sent Sarbarus against the Romans Heraclius beganne his expedition with penitent and lowly seeking peace with GOD who made his warres prosper against the Persians Some say he sent Embassadours to Chosroes who refused all conditions except they would renounce their crucified GOD. This GOD preuailed against that presumption and deliuered Gazacum into the hands of Heraclius in which Citie was the Temple of the Sunne the treasure of Croesus and imposture of Coles There he found the abominable image of Chosroes in the Globe-fashioned roofe of the Palace as it were sitting in heauen About this were the Sunne Moone and Starres which hee worshipped superstitiously and certaine scepter-bearing Angels standing about the same There were certaine deuices to imitate showers of raine and the noise of thunder These all together with the Temple of the Fire and the Citie Heraclius committed to the deuouring not the deuotion of the fire Hee after ouerthrew Sarbarazai and Sarbarancas and Sais Persian Generalls with all their forces and so preuailed that Chosroes in impious reuenge robbed all the Christian Churches in his dominion of their gifts and treasures compelling all the Christians a worse sacriledge to the Nestorian heresie He also sent Sais with a great Army against Heraclius and Sarbarus with another against Constantinople stirring vp the Slauins and Gepeds to helpe him with the Westerne Hunnes or Auares Heraclius send one Army to the safeguard of the Citie another against Sais and with the third hee went to the Lazikes seeking to winne the Easterne Turkes called Chazari to his partie These breaking through the Caspian Straits vnder Zebeelus next in dignitie to Chagan committed exceeding spoyles Heraclius meane while ouerthrowing Sais who dying with indignation of this losse and griefe for his Masters displeasure could not thus appease his fury but his carkasse was despightfully intreated although the Heauens fought for Heraclius and with a sudden shower of Haile caused that Persian ouerthrow Tenne dayes was Constantinople besieged but by diuine power preserued as Cedrenus and others write by a miraculous Vision Chosroes makes Razastes his Generall who encounters with Heraclius not farre from Niniue and lost his life and the field This victoriously he proceeded chasing Chosroes before him fiue and twentie miles in a day which could not before go fiue And when some had accused Sarbarus as inclining to the Romans he sent to Cardarichas his Colleague to kill him which letter being intercepted caused Sarbarus to become such indeed who adulterating his Masters letters and putting in other foure hundred chiefe men called an assembly and publikely reading the letters caused a rebellion And in the yeere 626. Cosroes now at his wits end or rather quite beyond them appointed Medarses his sonne to bee his successour and heire apparent : wherewith Siroes his elder sonne being discontented conspired to betray his father and brother to Heraclius and soone after caused them both to bee slaine at Ctesiphon Peace was concluded with the Romans and their Prouinces restored Onely Arabia was by Mahumet holden as a Seminary of a greater mischiefe vnder which the world with griefe and amazement still groneth Lope Obregon in a large Spanish booke of the confutation of the Alcoran which hee saith hee gathered out of the Moores writings tells that Mahemet serued Heraclius in his warres against Cosroes with more then ten thousand horse-men Vbiquâ—r Homar Hozmen and Hali being chiefe Commanders vnder him and being after the victorie denied pay conquered a great part of Persia to himselfe And when Siroes successour to Gosroes , withstood him he gaue him the ouerthrow and therefore the Persians chose a new King to represse these Arabians and that after this Heraclius sending for the Crosse which hee had recouered from the Persians from Ierusalem to Constantinople this Palladium being gone hee wanne Ierusalem and the Countries about Other prodigious miracles hee farseth into his storie and describes a Throne which Cosroes had made a Tower of siluer garnished with precious stones vnder the same on one side the Sunne on the other the Moone and iust with it the Crosse which he had taken from Ierusalem and that hee would be adored for King and Lord of the World But I will not ingage my selfe farre for this Historian Siroes Adeser Barazas and Baram the daughter of Cosroes in their order of succession in that disordered and turbulent estate had scarse two yeeres allowed to them all to whom succeeded Ormiz de Iezdegird who about the yeere 63 2 was ouerthrowne and slaine by the Saracens and that Persian Kingdome then weakened by ciuill dissentions was subdued to Saracenicall seruitude and that second Persian Dynastie continued as Scaliger reckoneth in eight and twentie successions the space of foure hundred and two yeeres had an end From thence vnto this time their Religion is Saracenicall their State gouerned by the Califas and such Commanders or Sultans as they had placed ouer them till their Sultans warring with the Califa for Souereigntie procured aide from the Turkes who dispossessed them of their Kingdome presently after they had disburthened them of their enemies The Turkes were displaced and chased away by the Tartars Of these both Saracens and Turks you haue the historie in the former booke and therefore needlesse here to be related Of the Tartars shall follow in their order Now let vs a little looke backe to the Greatnesse and other things most remarkable in the Persian Kings CHAP. V. Of the Persian Magnificence and other their Antiquities THe time of the first Dynastie howsoeuer Dionisius Halicarnass contracteth it to two hundred yeeres and Cedrenus to two hundred and fourteene yet Q. Curtius who writ the ouerthrow of the same by Alexander in the time of Claudius vnder whom if Brissonius hath gathered truly he was Proconfull of Africa and Hierom and Clemens Alexand. and others little disagree from that our former account reckoning two hundred thirtie one In which space the greatnesse of their Kings appropriated the Title of the Great King vnto themselues as Drusius in his Obseruations and Brissonius out of Dio. Chrysostomus Aristides Isocrates and others haue obserued so Artaxerxes Ezra 7.12 calleth himselfe King of Kings which the Parthian after annexed to his Stile The Kingdome was Hereditarie both in Persia and Parthia the eldest Sonne begotten in Wedlocke suceeding In long Expeditions the Heire apparant was nominated They vsed to be inaugurated or crowned after our Phrase at Pasargadae by their Priests which Plutarch thus describeth The designed King goeth into a Chappell of the Goddesse of Warre it may be thought Minerua and there putting off his former Habit puts on that which Cyrus ware before he was King then doth he eate a lumpe of Figges and Turpentine and drinkes a cup of sowre Milke their other Ceremonies are not knowne On his head was set a Cidaris or Tiara this was a kind of Cap or Turbant not like a Felt of wooll but of diuers pieces of
succeeded him who made himselfe a Mahumetan and called himselfe Hamed After whose short raigne Argonkhon Geniotukhon Badukhan Gazun he made Casbin his Imperiall Citie Alyaptu succeeded in order This last made himselfe Mahumetan kept his Court at Tauris and first brought in the custome of tribute children which he tooke from their parents Christians and Iewes to frame to his seruice Hee built Sultania His sonne and successour Abuzayd spend his summer at Sultania and his winter at Bagadet after whose death which happened A. H. 736. the Tartarians were diuided into Persia euery one making himselfe King of that which he held which continued till the time of Tamerlane Thus haue I out of Mirkond related these Tartar-Persian affaires But if I adde some what out of Haithon which liued in the middest of these times let it not seeme tedious first of a Paradise destroyed by the Tartar Haalon and then of the successors till his time nor mentioning some which ruled but a little while in Persia In the North-East parts of Persia which of this new Heresie they called Mulchet there was an old man named Aloadin a Mahumetan as all those parts then were which had inclosed a goodly Valley situate betweene two Hills and furnished it with all variety which Nature and Art could yeeld as Fruits Pictures rills of Milke Wine Honny Water Palaces and beautifull Damosells richly attyred and called it Paradise to which was no passage but by an impregnable Castell And daily preaching the pleasures of this Paradise to the youths which he kept in his Court sometimes he would minister a sleepie drinke to some of them and then conueigh them thither where being entertained with these pleasures foure or fiue dayes they supposed themselues rapt into Paradise And then being againe cast into a trance by the said drinke hee caused them to be carryed forth and after would examine them of what they had seene and by this delusion would make them resolute for any enterprise which he should appoint them as to murther any Prince his enemie For they feared not death in hope of their Mahumeticall Paradise But this Haolon or Vlan after three yeeres siege destroyed him and this his Fooles Paradise Some tell this of Aladeules in the time of Zelim the first Abaga succeded him in the gouernement of these parts Anno 1264. but not in the Christian Religion Tangodor the next became a Saracen and called himselfe Mahomet and at Tauris and other places destroyed the Churches of the Christians as Haolon had done of the Saracens he banished the Christians and peruerted as many Tartars as he could to Mahumetisme But Argonus the sonne of Abaga rebelled and taking him cut him asunder in the middle succeeding in his place Anno 1285. After him Regayto whom the Tartars slew placing in his stead Baydo a Christian who forbad the preaching of Mahumetisme among the Tartars and reedified the Churches of the Christians Casan succeeded in his Dominion and Deuotion and after his death Carbaganda who in his childhood had beene baptized and named Nicholas but when his Christian Mother was dead he became a Saracen Thus farre out of Haithonus in which History appeareth the vicissitude of diuers Religions sometime Tartarian sometime Christian sometime Mahumetan as in the Princes who gouerned these Countries vnder the great Cham or Can of the Tartars so also no doubt in a great part of the Countries themselues which vsually are of the Kings Religion This Carbaganda reigning about 1305. is the last Tartar Prince which ruled in the parts of Syria and in Persia the state was soone after diuided into many Soueraignties For as their Religion so also their Empire fayled the Egyptian Soldans preuayling in Syria the Ottoman Tukes in Asia and Gempsas in Persia This Gempsas was Soldan of the Parthians and about the yeere 1350. restored that Persian Kingdome to the Parthians Thus our Christian Historiographers Mirkond mentions him not Likely it is when all fell to sharing he got his part Of Tamerlan Mirkond relates that when Chingius sent Occoda into Maurenahar Carachar Nuyon was made his first Visier in which dignity hee and his posterity continued there till Teymur or Tamurlan the fifth from him with other great gouernments Teymur being Visier and Captayne Generall to Sciorgat Meckhom which raigned in Chagaty and dyed A. 1370. was proclaymed King in his steed He by his prosperous armes subdued Maurenahar Turquestan Koarrazm Karason Sistom Industan Hyerakhen Parc Kermon Mazandaron Aderbaion and Kusistam Bagadet Alep Damasco defeated Sultan Farache King of Egypt and after tooke Baiazet the great Turke prisoner He dyed Anno 1405. His victories are by others enlarged to Russia and China and the great Chams state settled on him Mirzab Charok his fourth sonne succeeded him in the Empire and after him Anno 1447. his sonne Mirzah Oleghbek but as after Alexander so after Tamerlan their hastie gotten Empire was much distracted among the great Souldiers his followers which held great shares to themselues making warre on their Masters sonnes And one of the descendants of them Abtelatife slew Oleghbek in the field Anno 1450. and was slaine of his Souldiers sixe moneths after Sultan Abusayd grand-child to Miromcha the third sonne of Tamerlan succeeded slaying Abdula the brother of Abdelatife But he also was slaine by Mirzah Yadigar Mahamed one of Acembec or Vsuncassans partakers who had before slaine Iooncha Contarini and Barbaro which were in Persia with Vsuncasan call him Iausa others I know not why Malaonchres others Demir after whose death Abusayd was called to the gouernment of Kermon Hierak and Aderbaion and being sollicited for peace by Asembelus Acembec or Vsuncassan aforesaid reiected it and so lost himselfe and left those parts of the Persian Empire to the Conqueror But in Maurenahar Sultan Hamed his sonne succeeded 28. yeeres and after him his nephew Babor the last of Tumberlans bloud there raigning Ichaybekan comming from Vsbek Anno 1500. and dispossessing him Yet did Babor possesse Gaznehen and some part of India till his death 1532. where his sonne Homayon succeeded him and to him his sonne Geluladin Akbar commonly called Melabdim Echbar the Great Mogol Father of him which now raigneth of whom in the next booke Yadigar that slew Abusayd was also of Tamerlans race the sonne of Mahamed sonne of Baysangor sonne of Mirzah Charok He by Acembecs helpe chased Ocem another of Tamerlans posterity by Hamar Cheque his third sonne King in Katason and Strabat out of those parts into Faryab and Mayman neere Balk whence hee suddenly returning with a small force by aduantage of Yadigar or Hiadigar his negligence slew him and recouered his Realme He dyed Anno 1506. Two of his sonnes succeeded him Bahady and Musafar whom Chaybec Vsbek chased out of their Kingdome Bahady fled to Ismael Sophy who gaue him the lands of Chambe Gazon in Tauris and tenne Scrafs of gold by the day thence he was
at his departure to giue a signe thereof by striking downe the top of a steeple Which being effected the Kings conuersion followed together with many of the Nobilitie to the Roman faith libertie also being granted to preach it openly and to build Churches and Monasteries thorowout the Kingdome This was beleeued in England especially by a friend of our Authors vnto whom that Pamphlet was sent who requested him to say Masse in thanks-giuing to GOD for so great a benefit But in the end that Iesuite who sent the Pamphlet gaue out that it was but a thing deuised by French Hugonets to disgrace their societie Gracious societie that can sometime cure their lies with a distinction of piaefraudes sometime couer them with a robe of the new fashion Aequiuocation sometimes can expose their bastards at other mens doores to shield themselues from shame with laying the blame on others and haue a mint in their pragmaticall heads of such supersubtle inuentions what are they now disgraced and that by Hugonets Euen as truly as the Parliament-house should haue beene blowne vp by Puritans this also was the Ignatians deuice or like to that newes of the late Queene whose Ambassadours were at Rome for the Popes Absolution or that of Bezaes recantation and Geneuaes submission to the Pope Blessed Ignatius let mee also inuocate or let him deigne to reade in that all-seeing glasse this poore supplication infuse some better spirit or some cleanlier and more wittie conueyance at least into thy new progenie lest the Protestants grosser wits sent see feele the palpablenesse and impute the Iesuitical courses to that Author which said he would go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all ACHABS Prophets which when he speaketh a lie speaketh of his owne because he is a lier and the father thereof Hitherto wee tooke Ignatius for their father but now we find a New of whom they borrow Bankruptly shifts beseeming onely the Merchants of Babylon disgracing humanitie defacing diuinitie worthily raunged amongst the poore policies of the Hospitall of the desperate Since also Iansonius in his Mercurius Gallobelgicus hath told vs newes of the Kings graunt to build a Temple and Monasterie for Christians himselfe as hee saith much enclining to that religion whereupon many haue been baptized and not a few through the power of holy-water haue beene cured The King hath further sent to the Georgians to vnite them to the Romish Church and the Armenians also by an embassage to Rome haue protested all obedience to that Sea as they before had done in the Couent of Saint Augustine which is in the chiefe Citie of Persia He setteth downe the copie of King Abas his Letter to the Pope wherein he requested him to send a Prelate to gouerne at Tres Ecclesiae where the chiefe of the Armenian Christians vsed to reside The like he writeth in another letter to the King of Spaine which if it be so argueth rather his policie to obtaine good will and helpe of the Christians against the Turk then any loue to Christian Religion CHAP. X. Of the Scythians Sarmatians and Seres and of their Religion §. I. Of the Scythian Name People Region Language and manner of life VNder the name Scythia is contained a verie great part of the world It was diuided into Scythia Europaea and Asiatica Pliny saith That this name reacheth vnto the Sarmatians and Germans and to those farthest Nations which were vnknowne to other men And Strabo in his first booke saith That all knowne Regions towards the North were-called Scythians or Nomades and in his eleuenth booke he affirmeth that the Greekes called all those Northerne Nations Scythians and Celtoscythians Those beyond the Adriatike and Pontike Seas and the Riuer Ister or Danubius were called Hyperborei Sauromatae and Arimaspi those beyond the Caspian Sea Sacae and Massagetae Some will haue this name to be giuen them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to be angrie Others of their Shooting called still of some of those Nations and in some other languages Schieten of which our word Shoot is deriued Mela in his third Booke and fifth Chapter calleth them all Sagae and in the fragment which beareth the name of Cato de Originibus is mentioned Scythia Saga this word Saga Berosus interpreteth a Priest saying that Noah left the Scythian Armenians his rituall bookes which onely Priests and that onely among Priests might reade who were therefore called Saga as Noah himselfe had been These peopled the Countries from Armenia to the Bactrians all which place was called Scythia Saga ouer which Sabatius reigning in the time of Iupiter Belus Araxa with his sonne Scythia possessed all from Armenia Westward to Samatia in Europe The Grecians fable Hercules to be the father of these Nations begetting Scythes on a monster whose vpper halfe resembled a Woman the nether part a Viper It were an endlesse and boundlesse worke to seeke and set out the true and proper beginnings and bounds of this so large a Tract of the world called Scythia the particular Nations of them would be but harsh to recite out of Pliny Mela Strabo and others the multitude wherof he that will may find in Ortelius his Thesaurus collected together The Sarmatae or Sauromatae are sometime made one peculiar people of the Scythians and sometimes the names are confounded Sarmatia also being diuided into Europaea and Asiatica whereof the one is interpreted by Oliuerus Polonia by Ortelius Russia and the other Tartaria Goropius in his Becceselana admiring his owne language coniectureth that while Nimrod and his company fell to babel or after our pronuntiation babble at Babel others namely the Cymbrians or posteritie of Gomer staied still in Margiana a Countrie fruitfull of Vines whither hee imagineth Noah descended out of the Arke and there abode after the Floud These he supposeth being not at Babel retained their old and first vniuersall language But Margiana growing too little for their multiplied numbers they were forced to send out Colonies And thus the Saxons Tectosages Sauromatae Getes or Gothes the Danes Galles and other Scythian Nations the true posteritie of Gomer and keepers of the first language as he by Dutch Etymologies gathereth peopled both Scythia and Sarmatia in Asia and Europe together with all Germanie France England Norway Denmarke and some parts of Asia Minor Hee that will bee further informed of his Reasons let him reade his Saxonica Gotodanica and other Treatises of his Becceselanian Antiquities Ptolomey distinguisheth Scythia from Samatia hee confineth Sarmatia Europaea with the Sarmatian Ocean and the land vnknowne on the North with Vistula on the West the Easterne border is Tanais from whence vnto the Hircanian Sea Eastward is Sarmatia Asiatica on the North abutting on the vnknown parts of the earth on the South with the Euxine Sea and a line drawne right from thence to the Caspian Sea Scythia is by
second of fresh the third of Honey the fourth of Milke the lift of Tair which is Creame beginning to sowre the sixt of Sugar the seuenth of Butter that the Earth had nine corners whereby it was borne vp by the Heauen Others dissented and said that the Earth was borne vp by seuen Elephants the Elephants feete stood on Tortoises and they were borne by they know not what When the Naicho of Tangaor died 375. of his Concubines willingly offered themselues to the fire to honour his Funerall so much can Custome harden so delicate and soft-hearted a nature The Temples in the Countrey haue great reuenues which in some places are encreased by the deuotion of women which prostitute themselues to gaine for their Idols and many young Girles are brought vp for this purpose Many are in these parts of the Sect of the Guzzarates which kill no quicke thing as is spoken Some haue a stone hanging about their necks as bigge as an Egge with certaine lines drawne thorow the middle thereof and this they worship and call it Tambarane they keepe euery Friday holi-day The Kingdome of Orissa hath on the Sea-coast 350. miles betwixt the richer Kingdomes of Bengala and Bisnagar poore of Ports and Traffique Frederike writes that before the King of Patane had conquered Orissa there was great Trade for Oile of Zerzeline Lacca Long Pepper Ginger Mirabolans and cloth made of herbs which grow with a bowle as bigge as an Orange yeelding silke The Countrey was so safe that a man might haue trauelled with his Gold in his hand The King was a Gentile and resided in the Citie Catecha sixe dayes Iourney within Land The King of Patane was soone after subdued by the Mogoll The Inhabitants except a few Moores are Gentiles little or nothing that I can learne differing in Rites from their Neighbours of which yee haue heard Some ascribe to the Citie Orissa as the name so the Principalitie of the other Cities of this Kingdome In these parts is the Citie of Saint Thomas or Malepur where they say Saint Thomas after he had preached the Gospell to the Indians was martyred and burned The Legend which some report of his death were too tedious to recite and as little likelihood of truth is in that long tale of the miraculous Crucifixes heere found related by Osorius who likewise declareth the Rites of those Saint thomas-Thomas-Christians of their Chaldean-Pope Cardinals Patriarches and Bishops of which in a another place we shall more fitly speake On the first day of Iuly Saint Thomas Holiday is celebrated as well by the Pagans as Christians and his Sepulchre is had in deuout estimation both of the Moores Gentiles and Christians each pretending the right of his owne Religion to the Church where this Saint lieth interred to which the Indian Christians goe on Pilgrimage carrying with them a little of that earth for a great Relique A Moore had the keeping of the Church which was built after our fashion and begged of the commers for maintenance of it and of a light continually burning therein The Portugals now inhabit this Towne almost desolate the Iesuites also haue heere a Residence The Church doores by the Superstition of some are almost cut in pieces and carried away to set in Gold and Siluer and to weare about their neckes as a holy relike the Portugals herein being exceedingly vaine and attributing hereunto many Miracles verifying that Prouerbe which the Spaniards vse affirming the Portugals to be Pocos sotos deuotâ—s One sent Linschoten a whole Bead-roll or paire of Beads thereof the bringer affirming that those Beades had calmed a Tempest miraculously by the way The Inhabitants in this respect haue driuen their Church-doores full of nailes but Saint Thomas bones are now remoued to Goa Those doores are of such renowned holinesse because they were made of that wood which Saint Thomas drew with his girdle out of the Hauen which it choaked and could not before this Miracle by any meanes be remoued One thing I thought not to omit that there bee whole Villages and Kindreds of people in other things like to other men but are borne with one of their legs and one foot from the knee downwards as thicke as an Elephants legge which the common people imagine to be a curse by Diuine Iustice inflicted vpon the whole Generation for that their Progenitors murthered Saint Thomas Linschoten saith he hath seene and spoken with them and could learne no other cause thereof It is to them a deformitie but no let or impediment otherwise The Gouernour of Musulipatan being of Mahomets posteritie had agreed for custome to take foure per centum and exacted twelue Offering the English there diuers wrongs Here the Gentiles haue in those parts a Feast when the New Moone comes vpon Munday and then both Sexes wash themselues in the Sea as a matter of much Indulgence for their sinnes And then after much indignitie the Cape-Merchant Floris performed a worthy exploit deseruing still to flourish though he be dead The Gouernours Sonne being set ouer the Custome and at the Custome-house guarded with his Souldiers Floris entred alone as it were for businesse and as he had plotted a few English followed by diuers wayes which seized on the weapons of the Guard at the Custome-house doore and Floris laid hold of the Gouernours Sonne Wencatadra by name which was suddenly conueyed into their Boat three thousand people presently running to the shoare But being vnder their ships protection they both secured themselues and for redemption of his Sonne forced the Father to pay all debts by him detained with satisfaction for wrongs offered Yet such was his Superstition that he almost first starued a shipboord rather then he would eate or drinke with the English Thus from the foure and twentieth of Nouember till the thirtieth he kept a strict Bramene Fast the English pittying his misery and willing therefore to take pledges in his roome But after that weeke of cleane Lent without eating or drinking he was redeemed the debts being paid by his Father And hence let the Reader iudge of bodily exercise and opus operatum without true faith how little it auaileth In Narsapur Peta a place not farre hence where they Careened the Globe happened in August that yeere such ouerflowings of water that many thousands of men and cattell were drowned Townes Fields of Rice and Salt-hils ouerflowne foure thousand houses washed away and two Stone Bridges ouer the Riuer one of nineteene the other of fifteene Arches comparable to Rochester Bridge standing three fadome aboue water Many Portugals also liue in the parts of Bengala adioyning like Wildmen and Iaric speakes of 1200. which thus obserue not Christianitie and therefore may be reckoned amongst these Heathens And thus haue we finished our perambulation of the Continent of Asia Some perhaps will maruell why I haue not handled the Muscouites and Russians in this Asian Discourse to whom I answere That
Palace a Schoole hauing conuenient places for sitting and walking they are the words of Strabo and a great House or Colledge in which the Learned conuerse and dyet together This Colledge hath rents in common and a Priest also Rector of the Schoole appointed first by the Kings and after by Caesar So carefull were these Kings of learned Neighbourhood that they assigned part of the Palace to this employment that all the choise learned in the Kingdome as Philostratus speaking of Dionysius admitted one of them by Adrian affirmeth were chosen Fellowes into this Colledge not young Students but rewarded publikely for their former proficience as the best deseruing Citizens of Athens had their dyet in the Pritaneum therein differing from the Seminaries of Diuine and Humane Learning amongst vs Claudius enlarged the Schoole and Hadrian vsed much to dispute and question with the learned therein herein blamed that he bestowed this preferment on Pancrates a Poet which had flattered him in the Canonization of Antinous §. III. Of their Deuotions in those Times AS for the deuotion there practised wee may reade in Ruffinus of the Temple and Image of Serapis in his time destroyed by Theophilus successor to Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria This Temple was borne vp with Vault-worke with great lights and secret passages the space of an hundred steps on the top whereof round about were lofty roomes in which the Keepers of the Temple and they which made themselues chast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remayned Within these were Galleries or Cloysters in squared rankes and in the middest of all was the Temple lifted vp on costly Pillars and built of Marble Post Capitolium nihil orbis terrarum cernit ambitiosius saith another Except the Capitoll the World hath not a statelier Piece Here was the Image of Serapis reaching with his right hand to the wall on one side with his left hand vnto the other being framed of all kinds of Wood and Metals It had on the East a little window so fitted that when on a solemne day the Image of the Sunne was admitted to salute this Serapis the iuggling Priests so obserued the time that euen then the Sun-beames through this window should seeme to kisse Serapis They had also another tricke by a Load-stone placed in the Roofe to draw vp the Iron Image of the Sunne as if it did then bid Serapis farewell The superstitious Ethnikes had a Tradition among them That if euer mans hand did offer violence to that Image the Earth should presently returne and resolue it selfe into the first Chaos and the Heauens would suddenly fall All this notwithstanding a Christian Souldier dismembred the same and burned Serapis openly the Mice running out of his diuided trunke Rome sayth Ruffinus esteemed this Serapis to bee Iupiter and that hee ware a Measure Modius on his head as hee which gouerned all things in measure or else did liberally feed men with the fruits of the Earth Others coniectured him to be Nilus others Ioseph that fed Egypt in the seuen deere yeeres Others thought him to bee one Apis a King in Memphis who in the time of famine with his owne store supplied the peoples want for which benefit they built a Temple to him after his death wherein they nourished an Oxe in remembrance of him whose husbandry and tillage had nourished them This Beast they called also Apis. He mentioneth the Temple of Saturne whose Priest called Tyrannus vnder pretence of Saturnes commandement would demand the company of what Lady he liked to beare the God company at night which the Husband did not much sticke at esteeming it an honour to haue a God his Corriuall But Tyrannus shutting the woman into the Temple by secret passages conueyed himselfe thither into the hollow Image of Saturne in which hee held conference a while with the woman and after by a deuice putting out the lights satisfied his lust in committing in the darke those workes of darknesse which after being brought to light caused the Temples destruction They had Brest-plates of Serapis in euery House in the Walles Entries Posts Windowes in stead whereof they after fastened Crosses The Crosse in the Egyptian Mysteries signified life to come They had a Tradition That their Religion should continue till there came a Signe in which was Life And by this occasion many of their Priests were conuerted Sozomen reporteth the same That in purging of Serapis Temple at Alexandria the Crosse beeing found among other their Hieroglyphickes was occasion of the conuersion of many vnto the Christian Faith This Temple and the Temple of Bacchus were turned into Christian Churches Olympius a Philosopher with a company of seditious Ethnikes fortified themselues in Serapis Temple and caused many by force to sacrifice and when the Christians burned their Images he answered that the Images were but corruptible matter but the Vertues or Diuine Powers which inhabited them were fled to Heauen This I thought to mention for their sakes who to their Image-worship haue borrowed the like Heathenish plaister Ruffinus addeth That in destroying the Temples they found Reliques of their bloudie Superstition the heads of Infants cut off with the lips gilded The deuotion of Canopus was not inferiour to that of Alexandria Here through the subtiltie of the Priest the Chaldeans were vanquished For whereas they challenged their God Fire to be the strongest as deuouring other Woodden and Mettal-gods hee conueyed an Earthen pot full of holes which he had stopped with Waxe and filled with water into the Image and when the Chaldaeans made their fiery tryall hereof the Waxe melting the Water issued and quenched the fire Hence it is that they made the Image of Canopus with feet and necke short and a belly like a barrell or water-vessell Tacitus reporteth certaine Miracles wrought at Alexandria by the instigation of Serapis the curing of a lame and blind man whom that God had mooued to seeke this helpe at Vespasians hand which he also performed He consulting with this Oracle saw suddenly behind him in the Temple one Basilides whom by present enquiry hee found to lye sicke fourescore miles thence in his bed The name yet was an ominous signe to him of the whole Empire as deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The originall of this God is by some imputed to Ptolomaeus Lagi who hauing in Alexandria erected Temples and instituted Religious Rites seemed in his sleepe to see a tall young man warning him to send into Pontus to fetch thence his Image suddenly after vanishing in a flame of fire When the Egyptian Priests could not satisfie him in the interpretation of these things Timotheus an Athenian whom hee had sent for to bee chiefe Master of Ceremonies willed him to send to Sinope wherein was an ancient Temple of Pluto hauing in it the Image of Proserpina Ptolomey neglecting this and with a second Vision terrified sent to Scydrothemis King of Sinope for the same being in
in all Asia There goe certayne Women vp and downe the Citie crying whose office is to Excise or Circumcise the women which is obserued in Aegypt and Syria both by the Mahumetans and Iacobite-Christians Neither haue the Turkes although in superstition by themselues acknowledged short of the Arabians and Aegyptians beene altogether idle in their Deuotion which they testifie by their Pilgrimages and Almes-workes Bellonius telleth of one Turke that caused water to bee brought daily on Camels backes for the ease of Trauellers in that desart space betweene Alexandria and Rosetto Egypt hath in it many Iewish Synagogues who speake the Spanish Italian Turkish Arabian and Greeke languages and are great Merchants Thus wee see the judgements of God by the Persians Grecians and Romanes for their Pristine Idolatrie and a greater Iudgement for their Heresie hatched by Arrius punished by a Saracenicall Apostasie Amongst the differing Sects of the Mahumetans of which wee haue spoken in the third booke Africa and especially Egypt and herein Cayro most of all is pestered with them which may bee called the Naked or the Wicked Sect roguing vp and downe naked and practising their fleshly villanie in the open fight of the people who yet hold them for Saints The just hand of Diuine Iustice that when men forsake God not Religion and Truth alone but Reason but Sense shall also forsake them Before wee leaue those Soldans of Cayro or rather because you haue stayed so long heere let vs bestow some spectacle on you worthy the sight as a refreshing to your wearied eyes They are the same which the Soldan in ostentation of his magnificence made to the Turkish Embassadour Anno 1507. from Baumgartens relations which was an eye-witnesse thereof There were assembled threescore thousand Mamalukes all in like habite the Soldan himselfe all in white with a mitred Diadem and not farre from him their Pope or Calipha in a lower seate and beneath him the Turkish Embassadour The place was a spacious Plaine in which were three heapes of sand fiftie paces distant and in each a Speare erected with a marke to shoote at and the like ouer against them with space betweene for sixe Horses to runne a brest Heere did the younger Mamalukes gallantly adorned vpon their Horses running a full career yeeld strange experiments of their skill not one missing the marke first with casting Darts and after with their Arrowes as they ranne and lastly trying their slaues Others after this in the like race of their running Horses shot with like dexteritie diuers Arrowes backwards and forwards Others in the middest of their race alighted three times and their Horses still running mounted againe and hitte the marke neuerthelesse Others did hitte the same standing on their Horses thus swiftly running Others three times vnbent their Bowes and thrice againe bent them whiles their Horses ranne and missed not the marke neither did others which amidst their race lighted downe on either side and againe mounted themselues no nor they which in their swiftest course leaped and turned themselues backwards on their Horses and then their Horses still running turned themselues forwards There were which whiles their Horse ranne vngirt their Saddles thrice at each time shooting and then againe girding their saddles and neuer missing the marke Some sitting in their saddles leaped backwards out of them and turning ouer their heads setled themselues againe in their saddles and shot the former three times Others layd themselues backwards on their running Horses and taking their tayles put them into their mouthes and yet forgot not their ayme in shooting Some after euery shot drew out their Swords and flourished them about their heads and againe sheathed them Others sitting betwixt three swords on the right side and as many on the left thinly cloathed that without great care euery motion would make way for death yet before and behinde them touched the marke One stood vpon two Horses running very swiftly his feete loose and shot also at once three Arrowes before and againe three behinde him Another sitting on a Horse neither brydled nor saddled as hee came at euery marke arose and stood vpon his feete and on both hands hitting the marke sate downe againe three times A third sitting on the bare Horse when hee came to the marke lay vpon his backe and lifted vp his legges and yet missed not his shoote After all this they ranne with like swiftnesse for all these things which where is the Vaulter that can doe on his imaginary Horse standing still these did running and with their slaues carried away those markes as tryumphing ouer their innocent enemy One of them was killed with a fall and two fore wounded in these their feats of Actiuitie They had an Olde graue man which was their teacher If I haue long detayned thee in this spectacle remember that the race of Mamalukes should not bee forgotten the rather because their name is now rased out of the world and this may seeme an Epitaph on their Sepulchre after whom none perhaps are left able to doe the like nor in all Franciscus Modius his Triumphall Pandects to be parelelled As for the Christians in Aegypt yee may reade in the Histories of the Holy-land-warres what attempts were often made by the Westerne Christians against these vnbeleeuers Concerning the present state of Christianitie there Leo Boterus and Master Pory in his Additions to his Englished Leo may acquaint you and better then others Master George Sandys Besides the forreine Christians which resort to these parts for traffique there are thought to bee fiftie thousand Natiue of the Countrey which haue Churches and Monasteries whereof there are three Christian Churches at Alexandria They are called Cofti and Christians from the Girdle because of their Circumcision which together with Baptisme they admit In their Liturgie they vse the Chaldaean language But they reade the Gospell againe in the Arabian They are accounted of Eutiches Heresie Their Patriarchall Sea is Alexandria which from Saint Marke to this day hath had a continued succession as appeareth by the late Letters of Gabriel to the Pope calling himselfe the fourescore and seuenteenth of the Patriarchs from Saint Marke Thus writeth Baronius with a great many swelling words which may puffe vp his Romane Sea But how credulous is Superstition and that neuer-erring Sea hath how often beene gulled this way or sought to gull and coozen others with such Iesuiticall fictions of I know not what conuersions and submissions as Baronius would make you beleeue of this Gabriel Thus had Mahomet his Gabriel and thus our age hath another Gabriel obtruded vpon the vulgar simplicitie farre fetched belike is good for theyr Lady-mother But Alexandria hath knowne no Gabriel in these times Patriarch there George Dousa held good acquaintance with Meletius and his Predecessour was Siluester so that this Romish Gabriel which ascribeth so much to that Sea was a Romane Gabriel indeed which Alexandria neuer knew Neither did Meletius the
the Chalif dyed hauing enioyed that place foure and twenty yeeres three moneths He loued learned men forbad wrongs was eloquent and much in Almes A Note of the Authours Parentage IN the time of Biamrilla one Tijb a Syrian Merchant a Christian came into Egypt and abode at Alcahir His Sonne Carwijn was a Notarie and followed the Court got a Sonne which he called Abultijb which also proued a Notary of note at Elcahir and serued the Arabike Senate He had fiue Sonnes of which foure were made Bishops but Abulmecarim the youngest delighted in Husbandry and breeding of cattell and had aboue a thousand Hiues of Bees Hee married the Sister of Simeon a Notary which serued Ioseph Saladine Anno 569. and after betooke him to a Monasterie in the mids whereof he inclosed himselfe in a place which he had builded and therein liued aboue thirty yeeres Macarim had three Sonnes the second of which Abuliaser Elamid was the Father of the Chronicle Writer Macarem succeeded Simeon when he became an Heremite in his Notaries place in the Court vnder King Abubecr Elaadil Seiffuddin Sonne of Iob and dyed Anno 636 God rest all their soules A continuation of the former Storie out of Mirkond the Persian and Abraham Zacuth a Iew to the end of the Chalifa's IN Mustafirs time Bagdad was ruined by the ouerflowing of Tigris whereupon it was remoued and new builded on the East side of the Riuer where it stands more commodiously then before It is remarkable of fiue and twenty Chalifas since the foundation that none dyed therein The Astrologers had threatned saith Zacuth a floud next to that of Noah then said one of them there were seuen Planets in coniunction with Piscis now but sixe whereupon they feared the low situation of Bagdad and stopped the water-passages Also the Ismaelites which went on Pilgrimage on deuotion to their Sanctuary were most of them drowned The Chalifa honoured that Astrologer with Royall Vests Toledo Sicilia and some Cities of Africa were recouered from the Saracens by the Christians Mustcali King of Egypt dyed Elamir Bahachan fiue yeeres old succeeded Aphtzala the Visir gouerning Musterasched Sonne of Mustetaher succeeded his Father in the Chalifate Anno Hegira 512. He made warre with Masud Saliuaui King of Korasan and was by him taken and slaine An. 529. Raschid or Rached succeeded in the Chalifate quarrell and successe Masud came to Bagdad and made Almoctafy Billa Chalifa who after Masuds death warred on the Persian Prouinces where he recouered much with little labour Noradin got Halep and the parts adioyning on Antioch Elaphit succeeded Elamir his Father in Egypt after him Ettaphar who being slaine Elphais a child of fiue yeeres whom the Wisir enthronized Noradin tooke Damascus An. 552. great Earthquakes in Syria An. 554. great inundation at Bagdad and other Cities Anno 555. Muktaphi the Chalifa dyed Musteneged or Almostanget Billa Issuf his Sonne succeeded Elphaiz King of Egypt dyed and his Sonne Etzar ledin illuhi last of the Phetinaeans succeeded Asareddin Schirachocz succeeded one of the Curdi Noradin sent his Wisir and subdued Egypt Yet Iusuph Asar Eddius brothers Sonne was constituted King of Egypt by the Chalifa Baharon succeeded Masud in Korasan a learned man which writ Bookes in Philosophy He was martiall also and made some enterprizes in India and Persia Kozrao his Sonne followed but by reason of some broyles went to Lahor in India and there dyed Anno 555. His Sonne Kozrao Melic succeeded in Lahor In him the Sabutiquis ended Anno 563. The Chalipha dyed suffocated in a bath Anno 566. His Sonne Mustetzi succeeded in whose time the Chaliphas of Bagdad were restored in Egypt which the Phetimaeans had before abolished He dyed Anno 575. Natzar his Sonne succeeded Saladine recouered Ierusalem A. Hegira 586. and conquered all the Cities of Mesopotamia to Nisibis He dyed Anno 589. His Kingdome was diuided amongst his three Sonnes Elaphatzal had Damascus and Palaestina Elachiz Egypt Taher Giazi Halep The Tartars made prey of Turon and Agem Natzar dyed Anno 622. and Taher his Sonne enioyed the place nine moneths In this time flourished in Egypt Rabbenu Mose Sonne of Maimon of Corduba Mustenatzer succeeded a iust Prince and Almesgiuer which built many Schooles The Tartars ouerranne Asia Russia Polonia and vexed Germany another Army inuaded Syria Baba professed himselfe a Prophet sent of God and gathering rude multitudes to him filled Asia with slaughter and emptinesse till hee was slaine by Gyatheddin King of Gunia The Chaliph dyed Anno 640. and his Sonne Musteatzem succeeded the last of the Chaliphas of Bagdad slaine by Halocho the Tartar Anno 655. Elmutam King of Egypt by the Turkes conspiracie was driuen into a Towre which they set on fire to auoyde which hee leaped into the water vnderneath and was both scorched and drowned Thence forwards the Slaues Mamalukes tuled in Egypt At the conquest of Bagdad the Tartars are said to haue slaine in those parts 1600000. persons A briefe continuation of the Saracens in Spaine out of Rodericus Toletanus and others to the failing of the Ommian Race and Empire THe Saracens did not so extirpate Christianitie in their Conquests but that such as would bee subiect to their Tributes and Exactions might enioy their consciences whereupon not only Asia remayned in great part Christian till the Tartarian Deluge and some also till this day in Nestorian Armenian Iacobite and other Sects but euen in Africa where blacke darknesse most preuailed on mens bodies and soules some Christians continued and doe to this day thorow so many Saracenicall Generations In Marocco in the times of Ferdinand the holy and of Iohn the first diuers Christian Families were found and in Tunis also when Charles the fift in the former age conquered it aboue eight hundred yeeres after the first conquest by Muhammedans Their course as is in Turkie now is by degrees with discountenance disgrace and oppression of their persons and exaltation of their owne which rather vnrippeth then renteth asunder and vntieth then with Sword of extremest Persecuion choppeth in sunder that knot of Christian Religion herein the Westerne Antichrist being the more dangerous enemy to Christian veritie as more in shew pretending but more eagerly and irreconciliably with open warres tumultuous Massacres and direct-indirect workings and vnderminings seeking to extirpate the contrary profession Brethren falne out are the most implacable enemies In Spaine also so few Arabians could not people so large a Countrey but a deluge of African Grashoppers leaped ouer that Sea with them and although 700000. are said to haue beene slaine in that first Spanish Inuasion yet the rest enioyed their Churches and Deuotions still with Tributes In Toledo they had seuen Christian Churches left them with Iudges of their owne Nation and Religion These Christians were called Musarabes of Musa the first Conquerour and Arab-African Commander which sent Taric thither whose Lyturgie is extant yea still obserued for antiquities sake in the great Church of
175 CHAP. XIIII OF the Iewish opinions of the Creation their Ceremonies about the birth of a Childe of their Circumcision Purification and Redemption of the first borne and Education of their Children pag. 177 § I. Of their Exposition of Scripture a taste in Gen. 1.1 ibid. § II. Their Dreames of Adam pag. 178 § III. Of their Iewesses conception and trauell and of Lilith ibid. § IIII. Of the Iewish manner of Circumcision p. 179 § V. Of the Iewish Purification Redemption and Education pag. 181 CHAP. XV. OF their Morning Prayer with their Fringes Phylacteries and other Ceremonies thereof pag. 183 § I. Of their behauiour before they goe to the Synagogue ibid. § II. Of their Zizis and Tephillim and holy Vestments pag. 184 Of their Schoole or Synagogue Rites and their Mattins pag. 185 CHAP. XVI OF their Ceremonies at home after their returne at their meales and otherwise and of their Euening Prayer pag. 188 CHAP. XVII THeir weekly obseruations of Times viz. Their Mundayes and Thursdayes and Sabbaths pag. 190 § I. Of their Mundayes and Thursdayes ibid. § II. Of their Law Lectures pag. 191 § III. Of the Iewish Sabbath pag. 192 CHAP. XVIII THe Iewish Passeouer as they now obserue it and other their Feasts and Fasts pag. 194 § I. Of their Passeouer ibid. § II. Of Pentecost pag. 195 § III. Of the Feast of Tabernacles 196 § IIII. Of their new Moones and New yeeres day ibid. § V. Of their Lent Penance and Reconciliation Fast pag. 197. § VI. Of their other Feasts pag. 199 CHAP. XIX OF their Cookerie Butcherie Mariages Punishments and Funerals pag. 200 § I. Of their Cookerie ibid. § II. Of their Butcherie pag. 201 § III. Of their Espousals and Mariages ibid. § IIII. Of Coniugall duties pag. 203 § V. Of Diuorce and other Marriage obseruations pag. 204 § VI. Of the Iewish beggers Diseases and Penances pag. 205 § VII Of their Visitation of the sicke and Funerall Rites pag. 206 CHAP. XX. THe Iewes Faith and Hope touching their Messias pag. 207 § I. Of the Signes of the comming of their Messias ibid. § II. Iewish Tales of monstrous Birds Beasts Fishes and Men. pag 210 § III. Their Messias his Feast pag. 211 CHAP. XXI OF the hopes and hinderances of the Iewes conuersion pag. 212 CHAP. XXII THe later Inhabitants of Palestina and the parts adioyning since the dispersion of the Iewes till this day pag. 214 § I. Of the Christian times before the Saracens ibid. § II. Of the Saracens and Turkes in Palestina pag. 215 § III. Of the exploits of the Frankes and other Westerne Christians in Palestina pag. 214 § IIII. Of the Azopart and Assysine pag. 218 § V. Of the Dogzijn and Drusians and other Pagans there pag. 220 § VI. Of the vnchristian Christians pag. 222 THE THIRD BOOKE Of the Arabians Saracens Turkes and of the ancient Inhabitants of ASIA MINOR and of their Religions CHAP. I. OF Arabia and of the ancient Religions Rites and Customes thereof pag. 223 CHAP. II. OF the Saracene Name Nation and proceeding in Armes and the succession of their Chalifaes pag. 229 § I. Of the Saracens before Mahomets dayes ibid. § II. Of the Saracenicall beginnings and proceedings vnder Mahomet and his Successors of the Maraunian Race pag. 232 § III. Of the Abasian Chalifaes their Citie Bagadet with many Persian Indian and other occurrences vnder them pag. 236 § IIII. Of their Titles Greatnesse and Learning pag. 240 CHAP. III. THe life of Mahumet Mohammed or Muhammed the Saracen Law-giuer pag. 241 § I. Mahumets life after the Histories of Christians ibid. § II. The Saracen Storie of Mahomets life pag. 244 CHAP. IIII. OF the Alcoran or Alfurcan contayning the Mahumetan Law the summe and contents thereof pag. 248 § I. Of the composition of the Alcoran ibid. § II. The doctrine of the Alcoran brought into common places pag. 251 § III. The Saracens opinion of their Alcoran pag. 258 CHAP. V. OTher Mahumetical speculations and explanations of their Law collected out of their owne Commentaries of that Argument p. 259 CHAP. VI. OF the Pilgrimage to Mecca pag. 267 CHAP. VII OF the Successors of Mahomet of their different Sects and of the dispersing of that Religion through the World pag. 274. CHAP. VIII OF the Turkish Nation their originall and proceedings pag. 278 § I. Of the Turkish name and first original ibid. § II. Of the Turkish Kingdome in Persia and their other Conquests pag. 279 § III. Of the Ottoman Turkes their originall and proceedings pag. 281 CHAP. IX A Continuation of the Turkish Warres and affaires together with the succession of the Great Turks till this present yeere 1616. p. 284 § I. Of Solyman the Magnificent ibid. § II. Of Selim the Second and Amurath the Third pag. 285 § III. Of Mahomet the Third pag. 287 § IIII. Of Achmet which now reigneth pag. 288 § V. Of Sultan Achmets Person Family Gouernment and greatnesse of State pag. 291 § VI. An Appendix touching the Succession of Mustapha twice and of Osmans murder and other ciuill vnciuill late Combustions pag. 293 CHAP. X. OF the opinions holden by the Turkes in their Religion and of their Manners and Customes pag. 297 § I. Of their eight Commandements ibid. § II. Of other their opinions and practices in Religion pag. 300 § III. Of the Turkish manners their ciuill and morall behauiour pag. 303 CHAP. XI OF the religious places amongst the Turks their Meschits Hospitals and Monasteries with ther Lyturgie and Circumcision pag. 306 § I. Of their Temples a description of Saint Sophies ibid. § II. Of their Hospitals and Monasteries pag. 308 § III. Of their publike Prayers and Church-rites ibid. § IIII. Of their Sabbaths and of their Lent and Easter pag. 310 § V. Of the Turkish Circumcision pag. 311 CHAP. XII OF the Sepulchres Funerall Rites and opinions touching the dead among the Turkes pag. 312 CHAP. XIII OF the religious Votaries amongst the Turkes and of their Saints Sects Miracles and hypocriticall holinesse pag. 314 CHAP. XIIII OF their Priests and Hierarchie with a digression touching the Hierarchie and miserie of Christians subiect to the Turke p. 319 A digression touching the Hierarchie and miseries of Christians vnder the Turke p. 322 CHAP. XV. OF the Regions and Religions of Asia Minor since called Natolia and Turkey pag. 325 CHAP. XVI OF Asia proprie dicta now called Sarcum pag. 330 CHAP. XVII OF Ionia and other Countries in that Chersonesus pag. 336 THE FOVRTH BOOKE Of the Armenians Medes Persians Parthians Scythians Tartarians Chinois and of their Religions CHAP. I. OF Armenia Maior and Georgia and the neighbouring Nations p. 343 § I. Of the Armenians and Turcomanians ibid. § II. Of Iberia pag. 346 § III. Of Albania ibid. § IIII. Of Colchis or Mengrelia pag. 347 § V. Of the present Mengrelians and Georgians ibid. § VI. Of the Circassians pag. 348 § VII Of the Curdi pag. 349 CHAP. II. OF the Medes pag. 349 CHAP. III. OF the Parthians
due place The Turkes displaced those Saracens the Christians of the West by warre made those parts Christian but were expelled againe by the Turkes and they by the Tartars The Mamaluke slaues and their Aegyptian Soldan after held the Syrian Dominion vntill Selim the great Turke subdued it to the Ottoman Empire vnder which it still groneth Of these things this our History will acquaint you in the proper reports of these Nations Aleppo is now chiefe Citie of Syria but Damascus both in elder and later times hath born the greatest name being the head of Aram as Esay affirmeth called of Iulian the Citie of Iupiter and eye of the whole East Holy and Great called also the Trophee of Iupiter because he there had conquered the Titans It is interpreted drinking bloud by Hierom who telleth from the Hebrewes tradition that in this field Kain slew his brother Chytreus expoundeth it saccus sanguinis Wolphius deriueth it of two words signifying bloud and to spoyle which in the times of Hazael and Benhadad and of Resin it performed but neuer so much as when the Saracens made it the sinke of bloud and spoyle which they executed on the Christians and Noradine Saladine and the Turkes fitting themselues and this Citie to the name before the Aegyptian Sultans and Ottoman Turkes were Lords of it Stephanus ascribeth the name to one Ascus a Giant which cast Dionysius there into the Riuer Or because Damascus the sonne of Mercury comming hither out of Arcadia built it or because Dionysius there fleid off the skin of Damascus which had cut vp his Vines The Turkes now call it Leunclauius and Chytreus testifie Scham and so is the whole Region called in the Arabian Chronicle whose extract you may find in our Saracenicall history The Armies of Dauid Ahab Teglath Phalasar preuayled much against it The Babylonians subuerted it After that the Ptolomeys repayred it Pompei wanne it Paul hallowed it The Saracens as is sayd polluted it The Christians in vaine besieged it in the yeere one thousand one hundred forty and seuen r Haalon the Tartar one thousand two hundred threescore and two obtayned it and about one thousand foure hundred Tamerlane besieged it and as he had done at Aleppo filling the ditch with the bodies of captiues and slain carkasses cast wood and earth vpon them and at last forced it and the Castle Hee spared the Citie for the Temples sake which had fortie Porches in the circuite and within nine thousand Lampes of Gold and Siluer But the Aegyptians by a wile possessing it he againe engirt it and recouered it Hee commanded Mahomet the Pope or Chalife and his priests which came to meete him to repayre to the Temple which they did with thirteene thousand Citizens where he burnt them all and for monument of his victory left three Towers erected of skuls of dead men The Aegyptians regained and held it till Selim the Turke dispossessed them 1517. Now in thus many alterations of State who doubteth of diuersity in Religions in Syria First the true Religion in the times of Noah and the first Patriarkes Next those superstitions of Rimmon and the rest before related in the Assyrian Babylonian Persian Macedonian and Roman gouernments After which long night the Sunne of Righteousnesse shone vnto the Syrians and made a more absolute Conquest then all the former not by Legions and Armies but by a handfull of Fishermen manifesting his Power in their weakenesse the Reason of Men and Malice of Deuils not being able to withstand their Euangelicall weapons which s were mighty through GOD to cast downe holdes and bring into captiuity euery thought to the obedience of CHRIST insomuch that hence the t Christian World receyued first that name And how sweet would thy name remaine O Syrian Antiochia euen now in thy latest fates which first was christned with the name Christian haddest thou not out-liued thy Christianity or rather after the soule departed remained the carkasse of thy selfe which ceasing to be Christian hast long since ceased to bee had not the Diuine hand reserued a few bones of thy carkasse to testifie this his iustice to the world And what harmonie could haue beene more gratefull to the Gentiles eares then thy memorie Damascus where the Doctor of the Gentiles was first taught himselfe and made a Teacher of others But in thee was the Chayre of Pestilence the Throne of Sathan the sincke of Mahumetan impietie to the rest of the world infecting with thy contagion and subduing with thy force more Nations then euer Paul by preaching conuerted Syria first in the first and principall Priuiledges of Mankind embracing in her rich armes if some bee right Surueiours the promised Possession the Seale of a further and better inheritance was with the first subdued to Saracene seruitude vnder their Caliph vnder the Turkes vnder the Christians from the West vnder the Tartars from the East vnder the Mamalukes from the South and from the North the Ottoman by new successions and vicissitudes of miseries and mischiefes become a common Stage of bloud and slaughter And in all these later changes of State and chaunces of Warre Religion was the life that quickned those deathes and whetted those murdering swords no crueltie or sacriledge against GOD or man so irreligious and inhumane but Religion was pretended to be the cause and bare the Standard to destruction a new Religion alway erected with a new Conqueror For the Readers delight wee haue here added out of Hondius which hee had contracted out of Ortelius the Map of Pauls Peregrination for the plantation of the Gospell PEREGRINATIO PAULI In qua omnia loca quorum fit mentis in actis et epistolis Apostolorum et Apocalypsi describuntur CHAP. XVII Of Phoenicia and of the Theologie and Religion of the ancient Phoenicians of their Arts and Inuentions PHoenicia is the Sea coast of Syria after Plinie or that coast or tract bordering on the Sea from Orthosa now Tortosa to Pelusium This Sea coast saith Andreas Masius was of the Greekes called Phoenicia and of the Hebrewes peculiarly stiled Chanaan and the Inhabitants Chananites So the Spies tell Moses the Chanaanites dwell by the Sea The woman in the Gospell which Matthew calleth a Canaanite is by Marke named a Syrophoenicean and the Septuagint in this place for the Kings of Chanaan read the Kings of Phoenicea And in the Scripture it is appellatiuely vsed for a Merchant because the Phoenicians or Chanaanites were famous for Merchandize as appeareth both by diuine and prophane testimonie Most properly the Northerly part is Chanaan Phoenicia the Southern Palestina although it is sometime extended as wee haue said euen to Egypt Dionysius which maketh the Phoenicians the first Mariners Merchants and Astronomers placeth Gaza and Ioppe in Phoenicia Sachoniatho a Phoenician supposed to haue liued before the Troian warre wrote in his owne language the History of his Nation which Philo Biblius
Reliques thereof that a stone was not left vpon a stone and there in the same place dedicated another Temple to Iupiter that former being ouer-whelmed with earth Iulian gaue leaue to the Iewes to re-edifie the Temple in despight of Christian Religion and contributed frankly thereto but Ammianus Marcell a Heathen Writer witnesseth That fire issued out of the Earth and burned both worke and worke-men when as an Earth-quake which had before saith Zozomen killed a great many in the very attempting of this Worke could not deterre them from proceeding in their purpose And Crosses miraculously fallen on the garments of many did both teach them to forsake their Iudaisme and to become Christians Chrysostome mentioneth this and saith That vnder Adrian the Iewes sought to recouer their liberty and lost their Countrey Vnder Constantine they attempted the like who therefore cut off their eares and branded their bodies for Rebels as the elder of you saith hee to his Auditors doe know And in our daies about twenty yeeres since Iulian the Emperour was at great expences appointed Officers sent for worke-men from all places thinking to frustrate Christs Prophecie concerning the Temple and to bring the Iewes to Idolatrie But so soone as they had attempted this businesse and bared the foundation had drawne foorth the Earth and were now ready to beginne their building a fire burst forth from the foundations and burned many which caused them to cease And if you now goe to Ierusalem you may see the foundations naked hereof we all are witnesses Neither did this happen vnder Christian Emperours lest any should impute it to the Christians but vnder an Ethnick when Christianitie was persecuted Thus much in effect Chrysostome Gregorie Nazianzen also testifieth the same affirming that the Earth as it were taking a vomit from the Diuine hand spued out the stones which yet till this day had continued therein and dispersed them to the great damage of the neighbour-buildings Other holy places they had which the Scripture mentioneth as high places which were high hills or other open and lofty places shaded for the most part with Trees The Prophets enuey against them and they were commanded to be destroyed together with the Groues some yet were permitted either by extraordinary command for a time as to Gedeon and to Manoah or because of the Tabernacle at Gibeon or of the Arke at Ierusalem The not reforming this toleration of high places is reckoned as an eclipse of Iehosaphats and Asas glory which Ezekiah and Iosiah quite remoued and polluted These high and open places it seemeth were consecrated as fitting to the celestiall bodies to which and to Baal who is interpreted the Sunne they vsed for the most part on them to Sacrifice They had also their Houses and Temples for Baal in Israel and Iuda and Dan and Bethel were by Ieroboam dedicated to his Aegyptian Idolatrie and Gilgal was a place of request in this kinde Salomon also built Temples or houses for his Idolatrous wiues And to reckon euery particular in this kind were a worke endlesse in the 2. Reg. 17. 23. and other places enough is of them recorded Two other Temples were erected of some reputation one by Sanballat at Samaria on Mount Garizin by licence obtained of Alexander the Great whose part he followed rebelling against Darius his true Lord The occasion was because Manasses brother of Iaddi the High Priest had married contrary to Gods law Nicaso daughter of Sanballat and was forced either to leaue his Priestly function or Heathenish bed Whereupon Sanballat hauing obtained licence to build that Temple aforesaid constituted him the High Priest thereof many other Priests for the like fault resorting thither to him But of these Samaritanes wee shall haue fitter occasion to say more when wee come to handle their Sects Ptolemaeus Philometor granted licence to Onias the sonne of the high-Priest Onias whom Antiochus had slaine who for the same cause had here shrowded himselfe to build a Temple indueed hereunto by a false interpretation of the Prophecy of Esay at Leontopolis in the shire as I may tearme it or Nomus of Heliopolis hauing Priests and Leuites ministring therein and other things answering in some sort to that of Ierusalem When the Temple of Ierusalem was burnt by Titus this Temple was shut vp also by Lupus the Deputie three hundred and thirty yeeres after it had beene builded and after by his successor Paulinus vtterly despoyled both of the wealth and the Religion The Citie was called of Onias Onion It had a Tower and an Altar like that of Ierusalem but in steade of a Candlesticke a Lampe of gold hanging on a chaine of gold enriched by the Kings with large reuenues Synagogues the Iewes had many both in Ierusalem where are said to haue beene foure hundred and fourescore and all Cities of Iudea and among the Gentiles where the Iewes were dispersed When they first began to be builded is vncertaine Cornelius Betramus thinketh That the eight and forty Cities of the Leuites had their fit places for Assemblies whence Synagogues had beginning In these Synagogues the Archisynagogi were in place of Leuites and Prophets sometimes diuers in the same Synagogue as Sosthenes and Crispus in that of Corinth which on festiual daies did performe the publique pryers and read the Law and the Prophets expounding the same themselues or authorising others hereunto so that they which first were called Prophets were afterward Scribes and Lawyers and in the Synagogues Archisynagogi They had authority also as it seemeth of Iurisdiction in punishing offenders The Cities of the Leuites were as Nurseries of learning and Vniuersities for the studies of Diuinitie And in the reformation of Religion by Elias and Elisha the Schooles of the Prophets were as Colledges and the sonnes of the Prophets students of Diuinitie which had a Rector ouer them as may seeme by 2. King 6. and other places where also their gesture in hearing their Lectures appeareth to be sitting and therefore their Schooles or Academies were called Sessions In their Synagogues also they kept both their Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall Courts The Synagogues of Forreiners at Ierusalem were also Colledges of Students Sigonius coniectureth That their Babylonian exile ministred occasion to them to helpe themselues with these Houses of Prayer and instruction The word Synagogue is taken both for the Assemblies whether in this place or out of it and for the place it selfe hauing a Ciuill as well as a Religious vse And these Synagogues they haue in the place of their dispersion vnto this day The order they obserued in their Synagogues was this They disputed and preached sitting the Elders sate in Chaires which were set in order of which Christ saith They loue the chiefe seates in Synagogues those of meaner sort sate in seates and the meanest of all on the floore vpon Mats and not onely one did dispute or
interprete but others in order not of the Elders alone but of the inferiour rankes also if any thing were reuealed to them which Tradition of theirs Saint Paul saith hee applied to the Christian Assemblies of those times They vsed to pray in their Synagogues standing as did also the Primitiue Christians Besides these Temples and Houses consecrated to God Ambition the Ape of deuotion founded some of other nature Herod the Great erected a sumptuous Temple and Citie in the honour of Caesar which sometime had beene called Stratonis turris and after Caesarea The Temple of Caesar was conspicuous to them which sailed farre off in the Sea and therein were two Statues one of Rome the other of Caesar The sumptuousnesse of Herods ambition in this Citie Temple Theater and Amphitheater c. Iosephus amply describeth He built another Temple at Panium the fountaine of Iordan in honour of Caesar and lest this should stirre vp the peoples hearts against him to see him thus deuoutely prophane and prophanely deuout he remitted to them the third part of the tributes Hee consecrated Games after the like Heathenish solemnitie in honour of Caesar to be celebrated euery fifth yeere at Caesarea He built also the Pythian Temple at Rhodes of his owne cost Hee gaue yeerely reuenue to the Olympyian Games for maintenance of the Sacrifices and solemnity thereof Quis in rapacitate auarior Quis in largitione effusior He robbed his owne to enrich or rather vainely to lauish out on others He spared not the Sepulchers of the dead For the Sepulchre of Dauid had lent before to Hyrcanus three thousand talentts of siluer which filled him with hope of the like spoyle and entring it with his choise friends hee found no money but precious clothes and whiles he in a couetous curiositie searched further he lost two of his company by flame as fame went breaking out vpon them Herevpon he left the place and in recompence in the entry of the Sepulchre built a monument of white Marble He built also Sebaste in the Region of Samaria wherein hee erected a Temple and dedicated a Court of three furlongs and a halfe of ground before it to Caesar Thus Caesar was made a God by him who would not allow Christ a place among men but that hee might kill him spared not the infants of Bethleem no not his owne sonne amongst the rest as this his god ieasted of him saying That hee had rather bee Herods Swine then his Sonne For his Iewish deuotion prohibited him to deale with Swine but not Religion not Reason not Nature could protect those Innocents from slaughter CHAP. IIII. Of the Iewish computation of time and of their festiuall daies THE day amongst the Iewes was as amongst vs Naturall and Artificiall this from Sunne-rising to Sunne-setting to which is opposed Night the time of the Sunnes absence from our Hemisphere that comprehended both these called of the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 containing one whole reuolution of the Sunnes motion to the same point of the Horizon or Meridian in twenty foure houres This Naturall day the Babylonians began at the rising of the Sunne the Athenians at the setting the Vmbrians as the Astrologians at Noone the Egyptians and Romane Priests at Midnight The Iewes agreed in their reckoning with the Athenians as did the Galli in Caesars time reporting Pluto to be the author of their Nation and some relickes hereof is in our naming of time by a seuen-night and a fort-night although otherwise wee reckon the day betweene two midnights The most naturall computation of this naturall day is to follow that order of Nature wherein darkenesse had the prioritie of time and the euening and the morning were made one day or the first day which saith Hospinian the Italian and Bohemian Clockes doe yet obserue The day was not diuided of the first Hebrewes before the Babylonian captiuity into houres but was distinguished by Vigiliae or Watches of which they had foure the first began at euening the second at mid-night the third in the morning the fourth at noone Neither is there any Hebrew word signifying an houre although some interpret the degrees of the Dyall of Ahaz to be houres some as Tremell halfe houres Afterwards it was diuided into houres twelue in the night and as many in the day not equall as ours but longer or shorter according to so many equall portions of the day or night so that with them the first second third fourth fift sixt seuenth eighth ninth tenth eleuenth and twelfth houre was answerable with our houres of seuen eight nine ten eleuen twelue one two three foure fiue and sixe if we consider them in the Equinoctiall otherwise they differed from our equall houres more or lesse according to the vnequall lengthening or shortning of the daies but so that an easie capacitie may conceiue the proportion These houres sometimes they reduced into foure the first containing the first second and third or with vs the seuenth eighth and ninth houres the second the fourth fift and sixt or after our reckoning ten eleuen and twelue of the clock and so forwards This was the Ecclesiasticall Computation according to the times of Prayers and Sacrifices imitated still in the Church of Rome in their Canonicall houres Thus is Marke reconciled to the other Euangelists in relating the time of Christs passion the first calling it the third houre when they crucified him or led him to be crucified whereas Iohn saith That it was about the sixt houre when Pilate deliuered him Thus may the parable of the Labourers in the Vine-yard bee vnderstood Matth. 20. and other places of Scripture The night also was diuided into foure Watches each containing three houres accordingly They had three houres of Prayer the third the sixt the ninth as both the Iewish and Euangelicall Writers mention the first of which they say Abraham instituted the second Isaac it began when it was halfe an houre past the sixt houre and continued till halfe an houre after the ninth at this houre the Disciples of the Wisemen tooke their meate which before this Prayer tasted nothing the third began when the former left and continued till the Euening And this was obserued both for their publike and priuate Prayers although it bee not likely that the whole time was that way spent especially in priuate deuotions for then their particular callings had beene frustrate and cancelled by this exercise of the generall Seuen daies were a weeke whereof the seuenth was called the Sabbath others had no particular name but were called the first day of the weeke or the first day of or after the Sabbath and so of the rest The Christians called them Feriae as the first second or third Feria for Sunday Munday Tuesday the reason whereof was the keeping of Easter weeke holy For that being made in their Calender the first weeke of the yeere and by Law being wholly feriata
Christ said They made them two-fold more the children of Hell then themselues for they freed themselues from many of those impositions they laid on the Consciences of others And these Proselytes the lesse trusted and therefore burthened them with more obseruations §. IIII. Of the Sadducees AFter we haue spoken of the Pharisees which loued the first roomes which they haue heere obtained it followeth to speake next of the Sadducees who in the New Testament are often mentioned Beda giueth an vniust interpretation of their name saying the Sadducees are interpreted Iust. Epiphanius also fetcheth their name from Sedec which signifieth Iustice Lyra alleageth a reason because they were seuere and rigorous in iudgement they gaue this name of Iust not iustly to themselues Burgensis otherwise as of Arrius were the Arrians so of one Sadoch saith hee are the Sadducees called who was the first inuentor of their Heresie Serarius deriueth the name from both The Pharisees were esteemed more iust then they as appeareth Luke 18.9 They counted themselues iust and despised others Summumius summa iniuria Their rigorous Iustice was vniust rigour This Sadoc or rather Saduc liued vnder Antigonus Sochaeus who succeeded to Simeon the iust His fellow Scholler was Baithos of whom came the Baithosaeans So saith Abraham ben Dauid in his historicall Cabball Antigonus said Bee ye not as seruants which Minister to their Prince on condition to receiue reward Sadoc and Baithos asked him of this thing And he answered that they should not put confidence in the reward of this life but in the world to come But they denied his words and said We neuer heard any thing of the world to come for they had beene his Disciples and they dissented from him and went to the Sanctuarie of Mount Garizim where the Princes were They vpbraided the Pharisees with their Traditions saying The Tradition is in the hand of the Pharisees to vexe themselues in this World whereas in the World to come they haue no reward Antigonus his words are in the Treatise Pirke Aboth Be yee not seruants which minister to a Prince to receiue of him reward But be yee as seruants which minister to their Prince with this condition that they receiue no reward and let the feare of God be vpon you Elias Leuita thus reporteth it Antigonus Sochaeus had two Disciples Zadok and Baiethos which leauing their Master to follow wicked men first beganne to deny the Lawe which was giuen by word of mouth and beleeued nothing but that which was written in the Law Wherefore they were called Karraim that is Bible-men or Textuals and in the Romane Tongue they call them Sadducees These two are reported also to haue forsaken their Master Antigonus and as Apostaticall Heretikes to haue embraced Sanballats new Samaritane Religion at Carizim Baithos had a certaine family from Sadoc otherwise held the same opinions as Hillel and Sammai among the Pharisees so these were two chiefe Masters of the Sadducaean Schooles The Baithucaeans ministred to Baithos in vessels of siluer and gold These Sadduces were called Minim or Minei that is Heretikes They are called Karraim because they would seeme Textuall and Scripture-men disallowing Traditions of Kara which signifieth the Scripture which was called Kara or Cara of Cara to reade saith Drusius because of the diligence which ought to be vsed in reading the Scriptures whereunto men should designe after the Iewish precepts the third part of their life Abraham Zachuth calls them Epicures The Scriptures they interpreted after their owne sense nor regarded they the words of the Wise-men that is the Pharisees They were of the ancient Caraeans or Karraim but not of those which now are so tearmed Which as Zachuth confesseth confesse the Resurrection and Reward Scaliger affirmeth by the testimonie of Philip Frederike a Christian Iew who had great familiaritie with these Karraim at Constantinople and had beene often present at their Synagogue that they differ nothing from the other Iewes but in reiecting Traditions and are farre more honest and faithfull then the Rabbanim of whome they are no lesse hated for their integritie then for reiecting Tradition But in comparison of the Rabbanim there are but fewe of the Karraim And these are of the Reliques of the olde Sadducees These two Sects haue nothing common betweene them but the Text of the Scripture They haue a differing account of their New-Moones the other Iewes reckoning from the Coniunction these Karraim from the time of apparition as doe the Arabians Concerning the Karraim now remayning it is reported that the other Iewes and they will not speake one to another so inexpiable hatred doe the other Iewes conceiue against them And Postellus saith There are three principall Sects of the Iewes in the Easterne parts Thalmudists Carraim which reiect those Glosses They are rich but so hated of the rest that a great part of their Virgins remaine vnmarried And if saith the common Iew it should so happen that a Caraim a Christian should fall together into the water with like possibilitie of sauing either he would make a bridge of the Carraim to saue the Christian The third sort is the Samaritan of which afterward Buxdorf saith that there are of these Caraim also in Poland and Leo mentioneth some places in Barbarie where this sort of Iewes doth inhabite as you may hereafter reade in our sixt booke and the eleuenth Chapter Some also are in Palestina First their difference from the Pharisees was about the future reward which being denied they by consequence of that error fell into the rest to denie the Resurrection the subsistence spirituall c. They cooped vp God in Heauen without all beholding of euill They denied Fate which the Pharisees held They denied Spirit altogether saith Lira for they held God to be corporeall the soule to die with the bodie Angels and diuels they denied Good and Euill they ascribed to a mans free-will They were inhospitall and cruell and as cruelly hated of the people They are charged the Diuell may be slandered to denie all Scripture but Moses But first in Scripture this opinion of theirs is not mentioned and Iosephus affirmeth that they receiued the Scriptures and reiected Tradition Neither would the zealous people of the Iewes haue endured them in the Temple if they had denied their Prophets for feare of whom they durst not professe otherwise of Iohn Baptist although hee had left no monument of miracle or Scripture Drusius would reconcile this opinion of the Fathers which say they denied all but Moses and the other saying that some of the Sadduces liued in Iudaea others in Samaria These later happily with the Samaritans denied all saue Moses Amongst these were the Apostata's which liued in Sichem mentioned by Iosephus Antiq. lib. 11. cap. 8. and Eccles 50.27 Iunius thinketh that they fell from the Iewish Religion with Manasses in the time of Nehemias The Sect of the
to all the antient Iewes which would seeme better then their fellowes and not only obserued of the Pharises Essees and Hemerobaptists if such a Sect may be added At this time in Palestina many doe it not once but often in the day The Mahumetans obserue it The Iewes as a Iew hath written were so zealous herein that they would not eate with him that did eate with vnwashed hands and one of their holy men being inuited by such an host rose vp and went his way alleaging to him when he would haue recalled him that he must not eate the bread of him which had an euill eye and besides his meate was vncleane The Priests when they kept their courses in the Temple abstained from Wine and ate not of the Tithes before they had washed their whole body The Pharises and Essees composed themselues to this sanctitie the greater part of the Pharises and all the Essees abstained from Wine and both vsed daily washings especially before they ate And as many Heretikes professing themselues Christians retained many things of Iudaisme so these Hemerobaptists learned them this daily washing It seemeth by him that these were Christian rather then Iewish Heretikes And so were the Nazaraeans also which some reckon among the Iewish Sects who embraced the Gospell of Christ but would not relinquish their Iudaisme vnlesse wee say with Hierome that whiles they would be both Iewes and Christians they were neither Iewes nor Christians These Nazaraeans or Nazoraeans Scaliger affirmeth were meere Karraim Scripture Iewes but because of their obstinacie in the Law the first Councell of the Apostles determined against them As for the Nazarites of the old Testament Moses describeth them and their obseruations not to cut their haire not to drinke wine strong drinke c. Such was Sampson But these could be no Sect holding in euery thing the same doctrine with the Iewes and onely for a time were bound by vow to these Rites But for those Nazaraeans Epiphanius maketh them a Iewish Sect not without cause if such were their opinions as he describeth them Their dwelling was beyond Iordan in Gilead and Bashan as the fame goeth saith he by Nation Iewes and by obseruing many things like to the Iewes Herein they differed They did not eate any thing which had life they offered not sacrifice for they counted it vnlawful to Sacrifice or to eate flesh They disallowed the fiue books of Moses they indeed confessed Moses and the Fathers by him mentioned and that he had receiued the Law not this yet which is written but another Philastrius saith they accepted the Law and Prophets but placed all righteousnesse in carnall obseruation and nourishing the haire of their heads placed therein all their vertue professing to imitate Sampson who was called a Nazarite from whom the Pagans afterwards named their valiant men Hercules Next to these doth Epiphanius place the Ossens dwelling in Ituraea Moab and beyond the Salt or Dead Sea to these one Elixai in the time of Traian ioyned himselfe hee had a brother named Iexai Scaliger here and euery where acute saith that the Essens and Ossens are the same name as being written with the selfe-same Hebrew Letters differing onely in pronunciation as the Abyssynes pronounce Osrael Chrostos for Israel Christus And the Arabian Elxai and his brother Iexai were not proper names but the appellation of the Sect it selfe as hee proueth But they agreed not so well in profession as in name with the Essens for they were but an issue of those ancient Essens holding some things of theirs others of their owne as concerning the Worship of Angels reproued by the Apostles Coloss 2.21 In which the Essens and Ossens agreed and other things there mentioned Touch not taste not handle not and in worshipping of the Sunne whereof they were called Sampsaeans or Sunners Sun-men as Epiphanius interpreteth that name Those things wherein they differed were brought in by that Innouator who of this his Sect was called Elxai He was saith Epiphanius a Iew he ordained Salt and Water and Earth and Bread and Heauen and the Skie and the Winde to be sworne by in Diuine worship And sometimes he prescribed other seuen witnesses Heauen and Water and Spirits and the holy Angels of Prayer and Oyle and Salt and Earth He hated continencie and enioyned marriage of necessitie Many imaginations he hath as receiued by reuelation He teacheth Hypocrisie as in time of persecution to worship Idols so as they keepe their Conscience free And if they confesse any thing with their mouth but not in their heart Thus ancient is that Changeling Aequiuocation He bringeth his Author one Phineas of the stock of the ancienter Phineas the sonne of Eleazar who had worshipped Diana in Babylon to saue his life His followers esteeme him a secret vertue or power Vntill the time of Constantine Marthus and Marthana two women of his stocke remained in succession of his honour and were worshipped in that Countrey for gods because they were of his seede Marthus died a while since but Marthana still liueth Their spittle and other excrements of their body those Heretikes esteemed and reserued for Reliques to the cure of diseases which yet preuayled nothing He mentioneth Christ but it is vncertaine whether he meaneth the Lord Iesus Hee forbids praying to the East-ward and bids turne towards Ierusalem from all parts He detesteth Sacrifices as neuer offered by the Fathers He denieth the eating of flesh among the Iewes and the Altar and Fire as contrarie to God but water is fitting He describeth Christ after his measure foure and twentie Schaem in length that is foure-score and sixteene miles and the fourth part thereof in breadth to wit six Schaeni or foure and twentie miles besides the thicknesse and other fables He acknowledgeth a holy Ghost but of the female sexe like to Christ standing like a statue aboue the Clouds and in the midst of two mountains He bids none should seeke the interpretation but only say these things in prayer words which he had taken out of the Hebrew tongue as in part we haue found His prayer is this Abar anid moib nochiel daasim ani daasim nochile moib anid abar selam Thus Epiphanius relates it and thus construes I cannot say expoundeth although they like our deuout Catholiques needed no exposition Let the humilitie passe from my Fathers of their condemnation and conculcation and labour the conculcation in condemnation by my Fathers from the humility passed in the Apostleship of perfection Thus was Elxai with his followers opinionate otherwise Iewish Epiphanius speakes of his Sect else where often as when he mentioneth the Ebonites and the Sampsaeans This booke both the Ossees and Nazoraeans and Ebionites vsed The Sampsaeans had another booke they said of his brothers They acknowledge one God and worship him vsing certaine washings Some of them abstaine from liuing creatures and they will die for Elxai his posteritie
fire where were twentie three thousand Iewes Fortie dayes sayling from thence was the Kingdome of Sinne from which to Gingalan was fifteene dayes there were ten thousand Israelites Thence I went to Ethiopian India which they call Baghdaan in which were high mountaynes and in them many Israelites subiect to none which warred on the Hamaghtani that is the Libyans From thence to Azzan was twentie daies iourney through the wildernesse Sebor the King whereof was Sultan Alhabas an Ismaelite Twelue dayes thence is Hhalauan where were three hundred Iewes from which they passe in troupes through the desartal-Tsahaca into Zeuila in the tract of Geena or Ginaea where they encounter showres of sands This Region is in the land of Chus and is called Alhhabas towards the West Thirteene dayes iourney from Hhaluan is Kits the beginning of Egypt And fiue from thence Pium once Pithon where were twentie Iewes and many monuments of our fathers to be seene Thence to Misraim is foure iourneyes where were two thousand Iewes in two Synagogues which differed in their distribution of the Lectures of their Law the Babylonians finishing it in a yeere as in Spaine the Israelites in three But twice a yeere they assembled together in Prayers on the feast Laetitia Legis and on the feast Latae Legis Nathaneel was chiefe ouer all the Vniuersities or Synagogues of Egypt and appointed Masters and Aeditui He was familiar with the King Amir Almumanin Eli sonne of Abitalib At Alexandria were three thousand Israelites But for his trauels in Egypt and the Synagogues which there he found as also backe againe into Sicilia Germany Boheme Prussia c. because there are yet knowne Synagogues of them I surcease relation And much may I feare I haue too much wearied the Reader in so long a Iewish Pilgrimage but seeing Authors of best note Scaliger Drusius Lipsius c. cite him and Arias Mont. hath taken the paines to translate him and his trauels are such ample testimonies of this our present subiect of Iewish dispersions I haue beene bold to annex these things If any list not to beleeue such multitudes of Iewes I will not vrge him howsoeuer that deluge of Tartars in all those Asian Regions soone after Beniamins dayes brought a new face of all things in these Easterly parts as a Iew and relating these things to Iewes and by Iewes passing to vs it is like he reported and we haue receiued with the most For his Geographie some of his names are easily reconciled to the present some hardly which I leaue to the Readers industrie §. VI. Of some Iewes lately found in China and of their late Accidents in Germany AFter these relations of Beniamin I thought it not vnfit to insert out of Ricci Trigautius Iesuites lately residing in China somewhat appertaining to these Iewish affaires It is but few yeeres since the Iesuites could settle themselues at Paquin the Royall Citie of China Thither did a certaine Iew moued with report of these strangers hauing an imagination that they were Iewes resort vnto them This Iew was borne at Chaifamfu the mother-Citie of the Prouince Honan his name was Ngai his countenance not resembling the Chinois he neglecting Iudaisme had addicted himselfe to the China studies and now came to Paquin to the Examination in hope of proceeding Doctor There did he enter the Iesuites house professing that he was of their Law and Religion Ricci leades him into the Chappell where on the Altar stood the Image of the Virgin Iesus and Iohn Baptist kneeling which hee taking to be the Image of Rebecca and her twinnes did worship vnto them contrarie he said vnto their custome The Images of the Euangelists he supposed to be so many of Iacobs sonnes But vpon further questioning the Iesuite perceiued that he was a professor of the Law of Moses he confessed himselfe an Israelite and knew not the name of Iew so that it seemed the dispersion of the ten Tribes had pierced thus farre Seeing the Hebrew Bible hee knew the Letters but could not reade them He told them that in Caifamfu were ten or twelue Families of Israelites and a faire Synagogue which had lately cost them ten thousand Crownes therein the Pentateuch in rolles which had beene with great veneration preserued fiue or six hundred yeeres In Hamcheu the chiefe Citie of Chequian he affirmed were many more Families with their Synagogue many also in other places but without Synagogues and by degrees wearing out His pronunciation of Hebrew names differed from ours as Herusoloim Moscia for Messia Ierusalem His brother he said was skilfull in the Hebrew which hee in affection to the China preferment had neglected and therefore was hardly censured by the Ruler of the Synagogue To this Citie did Ricci send one of his to enquire who found these reports true which also copied the beginnings and endings of their bookes which they compared and found to agree with their owne Pentateuch sauing that they wanted pricks or points He writ also in China Characters to the Ruler of their Synagogue that he had the rest of the bookes of the old Testament and other bookes of the New which contained the acts of the Messias being already come The Ruler doubted saying that he would not come till ten thousand yeeres were expired He also promised that because he had heard much good of him if he would come thither and abstaine from Swines-flesh they would make him Ruler of their Synagogue After this three Iewes came from thence to Paquin and were almost perswaded to become Christians These complained that through ignorance of the Hebrew their Religion decayed and that they were likely all of them in a short time to become Saracens or Ethnikes The old Archisynagogue was now dead his sonne a young man succeeded in place but ignorant of their Law And that their Iewish Religion was indeede languishing appeared by this that they both worshipped the Popish Images and complained that in their Synagogue and priuate houses they had none They were offended that they were forbidden the eating of any creature which themselues had not killed which had they obserued in this iourney had cost them their liues Their wiues and neighbours esteemed Circumcision of their infants on the eight day a cruell thing which they could be willing to altar with acceptation of the Christian Law nor would much stand about Swines-flesh They told them of certaine Christians also or worshippers of the Crosse in China which with the Iewes and Saracens were all called by the Chinois Hoei adding some distinction from their differing Rites calling the Saracens Hoei which refused Swines flesh The Iewes Hoei which abstaine from the sinew the Crosse-worshippers Hoei which abstaine from round-footed beasts whereas the Iewes Saracens and Chinois eate the flesh of horses asses and the like This Historie I haue added to shew how the Iewes haue bin dispersed into the furthest parts and how time the deuourer of all things hath almost eaten them out
then biggest when they haue nothing but wind to fill them Euen their glorious Titles so much insisted on in this Discourse then seeme to haue had beginning or at least to be in greatest vse when they were neere the end and Sun-set of their glorie and since haue encreased to this rabble of Rabbinicall stiles here deliuered and that which in these dayes is of greatest reckoning the Title Morenu our Doctor hath beene hatched saith Buxtorfius in Germany within these two hundred yeeres and thence passed into Italy in imitation of our Academicall degree of Doctors say some or else as others it was ordayned to be a speciall Title of honour with a kind of Iurisdiction ouer other R R. to preuent their lauish loosenesse in granting Bils of Diuorce that this power should bee appropriated to the Morenu The first which enioyed this Title in this proper sense for in a common it was common before as in Rambams Moreh Nebuchim appeares were Maharasch and his Scholer Maharil who dyed Anno Dom. 1427. §. IIII. Of the Scriptures and their Interpretations BEfore we shake hands with the Learned Writers of the Iewes it is not vnmeete in my opinion heere to meete with some question which some haue mooued concerning them and their dealing in and with the Scriptures For since that the Councell of Trent hath decreed in the yeere 1546. both the diuine authoritie of Scriptures Canonicall to the Apocrypha-bookes which the Iewes receiue not nor euer did and hath made the vulgar Translation Authenticall in publike Lectures Disputations Preachings and Expositions that none vnder any pretence whatsoeuer shall presume to reiect it it is wonder to see how eagerly that I say not impudently diuers of them haue sought to slander the originall Text and haue blamed as Authors thereof in the New Testament Heretikes and in the Old Iewes couering their malice to vs with pretence of the malice of Heretikes and Iewes and forgetting the true Rule That it is a shame to belie the Diuell Thus haue Canus and Pintus and Gregorius de Valentia Sacroboscus and others traduced the Iewes in this behalfe themselues refuted by their owne which yet by consequent ouerthrow that former Decree Sixtus Senensis Ribera Cardinall Bellarmine himselfe Andradius Andreas Masius Arias Montanus Isaac Leuita c. Besides of ours many and especially our owne learned Countrimen Whitaker Reynolds Morton c. Bellarmine hath both taught vs the vanitie of their opinion that hold That the Scriptures were all lost in the Babylonian Captiuitie and were by Ezra renewed miraculously who is rather commended for his industrie in interpreting and obseruing them and for ordering and compacting them in one Volume then for such needlesse reuelation to finde that which was neuer lost an Author rather as Hierome hath obserued of the present Hebrew Letters then of their ancient Scriptures and hath also prooued the absurditie of their conceit that imagine the Hebrew Fountaines corrupted First by the Argument of Origen and Hierome That such corruption must haue beene either before or after Christ if that Christ would haue reproued and not commended the Scriptures to their search if this how commeth it that the Testimonies cited by him and his Apostles are found now in Moses and the Prophets as they were then cited Secondly out of Augustine That it is not likely they would put out both their eyes in depriuing their Scriptures of truth that they might put out one of ours nor was it possible that such a generall conspiracie could be made Thirdly from their more then reuerent estimation of their Scriptures for which they would die if it were possible an hundreth deaths and euen still as Isaac answereth B. Lindan his Scholler they proclaime a Fast to expiate if by some accident that Booke but falls to the ground Fourthly some places in the Hebrew are more strong against the Iewes then our Translations are and the Prophesies which make most against them remaine there vncorrupted And lastly the prouidence of GOD would neuer herein faile his Church but hath left them with their bookes to bee dispersed through the world to beare witnesse to that Truth which they hate and persecute These are Bellarmines Arguments which because they are the Truth are also ours and therefore we haue beene bold with the Reader to insert them Leuita addes that the Hebrew Texts concerning Christ are more cleere and perspicuous then in any translation whatsoeuer who affirmes also of himselfe that reading the fiftie third Chapter of Esaias 1000. times by which he was conuerted to the Christian Faith and comparing it diligently with many translations he found a hundred times more touching the mysterie of Christ in that then in these Many Prophesies are in the Hebrew which make for the Christians and yet in the 70. are omitted The Iewes hold it a crime inexpiable to alter any thing therein which if any say they should doe but in one word of ignorance or malice it would bring the whole world in danger of perishing They will not lay their Bible but in a pure place nor touch it but with pure hands and are not religious alone but superstitious also in respect thereto As for that Emendation or Correction of the Scribes which Galatinus mentioneth wherein they haue corrupted the Text hee proueth it to bee a late dreame of the Talmud and answereth the Arguments of his fellowes herein not so Catholike as himselfe Now although this may seeme more then enough to conuince that folly yet it shall not bee impertinent to adde out of Arias Montanus somewhat touching the same because it openeth another mysterie touching the Hebrew Learning and the Masoreth When the Iewes saith he returned into their Country after the Captiuitie threescore and ten yeeres in Babylon it befell them partly by occasion of their long troubles which did distract their mindes partly by corruption of their Natiue Tongue which was growne out of kinde first into the Chaldee and afterward into the Syriacke that they neither knew nor pronounced so well the words of the Scripture written as the manner was without vowels Whereby it came to passe that in the writing of them there crept in some fault either through iniurie of the Times or by reason of troubles which fell vpon the People or by negligence of some Scriueners But this inconuenience was met withall afterward by most learned men such as Esdras was and afterward Gamaliel Ioseus Eleazar and other of great name who prouided by common trauell with great care and industrie that the Text of Scripture and the true reading thereof should bee preserued most sound and vncorrupt And from these men or from their instruction being receiued and polished by their Schollers in the Ages following there came as wee iudge that most profitable Treasure which is called Masoreth that is to say a Deliuerie or Traditionall because it doth deliuer aboundantly and faithfully all the diuers Readings that
is King of the whole world hauing in the word Echad many superstitious subtilties that the letter Daleth in regard of his place in the Alphabet signifieth foure and the word Echad contayneth in numerall letters two hundred fortie and fiue whereunto adding three hael elohechem emes God our Lord is true they make vp the number of two hundred fortie and eight and so many members there are in mans bodie for euerie member a prayer secures them all And this verse thrice recited secureth against the ill spirit They esteeme it a holy prayer by which miracles may bee wrought and therefore vse it morning and euening They haue another prayer called Schone esre that is eighteene because it contayneth so many thankesgiuing which they say twice a day and the chiefe chanter of the Synagogue singeth it twice by himselfe They thinke by this prayer to obtaine remission of their sinnes They must pray it standing so that one foot must not stand more on the ground then the other like the Angels And their foote was a right foote When they come to those words in it Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts they leape vp three times aloft And hee say their Chachamim which speaketh a word during this prayer shall haue burning coales giuen him to eate after his death These eighteene thanksgiuings are for the eighteene bones in the chine or back-bone which must in saying hereof be bended After this followeth a prayer against the Iewes reuolted to Christianitie and against all Christians saying These which are blotted out that is reuolters shall haue no more hope and all vnbeleeuers shall perish in the twinkling of an eye and all thine enemies which hate thee O GOD shall be destroyed and the proud and presumptuous Kingdome shall quickly be rooted out broken layd euen with the ground and at last shall vtterly perish and thou shalt make them presently in our dayes obedient to vs Blessed art thou God which breakest and subduest them which are rebellious They call the Turkish Empire the Kingdome of Ismael the Roman Edomiticall proud c. They are themselues indeed exceeding proud impatient and desirous of reuenge The Talmud sayth That the lying spirit in the mouth of Achabs Prophets which perswaded him to goe and fall at Ramoth Gilead was none other but the spirit of Naboth whom hee had before flaine And Victor Carbensis a Christian Iew testifieth That there are not vnder heauen a more quarrelsome people themselues acknowledging the Christians farre meeker then themselues when they haue this Prouerb that the modestie of the Christians the wisedome and industrie of the Heathens and faith of the Iewes are the three pillers which sustaine the world But to returne to their deuotions After those other before mentioned followeth a prayer for the good sort for Proselytes reedifying of the Temple for sending the Messias and restauration of their Kingdome In the end they pray GOD to keepe them in peace and when they come to these words Hee that makes peace aboue shall make peace ouer all Israel Amen they goe backe three paces bow themselues downewards bend their head on the right hand then on the left if some Christian bee there with an Image they must not bow but lift vp their heart This they doe for honours sake not to turne their hinder parts on the Arke and thus they goe like Crabbes out of the Synagogue vsing certaine prayers not running but with a slow pace lest they should seeme glad that their Mattins were done Other their niceties in praying as laying the right hand on the left ouer the heart not spetting nor breaking winde vp or downe not interrupted by a King to cease prayer to shake his bodie this way and that way not to touch his naked bodie and to say Amen with all his heart for they that say Amen are worthie to say it in the world to come And therefore Dauid endeth a Psalme with Amen Amen signifying that one is to bee said heere and the other in the other world also in a plaine eminent place purged from all filth freed from the sight of women his face to the East standing his feet close together fixing his eyes on the ground eleuating the heart to heauen c. I hold it enough thus to mention Their praying to the East must be vnderstood from our Westerne parts because Ierusalem standeth that way for otherwise Rambam sheweth that Abraham prayed in Mount Moriah toward the West and the Sanctum Sanctorum was in the West which place also Abraham set forth and determined And because the Gentiles worshipped the Sunne toward the rising therefore Abraham worshipped Westward and appointed the Sanctuarie so to stand The Talmud saith Praying to the South bringeth wisdome toward the North riches I might heere also adde their Letanie and Commemoration of their Saints almost after the Popish fashion As thus for a taste Wee haue sinned before thee haue mercie on vs O Lord doe it for thy names sake and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for Abraham thy perfect one and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for him which was bound in thy porches to wit in Mount Moriah where the Temple was afterward builded and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for him which was heard in the ladder Iacob from thy high place and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for the merit of Ioseph thy holy one c. Lord doe it for him which was drawne out of the waters Moses and spare c. Lord doe it for Aaron the Priest with Vrim and Thummim Lord grant it for him that was zealous for thy name Phineas Lord doe it for the sweet Singer Dauid Lord doe it for him which built thine house They name not any but expresse him after this sort And then proceed in like manner with the titles attributes and workes of GOD. Doe it for thy Name Doe it for thy Goodnesse for thy Couenant thy Law thy Glorie c. in seuerall versicles And then to their Saints in a new passage Doe it for Abraham Isaac and Iacob Doe it for Moses and Aaron for Dauid and Salomon as if their combined forces should effect more then single Doe it for Ierusalem the holy Citie for Sion for the destruction of thy house for the poore Israelites for the bare Israelites for the miserable Israelites for the Widdowes and Orphans for the sucking and wained and if not for our sake yet for thine owne sake Then in another forme Thou which hearest the poore heare vs thou which hearest the oppressed heare vs Thou which heardest Abraham c. With renuing a commemoration of their Saints larger then before and after some repeating the diuine titles in another tune they oppose their Saint and wicked ones together as Remember not the lye of Achan but remember Iosua forgiuing him and remember Heli and Samuel and so on in a tedious length CHAP. XVI Of their Ceremonies at home after
vs oftentimes that they doe not worship him as gods but GOD in them Neither are the Heathen we say that are round about vs so blinded that they thinke the stocks and stones to be GOD but they are perswaded that God may be worshipped in them And yet they goe farther for the Christians in Spaine and Portugall haue it written in their Bookes That the Virgin Mary is the Lords Treasurer and that she bestowes gifts and graces vpon her seruants That her Mercie pardoneth them whom the Iustice of her Sonne might condemne and that our saluation lieth in her hands But our Law teacheth That GOD is All-sufficient hee giueth to whom he listeth He will not giue his glory to another c. The Reader may if hee please from that Iew himselfe in his printed Confession be further informed of that Partition wall which separateth the Iew and Catholike They are so much the more scandalized when they see the Catechismes recite the Decalogue with omission of that second Commandement which they thinke as one of their greatest Rabbins contested with our Author was the Ordinance of Christ himselfe Yea the Priests and Friers let passe in their Conferences with them for currant their Iewish vpbraidings that Christ a Carpenters Sonne was an Image-maker or at least an Author of their worshipping As for those speculatiue plaisters of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of intention instrumentall and finall in worship of Images of the true and Idols of the false gods they are as euen now you heard the vnsauourest dregs to the Iew in the world The poore Idiot among the Christians can as little distinguish as the Pagan and both amongst the Christians is like honour done to Gods Image and to that of Saints and to them both in like forme of worship as amongst the Pagans They are forced to be at some Sermons and there are well edified by their hearing when they see the Preacher direct his prayer to a Crucifixe calling it his Lord and Sauiour Their Transubstantiation is a monster as hideous as the former The meanes vsed to their conuersion are weake especially in some places where they haue not the New Testament in such Language as they can vnderstand and the Inquisitors haue inhibited and taken from them all bookes written on that Theame in defence of Christian Religion or against it alledging they will haue no disputing in matters of Religion either way like the Iesuits Edict at Dola forbidding all talke of GOD either in good sort or in bad But of all other this is a good furtherance that when in their Baptisme they deny the Deuill and all his workes they must renounce their right and propertie in all their goods and possessions the shamefull couetousnesse of hypocriticall Christians hauing brought these irritamenta malorum within the compasse of the Deuils workes presupposing forsooth that either the conuerted Iew or his corrupt ancestors haue scraped together such heapes of wealth by vsurie or oppression or some vnlawfull meanes or other Therefore for the good of his soule his body shall be left to beg or starue while with the leauing of his Iewish superstition hee must likewise leaue all that he hath and his new-receiued Religion must be a meanes to strip him of his riches and to weane him from his wel-beloued Mammon which that Nation is naturally so farre in loue with This alone to the world-bewitched Iew is such a Partition-wall to keepe him from Christianitie that he will venture soule and all rather then thus betray himselfe his wife and children to extreme beggerie and want And so much the worse saith Victor Carbensis one of these Conuerts because in their Iewish estate they had not learned any Art which now might minister vnto them sustenance Thus are they driuen to beg from doore to doore for their food exposed not onely to this extremitie of want but to the opprobries also of vnchristians Christians who Iewishly hate the name of a Iew nor can the Iew be washed from it with the sacred tincture of Baptisme whiles the scumme of the irreligious-religious vulgar scoffe and point at them saying There goes a baptized Iew a name best fitting themselues and on the other side their owne Countreymen hate and abhorre them as Apostataes Renegadoes and Fugitiues And if any shew them kinder entertainment yet as a nine-dayes wonder it lasteth but a little while whereof the Iewes haue this prouerbe A now Conuert is as a new or cleane cloth which at first is pleasant but after a little wearing groweth foule and loathsome Especially since the fairest of his preferment to welcome him to our Religion is to turne Frier then which profession nothing can be more hatefull to him who accounteth it a course against Nature and a breach of that Ordinance of GOD Crescite multiplicamini of multiplying the world by a holy propagation in that Honourable estate of Mariage which that doctrine of Deuils hath made the Frier vncapable of As for the example of Elias and some other holy Men whom our Popish Votaries would make Patrones of their disorderly Orders the Iew herein more truly-truely-Christian then the Papist holdeth it a course extraordinary and ordinarily preferreth holy Marriage farre before that seeming-holy Vow of Virginitie Thus we see what outward scandals besides their generall preiudice against Christianitie doe hinder them from it which offences in behalfe of the Christians together with that preiudice Pride and Enuie and aboue all that Veile which Diuine Iustice hath left vpon their hearts GOD in his good time remoue and grant according to that Prophecie That all Israel may be saued CHAP. XXII The later Inhabitants of Palestina and the parts adioyning since the dispersion of the Iewes till this day §. I. Of the Christian times before the Saracens ANd thus haue we ended our Iewish Relations our next iourney is into Arabia a way dreadfull sometimes to the Israelites passing this way to Canaan where yet their expected inheritance their pillar of a cloud by day and fire by night their Manna and many other miraculous effects of Diuine presence might arme them against heates droughts desarts serpents enemies and all oppositions Not so your Pilgrime now leauing Palaestina and the Holy Land to visite these Arabian desarts full of emptinesse stored with wants and yet most fruitfull of that which is worse then barrennesse the very Seminary of Mahumetane impious pietie The very conceit whereof makes him like the Riuer Iordan which loseth himselfe in this wildernesse and therefore lingers as long as he may diffusing himselfe in lakes by the way as loth to mixe his Fresh-waters with the Dead Sea to stay and stray so long in Palaestina as he which knowes a Heathenish and Morish Mare mortuum will swallow him if he could sinke as soone as he is passed hence Let vs therefore stay here a little longer to refresh our eyes wearied with Iewish spectacles and take view
of those which haue since succeeded them in habitation in sinne in iudgement And where might wee better stay or what part of the world can yeeld such varietie and multiplicitie of obiects to both the eyes of the minde Curiositie and Deuotion No where such manifold alterations and diuisions of state so diuersified a Map of Nature so multiplied rites of Religion in such differing sects of Heathens Hebrewes Mahumetans Christians No where Antiquitie shewing a grauer countenance no where the Monuments of such mercies the spectacles of such iudgements such consolations such desolations such ambition of Potentates and forraine sutors from the East the West the North the South such Miracles such Oracles such confluence of Pilgrims looking as farre opposite as Sampsons Foxes with as fierie diuisions whether in differing heresies of one or differing names of diuers Deuotions both Catholike and Hereticall Iewes Saracens and Christians concurring in visiting adorning adoring these places with Titles and Rites of Holinesse How often hath this country emtied our Westerne world with Armes and Armies to recouer it and the Easterne in like manner to retaine it How often hath it brought Armies of Angelicall spirits out of the highest Heauens to couer these Hilles with Chariots and Horses of fire round about the holy men of GOD How oft But what speake I of Men or Angels GOD himselfe loued the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of the world and IESVS CHRIST the Angell of the Couenant true GOD and perfect MAM here was borne here liued practised died ascended and hence he sent his Apostles to bee Fathers of men that the sonnes of men might bee made the heires of GOD co-heires with himselfe After the Iewes for reiecting him were reiected out of both the heauenly and earthly Canaan this countrey was inhabited partly by Roman Colonies there planted for securitie of the countrey by the Roman Emperours partly by such Syrians as submitted themselues peaceably to the Roman Empire both that Ethnike before Constantine and after in farre more flourishing estate vnder the Christian Emperours till the daies of un-vn-christian Phocas This was the murtherer of Mauritius his Lord the vsurper of the Empire the exalter of the Roman See vnto the Ecclesiasticall Supremacie with as good right as himselfe had to the state a monster of mankinde vnder whom the Empire was neere an vtter ouerthrow as by the Hunnes Auares and other Nations in the West so especially by the Persians in the East whose Emperour Chosroes ouerthrew that Armie which had conspired against Mauricius and in the fourth yeere of Phocas ouer-ranne Mesopotamia and Syria in the next yeere after carried much prey and many captiues out of all Syria Palestina and Phoenicia in the seuenth yeere of his raigne possessed Armenia Galatia Paphlagonia and spoiled all as farre as Chalcedon Yet saith Cedrenus Phocas did more harme at home then the enemy in the field At the same time the Iewes made a commotion at Antioch and slew besides many other Citizens Anastasius the Patriarch in despight also putting his priuitiues in his mouth But the Iewes paid much bloud for this butcherie and Phocas also himselfe the chiefe Butcher was most mercilesly butchered presently after by Heraclius his successour They tell of a Reuelation to a certaine Holy man that GOD had made Phocas Emperour because hee could not finde a worse man by whom to punish that people which I mention that the world might see what a good Mid-wife Rome then in trauel had to helpe her babe Antichrist into the world But to returne to the Storie Heraclius could not withstand the Persian insolence but lost in his first yeere Apamea and Edessa and in the next Caesarea from whence they carried many thousands into captiuitie in the fourth Damascus was taken and in the fifth Ierusalem where by reason of the Iewish crueltie who bought all the Christians they could to slaughter them there were slaine ninetie thousand Zacharias the Patriarch together with the holy Crosse and exceeding store of captiues and spoile were carried into captiuitie The next yeere they ouercame Egypt Africa and Ethiopia Chosroes neglects all ouertures of peace made to him by Heraclius except they would deny their crucified God and worship the Sunne He also caused the Christians in his dominion to become Nestorians the cause perhaps why almost all the farre Easterne Christians to this day are or at least are called Nestorians Against him Heraclius continued a six yeeres expedition in which hee ouerranne his countries ouerthrew his Armies sacked his Cities Castles and Palaces and at last assisted his eldest sonne Siroes whom Chosroes sought to dis-herit against him who tooke him and hauing before exposed him to all contumelious insultations and almost starued him in a darke prison and slaine all his other children in his sight with abominable tyrannie shot his tyrannicall father to death So died Chosroes a successour of Sennacherib in the dominion of many the same countries subiection to the like blasphemous impietie and reward by like parricide Heraclius in the ninteenth yeere of his raigne visiteth Ierusalem restoring the captiued crosse and Patriarch by restitution of Siroes He banished thence all the Iewes prohibiting by Edict that none should come neere it by three miles §. II. Of the Saracens and Turkes in Palestina THe Saracens had done good seruice in rhese wars against the Persians which in the time of Heraclius began a new Religion and Empire vnder Mahomet the founder of both the second after whom Omar ouerthrew Theodorus the brother of Heraclius in battell and after him another Theodorus and Boanes his Generals forced the Emperour to abandon Syria carrying the holy crosse from Ierusalem to Constantinople In the 26. of Heraclius hee entred Ierusalem hypocritically and pseudoprophetically clothed in a homely garment of Camels haire and sought out the place of Salomons Temple there to erect another subduing soone after the whole Persian State and a great part of the Roman Anno Dom. 641. did Homar build his Temple at Ierusalem with incredible costs in matter and workmanship enriching the same with many and large possessions and reuenues in the Musaike worke of the inner and outward part thereof expressing in Arabike letters the Author time and charges of the building The forme whereof is thus described by William Archbishop of Tyrus The Church-yard was square about a bow-shot in length and bredth compassed with a high wall hauing on the West square two gates one on the North and another on the East on the South was the Palace On euery of these gates and on the corners were high steeples on which at certaine houres the Priests after the Saracenicall manner called them to prayers In this compasse none were suffered to dwell nor to enter but with bare and washed feet Porters being assigned to that purpose In the midst of this square was another somewhat higher whereto they ascended by staires in two places on the West
side as many on the South and one on the East in euery of the corners were Oratories or Chappels erected In the middle hereof was the Temple raised of eight-square forme crusted within and without with Marble and Musaike worke hauing a sphericall roofe artificially couered with Lead Both the inner and outward square was paued with white stone whereby the raine water descended into many cisternes for that cause prouided In the midst of this Temple within the inner row of pillars there was a Rocke of prettie height with a Caue vnder it of the same stone vpon which they say Dauid saw the Angell standing which smote the people with pestilence after he had numbred them where also he then built an Altar This remained open to the view till the Westerne Christians winning the place couered it with Marble and erected thereon an Altar and Quire Baumgarten who was at Ierusalem a hundred and nine yeeres since and was thrust downe the staires by the Saracens saith this Temple is not now very large and that it is twelue-cornered with a round steeple in the midst thereon as on their steeple vsually a halfe Moone within were reported to burne continually two thousand Lampes The floore of the Church-yard being white Marble occupying a bow-shot about the Temple maketh such a reflexion of the Sun-beames that a man is not able to endure it This Temple the Saracens haue in such reuerence that the Soldan did then entitle himselfe the high Priest and defender of it They call it the Holy Rocke If any Iew or Christian enter therein they compell him to deny his Religion and turne Turke or else they cut him asunder in the middle which hapned to a Christian Maronite about sixe moneths before who in a Turkish habite had entred but being knowne for feare denied his Faith but with reluctation of his conscience reuoked this act soone after and liued after such a dismembring three houres Neere this Temple is another sometimes called Salomons porch by the Christians dedicate to our Ladie larger then is now that of Salomons in which eight hundred Lampes were said to burne continually Vnder both these wee are told that there is a large Vault with admirable rowes of pillars able to receiue many thousands Breidenbachius Chancellor and Deane of Mentz who visited those places aboue twentie yeeres before him writes almost the same things saue that hee placeth but seuen hundred Lampes in this Temple of Salomon or as the Saracens called it the Holy Rocke The Soldan then liuing had built another neere it with eightie eight Lampes continually burning Hee with his companions had like to haue beene slaine by the Saracens for offering to enter another Temple in Mount Sion wherein was said to bee the sepulchers of the Kings of Iuda The Saracens come farre in pilgrimage to the Holy Rocke so they call it of the Rocke aforesaid which is grated about with iron which they dare not touch for the reputed sanctitie and reported rarities thereof Melchisedechs offering Iacobs dreame of the Ladder which yet some haue ascribed to the stone now at Westminster Ieremies enclosing the Arke by some supposed to be still therein and a world of wonders told thereof Ludolphus Suthenensis relateth of that bloudie dissection of such as entred therein But it is high time for vs to bee gone out of it lest some wish vs cut asunder in the midst and this prolixe Historie made shorter by the halfe Thus Palestina continued wholly subiect to the Saracens who after being diuided into sects the Egyptian called Siha preuailed against the Persian or Easterne called Sunni and obtained all as farre as Antioch and the Christians of those parts were in some tolerable condition till the dayes of Hequen the Calipha who rased to the ground the Temple of the Resurrection built in the time of Constantine and repaired by Heraclius hee forbade them the keeping of holy solemnities and afflicted them with manifold other oppressions forcing many to Apostacie In the time of Daher sonne of Hequen the Church was re-builded Ann. Dom. 1048. But the greedie gouernours cruelly exacted on the Christians still threatning if their purposes were not effected to demolish their Temple Yet these full flies were farre more gentle then those their meagre and hungry successours the Turkes which hauing conquered these parts tyrannized most cruelly both here and in the parts of the lesser Asia Belpheth the Turke hauing ouerthrowne taken Diogenes the Christian Emperour in battell whom hee vsed at a Settle ascending or descending his Throne Thus Tyrius Raimond de Agiles testifieth that the Surians or Christians of those parts of whom remained about Libanus sixtie thousand at that time of the Franks inuasion so called as hee supposeth of Sur the name of Tyrus till this day endured such miserie both in this Turkish and that former Saracenicall slauerie that many were compelled to forsake their Religion and be circumcised some others for feare deliuered their young children to Circumcision and some were violently taken to this purpose out of their mothers bosomes the father being slaine and the mother violated Churches were subuerted Altars ouerthrowne and superstitious Images by a contrary superstition were done away and if any mans deuotion desired them in priuate they were forced by a monethly or yeerely price to redeeme them They prostituted in Stewes their sonnes and daughters and yet the mother durst not weepe at the sight §. III. Of the exploits of the Frankes and other Westerne Christians in Palestina THirtie eight yeeres they groaned vnder this Turkish yoke from which they were freed by the Franks and other Westerne Nations vnder the conduct of Godfrey of Buillon Robert of Normandie sonne to the Conquerour and other who by the instigation of Peter the Eremite first whom they so admired that his words and deeds were acounted diuine and the very hayre plucked off his Mule for Reliques and after of Pope Vrban calling a Councell at Claremont to this purpose crossed themselues to warre in and for the Holy land against the Infidels GOD blessed their designes and gaue into their hands all the three Palestina's for so they were diuided according to the three chiefe Cities Ierusalem the first the second vnder Caesarea the third adiacent to Scythopolis and subiected by the Christians to Nazareth From Antiochia to Aegypt and as farre as Edessa was subdued to the Christian Faith and Scepter farre more then Dauid or Salomon possessed They had saith Vitriaco foure principalities that of Edessa chiefe Citie after his account of Media the second of Antiochia the third of Tripoli the fourth of Ierusalem But of their happie atchieuements another place is fitter They which list to be acquainted with these warres besides Tyrensis Vitriacus Sanutus and others of later times may out of the writings of diuers eye-witnesses which were in that first expedition satisfie themselues as Robertus Monachus Raimundus de Agiles Fulcherius Carnotensis and diuers others
insert out of this Iew because I know none other Author that can acquaint vs with the State of Bagded in the time of her chiefe flourishing before it was destroyed by the Tartars Thus haue wee giuen you a Chronographicall view of the ancient Chaliphaes with their first and greatest Conquests omitting the lesser and later as in the yeere 807. in Sardinia and Corsica in 826. in Creete 843. in Sicil and presently after in Italy ouer-running Tuscan and burning the Suburbes of Rome it selfe with the Churches of Peter and Paul 845. the next yeere in Illyria Dalmatia besides the taking of Ancona in 847. chased by Pope Leo from Ostia These with other their affaires of warre in Lucania Calabria Apulia at Beneuentum Genua Capua which Cities they tooke I passe ouer After this great bodie grew lubberly and vnweldie it fell vnder the weight of it selfe none so much as the Saracens ouerthrowing the Saracens as their Sects and Diuisions make plaine Neuerthelesse this dis-ioyning and disioynting notwithstanding their Religion euen still couereth a great part of the world For besides the triumphing sword of the Turke Persian Mogore Barbarian and other Mahumetan Princes such is the zeale of the superstitious Mahumetan that in places furthest distant this their Religion hath beene preached which they trade together with their Marchandize euen from the Atlantike Ocean vnto the Philippinaes It hath sounded in China it hath pierced Tartaria and although the name of Christian extendeth it selfe into so many Sects and Professions in the Countries of Asia Afrike and America besides Europe almost wholly Christians yet it is hard to say whether there bee not as many Disciples and Professors of this ridiculous and impious deuotion as of all those which giue their names to Christ in whatsoeuer Truth or Heresie Master Brerewood accounteth the Mahumetans more then the Christians in proportion of sixe to fiue Thus hath the Field and the Church stooped to Mahomet wee may adde more Saul among the Prophets learning hath flourished among the Mahumetans at first vnlearned and rude but enemies to learning in others Yea they sought to propagate their impious Mahometrie and extirpate the Christian truth by that pollicie of Iulian prohibiting all learning to their Christian subiects Such a decree of Abdalla A. 766. is recited by Theophanes When the Kings of Africa possessed Spaine they founded Vniuersities both at Marocco it is Scaligers report and in Spaine allowing yeerely stipends to the Professors And in those times was great ignorance of good learning in the Latine Church when good Disciplines flourished exceedingly amongst the Muhammedans Yea whatsoeuer the Latines writ after the industrie of the Arabians had acquainted them with their ignorance is wholly to be ascribed to the Arabians both their Philosophie Physicke and Mathematikes For they had no Greeke Author which was not first translated into Arabike and thence into Latine as Ptolomey Euclide and the rest till Constantinople being taken by the Turkes the Greeke Exiles brought vs backe to the Fountaines Iohn Leo testifies that many ancient Authors and great volumes are amongst them translated out of the Latine which the Latines themselues haue lost But now the Muhammedans are growne artlesse in Africa only in Constantinople may good Arabike Persian works be gotten by the helpe of the Iewes Lud. Viues saith That they translated Arabike out of the Latine but he was not so well able to iudge therof although he rightly ascribeth the corrupting of Arts to vnskilful translations and sheweth the difference of Abenrois or Auerrois his Aristotle as the Latins haue him from the Greeke But his inuectiue is too bitter in condemning all the Arabians as vnlearned doting and sauouring more of the Alcoran then of Art and the Spaniard might beare some grudge to that Nation which so many hundred yeeres had spoyled Spaine still leauing the fourth part of the Spanish Language as Scaliger testifieth thereof Arabike in monument of their Conquest Of their learned men were Auicen Auerrois Auempace Algazel c. Philosophers Mesue Rasis and many other Physicians and Astrologers mentioned in the Chronicles of Zacuthi Leo and Abilfada Ismael Geographers Cairaon Bagded Fez Marocco Corduba c. were Vniuersities of Saracen students But now Learning and Schooles are decayed and ruined euen as at first also it was amongst some of them little countenanced as appeareth by that Hagag in the 96. yeere of the Hegira who being Gouernor or King of Irak in his sicknesse consulted with an Astrologer Whether the Stars had told him of any Kings death that yeere he answered That a King should die but his name was Cani Whereupon Hagag remembring that at his birth his mother had imposed that name on him I shall die saith he but thou shalt go one houre before and presently caused his head to be smitten off An vnhappie Harbengership in regard of his Art an vnhappie Art which can better tell others Destinies then their owne But no maruell in Hagag who was fleshed in bloud that his Herodian Testament should bee thus bloudie who in his life had in that Median Prouince slaine an hundred and twentie thousand men besides fiftie thousand men and fourescore thousand women which perished in his imprisonments Baghdad which is also called Dar-assalam that is The Citie of Peace receiued that name of a Monke called Bachdad who as Ben-Casen writeth serued a Church builded in that Medow But Abu-Giapar Almansur the second Abassaean Chalipha who wanne it A. Heg. 150. named it Dar-assalam It is the Citie Royall of Mesopotamia now called Diarbecr which the said Almansur placed in a large Plaine vpon Tigris and diuided by the Riuer into two Cities ioyned by a Bridge of Boats This Citie built in this place Almansur ruled many yeeres and after him other Chaliphaes till the 339. yeere of the Hegira in which King Aadhd-eddaule and Saif-eddaule tooke it who with their Successours enioyed it till Solymus the Ottoman Emperour subdued and is now ruled by a Bascia with many Ianizaries But hereof Ahmad Abi Bacr of Bachdad in his Annals will shew you more This Citie is famous for Schooles of all Sciences both in former and the present time Here Ahmad Assalami a famous Poet wrote his Verses Here Alpharabius the renowned Philosopher and Physician borne at Farab in Turcomannia professed these studies publikely with great applause and leauing many of his Schollers in this Cities went to Harran of Mesopotamia where finding Aristotles Booke De Auditu hee read it fortie times and wrote vpon the Booke that he was willing againe to reade it Hence hee went to Damascus and there dyed A. H. 339. Thus Ben-Casem in his Booke De viridario Electorum Bochara is an ancient Citie vpon Euphrates in a Village belonging whereto Honain Ali Bensina whom the Latines call Auicenna was borne A. H. 370. Hee gaue himselfe to Physicke very young and was the first which became Physician to
the Aethiopian and Calliata Ellecedi which vpon emulation composed also euery one an Alcoran glory of those their Workes containing more honestie and truth Neither hath it pleased any noble or wise man but the rude vulgar of which sore the wearie Labourers gladly gaue eare to his promise of Paradise the poore delighted to heare of Gardens in Persia and Bankrupts and Felons easily listened to securitie and libertie The language is vulgar Postellus also testifieth and without all Art of Grammar such as is obserued of their learned Writers without all bounds of reason or eloquence The Method is so confused that our Arabian Author who liued before it was so generally embraced and in freer times saith That hee had heard euen good Saracens affirme with griefe that it was so mixed and heaped together that they could finde no Reason in it Bad Rime as you haue heard and worse Reason Hierome Sauanorola hath the like saying That no man can finde herein any order Nor could so confused and foolish a Worke proceed from any naturall or supernaturall light It is yet craftily contriued when hee hath set downe some wicked doctrine presently to lace and fringe it with precepts of Fasting Prayer or good manners alwayes taking away things hard to bee beleeued or practised and where it deliuereth any truth it is maymed with defect eclipsed with obscuritie and serueth for a stale to falshood Erpenius hath translated the Chapiter of Ioseph containing a hundred and eleuen Verses the second of which calls it Coran and the next Alcoran the Article added His Annotation is Per verbum Dei intelligunt legem suam qua Coranus ipsis dicitur quam Muhamed ijs persuasit coelitus ad se demissam And although the matter bee absurd and impious yet he saith others perhaps haue of zeale said otherwise that this Coran is composed with such puritie of speech accurate analogie and expressed with perfection of writing that deseruedly it is to them the matter and rule of Grammar They call it Koran of a word which signifies to read as a reading Lecture or collection of Chapiters as the learnedst Arabs will haue it It is not much lesse then the New Testament in words The Arabs extoll it aboue all creatures and ranke it next to God and thinke him vnworthy to liue which toucheth it vnreuerent as a contemner of God They vse it therefore with all reuerence nor will permit a Christian or a Iew to touch it to sit on it is a grieuous crime capitall to Iewes or Christians Nor may they themselues touch it vnwashed and therefore write on the couer thereof Let no man touch it but he which is cleane In it are one hundred and fourteen Chapiters of vnequall quantitie that of Ioseph the twelfth the second as large as the last fortie The first is but of six Verses and therefore not reckoned a Chapiter by our Country-man Robert of Reading who also diuides the fiue following into more by tenne that the seuenth is his seuenteenth Euery Chapiter hath the name of the first word or of the subiect as this is called Ioseph the first opening because it presents it selfe at the opening of the booke It was composed out of diuers papers of Muhamed found at his house which hee professed to receiue from Gabriel at diuers times by Abubecr his father in law the Numa of that Saracen Empire Each Chapiter is called Souraton and with the Article Assurato whence the Latine call it Azoara z. for ss and o. a for o. u as in the word Alcoran it is not to be construed vultus but gradus a degree or step for these steps the whole is passed and each of these was a lesson also to be conned of children and of his disciples After these fancies had caused him to bee expelled Mecca he fled ten dayes off to Iatfrib and there diuulged the rest This is called Medina and Medinatalnabi the Citie of the Prophet and hence some Chapiters haue title of Mecca some of Medina This flight was the fifteenth of Iuly at night A. 622. which is their Aera or computation of their yeeres reckoned by the Moone so that their 1026. began the twentie ninth of December A. D. 1616. Euery Chapiter consists of Verses very vnequall and lame affected rithmes Yea sometimes a sentence is patched in to make vp a rithme Before euery Chapiter is prefixed Bismillahirrahmanirrahimi for so they read it coined together with Articles as if it were all one word the signification is In nomine Dei miseratoris misericordis that is In the name of God shewing mercie mercifull which is as much as summè misericordis exceedingly mercifull or mercifull in Act and Nature To these words they ascribe innumerable mysteries and vertues so that they thinke that almost no worke can haue good successe vnlesse they preface it with this sentence Therefore in the beginning of their bookes they vse it and whatsoeuer businesse they goe about if it be to mount their horse or set forth to rowe a boat c. as I haue beene told Also there are in the beginning of Chapiters fourteene mysticall words of the signification whereof the Arabs professe their vncertaintie and Abubecr was wont to say That in euery booke God kept somewhat secret to himselfe which in the Alcoran were those mysticall beginnings of Chapiters Diuers haue diuersly deuised to hunt out Cabalisticall senses and state-periods with other vanities from them They hold that all the Alcoran was sent in one night which they call therefore nox demissionis nox potentiae and lest it might breed a contradiction that some parts were deliuered at Mecca for so it must be written not Mecha they say that Muhamed receiued them by pieces of the Angell as occasions required but hee from God all in one night and so they will haue the name signifie also a booke sent from heauen Thus much Erpenius in his Annotations on that Chapiter wherein also he blameth the old translation of Robert Reading as in other things so in that that when his mistresse brought Ioseph before other women they were all saith the translation menstruous and cut their hands saying hee was rather an Angel then a man He translates for menstruate sunt magnificarunt eum they magnified him adding concerning that cutting off the hand that it is still an vse of the Arabs Persians and people of the East to expresse loue My friend Mr. Bedwel fortie yeeres studious of Arabike hath told mee that that translation of Reading is generally reasonable well done nor is so faultie as some will haue it or much reading supply that way As for other supply it needs a sword like that Gordian knot rather then a penne that as by the sword it hath beene obtruded on the world as a iust punishment of ingratitude to the Sonne of God the eternall Truth and not by reasons or Scriptures which it corrupts mingles mangles maimes as the Impostors obliuion sometimes sometimes
of gold and shee had of yeerely reuenue halfe a million shee amongst other her workes attempted one most famous which was a conduit to conuey water for the vse of the Pilgrims betwixt Cairo and Mecca fortie dayes iourney and for the same intent procured the Sultan Selym her brother to write to the Venetians for a licence to extract out of Italy an hundred thousand pound of Steele only to make Chizzells Hammers and Mattocks for the cutting of certaine Rockes by which this water must passe Their Oathes especially of their Emperours are of many cuts and varietie of fashion And for Vowes in necessities and dangers they wil promise vnto God the sacrifices of beasts in some holy places not vpon Altars but hauing flaied off the skin they giue it with the head feet and forth part of the flesh to the Priest another part to the Poore the third to the Neighbours the fourth is for the Guests They are so addicted to the opinion of Fate that GOD is esteemed to blesse whatsoeuer hath successe as namely Selyms murthering his Father and to detest what wanteth good euent whatsoeuer ground it had They feare not the Plague accounting euerie mans time limited by Fate and therefore will wipe their faces with the cloathes of such as haue dyed thereof They hold it alike acceptable to God to offer almes to beasts and to bestow it on men when it is offered for the loue of God Some there are which will redeeme birds imprisoned in their cages or coopes and hauing payed their price let them flie Others for the loue of God cast bread into the water to feed the fishes esteeming it a worke greatly meritorious but Dogges are accounted vncleane in stead whereof they delight in Cats following they say their Prophet Mahomet who falling asleepe at table and awaking to goe to his deuotions rather cut off his sleeue whereon he found his Cat fast asleepe then he would disturbe her Master Simons told mee that he hath seene them at Cairo feed Dogges with baskets of bread one standing by with a club to keepe them from fighting and one gaue almes for a Bitch which had Whelps vnder a stall Heerein perhaps as in other things the Egyptians are more superstitious then the Turkes especially in this of Dogs which sauours of their old Anubis and dog-worshipping Yea and in Constantinople though they suffer them not as vncleane creatures to come into their houses yet they thinke it a deed of pietie to feed them and buy bread therefore prouiding them kennells also most of them haue no particular owner they repaire to the Sea-side nightly where they keepe a grieuous howling heard if the winde be Southward to Pera. They say Moses was the first great Prophet to whom was giuen the booke of Tefrit that is the Law and they which obserued it in those times were saued But when men grew corrupt God gaue Dauid the booke Czabur or the Psalter and when this preuailed not Iesus was sent with the booke Ingil or the Gospel whereby in that time men were saued They hold that Christ was borne of the Virgin Marie at her breasts hauing conceiued by the smell of a Rose which the Angell Gabrel presented her And preferring Christ before Moses they admit not a Iew to turne Turke but hee must first be a Christian and eate Swines-slesh and after two or three dayes abiuring Christ hee is made Musulman For so Mahomet came last in order of the Prophets with his Alcoran This Law and Law-giuer is so sacred to them that in all their prayers euen from their mothers breasts they obserue this forme La illah illelah Mehemmet irresullellah tanre rirpeghamber hace That is there is no God but one and Mahomet his Prophet one Creator and more Prophets This they sucke in with their milke and in their first learning to speake lispe out this deuotion The infants goe with the rest to their Mosquees or Meschits but are not tied to other ceremonies sauing washing till they are circumcised Euery man hath in their opinion from his birth to his death two Angels attending him the one at his right hand the other at his left At foure or fiue yeere old they send him to the Schoole to learne the Curaam and the first words which their Masters teach them are to this sense God is one and is not contained in any place but is through all and hath neither father nor mother nor children eateth not nor dinketh nor sleepeth and nothing is like to him The two Angels before said are called Chiramim and Chira tibin which write the good or euill that men doe against the day of Iudgement The Turkes abhorre blasphemie not onely against God and Mahumet but also against Christ and the Virgin Marie and other Saints and they punish blasphemers of whatsoeuer Sect they account it a sinne for a man to build a house which shall last longer then a mans life and therefore howsoeuer they are sumptuous and magnificent in there publike buildings yet are their priuate dwellings very homely and ill contriued They eate much Opium thinking it maketh them couragious in the warres They haue a remedie for paine in the head or elsewhere to burne the part affected with the touch-boxe which they alway carry with them or with some linnen cloth whereby they haue many markes on their foreheads and temples witnesses of their needlesse and heedlesse respect to Physicians As the Scripture containeth some Prophecies of the arising and proceedings of the Turkish Nation the rod of God whereby hee scourgeth his Christian people so haue they also prophecies amongst themselues of their end and ruine when God in his mercie to Christians shall execute iustice vpon the Turkes and cast the rod into the fire wherewith he had chastised his children Such an one is that which Georgiovitz translateth and expoundeth and such is that which Leunclavius hath transcribed out of their Booke called Messabili wherein is written that Constantinople shall be twice taken before Degnal Lain that is the cursed Antichrist shall come once by the Sword another time by the force of the praiers of the sonnes of Isahac Lain is an Epithete which they giue to Degnal signifying wicked or mischieuous Of this Degnal the Turks fable that before his comming shall Mechdi enioy the Empire This Mechdi they say was descended of their Prophet Mahumet and walketh inuisible one day he shall come into light and raigne for a time and after him shall Degnal their Anti-Prophet or Antichrist come A certain Deruise offered to assault murther Baiazet the Great Turk professing himselfe to be that Mechdi and was slain by one of the Bassas §. III. Of the Turkish Manners their Ciuill and Morall behauiour AS for the bloodie practises which each Emperor vseth in murthering his brethren to secure him in his Throne in rooting out of the Nobilitie of the Countries which they conquer in rasing the Wals
Brick the inner part lyned with Marble most excellent and of diuers sorts the roofe is set with Stones and pieces of Glasse gilded Nature and Art conspiring to breed the beholders both pleasure and wonder It is so composed and the Pillars and Arches so placed that the middle I le within considered by it selfe seemes like the forme of an Egge long and round but the whole fabrick both within and without yeeldeth to the curious obseruer a square forme All the inner part hath Arches in the top open to receiue light which are sustained with Marble Pillars of diuers colours and there are saith Bellonius if one may say it as many doores in that Temple as are dayes in the yeere It is farre more admirable then the Roman Pantheon The worke of that being grosse solid and easie for a workeman to conceiue But this Sophian Temple is more subtle to the view of the eye and minde It hath two rewes of Pillars each ouer other those vpper ones supporting the hemisphere loouer or steeple which is wrought all with Musaike worke garnished with gold and azure The doores or gates are couered with fine Latten of Corinth one of which they imagine was made of the wood of Noabs Arke And therefore there are in it three places left vncouered for the deuouter people to kisse for the pardon of their sinnes It had sometimes aboue three hundred thousand Duckets of yeerely reuenue The Turkes when they turkeised it threw downe the Altars turned the Bells into great Ordnance and either tooke away the Images or put out their eyes for say they God and not walls and pictures is to be adored Nicolas Nicolai saith that it had in compasse more then a mile within which were comprehended the houses of Canons and Priests of the most part of the Cloyster because it was neere the Seraile they made a stable for horses as Constantines Palace for Elephants and a Temple neere the Tilt-yard or Hippodromus for wilde beasts which are tied to the seuerall pillars thereof Lyons Beares Wolues wilde Asses Ounces c. No Christian may enter into this Meschit but he may put his bodie in at the doores and view it But Master Simons saith they are not now so scrupulous for he hath beene suffered to goe in as G. Dousa also reporteth of himselfe There haue been at once in the time of Baiazet numbred thirtie and sixe thousand Turkes assembled for deuotion at an Easter-solemnitie Perhaps it is Master Sandys his obseruation the ancient fabrick then standing entire whereof this remaining was little more then the channell Better to be beleeued then Bellonius his report of so many doores whereas if it hath fiue it hath more by one then by me was discerned It is almost euery other Friday frequented by the Sultan The Christian Emperours ascended the stately Galleries on horse-backe Before the entrance there is a goodly Portico where the Christians that visit it on curiositie as well as the Turkes doe leaue their shooes before they doe enter It had in Iustinians time Porches or Galleries on both sides one of which it seemeth fell by some earthquake The innumerable windowes and vnspeakable ornaments of the Temple would easily detaine our pen as a willing prisoner in the relation thereof But besides the ancient P. Gyllius Menauinus Bellonius Nicolai Dousa and many others haue done it alreadie neither will my Pilgrimage suffer mee to stay long in one place which am to visite so many both heere and elsewhere in the World Let vs proceed therefore to their other Temples especially seeing this is such that none is able to expresse the excellencie nor could euer worthily expresse the least part thereof Besides what others haue reported Dousa telleth of a Marble Pillar therein which continually sweats forth a certaine liquor which the Turkes wipe off with their handkerchiefs as in their opinion profitable against diuers diseases Mahomet the Conquerour built one in like fashion without any figures which hath about an hundred houses couered with Lead for their Doctors and Priests and for all Strangers and Pilgrims of any Nation or Religion where they may refresh themselues their seruants and horses for three dayes with meat and lodging at free cost There are also without the precinct of the Mosche an hundred and fiftie other Tenements for the poore of the Citie which haue there an Asper a day and as much bread as they need but they account that kinde of life so vnhappy that oftentimes those Tenements stand emptie but the money which should this way be bestowed is sent to the Hospitalls of the diseased There are also fiue other Meschits in forme resembling the former but not so great nor so rich The rest of the Meschits are of diuers sorts some high some low of seuerall fashions The Turrets vpon which their Priests call the people to prayers are of a great height made in manner of Watch-towers their greater Churches hauing two the lesser one of them Vpon the top is set an halfe Moone or Crescent which is the Turkes Ensigne as the Crosse is vsuall to the Christians Within their Temples they haue no kinde of ornaments but bare wals with Arabike Letters some in gold written thereon saue onely their Bookes and Lamps burning with oyle in great abundance and clothes of Tapestrie on the which being spread ouer Mats vpon the pauement they prostrate themselues in prayer time §. II. Of their Hospitalls and Monasteries THeir Hospitalls they call Imarets of these there are great vse because they want Innes in the Turkes Dominions They found them for the reliefe of the poore and of Trauellers where they haue food allowed them differing according to the vse of the place and lodging places without beds They are open for the most part to all men of all Religions The chiefe Hospitalls in Turkis are in Constantinople two of which Mahomet and Baiazet his sonne founded Both these haue about fiue and twentie round Turrets couered with Lead one of which being in the middest of the other is larger and greater then the rest and vnder are lodgings for the Priests On one side are beds for Pilgrims and Trauellers on the other for Lepers Thrice a day may any man resort thither into a certaine place for meate There are maintained fourteene Doctors of their Law Some say that the reuenues of Mahomets Hospitall amount to an hundred and fiftie thousand Duckets and the other to as much or more Each of which hath a little Chappel adioyning in which the Founders are buried who were at this great charge that the Priests and such as are there refreshed should pray for their soules and say Allae Rahsmetileson that is God haue mercy on them Selym finished that which Baiazet his father had begun to build But his sonne Solyman erected one farre surpassing the former Orchanes was the first of these Ottoman Princes which founded Monasteries Mahomet the first finished the great Temple at
the people and haue a certaine stipend allowed them by the Emperour which yet is so small that many of them are driuen to vse either writing of Bookes or Handicrafts and Trades for their liuing and are clothed like Lay-men They haue no great learning it is sufficient if they can read the Alcoran which being written in Arabike they are as loth to haue translated into the vulgar as the Papists are to haue the Scripture Hee which can interprete and make some Exposition of the Text is of profund learning Yet are they reuerenced and if a Turke doe strike or offer outrage to them he loseth his hand and if he be a Christian his life being sure to be burned Some say that now of late some of them are more studious of Astronomie and other Arts As for those superiour rankes no doubt may be made of their high account The Chadilescher is clothed in Chamlet Satten Silke Damaske or Veluet of seemely colour as Russet or Tawny and in Purple-coloured cloth with long sleeues Their Tulipan on their head is of maruellous greatnesse sharpe in the middest of Purple Russet colour deeper and thicker then others their beards great They ride on Geldings with Purple foot-cloths fringed and when they goe on foot they goe slowly representing a stately and sacred grauitie There is another order of sacred persons which yet are neither regular nor secular by any vow or ordination but had in that account for their birth being supposed to descend of the line of Mahumet The Turkes and Tartarians call them Seiti or Sithi the Moores Seriffi These we are greene Tulipans which colour none else may weare and that onely on their head Some Christians ignorant hereof haue had their apparell cut from their backes for wearing somewhat greene about them These they call Hemir They enioy many priuiledges especially in giuing testimony wherein one of these is as much as two other which they abuse to iniury and wrong The most of them are Moores which goe ten or fifteene in a company with a banner on a staffe hauing a Moone on the top and that which is giuen for Gods sake they sit and eate in the street where also they make their praiers and are poorly clad Like to these in priuiledge and prauiledge are the Chagi or Fagi which liue on almes like Fryers They attend on the publike prayers on the holy Reliques on the Corpses and Funerals of the dead and to prey on the liuing by false oathes A digression touching the Hierarchie and Miseries of Christians vnder the Turke c. ANd thus we haue taken a leisurely view of the Turkish Hierarchy from the poore Softi to the courtly Cadilescher and pontificall Mufti flourishing and triumphing together with that Monarchy which is exalted and hath exalted them with the power not of the Word of GOD but of the Sword of Man But with what words meane whiles shall wee deplore the lamentable and miserable estate of that Christian Hierarchy and Ecclesiasticall Politie which sometimes flourished there with no fewer nor lesse titles of dignitie and eminence Where are now those Reuerend Names of Bishops Archbishops Metropolitans Patriarkes and the swelling stile of Oecumenicall Nay where are the things the life and liuing for the stile names titles still continue continue indeed but as Epitaphs and Inscriptions on the Monuments of their deceased and buried power as the ghosts and wandring shadowes of those sometimes quicke and quickning bodies of rule and gouernment Great Citie of great CONSTANTINE seated in the Throne of the World the fittest situation to command both Sea and Land through Europe Asia and Africa at thy first Natiuitie honored with a double Diadem of Christianitie Soueraigntie to which the Sea prostrateth it selfe with innumerable multitudes of Fish the Land payeth continuall tribute of rare fertilitie for which old Rome disrobed her selfe to decke this her New-Rome Daughter and Imperiall heire with her choisest Iewels and Monuments a Compendium of the World Eye of Cities Heart of the habitable earth Academie of learning Senate of gouernement Mother of Churches Nurse of Religion and to speake in the language of thine owne A new Eden an earthly Heauen modell of Paradise shining with the varietie of thy sacred and magnificent buildings as the Firmament with the Sunne Moone and Starres This was thy ancient greatnesse great now onely in miserie and mischiefe which as chiefe seat of Turkish Greatnesse is hence inflicted on the Christian Name And thou the Soule of this Bodie the goodliest Iewell in this Ring of Perfection which so many wonders of Nature conspired to make the Miracle of Art the TEMPLE of that WISDOME of GOD which is GOD called by him which saw thee both Christian and Mahumetan A terrestriall Heauen a Cherubicall Chariot another Firmament beyond all names of elegance which I thinke saith another the very Seraphins doe admire with veneration and which hath here moued thy mention high Seat and Throne of that Patriarchiall and Oecumenicall Highnesse which hence swayed all the East and contended with Westerne Rome for Soueraigntie now excludest rule rites yea persons Christian wholly hallowed to the damnable holies of ridiculous and blasphemous Mahometisme the multitudes of other Churches as silly captiued Damsels attending and following thee into this Mechiticall slauerie O CITIE which hast beene woe worth that word that hastie hast-beene which hast been but who can say what thou hast beene let one word the sum of all earthly excellence expresse what flouds of words and seas of Rhetorick cannot expresse which hast beene CONSTANTINOPLE which art that one name may declare thy bottomlesse hellish downefall indeed though not in name Mahometople the Seat of Mahomets power the settling of Mahumetan dregs What words can serue to preach thy funerall Sermon and ring thy knell to succeeding ages Sometimes the Theatre of worldly pompe but then on that dismal day of thy captiuitie the stage of earthly and hellish Furies the sinke of bloud and slaughter-house of Death What sense would not become senselesse to see the breaches of the walls filled vp with the slaine the gate by death shutting out death closed vp to the arch with confused bodies of Turks and Christians the shouts of men fighting the cries grones gaspes of men dying the manifold spectacles and varietie of death and yet the worse estate and more multiplied deaths of the liuing women rauished maidens forced persons vowed to sanctitie deuoted to lust slaughter slauerie reuerend age no whit reuerenced greene youth perishing in the bloome and rotten before it had time to ripen the father seeing the hopes of his yeeres deare pledges of Nature slaine or sold before his face the children beholding the parents passe into another captiuitie all taking an euerlasting fare well of all wel-fare as well as of each other Well may we in compassion weepe for those miseries the bitter passion whereof like a violent whirlewinde did to them drie
vp the fountaines of teares Euen he which writ the Historie of these things quorum pars magna fuit George Phranza Counseller and great Chancellor to the Emperour might much moue vs with his owne particular himselfe sold to one his wife to another his daughter richly espoused now married to the Seraâ—le-slauerie his sonne slaine with the Sultans owne hand for not being obsequious to his beastly lust if particular and priuate cases could finde any proper place in publike calamities and if the Emperours owne Historie were not as some haue told it more tragicall O Sunne how could thy brightnesse endure to see such hideous spectacles but clouds of shot dust and smoake hid them from thee O Earth which otherwhiles at that time of the yeere deckest thy selfe with thy fairest roabes embroidered with varietie of flowers how wast thou then couered with dead carkasses and furrowed with rills of bloud O GOD that the sinnes of man should thus prouoke thy iustice by vniust and sinfull instruments to punish iniustice and sinne and to chastise thy Christian seruants by Antichristian and deuillish enemies Iust art thou O Lord and iust are thy iudgements which in iudgement remembrest mercy which sauest the soules of thine in and by the affliction of their bodies but wilt cast this Rod of thy wrath into a fire that neuer shall be quenched But mee thinkes I heare some excepting at this long digression and quarrelling at this Tragedie in stead of the proceeding Historie Shall I craue pardon Or shall I rather desire the Reader a little to consider with mee in this narration of Constantinople as the Map and Epitome of Easterne Christendome the miserable and perplexed estate of all Easterne Christians by like meanes brought and trampled vnder the feet of the Ottoman Horse The larger storie of their rites and opinions is reserued to another taske this I haue propounded as the glasse of their miseries that being now to take leaue of the Turkes wee might not so much honour them with this peale of Rhetorical Ordnance as by this mirror of miserie be touched with feare in our selues for like punishments if in time we meet not God with repentance and remembring the afflictions of Ioseph to pray for those our brethren that God would haue mercy on them and giue them patience and in his time deliuerance They which would take more view of the miseries of Christians vnder the Turke may in Viues Georgiouitz Septemcastrensis and others read them for mee the parallels of the Turkish and Christian Hirarchy was some occasion of this digression touching which let mee borrow a few words with our Reader Mahomet the Conqueror for the repeopling of the Citie pretended great fauour to the Christians gaue them licence to elect a new Patriarch whom he honoured with the wonted rites and solemnities and vouchsafed to conferre with him about the Christian mysteries for his mother was a Christian and he himselfe addicted to studies of learning being skilfull in the Greeke Chaldee Persian Latin Arabike besides his Turkish languages professing knowledge also in Astrologie and receiued at the hands of this Patriarch his name was Gennadius a large treatise thereof yet extant in Greeke and Turkish and gaue him diuers priuiledges But things fained cannot continue and partly through his owne couetousnesse partly through the ambition and disagreeing of the Clergie heauie fines were imposed on them and the Seat receiued in his time nine successions and eight in the raigne of Baiazet his sonne and so groneth vnder that burthen to this day And howsoeuer the Patriarch enioyeth Spirituall and Ecclesiasticall respect amongst the Christians yet is hee contemned of the Turkes some of them vpbraiding both him and other Christians with the names of dogs Ethnicks vnbeleeuers and the like zealous Rhetorick nor is he admitted a roome amongst the Bassaes except when he brings his tribute of 4000. duckets with almost as much besides to the Bassaes and other officers In his Monastery and Patriarchiall Church and Palace are no Bishops or great Prelates nourished but a few Monks and some Lay-officers and Counsellors Hee sometimes but seldome preacheth on some chiefe Feasts at the Consecration of some Bishop or Archbishop and very little preaching they haue amongst them and that which is in the old pure Greeke which very few of them vnderstand thinking it sufficient if two or three of their audience conceiue them and very few can preach They haue not the Scriptures in the vulgar Greeke The reuenue of the Patriarch is about 20000. Dollers They gather much in their Churches and hee sendeth his Collector to gather abroad and the other Prelates pay an annuitie to him To preuent abuses from Turkes he hath a Ianizarie or two at the Church-doore in the time of the Lyturgie They reade in their Churches great Legends of the lies of Saints as well as the Papists Their Religion is almost altogether in rites like the other The difference betweene new and old Rome was one principall occasion of the losse of Constantinople as appeareth by the Emperour Iohn his going to Rome to sollicite ayde which had been giuen him but for refusing a Papall ceremonie and the proceedings of the Councell of Florence The Patriarkes of Alexandria Antiochia and Ierusalem acknowledge this of Constantinople Oecumenicall and his iurisdiction extendeth through Asia Minor the Archipelago Greece Mysia Walachia Moldavia Dalmatia Russia and Muscouia The Calogeri or Monkes haue their Gardens and Vineyards which they till and dresse with their owne hands to sustaine themselues The other Patriarchs also pay a yeerely tribute to the Turke The Priests are poore and liue of Almes and the prices of their holies which are most gainefull in exequies The Laitie is no lesse miserable for the most part of spare diet but giuen to drinking Both Iewes and Christians pay for themselues and euery of their Children aboue twelue yeeres old a Ducket by the poll and much more for the maintenance of the Nauie besides their tribute-children for Ianizaries The Greekes are ignorant and vnlearned and haue exiled in a blinde zeale Poeticall and Philosophicall Authors for feare of pollution to their studies And as Simeon Cabasilas writ to Crusias they haue about seuentie Dialects of the Moderne Greeke tongue the purest of which is at Constantinople the most barbarous of all O Times at Athens O ATHENS before called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Greece of Greece and that which the sight is in the eye that which the minde is in the soule such was Athens in Greece Seat of the Muses Graces Empire Arts O ATHENS but I am forced silence Let Zygomal an eye-witnesse speake There now saith hee remaines no more but the skin thereof her selfe is long since dead the True Athens and Helicon are come into our Westene parts And how can any of them labour in learning which must labour to liue Necessitie hath no law no learning Euen we here now behold a
afraid the most will deeme too much let him resort to the large reports of Vincentius in his three last Bookes an Author I confesse otherwise fabulous and monkish but herein to be beleeued as receiuing his Reports from the eye-witnesses CHAP. XIIII Of the festiuall Solemnities and of the Magnificence of the Grand Can. WEe haue alreadie spoken of the solemne sacrifice obserued on the eight and twentieth day of August we reade in our Author Marcus Paulus an eye-witnesse of these his Relations of other the Grand Cans grand solemnities Of which two are principall one on his birth-day which in Cublai Cans time was the eight twentieth of September On which himselfe was royally clothed in cloth of gold and twentie thousand of his Barons Souldiers were all apparelled in one colour and like excepting the price to himself euery one hauing a girdle wrought of gold and siluer and a paire of shooes some of their garments richly set with pearles and jewels which they weare on the thirteene solemnities according to the thirteene Moones of the yeere On this day all the Tartars and seuerall Princes subiect present him with rich gifts and all sects of Religions pray vnto their gods for his health and long life But their chiefe feast is on the first day of their yeere which they begin in February celebrated by the Grand Can and all the Countries subiect to him in which they are all arrayed in white a colour in their estimation portending good lucke And then he is presented with many Clothes and Horses of white colour and other rich presents in the same religiously obseruing the number of nine as nine times nine Horses if they bee able and so of pieces of Gold Cloth and the rest Then also the Elephants which are aboue fiue thousand are brought forth in sumptuous furniture and Camels couered with Silke And in the morning they present themselues in the Hall as many as can the rest standing without in their due order First those of the Imperiall progenie next the Kings Dukes and others in their due place Then commeth forth a great man or Prelate which cryeth out with a loud voyce Bow downe your selues and worship which they presently doe with their faces to the earth This Prelate addeth GOD saue and preserue our Lord long to liue with ioy and gladnesse They all answere GOD grant it The Prelate againe GOD increase his Dominion and preserue in peace all his subiects prosper all things in all his Countries Whervnto they answere as before Thus doe they worship foure times After this the said Prelate goeth to an Altar there richly adorned on which is a Red Table with the name of the Great Can written in it and a Censer with Incense which he incenseth in stead of them all with great reuerence performed vnto the Table This done they returne to their places and present their gifts and after are feasted When Cublai had ouerthrowne Naiam his vncle as before is said vnderstanding that the Christians obserued their yeerely solemnitie of Easter hee caused them all to come vnto him and to bring the Booke of the foure Gospels which he incensed often with great Ceremonies deuoutly kissing it and caused his Barons to doe the like And this he obserueth alway in the principall Feasts of the Christians as Christmasse and Easter The like he did in the chiefe Feasts of the Saracens Iewes and Idolaters The cause he said was because of those foure Prophets to which all the world doth reuerence IESVS of the Christians Mahomet of the Saracens Moses of the Iewes and Sogomambar Can the first Idoll of the Pagans and I saith he doe honour to them all and pray him which is the greatest in Heauen and truest to helpe me Yet hee had best opinion of the Christian Faith because it contained nothing but goodnesse and would not suffer the Christians to carrie before them the Crosse on which so great a man as Christ was crucified Hee also sent Nicolo and Maffio the Father and Vncle of Marco Paulo our Author in Embassage to the Pope to send him a hundred wise men which might conuince the Idolaters that boasted of those there Magical wonders whereas the Christians that were there were but simple men not able to answere them which if it had beene effected he and his Barons would haue beene baptized Thomas à Iesu a Iesuite in his second booke of Procuring the conuersion of all Nations reporteth that Clement the fifth ordained Iohn à Monte Coruino a Minorite Archbishop of Cambalu and nine other of the same Order he consecrated Bishops and tooke order for the successour of the Archbishop when he died Whether these went or no is vncertaine Great pitie it is that the Iesuites men of so refined wits and such mightie miracle-mongers our world must witnesse the one and the East and West the other were but of yesterdaies hatching and that Ignatius had not broken his legge before those times These had been if they then had been the onely men to haue remoued those obiected scandals of the simplicitie of Christians and to haue confronted these Magicall Montebankes as the Can here required But these were reserued to times more fatall to the Pope to helpe at a dead list by peruertings here and conuertings there to hold vp the supposed sanctitie of the triple Diademe But looke wee to our Tartars Odoricus saith that in his time the Can celebrated besides the former the Feasts of his Circumcision Marriage and Coronation But before the Conquest of Cathay they obserued not any day at all with festiuall solemnities Cublai Can was of meane stature of countenance white red and beautifull He had foure wiues which kept seuerall Courts the least of which contained at least ten thousand persons He had many Concubines euery second yeere hauing a new choice of the fairest Maidens in the Prouince of Vngut most fertile belike of that commoditie which passe a second election at the Court and the fairest and fittest of them are committed to Ladies to proue and to instruct them Their parents hold it a great grace so to haue bestowed their children and if any of them proue not they impute it to their disastrous planet They hold it for a great beautie to haue their noses flat betweene the eyes In December Ianuary and February hee abideth at Cambalu in the North-East part of the Prouince of Cathay in a Palace neere to the Citie builded on this manner There is a circuit walled in foure square each square containing eight miles hauing about them a deepe ditch and in the middle a gate A mile inwards is another wall which hath sixe miles in each square and in the South side three gates and as many on the North. Betwixt those wals are Souldiers In euery corner of this wall and in the middest is a stately Palace eight in all wherein are kept his Munitions There is a third wall within this containing foure miles square
each square taking vp one mile hauing sixe Gates and eight Palaces as the former in which are kept the Grand Cans prouisions And betweene these two wals are many faire Trees and Meadowes stored with many beasts Within this is the Grand Cans Palace the greatest that euer was seene confining with the wall abouesaid on the North and South The matter and forme thereof is of such cost and Art with such appurtenances of pleasure and state as were too long heere to recite Hee for a superstitious feare suggested by his Astrologers of a rebellion which sometime should bee raised against him in Cambalu built a new Citie neere thereunto called Taidu twentie foure miles in compasse and yet not able to receiue the Inhabitants of the old Citie whence hee remoued such as might moue suspicion hither This Citie was built by line in foure squares each whereof contained sixe miles and three gates so streight that vpon the wall of one gate one might see the gate right against it In the midst of the Citie is a great Bell which is rung in the night to warne men to keepe within doores The Great Can hath 12000. Horse-men vnder foure Captaines to his Guard He keepeth Leopards Wolues and Lions to hunt with and with them to take wild Asses Beares Harts c. and one sort of Eagles able to catch Wolues The two Masters of his hunting game had ten thousand men vnder each of them the one part clothed in red the other in skie-colour and when the Emperour hunteth one of these Captaines goeth with his Men and Dogges on the right hand the other on the left compassing a great quantitie of ground that not a Beast can escape them From October to March they are bound daily to send in a thousand head of Beasts and Birds He hath also when hee trauelleth ten thousand Falconers diuided in diuers companies himselfe abiding in a chamber carryed vpon foure Elephants whence he may see the game hauing also his tents pitched for his solace neere thereby None may carry Hawke or Hunting-dog out of his Dominion nor may Hawke or Hunt neere the Court by many daies iourneys nor at all in their times of breeding from March to October But hee that list to be more fully informed herein let him reade M. Paulus and others which haue written of this Argument It is Religion to vs further to suspend our discourse of Religion CHAP. XV. Of the alteration of Religion among the Tartars and of the diuers Sorts Sects and Nations of them now remaining §. I. Of the Precopite or Crimme Tartars AFter so long narration of the Religion of the ancient Tartars and of the Cathayans where their Emperours fixed their abode it followeth to consider of the times following wherein they haue beene diuided both in Policie and Faith Maginus diuideth them into fiue principall sorts which may likewise bee subdiuided into many inferiour branches of Hords The first of these he calleth Tartaria Minor or the lesse which is in Europe betwixt Boristhenes and Tanais comprehending Taurica Chersonesus inhabited by the Precopite Tartars or as Broniouius termeth them Perecopenses of Perecopia a Town and Castle in Taurica they are called also Ossouenses and Crims of two Townes bearing those names These are now subiect to the Turke both in State and Religion hauing some Townes and Mahumetane Temples and Monasteries and Turkish Garrisons and a few Temples and persons Christian of the Armenian Grecian and Westerne profession They liue in their homely Cottages in the Winter but in the Summer wander in their Carts as the other Tartars then whom they are somewhat more ciuill They pay three hundred Christians yeerely to the Turke for tribute of whom their Can since the time of Zelim receiueth a banner and his approbation to the Empire giuing his children or brethren in hostage They elect also an heire apparant to their Empire whom they call Galga and if the Can will preferre his sonne to that dignitie he killeth all his brethren as the Turkes also deale with theirs It should seeme that they deriue their pedigree from Cingis descended if I may coniecture where certaine Historie fayleth of some of the sonnes of Bathy the great Conqueror in those parts of the World Lotchton Can was the first which ruled in Taurica long since Bathy's time They vse the Chaldaean and Arabian Letters they haue their Cadies to administer Religion and Iustice as haue the Turkes They count the Don or Riuer Tanais holy in respect of the commodities which it yeeldeth them These Tartars passing through the confines of Polonia and Podolia to helpe the Turkes in the warres of Hungary the wayes being secured and defended with the Garrisons they vsed a new stratagem to make way by driuing a multitude of Buls before them which contrarie to their expectation affrighted with the Ordnance recoiled vpon their driuers treading them downe and scattering them The Chan when Saint Bathor King of Poland was dead sent his Embassadours to be elected their King affirming that their Pope should be his their Luther his also and for dainties Horse-flesh would content him His suit was reiected with laughter William Bruise a Scot from the relation of Anthony Spinola descended of that Family in Genua and then Embassador from Casghere the Crim-Tartar into Polonia affirmeth diuers things of the Tartarians as namely of threescore and ten diuers Kingdomes of them the names whereof are scarce known to any Tartar differing in language and manners but all agreeing in the Tartarian appellation warring wandring hard and spare diet all sometimes subiect to the Great Can now inferiour in power as the Crims say which know nothing of him but by tradition to the Crim or Precopite These Precopites abhor Drunkennesse punish Adulterie with death steale not from their Countrey-men nor conceale any thing which they find walke not with weapons haue few Lawes the Interpreters of which are their Priests which they greatly reuerence as they doe also those of the Christians if any thing bee not expressed by Law they referre it to that generall Head whereon hang the Law and the Prophets To doe as men would be done to The Sar or Emperour sitteth himselfe in Iudgement with the Galga and Soldans so they call the Princes children and the Chancellour with other Senators whose sentences being first deliuered hee determineth and present execution followeth All mettalls are the Sars prerogatiue except gold which is the Turkes peculiar he hath also the tenths of the spoiles and of euerie Captiue a Chekine and if he be of great estate three He receiueth 5500. Duckets a yeere from the Turke for which hee is bound to warre vpon none but the Muscouite without his leaue He brings into the field 150000. Horse-men leauing at home but one man in a house and when the Circassians and Astracans adioyne their forces two hundred thousand It is paine of death not to come They bring with them three moneths victuall
hand Fifthly To weare any base attire and to patch their clothes whether there bee any need or not Sixthly to take or steale from any stranger whatsoeuer they can get Seuenthly Towards their owne to bee true in word and deede Eightly To suffer no stranger to come within their Dominion but the same to bee slaue to the first taker except they haue a Pasport But by this time I thinke the Reader will wish mee their pasport to bee gone from them who haue shewed my selfe no Tartarian whilest I dwell so long on this Tartarian discourse happily herein as tedious to him as staying in one place would be to the Tartar a thing so abominable as in anger he wisheth it as a Curse Would GOD thou mayest abide in one place as the Christian till thou smell thine owne dung Indeed this Historie not throughly handled before by any one drew me along and I hope will purchase pardon to this prolixitie CHAP. XVI Of the Nations which liued in or neere to those parts now possessed by the Tartars and their Religions and Customes FRom those Countries inhabited by the Persians and Zagathayan Tartars Eastward we cannot see with M. Paulus his eyes the best guides wee can get for this way any Religion but the Saracen till we come to Bascia a Prouince somewhat bending to the South the people whereof are Idolaters and Magicians cruell and deceitfull liuing on Flesh and Rice Seuen dayes iourney from hence is Chesmur wickedly cunning in their deuillish Art by which they cause the dumbe Idols to speake the day to growe darke and other maruellous things being the wel-spring of Idols and Idolatrie in those parts They haue Heremites after their Law which abide in their Monasteries are very abstinent in eating and drinking containe their bodies in straight chastitie and are very carefull to abstaine from such sinnes wherewith they thinke their Idols offended and liue long There are of them many Monasteries They are obserued of the people with great reuerence The people of that Nation shed no bloud nor kill any flesh but if they will eate any they get the Saracens which liue amongst them to kill it for them North-eastward from hence is Vochan a Saracenicall Nation and after many dayes iourney ouer mountaines so high that no kind of birds are seene thereon is Beloro inhabited with Idolaters Cascar the next Countrey is Mahumetan beyond which are many Nestorian Christians in Carchan There are also Moores or Mahumetanes which haue defiled with like superstition the Countâ—ies of Cotam and Peym where the women may marrie new husbands if the former be absent aboue twenty dayes and the men likewise and of Ciarcian and Lop. From Lop they crosse a Desart which asketh thirtie dayes and must carrie their victuals with them Here they say spirits call men by their names and cause them to stray from their companie and perish with famine When they are passed this Desart they enter into Sachion the first Citie of Tanguth an Idolatrous Prouince subiect to the Great Can there are also some Nestorians and Saracens where they haue had the Art of Printing these thousand yeeres They haue Monasteries replenished with Idols of diuers sorts to which they sacrifice and when they haue a male child borne they commend it to some Idoll in whose honour they nourish a Ramme in their house that yeere and after on their Idols festiuall they bring it together with their Sonne before the Idoll and sacrifice the Ramme and dressing the flesh let it stand till they haue finished their prayers for their childs health in which space they say their Idoll hath sucked out the principall substance of the meate which they then carrie home to their house and assembling their kinsfolke eate it with great reuerence and reioycing sauing the bones in goodly vessels The Priests haue for their fee the head feet inwards skinne and some part of the flesh When any of great place dieth they assemble the Astrologers and tell the houre of his natiuitie that they may by their Art finde a Planet fitting to the burning of the corps which sometime in this respect attendeth this fiery constellation a weeke a moneth or halfe a yeere in all which time they set before the corps a Table furnished with bread wine and other viands leauing them there so long as one might conueniently eate them the Spirit there present in their opinion refreshing himselfe with the odour of this prouision If any euill happen to any of the house the Astrologers ascribe it to the angry soule for neglect of his due houre agreeing to that of his Natiuitie They make many stayes by the way wherein they present this departed soule with such cates to hearten it against the bodies burning They paint many papers made of the barkes of trees with pictures of Men Women Horsâ—s Camels Money and Rayment which they burne together with the Body that the Dead may haue to serue him in the next World And all this while of burning is the Musike of the Citie present playing CHAMVL the next Prouince is Idolatrous or Heathenish for so we distinguish them from Saracens Iewes and Christians which I would were not as guilty of Idolatrie as the former in so many their forbidden Rites although these haue all and the other part of the Scriptures whereof those Heathens and Idolaters are vtterly ignorant Here they not onely permit but account it a great honour to haue their wiues and sisters at the pleasure of such strangers as they entertaine themselues departing the while and suffering all things to be at their guests will for so are their Idols serued who therefore for this hospitalitie they thinke will prosper all that they haue And when as Mangu Can forbad them this beastly practice they abstained three yeeres but then sent a pitifull Embassage to him with request That they might continue their former custome for since they left it they could not thrine who ouercome by their fond importunitie granted their request which they with ioy accepted and doe still obserue In the same Prouince of Tanguth is Succuir whose Mountaines are clothed with Rheubarbe from whence it is by Merchants conueyed through the World Campion is the mother Citie of the Countrey inhabited by Idolaters with some of the Arabian and Christian Nations The Christians had there in the time of M. Paulo three faire Churches The Idolaters had many Monasteries abounding with Idols of wood earth and stone couered with gold and artificially made some great ten paces in length lying along with other little ones about them which seeme as their Disciples to doe them reuerence Their religions persons liue in their opinion more honestly then other Idolaters although their honestie is such as that they thinke it no sinne to lie with a woman which shall seeke it at their hands but if the man first make loue it is sinfull They haue also their Fasting-dayes three foure or fiue in a moneeh in
which they shed no bloud nor eate flesh They haue many wiues of which the first married hath the first place and preheminence Here Marcus Paulus liued about a yeere Touching the Religion and Customes in Tanguth the reports of Caggi Memet in Ramusius who of late yeeres was in Campion are not much diferent He sayth That their Temples are made like the Christians capable of foure or fiue thousand persons In them are two Images of a man and woman lying in length fortie foot all of one piece or stone For which vse they haue Carts with fortie wheeles drawne of fiue or sixe hundred Horses and Mules two or three moneths iourney They haue also little Images with sixe or seuen heads and ten hands holding in each of them seuerall things as a Serpent Bird Flower c. They haue Monasteries wherein are men of holy life neuer comming forth but haue food carried them thither daily Their gates are walled vp and there are infinite of Frier-like companions passing to and fro in the Citie When any of their kindred die they mourne in white They haue Printing not much vnlike to that which is vsed in Europe and Artillerie on their walls very thicke as haue the Turkes All the Catayans and Idolaters are fordidden to depart out of their natiue Countrey They haue three Sciences Chimia Limia and Simia the first Alchymie the second to make enamoured the third Iugling or Magicke Succuit also is according to his report great and faire beautified with many Temples Their Rheubarbe they would not bestow the paines to gather but for the Merchants which from China Persia and other places fetch it from them at a cheape price Nor doe they in Tanguth vse it for Physike as we here but with other ingredients make perfumes thereof for their Idols and in some places they burne it in stead of other firing and giue it their Horses to eate They set more price by an herbe which they call Membroni cini medicinable for the eyes and another called Chiai Catai growing in Catay at Cacianfu admirable against very many diseases an ounce whereof they esteeme as good as a sacke of Rhubarbe whose description you may see at large according to the relation and picture of the said Chaggi in Ramusius for to adde that also they haue many Painters and one Countrey inhabited onely by them These Tanguthians are bearded as men in these parts especially some time of the yeere Northwards from Tanguth is the Plaine of BARGV in customes and manners like to the first Tartars confining with the Scythian Ocean fourescore dayes iourney from Ezina in the North parts of Tanguth and situate vnder the North starre Eastward of Tanguth somewhat inclining to the South is the Kingdome of Erginul addicted likewise to Ethnike superstitions wherein yet are some both Nestorians and Mahumetans Here are certaine wilde Bulls as big as Elephants with manes of white and fine haire like silke of which some they came and betwixt them and their tame Kine engender a race of strong and laborious Oxen. Here is found a beast also as big as a Goat of exquisite shape which euery full Moone hath an apostemation or swelling vnder the belly which the Hunters at that time chasing the said beast doe cut off and drie against the Sunne and it proueth the best Muske in the world The next Easterly Countrie is EGRIGAIA idolatrous and hauing some Christians of the Sect of Nestorius But Tenduc next adioyning was at that time gouerned by King George a Christian and a Priest of the posteritie of Presbyter Iohn subiect to the Grand Can. And the Gran Cans giue commonly their daughters in mariage to this generation and stocke of Presbyter Iohn The most part of the inhabitants are Christians some Idolaters and Mahumetans being there also There bee also that are called Argon descended of Ethnikes and Moores the wisest and properest men in those parts All the people from hence to Cathay are Christian Mahumetan and Gentile as themselues like best In Thebet the next Countrey the people in times past saith William de Rubruquis bestowed on their parents no other Sepulchre then their owne bowels and yet in part retaine it making fine cuppes of their deceased parents skuls that drinking out of them in the middest of their iolitie they may not forget their progenitors They haue much gold but hold it an high offence to imprison it as some doe with vs in Chests or Treasuries and therefore hauing satisfied necessitie they lay vp the rest in the earth fearing otherwise to offend GOD. Cambalu is in the Northeast parts of Cathay and fortie miles Westward from hence all which way is enriched with Palaces Vineyards and fruitfull Fields is Gouza a faire Citie and great with many Idoll-Monasteries Here the way parted leading Westward into Cathay and Southeastward vnto Mangi or China TANIFV and Cacianfu are Prouinces which tend Westward from hence inhabited with idolatrous Nations and here and there some of the Arabian and Christian profession full of Cities Cunchin and Sindinfu are Ethnikes as is Thebeth where they haue a brutish custome not to take a wife that is a Virgin and therefore when Merchants passe that way the mothers offer vnto them their daughters much striuing which of them may be the most effectuall bawde to her childe They taking to their pleasure such as they like gratifie them with some iewell or other present which on her mariage day shee weareth and shee which hath most of such presents bringeth the most accepted dowrie to her husband as testimonies of the great fauour of their Idols This Thebeth contained sometimes eight Kingdomes with many Cities but was now desolated by the Tartarians There are great Necromancers which by their infernall skils cause Thunders and Tempests They haue Dogges as bigge as Asses with which they catch wild Oxen all sorts of beasts CAINDV is an Heathenish Nation where in honour of their Idols they prostitute their wiues sisters and daughters to the lust of Trauellers which being entertained in the house the good man departeth and the woman setteth some token ouer the doore which there remaineth as long as this stallion-stranger for a signe to her husband not to returne till the guest be as well gone from her house as honesty from her heart and wit from his head They make money of salt as in Cathay of paper In Caraian also a large Prouince adioyning there are some Christians and Saracens but the most Ethnikes which are not discontented that other men should lie with their wiues if the women be willing CARAZAN is of like irreligion their soules captiuated to the Olde Serpent and their bodies endangered to mighty huge bodies of Serpents tenne paces long and tenne spannes thicke which that Countrey yeeldeth They keepe in their dennes in the day and in the night prey vpon Lyons Wolues and other Beasts which when they haue deuoured they resort to some water to drinke
storie is not yet because I haue done thus in other Nations and haue so worthy a patterne in this as the Worthy of our Age Iosephus Scaliger pardon mee to trouble thee with this Chronicle of their Kings The first was Vitey a Gyant-like man a great Astrologer and Inuenter of Sciences hee reigned an hundred yeeres They name after him an hundred and sixteene Kings whose names our Author omitteth all which reigned two thousand two hundred fiftie and seuen yeeres all these were of his linage and so was Tzintzon the maker of that huge wall of China which killed many of the Chinois of whom hee tooke euery third man to this worke For which cause they slue him when he had reigned fortie yeeres with his sonne Aguizi They ordained King in his stead Auchosau who reigned twelue yeeres his sonne Futey succeeded and reigned seuen yeeres his wife eighteene his sonne three and twentie then followed Guntey foure and fiftie Guntey the second thirteene Ochantey fiue and twentie Coantey thirteene Tzentzey sixe and twentie and foure moneths Anthoy sixe Pintatcy fiue Tzintzumey three and seuen moneths Huy Hannon sixe Cuoum two and thirtie Bemthey eighteene Vnthey thirteene Othey seuenteene Yanthey eight moneths Antey nineteene yeeres Tantey three moneths Chitey one yeere Linthey two and twentie yeeres Yanthey one and thirtie yeeres Laupy one and fortie yeeres Cuythey fiue and twntie yeeres Fontey seuenteene yeeres Fifteene other Kings reigned in all one hundred seuentie and sixe yeeres The last of which was Quioutey whom Tzobu deposed who with seuen of his linage reigned threescore and two yeeres Cotey foure and twentie yeeres Dian sixe and fiftie yeeres Tym one and thirtie yeeres Tzuyn seuen and thirtie yeeres Tauco with his linage which were one and twentie reigned two hundred ninetie and foure yeres Bausa a Nunne wife of the last of them whom she slue one and fortie yeeres Tautzon slue her and reigned with his posteritie which were seuen Kings one hundred and thirtie yeeres Dian eighteene yeeres Outon fifteene yeeres Outzim nine yeeres and three moneths Tozon foure yeeres Auchin ten yeeres Zaytzon and seuenteene of his race three hundred and twentie yeeres Tepyna the last was dispossessed by Vzon the Tartar vnder whom and eight of his Tartarian successours China endured subiection ninetie and three yeeres Gombu or Hum-vu expelled Tzintzoum the last of them He with thirteene successours haue reigned about two hundred and fortie yeeres There computation of times is more prodigious then that of the Chaldaeans after which this present yeere of our Lord 1614. is in their account from the Creation 884793. CHAP. XIX Of the Religion vsed in China §. I. Of their Gods and Idols in former times HOw much the greater things are reported of this so large a Countrey and mightie a Kingdome so much the more compassion may it prouoke in Christian hearts that amongst so many people there is scarce a Christian who amongst so ample reuenues which that King possesseth payeth either heart or name vnto the King of Heauen till that in so huge a Vintage the Iesuites of late haue gleaned a few handfulls to this profession Before wee come to the Narration of their gods I thinke it fit to deliuer what our ancienter Authors haue obserued of their Religion and then to come to the Moderne They were before the Tartarian Conquest giuen to Astrologie and obserued Natiuities and gaue directions in all matters of weight These Astrologers or Magicians told Farfur the King of China or Mangi that his Kingdome should neuer be taken from him but by one which had a hundred eyes And such in name was Chinsanbaian the Tartarian Captaine which dispossessed him of his state and conquered it to the great Can about 1269. This Farfur liued in great delicacie nor did euer feare to meet with such an Argus He brought vp yeerely two hundred thousand Infants which their Parents could not prouide for and euery yeere on certaine of his Idoll-holy-dayes feasted his principall Magistrates and all the wealthiest Citizens of Quinsay ten thousand persons at once ten or twelue dayes together There were then some few Nestorian Christians one Church at Quinsay two at Cinghianfu and a few others They had many Idoll-Monasteries They burned their dead the kinsmen of the dead accompanied the corps clothed in Canuas with Musicke and Hymnes to their Idols and when they came to the fire they cast therein many papers wherein they had painted Slaues Horses Camels c. as of the Cathayans is before reported to serue him in the next world They returne after their Funerall Rites are finished with like harmony of Instruments and Voyces in honor of their Idols which haue receiued the soule of the deceased They had many Hospitals for the poore where idle persons were compelled to worke and poore impotents relieued Odoricus affirmeth that at Kaitan or Zaiton hee found two Couents of Minorite-Fryers and many Monasteries of Idolaters in one whereof hee was in which as it was told him were three thousand Votaries and eleuen thousand Idols One of those Idols lesse then some others was as big as the Popish Christopher These Idols they feed euery day with the smoake of hot meates set before them but the meate they eate themselues At Quinsay a Chinian conuert led him into a certaine Monastery where hee called to a Religious person and said This Raban Francus that is this Religious French-man commeth from the Sunne-setting and is now going to Cambaleth to pray for the life of the great Can and therefore you must shew him some strange sight Then the said Religious person tooke two great baskets full of broken reliques and led mee into a little walled Parke and vnlocked the doore We entred into a faire greene wherein was a Mount in forme of a steeple replenished with Hearbs and Trees Then did hee ring with a Bell at the sound whereof many Creatures like Apes Cats and Monkeyes came downe the Mount and some had faces like men to the number of some thousand and two hundred putting themselues in good order before whom he set a platter and gaue them those fragments Which when they had eaten he rung the second time and they all returned to their former places I wondred at the sight and demanded what creatures they were They are quoth he the soules of Noble-men which we here feed for the loue of GOD who gouerneth the World And as a man was honourable in his life so his soule entereth after death into the body of some excellent beast but the soules of simple and rusticall people possesse the bodies of more vile and brutish creatures Neither could I disswade him from the opinion or perswade him that any soule might remaine without a body Nic. di Conti saith that when they rise in the morning they turne their faces to the East and with their hands ioyned say God in Trinitie keepe vs in his Law §. II. Of their present Gods and Idols THeir Religion
Moores traded there and still enioy many possessions These marry one Wife and their Children inherit and they may touch the Nayro's The Cagianem are a Sect of the Nayros hauing a Law and Idols by themselues which they may neuer alter They make Tiles to couer the Temples and the Kings Palace The Nayro's may be with their women but must wash themselues before they goe home Another Sect is called Manantamar which are Landerers nor may they or their Posteritie be of other function nor may they mingle themselues with any other Generation They haue Idol ceremonies and Temples by themselues The Nayros may vse their Wiues or Women rather Their Brethren or Nephewes are their Heires The Calton are Weauers and haue a distinct Idolatrous Sect otherwise are as the former Besides these of better condition there are of baser sort eleuen Sects which may not marrie nor meddle with others The first of these are called Tiberi Husbandmen the second Moger and are Mariners both hauing their proper Superstitions and vse their women in common the third are Astrologers whom they call Canius Great men aske their counsell but may not touch their persons The Aggeri are Masons and Workers in Metals The Muchoa or Machoe are Fishers dwelling in Villages by themselues the men Theeues the women Harlots with whom they please The Betua are Salt-makers the Paerun are Iugglers Inchanters and Physicians if such damnable Deuillish practices may deserue so honourable Name which when any are sicke and require their helpe vse Coniuration to cause the Deuill to enter into some of them and then by his suggestion declare the euent of the Disease and what Sacrifices or other things are to be performed They may not touch or bee touched of other men The Reuolat are a baser sort of Gentiles which carry wood into the Citie to sell and herbs The Puler are as excommunicate persons and liue in Desarts where the Nayros haue no occasion to passe and when they goe neere any of these Nayros or any of the better sort they cry as lowd as they can as the Lepers among the Iewes that others may auoid them For if any touch them their Kindred may for such action or passion stay them and as many of these Puler also as may make satisfaction for such disparagement Some nights they wil go of purpose seeking to touch some of the Nayro women with hand sticke or hurling of a stone which if they effect there is no remedie for the woman but to get her forth and liue with these Villaines or to be sold to escape killing by the hands of her Kindred These Puler are Theeues and Sorcerers The Pareas are of worse esteeme and liue in Desarts without commerce of any reputed worse then the Deuill These ten sorts or eleuen if you reckon two sorts of the Tiberi as our Author doth whereof one are Warriors distinguished by a certaine cudgell which they must carry in their hands from the Nayros are as well differing in Religions matters of common life though for their seuerall Rites it were wrong to the Reader at large to recite them if we had the particulars to deliuer But this is common in India that each Trade and Tribe distinguish a new Sect There are besides these Gentiles Naturall of Malabar many strangers of Indians Moores and Christians But in other Kingdomes of Malabar the Heathenish Religion is little differing from that in Calicut Cranganor is a small Kingdome the Inhabitants of the Citie which giueth name to the Region are Christians of Saint Thomas profession about seuentie thousand in number Cochin is now growne great by the Portugals traffique and friendship Of the rest there is not much worth the recitall The Papall honour among the Bramenes was by ordination of Perimal which placed there the Supremacie of the Bramens because He to whom he gaue Coulam was a greater Man then the rest This Papall title was Cobritin a dignity which the King of Cochin still retayneth to be supreme Head of the Bramenes For the ancient Kings of Coulan remooued their seate to Cochin which was then in their Territories But Warres haue since much altered the face of things in those parts In these parts are now many Christian Proselites of the Iesuites Conuersion besides many of the olde Thomas Christians Both Men and Women in Cochin account it a great Gallantry to haue wide Eares which therefore they stretch by Art hanging Waights on them till they reach to their shoulders Porca is a Kingdome Southwards from Cochin but little we can say of it In Trauancor betweene Coulan and the Cape were many Christians if they may be so called which want Sacraments For in fifty yeeres together they had not seene a Priest only they had the priuiledges and name of Thomaean-Christians These Thomaeans are now as the Iesuites report reduced to their Catholicisme The King of Trauancors Dominion stretcheth beyond the Cape Comori where Malabar endeth on the East-side fourescore and ten miles as farre as Cael which diuers great Lords hold vnder him Among the rest is the Signiory of Quilacare In the City of Quilacare is an Idoll of high account to which they solemnize a Feast euery twelfth yeere where the Gentiles resort as the Popish Christians in the Romish Iubilee The Temple sacred to this Idoll hath exceeding great reuenue The King for so he is called at this Feast erecteth a Scaffold couered with silke and hauing washed himselfe with great solemnity he prayeth before this Idoll and then ascendeth the Scaffold and there in presence of all the people cutteth off his Nose and after that his Eares Lips and other parts which he casts towards the Idoll and at last he cutteth his throate making a butcherly sacrifice of himselfe to his Idoll He that is to be his Successor must be present hereat for he must vndergoe the same Martyrdome when his twelue yeeres Iubilee is come Along this Coast dwell the Paraui simple people and Christians which liue by fishing of Pearles The Nayros make such holes in their Eares that Caesar Fredericke sayth hee thrust his arme vp to the shoulders in one of them They are prodigal of their liues in the honour of their King Osorius telleth of some which like the renowmed Decij had vowed themselues to death and not to returne from the enemy without victory Aloisius Goueanus numbreth in the Sea Coast of Coulam three and twenty townes of which nineteene had Christian Churches The Malabars are generally of one Language and one kind of writing This their writing was in leaues of Palme which they call Olla two fingers broad and long as the matter they intended written on both sides with a stile of Iron which they binde vp in Bookes betweene two boords in greater or lesser forme as they please Their writing is from the left hand to the right They reckoned their times before the Portugals came into the Indies from the departure of
weapon then a sword in that case Scarce in seuenteene yeeres could Italy shake off this burthen till Scipio by new policie warred against Hannibal not in Italy where he was but in Africke and Carthage whence his force was thereby procuring Annibals returne as the outward members are forced to yeeld their bloud to succour any sudden oppression of the heart But how is my heart oppressed with sudden passion thus to transport the Reader with my selfe from Africke into Spaine France Italy there to behold this Tragedie Let the matter it selfe answere and now we are returned to Carthage and finde the Tragedie heere For in the third Punike warre the Romans sayth Florus rather fought with the Citie it selfe then with Men. And alas what could that Hermophrodite-armie doe wherein were fiue and twentie thousand armed Women Yet had women then the greater courage Hasdrubal the King yeelded His wife with her two children and much people burned themselues in the Temple of Aesculapius that could not cure this disease of his Citie and suppliants the like fate befalling the first and last Queenes of Carthage Seuenteene dayes together did Carthage burne seuen hundred yeeres after the first building In this last warre after they had deliuered vp their Nauie and weapons being commanded to remoue ten miles from thence Anger kindled new forces and taught them to supply the want of Iron with Siluer and Gold in making weapons with pulling downe their houses to build a Nauie the Matrons giuing their haire the feminine Ornament to make bands for their manly and warlike Engines their priuate glory for publike necessitie all which serued but to augment the pompe of this funerall of Carthage Caesar did after restore it with a Ronian Colonie neuer attayning the Tyrian glory afflicted with Vandals and Gothes and by the Saracens made desolate vntill the time of Elmahdi an hereticall Calipha who procured the inhabiting hereof But not aboue the twentieth part was inhabited The rest remayneth as scattered ruines dispersed bones of the carkasse of old Carthage Master Pountesse a friend of mine told me That hee hath beene rowed in his Boat ouer the walls of Carthage or their ruines the Sea hauing made the last conquest by eating into the Land The Conduits are whole saith Leo which bring water from a Hill thirtie miles from Carthage twelue miles vnder the Earth the rest aboue And now saith he are not aboue fiue and twentie shops and fiue hundred houses therein one faire Temple one Colledge but without Schollers the inhabitants poore proud and superstitious Master Euesham saith That this Citie is now ruinated and destroyed Hee mentioneth those Arches wherein water was hither conueyed and one street three miles long As for the Sea-discoueries attempted by the Carthaginians Hanno compassed all Africa from the Spanish to the Arabian Straits and committed his discoueries to writing Himilco at the same time was employed in the search of Europe Diodorus Siculus writeth a whole Chapter of their discouery of a pleasant and fertile Iland Westward in the Ocean which cannot more fitly agree with any other Region then some part of the West-Indies as may seeme at the first view But a man shall haue much to doe to finde that Iland a harder discouery now then it was then to the finders at least as the Storie lies And some thinke that the Indians of America were a Colonie of the Carthaginians Aristotle hath also the like Relation in his Booke De admirandis Auditionib In the beginning of the Warre they had three hundred Cities in Libya and seuen hundred thousand persons in their Citie The Carthaginians as all acknowledged and their very name Paeni doth prooue were Phaenicians which Countrey wee haue before shewed to bee famous as for many other things so for the first letters and the first that is the Hebrew language The letters which the Hebrewes since the Babilonian Captiuitie haue vsed Postellus would haue to bee the first but secret till those times and then by Ezra made common but others more probably hold the Phoenician or Samaritan the first and that the present Hebrew were the Assyrian or Chaldaean Characters which the Iewes brought thence with them Now for proofe that their ancient Language was Phoenician and consequently Hebrew Dido is but the feminine saith Scaliger to Dauid and Elisa is the Hebrew Elisha Iosephus relateth out of Theophrastus that the Tyrians and Sydonians might not vse other but their owne Countrey oathes of which hee reckoneth Corban which the Scriptures also mention And Scaliger saith that the Punike Scene in Plantus his Penolus although they had then much declined from the Hebrew puritie is neerer the Hebrew then the Syriake and that hee could for the most part restore it to the right Punike which also hath happily beene attempted by Master Selden in his Dis Syris and by Bernardo Aldrete a Spaniard in his Varias Antiquedades de Espaūa Africa YOtras prouincias lib. 2. cap. 2. Where he in a large Catalogue compareth the Hebrew Syriake Phoenician and Punike termes together Of their Baalsamen and other notes of this language we haue spoken before in our first Booke The name Carthago as Genebrard and Aldrete obserue in Syriake signifies the middle Citie Kartha a Citie Go , middle Solinus saith New Citie Wee haue alledged the testimonie of Procopius for the Chanaanites fleeing before Ioshua and the Punikes sayth Augustine called themselues euen in his time Chanani Salust ascribeth to the Phaenicians Hippo Hadrumetus Leptis and other Cities on the Sea-coast besides Carthage which they built either to enlarge their Empire or to preuent a fulnesse at home Concerning the Religion of the Africans in Ancient times Leo saith That they worshipped the Fire and the Sunne as did the Persians erecting in honour of each of these faire and sumptuous Temples in which the Fire was continually kept burning as in the Temple of Vesta at Rome The Numidians and Libyans sacrificed to the Planets And some of the Negroes worshipped Guighimo which signifieth the LORD of Heauen These afterward hee sayth were of the Iewish Religion and after that of the Christian till the 268. yeere of the Hegira that some Negro Kingdomes became Mahumetane although there remaine some Christians to this day those which were Iewish both by the Christians and Mahumetanes were vtterly destroyed But those of Barbarie whereof wee especially entreat remained saith hee Idolaters till two hundred and fiftie yeeres before Mahomets birth when they became Christians This must be interpreted of the vniuersall and publike profession about the time of Constantine For otherwise Africke had in it Christians before Dorothaeus in Synopsi saith That Epaeneius one of the seuentie Disciples was a Bishop of Carthage and that Simon the Apostle preached in Mauritania and among the Africans as Matthias also in Aethiopia But the Gothes soone corrupted Christian Religion with Arrianisme the forerunner of Mahumetanisme
ruines testifieth her sometime proud buildings Hospitals Innes and Temples In Thagia is visited the Sepulchre of a holy Man which liued in the time of Habdul Mumen the Calif or Patriarch who wrought great miracles against the Lyons wherwith the Towne is much molested Ettedle a Mahumetane Doctor wrote a Legend of his miracles which Leo saith hee had read and supposed that they were done either by Naturall or Diuellish Magicke The Fessans after their Easter yeerely resort to his Tombe with such numbers of Men Women and Children and their Tents that they seeme an Armie It standeth from Fez an hundred and twentie miles so that their going and returning in this Pilgrimage lasteth fifteene dayes My Father carried mee yeerely thither when I was a Childe and since I haue beene there many times by reason of many vowes which I made being in danger of Lyons Where Zarfa stood the Arabians now sow Corne The Territorie of Fez hath on the West the Riuer Buragard the East Inaven on the North Subu and Atlas on the South Sella was built by the Romans sacked by the Gothes subiect since to Fez The buildings are of Mosaike worke supported with Marble Pillars euen the Shops are vnder faire and large Porches and there are arches to part Occupations All the Temples are beautifull In this Towne the Genowaies English Flemings and Venetians vsed to trade The Spaniards tooke it in the 670 of the Hegira but lost it againe within ten dayes Fanzara was destroyed by Sahid who with certaine Arabians besieged Fez seuen yeeres together and destroyed all the Villages in the Countrey about Mahmora was made famous by the slaughter of the Portugals whose bloud dyed the Sea three dayes together blushing to see the barbarous Barbarian spill so much Christian bloud Leo was there present and numbreth the slaine Christians at ten thousand besides the losse of their Ships and Ordnance whereof the Moores tooke vp foure hundred great Brasse Peeces out of the Sea in the yeere of the Heg. 921. HONDIVS his Map of the Kingdome of Fez FESSAE REGNUM §. II. Of the Citie of Fez as it was in LEO's dayes and the Customes of the Inhabitants THe Citie Fez or Fesse was built in the time of Aron the Caliph in the 185. yeere of the Hegira or Mahumeticall computation It had this golden Title because on the first day of the Foundation there was found some quantitie of Gold Gasper Varerius and Aldrete are of opinion That the Riuer Phut so called of the sonne of Cham before mentioned is this Riuer of Fez by the Arabians thus altered and that this Riuer gaue Name to the Region and the Citie which opinion is also recited by Leo. The Founder was named Idris Arons neere kinsman to whom the Caliphaship was more due For he was nephew of Hali Mahumets cousin who married Falerna daughter of Mahumet and therefore both by Father and Mother of that kindred whereas Aron was but in the halfe-blood being nephew to Habbus the vncle of Mahumet Howbeit both these Families were depriued of the Caliphate and Aron by deceit vsurped For Arons Grandfather fained himselfe willing to transferre that dignitie to Hali and caused the house of Vmene to lose it and Habdulla Seffec became the first Caliph who persecuted the House of Hals openly chasing some into Asia and some into India But one of them remayned in Elmadina of whom because hee was old and religious he had no great feare His two Sonnes grew in such fauour with the people that they were forced to flee and one being taken and strangled the other which was this Idris escaped into Mauritania where hee grew in such reputation that in short time he got both Swords into his hand and dwelt in the Hill Zaron thirtie miles from Fez and all Mauritania payed him tribute Hee dyed without issue onely hee left his slaue with Child she was a Goth become Mahumetan and had a sonne which after his father was called Idris Hee succeeded in the Principalitie and was brought vp vnder the discipline of a valiant Captaine named Rasid and began to shew great prowesse at fifteen yeeres He afterwards encreasing in power built on the East side of the Riuer a small Citie of three thousand Families After his death one of his sonnes built another Citie on the West side both which Cities so encreased that there was small distance betweene them And a hundred and eighty yeeres after there arose ciuill Warres betwixt those two Cities which continued a hundred yeeres And as Aesops Kite serued the Mouse and Frog so Ioseph of the Luntune Family apprehending this aduantage tooke both their Lords and slew them and thirty thousand of the Citizens He brake downe the walls which parted the two Cities and caused many Bridges to be made and brought them both to be one Citie which he diuided into twelue Wards The Citie is now or at least in Leos time was both great and strong It seemes that Nature and Art haue played the Wantons and haue brought forth this Citie the fruit of their dalliance Or else they seeme Corriuals both by all kind Offices seeking to winne her loue So doth the Earth seeme to dance in little Hillocks and pretie Vallies diuersifying the Soyle so doth the Riuer disperse it selfe into manifold Chanels no sooner entring the Citie but it is diuided into two Armes wherewith it embraceth this louely Nymph and these subdiuided as it were into many Fingers in variety of Water-courses insinuating it selfe vnto euery Street and Member thereof and not contented thus in publike to testifie affection findes meanes of secret intelligence with his Loue by Conduit-pipes closely visiting euery Temple Colledge Inne Hospitall the speciall Chambers of his Spouse Yea and almost euery priuate house from whence with an officious seruice he carrieth the filth that might offend either sight or sent of his Bride which still enjoying he wooeth and euer wooing enjoyeth Only in hot Seasons he hath a cold suit for the Riuer is dry but then he hath six hundred Fountaynes to speake for him in his absence Neither is Art behind in his proffered courtesies but still presents her with Mosaike workes as Chaynes and Iewels to adorne her with fine Brickes and stones framed into most artificiall Fabricks both louely for delight and stately for admiration The roofes of their houses are adorned with Gold Azure and other excellent colours which are made flat for the Inhabitants vse and pleasure whose Houses are richly furnished euery Chamber with a Presse curiously paynted and varnished And who can tell the exquisitenesse of the Portals Pillars Cisternes and other parts of this Cities furniture Which if they be not now so excellent as when Leo liued here yet it is worth the sight to looke vpon it with his eyes as then it flourished before the Court was remoued thence to Marocco or the deuouring bellies of Time and Warre had impaired her Beauties Once let the Temples therein a
fiftie ducats for certaine verses hee had made in his praise and twice as much he sent to his vncle for the same with a horse and three slaues Tedles is the seuenth Prouince of this Kingdome lying betweene Guadelhabid and Ommitabih Tefza the chiefe Towne is beautified with many Temples and hath store of Priests The Towne walls are built of a kinde of marble called Tefza which gaue name to the Town Mount Dedes is in this Prouince where the people for the most part dwell in Caues vnder the ground they haue neither Iudges nor Priests nor honest men among them For other places if any thinke vs not more than tedious alreadie let them resort to Leo whom all follow in their Relations of these parts When any Christian will turne Moore it is their custome to signifie it to the Christians in those parts and in place and time appointed an equall number of both sorts being assembled and fitting the one ouer against the other the partie in the middle and presence of both is demanded of which he will be and the Christians may vse what arguments they can to disswade him which is done three seuerall times Thus did one of our Nation who hauing thus killed his owne soule after murthered anothers body and was therefore adiudged to wander like Cain none releeuing him in which state he pined and dyed CHAP. XII Of the Arabians populations and depopulations in Afrike and of the naturall Africans and of the beginnings and proceedings of the Mahumetan superstition in Africa of the Portugals forces and exploits therein HAuing often mentioned the Arabians in our former Chapters it seemes fit to speake somewhat of the comming of that Nation and their Religion into Africa from the East as also of the Armes of the Portugals before often spoken of which from the West haue made some impressions in these parts The Arabian Mahumetisme euen almost in the infancie thereof pierced into Africa In the yeere of our Lord 637. Omar inuaded Egypt and Odman in the yeere 650. passed further with fourescore thousand fighting men and defeated Gregorius Patricius and imposing a tribute on the Africans departed In Leontius time in the yeere 698. They inuade and possesse Africa and appoint Gouernours of their owne in the yeere 710. They pierced into Numidia and Libya and ouerthrew the Azanaghi and the people of Galata Oden and Tombuto In 973. hauing passed Gamben they infected the Negros and the first that dranke of their poyson were those of Melli. In the yeere 1067. Iasaia sonne of Ababequer entred into the lower Ethiopia and by little and little infected those people which confine vpon the Desarts of Libya and the rest and pierced into Nubia and Guinea Constantinus the Emperour among the Prouinces or great Amera-ships subiect to the Saracens numbreth Africa for one the number and order whereof hee hath transcribed from Theophanes and I here from him The first of these was Persia or Chorassan the second Egypt the third Africa the fourth Philistiem or Rhamble the fift Damascus the sixt Chemps or Emessa the seuenth Chalep the eight Antiochia the ninth Charan the tenth Emet the eleuenth Esipe the twelfth Musel the thirteenth Ticrit But when as Africa shooke off the yoke of the Ameras of Bagdad and had an Amera of her owne afterwards by occasion of the weaknesse of the Amera of Bagdad the Amera of Persia or Choralan freed himselfe also and called himselfe Amerumnes wearing the Alcoran hanging down his necke in Tables like a chaine and saith hee is of the kindred of Alem and the Amera of Egypt to whom the Amera of Arabia foelix had alway beene subiect became also his owne man calling himselfe Amerumnes and deriuing his pedigree from Alem. This as it giues light to the Saracen Historie in generall so it sheweth the greatnesse of the Arabian or Saracenicall power in Africa where first they made head against their Masters in the time as it said before of Elagleb then Deputie or Amera in Cairaoan whose example became a president to the Amera's of Persia and Egypte and which is more to our present purpose was occasion of further spreading their superstition through Africa the fountayne or sinke thereof being now not farre off in Damasco or Bagdad but in the heart of Africa Satan there choosing his Throne for these his Vicars or Calipha's for so the word saith Scaliger signifieth which as you haue heard were too faithfull in that their infidelitie And because I haue mentioned Scaligers interpretation of the word Chalipha it should not be amisse to adde out of the same place that the first Gouernours or Generalls after Mahumet or as hee calls him Muhammed were called Emir elmumenin that is Captaines of the Orthodox or right beleeuers Afterwards because vnder colour of Religion they sought not onely a Priestly primacie but a tyrannicall Monarchie they chose rather to bee called Chalipha The first Emir elmumenin was Abubecher When his successors sent their Lieutenants into Africa and Spaine they gouerned a while vnder them doing all in the name of the Emir elmumenin although nothing in a manner but a Title was wanting of the fulnesse of power to themselues But after they entitled themselues Emire Elmumenin and of Deputies became Kings which was done by the petit Kings of Spaine and the Gouernours of Africa And now the King of Marocco and Fez vseth it For it is not a proper name but as the French King is called Christianissimus and the Spanish Catholicius Thus farre Scaliger which serueth as a Glosse for those former names of Amera Amerumnes Chalipha Miramuldinus and many other hence corrupted The meanes of these and other Saracens enlarging their Sect haue beene principally by Armes and where they were not of force by traffique and preaching as on the other side of Ethiopia euen to Cabo de lor Gorientes in the Kingdomes of Megadazo Melinde Mombazza Quiloa and Mosambique besides the Ilands of Saint Laurence and others But the greatest mischiefe that hapned to Africa by the Arabians was about the foure hundreth yeere of the Hegeira For before that time the Mahumetan Chalipha's or Amera's had forbidden the Arabians to passe ouer Nilus with their Tents and Families that so the Countrey was still peopled by the ancient Inhabitants howsoeuer it was gouerned by them For such multitudes of vnbridled and barbarous Nations were not likely to proue dutifull subiects to the Empire About that time one Elcain the schismaticall Califa of Cairaoan as is before in part shewed hauing by his Generall Geboar conquered all the westerne parts as farre as Sus employed the same mans valour for the conquest of the East And Egypt being now together with Syria subdued Elcain himselfe seeing the Calipha of Bagdet made no preparation to withstand him by the aduice of Gehoar which at that time founded Cairo passed into Egypt thinking to inuest himselfe with the Saracenicall soueraigntie committing the gouernment of Barbarie to a
doe it in which respect not onely a third part of the old World but another new-found World is now named India Therefore Acosta and Adrianus Turnebus esteeme India to be a generall name to all Countries which are farre off and strange to vs although it be properly attributed to the East Indies Now if any wonder at such an extrauagant discourse of India heere let him know that in our search for Presbyter Iohn which then was knowne to withstand the Tartars in Asia I cannot see how hee can bee the Abessine or Aethiopian but rather thinke that when a mightie Christian Prince was found in Aethiopia they did imagine him to bee that Presbiter Iohn of which they had heard in Asia being furthered in this errour by the name India which as is said did generally comprehend both the true India and this more truely called Ethiopia Now for that Presbiter Iohn in India I take him for some Christian King for at that time there were many Christians as appeareth by Venetus in manner dispersed throughout Asia and some called Saint Thomas Christians remaine in India to this day Why I thinke it not to agree to the Abissine my reasons besides the former are the distance of place all that huge tract of Arabia with the wide Seas on each side separating India from Ethiopia the vnpassable Desarts by Land No mention in Historie who should dispossesse them of that India Maior where the Tartar had neuer any great power the Histories which wee haue of those Indian Princes the Kings of Malabar of Decan the Samorin c. are against it the difference of Religion for those Indian Christians of Saint Thomas are not branded with hote Irons nor Circumcised nor agree in other Rites with the Ethiopian the Ethiopian Historie challengeth no such large extents to their Empire except in Africa where they seate them in a continuall descent from the time of Salomon till now whereas those Presbiter Iohns had their dwelling and abode in Asia as their Stories signifie And further the name Priest Iohn is a name vnknowne in Ethiopia and by ignorant mistaking of the Europaeans applied to that Ethiopian Emperour when first they heard of him as saith Zaga Zabo his Embassadour to the King of Portugall who reproueth the men of these parts saying that he is named of them Belul which signifieth Excellent or precious and in the Chaldean tongue Ioannes Encos which signifieth the same Sabellicus saith the Ethiopians called him Gyan Linschoten affirmeth Bel Gyan Bel signifieth the highest and Gyan Lord But Frier Luys out of Baltasar the Aethiopian sheweth that in the hill Amara are ancient records which testifie that from the time of that Queene that came to Salomon the Emperours haue beene called Beldigian the signification whereof is a precious Stone or a thing of great value which Title hath continued to those Emperours as Pharao to the Egyptians and Caesar to the Romanes Some also of the Royall bloud which are vsually kept as after shall appeare in the hill Amara when they are elected to the Empire if there bee many of that Imperiall issue take Orders and become Priests not procreating any Children Such saith hee in our times haue beene Daniel the second Paphnutius that succceeded to Naum and Alexander the third his successour all which were both Priests and Kings and therefore by the Ethiopians which resort to the Holy Sepulchre at Ierusalem and vsed to speake Greeke were called Priest Beldigian This by corruption of the name by Merchants and such as knew not the signification and also for breuities sake was pronounced Priest Gyan or Iohn Now for the Priest Iohn in Asia hee tels that when Saint Thomas was martyred in India the three Mags who had visited CRIST by the leading of a Starre in his Infancie and had after beene consecrated Bishops ouer their seuerall Kingdomes you must not deny their royaltie by the Apostle chose one amongst themselues to bee Priest and King who was called Priest Iohn If you beleeue not Peter de Natalibus out of whom the Frier cites this I should bee too much troubled in perswading you Hee telleth also out of Otho Frisingensis that about the yeere 1145. one Iohn a Christian both King and Priest reigning in the furthest parts of the East warred vpon and ouer-came the Medes Assyrians and Persians and had intended to free Ierusalem out of Saracenicall seruitude but not finding passage ouer Tigris was forced to returne This is like to bee that Presbyter Iohn whose posteritie vsed that stratageme before mentioned against the Tartars And to him I thinke might fitly agree that Title of Prestegian easily deflected and altered to Priest Iohn whereof you haue heard out of Ioseph Scaliger I haue seene a Manuscript in old French pretended to bee a Letter from Prester Iohn to the Emperour Frederike wherein is discoursed of the site greatnesse puissance wealth and other rarities of his estate but finding so many monsters and vncouth relations therein I could not bee so prodigall of faith or penurious of iudgement as to value his authoritie at any high rate wherein Sir Iohn Mandeuill seemes to haue beene a lender or borrower so iustly doe they agree in disagreeing from both probabilitie and possibilitie of truth yet both in the one and the other wee may obserue the like situation of Prester Iohns dwelling in these parts of Asia neere Persia and that such a multitude of fables could not but haue some truth for their ground My conclusion is That for that name of Prestegian I like well Scaligers interpretation and thinke that it may agree either to this or some other Christian Prince at those times in India which is farre neerer to Persia and from whence the Indians borrowed their Royall Titles both in those times and since as Garcias ab Horto and Linschoten shew Idalham or Adelham the Title of the King of Goa and the Countries about commonly called Idalcan is not a proper name but a Title of honour signifying as Adonizedek Iosh 10.1 Lord or King of Iustice Nisamaluco the speare of the Kingdome and such like Ismael the Sophi which name also is by some interpreted Elect because they pretended to bee or doe so and others the reprobate followers of a reprobate Religion added the Title of Xa or Sha to such as embraced his new Sect as Nisomoxa c. If the borrowing of names from the Persian language so generall in those parts bee still obserued no maruell if some Christian King in those times might stile himselfe Prestegian or Apostolicall which others not vnderstanding called Priest Iohn or Prete Ianni as being compassed with so many Saracens the enemies of the Apostles besides Heretikes and Heathens At Mosul is yet a Patriake who in Paulus time was of farre greater iurisdiction and as an Easterne Pope ordayned Archbishops and Bishops through all the parts of India besides Cairo and Baldach and therefore no
maruell if in India there were some great Christian Prince able to make a head against the Tartars in those times For euen in Cranganor are yet supposed to hee threescore and ten thousand Christians besides a great number in Negapatan and in Malipur and very many in Angamale and fifteene thousand on the North of Cochin where the Archbishop that dependeth on the Patriarke of Babylon or Mosul resided All which haue no communion with the Greeke Roman or Ethiopian Churches And for the Ethiopian names or crosses either their Merchants when their state was great or slaues which taken from them are euen in these times sold dearest of any other and mount to great preferments of warre vnder these Lords might leaue such impressions or some other which as they professed one Christ so might haue some wordes and ceremonies common with the Ethiopian although I must needes acknowledge that many of those crosses haue not crossed my way nor any other Ethiopian foot prints Pardon me gentle Reader if I seeme tedious in this dispute seeing it is necessarie both for the vnderstanding of the extent of the Power and Religion of this Precious or Priest Iohn and Scaliger hauing ascribed such large bounds to his Empire I could not but examine the same otherwise professing my selfe si non magis amica veritas euen willing if I must needs erre to erre with him who hath in many tongues and arts shewed himselfe perhaps the worthiest Generall and generallest Worthy against Error that euer wee haue had the Alpha of learned men in our Age as our learned Marton testifieth of him and a great light of learning acknowledged by Royall testimonie His authoritie I would not seeme to contemne and therefore haue entred this long search But Scaliger himselfe hath since altered his opinion in the last Edition of his Emendation in which these later Editions of this worke might haue excluded also this long dispute but that it may serue to illustrate both this and other parts of our Historie and therefore doe still suffer it to remayne HONDIVS his Map of the Abissine Empire ABISSINORUM REGNUÌ„ CHAP. IIII. Relations of the Aethiopian Empire collected out of ALVARES BERMVDESIVS and other Authors TO come now to the Aethiopian Greatnesse of this great Aethiopian his Title would be a sufficient Text for a more sufficient glosse then we can giue In a Letter to King Emanuel after diuers words concerning the Trinitie follow These Letters sendeth Atani Tinghill that is the Frankincense of the Virgin which was his name in Baptisme but at the beginning of his Raigne hee tooke to name Dauid the beloued of GOD Pillar of the Faith descended of the Tribe of Iuda Sonne of Dauid Sonne of Salomon Sonne of the Pillar of Sion Sonne of the seed of Iacob Sonne of the hand of Marie Sonne of Nahu according to the flesh Emperour of the Greater and Higher Aethiopia and of most large Kingdomes Territories and Iurisdictions the King of Xoa Caffate Fatigar Angote Baru Baaliganze Adea Vangue and Goiame where Nilus springeth Of Damaraa Vaguemedri Ambeaa Vagne Tigri-Mahon Of Sabaym the Countrey of the Queene of Saba of Barnagasso and Lord as farre as Nubia which confineth vpon Aegypt Heere are names enough to skarre a weake braine a great part whereof are now his as some say in Title onely For at this present if Barros and Botero bee beleeued his Neighbours haue much encroched vpon him as a little before we haue shewed a thing wholly denied by the later Relations of Frier Luys de Vrreta Yet seeing we are to trauell through all these Countreys we will leaue the question of dominion to him and his neighbours to try it with the sword Our pen shall peaceably point out the places and after that the conditions Barnagasso is the nighest to vs at least by the neere situation of the red Sea nighest to our knowledge It stretcheth from Suachen almost to the mouth of the Streyt and hath Abagni or Astapus on the South It hath no other Port on the red Sea but Ercocco Neither hath the Prete any other Port but this in all his Dominion being Land-locked on all sides Anno 1558. The Turks committed heere great spoile They haue since taken from the Prete all on the Sea side and specially that Port of Ercocco and the other of Suachen or Suaquem and forced the Gouernour or vnder-King of this Prouince to compound for a yeerely summe of a thousand ounces of Gold besides his Tribute to the Ethiopian To him are also subiect the Gouernmenrs of Dafila and Canfila And the Turke hath a Basla at Suaquem called by Ptolomey Sebasticum Tigri-Mahon lyeth betweene Nilus Marabo two Riuers Angote and the Sea Tigrai hath in it Cazumo which is supposed the Seat-Royall of that great Queen which visited Salomon Angote is between Tigre-Mahon Amara Heere in Amara is a steepe Hil dilating it selfe in a round forme many dayes iourny in compasse enuironing with the steepe sides and impassible tops thereof many fruitfull and pleasant Vallies wherein the kindred of the Prete are surely kept for the auoiding of all tumults and seditions Xoa hath store of corne and cattell Goiame hath plenty of Gold as Baguamedri hath siluer In Fatigar is a Lake on the top of a high mountaine twelue miles compasse abounding with great varietie of fish and thence runne many Riuers stored with the same fish Damne is ennobled with slauerie For the slaues that are hence caried captiues in Arabia Persia and Egypt proue good souldiers The greater part of this Kingdome are Gentiles and the residue Christians The Oxen as Bermudez relateth are almost as great as Elephants their hornes very great and serue for vessels to carie and keepe Wine and Water as Barrels or Tankerds There is found also a kinde of Vnicorne wilde and fierce fashioned like a horse of the bignesse of an Asse Neere hereunto he addeth a Prouince of Amazons whose Queene knoweth no man and is honoured as a goddesse they say they were first instituted by the Queene of Saba both like true as that which followeth of Griffons the Phoenix and fowles so bigge that they make a shaddow like a cloud Couche is subiect to Damur they are Gentiles The Prince called Axgugce that is Lord of riches he shewed vs saith Bermudez a Mountaine glistering in some places like the Sun saying all that was gold More gold is said there to be then in Peru or in these parts iron The head of the Monasteries of Amara Christned him Gradeus the Emperour being his God-father and named him Andrew Gueguere was sometimes called Meroe the Inhabitants are confederate with the Turkes and Moores against the Abissines Dancali and Dobas are neere the red Sea inhabited with Moores Many of these Countreys are diuersly placed by diuers through ignorance of the exact situations which Aluarez in his so many yeares trauell in those parts might well haue
Pilgrimage CHAP. VI. Relations of Aethiopia by GODIGNVS and other Authours lately published seeming more credible §. I. The seuerall Countreyes of Abassia Their Situation Inhabitants Riuers and Lakes IF I should haue left out the former Chapter for the vncertaine truth or certayne falshoods therein contayned some perhaps would eyther for the Pilgrims words or the Friers inuention haue desired it were it but as a Comedie to delight our tyred Reader For my selfe had my Intelligence so well serued me at first it had been easier then not to haue admitted then here now to haue omitted it I haue therefore suffered it still to enioy a place rather for your delight then credit and here would giue you those things that are more likely I hope I cannot warrant more true such as Nicolaus Godignus and others haue written some things being the same which before out of Aluares others are mentioned besides other things exacter or later And first of the Countrey it selfe Ioannes Gabriel Captayne of the Portugall Souldiers in these parts hath written that the Abassine Empire contayneth sixe and twentie Kingdomes in ancient right diuided in foureteene Regions eight of these Kingdome lye in successiue order from Swachen towards to West the first of which is Tigrai contayning seuenteene great Tracts vnder so many Lieutenants or Gouernours which rule all affaires of Peace and War The Turkes possesse the Sea parts the Saracens the Coast adioyning the Inland is inhabited promiscuously by Christians and Ethnicks They are blacke of hue deformed in shape in condition miserable of conditions wicked They haue goodly Riuers dryed vp in Summer where yet with little digging both water is found and fishes called Sagasi The next Kingdome to Tigrai is Daneali hauing the Red Sea on the East thence extending Westwards not farre nor fertile inhabited by Moores tributaries to the Abassine Angote Amara Boa Leca are foure Kingdomes inhabited by Christians only The seuenth Kingdome is very large of seuenteene Tracts partly inhabited by Ethnickes partly Christians it is called Abagamedri Dambea hath also Ethnickes mixed with Christians being but two Tracts On the other side of Dancali towards the Red Sea Aucaguerle trends alongst the Coast possessed by the Moores not subiect to the Abassine Adel followeth in twelue degrees Northerly in which is Zeila sometimes called Aualites a famous Mart the whole Kingdome is inhabited by Moores vnneighbourly Neighbours to the Abassines whence came Gradagna or Gradamar the Mahumetan King which had wel-nigh subdued all Aethiopia when the Portugals opposed themselues who after diuers ouerthrowes tooke him and cut off his head After this is Dahali which trendeth towardes Membaxas the Inhabitants some Christians some Ethnikes pay tribute to the Prete Oecie followeth more within land the Inhabitants Moores and Ethnikes subiect to the Abassine Arium and Fatigaer the next Kingdomes are Christian Zinger Ethnicke Rozanagum the sixteenth Kingdome is Christian but not subiect to the Abassine Empire From hence extend other Kingdomes towards the North Roxa of Ethnickes Goma of Christians and Ethnickes Such is Nerea a large Kingdome towards Monomotapa Zethe is inhabited by Ethnickes subiect to the Emperour The next are Conche and Mahaola small and altogether Ethnicke Goroma a great Kingdomoe of twenty Tracts Christians and Heathens almost wholly compassed by Nilus able for plenty to feed many Armies with which it is vsually infestect The Seedman followes the haruest man presently after the reaping sowes new Seed without other tillage The three last Kingdomes lye towards Egypt Damote Sua Iasculum through this euery Lent passe great troupes of Pilgrimes to Ierusalem The foureteene Regions or Prouinces I forbeare to mention Of all these Kingdomes at this day onely Tigrai Abagamedri Dambea and Goroma are obedient to the Abassine There are foure principall Riuers in this Aethiopia Taucea running from the South to the North the sandy Earth in the way continually stealing and vnderearth passages robbing him of the watery Tribute which he intendeth to the Sea neere it are high vnpassable Mountaynes inhabited by Abassine Iewes which still obserue the Mosaicall Law fierce and terrible to their Neighbours and could neuer be conquered by the Abassines The second Riuer is Oara exceeding Nilus in watery store which he bestoweth in like manner on the Countrey by which he passeth into the Zeilan Sea The waters are pleasant but the Abassine Christians will not drinke thereof because passing through the Countries of Mahumetans it yeelds them nourishment The third Riuer is Gabea which neere to Mombaza visits the Ocean The fourth is Nilus There are as many Lakes The first Aicha in Angote The second Dambeabahar that is the Sea of Dambea not farre from Gubbai where the Emperours in these times reside if they betake themselues out of their Tents into the City This Lake is sixty miles long and fiue and twenty broad receiues on one side the waters of Nilus is full of fishes and Riuer-horses which sometimes are dangerous to passengers two Iesuits in one of their Boates made of Rushes hardly escaping their assaults Many small Ilands are in this Lake in one of which is a Towre their Treasury and to which Malefactors are confined The third Lake is Zella in Oecie the fouth Xacala not farre from it §. II. Of the Soyle Fruits Creatures Seasons and Climate ANtonie Fernandes in an Epistle dated here in Iune 1610. numbreth aboue fortie Prouinces in Abassia but in substance agrees in the former The Soyle hee sayth is hollow and full of deepe Clifts in the midst of the plaine fields you shall often see steepe and high Rockes of solid stone which in time of warre serue them in stead of Forts The whole Region is full of Metals but neglected partly by the sloth of the Inhabitants partly for feare to bring Turkish Inuasions vpon them if such baits were discouered They take so much Iron only as they finde without digging on the face of the Earth Corne Herbes Trees are there in variety but these not excellent in their fruits except one the fruit whereof saues their liues by the vertue it hath against Wormes whereto this people is much subiect by their eating of raw flesh and therefore euery moneth purge themselues with this fruit they haue Peaches Pomegranates Citrons Indian Figges but not in great plenty They haue Hares Harts Goats Swine Elephants Camels Buffles Lions Panthers Tigres Rhinocerots and other like Beasts One so huge that a man on horsebacke may passe vpright vnder his belly feeding on leaues from the tops of trees and formed like a Camell Their Riuer-horses doe much harme to the fruits of the Earth being of Vast bodies and their mouth three quarters of a yard in the opening In the night they come forth and if the Husbandmen did not keepe diligent watch would doe extreme harme to the Corne they feed also on grasse In the water they are very fierce and like Dogges assault men and teare them They are so afraid of fire
There are certaine creatures as bigge as Rammes and haue wings like Dragons with long tayles and chaps and diuers rowes of teeth and feede vpon raw flesh Their colour is blue and greene their skinne be-painted like scales and they haue but two feet These the Pagan Negros doe worship for gods and at this day many of them are kept for a miracle And because they are very rare the chiefe Lords doe curiously preserue them and suffer the people to worship them in regard of the profit which accrueth to them by the offerings which the people make vnto them Other creatures of these parts are mentioned in the first Chapter of the former Booke Peacocks are not common and are very deare their feathers being vsed for Royall Ensignes The King of Angola bringeth vp some in an inclosed wood and suffereth none to keepe them but himselfe To speake at large of the other fiue Prouinces would bee tedious to the Reader and Master Hartwell hath taught Lopez to speake English of whom such as are desirous may be further satisfied Ouer-against the I le Loanda where the shell-money is gathered is vpon the Continent the Towne of Saint Paul inhabited with Portugals and their wiues The Riuers of Congo are many Bengo Coanza Dande Lembe Ozone Loze Ambriz and the greatest of all Zaire all which haue some either affinitie in mutuall marriages of their streames or consanguinitie in the Fountaynes from whence they flow which are certayne Lakes one of which is Zembre the other Aquelunda In all these Riuers are common the rarities of Nilus the ouer-flowing of the waters Riuer-horses Crocodiles and such like Andrew Battell told mee of a huge Crocodile which was reported to haue eaten a whole Alibamba that is a companie of eight or nine slaues chayned together and at last payed for his greedinesse the chaine holding him slaue as before it had the Negroes and by his vndigestible nature deuouring the Deuourer remayning in the belly of him after he was found in testimonie of this victorie Hee hath seene them watch and take their prey haling a Gennet Man or other Creature into the waters A Souldier thus drawne in by a Crocodile in shallower waters with his knife wounded him in the belly and slue him In their Summer it rayneth not and then the places in their Winter the time of the Sunnes neerest presence attended with daily raynes couered with water doe grow thicke and matted with abundance of little trees herbes and plants which the fatned wombe of that moist soile conceiueth by the directer beames of the Sunne and the ouer-flowing waters in the Winter carry away as it were small Ilands lifting them vp together with the rootes and soile the young Trees and Deere standing and growing thereon carried captiue vnto Neptunes eternall prisons In Bengo and Coanza they are forced to set vp for a time houses vpon cratches their other houses being taken vp for the Riuers lodgings Zaire is of such force that no ship can get in against the Current but neere to the shore yea it preuailes against the Oceans saltnesse threescore and as some say fourescore miles within the Sea before his proud waues yeeld their full homage and receiue that salt temper in token of subiection Such is the haughtie spirit of that streame which ouer-running the low Countries as it passeth and swollen with conceit of daily Conquests and daily Supplies which in Armies of showres are by the clouds sent to his succour runnes now in a furious rage thinking euen to swallow the Ocean which before he neuer saw with his mouth wide gaping eight and twentie miles as Lopez affirmeth in the opening but meeting with a more Giant like enemie which lyes lurking vnder the cliffes to receiue his assault is presently swallowed in that wider wombe yet so as alwayes being conquered hee neuer giues ouer but in an eternall quarrell with deepe indented frownes in his angrie face foaming with disdayne and filling the ayre with noyse with fresh helpe supplies those forces which the Salt-Sea hath consumed In this Riuer is a fish called Ambize Angulo or Hog-fish that hath as it were two hands and a tayle like a target which eateth like a Porke and whereof they make Lard and hath not the sauour or taste of fish It feedeth on the grasse that groweth on the bankes of the Riuer and neuer goeth out it hath a mouth like the moozell of an Oxe there are of them that weigh fiue hundred pound a piece Obseruing where it feedes with weapons in their boats they hinder it from taking water and hauing taken it present it to the King it is vpon perill of life they smoke it as wee doe Bacon and reserue it for dainties About the yeere 1490. Iohn the second King of Portugall sent Consaluo di Sosa with three ships and Priests in them to bring the King and people of Congo to Christian Religion which was effected and although hence arose ciuill warres amongst them yet the matter was at last ended to the aduancement of the Christian Religion such as the Portugals taught and no doubt infinitely better then their Pagan superstition howsoeuer spotted with many Romish staines and from that time to this now an hundred and twentie yeeres hath Congo continued Christian vnder Iohn Alfonso Piedro and the rest of their Kings When the first Bishop of Saint Thomas went into Congo to take possession of his Pastorall charge there for the Kingdome of Congo was annexed to the Bishoprick of Saint Thomas from the Sea-side to the Citie which is an hundred and fiftie miles King Piedro caused the wayes to bee made smooth and trim and couered ouer with mats that the Bishop should not set his feet vpon any part of the ground not adorned all the wayes trees and higher places swarming with people offering Lambes Kids Chickins Partridges Venison Fish and other necessaries to testifie their zeale And at last arriuing at the Citie of Saint Sauiours before called Banza which signifieth a Court and is commonly attributed to all the chiefe Cities where the King of any of those Countries holdeth his residence hee was there receiued by the King and his Nobles and ordayned the Church there to bee the Cathedrall Church of his See which had belonging to it eight and twentie Canons with other Officers and Ornaments vsuall §. III. Of their Heathenish rites Also of their strange Trees and of the I le Loanda AFter Don Piedro succeeded Francisco and after him Diego who being dead his sonne and two other Competitors of the Kingdome were slaine and Henrico brother to Diego was made King and after his death Aluaro whom the Giacchi draue out of his Kingdome till King Sebastian sent Francisco di Geuea to expell them The greatest and most zealous Prince for Christian Religion was Alphonso who on paine of death forbade to all his subiects the hauing or worshipping of Idols which he commanded should be all brought and deliuered to the Lieutenants of
there an Idol called Gumbiri and a holy House called Munsa Gumbiri kept and inhabited by an old woman where once a yeere is a solemne Feast which they celebrate with Drummes Daunces and Palme-wines and then they say hee speaketh vnder the ground The people call him Mokissa Cola or a strong Mokisso and say That he comes to stay with Chekoke the Idol of Banza That Chekoke is a Negro-Imoge made sitting on a stoole a little house is there made him They annoint him Ticcola which is a red colour made of a certaine Wood ground on a stone and mixed with water wherewith they dayly paint themselues from the waste vpwards esteeming it great beauty otherwise they account not themselues ready It is for like purpose carried from hence to Angola Sometimes it fals out that some Man or Boy is taken with some sudden Enthusiasme or rauishment becomming mad and making a whooping and great clamours They call them Mokisso-Moquat that is taken of the Mokisso They cloath them very handsome and whatsoeuer they bid in that fit for it lasteth not very long they execute as the Mokissos charge Morumba is thirty leagues Northwards from hence in the Mani Loango's Dominion where he liued nine moneths There is a House and in it a great Basket proportioned like to a Hiue wherein is an Image called Morumba whose Religion extendeth far They are sworne to this Religion at ten or twelue yeares old but for probation are first put in a House where they haue hard diet and must be mute for nine or ten dayes any prouocation to speake notwithstanding Then doe they bring him before Morumba and prescribe him his Kin or perpetuall abstinence from some certaine meat They make a cut in his shoulder like to an halfe Moone and sprinkle the bloud at Morumbas feet and sweare him to that Religion In the wound they put a certaine white powder in token of his late admission which so long as it continueth doth priuiledge him to take his meat and drinke with whomsoeuer he pleaseth none denying him the same at free cost They also haue their fatall Tryals before this Image where the accused partie kneeling downe and clasping the Hiue saith Mene quesa cabamba Morumba signifying That he comes thither to make tryall of his innocence and if he be guiltie he fals downe dead being free he is freed Andrew Battell saith hee knew sixe or seuen in his being there that made this tryall §. II. Of the Anzigues BEyond the Countrey of Loango are the Anzigues the cruellest Canibals which the Sunne looketh on For inother places they eate their enemies or their dead but here they take and eate their kinsfolkes and Country-folkes They keepe Shambles of mans flesh as with vs of Beefe and Muttons They eate their enemies Their slaues if cut out they will yeeld them more in the seuerall Ioynts or Pieces then to bee sold aliue they kill though it be but to saue a halfe-peny Some of them for wearinesse of life and some oh crueltie of vaine-glory euen for valour of courage in contempt of Death and esteeming it an honorable proofe of their fidelitie and manhood will offer themselues to the Butcherie as faithfull subiects vnto their Princes of them to bee consumed and eaten that with their death and after their death they may doe them seruice These Anzichi stretch from Zaire to Nubia They haue many Mines of Copper and great quantitie of Sanders red and gray wherewith mixed with the Oyle of Palme-tree they anoint themselues The Portugals temper it with Vineger for the healing of the French Pocks by the smoke thereof they driue away the head-ache It is incredible or at least would so seeme to vs which Lopez reporteth that they carrying their arrowes which are short and slender of very hard Wood in the Bowe-hand will shoot off eight and twenty so many they hold at once before the first of them fall to ground and with a short Hatchet with a sudden whirling themselues about breake the force of the enemies Arrowes and then hanging this Hatchet on their shoulder discharge their owne Arrowes They are of great simplicitie loyaltie and fidelitie and the Portugals more trust them then any other slaues They are yet sauage and beastly and there is no conuersing with them but they bring slaues of their own Nation and out of Nubia to Congo to sell for which they recarrie Salt and Shels which they vse for Money Silkes Linnen Glasses and such like They circumcise themselues and besides that both men and women of the Nobility and and Comminaltie from their childhood marke their faces with sundry slashes made with a knife I asked saith Lopez of their Religion and it was told mee that they were Gentiles which was all I could learne of them They worship the Sunne for the greatest God as though it were a man and the Moon next as though it were a woman Otherwise euery man chuseth to himselfe his owne Idol and worships it after his own pleasure The Anzichi haue one King principall which hath many Princes vnder him Of Ambus and Medera Northerne Regions little besides the names is knowne Biafar is inhabited with people much addicted to Enchantments Witchcrafts and all abominable Sorceries §. III. Of the Giacchi or Iagges OF the Giacchi we haue made often mention and of their incursions into Congo These in their owne Language are called Agag as Lopez testifieth and liue on both side of Nilus in the borders of the Empire of Mohenhe-Muge They vse to marke themselues about the lip and vpon their cheekes with certaine lines which they make with iron instruments and with fire Moreouer they haue a custome to turne their eye-lids backwards so that their blacke skins white eyes and cauterized markes seeme to conspire a dreadfull and gastly deformitie in their faces They hold warre with the d supposed Amazones and of late yeeres haue inuaded the neighbour-Nations Their weapons are Darts their food humane flesh without all humanity deuoured Thus Lopez reporteth by reports Andrew Battel liued by occasion of the Portugals treachery with the Iagges a longer time then euer any Christian or White Man had done namely sixteene moneths and serued them with the Musket in their warres neither could Lopez saith he haue true intelligence whence they came For the Christians at that time had but vncertaine coniectures of them neither after had the Portugals any conuersing but by way of commerce but he being betrayed fled to them for his life and after by stealth escascaped from them the onely European that euer liued in their Campe He saith they are called Iagges by the Portugal by themselues Imbangolas which name argues them to be of the Imbij Galae before mentioned and came from Sierra Liona That they are exceeding deuourers of mans flesh for which they refuse Beefe and Goats whereof they take plenty They haue no setled habitation but wander in an vnsetled course They rise in
lye in their hanging beds will make an Oration of the vertue of their Predecessors and of their sustained wrongs and so excite the yonger to take armes These Orations last sometimes sixe houres Their armes are clubs or woodden swords fiue or sixe foot long and a foot broad a finger thicke and very sharpe One of these men being throughly moued would trouble two of our Fencers Their bowes are as long as ours the string made of the herbe Tocon little yet able to endure the strength of an horse their arrowes an ell long which they will shoot twice as fast as our men they haue leather shields their elder men lead the rankes if they may be so called which haue none to marshall or order them and with great shouts and shewing the enemies the bones of their slaine friends they enter into a fierce battell Their captiues they conuey in the middest of their armie home to their Territories vnto whom the men will not sticke to giue their Sisters or Daughters to performe all the duties of a Wife and feed them with the best till they redemand the same out of their flesh the men are employed if it be long before the slaughter in hunting fowling fishing the women in gardening or gathering Oysters When that dismall day approacheth knowledge is giuen and the men women and children assemble to the place appointed and there passe the morning in drinking and the captiue although he knoweth the dreadfull issue danceth drinketh and frolicks it with the best After sixe or seuen houres thus spent two or three of the strongest fasten a rope about his middle leauing his armes at liberty and so lead him vp and down the Village in triumph Neither doth he for all this hang down his head as men heere going to be hanged but with incredible courage emblazoneth his own worthinesse Thus thus saith he haue I sometimes bound your kindred and thy father saith he to one haue I deuoured and thy brethren to another haue I boucaned and eaten and what innumerable numbers of you Touau Pinambausij haue these hands taken this throat swallowed Neither will the Margaiates suffer this my death vnreuenged Then they bring him stones and bid him reuenge his death He hurleth them at those which stand about him whereof there are some foure thousand and hurteth diuers I saw one saith our Author whose legge I had thought had beene broken by the violence of one of those blowes After this comes one which all this while had bin hidden with the fatall club and Art thou not one of the Margaiates saith he and hast thou not deuoured our kindred the other answereth O how lustily I haue done it how prompt haue I been in taking them how greedy in eating And therefore replyeth the other shalt thou be killed and rosted on the Boucan What then saith he my death shall not bee vnreuenged The club ends their Dialogue with one blow striking him dead His wife if he had any as they sometimes vse to bestow on their Captiues comes to the carkasse and spends a little time and passion in mourning but her Crocodiles teares are soone dried and the humour fals into her teeth which water for the first morsell The other women especially the elder which are most cruell and greedie bring hot water and wash the body and rub it till it looke like the skin of a Pigge then comes the Master of the Feast which owed the Captiue and cuts it out as readily as any Butcher with vs can doe a Weather They daube the children with the bloud foure women carrie about the armes and legs for a shew with shouts and cries The trunke is diuided into two parts the vpper part being cut and separated from the lower the inwards are left to the women which seethe and make the broth of them called Mingau which they sup vp with their children they eate also the flesh about the head The braine tongue and that which within the head may serue for meate is the childrens share The Author of the Feast hath a new name added to the former for they haue so many names as they haue slaine Captiues the chiefe of the Cottage branding him on the arme with an honourable marke for the memory thereof and all that day he must spend in quiet The Wayganna are a kind of Brasilians which hold confederacie with no other Nation but kill all which come to their hands and that so cruelly that they will cut off their armes and legges while they are aliue These liue in the Mountaines They cut them with stones and those which haue trade with the Christians vse Kniues Their Boucan is a Grediron of foure cratches set in the ground a yard high and as much asunder with billets laid thereon and other stickes on them grate-wise On this they rost the flesh putting fire vnder all the people standing about the same and euery one gets a little piece of him But me thinkes I see horror expressed in the countenance of him that reades this and euery one wearie of viewing this Tragedie loathing this inhumane feasting with humane flesh I will therefore leaue their shambles and which better beseemes a Pilgrime will visit their holies and holy places But alas where or what are they Maffaeus hath alreadie told vs that they obserue no Gods and Lerius confirmes the same yet sheweth that they acknowledge a Deuill whom they call Aygnan not that they worship him but are tormented by him Euen in speaking of him they tremble and the remembrance breedes a compassionate amazement in the hearer an amazed passion in the speaker while he applaudes our happinesse free from such tyrannie and deplores his owne miserie Hee sometimes in the forme of a beast sometimes in forme of a Bird and otherwhiles deformed in some monstrous shape doth grieuously torment them Euen whiles the Christians were in conference with them they would pitiously cry out Hei Hei helpe Aygnan vexeth me Nor could this bee counterfeit in the iudgement of any that conuersed with them They beleeue the immortalitie of the soule and that the soules of the vertuous that is in their sense of such as haue killed and eaten many enemies shall flie beyond the highest Mountaines and be gathered to the soules of their Progenitors and there liue in pleasant Gardens and perpetuall dancings and delicacies The cowardly Ghosts shall be carried vnto torment by Aygnan without end They haue no name whereby to signifie God vnto them but wondered to heare what the Frenchmen told of the Creator of Heauen and Earth And because they are afraid of Thunder which they call Toupan they told them that God was Author thereof the foolish Indians reply that he was then naught which would make them afraid But the feare of Aygnan made them sometimes flexible to embrace the Christian Religion hearing that this Deuill was inferiour to the Christians God So that euen in these the most degenerate of all
to the Ilands for slaues at times in seuenteene yeers a Million of people But why doe I longer trace them in their bloudy steps seeing our Authour that relates much more then I yet protesteth that it was a thousand times worse Or what should I tell their sparing 〈◊〉 persons plucking the child from the brest to quarter it to his Dogs Torturing Kings with new deuices borrowed eyther from the Inquisition or from Hell Cutting off the nose and hands of men and women that liued in peace with them Selling the Father Mother Child to diuers places and persons Lying with the women as one of them bragged that being with childe they might yeeld more money in the sale How was Nature become degenerate in these prodigious monsters Euen the nature of things might bee abashed with the sense of this vnnaturall senselesnesse The Tygre would but deuoure his prey and not curiously torment it the Lion sometimes spares it nay their Dogges haue sometime beene lesse dogged then their doggish Deuillish Masters How may wee admire that long suffering of God that rained not a floud of waters as in Noahs time or of fire as in Lots or of stones as in Iosuas or some vengeance from Heauen vpon these models of Hell And how could Hell forbeare swallowing such prepared morsels exceeding the beastlinesse of beasts inhmanitie of wonted Tyrants and Deuillishnesse if it were possible of the Deuils But these you will say were Souldiers let vs leaue the Campe and looke to their Temples There perhaps you shall see their Priests reading praying and this they most glory of preaching to conuert the Indians by their word and workes Aske Colmenero a Priest of Saint Martha who being asked what hee taught the Indians said that hee deuoted them with curses to the Deuill and this sufficed if he said to them Per signin Santin Cruces You haue heard what good Diuinitie the Dominican preached to Atabaliba King of Peru which wanted not her wants of Millions by their cruelties as well as the former They teach them saith Acosta a few Prayers in the Spanish Tongue which they vnderstand not and they which are more painfull a Catechisme without explanation Their teaching is but a iest and shadow to get mony they follow dicing hunting whooring in so much that Baptisme is scorned and the Indians are forced to it against their wil◠and a sincere and vpright Iudge was wont to say that if hee came into Spaine hee would perswade the King to send no more Priests into America such is their dissolutenesse They had then indeed three Archbishopricks that of Dominico which had sixe Suffragane Bishops the second of Mexico which had 7. the third of Los Reyes to which were subiect three Bishops yet these teach the people vices by their practice and ill example insomuch that the Indians sayth Casas are of opinion that the King of Spaine which hath such subiects as the Spaniards shew themselues is himselfe most cruell and liues on mans flesh and that of all Gods the God of the Christians is the worst which hath so bad seruants longing for their owne Gods of whom they neuer receiued such ill as now by this of the Christians The Spaniards cannot endure the Indians to heare a Sermon thinking it makes them idle as Pharaoh said of the Israelites and captious they learne them Vsury lying swearing blasphemie and things repugnant to their nature Thus did a Cacique describe a Christian to Benzo by the vnchristian course of the Spaniards Christians sayth he looking Benzo on the face what are Christians They imperiously demand Maiz Hony Silke Rayment an Indian woman to lye with them they call for Gold and Siluer they will not worke are Gamesters Dicers Wicked Blasphemers Backbiters Quarrellers and concluded that Christians could not be good Benzo said that euill Christians did such things not the good ones hee replyed Where are those good for I neuer saw any but bad Hee was seuenty yeeres old and spake Spanish perfectly Benzo sayth that they would not looke on the Christians but curse them and as before is said called them Sea-froth Hee being very inquisitiue to see what they thought of our Faith reporteth that some of them taking a piece of Gold will say Loe heere the Christians God for this they kill vs and one another for this they play blaspheme curse steale and doe all manner of villanies A Franciscan publikely said that there was neyther Priest Monke nor Bishop good in all India and the Priests themselues will say they came thither for gaine A Caciques Sonne which was towardly in his youth and proued after dissolute being asked the reason thereof said Since I was a Christian I haue learned to sweare in varietie to dice to lye to swagger and now I want nothing but a Concubine which I meane to haue shortly to make me a compleate Christian These indeed are the Miracles that the Spaniards worke in the Indies sayth our Author I asked an Indian once if he were a Christian he againe asked me if hee should be the Bishops Groome a doozen yeeres to keepe his Mule Others of the Indians saue a little washing and some cold Ceremonies know nothing of our Religion You haue heard what Commerce and conference many of them were wont to haue with the Deuill and how the Spaniards haue taught them now to scarre him away with the signe of the Crosse And this is the report of a certaine Spanish Treatise of Prelates that the Deuill is now frayed away with the presence of the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and of the holy Crosse weapons spirituall in pretence carnall in the inuention but neither preuayling like the spirituall which Paul mentions nor effecting so much as some say of those which are indeed carnall and wholly materiall Yea these thus vsed with deniall of the power of the Crosse and godlinesse are the Scepters of his Empire amongst them And for those carnall weapons which Paul disclaymed the Spaniards doe not onely acknowledge but glory off Nunno di Gusman auerreth in a writing to the Emperor that howsoeuer some find fault with their wars vpon the Indians so to bring them to the faith yet he accounts it a most worthy holy work of so great merit that in the seruice of God none can be greter The Indians haue liued at more quiet with the Spaniards since the King proclamed them free yet still hate them and for their Christianitie Franciscus à Victoria protesteth that it doth not appeare to him that Christian Religion had beene propounded in meete sort to the Indians Miracles he heard not of but on the contrarie scandals villanies and many impieties This is the Preaching and Conuersion the Romists boast of and gull our European World with musters of their Miracles and thousands of their Proselytes which we rather pittie then enuie How the case is altered since that new generation of the Ignatian
Otsman Sonne of Affan first couered it with a Carpet This yeere also was fought the Battell of Chaibar and M. tooke many Forts and possessed their Riches Hee straitly besieged two Castles Watitia and Selalima that they were forced to sue to him to spare their lines and to let them remayne in their Countrey which he granted on condition to pay yeerely halfe their Dates and to be at his pleasure cast forth The Inhabitants of Badra hearing this concluded on like conditions to which he yeelded The Iewes also remayned vnder the same league vntill the Raigne of Omar Sonne of Alchittabi who after that he vnderstood that M. of glorious memory had said in his sicknesse that two Religions might not concurre in Arabia he cast them thence The same yeere Zeinaba Daughter of Alharit a Iewesse brought him a poysoned Sheepe of which eating he said this ioynt tels me that it is poysoned In the eight yeere he tooke Mecca For the Coraisites had broken their league and M. went against them with ten thousand Muslims til he came to Marwuttahran and his Vncle Abbas Sonne of Abdulmutalib came to him with Abusofian Sonne of Harith and beleeued And he said He which shall enter the house of Abusofian shall be secure and he which shall shut his doore shall be safe And he entred Mecca without Battell and all the people thereof beleeued except a few which he slue It was taken the one and twentieth of Ramadan The Battell of Honania a famous Valley was fought this yeere For when the Hawazines had vnderstood that Mecca was taken they assembled to Melic Sonne of Auf the Tekifians adioyning themselues with their wiues and goods M. went out against them with twelue thousand men and the victorie at first was with the Infidels but after the Muslims preuailed which put them to flight and spoyled their goods which were sixe thousand Kine foure and twenty thousand Goats forty thousand Sheepe and foure thousand ounces of Siluer 90. of the Tsekifians were slaine and but foure Muslims The captiues and spoiles were gathered together at Giaran whither hauing besieged Taijfa and left it he came and was sought to by the Embassadors of the Hawazines for the restitution of their wiues saying they were his Ants whereupon he gaue them the choise of their wiues and children and of their wealth They chose their wiues and children which hee deliuered The same yeere Melic Sonne of Auf came to him to Giaran and beleeued whereupon hee restored him his goods He set ouer Mecca Gaiat Sonne of Ased In the ninth yeere was fought the battell of Tebuc and M. made peace with the Prince of Dauma and the Prince of Eila on condition to pay him tribute Hauing staid ten dayes at Tebuc he departed to Medina in the moneth Regieb And that was his last warre in which Otsman Sonne of Affan bestowed a thousand pieces of Gold on his Army This yeere the Taijfians embraced Islamisme ouer whom he set Otsman Sonne of Abulafi and he sent Abusofian to destroy their warlike prouisions In the tenth yeere the Arabs came to him very frequent and men embraced Islamisme and his word was confirmed The same yeere Musuleima the false Prophet rebelled which said he was his fellow Prophet and was followed by his friends the children of Hanifa of Iamama The same yeere M. of glorious memory went on Pilgrimage to Mecca into which he entred the tenth day of Dulhiggia and when he had taught men and instructed them in Religion he returned to Medina In the eleuenth yeere appeared the false Prophet Aswad the Absite in Arabia Foelix and said he was a Prophet and tooke Sanaa Nazran and the Countrey of Taijf and when he grew famous Fir Dailam slue him in his house The same yeere Muhammed of glorious memory dyed For hauing returned from his Pilgrimage to Mecca and stayed at Medina till the eight and twentieth day of the moneth Safar he began to be sicke and he commanded Abubecr to pray with the people and they prayed seuenteene Prayers He dyed on Munday the twelfth of the former Rab aged sixty three yeeres or after others sixty fiue Hee was of very good wit of a pleasant voice visiting and intertaining his which visited and entertained him liberall to the poore lauding the Great men conuersing with the meane and not repelling any Sutor without his request or a kind answere His Scribes were Otsman Sonne of Affan and Ali Sonne of Abutalib Sometimes also Vbaharat Sonne of Caab and Zeid Sonne of Thebith writ for him Muauias also Chalid Alan and Chantal Abdalla Sonne of Abusierh writ likewise for him which Apostated from Islamisme to the Infidels but Otsman in time of victory sued for his pardon which M. granted hauing before determined to shed his bloud Zubeir Sonne of Awan and Giehem Sonne of Safwan writ downe his Almes Hadikas Son of Semal his store of Dates Mugiras Son of Soicab and Husein Son of Iaman his Iudicials and Imperials Abdalla Sonne of Arkam answered to the Letters of Princes Iudges in his time were ouer the oath Ali Son of Abutalib Maab Son of Habal of Medina and Abumousa the Asiarite ouer the Pardon Anis Son of Melic ouer his Guard Cais Son of Said of Medina His Banner was white his lesse Standard black it was ingrauen with his Scale FOR DOVBLE TESTIMONIE His Porter was Bilal Gouernours when he dyed Gaiat at Mecca Alan at Bahrain Otsman at Taijf Omar at Sanaa and Giened Chalid Sonne of Said ouer the Villages of Arabia Foelix Abusofian at Giuresia and Ali Sonne of Mina in a tract of Arabia Foelix Muhammed dyed according to the Arabian computation in the yeere of the Sunne from Adam 6123. nine moneths and fourteene dayes ten yeeres of the Hegira reckoned according to the course of the Moone and seuenty dayes being past that is nine yeeres of the Sunnes course eleuen moneths one day lesse 3614. dayes in all the first of which was Thursday the last Munday The Histories of the Christians write that he was gentle toward Christians and when some of them had comne to him and desired security hee imposed tribute on them blessed them receiued them into his tuition and commanded Omar to say to them we haue their soules in the same account that we haue our owne soules and their riches as our riches and their chances as ours The Author of the Booke Almuhaddib writeth this and from him the famous man Abuhanifa citeth it treating of a Muslim killing a Christian And when a certaine great man a Christian came to him he arose and did him reuerence and answered to one questioning it When any principall man of any people come to you honour him Hee said also Doe good to the Cophtis of Egypt for they are of kinne to you He which oppresseth a Christian shall haue him his Aduersary in the Day of Iudgement And hee which hurteth a Christian hurteth me In the first yeere of the
926 Chederles the Turkish conceit of him 318. Relikes of his horse shooes vsed against Diseases ibid. Chemmis so called of Cham 37 631 Chemosh an Idoll 85 Cherry Iland 816. 817 Chia a Drinke 263 Chica a Country 468. A Drinke 947 Children which sucke 12. yeeres 318. Sale and murther of children 469 Childbirth strange Rites obserued by the Tibareni 400. An order in Brasill for the man to lye in when his wife is deliuered 918 919. Childbirth Rites in Cardandan 430. Other Rites in India 482. In Guinea 717. Rites of the Iagges 772. In Guiana 900 Chili whence so called 926. The description thereof ibid. Chimia Limia Simia three Sciences in Tanguth 428. 429 China whither Cathaia 409. 410 411. Ben. Goes his long and dangerous iourney from Lahor to China 413. 414. The names of China 435. the names which they giue it themselues 436 The Prouinces Cities Shires Townes Hamlets Castles and situation thereof ibid. The number of Tributaries ibid. The Inhabitants and naturall Commodities 436. 437. Maps of China ibid. The commodiousnesse and store of Shipping and Riuers 437. 438. The beautie and forme of their Cities 439 Of Canton Nanquin Pequin Cities of China ibid. Of Sucen and Hamceu most admirable 440. A discourse of Quinsay the most admirable of the world 441. 442. Seasons there ibid. The Inhabitants of China their persons attire names and Surnames 443. 444. Their Seales Games complementall salutations and entertainment ibidem Their Building Printing Porcelane Painting Musicke Inke Fannes and vse of them 445 446. Their Language all Monosyllables Language two fold and equiuocation 446. 467 Their manner of writing and Philosophy 447. Their want of Naturall Philosophie ibidem Their Astrologie and Physicke 447. 448. Their Ethickes and Politickes 449. Their Degrees in Schooles manner of attayning them 449. 450. Military Degrees 450. 451. The Kingdome founded by Humuu 451. His Constitutions their Kings Reuenewes ibid. The King his retirednesse Marriages Armes Courts Colours Posteritie ibid. sequitur The manner of petitioning 452. Of paying his Reuenewes Eunuches and Palace 452. 453. Their Courts or Tribunals 454. The diuersitie of Magistrates 454. 455 The manner of proceeding at their Royall Cities and in the Prouinces 455. 456. Nine Orders of their Magistrates and their stipends ibidem Their Habits and Ensignes 457. Their Military Men and Weapons 456. The King cannot alter the Customes nor any beare one Office aboue three yeeres or at all in his owne Country ibidem What Nobilitie in China 458. Extraordinary Commission ibid. Ordinary Complement of refusing and inordinate Tyrannie 458. 459. Their Caues Prisons punishments of Theeues ibid. Inundations and Earthquakes ibid. A Catalogue of their Kings 459. 460. Vanlia the present King ibidem Of King Farfur ibidem Strange Story of Beasts in a Monasterie 460. Worship of Heauen and Earth and their other Gods 461 462. Their three Sects 462. Opinions and Rites of the Confutian Sect 462. 463. Opinions Rites of the Sect Sciequia 463 464. Of the Sect Lausu 464 465. Their Priests Secular and Religious and Nuns 456. 466 Their Alminacks and manifold Diuinations 466. 467. Their Lots and God-bearing 467. Their curious Arts of Alchimy and procuring long life ibid. their respect to the Sunne and Eclipses 468. Their Marriages with whom and how solemnized 468 469. Sale and murther of their children ibidem Their gelding their Infants contempt of strangers Pride and other vices 469 470. Erronious opinions ibidem Their Temples dedicated to Men and Idols with the Rites thereof 470. 471. Monasteries ibid. Their Funerull Ceremonies 472 473. Their Monuments Epitaphs and Curiosities 474. 475 Religious times and Fire-worke solemnities ibid. Strangers and forreine Religions in China 475 476. Scruples about their ingresse and egresse ibidem How the Iesuites enter 475. Iewes Mahumetans and Christians there ibid. Chinois how hated in Iapon 476 Chinkius Kan founder of the greatest Empire vnder the Sunne 379 Choaspes a Riuer Chobat of the Arabians 264 Chocanada an Idoll 560 Chosroes his acts 215. His death ibid. Christ very God 3. Manifested in the flesh 4. Not by generation 26. The second Adam 27 When hee suffered 106. His Paschall Rites 110. 111. False Christs and seducing Prophets 143. 144. The History of Christ prooued by the Iewish Authours 163. His Miracles disgraced 164. The Mahumetan opinion of him 251. 252 Christ and Christian odious names to the Indians by Spanish insolence 962. 963 Christian Religion what proportion it holdeth with other Religions 964. Saint Thomas Christians 736. 737 Christians in Palaestina 214. Chased thence by Saracens 215. 216 Their recouering 217. Their vnchristian courses there 222 The miseries of Christians vnder the Turke 322. 323. seq In Aegypt 658. 659 Chronologie of the Chaldaeans 59. 60. sequitur Of the Easterne Nations 51. 52. 53. Of the Iewes 138. 139. seq Mahumetans 273. Persians 367. Of the Tartars 407. Of the Chinois 452. Of the Aegyptians 660. seq Of the Mexicans 879 Chubar Chobar or Chabar 166 Church truly Catholicke in the Posteritie of Seth 29 Chusor a great Magitian 77 Cidambaran why so called 561 Cilicia how situate and the present state thereof 341. Subdued to the Turkes 343. Their ancient Rites 342. 343 Cimmerian darknesse 576. Whence this Prouerbe ibid. Cimmerij or Cimbri 576 Cingis Chan first Emperour of the Tartars 402. His generation and first proceedings 403. His foure Sonnes 403. 404 405 Cinaloa the description thereof 855. Their Marriage Rites Knighthood Adoption Dicing Funerals 856 Cinchiamfu a Citie of China 440 Cinamon how growing 569 Cinamon in Arabia 226. 227 Circassians and Circassian Country 348 Circumcision of Moabites 86. Ammonites ibid. Proselites 97. Iewes 179. 180. 181. Arabians 227. 228. Trogloditae 667. At what age circumcised ibid. Circumcision of Turkes 311. In China 475. In Guinea 716 Cittim a part of Cilicia 37 Citor destroyed 260 Ciuet 570 Cleobians and Theobulians Sects of the Iewes 135 Cloues how growing 569. 605 Coaua a great Riuer in Africa 774 Cobtini a Mahometicall Sect 275 Columbus Discouerer of America 801. His Historie 802. 803 His errour Colosse at Rhodes 584 Colosse of Semiramis 45. In Pegu 530. Zeilan 616. In Aegypt 634 Colchis or Mengrelia how situate 347. Their customes and present manner of liuing 347. 348 Colombo a Fortresse of the Portugals 618 Collin his great Posteritie 419 Cold and the strange effects of it 794 Colledges of the Iewes 99 Colophon the situation thereof 338 Colpia what it signifieth 77 Sir William Cokayne 990 Cockes crowing the cause 157 white and red Cocks Iewish Ceremonies 197. 198 Cocke Sacrifice in Calecut 550 Cocke worshipped by the Persians 136 Comana a Citie 327 Comania Turcomania 334. 335 Comori Cape in India 480 Combabus his deuice 68. His Statue ibid. Compasse inuented 44. Vsed in Land Trauels 207. 681 Con the conceit of him in Peru 938 Coniugall duties obserued by the Iewes 203 Conscience and the vse thereof 26 Condores great Fowles 564 Confession of Iewes 197. 198 Confession of Crimes 597
c. vlt. Kepler de stel No. c. 19. Valla Fracastorius Marpurg Scultetus c. Deo Hebr. Dial. 2. Ignis negat antiquis notum elementum scitè interpretatur Poetarum illud Coeli patrem Aetherem matrem esse diem vel lucem l Tych. Bra. l. 1. de N. St. 2. de Comet Kepler Bariholinus 4. numerant nouas stellas vid. Clau. in Sac. Iosc Casman Ouranograp Cosmop Hipparchi stellam N. ap Plin. c. m Such as the new Stars Fire is one of the foure Elements of the World but not placed beneath the Moone Patrit Pancos l. 1. 4. hath foure infinite eternall impious Elements Space Light Heate and Moysture n Iob 38.19 Lucis Encom o Vid. M. Ficin to 1. de lum Patrit Panaug Leonem Heb. 3. dial de Amore De luce sic Cabalistae Lux in patre luminum vera lux in filio splender illu strans in S. S. ardens fulgor in Angelis splendens intelligentia gaudium in homine ratio in Coelestibus splendor visibilis in igne vitalis vigor in perspicuis corporibus color in opacis vis generans in centro calor exaestuans Archang. in Cabal dog p Iob 38.13 q Verbum Dei voluntas est opus Dei natura est Amb Hex. 1. c. 9. Verbum hoc significat imperiū decretum voluntatem Dei efficacem Perer. r Gibbins in Gen. ſ Sic Basil hox hom 2. alij ab Patritius Panaug l. 4. Distinguit cor pora in lucida opaca hac sèrie à lucido corpore radij hinc lumen inde splendor isthinc nitor quibus opponit simili ordine corpus opacum tenebras obscurationem vmbram vmbrationem adumbrationem c. tenebrae ait habent actionem actie à viribus vires ab essentia c. t Iunius Pagnine c. Fagius habet eo modo quo iulaea expanduntur vel quo argentum malleo diducitur Sic Mercer in Gen. u Iun. Merula Io. Pic. Mirand x Bas Amb. in Hex. Du Bart Muscul in Gen. Th. Aquin. Beda Lumbard Scholastici y Psal. 104.2 3 z Sic Plato Plotinus vide in eos Ficin 4. elementa statuunt non sublunaria sed ipsius Mundi vniuersi Coelum esse ignem in stellis vnà est quaedam terra Coelestis in reliquo coelo aër vel aqua coelestis c. de materia Coeli consule Zanch. Casman Ouranog Zabarel a Patrit Pan. cos lib. 7. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. b Vide de his Christ Clau. in Sac. Bosc Keckerman Syst Astron Magini Theor. c. c Illi orbes reuera in Coelo non insunt sed docendi intelligendi gratiae roponuntur Tycho Br. l. 2. p. 180. sic Keckerman Bartholimus alij d Gal. Gal. Sid. Nun. e P. Ricij de An. Coeli Bodin Theat. Nat. l 5. Patric Ficinus Platonici R. Mos Ben. Maimon f Arist. c. R. Mos l. 3. interprets Ezekiels Vision 1. the wheeles to be the Heauens and the Beasts Angels g Inest syderibus ratio sed Dei est illa c. Lact. l. 2. 5. i The Pythagor R. Mos Cic. Som. Scip. k Pro. 8.31 Es 40.22 l Plat. Aristot Stoici Cic de N. D. l. 2. Manil. Astron l. 1. Record c. m S. lib. ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 n Ios. Scal. in Manil. l. 1. o In Drakes Voyage about the World an Eclipse seene here Septem the sixteenth before one in the morning was seene by them in the Magellane straights Sept. 15. at six in the euening p The Portugals sayling to China East haue their day twelue houres sooner then we the Spaniards to Manilla West twelue houres later So that both meeting there together differ a day in reckoning Ones Tuesday is the others Wednesday q Pat. Pancos l. 25. 26 31. r Vid. Plut. de plac ph l. 3. ſ As at Saint Miguel and Panama where the South Sea extendeth to the Philippinae t Eratost thought the highest Hill to bee but tenne Furlongs Cleomedes 15. which holdeth proportion in their iust Diameters to the Earth but of one to 3818. sayth R. Hues de Globis u By the like magnitudes of Starres in all places by the shadowes Horizon c. Ambros Hex. 4.6 x Aelian v. hist lib. 3. 28. Horum agrorum possessione te effers qui nulla pars sunt terrae y Hall Arte of Medit. z Sem. Scip. Plin. lib. 2. Haec est materia gloriae nostrae haec sedes hic tumultuatur humanum genus c. quota terrarum parte gaudeat vel cùm ad mensuram auaritiae suae propagauerit quam tandem portionem eius defunctus obtineat * A Iew at Rome asked a Philosopher the reason why the Sunne shined euery Wednesday The Philosopher obseruing it true but not assigning a cause the Iew said It was because the Sunne thus honored in his Birth-day Isaac Leuita a Plut. de Plac. Phil. l. 2. Barthol de Stellis pag. 6. b Barthol denyeth them to be of the same substance pag. 101. and so doth R. Mos Moreh lib. 2. cap. 20. c Scal. Opusc in Epist. d De his vid. Tych. Br. de N. St. pag. 465. Pythag. ap Phot. 100. Clauium in sac B. Albumasar introduc Alfragan diff 19. d. e 100000. Dolers in Praefat. Alphonsus spent on his Tables 400000. Ducats or after Turquets storie more f Prou. 25. g Clauius 7. numerat h 42398437 1 3 miles in one houre after Ptol. his Hypoth as Patric reckoneth so that a Bird of like swiftnesse might compasse the Earth 1884. times vnder the Line in an houres space Hee to salue this incredibilitie deuiseth a motion both of the Earth and of the Starres one from the East the other from the West i Ram. Math. Schol. lib. 11. k Barthol de Stell l Gen. 15.5 m Psal. 147. Es 40. n Hos 2.11 Iud. 5. Iob 38. Sic. Zan. de Op. Arias Mont. Stellas Chochabim vocari ait id est virtutis receptacula A. M. de Nat. o Hen. à Lindhout S. Ch. Heyden vide Taisneir Ranzou c. fraus est non ars c. Viues de Cor. art l. 5. p Nig. Figulus in the swift motion of a wheele made two blots which then seemed neere but at the standing of the wheele were farre asunder q The twelue Houses one for the Soule another for Children Fortune Death c. Vid. Alcabit Hali Io. de Saxonia c. r Euseb de praep. l. 6. c. 8. R. Mos in Ep. ad Iud. Marsil Contrarie saith Scal. to good manners Philosophy Geometry Christianitie they ascribe Christian Religion to Mercurie and Albumasar foretold it should continue but 1460. yeeres Abi. Iudaeus of the cōming of their Messias A. D. 1464. Arnaldus of Antichrist A D. 1345. In 1179. they all Arabians Iewes and Christians foretold almost a dissolution of the World by tempests to happen in 1186. with lye and all c. ſ
Towne where they come And there this new numen and old impostor faining himselfe rauished in spirit pronounceth graue words and spirituall commandements at sundry times lifting vp his eyes to heauen and after turning to those his disciples willeth them to carry him from thence for some imminent iudgement there to be executed as is reuealed to him They then pray him to auert that danger by his prayer which he accordingly doth which the people deluded by their hypocrisies reward with a large beneuolence at which they after amongst themselues doe merrily scoffe They eate also of the herbe Matslatz and sleepe vpon the ground naked of clothes and shame and commit also abominable Sodomitrie And thus much of their misorderly orders of an irreligious Religion He that will read more at large of them let him read the Booke of the Policie of the Turkish Empire which out of Menauino discourseth more largely of these things and other the Turkish Rites Septemcastrensis telleth of certaine Saints of exceeding estimation for holinesse whose Sepulchres are much frequented of deuout Votaries as that of Sedichasi which signifieth a holy Conquerour in the confines oof Caramania Another is called Hatsehipettesch that is The Pilgrims helpe Another Ascik passa who helpeth in loue-matters and for children in barrennesse Another Van passa for concord and Scheych passa in trouble and affliction and Goi or Muschin or Bartschin passa inuoked for their cattle and Chidirelles for trauellers to whom he sometime appeareth as a traueller and any one that hath extraordinarily liued is reputed a Saint after his death They haue many whose names I remember not saith hee in like reuerence with them as are the Apostles with vs When they would seeke for things lost they go to one Saint when they are robbed they goe to another and for the knowledge of things secret they repaire to a third They haue their Martyrs and Miracles and Reliques Thus they tell of certaine religious men condemned wrongfully for suspition of treason to the fire which they entred without harme as those three companions of Daniel and their shooes were hanged vp for a Monument Their Nephes ogli that is soules or persons begotten of the holy Spirit such is their fancie without seed of man they hold in such reputation that they account themselues happy which can doe them any good yea that can touch them and if their haires be laid vpon any they say that their sicknesses are cured In this reputation of sanctitie they haue a certaine old woman which hauing a dog with her in her pilgrimage to Mecca readie to die for thirst made water in her hand and gaue it to the dog which charitable act was so highly accepted that a voyce was presently heard from heauen saying This day thou shalt be in Paradise And at the same time shee was caught vp bodie and soule into heauen and hereupon are they liberall to their dogs If this crosse an opinion which some Saracens hold that women come not to Paradise no maruell seeing falsehood is commonly contrarie both to the Truth and it selfe He that would read the miraculous tales which they tell of their Saints may haue recourse to that namelesse Author which of his Countrey is called and heere often cited by name Septemcastrensis who telleth of his Master and his Mistris their deuotion and vowes to Goi and Mirtschin for preseruation of their cattell sometimes miraculous so readie is the Deuill with his sauing destruction and destroying preseruation yea hee saith that the Deuill doth turne himselfe amongst them into an Angell of light with such effectuall illusions that there are seene or at least beleeued amongst them the dead raised to life diseases of all sorts cured secrets of the hearts disclosed treasures long before hidden in the ground reuealed and besides such ostentation and shew of dissembled holinesse that they may seeme not to come short of the Fathers and Apostles in that behalfe if bodily exercise were the triall of sanctitie Busbequius tells that they haue like conceit of one Chederles amongst them as some superstitious persons haue of St. George and the Turkes affirme to bee the same The Deruis haue a great Temple dedicated in his honor at Theke Thioi not farre from Amasia the chiefe Citie of Cappadocia The Countrey and both Legends agree for the killing of the Dragon deliuering the Virgin c. They say that hee trauelled many Countries and at last came to a Riuer the waters whereof yeelded immortalitie to the drinker and now cannot be seene Chederles heereby freed from death rides about euery where on his horse which thence also dranke in immortalitie and delighteth in battells taking part with the best cause and to make vp the tale they say hee was one of the companions of Alexander the Great they affirme that Alexander was Salomons chiefe Captaine and Iob his high Steward In that Moschee or Temple at Theke Thioi is a fountaine of water which they say sprang vp of the staling of Chederles horse Like Stories haue they of his horse-keeper and nephew whose Sepulchres they shew where deuout Pilgrims obtaine many blessings They shew for relikes the pieces of the shooes which Chederles his horse brake in that Dragon-fight vse the same in drinke against agues and head-aches These places are full of Dragons and Vipers Sultan Murat Chan or Amurath the second in a battell against the Christians vsed this prayer O righteous God giue vs strength and victorie O Muhamet O Mustapha the top of glory by abundance of miracles by the abundance of Gaiberenlers which are friends to the Musulmans and walke inuisible by the abundance of the Cheders grant vs victorie In the time of Vrchan or Orchanes the sonne of Ottoman they say these Gaib-erenlers appeared on white horses in a battell against the Christians and slew them These they say are friends to the Islams that is Catholike or right beleeuing Musulmans and are diuine protectors of the Imania or Mahumetan Law Such tales you may read in the Spanish relations of the West Indies as at the battell of Tauesco where a strange horse-man discomfited the Indians c. And our inuocation of God and Saint George is rather Turkish then truely Christian For God alone is our strength which teacheth our hands to fight and our fingers to battell and whom haue I in heauen but thee and I haue desired none in earth with thee As for George and Chederles I know them both alike in matter of Inuocation saue that it is worse to abuse to impietie a Christian name then a Turkish and King Edward the third seemed to inuoke Edward as much as George Ha Saint Edward Ha Saint George saith Thomas Walsingham But that of George is rather an Embleme of euery Christian as not onely the Heroique Muse of our Spencer in Poeticall fiction but the Diuiner of great Diuines in their iudiciall censure haue manifested It seemeth
that the Chederles and Gaib-erenlers are diuers and perhaps that Martiall Nation in conquest of the Christians of those parts would soone reconcile themselues to that Martiall Saint and drinke in those further deuotions which his horse pissed Such Emblemes were those of Christopher Catherine George which the Papists inuocate as Saints an errour proceeding from those pictures as it seemeth in Churches according to that of the Prophet The stocke is a doctrine of vanitie and the image is a teacher of lies The ruder posteritie in that mist of Antichrist and smoke from the bottomlesse pit not being able to discerne an Emblem and Historie asunder haue made Saint George the Mars of the Christians quem nostra iuuentus pro Mauorte colit Bellarmine struggleth much rather then hee will lose his Saint and yet confesseth the Historie Apocryphall Baronius his fellow Cardinall but beyond in truth acknowledgeth it an Image of a Symbole rather then of a Historie which Iacobus de Voragine without good authoritie in his Golden Legend maketh historicall He saith the Virgin representeth some Prouince which imploreth the Martyrs helpe against the Deuill But Hyperius and Villauicentius Posseuini interpret it more fitly to signifie the Church assaulted by the Diuell protected by the Christian Magistrate in which respect our Defender of the Faith may iustly be termed the Patron of that renowned Order which hath now learned their George to be Symbolicall not a Cappadocian and as Princes of Gods husbandrie which gaue name to Saint George to fight against the Dragon and the beast with hornes like the Lambe but speaking like the Dragon As for the Popish George Baronius also hath another originall from the Arrians worshipped of them for a Martyr But if any would bee further acquainted with this Knightly Saint let him resort to Doctor Rainolds his larger Discourse touching these Romish Idolatries which howsoeuer Serarius seekes to confute mustering a huge Armie of eight and twentie Arguments to fight for this fighting Saint Yet doe none of these Georgian Souldiers strike one stroke to proue that their Legendary Martyr nor so much as conclude his Horse tayle or Dragons teeth or his owne sword or speare no nor shew whether This George thus related pointed worshipped bee the childe of Historie or Mysterie heire of the Painter Poet or Historian Symbolicall or Historicall As for George Christopher Catherine Hippolitus that some Saints haue beene called by these names wee much deny not care not if these thus deliuered in their Stories bee but monsters or mysteries CHAP. XIIII Of their Priests and Hierarchie with a digression touching the Hierarchie and Miserie of Christians subiect to the Turke AFter the discourse of their Regulars which in estimation of deuotion haue with the Turkes and therefore in this Historie the first place their Secular Priests follow to be considered These are of differing degrees which Menauino thus reckoneth first the Cadilescher vnder which the Mofti or Mufti the third the Cadi and after these in subordinate orders the Modecis Antippi Imam Meizini and besides these the Sophi A certaine Ragusian in an Oration before Maximilian the Emperour doth not much disagree but for Cadilescher he calleth the first Pescherchadi whereof hee saith there are two one in Romania the other in Natolia chiefe Iudges of the Armie hauing power to reuerse the sentence of the Emperour if it be against the law of Mahomet A second Magistrate saith hee is called Muchti the chiefe Interpreter of the law from whose sentence is no appeale Nic. Nicolai saith the same of their two Cadileschers and that they are chosen out of their most learned Doctors of their Law and alway follow the Court and with the consent of the Bassaes constitute and depose the Cadi hauing for their annuall stipend seuen thousand or eight thousand duckets besides their ordinary gaines They haue tenne Secretaries kept at the Grand Seigniors charge and two Moolorbassis which are busied about the horses they haue also two hundred or three hundred slaues They vse few words but such as are of their Law and Religion altogether with very much shew of grauitie Ariuabene in his Preamble to the Italian Alcoran maketh Cadilescher to be a generall name to all their Orders of Priests Others doe place the Mufti in the highest place and the Cadilescher in the second ranke and perhaps others gaue the Cadilescher the first place because their life was more in action and gouernment as attending on the Court and on the warres but the Mufti being highest Interpreter of their law though without gouernment must indeed haue preeminence And so Menauino seemeth to affirme who though he placeth the Cadilescher first yet saith that when happily appeale is made from his sentence they haue recourse to the Mophti And this opinion is now generall and most current which ascribeth to the Mufti the chiefe place Master Harborn sometime Embassador into Turkie for Englands Queene the worlds wonder our Westerne Hesperus that shined so farre ouer and beyond all Christendome into the East but my words are too base to vsher in that renowned name ELIZABETH thus reporteth The Turkes doe hold for head and chiefe of their Religion the Mufti the choice of whom is made by the Great Turke himselfe such a one as is knowne to be wise and learned and chiefly of a good life His authoritie is so esteemed that the Emperour will neuer alter a determination made by him He intermedleth in all matters as best him liketh whether they be ciuill or criminall yea or of State And yet he hath no power to command but is in each mans free libertie when there happeneth any doubt of importance to make in some few words by writing a declaration of his matter in forme of a question to whom the said Mufti in writing likewise called Zetfa giueth a briefe answere containing his iudgement thereon This Zetfa brought to the Iudge is the rule of his sentence prouided that the declaration made before to the Mufti contained no vntruth Also the Grand Signior to shew that he is religious and iust doth serue himselfe of the authoritie of this Mufti in affaires of warre and peace demanding his iudgement in manner aforesaid by this course the subiects being inclined to more forward obedience But yet the Mufti will commonly flatter him and leane to that part to which he seeth him incline as in the time of Selym the second the Mufti hauing discouered the Emperours intent to warre vpon Cyprus approued the same in his Zetpha But after vpon great offers made to Mehemet the Visier to breake that resolution the Mufti by him wonne to fauour the matter affirmed still that the warre against Cyprus was good and iust but that his Maiestie had a greater obligation in conscience which hee was bound to take in hand namely to procure the reuolt of the Moores in Spaine there oppressed by the Christians wherein
in which all the Marriageable Virgins are kept and instructed a yeeres space by some old man of best estimation This done they are brought forth well apparelled with Musicke and Dances there the young men make their choice and bargaine with the Father paying also the Old man for his yeeres schooling Sorcerers are beheaded and their bodies cast to the Beasts and Fowles for other offences they are sold and made slaues They weare gold Rings hanging at their Noses weighing twenty or thirtie Crownes these with their Eare-rings and Bracelets are buried with them The Cumbae are not of the ancient Natiues but were barbarous and deuourers of mans flesh continually warring on the former These about the yeere one thousand fiue hundred and fifty wasted all the Countrey and at last seated themselues here driuing the Capi from their habitations If they tooke any chiefe men they deuoured them the meaner they sold for slaues to the Portugals reseruing the younger for Souldiory They would sell them more then Dogge-cheape yea some of the Natiues would sell themselues slaues to auoide this barbarous enemy But now being here setled they are growne more milde and gentle Of these are descended as some thinke the Giachi or Iagges of which we shall speake else-where called by this name in Congo in Angola Gindae in Abassia Gallae in Mombaza Zimbae or Imbiae and here Cumbae and Manes by themselues Imbangolae a Nationlesse Nation breeding without generation and vncertaine of what monstrous humane-inhumane Deuillish Originall §. II. Obseruations of those parts out of CADAMOSTA and other Ancient Nauigators NOw for further particulars of the Guinean Nation we will begin with the Nauigations of former times The people inhabiting on the Riuer Sanaga Aloise di Codimosti a Venetiani calls Azanaghi and saith that when first the Portugals sayled thither their simplicity was such hauing neuer before seene a ship that they tooke the ships for great Birds with white wings out of some strange place comming thither but when they saw them strike sayle they changed their opinion and thought them to be fishes seeing them afarre off but when they saw them the next day so farre off from that place they tooke them for night-goblings or spirits This did he learne of diuers of the Azanaghi slaues in Portugall They hid their faces no lesse then the priuities esteeming the mouth vnmeete to be seene whence they belched such sowre breath They had a kind of Muffler to hide it and part of the nose onely discouering the same at meate Other Gouernours they then had not only more reuerence was done to the most rich A beggerly theeuish lying trecherous Nation as any in the World They aniont their haire euery day with fat of fish for great gallantry whereof they stinke exceedingly And lest you should thinke better of their Eyes then of their Nose their women esteeme it the greatest part of goodly feature to haue large Brests which by Arte and industrious stretching of them they enlarge and some of them haue them hanging to their Nauell Neere vnto those are certaine Negros which suffer not themselues to be seene of any nor to be heard speake but haue excellent Gold which they exchange with other Negros which bring vnto them Salt such as the Minerall Salt of Tagazza and leauing the same they goe away from thence halfe a dayes iourney the Negros come downe in certain Barkes and lay at euery heape of Salt a quantity of Gold and goe their wayes When the Salt-Merchants returne if they like the summe they take it if not they leaue the Gold still with the Salt and goe their wayes and then the other returne and what heapes of Salt they find without Gold they take for their own the other either they leaue more Gold for or els leaue altogether This seemeth hard to beleeue but many of the Arabians and Azanhagi testified it to our Author for truth The Merchants of Melli affirmed to mee that their Prince had once by a plot taken one of them thinking to haue learned the condition of that people but either of â—dlennesse or because hee could not hee neither ate nor spake and within three dayes dyed Their stature they which had taken him affirmed to bee a hand higher then themselues and that their nether lip was thicke and red and so great that it hung downe to their brest and it together with their Gummes bloudie their teeth great and on each side one very large their eyes standing out terrible they were to looke vpon And because they had apprehended this man by their ambushment they returned not in three yeeres but after forced by the need of Salt to cure their diseases whence haply that deformitie proceeded they renued that Traffique To leaue these farre within Land and come to the Riuer Senaga Cadamosto iustly maruelled at the partition which that Riuer caused for on the one side the Inhabitants were well proportioned very blacke and the soyle very fertile on the other side the Inhabitants meagre small swart and the ground barren The people that dwell on the bankes of Niger are called Gilofi The Kings name in my time which was almost an hundred and threescore yeeres since was Zuchali He had thirty Wiues When Richard Rainolds was there 1591. the Kings name was Amar Melik All that Region betwixt Sanaga and Gambea is called by one generall name Gia Lef of which Maffaeus and Barrius write That in an accident of ciuill warres Bemoin came to the King of Portugall for aide and was there royally entertayned and baptized with his followers of which some were of such admirable dexteritie and nimblenesse of bodie that they would leape vpon a Horse as hee galloped and would stand vpright in the Saddle when he ranne fastest and turne themselues about and suddenly sit down and in the same race would take vp stones laid in order on the ground and leape downe and vp at pleasure This Bemoin was shamefully murthered by Peter Vaz the Portugall Generall and the hope of Christianity in those parts disappointed This was Anno 1489. From thence Cadamosto went to Budomel the Prince whereof was had in great respect by his people which when they come into his presence kneele on both their knees and bowing their heads to the ground cast sand ouer their shoulders and on their heads with both hands and then to goe towards him on their knees and when they speake to him cast sand ouer their shoulders still with their head bowed downe the Prince scarcely deigning them a looke or word For euery light offence hee would sell their Wiues and Children He suffered our Authour to goe into his Moschee where his Arabian Chaplaines after their manner mumbled their Mattens ten or twelue times in halfe an houre all the company rising and falling againe to the Earth and kissing it He also heard him willingly confute the Mahumetan and approoue the Christian Faith but said hee thought
it was harder for a Christian to bee saued then a Negro because God was a iust God and Lord who had giuen to vs many good things in this World to them nothing in comparison who should therefore in the other World haue their Paradise which heere they wanted Easily might he haue beene turned to Christianity but for feare of losing his State His Wiues prouide him his dyet as it is vsuall among the Negros and none but his Priests and some principall men eate with him which is after a beastly sort lying on the ground the dish set in the middest and all taking out the meate with their hands They eate little at once but eate often foure or fiue times a day From October to Iune it raines not there They haue great Serpents and many which they vse to charme and the Prince when hee would poyson his Weapons did as was reported make a great Circle and enchanted by his Charmes all the Serpents thereabouts thereinto and then killed that which seemed to him most venemous letting the rest goe with the bloud thereof and the Seed of a certaine Tree he tempered a poyson for that purpose with which a Weapon infected drawing neuer so little bloud did kill in a quarter of an houre They haue great store of Parrats which are instructed by a maruellous naturall cunning to preuent the Serpents which would else destroy their nests They build therefore on high trees and on the end of some tender bough thereof they fasten a Bul-rush which hangs downe two spannes thereunto weauing and working their nest in such sort that the Serpents for feare of falling dare not aduenture to deale therewith The Negros came about Cadamosto with wonder to see his apparell and the whitenesse of his colour neuer before had they seene any Christian and some of them with spittle rubbed his skinne to see whether his whitenesse were naturall or no which perceiuing it to bee no tincture they were out of measure astonished They would then giue nine or sometimes fourteene slaues for a Horse furnished And when they buy a Horse they wil bring some of their Enchanters which make a fire of herbes and set the Horse ouer the smoke vttering certaine words and after that anoint him with a thin oyntment and shut him vp twenty dayes that none may see him hanging certaine trumpery about his necke thinking that hereby they are more secure in battle Gunnes seemed to them for their hideous noyse to be of the Deuill Lag-pipes they thought to be a liuing creature that thus sang in variable accents But when they were suffered to handle them they thought them to bee some heauenly thing that God had made with his owne hands to sound so sweetly They beheld the Shippe with great curiositie and eyes that were carued in the Prow of the Shippe they tooke to bee eyes indeed by which it saw how to direct the course at Sea They said the Christians that could thus make Voyages by Sea were great Enchanters and comparable to the Deuill themselues had enough to doe to trauell by Land Seeing a Candle burne in the night they which knew not to make any light but their fires esteemed it wonderfull Honey they haue which they sucke out of the Combes but the Waxe they hurled away till they were instructed how to make Candles thereof Senega Boterus saith comes from the Lakes Chelonidi Sanutus affirmeth that Senega is the same which Ptolemey cals Darandus Gambea or Gambra that which hee cals Stachie and Rio Grande is Niger Cadamosto doubled the Promontorie called Cape Verde or the greene Cape because of the greene trees which the Portugals which had first discouered it in the yeere before found there growing in abundance as Cape Blanco or the White Cape was so called of the White Sands there The Inhabitants they found were of two sorts Barbacini and Sereri They haue no Prince They are great Idolaters and haue no Law but are very cruell They poyson their Arrowes with which and the situation of their Countrey they haue preserued themselues from the Kings of Senega In Gambra they were some Idolaters of diuers sorts some Mahumetans They were also great Enchanters Their liuing as at Senega saue that they eate Dogges flesh Heere the Prince hunted an Elephant and gaue them to eate the flesh is strong and vnsauoury The Elephants delight in mire like Swine They hunt them in the Woodes for in the Plaines an Elephant would without running soone take and kill the swiftest man whom yet they hurt not except they be first prouoked if with comming and often turning hee bee not disappointed Here was a kind of fish Cadomosto calleth it Cauallo and his Latine Interpreter Piscis Caballinus I take it for the Hippopotamus or Riuer-horse which is sayth he as bigge as a Cow his legges short with tuskes like to a Bores but so great that I haue seene one of two spannes and longer clouen-footed and headed like a Horse hee liueth on both Elements sometimes in the Water other-whiles on the Land The women vpon their brests neckes and armes had certaine workes done with a Needles point heated in the fire in manner as with vs they worke hand-kerchiefes This being done in their youth would neuer out The like flesh-branded workes they vse at Cape Sagres as Pietro de Sintra a Portugall obserued vpon their bodies and faces The Inhabitants there are Idolaters and worship Images of Wood to whom they offer some of their Meate and Drinke when they goe to their meales The goe naked couering their priuie parts with the barkes of trees This is in Guinea A little from thence they found men who vsed as great brauery in their eares which they bored full of holes and weare therein Rings of Golde in rowes or rankes They weare one great Ring in another hole bored thorow their Nose like to Buffles in Italy which when they eate their meate they tooke away The men and women of sort weare such Rings also in their lips in like sort as in their eares an Ensigne of their Nobility and greatnesse which they put in and out at pleasure Beyond the Riuer of Palmes they found others thus beringed and for greater gallantry weare about their neckes certaine Chaines of teeth seeming to bee the teeth of men They tooke a Negro whom they carried into Portugall who affirmed if a woman which onely could vnderstand him did interpret him rightly that in his Countrey were Vnicornes HONDIVS his Map of Guinea GVINEA §. III. Other Obseruations of later times by Englishmen and others ANd these Countreyes haue since beene sought to by French Flemish and many of our English Merchants In the yeere 1553. Thomas Windham and Anthony Pindeado a Portugall in two English ships traded alongst those Coasts as farre as Benin where they presented themselues to the King who sate in a great Hall the wals whereof were made of Earth without windowes the roofe of thinne boards open in