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A71305 Purchas his pilgrimes. part 3 In fiue bookes. The first, contayning the voyages and peregrinations made by ancient kings, patriarkes, apostles, philosophers, and others, to and thorow the remoter parts of the knowne world: enquiries also of languages and religions, especially of the moderne diuersified professions of Christianitie. The second, a description of all the circum-nauigations of the globe. The third, nauigations and voyages of English-men, alongst the coasts of Africa ... The fourth, English voyages beyond the East Indies, to the ilands of Iapan, China, Cauchinchina, the Philippinæ with others ... The fifth, nauigations, voyages, traffiques, discoueries, of the English nation in the easterne parts of the world ... The first part. Purchas, Samuel, 1577?-1626. 1625 (1625) STC 20509_pt3; ESTC S111862 2,393,864 1,207

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his demands that are lawfull and honest Therefore to you O King of Armenia Wee returne this answere That wee will accept of all your Requests made and will cause them all God-willing to bee duely accomplished first I my selfe being Emperour and Lord of the Tartarians will bee baptised in that Faith which the Christians hold at this day wishing and aduising all my Subiects to doe the like yet not entending to force any thereunto To your second We will and agree that there be a perpetuall peace betweene the Tartarians and Christians yet with this caution that your selfe bee a chiefe Pledge and Suretie that the Christians obserue on their behalfe the like peace and amitie towards vs as wee for our part intend inuiolably to keepe towards them Wee grant also That all the Churches of Christians and their Clergie-men whatsoeuer either Secular or Religious shall enioy their Priuiledge and Immunitie of Libertie and Exemption throughout the Dominions of our Empire and that none shall molest them any kinde of wayes Touching the matter of the holy Land we say That if we could conueniently we would willingly goe thither in person for the reuerence we beare to our Lord Iesus Christ. But because we haue many occasions of importance to stay vs in these parts wee will take order with our Brother Haloon for the due accomplishment of that seruice in all points as it behooueth for the freeing of the Citie of Hierusalom and all the holy Land out of the hands of the Pagans and restoring it to the Christians Concerning the Caliph of Baldach We will giue order to Baydo our Captaine of the Tartarians which are in the Kingdome of Turkie and the rest thereabouts that they bee all obedient to our Brother whom wee will haue to destroy the Caliph as our capitall and deadly Enemie The Charter which the King of Armenia desireth for assistance from the Tartarians Wee wish it to bee drawne according to his desire and wee are readie in all things to confirme it Lastly whereas the King Armenia requireth That the Lands of his Kingdome which the Saracens had taken from and haue since beene recouered by the Tartarians may be restored vnto him we freely and frankly accord it willing our Brother Haloon to see such restitution made without delay 24. After that Mango Can had thus liberally accorded the Requests of the King of Armenia and confirmed them by Charters he would forth with receiue the Sacrament of Baptisme and was accordingly baptised by the hands of a certaine Bishop who was Chancellor of the King of Armenia and all that were of his houshold with many other great Personages of both Sexes And then he made choice of such as were to accompany his Brother Haloon about the enterprize of the Holy Land After Haloon and the King of Armenia departed and rode both together vntill they passed ouer the great Riuer Phison then Haloon with his mightie Armie inuaded the Countreyes and Lands euery where and in lesse then six moneths hee subdued easily the whole Kingdome of Persia because it was without a Ruler or Gouernour and tooke in all the Countreyes without resistance euen till he came to the Land of certayne Infidels which are called Assassini hauing neither Law nor Religion but liuing as their Prince and Lord commonly called Sexmontio instructeth them at whose pleasure and commandement they willingly and readily expose themselues to death These had a certayne impregnable Castle called Tigado which was so well furnished with all kind of necessary prouision and so strongly built and seated that they feared no assault Haloon therefore commanded one of his Captaynes to take with him tenne thousand of those Tartarians which hee had left in Persia and in no wise to depart from the siege of that Castle vntill hee had taken it so that they remayned at the siege thereof by the space of seuen yeares both Winner and Summer which at last was yeelded vp by the Assassini only for want of clothes but not for any penury of victuals or scarsitie of any other thing whiles Haloon employed himselfe in ordering of the Kingdome of Persia and besieging the Castle of the Assassini the King of Armenia tooke leaue of him to returne because hee had beene long out of his Kingdome Haloon therefore licenced him to depart and giuing him many great gifts directed his Precept to Baydo residing in the Kingdome of Turkie which he had subdued that he should conduct him safely to the entrance of his owne Kingdome which in all things he fulfilled so that after three yeares and a halfe of absence the King of Armenia through the mercie of Iesus Christ came ioyfully home into his owne Countrey 25. Haloon hauing ordered the Kingdome of Persia in conuenient manner went into a certayne Prouince neere to Armenia called Sorloch where he reposed and recreated himselfe all the Sommer and at the beginning of Winter he besieged Baldach in which the Caliph resided who was the chiefe Master and Doctor of the Irreligious Sect of Mahometisme for which Enterprize Haoloon re-enforced his Army with thirtie thousand Tarrarians that were in the Kingdome of Turkie and assaulting the Citie by the shoare hee tooke the same without any great difficultie or delay The Caliph was brought aliue into the presence of Haloon and there was found in Baldach so much Treasure and Riches as would scarcely bee beleeued to bee in all the World besides This Citie of Baldach was taken in the yeere 1258. 26. When Haoloon had disposed of the Citie of Baldach he caused the Caliph to be brought vnto him and all his Treasure to be laid before him Then he demanded of him whether he had beene Lord of all that Treasure who affirming it was asked againe why hee had not made vse thereof in procuring the ayde of his Neighbours and leuyed mercenarie Souldiers to defend him and his Countrey from the power of the Tartarians whose answere was that hee thought his owne people had been sufficient Then said Haloon to the Caliph thou art said to be the chiefe Doctor Teacher of all that beleeue the deceiuing Doctrine of Mahomet receiuest rewards and Gifts of them all therefore such and so precious a Master must be fed with no other meate but with these precious things which thou hast loued and kept so carefully all which wee giue thee for thy sustenance and so commanded that the Caliph should bee shut into a Chamber and that his Pearle and Gold should bee set before him that hee might eate as much as hee would thereof but that no other meate nor drinke should be giuen him by which meanes the miserable wretch ended his life after a miserable manner And there was no other Caliph in Baldach after him 27. After that Haoloon had subdued Baldach and all the Countrey round about hee distributed the Prouinces amongst his Captaines and Rulers as he thought good giuing charge that the Christians should
Paulus Venetus c. 68.40 Chiai Catai an Herbe excellent for the Go●t c 165.10 Chiamonay or Cunebetee a Lake 254.1 Chiapa Prouince in the West Indies the Scite Commodities Arts of the Inhabiting Indians latitude of the Citie 879.1 Chiautaiso baptised 406.30 Chica drinke good for the Stone 953.60 Chichimecas Sauages of the West Indies their Fashions 876.40 Chierman the Kin●dome where 71.1 The Commodities there ibid. Chile Kingdome in the West Indies the bounds more Southerly towards the Aequinoctiall then Peru the true Scit● Extent of the Gouernment how much inhabited temper warlikenesse of the people the seuerall Spanish Colonies in it their latitudes and distances from other places 898. Bishoprickes Monasteries other townes and their latitudes and first peopling the name taken from Castro which was called Chiluc the Lakes Ilands Mynes Ports c. and their latitudes 899. The distances of Nauigation betwixt it and Panama 860.1 Chile Kingdome neere the temperature of Spaine a rich soyle a poore people 938.30 Chille Kingdome see Chile Child of Cathaya who affirmed the transmigration of Soules 42.10 Children dedicated to Deuils on their birth-day 75.40 Children exposed how prouided for 276.1 Children sold cheape in China 367 Children sold or kild in China 396 Childrens disposition ghessed at 420.30 The three Children in the Ouen the memory celebrated in Russia and when 456.10 Children how baptised named dedicated to the Church or wars in Mexico 1103. How corrected instructed ibid. How exercised at seuerall Ages 1104. c. Chimia Limia and Simia three Sciences what and where professed 166.1 China is in Asia 856.20 China a perilous Coast 258.30 When safest sayling there ibid. China what part of it the Tartars held 140.10 The Chinois had recouered held it forty yeares 149.20 China admirable for all prouisions 257.20 China the way to it by land through Russia 546 China calls it selfe Tame or Tami● and the people Tangis 152.60 Described ibid. China knowne by that name to their Neighbours 167.30 They call themselues Tangin and their Countrey T●me ibid. China a part of Scythia 167.40 Their Dominion of olde ibid. They are no Trauellers 168. 190.20 Hath store of shipping 173.30 The Chinois Prouerbe of that ibid. The naturall riches 173.50 Their manner of Sea-fights 174.1 Their Oares or Lioslios 174.10 Bancones Lanteas or small ships and Gallies 174.10 They dwell in their ships ibid. Poore men liue well there ibid. Their ships of guard for Merchants 175.1 10 Chinois are delicate liuers and yet industrious people 175.10 They hate Idlenesse and their Priests for being so 175.30 The tribute they pay ibid. Their Countrey well husbanded ibid. Their most artificiall Ploughes and Pumps for their shippes 176 10. Their Puppet playes ibid. Their prouision for impotent persons ibid. Trades 176.50 c. Rich men carried in Chaires 177 10. Reuenues of the King 177 50. Measures ibid. c. They loue Porke exceedingly 178.30 They haue two or three Haruests of Rice in a yeare ibid. Their Victualling houses 178.50 179.1 China most excellently full of Riuers and waters 179.10 China subiect to yearely tempests of wind 197.50 Hath thirteene ●hires 199.1 The Kingdome is fiue monethes post ouer 199.10 Streets lurge and straite 200.1 The Gouerment by Officers 183 200. Opinions of the Soules departed and of Reward after death 201.50 Their Lawes 203.10 Execution of Iustice 203.30 Curious of Newes and Nouelties 204.40 China Infinitely peopled 266.60 267 10. Hath diuers Siluer Mynes how such a world of people is maintayned 270.10 Yeilds two or three Haruests in a yeare 270 40. 365. Reason of the great trading 271.20 The admirablest place in the World 271.40 The distance of the Townes 294.60 Wonderfully tilled ibid. The High-wayes broad there 295.20 Castles none in China 295.40 Their Houses but low and why ibid. Earthquakes frequent ibid. The cheap●sse in China 302.60 How far from the Philippinaes 308.40 It is Cathay 342.314 40. They differ onely in name 314 50.315.10 T is great Catay 404 He that stayes there nine yeares may not returne to his Countrey 315.10 The least mother Citie in China bigger then Lisbone 319 40. The Prouinces haue peculiar Languages 320.20 They mourne three yeares for their dead 327.40 Their high-wayes much trauelled 330 60. Their trauell by Litters on mens shoulders very cheape 330. And so for Boat hire 331.39 Commoditie of their Riuers 336.20 Heate and cold much there 341 30 Greatnes of one of the 15. Prouinces 342.30 Their North parts best 344 China foure square 360.50 The true situation and quantity ibid. The exact description of it ibid. 361 c. 380.50 The two errours of our Maps of China 361.50 All one of with Cataye 361.50 362.20 Why the Neighbour-Kings cannot inuade China 362 40. How diuided from Mogot 362.40 The diuision and Chorographicall Bookes ibid. The greatnesse of their Cities and Villages 362.363 The trauell there is most by water 363.50 The cause of the plenty 363.40 The cheapnesse of their commodities 365.10 20 China needs no forreigne traffique 365.1 Europaean Commodities deare there 367.1.374.30 The gouernment 372.1 10. Halfe the time th●re spent in complements 374.50 The ancient names of China 380.20 The King changeth it at pleasure ibid. The greatest Kingdome of the World 380.50 T is vnder the temperate Z●●e ibid. 381.20 The number of Cities and people 281 1 10. Exceedingly fortified by nature ibid. The naturall commodities of it ibid. Their innumerable shipping ibid. Why the Countrey is so cold 382.1 Their Metals Gl●sse Paper Spices c. 382. Their Artizans not comparable to ours ibid. 383.10 Their writing and Learning c. 384. The Language subiect to Aequinocations ibid. Most confused ibid. Seuerall Languages spoken in China 402.30 Extreame difficulty of their Language 403.50 Particular descriptions of places and things in China see page 402.40 c. The Authours suspition of a Kingdome to the North of China 404. Christians not suffered to lye in their Cities a nights 411.1 China King He writes vpon plates of Gold 326 60. Kings of China where buried 260.30 275.20 Hospitall for Pilgrims that come to visit their tombes 261.50 Wonderfull wall about their buriall place 262.1 360. Hermitages in it ibid. The habit of the Hermites there and his admirable answeres to Faria ibid. Altars there much reuerenced 263.1 Rifled by Faria the Portugall 262. 263. Faria drowned 263.50 His Palace described 342. His closenesse 357 King of Chinaes Armes 266.10 275.10 296.1 319.50 352.20 392.40 Beginning of the Kingdome of China 267.50 The King is sworne to reside at Pequin 275.1 His reuenues how bestowed 276.30 364.30 His house of entertainment in euery Citie 292.30 Hee holds himselfe Lord of the World 309.50 This pride retorted by the Spaniards 310.20 He cares not to enlarge his Dominion 390 20.315.1 His noblenesse 315 20. Hee is gulled by counterfeit Ambassages ibid. 362 China vnited into a Monarchie when 376.20 The reuenue and expenses of the
entred me thought I was come into a new World Whose Life and manners I will descrbe vnto your Highnesse as well as I can THey haue in no place any setled Citie to abide in neither know they of the Celestiall Citie to come They haue diuided all Scythia among themselues which stretcheth from the Riuer Danubius euen vnto the rising of the Sunne And euery of their Captaines according to the great or small number of his people knoweth the bounds of his Pastures and where hee ought to feed his Cattell Winter and Summer Spring and Autumne For in the Winter they descend vnto the warme Regions South-ward And in the Summer they ascend vnto the cold Regions North-ward In Winter when Snow lyeth vpon the ground they feed their Cattell vpon Pastures without water because then they vse Snow in stead of water Their houses wherein they sleepe they ground vpon a round foundation of Wickers artificially wrought and compacted together the Roofe whereof consisteth in like sort of Wickers meeting aboue into one little Roundell out of which Roundell ascendeth vpward a necke like vnto a Chimney which they couer with white Felt and oftentimes they lay Morter or white Earth vpon the said Felt with the powder of bones that it may shine white And sometimes also they couer it with blacke Felt. The said Felt on the necke of their house they doe garnish ouer with beautifull varietie of Pictures Before the doore likewise they hang a Felt curiously painted ouer For they spend all their coloured Felt in painting Vines Trees Birds and Beasts thereupon The said houses they make so large that they contayne thirtie foot in breadth For measuring once the breadth betweene the wheele-ruts of one of their Carts I found it to bee twentie feet ouer and when the house was vpon the Cart it stretched ouer the wheeles on each side fiue feet at the least I told two and twentie Oxen in one Teame drawing an house vpon a Cart eleuen in one order according to the breadth of the Cart and eleuen more before them the Axle-tree of the Cart was of an huge bignesse like vnto the Mast of a Ship And a f●llow stood in the doore of the house vpon the fore-stall of the Cart driuing forth the Oxen. Moreouer they make certayne foure square Baskets of small slender Wickers as bigge as great Chests and afterward from one side to another they frame an hollow lidde or couer of such like Wickers and make a doore in the fore-side thereof And then they couer the said Chest or little House with black Felt ubbed ouer with Tallow or Sheeps Milke to keep the rain from soking through which they deck likewise with painting or with feathers And in such Chests they put their whole Houshold-stuffe and Treasure Also the same Chests they doe strongly binde vpon other Carts which are drawne with Camels to the end they may wade through Riuers Neither doe they at any time take downe the said Chests from off their Carts When they take downe their dwelling houses they turne the doores alwayes to the South and next of all they place the Carts laden with their Chests here and there within halfe a stones cast of the House insomuch that the House standeth betweene two rankes of Carts as it were betweene two Walles The Matrones make for themselues most beautifull Carts which I am not able to describe vnto your Maiesty but by Pictures only for I would right willingly haue painted all things for you had my Skill beene ought in that Art One rich Moal or Tartar hath two hundred or one hundred such Carts with Chests Duke Baatu hath sixteene Wiues euery one of which hath one great house besides other little houses which they place behind the great one being as it were Chambers for their Maidens to dwell in And vnto euery of the said houses doe belong two hundred Carts When they take their houses from off the Carts the principall Wife placeth her Court on the West Frontier and so all the rest in their order so that the last Wife dwelleth vpon the East Frontier and one of the said Ladies Courts is distant from another about a stones cast Whereupon the Court of one rich Moal or Tartar will appeare like vnto a great Village very few men abiding in the same One woman will guide twenty or thirty Carts at once for their Countries are very plaine and they binde the Carts with Camels or Oxen one behind another And there sits a Wench in the fore-most Cart driuing the Oxen and all the residue follow on a like pace When they chance to come at any bad passage they let them loose and guide them ouer one by one for they goe a slow pace as fast as a Lambe or an Oxe can walke HAuing taken downe their houses from off their Carts and turning the doores South-ward they place the bed of the Master of the house at the North part thereof The womens place is alwayes on the East-side namely on the left hand of the good man of the house sitting vpon his bed with his face South-wards but the mens place is vpon the West-side namely at the right hand of their Master Men when they enter into the house will not in any case hang their Q●iuers on the womens side Ouer the Masters head there is alwayes an Image like a Puppet made of Fealt which they call the Masters Brother and another ouer the head of the good Wife or Mistris which they call her Brother being fastened to the wall and aboue betweene both of them there is a little leane one which is as it were the keeper of the whole house The good Wife or Mistris of the house placeth aloft at her beds feet on the right hand the Skinne of a Kid stuffed with Wooll or some other matter and neere vnto that a little Image or Puppet looking towards the Maidens and women Next vnto the doore also on the womens side there is another Image with a Cowes Vdder for the women that milke the Kine For it is the dutie of their women to milke Kine On the other side of the doore next vnto the men there is another Image with the Vdder of a Mare for the men which milke Mares And when they come together to drinke and make merrie they sprinkle part of their Drinke vpon the Image which is aboue the Masters head afterward vpon other Images in order then goeth a Seruant out of the house with a cup full of Drinke sprinkling it thrise towards the South and bowing his knee at euery time and this is done for the honour of the Fire Then performeth he the like Superstitious Idolatry towards the East for the honour of the Ayre and then to the West for the honour of the water and lastly to the North in the behalfe of the Dead When the Master holdeth a cup in his hand to drinke before hee tasteth thereof hee powreth his part vpon the ground
And they shall possesse the Countries from North to South and shall come vnto Constantinople and shall take the Port of Constantinople And one of them who shall be called a Wise man shall enter the Citie and seeing the Churches and rites of the Frankes shall cause himselfe to be Baptized and shall counsell the Frankes how they may kill the Emperour of the Tartars and there they shall be confounded Hearing this the Frankes which shall be in the middle of the Land to wit Hierusalem shall set vpon the Tartars who shall border vpon them and with the helpe of our Nation that is the Armenians shall pursue them so that the French King shall place his Roy●ll Throne at Taurinum in Persia. And then all East Countries and all the vnbeleeuing Nations shall be conuerted to the Faith of Christ. And there shall be so great Peace in the world that the Liuing shall say to the Dead Woe be vnto you wretches that liued not vntill these times I read this Prophesie brought to Constantinople by the Armenians which remaine there but I made light of it Yet when I spake with the said Bishop calling it to minde I regarded it the more And throughout all that Armenia they as firmely beleeue this Prophesie as the Gospell Hee said vnto vs also Euen as the Soules in Limbo expected the comming of Christ for their deliuery so doe we looke for your comming that we might be freed from this slauery wherein wee haue so long liued Neere the City Vaxnan aforesaid there are Mountaines on the which they say the Arke of Noah rested And there are two one greater then the other and Araxes runneth at the foote of them And there is a little Towne there called Cemainum which is by Interpretation Eight for they say it was so called of the Eight persons which came foorth of the Arke and built it Many haue assayed to climbe the greater Hill and could not And that Bishop told me that a certaine Monke was very much troubled and an Angell appeared vnto him and brought him a piece of the wood of the Arke willing him to trouble himselfe no more That piece of Wood they had in their Church as he told me Neither is the Hill so high in appearance but that men might well get vp vnto it A certaine Old man shewed me a sufficient reason why none should climbe it They call that Mountaine Massis and it is of the Feminine gender in their Tongue No man saith he must climbe vp Massis because it is the Mother of the world In that Citie of Vaxnan Frier Bernard Cathalane of the Order of the Preaching Friers found me who abode in Georgie with a certaine Prior of the Sepulcher who possesseth great lands there And he had learned somewhat of the Tartars language Who went with a certaine Hungarian Frier to Taurinum to desire Argons Passe to Sartach When they came there they could not haue accesse and the Hungarian Frier returned by me to Tephelis with one Seruant but Frier Bernard remained at Taurinum with a certaine Lay-Frier whose language he vnderstood not We went out of the Citie of Vaxnan in octauis of the Epiphanie for we had stayd long there by reason of the Snow We came therefore in foure dayes to the Countrey of Sahensa a certain Curgine sometimes mighty but now tributary to the Tartars who destroyed all his Munition whose Father Zacharias got that Countrey of the Armenians hauing deliuered them from the hands of the Saracens And there are many faire Villages of true Christians hauing Churches right like the Frankes And euery Armenian hath in his house in an honourable place a wooden hand holding a Crosse and he sets a burning Lampe before it And that which we doe with holy Water sprinkling it to driue away wicked Spirits they doe the same with Frankinsence For euery euening they burn Frankinsence carrying it through all the corners of the house to rid them of all kinde of Enemies I ate with the foresaid Sahensa and he did me great reuerence both he and his Wife and his sonne Zachary was a very faire and wise young man Who demanded of me that if he should come vnto you whether yee would entertaine him for he so hardly brooketh the Dominion of the Tartars that though he haue plenty of all things he had rather trauaile into a strange Country then indure their Lord-like Dominion They said further that they were sonnes of the Church of Rome and if the Lord Pope would send them any ayde they would bring all the bordering Nations vnto the subiection of the Church From that Towne of his in fifteene dayes we entred the Countrey of the Soldan of Turkie vpon the first Sunday in Lent And the first Castle we found is called Marsengen All in the Castle were Christians Armenians Curgines and Greekes The Saracens onely haue the Dominion There the Captaine of the Castle said he had receiued commandement that no victuals should be giuen to any Franke or to the Ambassadours of the King of Armenia or of Vastacius So that from the place where wee were the first Sunday in Lent vnto Cyprus whether I came eight dayes before the Feast of Saint Iohn Baptist we must buy our prouision He who was my guide procured me Horses and tooke money for the victuals and put it in his purse When he came into the Fields seeing a flocke any where hee violently tooke one Sheepe and gaue it to his family to eate and maruailed I would not eate of his robbery In the Purification I was in a certaine Citie called Aini which was Sahensas whose situation is most strong and there are there a thousand Armenian Churches and two Synagogues of the Saracens The Tartars place a Baily there There fiue Preaching Friers met me whereof foure came from Prouince in France and the fift ioyned himselfe to them in Syria and they had but one sicke Boy who could speake Turkish and a little French And they had the Popes letters to Sartach and to Mangu Chan and to Buri such as your Highnes gaue me Letters of request that they would suffer them to continue in their Countrey and Preach the Word of God c. But when I told them what I had seene and how they sent me backe againe they directed their iourney to Tephelis where there are Friers of their Order to consult what they should doe I said vnto them they might well passe by those Letters if they would but they should bee well assured to indure much labour and render an account of their comming for seeing they had no other message but the office of Preaching they would care but a little for them and chiefly because they had no Interpreter What they did after I know not THe second Sunday in Lent we came to the head of Araxis and passing beyond the top of the Mountaine we came to Euphrates by the which wee descended eight dayes
and wilde inhabiting the Mountaines and inaccessible places where they know are pastures for they liue onely of their beasts There are good Horses called Turke-men or Turkie horses Mules of great estimation The other Nations are Grecians and Armenians who possesse the Cities and Townes and bestow their labour on Marchandise and Artes. They make the best Carpets in the world And they haue many Cities the chiefe whereof are Cogno or Iconium Caesarea and Sebaste where Saint Basil suffered Martyrdome for Christ and they acknowledge one of the Kings of the Tartars for their Lord. Armenia the greater being a very large Prouince tributary to the Tartars hath many Cities and Townes The chiefe Citie thereof is called Arzuiga and the best Bukram is made there Most wholsome hot waters also spring there for the washing and curing of mens bodies And the other more famous Cities next to the Metropolis are Argiron and Darziz In the Summer time very many Tartars resort thither with their Flockes and heards allured through the fatnes of the pasture and againe in the Winter depart for a certaine time by reason of the abundance of Snow The Arke of Noah remained in the Mountaines of this Armenia This Countrey hath the Prouince of Mosull and Meridin bordering on the East But on the North is Zorzania in the confines of which a Fountaine is found from which liquor-like oyle floweth yet is it vnprofitable for the seasoning of meat but very fit for the making and maintaining of Lampes and to anoint other things enough to lade Camels In Zorzania is a King called alway Dauid Melicz or King Dauid One part of the Prouince is subiect to him the other payeth tribute to the King of the Tartars The Woods there are of Boxe-tree The Countrey abutteth on the two Seas Mar-maggiore and that of Abaccu or the Caspian which containeth in Circuit twentie eight hundred Miles and is like a Lake not mingled with other Seas In it are many Ilands Cities and Castles some of which are inhabited by those which fled from the Tartars out of Persia. The people of Zorzania are Christians obseruing the rites of the Christians They keepe their hayre short like the Westerne Clergie The Inhabitants haue many Cities and Castles and abound with Silke of the which they make very faire Cloathes Moxul is a Prouince in which dwell people of many sortes one called Arahi which are Mahumetans other are Christians some Nestorians others Iacobites and others Armenians and they haue a Patriarch called Iacolit which ordaineth Archbishops Bishops and Abbots and sends them thorow all parts of India and to Cairo and Baldach and all parts where Christians dwell as doth the Pope of Rome And all the cloathes of Gold and of Silke called Mossulines are wrought in Moxul But in the Mountaines of this Kingdome dwell the people called Cordi whereof some are Nestorians other Iacobines and some followers of Mahumet They are wicked men and rob Merchants Neare to them is another Prouince called Mus and Meridin wherein growes infinite store of Cotton or Bombast whereof they make Buckrams and other workes They are all vnder the Tartars Baldach is a great Citie in which was the Chalifa that is the Pope of all the Sarcens A Riuer runnes thorow it from whence to the Sea is ordinarily seauenteene dayes iourney They sayle by a Citie called Chisi but before they come thither is Balsara about which grow the best Dates in the world In Baldach are many cloathes of Gold and Silke there are wrought Damaskes and Veluets with diuers figures of creatures All the pearles in manner in Christendome come thence In that Citie is studyed the law of Mahomet Negromancie Physicke Astronomie Geomancie and Phisnomie It is the chiefe Citie in those parts When the Tartars began to raigne there were foure Brethren the eldest of which Mongu raigned in Sedia These purposing to subdue the world went one to the East another to the North to the South a third which was Vlau and the other to the West In the yeare from the Incarnation of our Lord 1250. Vlau hauing a great Army of one hundred thousand Horse besides Foot yet vsed policie and hauing hid a great part of his men brought by fained flight the Calipha into his ambush and tooke him and the Citie in which he found infinite store of treasure insomuch that he wondered He sent for the Califa and reproued him that in that warre hee had not therewith prouided himselfe of Souldiers for defence and commanded that hee should be inclosed in that Tower where his Treasure was without other sustenance This seemed a iust iudgement from our Lord Iesus Christ on him For he in the yeare 1225. seeking to conuert the Christians to Mahumet And taking aduantage on that place of the Gospell that hee which hath Faith asmuch as a graine of Mustard-seed should be able to remoue mountaines he Conuerted all the Christians Nestorians and Iacobites and propounded to them in ten dayes to remoue certaine Mountaines or turne Mahumetans or be slaine as not hauing one man amongst them which had the least faith They therefore continued eight dayes in Prayer after which a certaine Shoomaker by reuelation to a Bishop was designed to performe it This Shoomaker once tempted to lust by sight of a young Woman in putting on her Shooe zealously had fulfilled that of the Gospell and literally had put out his right eye He now on the day appointed with other Christians following the Crosse and lifting his hands to Heauen prayed to God to haue mercy on his people and then with a loude voyce commanded the Mountaine in the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost to remoue which presently with great terrour to the Califa and all his people was effected And that day is since kept holy with fasting also on the euen Tauris is a great Citie in the Prouince of Hirace It is a most populous Citie They liue of Arts and Merchandise They make Cloathes of gold and silke Foraine Merchants make there great gaine but the Inhabitants are generally poore a mixed people of Nestorians Armenians Iacobites Georgians and Persians and Mahumetans These last are perfidious and treacherous thinking all well gotten which they steale from men of other Religions And this wickednesse of the Saracens hath conuerted many Tartars thereto If the Christians kill them in their robberie they are reputed Martyrs From Tauris to Persia are twelue dayes iourney In the confines of Tauris is the Monasterie of Saint Barsam the Monkes whereof are like Carmelites they alway make girdles which they lay on the Altar and giue to their friends which deuoutly esteeme of them Persia containeth eight Kingdomes whereof the first is called Casibin the second Curdistan the third Lor the fourth Suolistan the fift Spaan the sixt Siras the seauenth Soncara the eight Timochaim which is neere Arboresecco towards the North. Faire and great Horses are there whence they
iuyce of Herbs and whoso tasteth but a little thereof cannot escape loosenesse of the belly The like also hapneth if any taste the Salt made of that water It is therefore needfull that Trauellers carrie some water with them if they will not be indangered through thirst The beasts also which are compelled to drink that water escape not without scouring In the fourth day they find a fresh Riuer vnder ground the three last dayes are as the first Cobinam is a great Mahumetan Citie goodly and great Looking Glasses of Steele are made there Tutia also which cureth the eyes and Spodio and that after this manner That Country hath Mines out of which they digge Earth which they boyle casting it into a fierie Fornace an Iron grate receiuing the ascending vapour from aboue in the which the conglutinated and clammie vapour becommeth Tutia But the grosser matter remayning in the fire is called Spodio The Inhabitants of this Countrey are followers of Mahumet Leauing the Citie Cobinam you meet with another Desart eight dayes Iourney in length and in it there is great drynesse it wanteth trees and fruits and waters which it hath are very bitter so that the very beasts refuse to drinke them except they mixe meale therewith and Trauellers carrie water with them But hauing passed ouer this Desart you came to the Kingdome Timochaim in the North Confines of Persia where many Cities and Castles are There is a great Plaine in which a great tree groweth called the tree of the Sunne which the Christians call The dry Tree This tree is very great and thicke and hath leaues which on the one side are white and on the other side greene It produceth prickly shales like those of a Chesnut but nothing in them The wood is solide and strong yellow like Boxe There is no tree within one hundred miles except on one side on which are trees within ten miles In this place the Inhabitants say that Alexander the Great fought with Darius The Cities are plentifull of good things but Mahumetan and of temperate Aire It hath also goodly men but specially women the most beautifull in my iudgement in the World Mulehet is in Saracen Language as much to say as a place of Heretikes and of this place they call the men Mulehetici that is Heretikes in their Law as with vs Patarines Hauing spoken of the Countrey the old man of the Mountayne shall bee spoken of of whom Marco heard much from many His name was Aloadine and was a Mahumetan Hee had in a goodly Valley betwixt two Mountaynes very high made a goodly Garden furnished with the best trees and fruits he could find adorned with diuers Palaces and houses of pleasure beautified with gold Workes Pictures and Furnitures of silke There by diuers Pipes answering diuers parts of those Palaces were seene to runne Wine Milke Honey and cleere Water In them hee had placed goodly Damosels skilfull in Songs and Instruments of Musicke and Dancing and to make Sports and Delights vnto men whatsoeuer they could imagine They were also fairely attyred in Gold and Silke and were seene to goe continually sporting in the Garden and Palaces He made this Palace because Mahomet had promised such a sensuall Paradise to his deuout followers No man might enter for at the mouth of the Valley was a strong Castle and the entrance was by a secret passage Alaodine had certaine Youthes from twelue to twentie yeares of age such as seemed of a bold and vndoubted disposition whom hee instructed daily touching Mahomets Paradise and how hee could bring men thither And when he thought good he caused a certaine Drinke to bee giuen vnto ten or twelue of them which cast them in a dead sleepe and then hee caused them to be carryed into diuers Chambers of the said Palaces where they saw the things aforesaid as soone as they awaked each of them hauing those Damosels to minister Meates and excellent Drinkes and all varieties of pleasures to them insomuch that the Fooles thought themselues in Paradise indeed When they had enioyed those pleasures foure or fiue dayes they were againe cast in a sleepe and carryed forth againe After which hee caused them to be brought into his presence and questioned where they had beene which answered by your Grace in Paradise and recounted before all all before mentioned Then the old man answered This is the commandement of our Prophet that whosoeuer defends his Lord he make him enter Paradise and if thou wilt bee obedient to mee thou shalt haue this grace And hauing thus animated them hee was thought happie whom the old man would command though it cost him his life so that other Lords and his Enemies were slaine by these his Assasines which exposed themselues to all dangers and contemned their liues Hereupon hee was esteemed a Tyrant feared in all those parts and had two Vicars one in the parts of Damasco and another in Curdistan which obserued the same order with young men Hee vsed also to rob all which passed that way Vlau in the yeare 1262. sent and besieged his Castle which after three yeares siege they tooke slue him and ruined his Paradise not being able for want of victuall to hold out longer §. III. Of Sapurgan Balac Thaican Scassem Balaxiam Bascia Chesmur Vochan Samarchan Carchan Peym the dreadfull Desart of Lop and Tanguth DEparting from the foresaid place you come vnto a certayne Country pleasant enough which hath Hils Plaines and excellent Pasture and lastly fruits in great plentie for the soyle thereof is very fruitfull This continues sixe dayes and then you enter a Desart of fortie or fiftie miles without water After this you come to the Citie Sapurgan where plentie of all victuall is found especially Pompions the best in the World sweet like Honey Passing from thence we came vnto a certayne Citie named Batach which in times past was great and famous hauing sumptuous Marble Palaces but now ouerthrowne by the Tartars In this Citie they report that Alexander tooke the Daughter of King Darius to wife To this Citie on the East and North-east continue the Confines of Persia. But if you goe from hence and proceed betweene the East and the North-east you cannot finde any Habitation for two dayes Iourney because the Inhabitans of the place hauing endured so many grieuances by Theeues and Robbers are compelled to flye vnto the Mountaynes to wit places of more safetie Many waters are found there and very much game of wild beasts Lyons also are there And because Trauellers find no food in that Iourney they carrie victuals with them which may suffice them for two dayes That two dayes Iourney ended which we mentioned we met with a certayne Castle called Thaican where is great plentie of Corne and very goodly fields The Mountaynes also on the South are high some of which are of white and hard Salt and the Inhabitants
you come vnto the champaine Countrey of Bargu which extendeth it selfe Northwards about sixtie dayes iourney in length The Inhabitants of those places are Mecriti and they are subiect to great Chan vsing the manners of the Tartars They are wilde men and eate the flesh of Beasts which they take by hunting especially of Stagges whereof they haue great plentie and they make them so tame that they may ride them They want Corne and Wine In the Summer they exercise great hunting and taking of wilde Beasts and Fowle with the flesh whereof they may liue in the winter For in Winter as well fowle as other liuing creatures flie from thence by reason of the exceeding and vntolerable cold of that Countrey After the end of fortie dayes iourney you come vnto the Ocean neere which is a Mountaine where Astori and strange Falcons breed which are carryed thence vnto the Court of great Chan. Heere we must returne vnto the Citie Campion If therefore you proceed further fiue dayes iourney from the Citie Campion towards the East in the places lying in the middle horrible voyces of Deuils are heard in the night time you come to the Kingdome Erginul in the Prouince of Tangut subiect to the great Cham. In this Kingdome are many other Kingdomes which are Idolators There are some Nestorian Christians and Turkes There are many Cities and Castles of which Erginul is chiefe From hence if you proceed further to the Southeast you may goe to the parts of Cathai going Southeast towards Cathai there is a certaine famous Citie named Cinguy the name also of the Prouince tributarie vnto great Chan contained in Tangut the people are some Christians some Mahumetans others Idolators Their are also found wilde Oxen neere as great as Elephants very faire hauing white and blacke hayre short in other parts and on the shoulders three palmes long fine and white beyond silke of which Marco brought some to Venice as a rare thing Many also of these Oxen are tamed and made to engender with tame Kine and the breed of them are fitter for businesse then any other creatures beare great burthens are yoaked to the plow and doe twise as much as others The best Muske in the world is found in this Prouince and is of a goodly beast of the bignesse of a Goat hauing grosse hayre like a Stagge feet and tayle like a Gazella but without hornes it hath foure teeth two aboue and two beneath of the length of three fingers subtle and white as Iuorie and is a faire beast to see to when the Moone is at full neare the nauill vnder the belly there growes to this beast an impostume or bladder full of blood and at the full then they goe to hunt the said beasts and take away that swelling which is dryed in the Sunne and is the best Muske the flesh also is good to eate Master Marco brought to Venice the head and feet of this beast dryed The men ●●ue of Merchandise and Arts and haue aboundance of Corne they are Idolaters of a fat body and a little Nose blacke hayred hauing no beard but foure hayres on their chin The women are faire and white And when the men desire to marry wiues they rather seeke the beautifull then the noble or rich Whereby it commeth often to passe that a great and Noble man marryeth a poore wife but beautifull assigning dowrie to her mother there This Prouince extendeth it selfe fiue and twentie dayes iourney in length and is very fertile In it are exceeding great Feasants hauing traynes eight or ten handfuls long Many other kindes of Birds are also found there which haue very goodly feathers distinguished with diuers and excellent colours Proceeding further towards the East after eight dayes iourney you meet with the Prouince Egrigaia in the which are many Cities and Castles all still in Tanguth The principall Citie is called Calacia The Inhabitants thereof are Idolaters there are three Churches of Nestorian Christians and are subiect to the great Chan. In the Citie Calacia Chamlets are made wouen of white wooll and the hayre of Camels then the which there are scarce any fairer found in the world Going to the East from the Prouince Egrigaia the way leadeth vnto the Prouince Tenduch in the which are many Cities and Castles where also Presbyter Iohannes vseth to abide who now payeth tribute to great Chan. This King of that progenie of Priest Iohn is named George and is a Priest and a Christian and most of the people are Christians All the Great Chans after his death who was slaine in battell by Cingis gaue their Daughters to those Kings to wife This King George holds not all that Priest Iohn before held and is the fourth of that progenie There is a Nation there called Argon more goodly men and fitter for Merchandise then the rest descended of Idolaters and Mahumetans There are also two Regions where they raigne which in those parts are called Og and Magog but they which dwell there call them Vng and Mongul in Vng are Gog and in Mongul the Tartars Riding East seauen dayes towards Catay are many Cities peopled with Idolaters Mahumetans and Nestorians There is one Citie called Sindicin where very faire and excellent Armes are made of diuers sorts fit for Armies In the mountaines of this Prouince are great Mines of siluer and manifold game of wilde beasts and the Countrey of the mountaines is called Idifa Three dayes iourney distant from the foresaid Citie standeth another Citie Iangamur that is White Lake wherein is a Palace in which the great Chan most willingly remaineth because there are many Lakes and riuers many Swannes and in the plaines Cranes Feasants and Partridges and store of other fowle There are fiue sorts of Cranes there some haue blacke wings like Crowes others are white and bright hauing their feathers full of eyes like Peacocks but of a golden colour the necke blacke and white very beautifull a third sort of bignesse not vnlike ours a fourth little and very faire intermingled with red and blew colours the fifth of a grizell or gray colour hauing red and blacke heads and these are very great And neere vnto this Citie lyeth a certaine valley where many Cottages are in the which an exceeding number of Partridges is maintained which are kept for the King comming to lodge there for a time This Citie is three dayes iourney Northeastward to the Citie Xandu which the great Chan Cublay now raigning built erecting thereing a maruellous and artificiall Palace of Marble and other stones which abutteth on the wall on one side and the midst of the Citie on the other He included sixteene miles within the circuit of the wall on that side where the Palace abutteth on the Citie wall into which none can enter but by the Palace In this inclosure or Parke are goodly meadowes springs riuers red and fallow Deere Fawnes carryed thither
for the Hawkes of which are there mewed aboue two hundred Gerfalcons which he goeth once a weeke to see and he often vseth one Leopard or more sitting on Horses which hee setteth vpon the Stagges and Deere hauing taken the beast giueth it to the Gerfalcons and in beholding this spectacle he taketh wonderfull delight In the middest in a faire Wood hee hath built a royall House on pillars gilded and vernished on euery of which is a Dragon all gilt which windeth his tayle about the pillar with his head bearing vp the loft as also with his wings displayed on both sides the couer also is of Reeds gilt and varnished so that the rayne can doe it no iniurie the reeds being three handfuls thicke and ten yards long split from knot to knot The house it selfe also may be sundred and taken downe like a Tent and erected againe For it is sustained when it is set vp with two hundred silken cords Great Chan vseth to dwell there three moneths in the yeare to wit in Iune Iuly and August On the eight and twentieth day of August he departeth to make a solemne sacrifice He hath an herd of white Horses and white Mares about ten thousand of the milke whereof none may drinke except hee be of the progenie of Cingis Can except one family called Boriat priuiledged hereto by Cingis for their valour And these beasts as they goe vp and downe feeding are much reuerenced nor dare any goe before them or hinder their way The Astrologers or Sorcerers tell Chan that on the twentie eight of the Moone of August he should disperse that milke heere and there for the honour of all spirits and his Idols that they might be carefull preseruers of all those things which he possesseth There are two sorts of Idolaters Sorcerers called Thebeth and Chesmir which in the midst of stormes ascend the Palace and suffer no rayne to fall thereon which they make the people beleeue comes to passe by their sanctitie and therefore they goe slouenly and regardlesse of their persons neuer washing nor combing themselues They also haue a horrible custome to dresse and eate such as are comdemned to death but not those which dye naturally They are called also Bachsi which is the name of their Order as Friers Predicants or Minors with vs. They seeme by Magicke to doe what they list when the great Can in his Hall sits at his Table which is eight yards high and in the midst of the hall a good distance from the table is a great Cupboard of plate furnished They cause that the peeces full of Wine or Milke or other viands of themselues fill the goblets without any hand touching them and goe ten paces in the ayre into the great Cans hand and when he hath drunke returne to their place This they doe in the presence of any man when their Lord commands These Bachsi also when they will make feasts to their Idols goe to the Can and say Sir know that if our Idols be not honoured with Sacrifices they will bring plagues to Corne and Beasts And therefore wee pray you to giue the flesh of so many Sheepe with blacke heads and so many pounds of Incense and Lignum aloes that we may make them due sacrifice and honour This they spake not to him themselues but by certaine Lords deputed to that Office who speake to the Can and obtaine it On the feast day they sacrifice the said beasts and sprinkle the broath before the Idols They haue great Monasteries some of the bignesse of a Citie in some of which are about two thousand Monkes which serue Idols sequestred from the Laitie in their shauing and garments For they shaue their heads and beards and were a religious garment These in the solemnities of their Idols sing with solemne songs and lights some of them may marry There are some of great abstinence called Sensim leading an austere life for they eate nothing but Meale mingled with water till all the Flower be gone and eate the branne without any sauour These worship the Fire and the men of other rules say that these which are so austere are Heretikes against their Law because they worship not Idols as they doe and there are great differences betwixt them and these marry not in any case They shaue their Head and Beard they weare blacke hempen garments and bright yellow They sleepe in thicke Mats and liue the seuerest life in the world §. V. Of CVBLAI CAN his Raigne and Acts Magnificent feasts and Huntings Court and Counsell His Citie Cambalu and glorious Palace IN this Booke I purpose to write of all the great and maruellous Acts of the present Can called Cublai Can which is in our Tongue Lord of Lords the greatest Prince in peoples Cities and Treasures that euer was in the world Hee being discended from the Progenie of Chingis the first Prince of the Tartars is the sixth Emperour of that Countrey beginning to raigne in the yeare of our Lord 1256. being twentie seauen yeares old and ruling the people with great wisedome and grauitie He is a valiant man exercised in Armes strong of bodie and of a prompt minde for the performance of matters before he attained to the dignitie of the Empire which by his wisdome he did against the will of his Brethren he often shewed himselfe a valiant Souldier in the warres and carryed himselfe like a wiser and bolder Captaine then euer the Tartars had But since he swayed the Kingdome he went but once into the Field but sends his Sonnes and other Captaines in expeditions In the yeare of our Lord 1286. his Vncle named Naiam being thirtie yeares of age and hauing the command of many people and Countries so that hee was able easily to bring together foure hundred thousand Horse Being puffed vp through youthfull vanitie would now no longer be subiect but would needs take away the Kingdome from his Lord Cubai and sent to another great Lord named Caydu Lord of the parts towards great Turkie who was nephew of the Emperour Cublai yet hated him who yeelding consent to Rebellion promised to come in proper person with an hundred thousand Horse Both of them began to gather Forces which could not bee done so secretly but Cublai heard of it and presently tooke order to set guard to the wayes that no intelligence might passe that way and then assembled all the Forces within ten dayes iourney of Cambalu with great speed so that in twentie dayes were gathered together three hundred sixtie thousand Horse and one hundred thousand Foot a great part of them Falconiers and men of his Houshold With these hee made all haste day and night towards Naiams Countrey where at the end of twentie fiue d●yes he arriued altogether vnlooked for and rested his men two dayes Then hee called his Astrologers and caused them before all the Armie to diuine who should haue victorie a thing they alway vse to incourage
clothes of Gold and Silke and are rich Merchants and the Countrey is very commodious to the Can specially by Customes of Merchandise There is great plentie of Corne. Sianfu is a noble and great Citie in the Prouince of Mangi and hath twelue rich and great Cities subiect vnto her iurisdiction They make great store of Silkes and cloth of Gold haue plentie of game and fowle and of all things pertayning to a Citie of note so strong that it was three yeeres besieged and could not be vanquished by the Armie of the Tartars when the Prouince of Mangi was subdued For it is compassed on euery side with Lakes that there was no way vnto it but on the North so that ships came and went continually bringing plentie of victuals which not a little afflicted great Can. The two brethren Master Nicolo and Master Maffio then in his Court hearing hereof went to him and offered their seruice to deuise certaine Engines after the manner of the West able to shoot a stone of three hundred weight thereby to kill men and ruine houses The Can appointed them the best Carpenters which were Nestorian Christians who made three Mangani of those Engines in a short space which were proued and approued before him and by ships sent vnto his Armie Planting them therefore against the Citie Sianfu they began to cast great stones into the Citie and the first falling vpon a certaine house brake it for the most part with the violence thereof Which the besieged Inhabitants seeing were very much astonished and yeelded themselues and became subiect to the obedience of great Can on the same conditions with the rest of Mangi to the great repute of the two Venetian brethren From the Citie Sianfu to a certaine Citie named Singui are numbred fifteene miles South-eastward which although it be not great yet hath it an exceeding multitude of Ships being seated vpon the greatest Riuer in the world called Quian the bredth of which in certaine places contayneth ten miles in other eight and in some sixe But the length thereof extendeth it selfe aboue an hundred dayes iourney from the head to the Sea Innumerable other Riuers flow into it which runne thorow diuers Regions and are nauigable and make it so great incredible store of Merchandise is brought by this Riuer There are also very many other Cities in number about two hundred which participate of this Riuer it floweth through the bounds of sixteene Prouinces The greatest commoditie is Salt wherewith all the Cities which communicate in these waters are stored Master Marco saw at one time at Singui fiue thousand ships and yet other Cities on that Riuer haue more All those ships are couered and haue but one mast and one sayle and vsually carrie foure thousand and so vpwards some of them twelue thousand Venetian Cantari Neither vse cordage of Hempe except for the mast and sayle but haue Canes fifteence paces long which they riue into thinne parts from one end to the other and binding the cut pieces together and wreathing them make very long ropes so that some of them contayne three hundred fathom in length And those lines are as strong as Hempen and serue for halfes and cables to draw their ships vp and downe the Riuer each ship hauing ten or twelue Horses for that purpose On that Riuer in many places are rockie hillockes on which are built Monasteries to their Idols and all the way are Villages and places inhabited Cayngui is a little Citie vpon the foresaid Riuer South-eastward where euery yeere is brought store of Corne and Rise carried the most part to Cambalu For they may passe thither by Lakes and Riuers and by one deepe large hand-made Riuer which the Can caused to be made for passage from one Riuer to another and from Mangi to Cambalu without going to Sea Which worke is goodly and wonderfull for the site and length and more for the profit thereby to the Cities Hee hath made also great Causies to goe on land by those waters commodiously In the mids of the said Riuer is an Iland of a Rocke on which is erected a great Temple and Monasterie in which are two hundred Idolatrous Monkes This is the Mother-temple and Monasterie of many others Cinghianfu is a Citie of Mangi rich in Merchandise plentifull of game of wilde beasts and fowle and of victuall In it are two Churches of Nestorian Christians built Anno 1274. when the great Can sent Gouernour thither Marsachis a Nestorian which built them From the Citie Cinghianfu in three dayes iourney South-eastward you find many Cities and Castles all Idolaters and at last come to the Citie Tinguigui a great and faire Citie abounding with all kinde of victuals When Chinsam Baian Generall of the Armie of the Tartars conquered the Prouince of Mangi he sent many Christians called Alani against this Citie which was double walled into the inner they retired into the other the Alans entred and found there abundance of Wine whereof after a bad iourney they began to drinke so largely that they were all drunke and the Citizens in their sleepe suddenly falling vpon them slue them all none escaping But Baian hearing this sent another great Armie against those Citizens which shortly vanquishing the Citie in reuenge put them all to the sword leauing none aliue The great and excellent Citie Singui contayneth in circuit twentie miles Great multitudes of people are in it it hath many rich Merchants and cunning Artificers and it hath also very many Physicians and Magicians and Wisemen or Philosophers In the Mountaines of this Citie Rhubarb and Ginger grow in great plenty This Citie hath sixteen Cities vnder the iurisdiction thereof where much trading is vsed and very many curious Arts are exercised Very many Silkes are made there The word Singui in their language signifieth The Citie of the Earth as also they haue another Citie which they call Quinsai that is to say The Citie of Heauen From Singui one dayes iourney is Vagiu where is also abundance of Silke and cunning Artificers with many Merchants GOing from Vagiu three dayes continually you find Cities Castles and Villages well peopled and rich The People are Idolaters vnder the Can at the end of those dayes you come to Quinsai which for the excellency hath that name interpreted Citie of Heauen for in the World there is not the like in which are found so many pleasures that a man would thinke he were in Paradise In this Citie Master Marco Polo hath often beene and considered the same with great diligence obseruing the whole state thereof setting downe the same in his memorials as here shall be declared briefly This Citie by common opinion is an hundred miles in circuit for the streets and channels thereof are very wide There are Market places exceeding large On the one side a cleere Lake of fresh water on the other a great Riuer which enters in many places and carries
away all the filth of the Citie and so runneth into that Lake thence continuing his course to the Ocean which causeth a good ayre and commodious passage both by land and by these channels There may goe both Carts and Barkes to carrie necessaries and the report is that there are twelue thousand Bridges great and small and those on the chiefe channels are so high that a ship without her Mast may passe vnder and aboue Chariots and Horses On the other side the Citie is a Ditch about fortie miles long which encloseth it on that side large and full of water from the Riuer made by the antient Kings of that Prouince both to receiue the ouerflowings of the water and to fortifie the Citie the earth which was taken out being layd within as a banke or hill encompassing There are ten chiefe Market-places besides infinite others along the streets which are square halfe a mile in each square And from the forepart of them is a principall street fortie paces wide running right from one end of the Citie to the other with many Bridges trauersing it And euery foure miles is found such a Market-place two miles as is said in compasse There is also one large channell which runnes against the said street behind the Market-places on the next banke whereof are erected great Store-houses of stone where the Merchants from India and other parts lay vp their Merchandise at hand and commodious to the Market-places In each of these Market-places is a concourse three dayes in the weeke of persons betwixt fortie and fiftie thousand which bring thither all things that can be desired for mans life of all beasts of game and fowles that Lake yeelding such commodiousnesse to bring them vp that for a Venetian groat you may haue two Geese and foure Duckes for as much Then follow the Butcher-rowes of Veale Beefe Kid and Lambe which the great and rich men eat for the poore eat vncleane meats without respect There are all sorts of herbs and fruits continually and amongst the rest huge Peares weighing ten pounds a piece white within like paste and very fragrant Peaches yellow and white very delicate Grapes grow not there but are brought from other places dried very good and Wine also but not so esteemed in those parts that of Rice and Spices contenting them Euery day from the Ocean is brought vp the Riuer which is the space of fiue and twentie miles great quantitie of fish besides that of the Lake so much as a man would thinke would neuer be bought and yet in a few houres is gone All those Market-places are encompassed with high houses and vnderneath are shops of Artificers and all sort of Merchandises Spiceries Iewels Pearles and in some onely Rice-wine Many streets answere one another in the said Market-places In some of them are many Baths of cold waters accommodated with attendants of both sexes a thing which from children they vse themselues vnto There are chambers also in the said Baths with hot waters for strangers which are not accustomed to the cold waters They wash euery day neither doe they eat before they haue washed In other streets are mercenarie Prostitutes in such number that I dare not report it and not onely neere the Market-places where they haue their places appointed but thorow all the Citie they stand very pompously with great odours many seruants and their houses adorned These are very practike in making sports and daliances and sweetest pleasures rauishing fooles forth of themselues In other streets are the Physicians the Astrologers they which teach to reade and write and infinite other Trades At each end of euery Market-place is a Palace where Lords and Gouernours are appointed by the King to deternine difficulties which happen betwixt Merchants or others as also to looke to the Guards on the Bridges punishing the negligent Alongst the principall Street whereof wee spake on both sides are great Palaces with Gardens and neere them houses of Artificers and such multitudes of people continually going to and fro that a man would wonder whence such multitudes should bee prouided of victuals And Master Marco learned of an officer of the Custome-house in Quinsai that by reckonings appeared the daily expence of Pepper in Quinsai to be three and fortie Some and euery Soma is two hundred twentie three pounds Hence may be ghessed the quantitie of Victuals Flesh Wine Spiceries were there spent The Inhabitants are Idolaters spend Paper money are white and faire complexion apparelled for the most part in Silke which growes in all that Territorie abundantly besides that which is brought from other places There are twelue principall mysteries each of which haue one thousand shops and in each shop or standing are ten men fifteene or twentie at worke and in some fortie vnder one Master The rich Masters doe no worke with their hands but stand ciuilly adorned or rather pompously especially their wiues with Iewels inualuable And although the antient Kings ordayned that the child should bee of the fathers Trade yet the rich are permitted not to worke but to keepe shop and men working in the same Trade Their Houses are well ordered and wrought richly adorned with Pictures and other stupendious costs The Natiues are peaceable know not to manage Armes nor keepe them in their Houses nor is there strife and debate amongst them They make their workes with great sinceritie They loue in such amitie that one Street seemes as one House without jealousies of their Wiues which they hold in great respect and it would be reputed great disgrace to speake a dishonest word to a married Woman They entertayne Merchant-strangers kindly both in their houses and with best aduice for their affaires But they are loth to see Souldiers and the Guards of the Grand Can as by whom they are bereft of their naturall Lords and Kings About the Lake are built faire Buildings and great Palaces of the chiefe men and Temples of their Idols with Monasteries of many Monkes In the midst of the Lake are two Ilands vpon each of which is a Palace with incredible numbers of Roomes whither they resort vpon occasions of Marriages or other Feasts where Prouisions of Vessels Naperie and other things are maintayned in common for such purposes one hundred sometime accommodated at once in seuerall Roomes In the Lake also are Boates and Barges for pleasure adorned with faire Seates and Tables and other prouisions for Bankets couered aboue and plaine vpon which men stand with Poles to make the Boat goe the Lake being but shallow Within they are painted without are windowes to open and shut at pleasure Nor can any thing in the World seeme more pleasant then in this Lake to haue such an obiect the Citie so fully presenting it selfe to the eye with so many Temples Monasteries Palaces Gardens with high Trees on the Waters Barges People for their custome is to worke one part of the day and to dispense
and knew all his life and had seene that Palace flourishing into which he would needs bring me The Viceroy now resides there and the first Galleries remayne as they were wont but the Damsells Chambers are ruined the wall also which encompassed the Woods and Gardens is fallen to the ground the Beasts and Trees being gone Twentie fiue miles from Quinsai is the Ocean betwixt the East and North-east neere to which is a Citie called Gampu a goodly Port where arriue the Indian ships of merchandise Whiles M. Marco was in Quinsai account being giuen to the Grand Can of the Reuenues and the number of the Inhabitants he hath seene that there haue beene enrolled one hundred and sixtie Toman of fires reckoning for a fire the Familie dwelling in one house euery Toman contayneth ten thousand which makes sixteene hundred thousand Families of all which there is but one Church of Christians and those Nestorians Euery house-holder is bound to haue written ouer his doore the names of the whole house-hold Males and Females also the number of Horses the names added or blotted out as the Familie increaseth or decreaseth And this is obserued in Mangi and Catay Those also that keepe Innes write in a Booke the names of their Guests and the day and houre of their departure which Booke they send daily to the Lords or Magistrates which reside at the Market-places In Mangi the poore which are not able to bring vp their children sell them to the rich The Reuenues which accrew to the Can from Quinsai and the others pertayning thereto being the ninth part of the Kingdome of Mangi are first of Salt euery yeere eightie Toman of gold euery Toman is eightie thousand Sazzi of gold and euery Sazzo is more then one Florin of gold which will amount to six Millions and foure hundred thousand Duckats The cause is that that Prouince being nigh the Sea there are many Lakes where the water in Summer is coagulated into Salt wherewith fiue other Kingdomes of that Prouince are serued There is store of Sugar growing which payeth as all other Spices doe three parts and a third in the hundred The like of Rice-wine Also those twelue mysteries which we said had twelue thousand shops and the Merchants which bring goods hither or carrie any hence by Sea pay the same price They which co●e from farre Countries and Regions as from the Indies pay ten per cento Likewise all things there breeding as Beasts and growing out of the Earth and Silke pay tithe to the King And the computation being made in the presence of M. Marco besides Salt before mentioned yeerely amounts to two hundred and ten Toman which will bee sixteene millions of gold and eight hundred thousand FRom Quinsai one dayes iourney to the South-east are all the way Houses Villages faire Gardens plentifull of Victuals at the end whereof is Tapinzu a faire and great Citie in the iurisdiction of Quinsai Three dayes thence South-east is Vgaiu and two dayes further may you ride that way all the way finding Castles Cities and cultiuated Places in such Neighbour-hood that they seeme to Trauellers all one Citie all in the same iurisdiction of Quinsai There are great Canes fifteene paces long and foure palmes thicke Two dayes iourney further is the Citie Gengui faire and great and trauelling further South-east are inhabited places full of People and Trades And in this part of Mangi are no Muttons but Beeues Buffals Goates and Swine in great plentie At the end of foure dayes iourney is found the Citie Zengian built on a Hill in the midst of a Riuer which with her parted Armes embraceth and encompasseth it and then runne one to the South-east the other to the North-west They are in the iurisdiction of Quinsai are Merchants Idolaters haue store of Game Three dayes iourney thence thorow a goodly Countrey exceedingly inhabited stands Gieza a great Citie the last of Quinsai Kingdome after which you enter into another Kingdome of Mangi called Concha The principall Citie thereof is Fugiu by the which you trauell six dayes iourney South-east thorow Hills and Dales alway finding places inhabited and store of Game of Beasts and Fowle They are Idolaters Merchants subiect to the Can. There are stout Lions there growes Ginger and Galingale plentie with other sorts of Spices eightie pounds of Ginger for a Venetian groat There is an herbe whose fruit hath the effect and giues the colour and smell of Saffron but is not Sa●●ron vsed in their meates They voluntarily eate mans flesh if they die not of sicknesse as daintier then others When they goe to Warres they shaue to the eares and paint their faces with azure they are all Foot saue the Captaine which rideth and vse Swords and Launces are very cruell and when they kill an Enemie presently drinke his bloud and after eate his flesh After those six dayes trauell is Quelinfu a great Citie with three Bridges each eight paces broad and aboue one hundred long the Women faire delicate and they haue store of Silke and Cotton are great Merchants haue store of Ginger and Galingale I was told but saw them not that they haue Hennes without feathers hayrie like Cats which yet lay Egges and are good to eate Store of Lions make the way dangerous After three dayes in a populous Countrey which are Idolaters and haue store of Silke is the Citie Vnguem where is great plentie of Sugar sent thence to Cambalu which they knew not to make good till they became subiect to the Can in whose Court were Babylonians which taught them to refine it with ashes of certayne Trees they before onely boyling it into a blacke paste Fifteene miles further is Cangiu still in the Realme of Concha and here the Can keepeth an Armie in readinesse for guard of the Countrey Thorow this Citie passeth a Riuer a mile broad fairely built on both sides and stored with Ships of Sugar and other lading This Riuer disembokes from hence fiue dayes iourney South-east at Zaitum a Sea Port from whence the rich Ships of India come to this pleasant and fertile Citie as is the way betwixt in which are Trees or Shrubs of Camfire Zaitum is a famous Port where many Ships arriue with merchandise thence dispersed thorow all India There is such store of Pepper that the quantitie which comes to Alexandria to the West is little to it and as it were one of a hundreth the concourse of Merchants is incredible it being one of the most commodious Ports of the World exceeding profitable to the Can which Custometh ten of the hundreth of all merchandise They pay so much for hire of ships also that there is not aboue one halfe of their merchandise remayning entire to themselues and yet is that moitie very gainfull to them The Citie is Idolatrous giuen to pleasure in it is much embroiderie and Arras worke The Riuer is great
in circuit and of old encompassed three thousand and sixe hundred miles as is seene in the Maps of the Mariners of those parts but the North winds haue made a great part of it Sea It is the best Iland of the World The King is named Sendernaz The men and women are Idolaters goe naked saue that they couer their priuities with a cloth haue no Corne but Rice and Oyle of Sesamino Milke Flesh Wine of trees abundance of Brasill the best Rubies in the World Saphires Topazes Amathists and other Gems The King is said to haue the best Rubie in the World one palme long and as big as a mans arme without spot shining like a fire not to be bought for money Cublai Can sent and offered the value of a Citie for it but the King answered he would not giue it for the treasure of the world nor part with it hauing beene his Ancestours The men are vnfit for warres and hire others when they haue occasion §. X. Of the firme Land of the Greater India FRom Zeilan sayling sixtie miles to the West is the great Prouince of Malabar which is not an Iland but firme Continent called India the greater the richest Prouince in the World There are in it foure Kings the chiefe of which is Senderbandi in whose Kingdome they fish for Pearles to wit betwixt Malabar and Zeilan in a Bay where the Sea is not aboue ten or twelue fathome in which diuers descend and in bags or nets tyed to their bodies bring vp the Oysters in which they are And because there are great fishes which kill the Fishermen they hire certaine Bramines to charme them being skilfull to charme all sorts of beasts also and birds and these haue the twentieth the King the tenth These Oysters are found all Aprill and till the midst of May and not else in September they finde them in a place aboue three hundred miles off and till the midst of October The King goeth as naked as the rest saue that he weareth some honorable Ensignes as a Coller of precious stones about his necke and a threed of Silke to his breast with one hundred and foure faire Pearles as Beads to number his Prayers of which he must daily say so many to his Idols like Bracelets he weareth on three places of his armes and likewise on his legs and on his fingers also and toes The prayers which he sayth are Pacauca pacauca pacauca one hundred and foure times This King hath one thousand women and if any please his sense he takes her as one he did from his brother whence warres had followed but the mother threatning to cut off her breasts which had nourished them if they proceeded stayed the broyle He hath many Horsemen for his Guard which alway accompanie him who when the King dies throw themselues voluntarily into the fire wherein he is burned to doe him seruice in the next World This and his brethren the Kings of Malabar buy their Horses from Ormus and other parts The Countrey breeds none and if it happens sometimes yet are they there bred ill-fauoured and naught Condemned persons will offer themselues to die in honour of such an Idoll which is performed with twelue Kniues and twelue wounds in diuers parts of the bodie at euery blow saying I kill my selfe in honour of that Idol and the last he thrusts in his heart and then is burned by his kindred The wiues also cast themselues into the fire with their husbands they being disreputed which refuse it They worship Idols and most of them Beeues and would not eat of so holy flesh as Beefe for all the World There are some called Gaui which eate those Beeues which dye alone may not kill them and dawbe ouer their houses with Oxe dung These Gaui are of the Posteritie of those which slue Saint Thomas and cannot enter the place where his bodie is if ten men should carrie them They sit on Carpets on the ground in this Kingdome they haue no Corne but Rice are no Warriours kill no beasts but when they will eat any get the Saracens to doe it or other people wash twice a day morning and euening both men and women and will not otherwise eate which they which obserue not are accounted Heretikes They touch not their meat with the left hand but vse that hand only to wipe and other vncleane offices They drinke each in his owne pot and will not touch another mans pot nor suffer their owne to touch their mouth but hold it ouer and powre it in To strangers which haue no pot they powre drinke into his hands to drinke with them Iustice is seuerely executed for Crimes and Creditors may encompasse their Debtors with a Circle which he dares not passe till hee hath paid or giuen securitie if he doth he is to be put to death and M. Marco once saw the King himselfe on Horse-backe thus encircled by a Merchant whom he had long delayed and frustrated neither would the King goe out of the Circle which the Merchant had drawne till he had satisfied him the people applauding the Kings Iustice. They are very scrupulous in drinking Wine of the Grape and they which doe it are not admitted to be Witnesse a thing denyed also to him which sayles by Sea for they say such men are desperate They thinke Leachery no sinne It is very hote and they haue no raine but in Iune Iuly and August without which refreshing of the Ayre they could not liue They haue many Physiognomers and Sooth-sayers which obserue beasts and Birds and haue an vnluckie houre euery day of the weeke called Choiach as on Munday betwixt two and three on Tuesday the third houre on Wednesday the ninth c. thorow all the yeare set downe in their Bookes They curiously obserue Natiuities at thirteene yeares old they put the Boyes to get their owne liuings which runne vp and down to buy and sell hauing a little stocke giuen them to begin and in Pearle-season they buy a few Pearles and sell them againe to the Merchants which cannot well endure the Sunne for little gaine What they get they bring to their Mothers to dresse for them but may not eate at their Fathers cost They haue Idols Males and Females to which they offer their Daughters which when the Monkes or Priests appoint sing and dance to cheere the Idols and diuers times set victuals before them saying that they eat leauing it the space of a meale singing the while and then they fall to eating in deed after which they returne home The cause of these solaces is the household quarrels betwixt the God and his Goddesse which if they should not thus appease they should lose their blessing The great men haue Litters of large Canes which they can fasten artificially to some vpper place to preuent Tarantulas byting and Fleas and other Vermine and for fresh Aire The place of Saint Thomas his Sepulchre is a small
fellowship both Men and Women There are certaine old women which get their liuing by selling Bels of gold siluer brasse of the bignesse of Nuts which they put in mens yards betwixt the skin and flesh when they are of age to vse Women and in short time cure the place and the men much please themselues to heare the sound of them as they goe Here the Copy is defectiue Mangi is full of Elephants of which the King nourisheth ten thousand they serue him in the warre and carrie Castles in which stand eight ten or twelue men with Lances Bowes and Slings They take them with a tame female Elephant vsed to feed in a place encompassed with a wall with two gates to goe in and out into which in the coupling season the male enters at one gate and shee flees out at the other many men attending with deuices to take him both gates being shut and with fasting and accustoming other tame Elephants to him tame him in few dayes The men of this Countrey haue but one wife and all both men and women paint or embroider their skinnes with Iron pennes putting indelible tinctures thereunto They worship Idols yet when they rise in the morning they turne to the East and with hands ioyned say God in Trinitie keepe vs in his Law This Countrey produceth Serpents as grosse as a man sixe cubits long without feet which they eate for great dainties as they doe also certaine red Ants. There is a beast headed like a Swine tayled like an Oxe with a horne in the forehead like an Vnicorne a cubit long of the colour and stature of an Elephant with whom hee continually fighteth The horne is much esteemed against poyson In the furthest parts of this Countrey towards Cataio are white and blacke Kine some haired and tayled like Horses some with haires like feathers of which they make Fannes Beyond Mangi is the greatest Prouince in the World called Cataio the Lord whereof is called the great Can which signifieth Emperour and the chiefe Citie is called Cambalu which is foure square and hath eight and twenty miles in circuit In the midst thereof is a Fortresse and in it a Palace for the King and at euery of those foure corners is a Castle each foure miles about in which are Armouries of diuers sorts and Engines for battery From the Palace is a way on the wall to all those Castles that if the people rebell he might betake himselfe thither Beyond this Citie fifteene dayes iourney is Quinsai another great Citie which within this little while hath beene new made by this King It hath thirty miles compasse and is more peopled then the former In these two Cities it was told him that the Houses and Palaces are after the manner of Italie and the men richer and wiser then in other places After he was gone from Aua alongst the Riuer to the Sea in seuenteene dayes he arriued at Zaiton a great Port where he tooke Sea and in ten dayes came to a great and populous Citie called Pauconia which is of twelue miles compasse where he stayed foure moneths There are a few Vines which runne vpon Trees and they make no Wine of them There grow Abrecockes white Sanders and Camphire c. I am loth to returne into India with this Author whose defects and corruptions haue made him so little seruiceable together with the changed names of places since his time It is remarkable that hee sayth that the Indian Mariners sayled by the Starres Antartike and not by the compasse vsing certaine measures and rules in that Starre-obseruation Hee also relateth the huge greatnesse and treble sheathing of their Ships But of India whereof all his Relations are wee haue already giuen you better that is more punctuall methodicall and credible Authors Yet before we leaue him let vs obserue what Aeneas Syluius or Pope Pius Secundus hath cited out of him Hee sayth that hee sayled the Indian Sea a moneth beyond Ganges and then came to the Riuer Ratha which being sayled in sixe dayes hee found a Citie called by the same name And thence after seuenteene dayes passing desart Hills he came into champaine Countries which hauing passed in a fortnight with great labour hee found a Riuer greater then Ganges called Daua and hauing sayled therein a moneth came to a famous Citie fifteene miles in circuit named Dua where the women are exceedingly libidinous the men contented with one wife The Prouince is called Macin full of Elephants ten thousand of which the King keepes for his warres and is himselfe carried on a white Elephant wearing a golden Chayne distinguished with gemmes and hanging to his feet The men and women rase themselues c. as before but of the Kine he sayth that the same Kine haue tayles long and hairy to the feet the haires subtile like Feathers of much esteeme and vsed on the tops of Lances as Ensignes These things hath this Nicholas sayth Siluius of Macin noting without doubt the Region Serica For our age placeth the Easterne Scythians in Cathay That of Dua greater then Ganges and that of ten thousand Elephants nourished by a King not knowne by fame are hard to be beleeued but longinquitie cannot easily be confuted TO THE READER REader I here present thee a piece of a Historie so much as abuts on Tartaria and China Alhacen a learned Mahumetan was the Authour whether an exact Historian euery where literally to be vnderstood or whether in some part he be parabolicall and presents a Tamerlane like Xenophons Cyrus in some things rather what he should haue beene and what the Authour could say then what he was I vndertake not to determine The Abbat of Mortimer takes it for a iust Storie and so doth Master Knolls in his Turkish Historie If it be an Historie partly parabolicall yet doth the decorum exact of the Authour a verisimilitude euery where of actions and places sufficient to procure our pardon if not thankes the veritie of a great part being euident in other Stories It is true that some things seeme false for want of truth in our intelligence rather then in themselues And so hath it fared with all the subiect of this Booke Tartarian and Chinesian affaires of which we had as little knowledge as of Tame●lan f●rther then terrors of Tartarian Armes and some mens speciall occasions and trauels haue giuen vs light Euen the Sunne riseth in those parts whiles it is not day-breake with vs and hath attayned almost his Noon-point before we see him and worthy wee are still to abide in a blacke night of ignorance if we welcome not what light we can get if we cannot get what wee would from so remote an East Once Tartarian affaires as it happens in Conquests were changeable and their New Moone was quickly at the full diuers chances and changes succeeding after Poles dayes to these such wealth whetting the Tartars to get and hold and no lesse the
Emperour passed the people assembled themselues by thousands praysing and singing his Victories We arriued at the last at Samarcand with all our spoyles in very great magnificence where after we had beene the space of one moneth or two in Feastings and Manificences the Emperour with his accustomed Deuotion hauing in great solemnitie vowed a Church and Hospitall vnto his God the most magnificent that might bee deuised Whereupon to performe the same he began to search out all sorts of Handicrafts men for to honour this Citie the which hee had a desire to make one of the stateliest Cities in the World And in one of the corners thereof he began and did build there his Temple and Hospitall making an account to increase yet this Citie as large againe as it was and to people the same with so many seuerall kinds of people and Nations as hee had brought with him giuing libertie vnto them all to frame and build their Houses causing money to be distributed to do the same and giuing all kinds of Priuiledges and Freedomes vnto the Prisoners for to giue them a greater desire to build and settle themselues there and hauing caused the streets and places to be plotted and hauing appointed a place for euery one to build vpon hee tooke no other pleasure neither had he any other care then the preseruing the good will of his most famous Souldiers whose name hee hauing caused to bee written in a generall Muster-booke the which 〈◊〉 commanded to be made from day to day they not thinking thereof receiued honours and good turnes of the Prince in recompence of their so great seruices Now he declared the death of the Emperour his Vncle vnto his Councell of which he before had receiued Intelligence but kept it close and forgot no Ceremony due vnto the honour of the said Emperour outwardly shewing the griefe he conceiued for his death where after hee had rested some eight dayes hee determined to goe vnto Quinzai for to see the Empresse and hauing left Baiazet in the custodie of the Gouernour of Zachetay the Emperour set forward with his ordinary Court which was of forty thousand Horse and threescore thousand Foot-men The Emperour being come vnto Cambalu receiued newes of the Battell Odmar had wonne against the King of Chinas Captayne Generall and how he pursued his Victory hauing taken three or foure great and rich Cities the which did yeeld themselues vnto him and that againe the Chinois did desire peace The Emperour sent the Articles he required which were that before all other things the King of China should pay the Arrerages of the Tribute the which hee had agreed with the Emperour First he should come in person to doe homage vnto his Majesty and acknowledge himselfe as Vassall vnto his Empire That the Army should withdraw it selfe during his Voyage and he should deliuer vp vnto him all his Cities sauing three such as the Emperour should nominate and that the things should be restored vnto the same estate they were in before the Warre when the Emperour made the first peace that hee should pay the Army for sixe moneths and should also satisfie all the expences of the War seeing he had begunne it and was Author of the breach of peace Then the Emperour gratified Odmar sending vnto him for Wife one of his Sisters with all magnificence that might be for to make him the more affectioned vnto him I will declare how the Emperour was receiued at Cambalu by his Subjects with all the magnificence possible the Emperour for to gratifie them hauing restored their Priuiledges the which he had taken from them for the Rebellion they had committed with Calix so as the Emperour went ouer all gratifying his Subjects for this new Succession that was lately fallen vnto him all the Companies comming vnto him for in these Countreyes they haue no certayne dwellings they are alwayes wandring in troupes wheresoeuer they goe thither the Empresse hauing left Prince Axalla to gouerne at Quinzai came vnto him The Prince remayned there almost two moneths hauing in this place giuen order for all the Affaires he had Cambalu was also neere vnto mount Althay where they vse to bury the Scythian Emperours whom we doe call the great Cham. The Emperor caused the body of the Emperour his Vncle to be brought thither and himselfe would conduct it with all pompe honouring not only his body but also all that hee had loued in the World and although it was not the custome to cause women for to assist the Funerals yet would he affoord this honour vnto the Empresse that she should assist the bringing of the body going neere vnto the same This he did the more to make appeare how much he honoured the memory of the late Emperour in his Wife being his Daughter and also to the end that if God did take him away his children being small shee should haue the greater authority and bee the better acknowledged worthy to gouerne in the minoritie of his Children and also for that shee had beene brought vp alwayes in authority euen since shee was marryed The Prince desiring thereby the more to acknowledge the honour the Emperour his Vncle had done him by adopting him as his Sonne and in hauing left him so great and large an Empire as that was whereof he left vnto him the possession Now the Emperour loued her onely hauing no other affection in such pleasure but only the happinesse of a faire Off-spring the which he hoped for Now the body of the late Emperour being come vnto Cambalu he determined to conduct it vnto the buriall according vnto the accustomed Ceremony and to put the body with the Kings and Emperours his Ancestors After he had from point to point performed the last Will and Testament of the late Emperour he returned from thence vnto Cambalu where he spent all Winter in Tilt and Turnying going a hunting making his abode there because he was in a place neerest vnto the Kingdome of China to know how matters passed there hauing now brought thither his last Affaires purposing to goe thither in person the next Winter if Odmar did not make an end of the Wars alreadie begunne and if the King of China did not submit himselfe wholly vnder his obedience hauing determined not to depart from Cambalu vntill this Countrey were pacified the marke he shot at being only to keepe that which his valour was able to conquer through his good fortune being desirous to spend the rest of his life in enjoying the fruits of his trauels and for to publish his prayses vnto his people and with Millions to maintayne them in peace He had also a purpose to bring vnto an end that which hee had determined to doe at Samarcand Now Axalla was at Quinzai as well vnto the contentment of all the men of Warre as the Inhabitants who desired much to see their Prince and hauing caused Prince Axalla in their behalfe to beseech it that it would
please the Emperour to cause his Sonne to bee brought vp amongst them there the which he did grant vnto them in fauour of the said Prince Axalla establishing him for to command in the absence of the Prince his Sonne whom hee made Gouernour of Quinzai from Cambalu euen vnto the Sea This Countrey was replenished with some three hundred Cities and was in largenesse more then foure hundred leagues besides an finite number of Villages To make short it was that the Emperour his Vncle gouerned where this Prince Axalla was his Lieutenant generall vnder the authoritie of the young Prince his sonne vnto whom he deliuered him in charge for to be his Gouernour authorising him vnto the gouernement generall of all his Kingdomes for the great wisedome that was in this Knight made him beloued in all the Countreys vnder the Emperours obedience the seruices also and great victories the which he had caused the Emperour to obtayne by his stout courage and good conduct who for these occasions put his principall trust in him and after himselfe hee thought him onely worthie to preserue for his children his Kingdome and Empresse The King of China came to visit him at his Court according vnto the couenants offered vnto him the which he accepted he did sweare once againe obedience vnto the Emperour who caused him to see all his greatest Cities for to make himselfe the more to be feared of this Barbarian who kept no more promise then pleased himselfe Hee was astonished to behold so many Souldiers and the Countrey so well replenished with people and aboue all that they vsed so little curiositie of riches in their apparell and garments wondring that the Emperour was apparelled in meane Cloth of one colour without any other fashion but to counteruaile that he had about him men which seemed to bee Kings At the same time when the King of China was at the Court the Emperour receiued newes of the victorie against the Soldan for the which the Emperour reioyced making feasts and turneys in his Court in token of mirth and this reioycing continued for the space of eight dayes After the Emperour had giuen order for the double paying of his Armie that came into Persia vnder the conduct of the great Chamberlaine and Synopes Colonell generall in the Imperiall Armie the Emperour went vnto Quinsay for to see his sonne and visit the people of this Countrey The Emperour arriuing neere vnto Quinsay Prince Axalla comming to meet him two dayes iourney off with all the chiefe Lords of the Countrey together with the principall Citizens who were preparing for the Emperour the most magnificent receiuing that might bee as well by water as by land As this Citie is one of the richest in the world so is it one of the greatest and of the most wonderfull situation being all wholly diuided and ouerthwarted with channels vpon the which are framed wonderfull and stately buildings accompanied with an infinite number of Bridges vpon the which they passe ouer channels this Citie aboundeth with all kinde of spices and in great quantitie likewise with all manner of merchandises The Emperour as soone as he was arriued receiued presents of the Citizens the which were esteemed to be worth aboue two millions of Gold with a wonderfull variety of all rare and singular things the which they presented vnto him for to testifie the loue and obedience they did owe vnto him The Emperour was desirous to see his sonne whom they brought vp with the accustomed greatnesse of Princes and hauing caused the child to be brought before him being of the age of seuen yeeres he forbad from hence forward they should suffer him to weare any thing vpon his head and himselfe did hang a Bowe about his necke saying aloud that they which from their birth were called vnto soueraignties should bee vsed both vnto cold and heate and should bee exercised in Armes betimes and not brought vp delicately and easily reprehending them which had the bringing of him vp demanding of them if they meant to make a woman of him And they answering that he was tender If he be not borne said he for to be strong in Armes he will not be worthy to succeed mee for he must not be an effeminate Prince that shall preserue the Parthian Empire Now he had sent the Empresse vnto Samarcand to be deliuered where shee was honourably receiued hauing neuer beene there since shee was married Hee receiued newes that shee was there deliuered of another goodly sonne a thing which hee caused to be published ouer all and himselfe in token of ioy made feasts fifteene dayes with all kindes of magnificent turneys this he did for to shew his agilitie vnto this people to the end that as he excelled all his Court in vertues that they should also iudge him worthie to gouerne them aboue all other men After he continued there a moneth and hauing visited all the Sea-townes neere vnto Quinsay hunting all kindes of chases neglecting nothing notwithstanding which belonged to his charge saying often that the recreations hee did take were helpes for to ease him in the paines of his publike affaires whereunto God had called him Hauing vpon his returne called together all the people he published his lawes which were all reuerenced of this people as though they had proceeded from the Diuinitie so much admiration had euery one of the greatnesse of this Prince The which I will truely declare vnto you that so long as the Emperour was there this people did almost nothing being for the most part busied in beholding of him not finding any greater contentation then that Some of his Courtiers and amongst the rest Prince Axalla said one day vnto him that this was a Citie fit for his abode O my friend it is not so if they should see mee daily they would make no more account of mee It is a maxime that the Lord of this great Citie must not goe thither but once in ten yeeres and when he is there it behooueth him to temper his actions as if he were vpon a Scaffold readie for to play some Comedie where grauitie and good grace is necessary for to content the beholders for the people doe easily receiue an euill impression of their Prince as they also doe a good if you performe it well vnto them Now I 〈◊〉 forgotten to tell you how the Emperour sent Prince Axalla in his name from Quinsay 〈◊〉 China and his Imperiall Maiestie did not depart out of the Prouince before he returned he went thither with great diligence for to establish peace there Prince Axalla went forward towards Paguin where he was receiued of the Gouernour with all possible honour An● hauing assembled all the Emperours forces hee set forward towards the borders of China ●●ue an enteruiew at Pochio where the meeting place was agreed vpon He passed by Quantou went forward vnto Pochio whither the King came also to meet with him and hee entred
Wolues and Sheepe if they be poore the richer with Sables and Marterns of great price They weare black Bonets sharpe like a Sugar-loafe the men rather small then great wearing beards as we doe specially a certayne time of the yeere Their houses are of stone like ours with two or three lofts slope-roofed and diuersly painted and they haue one street onely of painters The great men for magnificence make a great Loft or Pageant and thereon erect two Tents of silke embroydered with gold siluer pearles and jewels and there stand with their friends This they cause to bee carried by fortie or fiftie Slaues and so goe thorow the Citie in solace The Gentlemen are carried on a simple Pageant by foure or six men without other furniture There Temples are made like our Churches so great that they may contayne foure or fiue thousand persons and haue in them two Statues of a Man and a Woman each fortie foot long all of one peece stretched on the ground and all gilded They haue excellent stone cutters They bring quarry stones two or three moneths iourney on shod Carts of fortie wheeles very high drawne by fiue or six hundred Horses and Mules There are also small Images with six or seuen heads and ten hands all holding diuers things one a Serpent another a Bird a third a Flower c. There are some Monasteries in which liue men of holy life immured within their houses that they cannot goe out whiles they liue and haue victuals euery day brought them There are innumerable like our Friars which goe vp and downe the Citie They haue a custome when one of their kindred dyes to clothe themselues in white many dayes made of Cotton their garments are made long to the ground with wide sleeues They vse Printing of their Books which he thought somewhat like those I shewed him at M. Thomas Giuntos printing house Their Citie is fortified with a thick wall within filled with earth able to carry f●ure Carts abrest with Towres and Artillery as thick as those of the great Turke The Ditch is wide and drie but they can make it runne with water at their pleasure They haue a kind of very great Oxen with long thin and with hayre The Cataians and Idolaters are forbidden to goe out of their Countries to goe on merchandise thorow the World Beyond the Desart aboue Corassam to Samarcand and till the Idolatrous Cities the 〈◊〉 rule which are Tartars Musulmans wearing greene sharpe Turbants of felt so making a difference betwixt them and the Persians which weare them red and betwixt them two for diuersitie of opinions in Religion are continual warres and disagreement about their Confines Bocara and Samarcand are two Cities of these Green-heads each a Signorie of it selfe They haue three particular sciences Chimia in the same sense as here Limia to make and cause loue and Simia to make men see that which is not The moneys which they haue are not Coyned but euery Gentleman and Merchant makes thin rods of gold and siluer as is before said of Campion and Succuir In the market place of Campion are euery day many Mountebankes which haue that science of Simia which compassed with a great multitude present strange sights as to cause a man to cut off his arme or thrust himselfe thorow with a sword and seeme to bee all bloudy with other like CHAP. X. A Treatise of China and the adioyning Regions written by GASPAR DA CRVZ a Dominican Friar and dedicated to SEBASTIAN King of Portugall here abbreuiated §. I. Of Camboia and the Bramenes there the cause of his going to China Of China and the neighbouring Regions I Being in Malaca building an house of my Order and preaching was informed that in the Kingdome of Camboia which is subiect to the King of Siam and lyeth toward the parts of China and doth confine with Champa whence commeth the most precious Calambach was great oportunitie to preach the Gospell and to reape some fruit Hauing leaue of my Prelate I tooke the iourney in hand And after the passing many troubles and hunger in the iourney with dangers and sicknesses I came a land and after I had reasonably informed my selfe by a third person conuersing with the People and with the Fathers euen before I knew it I found all to the contrary of that which they had told and that all were deceits of the simple Laytie which of light matters were mooued to presume of the people that which was not in them And besides this I found many hinderances for the obtayning of my desires and intent for first the King is a Bramene and the Bramenes are his principall men and his fauourites and most familiar because they are Witches for they are much giuen to bee pleased with witchcrafts and they doe nothing without consulting the Witches and Bramenes that are in the Kingdome for by this meanes they thriue by the Deuill And so the first thing that the King asked me was if I were a Witch The Bramenes doe worship among others one God which they call Probar missur which they said made the Heauens and the Earth and another God which they call Pralocussar this also hauing obtayned power of another which they call Praissur for to giue this licence to Probar missur and I shewed them that not onely he had not made the Heauen and the Earth but that hee had beene a very wicked man and a great sinner wherefore these Priests said that they would worship him no more hauing worshipped him thitherto with their God Praput prasar metri whereupon the hatred of the Bramenes increased towards me and from thence forward I had disfauours of the King which was mooued for the zeale of his God and the God of his Bramenes There met about these matters the Priests of the Idols and all of their troupe which goe for Priests and hold themselues for religious men and in their conuersation and life they are separated from all other people which to my thinking is the third part of the people of the Land the King thereof setting an hundred thousand men in the field This religious people or that holds it selfe for such are exceedingly proud and vaine and aliue they are worshipped for gods in sort that the inferiour among them doe worship the superiour like gods praying vnto them and prostrating themselues before them and so the common people haue a great confidence in them with a great reuerence and worship in sort that there is no person that dare contradict them in any thing and their wordes among them are held for so sacred that in no wise they will endure to be gainsayed Insomuch that it hapned sometimes whiles I was preaching many round about me hearing me very well and satisfying themselues of that which I said vnto them if there came any of these Priests and said this is good
affaires whereby I know already that they are Merchants and not theeues as they had written to me they were And I doe not blame Merchants to helpe Merchants but I put great fault in my Louthias of Chincheo because that when any ship came to my Ports they should haue knowne if they were Merchants and if they would pay their duties and if they would pay them to write presently vnto mee If they had done so so much euill had not beene done Or when they were taken if they had let mee know it I had commanded to set them at libertie And although it bee a custome in my Ports the ships that come vnto them to be measured by cubits for to pay their duties these being very farre off it was not necessarie but to let them doe their businesses and goe for their Countries Besides this my Pontoos which knew these men to be Merchants did not tell it mee but concealed it from mee whereby they were the cause of many people being taken and slaine And those that remayned aliue as they could not speake did looke toward Heauen and demanded from their hearts iustice of Heauen they know no other God supreme out the Heauen Besides these things I know that the Aitao and the Luthissi did so much euill for couetousnesse of the many goods which they tooke from the Portugals hauing no regard whether those which they tooke and tooke the goods from were good or euill men Likewise the Louthias along the Sea coast knew these men to be Merchants and certified mee not And all of them as disloyall were the cause of so much euill I knew more by my Quinchey that the Aitao and the Luthissi had Letters by the which they knew that the Portugals were no theeues but Merchants and knowing this they were not contented with the taking of them but they wrote many lyes vnto mee and were not contented with killing of the men but killed children also cutting off the feet of some of others the hands and at last the heads of them all writing vnto mee they had taken and slayne Kings of Mallaca Which case I beleeuing to be true grieue in my heart And because hitherto so many cruelties haue beene vsed without my commandement from hence forward I command they be not done Besides this the Portugals resisted my Armie being better to haue let themselues beene taken then to kill my people Moreouer it is long since they came to the coast of our Dominion about their affaires in manner of theeues and not as Merchants wherefore if they had beene naturall as they are strangers they had incurred paine of death losse of goods wherfore they are not without fault The Tutan by whose commandement those men were sla●ne said that by this deed I should make him greater and the people that he commanded to be slayne after they had no heads their hearts that is their soules and their bloud required iustice of Heauen I seeing so great euils to be done my eyes could not indure the sight of the Papers without teares and great griefe of my heart I know not my Louthias seeing they tooke this people wherefore they let it not goe that I might not come to know so many cruelties and so great Wherefore seeing all these things I doe create Senfuu chiefe Louthia because hee did his dutie in his charge and told mee trueth I create also chiefe Louthia Quinchio because hee wrote the trueth to mee of the Pontoos which went to doe their merchandise in secret with the Portugals to the Sea Those which are euill I will make them baser then they which sowe Rice Likewise because Pachou did trafficke with the Portugals and for bribes did permit the Merchants of the Countrey to trafficke with the Portugals and yet doing these things wrote vnto mee that the Portugals were theeues and that they came to my Dominions onely to steale And the same hee said also to my Louthias which presently answered that he lyed for they knew already the contrarie And therefore such a one and such a one he nameth ten Louthias It is nothing that all you be banished to red Caps to the which I condemne you but you deserue to be made baser as I doe make you Chaen for taking these men thou sayedst thou shouldest be greater and being in the doing of so much euill thou sayedst thou didst not feare mee such a one and such a one he nameth nine for the taking of these men yee say I would make you great and without any feare of mee yee all lyed such a one and such a one he nameth many I know also yee tooke bribes But because you did so I make you base he depriueth them of the dignitie of Lothias Such a one and such a one he nameth many If the Aitao and the Luthissi would kill so many people wherefore did you suffer it But seeing that in consenting you were accessarie with them in their death all are in the same fault Chifuu and Chanchifuu were also agreeing to the will of the Aitao and the Luthissi and were with them in the slaughter as well those that were as those that were not in fault Wherefore I condemne you all to red Caps Lupuu let him haue a good heart because the Tutan being willing to kill this people he said that he should let mee first know it To him I will doe no harme but good as he deserueth and I command that he remayne Louthia Sanchi I make my Anchassi of the Citie of Cansi The Antexio I command to be deposed of his honour Assaon seeing hee can speake with the Portugals let him haue honour and ordinarie and he shall be carried to Chaquean where hee was borne This is the youth with whom the Portugals did defend themselues seruing them for Interpreter they gaue him title of Louthia and mayntenance Chinque Head of the Merchants that went to the Sea to trafficke with the Portugals and deceiued them bringing great store of goods a land it shall be demanded of him and set in good safeguard for the mayntenance and expences of the Portugals and I condemne him and his foure Companions to red Caps and they shall bee banished whither my Louthias shall thinke good To the rest guilty and imprisoned for this matter I command my Louthias to giue to euery one the punishment he deserueth I command the Chaen to bring me hither the Tutan that his faults being perused by the great men of my Court I may command to doe iustice on him as I shall thinke good This Tutan was also a consenter in the wickednesse of the Aitao and the Luthissi for the Luthissi and the Aitao made him partaker and gaue him part of the booties which they tooke from the Portugals that as the head he should hold for good that which they did for in truth they durst not haue done that which they did if he had not giuen consent and agreed with their
sell. In like manner euery Artizan painteth out his craft the Market places be large great abundance of all things there be to be sold. The Citie standeth vpon water many streames runne through it the bankes pitched and so broad that they serue for streets to the Cities vse Ouer the streames are sundry Bridges both of Timber and Stone that being made leuell with the streets hinder not the passage of the Barges to and fro the Chanels are so deepe Where the streames come in and goe out of the Citie be certayne Arches in the Wall there goe in and out their Parai that is a kind of Barges they haue and this onely in the day time at night these Arches are closed vp with gates so doe they shut vp all the gates of the Citie These streames and Barges doe embellish much the Citie and make it as it were to seeme another Venice The buildings are euen well made high not lofted except it be some wherein Merchandize is laid It is a World to see how great these Cities are and the cause is for that the houses are built euen as I haue said and doe take a great deale of roome One thing we saw in this Citie that made vs all to wonder and is worthy to be noted Namely ouer a Porch at the comming into one of the afore-said foure Houses the which the King hath in euery share for his Gouernours as I haue before said standeth a Towre built vpon fortie Pillars each one whereof is but one stone each one fortie handfuls or spans long in breadth or compasse twelue as many of vs did measure them Besides this their greatnesse such in one piece that it might seeme impossible to worke them they bee moreouer couered and in colour length and breath so like that the one nothing differeth from the other Wee are wont to call this Countrey China and the people Chineans but as long as wee were Prisoners not hearing amongst them at any time that name I determined to learne how they were called and asked sometimes by them thereof for that they vnderstood vs not when wee called them Chineans I answered them that all the Inhabitants of India named them Chineans wherefore I prayed them that they would tell me for what occasion they are so called whither peraduenture any Citie of theirs bare that name Hereunto they alwayes answered me to haue no such name nor euer to haue had Then did I aske them what name the whole Countrey beareth and what they would answer being asked of other Nations what Countrey-men they were It was told me that of ancient time in this Countrey had beene many Kings and though presently it were all vnder one each Kingdome neuerthelesse enioyed that name it first had these Kingdomes are the Prouinces I spake of before In conclusion they sayd that the whole Countrey is called Tamen and the Inhabitants Tamegines so that this name China or Chineans is not heard of in that Countrey I doe thinke that the nearenesse of another Prouince thereabout called Cochinchina and the inhabitants thereof Cochinesses first discouered before that China was lying not farre from Malacca did giue occasion both to the one Nation and to the other of that name Chineans as also the whole Countrey to bee named China But their proper name is that aforesaid I haue heard moreouer that in the Citie Nanquim remayneth a Table of gold and in it written a Kings name as a memorie of that residence the Kings were wont to keepe there This table standeth in a great Palace couered alwayes except it bee in some of their festiuall dayes at what time they are wont to let it bee seene couered neuerthelesse as it is all the Nobilitie of the Citie goeth of dutie to doe it euery day reuerence The like is done in the head Cities of all the other Shires in the Palaces of the Ponchiassini wherein these aforesaid tables doe stand with the Kings name written in them although no reuerence bee done thereunto but in solemne Feasts I haue likewise vnderstood that the Citie Pachin where the King maketh his abode is so great that to goe from one side to the other besides the Suburbs which are greater then the Citie it selfe it requireth one whole day a horsebacke going hackney pace In the Suburbs bee many wealthy Merchants of all sorts They told me furthermore that it was Moted about and in the Motes great store of Fish whereof the King maketh great gaynes It was also told mee that the King of China had no King to wage battell withall besides the Tartars with whom hee had concluded a peace more then fourescore yeeres agoe There bee Hospitals in all their Cities alwayes full of people wee neuer saw any poore bodie beg We therefore asked the cause of this answered it was that in euery Citie there is a great circuit wherein bee many houses for poore people for Blinde Lame Old folke not able to trauell for age nor hauing any other meanes to liue These folke haue in the aforesaid houses euer plentie of Rice during their liues but nothing else Such as bee receiued into these houses come in after this manner When one is sicke blinde or lame hee maketh a supplication to the Ponchiassi and prouing that to bee true he writeth hee remaineth in the aforesaid great lodging as long as he liueth besides this they keepe in these places Swine and Hennes whereby the poore bee releeued without going a begging I sayd before that China was full of Riuers but now I minde to confirme the same anew for the farther wee went into the Countrey the greater we found the riuers Sometimes we were so farre off from the Sea that where wee came no Sea-fish had beene seene and Salt was there very deare of fresh-water Fish yet was there great abundance and that fish very good they keepe it good after this manner Where the Riuers doe meete and so passe into the Sea there lyeth great store of Boates specially where no salt-water commeth and that in March and Aprill These Boates are so many that it seemeth wonderfull neither serue they for other then to take small fish By the riuers sides they make leyres of fine and strong Nets that lye three handfuls vnder water and one aboue to keepe and nourish their Fish in vntill such time as other fishers doe come with Boates bringing for that purpose certaine great Chests lyned with paper able to hold water wherein they carrie their fish vp and downe the riuer euery day renewing the chest with fresh-water and selling their fish in euery Citie Towne and Village where they passe vnto the people as they need it most of them haue Net-leyres to keepe Fish in alwayes for their prouision Where the greater Boates cannot passe any farther forward they take lesser and because the whole Countrey is very well watred there is so great plentie of diuers sorts of Fish that it is
men horses and camels being wounded and slaine on both parts and had it not beene for foure hand-guns which I and my companie had and vsed wee had beene ouercome and destroyed for the theeues were better armed and were also better Archers then wee But after we had slaine diuers of their men and horses with our Guns they durst not approach so nigh which caused them to come to a truce with vs vntill the next morning which wee accepted and encamped our selues vpon a hill and made the fashion of a Castle walling it about with packes of wares and layd our Horses and Camels within the same to saue them from the shot of arrowes and the theeues also incamped within an arrow shot of vs but they were betwixt vs and the water which was to our great discomfort because neither wee nor our Camels had drunke in two dayes before Thus keeping good watch when halfe the night was spent the Prince of the Theeues sent a messenger halfe way vnto vs requiring to talke with our Captaine in their tongue the Carauan Basha who answered the messenger I will not depart from my companie to goe into the halfe way to talke with thee but if that thy Prince with all his companie will sweare by our Law to keepe the truce then will I send a man to talke with thee or else not Which the Prince vnderstanding as well himselfe as his company swore so loude that wee might all heare And then we sent one of our companie reputed a holy man to talke with the same messenger The message was pronounced aloude in this order Our Prince demandeth of the Carauan Basha and of all you that bee Bussarmans that is to say Circumcised not desiring your blouds that you deliuer into his hands as many Caphars that is vnbeleeuers meaning vs the Christians as are among you with their goods and in so doing hee will suffer you to depart with your goods in quietnesse and on the contrarie you shall bee handled with no lesse cruelty then the Caphars if hee ouercome you as hee doubteth not To the which our Carauan Basha answered that hee had no Christians in his companie nor other strangers but two Turkes which were of their Law and although hee had hee would rather dye then deliuer them and that wee were not afraid of his threatnings and that should hee know when day appeared And so passing in talke the Theeues contrary to their oath carried our holy man a way to their Prince crying with a loude voyce in token of victorie Ollo ollo Wherewith wee were much discomforted fearing that that holy man would betray vs but he being cruelly handled and much examined would not to death confesse any thing which was to vs preiudiciall neither touching vs nor yet what men they had slaine and wounded of ours the day before When the night was spent in the morning wee prepared our sel●es to battell againe which the theeues perceiuing required to fall to agreement and asked much of vs And to bee briefe the most part of our company being loath to goe to battell againe and hauing little to lose and safe conduct to passe wee were compelled to agree and to giue the theeues twentie ninths that is to say twentie times nine seuerall things and a Camell to carrie away the same which being receiued the theeues departed into the Wildernesse to their olde habitation and wee went on our way forward And that night came to the Riuer Oxus where wee refreshed our selues hauing beene three dayes without water and drinke and tarried there all the next day making merrie with our slaine Horses and Camels and then departed from that place and for feare of meeting with the said theeues againe or such like wee left the high way which went along the said Riuer and passed through a wildernesse of sand and trauelled foure dayes in the same before wee came to water and then came to a Well the water being very brackish and we then as before were in need of water and of other victuals being forced to kill our Horses and Camels to eate In this wildernesse also wee had almost fallen into the hands of Theeues for one night being at rest there came certaine scouts and carried away certaine of our men which lay a little separated from the Carauan where with there was a great shoute and crie and we immediatly laded our Camels and departed being about midnight and very darke and droue sore till we came to the riuer Oxus againe and then wee feared nothing being walled with the said riuer and whether it was for that wee had gotten the water or for that the same theeues were farre from vs when the scouts discouered vs we know not but we escaped that danger So vpon the three twentieth day of December we arriued at the Citie of Boghar in the land of Bactria This Boghar is situated in the lowest part of all the Land walled about with a high wall of earth with diuers Gates into the same it is diuided into three partitions whereof two parts are the Kings and the third part is for Merchants Markets and euery Science hath their dwelling and market by thems●lues The Citie is very great and the houses for the most part of Earth but there are also many Houses Temples and Monuments of stone sumptuously builded and gilt and specially Bath-stoues so artificially built that the like thereof is not in the world the manner whereof is too long to rehearse There is a little riuer running through the midst of the said Citie but the water thereof is most vnwholesome for it breedeth sometimes in men that drinke thereof and especially in them that bee not there borne a Worme of an ell long which lyeth commonly in the leg betwixt the flesh and the skin and is pluckt out about the Ancle with great art and cunning the Surgeons being much practised therein and if shee breake in plucking out the partie dyeth and euery day she commeth out about an inch which is rolled vp and so worketh till she bee all out And yet it is there forbidden to drinke any other thing then water and Mares milke and whosoeuer is found to breake that Law is whipped and beaten most cruelly through the open markets and there are Officers appointed for the same who haue authoritie to goe into any mans house to search if hee haue either Aquauita Wine or Brag and finding the same doe breake the vessels spoyle the drinke and punish the masters of the house most cruelly yea and many times if they perceiue but by the breath of a man that hee hath drunke without further examination he shall not escape their hands There is a Metropolitane in this Boghar who causeth this law to be so straightly kept and he is more obeyed then the King and will depose the King and place another at his will and pleasure as hee did by this King that raigned
and acknowledged the Catholike King Magelane also dying in their defence and thirtie other Souldiers in Matan They also had broken league and slaine some of Magelane Souldiers On Friday April twentie seuen the Fleet arriued at the Port of Subo and one came from King Tupas to them saying that Hee with ten chiefe men would come to them The Captaine expected them a whole day and the next in which space the Ilanders hid their goods in the Woods The third day the Captaine sent his brother Andrew and the Camp-master to admonish the King in the Malayan tongue to receiue them as Vassals of the Spanish King Which not succeeding hee resolued to vse force The Indians out of other Ilands had assembled together to the number of two thousand which prouoked our men but at the report of the Ordnance ran away and the Spaniards wan the Towne Many signes of Gold and Gemmes appeared in the Iland And being situate so neere to the richest Regions the Gouernour hopeth accesse thereby to the increase and glorie of the Spanish Crowne if Spanish Colonies be there planted The Captaine from the Citie of Subo sent the Admirall ship with his brother Andrew de Vrdanera to certifie the L. Lewys de Velasco the sonne of the Vice-roy what had beene done Miguel Lopez de Legaspi Generall of the Fleet and Gouernour of the Countrey which they should discouer dyed in the said Ilands with the Title of Adelantado hauing first peopled some of them to the vse of His Maiestie especially that of Manilla which is fiue hundred leagues in circuit in which is seated the Citie of Luson called also Manilla as the Metropolitan of all the Iland where the Gouernours haue setled their residence euer since the first discouerie They haue there founded a Cathedrall Church and Friar Dom. Domingo de Salachar was consecrated the first Bishop thereof in Madrid 1579. At this present there be three Monasteries of Religious men in that Iland the one of the Order of Saint Austine and were the first that by the Commandement of his Majestie did enter into this Ilands preaching the Law of the Gospell which was great profit vnto their soules yet great trauell vnto them cost many of them their liues in doing it the other Monasterie is of barefoot Friers of the Order of S. Francis of the Prouince of S. Ioseph who haue bin great Examples with great profit vnto them of those Parts The third are of the Order of S. Dominicke or Preachers who haue done their dutie in all things so well as the other These three Orders were alone in those Ilands for certayne yeares till now of late time haue gone thither Iesuits which haue bin a great ayde and helpe vnto their Religion When these Spaniards were come vnto these Ilands they had straight-wayes notice of the mightie Kingdome of China as well by the relation of them of the Ilands who told vnto them the maruels thereof as also within a few dayes after they did see and vnderstand by ships that came into those Ports with Merchants that brought Merchandize and other things of great curiositie from that Kingdome and did particularly declare the mightinesse and riches thereof This being knowne vnto the Religious people of Saint Austin who at that time were alone in those Ilands but in especiall vnto the Prouinciall Frier Martin de Herrada seeing the great capacitie or towardnesse which the Chinois had more then those of the Ilands in all things but in especial● in their gallantnesse discretion and wit hee straight-wayes had a great desire to goe thither with his fellow to preach the Gospell vnto those people of so good a capacitie to receiue the same who with a pretended purpose to put it in vre and effect he began with great care and studie to learne that Language the which he learned in few dayes and did make thereof a D●ctionarie Then afterwards they did giue great entertaynment and Presents vnto the Merchants that came from China for to procure them to carrie them thither and many other things the which did shew their holy zeale yea they did offer themselues to bee slaues vnto the Merchants thinking by that meanes to enter in to preach but yet none of these diligences did take effect till such time as the Diuine Majestie did discouer a better way as shall bee declared vnto you in this Chapter following §. III. Of LIMAHON a China Robber and Rouer by whose occasion the Spaniards sent into China THe Spaniards did enjoy their neere habitation of Manilla in great quietnesse in obedience vnto the Christian King Don Philip and in continuall Traffick with the Chinois But being in this securitie and quietnesse vnlooked for they were beset with a mightie and great Armada or Fleet of ships by the Rouer Limahon of whose vocation there are continually on the Coast the one by reason that the Countrey is full of people whereas of necessitie must be many idle persons and the other and principall occasion by reason of the great tyrannie that the Gouernours doe vse vnto the Subjects This Limahon came vpon them with intent to doe them harme as you shall vnderstand This Rouer was borne in the Citie of Trucheo in the Prouince of Cuytan which the Portugals doe call Catim He was of meane Parentage and brought vp in his youth in libertie and vice he was by nature Warlike and euill inclined He would learne no Occupation but was giuen to rob in the high-wayes and became so expert that many came vnto him and followed that Trade Hee made himselfe Captaine ouer them which were more then two thousand and were so strong that they were feared in all that Prouince where as they were This being knowne vnto the King and to his Councell they did straight way command the Vice-roy of the Prouince whereas the Rouer was that with all the haste possible he should gather together all the Garrisons of his Frontiers to apprehend and take him and if it were possible to carry him aliue vnto the Citie of Taybin if not his head The Vice-roy incontinent did gather together people necessary and in great haste to follow him The which being knowne vnto Limahon the Rouer who saw that with the people hee had he was not able to make resistance against so great a number as they were and the eminent danger that was therein hee called together his Companies and went from thence vnto a Port of the Sea that was a few leagues from that place and did it so quickly and in such secret that before the people that dwelt therein could make any defence for that they were not accustomed to any such assaults but liued in great quietnesse they were Lords of the Port and of all such ships as were there into the which they imbarked themselues straight-wayes weighed Anchor and departed to the Sea whereas they thought to be in more securitie then on the Land as it was true Then he seeing
as Beefe here as also that this is the Region Serica or Silken forasmuch as there is no Kingdome of the East where Silke is found in that quantitie and the Portugals ship it thence for Iapon and all India the Spaniards also of the Philippina Ilands fraight their ships therewith for all the American World Moreouer I find in the China Chronicles that this Silke-worke was there two thousand six hundred thirtie six yeares before the Birth of Christ whence it passed to the rest of Asia to our Europe and to Africa But in this varietie nothing seemes so strange to me as that all these names are so strange to them not knowne or once heard of although the change of names be not strange to that Countrey For as often as the Empire passeth from one Family to another according to the vicissitude of humane Affaires He which attayneth the Throne imposeth a name at his pleasure So hath it beene sometimes called Than which signifieth exceedingly large another while Yu that is Rest after that successiuely Hia or Great Sciam Adorned Cheu Perfect Han The Milkie way in Heauen c. And since this Family called Ciu which now holdeth the Souereigntie hath reigned it is called Min which intimateth Splendour and by vsuall addition of one syllable Ta-min that is the Kingdome of Great Splendour Brightnesse or Glory Yet doe few of their Neighbour Nations obserue these changes of Names whereby each of them almost stile it by seuerall appellations Those of Cocin Cauchin-china and the Siamites call it Ciu the Iapanders Than the Tartars Han the Westerne Saracens Catay Also amongst the Chinois themselues besides that arbi●rary name so imposed by their Kings it hath some common to all Ages Such are Ciumq●● that is the Kingdome and Chiumhoa which signifieth a Garden a name arising from their Geography beleeuing indeed the roundnesse of the Heauen but a squarenesse of the Earth and their Kingdome in the midst thereof a conceit growne out of conceit now by better instruction of the Iesuits Their King is called Lord of the World and they supposed accordingly that their Kingdome contayned the principall part thereof not deeming the Neighbour Kingdomes worthy to bee called Kingdomes which yet before their Commerce with Europeans were all they knew And not vnworthily is the name Great prefixed to their Kingdomes appellation beeing the greatest Kingdome in the World which at this day carrieth One Name or hath done in former times For Southward it beginneth in the nineteenth degree at the Ile which they call Hainam that is the South-Sea and runneth into the North to the two fortieth euen to those wals which diuide the Chinois from the Tartars The longitude beginneth from the one hundred and twelfth reckoning from the Canaries in the Prouince Yunan and extends East-ward to the Sea in one hundred thirtie two These Dimensions wee haue obserued in diuers places of the Kingdome where we haue passed by Astrolabes and other Mathem●ticall Instruments adding also the obseruation of Eclipses in their Almanacks where the Moones Change and Full are iustly described and specially by authoritie of Cosmographicall Plaines Yet if others which shall come after vs shall more exactly obserue the longitude which I dare say will be no great matter I shall not vnwillingly yeeld Hence may be obserued that this ample Kingdome is for the most part within the temperate Zone neither doth it extend so farre North-ward as some Maps haue described by many degrees And lest any should thinke that some great parts of so large a Dominion be desert I will here translate out of a China booke entituled The Description of that Kingdome there printed 1579. that which followeth In the Kingdome of China there are two Prouinces Royall Nanquin the Southerne Court and Pequin the Northerne and thirteene others In these fifteene Prouinces you might call them Kingdomes by another diuision are numbred one hundred fiftie eight Regions or lesse Prouinces called by them Fu the most of which haue twelue or fifteene Cities of reasonable quantitie besides Villages Hamlets Castles and Townes In these Prouinces are two hundred fortie seuen greater Cities called Cheu howbeit sometimes distinguished from other Cities rather in dignitie then largenesse of vulgar Cities which they call Hien 1152. Of men growne to ripe age which pay tribute or poll money to the King were then fiftie and eight millions fiue hundred fiftie thousand 801. In all which the female sexe is not reckoned and of the Masculine are omitted Boyes Youths Eunuchs Souldiers the Royall kindred Magistrates Students and very many others And of the Souldiers although there be a Supine peace except some Tartarian assault sometimes there are maintained in the Kings pay and in perpetuall Armes aboue ten hundred thousand For the three Northern Prouinces are almost halfe in pay In that booke are numbred Kingdomes adioyning to that of China and tributarie to the East three to the West fiftie three to the South fiftie fiue to the North three Yet I obserue that nothing so many doe in these dayes pay tribute and those which doe carry more from China then they bring thither and therefore the Chinois care not much whether they continue loyall or no. To the worth of this Kingdome may bee added the fortification by Nature or Art round about it To the South and East the Sea washeth it and so many Ilands guard it that hardly can a Fleet of Ships approach the Continent To the North steepe praecipices are ioyned together with a continued Tract of 405. leagues and exclude the Tartars assaults To the North-west is a sandy desart of many dayes iourney which prohibite passage of an Armie or minace their burialls The South-west hath great Mountaines and little Kingdomes to preuent feare on that side From this largenesse of Territories proceeds such diuersified varietie of things growing in that Kingdome some in the torrid others in the colder or in the temperate Zones whatsoeuer is required to the necessitie or delicacie of food or raiment being there naturall nothing being here in Europe but either is there or a better supply Wheat Barley Panike and other Corne Rice Pulse in some Prouinces two or three haruests yeerely fruits and Apples of the best Nuts and Almonds excepted Figs and others vnknowne in our world as the Licyas and the Longanas in Canton Prouince onely the Sucusina or China Figge or Apple so called because they may dry it as they do Figs liker to a Peach red without hoarinesse or stone in Oranges Citrous Limons they exceed all places So doe they in goodnesse and varietie of Gardens Herbs as being there much vsed some for religion others for pouertie eating nothing else Flowers haue there taken vp their bowers admirably varied more respected for sight then sent the Art of distilling sweet-waters being there vnheard of In the foure Southerne Prouinces grow Betre or Betele leafe and the tree Arequa or Arequeira so much
present it in forme somewhat like a Harpe whereas it is almost foure square they make Hills Riuers Lakes Ilands Coray also for one which is part of the Continent Cities Prouinces euery thing out of due place Whose industry I commend but industry guided by fansie and without light is but the blind leading the blind or like a seeled vnmanaged Horse the more spurred the more ready to carrie his Rider into precipices or out of the way at least Our Geographers haue indeed payd the Chinois in their owne Coine for they as before yee haue read knew nothing in manner of the other parts of the World and expressed them as fansifully in their Maps and wee likewise knowing nothing of them haue entertayned and beene entertayned with Fansi-maps in stead of those of China As therefore by Sir Thomas Roes honourable industry wee haue giuen you Indus and India before which no Geographer before had done they all bringing Indus thorow Cambaia and some seeking for Ganges at Canton in China so here we giue you a true China the Chinois themselues being our Guides and the Iesuites their both Examiners and Interpreters The Originall is aboue foure foot one way and almost fiue foot the other whereof a yard and some foure inches square is the Map it selfe the rest are China Discourses touching the sayd Map in their Characters and Lines running downward and beginning at the right hand to bee read after their manner which are heere omitted as not vnderstood Yet haue wee some vnderstanding as where wee see a man farre off whom we know to bee a man and can obserue his habit gesture motion though wee see not the proper complexion of his face by that which Pantoia hath told vs before namely that those China Characters contayne all the Tributes of each Prouince yea the number of Houses and persons in the same And in the Map of which wee haue giuen an extract hee sayth the Rounds and Squares are Cities and Townes of principall note all walled adding that the Riuers are distinctly delineated and the great Lines are boundaries of Prouinces wee haue heere expressed them after our manner in little prickes the lesser expresse the chiefe Cities Iurisdiction Ours hath no such lesse Lines but those mentioned Rounds and Squares which perhaps hee meaneth for therein are many others in Characters without such lines round or square and therefore as I suppose without Iurisdiction and in this extract wee haue left them out because we exactly knew not their meaning and perhaps sometimes are Cities sometimes Castles or Townes or Hills or some other thing and silence seemed better then labour to expresse an vnknowne Character or boldnesse to expresse our owne folly or to occasion others deceiuing and being deceiued These Rounds and Squares also haue their Characters in them and those greater Squares with Crosses haue some three others foure Characters Besides Pantogia another hath helped further to the particular vnderstanding namely our famous Countryman Master Candish who in his voyage about the Globe brought home certayne references taken out of the Map of China neere whiah hee sayled and it seemes by some skilfull of the Languages both of China and Portugall had the same interpreted to him That the Prouinces beare other names then in our Map or discourse is no wonder for both the Chinois themselues in diuers Prouinces speake diuers languages and in all haue the Court language besides the peculiar and the China Characters are the same to many Nations each of which reades them into his owne language dialect and appellation Thus what one Prouince calleth Lanquin wanting the N. by diuersitie of Dialect is else-where called Nanquin Pequin Paquin and Puckin yea by other language Taybin and Cambalu and Suntien or Citie of Heauen I durst not interpret all chusing rather to giue an vncertayne truth then to hazard a certayne errour Master Candishes Notes are these 1 THe Prouince of Cansas hath 4. great Cities and 20. small Cities and 77. Townes and Castles it contayeth in length 55. leagues it hath 362000. Houses of great men that pay Tribute and 13900. men of Warre and hath 47000. Horses which are the Kings kept for his dfeence 2 The great City of Paquin where the King doth lye hath belonging to it 8. great Cities and 18. small Cities with 118. Townes and Castles it hath 418789. Houses of great men which pay Tribute it hath Horsemen for the War 258100. this City is in the latitude of 50. degrees to the North-wards being there as cold as it is vsually in Flanders 3 The Prouince of Soyebin hath 7. great Cities and 16. small with 12. Townes and Castles and one great Citie to which many repayre to fight against the Tartars it hath leagues in length and hath 164118. great Houses which pay Tribute and 96000. men of War 4 The Prouince of Santo hath 6. great Cities and 14. small with 90. Townes and Castles it is 82. leagues long and hath 77555. great Houses which pay Tribute 63808. horsemen and 31000. footmen of War 5 The Prouince of Oyman hath 7. great Cities and 14. small with 90. Townes and Castles being 470. leagues long and 132958. great Houses that pay Tribute 82800. men of Warre Out of this Prouince commeth Copper Quick-siluer and Black-lead 6 The Prouince of Cutchew hath 8. great Cities and 12. small and 83. Townes which make Armour to fight with the Iewes which do inhabit beyond Cauchin-china it is 100. leagues broad and hath 32920. Horsemen and Footmen with 405670. great Houses which pay Tribute whereof the men of War are payed 7 The Prouince of Languyn hath 14. great Cities and 17. small and 95. Townes and Castles it is 120. leagues ouer and hath 962818. great Hous●s which pay Tribute it hath in it 208900. men of Warre Whereof there are 52500. Tartar Horsemen that take wages 8 The Prouince of Vquam hath 14. great Cities and 19. small 150. Townes and Castles and is 210. leagues broad and 53161. Houses that pay Tribute and 71600. men of Warre 9 The Prouince of Som hath 7. great Cities and 11. small and 105. Townes and Castles and is 200. leagues broad and hath Houses that pay Tribute 139567. and men of Warre 345632. 10 The Prouince of Essiram hath 11. great Cities and 75. small and 80. Townes and Castles and is 440. leagues broad and hath great Houses that doe pay Tribute 1242135. and 339000. men of Warre 11 This Lake lyeth behind Siam and before Champa and doth joyne with the Lappians and from thence commeth all the water that serueth the Kingdome of China and the Indians and the Chinians doe report this Lake to be the whole World and so they paint the Sea the Moone and the Stars within it 12 The Prouince of Lansay hath 13. Cities and a chiefe Citie and 73. Townes and Castles and is 260. leagues broad and hath great Houses that pay Tribute 1393629. and 12700. men
of Warre 13 The Prouince Cua●sa hath 12. great Cities 45. small and 51. Townes and Castles it is 260. leagues broad and hath great Houses that pay Tribute 1306390. and men of Warre both Horsemen and Footmen 100100. 14 The Prouince of Vanam hath 14. great Cities and 36. small and 34. Townes and Castles and is 88. leagues broad and hath great Houses that pay Tribute 589296. and 15100. men of Warre 15 The Prouince of Fuguien hath eight great Cities and one principall Citie and 54. Towns and Castles and two great Cities of Garrison to keepe watch vpon the Iapons and is 200. leagues broad and hath 5009532. great Houses that pay Tribute and 4003225. men of the Kings Guard 16 The Prouince of Canton hath 40. great Cities and seuen small and 77. Townes and Castles and a Citie that putteth forth hundreds of ships for the keeping of Cauchin-china and is 380. leagues in breadth and hath 483383. great Houses which pay Tribute and 39400. men of Warre 17 The Prouince of Enam hath seuen great Cities and 13. small and 90. Townes and Castles and is 88. leagues broad and hath 589296. great Houses that pay Tribute and 15100. Souldiers The Spanish Friers of the Philippinas as Mendoza recordeth thus out of the China Bookes relate the names of the Prouinces Paguia Foquiem Olam Sinsay Sisuan Tolanchia Ca●say Oquiam Aucheo Honan Xanton Quicheu Chequean Susuam and Saxij tenne of which are seated on the Sea-coast He also addes that Paguia or Pequin hath forty seuen Cities stiled Fu and one hundred and fiftie others termed Cheu Canton hath thirtie seuen of the one and one hundred and ninetie of the other and so proceedeth with somewhat differing account reckoning in all fiue hundred ninety one Cities entituled Fu and 1593. of the Cheu Cities which he makes Townes whereas the Iesuits haue taught vs that Fu is the Title of a Region or Shire in each Prouince which are sub-diuided into Ceu and Hien those the more these the lesse principall but yet equall to our Cities as before is obserued Againe in a Dialogue printed at Macao in the Confines of China 1590. by the Portugals these Prouinces are thus reckoned Sixe vpon the Sea Coantum Foquien Chequiam Nanquin Xantum Paquin the other nine In-land Prouinces Quiansi Huquam Honam Xiensi Xansi Suchuon Queichen Iunan Coansi Perera reckons them thus Fuquien in which Cinceo is the best knowne City Cantan Chequeam Xutiamfu Chelim Quianci Quicin Quanci Confu Vrnan Sichiua c. all which diuersity proceedeth partly from ignorance partly from different Language and Dialect in the expounding these Characters And it must needs be so the Chinois wanting vse of and Characters to expresse b.d.r. and all their Characters being of things not Letters in proper names is very great difficulty to expresse ours in their Characters or theirs in our Letters insomuch that one Iesuite doth not perfectly agree with another nay often dissents from himselfe as in Ianseu Yamceu Hianceu for their great Riuer which Polo cals Quian and Chi and Ci and Qui I find often confounded in their syllables as also x and sci as Xauchin Sciauchin and the like Yea such is the difficulty that the Iesuits can scarsly deuise to expresse in China Characters the forme of Baptime to put the Latine words thereof into China Characters that Baptisme might vniformely bee administred after the Romish Rite as themselues confesse Touching their Souldiers I thought good to adde this note for their Peeces whose Barels Pantoia sayth are but a span long that Captayne Saris beeing asked told mee hee saw many of them and they were as long as Pistols but the Cocke such as makes them of little seruice I haue added these Pictures of a Man and Woman of China not by ghesse but out of certayne in China Pictures made also in China in very good Colours but with Arte meane enough fine cloth inserted in strong Indian Paper of which Captayne Saris communicated many to me Their little Eyes and Noses long Hayre bound vp in knots womens feete wrapped vp long wide-sleeued Garments Fannes c. I haue taking diuers parts out of diuers presented to thee A taste of the China Characters thou hast in the Title That of Ricius I haue added from the Iesuits in thankes for his great paines and to shew the habit of the head c. The names of the Prouinces I haue hunted out of the Iesuites Iourneyes and other Relations In the most I am sure I am right in the other you haue my coniecture for neyther know we their Characters nor haue any giuen vs a particular Geography or Chorography but only the names of the Prouinces I haue added names also to some Cities and Riuers of principall note As for the truth of the Map I finde well to agree with the Iesuites Iourneyes but it hath not European Art it being neyther graduated nor Hils nor Woods or other differing places presented to the view only hauing Characters Lines Lakes and Riuers I haue aduentured to adde Degrees to helpe such Readers as cannot doe it better themselues following the Iesuits prescripts in generall although I cannot but maruell at that longitude so farre differing from the generall opinion and could almost doubt that herein these Portugals are minding that diuision agreed on betwixt the Spaniards and them which hath anciently caused such contentions and wherein you haue read some Offices of the Iesuits in these China Discourses But I will not contend where themselues speake faintly Now for Quian which Polo hath mentioned as the greatest Riuer in the world it is here called Iansu or Hiansu or Yamsu that is the Sonne of the Sea and Iansuchian and another called Caramoran Cara signifieth blacke and this great Northerne Riuer is alway thicke and troubled and their Marriage by Art is here viewed and more then two hundred Cities one of Polos Wonders communicating their Merchandizes by that Quian or Chian as they now terme it Iansuchian chian signifying the chiefe Riuer For the name Cathay to bee giuen by the Tartars to China Goez his Iourney hath made it out of doubt also that Pequin is Cambalu that is the Citie of the King I doe conceiue that Polos Mangi was the nine Southerne Prouinces of China the Northerly before conquered was knowne by the name of Cathay a name by the Tartars giuen to diuers Countreyes as Cara Catay and Catay Calay and Great Catay This Great Catay is China Polo and other Authors speake of Cathay and Mangi as two perhaps the Tartars so accounting them the one to wit the North parts being formerly subject to them and called by their ancient name the other called Mangi in contempt as the Romanes called the subiect Britaines of this Iland by their former name and the others Picts and Barbarians and as our Ancestors called those Britons which withstood them Walsh or Welch in a kind of disgrace Nay still the Northerne Chinois
account that are naturall and proper to that Countrey as the fish tooth which they call Ribazuba which is vsed both among themselues and the Persians and Bougharians that fetcht it from thence for Beads Kniues and Sword-hafts of Noblemen and Gentlemen and for diuers other vses Some vse the powder of it against poyson as the Vnicornes Horne The fish that weareth it is called a Morse and is caught about Pechora These fish teeth some of them are almost two foot of length and weigh eleuen or twelue pound a-piece In the Prouince of Corelia and about the Riuer Duyna towards the North Sea there groweth a soft Rocke which they call Slude This they cut into pieces and so teare it into thin flakes which naturall it is apt for and so vse it for Glasse-lanthornes and such like It giueth both inwards and outwards a cleerer light then Glasse and for this respect is better then eyther Glasse or Horne for that it neyther breaketh like Glasse nor yet will burne like the Lanthorne Salt-peeter they make in many places as at Ouglites Yaruslaue and Vstug and some small store of Brimstone vpon the Riuer Volgha but want skill to refine it Their Iron is somewhat brittle but a great weight of it is made in Corelia Cargapol●● and Vstug Thelesna Other Myne they haue none growing within the Realme Their beasts of strange kinds are the Losh the Ollen the wilde Horse the Beare the Woluering or wood Dogge the Lyserne the Beauer the Sable the Matron the blacke and dunne Foxe the white Beare towards the Sea coast of Pechora the Gurnstale the Laset or Mineuer They haue a kind of Squirrell that hath growing on the pinion of the shoulder bone a long tuft of haire much like vnto feathers with a far broader tayle then haue any other Squirrels which they moue and shake as they leape from tree to tree much like vnto a wing They skise a large space and seeme for to flie withall and therefore they call them Letach Vechshe that is the flying Squirrels Their Hares and Squirrels in Summer are of the same colour with ours in Winter the Hare changeth her coate into milke white the Squirrell into gray whereof commeth the Calabar They haue fallow Deere the Roe Bucke and Goats very great store Their Horses are but small but very swift and hard they trauell them vnshod both Winter and Summer without all regard of pace Their Sheepe are but small and beare course and harsh wooll Of Fowle they haue diuers of the principall kinds First great store of Hawkes the Eagle the Gerfaulcon the Slightfaulcon the Gos-hawke the Tassell the Sparhawke c. But the principall Hawke that breedeth in the Countrey is counted the Gerfaulcon Of other Fowles their principall kinds are the Swanne tame and wilde whereof they haue great store the Storke the Crane the Tedder of the colour of a Feasant but farre bigger and liueth in the Firre woods Of Feasant and Partridge they haue very great plenty An Owle there is of a very great bignesse more vgly to behold then the Owles of this Countrey with a broad face and eares much like vnto a man For fresh water Fish besides the common sorts as Carpe Pike Pearch Tench Roach c. they haue diuers kinds very good and delicate as the Bellouga or Bellougina of foure or fiue elnes long the Ositrina or Sturgeon the Seueriga and Sterledy somewhat in fashion and taste like to the Sturgeon but not so thicke or long These foure kinds of fish breed in the Volgha and are catched in great plenty and serued thence into the whole Realme for a great food Of the Roes of these foure kinds they make very great store of Icary or Caueary as was said before They haue besides these that breed in the Volgha a fish called the Ribabela or white Salmon which they account more delicate then they doe the red Salmon whereof also they haue exceeding great plenty in the Riuers Northward as in Duyna the Riuer of Cola c. In the Ozera or Lake neere a Towne called Perislaue not farre from the Mosko they haue a small fish which they call the fresh Herring of the fashion and somewhat of the taste of a Sea-herring Their chiefe Townes for fish are Yaruslaue Bealozera Nouogrod Astracan and Cazan which all yeeld a large Custome to the Emperour euery yeere for their trades of fishing which they practise in Summer but send it frozen in the Winter time into all parts of the Realme THe chiefe Cities of Russia are Mosko Nouograd Rostoue Volodomer Plesco Smolensko Iaruslaue Perislaue Nisnouograd Vologda Vstiuck Golmigroe Cazan Astracan Cargapolia Columna The Citie of Mosko is supposed to bee of great antiquitie though the first Founder bee vnknowne to the Russe It seemeth to haue taken the name from the Riuer that runneth on the one side of the Towne Berosus the Chaldean in his fifth Booke telleth that Nimrod whom other profane Stories call Saturne sent Assyrius Medus Moscus and Magog into Asia to plant Colonies there and that Moscus planted both in Asia and Europe Which may make some probality that the Citie or rather the Riuer whereon it is built tooke the denomination from this Moscus the rather because of the climate or situation which is in the very farthest part and list of Europe bordering vpon Asia The Citie was much enlarged by one Euan or Iohn sonne to Daniel that first changed his title of Duke into King though that honour continued not to his posteritie the rather because he was inuested into it by the Popes Legate who at that time was Innocentius the fourth about the yeere 1246. which was very much misliked by the Russe people being then a part of the Eastern or Greeke Church Since that time the name of this Citie hath growne more famous and better knowne to the World insomuch that not only the Prouince but the whole Countrey of Russia is termed by some by the name of Moscouia the Metropolite Citie The forme of this Citie is in a manner round with three strong walls circuling the one within the other and streets lying betweene whereof the inmost wall and the buildings closed within it lying safest as the heart within the bodie fenced and watred with the Riuer Moskua that runneth close by it is all accounted the Emperours Castle The number of houses as I haue heard through the whole Citie being reckoned by the Emperour a little before it was fired by the Chrim was 41500. in all Since the Tartar besieged and fired the Towne which was in the yeere 1571. there lieth waste of it a great bredth of ground which before was well set and planted with buildings specially that part on the South side of Moskua built not long before by Basilius the Emperour for his Garrison of Souldiers to whom he ga●● priuiledge to drinke Mede and Beere at the drie or prohibited times when other Russes
But hee said almost not altogether that hee might not take away the migrations of the Nations then presently beginning after the yeere of the World 2500. wee doe not therefore tye the time wherein this further Europe began to bee inhabited to the yeere of the World 2500. But wee say that that troublesome time wherein the Nations and among them the Giants of Canaan were cast out of their places and dwellings and compelled to seek new habitations euen in Europe happened in this yeere as was proposed by vs in the beginning And that Europe receiued her Inhabitants from hence among the Ancient Procopius is my Author a Writer borne at Caesaria of Palaestina Collector of the worthy Acts of Iustinianus about the yeere of the Lord 530. who to proue this very thing alleageth diuers Writers of the Historie of the Phoenicians The words of Procopius are these in his fourth Booke of the Warres of the Vandalls not in one place only cited by D. Cythraeus out of the which among other things I gather mine opinion The Hebrewes saith Procopius after they returned out of Egypt and remayned still in the borders of Palaestina Moses who led them in their iourney dieth whom Iosua the sonne of Nun succeeded who also brought the people into Palaestina and shewing strength and courage far beyond the nature of man obtayned the Country whereby destroying Nations he easily vanquished many Cities seeming inexpugnable vnto all Then therefore all the Countrey vpon the Sea-coast from Sidon euen to the borders of Egypt was called Phoenicia ouer which one long since raigned as all witnesse who writ the ancient History of the Phoenicians here great multitudes of people dwelt the Gergasites Iebusites and others named in the Hebrew Volumes who when they saw the Armie of the strangers to be inexpugnable leauing their Country bounds went into Egypt next adioyning and there increasing in number and posteritie when they found not sufficient and conuenient place for so grat a multitude they entred into Africa where inhabiting very many Cities they possessed all that Coast euen vnto the Pillers of Hercules vsing the halfe Phoenician Tongue and Dialect and built the Towne Tingen in Numidia most strongly fortified in the situation thereof where two Pillers of white stone are erected neere the great Fountayne whereon in the Phoenician Language these Letters are ingrauen Nos sumus Cananaei quos fugauit Iesus Latro. For Iosua in the Hebrew is Iesus This Procopius writeth to which purpose the Historians of the Hebrewes are cited by Genebrand Iosua saith he partly expelled the Canaanites and partly slue them The remnant of these are reported to haue gone into Germany Sclauonia and the next adioyning Countreyes c. Into Seder Olam c. Also And surely in that Age that the whole West was emptie and vnpeopled saue that the Nations of the East came by little and little into the Countreyes thereof it appeareth by the often infusions This Genebrand writeth And Bodinus Method Hist. chap. 9. The Canaanites being cast out of the Land of Palaestina by the Hebrewes went into Illyricum and Pannonia to wit by those migrations and remoues which out of the place before alleadged by Procopius wee vnderstand as Rabbi Dauid Kimchi witnesseth at the end of Abdias The ancient Islander seeme to haue beene ordayned for great frugalitie wherein first their habitations or buildings are briefly to be touched next their food and manner of apparell and lastly the rest of the exercises of their common life For first as touching their habitations the Islanders haue followed the first and most ancient manner of dwelling To wit not by Cities and Townes but as Tacitus speaketh of the Germanes of his time they dwelt asunder as a Field as a Fountayne as a Wood as an Hill or Valley Shoare or Bay of the Sea pleased them Not only imitating here the example of the first Age of the World but also of the latter Age as the people of Athens and Laconia in the beginning dwelt by Villages as they write not together or by Cities and as in the time of Tacitus about the yeere of Christ 120. with the Germanes there was no vse of Mortar nor Tyles whereupon any man may rather judge the like concerning the Northerne World so nor after with the Islanders but they built their houses with Timber and Turffe Nor surely was it momentany worke which lasted but a while nor yet deformed in shew the walls were sometimes made only of Turffe sometimes of rough Stones adding Turffe in stead of Mortar which afterwards they couered with workmanship of plankes as also the raftering it selfe especially in more notable buildings And so you might see the Roofe with the walls before mature old age ouer-growne with greene grasse euery yeere for you must vnderstand that the Roofe and walls were couered with greene Turfe Windowes were made in the Roofe seldome in the walls and certayne Roofes not very high such as is reported the building of houses with the Easterne people was wont to be The Inhabitants had store of Timber cast vpon the shoare by the swelling of the waues of the Sea through the miraculous testimonie of Gods Prouidence considering their Woods at home yeelding plentie as I thinke only of Birches were not sufficient for their huge houses which yet were a great helpe also with those which the Inhabitants as oft as they would fetched out of bordering Norway and peraduenture also out of Groneland for the Islanders sayled yeerely to both a long time Euery one therefore had the houses of their Villages almost joyning together on their ground besides the stalls of their Herds seated some distance from the houses themselues Also certayne piles of fuell not altogether joyning together to auoid the danger of fire peraduenture also certayne store-houses which being solitary might better receiue the Ayre and drying winds Some maintayned their fires with home-growing Wood others with clammie Turfe as I thinke H. Iunius aptly calleth it whereof there are two kindes with vs the one soft and spongie growing vnder the superficies of the Earth which wee call Su●rd●r Another more thicke and therefore more weightie which peraduenture wee may very well call digged Turfe by the opinion of the same Iunius because it is taken out of the deepe Quarries or Mines digged a great depth out of the Earth And both kindes of Turfe but this much more must bee first baked with the Sunne and winde before it be fit to burne This latter kind we as also some of the Germanes call it Torff the inuentor whereof in the Orchades a certayne Orchadensian Duke is said to be one Einarus the Sonne of Rangu●aldus a Norwegian Duke of M●re in the time of Pulcricomus King of Norway who was therefore called Torffeinarus He had a brother called Rolfuo whom Crantzius nameth Rollo who possessed part of France afterwards called Normandie of the Normans or Noruegians The Inhabitants chiefly wanted fewell to expell the
of Catay In the wall to Catay are fiue gates both low and straight or narrow a man cannot ride into them vpright on horse-backe and except these fiue gates there is no more in all the wall there all manner of people passe into the Citie of Shrokalga Within the borders or wall is a Citie or Castle of Catay called Shirokalga built of stone the Gouernour thereof is called Duke Shubin who is sent thither for a time from Tambur King of Catay the Castle is very high walled and artificially built the Towres are high after the manner of Mosco Castle in the Loope-holes or Windowes are Ordnance planted as also vpon the Gates or Towres their Ordnance is but short they haue also great store of small shot and the Watchmen euery-where vpon the Gates Towres and Wals well appointed and assoone as they perceiue the Sunne going downe the Watch dischargeth their Peeces of Ordnance thrice as also at the breake of day in the morning they shoot out of their Pieces thrice and doe not open the Castle Gates till the sixt houre of the day Within the Castle are shops built of stone and painted cunningly with diuers colours wherein they haue all manner of Merchandizes as Veluets Damaskes Dorogoes Taffataes Cloth of Gold and Tissue of diuers colours sundry sorts of Sugars Cloues c. in the Gouernours house is a strong Watch of Partisans and Halberds and their Drummes made like great Barrels When the Gouernour goeth abroad they carry a Canopie ouer him and make way before him with Rods as before our Emperour in Mosco And from Shirokalga to the Citie Yara is three dayes trauell this Citie is large built of stone and the circuit of it is two dayes trauell with many Towres and foure Gates to come in at the Markets in the Citie are well and richly accommodated with Iewels Merchandizes Grocerie or Spices the Citie well inhabited hauing no place void or waste in it The houses and shops are built with stone with streets betweene the Gouernours here are called Duke By● and Duke ●●chake heere they haue Post Stages as wee their Markets haue a very odoriferous smell with Spices And from this Citie to a Citie called Tayth is three dayes iourney it is built of stone large and high walled is in compasse two daies trauel about at the first comming to it are fiue gates barred and bolted with Iron very thicke and close fastned with Nailes the houses and shops or Ware-houses are all built of stone wherein are all manner of Merchandizes Spices or Grocerie and precious things more abundant then in the aforesaid Cities they haue Tauernes or Drinking houses stored with all manner of Drinkes as Aquanit● Meade and Wines from beyond Seas in abundance there they haue also their Watch Ordnance and Munition in great store the Gouernours of this place are one Duke Tuga and the other Duke Zumia there wee saw Sinamon Anniseeds Apples Arbuzes Melons Cucumbers Onions Garlicke Radish Carrets Parsenips Turnops Cabbage Limons Poppiseeds Nutmegs Rice Almonds Pepper Rubarbe many other Fruits which we know not so that they want nothing whatsoeuer groweth in the World the shops are within the Citie stored of all manner of Commoditie as is said as also victualling and drinking Houses stored with all manner of Drinkes where they haue also Dicers and Whores as with vs. Their Prisons in the Citie are of stone for theft they hang the theeues and for Robberie or Murther they stake the Murtherers or else head them And from Shirokalga to a Citie of Catay called Shirooan is a dayes iourney this Citie is built of stone high walled and large in compasse it is a dayes trauell it hath twelue Towres whereupon as also on the Citie Gates is planted Ordnance and small shot great store with a continuall Watch or Guard night and day at the first comming are fiue Gates well furnished with Ordnance and Warlike Munition and from one Gate to the other through the Citie is halfe a dayes going The Gouernour of this place is called Duke Sanchik For Victuals and Merchandizes here is more then in the Cities mentioned all their shops very full and the Citie so populous that one can hardly passe the streets for the throng of people The Ambassadors Houses are also faire built of stone their Wels couered with Brasse so that this Citie is adorned more with precious things then the former mentioned and much more populous Now from the Citie of Tayth to a Citie called White Castle is two dayes trauell this Citie is built of white stone and thereof hath his name it is high walled and large being in compasse or circuit three dayes trauell a● the first entry it hath three Gates vnder one Towre the Gates are high and wide with strong Iron barres and the Gates fastened with Iron Nayles whited with Tinne it hath great Ordnance in the Gates and Towres some Peeces carrying shot of two Poode waight the shops within the Citie reach from Gate to Gate and betweene them are streets paued with stone all their shops and houses are built of stone before their shops They haue grates painted cunningly with all manner of colours flowres and such like and vpon the shops are the houses painted cunningly with Pictures and flowres in diuers colours and the painting within is vpon Pastboord adorned with Damaske and Veluets heere is more abundance of Riches and Commodities then in any of the Cities afore mentioned The Gouernours names here were Duke Toy●an and Duke Sulan From this white Citie or Castle to the greatest Citie of all Cataya called Catay is two dayes iourney where the King himselfe dwelleth it is a very great Citie built of white stone foure square and in compasse it is foure dayes iourney vpon euery corner thereof are very great Towres high built and white and alongst the wall are very faire and high Towres likewise white and intermingled with Blue or Azure vpon the Gates Wall and Towres the Loop-holes or Windowes are well furnished with Ordnance and a strong Watch. In the midst of this white Citie standeth a Castle built of Magnet or Load-stone wherin the King himselfe dwelleth called Tambun this Castle standeth so in the midst of this Citie that euery way you haue halfe a dayes going to it from the Gates through the streets which hath stone shoppes on both sides with all manner of Merchandizes vpon their shops they haue their houses built of stone cunningly painted more then the former Cities The Castle of Magnet is curiously set forth with all manner of artificiall and precious deuices in the middest whereof standeth the Kings Palace the top whereof is all gilt ouer with Gold And they would not admit vs to come before their King without Presents saying it was not the manner of Catay to come before their King without some Present and though said they your white Emperour had but sent with his first Ambassadours to our
Licentiate Iohn of Obando Predecessor of your Lordship in whose time the Office of chiefe Chronicler of the Indies was instituted for writing with greater authoritie foundation and truth the Acts of the Castilians in the New World and to see and examine that which the other Chroniclers should write for I finde that almost to all that is written no credit could be giuen for ouer-much licence wherewith vntill then it was done hee vsed great diligence in gathering the most certaine Relations that were found as well in the Indies as in Spaine of that which happened in the Discoueries of those Regions the foundations of those Townes and Customes of the people And many yeers being past after his death without making any beginning of this History your Lordship being prouided for President of the Royall and Supreme Councell of the Indies knowing how much it behoued that deeds so worthy of memorie should no longer be buried and that they should be written by a Royall Chronicler seeing so much fr●● is gotten of Historie that it exceedeth so much the Picture as the soule the bodie against the opinion of a moderne Writer Prouiding all the meanes necessarie with liberalitie and diligence haue beene the meere and onely Instrument following the opinion of S. Augustine that this Historie and the Description that followeth hath come to the present estate And because it hath not beene of least importance to honour the Author animating him to goe forward with so great a labour conforming your selfe with the vniuersall opinion of the much that is due to the watchings and labours of the Writers placing this Office of Chiefe Chronicler in that point and reputation that so noble an Exercise deserueth as the most famous men of the World haue iudged it and it is esteemed and talked of among all Nations be they neuer so barbarous your Lordship shall be praysed eternally and thanked of all that are interessed in it by which is procured the making mention of their Fathers and Predecessors with their Names and Countrey all that hath beene possible against the barbarous and most vniust opinion of Iohn Baptista Ramusio in his Proeme in the third Volume of the Nauigations where hee saith to bee a vaine thing and ridiculous that the Spanish Authors should take paines in writing the names and Countrey of those which serued in the matters of the Indies Wherein he sheweth the venime of the enuie conceiued of the glorious deeds of these Catholike Kings and of the Castillian Nation seeing the Chronicles doe serue to honour the good and to reproch the euill for an example of those to come which could not be obtayned with the opinion of this Ramusius whom the saying of Cato against the Grecians doth fit But the opinion of your Lordship hath beene according to your prudence and valour of the which as it is iust there will be a perpetuall memorie and for that which this Nation is indebted vnto you for the same you shall bee reknowledged of it eternally God keepe your Lordship from Vallyadolyeede the fifteenth of October 1601. THe compasse of the Earth is 360. degrees which being reduced to leagues of Castile are 6300. and by the compasse of the Earth is vnderstood the Sea together with it which two Elements make the Globe whose vpper face in part is Earth and in part is Sea The Ancients diuided the Earth in three parts and gaue to euery one his name The first they called Europe more celebrated then any of the other The second Asia which is greater then the rest and contayneth the great Kingdome of China The third Africa And men being in a supposition that the World contayned no more then was rehearsed not contenting themselues with it entred in the Art of Nauigating and in the inuention of ships of high building fitting them in such order that they might abide the force of the waues of the Sea in this Art the Spaniards haue surpassed all the Nations of the World For whiles there reigned Ferdinand in Castile and in Lyon the famous Kings Catholike Ferdinando the Fift and Isabella a most wise prudent and most puissant Queene and Don Iohn the Second called the Pellican raigned in Portugall hee that euer will be worthy of memory Don Christopher Colo● first Admirall of the Indies hauing liued many yeeres married in Spaine with the counsell of Martin of Bohemia a Portugall borne in the Iland of Fayall a famous Astrologian and especially a Iudiciarie and of others with whom he communicated it gaue a beginning to the Discouery of that which at this day is counted the fourth part of the World and the greatest of them all and taking his course toward the Sunne setting going from Pallos a Village of the Earle of Miranda in the Coast of Andaluzia he sayled so much by the Ocean that hee found this great Land which the Equinoctiall Line cutteth in the middest and it goeth so farre toward the South that it reacheth to fiftie two degrees and an halfe and goeth so high to the North that it hides it selfe vnder the Pole Articke without knowing any end The greatnesse of this fourth part hath set the people in great admiration whose description shall here be handled vnder the name of Ilands and firme Land of the Ocean Sea because they are compassed with this Sea and placed to the West and are commonly called the West Indies and the New World and comprehended within the limits of the Kings of Castile and of Lyon Which is an Hemisphere and halfe of the World of 180. degrees beginning to reckon from a Meridian Circle which passeth by thirtie nine or by fortie degrees of longitude Occidentall from the Meridian of Toledo through the mouth of the Riuer Marany●● and to the Orientall through the Citie of Mallaca in sort that at twentie leagues sayling for a degree these bounds haue from the one part to the other 3900. Castillan leagues euery one of 3000. paces of fiue foot of a Castillan yard which men say are sixtie Italian miles from the Orient to the Occident which the Sea-men doe call East and West And this account of twentie leagues to a degree is according to Ptolomie and to the opinion of many curious men It hath seemed to others that the miles of euery degree are seuentie and that they make no more then seuenteene leagues and an halfe of Castile which is held for the truest account The degrees of longitude which are those that are reckoned by the Equinoctiall which goeth from East to West through the middest of the Orbe and Globe of the Earth haue not beene able to bee taken well because there is no fixed signe in the Heauen Degrees of altitude are those which are taken and reckoned from the Pole which fall out certayne because it is a fixed point which is the marke that is taken by the which it shall be shewed in this description There is discouered and nauigated from the North
second Admirall to pacifie it It hath two hundred and thirty leagues from the Cape of Saint Antonie vnto the Point of Mayzi going by Land although by the Sunne and by water there are not so many It hath in breadth from the Cape of Crosses to the Port of Manati fortie fiue leagues and then it beginneth to streighten and goeth to the last Cape or Occidentall Point where it is narrow of twelue leagues little more or lesse from Matamano to the Auana Her situation is within the Tropicke of Cancer from twentie to twentie one degrees the Countrey is almost all plaine with many Forrests and thicke Woods from the Easterne Point of Mayci for thirtie leagues it hath most high Mountaynes and likewise in the middest it hath some and there runne from them to the North and to the South very pleasant Riuers with great store of fish On the South side it hath the little Ilands which the first Admirall called the Queenes Garden and the other on the North side which Iames Velazquez called the Kings Garden the trees are of many differences and wild Vines as bigge as a man they gather no Wheate nor other Seedes of Spaine but great abundance of Cattle it hath great Copper Mynes and of Gold and is it found in the Riuers though it be base in the touch Iames Velazquez peopled first the Citie of Saint Iames in the South Coast fortie leagues from the Cape of Tiburon which is in Hispaniola and two leagues from the Sea neere to a Port one of the best in the World for securitie and greatnesse The Citie came to haue two thousand Inhabitants now it hath few with a Gouernours Deputie the Cathedrall Suffragane to Saint Domingo is resident in it and a Monastery of Franciscan Friers The Village of Baracoa is a Towne furthest East of the Iland of Cuba at the beginning of the North Coast 60. leagues from the Citie of S. Iames toward the East North-east which was also an inhabiting of the President Iames Velazquez The Village of Bayam● which Iames Velazquez also built is 20. leagues from S. Iames to the North-west it is the soundest Town of the Iland of a more open soyle and of a good disposition The Village and Port of the Prince in the Coast of the North is about fortie leagues from Saint Iames to the North-west The Village of Sancti Spiritus is a Port on the South side betweene the Trinidad and the Cayo de Basco Porcallo of Figueroa about fiftie leagues from Saint Iames a Colonie of Iames Velazquez The Village and Port of Saint Christopher of the Abana is in the North Coast almost opposite to Florida in twentie two degrees and an halfe in height of more then sixe hundred Housholds where the Gouernour resides and the Officers Royall The Port is maruellous in greatnesse and securitie especially since that King Philip the Second the prudent sent the Campe-master Iohn of Texeda and Baptista Antonelli to fortifie it in it all the Fleetes of the Indies doe meete for to come for Spaine in company It was first called the Port of Carennas and Iames Velazquez built this Village and all the rest of the Iland with the assistance of the Father Bartolome de las Casas which afterward became a Dominicke Frier and Bishop of Chiapa The Ports and Capes and point of the Coast of Cuba and the Ilands belonging to it besides those which are rehearsed are in the South Coast the Port of the Citie of Saint Iames in twentie degrees and twentie fiue leagues to the West the Port of Sancti Spiritus Cape of the Crosse twelue leagues forward and the Queenes Gardens which is a great shelfe of Ilands and shoales the Port of Trinitie in twentie one degrees about thirtie leagues from the Cape of the Crosse and ten more to the West the Gulfe of Xagua a great defence with some Ilands in the middest and forward the Two Sisters two Ilands at the beginning of the great shelfe and Ilands and shoales which they call Camarco betweene the Coast and the Ilands which is of ten leagues in length and seuen in breadth twelue leagues from the Cape of Correntes which is as many from the Cape of Saint Antonie the furthest West of this Iland In the North Coast standeth the Port of Abana and thirtie leagues to the East is the Port of Slaughters where was a Towne and was called de Matanças of the Slaughters because the Indians killed certaine Spaniards which they carried in their Can●ose vnder securitie to the other side only one escaping and two women whom they kept sometime with them From the Matanças to the Port of Yucanaca are fiftie leagues to the Kings Garden which is a great shelfe of little Illets and shoales and at the end of the Iland Obahaua eight leagues before the Port of the Prince foure or six from the Port of Fernando Alanso and six to the East of this Cubana which is a point The Port of Varocoa is about twentie leagues before the point of Maizi the farthest West of Cuba and the hidden Port and Gulfe neere to Cape Roio in the South-coast about twentie leagues from the Port of Pidgeons which is about ten leagues from the Port of Saint Iames. THe Iland of Iamayca was so abundant of victuals and breedings that it gaue great prouision of Cotton Horses Swine and Cozabi for the new Discoueries and the first Admirall called it Saint Iames when hee discouered it and the first that passed to inhabit it was the Captayne Iohn Esquiuell the yeere 1509. by order of the second Admirall Don Diego Colon. It stands in seuenteene degrees and an halfe of altitude in the middest of it and twentie leagues from Cuba to the South and as many from Hispaniola direct to the West It hath in compasse one hundred and fiftie leagues it hath East and West fiftie and twentie in breadth There are in it three Villages Siuill in which is the Seat of the Colledge toward the North Coast somewhat Westerly Iohn Squinell a Gentleman of Siuill peopled it Melilla which stands in the North Coast fourteene leagues from Siuill to the East Oristan in the South Coast towards the West fourteene leagues from Siuill and are Plantations of the President Francisco de Garay which gouerned in it But of the Towne de la Vega whence the Admirals Lords of this Iland tooke the Title of Dukes nor of other two Plantations painted in some Maps there is no notice There is in the Coast of this Iland the Point of Moranta the vttermost West of it by the North Coast ten leagues to the West the Port of Ianta and tenne leagues forward the Port of Melilla where they say the first Admirall arriued and called it Santa Gloria when hee returned lost from Veragua and heere happened to him the mutiny of the Porras of Siuill and it was the first Ciuill Warre of the Indies
the Line the Riuer of Solinas betweene the Cape of Corrientes and the Iland of the Palmes in foure degrees one third part and in the Coast that lyeth vnto Gorgoua the Riuer of Saint Iohn among many other which make the Countrey boggie and right against the mouth the Iland of Gorgoua two leagues compasse where Don Franciscus Piçarro was forsaken of all his men with his thirteene companions The Riuer of Saint Lucar and the Riuer of Nicardo before the Riuer of Zedros in two degrees from the Line in which stands the I le del Gallo and after the Port of the Crosse and the point of Manglares where beginneth the Coast of Quito Of the gouernment of the Quixos and Canela there is no more notice but that it falls to the East of the Prouince of Quito and part of the South toward the gouernment of Iohn of Salinas there are in it three Spanish Townes with a Gouernour which the Vice-roy of Piru prouideth and in spirituall respect it is of the Bishopricke of Quito the Countrey is rough and Mountaynous without Wheate and little M●ller with certayne Trees which seeme of Cinamon The first Towne is Baeça eighteene leagues from Saint Francis of Iuito toward the South-east where the Gouernour is Resident the Citie of Archidona is twentie leagues beyond Baeça the Citie of Auila stands to the North of Archidona The gouernment and Prouince of Pacamoros and Gualsango or of Iohn of Salinas whose bounds and limits are one hundred leagues which were assigned him to the East from twentie leagues before the Citie of Zamora in the Rowe of the Andes and as many more North and South It is a good Countrey in temper and disposition for Wheate seeds and cattle of rich Mynes of Gold where they haue pieces of great bignesse there are in it foure Townes of the Bishopricke of Quito for the Captaine Iohn of Salinas did build them The Citie of Valladolid is in seuen degrees height twentie leagues from Loxa to the South-east hauing past the Rowe of Piru the Citie of Loyola or Cumbruania is sixteene leagues to the East from Valladolid the Citie of Saint Iames of the Mountaynes fiftie leagues from Loyola toward the East and in her borders much gold and very high in touch and as touching the gold we need not intreat of his excellencies being holden for the Supreame power in the World It is gotten in these Mynes in three manners The first is in Pippens which are whole pieces without mixture of any other Metall that need not to be purified by fire and these graines commonly are like a Pompeon Seed and sometimes bigger of this gold is found but litle in respect of the rest The second sort is in stone which is a vaine that groweth in the stone it selfe and these stones are found in the gouernment of Iohn of Salinas very great all passed through with gold and some which are halfe Gold the which is found in Pits and Mynes and it is hard to worke The third is gotten in powder and is the greatest quantitie and this is found in Riuers or in places where some streame of water hath passed and the Riuers of these Indies haue many especially in the Kingdoms of Chile Quito New Realme of Granada and in the beginning of the Discoueries there were many in the Weather Ilands The highest in touch is that of Carabaya in the Piru and that of Valdiuia in Chile for it reacheth to twentie three Charracts and an halfe and yet it passeth THat which is called Piru is proper and particularly the bounds of the Councell of los Reyes and is comprehended North and South from sixe vnto seuen Southerne degrees of altitude which are two hundred and twentie leagues though in Voyage they put three hundred from the point del Aguia beyond Payta whereby it ioyneth with the Councell of Quito till passing the Citie and Port of Arequipa where beginneth the Councell of the Charcas East and West The inhabited part of this Councell hath about one hundred leagues from the Coast of the South Sea toward the East whereby her bounds remayne open vnto the Prouinces of the Riuer of Plate and of Brasill that which is from the Rowe where as hath beene said it rayneth continually vnto the Sea they call the Plaines of Piru in the which it neither rayneth nor thundreth because the great height of the Mountain doth shelter the Plaines in such sort that it permitteth no wind from the Earth to blow whereby the Sea wind reigneth which hauing no contrary doth not represse the vapours that doe arise to make raine in sort that the shelter of the Hill hindereth the thickning of the vapours and this want of matter causeth that in that Coast the vapours are so thinne that they make no more then a moyst or dankish mist which is profitable for their sowings which haue not without the mist so much vertue be they neuer so much watered The Countrey is all sandie grounds except the Valleyes which are made by courses of the Riuers that descend from the Mountayne where much Corne is gathered by the waterings Wine Oyle Sugar and the other Seeds and Fruits of Castile and of the Countrey In the skirts and hils sides of the Mountayne are great Pastures and breedings of cattell and the temper variable and as would be desired for the height is cold and the low hot and the middlemost partakers of the extreames as they are more or lesse neere them The gouernment of this Councell and of Quito and of the Charcas is in the charge of the Vice-roy and there are the Townes following in the circuit of this Councell The Citie of the Kings or of Lima because the Valley is so called which was the name of the Cazique and it is the greatest and broadest Valley of all those that are from Tumbez vnto it stands neere the South Sea in twelue degrees of Southerne altitude and eightie two from the Meridian of Toledo distant from it about one thousand eight hundred and twentie leagues by a greater circle it hath aboue three thousand housholds the Marques Don Franciscus Piçarro built it in the beginning of the yeere 1533. because suspecting that the President Don Peter of Aluarado would come downe to the Sea coast when hee went with an Host from Guatemala meanewhile that Don Iames of Aluarado went to resist him to the Prouinces of Quito hee went to intercept him the passages of the Sea Neere this citie on the East side passeth a Riuer from whence all the houses doe take water and their gardens wherein are excellent fruits of Castile and of the Countrie and it is one of the best Climates of the World seeing there is neither famine nor pestilence nor doth it rayne or thunder nor fall there any thunder-bolts or lightnings but the Heauen is alwayes cleere and very faire In this Citie is resident the Vice-roy the Royall Councell an assembly of chiefe Iustices
The Captaine Salazar gouerning in these Prouinces by the death of Don Peter Mendoça in the yeare 1545. a Spaniard being in his bed and his wife by him on the out side in the night there came a Tigre and gaue the man a blow that he killed him and carried him away and betweene certaine Caues he did deuoure him in the morning the Captaine Salazar went forth with fiftie Souldiours to seeke the Tigre and going through a wood hee went alone by a path and as soone as hee discouered the Tigre hee being flesh set vpon him and at the time hee lifted vp the pawe for to strike him the Captaine let flee the Shaft out of his Crossebowe and strooke him to the heart and it fell downe dead an exploit of great courage heede and dexteritie THe Prouinces and Countrie of Brasil in the Coast of the North Sea and Terra firme is called all that which falleth to the East from the line of the repartition from twentie nine degrees of longitude from the Meridian of Toledo vnto thirtie nine which are two hundred leagues from East to West and foure hundred and fiftie North and South from two degrees of Southerne altitude by the Cape de Humos or of Smoakes vnto fiue and twenty by the Iland of Buenabrigo or Good-harbour And from the first inhabiting vnto the last of Brasil there are three hundred and fiftie leagues Vincent Yanes Pinzon discouered first this Countrie by commandement of the Kings Catholike and presently after him Iames of Lepe in the yeare 1500. and six moneths after Poraluarez Cabral going with a Portugall armie to India which to auoide the Coast of Guinea did put so much to the Sea that he found this Countrie and called it Sancta Cruz because on that day he discouered it All of it is very hot in Winter and Summer and very rainie and compassed with Woods and Mists vnhealthfull and full of venemous Wormes plentifull in Pastures for Cattle and not for Wheate nor Millet there are in it great showes of Siluer and Gold but as the Portugals haue no stocke to make any profit of the Mines they leaue them as they are The principall foode of this Countrie is the Cazabi which they make of the Yuca and the greatest trafficke is Sugar and Cotten Bumbast and Brasil Wood which was it that gaue it the name There are in all the Prouince nine Gouernments which are called Captainships and in them seuenteene Portugal Townes in it may be about three and thirtie hundred housholds and great multitude of warlike Indians which haue not suffered the Portugals to build but on the Coast in which are many Riuers Landings and many Ports and very safe where any Ships may come in be they neuer so bigge The Colonie of the first Captainship and the most auncient is Tamaraca the second Pernambuco fiue leagues from Tamaraca to the South in eight degrees of altitude and there is a house of the Fathers of the Companie of Iesus the other is that of all Saints one hundred leagues from Pernambuco in thirteene degrees and there the Gouernour the Bishop and the Auditour generall of all the Coasts are resident and it hath a Colledge of the Company the fourth Captainship of the Ilands is thirtie leagues from the Bay of All Saints in foureteen degrees two third parts it hath a House of the Fathers of the Companie In this Captainship is found a Tree where out they take a precious Balme The Captainship of the Sure-hauen is thirtie leagues from the Ilands in sixteene degrees and a halfe it hath three Inhabitings and a House of the Fathers of the Companie The Captaineship of the Holy-Ghost fiftie leagues from Puerto seguro in twentie degrees where they gather much Brasil and there is one house of the Company The Captainship of the Riuer of Genero is sixtie leagues from the Holy-Ghost in twentie three degrees and one third part with a house of the Fathers of the Company and they cut in their iurisdiction much Brasil Wood the Riuer is very faire with fine and profitable borders The last Captaineship is Saint Vincent sixtie leagues from the Riuer of Genero in foure and twentie degrees it hath a fortresse in an Iland for a defence against the Indians and Pirates and a house of the said Fathers which haue done great profit in the inhabiting of thi● Countrie and conuersion of the Indians and their libertie The Cattle that are in these Prouinces are many and great breeding of Swine and Hens they gather much Amber which the Sea casteth vp with stormes at the spring tides and many persons haue inriched themselues with it Then Summer is from September to February and the Winter from March vnto August the dayes are almost as long as the nights they increase and diminish onely an houre in the winter the winde is alwaies at South and South-east in Summer North-east and East North-east There are in this Coast eight or tenne Ports more principall then the rest which are the Riuer of Saint Dominicke and de las Virtudes to the North-east of Pernambuco and Tamaraca which is an Iland and as it is said the first Plantation and before the Cape of Saint Austine which stands in nine degrees the Riuer of Saint Francis in ten degrees and a halfe which is great and mightie the Bay of All Saints three leagues broad and thirteene into the Land vnto Saint Sauiour the Riuer and Port Trenado where the Ships doe touch that goe this Voyage and the Riuer of Canamum in thirteene degrees and a halfe the Riuer of the Beastes or of Saint Austine is foureteen degrees and a halfe and the Riuer of the Virgenes in sixteene Portesecure in seuenteen degrees the Riuer of P●rayua in twentie degrees neere to Sancti spiritus the Riuer of Genero neere to Saint Sebastian and Cold Cape in three and twentie degrees beyond Saint Vincent INdies of the West are all the Ilands and firme Land comprehended within the markes of the Crowne of Castile and of Lyon at the Occidentall end of the said bounds whose line as is said passeth on the other side the world through the Citie of Malaca from whence toward the East and New Spaine is a great Gulfe of infinite Ilands great and small and many pieces of Coasts and firme Land which are diuided into the Ilands of the Spicerie or of the Malucos Ilands Philipinas the Coast of China Ilands of the Lequios and Iapones Coast of the new Guinea Ilands of Salomon and of Ladrones or the Theeues the temper of all these Ilands and Lands in generall is moist and temperately hot plentifull of Victuals and Beasts with some Gold but base no Siluer store of Wax and the people of sundry colours and the ordinary colour like Indians and some white among them and some cole-blacke The Ilands of the Spicerie which properly are called so because all the Pepper Cloues Sinamon Ginger Nutmegs and
led to the King who presently caused him to bee strangled and then then did he put his resolution in practice forcing a channell whereby the water might passe to Mexico whereby he brought a great current of water into the Lake which they brought with great Ceremonies and Superstitions hauing Priests casting Incense along the bankes others sacrificed Q●ailes and with the bloud of them sprinkled the channell bankes others sounding of Cornets accompanied the water with their Musicke One of the chiefe went attired in a habit like to their Goddesse of the water and all saluted her saying that she was welcome All which things are painted in the Annalls of Mexico which Booke is now at Rome in the holy Library or Vatican where a Father of our Company that was come from Mexico did see it and other Histories the which he did expound to the Keeper of his Holinesse Library taking great delight to vnderstand this Booke which before hee could neuer comprehend Finally the water was brought to Mexico but it came in such abundance that it had wel-neere drowned the Citie as was foretold and in effect it did ruine a great part thereof but it was presently preuented by the industry of Autzol who caused an issue to bee made to draw forth the water by meanes whereof hee repayned the buildings that were fallen with an exquisite worke being before but poore Cottages Thus he left the Citie inuironed with water like another Venice and very well built he reigned eleuen yeeres and ended with the last and greatest Successor of all the Mexicans §. III. Of the Election of great MOTEZVMA the last King of Mexico his pompe and manner of gouernment prodigious fore-warnings of his ruine and the Spanish Conquest WHen the Spaniards entred New Spaine being in the yeere of our Lord 151● Moteçuma second of that name was the last King of the Mexicans I say the last although they of Mexico after his death chose another King yea in the life of the same Moteçuma whom they declared an enemy to his Countrey as wee shall see hereafter But he that succeeded him and he that fell into the hands of the Marquesse de Valle had but the names and titles of Kings for that the Kingdome was in a manner all yeelded to the Spaniards so as with reason we account Moteçuma for the last King and so hee came to the period of the Mexicans power and greatnesse which is admirable beeing happened among Barbarians For this cause and for that this was the season that God had chosen to reueale vnto them the knowledge of his Gospell and the Kingdome of Iesus Christ I will relate more as large the Acts of Moteçuma then of the rest Before he came to be King hee was by disposition very graue and stayed and spake little so as when he gaue his opinion in the priuy Counsell whereas he assisted his speeches and discourses made euery one to admire him so as euen then he was feared and respected He retyred himselfe vsually into a Chappell appointed for him in the Temple of Vitzliputzli where they said their Idoll spake vnto him and for this cause hee was held very religious and deuout For these perfections then being most noble and of great courage his el●ction was short and easie as a man vpon whom all mens eyes were fixed as worthy of such a charge Hauing intelligence of this election he hid himselfe in this Chappell of the Temple whether it were by judgement apprehending so heauy and hard a burthen as to gouerne such a people or rather as I beleeue through hypocrisie to shew that hee desired not Empery In the end they found him leading him to the place of Councell whither they accompanied him with all possible joy he marched with such a grauity as they all said the name of Moteçuma agreed very well with his nature which is as much to say as an angry Lord. The Electors did him great reuerence giuing him notice that hee was chosen King from thence hee was led before the hearth of their Gods to giue Incense where he offered Sacrifices in drawing bloud from his eares and the calues of his legs according to their custome They attyred him with the Royall ornaments and pierced the gristle of his nosthrils hanging thereat a rich Emerald a barbarous and troublous custome but the desire of rule made all paine light and easie Being seated in his Throne hee gaue audience to the Orations and Speeches that were made vnto him which according vnto their custome were eloquent and artificiall The first was pronounced by the King of Tescuco which being preserued for that it was lately deliuered and very worthy to bee heard I will set it downe word by word and thus hee said The concordance and vnitie of voyces vpon thy election is a sufficient testimonie most noble young man of the happinesse the Realme shall receiue as well deseruing to be commanded by thee as also for the generall applause which all doe shew by meanes thereof Wherein they haue great reason for the Empire of Mexico doth alreadie so farre extend it selfe that to gouerne a World as it is and to beare so heauie a burthen it requires no lesse dexteritie and courage then that which is resident in thy firme and valiant heart nor of lesse wisdome and iudgement then thine I see and know plainly that the mightie God loueth this Citie seeing hee hath giuen vnderstanding to choose what was fit For who will not beleeue that a Prince who before his Reigne had pierced the ●ine Vaults of Heauen should not likewise now obtaine those things that are earthly to relieue his people aiding himselfe with his best iudgement being thereunto bound by the dutie and charge of a King Who will likewise beleeue that the great courage which thou hast alwayes valiantly shewed in matters of importance should now faile thee in matters of greatest need Who will not perswade himselfe but the Mexican Empire is come to the height of their Souereigntie seeing the Lord of things created hath imparted so great graces vnto thee that with thy looke onely thou breedest admiration in them that behold thee Reioyce then O happie Land to whom the Creator hath giuen a Prince as a firme Pillar to support thee which shall bee thy Father and thy defence by whom thou shalt be succoured at need who will bee more th●n a brother to his subiects for his pietie and clemenci● Thou hast a King who in regard of his estate is not inclined to delights or will lye stretched out vpon his bed occupied in pleasures and vices but contrariwise in the middest of his sweet and pleasant sleep he will suddenly wake for the c●re he must haue ouer thee and will not feele the taste of the most sauourie 〈◊〉 hauing his spirits transported with the imagination of thy good Tell me then O happie Realme if I haue not reason to say that thou oughtest reioyce
Affinitie in a different Sirname hinders not Matrimonie in China 394 10 Age so the Saracens stile the Mecca Pilgrims 311 Age much honoured in China 393.1 369.20 Olde Age begins at fiftie 394.1 Age of three hundred yeres attained to in the West Indies 875.20 Ages of the world the Mexicans represent by so many Sunnes 1136.40 Their odde opinions thereabout ibid. Agilitie of the Mexicans excellent 1065.10 Ague a Soueraign● Ayre for the Cure of it 73.60 Aijax or Giazzo the Hauen whereabouts 51.40 Aingharan the Region 312.10 Aini the Citie in Armenia 50.50 A●tan what in Chinese 319.50 320.40 Alani a people of Tartari called Acias or Akas they are Christians of the Greeke Church They vse Greeke Bookes They pray for the Dead A simple people 10.10.20 Albania the Countrey where 16.20 Albcase or Albcas one of the Kingdomes of Georgia Albis a Riuer of Island 656.1 Alboris or Albsor the Mountaine 110.30 Alcatraz an Indian Cormorant described 979 Alchim●e much studyed in China 369.30 And doted vpon 396.50 Ale of Rie 616.50 Alehouses in Russia pay tribute 429.30 The wicked abuses thereupon 431.40 Aleppo wonne by the Tartars 117.1 Alhacen his Storie of Tamerlane 140.40 Allaying of Siluer the curiositie 951.40 Allen the Fowle in Greenland the nature of it 713.40 Almanaches in China 346.10 Almes for the Dead in China 274.1.20.30 Almes the Chinois will giue none 175.20 Almonds of Coco Nuts March-pa●e made of them 958.50 Allome in Turkie forestalled by the Italians 51.30 Allome seperates Gold from Drasse 943 Alphabet of Gotish Letters 658 Alphabet the Chinois haue none 384.40 nor Syllables ibid. Altai the Mountaine where all the Tartar Princes are buryed 78.20 Altars in the Russian Church 450.20 452 Altars and Altar Cloathes in China 296.30 Altars in China reuerenced 263.1 Altar in a Fort the Nestorians had 37.40 Altar of Leather ibid. Alteen● Russian Coyne woorth fiue pence 416.1 See also page 552.20 Altine Kingdome 797.50 Called the golden King ibid. His Letters to the Russe and his demands ibid. His Countrey 〈◊〉 by China ibid. 799 Amacao in China what 319.30 The Portugals build a Citie there it is made a Bishops Sea ibid. How situated ibid. Aman a Citie in Syria taken for the Christians 123.60 Amathists a Mine of them where 901.50 Amazones where antiently 55.1 Amber store of it in Brasill how gotten 903.40 Amber great store and great peeces where 625.60 A Frogge inclosed in a peece of it 626 1 Amber eaten by the King of China to sustaine life 186.50 Amber liquid where 878.40 Ambergreece taken in the Whale place where it lyes and the colour 710.30 471.50 Ambassadours how entertained by the Crim Tartars 639.40.50 Ambassadours diuers resident in the Tartarian Court 45.40 Ambassadours counterfeit punisht with Death by the Tartars 8.10 Their libertie of speech in Tartarie 43.20 Ambassadours how honoured and priuiledged in China 189.10 Ambassadours how entertained in Russia 747 Ambassadour when first sent hither from Russia 222 Ambassages counterfeit to China 315.30 America Discouered in 61 62 63. Degrees the Coast and Seasons there described 811. In 64. Degrees 823.20 Frost there in Iuly 811.60 An Iland there in 55. Degrees 30. Minutes 812.60 America first discouered by the English before Columbus 808.20 America described by Herrara how much of it vnder the Spaniards 856. How farre discouered by the Spaniards and by the English 857.1 and in margent The Seas of 〈◊〉 the Spanish Nauigations Course and Customes in them 858. Named by a wrong Father 866.1 America vndiscouered within land 938.60 Amid● the Iaponians God 326.40 Amu the Prouince much Gold there 94.20 Anchors of Wood for a shift 241.50 Lost in the Sea found againe ibid. Anchorites in China 337.40 Ancon an Iland dispeopled 308.10 Andabaylas the Prouince in Peru the Temple of the Sunne in it 893.60 Andanico and Azzaio Mineralls where 71.1 Andes the Mountaines of India the diuersitie of their temperature length Beasts Soyle c. 881.50.887.20.30 Couered with Snow where their March 898 Angaman where Men haue Dogges heads 104.10 Angle lines of Whale finnes Angle hookes of Fish bones in Groenland 836.1 Anian Streights some fabulous reports of them 848.60 853.20 A note of them by Master Lo●ke 849.50 Discouered by a Greeke Pilot for the Spaniards hopes of the North-west Passage that way the ●escription and widenesse of them 850 Anian Iland by China the many Forts and Pearle-fishings there 905.20 Anill or Indico how it growes 957.40 Annoynting the King of Norway annoyted at his Coronation 623.30 Annointing of the Mexican Kings 1009.30 Answere a strange one of a Mahumetan 253 Antarticke Starre the Indians sayle by and not by the Compasse 139.30 Antereda the Ile 123.30 Anthonie March his diligence for the Discouering to the Riuer Ob 804.805 S. Anthonies the West of Cuba 858. The best way thence to the Port of Saint Iohn de Vlua 858.60 Antigur Ilands 260.40 Antients or Ensignes of Silke in China 296 Antioch w●nne from the Christians the occasion 118. ●0 Antiquities the Chinois studious of 395.1 Antiquities of the Indians foolishly burnt by the Spaniards 1052.20 Antiquities some of Norway 656.40 Of Gothland Finland and Kuenland 659.660 Ants of India their admirable fortifying themselues against the Beares 978 Ants of West India their sorts some are poyson 996.10 The hurt they doe ibid. 997 The Spaniards choose a Saint-Patron against them 998 Apes in Peru on the Mountaines 936.60 Apes perf●●●ed in Boxes and s●●ld for Pigmeyes 103.40 Where as bigge as men 106.10 Apostles Pictures imitated in China 303.1 Apparell of the Chinois like long Gownes 366 Apparell of Tartars 6.20 Apparell of the Russians Men and Women 12.10 Apparell the vniformitie of it in Peru 1058.10 Apparell of Fish skinnes 652.30 Appeales onely to the Emperour in Russia 422 Apples of India poysonous Arrowes poysoned with them infects those that sleepe vnder the Tree 985 Apram or a drinke of Churn●milke in Tartarie 9.10 Aqua-vitae is Russe Wine 459.1 Arabacha the Tartarian his Confession of Christ 39.60 Arabian Letters vsed in Chaldea 110.50 Arabicke Letters in Turquestan 109.20 Aracci the Plaine 48.40 Ararat is not all Armenia 55.10 Ararat Mountaines alwayes couered with Snow 110.2 Araxis the Riuer 49.10 Meetes with Cu● 49.20 The head of it 49.30 Arbor Secco where 68.30 70.50 72.20 Archbishop of Nidrosia in Norway 651 Archbishops of Russia 4. Inferiour to the two Metropolitans as they to the Patriarch 446.30 Their reuenewes ibid. Arch-Deacons in the Russian Church 147.10 Arches in building the manner in China 199.40 Arches triumphall common in China Streets 200. 370.300.1 In one Street 409.20 Archmandrites of Russia 766.40 Architect rewarded with losse of Eyes 439.10 Ardoc a Riuer 236.20 237.40 Arequa or Arequiera shee Tree in China 381.30 Arequipa Citie in Peru the Lantade distance from other places Inhabitants natiue Commodities subiect to Earthquakes c. 895.10 Arethmeticke in China an odde way for it 335.1 Europaean Arethmeticke first ●aught them ibid. Arethmeticke of the
Mexicans 1135.20 Argiron a Citie in Armenia 69.50 Argon a King of India 68.1 Sends for a Wife in●● Cathaya ibid. Hee dyes before shee came 68.30 Arima the Kingdome 322.30 Arioua a Towne in Russia through which the Volga runnes the manner of Boates there 777 Aristocracie the old Gouernment of Island 668 Aristotles errour about the Torride Zone 920.10 Some of his Rules discussed 921.20 c. Armadillos a West Indian Beast with skales 966.30.977.30 Armes of the Russians Horse and Foote 437 Armes of the Prouince of Aucheo 301.1 Armes of the King reuerenced 392.40 Armes or Ensignes of the Kings of Peru 1027.30 Armes or Ensignes of Mexico 1004.50 1006.10 Armenia the Greater called Araxat of the Riuer Araxi● 49.10 Two Kings 19. Verses 45. 37. Expounded ibid. Armenia the Lesser is Cilicia 52.60 Armenia the Lesse described 69.30 Armenia harrassed by the Saracens 125.30 The Saracens ouerthrowne there ibid. Armenia spoyled by the Saracens 118.30 Armenia Haitho● the King goeth to make a League with Mangu Chan 115.1 His 〈◊〉 Propositions to the Tartars ibid. Their Answere ibid. Hee becomes a Monke 118.50 Armenia the bounds 110.20 They vse two ●or●s of 〈◊〉 ibid. Armenian Monkes change their names 118.50 Armenian Monk● his doings Mangu Chans Co●●e 29 5● 32.50.40 33. 34. His Manich●ean Blasphemie aboue the Creation of Man 34.1 Armenian Priest his vncharitablenesse to Ionas the dying Priest 38.10.40 Hee 〈◊〉 with Southsayers Armenian Bishops are all Monkes 49.50 Armenian Christians in Taurica ●36 20 Armenians 〈…〉 Fish in Le●● 35.20 Armenians Fast of fiue dayes 31.1 Armenians put not off their Cups 34.50 Armenians vse Frankincense for Holy-water 50.30 Their honour to the Crosse ibid. Their Churches ●●ke th●se in France ibid. Their chiefe Countries where they exercise their Religio● 50.30.50 Armenians know not extream●●●nction nor Confession 28.20 Armenians their two chief● Prophets 49.50 Their Prophecies of a Nation of Arches which should Conquer the Easterne World ibid. 50.1 Which is as firmely belieued as the Gospell ibid. Armenians Losse in a retreate from the Holy Land 119.50 Armories or Ensignes of honour in Mexico 1111 Arngrim Ionas his History of Is●land ●54 Arquico 253.1 Arse of the World where 614.30 Marg. Arsengan the Citie in Armenia The great Earthquake there 51.10 Arserum the Citie where 49.40 Art of memory first taught in China 339.10 Art learned by Accident 959.1 Artacke a Beast in Tartarie 6.10 Arthur Pet his Voyage 463.40 Arthur the King his Northerne Conquests 619 Artilerie none in China 200.1 Arz●na in Lapland 213.40 223 Arzuiga the chiefe Citie in Armenia the greater 69.50 Ascelin●● the Fri●r sent from the Pope to the Tartars 59.2 His Message and the Tartars Answere Letters to the Pope ibid. Ashe● 〈◊〉 in Iapan 326.20 Asia diuided into two parts 107.60 108.1 Asia the greater can bee assaulted but by three passages ●ot of Asia the lesse 126.40 And which their wayes bee ibid. Assans the Land 19.1 Assassini a people 16.1 Asses excellent 70.50 Assow or Asaph in Crim-Tartarie 633.30 Assumption Citie by the Riuer of Plate the Latitude 902.1 Assumption point the Latitude 558.20 Astracan wonne by the Russe 439.20 Furthest part Southward of their Dominions 442.50 Astracan and Casan Conquered by the Russe 740.1 Astracan the Citie described 233.20 The trade there 233.50 244 Astracan vpon Volga the Latitude of it ●48 in margine The variation of the Compasse there 244 Astrolabes in China 346.30 Astrologers consulted withal 99.20 Astrologie in China 346.10 A Mountaine where it is studyed ibid. Their Colledge ibid. Astronomie of the Chinois 384.50 c. Their Astrologers 385.10 A-trie a Sea terme what 583. Marg. Asher a Citie 311.40 Atlisoo the famous Valley in the West Indies 872.50 Aucheo the Citie 300. 301.50 Vnwholsome and subiect to inundations 302.1 How farre from Cinoheo 306.30 Auguries by Birds in China Auricular Confession in Russia 453. Auricular Confession imitated by the Deuill in his Idoll-Ceremonies 1041.50 Some cases reserued for Superiour Priests Women Confessours nothing to bee concealed ibid. When mostly vsed and for what sinnes the King confessed himselfe onely to the Sunne the Ceremony of that Penance after Confession 1042 Austria attempted by the Tartars 114.30 Their King drowned in Danubius ibid. Axalla workes a league betwixt the Greeke Emperour and Tamerlane against the Turkes 155.40 He ruines the Turkes 160.1 Is made Gouernour of Quinsay 10 Axe required by the Tartars for tribute 2.30 Axe solemnely carryed about in Iudicatures in Island 668.10 Axes the Iuitlanders weare at their girdles 77● 1 Ayer held no Element in China 345. ●0 Ayer vnder or neerer to the Equinoctiall is lighter and swifter then that neere the Poles 925 Ayer suddenly changed the effect● of it 927.1.10 Ayer may be too subtle for mens bodyes and where it is so 927.40.50 Ayer of Chile that rottes off the Toes and kills Passengers c. 928.10 c. Ayn●m or Hainam the Iland 254. The fortune of it 255.1 Azo●e● Iles their Latitude 859.40 The way and distances thence to S. Lucas in Spaine ibid. Azou 〈◊〉 by the Turke 441.20 vpon the Euxine or blacke Sea ibid. Azure gotten in the West Indies 875.20 Azure-stones the best in the world where 73.50 B B Seldome vsed by the Chinois 342 40● The Tartars cannot pronounce it 18.60 Babes new borne hardned in the Snow 677 Babes enioyned so keepe Fasting-dayes in Russia 543.1 Baccasaray the Court of the Chan of the Crim Tartars 634.50 Described ibid. Bacchu the Medowes 49.20 Bachu the Port described 245.40 Badascian Tengi what 312.30 W. Baffins Death at Ormus 848.30 Bahama the Iland and Chanell in New Spaine 870.10 Baiazet turnes from Constantinople to fight with Tamerlane 157.1 He encampes nere him ibid. The manner of his March 157.50 Hee fights on foot in the middest of his Ianizaries 158.1 His force she charges is wounded and taken aliue by Axalla 158 30.40.50 His stout answere to Tamerlaine 195. ●0 His rage after hee was prisoner Vsed for Tamerlanes footstoole ibid. Carried in Chaines into Tartary 160.40 Bacha●na a riuer in Tartaria 791.1 Baked 〈◊〉 eaten first and broths last in Russia 457.40 459.1 Bal●ams Science and the Learning amongst the Arabians what 140 60 Bal●sses a precious stone where found 73.40 Balaxaim in Persia 73.40 Their Kings descended from Alexander ibid. They are called Zulcarnen ibid. Dulca●●●m perchance that is two-horned for so is Alexander the Great called of 〈◊〉 supposed Father God Ammion who was worshipped in likenesse of a 〈◊〉 Balayes are precious stones found in Balaris 110.1 Balchia is Walachia 54.10 Baldwin● the Emperours Conquest of Constantinople 65.50 in marg Baldach 70.10 Clothes of Gold c. There ibid. Their Galisa taken by the Tartars 70.20 Balke or B●●gh the kingdom 241.10 Balme and Balme-trees of the West Indies the kindes colours and manner of getting Creame of Balme vsed in Church Ceremonies for Creame of Milke 959.30 Balsara and the 〈◊〉 Dates growing there 70.10 Banquetting-house a curious
Mexicans desired to take then to kill 1037 40 Cara in Tartarian signifieth blacke 5.40 14.50 Cara-Cathay 314.1.404.40 Beginning of the Tartars greatnesse 404.50 Caracarum a mightie Citie 77 30 Carcharon described 39.1 Caracarum the Citie of Mangu-Chan 35.40 His Progresses thither ibid. His Palace there described 36.1 A Nestorian Church there 36.30 Seuerall Nations of Christians there 37.1 Caracarum two monethes and ten dayes iourney from the Volga 47 10 Caracas the Prouince in the West Indies 866.60 The chiefe Townes and their distances discouered tributary Indies Ports Capes Points Lakes Gulfes Riuers Soyle Beasts medicinable Stones Gouernments c. 867.868 Caracos●● cleere Kowes Milke 27 40 Carambis the Promentory 636.10 Caramoram the Riuer 89 Caran the people 280.40 Caraunas a mungrill people 71.20 their Inchantments ibid. Carbuncle or Rubie imitating the Sunne 802.1 Card-play frequent in China 395 20 Cardandan the Prouince 92.20 Carianfu the Citie the Commodities thereabouts 89.40 Cartagena in the West Indies the Scite Soyle Rozen Gummes Balmes c. Latitude of the Citie and description of it 886.1 Carthage the goodly ruines of it 631.20 Carts with forty wheeles drawne by fiue hundred Horses 165.50 Carualleda in the West Indies the distance from Venezula when built 867 Carawood what in Tartarian 243 60 Carazan the Countrey and Citie 91 50. Gold found in the Riuers and Mountaines Casale now called Ason 54.40 in margine Casan conquered by the Russe 740.1 Caschar the Prouince 74.40 Caschar the Kingdome 312.50 Casibin in Persia 70.50 Casitan the Horse-guards to the Tartarian Princes 84.10 Caskar a Citie 240.40 Caspian Sea or the Hyrcanian and why 52.50 Whence so called 16.1 Caspian Sea is a Lake the extent of it 109.60 Hath seuerall Gulfes 236.20 The bounds of it 16.10 No Bay ibid. Caspian Sea well described 242.1 How farre from the Euxine ibid. The water both fresh and Salt ibid. See also pag. 245. Frozen 247.60 Cassaria or Casari● a Prouince of the Sea of Pon●us 1.60 Inhabited by Greekes ibid. The Merchandise of those parts 2.10 Is the Taurica Chersonesus 53.30 Cassia Fistula in the West Indies 875.1 Cassia the tree his rootes searches downeward for water 983.30 Where and how is growes 959.50 Castle built of Straw 628.1 Castles fiue on the Bankes of Ob 805.1 Castro Citie in Chile the latitude 899.30 Cataneus the Iesuite in China 409. aepe Cataya the blacke or Kara Cataya farre remo●e from the other Cataya 56.50 Cathay the mightinesse of the Kingdome 108.40 They thinke the rest of the World blinde ibid. An vnwarrel●ke people ibid. The bounds 108.1 Cathay is China 382.40 Catay the greatest Citie of Catay whether it bee Pequin in C●ina 801.30 in marg the Merchandises there ibid. Cathaians described 23.50.311.1 Their Apparell 18.40 Their skill in Physicke 23.50 Cathaians write with Pensi●s and in Characters 34.10 Catechisme of China 345.1 Caten in the Tartarian tongue is Lady 30.30 Catchpowles in China their Liuerie 201 Catimparu a Towne 253.40 Catouga the Riuer runneth out of the Samo●eds Countrey into Cathay 544.10 See ●51 50 Cat a mountayne eates men 628 50 Cats of Hispaniola their crowsing 997 Cattle fed with fish 223.20 Cauchin-China the Kingdom 281 50. Where 168.20 Their manners the same with the Chinois but their language is different 168.20 Cauchin China tributary to China 419. The Kings tribute paid in wood ibid. The people described ibid. Causasus the Mountain● 20.10 Called Cocas 109.40 Caueary where and how made 417 10. 418.20 Cauillations to get Money 431.60 Causeyes admirable ones 271.30 Cayo China Wood 196 Cazan the Citie described 232.2 Wonne by the Russe 439.30 Ceracina drinke of Rice 27.40 35.50 Cercassian Christians in Taurica 639.640 Their Duke stipendary to the Tartar 642 Cedars common in the West Indies 960.20 Cemainum signifies eight in Armenian 50.10 A Citie so named neere which Noah● Arke rested ibid. Certificate for Merchants 190 30 Chagre Riuer betwixt the South North Seas his head course mouth 990 Chaldaea the bounds 110.50 Chamis what in Iapon 324.60 Chamlets where made 80.10 Chamul the Citie and Prouince where 76.10 Their abominable kinde entertainment of Guests They are most kinde Cuckolds ibid. Chancell none enters but the Priest in Russia 450.20 Not the Deacons 450.50 Changlae an olde people where 16.10 Descended from the Romanes 18.40 Changle the manner of Diet and trauell there 19.20.30 c. Chaplaine to the Emperour of Mosco●●a sits at table with the Nobilitie in the presence 457 Chaplens of Noblemen in Mexico 1029.60 Chappels in China 340.20 Chappell lined with Siluer 265 60 Characters the Chinois haue forty thousand seuerall as many as words 384.370.20 ten thousand in daily vse ibid. They are not A. B. C. or any way like ours Characters of the Chinois and Iapan are the same they signifie the things and not bare names c. 906.30 Charcas Prouince in the West Indies the latitude limits Iurisdiction two Gouernours and Bishops the foure chiefe townes of Spaniards and their latitudes temperatures soyles Mynes c. 896. Beginning of the Iurisdiction the Ports Points Capes c. 897 Chare Sibersky Prince of Siberia brought prisoner to Mosco 743.1 Charles Iackman his Voyage 463 40 Charles Phillip brother to Gustavus King of Sweden 793. Layes downe his claime to part of Russia 793.30 Charles King of Sweden aydes the Russe against the Pole 770.50 His Commission and promise of reward to his forreigne aides 771 His title ibid. His death 780.1 Charles Wayne not seene in Samara 103.50 Chautubo an Iland 307.50 A Commonwealth Cheapnesse of all things in China 365 Chequian Prouince in China 408 50 Cheremissen Tartars their Countrey 442. Two sorts of them Peace with them bought by the Russe a iust dealing people 442 30 Cheremizzi a land of Tartars 224 Cheremizer the people halfe Gentiles 232.30 Cherry Iland or Beare Iland 464 30. Multitude of Wh●les and Sea-horses ibid. The latitude 465.40 How farre from England 530 Cherry Iland Store of fowles there 557. And Foxes like Dogges the latitude ibid. Morses and Morses teeth ibid. Why named so 558. Part of the I le in 74. degrees and 55. minutes 559 Beares there 560.561 How hot in Iune 560.40 Frost and Snow there in Iune 562.50 Possession taken of it for the English Muscouia Company ●63 30 Lead Mynes found there 55● 564. And Seacoles 594. They make their best Voyages on the North side of the Iland 566.1 The West side l●●kes like H●ycockes 573.50 Chersona the City neere the Euxine Sea built wonne restored 633 634 Chesmur the Prouince where 74 1. They are the greatest Inchanters and Idolat●rs in the World ibid. Their Heremites and customes 74.10 Chesse-play in China the manner 395.20 Chesse-play in Bed in Island 647 20 Chetera Bougori an Iland 44 50 Chetfird a Russian Measure what 414.20 416.1 Chia the Herbe vsed in all entertainments 326.60 373.30 Chia how vsed in Drinkes 382 30 Chiacato Lord Protector of Argon in India his Golden Tables giuen 〈◊〉
last discourse with Frier William 43. His letters to the French King 45.50 Mangu or Mango-Chan 114.10 Baptized 115.60 Dyeth 117.20 Mangani what 97.1 Mangu-Chans Iustice done vpon his owne Wife 44.50 45.1 Manguslane a Port 235.30 The people described ibid. M●nilla the Iland 286.10 A Bishops Sea there ibid. M●nna-hota the Riuer in Virginia 599 Manse and Taute Ilanders of Cathaya 34.10 Mansflesh eaten in the Siege of Mosco 780.20 Map-makers and Globe-makers create Lands and Ilands at pleasure 461.10 Map of China the best with notes 401.402 c. Mappes of China their Errour 168.10 Maps purposely made false by the Spaniards 853.30 Maragnon or the Riuer of Amazones in the West Indies the chiefest of the World 933.60 Seuenty leagues broad at the mouth 934.20 Marble a kind of it much esteemed in China 315.312.1 Like to Iaspar ibid. Gotten out of the Riuers and forced with Fire 313.1 Marchpane in China 292.50 298.40 Marcopia or Mangat the Citie 634 30 Marcus Paulus Venetus made one of Cublai Cha●s Clerkes 67.40 He learnes foure Languages ibid. Sent Ambassadour by him to Carahan ibid. 50. Writes a Iournall of his trauels ibid. Continues a long time with the Great Chan ibid. Goes to Argon in India 68.30 To Trebesonde Constantinople Negroponte and to Venice againe ibid. 40. Where no body knew him ibid. 50.60 Taken Prisoner by the Genowayes might not be redeemed 69.1 He writes his trauailes ibid. Marcus Paulus Venetus his Booke 65.40 Mares tayle the Tartars Ensigne 643.1 Mares white all Consecrated in Tartarie when and how 44.10 Much like to the Papists fashion saith Rubruquis ibid. Magarita Iland in the West Indies the distance from Hispaniola and Trinidad the Villages in it Pearle-fishing there the Latitude 866.20 Margarites Sound in Orkney 827.20 Marienberg by Danske the Lutheran and Romane Religions exercised there 626.20 Built by whom ibid. Market-wares of Mexico 1132. c. Mermalades of West Indian fruit 957.60.958.20 Marriages of the Chinois 367.50 One Wife and many Concubines which they buy and sell againe their Children inherite ibid. They Marry not any of their owne name ibid. Marriages publicke Vtensiles for them in China 99.10 Marriages of the Mam●ses of Curland 628. Of the Lithuanians 628.60 Marriages in China 182.30 Marriages of the Chinois 393.60 See Weddings Marriages of the Mexicans 1009.40 Marriages of the Samoieds 555.40 Marriages the third or fourth not well allowed in the Greeke Church 435.30 The manner of Solemization in Russia 453. Held vnlawfull without consent of Parents 454.1 Large Dowries and no Ioynters ibid. 10. They goe on Horsebacke to Church ibid. The Ceremonies at Church like ours ibid. Performed at the Altar with Ring and ioyning of hands shee knockes her Head vpon his Shooe and he throwes the lappe of his Garment ouer her ibid. The Cermony of the Loafe and Meade and Corne flung vpon them and the Brides silence ibid. The Marriage Feast and the Bridegroome and Bride called Duke and Duchesse 456.1 Marriages of the Crim Tartars what degrees are forbidden them their Dowries 441.30 Marriages of the West Indians 991.40 993.40 998.40 Of the Mexicans 1044 Marriages incestuous of the Kings of Peru 1054.50 Marriage Solemnities 1058 Marriage Rites of Mexico 1107. c. Martauan in Pegu 281.40 Santa Martha Prouince in the West Indies the Extent Site natiue Commodities Mines precious Stones Latitude Martyrs of the Diuels making 70.50 Maskes c. at the Coronation of the Kings of Mexico 1019.40 Masking in China 349.40 Massis the Mountaine where Noahs Arke rested 50.20 Masuaga the Iland 285.20 Mathematickes first taught in China 329.60 339.20 30 The meannesse of their former skill that way 344.20 Their Instruments 346.20 Matriga the City where 2.10 Matrimony the forme in Russia 229.50 230.1 Matepheone or Mathewes Land 805 Mattuschan Y ar in Russia the way thence to Ob 805.30 Maudlen Sownd in Greenland the latitude 721.40 Maundy Thursday the Russian Emperour receiues the Sacrament vpon 227.50 May-feasts and May Flowers brought by the Indians to their houses 1045.30 May-pole of snow 492.10 Mays or Indian Wheate makes men scabbie how it growes differences of the graine how drest and eaten malted for Be●re 953 It serues for Butter Bread Wine and Oyle and for man beast 954.1 Meani are Temples in China 201.40 Meades of seuerall sorts 231.1 Meates some holyer then others in Russia 453. Their superstitious abstinence ibid. Meates prepared for Idols in Mexico 104.60 Meate-forkes of Gold 242.50 Mechoacan the Bishopricke Prouince in the West Indies the Extent Altitude of the Citie other Townes vnder it 874.40 875 Mechouacans forsaken by their kinsmen of Mexico how 1002.60 They hate the Mexicans therefore 1003.1 Mecriti or Meditae a Tartarian people of Bargu 79.40 Media now called Sheruan 245.40 Conquered by the Turkes ibid. Possessed by the Turkes 244.20 Mediator the Russes errour about him 452 Meditae or Mecriti in Tartaria 79.4 Mediterranean Sea none of note in all America 926.50 M●goa in China spoyled by fiftie Iaponians 299 Melons of West India described 955.30 Men with tayles 104.1 Men beasts and fowle how they came into America a discourse of it 964 Men-eaters 101.20 103.50 eating their owne kindred 103.60 Mendez his designe and performance 278.20 Merchants poore in Russia 432.50 Merchants Feast of Mexico the manner of it 1048. c. They eate the Man which they had Sacrificed 1049.20 Merclas so the Tartars call the Merdui 12.30 Merdui a people in Tartarie ibid. Mergates Straights 488.50 Merida Citie in the West Indies the Latitude 875.30 The description ibid. Meridin the Prouince where 69.50 Sir Iohn Mericke Agent in Russia 748.749 Sent Ambassadour thither 791. Makes the Peace betwixt Russia Sweden 792.50 Merites onely aduance in China 388 1 Merkit or Crit Nestorian Christians in Catay 15.10 Mermayd seene and described 575.60 Mesopotamia the bounds 110.50 Mestizos or Children gotten by Spaniards vpon Indian women 3. thousand in one Prouince 902.10 Meta incognita discouered by Sir Martin Frobisher 463.30 Metall held by the Chinois for an Element 345.50 Metals grow like Plants a Philosophicall discourse of their production 941.942 Their diuersities and vse● of the qualitie of the earth where they grow in barren places the finest Metals on the top of the Mine 946.40 All Metals but Gold swimmes in Quickesiluer 948.1 Metempsychosis or the transmigration of Soules in China 368.60.369 Metempsychosis the opinion of it causes Mothers to kill their Children 396.20 Metempsychosis the Iudge for it 408.10 Methodius the Armenian Prophet 49.50 Metropolitan of Muscouia his State hee sits while the Emperour stands 226.50 The Emperour leades his Horse 227.30 The people spreads their garments vnder him Hee blesseth them ibid. The Emperour dines with him on Palme-sunday 227.40 All matters of Religion the Emperour referres to him 228.1 Metropolitan of Mosco made a Ptatriarch 445.40.50 The maner ibid. His imagined Iurisdiction ouēr the whole Greeke Church 446.20 Metropolitans of Nouogrod and Rostoue vnder the Patriarch of Mosco ibid.
curious obser●●●g of Fasting dayes 516 Rustene the Iland by Norway the Latitude 614.10 marg Described 616.30 The people are good Christians charitable simple not couetous and contented ibid 617. Their Money i● Stock-fish their Drinke Bread and Apparell 616. They know n●ither Robbery nor Fornication 617. Their Funerals and Bathes ibid. Snowes there from February to mid May 617.30 marg Their 〈…〉 trade for Stock-fish ibid. Their Houses described ibid. marg 〈…〉 54. ●● Their Money 34.10 S SAboath in China euery fort●●ght 345.1 Sabboaths of the Chinois 397.1 35 Sabboath of the Mexicans euery fourth day in the Warres 1024 10 Sables the best where 416.20 Sables the Furre of the beast Rondes 107.1 Sacanusco Prouince in the West Indies the extent of the Iurisdiction bounds and Riuers 878 60 Sacotora 252.60 Sacraments three in the Russian Church 453 Sacrament in Russia in both kinds 217. The Bread sopt and giuen with a Spo●●e Sacrament of the Communion Deuillishly imitated by the Mexicans 1040.10 1041.40 in Peru 1046.1 Sacrament in both kinds 217.40 Sacramentall Bread how made by the Nestorians 37.10 They put Fat in it in stead of Leauen ibid. The bignesse of their Hoast ibid. Sacrifices of old Island 665.1 Of Men ibid. Sacrifices of the Mexicans 1031.30.50.1032.1 The manner 1033.30 The three kindes of things Sacrificed 1036. Manner of killing the Beast and Birds ibid. Worde and reasons of Sacrificing● their offering of Shels to the Riuers c. 10●6 Humane Sa●rifices and the manner 1037.1038 Fiue thousand men Sacrificed in one day 1099.10 Sacrifices of Peru 1045 Sacriledge ordinary of the Russian Emperours 430. 431.1 Sacriledge punisht by Death euen amongst Tartars 8.10 Sac'● the people in Curland 628.10 Sachion the Citie where 75.40 Saddles of Wood Sinewes 226.1 Saggi a Tartaria piece of Gold 82.40 Salamande● no where 76.40 Salamanders venemous 1043.10 Saying a Tirannicall one of a Russian Emperour 430.20 Sayles made of Mats of Palme-tree leaues 904.50 Saylers not admitted to be witnesses where 105.10 Saints in Russia for euery day in the weeke 457.1 Salceperilla where store and good is the Cures it does 959.50 Salmons pence a piece 537.1 A great trade for them ibid. Salmons store in Russia 213.50 Salmon and Salmon Peale in Groneland 847 Salemons Ilands in the West Indies discouered their Latitude distance from Peru many and great esteemed rich Colours of the people the chiefest of them named their greatnesse distances c. 907.20 Salomensky Town in Russia where 794.50 Salt naturally made by the Sea 417 30 Salt how made in Ciangalu 95.1 Salt made of water without boyling 933 Salt hanging vpon Horses that drinke of the Riuer of Salt 898.10 Salt-Lakes in Tauri●a 636.50 Sal● seperates Mettall from Drosse 950.30 Vsed in Refinings ibid. Corrects Pepper 956.1 Saltnesse a cause of the ●bbing and ●lowing of the Sea 1122.40 Sal● pits exceeding rich ones in Tartarie 3.30 Salt-mountaines 73.10 Salt the best in the world ibid. 20 Salutations the fashion in China 180.10 Samag or Samagi a great Citie where 49.10 Samara the Kingdome 103.50 Samar the Riuer 233.1 Samarchan the great Citie where 74.40 Samarcand in Parthia where Tamerlane was borne the situation 142.40 Samaron a Citie of Iewes where 49.1 S●nd●●● where they grow 138.40 Sand rayned in Iapon 326.30 Sanguis Dra●onis where gotten 886.1 Sam●ieds their Apparell manners 〈…〉 Riches Wiues Marriages Religion● and Funerals 555. Their Iudgement 〈◊〉 Persons Diuination Priests and the hardinesse of their 〈◊〉 556 Samoieds the people 250.30 Samoids their trade into Russia with F●rres their manner of life 522. 546.30 The Russe Emperour sends to discouer them 523. Some of them submit to him and pay a tribute of Sables ibid. 50. They admire the Russian fashions and submit themselues voluntarily 524.20.30 Their Country made the sinke of base people ibid. It is called Siberia ibid. The description of the wayes and Riuers out of Russia thither 525. Their Countrey vntilled ibid. 60. The Russes build Townes there ibid. 526. c. Pewter dishes deare sold to them 535.50.522 Their tents of Skinnes pitcht by their Women 548.20 They carry their Families with them ibid. Their Language and Religion different from the Russe 522. c. Their Apparell trauels and superstition c. 555.20.30 Samoieds their Habitation Language apparell personages King manners c. 480.30 Their Images and Sacrifices of Harts 481.10 Samoits the people subiect to the Russe 443. They eate raw Carri●n Ancient ibid. They worship not the Golden hagge but the Sunne c. Their Sorc●ries apparell and sa●agenesse gouerned by their Priest ibid. Sapurgan a Citie in Persia 73.10 Pompions the best in the World 73.10 Saracens in the Holy-land ouerthrowne by the Tartars and pursued 122.10 Saracens at Equius in Catay speaking Persian 20.40 Sarai a new Towne vpon the Volga 47.40 Sarmatia the white and the blacke 413.40 Their old limits ibid. The name not deriued of Asarmathes ibid. Sartach the Tartars present to the French King 47.40 Sartach a Tartarian Prince his Court 12.60 Rub●uqu●● the Frier his ●●bassage to him 13.1 His 〈◊〉 13.20 c. Sa●erdayes the Russes ea●e flesh vpon 218.1 That before Easter They sleepe in the Church 227 50 Sauage Iles in Groneland 838.20 Their Latitude and Longitude from Longitude with the Variation of the Compasse and Tydes 838.50 S●●●ge Ilands where men haue heads like Dogges 104.10 Sauran fields and Riuer 632.20 Scacati a Tartarian Lord 5.20 Scanza is Scandia 620.10 Sca●lets in request in China 333 40 Scassem the City in Persia 73.30 Schetlandia misnamed for Hie●landia 654.40 Schollers more martiall then Souldiers in China The King more aduises with them 390.20 They beate and correct the Captaines ibid. Schooles of China the manner 385.30 Schollers in China got whole books by heart 339.10 Schollers how encouraged or punished in China 184.50 185.1 The great Officers and Gouernours chosen out of them 184.60 At the Kings charge 200 Scianhai in Chi●a described 406 50. The tribute it payes the King ibid. Scin what in Iapon 324.60 Scin●a●●man 327.10 S●laui the people came out of Sarmatia 433. Why they called themselues so ibid. S●lauos signifies Fame or Glory the signification inuerted by the Italians ibid. Sclauo●ia when first peopled 662 20 Sclauonian●●ngue ●●ngue of Russia different from that of Poland 761 30 Sclauonian tongue comes from the Russian 433.20 Scolds fined to maintain● the dumbe 276.10 Scotland Ptolomeys errour in the Longitude 643.50 Scots fish at Island 800. yeares since 657 Scriptures to bee interpreted by the Greeke Church solely the Russes E●rour 452 Scuruey-grasse cures the scowring and the Suruey 514.10 Scurucy-grasse in Groneland the benefit of it at Sea 847.50 Scythian Chersonesus which 633 40 Scythia extends from Danubius euen to the East 58. ●0 It comprehends Tartary ibid. Sea Calfe a neat Swimmer his properties 879.30 Sea-coale in Cathay 88.10 in marg Sea-coale vapour stifles 496.40 Sea cooles hote waters 892.60 Sea-water sweetned by the frost 598 40 Sea frozen 47.60 Sea
317.30 Canonized at Rome 316.60 B●asts to haue conuerted 300000. soules 317.30 His trauels 318.1 Goes to Cangoxima in Iapon there publishes the Decalogue 318 40 Opposed by the Iaponian Priests ibid. Returnes to India to fetch an Ambassadour gets himselfe made the Popes Nuntio opposed by Aluarus who falls into a Leprosie 318.60 Xauiers zeale and behauiour towards him 319.1 Gets himselfe carried into China where he is forsaken and dies 319.10 Xauxan a flower that makes bread in the Indies 954.10 Xyloba●samum what properly 95● 30 Xinaleygrau the Signiory 281.30 Y YAik a Riuer 241.50 Yamsu the Riuer the course of it 340.40 〈◊〉 by the two 〈◊〉 Cities in China ibid. Yara City in Catay 800.50 Described Yaskent a Citie 240.40 Yehuri the Mexican Priests that heard Confessions 1041.60 Yeare of the Tartars beginnes in February 84.30 This is 〈◊〉 solemnest day ibid. They f●●st th●● in white garments 84.50 Their New yeares gifts ibid. They reckon their yeares by Twelues and how 88.40 Yeare in Russia begins with September 447.20 And the September before ours 746.28 why 757.50 Yeare when it begins in China 392 40 〈…〉 how solemnized 394.1 Their Yeare 〈…〉 ●62 10 265 50. Gods of the Yeare ibid. It begins in March 196.50 Yeare begun in the middle of Ianuary in Norway of old 659.50 Yeare of the Samoieds is but halfe a Yeare 556 Yeares of the Mexicans 1135.30 1136.1 Their manner of reckoning them 1050. The beginning end and l●st dayes of it ibid. Yeare of the Peruians 1051.1 Yeare in Peru begins in December 1040.1 1045.1 Yedzo land the latitude 842.50 Yeilding the Ceremony of it in Mexco 1013.20 50 Yellow Mugals 799.20 Yellow Riuer in China the course 340. Sacrificed vnto ibid. 10000 ships in it Prouerbe of it ibid. Yellow the King of Chinois colour which none else may be of 392.50 Yellow hats a great honor 201.20 Yem the Riuer 235.20 Yemps a Towne 224.1 Yenis●e or Ienisse Riuer falleth into the Sea Naromzie 546.20 Not farre from China ibid. Yguanas a strange West Indian beast that both swimmes and climbes trees their shape 966.40 See Yuanas Yiu a Festiuall day in Peru the Ceremonies of it 1046.20 Yongs Cape 567.60 Yopes the Riuer in the West Indies 871.60 Youga Riuer in Catay falls into the Blacke Sea 800.40 Youth how educated in Mexico 1064 Yperpe●a ● C●i●e 10.20 Yea a great Feast in Peru the solemnitie 〈◊〉 1035. ●0 c. Yuana● West Indian Serpent described delicate meate 976.50 〈◊〉 for the French●oxe ●oxe 977.1 Y●c● the chiefe food of Brasile 903 10. How they make bread of it the Iuice is poyson and the substance bread where this bread is most vsed 954.10 Yucatan Prouince in the West Indies vnder the Gouernment of Mexico its bounds c. 870.30 A Peninsula the extent temperature no Riuer in it nor metall long liued people Townes their latitudes c. 87.10.20 c. Yun-lo the China King 389.30 Yuo de Narbona his Letter and Discourse about the Tartars 63 40 Z ZAcatecas the Prouince in the West Indies rich in Siluer Mynes three Townes of Spaniards in it distance from Guadalaiara 876. And from Mexico Other Mynes there Villages c. 877.1.10 Zacatula the Prouince and Village in the West Indies the latitude distance from Mexico Zamachie in Media a Staple for Silke 442.50 The Russe trades thither gaue 〈◊〉 to the English the Commodities ibid. Zamatia an Iland of the Moluccas i● Taprobana 904.30 Zar or Czar one of the Russian Emperours Titles 793.30 Zauorat in Russia the latitude 545 30 Zeilan the best Iland of the World 104.20 T is Traprobana 110.10 Zenam Iland 223.1 Zenam on the Coast of Finmarke ●61 10 581.40 Zeni two Brethren their Fortunes 610. c. Zeno● Chersonesus where 633 30 Zenu the 〈…〉 in the West Indies the distance from Car●agena Salt made there 88● 50 Zere the Iland 246.40 Zichmui Prince of Frisland his Story 610. c. Zielensa Ilands 543.30 In Russia Zikia the Citie 2.20 Zipangu the golden Iland 102.20 Taken by the Tartars ibid. The Ilanders call Mangi Chin or China 102.50 Zodiake as it is more streight or more oblique makes the daies or nights of diuers lengths 920.40 Zona Torrida why in some places vnder it the raine still falls in the afternoone 918.50 Why so much vnder it when the Sunne is hottest 919.20 30 40. Why in some places vnder it there falls no raine nor are any springs c. 919 60. Temperate in many places in others hote cold c. And the causes 920.10 20 30 c. Reasons of the diuersities of tempers 921. The heat though violent yet short the greatest heate in the morning and why 921.50 Westerne wind blowes seldome there 923.40 It is the greatest of the fiue Zo●●●s 923. Why men sayle vnder it from East to West and not backe againe 924.50 Se● Aequinoctiall The land-winds coole it by night and the Sea-winds by day 926.10 Cal●ses often vnder it ibid. Many Lakes vnder some parts of it 933.10 Most of the West Indies lye vnder it 9●5 10 The Countries vnder it are all hilly why 936.1 Torride Zo●● most inhabited of all the West Indies and by white Men and they most warlike it is of the temperature of Spaine few waters raine seldome vnder it 898.10 20 30 Zorzania 〈◊〉 Georgia 69.50 Zubu the Iland 282.10 FOr the vse of this 〈◊〉 the Reader may see the aduice giuen him ouer the head of the Letter A In the beginning of t●is 〈◊〉 This is so printed 〈◊〉 the end of the Index that it may be the better seene FINIS LONDON Printed by William Stansby for Henry F●therstone and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Rose 1625. Gen. 28.12 Senc● Benef. l. 7. cap. 4.5 Gen. 28. 32.20 Aug. de C.D. li. 19. cap. 5. * Master Hak. had published part of this Author but the whole worke being found in Benet Colledge Library in Cambridg I thought fit to communicate it to the World it being neuer published as I thinke in any Language I begin with the Tartars as being ●●owne to thes● parts before the Chinois yea China or Mang● became knowne by them Ecclus 39. v. 3. Cassaria or Gasaria Gasaria Soldaia The Citie of Matriga * Matriga Zikia Frier Bartholomew de Cremona The necke of Tanrica Chersones●● The Tartars Chap. 2. Of the Tartars and of their houses The benefit of a Painter in strange Countries Chap. 3. Of their Bed● Puppets Images and drinking Pots Idols Chap. 4. Of their drinkes and how they prouoke one another to drinking They vse the like custome in Florida Chap. 5. Of their ●ood and victuals Drying of flesh in the wind Chap. 6. How they make their drinke called Cosmos Caracosmos Duke Baatu Store of Mares and Mares milke Chap. 7. Of ●he beasts which they eat of their garmen●s and of their manner of hunting Our Falconers vse the left fist Another strange custome which
Margarit Florida The spring which Iohn Ponce did seeke that renued the old men They of Florida knew neither Gold Siluer nor Monie The Coast of the North vnto the Baccallaos * Or Los Gamos The great Riuer of S. Marie * La● Tortugas Ba●ia de Carlos The Gulfe of noua Espania The Channell of Bahama Chap. 9. Of the limits of the Councell of Mexico Don Sebastian Ramirez Iudge of Granada goeth for President of S Dominicke Great conformity betweene Don Sebastian Ramirez and Don Hernando Cortes New Spaine m Sc. of the life they led in the S●ewes n From the World Don Sebastian Ramirez brought in the breeding and ploughing Gouernment of Panuco S. Iago de los Valles Los Angelos The Bishop Don Sebastian Ramirez built the Citie of the Angels d Vulcan or Bolcan is a place whence fire issueth as Etna Hecla c Tlascala The Valley of Atlisco famous La Veracruz San Iuan de Vlua * A kinde of Parish or Schoole diuision Spa. partidos de doctrina Chap. 10. Of the Bishoprickes of Guaxaca Mechoacan and Yucatan of the Prouince of Tabasco which is the rest of the bounds described Guaxaca Title of the Marquesse of the Valley Stinking Riuer Tutepeque S. Alifonso of the Zapotecas S. Iames of Nexapa El Espirito Santo Golden Riuers Cacao money and Wine The Indians should pay no Tithes Riuer of Aluarado Guatulco The Bishopricke of Mechoacan Pazcuaro Zinzonza Guanax●ato * Re●les Village of S. Michaell The Conception of Salaya The Village of S. Phillip Zacatula Colima Yucatan It was a deuise of those which said the Crosses were found of Latten in Yucatan whereas there neuer was Crosse in the Indies before the Spaniards A Man of 300. yeares old Merida Valladolid Campeche Salamanca Shallow Coasting Tides The Ports and points of this Gouernment a Or Sharpe b Or Bermeia c Or Alacranes A famous worshipping place of the Gentiles in Cozumel * Or take away sleepe Tabasco Riuers of this Prouince Lake of Xicalango Chap. 11. Of the bounds of the Counsel of Guadalaiara Guadalaiara The Holy Ghost Sancta Marie of the Lakes The Chichimecas Sauages Xalisco The Zacatecas The Erena * Or Sombrerece * The Name of God Nueua Vizcaya Chiametla S. Michael Ciualoa Quibira Cibola California Chap. 12. Of the Bounds of the Counsel of S. Iames of Guatemala a Or true Peace b Or Rich coast Guatemala Saint Iames. Saint Saluador The Trinitie Saint Michael Xerez * Or fierie mouthes like Aetna Cacao described Ports of this Gouernment Bottomlesse Lake Soconusco Chiapa * Or true peace Verapaz Picture feathers Golf● dulce Manati a fish described Chap. 13. Of Honduras Nicaragua and Costa Rica or the Rich Coast. Honduras * Or of our Lady of the F●uour Visitation of the Inginer Baptista Antoneli of the way of the Port of Cauallos or Horses to the Bay of Fonseca * Thankes bee to God Saint Peter Saint Iohn Truxillo Saint George Valley of Olancho Points and Ports of this Gouernment * Or Shrimpe Babia honda Cabo de Gracias a Dios. Nicaragua * Or rich Coast. Granada Lake of Nicaragua Volcan of Massayatan and Mombacho Segouia Iaen Realeio Ports and Riuers of this coast * De Salinas Bruxelles Costa Rica Aranjuez Cartago Chap. 14. O● the ●ndies of the South A great difference of t●mperature in the two rowes of Piru The two rowes doe runne almost 1000. leagues equall Qualities of the Prouince of Collao Quantities of the Countrie of Panama and her bounds Panama Portebello Saint Iames of Nata Acla A strange case of a Lizard Veragua The Conception The Trinitie * Holy Faith Charles The Ports El Escudo a Or L●c●sts b Las Miras c Or Little Pilcherd d Or Pilchard Chap. 16. The limits of the Counsell of Sancta Fe of Bogota which is the new Kingdome of Granada * Holy Faith Lake of Guatauita Saint Michael Tocayma The Trinitie * Or Flies The Palma Tunia Pamplona * Or Crying Merida Belez Thunderbolts Mariquita Ybague Victorie de los Remedios Saint Iohn of the Plaines * Or Flyes * Or Water-course Rio Grande or Magd●len Riuer Sancta Martha Tenerife Tamalameque The Kings a Sancta Ramada Ocan●a b Or Yong Pigeon c Or Nookes d Or the Needle Cartagena Citie of Cartagena Amazonian women Valiant Virago Saint Iames of Tolu The Village of Marie * Holy Crosse. Saint Sebastian * Or Water-course The Barranca El Darad● Guiana Great Tydes Piru or Peru. The two Rowes of the Indies of the South * Of Magellan The two great wayes of Piru Postes Piru is not all the Indies of the South Los Llanos Las Sierras Diuersitie of nature Chap. 17. Of the Councell of Saint Francis of the Quito * Or Cynamon El Quito Aire and seasons Athanalpa or 〈◊〉 * Friars de la M●r●ed or our Lady of Grace Riuer Bamba Cuenca Loxa * Or Briar Zamora Iaen Saint Michael of Piura Raine a wonder Payta High-way admirable San Iago de Guayaquil The Riuers that g●e to the North Sea are greater then those ●hat goe to the South S●a H●w the riuers are passed in Piru Castro Vili * Or old Por● Manta How the Emeralds do grow Ports Points of the co●st of this gouernment c Or Nooke d Or Puc●e A towne 〈◊〉 blacke Moores e Or white Cape f Or woolues The Giant● of the Point of Santa Helena Chap. 18 Of Popayan Quixos Canela Pacamor●s and Gualsongo which are 〈◊〉 rest of the bounds of the Councell of Quito The Citie of Popayan Cali. * Or great Cappes Antiochia Caramanta Arma. Canibals Inhumanitie of the Indians of the borders of Arma. Ancerma Cartago * Or Buffes Timana Inhumanitie of these Indians Where the Load-stone is found * Or eaters of humane flesh Buga Saint Sebastian of the Plate c Or Canibals Almaguer d Hisp. Iudge of Residencia Truxillo Agreda Saint Iohn de Pastor Religion What the Aetnaes are and whereof they proceede e Or the ranke Village of Pasture Neyua Saint Vincent The Angels Riuers Capes and Points of the Coast of this gouernment f Or Cedars 〈◊〉 Gualsongo In how many sorts the gold is gotten out in Piru and other places Barleuento Chap. 19. Of the bounds of the Councel or Audience of The Kings or los Reyes Mountaines cause that it rayneth not in the Playnes of Piru h Some are of opinion that all plants and trees are nourished by vapours yea that the vapours of the bloud nourish liuing Creatures So Gen. 2. a mist in Paradise c. The Sunne as Head of the World the Hart as Sunne in the Body causeth nourishment by vapours The Citie of The Kings or los Reyes Such holinesse of faith such meanes to establish it force gluing lips and Lettice together as Acosta complayneth Vniuersitie and Iesuites Sea cooleth Women and Negros Arnedo * Or Gridir●ni Truxillo Miraflores Chachapoyas Faire Indians Saint Iames of the Valleys Lion of Guanuco Qualities of the Millet Guamanga Great
ouer it were two Bridges one of Gold the other of Siluer by which those passed ouer which had beene deuout Idolaters carrying in their hands Ensignes of the same these were guided by the Priests which led them through the midst of Hell to faire and pleasant Groues and Gardens In another part were painted the Dungeons of Hell with horrible Serpents Flames Deuils To the Brazen Gates thereof there comes an Idolatrous Priest which in despight of all the Deuils deliuers his Mother from those flames There was no infernall punishment painted but had such an Inscription He which shall pray to such an Idoll a thousand times shall bee free from this punishment The Iesuites beat the Earthen Idols to dust and burnt those of wood wherein the Chinese Conuerts were the forwarder because the Countrey custome is to fill the hollow bellies of these Images with deuoted Money or Iewels They demolished the Altar and playstred ouer the Pictures and in place thereof erected the Image of Christ. No priuate man may erect a Temple by Law which yet the mighty Eunuchs transgresse A little before this exchange of Idols into Images after their distinction and a silly one it is some tooke their last leaue of Ti cam one kneeling and bidding it fare-well another chasing said Thou masse of Dung and Earth if thou hast no power to maintayne thy Temple and thy selfe what helpe may I looke for at thy hand Neither art thou worthy of any honour at mine Others said that this had sometime borne the name of some other Idoll and therefore was auenged for that change Ricius hauing thus taken possession of China by his dead bodie and liuing name wee shall briefly out of the Iesuits Epistles adde some later accidents and so leaue our China Discourses which if they haue seemed tedious and troublesome remember that China is both excessiuely rituall and also inhospitall to Strangers and I haue but imitated my subject in long and wearisome entertaynment These tell vs of the Kings vnkindnesse to his Heire proclaymed as yee haue seene against his will scarsly allowing him necessary sustenance nor permitting his Mother at her death to be mourned for with wonted Rites He is indeuout his Mother egregiously Superstitious mayntayning many Priests erecting or repayring Temples that it is a Prouerbe In the Court the Priests in the Prouinces are Magistrates obserued In that their studie of long life One had beene so mad that he being a Licentiate bought children whom secretly he killed of their bloud making compositions for that purpose which comming to light by one of his Concubines he was put to a deserued death three thousand pieces of flesh first cut from him In their Winter is greatest scarsity of water in the Riuers and many shelues then cause many shipwrackes As they want b. d. r. so they end no word in any other Consonant but m. and n. The China Conuerts are very zealous in selfe-whipping penance and fasting altered from their forme to the Ecclesiasticall which is hard to them accustomed to eate thrice a day Their Priests vse Beads mumbling thereby their Deuotions and many things alike They built a Church at Nanquin Anno 1611. The Prouince of Chequian yeelds only to the two Royall Nanquin and Pequin beeing more excellent then any of the rest Neither hath it lost other Prouinciall Ornaments howsoeuer it hath lost the seat of the China Empire but is still the best of thirteene On the East it is washed with the Sea which the winds fauouring admit passage to Iapan in foure and twentie houres on the West it confineth with the Prouinces of Nanquin and Kiamsi or Chiansi on the South with Fuquian to the North is Xanto or Sciantum It hath twelue Cities of principall note which are the heads of sixtie three lesse besides innumerable Townes Castles Villages The soile is the most fertile of the Kingdome pleasantly interlaced with Riuers many of them produced by Art in imitation of Nature in commodiousnesse no whit inferiour yeelding a spectacle of amazement to the amused Posteritic how humane force could effect such wonders These Riuers for further commoditie are towred with innumerable Bridges of huge massie stones arising into diuers Arches like to the European workmanship You haue alreadie Almeidas Epistle of his and Rogers going into this Prouince to Xao Him whence soone after they returned The Chinois haue a Prouerbe of Hamceu the Metropolis and of Suceu thien xam thien tham ti xam Su ham that which in Heauen is the Hall of Heauen lactea via as he else-where interprets it that on Earth Suceu and Hamceu The Countrey so aboundeth with Mulbery-trees and Silke-wormes that China Iapon and India are thence furnished Ten Vests of Silke are there cheaper then in our Countrey one of cloth Hamceu stands from Nanquin South-eastward nine dayes Iourney almost in thirtie degrees eleuation about three dayes Iourney from Scianbai where Cataneus was who with Trigautius our Author were sent thither by Leos procurement They went from Nanquin by the Riuer Iansu first and then into hand-made Riuers Cities Townes Villages so frequent in the way that nothing seemes in the whole Kingdome more populous Mid-way where Nanquin and Chequian Prouinces joyne is that famous Suceu seated in the Continent and seeming yet the Daughter of the Sea like another Venice but more happie with her fresh waters the Ports so frequent and ships so many as if the whole shipping of the Kingdome were thither comne to some Faires which yet are in succession perpetuall When the Fathers were comne hither the Chinois by I know not what rumour were conceited that their Foe or Gods were comne thither in Visitation And a Magistrate sent to Leo about it to know if and how hee might visit them But to leaue their Fooleries let vs take view of their Citie Hamceu is the chiefe Citie of this Prouince yea in all this Kingdome lesse perhaps somewhat in compasse of walles then Nanquin but better peopled no place in the Citie emptie nor occupied with Gardens but all builded and all the Buildings almost with diuers Stories which in other Cities of China is not vsuall The Inhabitants are so many and the Tribute so much that the Iesuites durst not relate that which hereof they had heard by graue testimonie for the incredibilitie the description would aske a whole Volume The chiefe street is almost halfe a dayes Iourney in length and cannot be lesse then admirable For whereas the Chinois vse to erect triumphall Arches as Monuments to wel-deseruing Magistrates and Ornaments to their Cities this one street hath at least three hundred such besides very many others in other parts of the Citie of massie stones and exceeding curious Workmanship that if the Houses on both sides yeelded the like splendor the World could not shew such a spectacle But they occupie it all with shops and build the most magnificence of their Houses inwards and yet those not
like the European Palaces There is also a Lake close to the Citie which the eye can scarsly measure which sliding into a Valley encompassing embossed with diuers Hillocks hath giuen occasion to Art to shew her vtmost in the adorning the same beautifyng all those spacious bankes with Houses Gardens Groues a very Labyrinth to the bewitched eyes not knowing whereat most in this Maze to bee most amazed wherein most to delight And in delights doe they spend their dayes filling the Lake with Vessels furnished with Feasts Spectacles and Playes on the water There is a pleasant Hill in the middle of the Citie whereon is a faire Towre or Steeple where they measure their houres by a strange deuice Out of huge Vessels water droppeth from one to another the lowest being very large in the middle whereof is perpendicularly raysed a Rule distinguished with houre-spaces which by the ascent or descent of the water diuide the rising and declining day and declare the houres euery halfe houre some men appointed by Tables with Cubitall Letters to giue notice of the time to all men From this Hill is a prospect ouer all the Citie All the streets being set with Trees make shew of pleasant Gardens It is so full of Riuers Lakes Rils Ponds both in the Citie and Suburbs as if a man would frame a Platonicall Idea of elegancie to his minde The Idoll Temples are many and stately which Idolatry where it is wanting in China hath a worse Successor Atheisme Let vs stay awhile and gaze for where haue you such an Object Is not Quinsay whilome the Royall Seat of the Kings of Mangi as Venetus recordeth supposed by our Moderne Geographers to be swallowed vp with some Earth-quake or in Bellona's all-consuming belly here raysed vp from the Graue The Lake situate on the one side so Paulus reports of Quinsay the Name Quinsay signifying the Citie of Heauen and this called a Heauenly Paradise by the Chinois and Han signifies Lactea via in Heauen and Ceu perfect yea Quinsay or as Odoricus calls it Canasia and Han or Chançeu not so disagreeing in sound as different Dialects are wont the excellencie being chiefe Citie in the Kingdom and this Prouince sometimes Royal as Pequin now and Nanquin are the situation South-east from Cinczianfu fiue and twentie miles from the Sea the high Houses and Shops vnderneath the exceeding Trade Reuenue Pastimes by water multitudes fairenesse and length of the streets all so conspiring to prooue this Han or Hamceu to be that Quinsay of Paulus True it is that Quinsay was then greater beeing as Venetus saith one hundred miles about But the euerting of that Farfur and his Family then reigning the diuerting of the Court to Cambalu by the Tartars and after to Nanquin by Humvu and neuer returning hither might lessen the same And might not warres in that long siege by the Tartars in the recouery thereof by the Chinois easily circumcise her superfluitie Besides who knoweth whether all this huge Lake might bee contayned in that account of Paulus still compassed about with Buildings Or before those Warres the Lake it selfe might as Suceu now is be builded on which Time and Warre hath consumed nor since the remooue of the Court were so necessarie Mandeuill mentions Warres at Quinsay in his time Nicolo di Conti which was heere about the yeere 1440. sayth Quinsay was in his time new built of thirtie miles compasse But that Quinsay of Conti and Ahacen is perhaps Thiensin being as they lay it neerer Cambalu I confesse much may bee sayd for Nanquin to finde Quinsay there and I haue giuen such a note vpon it to incite industrious search because it was the Ancient royall Chamber Neither could I finde any other Royall Citie but Pequin in Ricius or other Writers till Trigautius later Epistles intimated that the Chequian Prouince hath beene sometimes Imperiall which I conceiue to bee that time of Farfur mentioned by Polo and Hanceu his Quinsay Anno 1618. Trigautius writes of Persecution in China raised by an Idolotrous Magistrate in Nanquin and effected by bribes which hath caused the Iesuites to bee sent thence but because our intelligence is little wee will leaue them heere as much as lyeth in our power and visite some of the other Northerne people hauing first giuen you a briefe view of a French-mans trauell Monsieur de Monfart who hauing trauelled thorow the Indies saluted Canton in China and Cauchinchina whose knowledge therefore could not bee so solid as the Iesuites nor yet is so contemptible that it should vtterly bee forgotten Wee will therefore present his Seruice as a French Page and one attending the Iesuites Grauitie and thus as it were bearing their trayne FRom Malaca I went to Macao neere a moneths trauell which is a Citie scituate on the Sea coast at the foote of a great Mountayne where in times past the Portugals had a great Fort and to this day there bee yet many that dwell there This is the entrance into China but the place is of no great importance they are Gentiles and there the Inhabitants begin to bee faire complexioned Thence I trauelled two moneths to the Cochinchines finding nothing by the way worthy of note no not so much as necessaries so that wee were fayne to carrie our Victuals with vs the greatest part of the way They are Subiects to the King of China but sometimes they rebell and make Warre against him And there is great number of Christians among them Their Kings treasure consisteth in a certayne kinde of Wood called Calamba for which the Portugals pay one hundred Crownes a pound to make Pater-nosters with It is of a mixt colour with blacke and yellow veynes the better sort of it is moyst so that being cut it expelleth a kinde of fat oylie liquour It groweth out of a certayne Tree which they fell and let it lye a while a putrifying then they bruise it and within the same they finde this kinde of Wood like many hard knots They are a very white people because there it begins to bee cold low of Stature flat Nosed and little Eyed with a very few hayres on their Chins and Mustachoes none at all on their Cheekes the hayre of the Head they weare long like Women tyed vp with a blacke silke hayre-lace and weare a flat Cap vpon them They weare Cloath-breeches made very leuell and a short Robe aboue them like a Master of the chamber of Accounts There are found a kinde of Serpents that will swallow vp a whole Stagge two Friers assured me that trauelling in that Countrey together with sixteene other men through a Fenniemarsh about the dawning of the day they met to their seeming a great Tree lying along the ground the boughes being lopped off vpon which they all began to sit downe and rest themselues but no sooner were they sate but that which they tooke for a Tree fiercely rowsed it selfe from vnder them and