaine in the Moores campe The Portugals Generall being sore dismaied with this slaughter for thereby he had lost all his principal soldiers craued aide of a certaine other captaine which by chance arriued there with a mightie fleete being accompanied with a great number of noblemen and gentlemen Howbeit he was so hindred by the Moores who daily did him all the villanie they could and sunke diuers of his ships that he was not able to performe that which he desired In the meane space newes was published among the Portugals of the king of Spaines death whereupon diuers ships were prouided and many Portugals were sent into Spaine Likewise the captaine of the said new forte seeing himselfe destitute of all succour leauing the forte embarked himselfe in those ships which then lay vpon the riuer But the greatest part of the fleete were cast away at their setting foorth and the residue to escape the Moores shot ran themselues a-ground on the flats and shouldes of the riuer and were there miserably slaine by the Moores Many of their ships were here burnt and their ordinance sunke in the sea So many Christians were then slaine some say to the number of ten thousand that the sea-water in that place continued red with their blood for three daies after Soone after the Moores tooke vp fower hundred great peeces of brasse out of the sea This huge calamitie befell the Portugals for two causes first because they would with such a small number make so rash an assault vpon the Moores whom they knew to be so strong and secondly whereas the Portugall-king might at his owne cost haue sent another fleete for a new supply he would by no meanes ioine his owne people and Castilians together For by reason of the diuersitie of counsels and of people there is nothing more pernicious then for an armie to consist of two nations yea the Moores certainly expect the vpper hand when they are to fight with such an armie I my selfe was present in the foresaid warre and sawe each particular accident a little before my voyage to Constantinople Of the towne called Tefelfelt THis towne is situate vpon a sandie plaine fifteene miles eastward of Mahmora and almost twelue miles from the Ocean sea Not far from this towne runneth a certaine riuer on both sides whereof are thicke woods haunted with more fierce and cruell lions then the last before mentioned which greatly endanger those trauellers that haue occasion to lodge thereabout Without this towne vpon the high way to Fez standeth an olde cottage with a plancherd chamber therein here the mulettiers and carriers are said to take vp their lodging but the doore of the said cottage they stop as sure as they can with boughes and thornes Some affirme that this rotten cottage while the towne was inhabited was a most stately inne But it was defaced in the foresaid war of Sahid A description of Mecnase THis towne was so called after the name of the Mecnasites who were the founders thereof From Fez it is 36. miles about fiftie from Sella and from Atlas almost 15. miles distant It is exceeding rich and containeth families to the number of six thousand The inhabitants hereof while they dwelt in the fields liued a most peaceable life howbeit at length they fell to dissension among themselues and the weaker part hauing all their cattell taken from them and hauing nothing in the fields to maintaine their estaste agreed among themselues to build this citie of Mecnase in a most beautifull plaine Neere vnto this towne runneth a little riuer and within three miles thereof are most pleasant gardens replenished with all manner of fruits Quinces there are of great bignes and of a most fragrant smell and pomegranates likewise which being very great and most pleasant in taste haue no stones within them and yet they are sold exceeding cheape Likewise here are plentie of damascens of white plums and of the fruite called Iujuba which being dried in the sunne they eate in the spring and carrie a great number of them to Fez. They haue likewise great store of figs and grapes which are not to be eaten but while they are greene new for their figs being dried become so brittle that they waste all to powder and their grapes when they are made raisins prooue vnsauorie Peaches and oranges they haue in so great quantitie that they make no store of them but their limons are waterish and vnpleasant Oliues are sold among them for a duckat and a halfe the Cantharo which measure containeth a hundred pounds Italian Moreouer their fields yeeld them great plentie of hempe and flaxe which they sell at Fez and Sela. In this towne are most stately and beautifull temples three colleges and ten bath-stoues Euery monday they haue a great market without the towne-walles whereunto the bordering Arabians doe vsually resort Here are oxen sheepe and other such beastes to be sold butter and wooll are here plentifull and at an easie rate In my time the king bestowed this towne vpon a certaine noble man of his where as much fruits are reaped as in the third part of the whole kingdome of Fez. This towne hath beene so afflicted by warres that the yeerely tribute thereof hath beene diminished sometime fortie thousand and fiftie thousand duckats and somtimes more and I haue red that it hath beene besieged for sixe or seuen yeeres together In my time the gouernour thereof the king of Fez his cozen relying vpon the fauour of the people rebelled against his kinsman and soueraigne Whereupon the Fessan king with a great armie besieged the towne two moneths together and because it would not yeeld so wasted and destroied all the countrie thereabout that the gouernour lost by that means fiue and twentie thousand duckats of yeerely reuenue What then shall we thinke of the sixe and seuen yeeres siege before mentioned At length those citizens which fauoured the king of Fez opened the gates and stoutly resisting the contrarie faction gaue the king and his soldiers entrance Thus by their meanes the king wan the citie carrying home to Fez the rebellious gouernour captiue who within fewe daies escaped from him This most strong and beautifull citie hath many faire streetes whereinto by conducts from a fountaine three miles distant is conueied most sweet and holesome water which serueth all the whole citie The mils are two miles distant from the towne The inhabitants are most valiant warlike liberall and ciuill people but their wits are not so refined as others some of them are merchants some artificers and the residue gentlemen They count it vnseemely for any man to send an horse-lode of seede to his husbandman or farmer They are at continuall iarre with the citizens of Fez
that the citie being destitute of aide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 king of Fez was in warres against the rebels of Mecnase would soone yeeld it selfe But contrarie to the Portugals expectation the Fessan king concluding a sudden truce with them of Mecnase sent his counsellour with an armie who encountring the Portugals made a great slaughter of them and amongst the rest slue their generall whom he caused to be caried in a case or sacke vnto new Fez and there to be set vpon an high place where all men might behold him Afterward the king of Portugall sent a new supply who suddenly assailing the citie in the night were most of them slaine and the residue enforced to flee But that which the Portugall-king could not bring to passe with those two Armadas he atchieued at length as is aforesaid with small forces and little disaduantage In my time 〈◊〉 king of Fez left no meanes vnattempted for the recouerie of this citie but so great alwaies was the valour of the Portugals that he had euer ill successe These things were done in the yeere of the Hegeira 917 which was in the yeere of our Lord 1508. Of the towne called Casar Ezzaghir that is the little palace THis towne was built by Mansor the king and Patriarke of Maroco vpon the Ocean sea shore about twelue miles from Tangia and from Septa eighteene miles It was built they say by Mansor because euerie yeere when he passed into the Prouince of Granada hee was constrained with his whole armie to march ouer the rough and ragged mountaines of Septa before he could come vnto the sea shore It standeth in an open and pleasant place ouer against the coast of Granada It was well peopled in times past part of the inhabitants beeing weauers and merchants and the rest mariners that vsed to transport the wares of 〈◊〉 into Europe This towne the king of Portugall tooke by a sudden surprise And the Fessan king hath laboured by all meanes to recouer it but euer with ill successe These things were done in the yeere of the Hegeira 863. Of the great citie of Septa SEpta called by the Latines Ciuitas and by the Portugals Seupta was according to our most approoued Authors built by the Romanes vpon the streits of Gibraltar being in olde time the head citie of all Mauritania wherefore the Romanes made great account thereof insomuch that it became verie ciuill and was throughly inhabited Afterward it was woone by the Gothes who appointed a gouernour there and it continued in their possession 〈◊〉 the Mahumetans inuading Mauritania surprised it also The occasion whereof was one Iulian Earle of Septa who being greatly iniuried by Roderigo king of the Gothes and of Spaine ioyned with the infidels conducted them into Granada and caused Roderigo to loose both his life and his kingdome The Mahumetans therefore hauing taken Septa kept possession thereof on the behalfe of one Elgualid sonne of Habdulmalic their Patriarke who then was resident at Damasco in the yeere of the Hegeira 92. From thencefoorth till within these fewe yeeres this citie grew so ciuill and so well stored with inhabitants that it prooued the most worthie and famous citie of all Mauritania It contained many temples and colledges of students with great numbers of artizans and men of learning and of high spirite Their artizans excelled especially in workes of brasse as namely in making of candlesticks basons standishes and such like commodities which were as pleasant to the eie as if they had beene made of siluer or gold The Italians haue great cunning in making of the like but their workmanship is nothing comparable to theirs of Septa Without the citie are diuers faire villages and granges especially in that place which for the abundance of vines is called The vineyards howbeit the fields are verie barren and fruitles for which cause their corne is exceeding deere Both without and within the citie there is a pleasant and beautifull prospect to the shore of Granada vpon the streits of Gibraltar from whence you may discerne liuing creatures the distance being but 12. miles Howbeit this famous citie not many yeeres since was greatly afflicted by Habdulmumen the king and patriarke who hauing surprised it razed the buildings and banished the principal inhabitants thereof And not long after it sustained as great damage by the king of Granada who besides the foresaide harmes carried the nobles and chiefe citizens captiues into Granada And lastly in the yeere of Mahumet his Hegeira 818. being taken by a Portugall-armada all the citizens did abandon it Abu Sahid being then king of Fez. and a man of no valour neglected the recouerie thereof but in the midst of his dauncing and disport being aduertised that it was lost he would not so much as interrupt his vaine pastime wherefore by gods iust iudgement both himselfe and his sixe sonnes were all slaine in one night by his Secretarie in whom he reposed singular trust because hee would haue defloured the said Secretaries wife These things came to passe in the yeere of the Hegeira 824. Afterward the kingdome of Fez being eight yeeres destitute of a king a sonne of the murthered king whom he begot of a Christian woman and who the same night that his father was slaine fled vnto Tunis succeeded in the gouernment this was Habdulac the last king of the Marin family who likewise as is aforesaide was slaine by the people Of the towne of Tetteguin now called Tetuan THis towne being built by the ancient Africans eighteene miles from the streits of Gibraltar and sixe miles from the maine Ocean was taken by the Mahumetans at the same time when they woon Septa from the Gothes It is reported that the Gothes bestowed the gouernment of this towne vpon a woman with one eie who weekly repairing thither to receiue tribute the inhabitants named the towne 〈◊〉 which signifieth in their language an eie Afterward being often assayled and encountered by the Portugals the inhabitants forsooke it and it remained fowerscore and fifteene yeeres desolate which time being expired it was reedified and replanted a new with inhabitants by a certaine captaine of Granada who together with his king being expelled thence by Ferdinando king of Castile departed vnto Fez. This famous captaine that shewed himselfe so valiant in the warres of Granada was called by the Portugals Almandali Who hauing obtained the gouernment of this towne and gotten licence to repaire it enuironed the same with new wals and built an impregnable castle therein compassed with a deepe ditch Afterward making continuall warre against the Portugals he extremely molested and endamaged their townes of Septa Casar and Tangia for with three hundred valiant horsemen of Granada he made daily incursions and inroades vpon the Christians and those that he tooke he put to continuall labour and toile about the building of his forts Vpon a time I my selfe trauelling this way saw three thousand Christian captiues who being clad in
for which cause they pay no tribute vnto the king of Fez vnlesse it be for their fieldes which is very little They reape much commoditie out of those mountaines for there groweth great abundance of boxe whereof the Fessan combes are made A description of Errif one of the seuen regions of Fez. WEstward this region beginneth neere vnto the streites of 〈◊〉 and extendeth eastward to the riuer of Nocor which distance containeth about an hundred and fortie miles Northward it bordereth vpon the Mediterran sea and stretcheth fortie miles southward vnto those mountains which lie ouer against the riuer Guarga and the territorie of Fez. This region is very vneeuen being full of exceeding colde mountaines and waste deserts which are replenished with most beautifull and straight trees Here is no corne growing they haue great store of vines figs oliues almonds The inhabitants of this region are valiant people but so excessiuely giuen to drinking that they scarcely reserue wherewithall to apparell themselues Head-cattell they haue but fewe howbeit vpon their mountaines they haue great plentie of goates asses and apes Their townes are but few and their castles and villages are very homely built without any plancher or stories much like to the stables of Europe and are couered with thatch or with the barke of trees All the inhabitants of this region haue the balles of their throat-pipes very great and are vnciuill and rude people Of the towne of Terga THis small towne as some thinke built by the Goths vpon the shore of the Mediterran sea is distant from the streites of Gibraltar about fowerscore miles and containeth to the number of fiue hundred families The towne wall is of no force The inhabitants are most part of them fishers who getting great abundance of fish salt them and carrie them to sell almost an hundred miles southward This towne was in times past well stored with people but since the Portugals entered the same region it hath fallen greatly to decay Not farre from this towne groweth abundance of 〈◊〉 vpon the ragged and cold mountaines And albeit the inhabitants are valiant yet are they rusticall and void of all humanitie Of Bedis otherwise called Velles de 〈◊〉 THis ancient towne built vpon the Mediterran sea shore 〈◊〉 by the Spaniards Velles de Gumera containeth about sixe hundred families Some writers there are that affirme it to be built by the Africans and others by the Gothes so that it remaineth as yet vncertaine who were the true founders therof It standeth betweene two high mountaines and not farre from it there is a faire and large valley from whence commeth a little riuer or streame to the towne alwaies when it raineth In the midst of the towne standeth the market place which containeth great store of shops Here is also a verie stately temple to be seene Water for drinke is exceeding scarce among them for they are all constrained to resort vnto one pit or well being in the suburbes neere vnto the sepulchre of a certaine man that was in times past very famous among them Howbeit in the night it is dangerous to fetch water from thence because it is so full of blood-suckers or horse-leeches The townesmen are of two sorts for some be fishers and the residue are pirates which daily doe great harme vnto the Christians Vpon the mountaines grow great store of wood verie commodious for the building of ships and of galleies The inhabitants of which mountaines are almost wholly employed about carrying of the said wood from place to place They haue very little corne growing for which cause most of them eate barley bread Their principall foode are certaine fishes which the Italians call Sardelli together with other like fishes They haue such abundance of fish that one man alone is not able to draw vp a net wherefore whosoeuer will assist the fishermen in that busines are rewarded with good store of fishes for their labour yea sometimes they will freely bestow fishes vpon such as passe by They salt the foresaid Sardelli and send them to the mountaines to be sold. In this towne there is a long street inhabited with Iewes wherin dwell sundry vintners that sell excellent wines So that in calme euenings the citizens vse to carrie wine aboord their barkes in the sea and to spend their time in drinking and singing In this towne standeth a faire castle but not strong wherein the gouernour hath his aboad And neere vnto this castle the saide gouernour hath a palace whereunto belongeth a most pleasant garden Vpon the shore the gouernour buildeth galleies and other ships wherewith they greatly molest the Christians Whereupon Ferdinando king of Spaine taking a certaine Iland within a mile of the towne built a fort thereon and so planted it with ordinance and souldiers that neither their temples nor themselues walking in the streets were free therefrom but were daily slaine Wherefore the gouernour of the towne was constrained to craue ayde from the king of Fez who sent out a great 〈◊〉 against the Christians but they were partly taken and partly slaine so that verie few escaped backe vnto Fez. The Christians kept this isle almost two yeeres and then it was betrayed by a false trecherous Spaniard who slew the gouernour of the isle because he had taken his wife from him into the Moores possession and all the Christians were slaine not a man of them escaped saue onely the Spanish traitour who in regard of his treason was greatly rewarded both by the gouernour of Bedis and also by the king of Fez. Being at Naples I heard the whole relation of this matter from a certaine man that was present at all the former exploits who said that they were done about the yeere of our Lord 1520. But now the said island is most diligently kept by a garrison of souldiers sent from Fez for Bedis is the neerest hauen-towne vnto Fez vpon the Mediterran sea shore although it be an hundred and twenty miles distant Euerie yeere or euerie second yeere the Venetian galleies vse to resort vnto this isle and to exchange wares for wares with the inhabitants or sometimes to buy for readie money which wares the Venetians transport vnto Tunis Venice Alexandria and sometime to Barutto Of the towne of Ielles THis towne being built vpon the Mediterran sea shore is almost sixe miles distant from Bedis the hauen thereof is very commodious and much frequented by ships in fowle and tempestuous weather Not farre from this towne are diuers mountaines and waste deserts growing full of pine trees In my time it remained voide of inhabitants by reason of certaine Spanish pyrates which haunted the same and now there are but a few poore cottages of fishers who standing in dayly dread of the Spaniards keepe continuall and circumspect watch to see if they can escrie any ships making towards them which if they do they flee foorthwith vnto the next mountaines bringing from 〈◊〉 a sufficient number of armed men to withstand
or shoulders so hard they strooke against vs as if we had beene beaten with stones and cudgels and in this sort they went towards the sea The men women and children remaining at home were gotten vpon the tops or tarrasses of their houses giuing God thankes that the locusts were going away some afore and others followed In the meane while towardes the sea there arose a great cloude with thunder which met them full in the teeth and continued for the space of three howers with much raine and tempest that filled all the riuers and when the raine ceased it was a fearefull thing to behold the dead Locustes which were more then two yardes in height vpon the bankes of the riuers and in some riuers there were mightie heapes of them so that the morning following there was not one of them found aliue vpon the earth The people of the places adioining hearing this came in great numbers to enquire how this matter was effected many of the inhabitants said these Portugals be holy men and by the power of their God they haue killed and driuen away the locusts others saide especially the priests and friers of those places neere about that we were witches and by power of enchantments had driuen away the saide creatures and that for this cause we feared neither lions nor any other wilde beast Three daies after this effect there came vnto vs a Xuum that is a captaine of a place called Coiberia with men priests and friers to request vs that we woulde for the loue of God helpe them saying that they were in a manner destroied by the locustes and that place was a daies iourney off towards the sea They came to vs about euening and at the same instant I and fower other Portugals departed awaie with them we went all night and came thither an hower within daie where we found that all those of the countrey with many of the other places adioining were assembled togither for they were also molested by the locusts And assoone as we were come we went our procession rounde about the land which was seated vpon an high hill from whence we might discerne manie countries and places all yellow by reason of the multitude of locusts Such inuocatious and ceremonies being ended as we performed in the other place we went to dinner the men that were borderers requested vs to goe with them promising vs great rewardes It pleased god that as soon as we had dined we saw all the earth so cleared that there was not soe much as one locust to be seene The people seeing this and not being satisfied with the fauour and grace receiued they requested vs to goe and blesse their possessions for they were yet afraid least the locusts would returne and so wee departed Of the dommage we sawe done in another prouince by the Locustes in two sundrie places Chap. 33. AN other time also we sawe the Locustes being in a towne called Abuguna Prete Ianni sent vs to this towne which is in the kingdome of Angote and distant from Barua where we continued thirtie daies iourney to the ende that there we might be furnished with victuals Being come 〈◊〉 I went with the ambassadour Zagazabo who came into Portugall and fiue Genoueses towards a certain towne a moūtaine called Aguoan we trauailed fiue daies through places all desert destroied which places were sowen with Maiz hauing stalkes as great as those props which we vse about our vines and we might see them all broken and troden vnderfoote as if there had beene a tempest and this had the locusts done Their wheate barley and Taffo da guza were so eaten as it seemed they neuer had beene either tilled or sowne The trees were without leaues and their barkes all gnawne eaten and there was not so much as a spire of grasse for they had deuoured euery thing and if we had not beene aduised and foreseene the same for when we departed we laded our mules with victuals we and our beastes had died togither for hunger The countrey was couered all ouer with winglesse locustes and they saide that those were the seede of them which had deuoured all and that when they had gotten wings they would go seeke out the rest the number of these was so great as I am loath to report bicause I shoulde not perhaps be credited but this I may well affirme that I sawe men women and children sit as it were amazed amongst these locusts and I saide vnto them why sit you thus halfe dead and doe not kill these creatures and so reuenge your selues of the wrong that their fathers and mothers haue done you or at least that those which you kill may be able to doe you no more harme They answered taht they had not the hart to withstand the scourge of God which hee had sent vpon them for their sins And all the people of this place departed hence so that we found the waies full of men and women on foot with their children in their armes and vpon their heads going into other countries where they might finde victuall and it was great pittie to behold them We being in the saide prouince of Abuguna in a place called Aquate there came such swarmes of locustes as were innumerable which one day began to fall vpon the grounde about nine of the clocke in the morning and ceased not while night where they lighted there they staide and then the next day in the morning went away so that at three of the clocke in the afternoone there was not one of them to be seene and in this short time they left the trees vtterly destitute of leaues On the same day and hower there came an other squadron and these left neither tree nor bough vngnawen and eaten and thus did they for fiue daies one after an other they said that those were yoong ones which went to seeke their fathers and they did the like as those we sawe without wings the space that these locustes tooke vp was nine miles for which circuit there remained neither barke nor leaues vpon the trees the countrey looked not as though it had bin burnt but as though it had snowed thereupon and this was by reason of the whitenes of the trees which were pilled bare by the Locustes and the earth was all swept cleane It was Gods will that the haruest was alreadie in wee coulde not vnderstande which way they afterwards went bicause they came from the sea warde out of the kingdome of 〈◊〉 which belongeth to the Moores who are continually in warre as also we coulde by no meanes knowe the ende of their iourney or course Thus much out of Francis 〈◊〉 Of the minerals And first of miner all salt THe greater part of Africa hath none other salt but such as is digged out of quarries mines after the maner of marble or free stone being of a white red and graie colour Barbarie aboundeth with salt and Numidia is indifferently furnished
creatures that for feare of them the land in some places can very hardly in others by no meanes be manured or inhabited be it neuer so fruitfull Wherefore in diuers parts this region lieth waste and vnpeopled howbeit where it is inhabited it is exceeding fertile and that especially in the north parts thereof lying ouer against Europe where according to the report of many historiographers and cosmographers it was in ancient times abundantly furnished with inhabitants so likewise all the westerne coast betweene Cabo de buena esperança and Cabo Negro situate about nineteene degrees of southerly latitude containeth many plaines hils vallies and other places most fruitfull and pleasant it being there a continuall spring and elsewhere also it is verie fertile as it shall be declared more at large in the particular descriptions of each region The Equinoctiall circle doth in a manner diuide Africa in the verie midst thereof from whence it stretcheth not onely to each tropique but also twelue degrees almost beyond them both wherefore the greater part is comprized betweene the saide Tropiques vnder the Torrid or burnt Zone for which onely cause the ancient writers supposed it to be vnhabitable and desert in so many places which indeed is much rather to be ascribed to the waste wildernesse the barren and sandie soile and the 〈◊〉 of waters and fountaines It comprehendeth therefore fully and perfecty the three first northerly climates and so many and the like climates southerly for it is situate betweene the eleuenth north Parallele and the eleuenth Antiparallele or south Parallele both which are equally distant from the Equinoctiall on either side But about either of the foresaid extremes the longest day consisteth of fowerteene howers and one fourth part and about the midst of twelue howers exactly Likewise as touching the longitude Africa stretcheth from the Meridian vnder fower degrees to the Meridian vnder fower-score and two degrees of longitude to wit from Cabo Roxo or the Red cape on the west to Cape Guardafu on the east side betweene which two capes is the greatest bredth of Africa Africa hath too narrowe boundes allotted vnto it by Iohn Leo and certaine others for they disioine the greater part of Egypt and all Ethiopia there-from Wherefore it is more conuenient in this behalfe to follow Ptolemey and the late writers limiting the same on the north with the Mediterran sea and the streights of Gibraltar on the east with the Red sea or the Arabian gulfe and the small neckland of Asia passing betweene the Mediterran sea and the said gulfe on the south at the cape of Buena esperança where it endeth in forme of a wedge with the maine Ocean partly called the Ethiopian sea as being neere vnto the land of Ethiopia and on the west from the hither side of the Equinoctiall line with the Atlantike Ocean called by Ptolemey Mare Occiduum by Dionysius Hesperium and part thereof by the Spaniards Mar del Norte but beyond the Equinoctiall line it is bounded westward with the Ethiopian sea Africa hath very many and most exceeding great mountaines the principal wherof is Mount-Atlas whose tops of incredible height rising out of the midst of sandy desertes exalt themselues aboue the cloudes This mountaine beginneth westward at that place where it distinguisheth the Ocean by the name of Atlanticus from whence by a perpetuall ridge after many windings and turnings it extendeth east toward the confines of Egypt moreouer it is in most places rounde hard to ascend craggie steepe impassable cold barren shadie and euery where full of woods and fountaines with cloudes alwaies houering about the tops thereof being forlorn and desolate toward the Ocean but ouer against Africa minor most fertile and abounding with plentie of corne and of thick woods which are clad with a kinde of mosse no whit inferior to silke The tops of this mountaine are couered with deepe snowes euen in the midst of sommer and sometimes when the North winds blow any thing sharpe the snow falleth in such abundance that it hideth the trees growing vpon the sides therof and is deadly both to man and beast Moreouer the fountaines which are here found are so extreame cold in the hottest of sommer as if a man should dip his hand therein but for a short space it would loose both life sence and motion Besides Mount Atlas those mountaines likewise are very famous which being situate on the south part of Africa are called by the Portugales Os Picosfragosos for by reason of their surpassing height and craggie cliffes it is impossible to skale them and they are bare forlorne and destitute of all reliefe Likewise the cape commonly called Sierra Leonais as it were framed out of an exceeding high mountaine which may be kenned a mightie distance off the top of this mountaine is continuallie ouershadowed with cloudes which often send forth dreadfull thunder and lightening whereupon some think it to haue bin called by Ptolemey and by Hanno of Carthage The chariot of the gods The mountaines of the moone also knowen of old and situate vnder the Tropique of Capricorne being very high and craggie are inhabited by barbarous and sauage people nere vnto which are valleis of such exceeding depth as if they reached to the center of the earth Likewise there are certain mountaines in Angola called Cabambe containing most rich siluer-mines c. Also in Africa are certaine mightie lakes which for their extension seem rather to be seas the principal wherof called by some Zembre being situate by a number of huge mountaines and distant from the Equinoctial eleuen or twelue degrees to the south containeth about fiue hundred leagues in compasse out of which lake doe spring the famous riuers of Nilus Zaire and Cuama and some affirme very strange sea-monsters to be therein Africa likewise hath many exceeding great riuers as namely Nilus Niger Senaga Gambra Zaire Abagni Tagassi Coluez Coauo Cuama and Maniche or Rio del spirito santo all which are in a manner of the same qualitie and disposition for with their yeerlie in undations they doe most wonderfullie fatten and enrich the soile of the territories adioyning Nilus the most famous riuer of the world diuiding Egypt in the midst and with his ouerflowes making it most fruitefull continueth in his yeerely increase fortie daies and forty daies in decrease to wit from the seuenteenth of Iune to the sixt of October and this riuer after a mightie long course through Ethiopia and Egypt dischargeth his streames into the Mediterran sea The riuer of Niger running through the land of Negros called of old as Solinus supposed by the naturall inhabitants Astabus and according to Marmolius Hued Nijar in the Arabian toung is now esteemed by Paulus Iouius to be Gambra and by Cadamosta the riuer of Senaga but that both of them are deceiued it is euident out of the description of Sanutus who putteth downe the two foresaid riuers
are certaine mightie lakes by the benefite whereof a great part of Nubia is watred and made fruitfull The Isle of Meroe MEroe called at this time by the names of Guengare Amara and Nobe being the greatest and fairestisle which Nilus maketh and resembled by Herodotus to the shape of a target containeth in bredth a thousand and in length three thousand stadios or furlongs It aboundeth with golde siluer copper iron Eben-wood palme-trees and other such commodities as are in Nubia Some write that there growe canes or reeds of so huge a bignes that the people make botes of them Heere also you haue minerall salt and lions elephants and leopards This island is inhabited by Mahumetans who are confederate with the Moores against Prete Ianni Strabo affirmeth that in old time the authoritie of the priests of this island was so great that by a meane and ordinarie messenger they woulde command the king to murther himselfe and woulde substitute an other in his roome But at length one king hauing in a certaine temple put all the saide priests to death quite abolished that monstrous custome And heere as Nilus vnfoldeth himselfe into two branches to embrace this Islande he receiueth from the east the riuer of Abagni and from the west the riuer Sarabotto which haue likewise other smaller riuers falling into them The Abassins are of opinion that the Queene of Saba which trauelled so farre to heare the wisedome of Salomon was mistresse of this isle Paulus Ionius saith here are three kings one a Gentile the second a Moore and the third a Christian subiect vnto the Prete From Meroe to Siene it is accounted fifteene daies iourney by water Abassia or the empire of Prete Ianni THe Abassins are a people subiect to Prete Ianni whose empire if we consider the stile which he vseth in his letters hath most ample confines For he intituleth himselfe emperour of the great and higher Ethiopia king of Goiame which as Botero supposeth is situate betweene Nilus and Zaire of Vangue a kingdome beyond Zaire of Damut which confineth with the land of the Anzichi and towards the south he is called king of Cafate and Bagamidri two prouinces bordering vpon the first great lake which is the originall fountaine of Nilus as likewise of the kingdomes of Xoa Fatigar Angote Baru Baaliganze Adea Amara Ambea Vaguc Tigremahon Sabaim where the Queene of Saba gouerned and lastly of Barnagaes and lorde as farre as Nubia which bordereth vpon Egypt But at this present the center or midst of his Empire as Iohn Barros writeth is the lake of Barcena For it extendeth eastward towarde the Red sea as farre as Suaquen the space of two hundred twentie and two leagues Howbeit betweene the sea and his dominions runneth a ridge of mountaines inhabited by Moores who are masters of al the sea-coast along except the porte of Ercoco which belongeth to the Prete And likewise on the west his empire is restrained by another mountainous ridge stretching along the riuer of Nilus where are founde most rich mines of golde amongst which are the mines of Damut and of Sinassij wholie in the possession of Gentiles which pay tribute vnto the Prete Northward it is bounded by an imaginarie line supposed to be drawen from Suachen to the beginning of the isle Meroe aboue mentioned which line extendeth an hundred and fiue and twentie leagues From thence the Abassin borders trend south somewhat crookedly in manner of a bowe as farre as the kingdome of Adea from the mountaines whereof springeth a riuer called by Ptolemey Raptus which falleth into the sea about Melinde for the space of two hundred and fiftie nine leagues next vnto the which borders inhabite certaine Gentiles of blacke colour with curled haire And heere the 〈◊〉 empire is limited by the kingdome of Adel the head citie whereof called Arar standeth in the latitude nine degrees So that all this great empire may containe in compasse sixe hundred threescore and two leagues little more or lesse It is refreshed and watered by two mightie riuers which conuey their streames into Nilus called by Ptolemey Astaboras and Astapus and by the naturall inhabitants Abagni and Tagassi the first whereof taketh his originall from the lake of Barcena and the second from the lake of Colue Barcena lieth in seuen degrees of north latitude Colue vnder the verie Equinoctiall The first besides Abagni ingendereth also the riuer of Zeila and the second besides Tagassi giueth essence to the riuer of Quilimanci Between Abagni and the Red sea lieth the prouince of Barnagasso betweene Abagni and Tagassi are the kingdomes of Angote and Fatigar and more towards the bay of Barbarians the prouinces of Adea and of Baru and somewhat lower that of Amara In briefe beyond the riuer of Tagassi ly the regions of Bileguanzi and of Tigremahon The Abassins haue no great knowledge of Nilus by reason of the mountaines which deuide them from it for which cause they call Abagni the father of riuers Howbeit they say that vpon Nilus do inhabite two great and populous nations one of Iewes towards the west vnder the gouernment of a mighty king the other more southerly consisting of Amazones or warlike women whereof wee will speake more at large in our relation of Monomotapa Throughout all the dominion of the Prete there is not any one city of importance either for multitude of inhabitantes for magnificent buildings or for any other respect For the greatest townes there containe not aboue two thousand housholds the houses being cottage-like reared vp with clay and couered with straw or such like base matter Also Ptolemey intreating of these partes maketh mention but of three or foure cities onely which he appointeth to the south of the Isle Meroe Howbeit in some places vpon the frontiers of Abassia there are certaine townes verie fairely built and much frequented for traffique The Portugales in their trauailes throughout the empire haue often declared vnto the Abassins how much better it were for auoiding of the outragious iniuries and losses daily inflicted by the Moores and Mahumetans both vpon their goods and persons if the emperour would build cities and castles stronglie walled and fortified Whereunto they made answere that the power of their Neguz or emperour consisted not in stone-walles but in the armes of his people They vse not ordinarily any lime or stone but onely for the building of churches saying that so it becommeth vs to make a difference between the houses of men and churches dedicated to God and of their Beteneguz or houses of the emperour wherein the gouernours of prouinces are placed to execute iustice These Beteneguz stand continually open and yet in the gouernours absence no man dare enter into them vnder paine of being punished as a traytour Moreouer in the city of Axuma esteemed by them to haue beene the seate of the Queene of Saba stand certaine ruinous buildings like vnto pyramides which by reason of their greatnes
they performe without molestation or hurt of any But the residue which are depriued of their pay betake themselues wholy to robberies thefts slaughters and such other monstrous outrages For these lurking alwaies in the woods no sooner see any merchant approching but suddenly they breake foorth depriuing him of his goodes and life also insomuch that now merchants dare not passe that way but with a garrison of safe-conduct And so they passe sometimes to their great inconuenience For they are notwithstanding constrained to giue vnto the foresaid Arabians which are in pay with the king of Tunis great summes of money and are likewise oftentimes so in danger of robbers that they lose both their goods liues Adiuision of the Arabians which inhabite Africa and are called by the name of Barbarians into diuers progenies or kinreds THE Arabians which inhabite Africa are diuided into three partes one part whereof are called Cachin the second Hilell and the third Machill The Cachin are diuided into three nations or tribes to wit the tribes of Etheg Sumait and Sahid Moreouer Etheg is diuided into three families that is to say the familie of Delleg Elmuntefig and Subair and these are dispersed into many regions Hilel are deriued into fower generations to wit the people of Benihemir of Rieh of Sufien and of Chusain The familie of Benihemir is diuided into the linages of Huroam Hucben Habrum and Mussim The tribe of Rieh are distributed into the kinreds called Deuvad Suaid Asgeg Elcherith Enedri and Garfam which kinreds possesse many dominions Machil haue three tribes vnder them to wit Mastar Hutmen and Hassan Mastar are diuided into Ruchen and Selim Hutmen into Elhasi and Chinan and Hassan into Deuihessen Deuimansor and Deuihubaidulla Deuihessen is distinguished into the kinreds called Dulein Berbun Vodein Racmen and Hamram Deuimansor into Hemrun Menebbe Husein and Albuhusein and lastly Deuihubaidulla into Garag Hedeg Teleb and Geoan All these doe in a manner possesse innumerable regions insomuch that to reckon them vp at large were a matter not onely difficult but almost impossible Of the habitations and number of the foresaid Arabians THE most noble and famous Arabians were they of the familie of Etheg vnto whome Almansor gaue the regions of Duccala and of Tedles to inhabit These Arabians euen till our times haue beene put to great distresse and hazard partly by the Portugall king and partly by the king of Fez. They haue at all oportunities if need should require a hundred thousand soldiers fit to beare armes a great part whereof are horsemen The Arabians called Sumait enioy that part of the Libyan desert which lieth ouer against the desert of Tripoly These make often inuasions into Barbarie for they haue no places allotted them therein but they and their camels doe perpetually remaine in the deserts They are able to leuie fowerscore thousand soldiers the greatest part being footmen Likewise the tribe of Sahid doe inhabite the desert of Libya and these haue had alwaies great league and familiaritie with the king of Guargala They haue such abundance of cattell that they doe plentifully supply all the cities of that region with flesh and that especially in sommer time for all the winter they stirre not out of the deserts Their number is increased to about a hundred and fiftie thousand hauing not many horsemen among them The tribe of Delleg possesse diuers habitations howbeit Caesaria containeth the greatest part of them Some also inhabit vpon the frontiers of the kingdome of Bugia who are said to receiue a yeerely stipend from their next neighbours But the least part of them dwell vpon the field-countrey of Acdes vpon the borders of Mauritania and vpon some part of mount Atlas being subiect vnto the king of Fez. The people of Elmuntefig are seated in the prouince of Azgar and are called by the later writers Elcaluth These also pay certaine yeerely tribute vnto the King of Fez beeing able to furnish about eight thousand horsemen to the warres The kindred of Sobair doe inhabit not farre from the kingdome of Gezeir being many of them vnder the pay of the king of Tremizen and are said to enioy a great part of Numidia They haue more or lesse three thousand most warlike horsemen They possesse likewise great abundance of camels for which cause they abide all winter in the deserts The remnant of them occupieth the plaine which lieth betweene Sala and Mecnes These haue huge droues of cattell and exercise themselues in husbandrie being constrained to pay some yeerely tribute vnto the king of Fez. They haue horsemen who as a man may say are naturally framed to the warres about fower thousand in number Of the people of Hillel and of their habitations HIllel which are also called Benihamir dwell vpon the frontiers of the kingdome of Tremizen and Oran These range vp and downe the desert of Tegorarin being in pay vnder the king of Tremizen and of great riches and power insomuch that they haue at all times in a readines for the 〈◊〉 six thousand horsemen The tribe of Hurua possesse onely the borders of Mustuganim These are sauage people giuing themselues wholy to spoiles and robberies and alienating their mindes from the warres They neuer come foorth of the deserts for the people of Barbarie will neither allow them any places of habitation nor yet any stipend at all horsemen they haue to the number of two thousand The kindred of Hucban are next neighbours vnto the region of Melian who receiue certaine pay from the king of Tunis They are rude and wilde people and in very deede estranged from al humanitie they haue as it is reported about fifteene hundred horsemen The tribe of Habru inhabit the region lying betweene Oran and Mustuganim these exercise husbandrie paying yeerely tribute vnto the king of Tremizen and being scarce able to make one hundred horsemen The people called Mussim possesse those deserts of Masila which extend vnto the kingdome of Bugia These likewise are giuen onely to theft and robberie they take tribute both of their owne people and of other regions adioyning vnto them The tribe of Rieeh inhabite those deserts of Libya which border vpon Constantina These haue most ample dominions in Numidia being now diuided into sixe parts This right famous and warlike nation receiueth stipende from the king of Tunis hauing fiue thousande horsemen at command The people of Suaid enioy that desert which is extended vnto the signiorie of Tenez These haue very large possessions receiuing stipend from the king of Tremizen being men of notable dexteritie as well in the warres as in all other conuersation of life The kindred of Azgeg dwell not all together in one place for part of them inhabite the region of Garet among the people called Hemram and the residue poslesse that part of Duccala which lieth neere vnto Azaphi The tribe of Elcherit dwell vpon that portion of Helin which is situate in the plaine of Sahidim hauing the people of Heah tributarie
mattresse some of which beds are ten elles in length some more and some lesse yea some you shall finde of twenty elles long but none longer one part of these mattresses they lye vpon insteed of a couch and with the residue they couer their bodies as it were with 〈◊〉 and couerlets In the Spring-time alwaies they lay the hairie side next vnto their bodies because it is somewhat warmer but in Sommer-time not regarding that side they turne the smooth side vpwarde and thereon they rest themselues Likewise of such base and harsh stuffe they make their cushions being much like vnto the stuffe which is brought hither out of Albania and Turkie to serue for horse-cloathes The women of Hea goe commonly with their faces vncouered vsing for their huswifery turned vessels and cups of wood their platters dishes and other their kitchin-vessels be for the most part of earth You may easily discerne which of them is married and who is not for an vnmarried man must alwaies keepe his beard shauen which after hee be once married hee suffereth to grow at length The saide region bringeth foorth no great plentie of horses but those that it doth bring foorth are so nimble and full of mettall that they will climbe like cats ouer the steepe and craggie mountaines These horses are alwaies vnshod and the people of this region vse to till their ground with no other cattell but onely with horses and asses You shall here finde great store of deere of wilde goats and of hares Howbeit the people are no whit delighted in hunting Which is the cause as I thinke why the said beasts do so multiply And it is somwhat strange that so many riuers running through the countrey they should haue such scarsitie of water-mils but the reason is because euerie houshold almost haue a woodden mill of their owne whereat their women vsually grinde with their hands No good learning nor liberall artes are heere to be found except it bee a little skill in the lawes which some few chalenge vnto themselues otherwise you shall finde not so much as any shadow of vertue among them They haue neither Phisition nor Surgeon of any learning or account But if a disease or infirmitie befall any of them they presently seare or cauterize the sicke partie with red hot yrons euen as the Italians vse their horses Howbeit some chirurgians there are among them whose duty and occupation consisteth onely in circumcising of their male children They make no sope in all the countrey but instead thereof they vse to wash with lee made of ashes They are at continuall warre but it is ciuill and among themselues insomuch that they haue no leisure to fight against other nations Whosoeuer will trauell into a 〈◊〉 countrey must take either a harlot or a wife or a religious man of the contrarie part to beare him companie They haue no regard at all of iustice especially in those mountaines which are destitute of gouernours or princes yea euen the principall men of this verie region of Hea which dwell within townes and cities dare scarce prescribe any law or good order vnto the people so great is their insolencie in all places The cities of Hea are few in number but they haue great store of villages townes and most strong castles whereof God willing we will hereafter speake more at large Of Tednest one of the cities of Hea. THE auncient citie of Tednest was built by the Africans vpon a most beautiful and large plaine which they inuironed with a loftie wall built of bricke and lime Likewise a certaine riuer running foorth of the citie serueth to fill vp the wall ditch In this citie are certaine merchants that sell cloath wherein the people of the same place are clad Here is likewise vttered a kinde of cloth which is brought thither out of Portugall howbeit they will admit no artificers but taylors botchers carpenters and a few gold-smithes which are Iewes In this citie there are no innes stoues nor wine-tauerns so that whatsoeuer merchant goes thither must seeke out some of his acquaintance to remaine withall but if he hath no friends 〈◊〉 acquaintance in the town then the principall inhabitants there cast lots who should entertaine the strange merchant insomuch that no stranger be he neuer so meane shall want friendly entertainment but is alwaies sumptuously and honourably accepted of But whosoeuer is receiued as a guest must at his departure bestow some gift vpon his host in token of thankfulnes to the ende he may be more welcome at his next returne Howbeit if the saide stranger bee no merchant he may chuse what great mans house he will to lodge in beeing bound at his departure to no recompence nor gift To be short if any begger or poore pilgrim passé the same way he hath some 〈◊〉 prouided for him in a certaine hospitall which was founded onely for the reliefe of poore people and is maintained at the common charge of the citie In the middest of the citie stands an auncient temple beeing most sumptuously built and of an huge bignes which was thought to bee founded at the verie same time when as the King of Maroco bare rule in those places This temple hath a great cestern standing in the midst thereof and it hath many priests and such kinde of people which giue attendance thereunto and store it with things necessarie In this citie likewise are diuers other temples which 〈◊〉 they are but little yet be they most cleanly and decently kept There are in this citie about an hundred families of Iewes who pay no yeerely tribute at all but only bestow each of them some gratuitie vpon this or that nobleman whom they thinke to fauour them most to the ende they may enioy their fauour still and the greatest part of the said citie is inhabited with Iewes These Iewes haue certaine minting-houses wherein they stampe siluer coine of which 170. Aspers as they call them doe weigh one ounce beeing like vnto the common coine of Hungarie sauing that this Asper is square and the Hungarian coine is round The inhabitants of Tednest are free from al tributes yeerely taxations howbeit if any summe of money be wanting for the erection of a publique building or for any other common vse the people is foorthwith assembled and each man must giue according to his abilitie This citie was left desolate in the yeere 918. of the Hegeira At what time all the citizens thereof fled vnto the mountaines and from thence to Maroco The reason they say was because the inhabitants were informed that their next neighbours the Arabians ioyned in league with the Portugall Captaines who as then held the towne of Azaphi and promised to deliuer Tednest into the hands of the Christians which thing so danted the citizens that they presently sought to saue themselues by flight My selfe I remember sawe this citie vtterly ruined and defaced the walles thereof beeing laide euen with the ground the houses
the mountaine and which lieth betweene the towne and the riuer Neither doe they enioy that gratis for they yeerely pay vnto the Arabians for tribute the third part of their corne Of the new towne of Delgumuha VPon the top of a certaine high mountaine was built in our time a most large and impregnable forte being enuironed on all sides with diuers other mountaines and called by the inhabitants New Delgumuha Beneath the said mountaine springeth Asifinuall which word signifieth in the African toong the riuer of rumor because that breaking foorth by the side of the hill with a monstrous noise it maketh a most deepe gulfe much like vnto that which the Italians call Inferno di Tivoli The said forte containeth almost a thousand families It was sometime gouerned by a certaine tyrant which came thither out of the king of Maroco his court Here may you finde great store of soldiers both horsemen and fooremen They gather yeerely tribute of the people bordering vpon Atlas to the summe of a thousand crownes They haue alwaies had great league and familiaritie with the Arabians each of whom haue accustomed to salute and gratifie the other with mutuall gifts for which cause they haue oftentimes much prouoked the kings of Maroco against them They haue alwaies beene great louers of ciuilitie and haue worne neat and decent apparell neither shall you find any corner in the whole towne which is not well peopled In this towne are plentie of artificers for it is but fiftie miles from the citie of Maroco Vpon the said mountaine there are great store of gardens and orchards which yeeld the inhabitants abundancè offruit yeerely They reape likewise barlie hempe and cotton and their goates are almost innumerable Likewise they haue many priests and iudges but as touching their mindes they are ignorant froward and exceedingly addicted to ielousie In this towne I aboad certaine daies with a kinsman of mine who while he dwelt at Fez being impouerished with extreme studie of Alchimie was constrained to flee vnto this towne where in processe of time he became Secretarie vnto the gouernour Of the citie of Imizmizi VPon a certaine part of Atlas standeth a citie called Imizmizi Westward it is distant from new Delgumuha about fourteene miles and this citie the Arabians are reported to haue built Neere vnto this citie lieth the common high way to Guzula ouer the mountaines of Atlas being commonly called Burris that is A way strowed with feathers because snow falles often thereupon which a man would thinke rather to be feathers then snow Not far from this towne likewise there is a very faire and large plaine which extendeth for the space of thirtie miles euen to the territorie of Maroco This most fertile plaine yeeldeth such excellent corne as to my remembrance I neuer saw the like Sauing that the Arabians and soldiers of Maroco doe so much molest the said plaine countrie that the greater part thereof is destitute of inhabitants yea I haue heard of many citizens that haue forsaken the citie it selfe thinking it better to depart then to be daily oppressed with so many inconueniences They haue very little money but the scarcitie thereof is recompenced by their abundance of good ground and their plentie of corne In the time of my aboad with them I went vnto a certaine Hermite which they called Sidi Canon which famous and woorthie man gaue me such friendly entertainment as I cannot easily expresse Of the three townes of Tumelgast THese three townes called by the name of Tumelgast are situate vpon a plaine about thirtie miles from Maroco and fourteene miles northward of Atlas being replenished with palme-trees vines and all other trees that beare fruit Their fields are very large and fertill were they not continually wasted by the lewd Arabians So few are the inhabitants of these three townes that I thinke there are not in all aboue fifteene families all which are ioined in affinitie and kinred vnto the foresaid hermite for which cause they are permitted to till some part of that plaine without paying of any tribute vnto the Arabians Saue onely that they entertaine the Arabians when they trauell that way Their lowly and base habitations a man would take rather to be hogs-cotes then dwelling places for men hence it is that they are so continually vexed with fleas gnats and other such vermine Their water is exceeding salt This prouince also I perused in the companie of my deere friend Sidi 〈◊〉 who went thither to gather vp the tribute of the countrie on the behalfe of the king of Portugall This Sidi was appointed gouernour ouer all that circuit which is called by them Azafi Of the towne of Tesrast THis towne is situate vpon the banke of the riuer Asifelmel It standeth westward of Maroco fourteen miles about twētie miles from Atlas Round about this towne they haue diuers gardens enclosures abounding with dates and corne and the chiefe part of the inhabitants earne their liuing with gardening Howbeit sometimes the increase of their riuer is so great that it drowneth all their gardens and corne-fields And they are by so much the more miserable in regard that the Arabians all summer-time doe possesse the whole region deuouring all things which the poore husbandmen by their great care and industrie had prouided With these people I made no longer tarrying but onely till I could haue well baited my horse howbeit in that short time I hardly escaped with life and goods from certain Arabian theeues A most exact description of the great and famous citie of Maroco THis noble citie of Maroco in Africa is accounted to be one of the greatest cities in the whole world It is built vpon a most large field being about fourteene miles distant from Atlas One Ioseph the sonne of Tesfin and king of the tribe or people called Luntuna is reported to haue beene the founder of this citie at that very time when he conducted his troupes into the region of Maroco and setled himselfe not farre from the common high way which stretcheth from Agmet ouer the mountaines of Atlas to those deserts where the foresaid tribe or people doe vsually inhabite Here may you behold most stately and woonderfull workmanship for all their buildings are so cunningly and artificially contriued that a man cannot easily describe the same This huge and mighty citie at such time as it was gouerned by Hali the sonne of king Ioseph contained moe then 100000. families It had fower and twenty gates belonging thereto and a wall of great strength and thicknes which was built of white stone and lime From this citie the riuer of Tensift lieth about sixe miles distant Here may you behold great abundance of temples of colleges of bath-stoues and of innes all framed after the fashion and custome of that region Some were built by the king of the tribe of Luntuna and others by Elmunchidin his successor but the most curious and magnificent temple of all is that
each one of you to death which though it be ful sore against my wil yet needs I must obey my prince if I wil not wittingly runne vpon mine owne destruction And then shedding some fained teares sithens quoth he we can vpon the sodaine deuise no better course I thinke it most conuenient to send you with a troupe of horsemen vnto the king whose wrath perhaps you may by some meanes pacifie Whereupon the captiues growing farre more pensiue then before recommended themselues vnto God and to the captaines clemencie requesting his good will with many teares And foorthwith there comes one in among them who aduised them to make vp some round summe of money therewithall to trie if they could appease the king and seemed likewise to intreat the captaine that he woulde by his letters stande their friend to the king Heereunto the captiues agreeing with one voice promised that they would giue the king a great summe of golde and woulde most liberally reward the captaine The captaine as though forsooth this condition much disliked him asked at length how much golde they ment to send the king one saide that he woulde disburse a thousand ducates another that he would giue fiue hundreth and the third eight hundreth But the captaine making shew that this was too little saide that he was loth to make signification of so small a summe vnto the king howbeit better it were for you quoth the captaine to goe your selues vnto the king with whom perhaps you shall make a more reasonable end then you are aware of But they fearing hard measure if they should be caried vnto the king were far more importunate with the captaine then before that he would to his power be good vnto them Wherefore the captaine as though at length he had been mooued with their vehement petitions spake vnto them in this wise heere are of you my masters two and fortie noble rich persons if you wil promise two thousand ducates a man I will signifie on your behalfe so much vnto the king and so I hope to perswade him but if this condition will not please him then must I needs send you to make answere for your selues This condition they al of them yeelded vnto howbeit with this prouizo that euery man should giue proportionablie to his wealth and that they might haue for the paiment fifteene daies of farther respite The twelfth day following the captaine fained that he had receiued letters from his king signifying that the king for his sake woulde shewe the captiues more fauour The fifteenth day he had paied vnto him eightie fowre thousand ducates neither coulde he sufficiently woonder how in so small a towne among two and fortie inhabitants onely such huge sums of money could so readily be found Then wrote he vnto his king how all matters had passed demaunding what should be done with the gold And so the king foorthwith sent two of his secretaries with an hundreth horsemen to fetch home the saide golde vnto Fez. The captiues being restored to their libertie presented the saide captaine with horses slaues ciuet and such like gifts to the value of two thousand ducates giuing him exceeding thankes for their libertie and requesting him to take their presents in good woorth for had not their treasure beene quite consumed they saide they woulde haue bestowed farre greater vpon him Wherefore from thence forward that region was subiect vnto the king of Fez and to the foresaide captaine Ezzeranghi till he was trecherously slaine by certaine Arabians Moreouer the king receiueth from that citie euen at this present twentie thousand ducats for yeerely tribute I haue in this narration beene indeede somewhat more large then neede required howbeit perhaps I did it bicause I my selfe was present in al the expedition and was an earnest mediatour for the citizens release neither saw I euer to my remembrance a greater masse of golde then was by subtiltie drawne from them Yea the king himselfe neuer had so much golde in his coffers at one time for albeit he receiueth yeerely thirtie thousand ducates yet neuer could he store himselfe with so much at once nor his father before him These things were done in the yeere of the Hegeira 915. and in the yeere of our Lord 1506. And here I would haue the reader to consider what mans industrie and wit may doe in getting of money The King maruelled much at this summe of gold but afterward he had greater cause to woonder at the wealth of a certaine Iewe who payed more out of his owne purse then all the forenamed captiues And his riches were the cause why the King of Fez exacted fiftie thousand ducates from the Iewes for that they were said to fauour his enimies I my selfe bare him companie that went in the Kings name to receiue the sayd summe of the Iewes Of Efza a towne of Tedles THis towne standeth two miles from Tefza and containeth almost sixe hundred families being built vpon a little hill at the foote of mount Atlas In this towne are many Moores and Iewes which make Bernussi The naturall inhabitants are either artificers or husbandmen being in subiection to the gouernours of Tefza Their women are excellent spinsters wherby they are saide to gaine more then the men of the towne Betweene this towne and Tefza runneth a certaine riuer called by the inhabitants Derne which springing foorth of Atlas runneth through the plaines of that region till at length it falleth into Ommirabih On both sides of this riuer are most beautifull and large gardens replenished with all kindes of fruits The townesmen here are most liberall and curteous people and will permit merchants trauelling that way freely to come into their gardens and to take thence as much fruit as they will No people are slower then they for paying of debts for albeit the merchants lay downe readie money to receiue Bernussi within three moneths yet are they sometime faine to stay an whole yeere My selfe was in this towne when the kings armie lay in Tedles and then they yeelded themselues to the king The second time that the kings generall of his armie came vnto them they presented him with fifteen horses and as many slaues Afterward they gaue him fifteene kine in token that they were the kings loyall subiects Of Cithiteb THis towne was built by the Africans vpon an high hill almost tenne miles westward of Efza Well peopled it is with rich and noble inhabitants and because Bernussi be here made it is alwaies frequented with store of merchants The top of the said high mountaine is continually couered with snow The fields adioyning to the towne are full of vineyards and gardens which bring foorth fruits in such abundance that they are nought woorth to be sold in the markets Their women are beautifull fat and comely being adorned with much siluer their eies and haire are of a browne colour The inhabitants are so stout and sullen that when the other cities of Tedles yeelded to
likewise he erected a most beautifull temple wherein he caused a goodly hall or chappell to be set vp which was curiously carued and had many faire windowes about it and in this hall when he perceiued death to seaze vpon him he commanded his subiects to 〈◊〉 his corpes Which being done they laid one marble-stone ouer his head and another ouer his feete whereon sundry 〈◊〉 were engrauen After him likewise all the honourable personages of his familie and blood chose to be interred in the same hall And so did the kings of the Marin-familie so long as their commonwealth prospered My selfe on a time entring the same hall beheld there thirtie monuments of noble and great personages and diligently wrote out all their epitaphes this I did in the yeere of the Hegeira 915. Of the towne called Mader Avuam THis towne was built in my time by a certaine treasurer of the Mahumetan prelate Abdulmumen vpon the banke of Buragrag Some say it was built onely for yron-mines From mount Atlas it is ten miles distant and betweene it and Atlas are certaine shadie woods full of terrible lions and leopards So long as the founders posteritie gouerned this towne it was well stored with people with faire buildings temples innes and hospitals but the Marin-familie preuailing daily more and more it was at length by them vtterly destroyed Part of the inhabitants were slaine and part taken prisoners and the residue by flight escaped to Sella The king of Maroco sent forces to succour the towne but the citizens being vanquished before their comming were constrained to forsake the same and to yeeld it vnto the Marin-soldiers Howbeit the king of Maroco his captaine comming vpon the Marin-captaine with round forces draue him and his foorth of the towne and tooke possession thereof himselfe At length the king of the said Marin-familie marching with an armie against Maroco tooke his iourney by this towne whereat the gouernour being dismaied left the said towne and before the kings approch betooke himselfe to flight But the king putting all the inhabitants to the sword left the towne it selfe so defaced and desolate that by report it hath lien dispeopled euer since The towne-walles and certaine steeples are as yet to be seene My selfe sawe this towne when the king of Fez hauing concluded a league with his cozen tooke his iourney to Thagia for to visite the sepulchre of one accounted in his life time an holy man called Seudi Buhasa which was in the yeere of the Hegeira 920. Anno Dom. 1511. Of Thagia a towne in Temesne THis little towne was in ancient time built by the Africans among certaine hils of mount Atlas The aire is extreme cold and the soile drie and barren It is enuironed with huge woods which are full of lions and other cruell beasts Their scarcitie of corne is sufficiently counteruailed with abundance of hony and goates Ciuilitie they haue none at all and their houses are most rudely built for they haue no vse of lime In this towne is visited the sepulchre of one accounted for a most holy man who is reported in the time of Habdulmumen to haue wrought many miracles against the furie of lions whereupon he was reputed by many as a great prophet I remember that I read in a certaine writer of that nation commonly called Etdedle a whole catalogue of the said holy mans miracles which whether he wrought by arte-magique or by some woonderfull secret of nature it is altogether vncertaine Howbeit his great fame and honorable reputation is the cause why this towne is so well fraught with inhabitants The people of Fez hauing solemnized their passeouer doe yeerely frequent this towne to visite the said sepulchre and that in such huge numbers that you woulde esteeme them to be an whole armie for euery principall man carries his tent and other necessaries with him and so you shall see sometime an hundred tents and sometimes more in that company Fifteene daies they are in performing of that pilgrimage for Thagia standeth from Fez almost an hundred and twenty miles My selfe being a childe went thither on pilgrimage oftentimes with my father as likewise being growne vp to mans estate I repaired thither as often making supplication to be deliuered from the danger of lions Of the towne of Zarfa THis towne the Africans built vpon a certaine large and beautifull plaine watred with pleasant riuers and christall-fountaines About the ancient bounds of this citie you may behold many shrubs together with fig-trees and cherrie-trees which beare such cherries as at Rome are called Marene Here are likewise certaine thornie trees the fruit whereof is by the Arabians called Rabich Somewhat lesser it is then a cherie resembling in taste the fruit called Ziziphum or Iujuba Here also may you finde great store of wilde palme-trees from which they gather a kinde of fruit like vnto Spanish oliues sauing that the stone or 〈◊〉 is greater and not so pleasant in taste before they be ripe they taste somewhat like vnto Seruice-apples This towne was destroied when king Ioseph aforesaid spoiled Temesne Now the Arabians of Temesne sow their 〈◊〉 where the towne stood with great increase and gaine Of the territorie of Fez. WEstward it beginneth at the riuer of Buragrag and stretcheth eastward to the riuer called Inauen which two riuers are almost a hundred miles distant asunder Northward it bordereth vpon the riuer Subu and southward vpon the foote of Atlas The soile both for abundance of corne fruits and cattell seemeth to be inferiour to none other Within this prouince you shall see many exceeding great villages which may for their bignes not vnfitly be called townes The plaines of this region haue beene so wasted with former warres that very few inhabitants dwell vpon them except certaine poore silly Arabians some of whom haue ground of their owne and some possesse ground in common either with the citizens of Fez or with the king or else with some 〈◊〉 But the fields of Sala and Mecnase are tilled by other Arabians of better account and are for the most part subiect to the king of Fez. And now those things which are woorthy of memorie in this region let vs here make report of Of the citie or towne of Sella THis most ancient citie was built by the Romans and sacked by the Gothes And afterward when the Mahumetans armie were entred into the same region the Gothes gaue it to Tarick one of their captaines But euer since the time that Fez was built Sela hath beene subiect vnto the gouernours thereof It is most pleasantly situate vpon the Ocean sea-shore within halfe a mile of Rebat both which townes the riuer Buragrag separateth insunder The buildings of this towne carrie a shew of antiquitie on them being artificially carued and stately supported with marble pillers Their temples are most beautifull and their shops are built vnder large porches And at the end of euery row of shops is an arch which as
iurisdictions An hundred and fowerscore yeeres after there fell out great dissension and ciuill warre betweene these two cities which by report continued an hundred yeeres together At length Ioseph king of Maroco of the Luntune-familie conducting an huge armie against both these princes tooke them prisoners carried them home vnto his dominions and put them to a most cruell death And he so vanquished the citizens that there were slaine of them thirtie thousand Then determined king Ioseph to reduce those two townes into firme vnitie and concord for which cause making a bridge ouer the riuer and beating downe the walles of either towne right against it he vnited both into one which afterward he diuided into twelue regions or wardes Now let vs make report of all such memorable things as are there to be seene at this day A most exact description of the citie of Fez. A World it is to see how large how populous how well-fortified and walled this citie is The most part thereof standeth vpon great and little hils neither is there any plaine ground but onely in the midst of the citie The riuer entreth the towne in two places for it is diuided into a double branch one whereof runneth by new Fez that is by the south side of the towne and another commeth in at the west side And so almost infinitely dispersing it selfe into the citie it is deriued by certaine conducts and chanels vnto euery temple college inne hospitall and almost to euery priuate house Vnto the temples are certaine square conducts adioined hauing celles and receptacles round about them each one of which hath a cocke whereby water is conueied through the wall into a trough of marble From whence flowing into the sinks and gutters it carrieth away all the filth of the citie into the riuer In the midst of each square conduct standeth a lowe cesterne being three cubites in depth fower in bredth and twelue in length and the water is conueied by certaine pipes into the foresaid square conducts which are almost an hundred and fiftie in number The most part of the houses are built of fine bricks and stones curiously painted Likewise their bay-windowes and portals are made of partie-coloured bricke like vnto the stones of Majorica The roofes of their houses they adorne with golde azure and other excellent colours which roofes are made of wood and plaine on the top to the end that in summer-time carpets may be spred vpon them for here they vse to lodge by reason of the exceeding heate of that countrie Some houses are of two and some of three stories high whereunto they make fine staires by which they passe from one roome to another vnder the same roofe for the middle part of the house is alwaies open or vncouered hauing some chambers built on the one side and some on the other The chamber-doores are very high and wide which in rich mens houses are framed of excellent and carued wood Each chamber hath a presse curiously painted and varnished belonging thereunto being as long as the chamber it selfe is broad some will haue it very high and others but sixe handfuls in height that they may set it on the tester of a bed All the portals of their houses are supported with bricke-pillers finely plaistered ouer except some which stand vpon pillers of marble The beames and transoms vpholding their chambers are most curiously painted and carued To some houses likewise belong certaine square cesternes containing in bredth sixe or seuen cubites in length ten or twelue and in height but sixe or seuen handfuls being all vncouered and built of bricks trimly plaistered ouer Along the sides of these cesternes are certaine cocks which conuey the water into marbletroughes as I haue seene in many places of Europe When the foresaide conducts are full of water that which floweth ouer runneth by certaine secret pipes and conueiances into the cesternes and that which ouerfloweth the cesternes is carried likewise by other passages into the common sinks and gutters and so into the riuer The said cesternes are alwaies kept sweete and cleane neither are they 〈◊〉 but onely in summer 〈◊〉 when men women and children bathe themselues therein Moreouer on the tops of their houses they vsually build a turret with many pleasant roomes therein whither the women for recreations sake when they are wearie of working retire themselues from whence they may see well-nigh all the citie ouer Of Mahumetan temples and oratories there are almost seuen hundred in this towne fiftie whereof are most stately and sumptuously built hauing their conducts made of marble and other excellent stones vnknowen to the Italians and the chapiters of their pillers be artificially adorned with painting and caruing The tops of these temples after the fashion of Christian churches in Europe are made of ioises and planks but the pauement is couered with mats which are so cunningly sowed together that a man cannot see the bredth of a finger vncouered The walles likewise on the inner side are lined a mans height with such mats Moreouer each temple hath a turret or steeple from whence certaine are appointed with a lowd voice to call the people at their set-time of praier Euery temple hath one onely priest to say seruice therin who hath the bestowing of all reuenues belōging to his owne temple as occasion requireth for thereby are maintained lampes to burne in the night and porters to keepe the doores are paid their wages out of it and so likewise are they that call the people to ordinarie praiers in the night season for those which crie from the said towers in the day-time haue no wages but are onely released from all tributes and exactions The chiefe Mahumetan temple in this towne is called Caruven being of so incredible a bignes that the circuit thereof and of the buildings longing vnto it is a good mile and a halfe about This temple hath one and thirtie gates or portals of a woonderfull greatnes and height The roofe of this temple is in length 150. and in bredth about fowerscore Florentine cubites The turret or steeple from whence they crie amaine to assemble the people togither is exceedingly high the bredth whereof is supported with twentie and the length with thirtie pillers On the east west and north sides it hath certaine walkes or galleries fortie cubites in length and thirtie in bredth Vnder which galleries there is a cell or storehouse wherein oile candles mats and other such necessaries for the temple are laid vp Euery night in this temple are burnt nine hundred lightes for euery arch hath a seuerall lampe especially those which extend through the mid-quire Some arches there are that haue 120. candles apeece there are likewise certaine brasse-candlestickes so great and with so many sockets as they will holde each one fifteene hundred candles and these candlestickes are reported to haue beene made of bels which the king of Fez in times past tooke from Christians About the wals of the
of the house which is for the most part on the seuenth day after the mariage he buieth great plentie of fishes which he causeth his mother or some other woman to cast vpon his wiues feete and this they from an ancient superstitious custome take for a good boading Likewise at the bridegroomes fathers they vse to make two other feasts the one vpon the day before the bride is married and so that night they spend in dauncing and disport The morrow after a companie of women goe to dresse the bride to combe her locks and to paint her cheekes with vermillion her hands and her feete they die blacke but all this painting presently looseth the fresh hew and this day they haue another banket The bride they place in the highest roome that she may be seene of all and then those that dressed the bride are condignely entertained Being come to the bridegroomes house his parents salute the new bride with certaine great cups full of new wine and cakes with other iuncats which wee wil here passe ouer in silence all which are bestowed vpon the bridegroomes companions The same night which we said was spent in dauncing there are present at the bridall-house certaine minstrels and singers which by turnes sometimes vse their instruments and sometimes voice-musicke they daunce alwaies one by one and at the end of each galliard they bestow a largesse vpon the musitions If any one wil honour the dancer he bids him kneele downe before him and hauing fastened peeces of money all ouer his face the musitions presently take it off for their fee. The women daunce alone without any men at the noise of their owne musitions All these things vse to be performed when the bride is a maide But the mariages of widowes are concluded with lesse adoe Their cheere is boiled beefe and mutton and stued hens with diuers iuncating dishes among In stead of trenchers the guestes being ten or twelue in number haue so many great round platters of wood set before them And this is the common custome of gentlemen and merchants The meaner sort present their guestes with certaine sops or bruesse of bread like vnto a pan-cake which being dipped in flesh-pottage they eate out of a great platter not with spoones but with their fingers onely and round about each great platter stand to the number of ten or twelue persons Likewise they make a solemne feast at the circumcision of their male children which is vpon the seuenth day after their birth and at this feast the circumciser together with all their friends and kinsfolks is present which being done each one according to his abilitie bestoweth a gift vpon the circumciser in manner following Euery man laies his money vpon a lads face which the circumciser brought with him Whereupon the lad calling euery one by his name giueth them thanks in particular and then the infant being circumcised they spend that day with as great iollitie as a day of mariage But at the birth of a daughter they shew not so much alacritie Of their rites obserued vpon festiuall dates and their manner of mourning for the dead AMong the people of Fez there haue remained certaine reliques of festiuall daies instituted of olde by the Christians whereupon they vse certaine ceremonies which themselues vnderstande not Vpon Christmas euen they eate a sallet made of diuers herbs they seeth likewise that night all kind of pulse which they feede vpon for great dainties Vpon New-yeeres day the children goe with maskes and vizards on their faces to the houses of gentlemen and merchants and haue fruits giuen them for singing certaine carols or songs When as the feast of Saint Iohn Baptist is hallowed among Christians you shall here see all about great store of fires made with straw And when their childrens teeth begin to grow they make another feast called according to the Latines Dentilla They haue also many other rites and customes of diuining or soothsaying the like wherof I haue seene at Rome and in other cities of Italie As touching their feasts prescribed by the Mahumetan lawe they are at large set downe in that briefe treatise which we haue written concerning the same law The women hauing by death lost their husbands fathers or any other of their deere friends assemble foorthwith a great multitude of their own sexe together who stripping themselues out of their owne attire put on most vile sackcloth and defile their faces with much durt then call they certaine men clad in womens attire bringing great fower-square drums with them at the noise of which drums the women-mourners sing a funerall song tending as much as may be to the commendation of the partie deceased and at the end of euery verse the said womē vtter most hideous shrikes outcries tearing their haire with much lamentation beating their cheekes breasts till they be all-imbrued with blood and so these heathenish superstitions continue for seuen whole daies together At which seuen daies ende they surcease their mourning for the space of 40. daies then they begin anew to torment thēselues for three daies togither in maner aforesaid howbeit these kinds of obsequies are obserued onely by the baser people but the gentlemen and better sort behaue themselues more modestly At this time all the widowes friends come about her to comfort her and send diuers kinds of meats vnto her for in the mourning house they may dresse no meate at all till the dead corpes be carried foorth The woman her selfe that looseth her husband father or brother neuer goeth foorth with the funerall But how they wash and burie the dead corpes and what superstitions they vse thereabout you shall finde recorded in my little treatise aboue mentioned Of their doue-houses DIuers there are in this citie that take much pleasure in keeping of doues which are here in great plentie of all colours These doues they keepe in certaine cages or lockers on the tops of their houses which lockers they set open twise a day to wit morning and euening delighting greatly to see them flie for those that out-flie the residue are accounted the best Oftentimes it falleth out that neighbours doues will be mingled together for which cause you shall see the owners goe together by the eares Some haue a certaine net bound vnto two long canes wherewith they vse to take their neighbours doues as they come flying foorth of their louers Amongst the colliers you shall find seuen or eight shops onely of those that sel doues Their manner of gaming at Fez. THe citizens vse most of all to play at chesse and that from ancient times Other games there are also but very rude and vsed onely by the common people At certaine times of the yeere the boies of one street wil fight with clubs against the boies of another street and that sometimes with so great furie that they 〈◊〉 themselues to other weapons and slay one another especially vpon their festiuall daies what
owne religion This Geber his works and all his precepts are full of allegories or darke borrowed speeches Likewise they haue another author that wrote an huge volume of the same arte intituled by the name of Attogrehi this man was secretarie vnto the Soldan of Bagaded of whom we haue written in the liues of the Arabian philosophers Also the songs or articles of the said science were written by one Mugairibi of Granada whereupon a most learned Mamaluch of Damasco wrote a commentarie yet so that a man may much more easily vnderstand the text then the exposition thereof Of Alchymistes here are two sorts whereof the one seeke for the Elissir that is the matter which coloureth brasse and other metals and the other are conuersant about multiplication of the quantities of metals whereby they may conueniently temper the same But their chiefest drift is to coine counterfeit money for which cause you shall see most of them in Fez with their hands cut off Of charmers andinchanters of snakes IN this citie likewise there is a great swarme of base people such as the Italians commonly call Ciurmatori these sing foolish songs and rimes in all the streets of the citie and broching meere trifles with the musicke of drums harpes and citterns they sell vnto the rude people certaine scroules or briefe charmes instead of preseruatiues Vnto these you may adde another kinde of reffuse people of one family and disposition with the former who carrie dauncing apes vp and downe and haue their neckes and armes all entwined with 〈◊〉 snakes These also professe Geomancie and perswade women that they can foretell them their 〈◊〉 Likewise they carrie stone-horses about with them which for a certaine fee they will let others haue to couer their mares I coulde heere reckon vp more sorts of people but let it suffice to haue admonished in this place that the greatest part of the forenamed are people of most base condition and such as beare little good will to strangers albeit there are but a fewe in this citie by reason it is distant more then an hundreth miles from the sea the way thither also being rough and dangerous Their gentle men are very stately and high minded and will haue little or no familiaritie at all with the citizens so likewise the doctors and iudges of principall account will admit but fewe vnto their acquaintance This citie it selfe is most beautifull and right commodiously situate where albeit in winter time the streetes are so mirie that you cannot walke in them without startups yet they let passe such abundance of water out of their conducts that all the filth is washed cleane away Where conducts are wanting they carry all the durt in carts vnto the next part of the riuer A description of the suburbes without the foresaid citie of Fez. WIthout the wals of this citie westward standeth a suburbe containing almost fiue hundreth families the houses whereof are but meane and the inhabitants base as namely driuers of camels water-bearers and cleauers of woode for the kings pallace Yet here you may finde diuers shops and all kinds of artificers Here likewise dwell all the charmers and roguish minstrels before named as also great swarmes of sluttish and filthie harlots In the principall streete of this suburbe you shall finde certaine caues most artificially hewen out of excellent marble wherein the noble men of Fez were woont to lay vp their corne but after that by reason of the warres it was often taken from thence they haue since vsually conueied their corne into new Fez and there stored it vp and from that time to this the marble-caues haue remained desolate It is a woonder to see howe wide and large these caues are for the least of them will containe more then a thousand measures of corne there being aboue an hundreth and fiftie of them in all but now they lie waste and open insomuch that diuers fall into them at vnawares for which cause their brimmes are enuironed with wals Here euery one may play the vintener and the baud so that this suburbe may iustly be called the sinke of Fez. From the twentith hower you shall see none at all in their shops for then euery man runs to the tauerne to disport to spend riotously and to bee drunken Another suburbe there is allotted vnto the lepers of whom there are two hundreth families these leprous persons haue a gouernour which gathereth certaine yeerely reuenues from the noble-men and taketh such care of the saide lepers that they want no necessarie thing He is bound by his office to discharge the citie of all leprous persons and to compell all such as he vnderstandes to be infected with that disease to depart into the foresaide suburbes If any leper chanceth to die without issue part of his goods are emploied to the common benefite of the lepers and part fall to the gouernours share but if he hath any children they enioy his goods Among the lepers also those are placed which are infected with white botches or with any other incurable maladie Next beyond standeth another suburbe inhabited onely with muleters plaisterers and wood-mongers which although it be but little yet containeth it about an hundreth and fiftie families Moreouer vpon the way leading westward from the citie there is another great suburbe of moe then fower hundreth houses howbeit they are low base and the inhabitants are beggerly which neither can nor will dwell among any other people By this suburbe there is a certaine broad plaine which leadeth to the riuer two miles off and extendeth westward almost three miles Vpon this plaine euery weeke there is an exceeding great market of cattell Likewise the shopkeepers of the citie resort hither and sell their wares in tents Also a certaine companie of gentlemen vse to come hither and to diuide a ramme among themselues leauing the head vnto the butcher for his fee but the feete and the skin they sell vnto the wooll-chapmen For those wares that are heere sold they pay so little tribute to the king that it is not woorth the mentioning But this one thing I must in no wise passe ouer in silence namely that I neuer sawe neither in Asia Africa nor Italy a market either more populous or better furnished with wares Not farre from Fez stand certaine high rockes enuironed with a ditch of two miles compasse out of which rockes certaine matter is hewed to make lime withall Neere vnto the saide ditch are many furnaces some whereof are so large that they will containe moe then sixe thousand measures of lime and this lime is made at the costes of the richest citizens in Fez. Westward without the wals of Fez by the riuers side stande about an hundred cottages which are onely inhabited by them that white linnen cloth Hither in the spring and in summer vse the citizens to bring their linnen cloth spreading it vpon the medowes and as often as they see it drie in the sunne casting
both to the kings houshold and to his armie This man in time of warre hath tenne or twelue tents to lay vp corne in and euery day with change of camels he sendeth for newe corne least the armie shoulde be vnprouided of victuals he hath also cooks at his command Moreouer there is a gouernour or mastergroome of the stables who prouideth for the kings horses mules and camels and is furnished with all necessaries by the steward There is another also appointed ouerseer of the corne whose dutie it is to prouide barly and other prouender for the beasts and this man hath his scribes and notaries about him who diligently set downe all particular expenses for they must giue vp a perfect account vnto the chiefe steward They haue also a certaine captaine ouer fiftie horsemen which horsemen may well be called purseuants for they are sent by the secretarie in the kings name to do his busines Likewise the Fezzan king hath another captaine of great name being as it were gouernour of his guard who in the kings name may compell the iudges to do iustice and to put their sentences in execution This mans authoritie is so great that sometimes he may commit principal noblemen to ward may seuerely punish them according to the kings commandement Moreouer the said king hath a most trusty chancelor who keepeth the great seale and writeth and signeth the kings letters He hath also a great number of footemen the gouernour of whom accepteth and dismisseth whom he thinkes good and giueth to euery one wages according to his agilitie and desert And whensoeuer the king commeth in place of iudgement the saide gouernour alwaies attendeth vpon him and is in a manner his high chamberlain Also there is another that taketh charge of the carriages and baggage of the armie and causeth the tents of the light horsemen to be carried vp and downe on mules and the tents of the other soldiers on camels There are likewise a company of ensigne-bearers who in marching on a iourney carrie their colours wrapped vp but he that goeth before the armie hath his banner displaied and of a great height And euery one of the saide standard-bearers knoweth most exactly alwaies fords of riuers and passages through woods wherefore they are for the most part appointed to guide the armie The drummers of whom there are great store in the kings host plaie vpon certaine drums of brasse as bigge as a great kettle the lower part whereof is narrow the vpper broad being couered with a skin These drummers ride on horsebacke hauing alwaies on the one side of their horses a great waight hanging downe to counterpoize the heauines of their drums on the other side They are allowed most swift horses bicause the Moores account it a great disgrace to loose a drum The said drums make such a loude and horrible noise that they are not onely heard a farre off but also strike exceeding terrour both vpon men and horses and they are beaten onely with a buls pizzle The musitions are not maintained at the kings charge for the cities are bounde at their costs to send a certaine number of them to the warres who according to their demeanour in the warres are admitted or not admitted vnto the kings table This king hath also a certaine master of ceremonies who sitteth at his feete in the senate-house and commandeth each man to sit downe and to speake according to his dignitie All the maide-seruants in the kings familie are Negro-slaues which are partly chamberlains and partly waiting-maids And yet his Queene is alwaies of a white skin Likewise in the king of Fez his court are certaine Christian captiues being partly Spanish and partly Portugale women who are most circumspectly kept by certaine Eunuchs that are Negro-slaues The king of Fez hath very large dominions but his reuenues are small to wit scare three hundreth thousand ducats the fift part whereof redoundeth not to the king for the remainder is diuided into sundrie portions as we haue before signified Yea the greater part of the said reuenues is paide in corne cattle oile and butter all which yeeld but small store of money In some place they pay a ducate and one fourth part tribute for euery acre but in other places a whole family paieth but so much In some other regions each man aboue fifteene yeeres of age paieth as much tribute also Neither are the people of this great citie more vexed with any thing then with paying of their tributes and impositions Heere also is to be noted that the Mahumetan gouernours the priests onely excepted may not exact greater reuenues then those that Mahumet hath allotted vnto them namely of euery of their subiects which possesseth 100. ducates in ready money they are to haue two ducates an halfe for yeerely tribute Euery husbandman likewise is bound to pay for tribute the tenth part of all his corne And all the saide tributes he appointed to be paied vnto the patriarke who should bestow that which was superfluous for the Prince to haue vpon common vses namely for the releeuing of poore impotent people and widowes and for maintaining of wars against the enimie But since the Patriarches began to decay the Princes as we haue beforesaide exercised tyrannie For it was not sufficient for them to exact all the forenamed tributes and riotously to consume the same but also to vrge people vnto greater contributions so that all the inhabitants of Africa are so oppressed with daily exactions that they haue scarcely wherewithall to feed and apparell themselues for which cause there is almost no man of learning or honesty that will seeke any acquaintance with courtiers or will inuite them to his table or accept any gifts bee they neuer so pretious at their hands thinking that whatsoeuer goods they haue are gotten by theft and briberie The King of Fez continually maintaineth sixe thousand horsemen fiue hundreth crossebowes and as manie Harquebusiers being at all assayes prepared for the warres who in time of peace when the king goeth on progresse lye within a mile of his person for being at home in Fez he needeth not so strong a guard When he wageth warre against the Arabians that be his enemies because the forenamed garison is not sufficient he requireth ayde of the Arabians his subiects who at their owne costs finde him a great armie of men better trained to the warres then his owne souldiers before-mentioned The pompe and ceremonies of this king are but meane neither doth he willingly vse them but onely vpon festiuall daies and when meere necessitie requireth When the king is to ride foorth the master of ceremonies signifieth so much vnto certaine herbengers or postes whereupon the herbengers giue notice thereof vnto the kings parents vnto his nobilitie his senatours captaines guardians and gentlemen who presently arrange themselues before the palace gate At the kings comming foorth of the palace the herbengers appoint vnto each man his place and order
change the ignominious name of the place which when the king had condescended vnto they caused according to their custome a companie of rams to be slaine and certaine bladders and vessels to be filled with milke to serue for the kings breakfast the morrow after But because the said vessels were very large 〈◊〉 consulted together to put in halfe milke and halfe water hoping that 〈◊〉 king should neuer perceiue it The day following albeit the king was not very hastie of his breakfast yet his seruants vrging him thereunto he perceiued the milke to be halfe water whereat smiling he said Friends that which nature hath giuen no man can 〈◊〉 away And with that saying he departed Now this castle is razed to the ground vtterly destroied but the territorie thereof is occupied by certaine miserable Arabians Of the region of Beni Guariten THe region of Beni Guariten lieth eastward of 〈◊〉 about eighteene miles It is altogether hillie and mountainous abounding with all kind of pulse and with store of good pasture and medow-ground and containing almost two hundred villages Their houses are in all places rudely built and the inhabitants are base people neither haue they any vineyards or gardens nor any tree that beareth fruit This region the king of Fez vsually diuideth among his youngest brothers and sisters The inhabitants haue great store of corne and wooll and albeit they are passing rich yet go they very meanly attired they ride onely vpon asses for which cause they are had in great derision by their neighbours Of the region called Aseis THis region is distant to the west of Fez almost twentie miles and is by the inhabitants called Aseis it consisteth of a perpetuall plaine wherupon some coniecture that it hath had in olde time many villages and castles whereof now there is no mention at all nor so much as a signe of any building onely the names of places yet remaine This region extendeth westward eighteene and southward almost twenty miles The soile is most fertile and bringeth foorth blacke and small graines Wels and fountaines are here very rare It was woont to be subiect vnto certaine Arabian husbandmen but now it is assigned by the king vnto the gouernor of that citie Of mount Togat THis mountaine standeth almost seuen miles westward of Fez being very high and but of small bredth Eastward it extendeth to the riuer Bunafe being about fiue miles distant All that side which looketh towards Fez and the top thereof and that part which lieth ouer against Essich are woonderfully replenished with vines and with all kinde of graine Vpon the top of this mountaine are diuers caues and hollow places where the searchers of treasure suppose that the Romans hid vp their wealth as we haue before signified The said treasure-searchers so soone as the vintage is past vse to take great paines in digging of the rocke and albeit they finde nothing yet will they not giue ouer All the fruits of this mountaine are most vnpleasant both to the 〈◊〉 and to the taste and yet they are sooner ripe then the fruits of other places thereabout Of mount Guraigura THis mountaine being neer vnto Atlas is almost fortie miles distant from Fez. From hence springeth a certaine riuer which running westward falleth into the riuer Bath This mountaine standeth betweene two most large and spatious plaines whereof the one to Fez ward is as we haue before said called Aseis and the other lying southward is named Adecsen Which Adecsen is most fertile both for corne and pasture And they are possessed by certaine Arabians called Zuhair being vassals vnto the king of Fez but the king assigneth for the most part this plaine vnto his brother or some other of his kinsfolkes out of which they yeerely gather ten thousand duckats The foresaid Arabians are continually molested by certaine other Arabians called Elhusein which liue in the deserts for in summer-time they vsually inuade the plaines wherefore the king of Fez for the defence of this region maintaineth a certaine number of horsemen and of crossebowes This plaine is watered with christall-fountaines and pleasant riuers Neere vnto the said plaine are diuers woods and forrests where lions keepe which are so gentle and tame that any man may driue them away with a staffe neither doe they any harme at all Now let vs proceede vnto the description of Azgara A description of Azgara one of the seuen principall regions belonging to the kingdome of Fez. THis region bordereth northward vpon the Ocean-sea westward vpon the riuer of Buragrag eastward vpon the mountaines partly of Gumera partly of Zarhon and partly of Zalag and southward it is inclosed with the riuer of Bunasar This region consisteth altogether of plaine ground being a most fertile soile and in olde time very populous and adorned with many townes and castles which are now so defaced and ruined by reason of wars that small villages onely are left for the inhabitants to hide their heads in The length of this region is about fowerscore and the bredth almost three score miles Through the midst thereof runneth the riuer of Subu The Arabian inhabitants are called Elculoth being descended from the familie of Muntafic they are subiect to the king of Fez and pay vnto him large tributes howbeit they are rich and curious in their apparell and are such valiant soldiers that the king of Fez leuieth his whole armie of them onely when he hath any warres of great moment to atchieue This region abundantly furnisheth not onely Fez but all the mountaines of Gumera with victuals horses and other cattell and here the king of Fez vsually remaineth all winter and the spring by reason of the temperature and holesomnes of the aire Here is great plentie of roes and hares and yet very few woods Of Giumha a towne in Azgara THis towne the Africans built in our time by a riuers side vpon that plaine ouer which the way lieth from Fez to the citie of Harais and it is distant from Fez about thirtie miles It was in times past very populous but now it lieth so desolate by reason of the war of Sahid that it serueth onely for caues and receptacles for the Arabians to lay vp their corne in for the sauegard whereof they pitch certaine tents neere vnto the place Of the towne of Harais THis towne was founded by the ancient Africans vpon the Ocean sea shore neere vnto the mouth of the riuer Luccus one side thereof adioining vpon the said riuer and the other side vpon the maine Ocean When the Moores were lords of Arzilla and Tangia this towne was well inhabited but those two townes being woon by the Christians Harais remained destitute of inhabitants almost twentie yeeres together howbeit afterward the king of Fez his sonne fearing the Portugals inuasion caused it strongly to bee fortified and kept with a perpetuall garrison The passage vnto this towne by the riuers mouth is very dangerous and difficult Likewise the kings sonne caused a castle
vnto his nobles I thinke said the king it hath beene sufficiently protested and affirmed sithence I haue bound it with a solemne oath in the presence of these fower for heere stande my chiefe secretarie the generall of my forces my father in lawe and the chiefe iudge and patriarke of Fez the testimonie of which fower may well satisfie you Whereupon Mahumet humblie falling at the kings feete 〈◊〉 heere the man quoth he that submissely acknowledgeth his fault and craueth the kings gratious pardon With that the king himselfe lifted him from the ground embraced him and saluted him with friendly speeches Then caused he both his daughters to be called which he bestowed vpon Mahumets sonnes all which being done he remooued his armie from that mountaine and returned conquerour vnto Fez. This was done in the yeere of the Hegeira 904. which was in the yeere of our Lord 1495. And in the yeere of the Hegeira 921. I my selfe was at the citie of Dubdu where I was most curteously entertained by the foresaid Mahumet in regard of certaine letters of commendation which I brought from the king of Fez and his brother Neither would he cease enquiring how all things passed at the king of Fez his court Of the citie of Teza or Tezza THis great noble and rich citie of Tezza was built by the Africans fiue miles from mount Atlas being distant from Fez fiftie from the Ocean an hundred and thirtie and from the Mediterran sea seuen miles and standing in the way from Garet to Chasasan It contained in times past about fiue thousand families the buildings of this towne are not very stately except noblemens palaces colleges and temples which are somewhat beautifull Out of Atlas springeth a little riuer which runneth through the chiefe temple of this citie and sometimes it falleth out that certaine people bordering vpon the citie vpon some quarrell with the citizens will cut off this riuer from the citie and turne the course thereof some other way which breedeth great inconueniences vnto the citizens for then they can neither builde houses nor get any water to drinke but onely corrupt water which they take out of certaine cesterns for which cause they are often constrained to make a league with those borderers This citie both for wealth ciuilitie and abundance of people is the thirde citie of all the kingdome and hath a greater temple then that at Fez heere are likewise three colleges with diuers bath-stoues and a great number of hospitals Each trade and occupation hath a seuerall place in this citie like as they haue in Fez the inhabitants are of a more valiant and liberall disposition then they of Fez heere are also great store of learned and rich men and the fieldes adiacent are exceeding fruitfull Without the citie wals are verie large plaines and many pleasant streames that serue to water their gardens which are replenished with all kinde of fruits heere are abundance of vines also yeelding verie sweete grapes whereof the Iewes being fiue hundreth families make excellent wine such as I thinke all Africa scarce affoordeth better In this towne standeth a faire castle where the gouernour hath his abode The king of Fez assigned the gouerment of this towne vnto his second sonne being rather a meete place for the kings owne residence in regard of the wholefome aire both in sommer and winter heere were the nobles of the Marin-family woont to remaine all summer both in respect of the holesomenes of the place and also that they might defend those regions from the Arabians dwelling in the deserts which Arabians resorted yeerely to Tezza to the end they might there furnish themselues with victuals and other necessaries and brought dates thither from Segelmese to exchange for come the citizens also receiued of the Arabians for corne great summes of money whereupon all of them in a manner grow exceeding rich neither are they annoied so much with any inconuenience as with durtie streetes in winter I my selfe was acquainted in this citie with a certaine aged sire whom the townesmen adored as if he had beene a god he was maruelous rich both in fruits grounds and other commodities which the people bestowed vpon him in great abundance The citizens of Fez vsed to come fiftie miles for so farre is Fez distant onely to visite the saide olde man My selfe conceiued some great opinion of this aged sire but after I had seene him I could finde no such superexcellencie in him saue onely that he deluded the fonde people with strange deuises The iurisdiction of this citie is very large containing diuers mountaines vnder it as we will foorthwith declare in order Of mount Matgara THis mountaine is very high difficult to ascend both by reason of the vast deserts the narrow passages and it is distant from Teza almost fiue miles the top of this hill is most fruitefull grounde and full of cleere fountaines the inhabitants being burthened with no exactions gather yeerely great store of corne flaxe and oile they haue likewise abundance of cattell and especially of goates neither doe they any whit regard princes Hauing vpon a day vanquished the king of Fez in battell they carried a certaine captaine of Fez taken prisoner vnto the toppe of the hill where in the kings owne presence they put him to a most cruell and miserable death whereupon the saide inhabitants haue beene at continuall discord with the people of Fez they haue almost a thousand soldiers and their mountaine containeth about fiftie villages and hamlets Of mount Gauata THis mountaine being as difficult to ascende as the former standeth westward of Fez almost fifteene miles both the sides and top of this mountaine are very fruitefull for barly and flaxe it is extended in length from east to west eight miles and in bredth about fiue miles manie deserts here are haunted with apes and leopards The greater part of the inhabitants are linnen-weauers people they are of a franke disposition neither can they till the fields adioining to their mountaine by reason of their continuall dissension with the king of Fez vnto whom they will pay no tribute nor custome at all perhaps because of the strong situation of their mountaine for that it aboundeth with all things necessarie for mans sustenance so that albeit this mountaine were besieged ten yeeres together yet could it by no meanes be woon neither is it euer destitute of water for thereupon are two huge fountaines which running downe into the plaine become the heads of two riuers Of mount Megesa THis mountaine also is somewhat difficult to ascend it is rough and full of woods and yeeldeth little corne but great plentie of oliues The inhabitants being most part weauers for their soile yeeldeth good store of flaxe are in the warres right valiant both on foote and horsebacke Their faces are white and that perhaps for the coldnes of the mountaine neither doe these pay any tribute at all Here also the exiles of Fez and Teza haue safe aboad
them likewise which was a cause that the merchants of both partes trauelled more securely Of the towne of Gerseluin THis ancient towne was built by the Africans at the foote of one of the foresaid mountaines not farre from the riuer of Ziz. It is enuironed with an impregnable and stately wall the founder whereof was a certaine king of the Marin-familie In regard of the walles and bulwarks it is a most beautifull towne But being once entred thereinto you shall see most base and beggerly houses and scarce any inhabitants dwelling in them and that by the iniurie of certaine Arabians who when they reuolted from the Marin-familie tooke this towne and grieuously oppressed the citizens Their drie and barren fields lie open to the north Vpon the riuer are diuers mils and by the side thereof are many gardens replenished with grapes and peaches which they vse to drie in the sunne and to keepe an whole yeere They haue great scarcitie of cattell which causeth them to liue a most 〈◊〉 life This towne was built by the familie of Zeneta in stead of a fort to the end it might be a place of refuge onely in their iournie to Numidia but afterward it was surprised and vtterly destroied by the familie of Luntuna Here also are great store of such domesticall serpents as we reported to be in the mountaines of Ziz. Here endeth the third booke IOHN LEO HIS FOVRTH BOOKE OF the Historie of Africa and of the memorable things contained therein A description of the kingdome of Telensin THis kingdome beginneth westward from the riuers of Zha Muluia eastward it bordereth vpon The great riuer southward vpon the desert of Numidia and northward vpon the Mediterran sea This region was called by the Romanes Caesaria and was by them inhabited howbeit after the Romanes were expelled it was fullie possessed by the ancient gouernours thereof called Beni Habdulguad and being a generation of the familie of Magraua And it remained vnto them and their successors three hundred yeeres vntill such time as a certaine mightie man called Ghamrazen the sonne of Zeijen tooke possession thereof His posteritie changing at length their ancient name were called Beni Zeijen that is the sonnes of Zeijen and they enioied this kingdome for the space almost of 380. yeeres At length the kings of Fez of the Marin-familie greatly molested them so that those ten kings which succeeded Zeijen were some of them vnfortunate in battell some slaine some taken captiue and others expelled their kingdome and chased to the next mountaines Neither were they free from vexation of the kings of Tunis howbeit the kingdome of Telensin remained still to this familie and they continued in peace for almost an hundred and twentie yeeres being endammaged by no forren power sauing that one Abu Feris king of Tunis and his sonne Hutmen made them to pay tribute for certaine yeeres vnto Tunis till the decease of the said Hutmen This kingdome stretcheth in length from east to west 380. miles but in bredth from north to south that is from the Mediterran sea to the deserts of Numidia not aboue fiue and twentie miles which is the occasion that it is so often oppressed by the Arabians inhabiting the Numidian deserts The kings of Telensin haue alwaies endeuoured by great gifts to gaine the good will and friendship of the Numidians but they could neuer satisfie their insatiable couetice A man shall seldome trauell safely through this kingdome howbeit here are great store of merchants perhaps either because it adioineth to Numidia or else for that the way to the land of Negros lieth through it It hath two most famous frequented hauen-townes the one called Horam and the other Marsa Elcabir whither vse to resort great store of Genoueses and Venetians But afterward both these townes were taken by Don Ferdinando the Catholike king to the great inconuenience of all this kingdome for which cause the king then raigning called Abuchemmeu was expelled his kingdome and put to flight by his owne subiects afterward Abuzeijen was restored to the kingdome who had for certaine yeeres been imprisoned by his nephew Abuchemmeu howbeit he enioied the kingdome but a very short space For he was at length miserably slaine by Barbarossa the Turke who conquered the kingdome of Tremizen by force of war Whereof Abuchemmeu that was expelled by his owne subiects hauing intelligence sent to craue aide of the emperour Charles the fift whereby he hoped to recouer his kingdome Which request being granted he leuied a puissant armie and made warre against Barbarossa and hauing driuen him out he recouered his kingdome and seuerely punished them that had conspired his banishment And then he gaue the Spanish soldiers their pay sent the captaines home with great rewardes and allowed Charles the emperour a large yeerely reuenue so long as he liued After his decease succeeded his brother Habdulla who neglecting the league made before betweene the emperour and his brother and relying vpon Soliman the great Turke refused to pay any more tribute vnto the emperour Charles and hath kept possession of the kingdome till this present The greater part of this region is vntilled drie and barren especially towards the south Howbeit the sea coast is somewhat more fertill The territorie adiacent to the citie of Telensin is full of woods sauing that the westerne part towardes the sea is mountainous Likewise the regions of Tenez and Alger containe mountaines abounding with all kinde of commodities In this part ate but few cities and castles howbeit it is a most fruitfull and blessed place as we will hereafter declare in particular Of the desert of Angad THis barren drie and vntilled desert being vtterly destitute of water and wood is situate vpon the westerne frontire of the kingdome of Telensin and extendeth in length fowerscore and in bredth almost fiftie miles Here are great store of roes deere and ostriches Such merchants as trauell from Fez to Telensin passe ouer this desert not without great danger by reason of certaine Arabians which liue onely vpon theft aud robberie especially in winter when as the soldiers appointed to defend the said desert from those lewd vagabonds doe vsually retire themselues into Numidia Many shepherds there are in this desert who are daily vexed with multitudes of fierce lions which sometime seaze not onely vpon cartell but also vpon men Of the castle of Temzegzet THis castle standing in the same place where the foresaid desert adioineth vnto the territorie of Telensin and built by the Africans vpon a rocke was in times past very strong and often annoied by the people ofFez for it standeth in the high way from Fez to Telensin Through the fields adiacent runneth a certaine riuer called in their language Tefme The said fields adiacent sufficiently abound with all things necessarie for the sustenance of the inhabitants Heretofore being subiect vnto the kings of Telensin it well deserued the name of a citie but since the Arabians got
the Africans vpon the Mediterran sea and being thirtie miles distant from Alger is enuironed with most ancient and strong walles The greatest part of the inhabitants are dyers of cloth and that by reason of the many riuers and streames running through the midst of the same They are of a liberall and ingenuous disposition and can play most of them vpon the citterne and lute Their fields are fertill and abounding with corne Their apparell is very decent the greatest part of them are delighted in fishing and they take such abundance of fishes that they freely giue them to euery bodie which is the cause that there is no fish-market in this towne Of the mountaines contained in the kingdome of Telensin Of the mountaine of Beni Iezneten THis mountaine standeth westward of Telensin almost fiftie miles one side thereof bordering vpon the desert of Garet and the other side vpon the desert of Angad In length it extendeth fiue and twentie and in bredth almost fifteene miles and it is exceeding high and difficult to ascend It hath diuers woods growing vpon it wherein grow great store of Carobs which the inhabitants vse for an ordinarie kinde of foode for they haue great want of barly Here are diuers cottages inhabited with valiant and stout men Vpon the top of this mountaine standeth a strong castle wherein all the principall men of the mountaine dwell amongst whom there are often dissentions for there is none of them all but woulde be sole gouernour of the mountaine I my selfe had conuersation with some of them whom I knew in the king of Fez his court for which cause I was honorably intertained by them The soldiers of this mountaine are almost ten thousand Of mount Matgara THis exceeding high and colde mountaine hath great store of inhabitants and is almost sixe miles distant from Ned Roma The inhabitants are valiant but not very rich for this mountaine yeeldeth nought but barly and Carobs They speake all one language with the people of Ned Roma and are ioined in such league with them that they will often aide one another against the king of Telensin Of mount Gualhasa THis high mountaine standeth nigh vnto the towne of Hunain The inhabitants are sauage rude and vnciuill people and are at continuall warre with the people of Hunain so that oftentimes they haue almost vtterly destroied the towne This mountaine yeeldeth great store of Carobs and but little corne Of mount Agbal THis mountaine is inhabited with people of base condition and subiect to the towne of Oran They all exercise husbandrie and carrie woode vnto Oran While the Moores enioied Oran their state was somewhat better but since the Christians got possession thereof they haue beene driuen to extreame miserie Of mount Beni Guerened THis mountaine being three miles distant from Tremisen is well peopled and aboundeth with all kinde of fruits especially with figges and cherries The inhabitants are some of them colliers some wood-mongers and the residue husbandmen And out of this onely mountaine as I was informed by the king of Telensin his Secretarie there is yeerely collected for tribute the summe of twelue thousand ducats Of mount Magraua THis mountaine extending it selfe fortie miles in length towardes the Mediterran sea is neer vnto the towne of Mustuganin before described The soile is fertile and the inhabitants are valiant and warrelike people and of a liberall and humaine disposition Of mount Beni Abusaid THis mountaine standing not farre from Tenez is inhabited with great multitudes of people which lead a sauage life and are notwithstanding most valiant warriors They haue abundance of honey barly and goats Their waxe and hides they carrie vnto Tenez and there sell the same to the merchants of Europe When as the king of Tremizen his kinsemen were lords of this mountaine the people paied for tribute certaine thousands of ducats Of mount Guanseris THis exceding high mountaine is inhabited with valiant people who being aided by the king of Fez maintained warre against the kingdome of Telensin for aboue three-score yeeres Fruitefull fields they haue and great store of fountains Their soldiers are almost twentie thousand in number whereof 2500. are horsemen By their aide Iahia attained to the gouernment of Tenez but after Tenez began to decay they gaue themselues wholy to robberie and theft Of the mountaines belonging to the state of Alger NEre vnto Alger on the east side and on the west are diuers mountains well stored with inhabitants Free they are from all tribute and rich and exceeding valiant Their corne fields are very fruitefull and they haue great abundance of cattell They are oftentimes at deadly warre togither so that it is dangerous trauailing that way vnlesse it be in a religious mans company Markets they haue and faires vpon these mountaines where nought is to be solde but cattle corne and wooll vnlesse some of the neighbour cities supplie them with merchandise now and then Here endeth the fourth booke IOHN LEO HIS FIFTH BOOKE OF the Historie of Africa and of the memorable things contained therein A description of the kingdomes of Bugia and Tunis WHen as in the former part of this my historie I diuided Barbaria into certaine parts I determined to write of Bugia as of a kingdome by it selfe and I found indeed that not many yeeres ago it was a kingdome For Bugia was subiect to the king of Tunis and albeit for certaine yeeres the king of Telensin was Lord thereof yet was it at length recouered againe by the king of Tunis who committed the gouernment of the city vnto one of his sons both for the tranquillitie of Bugia and also that no discord might happen among his sonnes after his decease He left behinde him three sonnes the eldest whereof was called Habdulhaziz and vnto him he bequeathed the kingdome of Bugia as is aforesaide vnto the second whose name was Hutmen he left the kingdome of Tunis and the third called Hammare he made gouernour of the region of dates This Hammare began foorthwith to wage warre against his brother Hutmen by whom being at length taken in the towne of Asfacos depriued of both his eies he was carried captiue vnto Tunis where he liued many yeeres blinde but his brother Hutmen gouerned the kingdome of Tunis full fortie yeeres The prince of Bugia being most louing and dutifull to his brother raigned for many yeeres with great tianquilitie till at length he was by king Ferdinand of Spaine and by the meanes of one Pedro de Nauarra cast out of his kingdome A description of the great citie of Bugia THis auncient citie of Bugia built as some thinke by the Romans vpon the side of an high mountaine neere vnto the Mediterran sea is enuironed with walles of great height and most stately in regard of their antiquitie The part thereof now peopled containeth aboue eight thousand families but if it were all replenished with buildings it were capeable of more then fower and twentie thousand housholds for it is of a
Hegeira 915. Of the towne called Vrbs. BY the name of this towne it sufficiently appeareth that the Romans were the first founders thereof Situate it is vpon the most beautifull plaine of al Africa which by reason of the abundance of fountaines is so wel stored with corne that from thence to Tunis which standeth 190. miles northward of this place and to other regions adioyning great plentie of corne is transported In this towne are to bee seene sundrie monuments of the Romans as namely images of marble and euerie where vpon the walles are sentences in Latin letters engrauen the towne-walles are most artificially and sumptuously built This towne the Gothes being assisted by the Moores surprised when as it contained the chiefe treasure and wealth that the Romanes enioyed in all Africa Afterward it remained for certaine yeeres desolate being at length notwithstanding inhabited a new yet so that it deserueth rather the name of a village then of a towne Not far from this towne runneth a certaine riuer vpon the which are diuers water-milles and this riuer taketh his beginning from a little hill but halfe a mile distant from the towne All the inhabitants are either weauers or husbandmen and are continually molested by the king of Tunis Howbeit if the fertilitie of the soyle the pleasantnes of the place and the holesome disposition of the aire were as well knowne to the king as they are to my selfe I thinke verily that he would leaue Tunis and goe and dwell in this region The Arabians are well acquainted with the place for from hence they yeerely transport great store of corne vnto their deserts Of the towne of Beggia THis towne built by the Romans vpon a mountaine almost twentie miles distant from the Mediterran sea and about eightie miles westward of Tunis standeth right in the way from Tunis to Constantina But because the name of this towne is no Arabian name it seemeth that the first name hath been oftentimes corrupted and changed The ancient walles of this towne are as yet standing and it is a most defensible place and well furnished with all kinde of necessaries It is inhabited with great store of weauers and husbandmen and the fields thereof are so large and fruitfull for all kindes of graine that the people of the same region could not sufficiently manure them vnlesse they were assisted by certaine bordering Arabians and yet a great part of their fields lieth vntilled howbeit they send continually great store of corne vnto Tunis The king of Tunis surchargeth them with continuall and greeuous exactions which is the cause why their estate so mightily decaieth Of the towne called Hain Sammit THis towne was in my time founded by the king of Tunis being distant almost thirtie miles from Beggia It was built they say of purpose that none of the fields thereabout might lie vntilled But it hath since beene destroied by the Arabians at the commandement of the king of Tunis and now there remaineth a tower and certaine other buildings onely whereof some haue roofes vpon them and others none Of the towne of Casba THis towne built by the Romans vpon a large plaine of twelue miles compasse is fower and twentie miles distant from Tunis The towne-wall remaineth strong as yet but the towne it selfe is destroied by the Arabians and the fields lie vntilled and all by the negligence of the king of Tunis and of the inhabitants of the same region Of the castle of Choros THis castle founded not many yeeres past by the Africans vpon the riuer of Magrida and being about ten miles distant from Tunis is enuironed with most fruitfull fields Neere vnto this towne groweth a certaine wood greatly abounding with oliues At length it was destroied by certaine Arabians called Beni Heli which make perpetuall warre against the king of Tunis and liue onely vpon theft and robberie Of the towne of Biserta THe ancient towne of Biserta otherwise called Bensart founded by the Africans vpon the Mediterran sea thirtie fiue miles from Tunis is but of a small bignes and is inhabited with most miserable people Neere vnto this towne entreth a certaine creeke or arme of the sea which at the first being very narrow increaseth by little and little into a maruellous bredth On either side there of dwell great store of fishers and husbandmen and westward of the said creeke lieth a most large and fruitfull plaine called Mater which is greeuously molested by the king of Tunis and by the Arabians In this creeke are taken abundance of fishes and after the moneth of October they catch a certaine fish called by the Africans Giarrafa which I take to be the same that is at Rome called Laccia for then by reason of the abundance of raine that falleth the salt water of the baye becommeth somewhat fresh wherewith those fishes they say are much delighted Very deepe it is and affoordeth good fishing till the end of May but then the fishes begin to decrease and to be much drier in taste then before like vnto the fishes taken in the riuer of Fez. Of the great citie of Carthage THis famous and ancient citie was built at the first by a certaine people that came out of Syria But others say that it was founded by a queene The African chronicler Ibnu Rachich is of opinion that it was built by a certaine people that came from Barca being expelled thence by the king of Egypt wherefore I cannot in this place affirme any certaintie as touching the founders thereof for besides that the African historiographers disagree about this matter there is none that hath left any writing thereof ancienter then the decay of the Roman empire when as all the Romans that were found in Africa were expelled by the Goths But afterward Tripolis of Barbaria and Capis being taken by the Mahumetans the inhabitants of them both went vnto Carthage whither the principall Romans and Goths had retired themselues who endeuoured by all meanes to withstand the Mahumetans and after many skirmishes the Romans fled to Bona and the Goths left Carthage for a pray vnto the Mahumetans so that it remained desolate many yeeres after till a certaine Mahumetan patriarke called Elmahdi brought in new colonies howbeit he could scarce furnish the twentith part with inhabitants There are to be seene at this day certaine ruines of the citie-walles till you come to a deepe and large cesterne And there remaineth as yet also a certaine conduct which conueieth water to the citie from a mountaine thirtie miles distant being like vnto the conduct of the great palace at Rome Neere vnto Carthage likewise are certaine great and ancient buildings the description whereof is out of my remembrance On the west and south part of this citie are diuers gardens replenished with all kinde of fruites which are carried from thence to Tunis in great abundance The plaines adioining to this citie are exceeding fruitfull though not very large for vpon the north part thereof lieth a mountaine the
sauegarde of the kings owne person and he allotteth punishments vnto such prisoners as are brought into the said castle as if he were the king himselfe The fourth officer is the gouernour of the citie whose dutie is to administer iustice in the common wealth aud to punish malefactors The fift officer is the kings secretarie who hath authoritie to write and to giue answere in the kings name he may open also and read any letters whatsoeuer except such as are sent vnto the Castellan and gouernour of the citie The sixt is the kings chiefe chamberlaine who is to furnish the walles with hangings to appoint vnto euery man his place and by a messenger to assemble the kings counsellours and this man hath great familiaritie with the king and hath accesse to speake with him as often as he pleaseth The seuenth in dignitie is the kings treasurer who receiueth all customes tributes and yeerely reuenues and paieth them with the kings consent vnto the Munafid The eight officer is he that receiueth tribute for merchandize that are brought by land who taketh custome also of forren merchants which are constrained for the value of euery hundred duckats to pay two duckats and a halfe this customer hath many spies and officers who hauing intelligence of any merchants arriuall they bring him foorthwith before their master in whose absence they keepe him so long in their custodie till their said master be present and till the merchant hath deliuered all such custome as is due and then being bound with many othes he is dismissed The ninth officer receiueth tribute onely of such wares as are brought by sea and dwelleth in a house by the hauens side The tenth is the steward of the kings houshold who is to prouide bread meate and other necessarie victuals and to apparell all the kings wiues eunuches and the Negro-slaues that attend vpon him He also taketh charge of the kings sonnes and of their nurses and allotteth busines vnto the Christian captiues These are the chiefe officers vnder the king of Tunis the residue least I should seeme tedious to the reader I haue of purpose omitted to intreate of The king of Tunis hath fifteene hundred most choise soldiers the greatest part of whom are Renegadoes or backsliders from the Christian faith and these haue liberall pay allowed them They haue a captaine ouer them also who may increase or diminish their number as he pleaseth Also there are an hundred and fiftie soldiers being Moores who haue authoritie to remoue the tents of the kings armie from place to place There are likewise a certaine number of crossebowes which attend vpon the king whithersoeuer he rideth but next of all to the kings person is his garde of Christians which as we signified before dwell in the suburbs Before the king marcheth a garde of footemen being all of them Turkish archers and gunners Immediately before the king goe his lackies or footemen One there is that rideth on the one side of the king carrying his partizan another on the other side beareth his target and the third comming 〈◊〉 him carrieth his crossebowe Others there are also that attend vpon the king whom for breuities sake we omit here to speake of These are the principall rites and ceremonies of the ancient kings of Tunis being much different from them which are vsed by the king that now is I could here make a large discourse of the kings vices that now raigneth at whose hands I confesse my selfe to haue receiued great benefits but that is not my purpose at this present this one thing I can affirme that he is maruellous cunning to procure money out of his subiects purses But he himselfe liueth sometimes in his palace and sometimes in gardens in the companie of his concubines musicians stage-plaiers and such like When he calleth for any musician he is brought in blindfold or hoodwinked in manner of a hawke The golden coine of Tunis containeth fower and twenty charats apeece that is to say a duckat and one third part of the coine of Europe there is a kinde of siluermoney coined also being fower square in forme which waieth sixe charats apeece and thirtie or two and thirtie of these peeces are equall in value to one peece of their gold coine and they are called Nasari the Italians call the gold-coine of Tunis Doble And thus much concerning the king of Tunis and the customes of his court Of the towne of Neapolis THis ancient towne built by the Romans vpon the Mediterran sea almost twelue miles eastward of Tunis is inhabited by certaine Moores called Nabell It was in times past very populous but now there dwell but a few pesants therein which exercise themselues onely about sowing and reaping of 〈◊〉 Of the towne of Cammar THis towne is very ancient also and neere vnto Carthage standing eight miles northward of Tunis The inhabitants being many in number are all of them gardiners and vse to bring their herbes and fruits to Tunis to be solde Here also growe great store of sugar-canes which are brought likewise vnto Tunis but because they haue not the arte of getting out the sugar they vse onely after meales to sucke the sweete iuice out of the said canes Of the towne of Marsa THis ancient towne standing vpon the Mediterran sea neere the same place where the hauen of Carthage was of olde remained certaine yeeres desolate but now it is inhabited by certaine fishers and husbandmen and here they vse to white linnen-cloth Not far from hence are certaine castles and palaces where the king of Tunis ordinarily remaineth in summer-time Of the towne of Ariana MOreouer this ancient towne was built by the Goths almost eight miles northward of Tunis It is enuironed with most pleasant and fruitfull gardens and it hath a strong wall and containeth many husbandmen Certaine other little townes there are not far distant from Carthage some inhabited and the residue desolate the names whereof I haue quite forgotten Of the towne of Hammamet THis towne built by the Mahumetans of late yeeres and enuironed with a wall of great strength is distant from Tunis almost fiftie miles The inhabitants are miserable people and oppressed with continuall exactions being the greatest part of them either fishers or colliers Of the towne of Heraclia THis little and ancient towne was founded by the Romans vpon a certaine mountaine and was afterward destroied by the Arabians Of the towne of Susa. THis exceeding great and ancient towne was built by the Romans vpon the Mediterran sea being distant from Tunis about an hundred miles The plaines adioyning abound with oliues and figs their fieldes are most fruitfull for barlie if they could be tilled but the Arabians often incursions are the cause why they lie waste The inhabitants being most liberall and courteous people and great friends vnto strangers make voiages most of them vnto the easterne regions and vnto Turkie and some also frequent the next townes of Sicilia and Italie The residue of
rich men he bestoweth vpon them some gouernment or charge with prouision Wherefore for feare of confiscation after death euery one coueteth to 〈◊〉 his wealth or to remoue far from the court and the kings sight For which cause the citie of Fez commeth far short of hir ancient glorie Besides his reuenues haue beene augmented of late yeeres by mightie sums of gold which he fetcheth from Tombuto and Gago in the lande of Negros which gold according to the report of some may yeerely amount to three millions of ducates His Forces THe Xeriffo hath not any Fortresses of great importance but only vpon the sea-coast as Cabo de Guer Larache and Tetuan for as the Turks and Persians do so he placeth the strength of his state in armed men but especially in horse And for this cause he standeth not much vpon his artillerie although hee hath very great store which his predecessors tooke from the Portugals and others in Fez Maroco Tarodant and in the foresaide 〈◊〉 causing also more to bee cast when neede requireth for he wanteth not masters of Europe in this Science He hath an house of munition in Maroco where they make ordinarily six and fortie quintals of powder euery moneth as likewise also caliuers and steele-bowes In the yeere of our Lord 1569. a fire tooke hold on these houses with such furie that a great part of the citie was destroied therewith But for the Xeriffoes forces they are of two sorts the first is of two thousand seuen hundred horse and two thousand harquibuziers which he hath partly in Fez but most in Maroco where he is resident being as it were of his daily guard The second is of a roiall squadron of sixe thousand gentlemen being all of noble parentage and of great account These men are mounted vpon excellent horses with furniture and armes for varietie of colour most beautifull and for riches of ornament beyonde measure estimable for euery thing about them shineth with gold siluer pearle iewels and whatsoeuer else may please the eie or satisfie the curiositie of beholders These men besides prouision of corne oile butter and flesh for themselues their wiues children and seruants receiue further in wages from seuentie to an hundred ounces of siluer a man The third sort of forces which he hath consisteth of his * Timariotti for the Xeriffo granteth to all his sons and brothers and other persons of account or authoritie among the people of Africke or to the princes of the Arabians the benefite of great Lordships tenures for sustentation of his Cauallarie and the Alchaides themselues till the fields and afterwardes reape rice oile barly butter sheepe hens and monie and distribute the same monethly to the souldiers according to the seuerall qualitie of their persons They also giue them cloth linnen and silke to apparell themselues armes of offence and defence and horses with which they serue in the warres and if they die or be killed they allow them other A thing which was also vsed in Rome towards them that serued on publike horses Euerie one of these leaders contendeth to bring his people into the fielde well ordred for armes apparell and horses besides this they haue betweene fower and twentie and thirtie ounces of siluer wages euery yeere His fourth militarie forces are the Arabians who liue continually in their Auari for so they call their habitations each one of them consisting of an hundred or two hundred 〈◊〉 gouerned by diuers Alchaides to the end they may be readie in time of need These serue on horse-backe but they are rather to be accounted theeues then true soldiers His fift kinde of forces militarie are somewhat like vnto the trained soldiers of Christian princes and among these the inhabitants of cities and villages of the kingdome and of the mountaines are enrolled It is true that the king makes but little account of them very seldome puts armes into their hands for feare of insurrections and rebellions except in the warres against the Christians for then he cannot conueniently forbid them For it being written in their law that if à Moore kil a Christian or is slaine by him he goeth directly into Paradise a diabolicall inuention men women and those of euery age and degree run to the warres hand ouer head that at least they may there be slaine and by this meanes according to their foolish opinion gaine heauen No lesse zeale to our confusion may we perceiue in the Turks especially for defence of their sect for one would thinke they went to a marriage and not to the warre scarcely being able with patience to attend their prefixed time of going thither They repute them holy and happie that die with armes in hand against their enimies as on the contrarie those men vnhappie and of little woorth that die at home amidst the lamentation of children and outcries of women By the things aboue set downe we may easily comprehend what numbers of men the Xeriffo can bring into the field but yet we may learne better by experience For Mullei Abdala in the yeere 1562. besieged Mazagan with two hundred thousand men choaking the ditch with a mountaine of earth and beating downe the walles thereof with his Artillerie but for all this he was enforced by the valour of the Portugals and the damage which he receiued by their mines to giue ouer his siege Besides this Prince can not continue a great war aboue two or three moneths and the reason hereof is because his forces liuing on that prouision which he hath daylie comming in as well for sustenance as for aparrell and not being able to haue all this conducted thither where the war requireth it followeth of necessitie that in short time they must needs returne home for their maintenance of life and further it is an euident thing that no man can protract a war at length except he be rich in treasure Molucco who ouerthrew Sebastian king of Portugal had in pay vnder his ensignes fortie thousand horse and eight thousand foote besides Arabians and aduenturers But it is thought he could haue brought into the field seuentie thousand horse and more foot then he did Of the dominions and fortresses which the king of Spaine hath vpon the Isles and maine landes of Africa and of the great quantity of treasure and other commodities which are brought from thence BEsides Oran Mersalquibir Melilla and Pennon which the king of Spaine possesseth within the streights as likewise çeuta Tanger and Arzil which by the title of Portugal he holdeth very neere the streights of Gibraltar and Mazagan in like sort without the streights mouth twentie miles to the southward of Arzil he hath along the coast of Affrick from Cape de Guer to that of Guardafu two sorts of states for some are immedidiately vnder him and others are as it were his adherents The Ilands of Madera Puerto Santo the Canaries the Isles of Arguin of Cabo Verde the isle Del Principe with that of Sant
the aire and vnusuall heat which consumed them were also euilly entreated by the Moci-Congi For although they shewed themselues docible and tractable enough while they were instructed onely about ceremonies and diuine mysteries because they thought that the higher those matters were aboue humaine capacity the more they sorted and were agreable to the maiestie of God neuerthelesse when they began to entreate seriously of Temperance continence restitution of other mens goods forgiuing of iniuries and other heades of Christian pietie they found not onely great hinderance and difficultie but euen plaine resistance and opposition The king himselfe who had from the beginning shewed notable zeale was now somewhat cooled who because he was loth to abandon his soothsaiers and fortune tellers but aboue all the multitude of his concubines this being a generall difficultie among the Barbarians would by no meanes giue eare vnto the Preachers Also the women who were now reiected one after another not enduring so suddenly to be banished from their husbandes brought the court and roiall citie of Saint Saluador into a great vproare Paulo Aquitino second sonne to the king put tow to this fire who would by no meanes be baptized for which cause there grew great enmity betwixt him and Alonso his elder brother who with all his power furthered the proceedings and maintained the grouth of the Christian religion During these troubles the old king died and the two brothers fought a battell which had this successe that Alonso the true heire with sixe and thirtie soldiers calling vpon the name of Iesus discomfited the huge armie of his heathenish brother who was himselfe also taken aliue and died prisoner in this his rebellion God fauoured Alonso in this warre with manifest miracles For first they affirme that being readie to enter into battaile he saw a light so cleere and resplendent that he and his companie which beheld it remained for a good while with their eies declined and their mindes so full and replenished with ioy and a kind of tender affection that cannot easily be expressed And then lifting vp their eies vnto heauen they sawe fiue shining swords which the king tooke afterwards for his armes and his successors vse the same at this day Hauing obteined this victorie he assembled all his nobles and streightly enioined them to bring all the idols of his countrey to an appointed place and so vpon an high hill he caused them all to be burned This Alonso raigned prosperously for fiftie yeeres togither in which space he exceedingly furthered by authoritie and example as also by preaching and doctrine the new-planted Christianitie Neither did Don Emanuell the King of Portugall giue ouer this enterprise for he sent from thence to Congo twelue of those Fryers which the Portugals call Azzurri of whom Fryer Iohn Mariano was head with architects and smiths for the building and seruice of Churches and with rich furniture for the same After king Alonso succeeded Don Pedro his sonne in whose time there was a Bishop appointed ouer the isle of Saint Thomas who had also committed vnto him the administration of Congo Where at the citie of Saint Saluador was instituted a colledge of eight and twentie Canons in the Church of Santa Cruz. The second bishop was of the bloud roiall of Congo who trauailed to Rome and died in his returne homeward Don Francisco succeeded Don Pedro who continued but a small space Don Diego his neere kinsman was after his decease aduanced to the crowne In whose time Iohn the third king of Portugall vnderstanding that neither the king himselfe cared greatly for religion and that the merchants and priests of Europe furthered not but rather with their bad life scandalized the people new conuerted he sent thither fower Iesuits to renew and reestablish matters of religion These men arriuing first at the isle of Saint Thomas and then at Congo were courteously receiued by the king and presently going about the busines they came for one of them tooke vpon him to teach sixe hundred yoong children the principles of christian religion and the other dispersed themselues ouer the whole countrie to preach But all of them one after another falling into tedious and long diseases they were enforced to returne into Europe At this time there was appointed ouer Congo a third bishop of the Portugall nation who through the contumacie of the Canons and clergie found trouble enough In the meane while Don Diego dying there arose great tumults touching the succession by meanes whereof all the Portugals in a manner that were in Saint Saluador except priests were slaine In the end Henrie brother to Don Diego obteined the crowne and after him for he quicklie died in the warres of the Anzichi Don Aluaro his son in law This man reconciled vnto himselfe the Portugall nation caused all the religious and lay sort dispersed heere and there throughout the kingdome to be gathered togither and wrote for his discharge to the king and to the Bishop of Saint Thomas The bishop hauing perused the letters passed himselfe into Congo and giuing some order for the discipline of the clergie he returned to Saint Thomas where hee ended his daies It so fell out that what for the absence and what for the want of Bishoppes the progression of religion was much hindred For one Don Francisco a man for bloud and wealth of no small authoritie began freely to say that it was a vaine thing to cleaue to one wife onely and afterwardes in the end he fell altogither from the faith and was an occasion that the king grew woonderfully cold They affirme that this Francisco dying and being buried in the church of Santa Cruz the diuels vncouered a part of that churches roofe and with terrible noise drew his dead carcase out of the tombe and carried it quite away a matter that made the king exceedingly amazed but yet another accident that ensued withall strooke him neerer to the hart For the Giacchi leauing their owne habitations entred like Locusts into the kingdome of Congo and comming to battaile against Don Aluaro the king put him to flight who not being secure in the head citie abandoned his kingdome and togither with the Portugall priests and his owne princes retired himselfe vnto an island of the riuer Zaire called The isle of horses Thus seeing himselfe brought to such extremitie for besides the losse of his kingdome his people died of famine and miserie and for maintenance of life sold themselues one to another and to the Portugals also at a base price for reparation of his state and religion he had recourse to Don Sebastian king of Portugall and obteined of him sixe hundred soldiers by whose valour he draue his enimies out of the kingdome and within a yeere and an halfe reestablished himselfe in his throne In his time Antonio di Glioun à Spaniard was made bishop of Saint Thomas who after much molestation procured him by the captaine of that island went at
redeeme first all the religious and priests and after them those of the yoonger sort first the king of Spaines subiects and then others They alwaies leaue one religious man in Alger and another in Fez who informe themselues of the state qualitie of the slaues with their necessitie to make the better way for their libertie the yeere following The king of Spaine whom it most concerneth furthereth this so charitable a worke with a bountifull and liberall hand For ordinarily he giueth as much more as the foresaid orders haue gathered and collected by way of almes For this is so good an enterprise that by the ancient canons no other is so much fauoured and allowed of Yea S. Ambrose and other holy men haue pawned for the deliuerie of Christian captiues the chalices and siluer vessels of their churches And Saint Paulinus for the same end and purpose solde his owne selfe For all other actions of charitie are some spirituall and others corporall but this in a very eminent degree is both spirituall and corporall togither For among corporall miseries the seruitude of infidels is most grieuous among spirituall calamities the danger of apostasie is of all others the greatest but those slaues so redeemed are set free both from the one and from the other Whereupon there are very few borne in Spain who dying leaue not some almes behinde them for the ransoming of slaues The 〈◊〉 of redemption haue gone also many times to Constantinople where in the yeere 1583. by the order of Pope Gregorie the thirteenth they redeemed fiue hundred persons The brotherhood also of the Confalone in Rome labour verie diligently in this point who in Sixtus Quintus time redeemed a great number of captiues Of whom many also vrged partly by the hardnes of seruitude partly by the sweetenes of libertie free themselues either by that which they gaine ouer aboue their masters due or by their good demeanour or else by flight And they flie awaie sometimes by repairing speedily to such fortresses as the king of Spaine hath in Africke and in Barbarie and otherwhiles they seaze on some shipping or on the selfe same galleies wherein they are chained Many also retire themselues to the Princes of Brisch c. who willingly receiue and arme them vsing their assistance in the warre which they continually make with the Turkes of Alger FINIS * Read pag. 58. of places vndescribed by Iohn Leo. Tull. Acad quaest lib. The varietie of this emperours names read in a marginall note Pag. 12. of places vndescribed by Iohn Leo. * Or Xeriso or Serifo Africa otherwise called Libya The greater part of Africa vnknowen in 〈◊〉 ages When Africa was sailed round about * And since also by the English French and Dutch * 〈◊〉 Dias doubled the cape besore but returned fearefuily without proceeding any farther The 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 of this worde Africa Why 〈◊〉 was called Libya The situation and shape of Africa A comparison betweene Africa and Europe The causes why Africa is so slenderly inhabited Sandie seas in Africa The position of Africa according to the heauens The boundes of Africa The mountaines of Africa Mount Atlas * The prouinces of 〈◊〉 Alger Bugia Constantina and Tunis Extreme cold fountaines Mountaines called Os Picos 〈◊〉 that is to say sharpe pointed Iohn 〈◊〉 Dec. 1. lib. 8. cap. 4. Lunae montes The lake of Zembre which by some others is placed vnder the Equinoctiall The riuers of Africa Nilus Niger These two riuers of Senaga and Gambra are not certainly known whether they be maine riuers of themselues or branches and mouthes of Niger The isle of Elephants These two riuers of Cuama and Magnice according to Philippo Pigafetta spring both out of the great lake and are not branches of one riuer The promontories or capes of Africa Cabo de buena esperanza Cabo 〈◊〉 Cabo de los corrientes The inhabitants of Africa The diuersitie of religions in Africa The ancient diuision of Africa by Ptolemey and a comparison of the ancient with the moderne names Mauritania Tingitana being all one with the kingdomes of Maroco and Fez. Mauritania Caesariensis called at this present Tremizen and Aiger Numidia the ancient contayning Bugia Constantina Bona Mezzab c. Africa 〈◊〉 all one with the kingdome of Tunis Cyrene now called Mesrata Marmarica comprehended in the desert of Barcha Libya propria called Sarra AEthiopia now called Abassia This isle I take to be Babelmandel Suez called of olde Heroum ciuitas and Hazion Geber Arsenale signifieth a store-house for munition and for all necessaries to build repaire and furnish a fleete Troglodytae were a people that liued in caues vnder the earth to auoide the extrem heat being deriued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A great part of Barnagasso subdued by the Turke Dangala the head citie of Nubia * Or AEthiopia the higher * Commonly called in Latine writers Presbiter Iohannes by the Moores Asiclabassi and by the Abassins his owne subiects Acegue that is Emperour Neguz which importeth a king and Belul also being all one with Encoe in the Chaldean toong both which wordes signifie pretious or high * Or Barnagasso Most rich gold-mines * And by the late writers 〈◊〉 * Sinus Barbaricus a mightie gulfe on the backeside of Africa stretching as some will haue it from 4. degrees of northerly to 17. of southerly latitude Of these Beteneguz read Francis Aluarez cap. 42. * Or yardes for Braccia signifieth both * Or yardes for Braccia signifieth both Of Melich read more at large in Francisco Aluarez cap. 37. and cap. 138. * Or 〈◊〉 The Moores called Dobas * Barnagaez Out of this lake also the riuer of Zeila runneth eastward into the Red sea * 〈◊〉 in the Abassin toong signifieth the Sea and Neguz a king so that Barnagaez or Barnagasso is as much as king of the sea or Lord high admirall All persons of the Abassin blood royall enclosed within a mightie roundel of mountaines Francis Aluarez cap. 57 58 59 60 61 c. The mountaine of death Of these Amazones read more in the discourse of Monomotapa following This stile is taken out of a letter written by Dauid the Emperour of AEthiopia 1524. * 1526. Philippo 〈◊〉 will haue 〈◊〉 to spring out of one great lake onely which is to the south of Goiame The true cause of the increase of Nilus Oyle strayned out of an herbe Their manner of Iustice. Their maner of swearing The ceremonies 〈◊〉 in their Churches Their musicall instruments The riuer of Quilimanci in nine degrees of northerly latitude Adel the first generall part of Aian * Or Arar Ptol. geog lib. 4. cap. 7. Adea the second part of Aian The kingdome and citie of Magadazo Melinde the first part of Zanguebar Mombaza the second portion of Zanguebar Quiloathe third part of 〈◊〉 Mozambique the fourth part of Zanguebar * Or Moghincats Angoscia Sofala the fift part of Zanguebar Some will haue Magnice and Cuama to be two branches of one mightie
the 〈◊〉 purses * Or 〈◊〉 being a kinde of garment * Ilbernus These people liue like the Tartars * Or Salt-peter * Habat * Chauz or Cheuz A dangerous seducer The horrible desolation of Temesne English traffique Anfa destroied by the Portugals Iron-mines Why king Mansor built the towne of Rebat vpon the seashore Where king Mansor was buried Iron-mines Lyons and leopards * Or Sidi * Or 〈◊〉 English traffique Sela woon by a captaine of Castilia and recouered forthwith by the king of Fez. A merchant of Genoa The occasion of the bloody wars mooued by Sahid The citie of Fez besieged for seuen yeeres together * This number as I take it should rather be 819. Most cruell and 〈◊〉 lions The Portugals attempting to build a forte within the mouth of the riuer Subu defeated of their purpose and slaine A lamentable slaughter Iohn Leo his 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 Fierce lions Mecnase reduced vnder 〈◊〉 by the king of Fez. Idris the first founder of Fe Idris his 〈◊〉 valour at fifteene yeeres of age * 1526. The number and 〈◊〉 of the Mahumetan 〈◊〉 in Fez. The principall temple of Fez 〈◊〉 Caruven The reuenues of the great temple and how they are bestowed The 〈◊〉 of learning and learned men a principall cause of disorderly base gouernment Iohn Leo in his youth a notarie of an hospitall for two yeeres together * Like vnto our horse-mils The porters of Fez. * 〈◊〉 in his Italian 〈◊〉 calleth it Baioco The gouernour of the shambles in Fez. * In the Italian copie they are called Baiochi * Or 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 vsed in Africa how to keepe the princes tribute and merchants goods in securitie Iohn Leo was at Tauris in Persia. The punishment of malefactors in Fez. * Or Baiochi * Or 〈◊〉 A kinde of 〈◊〉 called Cuscusu The marriage of widowes The circumcision of their children 〈◊〉 Christian ceremonies 〈◊〉 among the 〈◊〉 Their funerals Rewards for poets in Fez. Three sorts of diuiners in Fez. An Arabian grammar written by Iohn Leo. Diuination and soothsaying forbidden by the lawe of 〈◊〉 Diuers Mahumetan sects 〈◊〉 sacked by the Tartars 72. principall sectes in the religion of Mahumet A booke written by Iohn 〈◊〉 of the liues of the Arabian philosophers The habitation of lepers in Fez and their gouernour * Or Aburinan The founder of new Fez. * Orturbant Engins for the conueiance of water The manner of choosing officers in the court of Fez. The king of Fez his guard How the king of Fez rideth on progresse * Or kines folkes The king of Fez his 〈◊〉 of warfare A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hunting of lions vsed by the king of Fez. Tame 〈◊〉 Tame lions A pleasant discourse how king Mansor was entertained by a fisher Read Osorius lib. 2. de rebus gestis Eman. 〈◊〉 this towne The 〈◊〉 of a prouerbe An attempt and defeate of the Portugals * 1562. The taking of Arzilla by the English Arzilla taken by the Portugals Habdulac the last king of the Marin family Read Osorius lib. 5. de rebus gestis Eman. Iohn Leo serued the king of Fez in his wars against Arzilla * Or Boetica Casar Ezzaghir taken by the king of Portugall The entrance of the Moores into Granada * Or çeuta The streits of Gibraltar from Septa but 12. miles broad Septa taken by the Portugals Abu Sahid king of Fez and his sixe sonnes slaine all in one night Threescore thousand Moores slaine * Here seemeth to be an error in the originall Zibibbo A caue or hole that perpetually casteth vp fire Wine that will last fifteene yeeres 〈◊〉 enioyed and reedified by the Spaniards Chasasa taken by the Spaniards Yron-mines * Or Tremisen The great curtesie of Mahumet toward strangers * 1526. Iron-mines Lions leopards and apes A woonderful bridge Porcellan * The beast called Dabah 〈◊〉 and tame serpents * Or Tremizen * Or Oran * Or Mersalcabir 〈◊〉 king of Tremizen restored to his kingdome by the emperour Charles the fift * 1526 Great store of ostriches A ship of great 〈◊〉 The king of Telensin taken prisoner and beheaded * Or Turbant A passage from Europe to Acthiopia through the kingdome of Tremizen Mines of 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oran taken by the Spaniards Mersalcabir surprised by the Spaniards * Perhaps 〈◊〉 Alger become tributarie to the king of Spaine A voyage performed by Iohn 〈◊〉 The citie of Bugia taken by Pedro de Nauarra The hard successe of the king of Tunis his three sonnes Hot baths A fond and senseles 〈◊〉 S. Augustine in times past bishop of Hippo. Great store of corall The fish called 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 * 1526 The building of Cairaoan Tunis subiect vnto Abdul-Mumen and other kings of Maroco * Or perhaps Andaluzia A strange kind of spinning Doble Sugar-Canes * El Mahdia The isle of Sicilie subdued by the gouernour 〈◊〉 The fruit called Habhaziz A riuer 〈◊〉 hot water The lake of lepers The armie of don Ferdinando defeated Gerbi made tributarie vnto Charles the fift by meanes of a knight of the Rhodes Plentie of dates 〈◊〉 taken by a fleete of 〈◊〉 Tripolis surprized by Pedro de Nauarra Iron-mines Most 〈◊〉 saffron The Arabians of Barca most cruell and bloodie theeues * Error The beast called 〈◊〉 The port of Gart 〈◊〉 Copper-mines The strange propertie of the palme or date-tree Indico The flesh of the Ostrich Infinit numbers of Scorpions Mines of lead and antimonie An iron-mine Deadly scorpions Great store of Manna 〈◊〉 mines A whole carouan conducted by a blinde guide who lead them by sent onely as at 〈◊〉 present the Carouans of Maroco are conducted ouer the Libyan deserts to Tombuto The Negros subiect vnto Ioseph king of Maroco Abuacre Izchia This round and white pulse is called Maiz in the west Indies The naturall commodities of Ghinea The Prince of Ghinea kept prisoner by Izchia The prince of Mâ—lli subdued by Izchia Tombuto was conquered by the king of Maroco 1589. from whencâ— he hath for yeerly tribute mightie summes of gold The king of Tombuto his daughters married vnto two rich merchants * 1526. Great scarcitie of salt in Tombuto which commoditie might be supplied by our English merchants to their vnspeakable gaine Reuerence vsed before the king of Tombuto Poysoned arrowes Shels vsed for coine like as in the kingdome of Congo Rich sale for cloth Their maner of sowing 〈◊〉 at the 〈◊〉 of Niger The 〈◊〉 of Guber slaine by Izchia Zingani Agadez tributarie to the king of Tombuto The kings of Zegzeg of Casena and of Cano subdued by Izchia the king of Tombuto Izchia Izchia The king of Zanfara slaine by Izchia and the people made tributarie Gold Izchia The desert of Seu. Fifteene or twentie 〈◊〉 exchanged for one horse A Negro-slaue who hauing slaine his Lord grew to great might and authoritie The riuer of Nilus not naeuigable betweene Nubia and Egypt The rich commodities of Nubia Most strong poyson Zingani Prete 〈◊〉 Bugiha 〈◊〉 450. miles long Gen. 10. 6. * Mesraim
saw any altar he would command his armie there to make a stand and lowly kneeling on his knees would say these words following Thou knowest oh Lord my God that I came hither for none other cause but to release the people of Duccala from the Arabians and cruell Christians which attempt of mine if thou thinkest to be vniust let me onely feele the punishment of this offence for these my followers are guiltlesse And thus we ranged vp and downe the greene hill one whole day but at night we returned vnto our tents The next day it was king Mahumets pleasure to goe on hunting and hauking whereupon his hounds and haukes which he had in great abundance were brought foorth howbeit that sport yeelded nought but wilde geese duckes turtle-doues and other fowles But the day following the king called for his hounds faulcons and eagles their game were hares deere porcupikes roe-deere woolues quailes and starlings and by reason that none had hunted or hawked there an hundred yeeres before they had very good pastime And after we had here staied certaine daies the king with his armie marching vnto the said Elmadin a towne of Duccala willed all his learned men and priestes which hee had brought with him to returne vnto Fez. But my selfe as ambassadour and a certaine number of soldiers he sent vnto Maroco this was done in the 922. yeere of the Hegeira and in the yeere of our Lord 1512. A description of the region of Hascora THis region is bounded northward with certaine mountaines which adioine vpon Duccala westward with a riuer running by the foote of mount Hadimmei which we called before Tensift and eastward by the riuer Quadelhabid that is the riuer of seruants which riuer diuideth Hascora from Tedles And so likewise the hils of Duccala doe separate Hascora from the Ocean sea The inhabitants of this region are far more ciuil then the people of Duccala This prouince yeeldeth great abundance of oyle of Marockin skinnes and of goates of whose haire they make cloath and sadles And hither do all the bordering regions bring their goat-skins whereof the foresaid Marockin or Cordouan leather is made This people hath great traffique with the Portugals with whom they exchange the foresaid leather and sadles for cloath Their coine is all one with the coine of Duccala Also the Arabians vsually buy oyle and other necessaries our of this region Now let vs in order describe all the townes and cities of the saide region Of Elmadin a towne in Hascora THis towne of Hascora being called by the inhabitants Elmadin is built vpon the side of mount Atlas and containeth 〈◊〉 then two thousand families It standeth almost fourescore and ten miles eastward of Maroco and about 60. miles from Duccala Heere may you finde many leather-dressers and all other kinde of artizans with a great multitude of Iewish merchants This towne is enuironed with a certaine wood which is full of oliue and walnut-trees The inhabitants are continually in a manner oppressed with warres among themselues and against a certaine little towne beeing fower miles distant from thence Neither dare any come vpon the plaine lying betweene these two townes saue women onely and slaues except he be well and strongly guarded So that 〈◊〉 man is faine to maintaine an harquebusier or archer for his defence whom he monethlyalloweth ten or twelue pieces of gold which are woorth sixeteene ducates Italian Likewise in Elmadin there are certaine men of great and profound learning which are appointed to be iudges and notaries Whatsoeuer tribute or custome strangers doe pay is deliuered vnto certaine treasurers and customers of the towne which imploy it afterward for the publike benefite They are likewise constrained to pay certaine tribute vnto the Arabians for sundrie possessions which they enioy in the foresaide valley but that money gaineth them at the Arabians hand ten times so much or more In my returne from Maroco I thought good to trauell by this towne where I was right sumptuously entertained by one of Granada my countrey-man who was exceeding rich hauing serued as an archer in this region for fifteene yeeres And albeit the towne of Elmadin had a stately hospitall wherein all merchants trauelling that way were entertained at the common charge yet my countrey-man would not suffer vs there to lodge but for three daies together most curteously welcommed my selfe nine courtiers and all the seruants and retinue which we brought with vs vnto which companie of ours the townesmen presented some of them calues some lambes and some other brought hens Seeing vpon a time so many goates in the towne I merily demaunded of my countrey-man why he gaue vs no kids-flesh to eate hee answered that that was accounted among them of all others the most base and homely meate Their faire and beautifull women are so fonde of strangers that if secret occasion be offered they will not refuse their dishonest companie Of the citie of Alemdin NEere vnto the foresaide towne standeth another commonly called Alemdin being situate fower miles to the west thereof in a valley amidst fower most high hils whereupon the place is exceeding cold The inhabitants are merchants artizans and gentlemen families it containeth to the number of one thousand This towne hath been at continuall war with the towne last before mentioned but in our time both of them were by the meanes of a certaine merchant brought in subiection vnto the King of Fez as we will now declare There was a merchant of Fez which had a paramour in this towne whom he determined foorthwith to marrie but when the marriage day was come this merchant was beguiled of his loue by the gouernour of the towne himselfe which disappointment grieued him full sore albeit he dissembled the matter as well as he could Returning home to the King of Fez the said merchant presented vnto him most rich and costly gifts making humble suite vnto his maiestie that hee would allow him an hundred principall archers three hundred horsemen and fower hundred footemen saying that himselfe would maintaine them all at his owne costs and charges and would winne the said towne of Alemdin for the Kings behalfe and would assure the King seuen thousand ducates for yeerely tribute This offer pleased the King right well and that he might declare his princely liberalitie he would not suffer the merchant to giue wages vnto any but onely to the archers And so with all expedition he commanded his gouernour of Tedles to prouide the saide merchant so many horsemen and so many footmen and two captaines ouer the armie At length comming before Alemdin they besiged it sixe daies which being expired the townesmen told their gouernour in plaine termes that they would not for his cause incur the king of Fez his displeasure nor suffer any inconuenience Whereupon he putting himselfe in a beggers weede attempted to escape away but being knowen and apprehended he was brought before the merchant who committed him to prison And so the townesmen
nothing but water in the said fountaines they returned backe againe the same way that they came and they had scarce gone halfe way but their other light also was blowen out with a sudden blast Afterward seeking earnestly vp and downe and being wearie of manie falles that they caught among the rockes they found that there was no hope of returne wherefore in this desperate case committing themselues with teares into the hands of God they vowed if they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this danger neuer to aduenture any more They that stood at the 〈◊〉 mouth being ignorant of their companions mishappe expected their 〈◊〉 and hauing staide ouer long at length they let downe themselues by the rope and began with lights to seeke their fellowes making a great noise and at length found them heauie and sad But the third who was wandring vp and downe those darke places they could by no meanes finde wherefore leauing him they returned foorth of the caue And he that was left behinde heard at length a noise like the barking of little dogs and shaping his course toward them he found immediately fower strange and as it should seeme new-borne beasts after which followed the damme being not much vnlike to a shee-woolfe sauing that she was bigger wherefore he began exceedingly to feare howbeit there was no danger for being about to flee the beast came towards him fawning gently vpon him with her taile And so at length after long seeking he found the holes mouth with great ioy and escaped the danger For within a while he saide that he began to see some glimmering of light as they do which haue long bin in the darke But after a certaine time this caue was filled with water vp to the top Of the mountaine of rauens called Cunaigel Gherben THis mountaine standeth verie neere the former and is full of woods and lions Here is no citie nor any other place of habitation perhaps by reason of the extreme coldnes of the place From this mountaine runneth a certaine little riuer and here is a rocke of an exceeding height whereupon keepe infinit swarmes of crowes and rauens which some thinke to haue beene the occasion of the name of this mountaine Sometime the terrible northerly windes bring such abundance of snow vpon this mountaine that such as trauell from Numidia towards Fez loose their liues thereby as hath beene signified in the first booke Euerie sommer the Arabians next inhabiting beeing called Beni Essen vsually resort vnto this mountaine in regard of the coole water and pleasant shadowes notwithstanding they knowe it to be haunted with great store of lions and leopards Of the towne of Tezerghe THis little towne was by the Africans built in manner of a fort vpon the side of a small riuer which runneth by the foote of the foresaid mountaine both the inhabitants and their houses are most base and destitute of all ciuilitie Their fields being enuironed with the mountaines adioyning bring foorth some small quantitie of barley and peaches The inhabitants are all subiect vnto certaine Arabians called Deuil Chusein Of the towne called Vmen Giunaibe THis auncient towne beeing destroyed by the Arabians was situate about twelue miles from Tezerghe vpon the south side of Atlas It is so dangerous a place by reason of the often inuasions of certaine Arabians that none almost dare trauell that way There lyeth a way neere this towne which a man may not passe without dauncing and leaping vnlesse he will fall into an ague the certaintie where of I haue heard many auouch Of mount Beni Merasen THe inhabitants of this exceeding high and colde mountaine haue great plentie of horses and asses here are store of mules likewise which carie wares vp and downe without either bridle or saddle Their houses are built not with walles of stone but of rushes The people are very rich and pay no tribute to the king perhaps in regard of the strong situation of their mountaine Of mount Mesettaza THis mountaine extendeth in length from east to west almost thirtie miles and twelue miles in bredth The west part thereof adioineth vpon the plaine of Edecsen which bordereth vpon Temesna It is like vnto the foresaid mountaine both in regard of the inhabitants and also for plentie of horses and mules At Fez there are great store of learned men which were borne in this mountaine they pay no tribute at all but onely send the king such gifts as themselues please Of the mountaines of Ziz. THese mountaines are thought to haue borrowed their name from a certaine riuer springing out of them Eastward they begin at Mesettaza and extend westward to the mountaines of Tedla and Dedis southward they border vpon that part of Numidia which is called Segelmesse and northward vpon the plaines of 〈◊〉 and Guregra in length they containe an hundred and in bredth almost fortie miles in number they are fifteene being extremely cold and difficult to ascend and sending foorth many streames of water The inhabitants are called Sanaga and are men most patient of all boisterous and cold weather They weare but one coate at all seasons of the yeere ouer which they cast a kinde of cloke or mantle their legs and 〈◊〉 they wrap in certaine clothes as it were in swathing bands and they goe at all times bare-headed In this mountaine are great store of mules asses and other cattell but very few deserts The inhabitants are a most lewd and villanous generation being wholy addicted to theft and robberie They are at continuall dissension with the Arabians and practise daily mischiefes and inconueniences against them and to the end they may prouoke them to greater furie they will sometimes throwe their camels downe headlong from the top of some high mountaine In these mountains there happeneth a certaine strange and incredible matter for there are serpents so familiar with men that at dinner-time they wil come like dogs cats and gather vp the crums vnder the table neither wil they hurt any body vnlesse they be offered some iniurie The walles of their houses are made of chalke and the roofes are couered with thatch There are also another kinde of inhabitants in these mountaines who possesse more droues of cattell then the former and dwell for the most part in cottages made of rushes And these carrie vnto Segelmese butter and wool to be sold but at that time only when the Arabians inhabite the deserts for it often falleth out that they are encoūtred by them spoiled of their goods These people are most valiant warriours for they will fight euen to the last gaspe rather then be taken of their enemies they carrie fower or fiue iauelins about with them wherewith they know right well how to defend themselues from the enemie They fight alwaies on foote neither can they be vanquished but with a great number of horsemen and they vse to carrie swords and daggers with them also In my time they obtained safe conduct of the Arabians and the Arabians of