Run here and there alwhere and none know whether Our way we Know and yet unknown to other And whiles misknown to us before we diâ—e The hand and compasse that govern the Ruther Do often erre although the Pilots strive With Card and plot their reckonings sometimes fall Too narrow short too high too wide too small To descon this remark when they set land Some this some that do guesse this Hill that Cape For many houres their skill in suspence stand Tearming this sore that head-land points the Map Which when mistook this forg'd excuse goes cleer O such and such a land it first did peer In all which strife stress'd Sailers have the pain By drudging pulling hayling standing to it In cold and rain both dry aâ—d wet they strain Themselves to toil none else but they must do it We passengers behold with belching throats Only their taske atchiev'd in quivering Boats Then since but aire and water I perceive One's hot and moist the other moist and cold It 's earth that 's cold and dry I longing crave And fire that 's dry and hot I wishing would Then thundring Aeole from thy seven rigg'd Towres Soon wast us o're forth from these glassie Bowres My wish is come I set each bulging sail For pride begins to swell between two sheets She ticklish grows as wanton of her tail And lays her side close where the weather beats Both prone and puppe do answer so the Helme The Steersman sings no grief his joy can whelme By night our watch we set by day our sight And thirle our Sails if Pirats but appeare We rest resolv'd it 's force makes Cowards fight Though none more dare then they that have most feare It 's courage makes us rash and wisdome cold Yet wise men stout and stung grow Lion bold Now we look out for Land now we see Malâ— That little famous Isle though sterrile soile Where we 'le some Bay or Creek seek to assault Whence Anchorage and safâ—ty Ships recoile Now now let Anâ—hor fall we 're in the Road Safely arriv'd by providence of God This done as time avouch'd I kindly bad My Consorts all adiew then came ashoare Where I such plenty of great favours had That scarce the like I ever found before These white cross'd Knights with their eight pointed crosses Imbrac'd my sight with it my toils and tosses So ends my Verse and so I 'le straight disclose The Isle the Folks their Manners in plain Prose The greatest cause of our Arrivall here was in regard of our fresh water that was spent and therefore constrayned to beare into this Isle Which was my sole desire wishing rather to Land here to see the Order of our Knights of Christendome then to arrive at Ragusa in the Adriaticke Gulfe where I had beene before Our Ancors being grounded and our Boate ready to court the shoare I â—ad farwell to all the Company and in â— singular respect to my generous Captaine who would have nothing for my victuals and trnasportation from Aegypt except a few relicts of Ierusalem The boat being launched and we landed in the haven I accoasted a vulgar Taverne and there lodged This City is divided in two the old and the new Malta from which the Isle taketh the name it is a large and populous place and strongly fortified with invincible walls and two impregnable Castles St. Hermes and St. Angelo S. Michaell being distant from both Heere the great Master or Prince for that yeare being a Spaniard made much of me for Ierusalems sake so did also a number of these gallant Knights to whom I was greatly obliged And withall to my great contentment I rancountred here with a countrey Gentleman of mine being a souldier there named William Douglas who afterward for his long good service at sea was solemnly Knighted made one of their order Whose fidele and manly services have beene since as plausibly regarded by the Maltazes as Monsieur Creichton his worth in learning excellent memory rest admired in Italy but especially by the noble Gonzagaes and dependant friends of the house of Mantua for whose losse accidentall death they still heavily bemoan acknowledging that the race of that princely stock by Gods Judgements was cut off because of his untimely death Malta was called Melita mentioned Acts 28. 1 2. where the Viper leaped on Pauls hand I saw also the Greeke wherein hee was shipwracked This Island may properly be termed the Fort of Christendome yet a barren place and of no great boundes for their cornes and Wines come daily by Barkes from Sicilia but it yeeldeth good store of Pomegranates Cittrons Cottons Orenges Lemmons Figges Mellons and other excellent fruits The Knights of Malta had their beginning at Acre in Palestina from thence to the Rhodes and now exposed to this rocky Isle They are pertinacious foes to Infidels for such is the oath of their order continually making war and incursions against them to their power being strengthned also with many souldiers and their Captaines are surnamed Knights of Malta and so through a great part of Christendome it is a most honourable Order They are not permitted to marry the most part of whom being younger brothers the reason was because not being intangled to wife and children they might bee the more resolute to adventure their lives in the Christian service but therein they were mightily decayed and their valour no way answerable to that it hath been when their ancestours lived in the Rhodes and holy Land having had these eighteene yeares past little or no good fortune at all This Isle was given in possession to these Knights of St. Iohn by the Emperour Charles the fifth and King of Spaine being newly expelled from the Rhodes by Solyman the magnificent Anno 1522. And afterward the Turke not contented therewith and mindfull all utterly to extermine their power came with a huge Armado and assailed Malta Anno 1565. when Valetta was great master who so couragiously withstood their fury that the Turkes were defeated and forced to returne This Island is ten leagues in length and three broad the earth whereof being three foote deepe is the cause why it is not so fertile as the clymat might afford It containeth besides the City forty seven Villages and nine Cassales the peasants or naturall Inhabitants whereof are of the Affrican complection tauny and Sun-burnt and their language semblable to the Barbarian-speech without any great difference both tongues being a corrupt Arrabick And not unlike therein to the Italians from the Latine or the vulgar Greeke from the ancient yet the moderne Greeke is nearer the ancient then the Italian is the Latine These rurall Maltezes are extreamely bent in all their actions either to good or evill wanting fortitude of minde and civill discretion they can not temper the violent humours of their passions but as the head strong-tide so their dispositions turne in the superfluous excesse of affections They follow the Roman Church though
much for this worthy and ever renowned Knight whose prayse and fame I cannot too much celebrate The Turkes have no Bels in their Churches neither the use of a clocke nor numbring of houres but they have high round Steeples for they contrafact and contradict all the formes of Christians when they goe to pray they are all called together by the voice of crying men who go upon the bartizings of their Steeples shouting and crying with a shrill voice Lailla Eillalla Mahomet Rezul allah that is God is a great God and Mahomet is his Prophet or otherwise there is but one God In Constantinople and all other places of Turkie I ever saw three Sabbaths together in one Weeke The Friday for the Turks the Saturday for Iews and the Sunday for Christians but the Turks Sabbath is worst kept of all for they will not spare to doe any labour on their Holy Day They have meetings at their publick Prayers every day five sâ—verall times the first is before the rising of the Sun The second is a little before midday The third is at three of the clock in the afternoon The fourth is at the Sun-setting Summer and Winter Fifthly the last houre of Prayer is alwayes two or three houres within night Many of them will watch till that time and not sleep and others sleeping will awake at the voice of the Cryer and go to Church In signe of reverence and in a superstitious devotion before they go into their Mosquees they wash themselves in a Lavotoio beginning at the privy members next their mouthes faces feet and hands And entring they incline their heads downwards to the earth and falling on their knees doe kisse the ground three times Then the Talasumany which is the chiefe Priest mounteth upon a high stone where hee maketh many Orations to Mahomet and the rest to assist him continue a long time shaking their heads as though they were out of all their naturall understanding repeating oft this word Haylamo Haylamo and after that will sigh grievously saying Houpek And somtimes will abruptly sing the Psalmes of David in the Arabick tongue but to no sense nor veritie of the Scriptures And at their devotion they will not tolerate any women in their company lest they should withdraw their minds and affections from their present zeale But the men observe their turns and times and the women theirs going always when they goe either of them alone to their devotion The like custome but not after the same manner have I seen observed among the Protestants in Transilvania Hungaria Moravia Bohemia and Silesia who when they come to Church on the Sabbath day there is a Taffata Curtaine drawne from the pulpit to the Church wall over against it The men sitting on the right hand of the preacher the women on the left whose eyes and faces cannot see other during Divine Service save only the Minister that over-toppeth both sides and truly me thought it was a very modest and necessary observation The Turks are generally circumcised after the manner of the Iews but not after eight dayes but after eight yeares The Church-men are called Hadach Casseis or Darvises who weare on their heads green Shashes to make distinction between them and others for they are accounted to be of Mahomets Kindred They hold all mad men in great reverence as Prophets or Saints and if they intend any far journy private purposes or otherwise before they go to battaile they come to crave counsell of these Santones to know if they shall prosper or not in their attempts And whatsoever answer these Bedlem prophets give it is holden to be so credible as if an Oracle had spoken it The Turkish priests are for the most part Moores whom they account to be a base people in respect of themselves calling them Totseks Their principall Church Governour is called Mufti Whose definitive sentence in Law or Religion is penetrable and absolutely valiant Neither abaseth hee himselfe to sit in the Divano nor affordeth more reverence to the Emperour than he to him The other sort of Church-men are the Naipi or young Doctors the Caddi whereof there is two or three in every City to judge the offences the Calsi or Readers and the Mudressi which use to oversee the Caddeis in their Office They were all formerly Idolatrous Pagans and were fast initiated in Mahometanisme when they got the Sovereigntie of the Persian Scepter by the great Battaile and fortunate conduct of Tangrolipix in overthrowing Mahomet a Saracenicall Sultan of Persia who inthronized himselfe in the Persian Chaire of Estate Anno 1030. This prerogative Title of Mufti was first intitled Caliph whose residence was in Babylon and wholly supream over the Mahometans But the Aegyptians after the death of Mot adi Bila withdrew themselves from this Babylonian obedience and chused one of their owne to whom the Moores of Barbary submitted themselves But now since Bagdat or Babylon hath been recovered by the Persians about foure yeares ago their Mahometanicall Mufti or Caliph that then was resident there is now retired to Constantinople where he sitteth in a more securer place thinking rather to follow the Grandeur of the Turke than the broken Estate of the Persian whence I may truly say hee is Fortunes Page that favoureth them most who have most favourers This unwealdy body having two heads began to decline for Allan a Tartarian Captaine starved Mustatzem the last divided Babylonian Caliph to death and rooted â—ut all his posterity And then Sarancon the first Turkish King in Aegypt brained the last Aegyptian Caliph with his Mace leaving none of the Issue or Kindred surviving The Office of the Caliph is now executed in Turkie under the name Mufti or high Priest All Turkes do detest the colour of blacke and thinke those that weare it shall never enter into Paradise But the colour of greatest request among them is greene wherewith if any Christian be apparrelled he shall be sure of Bastinadoes and other punishments Neither may he use the name of their Prophet Mahomet in his mouth under the paine of a cruell censure to be inflicted upon him whom they so much adore and honour This Mahomet was borne Anno Dom. 591. in Itraripia a beggarly Village in Arabia whose father whs Abdillas an Ismaelite and his mother Cadiges a Iew both different in Religion and also of diverse Countries In his youth he was partly taught the Iudaicall Law and partly the superstition of the Gentiles Many alleadge his parentage was never knowne being so base untill his riper yeares bewrayed the same I also learned that his Parents dyed whilst he was a young child and was turned over to his Uncle who afterward sold him to one Abdeminoples a Merchant in Palestina And he after a little time having remarked his ready and prompt wit sent him downe to Aegypt to be a Factor in his Merchandise where by his dissimulate behaviour he crept in favour with Christians Iewes
and Pigmalion the brother of Dido who built Carthage This seat giving way to the Persian Monarchie was about the overthrow of Darius beleagured by Alexander who had so much adoe with extraordinary expence of men money and great labour to conquer it being then separated from the mayne Continent by the Sea but now joyned to the firme Land and before you come to the City there lieth a great banke of sand where it is likely the Sea hath beene in Alexanders time Though now as time altereth every thing the Sea be fled from that place which maketh that ruinous Town seem more desolate At the breake of day I and certain Armenians went to visit this decayed Towne and found the most famous ruines here that the Word for memory can affoord and a Delicious incircling Harbour inclos'd within the middle of the Town fit to receive small Barks Frigots and Galleots the compassing fore-face whereof being all of foure squared Marble and Alablaster stones the most part of all which Houses have stood on pillars of the same stones the infinite number whereof may as yet be above and below the sands perspectively beheld There be onely some nineteene fire houses here which are Moores and is now under the Emeere of the Drusians who remayneth in Sydon The East part of this Country aboundeth in Balme Honey and Oile and was the Seat of Asher of whom Moses prophecied Deut. 33. 24. that he should dip his feet in Oile Here these Egyptian Moores for so they were first bred there brought us a pillar lying upon the ground of nine severall colours of Marble being one intire stone and the length of it was twenty two of my measure and eight in compasse Which said they was one of the Pillars that Sampson pulled downe upon the Philistims at the houre of his Death To whom I answered that Sampson died at Azath the furthest South-west part of Palestine where he bore down the House of Dagon upon the Philistims And I thinke the ancient Tyrians said I could not transport that Pillar so far hither But they the more constantly affirmed it and so did these Armenians that were with me confirme it also some of whom had been twice there before yet howsoever it was I brought home a pound weight of it and presented the half thereof to King Iames of blessed Memory Here by accident in returning back to the Caravan I met with an English Factor named Master Brockesse who then remayned at Sydon eighteene miles from this place and had beene down at Acre about some negotiations Who indeed eftsoons and kindly tooke mee into a Moorish House by the Sea side and one of his acquaintance where instantly wee swallowed downe such joviall and deep carouses of Leatick Wine that both hee and I were almost fastned in the last plunge of understanding Yet neverthelesse he conveyed me backe to my company and put me safe into the hands of the Caravan with whom afterwards I diverse times met with here at London to whose kindnesse I celebrate the memory of these lines But now the Sunne discovering the earth and the night banished to the inferiour world we were all encouraged for the light of the day lends comfort The Captaine sending backe that false Iudas for so was hee sworne to do sent a post to Tyrus for a new guide who came forthwith and brought us in our way to Mount Carmell for by it we behoved to go and in our way we met with the desolate Towne of Sarepta nigh thereunto adjoyning where Elias was sustained in a great famine by a Widdow whose sonne he raised from death Great are the mercies of God for as hee hath made man an excellent creature so hath he also indued him with two great powers in his minde The one a wise power of understanding by which he penetrateth into the knowledge of things the other a strong power of dexterous resolving whereby he executeth things well understood for we having judged the worst resolved the best and by his Almighty providence were freed from that apparent danger although the former dayes whoredome and unnaturall vices deserved a just punishment This I intimate to all Travelers in generall that if they would that God should further them in their attempts blesse their voyages and grant them a safe returne to their native Countries without the which what contentment have they for all their pains that they would constantly refraine from whoredome drunkennesse and too much familiarity with strangers For a Traveller that is not temperate and circumspect in all his actions although he were headed like that Herculean Serpent Hydra yet it is impossible he can returne in safety from danger of the Turkes Arabs Moors wild beasts the deadly operative extremities of heat hunger thirst and cold Approaching to Mounâ— Carmell and leaving it upon our right hand betweene us and the Marine coast I beheld a farre off upon the top of the hill the place where Elias ascended to Heaâ—en when hee left his Cloake behind him to Elizeus his Disciple This mountaine is foure miles of length lying South and North the North end bordering with the Sea neare to Acre called anciently Ptolomaeis and the South end joyning with the borders of Samaria through the which confine we past Leaving Samaria on our left hand wee entred into a faire Plaine adorned with fruitfull Trees and all other ornaments that pleasant fields afford but no Village wee saw Marching thus about the declining of the Sunne from the Meridian wee came in sight of two hundred Pavillians all pitched in rankes yeelding the prospect of a little City by a brooke side of water which being perceived the Captaine began to censure what they might bee and immediately there came riding towards us sixe naked fellowes well mounted on Arabian Geldings who demanded what wee were and whither we were bound with such a multitude and if there were any Franks of Christendome in our company To whom the Ianisaries replyed we were purposed to Ierusalem and that there was but one Franke with them Upon the which they presently sought mee demanding Caffar Caffar that was tribute for my head caused me perforce notwithstanding of the resisting Caravan and Ianisaries to pay them presently for my life seven Chickens of Gold seven times nine shillings sterling And this is because sayd they our King is resident in these Tents and therefore we haue tripled his tribute And yet were they discontented because there were no moe Franks in our company for from the Armenians they could not nor would not seeke any tribute because they were tributary slaves and subjects to the great Turke neithere also of any other Christians borne in his dominions when they shall happen to fall into their hands They returning backe to their Prince with the malediction of my heart and the sorrow of a Pilgrimes purse we marching on in our way that day wee travelled above thirty foure miles and pitched
so proud of his arrivall that impetuously inunding his bankes to make him welcome hee overwhelmed the better halfe of the Town And if it had not been for the infinite charges of the Pope and desperate toyle of the people the violent force of his rage swelling courtesie had absolutely subverted and carryed away the rest of the City The like inundation was never seene of Tyber as after this Coronation portending that as the first Gomorah was destroyed by fire so this second Sodome should be sommerssed by water The beginning of this River springeth from the Ombrian and Aquilean hills joyning with the Alpes Apenine whose course is fourescore and sixteene miles dis-burthening it selfe in the Sea Mediterrene at Ostia twelve miles from Rome The mouth and haven whereof have beene long dammed up to stoppe the passage of hostile and Moorish incursions least the City should be surprised on a suddaine By which slavish Ecclesiasticke feare Rome is shamefully defrauded of Shipping and forraigne trafficke and if it were not for the Clergy which are the two parts of the Inhabitants besides the Iews and Curtezans which are the greatest implements of the other third part it would become the most miserable Towne in Italy And notwithstanding that for the space of 12 miles round about Rome there are neither Cornes nor Wines nor Village Plantage or Cultinage save onely playne and pastoragious fields intermingled at all quarters with ancient Watch-towers being an old policy of the Romans to prevent any sudden surprise of their enemies insomuch that at my first view of Rome I imagined the people were all famished or in danger of famishing But by your leave being once entred the City I found abundance of all things necessary for life at so easie and gentle a rate that never a Town in Europe hitherto could shew mee the like The common Wine that is drunke in Rome is Vin Romanisco the better sort Albano Muscatello Sheranino but as for Lachrimae Christi the teares of Christ I drew so hard at that same weeping Wine till I found my purse begun to weepe also and if time had not prevented the sweetnesse of such teares I had been left for all the last miserable mourner As for the place where the Pilgrimes finde one Dinner called the Popes Table it is thus there is a certaine low roome at Saint Peters palace and without the gate where every day at our nine of the clocke there meet 21 pilgrimes 14 from the Trinitie one having a bullet for all and seven from Saint Peters Penitentialls where being received the seven Jesuite Pilgrims get the upper place and sit alone yet all of them alike served each of them having four dishes of meat besides bread and abundance of wine The dinner done their fragments are wrapt up in cleane paper which they carry with them and so departing they or like company come no more there They are daily served with a very venerable Prelate and a few other serviceable Priests but for the Popes presence with them there is no such matter That liberty being spoyld by a drunken Dutch-man about 60 yeares agoe who in presence of the Pope gave up againe his good Cheare and strong Wines with a freer good will then they were allowed him whereat the Pope grew angry notwithstanding the drunken fellow cryed through his belching throate Thankes Holy Father Deere Holy Father God blesse your Holinesse Many have wrote of the singularities of old Rome and I will also recite some decayed Monuments thereof which I have seene The speciall object of Antiquity I saw being never a whit decayed to this day is the Templum omnium Deâ—râ—m but now omnium sanctorum builded in a rotundâ— and open at the top with a large round like to the Quire of the Holy Grave And a pretty way from this are the remainants of that Ancient Amphitheater beautified with great Columnes of a wonderfull bignesse and height and a Mile in compasse the reason why it was first devised the Ghosts of the slaughtered Sabines may testifie To be briefe I saw the decayed house of worthy Cicero the high Capitoll the Pallace of cruell Nero the Statues of Marcus Aurelius Alexander and his horse Bucephalus The greene hill like unto Mount Cavallo that was made of the Potters sheards at one time which brought the Tribute gold to this Imperiall Seat the seven Piramides some whereof during her former glory were transported from Aegypt The high and small Statues of Peter and Paul the Castle St. Angel which Adrian first founded standing now in a moderate circumferent height with incircling battlements and their doubtfull transported Reliques from Ierusalem with many other things I diligently remarked some whereof were frivilous some ambiguous and some famous Neare to Mount Palatin and the decayed Temple of Romulus I saw the Temple of Venus converted now to the Church of Sancta Maria Liberatrice Dalla piene di Inferno The deliverer from Infernall paines as Venus was the Censolatrix of amorous paines Besides all these I saw one most sight-worthy Spectacle which was the Library of the Ancient Romans being licentiated to enter with two Gentlemen Sir William Carre and Mr. Iames Aughmuty my Country-men where when I was come I beheld a world of old bookes the first whereof was an infinite number of Greeke Bibles subscribed with the hands of these Holy Fathers who as they say translated them out of the Hebrew tongue I saw also the Academies of Aristotle wherein hee treateth of the soule health life nature and qualities of men with the Medicaments of Galen for the diseases and infirmities of man The familiar Epistles of Cicero the Aencidot of Virgil the Saphicke Verses of that Lesbian Sapho the workes of Ovid Pliny Plutarke Titus Livius Horatius Strabo Seneca Plato Homer Tirentius Cato Hippocrates Iosephus Pythagoras Diodorus Siculus Eusebius St. Austine St. Ambrose St. Cyprian St. Gregory likewise the workes of other excellent Philosophers Divines and Poets all wrote with their owne hands and sealed with their names and manuell subscriptions I saw also the forme of the first ancient writing which was upon leaves of Trees cakes of lead with their fingers on ashes barkes of Trees with strange figures and unknowne Letters that was brought from Aegypt for the Aegyptians first devised the use thereof and the sight of infinite Obligatory writings of Emperours Kings and Princes which I omit to relate referring the same to be Registred by the next beholder Still left untold something there must be seene For them who trace our feete with Argos eyne Yet let them stay and take this verball note They who would better write must larger quote Bidding adiew to my company and this Library I longed to view the gorgeous Mosaicall worke of St. Peters Chuâ—â—h The matter was no sooner conceived but I went to the doore yet affraid to enter because I was not accustomed with the carriage and ceremonies of such a Sanctum Sanctorum but at the
Tarentines The second Plantation was by Evander and certaine other Arcadians who being banished from their native dwellings seated themselves here Thirdly by the Trojanes under the conduct of Aeneas who forsaking the delicious lives of the effeminate Affricans arrived here were kindly entertained by King Latinus whose daughter Lavinea Aeneas married So thus from the Trojans the Italians bragge of their discent and so likewise boast divers other nations to have discended from that Dardan stocke as glorying in such a famous pedigree The length of Italy is nine hundred Italian miles though some allot a thousand it is false for I have trod foure severall times from end to end of it on the soles of my feete even from Vallese the first Towne in Piemont discending mount Synais from La Croix South-ward which secludeth Savoy and to Capo Biancho in Calabria hemb'd in with the gulfe Tarento on the one side and the Faro of Messina on the other it being the furthest promontore of Italy So in a false description some blind Geographers through base ignorance make England longer then Scotland in their Mappes when Scotland by the best judgements and mine owne better experience is a hundred and twenty miles longer than England It is a deocular errour which I could wish to be reformed as in the conclusion of this worke I shall more credibly make cleere The breadth of Italy at the roote and beginning thereof bending along the Alpes from the Adriaticke coast to the riviera di Genoa or Ligurian shore is but 240. Italian miles growing narrower and narrower till it shut out it selfe in two hornes Calabria and Terra di Ottranto The breadth of which or either extendeth not above foureteene English miles from sea to sea the gulfe Tarento which is unnavigable in respect of infinite craggy shelfes deviding the two hornes On the North side of Terra di Otranto lyeth Apulta bordering with Mare superum a very fruitfull soile for cornes West-ward thence boundeth terra di lavoro or proprium regnum Napolitanum These foure territories make up the intire Kingdome of Naples The chiefe Cities of which are Naples Iapua and Salerno in terra di Lavoro In Calabria are Couzensa the chiefe seate of the President or Subvicegerent Rhegio Allauria and Montecilione In terra di Ottranto or Otranto the which Towne being taken by Mahomet the great Anno 1481. involved all Italy in such a feare that for a whole yeare and till the expulsion of the Turkes Rome was quite forsaken the next are Lucia and Brunducium beautified with a famous haven And in Apulia are Manferdo Arpino where Tully was borne Venusio whence Horace had his birth and Canno famous for the victory of Haniball against the Romans The Church-land beginnes beyond Rome eighty miles at Terracina being just opposite to Gayetta the West-most confine by the Marine of the Neapolitan Kingdome neare to Mount Circello and the utmost Marine limit Eastward of Campagna di Roma or the Churches patrimony imbracing both seas till it runne to Ponto Centino in Tuscana which divideth the precincts of Re di Coffine Aquacupadente the last frontiers of the great Duke and Popes land All which bounds to Terracina and in the way of Venice from Rome to Spaleto is denominated Campagna di Roma or Latium and thence it reacheth along North-west by the Venetian gulfe to the uttermost bounds of the Dutchy of Ferara being thirty miles from Venice Extending in length to three hundred fifty miles whose breadth is narrow and where it joyneth with both Seas it is but sixty miles The Church-land is divided in foure territories Compagna di Roma or old Latium Rome Viterbo Narni Tarni Viletri Montefiascone and Civitavecchia being the chiefe Cities Next the Country of Ombria or Ombrosa lying betweene Rome and Loretta the chiefe Cities are Spaleto from whence it is reckoned a Dutchy Perugia a Sacerdotall University Fulino and Asisi where great St. Frances with his invisible Stigmata was borne At the which Asisi I saw the place as they say where the Angell appeared to his mother telling her that shee should conceave and beare a Sonne should be the Champion of Iesus hard by they shewed me the Crib or stall where he was borne with many other foolish lyes both sinfull and abhominable every way representing his imaginary life like to the heavenly tract and resemblance of our blessed Saviour The third is Marca di Ancona by the sea side Ancona being principall the other Cities are Asculi Marcerata Tolentino Reginati Aguby and Parasiticall Loretta The fourth is Romania lying along toward Ferrara betweene the Sea and the Hills Appenine This Ecclesiasticke dowry of Romania is disjoyned from Marca di Ancona by the Duke of Vrbins lands which division by the sea side is thirty miles in length containing Pesaro Fanno and Sinigalia all Sea-port Townes the other of this Dutchy are Vrbino and Castel-durante The chiefe Towne in Romania is Ravenna which for antiquity will not bow her top to none in Italy Here the Popes Legate remaineth the other bee Rimini Fereola Bullogna and Ferrara and this much for the Popes foure Ecclesiasticke territories Tuscana or Aetruria lying South from the middle of this Church-land is 100. miles in length and as much in breadth I meane of that belonging to the great Duke Which hereditary boundes was but lately enlarged by Ferdinando Father to late Cosmus and brother to Mary of Medicis the French Queene Mother now living Who annexed thereunto the Reipublicks of Pisa and Siena The other sequestrate Tuscan jurisdiction is the little common-wealth of Luca The chiefe City is Florence whose streetes are divided by the River Arno the other of this principality are Pisa Siena Pistoia Empoli Ligorne and Arretzo From Tuscany to the West and North-west lyeth Lumbardy intituled the garden of the World which is now divided besides the Venetian territory of which I will speake in the owne place in foure principalities Milaine Mantua Parma and Modena The other Cities be Cremona Pavia Lodi Pleasance Rhegio Brisiles Palestra Navarro and Allessandria di Paglia This Province is mainely watered through the middle with stately Po in which Phaeton was drenched when hee came tumbling downe from Heaven The Rivers Ladishe Montanello Della Guarda and other forcible streames supporting the shoulders of it West from Lumbardy lyeth Piemont between it and Savoy The City whereof and wherein the Savoyan Duke hath his Residence is Torino situate on Po. The other Aste Verseilles and Cowie South from Piemont and Lumbardy lyeth the Riviera of Genoa along the Mediterrean Sea the territory of which is narrow but above one hundred miles in length All which is exceeding rocky and mountanous yet producing good store of Orenges Lemmons Figges and Ches-nuts whereon the Mountaineri onely live being either rosâ—ed or baked in bread the chiefe Cities of this Genewesen Liguria are Genoa and Savona Italy lying in forme of a legge is on
gulfe from all Christian invasions was the onely and urgent cause that moved the Venetians to wage Warre with Ferdinando then Duke of Grasse and now Emperour Anno Domini 1616. And besieged Gradisca to their no small disadvantage both of charges and losse of men for the Towne being strongly fortified with walles and munition and â—000 Socks within to defend it would often at the neare approaching of the enemy make a salley forth on horse and foote giving many miserable overthrowes to the Assailants to the which detriments for twenty dayes space I was a testator being after my returne from Affricke in my second travells as 〈◊〉 I was going for Hungary Moldavia Valecchia and Transilvania taking this Country in my way And one morning at the breake of day I saw 800. Scoks issuing out of Towne make bloody havocke of 3000. of the Venetian army This part of Croatia is exceeding fertile abounâ—ing in cornes wines bestiall and pastorage though then by lawlesse and turbulent souldiers it was miserably defaced The whole number of these Scoks that are able to carâ—y Armes bee not above sixe thousand men they are wonderfull kinde to strangers which to me in no small measure was extended and that by the better sort their Captaines and Commanders and onely for the affinity of Scoki and Scoti although I dare sweare there is little or none at all betwixt the two Nations Having passed Carnaro wee sayled close by the I le Sanâ—â—go called formerly Illrides this Isle is of circuit foure â—â—ore and of length thirty miles Our fresh water waxâ—â—g scant and the winds falling out contrary to our expeâ—â—ation wee sought into Valdogosto in the Isle of Osero â—hich is a safe haven for ships and Gallies This Osero â—as firstnamed Asphorus and then Absirtides of a Capâ—â—â—ne Absertus who came from Colchis accompanied â—ith many people to bring backe Media to her carefull â—â—ther whose purpose being frustrated staied still and â—â—habited this land A fit opportunity obtained upon the â—â—ghth day we arrived in the roade of Zara in Dalmatia 〈◊〉 there the Carmoesalo stayed and I was exposed to seeke â—â—ssage for Ragusa By the way I recall the great kindnesse of that Dalâ—atian Master for offering my condition I found him â—â—ore then courteous and would have no more but a â—â—lfe of that which was his bargaine at Venice Besides this hee also entertained me three dayes with a most bountifull and kind acceptance My solitary travelling he oft bewailed wishing me to desist and never attempt such a voyage but I giving him absolute and constant answers appeased his imagined sorrow True it is that ignorance and sloth make every thing terrible unto us and we will not because we dare not and dare not because we will not This makes us submit our selves to any thing that doth either flatter or threaten us and some like sottish weakelings that give the reines of their government into the hands of their Wives or Servants thinking then they buy their peace when they sell it thus doe they grow upon us I meane ignorance and sloth and by composition not force become masters of the place being just so strong as we are weake And as contrary newes delivered at one time maketh one to heare with joy and remember with sorrow even so an unresolved man in high and heroicke designes though seeming forward is distracted heere set one feare there and rent asunder every where with the flashing frights of desperation But a constant resolution can couragiously support all things Vbicunque homo est ibi beneficio locuâ— est And congratulating this Skippers courtesie I bad farewell to his counsell Zara is the Cappitoll City of Dalmatia called of old Iadara The inhabitants are governed by a Camarlingo or Chamberlaine in the behalfe of Venice The walles whereof are strongly rampired with earth surpassing the tops of the stone-worke and fortified also with high Bulwarkes and planted Canons on elevated Rampires of earth which are above forty Cubits higher than the Walles and Bulwarkes standing in the foure severall corners of the City There lye continually in it a great Garrison of Souldiers to defend the Towne and Citizens who are maintained by the Duke of Venice for hee is Signior thereof They have indured many invasions of the Turkes especially in the yeare one thousand five hundred and seventy when for the space of foureteene moneths they were daily molested and besieged but the victory fell ever to the Christians if the Turkes could win this place they might easily command the Adreaticall Seas in regard of that faire Haven which is there to receive Ships and Gallies which maketh the Venetians not a little fearefull because of their safeguard Yet they licentiate the neighbouring Infidels to Trafficke with them but when they enter the gates they must deliver their weapons to the Corporall of the Squadron company neither may they stay within all night under the paine of imprisonment Dalmatia was called so of Mauritius the Emperour The foure principall Provinces whereof are these Atheos Sexebico Spalleto and Tragurio A part of which belongeth to Venice another part to the arch Duke of Austria and a third unto the Turkes Zara is distance from Venice two hundred miles When the wandring night was chased from the inferiour Ilands by the recoursing day and the Sunne had imparted his brightnesse to our under neighbours and our dreames ready to possesse the Theater of the fancy the wearisome creatures of the world declining to their rest and under shadow of the pale Lady of the night even then from Zara I imbarked in a small Frigot bound for Lesina with five Slavonian Marriners who sometimes sailed and sometimes rowed with Oares in our way we past by the I le of Brazza which is of no great quantity but fertile enough for the inhabitants and kept by a Gentleman of Venice It lyeth in the mouth of the gulfe Nareâ—to that divideth Dalmatia from Slavonia many fondly conceive that these two Kingdomes are all one but I hold the contrary opinion both by experience and by ancient Authors having passed Capo di Costa which is the beginning of Slavonia I saw upon my right hand a round Rocke of a great height in forme of a Piramide being cognominated by Easterne Mariners Pomo anciently Salyro for the good Faulcons that are bred therein It standeth in the middest of the Gulfe betweene Slavonia and Italy and not habitable A little beyond that Rocke I saw the three Iles Tremiti the chiefest whereof is called Teucria but they are vulgarly called the Iles of Diomedes who was King of Etolia They are right opposite to mount Gargano now called Saint Angelo and distant from the maine land of Apulia in Italy above nine miles This Mount Saint Angelo standeth in Apulia bending in the Sea with a large promontore it is in compasse ninety miles Neare to this Mountaine was that great battell fought betweene Hâ—niball and the Romanes the overthrow fell
to the Romanes under the conduct of Paulus Aemilius and other Consuls of whom were slaine forty two thousand and seven hundred and if Haniball had followed this victory hee had easily that day subdued the Common-wealth of Rome which made Maharball Captaine of his Horse-men rebuke him thus Vincerescis Hanniball victoria uti nescis Thou canst o'recome thy foes in bloody fight But can not use the victory aright The like said Casar of Pompey when hee lost the first Battell they fought at Pharsalia in Greece O Pompey Pompey If thou hadst knowne how to have used the victory as thou hadst it thou mightest have beene this day Lord of the whole World So to our lamentable memory may that last battell bee Recorded fought in Hungary betweene the Turkes and Christians of whom Maximilian Duke of Isbrugh this present Emperours Vncle was Generall who having had a nocturnall victory and the Infidels put to the flight they remaining in the Campe more busie about the spoyles then their owne safety the Turkes returned againe before day the Christians being disordered with booties and the ravening of their whores they put them all to the edge of the sword O miserable confusion Little better might I speake of the battell of Lepanto being abus'd even in the using of it and that glorious victory no ways followed as good fortune had given them an awfull opportunity for Don Iohn of Austria their Generall had a greater mind to feaze upon the I le of Corfu and to robbe Venice of her liberty then to prosecute with vengeance the brave beginning of so notable a victory and yet his treachery was discover'd and by the Venetian Generall speedily disappointed to his eternall shame both wayes The poore Slavonians being fatigated in their hunger-starving Boate â—ith extraordinary paines for wee had three dayes calme which is not usually seene in these Seas were enforced to repose all night at the barren I le of St. Andrew This I le is of circuit foure miles but not inhabited the excessive raine that fell in the evening made us goe on shoare to seeke the coverture of some rocke which found wee lay all night on hard stones and with hungry bellies for our provision was spent The breach of day giving comfort to our distressed bodies with favourable windes at the Garbo e ponente we set forward and about mid-day wee arrived in the port of Lesina of which the Ile taketh the name This I le of Lesina is of circuite a hundred and fifty miles and is the biggest Iland in the Adriatick Sea It is exceeding fertile and yeeldeth all things plentifully that is requisite for the sustenance of man The City is unwalled and of no great quantity but they have a strong fortresse which defendeth the Towne the Haven and the vessels in the Roade The Governour who was a Venetian after hee had enquired of my intended voyage most courteously invited me three times to his Table in the time of my five dayes staying there and at the last meeting hee reported the story of a marvellous mis-shapen creature borne in the Iland asking if I would goe thither to see it wherewith when I perfectly understood the matter I was contented the Gentleman honoured me also with his company and a horse to ride on where when we came the Captaine called for the Father of that Monster to bring him forth before us Which unnaturall Child being brought I was amazed in that sight to behold the deformity of Nature for below the middle part there was but one body and above the middle there was two living soules each one separated from another with severall members Their heads were both of one bignesse but different in Phisnomy the belly of the one joyned with the posterior part of the other and their faces looked both one way as if the one had carried the other on his backe and often before our eyes hee that was behind would lay his hands about the necke of the foremost Their eyes were exceeding bigge and their hands greater than an infant of three times their age The excrements of both Creatures issued forth at one place and their thighes and legges of a great grouth not semblable to their age being but sixe and thirty dayes old and their feet were proportionably made like to the foote of a Cammell round and cloven in the middest They received their food with an insatiable desire and continually mourned with a pittifull noise that sorrowfull man told us that when one slept the other awaked which was a strange disagreement in Nature The Mother of them bought dearely that birth with the losse of her owne life as her Husband reported unspeakable was that torment she endured in that woefull wrestling paine I was also informed afterwards that this one or â—ther twofold wretch lived but a short while after we saw them Leaving this monstrous shapen Monster to the owne strange and almost incredible Nativity we returned to Lesina But by the way of our back-comming I remember that worthy Gentleman who shewed me the ruines of an old house where the noble King Demetrius was borne and after I had yielded my bounden and dutifull thankes unto his generous minde I hired a Fisher-boat to goe over to Clissa being twelve miles distant This I le of Clissa is of length twenty and of circuit threescore miles It is beautified with two profitable Sea-ports and under the Signiory of Venice There are indifferent good commodities therein upon the South side of this Iland lyeth the Ile Pelagusa a rocky and barren place Departing from thence in a Carmoesalo bound to Raguâ—â— we sailed by three Isles Brisca Placa Igezi And when we entred in the Gulfe of Cataro wee fetched up the sight of the I le Melida called of old Meligna Before we could attaine unto the Haven wherein our purpose was to stay all night we were assailed on a suddain with a deadly strome Insomuch that every swallowing wave threatned our death and bred in our breasts an intermingled sorrow of feare and hope And yet hard by us and within a mile to the ley-ward a Barbarian Man of War of Tuneis carrying two tyre of Ordnance and 200. men seiz'd upon a Carmosale of Venice at the first shot she being loaden with Maluasia and Muscadine and come from Candy and had us also in chase till night divided our contrary designes The winds becomming favourable and our double desired safety enjoyed both because of the Sea-storme and of the stormy Pyrat we set forward in the Gulfe of Cataro and sayled by the I le Cursola In this I le I saw a walled Towne called Curzola which hath two strong Fortresses to guard it It is both commodious for the trafficke of Merchandise they have and also for the fine wood that groweth there whereof the Venetian ships and Gallies are made An Iland no lesse pleasant than profitable and the two Governours thereof are changed every eighteene Moneths by the
State of Venice It was of old called Curcura Melena and of some Corcira Nigra but by the Modernes Curzola Continuing our course we passed by the Iles Sabionzello Torquolla and Caâ—za Augusta appertaining to the Republicke of Ragusa They are all three well inhabited and fruitfull yeelding cornes wines and certaine rare kindes of excellent fruits It is dangerous for great Vessells to come neare their Coasts because of the hidden shelfes that lye off in the Sea called Augustini where divers ships have bin cast away in foule weather upon the second day after our loosing from Clissa we arrived at Ragusa Ragusa is a Common-weale governed by Senators and a Senate Counsell it is wonderfull strong and also well guarded being scituate by the Sea side it hath a fine Haven and many goodly ships thereunto belonging The greatest trafficke they have is with the Genueses Their Territory in the firme land is not much in respect of the neighbouring Turkes but they have certaine commodious Ilands which to them are profitable And notwithstanding of the great strength and riches they possesse yet for their better safeguard and liberty they pay a yearely Tributary pension to the great Turke amounting to fourteene thousand Chickens of Gold yea and also they pay yearely a Tributary pension unto the Venetians for the Iles reserved by them in the Adriaticall Gulfe so that both by sea and land they are made tributary Citizens The most part of the civill Magistrates have but the halfe of their heads bare but the vulgar sort are all shaven like to the Turkes This City is the Metropolitan of the Kingdome of Slavonia Slavonia was first called Liburnia next Illiria of Illirio the sonne of Cadmus But lastly named Slavonia of certaine slaves that came from Sarmatia passing the river Danubio in the time of the Emperour Iustininian Croatia lying north-west from hence is the third Province of this ancient Illiria and was formerly called Valeria or Corvatia It hath on the west Istria Carniola on the East and South Dalmatia on the north north-west a part of Carindia quasi Carinthia and Northerly Savus So much as is called Slavonia extendeth from the River Arsa in the West the River Drino in the East on the South bordereth with the Gulfe of Venice and on the North with the Mountaines of Croatia These Mountains divide also Ragusa from Bosna Bosna is bounded on the West with Croatia and on the South with Illiricum or Slavonia on the East with Servia and on the North with the River Savus The next two speciall Cities in that Kingdome are Sabenica and Salona The Slavonians are of a robust nature martiall and marvellous valiant fellowes and a great helpe to maintaine the right and liberty of the Venean State serving them both by sea and land and especially upon their Galleyes and men of warre From Ragusa I imbarked in a Tartareta loaden with Corne and bound to Corfu being three hundred Miles distant In all this way wee found no Iland but sailed along the maine land of the Illirian Shore having passed the Gulfe of Cataro and Capo di Fortuna I saw Castello novo which is a strong Fortresse scituate on the top of a Rocke wherein one Barbarisso the Captaine of Solyman starved to death foure thousand Spaniards Having left Illiria Albania and Valona behind us we sailed by Capo di Palone the large promontore of which extendeth to eight miles in length being the face of a square and maine Rocke This high land is the farthest part of the Gulfe Of Venice and opposite against Capo di 〈◊〉 Maria in Apulia each one in sight of another and foureteen leagues distant Continuing our Navigation we entered into the Sea Ionium and sayled along the Coast of Epire which was the famous Kingdome of the Epiroles and the first beginning of Greece Epirus is environed on the South with the Sea Ionian On the East with Macedon on the West North-west with Albania and on the North with a part of Râ—scia and the huge Hill Haemus Of which Mountaine Stratonicus was wont to say that for eight Moneths in the yeare it was exceeding cold and for the other foure it was Winter This long Mountaine devideth also Greece from Mysâ—a called vulgarly Bulgaria lying on the North of Haemus and on the South of Danibio even Eastward to the Euxine Sea which River parteth Dacia from Misia the superiour the which Dacia being an ancient and famous Country containeth these Provinces Transilvania Moldavia Vallachia Servia and Bosna Here in this Kingdome of Epyre was the â—oble and valiant Pyrhus King who made so great warres upon the Romans and at last by a Woman of Argos was killed with a stone The most valorous Captaine George Gastriot sirnamed Scanderberg the great terrour and scourge unto the Turkes was borne here of whom it is recorded he slew at divers battells with his owne hands above three thousand Turkes obtaining also many fortunate victories against Amurath and Mahomet After whose death and buriall his body was digged up by the Turkes and joyfull was that man could get the least bit of his bones to preserve and carry about with him thinking thereby so long as he kept it he should alwayes be invincible which the Turkes observe to this day and likely to doe it till their last day And more Renoun'd Epire that gave Olimpias life Great Alexanders Mother Phillips wife In this Country are these two Rivers Acheron and Cocytus who for their minerall colours and bitter tastes were surnamed the Rivers of Hell and the sacred Mount Pindus celebrated by Apollo and the Muses so well memorized by Poets is here It is now called Mezzona at the foote of which springeth the River Peneia called modernly Salepiros but more properly Azababa and keeping his extreamest course through the fields of pleasure named by the Ancients Tempi being five miles long and as much large lying betweene the two Hills Osso and Olympus and watering the beautifull plaine the faire Peneian spring or Azababan River disburdeneth it selfe in the Gulfe Thessolonick This is the first kingdome of Greece of a great length consisting between the west most part of Albania as a perpendicular Province annexed to it the Arcadian Alpes which divide Aetolia and Acarnania the East-most regions of it from Sparta Thessaly and the old Mirmidons country of Macedon amounteth to 408. miles lying along by the sea side whose bredth extendeth all the way along Northward to the hill Haemus above 68. miles The chiefe Towne of Epyre where the Kings had their residence was called Ambracia modernly Laerto named of a River running by it And upon the sixt day after our departure from Ragusa we arrived at Corfu Corfu is an Iland no lesse beautifull than invincible It lyeth in the sea Ionian the inhabitants are Greeks and the Governours Venetians This Ile was much honoured by Homer for the pleasant Gardens of Alcino which were in his time This Alcino was the
our unexpected safety and buried the dead Christians in a Greekish Church-yard and the Iewes were interred by the sea side This Bay of Largastolo is two miles in length being invironed with two little Mountaines upon the one of these two standeth a strong Fortresse which defendeth the passage of the narrow Gulfe It was here that the Christian Gallies assembled in the yeare 1571. when they came to abate the rage of the great Turks Armado which at that time lay in Peterasso in the firme land of Greece and right opposite to them and had made conquest the yeare before of noble Cyprus from the Venetians The I le of Cephalonia was formerly called Ithaca and greatly renowned because it was the heretable Kingdome of the worthy Vlysses who excelled all other Greekes in Eloquence and subtility of wit Secondly by Stâ—abo it was named Dâ—lichi And thirdly by ancient Authoâ— Cephalonia of Cephalo who was Captaine of the Army of Cleobas Anfrittion The which Anfrittion a Theban Captaine having conquered the Iland and slaine in battell â—terelaus King of Teleboas for so then was the Iland called gave it in a gift of government to Cephalo This Câ—phalo was a noble man of Athens who being one day at hunting killed his owne wife Procris with an Arrow in stead of his prey whereupon he flying to Amphitrion and the other pittying his case resigned this Isle to him of whom it taketh denomination Cephalonia lyeth in the mouth of the gulfe Lepanto opposite to a part of Aetolia and Acarâ—ania in the firme land It is in circuit 156. and in length 48. miles The Land it selfe is full of Mountaines yet exceeding fertile yielding Maluasâ—â—â— Muskadine â—ino Leatiâ—o Raysins Olives Figges Honey sweet-water Pine Molberry Date and Cypre-trees and all other â—orts of fruits in abundance The commodity of which redounds yearely to the Venetians for the are Signiors thereof Leaving this weather beaten Carâ—oesalo laid up to a full sea I tooke purpose to travaile through the Iland in the first dayes journey I past by many fine Villages and pleasant fields especially the Vale Alessandro where the Greekes told me their Ancestors were vanquished in Battell by the Macedoniah Conquerour They also shewed me on the top of Mount Gargasso the ruines of that Temple which had beene of old dedicated to Iupiter and upon the second day I hired two Fisher men in a little Boat to carry me over to Zante being twenty five miles distant Here in Zante a Greekish Chyrurgion undertooke the â—uring of my arme performed condition within time The I le of Zante was called Zacinthus because so was called the sonne of Dardanus who reigned there And by some Hyria It hath a City of a great length bordering along the sea side the chiefe seat and I le and named Zante over the doore of whose Praetorium or Judgement Hall are inscribed these Verses Hiclocus odit amat punit conservat honorat Nequitiam pacem crimina iura probos This place hates loves chastens conserves rewards Vice peace fellony lawes vertuous regards And on the top of a Hill about the Towne standeth a large and strong Fortresse not unlike the Castle of Milaine wherein the Providitore dwelleth who governeth the Iland This City is subject yearely to fearefull Earthquakes especially in the Months of October and November which oftentimes subvert their houses and themselves bringing deadly destruction on all This I le produceth good store of Rasini di Corintho commonly called Currants Olives Pomgranats Cytrones Orenges Lemmons Grenadiers and Mellones and is in compasse 68. Miles being distant from the Promontore of Morea some 16. miles The Ilanders are Greeks a kinde of subtle people and great dissemblers but the Signiory thereof belongeth to Venice And if it were not for that great provision of corne which is daily transported from the firme land of Peleponesus to them the inhabitants in short time would famish It was credibly told me here by the better sort that this little I le maketh yearely besides Oyle and Wine onely of Currants 160000. Chickins paying yearely over and above for custome 22000. Piasters every Chicken of Gold being nine shillings English and every Piaster being white money sixe shillings A rent or summe of money which these silly Ilanders could never afford they being not above 60. yeares agoe but a base beggarly people and an obscure place if it were not here in England of late for some liquorous lips who forsooth can hardly digest bread pasties broth and verbi gratia Bagge-puddings without these Currants And as these Rascall Greeks becomming proud of late with this levish expence contemne justly this sensuall prodigality I have heard them often demand the English in a filthy derision what they did with such Leprous stuffe and if they carried them home to feed their Swine and Hogs withall A question indeed worthy of such a female traffick the inference of which I suspend There is no other Nation save this thus addicted to that miserable I le Bidding farewell to Zante I imbarked in a Frigato going to Peterasso in Morea which of old was called Peloponesus And by the way in the Gulfe Lepanto which divideth Etolia and Morea The chiefest City in Etolia is called Lepanto From thence West-ward by the Sea side is Delphos famous for the Oracle of Apollo wee sailed by the Iles Echinidi but by the Moderne Writers Curzolari where the Christians obtained the victory against the Turkes for there did they fight after this manner In the yeare 1571. and the sixth of October Don Iohn of Austria generall for the Spanish Gallies Marco Antonio Colonna for Pope Pio Quinto and Sebastiano Venieco for the Venetian Army convented altogether in Largostolo at Cephalonia having of all 208. Gallies sixe Galleasses and 25. Frigots After a most resolute deliberation these three Generals went with a valiant courage to incounter with the Turkish Armado on the Sunday Morning the seventh of October who in the end through the helpe of Christ obtained a glorious Victory In that fight there was taken and drowned 180. of Turkish Gallies and there escaped about the number of sixe hundred and fifty ships Gallies Galeots and other Vessells There was fifteene thousand Turkes killed and foure thousand taken prisoners besides 4000. peeces of Ordnance and twelve thousand Christians delivered from their slavish bondage In all the Christians losed but eleven Gallies 5000. slain At their returne to Largostola after this victorious battell the three Generalls divided innumerable spoyles to their well-deserving Captains and worthy souldiers And notwithstanding Don Iohn led that Armado yet ambition led him who in the midst of that famous victory conceived a treacherous designe to seize upon the Castles of Corfu under shew of the Venetian colours which being discovered and he disappointed died for displeasure in his returne to Messina in Sicilia where his Statue standeth to this day After my arrivall in Peterasso the Metropolitan of Pelopenesus
I left the turmoyling dangers of the intricated Iles of the Ionean and Adriaticall seas and advised to travell in the firme land of Greece with a Caravan of Greekes that were bound for Athens Peterasso is a large and spacious City full of Merchandise and greatly beautified with all kind of Câ—mmercers Their chiefe commodities are raw Silkes Cloth of gold and silver Silken grow-grams Rich-Damask Velvets of all kinds with Sattins and Taffaties and especially a store-house for graine The Venetians Ragusans and Marseillians have great trading with them Here I remember there was an English Factor lying whom the Subbassa or Governour of the Towne a Turke caused privately afterward upon malice to be poysoned even when I was wintring at Constantinople for whose death the worthy and generous Ambassadour Sir Thomas Glover my Patron and Protector was so highly incensed that he went hither himselfe to Peterasso with two Ianizaries and a Warrant sent with him from the Emperour who in the midst of the Market-place of Peterasso caused one of these two Ianizaries strike off the head from the shoulders of that Sanzack and put to death divers others also that had beene accessary to the poysoning of the English Consull And the Ambassadour returning againe to Constantinople was held in singular reputation even with the Turkes for prosecuting so powerfully the sword of Justice and would not shrinke for no respect I being domesticke with him the selfe same time Pelopâ—nnesus now called Morea a Peninsula is all invironed with the sea save onely a narrow straight where it is tyed to the continent by an Istmus of five miles in breadth which the Venetian then Lord of it fortified with five Castles and a strong wall from creeke to creek which easily were subverted by the Turkish batteries the defect onely remaining in the defendants weaknesse and want of men Corinth and its gulfe lyeth at the East end of this Istmus and the Gulfe Lepanto on the West dividing Aetolia and Epyre The wall which traversed this strait of Morea was called Hexamite five miles long Truely it is one of the most famous destroit du terre en Europe Morea it selfe is in length 168. and in compasse 546. Miles and is at this day the most fertile and best inhabited Province of all the Empire of Greece The chiefe Rivers here are Arbona and Ropheos Argos here also is watered with the River Planizza neare which standeth the Towne of Epidaure wherein the Temple of Esculapius was so renowned for restoring of health to diseased persons It was anciently cognominate Agalia from Agalius the first King An. Mun. 1574. and also intituled from two Kings Sicionia and Apia then Peloponesus from Pelops and now Moreah It is divided in five territories or petty Provinces Laconia Arcadia Argolis Miseniâ— Eliso the proper territory of Corinth Of which City it was said Hor. Let men take heed of Lais Corinths whore Who earn'd ten thousand Drachmas in an houre It is said by Aeneas Silvius in his Cosmographicall treatise of Europe that divers Kings went about to dig through this Istmus to make it an Iland namely King Demetrius Iulius Caesar Caius Caligâ—la Domitius Nero of all whom he doth note that they not onely failed of their purpose but that they came to violent and unnaturall deaths But before the aforesaid Caravan at Paterasso admitted me into his company hee was wonderfull inquisitive to know for what cause I travailed alone and of what Nation I was To whom I soberly excused and discovered my self with modest answers which pacified his curiosity but not his avaritious mind for under a pretended protection he had of me hee extorted the most part of my money from my purse without any regard of Conscience In the first second and third dayes journeying we had faire way hard lodging but good cheare and kind entertainment for our money which was the Country Laconia But on the fourth day when we entred in the hilly and barren Country of Arcadia where for a daies journey we had no Village but saw abundance of Cattell without keepers and in that place it is thought the great battell of Pharsalia was fought between Iulius Caesar and Pompey the great Arcadia is bounded on the East with Eliso on the West with Misenia on the North with Achaia inferiour and on the South with a part of Laconia and the sea It was formerly termed Pelasgia and lastly it tooke the name from Arcas the sonne of Iupiter and Calisto the people whereof did long imagine they were more ancient than the Moon This soyle of whom Arcas great Patron was In age the Moone excell'd in wit the Asse But because it is a tradition of more antiquity than credit I doe rather note it than affirme it And as men should dread the thunder-bolt when they see the lightning so ignorance and Idolatry placed amongst us and round about us may be a warning to the professours of the truth to take heed of the venome lest by their Arcadian antiquity surpassing the Moone they become novices to some new intended Massacre for as powder faild them but alas not poison so now with policy they prevaile in all things how long the holy one of Israel knoweth but certainly our sins are the causes of their domineering our careles drooping In this desart way I beheld many singular Monuments and ruinous Castles whose names I know not because I had an ignorant guide But this I remember amongst these Rocks my belly was pinched and wearied was my body with the climbing of fastidious mountaines which bred no small griefe to my breast Yet notwithstanding of my distresse the remembrance of those sweet seasoned Songs of Arcadian Shepheards which pregnant Poets have so well penned did recreate my fatigated corps with many sugred suppositions These sterile bounds being past wee entred in the Easterne plaine of Morea called anciently Sparta where that sometimes famous City of Lacedemon flourished but now sacked and the lumpes of ruines and memory onely remains Marching thus we left Modena and Napoli on our right hand toward the sea side and on the sixt day at night we pitched our Tents in the dis-inhabited villages of Argo and Micene from the which unhappy Hellen was ravished This cursed custome of base prostitution is become so frequent that the greater sort of her mercinary sexe following her footsteps have out-gone her in their loathsom journeys of libidinous wayes shee being of such an infinite and voluptuous crew the arch-Mistresse and ring-leader to destruction did invite my Muse to inveigh against her lascivious immodesty as the inordinate patterne of all willing and licentious rapts I would thy beauty fairest of all Dames Had never caus'd the jealous Greekes to move Thy eyes from Greece to Illion cast flames And burnt that Trojan with adulterate love He captive like thy mercy came to prove And thou divorc'd was ravish'd with a toy He swore faire Helen was his dearest dove And
thou a Paris swore for to enjoy Mourne may the ghosts of sometimes stately Troy And curse the day thou saw the Phrygian coast Thy lecherous lust did Priams pride destroy And many thousands for thy sake were lost Was 't nature fortune fancy beauty birth That cross'd thee so to be a crosse on earth Some of thy Sexe baptiz'd with thy curst name Crown'd with thy fate are partners in thy shame Helens are snakes which breed their lovers paine The maps of malice murther and disdaine Helens are gulfes whence streams of blood doe flow Rapine deceit treason and overthrow Helens are whores whiles in a Virgin Maske They sucke from Pluto sterne Proserpines taske Curst be thou Hell for hellish Helens sakes Still crost and curst be they that trust such snakes Here in Argos I had the ground to be a pillow and the world-wide-fields to be a Chamber the whirling windy skies to be a roofe to my Winter blasted lodging and the humid vapours of cold Nocturna to accompany the unwished for bed of my repose What shall I say then the solid and sad man is not troubled with the floods and ebbs of Fortune the ill-imployed power of greatnesse nor the fluctuary motions of the humorous multitude or at least if he be sensible of his owne or their irregularities or confusions yet his thoughts are not written in his face his countenance is not significant nor his miseries further seene than in his owne private suffering whereas the face and disposition of the feeble one ever resembleth his last thoughts and upon every touch or taste of that which is displeasant and followes not the streames of his appetite his countenance deformeth it selfe and like the Moone is in as many changes as his fortune but the noble resolution must follow Aeneas advice in all his adventures Per varius casus per tot discrimina rerum Tendimus in latium c. By divers wayes and dangers great we mind To viâ—â—t Latium and Latinus kind In all this Country of Greece I could finde nothing to answer the famous relations given by ancient Authors of the excellency of that land but the name onely the barbarousnesse of Turkes and Time having defaced all the Monuments of Antiquity No shew of honour no habitation of men in an honest fashion nor possessours of the Countrey in a Principality But rather prisoners shut up in prison or addicted slaves to cruell and tyrannicall Masters So deformed is the state of that once worthy Realm and so miserable is the burthen of that afflicted people which and the appearance of that permanency grieved my heart to behold the sinister working of blind Fortune which alwayes plungeth the most renowned Champions and their memory in the profoundest pit of all extremities and oblivion Let the Ghosts of that Theban Epaminondas that Mirmidonian Phillip and these Epirean worthies Pyrhus and Scanderberg be witnesses hereto but especially that Macedonian Alexander whose fortunes ever followed him rather than fled him till his last dissolution wherein I may say his Greatnesse rose like to a mighty and huge Oak being clad with the exuvialls and Trophies of enemies fenced with an Army of boughes garnished with a coat of Barke as hard as steele dispised the force and power of the windes as being onely able to dally with the leaves and not to weaken the root But the Northerne winde that strong Champion of the airy Region secretly lurking in the vault of some hollow Cloud doth first murmure at the aspiring Oak and then striketh his Crest with some great strength and lastly with the deepest breath of his Lungs doth blow up the roote Even so was it with Alexander who from a stripling came to be a Cedar and from the sorrow of no more worlds was soone cut off from the world he was into For destiny is no mans drudge and death is every mans Conquerour matching the Scepter with the Spade and the Crowned Prince with the praiselesse Peasant And in a word there was never any to whom Fortune did sooner approach nor never any from whom shee did more suddenly flye than from Alexander leaving him a cleare mirrour of the worlds inconstancy Now as concerning the government of Greece termed by the Turkes Rum Ili that is the Roman Countrey It is ruled by a Beglerbeg or Bassa this word Beglerbeg imports Lord of Lords in regard of the Sanzacks or Subbassaes under them who also are termed Lords which is a Barbarous pride in an ambitious stile This Beglerbeg of Greece retaineth his residence at Sophia the Metropole of Bulgaria formerly Dacia and is the most greatest Commaunder of all other Bassaes in the Turkish provinces of Europe All other Beglerbegs are changed every third yeare or continued according to the Imperiall pleasure neither may they returne from their station during this time But this Bassa of Greece keepeth his government for his life-time and remaineth most at Court He reserveth under his command forty thousand Timariots or Horse-men led under the conduct of twenty two Sanzacks or Judges deputies of Jurisdictions to wit two in Albania at the Townes Iscodera and Ancolina two in Achaia at Delvina and Albassan three in Tbessalia at Priasim Salonica and Trichola two in Sparta at Misietra and Paleopatra three in Macedonia at Carmona Selistria and Giastandila one in Moldavia at Acheranma in Bulgaria one at Sophia in Thracia one at Viazza in Epyre one at Ducagina in Aetolia one at Ioanina in Peloponesus one at Peterasso the rest are Vsopia Nycopolis Corinth and Bandera towards the Blacke sea and to the North-ward of Danubio at his kissing the Euxine Waves Thus much for the Begelbergship of Greece and the Provinces thereunto adjoyning Departing from Argos upon the seventh day we arrived at Athens Athens is still inhabited standing in the East part of Pelopennesus neare to the frontiers of Macedon or Thessaly by the Sea side It was first called Cecropia of one Cecrops the first King thereof who first founded it Anno Mundi 2409. It was after mightily enlarged by Theseus and well provided with good lawes by Solon and lastly Athens of Minerva In whose honour for a long time were celebrate solemne playes called Panathanaia Athens is now termed Salenos and waâ— once the shrill sounding Trumpet of Mars yeelding more valiant Captaines and Commandars than any City in the World Rome excepted It was a custome here that when any man was growne too wealthy or potent he was banished thence for ten yeares This exile was intituled Ostracisme because his name who was abandoned was written in an Oyster shell Great combustions and mutinies have happened betweene Lacedemon and Athens at last it was sacked by Lysander and her Virgin body prostituted to the lust of 30. insulting Tyrants not long after whose expulsion it was utterly subdued by the Macedonians And in a word Athens being stained with intestine blood-sheds and grievously discontented with the death of her Children her babes were brought
forth for the sword to glut upon the bodyes of her Ancients were made as pavements to walk upon her Matrons became a prey and prize to every Ravisher and her Priests and Sacrificers were slaine before the gates of their Temples This City was the Mother and Well-spring of all Liberall Arts and Sciences and the great Cisterne of Europe whence flowed so many Conduit pipes of learning all where but now altogether decayed The circuit of old Athens hath beene according to the fundimentall walls yet extant about sixe Italian miles but now of no great quantity nor many dwelling houses therein being within two hundred fire-houses having a Castle which formerly was the Temple of Minerva They have abundance of all things requisite for the sustenance of humane life of which I had no small proofe for these Athenians or Greeks exceeding kindly banqueted mee foure dayes and furnisht me with necessary provision for my voyage to Creta And also transported mee by Sea in a Brigandino freely and on their owne charges to Serigo being 44. miles distant After my redounded thankes they having returned the contemplation of their courtesies brought me in remembrance how curious the old Athenians were to heare of forreigne newes and with what great regard and estimation they honoured travellers of which as yet they are no wayes defective Serigo is an Iland in the sea Cretico It was anciently called Cytherea of Cythero the Sonne of Phaenise And of Aristotle Porphyris or Schotera in respect of the fine Marble that is got there It is of circuit threescore miles having but one Castle called Capsallo which is kept by a Venetian Captaine here it is said that Venus did first inhabit and I saw the ruines of her demolished Temple on the side of a Mountaine yet extant A little more downward below this old adored Temple of Venus are the Reliques of that Palace wherein Menelaus did dwell who was King of Sparta Lord of this I le The Greeks of the I le told me there were wild Asses there who had a stone in their heads which was a soveraigne remedy for the Falling sicknesse and good to make a woman be quickly delivered of her birth I made afterward deeper enquiry for it to have either seene or bought it but for my life I could never attaine to any perfect knowledge thereof In the time of my abode at the Village of Capsalo being a haven for small Barks and scituate below the Castle the Captaine of that same Fortresse kild a Seminary Priest whom he had found in the night with his whoore in a Brothell-house for the which sacrilegious murther the Governour of the Isle deposed the Captaine and banished him causing a Boate to be prepared to send him to Creta O! if all the Priests which doe commit Incest Adultery and Fornication yea and worse Il peccato caâ—nale contra natura were thus handled and severely rewarded what a sea of Sodomiticall irreligious blood would overflow the halfe of Europe to staine the spotted colour of that Roman beast Truely and yet more these lascivious Friars are the very Epicures or off-scourings of the earth for how oft have I heard them say one to another Allegre allegre mio caro fratello chi ben mangia ben beve c. That is Be cheerefull be cheerefull deare brother he that eateth well drinketh well hee that drinketh well sleepeth well he that sleepeth well sinneth not and he that sinneth not goeth straight through Purgatory to Paradise This is all the care of their living making their tongues to utter what their harts do prophanely think Ede bibe dormi post mortem nulla volupt as and as it is well observed of this Monachall and licentious life Non male sunt Monachis grato indita nomina patrum Cum numerent natos hic ubique suos Injustly no! Monkes be cal'd Fathers Why Their Bastards swarme as thicke as starres in sky In the aforesaid Boat I also imbarked with the Captain and sailed by the little Isoletta of Serigota Leaving Capo di Spada on the left hand wee arrived at Carabusa with extreame fortune being fiercely pursued by three Turkish Galleots Betweene Serigo and Carabusa wee had sevenscore and twelve Miles of dangerous and cumbustious seas The Third Part. Now Creta comes the Mediterren Queen To my sought view where golden Ida's seen Cut with the Labyrinth of th' old Minatoure Thence trac'd I all the Syclads fifty foure With Nigropont and Thessaly amaine Macedon Pernassus the Achaian plaine Tenedos and Troy long Phrygia fixt Sestos Abidos Adrianopole vext Colchis falne Thebes Hellespont and more Constantinople earths best soveraigne glore The Euxine sea and Pompeys Pillar prest In Paru then I le take my winters rest THE I le of Candy formerly called Creta hath to the North the Aegean sea to the West the sea Ionian to the South the Libique Sea and to the East the Carpathian Sea It lyeth mid-way twixt Achaia in Greece and Cyrene in Affrick not being distant from the one nor from the other above two dayes sailing It is a most famous and ancient Kingdome By moderne writers it is called Queene of the Iles Medeterrene It had of old an hundred Cities whereof it had the name Hecatompolis but now onely foure Candia Canea Rethimos and Scithia the rest are but Villages and Bourges It is of length to wit from Capo Ermico in the West called by Pliny Frons arietis and Capo Salomone in the East two hundred and forty Miles large threescore and of circuit sixe hundred and fifty miles This is the chiefe Dominion belonging to the Venetian Reipublicke In every one of these foure Cities there is a Governour and two Counsellors sent from Venice every two years The Country is divided into foure parts under the jurisdiction of the foure Cities for the better administration of Justice and they have a General who commonly remaineth in the City of Candi like to a Vice-roy who deposeth or imposeth Magistrates Captaines Souldiers Officers and others whatsoever in the behalfe of St. Mark or Duke of Venice The Venetians detaine continually a strong guard divided in Companies Squadrons and Garrisons in the Cities and Fortresses of the Iland which doe extend to the number of 12000. Souldiers kept not onely for the incursions of Turks but also for feare of the Cretes or inhabitants who would rather if they could render to the Turke than to live under the subjection of Venice thinking thereby to have more liberty and lesse taxed under the Infidell than now they are under the Christian. This Isle produceth the best Maluasie Muskadine and Leaticke wines that are in the whole Universe It yeeldeth Orenges Lemmons Mellons Cytrons Grenadiers Adams Apples Raisins Oilves Dates Hony Sugar Vva tri de volte and all other kinds of fruit in abundance But the most part of the Cornes are brought yearely from Archipelago and Greece The chiefe Rivers are Cataracho Melipotomos Escasino being all of them shallow
clothed him in a female habite and sent him out before mee conducted by the Greekish woman and when securely past both Guard and Gate I followed carrying with mee his cloathes where when accoasting him by a field of Olives and the other returned backe we speedily crossed the Vale of Suda and interchanging his apparrell I directed him the way over the Mountaines to a Greekish convent on the South side of the land a place of safe-guard called commonly the Monastery of refuge where hee would kindly bee entertained till either the Gallyes or men of Warre of Malta arrived It being a custome at their going or comming from the Levante to touch heere to releeve and carry away distressed men This is a place whereunto Bandits men-slayers and robbers repaire for reliefe And now many joyfull thankes from him redounded I returned keeping the high way where incontinent I encountred two English Souldiers Iohn Smith and Thomas Hargrave comming of purpose to informe me of an Iminent danger shewing me that all the Officers of the Gallyes with a number of Souldiers were in searching the City and hunting all over the fields for me after which relation consulting with them what way I could come to the Italian Monastery Saint Salvator for there I say the vulgar Towne affording neither lodging nor beds They answered me they would venture their lives for my liberty and I should enter at the Easterne the least frequented Gate of the City where three other English men lay that day on Guard for so there were five of them here in Garison where when wee came the other English accompanied with eight French souldiers their familiars came along with us also And having past the Market place and neare my lodging foure officers and sixe Gally souldiers runne to lay hold on mee whereat the English and French unsheathing their swords valiantly resisted their fury and deadly wounded two of the Officers Meane while fresh supply comming from the Gallyes Iohn Smith runne along with me to the Monastery leaving the rest at pell mell to intercept their following At the last the Captaines of the Garrison approaching the tumult relieved their owne Souldiars and drove backe the other to the Gallyes A little thereafter the Generall of the Gallyes came to the Monastary and examined mee concerning the fugitive but I clearing my selfe so and quenching the least suspition hee might conceive notwithstanding of my accusers hee could lay nothing to my charge howsoever it was hee seemed somewhat favourable partly because I had the Duke of Venice his Pasport partly because of my intended voyage to Ierusalem partly because he was a great favourer of the French Nation and partly because hee could not mend himselfe in regard of my shelter and the Governours favour yet neverthelesse I detained my selfe under safeguard of the Cloyster untill the Gallyes were gone Being here disappoynted of transportation to Archipelago I advised to visit Candy and in my way I past by the large Haven of Suda which hath no Towne or Village save onely a Castle scituated on a Rock in the Sea at the entry of the Bay the bounds of that harbour may receive at one time above two thousand Ships and Gallyes and is the onely Key of the Iland for the which place the King of Spaine hath oft offered an infinite deale of money to the Venetians whereby his Navâ— which sometimes resort in the Levante might have accesse and reliefe but they would never grant him his request which policy of his was onely to have surprized the Kingdome South-west from this famous harbour lyeth a pleasant plaine sirnamed the Vally of Suda It is twenty Italian Miles long and two of breadth And I remember as I descended to crosse the Valley and passe the Haven me thought the whole planure resembled to me a green sea and that was onely by reason of infinite Olive trees grew there whose boughes and leaves over-top all other fructiferous trees in that plaine The Villages for losse of ground are all built on the skirts of Rocks upon the South-side of the Valley yea and so difficult to climbe them so dangerous to dwell in them that me thought their lives were in like perill as he who was adjoyned to sit under the point of a two-handed sword and it hanging by the haire of a horse taile Trust me I told along these Rocks at one time and within my sight some 67. Villages but when I entred the Valley I could not finde a foote of ground unmanured save a narrow passing way wherein I was The Olives Pomgranets Dates Figges Orenges Lemmons and Pomi del Adamo growing all through other And at the rootes of which trees grew Wheat Maluasie Muscadine Leaticke Wines Grenadiers Carnobiers Mellones and all other sorts of â—ruits and Herbes the earth can yeeld to man that for beauty pleasure and profit it may easily bee sirnamed the garden of the whole Vniverse being the goodliest plot the Diamond sparke and the Honey spot of all Candi There is no land more temperate for ayre for it hath a double spring-tide no soyle more fertile and therefore it is called the Combate of Bacus and Ceres nor Region or Valley more hospitable in regard of the Sea having such a noble Haven cut through its bosome being as it were the very resting place of Neptune Upon the third dayes journey from Canea I came to Rethimos this City is somewhat ruinous and unwalled but the Citizens have newly builded a strong Fortresse but rather done by the State of Venice which defendeth them from the invasion of Pyrats It standeth by the sea side and in the yeare 1597. it was miserably sacked and burned with Turkes Continuing this voyage I passed along the skirts of Mount Ida accompanied with Greeks who could speake the Italian tongue on which first they shewed me the Cave of King Minos but some hold it to be the Sepulcher of Iupiter That Groto was of length eighty paces and eight large This Minos was said to bee the brother of Radamanthus and Sarpedon who after their succession to the Kingdome established such aequitable Lawes that by Poets they are feigned with Aeacus to bee the Judges of Hell I saw also there the place where Iupiter as they say was nourished by Amalthes which by Greekes is recited as well as Latine Poets Thirdly they shewed mee the Temple of Saturne which is a worke to be admired of such Antiquity and as yet undecayed who say they was the first King that inhabited there and Father to Iupiter And neare to it is the demolished Temple of Matelia having this superscription above the doore yet to bee seene Make cleane your feete wash your hands and enter Fourthly I saw the entry into the Laborinth of Dedalus which I would gladly have better viewed but because we had no Candle-light wee durst not enter for there are many hollow places within it so that if a man stumble or fall he can hardly
poor I distress'd Oft changing to and fro Am forc'd to sing sad Obsequies Of this my Swan-like wo. A vagabonding Guest Transported here and there Led with the mercy-wanting windes Of fear grief and despair Thus ever-moving I Yo restlesse journeys thrald Obtains by Times triumphing frowns A calling unrecall'd Was I preordain'd so Like Tholos Ghost to stand Three times four houres in twenty four With Musket in my hand Ore-blasted with the storms Of Winter-beating Snow And frosty pointed hail-stones hard On me poor wretch to blow No Architecture Lo But whirling-windy Skies Or'e-syld with thundring claps of Clouds Earths center to surprise I I it is my fate Allots this fatall crosse And reckons up in Characters The time of my Times loss My destinie is such Which doth predestine me To be a mirrour of mishaps A map of misery Extreamly do I live Extreamâ— are all my joy I finde in deep extremities Extreams extream annoy Now all alone I watch With Argoes eyes and wit A Cypher 'twixt the Greeks and Turks Vpon this Rock I sit A constrain'd Captive I 'Mongst incompassionate Greeks Bare-headed downward bows my head And liberty still seeks But all my sutes are vain Heaven sees my wofull state Which makes me say my worlds eye-sight Is bought at too high rate Would God I might but live To see my native Soyle Thrice happy in my happy wish To end this endlesse toyle Yet still when I record The pleasant banks of Clide Where Orchards Castles Towns and Woods Are planted by his side And chiefly Lanarke thou Thy Countries Laureat Lampe In which this bruised body now Did first receive the stampe Then do I sigh and sweare Till death or my return Still for to wear the Willow wreath In sable weed to mourn Since in this dying life A life in death I take I le sacrifice in spight of 〈◊〉 These solemne vows I make To thee sweet Scotland first My birth and breath I leave To Heaven my soul my heart King James My Corps to lie in grave My staffe to Pilgrimes I And Pen to Poets send My hair-cloth robe and half spent goods To wandring wights Ilend Let them dispose as though My treasure were of gold Which values more in purest prise Then drosse ten thousand fold These Trophees I erect Whiles memory remains An epitomiz'd Epitaph On Lithgow's restlesse pains My will 's inclos'd with love My love with earthly blis My blisse in substance doth consist To crave no more but this Thou first is was and last Eternall of thy grace Protect prolong great Britains King His son and Royall Race AMEN Upon the seventh day there came downe to visit us two Gentlemen of Venice clothed after the Turkish manner who under exile were banished their Native Territories ten yeeres for slaughter each of them having two servants and all of them carrying Shables and two Guns a piece which when I understood they were Italians I addressed my selfe to them with a heavy complaint against the Greeks in detaining my Budgeto and compelling mee to endanger my life for their goods whereupon they accusing the Patron and finding him guiltie of this oppression belaboured him soundly with handy-blowes and caused him to deliver my things carrying mee with them five miles to a Towne where they remained called Rhethenos formerly Carastia where I was exceeding kindly entertained ten days And most nobly as indeed they were noble they bestowed on mee forty Chickens of Gold at my departure for the better advancement of my Voyage which was the first gift that ever I received in all my travels For if the darts of death had not been more advantagious to mee then Asiaticke gifts I had never been able to have undergone this tributary tedious and sumptuous peregrination The confluence of the Divine Providence allotting mee means from the losse of my dearest consorts gave mee in the deepnesse of sorrow a thankfull rejoycing Nigroponti was formerly called Euboea next Albantes and is now surnamed the Queene of Archipelago The Turks cognominate this Isle Egribos The Town of Nigropont from which the Isle taketh the name was taken in by Mahomet the second Anno 1451 and in this Isle is found the Amianten stone which is said to be drawne in threeds as out of Flax whereof they make Napkins and other like Stuffs and to make it white they use to throw it in the fire being salted The stone also is found here called by the Greeks Ophites and by us Serpentine The circuit of this Isle is three hundred forty sixe miles It is seperated from the firme land of Thessalia from the which it was once rent by an Earth-quake with a narrow channel over the which in one place there is a bridge that passeth betwene the Isle and the main continent and under it runneth a marvellous swift current or Eâ—ripus which ebbeth and floweth six times night and day Within halfe a mile of the bridge I saw a Marble columne standing on the top of a little Rocke whence as the Islanders told me Aristotle leaped in and drowned himselfe after that he could not conceive the reason why this Channell so ebbed flowed using these words Quiaego non capeo te tu capias me This Isle bringeth forth in abundance all things requisite for humane life and decored with many goodly Villages The chief Cities are Nigropont and Calchos The principall rivers Cyro and Nelos of whom it is said if â— sheep drinke of the former his wooll becommeth white if of the latter coale blacke From thence and after 2â— dayes abode in this Isle I arrived to Town in Masidonia called Salonica but of old Thessalonica where I staied five dayes and was much made of by the inhabitants being Iewes Salonica situate by the seaside betweene the two Rivers Chabris and Ehedora It is a pleasant large and magnificke City full of al sorts of merchandize and it is nathing inferiour in all things except nobility unto Naples in Italy It was sometimes for a while under the Signory of Venice til Amurath the sonne of Mahomet tooke it from this Republicke And is the principall place of Thessaly which is a Province of Macedon together with Achaia and Myrmedon which are the other two Provinces of the same This City of Salonica is now converted in an University for the Iewes and they are absolute Signiors thereof under the great Turke with a large Territory of land being without and about them It hath bin ever in their hands since Soliman tooke in Buda in Hungary Anno 1516 August 20. to whom they lent two millions of money and for warrandice whereof they have this Towne and Province made fast to them They speake vulgarly and Maternally here the Hebrew tongue man woman and child and not else where in all the world All their Synagogian or Leviticall Priests are bred here and from hence dispersed to their severall stations Thessaly a long the sea side lieth betweene Peloponnesus and Achaia Wherein
standeth the hill Olympus on which Hercules did institute the Olympian games which institution was of long time the Grecian Epoche from whence they reckoned their time Macedon is now called by the Turkes Calethiros signifying a mighty warlike Nation Macedonia containing Thessaly Achaia and Myrmidon lieth as a center to them having Achaia to the East Thessalia to the South Mirmidonia bordering with Aetolia to the West And a part of Hoemus whence it was called Haemonia and some of â—isia superior to the North it was also called Amathia from Amathus once King thereof and then Macedonia from the King Macedo The chiefe Cities are Andorista Andesso Sydra Sederaspen where the mines of gold and silver be which enrich the Turk so monthly receiving thence sometimes 18000 24000 30000 Ducats And Pellia where Alexander the Great was born Bajazet the first wonne this Country from the Constantinopolitans About this City of Salonica is the most fertile and populous Country in all Greece Greece of all Kingdomes in Europe hath been most famous and highly renowned for many noble respects yet most subject to the vicissitude of Fortune than any other who changing Gold for Brasse and loathing their owne Princes suffered many Tyrants to rule over them scourging their folly with their fall and curing a festered soare with a poysoned playster whence succeeded a dismall discord which beginning when the State of Greece was at the highest did not expire till it fell to the lowest ebbe sticking fast in the hands of a grievous desolation which former times if a man would retrospectively measure he might easily finde and not without admiration how the mighty power of the divine Majesty doth sway the moments of things and sorteth them in peremptory manner to strange and unlooked for effects making reason blinde policie astonished strength feeble valour dastardly turning love into hatred fear into fury boldnesse into trembling and in the circuit of one minute making the Conquerour a conquered person Greece now tearmed by the Turks Rum Ili the Roman Country was first called Helles next Grecia of Grecus who was once King thereof The Greekes of all other Gentiles were the first converted Christians and are wonderfull devout in their professed Religion The Priests weare the haire of their heads hanging over their shoulders These that be the most sincere religious men abstain always from eating of flesh or fish contenting themselves with water herbs and bread They differ much in Ceremonies and principles of Religion from the Papists and the computation of their Kalender is as ours They have foure Patriarks who governe the affaires of their Church and also any civill dissentions which happen amongst them viz. one in Constantinople another in Antiochia the third in Alexandria and the fourth in Ierusalem It is not needfull for me to penetrate further in the condition of their estate because it is no part of my intent in this Treatise In a word they are wholy degenerate from their Ancestors in valour vertue and learning Universities they have none and civill behaviour is quite lost formerly in derision they tearmed all other Nations Barbarians A name now most fit for themselves being the greatest dissembling lyers inconstant and uncivill people of all other Christians in the world By the way I must give the Kings Kingdomes a caveat here concerning vagabonding Greeks and their counterfeit Testimonials True it is there is no such matter as these lying Rascals report unto you concerning their Fathers their Wives and Children taken Captives by the Turke O damnable invention How can the Turke prey upon his owne Subjects under whom they have as great Liberiy save only the use of Bels as we have under our Princes the tithe of their Male children being absolutely abrogated by Achmet this Amuraths Father and the halfe also of their Female Dowry at Marriges And farre lesse for Religion can they be banished or deprived of their Benefices as some false and dissembling fellowes under the Title of Bishops make you beleeve There being a free Liberty of Conscience for all kinds of Religion through all his Dominions as well for us free borne Frankes as for them and much more them the Greeks Armenians Syriacks Amoronits Copties Georgians or any other Orientall sort of Christians And therefore look to it that you be no more gulled golding them so fast as you have done lest for your paines you prove greater Asses than they do Knaves In Salonica I found a Germo bound for Tenedos in which I imbarked As we sayled along the Thessalonian 〈◊〉 I saw the two topped hill Pernassus which is of a wondrous height whose tops even kisse the Clâ—uds Mons hic cervicibus petit arduus astraduobus Nomine Pernassus super at que cacumine montes Through thickest clouds Pernassus bends his hight Whose double tops do kisse the Stars so bright Here it was said the nine Muses haunted but as for the Fountain Helicon I leave that to be searched and seen by the imagination of Poets for if it had beene objected to my sight like an insatiable Drunkard I should have drunk up the streams of Poësie to have enlarged my dry poeticall Sun scorch'd vein The Mountaine it selfe is somewhat steepe and sterile especially the two tops the one whereof is dry and sandy signifying that Poets are alwayes poore and needie The other top is barren and rockie resembling the ingratitude of wretched and niggardly Patrons the vale between the tops is pleasant and profitable denoting the fruitfull and delightfull soile which painfull Poets the Muses Plow-men so industriously manure A little more Eastward as we fetcht up the coast of Achaia the Master of the Vessell shewed mee a ruinous Village and Castle where hee said the admired Citie of Thebes had been Whose former glory who can truly write of for as the earth when shee is disrobed of her budding and fructifying trees and of her amiable verdure which is her onely grace and garment royall is like a naked table wherein nothing is painted even so is Thebes and her past Triumph defac'd and bereft of her lusty and young Gentlemen as if the spring-tide had been taken from the yeare But what shall I say to know the cause of such like things they are so secret and mysticall being the most remote objects to which our understanding may aspire that wee may easily be deceived by disguised and pretended reasons whilst we seek for the true and essentiall causes for to report things that are done is easie because the eie and the tongue may dispatch it but to discover and unfold the causes of things requireth braine soul and the best progresse of Nature And as there is no evill without excuse nor no pretence without some colour of reason nor wiles wanting to malicious and wrangling wits Even so was there occasion sought for what from Athens and what from Greece whereby the peace and happinesse of Thebes might be dissolved and discord raised to
so that who so have occasion to passe that Mountain are there lodged and furnished of all necessary provision of food by these sequestrate or solitary livers whose simple and harmlesse lives may be termed to be the very Emblemes of Piety and Devotion knowing nothing but to serve God and to live soberly in their carriage The chifest Cities of Thrace are Constantinople Abdera where Democritus was borne who spent his life in laughing Sestos Gallipoli Trajanople Galata and Adrianoplis which was taken by Bajazet Anno 1362. As wee sayled betweene Thracia and Bithinia a learned Grecian brought up in Padua that was in my company shewed â—ee Colchis whence Iason with the assistance of the Argonautes and the aid of Medeas skill did fetch the golden Fleece This Sea Hellespont tooke the name of Helle daughter to Athamas King of Thebes who was here drowned and of the Countrey Pontus ioyning to the same Sea wherein are these three Countries Armenia minor Colchis and Cappadocia After wee had fetcht up the famous City of Chalcedon in Bethinia on our right hand I beheld on our left hand the prospect of that little World the great City of Constantinople which indeed yieldeth such an outward splendour to the amazed beholder of goodly Churches stately Towers gallant Steeples and other such things whereof now the world make so great accompt that the whole earth cannot equall it Beholding these delectable objects we entred in the channell of Bosphorus which divideth Perah from Constantinople And arriving at Tapanau where all the munition of the great Turke lyeth I adressed my selfe to a Greeke lodging to refresh my selfe till morning But by your leave I had a hard welcome in my landing for bidding farewell to the Turkes who had kindly used me three dayes in our passage from the Castles the Master of the boate saying adio Christiano There were foure French Runnagates standing on the Cay who hearing these words fell desperatly upon me blaspheming the Name of Jesus and throwing me to the ground beate me most cruelly And if it had not beene for my friendly Turkes who leaped out of their boat and relieved mee I had doubtlesse there perished The other Infidels standing by said to mee behold what a Saviour thou hast when these that were Christians now turned Mahometans cannot abide nor regard the Name of thy God having left them with many a shrewd blow they had left mee I entred a Greek lodging where I was kindly received and much eased of my blows because they caused to oint them with divers Oiles and refreshed mee also with their best enttrtainment gratis because I had suffered so much for Christs sake and would receive no recompence againe The day following I went to salute and doe my duty to the right Worshipfull Sir Thomas Glover then Lord Ambassadour for our late Gracious Sovereigne King Iames of blessed Memory who most generously and courteously entertained mee three moneths in his house to whose kindnesses I was infinitely obliged as hereafter in my following Discourse of the fourth part of this History shall be more particularly avouched for certainly I never met with a more compleat Gentleman in all my Travels nor one in whom true worth did more illustrate vertue The fourth Part. NOw sing I of Byzantium Bosphors tides 'Twixt Europe and the lesser Asia glides Their Hyppodrome adorn'd with triumphs past And blackish Sea the Jadileck more fast The Galata where Christian Merchants stay And five Ambassadours for commerce aye The Turkish customeâ— and their manners rude And of their discent from the Scythian blood Their harsh Religion and their sense of Hell And Paradice their laws I shall you tell Then last of Mahomet their God on earth His end his life his parentage and birth COnstantinople is the Metropolitan of Thracia so called of Constantine the Emperour who first enlarged the same It was called of old Bizantium but now by the Turkes Stambolda which signifieth in their language a large City It was also called Ethuse by the Greeks Stymbolis This City according to ancient Authors was first founded by the Lacedemonians who were conducted from Lacedemon by one Pansanias about the year of the World 3294 which after their consultation with Apollo where they should settle their abode dwelling place they came to Bythinia and builded a Citie which was called Chalcedon But the commodity of fishing falling out contrary to their expectation in respect that the fishes were afraid of the white banks of the City the Captain Pausanias left that place and builded Byzantium in Thracia which first was by him intitled Ligos By Pliny Iustine and Strabo it was sirnamed Vrbs Illustrissima because it is repleat with al the blessings earth can give to man yea and in the most fertile soil of Europe Zonoras reporteth that the Athenians in an ambitious and insatiable desire of Sovereignty wonne it from the Lacedemonians They thus being vanquished suborned Severus the Roman Emperour to besiege the same But the Citie Byzantium being strongly fortified with walls the Romans could not take it in untill extream famine constrained them to yield after three yeares siege and Severus to satisfie his cruelty put all to the sword that were within and razed the wals giving it in possession to the neighbouring Perinthians This Citie thus remained in calamitie till Constantine resigning the Citie of Rome and a great part of Italy to the Popish inheritance of the Roman Bishops re-edified the same and translated his Imperiall Seat in the East and reduced all the Empire of Greece to a unite tranquilitie with immortall reputation which the Parthians and Persians had so miserably disquieted But these disorders at length reformed by the severe administration of Justice for the which and other worthy respects the said Constantine sonne of Saint Helen and Emperour of Rome which afterward the Pope usurped was sirnamed the Great He first in his plantation called this Citie new Rome but when he beheld the flourishing and multiplying of all things in it and because of the commodious situation thereof he called it Constantinopolis after his owne name This Emperour lived there many prosperous years in most happy estate likewise many of his Successours did untill such time that Mahomet the second of that name and Emperour of the Turks living in a discontented humour to behold the great and glorious Dominions of Christians especially this famous Citie that so flourished in his eies by momentall circumstances collected his cruell intentions to the full height of ambition whereby hee might abolish the very name of Christianity and also puft up with a presumptuous desire to enlarge his Empire went with a marvellous power both by Sea and Land unto this magnificent Mansion The issue whereof was such that after divers batteries and assaults the irreligious Infidels broke downe the walls and entred the City which breach was about forty paces long as by the new colour being built up again is easily knowne
from the old walls where when they entered they made a wonderfull massacre of poor afflicted Christians without sparing any of the Roman kinde either male or female In the mercilesse fury of these infernall Imps the Emperour Constantine was killed whose head being cut off was carried upon the point of a Lance through all the City and Campe of the Turkes to the great disgrace and ignominy of Christianity His Empresse Daughters and other Ladies after they were abused in their bodies were put to death in a most cruell and terrible manner By this overthrow of Constantinople this Mahomet took twelve Kingdoms and two hundred Cities from the Christians which is a lamentable losse of such an illustrious Empire Thus was that Imperiall Citie lost in the yeare 1453 May 29 when it had remained under the government of Christians 1198 yeares It is now the chief abode of the great Turk Sultan Achmet the fifteenth Grand Cham of the line of Ottoman who was then about twenty three years of age whose sonne Osman since and after his death was murdered by the Ianizaries being 14 years of age after his return to Constantinople from Podolia in Poland And in his place his Uncle Mustapha made Emperour whose weaknesse and unworthinesse being eft-soons discovered he was displaced and Amurath Osmans brother made Grand Signior who presently raigneth and not without great feare of his Ianizaries and Timariots who twice in three yeeres have lately made insurrection against him This Emperour Achmet who was alive when I was there was more given to Venery then Martiality which gave a greater advantage to the Persians in their defensive wars Concerning the Empire wee may observe some fatall contrarieties in one and the same name For Philip the Father of Alexander laid the first foundation of the Macedonian Monarchy and Philip the Father of Perseus ruined it So was this Town built by a Constantine the sonne of Helena a Gregory being Patriarch and was lost by a Constantine the sonne of a Helena a Gregory being also Patriarch The Turks have a Prophesie that as it was wonne by a Mahomet so it shall be lost by a Mahomet The form or situation of this Citie is like unto a Triangle the South part whereof and the East part are invironed with Hellespontus and Bosporus Thraicus and the North part adjoyning to the firme land It is in compasse about the walls esteemed to be 18 miles in one of these triangled points being the Southeast part and at the joyning of Bosphore and Hellespont standeth the Palace of the Great Turke called Seralia and the Forrest wherein he hunteth which is two miles in length The speciall object of Antiquitie I saw within this City was the incomparable Church of Saint Sophia whose ornaments and hallowed Vessels were innumerable in the time of Iustinian the Emperour who first builded it but now converted to a Mosque and consecrated to Mahomet after a diabolicall manner I saw also the famous Hyppodrome and the Theater whereon the people stood when the Emperours used to run their Horses and make their Princely shows on solemne dayes which is now altogether decaid There is a great Columne in that same place in the which all these things memorable that have bin done in this Hyppodrome are superficially carved Upon the West corner of the City there is a strong Fortresse fortified with seven great Towers and well furnished with Munition called by Turks Iadileke In this Prison are Bassawes and Subbassawes imprisoned and also great men of Christians if any offence be committed Their place of Exchange is called Bezastan wherein all sorts of commodities are to be sold as Sattins Silkes Velvets Cloth of Silver and Gold and the most exquisitely wrought Hand-kerchiefes that can be found in the world with infinite other commodities the relation of which would be tedious I have seene men and women as usually sold here in Markets as Horses and other beasts are with us The most part of which are Hungarians Transilvaniaus Carindians Istrians and Dalmatian Captives and of other places besides which they can overcome Whom if no compassionable Christian will buy or relieve then must they either turne Turke or be addicted to perpetuall slavery Here I remember of a charitable deed done for a sinfull end and thus it was A Ship of Marseilles called the great Dolphin lying here forty dayes at the Galata the Master Gunner named Monsieur Nerack and I falling in familiar acquaintance upon a time he told me secretly that he would gladly for Conscience and Merits sake redeeme some poore Christian slave from Turkish Captivity To the which I applauded his advice and told him the next Friday following I would assist him to so worthy an action Friday comes and he and I went for Constantinople where the Market of the slaves being ready we spent two houres in viewing and reviewing five hundred Males and Females At last I pointed him to have bought an old man or woman but his minde was contrary set shewing me that he would buy some virgin or young widdow to save their bodies unde floured with Infidels The price of a virgin was too deare for him being a hundred Duckets and widdows were farre under and at an easier rate When wee did visit and search them that wee were mindfull to buy they were strip'd stark naked before our eyes where the sweetest face the youngest age and whitest skin was in greatest value and request The Iews sold them for they had bought them from the Turkes At last we fell upon a Dalmatian widdow whose pitifull looks and sprinkling teares strook my soule almost to death for compassion whereupon I grew earnest for her reliefe and hee yielding to my advice shee is bought and delivered unto him the man being 60 yeares of age and her price 36 Duckets We leave the Market and came over again to Galata where hee and I tooke a Chamber for her and leaving them there the next morning I returned early suspecting greatly the dissembling devotion of the Gunner to be nought but luxurious lust and so it proved I knocked at the Chamber doore that hee had newly locked and taken the key with him to the ship for he had tarried with her all that night and she answering me with teares told mee all the manner of his usage wishing her selfe to be again in her former captivity whereupon I went a shipboord to him and in my griefe I swore that if hee abused her any more after that manner and not returned to her distresse her Christian liberty I would first make it knowne to his Master the Captaine of the Ship and then to the French Ambassadour for hee was mindfull also his lust being satisfied to have sold her over againe to some other At which threatning the old Pallyard became so fearfull that he entred in a reasonable condition with mee and the Ship departing thence sixe dayes there after he freely resigned to me her life her
liberty and freedome which being done and he gone under my hand before divers Greekes I subscribed her libertie and hired her in the same Taverne for a yeare taking nothing from her for as little had she to give me except many blessings and thankefull prayers This French Gunner was a Papist and here you may behold the dregs of his devotion and what seven nights leachery cost him you may cast up the reckoning of 36 Duckets In Constantinople there have happened many fearefull fires which often have consumed to ashes the most part of the rarest Monuments there and the beauty of infinite Palaces as Zonoras the Constantinopolitan Historiographer in his Histories mentioneth And now lately in the yeare 1607. October 14. there were burned above 3000. houses of which I saw a number of ruines as yet unrepaired It is subject also to divers Earth-quakes which have often subverted the Towers Houses Churches and Walles of the City to the ground Especially in the yeare 1509 in the raigne of Bajazeth the ninth Emperour of the Turkes in which time more then 13000. persons were all smothered and dead and laid up in heapes unburied And commonly every third yeare the pestilence is exceeding great in that City and after such an odious manner that those who are infected before they die have the halfe of their one side rot and fall away so that you may easily discerne the whole intrailes of their bowels It is not licentiated here nor else where in all Turkie that any Christian should enter in their Moskies or Churches without the conduct of a Ianizary the tryall whereof I had when I viewed that glorious and great Church of Sancta Sophia once the beauty and ornament of all Europe and is now the chiefe place to which the Great Turke or Emperour goeth every Fryday their Sabbâ—th day to do his devotion being accompanied with 3000 Ianizaries besides Bashawes Chawses and Hagars Truly I may say of Constantinople as I said once of the World in the Lamentado of my second Pilgrimage A painted Whoore the mask of deadly sin Sweet fair without and stinking foul within For indeed outwardly it hath the fairest shew and inwardly in the streets being narrow and most part covered the filthiest and deformed buildings in the world the reason of its beauty is because being situate on moderate prospective heights the universall tectures a far off yield a delectable shew the covertures being erected like the backe of a Coach after the Italian fashion with gutterd tile But being entred within there is nothing but a stinking deformity and a lothsome contrived place without either internall domestick furniture or externall decorements of Fabricks palatiatly extended Notwithstanding that for its situation the delicious wines and fruits the temperate climate the fertile circumjacent fields and for the Sea Hellespont and pleasant Asia on the other side it may truly be called the Paradice of the earth Perah is over against Constantinople called of old Cornubizantii but by the Turkes Galata being both a quarter of a mile distant and the Thraick Bosphore dividing the two It is the place at which Christian Ships touch and where the Ambassadours of Christendome lie The number of the Christian Ambassadours that then lay there and now do were these first the Roman Emperours then the French thirdly the English fourthly the Venetian and lastly the Holland Ambassadours with whom often for discourses I was familiar although with Noble Sir Thomas Glover I was still domestick for twelve weeks whose Secretary for that time was my Countriman Mr. Iames Rollock who now as I take it is resident in Striveling he was the last Scotsman I saw till my returne to Malta after my departure from Constantinople From thence I went to the black Sea but commonly Mare Euxinum where I saw Pompeyes Pillar of Marble standing neer the shoare upon a rocky Island and not far from thence is a Lanthorne higher then any Steeple whereon there is a pan full of liquour that burneth every night to give warning unto ships how neer they come the shore It is not much unlike these Lanthornes of Ligorne and Genua The water of this Sea is never a whit blacker then other Seas but it is called blacke in respect of the dangerous events in darke and tempestuous nights which happen there and because of the Rockes and Sands which lye a great way from the main shore upon which many vessels many times are cast away The blacke Sea is not farre from Galata for I both went and returned in one day being forty miles out and in For I went by boate and not by land through the pleasant Euripus that runneth between the Euxine Sea and Hellespont And by the way I cannot but regrate the great losse Sir Thomas Glover received by the Duke of Moldavia who chargeably entertained him two yeares in his house and furnished him with great monies and other necessaries fit for his eminency This Duke or Prince of Bugdonia was derpaved of his Principalities by Achmet and fled hither to the Christian Ambassadours for reliefe To whom when all the rest had refus'd acceptance only Noble Sir Thomas received him maintaining him and seriously wrought with the Grand Signior and his Counsell to have had him restored againe to his Lands but could not prevaile In the end Sir Thomas Glovers five yeares time of Ambassadry being expired and the Duke hearing privately that Sir Paul Pinder was to come in his place as indeed he came too soone this Moldavian Prince stole earely away in the morning over to Constantinople and long ere midday turn'd Turke and was circumcised contenting himselfe onely for all his great Dukedome with a Palace and a yearely pension of twelve thousand Chickens of Gold during his life Which when we heard the Ambassadour and we were all amazed and discontented He was indebted to the Ambassadour above 15 thousand Chickens of Gold yet ere my leaving Galata I went twice over with Sir Thomas and saw him and found him attended with a number of Turkes who when he saw me took me kindly by the hand for wee had bin two moneths familiar in the Ambassadors house before The English Ambassador within halfe a yeare recovered the halfe of his moneys the other halfe he was forced to forgoe for divers importunate respects Nay I must say one thing more of this Knight hee relieved more slaves from the Galleys payd their ransomes and sent them home freely to their Christian stations and kept a better house than any Ambassadour did that ever lay at Constantinople or ever shall to the worlds end His mother was a Polonian who comming from Dansick to London was delivered of him upon the Sea Afterward he was brought up at Constantinople from a boy and spoke and wrot the Slavonian Tongue perfectly And thence returning for London he was the first Ambassadour King Iames of blessed Memory sent â—o Constantinople after his comming to the Crowne of England And thus
The inhumane policie of the Turks to avoid civill dissention is such that the seed of Ottoman all except one of them are strangled to death Wherefore as Augustus Caesar said of Herod in the like case It is better to be the Great Turkes Dog then his Sonne His Daughters or Sisters are not so used but are given in Marriage to any Bassa whom so they affect yet with this condition the King saith to his Daughter or Sister I give thee this man to be thy slave and if he offend thee in any case or be disobedient to thy will here I give thee a Dagger to cut off his head which always they weare by their sides for the same purpose The Persians differ much from the Turks in nobilitie humanitie and activitie and especially 〈◊〉 of Religion who by contention thinke each other accursed and notwithstanding both factions are under the Mahometanicall Law Neither are the sons of the Persian Kings so barbarously handled as theirs for all the brethren one excepted are onely made blinde wanting their eyes and are alwayes afterward gallantly maintained like Princes And it hath oftentimes faln out that some of these Kings dying without procreate Heires there have of these blind sons succeeded to the Empire who have restored again the seed of that Royall Family And now the great advantage that the Turkes have daily upon the Persians is onely because of their Infantery which the Persians no wayes are accustomed with fighting alwayes on Horse-back neither are the Persians adicted or given to build Forts or Fortifications neither have they any great use of Munition but exposing themselves ever to the field in the extream hazard of battail become ever doubtfull in their victories whose courage and valour cannot be paraleld among all the people of the Eastern World as Babylon in their late and last fortunes may give sufficient testimony thereof The fifth Part. CLose bounded Hellespont Earths Mother sport I leave ' longst the Aeolid lists I Smyrna court Thence Samothrace and Rhodos I accoast Which Lilidamus Viliers manly lost The Lycian bounds and steep Pamphilian shoares I strictly view The sea Carpathian roares I land at Cyprus Seline is the place Whence I that Kingdome to Nicosia trace From Famagust fair Asia then I courted And Libanon whence Cedars were transported For Sions Temple And my toyls to crown I sight great Aleppe Syriaes Lady Town Then passing Mesopotame Chelfanes land I stay at Beershack on Euphrates strand Thence back by Damas Arabia Petrea Galilee Samaria mountainous Judea I toyling came And at Jerusalem I lodg'd neer Moriah in a Cloystred frame THe Winter expired and the Spring gone time summoned me after three moneths repose to imbrace the violence of a fiery fac'd season where having dutifully taken my leave of many worthy friends who both kindly and respectively had used mee especially the aforesaid English Ambassadour Sir Thomas Glover And the new Ambassadour Sir Paul Pinder who had lately arrived there before my departure and had been formerly Consull in Aleppo five yeers I left Constantinople and imbarked in a ship belonging to London named the Allathya whereof one Master Wylds in Ratcliffe was Master where indeed both hee and his company kindly and respectively used mee for the space of 12 days being bound for Smyrna and so wee sailed along the Coast of Bythinia in Asia minor Bythinia hath on the North Hellespont On the West Phrygia on the East Pontus and on the South Capadceia or Leuco Syria The chiefe Cities are Chalcedon where by command of the Emperour Martianus the fourth Generall Councell was assembled to repell the Heresie of Nestorius Nigh unto the side of Hellespont is Mount Stella famous for that victory which Pompey had over Mithridates And where Tamberlane with 800000 Tartarians incountred Baiazet whose Army consisted of 500000 men of which 200000 lost their lives that day And Bajazet being taken was carried about in an Iron Cage on whose necke Tamberlane used to set his foote when he mounted on horse-backe and at last beat out his owne braines against the barres of the Iron Cage the the next Cities are Nicomedia and Nyce where the first Generall Councell was kept Anno 314 to which there assembled 318 Bishops to beate downe the Arian Heresie The other Townes are Prusa and Labissa the former was built by Prusias King of Bythinia who betrayed Haniball when he fled to him for succour in the latter Haniball lyeth buried Prusa was along time the seat of the Ottoman Kings till Mahomet the first began to keep his Residence at Andrianople The chiefe Rivers are Ascanius Sangaro and Granico nigh unto which Alexander obtained the first victory against the Persians Having passed Bythinia and the Phrygian coast wee fetched up Cenchrea where Saint Paul cut his haire after his vow was performed Acts 18. 18 Being a Towne now inhabited by Grekes with a Turkish Governour and of small importance in regard of other neighbouring places that bereave them of their trafficke and because the Iewes do not much frequent here the Inhabitants are rather turned spectators to Vertue than any way inherent to necessary goodnesse want of Strangers being let one and vitious otiosity the other stop This City standeth by the sea side in the North part of Ionia but more truely on the East frontiers of Lydia Lydia hath on the West Phrigia minor on the South Ionia on the East Paphlagonia on the North-west Aeolus a part of Phrygia maior The chief Metropole is Sardis once the royall seat of Croesus the richest King in his time who in his ful prosperity was told by Solon that no man could reck on upon felicity so long as he lived because there might be great mutability of Fortune which afterward he found true The recitall of which advertisement when he was taken Prisoner by Cyrus saved his life The next City is Pergamus where Parchment was first invented and therefore called Pergamenum here was Galen borne who lived so healthfully one hundred and forty yeares the reason whereof hee thus affixeth he never eate or drunke his full ever carried some sweete perfumes with him The other Townes are Thyatira Laodicea and Philadelphia Vpon the twelfth day after the departure from Constantinople we arrived at Smirna being foure hundred miles distant This City was one of the seven Churches mentioned Revelation 2. 8. And standeth in Ionia of this place was the famous Martyr Policarpus Bishop who sometims had been Scholler to Iohn the Evangelist and living till hee was of great age was at last put to death for Christs sake It is a goodly place having a faire Haven for ships They have great trafficke with all Nations especially for fine Silke Cotten-wooll and Dimmety brought to it by the Country Peasants which strangers buy from them Truely neare unto this City I saw a long continuing Plaine abounding in Cornes Wines all sorts of fruitfull Herbage and so infinitely peopled that me thought Nature
seemed with the peoples industry to contend the one by propagating Creatures the other by admirable agriculture That for Commodities and pleasure it is little inferiour unto the Valley of Suda in Candy which maketh the inhabitants wondrous insolent for as mirth is made of pleasure and with pleasures all vices are baited even so there is not a more incorrigible creature then man in prosperity nor so modest nor reformed an one as he to whom fortune hath lent but a sparing and crooked favor which indeed I hold best of all for it is the forming of the mind not the tongue nor hand that can preferre us to true felicitie And would to God that these upon whom none but faire winds have ever blowne in the carreere of their supposed happinesse could but see for all their high and over-topping places their end and resting place since they are nought but the arrows of the Omnipotent arme that are yet flying not at theirs but his mark and no more owners of their own proposed ends then they are guiltie of their own beginnings surely they would cover their faces with another kinde of maske then they do and make their actions seeme more cleere then the force of policie can obumbrate their wicked devices Thyatira now called Tyria one also of the seven Churches is not from Smyrna above eighteen miles From this City having left my kinde English men and their stately Ship that carried 24 peeces of Ordnance I imbarked in a Turkish Carmosale that carried nothing but her loading being bound for Rhodes In our sayling along the Câ—ast of Ionia the first place of any note I saw was the ruinous Citie of Ephesus yet somewhat inhabited with Greeks Iews and a few Turkes but no ways answerable to its former glory and magnificence being rather a monument for memory then a continuing Towne of any excellency neverthelesse it is pleasantly adorned with Gardens faire Fields and green Woods of Olive trees which on the Sea doe yield a delectable prospect It was one of the seven Churches Revelat. 2. 1. This was one of the most renowned Cities in Asia the lesser but the fame thereof arose from the Temple of Diana which for the spaciousnesse furniture and magnificent workmanship was accounted one of the seven Worlds Wonders It was two hundred yeares in building being foure hundred twenty five foot long and two hundred broad It was seven severall times burnt whereof the most part was with Lightning and lastly the finall destruction of it came by a base fellow Erostratus who to purchase himselfe a name did set it on fire Timothy was Bishop of Ephesus to the people whereof Saint Paul directed one of his Epistles and finally it is famous for the buriall of Saint Iohn the Evangelist It was said of this place in the Acts of the Apostles that all Asia and the whole World did worship here Diana Tully reporteth De natura Deorum that Timaeus being demanded the reason why the Temple of Diana was set on fire that night when Alexander the Great was born gave this jest thereof that the Mistris of it was from home because she being the Goddesse of Midwives did that night wait upon Olympias the mother of Alexander the Great who was brought to bed in Macedonia Over against this Citie is the Isle Lango anciently called Coos wherein the great Hyppocrates was borne and Appelles the Painter most excellent It is both fertile and populous and of circuit above fourescore miles There is a kinde of Serpent said to be in it so friendly unto the inhabitants that when the men are sleeping under the shadow of trees they come crauling and will linke or claspe themselves about their necks and bodies without doing any harme neither when they awake are the beasts affraid And neere to Lango is the Isle Nixa of old Strangoli and by some called Dionisa and Naxus an Island both fruitfull and delightfull As we sailed by the west part of the Isle a Greekish passenger shewed mee the place where as he said Ariadne was deceived of Theseus which is not farre from the irriguate plaine of Darmille Continuing our Navigation I saw the little Isle Ephdosh where the Turks told me that all the Islanders were naturally good swimmers paying no more tribute to their great Lord the Turke save onely once in the yeare there are certaine men and women chosen by a Turkish Captaine who must swimme a whole league right out in the Sea and goe downe to the bottome of the waters to fetch thence some token they have got ground And if they shall happen to faile in this the Island will be reduced againe to pay him yearly rent This I saw with mine eyes whiles we being calmed there came a man and two women swimming to us more than a mile of way carrying with them drye above the water baskets of fruite to sell the which made me not a little to wonder For when they came to the ships side they would neither boord nor boat with us but lay leaning or as it were resting themselves on the Sea upon their one side and sold so their fruits keeping Complements and discourses with us above an houre Contenting them for their ware a fresh gale arising we set forward accoasting the little Isle of Samothracia This Isle of Samothracia was called of old Dardania and now by the Turks Samandracho a place of small note considering the quantity of the Isle the few number of Inhabitants their lives being answerable to their meanes ignorance and servitude two strong commanders of infirme weaklings and no lesse powerfull than they are debile in the debt of worthines which the yonglings of understanding and sucklings of far look'd to knowledge can never be able to escape although a true profession covereth many naturall imperfections and in it a hope for blessednesse which indeed more wish for then rightly understand it And upon the ninth day after our departure from Smyrna we arrived at the City of Rhodes so called of the Island wherein it standeth Rhodes lieth in the Carpaâ—hian Sea it was of old called Ithrea Telchino and Phiula Plinie saith it was called Rhodes because there were certain fields of Roses in it for Rhodos in the Greek tongue signifieth a Flowre Not far from the City and at the entry of the Haven I saw the relicts of that huge and admiredly erected Idoll named Colossus Rhodius or the mighty Image of the Sun which was made in honour thereof from the which Saint Paul termed the Inhabitants Colossians It was builded by the worthy Canete Lindo in the space of twelve yeares others have said of Callasses the Disciple of Lisippus taking the name Collossus of him and it was thought worthy to be one of the seven earthly Wonders and so it might justly have beene The quantity whereof as yet may amaze the minde of the beholder It was erected in the Image of a man being eighty Cubits high
and so big that the little finger of it was as big as an ordinary man between whose legs it standing in the Harbours mouth with a leg on each side of the entery Ships were wont to passe under with taunt sails When Mnavi Generall of Caliph Osman first united this Isle to the Mahometan Empire and broke down the greatest part of this Statue the brasse whereof was said to be so much that it loaded nine hundred Camels This Isle belonged once to the Knights of Malta and were then sirnamed Knights of the Rhodes but they came first out of Acre in the Holy Land who were called Knights of St. Iohn who viriliously expulsed the Sarazens from thence Anno 1308. who had formerly taken it from the divided Grecians These Knights sorely in vested the Turkes for the space of two hundred yeares till Solyman the magnificent at last invaded and subdued it The Rhodians were ever good freinds to the Romans in somuch that when all the other Mediterranean Islands revolted to Mythridates of Pontus this onely adhered to the Romans This Isle of Rhodes within the space of 25 yeares was three times mightily indangered by violent and extreame impetuosities of raine in such sort that the last flood did drowne the greatest part of the Inhabitants which beginning in the Spring-time did continue to Summer and in all this time it broke violently downe their houses and in the night killed the people lying in their beds and in the day time such as were sheltered under safegard of their dwelling which was a miserable destruction and the like of it scarcely heard of since the universall Deluge But true it is as these Ominous judgments falling upon particular parts parcels of people are justly executed yet they serve for Caveats for all others in generall sinne being the originall of all to take heed of offending the Creator in abusing the bestuse of the Creature The Citie of Rhodes hath two strong Fortresses in one of which these Knights Lilladamus Villiers being great Master who were about five hundred onely and five thousand Rhodians who assisted them were besieged by an Army of two hundred thousand Turkes and three hundred Galleys for the space of sixe months The chiefe obstacle and impeaching of so great an Army from taking it was onely the resolute valour of the defendants But in end the multitude over-mastring valour and the Cavalieri di Rhodo wanting furniture to their Munition and being penurious of victualls were constrained to render upon the conditionall safety of their lives goods and transportation and remayned a long time without any habitation till the King of Spain gave them the barren Isle of Malta to inhabit This Isle of Rhodes was lost by the Maltezes Anno Domini 1522. And on Christmas day Solyman entred the Towne as conquerour though hee might justly have said as Pyrrhus once said of his victory over the Romans that such another victory would utterly have undone him he lost so many of his bravest Commanders and best Souldiers It is ever since in the fruition of Turkes The Fortresse of Rhodes and that Fortresse Famogusta in Cyprus are the two strongest Holds in all the Empire of the great Turke And by the way here I must record that if the Great Turke and his great Counsell were not good pay-masters to their Ianizaries and speedy rewarders of their common Souldiers it were impossible for him the Emperour or them the Bassaws to manage so great a State and to keep under obedience so head-strong a multitude and such turbulent forces for by your leave if a Souldiers industry be not quickned and animated with bountifull rewards hee hath lesse will to performe any part of Martiall service then a dead Coarse hath power to arise out of the Grave for what can be more precious to man then his blood being the fountain and nurse of his vitall spirits and the ground of his bodily substance which no free or ingenious nature will hazard to lose for nothing And whosoever shall argument or discourse upon sound reason and infallible experience may easily prove and perceive that these Commanders have ever best prospered which have most liberally maintayned and had in singular regard Military Arts and Souldiers otherwise the honourable mind would account it a great deale better to have death without life then life without reward yea and the noble Commander desiring rather to want then to suffer worth unrecompensed Rhodes ioyneth near to the Continent over against Caria now called Carmania under which name the Turkes comprehend Pamphilia Ionia and Lycia Caria by the Sea side hath Lycia to the South and Caria to the North The chiefe cities are Manissa and Mindum which having great gates being but a small Towne made Diogenes the Cynick crie out Yee Citizens of Mindum take heed that your City run not out of your gates The third is Hallicarnasso where Dionisius was borne who writ the History of Rome for the first three hundred yeares Of which Towne also the Province tooke the name for Artemisia who ayded Xerxes against the Grecians was by some Authors named Queene of Hallicarnasso This was she who in honour of her husband Mausoloa built that curious Sepulcher accounted for one of the worlds wonders it being twenty five cubits high and supported with thirtie six admirable wrought pillars After I had contented the master for my fraught and victuals who as he was an Infidell used me with great exaction I found a Barke of the Arches purposed to Cyprus with the which I imbarked being foure hundred miles distant This Tarterata or Demigalleyeot belongeth to the Isle of Stagiro anciently Thasia wherein there were Mines of gold in these times that afforded yeerly to Philip King of Macedon about fourescore talents of gold but now mightily impoverished and of no consequence The chief Town whereof is Palmapreto where divers Greekes hold the opinion Homer was interred having a famous Sea-port which is a common resting place for all the Orientall Pirats or Cursarces which maketh the Isle half desolate of people and these few scarce worthy of their dwellings Having past the Gulfe of Sattelia and the Isle Carpathia whence that part of the Sea taketh his Name wee boarded close along the coast of Lycia and the firme land of fruitfull Pamphylia the chiefe City of Lycia is Patras watred with the River Zanthus whence the people were called Zanthi afterward Lycians of Lyâ—us sonne to Pandion It lyeth twixt Caria and Pamphylia as Pamphylia lyeth between it and Cilicia The chief Town in Pamphylia is Seleucia built by Seleucus one of Alexanders successors on the East of Lycia within land bordereth Lycaonia c. Having left Pamphylia behind us we fetched up the coast of Cilicia sustaining many great dangers both of tempestuous storms and invasions of damnable Pirats who gave us divers assaults to their owne disadvantages our saylage being swifter then either their swallowing desires could follow or our weake
and inresolute defence could resist Here in this Country of Cilicia was Saint Paul borne in the now decayed Town of Tharsus who for antiquity will not succumbe to any City of Natolia being as yet the Mistris of that Province though neither for worth nor wealth All ancient things by Time revolve in nought As if their Founders had no founding wrought But thoâ— torn Tharsus brooks a glorious name For that great Saint who in thee had his frame So may Cilicians joy the Christian sort That from their bounds rose such a mighty Fort. Twelve dayes was I between Rhodes and Limisso in Cyprus where arrived I received more gracious demonstrations from the Islanders then I could hope for or wish being far beyond my merit or expectation onely contenting my curiosity with a quiet minde I red ounded thanks for my imbraced courtesies The people are generally strong and nimble of great civility hospitality to their neighbours and exceedingly affectionated to strangers The second day after my arrivall I took with me an Interpreter and went to see Nicosia which is placed in the midst of the Kingdome But in my journy thither extream was the heat and thirst I endured both in respect of the season and also want of water And although I had with me sufficiencie of wine yet durst I drinke none thereof being so strong and withall had a taste of pitch and that is because they have no Barrels but great Jars made of earth wherein their Wine is put And these Jars are all inclosed within the ground save onely their mouthes which stand alwayes open like to a Source or Cistern whose insides are all interlarded with pitch to preserve the earthen Vessels unbroke asunder in regard of the forcible Wine yet making the taste thereof unpleasant to liquorous lips and turneth the Wine too heady for the brain in digestion which for health groweth difficult to strangers and to themselves a swallowing up of diseases To cherish life and blood the health of Man Give me a Tâ—ast plung'd in a double Kan And spic'd with Ginger for the wrestling Grape Makes Man become from Man a sottish Ape Nicosia is the principall City of Cyprus and is invironed with Mountains like unto Florence in Aetruria wherein the Beglerbeg remaineth The second is Famogusta the chief strength and Sea-port in it Seliâ—a Lemisso Paphos and Fontana Morosa are the other foure speciall Towns in the Island This Isle of Cyprus was of old called Achametide Amatusa and by some Marchara that is happy It is of length extending from East to West 210 large 60 and of circuit 600 miles It yieldeth infinite canes of Sugar Cotton-wooll Oile Honey Cornes Turpentine Allom Verdegreece Grograms store of Metals and Salt besides all other sorts of fruit and commodities in abundance It was also named Cerastis because it butted toward the East with one horn and lastly Cyprus from the abundance of Cypresse trees there growing This Island was consecrated to Venus wherein Paphos shee was greatly honoured termed hence Dea Cypri Festa dies Veneris tota celeberrima Cypro Venerat ipsa suis aderat Venus au reâ— festis Venus feast day through Cyprus hallowed came Whose feasts her presence dignified the same Cyprus lyeth in the Gulfe betweene Cilicia and Syria having Aegypt to the West Syria to the South Cilicia to the East and the Pamphylian Sea to the North It hath foure chief Capes or Head-lands first Westward the Promontory of Acanias modernly Capo di santo Epifanio to the South the Promontory Phaeâ—ria now Capo Bianco to the East Pedasia modernly Capo di Graeco to the North the high foreland Cramenion now Capo di Cormathita these foure are the chiefest Promontores of the Island and Cape di S. Andrea in the furthest point Eastward toward Cilicia Diodore and Pliny say that anciently it contained nine Kingdomes and fifteene good Townes Ceraâ—â—a now Selina was built by Cyrus who subdued the nine petty Kings of this Isle Nicosia is situate in the bottome or plain of Massara and thirty foure miles from Famogusta and the Towne of Famogusta was formerly named Salamus I was informed by some of sound experience here that this Kingdome containeth about eight hundred and forty Villages besides the sixe capitall Towns two whereof are nothing inferiour for greatnesse and populosity to the best Townes in Candy Sycily or Greece The chiefest and highest mountaines in this Isle is by the Cypriots called Trohodos it is of height eight and of compasse forty eight miles whereon there are a number of Religious Monasteries the people whereof are called Colieros and live under the order of Saint Basile There is aboundance here of Coriander seede with medicinable Rubarbe and Turpentine Here are also mines of Gold in it of Chrysocole of Calthante of Allome Iron and exceeding good Copper And besides these mines there are divers precious stones found in this Isle as Emeraulds Diamonds Christall Corall red and white and the admirable stone Amiante whereof they make Linnen cloth that will not burne being cast into the fire but serveth to make it neate and white The greatest imperfection of this Isle is scarcity of water and too much plenty of scorching heat and fabulous grounds The inhabitants are very civill courteous and affable and notwithstanding of their delicious and delicate fare they are much subject to Melancholy of a Robust Nature and good Warriours if they might carry Armes It is recorded that in the time of Constantine the Great this Isle was all utterly abandoned of the Inhatants and that because it did not raine for the space of sixe and thirty yeares After which time and to replant this Region againe the chiefest Colonies came from Aegypt Iudea Syria Cilicia Pamphylia Thracia and certaine Territories of Greece And it is thought in the yeares 1163 after that Guy of Lusingham the last Christian King of Ierusalem had lost the Holy Land a number of French men stayed and inhabited here of whom sprung the greatest Race of the Cyprian Gentility and so from them are descended the greatest Families of the Phoenician Sydonians modernely Drusians though ill divided and worse declined yet they are sprung both from one Originall the distraction arising from Conscience of Religion the one a Christian the other a Turke The three Isles of Cyprus Candy and Sicily are the onely Monarchall Queenes of the Mediterranean Seas and semblable to other in fertilitie length breadth and circuit save onely Candy that is somewhat more narrow then the other two and also more Hilly and sassinous yet for Oiles and Wines she is the Mother of both the other Sicily being for Grain and Silks the Empresse of all and Cyprus for Sugar and Cotton-wooll a darling sister to both onely Sicily being the most civill Isle and nobly Gentilitate the Cypriots indifferently good and the Candiots the most ruvid of all The chiefe Rivers are Teneo and Pedesco Cyprus was first by Teucer made a
Kingdome who after the Trojan War came and dwelt here and afterward being divided betweene nine pettie Princes it was subdued by Cyrus the first Monarch of the Medes and Persians After the subversion of which Empire this Isle was given to the Ptolomies of Aegypt from whom Cato conquered it to the benefit of the Romans The Dukes of Savoy were once Kings of Cyprus but the Inhabitants usurping their authority elected Kings to themselves of their owne generation and so it continued till the last King of Cyprus Iames the Bastard marrying with the Daughter of a noble Venetian Catherina Cornaro died without children leaving her his absolute heire And she perceiving the factious Nobility too head-strong to be bridled by a female authority like a good child resigned her Crown and Scepter to the Venetian Senate Anno 1473. Whereupon the Venetians imbracing the opportunitie of time brought her home and sent Governours thither to beare sway in their behalfe paying onely as Tribute to the Aegyptian Sultans 40000 Crownes which had been due ever since Melecksala had made Iohn of Cyprus his Tributary It was under their Jurisdiction 120 yeares and more till that the Turkes whoever oppose themselves against Christians finding a fit occasion in time of peace and without suspition in the Venetians took it in with a great Armado Anno 1570 and so till this day by them is detained Oh great pitty that the usurpers of Gods Word and the Worlds great enemy should maintain without eaâ—e that famous Kingdom being but one thousand and â—ifty Turks in all who are the keepers of it unspeakable is the calamitie of that poore afflicted Christian people under the terrour of these Infidels who would if they â—ad Armes or assistance of any Christian Potentate eaâ—ly subvert and abolish the Turkes without any disturbance yea and would render the whole Signiory thereof to such a noble Actor I do not see in that small judgement which by experience I have got but the redemption of that Countrey where most facile if that the generous heart of any Christian Prince would be moved with condigne compassion to relieve the miserable afflicted Inhabitants In which worke hee should reape questionlesse not onely an infinite treasure of Worldly commodities that followeth upon so great a conquest but also a heavenly and eternall reward of immortall glory The which deliverance Ferdinando Duke of Florence thought to have accomplished having purchased the good will of the Islanders with five Gallounes and 5000 Souldiers Who being mindfull to take first in the fortresse of Famogusta directed so their course that in the night they should hate entred the Haven disbarke their men and scale the walles But in this plot they were farre disappointed by an unhappy Pilot of the Vice-admiral who mistaking the Port went into a wrong Bay which the Florentines considering resolved to â—eturne and keepethe sea till the second night but by a dead calme they were frustrated of their aymes and on the morrow discovered by the Castle Whereupon the Turkes went presently to armes charged the Inhabitants to come to defend that place But about foure hundred Greekes in the westpart at Paphus rebelled thinking that time had altered their hard fortunes by a new change but alas they were preuented every one cut off by the bloody hands of the Turks this massacre was committed in the year 1607. Such alwayes are the torturing flames of Fortunes smiles that he who most affecteth her she most and altogether deceiveth But they who trust in the Lord shall be as stable as Mount Sion which cannot be removed and questionlesse one day God in his all eternall mercie will relieve their miseries and in his just iudgments recompence these bloody oppressors with the heavy vengance of his all-seeing Justice In my returne from Nicosia to Famogusta with my Trench-â—an wee encountred by the way with foure Turkes who needs would have my Mule to ride upon which my Interpreter refused But they in a revenge pulled mee by the heels from the Mules backe beating mee most pittifully and left mee almost for dead In this meanewhile my companion fled and escaped the sceleratnesse of their hands and if it had not beene for some compassionable Greeks who by accident came by and relieved me I had doubtlesse immediately perished Here I remember betwene this Isle and Sydon that same Summer there were five galleouns of the Duke of Florence who encountred by chance the Turkes great Armado confisting of 100 gallees 14 galleots and two Galleasses The Admirall of which Ships did single 〈◊〉 her selfe from the rest and offered to fight with the whole Armado alone but the Turkes durst not and in their flying backe the Admirall sunke two of their gallies and had almost seized upon one of their galleasses if it had not beene for 20 Gallies who desperately adventured to tow her away against the wind and so escaped For true it is the naturall Turkes were never skilfull in â—anaging of Sea battells neither are they expert Mariners nor experimented Gunners if it were not for our Christian Runnagates French English and Flemings and they too sublime accurate and desperate fellows who have taught the Turkes the art of navigation and especially the use of munition which they both cast to them then become their chief Cannoneers the Turks would be as weak and ignorant at Sea as the silly Aethiopian is unexpert in handling of Arms on the Land For the private humour of discontented Cast-awayes is always an enemy to publick good who from the society of true Believers are driven to the servitude of Infidels and refusing the bridle of Christian correction they receive the double yoke of despair and condemnation Whose terrour of a guilty conscience or rather blazing brand of their vexed souls in forsaking their Faith and denying Christ to be their Saviour ramverts most of them either over in a torment of melancholy otherwise in the extasie of madnes which indeed is a torturing horrour that is sooner felt then known and cannot be avoided by the rudenesse of Nature but by the saving grace of true felicity From the Fort and Citie Famogusta I imbarked in a Germo and arrived at Tripoly being 88 miles distant where I met with an English Ship called the Royall Exchange of London lying there at Anchor in the dangerous Road of Tripoly whose loves I cannot easily forget for at my last good night being after great cheare and greaâ—er carousing they gave mee the thundring farewell of three peeces of Ordnance Tripoly is a City in Syria standing a mile from the Marine side neer to the foot of Mount Libanus since it hath beene first founded it hath three times beene situated and removed in three sundry places First it was overwhelmed with water Secondly it was sacked with Cursares and Pirates Thirdly it is like now to be overthrowne with new made Mountaines of sand There is no Haven by many miles neare unto it but a
seed planted by Gods owne hand and watered with the blood of so many holy Saints Nam sanguis Martyrum semen Ecclesiae est grew so great a tree that the branches thereof were dispersed through every City and Province of the whole World Before my arrivall in Aleppo the Caravan of Babylon was from thence departed which bred no small griefe in my brest The Venetian Consul to whom I was highly recommended by the aforesaid Merchants having had some insight of my intended Voyage informed me that the Caravan stayed at Beershake on Euphrates for some conceived report they had of Arabs that lay for them in the Desarts and willed 〈◊〉 to hire a Ianizary â—and three Souldiers to over-high them whose counsell I received but was meerly frustrated of my designes True it was they stayed but were gone three dayes before my comming to that unhappy place The distance from whence over land to Babylon or Bagdat being but six small or short days journey the losse whereof and the damnable deceit of my Ianizary made my Muse to expresse what my sorrowfull prose cannot perform The doubts and drifts of the voluble mind That here and there do flee turn judgement blind Did over-whelme my heart in grim despaire Whilst hope and reason fled stay'd tim'nous care And yet the grounds were just my treacherous guide Did nought but crosse me greed led him aside Still this still that I would all I surmise Is shrewdly stopt At last my scopes devise To make a Boat to bear me down alone With Drudges two to ground-chang'd Babylon That could not be the charges was too great And eke the stream did nought but dangers threat My conduct still deceiv'd me made it square Another Caravan O! would come there From Aleppo or Damascus till in end Most of my moneys did his knavery spend Thus was I tost long five weeks and four days With strugling doubts O strange were these delays At last a Chelfain came a Christian kind Who by my grief soon understood my mind And told me flat the Janizaries drift Was to extort me with a lingring shift Come come said he the Sanzack here is just Let us complain for now complain you must He with me went and for a Trenchman serv'd And told the Ruler how my Conduct swerv'd He 's call'd and soon convinc'd and with command Forc'd to transport me back to Syria's land I 'me there arriv'd and eft-soons made me bound For the Venetian Consul there to sound My great abuses by this Villain done Which soon were heard and eke repayr'd as soon The Bassaw was upright and for times sake He did me more then conscience will'd me take My plaint preferd he was in Prison laid And all my gold to give me back was made Which he had falsly tane where for his pains He had the losse and I receiv'd the gains For doubling his wrongs done to crosse him more I got my vantage from his craft before And for his ten weeks fees no more he had Than â—e that 's owner of a ditch-faln jade Thus leaving him I with the Consul bode Full forty days ere I went thence abroad In the eleven days journey I had betweene Aleppo and Beershack through a part of Syria the breadth of Mesopotamia and Chelfaine a Province of the same joyning with Tygris and Euphrates and returning the same way again I found nothing worthy of remarking save the fertility of the soile which indeed in Mesopotamia yieldeth two crops of wheat in the year and for a Bushell sowing in divers places they recoyle a hundred again The Country it selfe is overclad with infinite Villages having no eminent Town of any note or consequence except the City of Caraâ—â—men the seâ—t of a Beglerbeg who commandeth under him 14 Sanzacks and 26000 Timariots The people here are for the most part believers in Christ but alas too silly untoward and ignorant Christians And yet though without learning or great understanding therein they are wonderfull zealous in their profession and great sufferers for it also This barbarous Towne of Beershacke being situate on Euphratess standeth in the Chelâ—aines Country and is supposed to have been Padan-aram where Laban dwelt and where Iacob kept Labans sheep though some interpret all Mesopotamia then to have beene called Padan-aram from whence North-east and not far hence are the demolished fragments of Nineveh on Tygris whose very ruines are now come to ruine The decays whereof being much semblable to that sacked Lacedemon in Sparta or to the stony heaps of Iericho the detriments of Thebes the relicts of Tyrus or to the finall overthrow of desolate Troy This Country of Chelfaine is the place most agreeable with Scripture where the earthly Paradice was once set though now impossible to be found out Mesopotamia is seldome watered with raine but by the nature of the soile is marvellous fruitfull It is bordered with Caldea on the East Euphrates on the South Syria on the North and Arabia Petrea on the West This Aleppo is a City in Syria the name of which hath been so oft changed by Turks that the true antiquitie of it can hardly be known It is both large and populous and furnished with all sorts of Merchandize especially of Indigo and Spices that are brought over land from Goa and other places in India which draweth a concurrance of all Nations to it Here I remember of a notable obedience done to the Great Turke by the Great Bassaw of Aleppo who was also an Emeere or hereditary Prince to wit the yeere before my comming hither hee had revolted against his Emperour and fighting the Bassaws of Damascus and Carahemen overcame them The yeare following and in my being there the Grand Signior sent from Constantinople a Showse and two Ianizaries in Ambassage to him where when they came to Aleppo the Bassaw was in his owne Countrey at Mesopotamia The Messengers make haste after him but in their journey they met him comming back to Aleppo accompanied with his two sonnes and sixe hundred Horsmen Upon the high way they delivered their message where hee stood still and heard them The proffer of Achmâ—t was that if hee would acknowledge his Rebellion and for that Treason committed send him his Head his eldest Son should both inherit his possessions and Bassawship of Aleppo otherwise he would come with great forces in all expedition and in his proper person he would utterly raze him and all his from the face of the earth At which expression the Bassaw knowing that hee was not able to resist the invincible Army of his Master and his owne presence hee dismounted from his Horse and went to counsell with his sonnes and neerest friends where hee and they concluded it was best for him to die being an old man to save his Race undestroyed and to keepe his son in his authoritie and inheritance This done the Bassaw went to prayer and taking his leave of them all sate down upon his knees
where the Showse strook off his head putting it in a Box to carry it with him for Constantinople The dead corps were carried to Aleppo and honorably buried for I was an eye witnesse to that Funeral Feast And immediatly therafter the Showse by Proclamation and power from the Emperour fully possessed the sonne in his Fathers Lands Offices Bassawship and the authoritie of all the Easterne Syria part of Mesopotamia and the Assyrian Countrey for this Bassaw of Aleppo is the greatest in commandement and power of all the other Bassaws in the Turkes Dominions except the Bassa or Beglerbeg of Damascus and yet the former in Hereditary power farre exceedeth the other being a free Emeer and thereupon a Prince borne The force of his commandement reacheth to eighteene Sanzacks and thirty thousand Timariots besides Ianizaries and other inferiour Souldiers which would make up as many more This City is called in the Scriptures Aram-Sobab 2 Samuel 8. 3. and Aleppo of Alep which signifieth milk whereof there is a great plenty here There are Pigeons brought up here after an incredible manner who will flie betwene Aleppo and Babylon being thirty dayes journey distant in forty eight houres carrying letters and newes which are tied about their neckes to Merchants of both Townes and from one to another who onely are imployed in the time of hasty and needfull intendments their education to this tractable expedition is admirable the flights and arrivals of which I have often seene in the time of my wintering in Aleppo which was the second Winter after my departure from Christendome Syria hath on the East Armenia major On the South Mesopotamia On the North Cilicia and the sea On the West Gallilee and Phaenicia in the Bible the Syrians are called Aramites who were an obscure people subject to the Persians and subdued by Alexander after whose death this Countrey with Persia and other adjacent Provinces fell to the share of Seleucus Nicanor who also wrested from the successors of Antigonus the lesser Asia This Kingdome hath fuffered many alterations especially by the Persians Grecians Armenians Romans Aegyptians lastly by the Turkes and daily molested by the incursive Arabs In my expectation here and the Spring come being disappointed of me desired aimes I pretended to visite Ierusalem in my back-comming and for the furtherance of my determination I joyned with a Caravan of Armenians and Turks that were well guarded with Ianisaries and Souldiers of whom some were to stay at Damascus by the way and some mindful to the furthest marke And for my better safeguard being always alone which by all was ever much admired the Venetian Consull tooke surety of the Captaine that hee should protect mee safely from theeves cut throats and the exactions of tributes by the way delivering me freely into the hand of the Padre Guardiano at Ierusalem Which being done I I hired a Mule from a Turke to carry my victuals and so set forward with them The number of our company were about 600 Armenians Christian Pilgrimes men and women 600 Turkes trafficking for their owne businesse and 100 souldiers three Showsses and sixe â—anizaries to keep them from invasions Betweene Aleppo and Damascus wee had nine dayes journey in five of which we had pleasant travelling and good Canes to lodge in that had bin builded for the support of Travellers and are well maintained But when we passed Hamsek which is a little more then mid-way we had dangerous travelling being oft assailed with Arabs fatigated with Rocky Mountaines and sometimes in point of choaking for lacke of water The confusion of this multitude was not onely grievous in regard of the extreame heate providing of victuals at poore Villages and scarcity of water to fill our bottles made of Boare-skinnes but also amongst narrow and stony passages thronging we oft fell one over another in great heapes in danger to be smothered yea and oftentimes we that were Christians had our bodies well beaten by our couducting Turkes In this iourneying I remember the Turke who ought my Mule was for three dayes exceeding favourable unto me in so much that I began to doubt of his carriage fearefully suspecting the Italian Proverb Chi nri faâ—iglior che non cisuole Ingannato mi ha o ingannar mi Vuole He that doth better now to me than he was wont He hath deceiv'd or will deceive me with some sad affront But when I perceived his extraordinary service and flattery was onely to have a share of the Tobacco I carried with me I freely bestowed a pound there of upon him Which he and his fellowes tooke as kindly as though it had been a pound of gold for they are excessively addictted to smoake as Dutch men are to the Pot which ever made me to carry Tobacco with me to acquist their favour over and above their fials more then ever I did for my owne use for in these dayes I took none at all though now as time altereth every thing I am Honoris Gratia become a courtly Tobacconist more for fashion then for liking The Turkish Tobacco pipes are more than a yard long and commonly of Wood or Canes beeing joyned in three parts with Lead or white Iron their severall mouths receiving at once a whole ounce of Tobacco which lasteth a long space and because of the long pipes the smoak is exceeding cold in their swallowing throats At our accustomed dismounting to recreate our selues and refresh the beasts I would often fetch a walke to stretch my legs that were stiffed with a stumbling beast wherewith the Turkes were mightily discontented and in derision would laugh and mocke me For they cannot abide a man to walke in turnes or stand to eate their usage being such that when they come from the horse backe presently sit downe on the ground folding their feete under them when they repose dine and sup So doe also their Artizans and all the Turkes in the World sit all wayes crosse legged wrongfully abusing the commondable consuetude of the industrious Tailors In their houses they have no bed to lye on 〈◊〉 chaire to sit on nor table to eate on but a bench made of boords along the house side of a foot high from the floore spred over with a Carpet whereon they usually sitting eating drinking sleeping resting and doing of manuall exercises all in one place Neither will the best sort of Mahometans be named Turks because it signifieth banished in the Hebrew tongue and therefore they call themselves Musilmans to wit good believers where in deed for good it is a false Epithite but certainly for firm believers they are wonderfull constant and so are all ignorants of whatsoever profession even like to the Spaniard who in the midst of all his evils yet he remayneth alwayes fidele to all the usurpations the Hispanicall Crown can compasse They never unclothe themselves when they go to rest neither have they any bed-clothes save onely a coverlet above them I have seen
hundreds of them after this manner lie ranked like durty Swine in a beastly stie or lothsome Jades in a filthy stable Upon the ninth day leaving Cotafa behinde us on the Mountains we entred in a pleasant Plain of three leagues of length adorned with many Villages Gardens and Rivers and arriving at Damascus wee were all lodged some in Chambers wanting beds and others without on hard stones in a great Cane called Heramnen where we stayed three dayes Having all which time given us twice a day provision for our selves and provender for our beasts gratis being allowed by the Grand Signior to all kind of strangers whatsoever that come to Damascus with any Caravan being a singular comfort and advantage to weary and extorted Travellers Damasâ—us is the capitall Citie of Syria called by the Turks Shamma and is situated on a fair Plain and beautified with many Rivers on each side especially Paraphar and Abderah excellent Orchards and all other naturall objects of elegancie That for situation Artizans all manner of commodities and varietie of fruits in all the Asiaticall Provinces it is not paralleled By Turkes it is called the Garden of Turkie or rather their earthly Paradice because of a fenced Garden there where a Garrison of Turks lve continually keeping that Tree Mouflee whereon they alleage the forbidden Apple grew wherewith the Serpent deceived Eve and shee Adam and from whence the great Turke is also styled keeper of the terrestrial Paradice Some hold this Citie was built by Eleazer the servant of Abraham and other say it is the place where Caine slew Abel where indeed it is most likely to be so for hard by Damascus I saw a pillar of Brasse erected there for a commemoration of that unnaturall murther of Cain executed upon his innocent brother But howsoever I perswade thee it is a pleasant and gallant Citie well walled and fortified with a strong Castle wherein the Bassaw remaineth the most part of the streets are covered so that the Citizens are preserved in Summer from the heat and in the Winter from the raine The like commoditie but not after that forme hath Padua in Lombardy Their Bazar or Market place is also covered so are commonly all the Bazars or Bezestans in Turky The best Carobiers Adams Apples and Grenadiers that grow on the earth is here neare unto the Bazar there is a Moskie called Gemmah wherein my Guide shewed me the Sepulcher of Ananias and the Fountaine where he baptized Paul In another street I saw the house of Ananias which is but a hallow Cellar under the ground and where the Disciples let Paul down through the wall in a basket In the street where they â—ell their Viano my Interpreter shewed me a great Gate of fine mettall which he said was one of the doores of the Temple of Salomon and was transported thence by the Tartarians who conquered Ierusalem about three hundred and eighty yeares agoe who for the heavy weight thereof were enforced to leave it here being indeed a relicke of wonderfull bignesse And I saw also such aboundance of Rose-water here in barrels to be sold as Beere or Wine is rife with us This Paradisiat Shamma is the mother City and most beautifull place of all Asia resembling every way the tectures of her Houses excepted being platforme that matchlesse patterne and mirrour of beauty the City of Antwerpe The onely best Shables or short crooked Swords that be in the World are made here and so are all other their weapons as halfe Pikes Bowes and Arrows and Baluckoes of Steele that Horsmen carry in their hands their shafts being three foot long their heads great and round and sharply guttered wherewith they used to braine or knock down their Enemies in the field The Beglerbeg or Bassa of Damascus is the greatest of commandement of all other Bassaes in Asia Having under his authority as hee is under his Emperour twenty two Sanzacks and they conducting under all the aforesaid three forty thousand Timariots or Horsmen besides two thousand Ianizaries which are the Guard of the Bassa and Garrison of the City His Beglerbegship extendeth over the greater halfe of Syria a part of the two Arabiaes Foelix and Petrea Phoenicia Galilee Samaria Palestina Iudea Ierusalem Idumea and all the Northern parts of Arabia Deseriuosa even to the Frontiers of Aegypt The means of the preservation of so great a State is only by an induced confidence upon the power and force of those Timariots who as well have their pay and locall grounds of compensation in time of tranquility as warres to defend these Countries from the incursions of the wilde Arabs which evermore annoy the Turkes and also Strangers and cannot possibly be brought to a quiet and well formed manner of living but are continuall spoilers of these parts of the Turkes Dominions That mischiefe daily increaseth rather then any way diminisheth They taking example from the beastly Turkes adde by these patterns more wickednesse to the badnesse of their owne dispositions So that every one of these Savages according to his power dealeth with all men uncivilly and cruelly even like a wildernesse full of wilde beasts living all upon rapine and robbery wanting all sense of humanity more then a shew of appearance Whereby being combind to gether doe tyrannize over all even from the red Sea to Babylon Thus they in that violent humour invading also these of Affrick hath caused Grand Cayro to be furnished with thirty thousand Timariots which defend the frontiers of Aegypt and Gozan Leaving all the Turkes at Damascus save onely oâ—r Ianizaries and Souldiers within the space of two houres after our departure from thence travelling in the way to Ierusalem the whole Armenians fell downe on the ground kissing it and making many sincere demonstrations of unwonted devotion At the which I being amazed stood gazing asking my Trench man what news who replied saying it was the place where S. Paul was converted which they had and all Christians should have in great regard The place was covered with an old Chappell and More like some relict of exstirp'd decay Than for a monument reard for the way To blaze on Pauls conversion yet it 's true The worke was done even by the Christian Iew Or Iacobine a circumcised kind Who beare to frankes a most respective mind Three dayes were we betwixt Damascus and the East part of Galilee which is the beginning of Canaan two of which three we encountred with marishes and quagmires being a great hinderance to us This barren and marish Countrie is a part of Arabia Petrea comming in with a point between Galilee and Syria running along even to the South-west skirt of Libanus which indeed in that place farre more than Iordan divideth the true Syria from Canaan this Petrean Countrey it selfe devalling even downe to the limits of Iacobs bridge cutteth away the denomination of Syria from this parcell of ground till you come Eastward to the more laborious Plains Through this
passage it is most undoubtedly a very theevish way for as we travelled in the night there were many of us forced to carry burning lights in our hands our souldiers had their Harquebuzes ready to discharge all to affray the blood-thirsty Arabians who in holes caves and bushes lie obscured waiting for the advantage upon Travellers not unlike unto the Lawlesse Wood-Karnes in Ireland This part of Arabia is called Petrosa because it is so rockie and some thinke of Petra the chiefe Towne It was anciently divided into regions Nabathia and Agara possessed first by the Hagarens discended of Abraham and Hagar It is also thought to be the land of the Midianites whither Moses fled to and kept sheep and Mount Horeb is here whereon the Lord did shew him the land of Promise Divers of the Petrean Arabs converse and dwell amongst the Turks whom we tearm in respect of the other civill Arabs South from hence lieth Arabia Foelix bordering with the Indian Sea which is the most fruitfull and pleasant soyle in all Asia abounding with Balsome Myrrhe and Frankincense Gold and Pearls especially about Medina the second City to Meccha The other Towns of note are Horan the chiefe Port of the South Ocean And Alteroch the only Towne where Christians are in greatest number in that Country Truly with much difficulty and greater danger passed we these Petrean journeys Here I remarked a singular quality and rare perfection in the carefull conduction of our Captaine who would when wee came to any dangerous place give the watâ—h-word of S. Ioanne meaning as much thereby that none should speak or whisper after that warning under the pain of a Harquebusado And no more wee durst unlesse hee had stretcht out his hand making us a signe when occasion served of liberty lest by our tumultuous noise in the night our enemies should have the foreknowledge of our comming and knowing also that the nature of a multitude bred all times confused effects without some severe punishment Himself rode still in the Vangard upon a lusty Gelding with two Ianizaries and forty Souldiers and the other foure Ianizaries and sixtie Souldiers were appointed to be the backgard for feare of sudden assaults Thus most dexteriously discharged he the function of his calling not with insolencie but with prudent and magnanimous virility for my part I must needs say the diligent care of that benigne Caravan extended over mee was such that whensoever I remember it I am not able to sacrifice congratulations sufficiently to his wel-deserving minde yet in the meane while my Purse bountifully rewarded his earnest endevours and notwithstanding of this high conceived regard yet in some frivolous things and for a small trifle he privatly wronged me which I misknew as unwilling knowing his disposition and that my life hung in his hands to be too forward too seek a redresse For often times an inconvenience is most convenient and as the great corrupter of youth is pleasure and the violent enemy of age is griefe even so are the inordinate desires of inconscionable strangers toward Travellers who preferring avarice above honesty care onely for that part of a man which is his fortune whose friendship beginning onely in an outward show must end in the midst of a mans money as who would say such like were rather employed as their employments rewarded and therefore in unlawfull things they must suck the honey of their owne preposterous ends And thus it fared with him at the paying of my Tributes by the way for my head he caused mee oft to pay more then reason to the Moores Turks and civill Arabs receiving secretly back from them the overplus which my Turkish Servant perceiving made my Trenchman tell me that I might be before seene therein But such is the covetous nature of man that with his covenant hee cannot be contented unlesse hee seeke otherwise by all unlawfull meanes to purchase himselfe an unjust gaine But the high respect I had of his other perfections made mee oversee and winke at that imperfection of avaritiousnesse in him and especially remembring my selfe to be under his protection I always endevoured my aymes so that in his sight I wonne extraordinary favour insomuch that in danger or securitie he would euer have me neere by him which I also craved and strove to observe the points of his will and my owne safety The obligation of my bounden duety taught me to no other end then ever to respect the benevolence of his his affection and to suppresse my own weake judgement which could never mount to the true acquittance of his condigne merit But to proceed in my Pilgrimage on the aforesaid third day in the after-noone we entred in Galilee passing along a faire Bridge that is over the River Iordain which divideth a part of this stony Arabia from Galilee This Bridge by the Armenians is called Iacobs Bridge and not farre hence they shewed me the place where Iacob wrestled with the Angell and where Esau met his brother Iacob to have killed him being upon the East side of the River Iordain is scarcely known by the name in this place but afterward I saw his greater growth ending in Sodome whereof in the owne place I shall more simply discourse between Iacobs Bridge and Ierusalem we had sixe dayes journey five whereof were more pleasant than profitable in regard of the great tributes I payd by the way for my head that at sundry places aâ—d into one day I have payd for my freedome in passage twelâ—e Chickens of gold amounting to five pounds eight shillings of English money A journall tribute more fit for a Prince to pay than a Pilgrime the admiration onely resting upon this how I was furnished with these great moneyes I dayly disbursed Aprill the eighteene day according to the computation of the Roman Callender and by ours March the eight and twenty I entred in Gallilee a Province of Canaan this Country was first called Canaan from Canan the sonne of Cham secondly the Land of Promise because it was promised by the Lord to Abraham and his seed to possesse Thirdly the land of Israel of the Israelites so called from Iacob who was sirnamed Israel Fourthly Iudea from the Iews or the people of the Tribe of Iudah Fifthly Palestine quasi Philistim the land of the Philistims And now sixtly terra sancta the holy Land because herein was wrought many wonderfull miracles but especially the work of our salvation It is in length 180 and in breadth 60 miles yet of that salubrity of aire and fertility of soile flowing with Milke and Honey that before the comming of the Israelites it maintained thirty Kings with their people and afterward the two potent Kingdomes of Israel and Iudah in which David numbred one million and three hundred thousand fighting men besides them of the Tribe of Benjamin and Levi It is most certain that by the goodnesse of the climate and soile especially by the blessing of God
to themselves wee care not for as they erre in this so doe they erre in all following meerly the Traditions of men they run galloping post to Hell The Patriarch being informed by the laughing Caravan of these news asked me in disdain thinking it had been an Article of my beliefe if I saw that House or believed that the Chappell of Loretta was such a thing to whom I constantly answered I did not believe it affirming it was onely but a Devillish invention to deceive the blind-folded people and to fill the Coffers of the Roman priests Now thou bottomlesse Gulfe of papistry here I forsake thee no Winter-blasting Furies of Satans subtile storms can make shipwrack of my Faith on the stony shelves of they deceitfull deeps Thus and after this manner too are all the illusions of their imaginary and false miracles first invented partly by monasteriall pouerty then confirmed by provincial bribery and lastly they are faith-sold for consistoricall lucre In the time of our staying here the Emeere or Lord of the Towne sent six women conducted by 12 of his servants to an Armenian Prince that was a Pilgrime in our company to be used by him and others whom so he would elect to be his fellow labourers Which indeed he did kindly accept and invited me to that feast but I gave him the refusall little regarding such a frivolous commodity He and fome of the chiefe Pilgrimes entertayned them for the space of three houres and sent them backe giving to their Conductors fifteene Piasters in a reward Truly if I would rehearse the impudency of these whoors and the brutishnesse of the Armenians as it is most ignominious to the actors so no doubt it would be very loathsome to the Reader Such is the villanie of these Orientall slaues under the Turkes that not onely by conversing with them learne some of their damnable Hethnick customes but also going beyond them in beastly sensualnesse become worse then bruite beasts This maketh me remember a worthy saying of that Heathenish Roman Emperour Marcus Aurelius who in consideration of fleshly lusts said that although he were sure that the gods would not punish him for the offence yet he would forbeare it in regard of the filthinesse of the fact it selfe Indeede of a Pagan a noble and vertuous resolution when such base and beastly Christians these wretched Armenians committed with these Infidelish harlots a twofold kind of voluptuous abhomination which my conscience commands me to conceale least I frequent this Northen World with that which their nature never knew nor their knowledge have heard hearing of the like but God in his iust judgements that same night threatned both to have punished the doers and the whole company for their sakes For wee having resolved to travell all that night and because the way was rocky and hard to be knowne and perillous for Arabs we hired a Christian guide named Ioab and agreed with him to take us to Lidda which was two dayes journey But before we advanced to our passage Ioab had sent a privie messenger before us to warne about three hundred Arabs who had their abode on the South side of Mount Carmell to meete him at such a place as he had appointed giving them to know wee were rich and well provided with Chickens and Sultans of Gold and Piasters of silver and that he should render us into their hands for such a recompence and consideration as their savage judgement should thinke fit according to the spoyles and booties they should obtaine together with the miserable murder and losse of our lives This being done and unknown to us we marched along travelling faster then our ordinary pace some on horse and some on foot for my pilgrimage was ever pedestriall which our guide suspecting that by our celerity wee should goe beyond the place appointed for his treacherous plot began to crosse us grievously leading us up and downe amongst pools and holes whither he listed where many of our Camels Asses were lost and could not be recovered because wee all began to suspect and feare which was the cause that the owners durst not stay to relieve their perished beasts In the end the Captaine and Ianizaries intreated him earnestly to bring us in the right way but the more they requested the more obdurate was his heart replying he was mistaken and could not finde it till day light upon the which words the company was stayed and in the mean-while there came a Turke one of our Sâ—uldiers unto the Captain saying hee saw the Guide before our departure from Nazareth send a Moore before him for what respect hee knew not being long at private conference Whereupon they straight bound him with ropes on a horse back threatning him with death to cause him confesse the truth In the midst of this tumult I having got sight of the North-starre which seem'd exceeding low to me considered thereby that the Villaine had led us more to the Southward then to the Westward which was our way to Jerusalem Whereupon I intreated the Caravan to turne our faces Northward otherwise we should be cut off and that suddenly for although said I it may peradventure be that we are three or foure miles short of the place intended for our massacre yet they missing us will like ravening Wolves hunt here and there wherefore if wee incline to the North God willing wee shall prevent their bloody designes To the which advice being duely pondered they yielded and so I became their Guide in that darke night till morning for none of them knew that Starre neither the nature of it At last this desperate wretch considering that either by our vanquishing or the enemies victory hee could not escape sith his Treason was revealed began to beg pardon of the Caravan saying that if he could have any surety of his life he would sufficiently informe us how to eschew these iminent dangers for we were all in extream perill of our lives and not so much courage not comfort left us as the very smallest hope of any relief The Captain being distracted with feare replied hee would and thereupon swore a solemne oath so did the Ianizaries sweare by the head of Mahomet for the like effect Which being done he was untied and confessed that if we had continued in our way he led us we had been all put to the edge of the Sword and falling downe on his knees cried oft with teares mercy mercy mercy All that night we went with that Starre and against morning wee were in the Westerne confines of Phoenicia and at the beginning of Palestine close by the Marine and within halfe a mile of Tyrus This sometimes renowned City of Tyrus called now by the Moores Sur was famous for her Purples and Collonies dispersed over all the World by her Citizens and once a Kingdome of great antiquity and long continuance The most worthiest of her Kings were Hiram in strict bond of Confederaie with Salomon
Walls which were built by Sultan Selim So that thereby the difference of the situation is not so great though a part thereof be removed but a man may boldly affirme that the most part of this City is builded on that place where the first Ierusalem was as may truly appeare and is made manifest by these Mountains mentioned in the Scriptures whereupon Ierusalem is both situate and environed about who reserve their names to this day and are still seene and knowne by the same as Mount Syon Mount Calvary Mount Moriah and Mount Olivet The forme of the situation of Ierusalem is now like to a Hart or Triangle the one point whereof looketh East extending downward almost to the Valley of Iehosaphat which divideth Ierusalem and Mount Olivet The second head or point bendeth out South-west upon Syon bordering neere to the Valley of Gehinnon The third corner lieth on Mount Moriah toward the North and by West having its prospect to the buriall place of the Kings of Israel The Walles are high and strongly builded with Saxo quadrato which adorne Ierusalem more then any thing within it the Holy Grave excepted It is of circuit about three miles and a halfe of our measure As touching the former glory of this City I will not meddle withall nor yet describe sith the Scriptures so amply manifest the same concerning the lamentable destruction of it I refer that to the famous Historiographer Iosephus who largely discourâ—eth of many hundred thousands famished and put to the Sword within this multipotent City by Vespasian and Titus his sonne being the messengers of Gods just judgements which by his computation did amount beyond the number of eleven hundred thousands But it is to be understood they were all at one time in Ierusalem but came up by turns and times from the circumjacent Countries about by thousands and as they were cut off so their numbers were aye renewed againe as necessity required This City hath oft bin conquered by enemies First by Nabuchodanezzar the Assirian King Secondly by the Greekes and Alexander the Great and also marvellously afflicted by Antiochus Thirdly it was taken in by Pompeius Fourthly destroyed by Vespatian and Titus Fiftly it was re-edified by Adrian the Emperour and wonne againe by Gosdroes the Persian King Sixtly it was overcome by Homor Califf the successour of Mahomet Seventhly by the great Souldan of Aegypt and by Godfrey du Bulloine a Christian Prince Eightly by Saladine the Caliph of Aegypt and Damascus Anno 1187. who reserved successively the Signiory thereof for a long time And lastly it was surprized by Sultan Selim or Solyman the Emperour of the Turkes Anno 1517. joyning the Holy Land together with Aegypt to his Empire who fortified the same being by Infidels detained to this day and by likely-hood shall keep it to the consummation of the world unlesse God of his mercy deale otherwise then the hopes of mans weake judgement can expect Whence truely I may say that when fortune would change friendship she dis-leagueth conditionall amity with the senslesse litargy of foule ingratitude This City is now governed by a Sanzack or Subbassaw being placed there by the Bassaw of Damaseus whose Deputy hee is the other being chiefe Ruler under the Grand Signior over all the Holy Land and the halfe of Syria There is a strong Garrison kept alwayes in Ierusalem to withstand the Arabish invasions consisting of eight hundred Souldiers Turkes and Moores who are vigilant in the night and circumspect in the day time so that none can enter the Towne without their knowledge nor yet goe forth without their triall This is a memorable note and worthy of observation that at that time when the Cities of Ierusalem and Antiochia were recovered from the Pagans by the meanes of Godfrey of Bolloigne the Pope of Rome that then was was called Vrbanus the Patriarch of Ierusalem Heraclius and the Roman Emperour Fredericke And at the same time and long thereafter when Ierusalem was re-inthralled and seized upon by Saladine the Popes name was Vrbanus the Patriarch of Ierusalem Heraclius and the Roman Emperour Fredericke After Herod the Idumean sonne to Antipater in whose time Christ was born Archelaus Agrippa Herod who imprisoned Peter and Iames and was eaten of vermine in whose time Christ suffered and Agrippaminor before whom Paul pleaded the last King of the Iews had raigned being strange Kings in the last Kings time Ierusalem was overthrowne and the Kingdome made a Province of the Roman Empire Anno 37. After which desolation the Iews were over all the World dispersed but afterward in a zealous consideration were banished from the most part of the Christian Kingdomes out of France they were rejected by Philip the Faire Anno 1307. out of Spain by Ferdinand the Catholicke 1492. out of Portugale by Emanuell 1497. out of England by Edward the fifth 1290. out of Naples and Sycilia by Charles the fifth 1539. Yet they are found in great numbers in divers parts of Germany Poland and in some Cities of Italy as Venice and her Territories Florence and the jurisdiction thereof the principalities of Parma Mantua Modena Vrbino and their extending limits and finally Rome besides her Ecclesiasticall papacie wherein there are no lesse than twenty thousand of them They are also innumerable over all the Turkish Dominions who so misregard and hate them for the crucifying of Christ that they use to say in detestation of any thing I would I might die a Iew neither will they permit a Iew to turn Turk unlesse hee first be baptized And yet live where they will the most part of them are the wealthiest people in the world having subtile and sublime spirits Now for the severall Kings and Rulers of Iudah and Israel beginning at Moses the Judges of the Iews were 16 of whom Samuel was the last at which time the people desired to have a King like unto other Nations The Kings of the Iews were three Saul David and Salomon And the Kings of Iudah were twenty Zedechias being last in whose time Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Ierusalem Of the Kings of Israel there were seventeene of whom Oseas was the last in whose time the Israelites were carried captives into Assyria by King Salmanasser The Dukes or Governours of Iewry were fifteene of which Ioannes Hircanius was the last Governour of Iudea which descended from the stock of David During the government of which Captains after the Babylonian captivity the Jewish Kingdome was plagued on both sides by the Kings of Aegypt and Syria who slaughtered their people ransacked their Cities made havock of their goods and compelled them to eat forbidden flesh and sacrifice to Idols To reforme which enormities Matathias and his five sonnes valiantly resisted and overcame the impetuous fury of Antiochus Epiphanes and his Syrians Whereupon the Iews chose Iudas sirnamed Machabeus for their Captaine one of the Worlds nine Worthies who thought not of the line of David was yet of the
Syon These are the Monuments shewn us upon the Mount of Olives First the print of the left foot of our Saviour in an immoveable stone which he made when hee ascended to Heaven the Guardiano told us further that the right foots print was taken away by the Turks and detained by them in the Temple of Salomon But who can think our Saviour trod so hard at his Ascension as to have left the impression of his feet behind him Next the place where hee foretold the judgement to come and the signes and the wonders that should be seene in the Heavens before that dreadfull day Thirdly the place where the Symbolum Apostolorum was made which is a fine Chamber under ground like a Church having twelve pillars to support it Fourthly where Christ taught his Disciples the Pater noster and where hee fell in an Agony when hee sweat blood and water Fifthly where Peter Iames and Iohn slept whiles our Saviour prayed and returned so oft to awake them and also below that where the other Disciples were left Sixtly the Garden of Gethsemaine where Christ used commonly to pray in the which place he was apprehended by the Officers of the high Priests and it was also where Iudas kissed him and the Serjants fell backward on the ground Seventhly they shewed us a stone marked with the Head Feet and Elbows of Iesus in their throwing of him down when as they bound him after he was taken and ever since say they have these prints remayned there And lastly at the foot of Mount Olivet in the Valley of Iehosaphat we descended by a paire of staires of forty three steps and six paces large in a faire Church builded under the ground Where say they the Monument of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is and did shew it unto us whom they think was born in Ierusalem dwelt at Bethleem and Nazareth and died upon Mount Syon I saw also there the Sepulchres of Ioseph her Husband Ioachim her Father and of Anna her Mother And for which sights paying sixteene Madins a man to certaine Moores we returned to our Monastery again night to repose us having seen all the Antiquities and places of note were to be seen in and about all Iudea Lo I have plainly described all these Monuments by the order of these twelve severall days The like heretofore was never by any Travailer so punctually and so truly and so curiously set down and made manifest to the intellective Reader But as I said in the beginning of my Description so say I now at the conclusion some of these things are ridiculous some of manifest untruths some also doubtfull and others somewhat more credible and of apparant truth The recapitulation whereof is only by me used as I was informed by Gaudentius Saybantus the father Guardian Laurenzo Antonio il Viccario and the Trenchman Iohn Baptista Then had we avaricious Baptista our Guide and Interpreter to reward every one of us propining him with two Chickeens of Gold And lastly wee gratified the gaping Steward the Cerberian Porter the Cymerian Cooke and his Aetnean face with a Chickeen of Gold the man from each of us amounting in all among the four Catzâ—cullioni to twenty foure pounds fifteene shillings sterling Nay this was not all for even when the Aegyptian Caravan was staying for us without the City the Guardian made a begging Sermon to us imploring our bounties to commiserate and support their great calamities losses and oppressions inflicted upon them by the Infidels with many other base and flattering speeches which indeed nine of us refused because of the great Extortion hee had imposed upon us before but the two Germaâ— Barons gave him the value of six English pounds or thereabouts And now finally ere I leave Mount Syon I think it not amisse to give the itching Traveller a frozen stomacke who perhaps soweth Words in the Winde conceptions in the Ayre and catcheth Salmons swimming on Atlas I will now I say justly cast up to him the charges I defrayed within the Walles of Ierusalem not reckoning my journall expences and tributes else-where abroad arising to 18 pounds 16 shillings sterling And there a cooling card for his Caprizziat and imaginary inventions And it may serve also to damnifie the blind conceit of many who think that Travellers are at no charges go where they will but are freely maintained every where and that is as false as an hereticall errour May the 12 and the 18 day of my staying there about mid-day the other ten I joyned with the Caravan who formerly had conditioned with us to carry us to Egypt to furnish the rest with Camels or Dromidaries to ride upon for I would never ride any for 19 Piasters the man discharging us also all Tributes and Caffars were to be imposed upon us by the way so we marched through the Southwest part of Iudea towards Idumea or the Edomites land and mean-while I gave Ierusalem this good-night c. Thrice sacred Sion somtimes blaz'd abroad To be the Mansion of the living God For Prophets Oracles Apostles deare And godly Kings who raisd great glory here Where Aarons Râ—d the Arke and Tables two And Mannaes Pot fire of sacrifice so From Heaven that fell were all inclos'd in thee Containing neer what not contain'd could be To thee sweet Sion and thine eldest daughter Which Titus fiercely sackt with Iewish slaughter And to thy second birth rais'd to my sight I prostrate bid thy blessed bounds good night Next for the Holy land which I have trac'd From end to end and all its beauty fac'd Where Kings were stall'd disthron'd defac'd renown'd Cast down erect'd unscepterd slain and crown'd The land of Promise once a Sea of Oile Whence milk and honey flow'd yea to a soile Where men and might like miracles were rais'd Sprung from a Garden plot A wonder prais'd Above conceit whose strength did for excell All other lands take thou my kind farewell And last Franciscan Friers O painted Tombs Where vice and lust lurke low beneath your wombs Whose hearts like Hell do gape for greed of gold That have Religion with your conscience sold To you I say a pox O flattering Friers And damn'd deceivers born and bred for Lyers Whose end my purse implores O faithlesse fellows And leaves you for your pains curst Hamans gallows Having bid farwell to Syon we marched that afternoon in the way of Gaza and arrived at night in a goodly Village more full of Iews than Moores called Hembaluda situate on the face of a fruitfull Hill and the last limit of Iudea Here the Germans and I were well entertained gratis by certain Iews that spoke Italian and much rejoyced to see such strangers in these bounds for two of them had been borne in Venice The Captaine and our company were all Aegyptians all of them being Christians called Copties viz. believers Their number was about 800 persons who had come up from Aegypt to dignifie for
the Judge and pleading both our best for there are no Lawyers in Turkie every man speaking for himselfe the Bassaw with his Counsell upon sight of the keyes of their Cloakbags in my hands and my narration thereupon and not withstanding favouring the Factor immediatly determined that I should have the two parts of their moneys with all their Ierusalem relicts and Turkish clothes and the Venetian to have the former third part It is done and irrevocable upon which the Iewish Doctor and I with two Ianizaries came to mine adversaries house where I giving the Iew the keyes the Cloakbags were opened and the money being told it came iust to 1424 Chickeens of gold besides certain rings and tablets The Iew delivered me my part which came to 942 Chidkeens the rest went to the inconscionable Consul with the half of the rings tablets And packing up all the relicts moneys cloths and Cloakbags I hired a Mule and brought them along with me to the French Factors house Where when come Monsieur Beauclair and my fellow Pilgrimes were very glad that I had sped so wel none of us al knowing what was in the cloak-bags till they were viewed giving hearty thanks to the Consul and ten pieces of gold to the Iew and Ianizaries I sup'd and reposed till the morrow thanking God of my good fortune Yet was I exceeding sorrowfull for the losse of these gallant Gentlemen Religiously disposed and so affable that for familiarity and kindnesse they were the mirrours of noble minds and vertuous spectacles of humanity whose Deaths were to mee a Hell and whose lives had beene my Paradice on earth To whose memory and prayse I am not able to Congratulate the least Commendation their Heroicke dispositions deserved at my hands But what shall I say their time was come which mortality might sorrow but sorrow might not prevent Death whose power is deafe to all humane lamentations Neither will I relye so much upon my owne worthinesse as to thinke the benefit of the procrastination of my Life was by any merite of mine deserved but that God so much the more might show his incomprehensible goodnesse in delivering me from the violence of such unexpected accidents and to tye my soule to bee thankfull for his mercies For all the beginnings of man are derived from God whose ends are either perfited or disanulled by his determination and nothing wee possesse is properly our owne or gotten by our own power but given us onely through his goodnesse and munificence And all the spaces of earth which our feet tread over the Light we enioy and the excellent faculties we are indued withall or what we can do say or thinke is onely raised guided and distributed by Gods impenetrable Counsell Will and Providence which although the pride of our wicked nature doth not yeeld the true attribution thereunto yet the powerfull working of the counsell of God is such that in it selfe it proveth an eternall wisdome and confoundeth the foolishnesse of the World This incorporate World of Grand Cairo is the most admirable and greatest City seen upon the earth being thrice as large of bounds as Constantinople and likewise so populous but not so well builded being situate in a pleasant Plain and in the heart of Egypt kissing Nylus at some parts The City is divided in five Townes first and formost Cairo novo the new Caire which is the principall and chiefest place of all the other lying in midst of the rest having Walls and Ports the circuit whereof is twenty two miles containing all the chiefe Merchandise and Market places within it The second is Cairo Vecchio the old Caire called formerly Cairo de Babylonia or Babylon Aegyptiorum for there were two Babylons one in Assyria called now by the Turkes Bagdat and the other is this that joyneth with the new Caire It was also anciently called Memphis and was the furthest place Vlysses in his Travels visited so well memorized by Homer yet a Voyage of no such estimation as that Princely Poet accounted it for his Travels were not answerable to the fifteenth part of mine The third Towne is Medin joyning to the backside of the old Caire toward the Piramides The fourth is Boulake running a great length down along and neer the River side having three Market places of no small account The fift and last is the great Town of Caraffar bending Southward in the way of the Red Sea for many miles All which are but as Suburbs to the new Caire that of many small 's make up a Countrey rather then a City And yet all of them are contiguate one with an other either to the left or right hand or to them both with innumerable streets The length whereof in all from the lowest end of Boulak to the South-most part of Caraffar is by my deepe experience twenty eight English miles and fourteene in breadth for tryall whereof I trâ—ad it one day on foote from Sun to Sunne being guideâ— and guarded with a riding Ianizarie which for my bruised feet on the streets was one of the â—orest dayes iourney that ever I had in my life The principall gates of the new Caire are Babeh Mamstek looking toward the Wildernesse and the Red Sea Bebzauillah toward Nylus and Babell Eutuch toward the fields The streetes are narrow beeing all of them almost covered to save them from the parching heate with open vents for light and their buildings commonly are two stories high composed either of mudde or brick and platforme on the tops whereon usuall in the night they use to sleep to imbrace the fresh and cooling ayre Their Bazar or exchange beginneth at the gate of Mamsteck and endeth at a place called Babeso At the corners of chiefe streetes and market places there are divers horses standing ready sadled and bridled that for a small matter or according to the way a man may hire and ride where so he will either to negotiate or to view this spacious spred City and change as many horses as hee listeth having the Masters which owne them to convey them for lesse or longer way which is a great ease to weary passengers There is a great commerce here with exceeding many nations for by their concurring hither it is wonderfull peopled with infinite numbers for the Countrey aboundeth in Silkes Cornes Fruits Waxe Honey and the soveraigne Balsamo good for all sores besides many other Commodities of Cotten-wooll rich Stuffs of cloth of gold and silver and the best Sattins Damask Taffaties and Grograims that are made in the World are here The infinite populositie of which place and the extreame heat is the cause why the pest is evermore in the City in so much that at some certaine times ten thousand persons have died in one day Nay the Citie is reputed to be in good health if there die but one or two thousand in a day or three hundred thousand in a whole yeare I mean when the sore encroaching pestilence which
great So alwayes it is no wonder that the nature of this River should so increase when even here and at home the river of Rhine hath the like intercourse and at the same time through the Town of Geneve and so to the Mediterranian Sea Their beginnings being both alike from the impetuosity of raynes and dissolvings of Snow Egypt was first inhabited by Mifraim the sonne of Chus from whom the Arabians name the land Misre in the Hebrew tongue Misoriae It was also named Oceana from Oceanus the second King hereof Thirdly Ostriana from Osiris and now Aegyptus from Aegyptus the surname of Rameses once a King of great puissance It borders with Aethiopia and the Confines of Nubiat on the South On the North with the Sea Mediterrane The chiefest ports whereof are Damieta and Alexandria towards the occident it joyneth with the great Lake Bouchiarah a dangerous Wilderness confining therewith supposed to be a part of Cyrene so full of wilde and venemous beasts which maketh the West part unaccessable And on the East with the Istmus and Confine of Desartuous Arabia and a part of the Red Sea through which the people of Israel passed This Country was gouerned by Kings first and longest of all other Nations From Orisis not reckoning his Regall Ancestors in whose time Abraham went downe to Aegypt hee and his Successours were all called Pharaoes of whom Amasis is onely worthy mention who instituted such politicke Lawes to the ancient Egyptians that he deserueth to be Catalogized as founder of this Kingdome This Race continued till Cambises the second Persian Monarch made Aegypt a member of his Empire and so remained till Darius Nothus the sixt Persian King from whom they Revolted choosing Kings of themselues But in the eighteene yeare of Nectanebos the seventh King thereafter Aegypt was recovered by Ochus the eight Emperour of Persia. In end Darius being vanquished and Alexander King thereof after his Death it fell to the share of Ptolomeus the sonne of Lagi from whom the Kings of Aegypt were for a long time called Ptolomeis of whom Queene Cleopatra was the last after whose selfe murther it was annexed for many yeares to the Roman Empire next to the Constantinopolitan from whose insupportable burden they revolted and became tributaries for a small time to Haumar the third Caliph of Babylon Afterward being oppressed by Almericus King of Ierusalem Noradin a Turkish King of Damascus sent Saracon a valiant Warriour to aide them who made him selfe absolute King of the whole Countrey whose ofspring succeeded of whom Saladine was one the glorious conquerour of the East till Melechsala who was slaine by his owne souldiers the Mamaluks who were the guard of the Suldans as the Ianizaries are to the great Turke who lately Anno 1622 have almost made the like mutation in the Turkish Empire as the Mamaluks did in the Aegyptian They made of themselves Sultans where by the Mamaluke race continued from the year 1250 till the year 1517 wherein Tonembius together with his predecessour Campson Gaurus was overcome by Selimus the first by whom Aegypt was made a Province of the Turkish Empire so continueth as yet The length of his Kingdome is foure hundred and fifty English miles and two hundred broad the principall seat whereof is the great Caire being distant from Ierusalem sixteen days journey or Caravans journalls amounting to 240 of our miles Some hold that the space of earth that lyeth betwene the two branches of Damieta and Roseta was called the lower Aegypt now called Delta under the figure of a Greeke letter triangular The head of this great Delta where Nylus divideth it selfe was called Hoptapolis or Hoptanomia and Delta it selfe was called by the Romans Augustamia Aegypt besides the aforesaid names it had divers Epithites of divers Authours for Appollodorus termed it the Religion of Melampedes because of the fertility of it And Plutarch gave it the name Chimia because of the holy ceremonies of the Aegyptians in worshiping their Gods The Etymology whereof Ortelius condignely remarked deriving it from Cham the sonne of Noah so that some hold the opinion that the Aegyptians had their originall from Misraim for so was Aegypt called the sonne of Chus that proceeded from Cham Noahs sonne The circuit of Delta or the lower Aegypt is thought to be 3000. of their stades which maketh a hundred Spanish leagues In the time of the Ptolomeis the revenewes of this Kingdome were 12000 talents so also in the time of the Mamaluks but now through tyranicall government and discontinuance of traffick through the red sea the Turke receiveth no more than three millions yearly one of the which is free to himselfe the other two are distribuâ—nd to support the charge of his Vicegerent Bassaw and presidiary souldiers being 12000 Ianizaries besides their thousand of Timariots which keep Aegypt from the incursions and tyranny of Arabs In Cayre I stayed twelve dayes and having bid farewell to Monsieur Beauclaire the Consul who courteously entertained me the other foure French Pilgrimes and I imbarked at Boulaeque in a boate And as we went downe the River the chiefe Townes of note we saw where these Salmona Pharesone Fova Abdan I remember our boate was double hooked with forked pikes of iron round about the sides for feare of the Crocodiles who usually leape up on boates and will carry the passenger away headlong in the streame And yet these 〈◊〉 themselves are devouted by a water-Rat of whom they taking great pleasure and play and gaping widely the Rat running into his mouth the other out of joy swalloweth it downe where the Rat for disdain commeth forth at the broad side of his belly leaving the Crocodile dead In these parts there is a stone called Aquiline which hath the vertue to deliuer a woman from her paine in child birth In all this way the greatest pleasure I had was to behold the rare beauty of certaine Birds called by the Turkes Ellock whose feathers being beautified with the diversity of rarest colours yeeld a farre off to the beholder a delectable shew having also this propriety the nearer a man approacheth them the more they loose the beauty of their feathers by reason of the feare they conceive when they see a man Vpon the third day we landed at Rosetta and came over land with a company of Turkes to Alexandria being 50 miles distant Alexandria is the second port in all Turkie It was of old a most renowned City and was built by Alexander the great but now is greately decayed as may appeare by the huge ruines therein It hath two havens the one whereof is strongly fortified with two Castles which defend both it selfe and also Porto vecchio The fields about the Towne are sandy which ingender an infectious ayre especially in the moneth of August and is the reason why strangers fall into bloody fluxes and other heavy sicknesses In my staying here I was advised by a Ragusan Consul
to keepe my stomacke hot to abstaine from eating of fruit and to live soberly with a temperate diet The rule of which government I strove diligently to observe so did I also in all my travells prosecute the like course of a smal diet and was often too small against my will by the meanes whereof praised be God I fell never sicke til my returne to France This City is mightily impoverished since the Trading of Spices that were brought through the red Sea to Aegypt and so over Land to Alezandria its Sea-port Whence the Venetian dispersed them over all Christendome but are now brought home by the backe-side of Affricke by the Portugals English and Flemmings which maketh both Venice and Alezandria fare the worse for want of their former trafficke and commerce in these Southerne parts whence Venice grew the mother nurse to all Europe for these Commodities but now altogether spoyled thereof and decayed by our Westerne Adventures in a longer course for these Indian soyles This City was a place of great Merchandise in the Nycen Councell was ordayned to bee one of the foure Partiarchall seas the other three are Antiochia Ierusalem and Constantinople Here in Alexandria was that famous Library which Ptolomeus Philadelphus filled with 700000 volumes It was hee that also caused the 72 Interpreters to translate the Bible Over against Alexandria in the little Isle Pharos in the which for the commodity of saylers the aforesaide King builded a watch-towre of white Marble being of so marvellous a height that it was accounted one of the seven Wonders of the world the other six being the Pyramides the Tombe Mausolaca which Helicarnassus Queene of Caria caused built in honour of her husband the Temple of Ephesus the Wals of Babylon the Colossus of Rhodes and the Statâ—e of Iupiter Olympicus at Elis in Greece which was made by Phidias an excellent work-master in Gold and Ivory being in height 60 Cubites Expecting fifteene dayes heere in Alexandria for passage great was the heate the French men and I indured in somuch that in the day time we did nought but in a low roome besprinkled the water upon our selves and all the night lie on the top or platforme of the house to have the ayre where at lest bidding good-night to our Greekish Host wee imbarked in a Sclavonian ship belonging to Ragusa and so set our faces North for Christendom in which ship I was kindly used and Christian-like enterteined both for victuals and passage The Winds somewhat at the beginning favouring us wee weighed Anchors and set forward to Sea leaving â—he Coast of Cyrene Westward from us which lieth between Aegypt by the Sea side and Numidia or Kingdome of Tunnis The chief cities therein are Cyrene Arsinâ—a and Barca whence the whole Cyrenian Countrey taketh the modern name Barca Marmorica anciently Penta Politanat The Soyle is barren of Waters and Fruites the people rude and theftâ—ous yet it hath bred the most ingenious spirits as Calimachus the Poet Aristippus the Phylosopher Eratosthenes the Mathematician and Symon of Cyrene whom the Iewes compelled to carry our Saviours Crosse. In this Province which is now reckoned as a part of Aegypt stood the Oracle of Iupiter Hammon in the great Wildernesse confining with Lybia Whither when Alexander travailed he saw for foure dayes 〈◊〉 neither Man Beast Bird Tree nor River Where when arriâ—ed the flattering Priests professed him to be the sonne of Iupiter which afterwards being hurt with an Arrow â—ee found false saying Omnes ne vocant filium Iovis sed 〈◊〉 sagitta me probat esse mortalem West from Cyrene â—ll the Kingdomes of Tunnis Tremisen Algier Fesse â—nd a part of Morocco even to the Gibilterre or fretum Herculeâ—m under a generall name now called Barbary and hardly can be distinguished by the barbarous Moores In the time of this our Navigation for Christendome there dyed seventeene of our Mariners and all our foure French Pilgrimes two of them being gray haired and 60 yeares of age which bred no small griefe and feare to us all thinking that they had died of the plague for it was exceeding rife in Alexandria from whence wee came The French men had onely left unspent among them all threescore and nine Chickeens of Gold which the Master of the Ship medled with and because they were Papists and they and I alwayes adverce to other I could not claime it Their dead Corpes were cast over Board in a boundlesse Grave to feed the fishes and wee then expecting too the like mutation of Life So likewise in our passage wee were five sundry times assailed by the Cursares and Pirats of Tunnis and Biserta yet unprevailing for wee were well provided with good Munition and skilfull Martiall and resolute Ragusans and a Gallant ship Our Ships burthen being sixe hundred Tunnes did carry twenty eight peeces of Ordonance two of them brazen and fourescore strong and strenuous Saylers besides nine Merchants and Passengers The greatnesse of our ship did more terrifie the roguish Runnagates then any violent defence wee made for they durst never set on us unlesse they had beene three together and yet we little reregarded them in respect of our long reaching Ordonance and expert gunners in these circumstances of time I remember almost every day wee should see flockes of flying fishes scudding upon the curling waves so long as their finnes be wet which grow from their backe as feathered wings do from Fowles But when they grow drie they are forced to fall downe and wet them agayne and then fly along Their flight will bee the length of a Cables Rope untouching Water and in this their scudding it is thought the Dolphin is in persuing them who is their onely enemy in devouring and feeding upon them whose bignesse and length are like to Mackrels but greater headed and shouldered Meane-while in these our Courses were we seven weeks crossed with Northernly Windes ever Tackling and boarding from the Affricke Coasts to the Carminian shoare in all which time wee saw no Land except the boisterous billows of glassie Neptune And as Ovid said in the like case crossing the Ionian seas Nil nisi pontus et aer viz. Nothing but Waves I view whereships do floate And dangers lye huge Whales do tumbling play Above my head Heavens star-imbroidred coate Whose vault containes two eyes for night and day Far from the Main or any Marine Coast Twixt Borean blasts and billowes we are tost If Ovid in that strait Ionean deep Was tost so hard much more am I on Seas Of larger bounds where staffe and Compasse Keepe Their strict observance yet in this unease Of tackling Boards we so the way make short That still our course drawes neerer to the Port. Between the streame and silver spangled skie Wee rolling climbe then hurling fall beneath Our way is Serpent like in Meeds which lye That bowes the Grasse but never makes no path But fitter like young maides and youthes together
Snow being in Iuly lying on the septentrion sides of the Hill It was here in this upmost Fornace that Empedocles the Phylosopher cast himselfe in to be reputed for a God Deâ—s immortalis haberi Dum cupit Empedocles ardeâ—tem fervidus Aetnam Insiluit To be a god this curious Wretch desires And casts himselfe in the fierce Aetnean sires As we discended on the North-east side we came to the third and lowest fire which is within a short mile of the Mountaines foote over against Rindatza and if it were not for a sulphurat River which divideth the Towne and the Hill it would be in danger to be burned This last and least fire runne downe in a cumbustible flood from the middle above Anno 1614. Iune 25. Where the Sulphure streames before it congealed falling in a bituminous soyle where Wine and Olives grew there seazed and daily augmenteth more and more having quite spoiled the Lands of two Barons in Rindatza But the king of Spaine in recompence of their miserable mishaps did gratifie them with some of his Crowne lands for their maintenance I speake it credibly I have found the Relickes of these Sulphure streames which have burst foâ—th from the upmost tops of Aetna Westward above twenty miles in the plaine The reason of such ardent disgorgements is thus that when the aboundance of Sulphure being put on edge with excessive Raine and the bitumenous substance still increasing which by the chaps â—lits and hollow chinkes of the ground rent partly by the Sunne and by tâ—e forcing flames is blowne by the Wind as by a paire of Bellowes the valt or vast bosome of which ugly Cell not being able to containe such a compositure of combustible matter it impetuously vomiteth out in an outragious Torrent which precipitately devalleth so long as the heate remaineth and growing cold it congealeth in huge and blacke stones resembling Minerall mettall and full of small holes like to the composed Cinders of a Smiths Forge where with the Houses of nine Townes Circumjacent thereunto are builded This is that place which the Poets did report to bee the shop of Vulcan where Cyclops did frame the thunder-bolts for Iupiter Whereof Virgill doth make his Tract called Aetna Under this hill the Poets faine the Giant Enceladus to be buried whose hot breath fireth the Mountain lying on his face and to conclude of Aetna the grosse Papists hold it to be their Purgatory The chiefe Cities therein are Palermo the seate of the Viceroy situate in the North-west part ouer against Sardinia It is a spacious City and well watered with delicate Fountaines having goodly buildings and large streetes whereof Stradoreale is principall being a mile long In which I haâ—e seene in an evening march a long for Recreation above 60 Coaches a paire of Muleâ—s being tyed to every Coach the Gallies of Sicilia which are ten lye here The second is Messina toward the East over against Regio in Calabria being impregnable and graced with a famous haven having three invincible Castles the chiefe whereof is Saint Salvator by the Sea side there be divers other Bulwarkes of the Towne wals that serve for offensive and defensive forts which is the cause in derision of the Turks they never shut their Gates The third is Syracâ—sa standing on the Southeast Coast fifty miles beyond Aetna and halfe way twixt Messina and Malta a renowned Citty and sometimes the Metropolitane Seate It is famous for the Arthusean springs and Archimedes that most ingenious Mathematitian He was the first Author of the Spheere of which instruments he made one of that bignesse and Arâ—e that one standing within might easily perceive the severall motions of every Celestiall Orbe And when the Romans besieged Syracusa he made such burning glasses that set on fire all their Shippes lying in the Road At last he was slaine by a common Souldier in his studdy at the sacke of the Towne to the great griefe of Marcellus the Romau Generall when he was making plots and drawing figures on the ground how to prevet the assaults of the Romans The fourth is Trapundy in the West over against Biserta in Barbary which yealdeth surpassing fine Salt that is transported to Italy Venice Dalmatia and Greece made onely in some certaine Artificiall Salt pooles by the vigorous beating of the scorching Sunne which monthly they empty and fill The marine here excelleth in Ruby Corall which setteth the halfe of the Towne at work and when refined is dispersed over al Christendom This City is in great request amongst the Papists because of the miraculous Lady heere reputed the Islands Protector and sole Governour of these narrow seas for Ships Gallies and Slaves which indeed if an image cut out in wht Marble were so powerfull it might be credible but besides this Idolatrous title they superstitiously there unto annexe a rabble of absurde lies The first is Catagna placed at the Marine foot of Aetna that was so vexed by Dionisius the Tyrant The sixt is Matzara South-west over against the Barbarian Promontory of Lystra the rest be Rindatza Tâ—rranova Eâ—â—â—a where Pluto is said to have stolne Proserpine Malzâ—ra Francavilla Bronzo Terramigna and Argenti once Agrigentum where the Tyrant Phalaris lived who tortured Perillus in the Brazen Bull which he made for the destruction of others The tyrannies which were used in Sicilia wherein times past so famous that they grew unto this poverbe Invidia Siculi non invenire tyranni tormentum majus The elder and younger Dionisius were such odious tyrants and the third Dionisius worst of all that when the people powred out continuall execrations on the last wishing his death onely one old woman prayed for his life This reason she gave since from the grandfather his father and he each succeeding worser and worser and least said shee he dying the divell should come in his place for a worser never lived I wish him to continue still This Kingdome after it was rent from the Romans remaining in subiection under the French till the yeare 1281 in which Peter of Arragon contrived his purpose so close that at the sound of a Bell to the evening vespers all the French men in Sicilia were cruelly massacred since which time it hath ever belonged to the house of Arragon and now of Spaine which exploit masketh under the name of Vesperi Siculi For nobility this Island may compare with Naples their stiles like unto Italy are great but their revenewes wonderous small The Sicilians have a Proverb as having experience of both that the French are wiser then they seeme and the Spaniards seeme wiser then they are And even as the Spaniard is extreame proud in the lowest ebbe of Forune So is the French man exceeding impatient cowardly desperate and quite discouraged in the pinch of sterne calamity The Spaniard and the French man have an absolute opposition and conditionall disagreement in all fashions and in their riding both different and defective For the
Inundation of waters Rhodes takeâ— by Solyman Souldiers should be regarded and rewarded Mausolâ—os Tombe Pamphyliâ— and Lycia The description of Cyprus The six Cities of Cyprus Trohodos a huge Hill in Cyprus Comparison of Isles Cyprus replanted The Dukes of Savoy were Kings of Cyprus The Florentines attempted to conquer Cyprus A Sea combat Christian Runnagates The Citie of Tripolie 〈◊〉 The Cedars of Libaâ—us The Prince of Libaâ—â—â— Nâ—â—torians Ioshaes toâ—be The Biâ—â—â—p of Eden◠〈◊〉 Libaâ—â—â— The Nestorian Paradicâ— The Georgianâ— Parâ—dice The tree Moufâ—â—â— The â—belfain Paradice Violence of seas waters The Turcomans opinion of God and the Devill Antiochiâ—â—â— the first Christians Frustrate of Babylon Mesopotamia Beershack Mesopotamia A notable obedience The Bassaw of Aleppo beheaded Flying pigeon with letters Syria A Caravan of Armenians Pagan flattery Turks are called Musilmans Damascus is called Sbaâ—sma The antiquities of Damascus The â—orces of the Bassaes of Damascus Savage Arabian Robbers A dangerous way Arabia Peâ—â—ea The Town of Sarepta Iacobs Bridge Canaan greatly changed The Holy Land Cana in Galilee Caesarea Philippi A counterbuâ—â—et for Loretta Libidinous leachery A villanous plot A treacherouâ— Guide Tyrus is called Sur. The ruines of Tyrus Sampsons Pillar A corrupted Caravan Samaria The Savage Arabian King Exaction of tributes Two Arabian Kings Iacobs Well The Sea-port Towns of the Holy Land A dreadfull conflict The Town of Rhama Beersheba â— grievous anger A joyful harâ—ony A dear nights Supper A foolish Ceâ—emony Ierusalems antiquity The foure hils of Ierusalem The triumph of Titus The over throwers of Ierusalem The Garriso of Ierusalem A notable observation The Iewish Kings Dukes of Iewry The Machabean Princes Christian Kings of Ierusalem The ignorance of Travellers A superstitious ceremony A flattering beggery Calphas Lodging Pilats judgement Hall Abrahams faith Mount Sinay The Temple of Salomon thrice builded and destroyed Herods the Idumean Temple Selim Selymans Temple A Voyage to Iordan A fearfull danger The length of Sodoâ—s Lake The doubtfulnes of Iordans ending Wrong informations made The River Iordan A Turpentine Rod brought from Iordan and given to King Iames. The Pilgrims three severall habits in half an houre Two sorts of rare fruits Elizeus Fountain Where Chriâ—â— fasted forty days Dreadful danger in descending the Quarantaram Saint Ieromâ— Abbey Our tributes for the Holy Grave The Holy Grave The glorious Chappell of the Holy Grave The beauty of Mount Calvary Two famous Sepulchres Where Christ was nailed to the Crosse. Seven religiâ—ous Families An abominable Idolatry Damnable intolerable superstition The Knights of the Holy Grave Certain 〈◊〉 of Monuments 〈◊〉 The burialâ— place of the Kings and Queens of Israel The lying vâ—lany of a Rogish Greek Saint Iohn the Baptists Cave Chriâ—â—s Crib at Bethleem Admirable dust Solomons Fish ponds The Town of Bethleem King Davids Palace Acaldema Ponto Nâ—hemia Brook Cedron Lazarus Tombe in â—ythania Mount Oliveâ— and the places of note thereof Sacred and singular Tombes Greedy and â—â—attering Friers The Authors good night to Ierusalem Kind Iews to us Fraâ—ks The ancient City of Gaza Burning Sands Wild Arabs selling water â—rievous and desertâ—ous travelling Savage women having their Child-bed in Caves The deaâ—h three German Gentlemen The third Castle of the Desarts The bounds of the three Arabians The scurrile Arabian Desarts The nature of Camels Dromidores Indian Spices much weakned Two seasons of riping grain in Egypt The last three Germans death in Cayre A fâ—vourable Turkish iudgâ—ment Gods provident mercies The great City of Grâ—nd Cayre The length of great Cayre the bounds thereof Divers Nations residing in Câ—yre The Egyptian decorements The Egytian Christians The 〈◊〉 Religion The nature of the Egyptâ—aâ— Moores The Garden of Balsamo The Pyramide of Aegypt The greatest Pyramide of the three The charges of the greatest Pyramide A resolute Venetian Merchant The killing of a great Crocodile The true knowledge of the flowing Nylus Many Schollers mistaken about Nylus The reason of the flowing of Nylus The Isle of Delta The confines of Egypt The alteration of Egypt The revenues of Egypt The Town of Alexandria The four Patriarchal Seas The fabulouâ— Country of Cyrene Fourâ— French Pilgrimes dead Flying fish A joyfull arrivall in Malta The Isle of Malta An invincible victory The nature of the Maltezes A Moorish Brigantine An happy arrivall The Ligurian Alpe A happy escape from murder A guard of Horsmen for a dangerous Wood. The necessiry use and honor of travels The Authors Apologie Weiste taken by Spinola The fabulous miracles of Culloin A forged miâ—acle A woman fasting fourteen years The Lake of Geneve and the River Rhone The first beginning of the Dukes of Savoy A comfortable crosse Consenza is Calabria The liberty of Bandits in Calabria Greek Albaneses fled to Calabria Two young Barons killed at combat A London ship called the Mattheâ— The divers plantations of Carthage The marine Provinces twixt Tunneis and Algier A English Pyrat Captain Ward Tremizen in Barbary The town of Tremizen decayed with Wars The thiâ—vish towne of Algier A naturall sublime policie The Barbarian Provinces twixt Egypt and Gibelterre The triall of Moorish Brides Monsieur Chatteline a French Lapidator My arrivall at Fez. Great Colledges and Hospitals The beauty and greatâ—â—sse of Fez. Poets among Barbarians in great request Heragens or Ethiopian Negroes Chatteline the French Lapidator fallen sick The tribe of the Hagans or Iamnites The wilde beasts of the Lybiâ—n Desarts The Prince 〈◊〉 the Sabunâ—ks apparell Moorish Smiths forging horsshoos out of cold Iron without fire but the â—eat of the Sun The Beglerâ—begship of Baâ—â—bary â—he hatching of Chickens without their mothers Captain Dansers employment The untimely death of Captain Danser a Fleming born The formall oath of the Knights of Malta The first denominations of Sicilia The fertility of Sicilia Towns set on heights reserve good ayre The ancient divisions of Sicilia Sicilians are brave Orators The great Counsell of Sicilia The Duke of Sona Vice-roy of Sicilia An equitable Justice for injusticesake My second view of Aetna The lowest and third 〈◊〉 of Aeâ—â—â— The combuâ—tious devalâ—ing of Aetâ—aes fire Palermo The famous City of Syracusa Trapundy The Sicilian tyrants A true compâ—rison betweeâ— the French â— the Spaniard The Sicilian customes My arrivall at Messina The death of Sir Francis Verney A comparison of irrepugnable streams A boyling Fountain in the Isle of Isha The antiquities of Putzolo The old dining room of Sybillâ— The ancient varieties of the antiquities of Putzolo The Master of a Scots ship distressed by evill misfortune The dangerous Dogs Cave neer unto Putzolo Great poverty under grâ—â—t titles The false and arrogant titles of the Pope A tract of beastly Popes and cruell villains Three severall Popes living at one time The Papists may looke here upon devillish Popes A false canoâ—ized Saint Ravenna the chief City of Româ—nia Vienna in Austria no way answerable to common fame The specialiâ— townes of Hungary The forces of the Bassa of Bâ—da Hungary is a most fertile and fruitfull soyle The first plantation of Hungary The infinite riches of Hungary A joyfull deliverance from a desperate thraldome The Tartars are mightie oppressors of Podolia in Polland A love not worthy things The Count of Tornâ— fled from Prage to Poland This Sigismond King of Poland did marry two sisters of Ferdinandos now Emperour Poland is the Nurse of Scotlands younglins Certaine approved reasons The matchlesse Lord of Chichester for vertue wisdome and valour The foure Provinces of Ireland The ignorant and sluggish life of the common Irish A foolish and superstitious errour Two intolerable abuses in Ireland The filthy corruption of Irish Priests and Wood-Carns thievish Rebels A bad uncivill Husbandry in Ireland Northerne Irish woman giving suck to their Babes behinde their shoulders The length of Ireland The manner of the Country The nature of the people An Ecclesiastick corruption in unlawfull Preachers A flattering covenant twixt Ministers and Masse Priests Ministeriall officer strangely abused My departure from Ireland to France The fantastick foolery of the French Certain caveats for strangers that goe to France Biscay in Spain is a fertile Country A lying miracle A damnable delusion of a devillish miracle The kingdom of Portugale The palace of Escuriall Escurial is rather a Monastery then Palace It is miserable travelling in Spain The long captivity of the Spaniards under the Mâ—res Naked condition conferred upon poore Toledo Malaga affrighted with the English â—leet A sad request to a mercilesse Governour His Majesties Letters and Seals misregarded An injust robbery by unjust Judges A miserable and helplesse Lamentation The mourning of Hazior a Turkish slave A speedie â— expedition for a mercilesse mischiefe My transportation from prison to the fields to be racked A stranger ought not to be accuâ—ed with strangeers without an Interpreter A mercilesse huâ—t before they begun to rack me The hams and lids of my knees were both broken O cruell and inhumane murder Heere begun my maine tortures The manneâ— how my body was first fastned to the Rack before my tortures were inflicted A cruelty beyond crueltâ—es A hellish anâ— insupportable pain A lamentable remembrance of inhumaâ—e crueltie A dreadful affrighting for 〈◊〉 to tures Alas too goâ— newâ— not to have beene true No pain so grievous as a lame man to be still tormented with gnawing vermine A politick enquiry of a damnable inquisition A damnable Inquisitor applying â—alse attributes to our blessed Lady A Sycophanticall Oration from a jugling Jebusite The fury of a mad Inquisitor to have almost slaine mee The Romish Church falls short of true antiquity universality and uniformâ—â—â—â— The Jesuits last allurements for my conversion to their sect A Condeâ—natory Sentence to death by the Inquisition A Turkish slaves charity in the bowels of compassion The deceitfulnesse of female inconstancies An impatient mind in trouble is a triple torture Gods greaâ— mercy in 〈◊〉 first discorâ—â— by a strangâ—â— These are the English Factors which first wrought my reliefe I dâ—rst not stay a shoare for feare of the Inquiâ—ition The strait of Giâ—â—lterre five leagues broad A false promise unperformed A single combat 〈◊〉 a Spanish 〈◊〉 and a Scoâ—â—â—sh trâ—vaâ—ler A falce aspertion layd on me by Papists Incompatible griefe without deserved reliefe A direction for Certificats by the Lord Keeper The Nobility and commodities of Galloway excell in goodnesse
at a Village called Adoash being composed of threescore Moorish and Arabian Houses standing in a fruitfull and delicate Plaine and garnished with Olive Date and Figge-trees which were both pleasant and profitable where we found also good Hearbs to eate and abundance of Water to drinke and also to fill our emptied bottles As wee lay downe to sleepe after a hungry supper on the hard ground and our guard watching us that same King of the Arâ—bians came a little before mid-night with twenty four wel horsed Runagates and naked Courtiers being armed with bowes and arrowes and halfe-pikes pointed at both ends with hard Steele and asked for the Caravan who presently awoke and went to salute him laying his hand on his breast bowed his head very low which is the usuall courtesie amongst the Infidels and Christians in these parts For they never uncover their heads to any man and after some short parley they sate all downe on the grasse The Caravan presented his rude like maiesty with water bread hearbes figs garlike and such things as he had As they were thus merry at this poore banquet the awfull King tooke the Oath of our Conductor if there were any more Franks there then I and he having sworne the truth the King by a malignant informer incontinently caused mee to bee brought before him and staring mee in the face asked my Interpreter where were my companions Who replyed I had none then said hee tell that dogge or Elishole hee must acknowledge me with five peeces of gold more otherwise making a signe to his owne throate I shall cut off his head because said he I will not loose this nights travell for nothing The which I being informed and knowing that by no condition there was resistance against such a scelerate Prince gave it him forth of mine owne hand having consulted with my Captaine before and that presently with a halfe smiling countenance which hee remarking told the rest it seemed I gave it with a good heart and a cheerefull gesture and to recompence my outward behaviour he drunke a great draught of water to me thinking thereby he had done mee more honour then all the Chickens of gold I gave him now and in the morning would doe him profit or pleasure pleasure they could doe him none for they were unlawfully and dishonestly got and too delivered from the inward sorrow of my sighing soule and no wonder having spent two yeares great charges in Turkey before this time but that I should have beene exceeding penurious of money and thereupon desolate of reliefe and comfort Truely this was one of the greatest tributes I payed for one dayes journey that I had in all my voyage in Asia There are two Kings in Arabia the one who liveth on Euphrates the desarts of Mesopotamia sometimes in Arabia Felix and in some parts of Syria And the other was hee to whom I paid this money wandereth with his Tribes Tents and Bestiall one while in Arabia Petrea and Deserta and sometimes in the Holy Land as hee findeth good pastorage and fresh Fountaines These two Kings are mortall enemies and if by accident they meete they fight most cruelly bringing dammage rapine and destruction to themselves and their followers for it is a difficult thing in them to dominate their inordinate passions being untamed Savages and misregarders of civility who continually contend to corroborate the malignity of their dispositions with bloody and inhumane interprises And yet al the rest of that night after his returne from us we still expected some treacherous surprise which made our Souldiers stand stoutly on their guard and we Pilgrims to our vigilant and naked defence For the Turkes will not suffer Christians to carry weapons in al these Dominions neither any where where they command And for all this great tribute and nights danger of my life here was my present resolution The more I am beset with dreadfull snares Begirded round in shelfie gulfes of wracke And shipbroke left on rockes of deepe despaires Where helples care with tort ' ring thoughts me racke Then stoutly stand I hoping for the end That time will change and God will better send And now by the way I recall the aforesaid Turke the master of the Mule that carried my provision and on whom in the journey I had bestowed the most part of my Tobacco When I had no more to give him and hee suspecting the contrary was councelled bee his associats to beate me soundly and dismount my Victuals and Water from the Mules backe till I propined him with the rest Which intention being by me understood I forthwith run to the Caravan and complained whereupon my friend was bravely belaboured with a cudgel and my better safety procured Thus was his former shew of love quickly expelled and an inward grudge suddenly conceived for it was the smoak and not my self he respected Loves whirling fancies mortals fondly feed As marish roots dissolve even as they breed An humane creature inhumanely taught Is worser given to ill than evill fraught Things in themselves be not so bad as ill The cause exeem'd corruption hath free will Mans frail affection is a cloudy mist Whose vapours fall and fogge as passions list Bad counsell's worse than nature ill applies Weak judgement duls when fear in reason flies Thus sad eclips'd the dark eclipsed Moon Did change ere mine eclipsed light was won At last the Sun-shine of my silver day Came crawling on as Snails advance the way The next morning when the hopefull Aurore had foreshown the burning birth of glassie Thetis and that Orient Majesty arising to overcirculate the earth then marcht we along in our way and before mid-day pitched our Haire-cloth Tents round about Iacobs Well neere the decayed City of Sychar in Samaria This Province of Samaria is now for the most part quite destroyed and over-whelmed with Mountains of sand wee found this ancient Well so wondrous deep that scarcely all our ropes could sinke our bucket in the water The tast whereof was wondrous cold and sweet and for Iacobs sake the whole number of us drunk more of it then need required The fiery face of Phaebus declining to the West we marched through a part of the fields of Basan of which Og was last King a man of such a large proportion that his bed being made of iron was nine Cubits long and foure broad and all that afternoon we had exceeding pleasant travelling and at night we incamped by Lydda on the fields Lydda is not above ten miles from the ruinous Towne of Caesarea by the Sea side and is now called by the Turks and Moores Alferron being a Village only of sixteen Moorish Houses Here Peter healed the man sick of the palsie The Towns situated by the Sea side in Phoenicia Palestine and Iudea are these Sydon which standeth in the Borders of Zebulon and Nephtalim or Phoenicia being a goodly City and well peopled and is governed by the Emeere or Prince
of the Drusians who being the off-spring of the Christians which under the Conduct of Godfrey Duke of Bulloine descended into these parts do still maintain their liberty against the Turkes The Signior whereof being threatned by the Great Turke fled to Cosmus Duke of Florence Anno 1612 leaving his two Sonnes behinde him the eldest to keepe Sydon and the yonger to remayn in a strong Fortresse on the West end of Mount Libanus The eâ—der brother forthwith yielded to the Great Turke the Signory of his Lands but the younger would never do it and so retaineth absolutely the Countrey of Libanus to this day making himselfe thereupon a mountainous Monarchall Prince Tyrus which is miserably brought to ruine Acre or Acon that hath yet some indifferent trade of Merchandize called formerly Ptolomeis Caipha called commonly Castello Pellegrino which hath nothing but the remnants of an ancient Abbey Caesarea who reserveth but onely the memory of ruines for there is no Hospitality in it except it be to savage Moores Ioppa or Iaphta is a Sea-port of small Barks but the decayed Towne containeth not one dwelling House save onely a high Tower which defendeth the Port from Cursares Here Ionah took ship to flie from God Here Peter raised Tabitha or Dorcas from death to life and where he lodging at the House of Simon the Tanner was in a Vision taught the conversion of the Gentiles And Baruti famous for so many Christian Armies that have besieged it is now composed of 800 fire-houses Lying Northeast of Sydon under Mount Libanus formerly called Iulia Foelix nigh unto which as fabulous stories report Saint George delivered the Kings Daughter by killing the Dragon It is also thought to be within Canaan standing in the Frontier of Phoenicia and is the bâ—st inhabited place of all the Holy Land Sydon and Ierâ—salem excepted Saturday morning before the break of day setting forward from Lydda through the curling playnes of fat-fac'd Palestine scarcely were wee well advanced in our way till wee were beset with more then three hundred Arabs who sent us from shrubby heights an unexpected shoure of Arrows to the great annoyance of all our Company For if it had not beene that our Souldiers shot off their Gunnes on a sudden and stood manly also to it with their Bows and Arrows for our defence wee had then miserably in the midst of their ravenous fury perished But the nature of the Arabs is not unlike to the Iackals For when any of them heare the shot of a Harquebuse they presently turn back with such speed as if the Fiends of the infernall Court were broken loose at their heels In that momentany conflict on our side there were killed nine Women five Men and about thirty persons deadly wounded which to our worthy Armenian Captayne and to the rest of our Heathnish Conductors bred no small griefe the mourning noyse among the multitude beeing also wondrous pittifull Till bright day came we stayed still in that same place expecting the dangerous mutability of our austere fortune and at our departure thence wee buried the slayne people in deep graves whereby Iackals should not open up their graves to eate their Corpes for such is the nature of these cruell beasts that they onely love to live on mans flesh these ravenous beasts as is thought are ingendred of a Foxe and a Wolfe Proceeding in our journy we entred about two of the clocke in the afternoone in the hilly Countrey of Iudea having two of their courses to Ierusalem which is about twenty English miles leaving Rhama on our right hand which contayneth some two hundred dwelling houses of one story high and ten miles distant from Ioppa from which it lyeth in the way to Ierusalem Here remayneth the Dragoman a Christian who receiveth and conveyeth the Pilgrimes to Ierusalem which land at Ioppa each Pilgrime paying seven Chickens of gold is furnished with an Asse to ride on all the way tributes at going and comming being discharged by their Conductor to whom they resigne this tributary mony Rhama is a Town inhabited by Christians Arabs and Moores not blacke Moores as the Affricans be but they are called Mori which are a kinde of Aegyptians and not naturally black but Sunne-burnt with the parching heate The whole Territory of Canaan is inhabited with these Moors some Turkes civill Arabs and a few Christians and scattered Iews The Arabians are for the most part Thieves and Robbers the Moores cruell and uncivill haâ—ing Christians to the Death the Turkes are the ill best of all the three yet all sworne enemies to Christ. But when they know how to make any gaine by strangers O what a dissimulate ostentation shall appeare in these detestable Villains whose out-sides onely they seem to affect but intirely the in-sides of their purses and that is their ayme and forcible end wherefore they both toile with all and conduct strangers through many perils as eminent to themselves as accessary unto our inevitable destinies Time discussing all and money over-mastering time for Coine is the thing they must have though necessity sometimes may not spare it About foure of the clock before night wee arrived at Berah called of old Beersheba being eleven miles distant from Ierusalem Having a little reposed there giving our Camels Mules and Asses some provender but could get nothing for our selves from these despightfull Moores for what we carried with us was all spent except a little Water Wee embraced our Mountainous way as cheerfully as wee could for wee were exceeding faint and travelled that day above forty three miles whereby we might arrive at Ierusalem before the Gates were shut sustaining great drought burning heate pinching hunger and not a few other the like inconveniences And now about halfe way betweene Berah and Ierusalem I and two Armenians advancing our way a flight shot before the Company Wee I say unhappily rancountred with foure Moorish fellows driving before them six Asses loaden with roots and shrubs of Wood to burne who seeing us they thought alone layd hands upon us robbed us of our pocket monies whereat I resisting one of them pulled forth a broad knife and holding me by the Beard thought to have cut my throate if it had not beene for one of his fellowes who swiftly stayed him Well they leave us and following their Beasts our Soulâ—iers instantly appeared unto us whereupon we shouting the Moores fled to the Rocks and our foot Souldiers following apprehended two of the chiefest and brought them to the Captaine One of which had my money which I presently received backe againe but mine associates money was with them that escaped the Captaine and Ianisaries meane while carried the two Moores along with them thinking to execute them at Ierusalem But their friends and neighbours following fast on Horse-backe and on foote relieved them from the Caravan restoring back again the two Armenians money Whereat all the Moores were exceding glad and wee no ways discontented for if they had
not bin redeemed certainely their friends and followers who were thicke flocking together would have cut us all off before we could have attained to Ierusalem At last wee beheld the prospect of Ierusalem which was not onely a contentment to my weary body but also being ravished with a kinde of unwonted rejoycing the teares gushed from my eyes for too much ioy In this time the Armenians began to sing in their owne fashion Psalmes to praise the Lord and I also sung the 103 Psalme all the way till we arrived neere the wals of the City where wee ceased from our singing for feare of the Turkes The Sunne being passed to his nightly Repose before our arrivall we found the Gates locked and the Keyes carried up to the Bashaw in the Castle which bred a common sorrow in the company being all both hungry and weary yet the Caravan intreated earnestly the Turkes within to give us over the Wals some victuals for our money shewing heavily the necessity wee had thereof but they would not neither durst attempt such a thing In this time the Guardian of the Monastery of Cordeleirs who remayneth there to receive Travailers of Christendome who having got newes of our late arrivall came and demanded of the Caravan if any Frankes of Europe were in his Society and hee said onely one Then the Guardian called me and asked of what nation I was of and when I told him hee seemed to be exceeding glad yet very sorrowfull for our misfortune Hee having knowne my distresse returned and sent two Friers to me with Bread Wine and Fishes which they let over the Wall as they thought in a secret place but they were espied and on the morrow the Guardiano payed to the Subbashaw or Sanzacke a great fine being a hundred Piasters thirty pounds sterling otherwise both hee and I had bin beheaded which I confesse was a deare bought supper to the gray Friers and no lesse almost to me being both in danger of my Life for starving and then for receiviâ—g of food therefore suspected for a traytor for the Turkes alleadged he had taken in munition from me and the other Christians to betray the City this they doe oft for a lesser fault then that was onely to get Bribes and money from the Grey Friers which daily stand in fear of their lives Anno 1612 upon Palme-Sunday in the morning wee entered into Ierusalem and at the Gate wee were particularly searched to the effect wee carried in no Furniture of Armes nor powder with us and the poore Armenians notwithstanding they are slaves to Turkes behoved to render their weapons to the Keepers such is the fear they have of Christians And my name was written up in the Clarkes Booke at the Port that my tribute for the Gate and my seeing of the Sepulchre might be payed at one time together before my finall departure thence The Gates of the City are of iron outwardly and above each Gate are brazen Ordnance planted for their defence Having taken my leave of the Caravan and the Company who went to lodge with their own Patriarch I was met and received with the Guardian and twelve Friers upon the streets each of them carrying in their hands a burning wax Candle and one for mee also who received me joyfully and singing all the way to their Monastery Te Deum Laudamus they mightily rejoyced that a Christian had come from such a far Countrey as Scotia to visit Ierusalem Where being arrived they forth-with brought me to a Roome and there the Guardian washed my right foot with water and his Vicar my left and done they kissed my feet so did also all the twelve Friers that stood by But when they knew afterward that I was no Popish Catholicke it sore repented them of their labour I found here ten Frankes newly come the neerest way from Venice hither sixe of them were Germans noble Gentlemen and they also good Protestants who were wonderfull glad to heare mee tell the Gardian flatly in his face I was no Roman Catholicke nor never thought to be The other foure Frankes were Frenchmen two of them Parisians old men the other two of Provance all foure being Papists with nine other Commercing Frankes also that dwelt in Syria and Cyprus most of them being Venetians who were all glad of mee shewing themselves so kind so carefull so loving and so honourable in all respects that they were as kind Gentlemen as ever I met withall especially the Germains Such is the love of strangers when they meete in forraine and remote places They had also in high respect the adventures of my halfe yeares travaile East and beyond Ierusalem troubling mee all the while wee were together to shew them the rare Discourses of my long two yeares survey of Turkey but especially of my furthest sights in the East of Asia and were aâ—wayes in admiration that I had no fellow Pilgrime in my long Perigrination The Sixt Part. NOw come my swift pac'd feete to Syons seat And faire Jerusalem here to relate Her sacred Monuments and those sweet places Were fil'd with Prophets and Apostles faces Christs Crib at Bethleem and Maries Cave Calver and Golgotha the Holy Grave Deep Adraes valley Hebrons Patriarch'd Tombe Sunke Lazars pit whence he rose from earths wombe Judeas bounds and Desarts that smoaking Lake Which orient folkes doe still for Sodome take Thence view'd I Jordan and his mooddy streames Whence I a Rod did bring to Royall James The lumpe faln Jericho and th' Olive Mount With Gethesamaine where Christ to pray was wont The Arabian Desarts then Egypt land I toyling saw with Nylus swelling strand Where for discourse the seuenth Part shall thee show What thou mayst learn and what by sight I know Of matchlesse Egypt and her unmatch'd bounds That twice a yeere in growth of grain abounds IErusalem is now called by the Turks Kuddish which is in their Language a Holy Citie It was first called Moriah of Moria one of the seven heads of Syon where Abraham would have sacrificed Isaac Gen. 22. 2. and upon his offering it was called Ierusalem Genes 14. 18. It was also named Salem where Sem or Melchisedeck dwelt and Ierusalem was also called Iebus 2 sam 24. 16. And it is the place where Salomon was commanded to build the Temple 2 Chron. 3. 1. which afterward was termed Hieron Salomonis whence came by corruption that word Hierosâ—lyma David also in the Psalmes gave it divers names And Ierusalem in the Arabick Tongue is also called Beyt almo kadas Beyt signifieth the House almo kadas viz. of Saints Ierusalem standeth in the same place where old Ierusalem stood but not so populous neither in each respect of breadth or length so spacious for on the South side of Ierusalem a great part of Mount Syon is left without which was anciently the heart of the old City and they have taken on the North side now both Mount Calvary and the holy Grave within the