hundred xx leagues the north northeast wynde was so ful with them and so freshly folowed the sterne of theyr shyppes After they had sayled a lytle further they espied diuers ilandes replenyshed with sundry kindes of trees from the whiche came fragrant sauours of spyces and sweete Gummes here they sawe neyther man nor beast except certayne Lysartes of huge bygnesse as they reported which went aland to viewe the countrey This iland they called Galana or Galanta from the cape or poynt of this ilande espying a mountayne a farre of they sayled thyther About .xxx. myles from this mountayne they sawe a ryuer dessendyng which seemed to be a token of some great and large flood This is the fyrst lande whiche they founde inhabited from the ilandes of Canariae and is an ilande of the Canibales as they learned by the interpretours whiche they tooke with them from Hispaniola into Spayne at theyr fyrst voyage Searching the ilande they found innumerable villages of .xx. houses or .xxx. at the most set rounde about in order makyng the streete in compasse lyke a market place And forasmuche as I haue made mention of theyr houses it shall not be greatly from my purpose to describe in what manner they are buylded They are made rounde lyke belles or rounde pauilions Theyr frame is raysed of exceedyng high trees set close togeather and fast rampaired in the ground so standing aslope and bending inwarde that the toppes of the trees ioyne togeather and beare one agaynst another hauyng also within the house certaine strong and short proppes or postes whiche susteyne the trees from fallyng They couer them with the leaues of date trees and other trees stronglye compact and hardened wherwith they make them close from winde and weather At the shorte postes or proppes within the house they tye ropes of the cotton of gossampine trees or other ropes made of certayne long rough rootes much lyke vnto the shrubbe called Spartum wherof in old tyme they vsed to make bandes for vines and gables and ropes for shyppes These they tye ouerthwarte the house from poste to poste on these they lay as it were certaine matresses made of the cotton of gossampine trees whiche growe plentifully in these ilandes This cotton the Spanyards cal Algodon and the Italians Bombasine and thus they sleepe in hangyng beddes At the entrance of one of theyr houses they sawe two images of wood lyke vnto serpentes whiche they thought had been suche idols as they honour but they learned afterwarde that they were set there onlye for comelynesse for they knowe none other god then the sunne and moone although they make certaine images of gossampine cotton to y e similitude of suche phantasies as they say appeare to them in the nyght Our men found in theyr houses al kindes of earthen vessels not muche vnlyke vnto ours They founde also in theyr kytchens mans fleshe duckes fleshe goose fleshe al in one pot and other on the spyts redy to be layde to the fyre Entring into their inner lodgynges they founde faggottes of the bones of mens armes and legges whiche they reserue to make heades for theyr arrowes because they lacke iron the other bones they cast away when they haue eaten the fleshe They founde lykewyse the head of a young man fastened to a poste and yet bleedyng They haue in some vyllages one great hall or pallace about the whiche theyr common houses are placed to this they resort as often as they come togeather to playe When they perceiued the commyng of our men they fledde In theyr houses they founde also aboue thirtie children captiues whiche were reserued to be eaten but our men tooke them away to vse them for interpreters Searching more diligently the inner parts of the iland they founde seuen other ryuers bygger then this whiche we spake of before runnyng through the ilande with fruitefull and pleasaunt bankes delectable to beholde This ilande they called Guadalupea for the similitude that it hath to the mount Guadalupus in Spayne where the image of the virgin Marie is religiously honoured but the inhabitauntes call it Carucueria or Queraquiera It is the cheefe habitation of the Canibales They brought from this iland .vii. Popiniayes bigger then Phesants muche dyfferyng from other in colour hauyng theyr backes brestes and bellies of purple colour and theyr wynges of other variable colours in al these ilands is no lesse plentie of Popyniayes then with vs of sparrowes or starelynges As we bring vp capons and hennes to franke and make them fat so doo they these bigger kindes of Popyniayes for the same purpose After that they had thus searched the ilande and driuen these Canibales to flight whiche ran away at theyr fyrst approche as soone as they had espied them they called their company togeather and as soone as they had broken y e Canibales boates or lighters whiche they cal Canoas they loosed theyr ankers the day before the Ides of Nouember and departed from Guadalupea Colonus the Admiral for the desyre he had to see his companions whiche at his fyrst voyage he left the yeere before in Hispaniola to search the countrey let passe many ilandes both on his ryght hande left hande and sayled directly thyther By the way there appeared from the north a great iland which the captiues that were taken in Hispaniola called Madanino or Matinino affirming it to be inhabited only with women to whoÌ„ the Canibales haue accesse at certayne tymes of the yeere as in olde tyme the Thracians had to the Amazones in the ilande of Lesbos the men chyldren they sende to theyr fathers but the women they keepe with them selues They haue great and strong caues or dennes in the grounde to the whiche they flee for safgarde if any men resorte vnto them at any other tyme then is appoynted and there defende them selues with bowes and arrowes agaynst the violence of suche as attempte to inuade them They coulde not at this tyme approche to this ilande by reason of the North northeast wynde which blewe so vehemently from the same wheras they nowe folowed the East southeaste After they departed from Madanino and sayled by the space of .xl. myles they passed not farre from an other ilande which the captyues sayde to be verye populus and replenyshed with al thynges necessarie for the life of man This they called Mons Serratus because it was full of mountaynes The captyues further declared that the Canibales are woont at some time to goe from theyr owne coastes aboue a thousande myles to hunt for men The day folowing they sawe an other ilande the whiche because it was rounde they called Sancta Maria Rotunda The next day they founde an other whiche they called S. Martini whiche they let passe also because they had no leasure to â—arrye Lykewyse the thirde daye they espied an other whose Diametral syde extendyng from the Easte
the continuall warres they haue with the Tartars of whom the greatest parte gyue obedience to the sayd great Cam as to theyr chiefe Emperour He made also demonstration in the sayde carde by the Northeast that being past the prouince of Permia and the ryuer Pescora which falleth into the North sea certeine mountaines named Catena Mundi there is thentraunce into the prouince of Obdora whereas is Vecchiadoro and the ryuer Obo whiche also falleth into the sayde sea and it is the furthest border of Th empyre of the Prince of Moscouia The sayde ryuer hath his originall in a great lake called Chethai which is the fyrst habitacion of the Tartars that paye tribute to the great Cane And from this lake for the space of two moneths vyage as they were credybly informed by certayne Tartares taken in the warres is the most noble citie of Cambalu beyng one of the chiefest in the dominion of the great Cane whom some call the great Cham. He also affyrmed that if shyppes should be made on the coastes of the sayde sea and sayle on the backe halfe of the coast thereof which he knew by many relations made to his Prince to reach infinitely towarde the Northeast they should doubtlesse in folowyng the same easily discouer that countrey Unto these woordes he added that although there were great difficultie in Moscouia by reason that the way to the sayde sea is full of thicke woods and waters whiche in the sommer make great maryshes and impossible to be traueyled aswell for lacke of victuals whiche can not there be founde not for certayne dayes but for the space of certayne monethes the place beyng desolate without inhabitauntes neuerthelesse he sayde that if there were with his Prince onely two Spanyardes or Portugales to whom the charge of this viage should be committed he no wayes doubted but that they would folowe it and fynde it forasmuch as with great ingeniousnesse and inestimable pacience these nations haue ouercome much greater difficulties then are these whiche are but litle in comparison to those that they haue ouerpassed and doe ouerpasse in all their viages to India He proceeded declaryng that not many yeeres since there came to the courte of his Prince an Ambassadour from pope Leo named maister Paulo Centurione a Genuese vnder dyuers pretenses But the princypall occasion of his commyng was bycause hee had conceyued great indignation and hatred agaynst the Portugales And therfore intended to proue if he could open any vyage by land wherby spyces myght be brought from India by the lande of Tartaria or by the sea Caspium otherwyse called Hircanum to Moscouia and from thence to be brought in shyppes by the ryuer Riga which runnyng by the countrey of Liuonia falleth into the sea of Germanie And that his Prince gaue eare vnto him and caused the sayde vyage to be attempted by certaine noble men of Lordo of the Tartars confinyng next vnto him But the warres which were then betweene them and the great desartes which they should of necessitie ouerpasse made them leaue of theyr enterpryse whiche if it had ben purposed by the coastes of this our North sea it might haue been easily fynyshed The sayde Ambassadour continued his narration saying that no man ought to doubt of that sea but that it may be sayled sixe monethes in the yeere forasmuche as the dayes are then very long in that clime and hot by reason of continuall reuerberation of the beames of the Sunne and shorte nyghtes And that this thing were as well woorthie to bee prooued as anye other nauigation whereby many partes of the worlde heeretofore vnknowen haue been discouered and brought to ciuilitie And heere makyng an ende of this talke he sayde Let vs now omyt this parte of Moscouia with his colde and speake somewhat of that parte of the newe worlde in whiche is the lande of Brytons called Terra Britonum and Baccaleos or Terra Baccalearum where in the yeere .1534 and .1535 Iaques Cartiar in two vyages made with three great French Gallies founde the great and large countreys named Canada Ochelaga and Sanguenai which reach from the .xlv. to the .51 degree beyng well inhabited and pleasaunt countreys and named by him Noua Francia And here staying a while and lyftyng vp his handes he sayde Oh what doe the Christian princes meane that in suche landes discouered they doe not assigne certayne colonies to inhabite the same to bryng those people whom God hath so blessed with naturall giftes to better ciuilitie and to embrase our religion then the whiche nothing can bee more acceptable to God The sayd regions also beyng so fayre and fruitfull with plentie of all sortes of corne hearbes fruites wood fyshes beastes metals and ryuers of suche greatnesse that shyppes may sayle more then .180 myles vpon one of them beyng on both sydes infinitely inhabited And to cause the gouernours of the sayde colonies to searche whether that lande towarde the North named Terra de Laborador doe ioyne as one firme lande with Norway Or whether there bee any streight or open place of sea as is most lyke there should be forasmuch as it is to bee thought that the sayde Indians dryuen by fortune about the coastes of Norway came by that streight or sea to the coastes of Germanie and by the sayde streight to sayle northwest to discouer the landes and countreys of Cathay and from thence to sayle to the Ilandes of Molucca and these surely should bee enterpryses able to make men immortall The which thing that ryght woorthie Gentleman maister Antony di Mendoza consideryng by the singular vertue and magnanimitie that is in him attempted to put this thyng in practyse For being viceroy of the countrey of Mexico so named of the great citie Mexico otherwyse called Temistitan now called new Spayne beyng in the .xx. degree aboue the Equinoctiall and parte of the sayde firme lande he sent certeyne of his Captaines by lande and also a nauie of shyppes by sea to search this secrete And I remember that when I was in Flaunders in Themperours court I saw his letter wrytten in the yeere .1541 and dated from Mexico wherein was declared howe towarde the Northwest he had founde the kyngdome of Sette Citta that is seuen Cities wheras is that called Ciuola by the reuerende father Marco da Niza and howe beyonde the sayde kyngdome yet further towarde the Northwest Captayne Francesco Vasques of Coronado hauing ouerpassed great desartes came to the sea syde where he founde certaine shyppes which sayled by that sea with merchandies and had in theyr banner vppon the prooes of theyr shyppes certayne foules made of golde and siluer which they of Mexico call Alcatrazzi and that theyr mariners shewed by signes that they were xxx dayes saylyng in commyng to that hauen whereby he vnderstoode that these shyppes could be of none other countrey then of Cathay forasmuch as it is situate on
Arabia with the gulfe of Ormus on the syde of the firme lande with the mountaynes of Deli and on the side of Carmania and in maner by the confines of Babylon it extendeth towarde India it hath many kingdomes and cities subiecte vnto it The people of Persia are called Azemini It conteyneth foure principall prouinces which are these Coraconi Ginali Tauris Xitarim In the which also are these foure most famous cities That is Tauris Siras Samarcante Coraconi They are valiant and warlyke men of great estimation They of Samarcante haue in auncient tyme been Christians Tauris and Siras are cities as famous among them as is with vs Paris in France they are men of great ciuilitie and curtesie The women of Siras are of commendable beautie and behauour very neate and delicate and thereof commeth a prouerbe among the Mahumetans that Mahumet would neuer goe to Siras least if he had tasted the pleasures of those women he should neuer after his death haue gone to Paradyse The kyng of Persia is called Siech Ismael whom the Italians call Gualizador or Sophi His chiefe mansion place or court is at Tauris or Teueris which is distant from Ormus fiftie dayes iourney with Camelles He is called the great Mahumetan of the order of the red bonet that is of the secte of Hali which our men that came late from Persia call Mortus Ali wherof we haue spoken more before The region of Persia hath all sortes of domesticall or tame beastes suche as are in our countreys It hath furthermore Lions Onces and Tigers the people are muche giuen to pleasures and sportes and are honourably apparelled delighting greatly in perfumes and sweete sauours they haue many wyues and commit the keeping or charge of them to enuches or gelded men who for that seruice are oftentymes preferred to great promotion yet are they very ielous of theyr wyues Notwithstanding both the Persians and also their neighbours of Ormus are detestable Sodomites In tyme paste many great and valiant personages as Cyrus Darius Assuerus and great Alexander haue inuaded Persia. It is not baren as some haue written but hath aboundance of all sortes of victualles and pleasures and thinges necessarie for the lyfe of man The trafique of Persia with other countreys IN the region of Persia are many sortes of merchandies wherewith they vse great trafique in the countreys of Armenia Turchia and in the citie of Cair or Alcayr From the lande of Siras is brought great aboundance of silke whereof is made an infinite quantitie of all sortes of silken cloathes and fine chamolettes of diuers colours also great aboundance of roche Alume Uitrioll Alcoffare Likewise many horses victualles Turques stones wax hony butter c. Also great peeces of tapestrie of diuers sortes workes clothes of sundry colours veluets both high and lowe after theyr maner Likewyse cloth of golde of sundry sortes Pauilions and great aboundance of armure From the other syde of the mountaynes by the way of Siam are brought Muske Aloes Reubarbe Lignum aloes Camphora c. All these thinges and many other are caryed to Ormus for the which the returne is great quantitie of Pepper and other spices and drugges for the Persians vse much spices with their meats and especially Pepper Of the Gulfe of Persia or Sinus Persicus THe region and lande of Persia is situate betweene two ryuers whiche fall not into the Ocean sea but into the gulfe of Persia the which gulfe hath on euery syde many goodly countreys well inhabited The gulfe conteyneth in largenesse .lx. myles and is nauigable with great Barkes and is sometimes troubled with great tempestes There is taken great abundance of fishe which being salted or dryed is carryed into all partes of Persia. The gulfe is also very long and conteyneth from Ormus to the ende lx dayes iourney with Camelles 1 Articles of the Priuileges whiche the Sophie of Persia graunted to the Englyshe merchantes These articles were sent vnto the company of merchants from Mosko by maister Ienkinson graunted in the names of these persons Syr VVilliam Garret Syr VVilliam Chester gouernours Syr Thomas Lodge Maister Antonie Ienkinson Maister Thomas Nicolls and Arthur Edwardes merchantes of London as also in the names of the whole companie 2 FYrst it is graunted that you shall paye no maner of customes or tolles any kynd of wayes now nor in time commyng vnto his heires after him And that all Englyshe merchantes now present or hereafter may passe and repasse into all places of his dominions and other countreys adioyning to him in the trade of merchaundies to buye and sell all maner of commodities with all maner of persons 3 Item that in all places where any of our merchantes shal be chiefe gouernours rulers and Iustices to take heede vnto the Englishe merchantes and be their ayde and punishe them that shall doe them any wrong or hurte 4 Item that suche debtes as shal be owyng by any maner of person iustice to be done on the partie and to see all Englishe merchantes payde at the day 5 Item that no maner of person of what estate or degree they be of so hardie to take any kynde of wares or any gyftes without the Englyshe merchantes good willes 6 Item if by chaunce medley any of the merchauntes or seruauntes as God forbyd shoulde kyll any of his subiectes no partes of theyr goods to be touched or medled withal neither no person but the offender and being any of the merchaunts not to suffer without the princes knowledge advice 7 Item that all such debtes as shal be oweyng to be payde to any of the merchauntes in the absence of the other be the partie dead or alyue 8 Item that no person returne any kynde of wares backe agayne beyng once bought or solde 9 Item that when God shall sende the merchauntes goods to shore presently his people to helpe them alande with them The prosperous vyage of Arthur Edwardes into Persia and of the fauoure that he found with the Sophy and also what conference he had with that prynce WHen he came fyrst to the Sophies presence brynging his interpretour with hym and standyng farre of the Sophie syttyng in a seate royall with a great number of his noble men about hym badde him come neere and that thrise vntyl he came so neere him that he myght haue touched hym with his hand Then the fyrst demaund that he asked hym was from what countrey he came he answeared that he came from Englande Then asked he of his noble men who knew any such countrey But when Edwards sawe that none of them had any intelligence of that name he named it Inghilterra as the Italians cal England Then one of the noble men sayde Londro meanyng therby London which name is better knowen in far countreys out of Christendome then is the name of Englande When Edwardes harde hym name Londro he sayd that that was the name of the chiefe citie of Englande as
otherwyse called Cuba was an ilande As they coasted along by the shore of certayne of these ilandes they hearde Nyghtyngales syng in the thycke wooddes in the moneth of Nouember They founde also great ryuers of freshe water and naturall hauens of capacitie to harbour great nauies of shippes Sayling by the coastes of Iohanna from the north poynt to the west he rode litle lesse then eight hundred miles for they cal it a hundred and fourescore leagues supposing that it had ben the continent or fyrme lande because he coulde neither fynde the landes ende nor any token of the ende as farre as he could iudge with his eye wherfore he determined to turne backe agayne beyng partly thereto enforced by the roughnesse of the sea for the sea bankes of the ilande of Iohanna by sundrye wyndynges and turnynges bende them selues so muche towarde the north that the northnortheast winde roughly tossed the shyps by reason of the winter Turning therfore the stemmes of his shyppes towarde the East he affyrmed that he had found the ilande of Ophir whither Solomons shippes sayled for golde But the discription of the Cosmographers well considered it seemeth that both these and the other ilandes adioynyng are the ilands of Antilia This ilande he called Hispaniola on whose north syde as he approched neare to the lande the keele or bottome of the biggest vessell ranne vpon a blynde rocke couered with water and cloue in sunder but the playnenesse of the rocke was a helpe to them that they were not drowned Makyng haste therfore with the other two shyps to helpe them they brought awaye al the men without hurte Here comming fyrst a land they sawe certayne men of the Ilande who perceiuyng an vnknowen nation comming toward them flocked togeather and ranne al into the thycke woods as it had ben hares coursed with grehoundes Our men pursuing them tooke onely one woman whom they brought to the ships where fylling her with meate and wyne and appareling her they let her depart to her companye Shortly after a greate multitude of them came runnyng to the shore to behold this newe nation whom they thought to haue discended from heauen They cast them selues by heapes into the sea came swimming to the shyppes brynging gold with them whiche they chaunged with our men for earthen pottes drinking glasses poyntes pinnes hawkes bels looking glasses such other trifles Thus growing to further familiaritie our men were honorably entertained of the king of that part of the iland whose name was Guaccâ—narillus for it hath many kyngs as when Eneas arriued in Italy he found Latium diuided into many kingdoms and prouinces as Latium Mezeutium Turnum and Tarchontem which were separated with narowe boundes as shal more largly appeare hereafter At the euen tide about the falling of the sonne when our men went to prayer and kneeled on their knees after the maner of y e Christians they dyd the lyke also And after what maner so euer they sawe them pray to the crosse they folowed them in al poyntes as wel as they coulde They shewed much humanitie towards our men and helped them with theyr lyghters or smal boates which they cal Canoas to vnlade their broken shyppe and that with suche celeritie and cherefulnesse that no frende for frende or kynseman for kynseman in such case moued with pitie coulde do more Theyr boates are made only of one tree made holowe with a certaine sharpe stone for they haue no yron and are very long and narowe Many affirme that they haue seene some of them with fortie ores The wilde and myscheuous people called Canibales or Caribes whiche were accustomed to eate mans fleshe called of the olde writers Anthropophagi molest them exceedyngly inuading their countrey takyng them captiue kyllyng eatyng them As our men sayled to the ilandes of these meke and humane people they left the ilands of the Canibales in maner in the middest of theyr viage toward the south They complayned that theyr ilands were no lesse vexed with the incursions of these manhuntyng Canibales when they goe forth a rouyng to seeke theyr pray then are other tame beastes of Lions and Tigers Such chyldren as they take they geld to make them fat as we do cocke chickens and young hogges and eate them when they are wel fedde of suche as they eate they fyrst eate the intralles and extreme partes as handes feete armes necke and head The other most fleshye partes they pouder for store as we do pestels of porke and gammondes of bakon yet do they absteyne from eatyng of women and counte it vyle Therfore suche young women as they take they kepe for increase as we do hennes to leye egges the olde women they make theyr drudges They of the ilandes which we may nowe cal ours bothe the men and y e women when they perceiue the Canibales commyng haue none other shyft but onely to flee for although they vse very sharpe arrowes made of reedes yet are they of small force to represse y e furie of the Canibales for euen they them selues confesse that ten of the Canibales are able to ouercome a hundred of them if they encountre with them Theyr meate is a certayne roote which they cal Ages muche lyke a nauewe roote in fourme and greatnesse but of sweete tast much lyke a greene chestnutte They haue also an other kynde of rootes which they call Iucca whereof they make bread in kyke maner They vse Ages more often rosted or sodden then to make bread thereof But they neuer eate Iucca except it be first sliced and pressed for it is full of lycoure and then baked or sodden But this is to be marueyled at that the iuice of this roote is a poyson as strong as Aconitum so that if it be drunke it causeth present death and yet the bread made of the masse thereof is of good taste and holsome as they all haue prooued They make also another kynde of bread of a certayne pulse called Panicum muche like vnto wheate whereof is great plentie in the Dukedome of Millane Spayne and Cranatum But that of this Countrey is longer by a spanne somewhat sharpe towarde the ende and as bygge as a mans arme in y e brawne the graynes wherof are set in a marueylous order are in fourme somewhat lyke a Pease Whyle they be soure and vnripe they are whyte but when they are ripe they be very blacke when they are broken they be whiter then snowe this kynde of grayne they call Maizium Golde is of some estimation among them for some of them hang certayne small peeces thereof at theyr eares and nosethrylles A litle beyonde this place our men went a lande for freshe water where they chaunced vpon a riuer whose sande was myxed with muche golde They founde there no kindes of foure footed beastes except three kindes of litle conies These ilandes also nouryshe
sunne begynneth to shine the water is coniealed into most pure and whyte salte wherewith innumerable shyypes myght be laden yf men dyd resort thether for the same before there fale any rayne For the rayne melteth it and causeth it to synke into the sande and so by the poores of the earth to returne to the place from whence it was dryuen Other say that the playne is not fylled from the sea but of certeine sprynges whose water is more sharpe and salt then the water of the sea Thinhabitantes do greatlye esteeme this bay of salt whiche they vse not only for theyr owne commoditie but also woorking the same into a square forme lyke vnto brickes they sell it to strangers for exchaunge of other thynges whiche the lacke In this Region they stretche and drye the dead bodies of theyr kinges and noble men laying the same vpon a certayne frame of woodde muche lyke vnto a hurdle or grediren with a gentell fyre vnder the same by lyttle and lyttle consumyng the fleshe and keping the skynne hole with the bones inclosed therein These dryed carcases they haue in great reuerence and honour them for theyr houshoulde and famylier gods They say that in this place they sawe a man in an other place a woman thus dryed and reserued When they departed from Curiana the .viii. day of the Ides of February to returne to Spayne they had threescore and .xvi. poundes weight after .viii. vnces to the pounde of pearles which they bought for exchange of our thinges amounting to the value of fyue shillinges Departing therfore they consumed threescore dayes in theyr iourney although it were shorter then from Hispaniola by reason of the continuall course of the sea in the west which dyd not only greatly stey the shippe but also somtymes dryue it backe But at the length they came home so laden with pearles that they were with euery maryner in maner as common as chaffe But the master of the shyppe Petrus Alphonsus being accused of his companyons that he had stowlen a great multitude of pretious pearles and defrauded the kyng of his portion whiche was the fifth parte was taken of Fernando de Vega a man of great lerning and experience gouernour of Gallecia where they aryued and was there kept in pryson a long tyme. But he styll denyeth that euer he deteyned any part of the pearles Many of these pearles were as bygge as hasell nuttes and as oriente as we call it as they be of the East partes Yet not of so great pryce by reason that the holes thereof are not so perfecte When I my selfe was present with the right honorable duke of Methyna and was biddē to dynner with him in the citie of Ciuile they brought to hym aboue a hundred and twentie ounces of pearles to be solde whiche surely dyd greatly delyte me with their fayrenes and brightnes Some say that Alphonsus had not these pearles in Curiana being distant from Os Draconis more then a hundred twentie leagues but that they had them in the regions of Cumana and Manacapana nere vnto Os Draconis and the ilande of Margarita for they deny that there is any pearles founde in Curiana But sith the matter is yet in controuersie we wyl passe to other matters Thus muche you haue whereby you may coniecture what commoditie in tyme to come may bee looked for from these newe landes of the west Ocean whereas at the fyrst discouering they shewe suche tokens of great ryches Thus fare ye well ¶ The .ix. booke of the fyrst Decade to Cardinal Lodoutke VIncentiagnes Pinzonus also Aries Pinzonus his neuiew by his brother syde whiche accompanyed the Admiral Colonus in his fyrst vyage were by him appoynted to be maisters of two of the small shippes which the Spaniards call Carauelas being moued by the great ryches amplitude of the new landes furnyshed of theyr owne charges foure Carauels in the hauen of theyr owne countrey which the Spanyardes cal Palos bordering on the west Ocean Hauing therfore the kings licence passeport to depart they loosed from the hauen about the Calendes of December in the yeere .1499 This hauen of Palos is threescore twelue myles distant from Gades commonly called Cales and .lxiiii. myles from Ciuile All thinhabitantes of this towne not one excepted are greatly geuē to searching of the sea and continually exercised in sayling They also directed their viage fyrst to the iland of Canarie by the ilands of Hesperides now called Cabouerde which some cal Gorgodes Meducias Sayling therfore directly toward the south from that ilande of Hesperides whiche the Portugales beyng possessers of the same cal Sancti Iacobi and departing from thence at the Ides of Ianuary they folowed the southwest wynde beyng in the myddest betwene the south and the west When they supposed that they had sayled about three hundreth leagues by the same wynde they say that they lost the syght of the Northe starre and were shortely after tossed with excedyng tempestes bothe of wynde and sea and vexed with intollerable heate Yet sayled they on further not without great daunger for the space of two hundred fortie leagues folowing yet the same wynd by the lost pole Wherfore whether habitable regions be vnder the Equinoctiall lyne or not let these men and the oulde wryters aswel Philosophers as poetes and cosmographers discusse For these mē affirme it to be habitable and meruelously replenished with people and they that it is vnhabitable by reason of the sonne beames depending perpendicularly or directlye ouer the same Yet were there many of the olde wryters whiche attempted to proue it habitable These maryners being demaunded if they saw the south pole they answered that they knew no starre there like vnto this pole that might be decerued about the poynt but that they sawe an other order of starres and a certeyne thicke myst rysyng from the horizontall lyne whiche greatly hyndered theyr syght They contende also that there is a great heape or rysyng in the myddest of the earth whiche taketh away the syght of the south pole vntyll they haue vtterly passed ouer the same but they verely beleeue that they sawe other images of starres muche differing from the situation of the starres of our hemispherie or halfe circle of heauen Howe so euer the matter be as they informe vs we certifie you At the length the seuenth day of the calendes of Februarye the espied lande a farre of and seeing the water of the sea to be trobelous sounding with theyr plummet they founde it to be .xvi ▪ fathames deepe Going a lande and tarying there for the space of two dayes they departed bycause they sawe no people stering although they founde certeyne steppes of men by the sea syde Thus grauing on the trees the stones nere vnto the shore the kynges name and theyrs and the tyme of theyr commyng thether they departed Not farre from this station folowyng
by these meanes folowyng The whole prouince beyng diuided into shyres and eche shyre hauyng in it one chiefe and principall citie wherevnto the matters of all the other cities townes and Boroughes are brought there are drawen in euery chiefe citie aforesayde intelligences of suche thinges as doe monethly fall out and be sent in writing to the Court. If happely in one moneth euery post is not able to goe so long a way yet doeth there notwithstandyng once euery moneth arryue one poste out of the shyre Who so commeth before the newe-Moone stayeth for the deliuery of his letters vntyll the Moone be chaunged Then lykewyse are dispatched other postes backe into all the .13 shyres agayne Before that we doe come to Cinceo we haue to passe through many places and some of great importance For this countrey is so well inhabited neare the sea syde that you can not go one myle but you shall see some towne Borough or Hostry the which are so abundantly prouided of all thinges that in the cities townes they liue ciuily Neuertheles such as dwel abrode are very poore for the multitude of them euery where so great that out of a tree you shal see many tymes swarme a number of children where a man would not haue thought to haue founde any one at all From these places in number infinite you shall come vnto two cities very populose and beyng compared with Cinceo not possibly to be discerned which is the greater of them These cities are as well walled as any cities in all the worlde As you come in to eyther of them standeth so great and mightie a brydge that the lyke thereof I haue neuer seene in Portugall nor els where I heard one of my felowes say that he told in one bridge .40 arches The occasion wherfore these bridges are made so great is for that the countrey is toward the sea very plaine and low ouerwhelmed euer as y e sea water encreaseth The breadth of the bridges although it bee well proportioned vnto the length therof yet are they equally buylt no higher in the middle than at eyther end in such wyse that you may directly see from y e one end to the other the sydes are wonderfully well engraueâ— after the maner of Rome workes But that wee did most marueyle at was therwithall the hugenesse of y e stones the lyke wherof as we came in to the citie we dyd see many set vp in places dishabited by the way to no small charges of theyrs howbeit to litle purpose whereas no body seeth them but such as doe come bye The arches are not made after our fashion vauted with sundry stones set togeather but paued as it were whole stones reaching from one piller to an other in suche wyse that they lye both for the arches heades and galantly serue also for the hygh waye I haue been astunned to beholde the hugenesse of these aforesayde stones some of them are .xii. pases long and vpwarde the least a .xi. good pases long and an halfe The wayes echewhere are galantly paued with fouresquare stone except it be where for want of stone they vse to laye bricke in this voyage wee traueyled ouer certayne hilles where the wayes were pitched and in many places no worse paued than in the playne grounde This causeth vs to thinke that in all the worlde there be no better workemen for buildinges than the ininhabitantes of China The countrey is so well inhabited that no one foote of ground is left vntilled small store of cattell haue we seene this way we sawe onely certayne Oxen wherewithall the countrymen doe plough theyr grounde One Oxe draweth the plough alone not onely in this shyre but in other places also wherein is greater store of cattell These countrymen by arte doe that in tyllage which we are constrayned to doe by force Here be solde the voydinges of close stooles although there wanteth not the dunge of beastes the excrements of man are good marchandise throughout all China The dungfermers seeke in euery streete by exchaunge to buye this durtie ware for hearbes and wood The custome is very good for keepyng the citie cleane There is great aboundance of Hennes Geese Duckes Swyne and Goates Wethers haue they none the Hennes are solde by weight and so are all other thinges Two pounde of Hennes fleshe Goose or Ducke is woorth two Foi of their money that is d. ob sterling Swines fleshe is solde at a peny the pounde Beefe beareth the same pryce for the scarcitie thereof howbeit Northwarde from Fuquieo farther of from the sea coast there is Beefe more plentie and solde better cheape Beefe onely excepted great aboundance of all these viandes we haue had in all the cities we passed through And if this countrey were lyke vnto India the inhabitantes whereof eate neyther Henne beefe nor porke but keepe that onely for the Portugalles and Moores they would be solde here for nothyng But it so fallyng out that the Chineans are the greatest eaters in all the world they doe feede vppon all thinges specially on porke the fatter that is vnto them the lesse lothsome The highest price of these thinges aforesayde I haue set downe better cheape shall you sometymes buye them for the great plentie thereof in this countrey Frogges are solde at the same price that is made of Hennes and are good meate amongst them as also Dogges Cattes Rattes Snakes and all other vncleane meates The cities be very gallant specially neare vnto the gates the which are marueylously great couered with Iron The gate-houses buylt on hygh with Towers the lower parte thereof is made of bricke and stone proportionally with the walles from the walles vpward the buyldyng is of tymber and many stories in it one aboue the other The strength of theyr townes is in the mightie walles and ditches artillerie haue they none The streetes in Cinceo and in all the rest of the cities we haue seene are very fayre so large and so streight that it is wonderfull to beholde Theyr houses are buylte with tymber the foundations onely excepted the which are layde with stone in eche syde of the streetes are paynteses or continuall porches for the marchantes to walke vnder the breadth of the streete is neuerthelesse suche that in them .xv. men may ryde commodiously syde by side As they ryde they must needes passe vnder many hygh arches of triumph that crosse ouer the streetes made of tymber and carued diuersely couered with tyle of fine claye vnder these arches the Mercers doe vtter theyr smaller wares and such as lyst to stande there are defensed from rayne and the heate of the Sunne The greater gentlemen haue these arches at their doores although some of them be not so myghtyly buylt as the rest I shall haue occasion to speake of a certayne order of gentlemen that are called Loutea I will first therefore expounde what this worde signifieth Loutea is as muche to say in our language as Syr and
haue borne after them hattes agreeable vnto theyr tytles if the Loutea be meane then hath he brought after hym but one hatte and that may not be yealowe but if he be of the better sorte then may he haue two three or foure the principall and chiefe Louteas may haue all theyr hattes yealowe the which among them is accompted great honour The Loutea for warres although he be but meane may notwithstandyng haue yealowe hattes The Tutanes and Chians when they goe abrode haue besydes all this before them ledde .3 or .4 horses with theyr garde in armor Furthermore the Louteas yea and all the people of China are woonte to eate theyr meat syttyng on stooles at hygh tables as we do and that very cleanly although they vse nether table clothes nor napkyns Whatsoeuer is set downe vppon the boorde is fyrst carued before that it be brought in they feede with two styckes refraynyng from touchyng theyr meate with theyr handes euen as we do with forkes for y e which respect they lesse do neede any table clothes He is the nation onely ciuil at meate but also in conuersation and in courtesie they seeme to exceede all other Likewise in theyr dealynges after their maner they are so ready that they farre passe all other Gentyles and Moores the greater states are so vayne that they lyne theyr clothes with the best sylke that may be founde The Louteas are an idle generation without all maner of exercises and pastymes excepte it be eatyng and drynkyng Somtymes they walke abrode in the fieldes to make the souldyars shoot at prickes with theyr bowes but theyr eatyng passeth they wyll stande eatyng euen when the other do drawe to shoote The pricke is a great blanket spread on certayne long poles he that stryketh it hath of the best man there standyng a peece of crymson taffata the whiche is knyt about his head in this sorte the wynners honoured and the Louteas with theyr bellye 's full returne home agayne The inhabitantes of China be very great Idolaters all generally do worshyppe the heauens and as we are woont to saye God knoweth it so saye they at euery worde Tien Tautee that is to saye The heauens do knowe it Some do worshyp the Sonne and some the Moone as they thynke good for none are bounde more to one then to an other In their temples the which they do cal Meani they haue a great altar in y e same place as we haue true it is that one may goe rounde about it There set they vp the Image of a certayne Loutea of that countrey whom they haue in great reuerence for certaine notable thinges he dyd At the ryght hande standeth the deuyl muche more vglie paynted then we do vse to set hym out whereunto great homage is done by suche as come into the temple to aske counsell or to drawe lottes this opinion they haue of hym that he is malitious and able to do euyl If you aske them what they do thynke of the soules departed they wil answeare that they be immortall and that as soone as any one departeth out of this life he becommeth a deuyl if he haue liued well in this worlde if otherwyse that the same deuyl chaungeth hym into a bufle oxe or dogge Wherfore to this deuyl do they muche honour to hym do they sacrifice praying hym that he wyll make them lyke vnto hym selfe and not lyke other beastes They haue moreouer an other sorte of temples wherein both vppon the altars and also on the walles do stande many Idoles well proportioned but bare headed These beare name Omithofon accompted of them spirites but suche as in heauen do nether good nor euyll thought to be suche men and women as haue chastlye lyued in this worlde in abstinence from fyshe and fleshe fedde only with ryse salates Of that deuil they make some accompte for these spirites they care litle or nothyng at all Agayne they holde opinion that if a man do well in this lyfe the heauens wyll geue hym many temporall blessynges but if he do euyll then shall he haue infirmities diseases troubles and penurie and all this without any knowledge of God Finally this people knoweth no other thing then to liue die yet because they be reasonable creatures al seemed good vnto them we speake in our language though it were not very sufficient our maner of praying especially pleased them and truely they are wel ynough disposed to receiue the knowledge of the trueth Our lorde graunte for his mercie all thynges so to be disposed that it may some tyme be brought to passe that so great a nation as this is peryshe not for wante of helpe Our manner of praying so well lyked them that in pryson importunately they besoughte vs to wryte for them somewhat as concernyng heauen the whiche we dyd to theyr contentation with suche reasons as we knewe howbeit not very cunnyngly As they do theyr Idolatry they laugh at them selues If at any tyme this countrey myght be ioined in league with the kyngdome of Portugale in such wyse that free accesse were had to deale with the people there they might al be soone conuerted The greatest fault we do fynd in them is Sodomie a vice very common in the meaner sort nothing strange amongst the best This sinne were it left of them in all other thynges so well disposed they be that a good interpretour in a short space myght do there great good yf as I sayde the countrey were ioyned in league with vs. Furthermore the Louteas with al the people of China are wont to solempnize the dayes of the newe and full Moones in visiting one eache other and makyng great bankettes for to that end as I earst sayd do tend all theyr pastymes and spendyng theyr daies in pleasure They are wont also to solempnize eache one his byrth daye whereunto theyr kyndred and frendes do resorte of custome with presentes of Iuelles or money receyuyng agayne for theyr rewarde good cheare They keepe in lyke maner a general feast with great bankets that day theyr kyng was borne But theyr most principall and greatest feast of al and best cheare is the fyrst day of theyr newe yeere namely the fyrst day of the newe Moone of Februarye so that theyr fyrst moneth is Marche and they recken the tymes accordynglye respect beyng had vnto the reigne of theyr Prynces as when anye deede is wrytten they date it thus Made suche a daye of suche a Moone and such a yeere of the reigne of suche a Kyng And theyr auncient wrytynges beare date of the yeeres of this or that Kyng Nowe wyll I speake of the maner the whiche the Chineans doo obserue in dooyng Iustice that it maye be knowen how farre these Gentyles doo herein exceede manye Christians that be more bounden then they to deale iustly and in trueth Because the Chinishe Kyng maketh his abode contynually in the Citie Pachyn his kyngdome so great the shyres so many as
repayde with great vsury in an other world gyuyng by Obligation vnto the lender an assuraunce thereof the whiche departyng out of this lyfe hee may carry with him to hell There is an other great company of suche as are called Inambuxu with curlde and staryng heare They make profession to fynde out agayne thinges either lost or stolen after this sorte They set before them a chylde whom the deuyll inuadeth called vp thither by charmes of that chylde than doe they aske that which they are desirous to know These mens prayers both good and bad are thought greatly to preuayle insomuch that both their blessinges and theyr curses they sell vnto the people The Nouices of this order before they be admitted goe togeather two or three thousande in a company vp a certayne high mountayne to do pennance there threescore dayes voluntarily punishyng them selues In this tyme the deuyl sheweth him selfe vnto them in sundry shapes and they lyke young graduates admitted as it were felowes into some certayne company are set foorth with whyte tasselles hanging about theyr neckes and blacke Bonettes that scarsely couer any more than the crowne of theyr heades Thus attyred they range abrode in all Giapan to set out them selues and their cunnyng to sale eche one beatyng his basen hee carryeth alwayes about with him to gyue notice of theyr commyng in all townes where they passe There is also an other sorte called Genguis that make profession to shewe by southsaying where stolen thinges are and who were the theeues These dwel in the toppe of an high mountayne blacke in face for the continuall heate of the sunne for the colde wyndes and raynes they doe continually endure They marry but in theyr owne tribe and lyne the reporte goeth that they bee horned beastes They clyme vp most hygh rockes and hylles and goe ouer very great ryuers by the onely arte of the deuyll who to bryng those wretches the more into errour byddeth them to goe vp a certayne hygh mountayne where they stande myserably gazing and earnestly lookyng for him as long as the deuyll appoynteth them At the length at noonetyde or in the euenyng commeth that deuil whom they call Amida among them to shewe him selfe vnto them this shew breedeth in the braynes and hartes of men suche a kynde of superstition that it can by no meanes be rooted out of them afterwarde The deuyll was wont also in an other mountaine to shewe him selfe vnto the Giaponish nation Who so was more desirous than other to go to heauen and to enioy Paradyse thyther went he to see that syght and hauyng seene the deuyll folowed hym so by the deuyll persuaded into a denne vntyll hee came to a deepe pytte Into this pytte the deuyll was wont to leape to take with him his worshypper whom he there murdred This deceit was thus perceyued An olde man blynded with this superstition was by his sonne dissuaded from thence but all in vayne Wherefore his sonne folowed him priuely into that denne with his bowe and arrowes where the deuyll gallantly appeared vnto him in the shape of a man Whilest the olde man falleth downe to worshyp the deuyll his sonne speedily shootyng an arrow at the spirite so appearyng stroke a Foxe in steede of a man so sodeynly was that shape altered This old man his sonne trackyng the Foxe so runnyng away came to that pit wherof I spake and in the bottome thereof he founde many bones of dead men deceyued by the deuyll after that sorte in tyme past Thus deliuered hee his father from present death and all other from so pestilent an opinion There is furthermore a place bearyng name Coia very famous for the multitude of Abbeyes the Bonzii haue therin The beginner and founder whereof is thought to be one Combendaxis a suttle craftie felowe that gotte the name of holynesse by cunnyng speache although the lawes and ordinances he made were altogeather deuilishe he is sayde to haue founde out the Giapanishe letters vsed at this day In his later yeeres this Sim suttle buryed him selfe in a fouresquare graue foure cubites deepe seuerely forbyddyng it to be opened for that than he dyed not but rested his body wearyed with continuall businesse vntyll many thousande thousandes of yeeres were passed after the whiche tyme a great learned man named Mirozu should come into Giapan and than would he ryse vp out of his graue agayne About his tumbe many lampes are lyghted sent thyther out of dyuers prouinces for that the people is persuaded that whosoeuer is liberall and beneficiall towardes the beautifying of that monument shall not onely encrease in wealth in this worlde but in the lyfe to come be safe through Combendaxis helpe Suche as gyue them selues to worship him liue in those Monasteries or Abbayes with shauen heads as though they had forsaken all secular matters wheras in deede they wallow in all sortes of wickednesse and lust In these houses the which are many as I sayde in number doe remaine 6000. Bonzii or thereabout besydes the multitude of laye men women be restrayned from thence vppon payne of death An other company of Bonzii dwelleth at Fatonochaiti They teache a great multitude of children all trickes and sleightes of guyle and theft whom they doe fynde to be of great towardnesse those doe they instruct in all the petigrues of princes and fashions of the nobilitie in chiualry eloquence and so send them abrode into other prouinces attyred lyke young princes to this ende that faynyng them selues to be nobly borne they may with great summes of money borowed vnder the colour and pretence of nobilitie returne agayne Wherefore this place is so infamous in all Giapan that if any schollar of that order bee happely taken abrode hee incontinently dyeth for it Neuerthelesse these cousyners leaue not dayly to vse theyr wonted wickednesse and knauery North from Giapan three hundred leagues out of Meaco lyeth a great countrey of sauage men clothed in beastes skynnes rough bodyed with huge beardes and monstruous muchaches the which they hold vp with litle forkes as they drynke These people are great drinkers of wyne fierce in warres and much feared of the Giapans beyng hurte in fight they washe theyr woundes with salte water other surgery haue they none In theyr brestes they are sayde to carry lookyng glasses their swordes they tye to theyr heades in suche wyse that the handle doe rest vppon their shoulders Seruice and cerimonies haue they none at all onely they are wont to woorshyppe heauen To Aquita a great towne in that Giaponishe kyngdome we call Geuano they muche resort for merchandyse and the Aquitanes lykewyse doe traueyle into theyr countrey howebeit not often for that there many of them are slayne by the inhabiters Muche more concernyng this matter I had to wryte but to auoyde tediousnesse I will come to speake of the Giapans madnesse agayne who most desirous of vayne glory doe thynke than specially to geat immortall fame whan they
requisite for theyr Nauie There stayed Balthasar Gagus a great traueyler fiue monethes who describeth that place after this maner Ainan is a goodly countrey full of Indishe fruites and all kynde of victualles besydes great store of Iuelles and pearle well inhabited the â—ownâ—s buylte of stone the people rude in conditions apparelled 〈◊〉 diuersly coloured rugges with two Oxe hornes as it 〈◊〉 made of fyne cypres hangyng downe about theyr 〈◊〉 and a payre of sharpe cyzers at theyr foreheades The cause wherefore they goe in suche attyre I could not vnderstande except it be for that they doe counterfaite the deuyll in the fourme of a bruite beast offeryng to him vp them selues Santianum is an Isle neare vnto the hauen Cantan in the confines lykewyse of China famous for the death of that woorthie traueyler and godly professour and paynefull doctor of the Indyshe nation in matters concernyng religion Francis Xauier who after great labours many iniuries and calamities infinite suffred with much pacience singular ioye and gladnesse of mynd departed in a cabben made of bowes and rushes vppon a desarte mountayne no lesse voyde of all worldly commodities than endued with all spirituall blessinges out of this lyfe the seconde day of December the yeere of our Lorde .1552 after that many thousandes of these Easterlynges were brought by him to the knowledge of Christ. Of this holy man his perticular vertues and specially traueyle and wonderfull workes in that region of other many litle Isles yet not so litle but that they may ryght well be written of at leasure all the later histories of the Indyshe regions are full FINIS Of the Northeast frostie Seas and kyngdoms lying that way declared by the Duke of Moscouia his ambassadour to a learned Gentleman of Italie named Galeatius Butrigarius likewise of the viages of that worthie old man Sebastian Cabote sometymes gouernour of the companie of the Merchantes of Cathay in the Citie of London IT is doubtlesse a marueilous thyng to consyder what changes and alterations were caused in all the Romane Empyre by the Gothes and Vandales and other Barbarians into Italy For by their inuations were extinguyshed all artes and sciences and all trades of Merchandies that were vsed in dyuers partes of the worlde The desolation and ignoraunce whiche insued hereof continued as it were a cloude of perpetuall darkenesse among men for the space of foure hundred yeeres and more insomuche that none durst aduenture to goe any whyther out of theyr owne natiue countreys whereas before the incursions of the sayde Barbarians when the Romane Empyre floryshed they myght safely passe the seas to all partes of East India whiche was at that tyme as well knowen and frequented as it is nowe by the nauigations of the Portugales And that this is true it is manifest by that whiche Strabo wrytteth who was in the tyme of Augustus and Tiberius For speakyng of the greatnesse and ryches of the citie of Alexandria in Egypt gouerned then as a prouince of the Romanes he wryteth thus This onely place of Egypt is apte to receyue all thynges that come by sea by reason of the commoditie of the hauen and lykewyse all suche thynges as are brought by lande by reason of the ryuer of Nilus whereby they may bee easely conueyed to Alexandria beyng by these commodities the rychest citie of merchauntes that is in the worlde The reuenues of Egypt are so great that Marcus Tullius sayth in one of his orations that kyng Ptolomeus surnamed Auleta the father of queene Cleopatra had of reuenues twelue thousande and fyue hundred talentes whiche are seuen millions and a halfe of golde If therefore this kyng had so great reuenues when Egypt was gouerned of so fewe and so negligently what myght it then be woorth to the Romanes by whom it was gouerned with great diligence and theyr trade of merchandies greatly increased by the traffike of Trogloditica and India wheras in tyme past there coulde hardly be founde .xx. shyppes togeather that durst enter into the gulfe of Arabie or shewe theyr prowesse without the mouth of the same But at this present great nauies sayle togeather into India and to the furthest partes of Ethiope from whence are brought many rich and pretious merchandies into Egypt and are caried from thence into other countreys And by this meanes are the customes redoubled aswel by such thynges as are brought thither as also by suche as are caryed from thence forasmuche as great customes aryse of thinges of great value And that by this voyage infinite and pretious merchaundies were brought from the redde sea and India and those of dyuers other sortes then are knowen in our tyme it appeareth by the fourth volume of the ciuile lawe wherein is described the commission of Themperours Marcus and Commodus with the rehearsall of al such stuffe and merchandies wherof custome shoulde be payde in the redde sea by suche as had the same in fee farme as were payde the customes of all other prouinces partaynyng to the Romane Empyre and they are these folowyng Cinamome Long pepper Whyte pepper Cloues Costus Cancomo Spikenarde Cassia Sweete perfumes Xilocassia Myr. Amome Ginger Malabatrum Ammoniac Galbane Lasser Agarike Gumme of Arabie Cardamome Xilocinamome Carpesio Sylkes of diuers sortes Lynnen cloth Skynnes and Furres of Parthia and Babylon Iuorie Wood of Heben Pretious stones Pearles Iewelles of Sardonica Ceraunia Calamus Aromaticus Berille Cilindro Slaues Cloth of Sarmatia The sylke called Metaxa Uestures of sylke Died cloth and sylke Carbasei Sylke threede Gelded men Popingayes Lions of India Leopardes Panthers Purple Also that iuyce or lyquour whiche is geathered of wooll and of the heare of the Indians By these woordes it doeth appeare that in olde tyme the said nauigation by the way of the red sea was wel knowen muche frequented perhaps more then it is at this present Insomuch that the ancient kynges of Egypt consyderyng the great profite of the customes they had by the viages of the red sea and wylling to make the same more easie commodious attempted to make a fosse or chanel which should begin in the last part of the said sea where was a citie named Arsinoe which perhappes is that that is nowe called Sues and shoulde haue reached to a branch of the riuer of Nilus named Pelusio whiche emptieth it selfe in our sea towarde the East about the citie of Damiata They determined also to make three causeys or hygh wayes by land which shoulde passe from the sayd branch to the citie of Arsinoe but they founde this too difficult to bryng to passe In fine king Ptolomeus surnanamed Philadelphus ordeyned another way as to sayle vppon Nilus agaynst the course of the riuer vnto the citie of Copto and from thence to passe by a desart countrey vntyl they come aboue the red sea to a citie named Berenice or Miosormo where they imbarked
the seate of the Empyre was translated by the valiaunt Emperours for necessarie considerations that suche ayde furniture and requisites as appertayne to the warres myght be neare at hande at suche tyme as they keepe continuall warre agaynst the Tartars theyr borderers For it is situate without Volga on the bankes of the ryuer Clesma whiche falleth into Volga But Moscha aswell for those gyftes and commodities whereof we haue spoken as also that it is situate in the myddest of the most frequented place of all the region and Empyre and defended with the ryuer and Castell hath in comparyson to other cities been thought most woorthie to be esteemed for the chiefe Moscha is distant from Nouogrodia fyue hundred myles and almost in the myd way is the citie of Ottoferia otherwyse called Otwer or Tuwer vppon the ryuer of Volga This ryuer neare vnto the fountaynes and sprynges of the same not yet increased by receyuyng so many other ryuers runneth but slowly and gentelly and passeth from thence to Nouogrodia through many woods and desolate playnes Furthermore from Nouogrodia to Riga the nexte porte of the Sarmatian sea is the iourney of a thousande myles litle more or lesse This tract is thought to be more commodious then the other bycause it hath many townes and the citie of Plescouia in the way beyng imbrased with two ryuers From Riga perteynyng to the dominion of the great maister of the warres of the Liuons to the citie of Lubecke a porte of Germanie in the gulfe of Cymbrica Chersonesus now called Denmarke are numbred about a thousande myles of daungerous saylyng From Rome to the citie of Moscha the distance is knowen to bee two thousande and sixe hundred myles by the nearest way passyng by Rauenna Taruisium the Alpes of Carnica Also Villacum Noricum and Vienna of Pannouie and from thence passyng ouer the ryuer of Danubius to Olmutium of the Marouians and to Cracouia the chiefe citie of Polonie are compted .xi. hundred myles From Cracouia to Vilna the head citie of Lithuania are compted fyue hundred myles and as many from that citie to Smolenzko situate beyonde Boristhenes from whence to Moscha are compted sixe hundred myles The iourney from Vilna by Smolenzko to Moscha is traueyled in wynter with expedite sleades and incredible celeritie vppon the snowes hardened with long frost and compacte lyke Ise by reason of muche wearyng But in sommer the playnes can not bee ouerpassed but by difficulte and laborious trauayle For when the snowes by the continuall heate of the Sunne begyn to melte and dissolue they cause great maryshes and quamyres able to intangle both horse and man were it not that wayes are made through the same with brydges and causes of wood and almost infinite labour In all the region of Moscouia there is no vayne or mine of golde or syluer or any other common metall except Iron neyther yet is there any token of precious stones and therefore they buye all those thinges of straungers Neuerthelesse this iniurie of nature is recompensed with aboundance of rich furres whose price by the wanton nysenesse of men is growen to suche excesse that the furres parteynyng to one sorte of apparell are now solde for a thousande crownes But the tyme hath been that these haue been bought better cheape when the furthest nations of the North being ignorant of our nyse finenesse and breathyng desyre towarde effeminate and superfluous pleasures exchaunged the same with muche simplicitie oftentymes for trifles and thinges of small value Insomuche that commonly the Permians and Pecerrians were accustomed to giue so many skinnes of Sables for an Iron Axe or Hatchet as being tyed harde togeather the marchantes of Moscouia could drawe through the hole where the hafte or handle entereth into the same But the Moscouites sende into all partes of Europe the best kynde of flaxe to make lynnen cloth and hempe for ropes Also many Oxe hydes and exceedyng great masses of waxe They proudely deny that the Romane churche obteyneth the principate and preeminent aucthoritie of all other They so abhorre the nation of the Iewes that they detest the memorie of them and will in no condition admyt them to dwell within theyr dominions esteemyng them as wycked and mischieuous people that haue of late taught the Turkes to make gunnes Beside the bookes that they haue of the ancient Greeke doctours they haue also the commentaries and homelies of saint Ambrose Augustine Ierome Gregorie translated into the Illyrian or Slauon tongue which agreeth with theyrs For they vse both the Slauon tongue and letters as doe also the Sclauons Dalmates Bohemes Pollones and Lithuanes This tongue is spredde further then any other at this day For it is familiar at Constantinople in the court of the Emperours of the Turks and was of late hearde in Egypte among the Mamalukes in the court of the Soltane of Alcayre otherwyse called Memphis or Babilon in Egypt A great number of bookes of holy scripture are translated into this tongue by the industrie of Sainct Ierome and Cyrillus Furthermore besyde the hystories of their owne countreys they haue also bookes conteyning the facts of great Alexander and the Romane Emperours and lykewyse of Marcus Antonius Cleopatra They haue no maner of knowledge of philosophie Astronomie or speculatiue phisicke with other liberal sciences But such are taken for Phisitians as professe that they haue oftentymes obserued the vertue and qualitie of some vnknowen hearbe They number the yeeres not from the byrth of Christ but from the begynnyng of the world And this they begin to accompt not from the moneth of Ianuary but from September They haue fewe and simple lawes throughout all the kyngdome made by the equitie and conscience of theyr prynces and approued by the consent of wyse and good men and are therfore greatly for the wealth and quyetnesse of the people forasmuche as it is not lawfull to peruerte them with any interpretations or cauillations of lawyers or Atturneys They punysh theeues rouers priuie pyckers and murtherers When they examyne malefactours they powre a great quantitie of cold water vpon such as they suspecte whiche they say to be an intollerable kynde of torment But sometymes they manacle suche as are stubborne and will not confesse apparent crymes Theyr youth is exercised in dyuers kyndes of games and playes resemblyng the warres whereby they both practise pollicie and increase theyr strength They vse runnyng both on horsebacke and a foote Also runnyng at the tylt wrestlyng and especially shootyng For they gyue rewardes to such as excell therein The Moscouites are vniuersally of meane stature yet very square set and myghtyly brawned They haue all grey eyes long beardes shorte legges and bygge bellyes They ryde very shorte and shoote backewarde very cunnyngly euen as they flye At home in theyr houses theyr fare is rather plentifull then deyntie For theyr tables
of that countrey is rawe silke and the greatest plentie thereof is at a towne three dayes iourney from Shamaki called Arashe and within three dayes iourney of Arashe is a countrey named Groysine whose inhabitauntes are Christians are thought to be they which are otherwise called Georgians there is also much silke to be solde The chiefe towne of that countrey is called Zeghaui from whence is carryed yeerely into Persia an incredible quantitie of hasell Nuttes all of one sorte and goodnesse and as good and thyn shaled as are our Fylberdes Of these are caryed yeerely the quantitie of 4000. Camelles laden Of the name of the Sophie of Persia and why he is called the Shaugh and of other customes THe Kyng of Persia whom here we call the great Sophi is not there so called but is called the Shaugh It were there daungerous to call him by the name of Sophi bycause that Sophi in the Persian tongue is a begger and it were as much as to call him the great begger He lyeth at a towne called Casbin whiche is situat in a goodly fertile valley of three or foure dayes iorney in length The towne is but euyll buylded and for the most part all of brycke not hardened with fyre but onely dryed at the Sunne as is the most part of the buyldyng of all Persia. The kyng hath not come out of the compasse of his owne house in .xxxiii. or .xxxiiii. yeeres whereof the cause is not knowen but as they saye it is vppon a superstition of certayne prophesies to whiche they are greatly addicted he is nowe about fourescore yeeres of age and very lustie And to keepe hym the more lustye he hath foure wyues alwayes and about three hundred concubynes And once in the yeere he hath all the fayre maydens and wyues that may bee founde a great way about brought vnto hym whom he diligently peruseth feelyng them in all partes takyng suche as he lyketh and puttyng away some of them which he hath kept before And with them that he putteth away he gratifieth some suche as hath doone hym the best seruice And if he chaunce to take any mans wyfe her husbande is very glad thereof and in recompence of her oftentymes he geueth the husbande one of his olde store whom he thankfully receyueth If any straunger beyng a Christian shall come before hym he must put on a newe payre of showes made in that countrey and from the place where he entereth there is dygged as it were a causye all the way vntyll he come to the place where he shall talke with the kyng who standeth alwayes aboue in a gallerye when he talketh with any strangers and when the stranger is departed then is the causye cast downe and the grounde made euen agayne Of the religion of the Persians THeyr religion is all one with the Turkes sauyng that they dyffer who was the ryght successor of Mahumet The Turkes saye that it was one Homer and his sonne Vsman But the Persians saye that it was one Mortus Ali whiche they woulde proue in this maner They say there was a counsayle called to decide the matter who shoulde be the successour and after they had called vppon Mahumet to reuele vnto them his wyll and pleasure therein there came among them a litle lizarde who declared that it was Mahumetes pleasure that Mortus Ali should be his successour This Martus Ali was a valiant man and slewe Homer the Turkes prophet He had a swoorde that he fought withall with the whiche he conquered all his enimies and kylled as many as he stroake When Mortus Ali dyed there came a holy prophet who gaue them warnyng that shortly there woulde come a whyte Camell vppon the which he charged them to lay the body and swoorde of Mortus Ali and to suffer the Camell to carye it whether he woulde The whiche beyng perfourmed the sayde whyte Camell caryed the swoorde and body of Mortus Ali vnto the sea syde and the Camell goyng a good way into the sea was with the swoorde and bodye of Mortus Ali taken vp into heauen for whose returne they haue long looked for in Persia. And for this cause the kyng alwayes keepeth a horse redye sadled for hym and also of late kepte for hym one of his owne daughters to be his wyfe but she dyed in the yeere of our Lorde .1573 And saye furthermore that yf he come not shortly they shal be of our beleefe much lyke the Iewes lookyng for theyr Messias to come and reigne among them lyke a worldly kyng for euer and deliuer them from the captiuitie which they are nowe in among the Christians Turkes and Gentyles The Saugh or Kyng of Persia is nothyng in strength and power comparable vnto the Turke for although he hath a great Dominion yet is it nothyng to be compared with the Turkes neyther hath he any great Ordinaunce of Gunnes or Harkebuses Notwithstandyng his eldest sonne Ismael about twentie and fyue yeeres past fought a great battayle with the Turke and sleue of his armye about an hundred thousande men who after his returne was by his father cast into pryson and there continueth vntyl this daye for his father the Shaugh had hym in suspition that he would haue put hym downe and haue taken the regiment vppon hym selfe Theyr opinion of Christ is that he was an holy man and a great Prophet but not lyke vnto Mahumet saying that Mahumet was the last Prophet by whom all thynges were finished and was therefore the greatest To proue that Christ was not Goddes sonne they saye that God had neuer wyfe and therefore coulde haue no sonne or chyldren They goe on pylgrymage from the furthest part of Persia vnto Mecha in Arabia and by the way they visite also the sepulchre of Christ at Ierusalem whiche they nowe call Couche Kalye The most part of Spyces whiche commeth into Persia is brought from the Iland of Ormus situate in the gulfe of Persia called Sinus Persicus betweene the mayne lande of Persia and Arabia c. The Portugales touche at Ormus both in theyr viage to East India and homewarde agayne and from thence bryng all suche Spyces as is occupied in Persia and the regions there about for of Pepper they bryng verye small quantitie and that at a verye deare pryse The Turkes oftentymes bryng Pepper from Mecha in Arabia whiche they sell as good cheape as that which is brought from Ormus Sylkes are brought from noo place but are wrought all in theyr owne countrey Ormus is within two myles of the mayne lande of Persia and the Portugales fetche theyr freshe water there for the whiche they paye trybute to the Shaugh or kyng of Persia. Within Persia they haue neyther golde nor syluer mynes yet haue they coyned money both of golde and syluer and also other small moneys of Copper There is brought into Persia an incredible summe of Duche Dolours which for the most part is there
or rather against the charitie that ought to be among Christian men that such as violentlye inuade the dominions of other shoulde not permit other frendly to vse the trade of merchandies in places neerer or seldome frequented of them whereby theyr trade is not hyndred in such places where they them selues haue at theyr owne election appointed the martes of theyr trafficke But forasmuch as at this present it is not my entent to accuse or defend approue or improue I wil ceasse to speake any further hereof proceade to the discription of the first viage as breefely and faithfully as I was aduertised of the same by the information of such credible persons as made diligent inquisition to know the trueth hereof as much as shal be requisite omittyng to speake of many partiticuler thinges not greatly necessarie to bee knowen whiche neuerthelesse with also the exacte course of the nauigation shall be more fully declared in the seconde vyage And if herein fauour or friendshyp shall perhappes cause some to thynke that some haue been sharpely touched let them laye a parte fauour and friendshyp and gyue place to trueth that honest men may receyue prayse for well doyng and lende persons reproche as the iust stipende of theyr euyll desartes whereby other may bee deterred to doe the lyke and vertuous men encouraged to proceede in honest attemptes But that these vyages may be more playnely vnderstoode of all men I haue thought good for this purpose before I intreate hereof to make a breefe description of Affrica beyng that great parte of the worlde on whose Weste syde begynneth the coaste of Guinea at Cabo Verde about the twelue degrees in latitude on this syde the Equinoctiall line and two degrees in longitude from the measuryng lyne so runnyng from the North to the South and by East in some places within v.iiii and .iii. degrees and a halfe within the Equinoctiall and so foorth in maner direcly East and by North for the space of xxxvi degrees or there about in longitude from the West to the East as shall more playnely appeare in the description of the seconde vyage A breefe description of Affrike IN Affrica the lesse are these kyngdomes the kingdome of Tunes Constantina which is at this day vnder Tunes and also the region of Bugia Tripoli and Ezzah This part of Afrike is very baren by reason of the great desartes as the desartes of Numidia Barcha The principall portes of the kingdome of Tunes are these Goletta Bizerta Potofarnia Boua and Stora The chiefe cities of Tunes are Constantina and Boua with diuers other Under this kyngdome are many Ilands as Zerbi Lampadola Pantalarea Limoso Beit Gamelaro and Malta where at this present is the great maister of the Rodes Under the South of this kyngdome are the great desartes of Libia All the nations in this Africa the lesse are of the secte of Mahumet a rusticall people lyuyng scattered in villages The best of this parte of Afrike is Barbaria lying on the coast of the sea Mediterraneum Mauritania now called Barbaria is diuided into two partes as Mauritania Tingitania and Cesariensis Mauritania Tingitania is nowe called the kyngdome of Fes and the kyngdome of Marrocko The principall citie of Fes is called Fessa and the chiefe citie of Marrocko is named Marrocko Mauritania Cesariensis is at this daye called the kyngdome of Tremisen with also the citie called Tremisen or Telensin This region is full of desartes and reacheth to the sea Mediterraneum to the citie of Oram with the porte of Massaquiber The kyngdome of Fes reacheth vnto the Ocean sea from the West to the citie of Argilla and the porte of the sayde kyngdome is called Salla The kyngdome of Marrocko is also extended aboue the Ocean sea vnto the citie of Azamor and Azafi which are aboue the Ocean sea towarde the West of the sayde kyngdome In Mauritania Tingitania that is to say in the two kyngdomes of Fes and Marrocko are in the sea the Ilandes of Canarie called in olde tyme the fortunate Ilandes Towarde the South of this region is the kyngdome of Guinea with Senega Iaiofo Gambra and many other regions of the blacke Moores called Ethiopians or Negros all whiche are watered with the ryuer Negro called in olde tyme Niger In the sayde regions are no cities but only certayne lowe cotages made of boughes of trees plastered with chauke and couered with strawe In these regions are also very great desartes The kyngdome of Marrocko hath vnder it these seuen kyngdoms Hea Sus Guzula the territory of Marrocko Duchala Hazchora and Telde The kyngdome of Fes hath as many as Fes Temesne Azgar Elabath Errifi Garet and Elcauz The kyngdome of Tremisen hath these regions Tremisen Tenez and Elgazaet all which are Machometistes But all the regions of Guinea are pure Gentyles and Idolatours without profession of any religion or other knowledge of God then by the lawe of nature Africa the great is one of the three partes of the worlde knowen in olde tyme and seuered from Asia on the East by the ryuer Nilus on the West from Europe by the pillers of Hercules The hyther parte is now called Barbarie and the people Moores The inner parte is called Libia and Ethiopia Afrike the lesse is in this wyse bounded On the West it hath Numidia On the East Cyrenaica On the North the sea called Mediterraneum In this countrey was the noble citie of Carthage In the East side of Africke beneath the redde sea dwelleth the great and myghtie Emperour and Christian kyng Prester Iohn well knowen to the Portugales in theyr vyages to Calicut His dominions reache very farre on euery syde and hath vnder hym many other kynges both Chrystian and heathen that pay hym tribute This mightie prince is called Dauid Themperour of Ethiopia Some wryte that the kyng of Portugale sendeth hym yeerely .viii. shyppes laden with marchaundies His kingdome confineth with the redde sea and reacheth farre into Afrike toward Egypte and Barbarie Southwarde it confineth with the sea towarde the cape de Buona Speranza and on the other syde with the sea of sande called Mare de Sabione a very dangerous sea lying betweene the great citie of Alcayer or Cairo in Egypt and the countrey of Ethiopia In the whiche way are many vnhabitable desarts cōtinuing for the space of fiue dayes iorney And they affirme that if the sayd Christian Emperour were not hyndered by those desartes in the whiche is great lacke of victualles and especially of water he woulde or nowe haue inuaded the kingdome of Egypt and the citie of Alcayer The cheefe citie of Ethiopia where this great Emperour is resident is called Amacaiz being a faire citie whose inhabitantes are of the colour of an Olyue There are also many other cities as the citie of Saua vpon the ryuer of Nilus
greatnesse exceptyng this that in the myddle is no roofe or couerture but is all open but about the rest of the temple it is altogeather vaulted There they obserue religiously the bodye of the holy Prophet Zacharie The temple hath also foure great double gates of metal very fayre and many goodly fountaynes within it There are yet seene the ruins of many decaâ—ed houses which were once inhabited by the Christians Those houses they cal Canonicas and are of woorke both carued and imbossed There is also to be seene the place where as they say our sauiour Christ spake to Sainct Paule these woordes Paule Paule why doest thou persecute me c. This place is without the citie about a myle There are buried the Christians that die in the citie There is seene also the Tower in whiche Sainct Paule was committed to pryson and ioyneth to the wall of the citie But that place of the Tower where Paule was brought foorth by the Angell the Mahumetans do not attempt to close vp Saying that yf it be closed ouer nyght they fynde it open agayne in the morning I saw also there those houses in the whiche as they say Cain slue his brother Abell These are on the other part of the citie a myle of in a certayne valley yet on the syde of a hyll But let vs nowe returne to the stranger Solgiers which they call Mamaluchos and to speake somewhat howe licenciously they lyue in that citie Of the Mamalukes of Damasco Cap. 7. THe Mamalukes therefore are that kynde of men which haue forsaken our fayth and as slaues are bought by the gouerner of Syria They are very actiue brought vp both in learnyng and warlike discipline vntil they come to great perfection As wel the litle as y e great without respect receiue stipend of the gouernour which for euery moneth amounteth to syxe of those peeces of gold which they call Saraphos besyde the meate and drynke of them selues and theyr seruantes and also prouision for theyr horses And the more valiaunt they be of greater actiuitie they are hyred for the greater wages They walke not in the citie but by two or three togeather for it is counted dishonour for any of them to walke without a companion And if by the waye they chaunce to meete with two or three women for they lay wayte to tarry for them about suche houses whyther they know the women resort lycence is graunted them as they by chaunce fyrst meete with them to bryng them into certaine tauerns where they abuse them When the Mamalukes attempt to descouer theyr faces for they go with theyr faces couered they striue with them because they wyll not be knowen But when the Mamalukes persyste wantonly to discouer them they saye thus vnto them Is it not enough for you that you haue abused our bodyes as pleaseth you but that you wyl also discouer our faces Then the Mamalukes suffer them to departe But sometyme it chaunceth that when they thynke to prostitute the daughter of some gentelmen or noble men they committee the facte with theyr owne wyues whiche thyng chaunced whilest I was there The women beautifie and garnishe them selues as muche as any They vse sylken apparell and couer them with cloth of gosampine in maner as fyne as sylke They weare white buskyns and shooes of red or purple coloure They garnyshe theyr heades with many iewelles and earerynges and weare rynges and braslettes They mary as often as them lysteth for when they are weary of theyr fyrst maryage they go to the chiefe presse of their religion whom they call Cady and make request to hym to be diuorsed from theyr fyrste maryage This diuorsment in theyr language is called Talacarè whiche graunted by the hygh Priest or Byshop they begyn newe maryages The lyke lybertie is also graunted to the husbandes Some thynke that the Mahumetans haue fyue or syxe wyues togeather which I haue not obserued but as farre as I coulde perceyue they haue but two or three They eate openly specially in the martes or fayres and there dresse they all theyr meates They eate horses Cammelles Bufles Gotes and suche other beastes They haue great abundaunce of freshe cheese They that sell mylke dryue about with them xl or .l. Gotes whiche they bryng into the houses of them that wyll bye mylke euen vp into theyr chambers although they be three roofes hygh and there mylke them to haue it freshe and newe These Gotes haue theyr eares a spanne long many voders or pappes and are very fruitefull There is great abundaunce of mussheromes for sometymes there are seene .xx. or .xxx. Cammelles laden with mussheromes and yet in the space of three dayes they are all solde They are brought from the mountaynes of Armenia and from Asia the lesse whiche is nowe called Turchia or Natolia or Anatolia The Mahumetans vse long vestures and loose both of sylke and cloth The most part vse hose of gossampine cloth and whyte shooes When any of the Mahumetans by chaunce meeteth with any of the Mamalukes although the Mahumetan be the woorthyer person yet geueth he place and reuerence to the Mamaluke who otherwyse woulde geue hym the Bastonado and beate hym with a staffe The Christians also keepe there many ware houses of merchaundies where they haue dyuers sortes of sylkes and veluet but the Christians are there euyll entreated of the Mahumetans The iorney from Damasco to Mecha and of the maners of the Arabians Chap. 8. AFter that I haue largely spoken of Damasco I wyll proceede to the rest of my vyage Therfore in the yeere of our lorde .1503 the eight daye of the moneth of Apryll when I had hyred certayne Cammelles which they call Carauanas to go to Mecha and beyng then ignorant of the customes and maners of them in whose companye I shoulde go I entred familiaritie and frendshyppe with a certayne captayne Mamaluke of them that had forsaken our fayth with whom beyng agreed of the price he prepared me apparell lyke vnto that whiche the Mamalukes vse to weare and geuyng me also a good horse accompanyed me with the other Mamalukes This as I haue sayde I obtayned with great cost and many gyftes whiche I gaue hym Thus enteryng to the iorney after the space of three dayes we came to a certayne place named Mezaris where we remayned three dayes that the merchauntes which were in our company myght prouide thynges necessarie as specially Camels and dyuers other thynges There is a certayne Prince whom they cal Zambei of great power in the countrey of Arabia he had three brethren and foure chyldren He norysheth fourtie thousand horses ten thousand mares foure thousand Camels The countrey where he keepeth the heardes of these beastes is large of two dayes iorney This Prince Zambei is of so great power that he keepeth warre with the Soltan of Babylon the gouernour of Damasco and
maner al kyndes of beastes as wylde Bores Harts Wolues Lions sundry kinds of birdes and foules vnlike vnto ours Pecockes also and Parrottes It hath innumerable Kyne of shynyng yelowe coloure also sheepe exceedyng fatte There is so great abundaunce of flowers and Roses that they fayle not in wynter There can not be a more temperate ayre and therfore they lyue muche longer then we do Not far from this citie is an other citie named Mangolor from whence about the number of .lx. shyppes departe yeerely laded with Ryse The inhabitantes are partly Idolaters and partly Mahumetans Their maner of lyuing and apparell is as we haue sayd before Of Canonor and Narsinga great cities of India Cap. 7. DEpartyng from hence we directed our iorney toward the citie of Canonor beyng a very goodly citie Heere the kyng of Portugale hath a very strong towne The kyng of the citie is an Idolater and no great frend to the kyng of Portugale The citie hath a porte whyther are brought the horses of Persia but the custome for horses is exceedyng great Departyng from hence and entryng further into the lande we came to the citie of Narsinga where many Mahumetan merchauntes do dwel The soyle beareth neyther wheate nor vynes or fewe other fruites except Oranges and Gourdes They eate no breade but lyue with ryse fyshe and suche walnuttes as the countrey beareth In maners and Idolatrye they are lyke vnto them of Calecut of whiche we wyll speake heareafter There is founde plentie of spyces as Ginger Pepper Myrobalans Cardanum Cassia and dyuers suche other Also many and dyuers kindes of fruites vnlyke vnto ours and muche sweeter The region is in maner inaccessible for many dennes and diches made by force The kyng hath an army of fyftie thousande gentelmen whiche they call Heros In the warres they vse swoordes rounde Targettes or Buklers Lances Dartes Bowes Slynges and begyn nowe also to vse Gunnes They go naked coueryng onely their priuities except when they go to the warres They vse no horses Mules Asses or those Camels whiche we commonly call Dromedaries They vse onely Elephantes yet not to fyght in the battayle Great merchaundise is vsed in the citie for thyther resorte from dyuers countres two hundred shyppes yeerely Departyng from the kyngdome of Narsinga in .xv. dayes iorney towarde the East we came at the length to a citie named Bisinagar Of the fruiteful citie of Bisinagar in the kyngdome of Narsinga Cap. 8. THe citie of Bisinager is vnder the dominion of the kyng of Narsinga and subiect to hym The citie is very large and well walled situate on the syde of a hyll and eyght myles in circuite It is compassed with a triple wall and is a famous mart of all sortes of ryche merchaundise The soyle is marueylous fruitefull and hath whatsoeuer pertayneth to delicates and pleasures There is no lande more commodious for haukyng and huntyng for it hath large playnes and goodly woods a man would saye it were an earthly Paradyse The kyng and people are Idolaters He is a Prince of great power he hath an army of foure thousande horsemen And yet is it to be noted the price of a good horse there to be no lesse then foure or fyue hundred of those peeces of golde whiche they call Pardais And sometyme it so chaunceth that a horse is solde for eight hundred of those peeces of golde The cause of which great price is that they are brought out of other countreys and that they haue no Mares being forbydden by the commaundement of the kynges streightly chargyng the portes to be kepte least any Mares should be brought into the countrey Hee hath also foure hundred Elephantes to serue in the warres and likewyse as many Camelles of the kynde of those swyfte runnyng Camelles which be commonly called Dromadarii And here me seemeth good oportunitie to say somewhat of the docilitie agilitie and wyt of Elephantes as we haue promised Of the docilitie agilitie and wit of Elephantes Cap. 9. THe Elephant of all foure footed beastes and nexte vnto man is most wittie and docible and not farre from humane sence and surmounteth all other beasts in strength When the Indians bring them to the warres they put great packesaddelles on their backes suche as in Italie they vse for the great Mules These packesaddelles they gyrde vnder theyr bellyes with two chaynes of Iron Uppon the saddelles they place on euery syde a litle house or if you will rather call them Turrettes or Cagies made of wood euery Turret conteyneth three men Betweene the two Turrettes sitteth an Indian on the backe of the beast and speaketh to him in his owne language whiche the beast vnderstandeth and obeyeth for it is certaine that no other beast approcheth so neare to the vnderstandyng of man Seuen men therefore are thus placed vppon one Elephant when they goe to the wars and all armed with coates of fence Targets Bowes Launces Dartes and Slynges Also the trunke or snoute of the Elephant which of the Latines is called Promuscis or Proboscis and of some the hande of the Elephant is armed and hath a swoord fastened to it of the length of two cubites very strong and of a handfull in breadth And thus furnished they proceede to the battayle When it is requisite to goe forewarde or backewarde the gouernour sittyng aboue gyueth them an instruction with such voyces as they are accustomed vnto for sometyme he sayth thus to the beast Stryke here stryke there forbeare here goe forewarde there turne this way and that way All which woordes he vnderstandeth and obeyeth without spurre or brydell But where it so chaunceth that by casting of fyre they are with feare dryuen to flyght they can by no meanes be stayed And therfore these people haue many subtile deuises howe they may feare them with fyre which this beast by the sense of nature feareth aboue all thinges and therefore flyeth in maner at the sight of fyre And to speake somewhat of theyr strength as I haue seene by experience I remember that when I was in the citie of Canonor certayne Mahumetans drue a shyp aland turnyng the shyp after the maner of the Christians with the fore ende towarde the lande and laying vnder it three rowling beames Then three Elephantes commodiously applied drawyng with great force and bendyng downe theyr heades to the ground brought the shyp to lande But many haue thought that the Elephantes haue no ioyntes in theyr legges and that therefore they could not bende theyr legges which thyng doubtlesse is false for they haue ioyntes as haue other beastes but in the lowest parte of theyr legges The Females are more fierce then the Males and much stronger to beare burdens Sometime they are taken with furie or madnesse and testifie the same by disordinate runnyng here and there One Elephant exceedeth the bygnesse of three Bufles
Houses of Whales bones The nauigation to Islande Whales One thyng seruyng for contrary vses A shypmans quadrant People of great agilitie A strange apparell The cause of an olde errour So doe the Tartars Plentie of wylde beastes No Serpents Great Gnats Aboundaunce of fyshe Shyps without nayles Science honoured Bargeâ—nâ— without woordes No horses A beast of marueylous strength and swyftnesse What Schoenus is looke in Gronlande The chaunge of the horizon The olde aucthours called all the North people Scythyans â—â—â—smus laâ—â—â—teth this 〈◊〉 fyrst 〈◊〉 de ratine contionan di â–ª where he speaketh of the people called Pilapii Idolatrie A mysterie of mariage in fyre and flynt Experte inchaunters Magicall dartes The canker One nyght of three moneths Riche furres Plentie of sea fyshe Wardhus Kyngdomes destroyed by factions The Danes The defant of princes An exemple of tyrannie The myserable state of Norway Stockfyshe The Lapones Shyppes in daunger by reason of whales Castoreum The roryng of whales whales salted and reserued The citie of Nidrosia A magnificiall churche Noysome beasts of vnknowen generation Wardhus The vnknowen land of the Lapons A serpent of huge bignesse God warneth vs by signes of thyngs to come The streightes or boyling sea Dangerous places in the sea Fruitfull Ilands about Norway Golde and syluer Wardhus castell The gulfe of Suecia The citie of Stokholme Golde in colde regions Fyshe The beaste called Vros or Elg. Vpsalia Copperdalia Oplandia Byrdes Egges reserued in salte Precious furres Fyshe Thinuasions of the Gothes The warre of the gothes agaynst the Romanes The boundes of gothland The citie of Visba Danes and Moscouites A librarie of two thousand bookes The gothes inuaded Europe and destroyed Rome Pannonia falsly taken for Finnonia Eningia Spanishe wines Demetrius the ambassadour of Moscouia Paulus Centurio Spices brought from India to Moscouia The ryuer Indus Oxus or Hoxina a ryuer of Asia runneth through the desartes of Sythia The sea Hircanum is now called mare Abacuâ—ke or mare de Sala Citrachan or Astracan Sarmatia is that great countrey wherin is conteyned Russia Lâ—â—oma and Tartaria and the North and East parte of Polonia Agaynst the Portugales The trade of spices in olde tyme. Spices corrupted The Caspian sea Basilius wrot to Pope Adriane Warre betwene the Polones and Moscouites The seconde viage of Paulus to Moscouia The Pope pâ—rswâ—deth Basilius to acknowledge the Romane churche Demetrius intertaynement at Rome Demetrius is brought to the Popes presence Basilius letters to Pope Clement Cardinall Campegius The ruynes of Rome The description of Moscouia The Aultars of great Alexander Marishes in sommer The forest of Hercynia Wylde beastes The Scythian Ocean The beastes called Vri or Bisontes Helenes Of the Scythians and Tartars Amaxouii Horda The large dominion of the Tartars Cathay The Tartars of Europe The Tartars of Asia are subiecte to the Duke of Moscouia The Tartars beyonde the riuer of Volga Nogai Sigismundus calleth them Nogayâ—ri The noblest nation of the Tartars The ryuer Taxartes Ismael the Sophi kyng of Persia. The citie of Samarcanda Tanburlanes the myghtie Emperour of the Tartars The conquestes of Tamburlanes Baiasetes This apparell they haue of the Persians The Tartars trafficke with the Moscouites The Tartars of the South syde of Moscouia Gete and Roxolani Russia Moscouia called whyte Russia Lituania Prussia Liuonia Denmarke Norway Suecia The people of Laponia Armeline furres Bargaynyng without wordes The dark region by this dark region and pigmei is the way to Chathay by the North sea The Scythian Ocean The region of Colmogora The ryuer of diuidna The ryuer of Iuga or Iug. Vstiuga The riuer of Diuidna of Duina The riuer of Suchana The frosen sea Duina and Suchana Greonlande or Engreonland Vnderstande myles of Germany that is leagues Rych furres Lupi Ceruarii Sables The mountaynâ—s called Hiperborei Haukes of diuers kyndes The passage from Moscouia to Cathay Cathay Maister Eliot calleth Cathay the region of Sinarum The Gothes subuerted the romane Empire The north region conspired against the Romans Moscouia The citie of Mosca Richard Chaunceler told me that these masts are smoâ— what hollow on the one syde that the whole syde of the next entereth into y e same whereby they lye very close The castel of Mosca White Hares and Roe buckes The ryuer Ocha Volga Nouogradia Rha. The white Lakes The Riphean Hiperborcan mountaynes Tanais and Borysthenes The sea Euxinus The Caspian sea Astrachan Media Armenia Persia. Casan Sura Surcium Nouogrodia The Temple of Sancta Sophia The eleuation oâ— the pole at Nouogrodia Moscouia Heate by reason of shorte nyghtes The citie of Volodemaria The citie of Moscha Ottoferia Volga Riga The citie of Plescouia The citie of Lubecke From Rome to Moscouia Wynter trauayle by Ise and snow Maryshes in sommer Other writers deny this Rych furres The price of furres How many Sables skynnes for an Axe Flaxe Oxe hydes Waxe But truely They abhorre the Iewes Theyr bookes and religion The Slauon tongue spred further then any other Sainct Ierome was borne in Dalmatia now called Sclauonia Howe they number the yeeres Fewe and simple lawes The exercise of youth Shootyng The corporature of the Moscouites Theyr fare Fleshe preserued long by reason of colde Haukyng and huntyng Plentie of fyshe Fyshe long reserued in Ise. Wyne Maluasie All the North parte of the fyrme lande was called Scythia and the people Scythians Drynke cooled with Ise. Wyne of Cherryes Theyr women Thomas Paleologus The conquest of the Turkes in Grecia Howe the princes choose theyr wyues Duke Basilius War betweene the Polones and Moscouites War betweene the Moscouites and Tartars The Moscouites army Their banner Their horses and horsemen Theyr armure Hargabusiers Gunnes The Prince dyneth openly Sigismundus sayth that much of this is golde The custodie of of the citie The Dukes courte Souldyers wages of the common treasury Russia The browne coloure of the Russes Russeia The Slauon tongue spreadeth farre Vandales The princes of Russia The Duke of Moscouia Why the Duke of Moscouia was called an Emperour The great Turke The whyte kyng The Duke of Moscouia his tytle Russia baptised by Sainct Andrewe the Apostle The Moscouites warres Dyuers maners of dyuers people in the warres The Moscouites army Howe he maintayneth his army Instrumentes of warre The Moscouites and Tartars apparell The prouince of Moscouia Extreame colde Extreame heate in cold regions Litle beastes The citie of Moscouia or Mosca Holsome ayre A ryche spoyle The Iland of Solowki Bieloiesero The length of the day The trade from Moscouia to the Caspian sea Bieloiesero or the whyte lakes Diuersitie of temperameÌ„t in small distance A lake of brymstone Exchange of furres for other ware The dominion of the duke of Moscouia Volochda werste Vstiug Suchana Iug. So called of his swift and pleasant streame Pienega Nicolai Kuluio The regions by the North sea Pieza Piescoia Rubicho Czircho Czilma Petzora Pustoosero Vssa Cingulus mundi Stzuchogora Potzscheriema Camenipoias Samoged Foules and beastes Wylde people Poiassa Camen
reade them ouer to your Honours recreation as one of the principall causes wherefore at this tyme they were set foorth If varietie of matter occurrents out of forraigne countryes newes of newe founde landes the sundry sortes of gouernement the different manners fashions of diuers nations the wonderfull workes of nature the sightes of straunge trees fruites foule and beastes the infinite treasure of Pearle Golde Siluer ioyes may recreate and delight a mynde trauelled in weighty matters weeried with great affayres credit me good Madam in listning vnto this worke shall you haue recreation you shall finde delight in reading ouer these relations wherein so newe so straunge so diuers so many recreations and delightes of the mynd are expressed Your Honours good lykyng thereof wyll be to me no small contentation for this worke paynefully doone a good occasion spedyly to finish the rest of my owne labours concerning this faculty a great encouragement and comfort to bestow my whole time hereafter only in that study wherewith all my former knowledge in Philosophy and Geography may ende The whiche conueniently now I am in good hope to perfourme with my Lorde and your Ladyshyps good leaue and continuance of my duety and effectuall desire to doe your Honours the better seruice At London the 4. day of Iuly 1577. Your Honors seruaunt humbly at commaundement Richarde VVilles R. VVilles Preface vnto the Reader wherein is set downe a generall summe as it were of the whole worke THis greate and large bolume consisteth principally of foure partes agreeable vnto those foure corners of the worlde whereunto the skilfull seamen and merchauntes aduenturers of late yeeres haue chiefely traueiled and yet specially are wont to resorte The first part conteyneth foure Decades written by P. Martyr a learned graue counseller of Charles the Emperour fifte of that name concernyng the Spanyardes voyages Southwestwarde theyr famous exploites doone in these newly discouered partes of the worlde the whiche vsually wee now call the west Indies Hereunto haue we added Gonzalus Eerdinandus Ouiedus breefe historie touching the same matter so that the first part of our volume hath fiue particular bookes In the first whereof cap 1.2.3 4 and 5. P. Martir describeth Columbus first and second nauigations and discoueries of certaine Ilandes made by hym specially and his brother In the 6. chapter or booke thereof for both names we finde is set foorth Columbus third voiage and the discouery of Peru in the maigne west Indish lande In the seuenth his troubles both in the west Indies and retourne into Spaigne with his brother being both prisoners The 8. is of P. Alfonsus voyages that same way In the 9. are declared the trauailes of Vincent and Peter Pinzoni and other Spaniards likewise thither from Palos The 10. is a conclusion of the whole Decade with particuler mention of some special nouelties Colūbus fourth voiage beganne So that in the first Decade you haue historically set downe the discouerye of the west Indies taken in hande about the yeere of our Lorde .1492 by Columbus and his companions vntill the yeere 1510. as P. Martir witnesseth fol. 8. 43 47. and 54. This worthy trauayler and skilfull seaman died at Validolid in Spaigne An. dom 1506. as Lopez reporteth cap. 25. in his generall historie de las Indias The second Decade conteyneth Peru matters entituled by P. Martir Creditus Cortinens that is a continent or maigne lande as in deede it is of it selfe with the rest of America in lyke maner as Europe Affryk Asia be one continent or maigne lande vnited togeather In the fyrst and seconde chapters of this Decade shall you reade the voyages of Fogeda and Nicuesa to Dariena In the thyrd Colmenaris trauayles Nicuesa his death and the Indishe kyng Comogrus beneuolence In the fourth Vasquez Nunnez doynges in Vraba gulfe His conquest of rebellious Barbarian kyngs in the fifte In the syxt Quicedus Colmenaris ambassage out of Dariena to Hispaniola and the religion of king Commendator in Cuba The seuenth booke conteineth Petrus Arias iorney to Paria in Peru. The .8 the dissention betwixt the Spaniardes and Portugales for theyr boundes and makyng of fyue Bishops in these newely founde partes of the worlde In the 9 are shewed the ryuers of Darien and philosophically the causes of so great waters there That countrey is described in the .10 and the extreme hunger abydden by the companions of Nicuesa set forth In the fyrst second and thyrd chapters of the thyrde Decade is conteyned an abridgement of Vascus Nunnez relations concerning his voyage to the south sea for it lyeth south from Darien vsually termed nowe a dayes Mar del zur and may also be called the wyde east Indyshe Ocean The discouery thereof made by Nunnez the kyng subdued by hym especially kyng Commogrus christenyng by the name of Charles and the wynnyng of kyng Tumanama or Tubanama and his countrey In the fourth chapter shal you fynd Columbus fourth vyage began An. do 1502 to the mayne west Indyshe lande with the description of some part therof lying betwyxt our Atlantike or westerne Ocean and the aforesayde Mar del zur as Vraba and Beragua In respecte of the history and course of yeeres this booke myght haue been placed before the seconde Decade but it shoulde seeme that these reportes came no sooner to P. Martyr his handes wherefore he began this fourth booke ryght well thus I was determined c. The fyfth booke conteyneth P. Arias iorney mentioned dec 2 lib. 7. to the north syde of Peru wherein Carthagena and S. Martha two famous hauens do stande with a description of the countrey and people thereof In the syxt you haue a disputation touchyng the Leuant streame or easterne surge of the sea the discouery of Baccalaos done by Cabot P. Arias arriuall in Darien the buildyng of S. Maria antiqua there with other fortresses finally the commodities and vnwholesomnesse of Darien In the .7 8. .9 bookes shal you haue a description of Hispaniola Cuba and other Ilandes thereabout done by Andreas Moralis And in the .10 shall you reade of the Ilande Diues in Mar del zur of the kyng therof subdued by Andreas Moralis of Pearles the finding therof of Petrus Arias Captaynes doinges agaynst the Caniballes of the Barbares fowlyng the manner of the geatheryng of gold in Dariena The fourth Decade for so was it named in the Spanyards edition of P. Martyr his woorkes set forth at Alcala in Spayne An. do 1530. though the Basile and Cullen printers haue entituled it De insulis nuper inuentis that is of Ilandes lately found out to wyt after Columbus voyages this booke I say was by P. Mar. culled out of the Indian registers conteynyng speciall notes that seemed vnto hym most meete to be publyshed as the discouery of certayne Ilandes and creekes namely Iucatan done by Fernandes of Corduba his companions Cozumella the Ilands of Sacrifice the Ilandes of women the prouince Coluacan
they fel to theyr meate and ate the fyshe taken with other mens trauayle but they absteyned from the serpentes which they affirme to differ nothing from the Crocodiles of Egypt but only in bygnesse for as Plinie sayth Crocodiles haue sometymes ben found of .xviii. cubits long but of these the biggest were but of eyght foote Thus being wel refreshed they entred into the next wood where they found many of the same kynde of serpentes hanging vpon boughes of trees of the whiche some had theyr mouthes tyed with strynges and some theyr teeth taken out And as they searched the places neare vnto the hauen they sawe about .lxx. men in the top of a hygh rocke whiche fled as soone as they had espyed our men who by signes and tokens of peace callyng them agayne there was one which came neare them and stoode on the toppe of a rocke seemyng as though he were yet fearefull but the Admiral sent one Didacus to hym a man of the same countrey whom he had at his fyrste voyage taken in the ilande of Guanahaini being neare vnto Cuba wyllyng hym to come neare and not to be afraide When he hearde Didacus speake to hym in his owne tongue he came boldly to hym and shortly after resorted to his company perswading them to come without al feare After this message was done there dessended from the rockes to the shyps about threescore and ten of the inhabitantes profering frendship and gentlenesse to our men whiche the Admiral accepted thankfully and gaue them diuers rewardes and that the rather for that he had intelligence by Didacus the interpreter that they were the kynges fyshers sent of theyr lorde to take fyshe agaynst a solemne feast whiche he prepared for another kyng And whereas the Admiralles men had eaten the fyshe whiche they lefte at the fyre they were the gladder therof because they had lefte the serpentes for there is nothing among theyr delicate dysshes that they esteeme so muche as these serpentes in so muche that it is no more lawfull for common people to eate of them then Peacockes or Phesantes among vs as for the fyshes they doubted not to take as many more the same nyght Beyng asked why they fyrste rosted the fyshe whiche they entended to beare to theyr kyng they answeared that they myght be the fresher and vncorrupted Thus ioynyng handes for a token of further frendshyp euerye man resorted to his owne The Admirall went forwarde as he had appoynted folowyng the fallyng of the sunne from the beginning of Cuba called Alpha and O the shores or sea bankes euen vnto this hauen albeit they be full of trees yet are they rough with mountaines of these trees some were full of blossomes and flowres and other laden with fruites Beyonde the hauen the lande is more fertile and populus whose inhabitantes are more gentle and more desyrous of our thynges for as soone as they had espied our shyppes they flocked all to the shore bryngyng with them suche bread as they are accustomed to eate and gourdes ful of water offeryng them vnto our men and further desyryng them to come alande In al these Ilandes is a certaine kinde of trees as bigge as Elmes whiche beare Gourdes in the steade of fruites these they vse only for drynkyng pottes and to fetche water in but not for meate for the inner substance of them is sowrer then gall and the barke as harde as any shell At the Ides of May the watchmen lookyng out of the top castle of the shyp towarde the South sawe a multitude of Ilandes standyng thycke togeather being al wel replenished with trees grasse and hearbes and well inhabited in the shore of the continent he chaunced into a nauigable riuer whose water was so hot that no man might endure to abyde his hande therein anye time The day folowing espying a farre of a Canoa of fyshermen of the inhabitantes fearyng lest they shoulde flee at the syght of our men he commaunded certayne to assayle them priuily with the ship boates but they fearing nothing taryed the commyng of our men Nowe shall you heare a newe kynde of fyshyng Lyke as we with Greyhoundes do hunt Hares in the playne feeldes so doo they as it were with a hunting fishe take other fishes this fyshe was of shape or fourme vnknowen vnto vs but the bodye thereof not muche vnlyke a great yee le hauyng on the hynder parte of the head a very tough skynne lyke vnto a great bagge or purse this fyshe is tyed by the syde of the boate with a corde let downe so farre into the water that the fishe may lye close hid by the keele or bottome of the same for she may in no case abyde the syght of the ayre Thus when they espye any great fyshe or Tortoyse wherof there is great abundance bygger then great targettes they let the corde at length but when she feeleth her selfe loosed she inuadeth the fyshe or Tortoyse as swiftly as an arrowe and where she hath once fastened her holde she casteth the purse of skynne whereof we spake before and by drawyng the same togeather so graspeleth her pray that no mans strength is suffycient to vnloose the same excepte by lytle and lytle drawyng the lyne she be lyfted somwhat aboue the brymme of the water for then as sone as she seeth the brightnesse of the ayre she letteth goe her holde The praye therfore beyng nowe drawen nere to the brymme of the water there leapeth sodenly out of the boate into the sea so manye fyshers as may suffice to holde fast the praye vntyll the rest of the company haue taken it into the boate Whiche thyng doone they loose so muche of the corde that the huntyng fyshe may agayne returne to her place within the water where by an other corde they let downe to her a peece of the pray as we vse to rewarde greyhoundes after they haue kylled theyr game This fyshe they cal Guaicanum but our men cal it Reuersum They gaue our men foure Tortoyses taken by this meanes and those of suche byggenesse that they almost fylled theyr fyshyng boate for these fyshes are esteemed among them for delycate meate Our men recompensed them agayne with other rewardes and so let them depart Beyng asked of the compasse of that lande they aunsweared that it had no ende westwarde Most instantly they desyred the Admirall to come a lande or in his name to sende one with them to salute theyr Cazicus that is their kyng affirmyng that he woulde geue our men many presentes yf they would goe to hym But the Admirall lest he shoulde be hindered of the voyage whiche he had begunne refused to goe with them Then they desyred to knowe his name and tolde our men lykewise the name of theyr king Thus sayling on yet further euer towarde the West within fewe dayes he came nere vnto a certayne excedyng high mountayne wel inhabyted by reason of the
many as abode the ende of the fight the residue beyng strycken with feare disparcled and fledde to the mountaynes and rockes from whence they made a pitifull howlyng to our men desyryng them to spare them protestyng that they woulde neuer more rebell but doo what so euer they woulde commaund them yf they woulde suffer them to lyue in theyr owne countrey Thus the brother of Caunaboa beyng taken the Admiral licenced the people to resort euerye man to his owne these thynges thus fortunately atchiued this region was pacified Among these mountaynes the vale whiche Caunaboa inhabited is called Magâ—na and is exceeding fruitful hauing in it many goodly springes and riuers in the sande whereof is founde great plentie of golde The same yeere in the moneth of Iune they say there arose such a boystous tempest of winde from the Southwest as hath not lightly ben heard of the violence wherof was such that it plucked vp by the rootes whatsoeuer great trees were within the reache of the force therof When this whyrlewynde came to the hauen of the citie it beat downe to the bottome of the sea three shyppes whiche lay at anker and broke the cables in sunder and that whiche is the greater marueyle without any storme or roughnesse of the sea only turnyng them three or foure tymes about The inhabitauntes also affyrme that the same yeere the sea extended it selfe further into the lande and rose hygher then euer it dyd before by the memorie of man by the space of a cubit The people therefore muttered among them selues that our nation had troubled the elementes caused suche portentous signes These tempestes of the ayre whiche the Grecians call Tiphones that is whyrlewyndes they call Furacanes whiche they say doo often tymes chaunce in this Ilande but that neyther they nor theyr great graundfathers euer sawe suche violent and furious Furacanes that plucked vp great trees by the rootes neyther yet such surges and vehement mocions on the sea that so wasted the land as in deede it may appeare forasmuche as wheresoeuer the sea bankes are neere to any playne there are in maner euery where floryshyng medowes reaching euen vnto the shore but nowe let vs returne to Caunaboa As kyng Caunaboa therefore and his brother shoulde haue ben brought into Spayne they dyed by the way for very pensiuenesse and anguish of minde The Admiral whose shippes were drowned in the foresayd tempest perceiuing him selfe to be nowe enclosed commaunded forthwith two other shyppes whiche the Spaniardes cal Carauelas to be made for he had with hym all manner of Artificers parteyning thereunto Whyle these thynges were dooyng he sent foorth Bartholomeus Colonus his brother beyng Lieuetenant of the Ilande with an armie of men to searche the golde mynes beyng distant threescore leagues from the citie of Isabella whiche were founde by the conducte of certayne people of the Ilande before the mynes of Cipanga or Cibana were knowen In these mynes they founde certayne deepe pittes which had ben dygged in old time out of these pyttes the Admiral who affirmeth this Ilande of Hispaniola to be Ophir as we sayde before supposeth that Solomon the kyng of Hierusalem had his great ryches of golde whereof we reade in the olde Testament and that his shyppes sayled to this Ophir by the gulfe of Persia called Sinus Persicus But whether it be so or not it lyeth not in me to iudge but in my opinion it is farre of As the myners dygged the superficial or vppermost part of the earth of y e mynes duryng for the space of sixe myles in dyuers places syfted the same on the drye lande they founde suche plentie of golde that euery hyred labourer could easily finde euery day the weight of three drammes These mynes beyng thus searched founde the Lieuetenant certified the Admirall hereof by his letters the which when he had receiued the fifth day of the Ides of March Anno. 1495. he entred into his newe shyppes and tooke his voyage directly to Spayne to aduertise the kyng of all his affayres leauyng the whole regiment of the Ilande with his brother the Lieuetenant The fift booke of the fyrst Decade to Lodouike Cardinall of Aragonie AFter the Admirals departing into Spaine his brother the Lieuetenaunt buylded a fortresse in the golde mines as he had commaunded hym this he called the golden towre because the labourers founde golde in the earth and stone wherof they made the walles of the fortresse He consumed three monethes in makyng the instrumentes wherewith the golde shoulde be geathered washed tryed and moulten yet was he at this tyme by reason of wante of vittualles enforced to leaue al thynges imperfecte and to goe seeke for meate Thus as he with a bande of armed men had entred threescore myles further within the land the people of the countrey here and there resortyng to hym gaue hym a certayne portion of theyr bread in exchaunge for other of our thynges but he coulde not long tary here because they lacked meate in the fortresse whyther he hasted with such as he had now gotten Leauyng therefore in the fortresse a garrison of ten men with that portion of the Ilande bread whiche yet remayned leauyng also with them a Hounde to take those kyndes of lytle beastes whiche they call Vsias not muche vnlyke our Conies he returned to the fortresse of Conception This also was the moneth wherein the kyng Guarionexius and also Manicautexius borderer vnto hym shoulde haue brought in theyr tributes Remaynyng there the whole moneth of Iune he exacted the whole tribute of these two kynges vyttualles necessary for hym and such as he brought with hym whiche were about foure hundred in number Shortly after about the Kalendes of Iuly there came three Carauels from Spayne bringing with them sundrye kyndes of vyttualles as wheate oyle wine bakon Martelinas beefe whiche were diuided to euery man accordyng as neede required some also was lost in the caryage for lacke of good lookyng to At the aryual of these shyppes the Lieutenaunt receiued commaundement from the kyng and the Admiral his brother that he with his men should remoue their habitation to the south syde of the Ilande because it was nearer to the golde mynes Also that he shoulde make diligent searche for those kinges whiche had slayne the Christian men and to sende them with theyr confederates bounde into Spayne At the next voyage therefore he sent three hundred captiues with three kynges and when he had diligently searched the coastes of the south syde he transported his habitation and buylded a fortresse there vpon the toppe of a hyll neare vnto a sure hauen this fortresse he called saint Dominikes towre Into this hauen runneth a riuer of wholsome water replenished with sundry kyndes of good fyshes they affyrme this ryuer to haue many benefites of nature for where so euer it runneth all thinges are exceedyng pleasaunt and fruitefull hauyng on euery syde groues of
Date trees and diuers other of the Ilande fruites so plentifullye that as they sayled along by the shore oftentymes the braunches thereof laden with flowres and fruites hong so ouer theyr heades that they might plucke them with theyr handes also that the fruitfulnes of this ground is eyther equall with the soyle of Isabella or better In Isabella he lefte only certayne sicke men and shippe wryghtes whom he had appoynted to make certayne carauels the residue of his men he conueighed to the south to saynt Dominickes towre After he had buylded this fortresse leauyng therin a garryson of .xx. men he with the remanent of his souldiers prepared them selues to searche the inner partes of the West syde of the Ilande hytherto knowen onely by name Therefore about .xxx. leagues that is fourescore and tenne myles from the fortresse he chaunced on the ryuer Naiba whiche we sayde to defende from the mountaynes of Cibaua ryght towarde the south by the myddest of the ilande When he had ouerpassed this ryuer with a companye of armed men diuyded into .xxv. decurions that is tenne in a company with theyr capitaynes he sent two decurions to the regions of those kynges in whose landes were the great woodds of brasile trees Inclyning towarde the lefte hande they founde the wooddes entred into them and felled the high and precious trees which were to that day vntouched Eche of the decurions filled certayne of the ilande houses with the trunkes of brasile there to be reserued vntil the shippes came which should cary them away But the Lieutenaunt directing his iourney towarde the right hande not farre from the bankes of y e riuer of Naiba founde a certaine kyng whose name was Beuchius Anacauchoa encamped against thinhabitantes of the prouince of Naiba to subdue them vnder his dominion as he had done many other kings of the iland borderers vnto him The palace of this great king is called Xaragua is situate toward the West ende of the ilande distant from the ryuer of Naiba .xxx. leagues All the prynces which dwell betwene the West ende his palace are ditionaries vnto him All that region from Naiba to the furthest marches of the west is vtterly without golde although it be full of mountaynes When the kyng had espied our men laying a part his weapons geuyng signes of peace he spake gentelly to them vncerteyne whether it were of humanitie or feare and demaunded of them what they woulde haue The Lieuetenaunt aunsweared That he should paye tribute to the Admirall his brother in the name of the Christian kyng of Spayne To whom he sayde Howe can you requyre that of me whereas neuer a region vnder my dominion bringeth forth golde For he had heard that there was a strange nation entred into the ilande whiche made great search for golde But he supposed that they desyred some other thyng The lieutenaunt answeared agayne God forbydde that we shoulde enioyne any man to paye such tribute as he myght not easely forbeare or such as were not engendered or growing in the region but we vnderstande that your regions bryng foorth great plentie of Gossampine cotton and hempe with such other wherof we desyre you to geue vs parte When he heard these woordes he promysed with cherefull countenaunce to geue hym as much of these thynges as he woulde requyre Thus dismissing his army and sending messengers before he him selfe accompanied the Lieutenaunt and brought him to his palace being distant as we haue sayde .xxx. leagues In al this tracte they passed through the iurisdiction of other princes beyng vnder his dominion Of the whiche some gaue them hempe of no lesse goodnes to make tackelinges for shyppes then our wood Other some brought bread and some gossamppne cotton And so euery of them payde trybute with suche commodities as theyr countreys brought foorth At the length they came to the kinges mansion place of Xaragua Before they entered into the palace a great multitude of the kynges seruauntes subiectes resorted to the court honorably after their maner to receyue their kyng Beuchius Anacauchoa with the strangers which he brought with him to see the magnificence of his court But now shal you heare howe they were intertained Among other triumphes and syghtes two are especially to be noted Fyrst there mette them a company of .xxx. women beyng al the kynges wyues and concubines bearyng in theyr handes branches of date trees singyng and daunsyng they were all naked sauyng that theyr pryuie partes were couered with breeches of gossampine cotton but the virgins hauyng theyr heare hangyng downe about their shoulders tyed about the forehead with a fyllet were vtterly naked They affirme that theyr faces breastes pappes handes and other partes of theyr bodyes were exceedyng smothe and well proportioned but somwhat inclynyng to a louely broune They supposed that they had seene those most beutyfull Dryades or the natyue nymphes or fayres of the fountaynes whereof the antiques spake so muche The braunches of date trees which they bore in theyr right handes when they daunced they delyuered to the Lieuetenaunt with lowe curtesy and smylyng countenaunce Thus enteryng into the kynges house they founde a delycate supper prepared for them after theyr maner When they were well refreshed with meate the nyght drawyng on they were brought by the kynges officers euery man to his lodgyng according to his degree in certayne of theyr houses about the pallaice where they rested them in hangyng beddes after the maner of the countrey wherof we haue spoken more largely in an other place The day folowyng they brought our men to their common hall into the whiche they come togeather as often as they make any notable games or triumphes as we haue sayde before Here after many daunsynges synginges maskinges runnynges wrestlyngs and other trying of mastryes sodaynly there appeared in a large plaine neere vnto the hal two great armies of men of warre whiche the kyng for his pastyme had caused to be prepared as the Spaniardes vse the playe with reedes which they call Iuga de Canias As the armies drewe neere togeather they assayled the one the other as fiersely as if mortall enimies with theyr baners spleade should fight for theyr goodes theyr landes theyr lyues theyr libertie theyr countrey theyr wyues theyr children so that within the momente of an houre foure men were slayne and many wounded The battayle also shoulde haue contynued longer yf the kyng had not at the request of our men caused them to ceasse The thyrde day the Lieuetenant counsaylyng the kyng to sowe more plentie of gossampine vppon the bankes neere vnto the waters syde that they myght the better paye theyr trybute pryuately accordyng to the multitude of theyr houses he prepayred to Isabella to vysite the sycke men whiche he had lefte there and also to see howe his woorkes went forwarde In the tyme of his absence .xxx. of his men were consumed with diuerse diseases Wherefore
fynde hym there They sayled therefore towarde Beragua where they founde within .xvi. myles distant a ryuer whiche Colonus named Lagartos because it nourysheth great Lysards whiche in the Spanishe tongue are called Lagartos These Lysards are hurtful both vnto man and beast and in shape much like vnto the Crocodiles of the ryuer Nilus in Egypt In this ryuer they founde theyr companions and felowes of theyr errour lying at anker with the great shyppes whiche folowed behynde by the gouernours commaundement Here the whole assemblie beyng careful and disquieted by reason of the gouernours errour after consultation by the aduice of the captaynes of the Brigandines who had rased neere vnto the coastes of Beragua they sayled directly thyther Beragua in the language of the inhabitants of the same prouince is as much to say as the golden riuer The region it selfe is also called by the same name takyng name of the ryuer In the mouth of this ryuer the greatest vesselles cast anker and conueyghed all theyr victuales and other necessaries to lande with theyr shyp boates and elected Lupus Olanus to be theyr gouernour in steede of Nicuesa whom they had loste By thaduyce therfore of Olanus and the other vnder capytaines that all hope of departure myght be taken from the souldyers which they had now brought thyther and to make them the more wylling to inhabite that lande they vtterly forsooke and caste of those shyppes beyng nowe rotten for age and suffered them to be shaken and broosed of the surges of the sea Yet of theyr soundeste plankes wyth other newe made of the trees of that Region which they saye to be exceeding bigge and hygh they framed a new carauell shortelye after whiche they myght vse to serue for theyr necessitie But Beragua was founde by the vnfortunate destenye of Petrus de Vmbria For hee beyng a man of prompt wit and apt forwardnesse to attempte thinges in which sometyme fortune will beare a stroke notwithstanding our prouidence tooke vppon hym thaduenture to searche the shore to thintent to fynde a way for his felowes where they myght beste come aland For this purpose he chose hym .xii. maryners and went aboorde the shyp boate whiche serued the greatest shyppes The flowyng of the sea raged and rored there with a horryble whurling as we reade of the daungerous place of Scylla in the sea of Cicilie by reason of the houge ragged rockes reaching into the sea from whiche the waues rebounding with vyolence make a great noyse and roughnesse on the water which roughnesse or reflowing the Spaniardes call Resacca In these daungers wretched Vmbria wresteled a while but in short space a waue of the sea almoste as bygge as a mountayne reboundyng from the rockes ouerwhelmed the boate and deuoured the same with the men euen in the sight of their felowes So that of them all only one escaped by reason he was expert in swimming For getting holde of the corner of a rocke and susteyning the rage of the sea vntyll the next day when it waxed caulme and the shore was drye by the fall of the water he escaped and resorted to his companye But Vmbria with the other eleuen were vtterlye caste awaye The resydue of the companye durst not committe them selues to the shyppe boates but went alande with theyr brygantines Where remayning a fewe dayes and saylyng along by the ryuer they founde certayne vyllages of the inhabitauntes which they call Mumu. Here they began to builde a fortresse and to sowe seedes after the manner of theyr countrey in a certayne vale of fruiteful grounde because in other places the region is barren As these thyngs were thus doing in Beragua one of theyr companye standing vpon the top of a high rocke of especiall and lyftyng his eyes towarde the West began to crye Lynnen sayles lynnen sayles And the neerer it drewe towarde hym he perceiued it to be a shyp boate commyng with a lytle sayle yet receiued they it with muche reioycing for it was the fysher boate of Nicuesa his Carauel and of capacitie to cary only fyue men and had nowe but three in it whiche had stolne it from Nicuesa because he refused to geue credite to them that he had passed Beragua and left it behinde him Eastwarde For they seeyng Nicuesa and his felowes to consume daylye by famine thought that they would prooue fortune with that boate yf theyr chaunce myght be to fynde Beragua as in deede it was Debatyng therefore with theyr felowes of these matters they declared how Nicuesa erred and lost the Carauel by tempest and that he was nowe wanderyng among the maryshes of vnknowen coastes full of miserie and in extreme penurie of all thynges hauyng nowe lyued for the space of threescore and tenne dayes only with herbes and rootes seldome with fruites of the countrey contented to drynke water and yet that oftentymes faylyng because he was instant to trauayle Westwarde by foote supposyng by that meanes to come to Beragua Colonus the fyrst fynder of this mayne lande had coasted along by this tracte and named it Gracia Dei but thinhabitantes cal it Cerabaro Through this region there runneth a riuer whiche our men named Sancti Matthei distant from the West syde of Beragua about an hundred and thyrtie myles Here I let passe the name of this riuer and of manye other places by the names whiche thinhabitantes vse because our men are ignoraunt thereof Thus Lupus Olanus the conductor of one of the shyps of Nicuesa and nowe also vice Lieuetenaunt in his steede after that he had receyued this information of the Maryners sent thyther a Brigandine vnder theyr guydyng These Maryners therefore whiche came in the fyssher boate founde Nicuesa and brought hym to the place where Olanus lay whom at his comming he cast in prison and accused hym of treason because he vsurped the aucthoritie of the Lieuetenauntshyp and that for the desyre he had to beare rule and be in aucthoritie he tooke no care of his errours also that he behaued him selfe negligently demaundyng furthermore of hym what was the cause of his so long delay Lykewyse he spake to al the vnder officers sharpely and with a troubled mind and within fewe dayes after commaunded them to trusse vp theyr packes and make them redy to depart They desyred him to quyet hym selfe and to forbeare them a whyle vntyl they had reaped the corne that they had sowen whiche woulde shortly be rype for all kynde of corne waxeth rype there euery fourth moneth after it is sowen But he vtterly denyed to tarye anye whyt but that he woulde foorthwith depart from that vnfortunate lande and plucked vp by the rootes all that euer was brought into the gulfe of Beragua and commaunded them to direct theyr course towarde the East After they had sayled about the space of sixteene myles a certaine young man whose name was Gregorie a Genues borne and of a chylde brought vp with Colonus called to remembraunce that
bragged and threatened hym beyng now bound that he shoulde shortly be hanged the other kynges also his borderers reioyced at his mysfortune Whereby our men parceyued that Tumanama was no lesse troublesome to his neyghbours then was Pacra to the kynges of the south syde of the mountaynes Vaschus also the better to please them threatened hym greeuouslye but in deede entended no euyll towards hym He spake therfore sharply vnto hym with these woords Thou shalt now suffer punishment thou cruell tyrant for thy pryde and abhominations Thou shalt knowe of what power the Christans are whom thou hast so contemned and threatned to drawe by the heare of theyr heades to the next ryuer and there to drowne them as thou hast oftentimes made thy vaunt among thy naked slaues But thou thy selfe shalt fyrst feele that whiche thou hast prepared for others And heerewith commaunded hym to be taken vp Neuerthelesse geuyng a pryuie token of pardon to them whiche layde handes on hym Thus vnhappy Tumanama fearyng and beleeuyng that Vaschus had ment in ernest as he commaunded fell prostrate at his feete and with teares desired pardon Protesting that he neuer spake any suche wordes but that perhaps his noble men in theyr drunkennesse had so abused theyr tongues whiche he coulde not rule For theyr wynes although they be not made of grapes yet are they of force to make men drunken He declared furthermore that the other kynges his borderers had of malice surmised such lyes of hym enuying his fortune because he was of greater power then they most humbly desyryng Vaschus that as he tooke hym to be a iust victourer so to geue no credite vnto theyr vniust and malicious complayntes Addyng heereunto that if it woulde please hym to pardon hym not hauyng offended he woulde bryng hym great plenty of golde Thus laying his ryght hande on his breast he swore by the Sonne that he euer loued and feared the Christians sence he fyrst hearde of theyr fame and victoryes especyally when he harde say that they had Michanas that is swordes sharper then theyrs and suche as cutte in peeces all thinges that come in theyr wayes Then directyng his eyes towarde Vaschus who had his sworde in his hand he spake thus Who except he were out of his witte dare lyft vp his hande agaynst this sworde of yours wherewith you are able with one strooke to cleaue a man from the head to the nauell Let no man therfore perswade you O most myghtye victourer that euer such wordes proceeded out of my mouth As Tumanama with tremblyng spake these wordes therwith swalowyng downe the knot of death Vaschus seemed by his teares to be moued to compassion and speakyng to hym with chearfull countenance commaunded hym to be loosed This doone he sent immediatly to his pallace for thyrtye poundes weyght of pure golde artificyally wrought into sundry ouches whiche his wyues and concubines vsed to weare Also the thyrde daye folowyng his noble men and gentlemen sent threescore poundes weyght of gold for theyr fine and raunsome Tumanama beyng demaunded where they had that gold he answeared that it was not geathered in his dominions but that it was brought his auncestours from the riuer Comogrus towarde the south But the Pocchorrosians and other his enemies sayde that he lyed affirmyng that his kyngdome was ryche in golde Tumanama on the contrary part instantly protested that he neuer knewe any golde myne in all his dominions yet denied not but that there hath sometymes been found certayne small graynes of golde to the geathering whereof he neuer had any regard because they could not get it without great long labour While these things were doing the sicke men which Vaschus had left in the vyllage of Pocchorrosa came to hym the .viii. day of the Calendes of Ianuary in the yeere of Christ M.D.XIII bryngyng with them certayne labourers from the kynges of the south with sundrye instrumentes to dygge the grounde and geather gold Thus passing ouer the day of the natiuitie of Christ without bodylye labour vpon Saynt Stephens day he brought certayne miners to the syde of a hyll not farre distant from the pallace of Tumanama where as he sayth he perceyued by the coloure of the earth that it was lyke to bryng foorth golde When they had dygged a pyt not past a hand breadth and a halfe and syfted the earth thereof they founde certayne small graynes of golde no bygger then lintell seedes amountyng to the weyght of twelue graynes as they proued with theyr balances of assaie before a notarie and wytnesse that the better credite myght bee geuen thereto Whereby they argued that the rychenesse of that land was agreeable to the report of the borderers although Vaschus coulde by no meanes cause Tumanama to confesse the same They suppose that he nothyng esteemed so small a portion but other say that he denyed his countrey to be fruiteful of golde least by reason thereof the desyre of golde myght intyse our men to inhabyte his kyngdome as in deede the seely kyng was a prophet in so thynkyng For they chose that and the region of Pocchorrosa to inhabite and determyned to buylde townes in them both if it should so please the kyng of Castile aswel that they myght be baytyng places and vittailyng houses for suche as shoulde iourney towarde the south as also that both the regions were fruiteful and of good ground to beare fruites and trees Intendyng nowe therefore to depart from thence he tryed the earth by chaunce in an other place where the colour of the ground with certayne shynyng stones seemed to be a token of golde where causyng a small pyt to be dygged litle beneath the vpper crust of the earth he founde so muche golde as weyghed the peece of golde whiche the Spaniardes call Castellanum aureum and is commonly called Pesus but not in one graine Reioycyng at these tokens in hope of great riches he bad Tumanama to be of good comfort promysyng hym that he woulde be his freende and defender so that he troubled not any of the kynges whiche were frendes to the Christians He also perswaded hym to geather plentie of golde Some say that he ledde away all Tumanama his women and spoyled hym least he shoulde rebell Yet he delyuered his sonne to Vaschus to be brought vp with our men to learne theyr language and religion that he myght heareafter the better vse his helpe aswell in all thynges that he shoulde haue to doo with our men as also more politikely rule and obtayne the loue of his owne subiectes Vischus at this tyme fell into a vehement feuer by reason of excesse of labour immoderate watchyng and hunger insomuche that departyng from thence he was fayne to be borne vpon mens backes in sheetes of gossampyne cotton lykewyse also manye of his souldiers which were soo weake that they could nother go nor stande To this purpose they vsed the helpe of thinhabitantes who shewed them selues
departed fyrst from Dariena with fourescore souldiours wel appoynted whom Lodouicus Mercado folowed with fyftye To Bezerra were also fourscore assigned and threescore and tenne to Valleius Whether they shall arryue at safe and commodious hauens or fall into vnfortunate stations he onely knoweth whose prouidence ruleth all for as for vs men wee are included within the knowledge of thinges after they haue chaunced Let vs now therefore come to other matters The seuenth booke of the third decade PEtrus Arias the gouernour of the supposed continent was scarsly entred into the mayne sea with his nauye onwarde on his vyage to Dariena but I was aduertised that one Andreas Moralis a pilot who had oftentymes ouerrunne the coastes of these new seas and the Ilandes of the same was come to the court to sell such marchaundies as he brought with him from thence This man had diligently searched the tracte of the supposed continent and especially thinner regions of the Ilande of Hispaniola whereunto he was appoynted by his brother Nicolaus Ouandus the gouernour of the Ilande and chiefe Commendator of the order of the knyghtes of Alcantara bycause he was a wytty man and more apt to search suche thinges then any other so that with his owne handes he drewe faire cardes and tables of such regions as he discouered Wherein as he hath been founde faythfull of such as haue since had better tryall hereof so is he in most credite amongst the best sorte He therefore resorted to me as all they are accustomed to doe which returne from the Ocean What I learned of him and dyuers other of thinges heretofore vnknowen I will now declare The beginnyng of this narration shal be the perticular description of the Ilande of Hispaniola forasmuch as it is the heade and as it were y e principall marte of all the liberalitie of the Ocean hath a thousand againe a thousand faire pleasant beautiful ryche Nereides which lye about it on euery syde adournyng this their ladie mother as it were an other Tethis the wyfe of Neptunus enuyroning her about attēding vpon her as their queene patronesse But of these Nereiades that is to saye the Ilandes placed about her we wyll speake more hereafter Let vs in the meane tyme declare somewhat of the Ilande whiche our men named Margarita Diues whiche the Spanyardes call De las perlas beyng nowe well knowen and lying in the south sea in the gulfe called Sinus Sancti Michaelis that is saint Michaels gulfe This Ilande hath presently brought to our knowledge many straunge and woonderfull thynges and promiseth no small hope of greater thynges in tyme to come In this is founde great plentie of pearles so fayre and great that the sumptuous queene Cleopatra myght haue seemed to weare them in her crownes chaynes and braslettes Of the shelfyshes wherein these are engendered we wyll speake somewhat more in th end of this narration But let vs nowe returne to Hispaniola most lyke vnto the earthly paradyse In the description hereof we wyll begynne of the imposition of dyuers names then of the fourme of the Ilande temperate ayre and beneficial heauen and finally of the deuision of the regions Therefore for the righter pronunciation of the names your holynesse must vnderstande that they are pronounced with thaccent as you may knowe by the verge set ouer the heddes of the vowels as in the name of the Ilande Matinino where the accent is in the last vowell and the lyke to be vnderstoode in all other names They saye therefore that the fyrst inhabitours of the Ilande were transported in theyr Canoas that is boates made of one whole peece of wood from the Ilande of Matinino beyng lyke banyshed men dryuen from thence by reason of certayne contrary factions and deuisyons among them selues lyke as we reade howe Dardanus came from Corytho and Teucrus from Creta into Asia and that the region where they placed their habitation was afterward called Troianum The like we reade howe the Tyrians and Sidonians arriued with their nauie in Libya by the fabulous conduction of Dido These Matinians in like maner being banyshed from their owne countrey planted their fyrst habitation in that parte of the Iland of Hispaniola which they call Cahonao vppon the banke of the ryuer named Bahaboni as is redde in the begynnyng of the Romanes that Eneas of Troy arryued in the region of Italy called Latium vppon the bankes of the ryuer of Tiber. Within the mouth of the ryuer of Bahaboni lyeth an Ilande where it is sayde that thinhabitantes buylded theyr fyrst house whiche they named Camoteia This house they consecrated shortly after and honoured the same reuerently with continual gyftes and monumentes euen vntyll the commyng of our men lyke as the Christians haue euer religiously honoured Ierusalem the fountayne and originall of our fayth As also the Turkes attribute the lyke to the citie of Mecha in Araby and the inhabitantes of the fortunate Ilandes called the Ilandes of Canarie to Tyrma buylded vppon a hygh rocke from the whiche many were wont with ioyfull myndes and songes to cast them selues downe headlong beyng perswaded by theyr priestes that the soules of all such as so dyed for the loue of Tyrma shoulde thereby enioye eternall felicitie The conquerours of the Ilandes of Canarie founde them yet remaynyng in that superstition euen vntyll our tyme nor yet is the memory of theyr sacrifyces vtterly worne away the rocke also reserueth the olde name vnto this daye I haue also learned of late that there yet remayneth in the Ilande some of the faction of Betanchor the Frencheman and fyrst that brought the Ilandes to good culture and ciuilitie beyng thereto lycenced by the kyng of Castile as I haue sayde before These do yet for the most part obserue both the language and maners of the Frenche men although the heyres and successours of Betanchor had solde the two subdued Ilandes to certayne men of Castile Yet thinhabitours whiche succeded Betanchor and builded them houses and encreased their families there do contynue to this day and lyue quietly and pleasauntly with the Spanyardes not greeued with the sharpe colde of Fraunce But let vs nowe returne to thinhabitantes of Matinino and Hispaniola The Iland of Hispaniola was first named by the first inhabitours Quizqueia and then Haiti and this not by chaunce or at the pleasure of suche as diuised these names but of credulitie and beleefe of some great effecte For Quizqueia is as muche to say as A great thyng and that so great that none may be greater They interprete also that Quizqueia sygnifieth large vniuersall or all in lyke signification as the Greekes named theyr god called Pan bycause that for y e greatnes therof these simple soules supposed it to bee the whole worlde and that the Sonne beames gaue lyght to none other worlde but onely to this Ilande with the other adiacent about the same and therevppon
and many also with slate or other stone The Barbarians them selues confessed that they were that day fourtie thousande men at the battayle which were vanquished of a fewe by reason of the newe and vnknowen kynde of feyght with gunnes and horses For the gouernour had vnbarked .xvi. horses which were also at the battayle and so fyercely assayled the Barbarians on the backehalfe that they brake theyr array and scattered them as it had ben flockes of sheepe ouerthrowing woūding killing them on euery syde Which thing the seely wretches so imputed to a miracle that they had not y e power to occupie their weapones For wheras before they had neuer seene any horses they thought that y e man on horsebacke and the horse had ben all one beaste as the antiquitie dyd fable of the monster Centaurus Our men possessed the towne .xxii. dayes where they made good cheare vnder couert whyle the owners of the houses lay vnder the fyrmament and durst not assayle our men who had placed them selues in the stroungest part of the towne where some kept contynual watch lest the Barbarians shoulde sodenly inuade them whyle other gaue them selues to rest and sleepe The inhabitauntes call this towne Potanchana but our men for the victorie which they obteyned here named it Victoria It is a marueilous thyng to consider the greatnesse magnificence finenesse of the building of certayne palaces they haue in the countrey to the which they resort somtymes for theyr solace and pastyme These are curiously builded with many pleasaunt diuises as galeries solars turrettes portals gutters with chambers boorded after the maner of our waynescot and well floored Foure of our Spaniardes went into one of them of such greatnesse that they wandred in the same for the space of foure houres before they coulde fynde the way out At the length by the interpretours and certayne captiues our men sent for the kyng and suche rulers as were next vnder hym in aucthoritie wyllyng them to submyt them selues and to come into the towne vnarmed geuyng the messengers further in commaundement to certifie them that in theyr so doyng they woulde commune with them as concerning conditions of peace and restore them theyr towne They came gladly and entred euery man into his owne house vpon condition that they shoulde euer thereafter absteyne from such ceremonies and horrible sacrifices of mans fleshe to deuils the mortal enemies to mankinde whose Images they honoured to direct the eyes of theyr myndes to Christ our God y e maker of heauen and earth who was borne into this worlde of a virgin and suffred death on the crosse for the redemption of mankynde and finally to professe them selues subiectes to the Christian kyng of Spayne They promised both and were instructed as farre as the shortnesse of tyme woulde permit Beyng thus restored they recompensed our men with many rewardes supposyng suche men to be sent from heauen whiche beyng so fewe in number durst attempt battayle agaynst so great a multitude They gaue our men also certayne golde and twentie slaues Departyng therefore from hence and coasting styll along by the same shore they came agayne to the gulfe whiche Alaminus the pilot founde before vnder Grisalua This they named Bian Sancti Iohannis that is Saint Iohns gulfe for Bian in the Spanishe tounge signifieth a gulfe Heere the inhabitantes resorted to them peaceably About a myle from the shore was a towne of a thousand and fyue hundred houses situate vpon a hyll They profered our men halfe the towne if they would dwel with them for euer This perhaps they dyd the rather eyther fearyng the example of the inhabitantes of Potanchana the fame whereof myght haue come to theyr eares or els hopyng that vnder the shadowe of suche valiaunt men they myght obteyne ayde and succour agaynst theyr enemies and borderers For as I haue sayde before they destroy one an other with contynuall warre for the desire to enlarge theyr dominions Our men refused parpetuall habitation and accepted theyr frendly proffer for a tyme. As they came alande the people folowed them on euerye syde with bowes in theyr handes whiche they helde ouer our mens heades to defend them from the rayne as though they had walked in a continuall arbour Heere they encamped And lest the residue left in the shyps shoulde in the meane tyme waxe slouthfull with Idlenesse the gouernour gaue commaundement to Alaminus the pilot and Francis Montegius to searche the West partes of that land while he releeued the weeried souldiers and healed such as were wounded To them that went forward on this viage he assigned two brigantines with fyftie men Unto this gulfe the course of the water was gentle enough and moderate but when they had sailed a litle further toward the West they founde the sea running with so swift a course as if it were a great riuer fallyng from the toppes of hygh mountaynes insomuch that in a short space of tyme it caried them fiftie myles from theyr felowes When they were now entred into this violent streame of water they saw on their left hande a large plaine sea which met with the course of the other waters falling from the West And lyke as two great riuers that runne contrarye waies make a vehement conflict where they meete so seemed the waters comming from the South to resyst these waters as enemies that had entred into the ryght or possession of an other On the contrary part they sawe the lande reachyng farre both on the left hande and on the ryght In this stryfe betwene the waters they were so tossed on both sydes and entangled with whirlepoles that they long wrestled without hope of lyfe At the length with muche difficultie turnyng the stemmes or forpartes of theyr shyppes agaynst the streame from whence they came and labouryng all that they myght with theyr ores and sayles they coulde scarsely ouercome the rage of the water insomuche that were as they thought that they had in one nyght sayled two myles they founde that they were dryuen backe foure myles Yet at the length with gods helpe they ouercame this daungerours conflycte They spent xxii dayes in this litle space of sea And when they were nowe returned to theyr felowes declared vnto them that that ende was the lande of Coluacana whiche they adiudged to be part of the supposed continent The lande whiche they sawe a farre of before theyr face they suppose eyther to be annexed to our continent ▪ or to be ioyned to the large North regions called Baccalaos whereof we haue made mention in our Decades in the voiage of Sebastian Cabote This matter is yet doubtefull but we trust it shall once be better knowen While Alaminus and Montegius searched these secretes the kyng of the prouince whose name was Multoxumam sent our men by one of his chiefe officers beyng also his Lieuetenaunt of the sayde towne many ryche and goodly presentes of golde
is nearest to this Ilande and lyeth directly agaynst San Dominico the passage is finished in the tyme aforesayde But it shal be much better to remit all this to the carde of these nauigations and the new Cosmographie of the whiche no parte was knowne to Ptolome or any other of the olde wryters Of two notable thinges as touching the west Indies and of the great rychesse brought from thence into Spayne AFter my vniuersall discription of the historie of the Indies there commeth to my remembraunce two thinges chiefly to be noted as touchyng Thempire of these West Indies pertaining to the dominion of your maiestie and these besyde the other perticulars whereof I haue sufficiently spoken are to be considered as thinges of great importaunce Whereof the one is the shortnesse of the way with what expedition your maiesties shyppes may passe beyonde the mayne firme lande of these Indies into the new South sea called Mare del Sur lying beyond the same this to thintent to come to the Ilandes where the spices grow beside the other innumerable rychesse of y e kingdomes seigniories which confine with the said sea where are so many people nations of dyuers tongues maners The other thing is to consider howe innumerable treasures are entred into Spayne by these Indies aswell that which commeth dayly from thence as also that is continually to be looked for both of gold pearle other marchaundies which are first brought into this your realme of Spayne before they are seene of other nations or traded into other realmes Whereby not onely this your realme is greatly inriched but also the benefite thereof redoundeth to the great profite of other countreys which are neare therevnto A testimonie of this are the double ducades which your maiestie haue caused to bee coyned and are dispearsed throughout the whole worlde But after they are once passed out of this your realme they neuer returne againe because they are the best currant money of the worlde And therefore if after they haue been in the handes of straungers they chaunce to bee returned agayne into Spayne they come disguised in an other habite and are diminished of the goodnesse of theyr golde with the stampe of your maiestie chaunged So that if it were not for theyr suche defacynges in other realmes for the cause aforesayde there should not bee founde so great quantitie of fyne golde of the coyne of any prince in the world as of your maiesties and the cause of all this are your Indies Of the mynes of golde and the maner of workyng in them THis particuler of the mynes of gold is a thing greatly to bee noted and I may much better speake hereof thē any other man forasmuch as there are nowe .xii. yeeres past since I serued in the place of the surueier of y e melting shops parteyning to the gold mynes of y e firme land and was the gouernour of the mynes of the Catholike kyng Don Ferdinando after whose departure from this lyfe I serued long in the same roome in the name of your maiestie By reason wherof I haue had great occasion to know how gold is found and wrought out of the mynes and doe know ryght well y t this land is exceeding rych hauing by my accompt and by the labour of my Indians slaues geathered and fyned a great portion of the same may therfore the better affyrme this by testimony of sight For I am well assured that in no part of Castilia del oro that is golden Castile otherwise called Beragua no man coulde aske mee of the mynes of golde but that I durst haue bounde my selfe to haue discouered them in the space of ten leagues of the countrey where it should haue been demaunded me and the same to be very rych for I was alowed all maner of charges to make search for the same And although gold be found in maner euery where in these regions of golden Castile yet ought we not in euery place to bestow the trauel charge to geat it out because it is of lesse quantitie and goodnesse in some place then in some And the myne or veyne which ought to be folowed ought to be in a place which may stand to saue much of y e charges of the labourers and for the administration of other necessary thinges that the charges may be recompenced with gaynes for there is no doubt but that gold shal be found more or lesse in euery place And the golde whiche is founde in golden Castile is very good of .xxii. caractes or better in fynesse Furthermore besyde this great quantitie of gold which I haue sayd to be found in the mynes there is also from day to day found or otherwyse gotton great treasure of such wrought gold as hath ben in y e custodie of the subdued Indians theyr kynges aswel of such as they haue geuen for theyr fyne and raunsome or otherwyse as frendes to the Christians besyde that whiche hath ben violently taken from the rebelles but the greatest parte of the wrought golde whiche the Indians haue is base and holdeth somewhat of copper of this they make braslettes and chaynes and in the same they close theyr iewels whiche theyr women are accustomed to weare esteemed more then al the richesse of the worlde The maner howe golde is geathered is this eyther of suche as is founde in Zauana that is to saye in the playnes and ryuers of the champion countrey beyng without trees whether the earth be with grasse or without or of suche as is sometymes founde on the land without the ryuers in places where trees growe so that to come by the same it shal be requisite to cut downe many and great trees But after which so euer of these two maners it be founde eyther in the ryuers or breaches of waters or els in the earth I wyl shewe howe it is founde in both these places and howe it is separate and pourged Therefore when the myne or veyne is discouered this chaunceth by searchyng and prouyng in such places as by certaine signes and tokens do appeare to skylful men apte for the generation of golde and to holde golde and when they haue found it they folowe the myne and labour it whether it be in the ryuer or in the playne as I haue sayde And if it be founde on the playne fyrst they make the place very cleane where they entende to dygge then they dygge eyght or tenne foote in length and as muche in breadth but they goe no deeper then a spanne or two or more as shal seeme best to the maister of the myne dyggyng equally then they washe all the earth whiche they haue taken out of the sayde space and if herein they fynde any golde they folowe it and if not they dygge a spanne deeper and washe the earth as they dyd before and if then also they fynde nothyng they continue in diggyng and washyng y e earth as before vntyl
we laye in prison at Fuquieo we came many tymes abrode and were brought to the pallaces of noble men to be seene of them and theyr wyues for that they had neuer seene any Portugall before Many thinges they asked vs of our countrey and our fashions and dyd wryte euery thyng for they be curious in nouelties aboue measure The gentlemen shewe great curtesie vnto straungers and so dyd we finde at their handes and bycause that many tymes we were brought abrode into the citie somewhat will I say of such thinges as I dyd see therein beyng a gallant citie and chiefe in one of the thirtiene shyres aforesayde The citie Fuquieo is very great and mightily walled with square stone both within and without and as it may seeme by the breadth thereof filled vp in the middle with earth layde ouer with bricke and couered with tyle after the maner of porches or galeryes that one myght dwell therein The steyers they vse are so easily made that one may go them vp and down a horsebacke as eftsoones they doe the streetes are paued as already it hath been sayde there be a great number of Merchantes euery one hath written in a great table at his doore such thinges as he hath to sell. In lyke maner euery artisane paynteth out his craft the market places be large great aboundance of all thinges there be to be solde The citie standeth vppon water many streames run through it the bankes pitched and so broade that they serue for streetes to the cities vse Ouer the streames are sundry brydges both of tymber stone that beyng made leuell with the streetes hynder not the passage of the Barges to and fro the chanelles are so deepe Where the streames come in and goe out of the citie bee certayne arches in the wall there goe in and out theyr Parai that is a kynde of Barges they haue and this onely the day tyme at nyght these arches are closed vp with gates so doe they shut vp all the gates of the citie These streames and Barges doe ennoblyshe very muche the citie and make it as it were to seeme an other Uenice The buyldinges are euen well made hygh not lofted except it be some wherein merchandise is layde It is a worlde to see howe great these cities are and the cause is for that the houses are buylt euen as I haue sayde and doe take a great deale of roome One thyng we sawe in this citie that made vs all to wonder and is woorthy to bee noted Namely ouer a porche at the commyng in to one of the aforesayde foure houses the whiche the kyng hath in euery shyre for his gouernours as I haue erst sayde standeth a Towre buylt vppon fourtie pyllers eche one whereof is but one stone eche one fourtie handfulles or spannes long in breadth or compasse twelue as many of vs dyd measure them Besydes this theyr greatnesse suche in one peece that it myght seeme impossible to worke them they bee moreouer cornerde and in colour length and breadth so lyke that the one nothyng dyffereth from the other This thyng made vs all to wonder verye muche Wee are wont to call this countrey China and the people Chineans but as long as we were prisoners not hearing amongst them at any tyme that name I determined to learne howe they were called and asked sometymes by them thereof for that they vnderstoode vs not whan wee called them Chineans I answered them that all the inhabitantes of India named them Chineans wherefore I prayed them that they would tell mee for what occasion they are so called whether peraduenture any citie of theyrs bare that name Heerevnto they alwayes answered mee to haue no suche name nor euer to haue had Than dyd I aske them what name the whole countrey beareth and what they would answere beyng asked of other nations what countrymen they were It was tolde me that of auncient tyme in this countrey had been many kynges and though presently it were all vnder one eche kyngdome neuerthelesse enioyed that name it fyrst had these kyngdomes are the prouinces I spake of before In conclusion they sayde that the whole countrey is called Tamen and the inhabitantes Tamegines so that this name China or Chineans is not hearde of in that countrey I doe thinke that the nearenesse of an other prouince thereabout called Cochinchina and the inhabitantes thereof Cochinesses fyrst discouered before that China was lying not farre from Malacca dyd gyue occasion both to the one nation and to the other of that name Chineans as also the whole countrey to be named China But their proper name is that aforesayde I haue hearde moreouer that in the citie Nanquim remayneth a table of golde and in it written a kyng his name as a memory of that residence the kyngs were wont to keepe there This table standeth in a great pallace couered alwayes except it bee in some of theyr festiuall dayes at what tyme they are wont to let it be seene couered neuerthelesse as it is all the nobilitie of the citie goeth of duetie to doe it euery day reuerence The lyke is done in the head cities of all the other shyres in the pallaces of the Ponchiassini wherein these aforesayde tables doe stande with the kyng his name written in them although no reuerence be done thervnto but in solempne feastes I haue lykewyse vnderstoode that the citie Pachin where the kyng maketh his abode is so great that to goe from one syde to the other besydes the Subarbes the which are greater than the citie it selfe it requyreth one whole day a horsebacke going hackney pase In the Subarbes be many wealthy marchantes of all sortes They tolde me furthermore that it was Moted about and in the Motes great store of fyshe wherof the kyng maketh great gaynes It was also tolde mee that the kyng of China had no kyng to wage battayle withall besides the Tartares with whom he had concluded a peace more than fourescore yeeres agoe Neuerthelesse theyr friendshyp was not so great that the one nation might marry with the other And demaunding with whom they married they sayde that in olde tyme the Chinish kynges whan they would marry theyr daughters accustomed to make a solempne feast whervnto came all sorts of men The daughter that was to be marryed stoode in a place where shee myght see them all and looke whom shee lyked best him did shee chuse to husbande and if happely he were of a base condition hee became by and by a gentleman but this custome hath been left long since Nowe a dayes the kyng marryeth his daughters at his owne pleasure with great men of the same kyngdome the lyke order he obserueth in the maryage of his sonnes They haue moreouer one thing very good and that whiche made vs all to marueyle at them beyng Gentiles namely that there be hospitalles in all theyr cities alwayes full of people we neuer sawe any poore body begge
We therefore asked the cause of this answered it was that in euery citie there is a great circuit wherein be many houses for poore people for blinde lame old folke not able to traueyle for age nor hauyng any other meanes to lyue These folke haue in the aforesayde houses euer plentie of rice duryng theyr lyues but nothyng els Such as be receyued into these houses come in after this maner Whan one is sicke blinde or lame he maketh a supplication to the Ponchiassi and prouyng that to be true he wryteth he remayneth in the aforesayde great lodgyng as long as he lyueth besides this they keepe in these places Swyne and Hennes whereby the poore be releeued without goyng a beggyng I sayd before that China was full of ryuers but now I mynde to confyrme the same anewe for the farther we went into the countrey the greater we found the ryuers Sometymes we were so farre of from the sea that where we came no sea fyshe had been seene and salt was there very deere of freshe water fyshe yet was there great aboundance that fysh very good they keepe it good after this maner Where the ryuers doe meete and so passe into the sea there lyeth great store of Boates specially where no salte water commeth and that in Marche and Apryll These Boates are so many that it seemeth wonderfull ne serue they for other than to take small fyshe By the ryuers sydes they make leyres of fine and strong nettes that lye three handfulles vnder water and one aboue to keepe and nourysh their fyshe in vntyll suche tyme as other fyshers doe come with Boates bryngyng for that purpose certayne great chestes lyned with paper able to holde water wherein they carry theyr fyshe vp and downe the ryuer euery day renuyng the chest with freshe water and sellyng theyr fyshe in euery citie towne and village where they passe vnto the people as they neede it most of them haue nette leyres to keepe fyshe in alwayes for theyr prouision Where the greater Boates can not passe any farther forwarde they take lesser and bycause the whole countrey is very well watred there is so great plentie of dyuers sortes of fyshe that it is wonderfull to see assuredly we were amazed to beholde the maner of their prouision Theyr fyshe is chiefly nourished with the dung of Bufles and Oxen that greatly fatteth it Although I sayde theyr fyshyng to be in March and Aprill at what tyme we sawe them doe it neuerthelesse they tolde vs that they fyshed at all tymes for that vsually they doe feede on fyshe wherfore it behoueth them to make theyr prouision continually Whan we had passed Fuquien wee went into Quicin shyre where the fine claye vessell is made as I sayde before and we came to a citie the one syde whereof is built vppon the foote of a hyll wherby passeth a ryuer nauigable there we tooke Boate and went by water towarde the sea on ech syde of the ryuer we found many cities townes and villages wherein we sawe great store of marchandyse but specially of fine clay there dyd wee lande by the way to buye victualles and other necessaryes Goyng downe this ryuer Southwarde we were glad that we drewe neare vnto a warmer countrey from whence wee had been farre distant this countrey we passed through in eyght dayes for our iourney laye downe the streame Before that I doe say any thyng of that shyre we came into I will fyrst speake of the great citie of Quicin wherin alwayes remaineth a Tutan that is a gouernour as you haue seene though some Tutans doe gouerne two or three shyres That Tutan that was condempned for our cause of whom I spake before was borne in this countrey but he gouerned Foquien shyre nothing it auayled him to bee so great an officer This countrey is so great that in many places where we went there had ben as yet no talke of his death although he were executed a whole yeere before At the citie Quanche whyther we came the riuer was so great that it seemed a sea though it were so litle where we tooke water that we needed smal boates One day about .ix. of y e clocke beginning to row neare the walles with the streame we came at noone to a bridge made of many barges ouerlinked all togeather with two mighty cheyns There stayed we vntil it was late but we saw not one go either vp theron or downe except two Louteas y t about the going downe of y e sun came set them downe there the one in one side the other in the other side Than was the bridge opened in many places barges both great smal to the number of .600 began to passe those that went vp the streame at one place such as came downe at an other Whā al had thus shot the bridge than was it shut vp againe We heare say that euery day they take this order in all principall places of merchandyse for paying of y e custome vnto the king specially for salt wherof the greatest reuenews are made that the king hath in this countrey The passages of the bridge where it is opened bee so neare the shore that nothing can passe without touching the same To stay the barges at their pleasure that they go no farther forward are vsed certayne yron instrumentes The bridge consisteth of .112 barges there stayed wee vntyll the euenyng that they were opened lothesomely oppressed by the multitude of people that came to see vs so many in number that we were enforced to goe asyde from the banke vntyl such tyme as the bridge was opened howbeit we were neuerthelesse thronged about w t many boates full of people And though in other cities and places where wee went the people came so importunate vpon vs that it was needfull to withdraw our selues yet were we heere much more molested for the number of people and this bridge the principal way out of the citie vnto an other place so well inhabited that were it walled about it myght bee compared to the citie Whan we had shot the bridge we kept along the citie vntill that it was nyght than met we with an other ryuer that ioyned with this we rowed vp that by the walles vntyll we came to an other bridge gallantly made of barges but lesser a great deale than that other bridge ouer the greater streame heere stayed we that nyght and other two dayes with more quiet being out of the prease of the people These riuers do meet without at one corner point of the citie In either of them were so many barges great and small that we all thought them at the least to be aboue three thousande the greater number therof was in the lesser ryuer where we were Amongst the rest here lay certayne greater vessels called in their language Parai that serue for the Tutan whan he taketh his voyage by other ryuers that ioyne with this towards Pachin where the king maketh
and dyuers other All the Tartars whiche inhabite towarde the East beyonde the ryuer of Volga haue no dwellyng places nor yet cities or Castles but cary about with them certayne cartes or wagens couered with beastes hydes vnder the whiche they reste as we do in our houses They remoue togeather in great companyes whiche they call Hordas They are warlyke people and good horsemen and are all Macometistes Sebastian Munster in his booke of Uniuersall Cosmographie wryteth that the citie of Mosca or Moscouia conteyneth in circuite .xiiii. myles and that it is twyse as bygge as the citie of Praga in Bohemie Of the countrey of Moscouia besyde other prouinces subiecte to the same he wryteth thus It extendeth in largenesse foure hundreth myles and is ryche in syluer It is lawful for no man to go out of the realme or come in without the Dukes letters It is playne without mountaynes and full of woodds and marishes The beastes there by reason of the colde are lesse then in other countreys more southwarde In the middest of the citie of Mosca beyng situate in a playne there is a Castell with .xvii. towres and three bulwarkes so strong fayre that the lyke are scarsely seene in any other place There are also in the Castell .xvi churches and three very large courtes in the whiche the noble men of the courte haue theyr lodgynges The Dukes pallaice is buylded after the maner of the Italian buyldyng and very fayre but not great Theyr drynke is mede and beere as is the maner of the most part of the people that inhabite the North partes of the woorlde They are exceedyngly geuen to droonkennesse Yet as some saye the princes of the lande are prohibit on payne of death to absteine from suche strong drinkes as are of force to inebriate except at certayne times when licence is graunted them as twise or thrise in the yeere They plowe the ground with horses and plowes of wood Theyr corne and other grayne by reason of long colde do seldome waxe rype on the ground by reason wherof they are sometimes inforced to rype drye them in their stooues and hot houses and then grynd them They lacke wyne and oyle Moscouia is extended vnto Iurham and Corelia which are in Scithia The famous ryuer of Tanais the Moscouites call Don hauyng his sprynges and originall in Moscouia in the Dukedome of Rezense It ryseth out of a ground that is playne baren muddy full of maryshes and wooddes And where it proceedeth toward the East to the mountaynes of Scythia and Tartarie it bendeth to the south and commyng to the maryshes of Meotis it falleth into them The riuer of Volga sometyme called Rha and now called of the Tartars Edell runneth towards the North certaine myles to whom is ioyned the riuer Occa or Ocha flowing out of Moscouia and then bendyng into the South and encreased with many other riuers falleth into the sea Euximum which diuideth Europe and Asia The wood or forrest called Hircania silua occupieth a small portion of Moscouia Yet is it somewhere inhabited and by the long labour of men made thynner and barer of trees In that part that lieth toward Prusia is a kinde of great fierce Bulles called Vri or Brisonts as writeth Paulus Iouius There are also Alces much lyke vnto Hartes with long snowtes of flesh and long legges without any bowyng of theyr houx or pasternes These beastes the Moscouites cal Lozzi and the Almaines Helenes The iorney that is betweene Vlna of Lituania by Smolence to Mosca is trauayled in winter on sleades by the snow congeled by long frost and made very slypperie and compact lyke Ise by reason of much wearyng and treadyng by meanes whereof this viage is perfourmed with incredible celeritie But in the Sommer the playne countreyes can not be ouercome without difficult labour For when the snow beginneth to be disolued by contynuall heate it causeth marishes and quamyres inextricable and daungerous both for horse and man were it not for certaine Causeis made of timber with in maner infinite labour The region of Moscouia as I haue said beareth neither Uines nor Oliue trees nor yet any other trees that beare any apples or fruites of very pleasant and sweete sauour or tast except Cherry trees forasmuch as al tender fruites and trees are burnt of the cold blasts of the North wynde Yet do the fieldes beare al kyndes of corne as wheate and the grayne called Siligo whereof the fynest kynde of breade is made also Mylle and Panycke whiche the Italians call Melica Lykewyse al kyndes of pulse as Beanes Peason Tares and such other But theyr cheefe haruest consisteth of Honye and Waxe forasmuch as the whole region is replenished with fruitefull Bees which make most sweete Hony not in the husband mens hyues but euen in hollow trees And hereby commeth it to passe that both in the wooddes and shalowed launes are seene many swarmes of Bees hangyng on the bowes of trees so that it shall not be necessarie to call them togeather or charme them with the sound of Basens There are oftentymes founde great masses of Hony combes conserued in trees of the olde Hony forsaken of bees forasmuche as the husbandmen can not seeke euery tree in so great and large woods Insomuche that in the stockes or bodies of exceedyng great and hollowe trees are sometymes founde great pooles or lakes of Hony Demetrius thambassadour of the Duke of Moscouia whom he sent to the Bishop of Rome not many yeeres since made relation that a husbandman of the countrey not farre from the place where he remayned seekyng in the woods for Hony descended into a great hollowe tree full of Honye into the which he slypt vp to the breast and lyued there only with Hony for the space of two dayes calling in vaine for helpe in that desart of woodds and that in fine dispayryng of helpe he escaped by a marueylous chaunce beyng drawen out by a great Beare that descended into the tree with her loynes downewarde after the maner of men For when the man as present necessitie and oportunitie serued perceyued the Beare to be within his reache he sodenly clasped her about the loynes with his armes and with a terrible crye prouoked the beast to enforce her strength to leape out of the tree and therewith to drawe hym out as it chaunced in deede These regions abounde with Beares whiche euery where seeke both Honye and Bees not only herewith to fyll theyr bellyes but also to helpe theyr syght For theyr eyes are oftentymes dulled and theyr mouthes wounded of the Bees both which greefes are eased by eatyng of Honye They haue weakest heades as Lions haue strongest Insomuche that when beyng thereto enforced they cast them selues downe headlong from any rockes they couer theyr heades with theyr feete and lye for a tyme astonyshed
three Ilands is called Muscostrom that is boyling At the flowing of the sea it is swalowed into the Caues and is blowne out agayne at the reflowing with no lesse violence then the streames of ryuers fall from mountaines This sea is nauigable vntyl it be lower then the mouthes of the rockes Such as chaunce into it out of due time are caried headlong into Whyrpooles The fragmentes of the lost shyps are seldome cast vp agayne But when they are cast vp they are so brused and fretted against the rockes that they seeme to be ouergrowne with hoare This is the power of nature passing the fabilous Simpleiades the fearful Malea with the dangerous places of Silla and Caribdis and all other miracles that nature hath wrought in any other sea hytherto knowen to man The Ilands about Norway are of such fruitful pasture that they bryng not theyr beastes into the stables before the moneth of Nouember and do in many places wynter them abrode Suecia or Suethlande SVecia is a kyngdome ryche in Golde Syluer Copper Leade Iron fruite cattayle and exceedyng increase of fyshe of the ryuers lakes and the sea and hath no lesse plentie of such wylde beastes as are taken with huntyng Towarde the West it is ended with the mountaynes of Norway from the Castel of Wardhus vnto th ende .51.63.40 Towarde the South with the line from this ende vnto the degrees 53.30.61 And from thence vnto the degrees 61.60.30 Aboue the gulfe of Suecia towarde the north with the south end of Lapponia from the castel of Wardhus vnto the ende .62.70 Towarde the East it is ended with the line from this ende vnto the degree .63.69 c. Stokholme the chiefe citie .64.61 This is the chiefe mart towne of Suecia and is strongly defended by art and nature It is situate in maryshes after the maner of Uenice and was therfore called Stokholme forasmuch as beyng placed in the water the fundation is fortified with stockes or piles The sea entreth inâ—o it with two armes or branches of such largenesse and depth that shyps of great burden and with maine sayles may enter by the same with theyr ful fraight This suffered of late yeeres greeuous spoile and destruction to the singular exemple of cruel hostilitie and such as the lyke hath not been lyghtly shewed to any other citie receiued by league and composion In al the tract from Stokholme to the lake aboue the ryuer of Dalekarle whiche is in the degree .56 30 63 50. are mountaynes fruiteful of good syluer copper and lead They get great ryches by the salmons and plentie of other fyshes whiche they take in certayne great lakes The dukedome of Agermannia occupieth the north syde to the confines of Laponia This tract is ful of wods in the which they hunt the beastes called Vros or Bisontes which in theyr tongue they call Elg that is wylde Asses These are of such heyght that the hyghest part of theyr backes are equal with the measure of a man holdyng vp his armes as hygh as he may reach c. Vpsalia the chiefe citie .62.62.30 here is buryed the body of saint Henricus kyng and martyr Copperdalia that is the copper valley is a Dukedome southwarde from the Dukedom of Iemptia Under this is the valyant nation of the people called Dalekarly Oplandia is a Dukedome and the nauil or myddest of Scondia The citie of Pircho on the North syde of the lake of Meler â–ª was once a great citie and able to arme .xiiii. thousande men to the warres but is nowe brought to a vyllage All the tracte of Oplandia hath mynes of Syluer Copper and Steele Of the Ilandes and rockes that lye about Suecia the myddest is .67.30.61.30 These were called of the olde writers Done the reason of which name remayneth vnto this daye For there are in these innumerable multitudes of byrdes insomuch that thinhabitauntes of the next coast sayle thyther in the moneth of May whyle the byrdes syt on theyr egges which they steale and reserue them in salt for a long tyme. Bothnia BOthnia is so named of the pretious furres of all sortes that are caryed from thence into foraigne regions For by these and theyr fyshyng they haue great commoditie Salmons of the best sort are taken in these seas are great riches among these nations Bothnia is diuided into two partes as Northbothnia South Bothnia called Ostrobothhia Northbothnia is termined with the South ende of the Lapones vnto the ende .78.30.69 Towarde the East it is termined with this ende and vnto the degree .78.30.68.20 Towarde the West with the line terminyng the East syde of Suecia And towarde the South with the residue of the gulfe of Suecia from th ende that hath degrees .63.69 Ostrobothnia towarde the East is termined from the sayde ende of the most East coast And towarde the South with a line extended by the mountaynes from this ende vnto the degree .71 66 Towarde the North and West with part of the gulfe of Suecia c. Gothia or Gothlande GOthia is by interpretation good For the holy name of God is in the Germane tongue Goth that is Good At what tyme the Gothes vpon a generall consent sent foorth theyr ofspring or sucession to seeke new seates or countreys to inhabite and when they possessed the coastes of Meotis and Asia none of the olde wryters haue made mention as farre as I know But they haue been knowen since the tyme that the Romanes dilated theyr Empire by Illirium now called Slauonie vnto the ryuer of Danubius and were also famous from the time of Cesar Dictator and Octauianus Augustus by reason of their great warres at Danubius being the vtermost bound of Thempire Neuerthelesse in that renowme what Gothia was vnder what part of heauen it was scituate or of whom the Gothes tooke their original it hath been vnknowen almost to this age This is termined toward the North with the South ende of Suetia and towarde the West with the other mountaynes of Norway whiche continue from the boundes of Suetia to the mouthes of the ryuers of Trolheta c. It hath many goodly Townes Cities Castles Mines c. The citie of Visba being in the degree .61.30.54.15 was an ancient and famous mart Towne as is Genua in Italie at this day but afterward being afflicted by y e incursions of the Pirates of the Danes and Moscouites it was left desolate There remayne to this day certayne ruines whiche testifie the auncient nobilitie In this place were the firste stations of the Gothes that possessed Meotis It is at this day of fruiteful soyle and famous by many goodly and strong Castles Monasteries There is among other a Monasterie of the order of Saint Benedict in the whiche is a librarie of about two thousande bookes of old auctors About the yeere of Christe fourescore and eyght the Gothes vnto whom resorted
a great multitude of other people of these North partes of the worlde as from Liâ—onia Prusia Russia and Tartaria with diuers other countreyes makyng them diuers Kynges and Captaynes dyd depopulate and bryng in subiection the more part of Europe inuaded Italie destroied Rome inhabited that parte of Italie nowe called Lumbardie and lykewyse subdued the Realmes of Castile and Aragonie Their warres continued aboue three hundred yeeres Finland and Eningia FInlandia is as much to saye as a fayre land or fyne lande so named for the fertilitie of the grounde Plinie seemeth to call it Finnonia for he saieth that about the coastes of Finland â–ª are many Ilands without names of the which there lyeth one before Scithia called Pannonia The gulfe called Sinus Finnonicus â–ª is so named at this day of the land of Finnonia Finnonia confineth with Scithia and runneth without all Tanais that is to say without the lymittes of Europe to the confines of Asia But that the name of Einlande seemeth not to agree hereunto the cause is that this place of Plinie is corrupted as are many other in this aucthour So that from the name of Finnonia or Phinnonia it was a lykely errour to call it Pannonia forasmuche as these wordes doo not greatly differ in wrytyng and sounde so that the counterfect name was soone put in the place of the true name by hym that knew Pannonia and read that name before beyng also ignorant of Phinnonia Eningia had in olde tyme the tytle of a kyngdome it is of such largenesse but hath now only the title of an inferiour gouernour beyng vnder the dominion of the Slauons â–ª and vsyng the same tongue In religion it obserued the rytes of the Greekes of late yeeres when it was vnder the gouernance of the Moscouites But it is at this present vnder the kyng of Suecia obserueth thinstitutions of the Occidentall churche Spanyshe wynes are brought thither in great plentie which the people vse meryly and cheerefully It is termined on the North side by the South lyne of Ostrobothnia and is extended by the mountaynes Toward the West it is termined with the sea of Finnonia accordyng to this description and hath degrees .71 66. c. Of the difference of regions and causes of great cities after the description of Hieronimus Cardanus Liber .xi. De Subtilitate THere is an other difference of regions caused of cold and heate For suche as are neare vnto the poles are vexed with to muche colde and suche as are vnder the line where the Sunne is of greatest force are oppressed with heate Suche as are in the middest betweene both are nearest vnto temperatenesse Under the pole it is impossible that there should be populous cities bycause the lande is barren and the caryage or conueyaunce of fruites victualles and other necessaryes is incommodious By reason whereof it is necessarie that the inhabitauntes of such regions lyue euer in continuall wanderyng from place to place or els in small vyllages Suche as inhabite temperate regions haue meane cities aswell for that they haue more commodious conueyaunce for necessaryes as also that they may dwel better and more safely togeather then in vyllages by reason of fortifying their townes with walles and exercising of artes and occupations wherby the one may the better helpe the other Yet that olde Rome beyng in a temperate region was of such incredible bygnesse the cause was that it obteyned the Empyre of the worlde by reason whereof all nations had confluence thyther and not the greatnesse of the walles But it is necessarie that the greatest cities be in hotte regions fyrst for that in such regions part of the soile is either barren if it lacke water or els most fruitfull if it abounde with water And for this inequalitie when they fynde any place meete to susteyne a multitude it foloweth of necessitie that great cities be builded in such places by reason of great concourse of people resortyng to the same An other great cause is that whereas in such regions marchauntes come very farre to such commodious places they passe through many desarte and perillous regions So that it shal be necessary for theyr better securitie to come in great companyes as it were great armies And therefore whereas such a societie is once knyt togeather in a commodious place it should bee great hynderance aswell to the inhabitants as to marchauntes if they should wander in incommodious places And by this confluence both of such as dwell neare to such places and also of strangers and such as dwell farre of it is necessary that in continuaunce of tyme small townes become great cities as are these Quinsai Singui Cambalu Memphis Cairus or Alcair otherwyse called Babilon in Egypt But if here any will obiecte Constantinople in olde tyme called Bizantium beyng in a temperate region although it be not to be compared to such cities as are more then lx myles in circuite yet doe we answere herevnto that the Turkes Empyre is the cause of the greatnesse hereof as we sayde before of Rome The historie written in the latine tongue by Paulus Ionius byshop of Nuceria in Italie of the legation or ambassade of great Basilius Prince of Moscouia to Pope Clement the .vij. of that name In which is conteyned the description of Moscouia with the regions confinyng about the same euen vnto the great and rych Empire of Cathay I Intend first briefly to describe the situation of the region which we plainely see to haue ben litle knowen to Strabo Ptoleme then to proceede in rehearsing the maners customes religion of the people and this in maner in the like simple stile and phrase of speach as the same was declared vnto vs by Demetrius the Ambassadour a man not ignorant in the latin tongue as from his youth brought vp in Liuonia where he learned the first rudiments of letters and being growne to mans age executed thoffice of an Ambassadour into diuers Christian prouinces For whereas by reason of his approued faithfulnesse industrie he had before ben sent as Oratour to the kynges of Suecia and Denmarke the great maister of Prussia hee was at the last sent to Themperour Maximilian in whose court being replenyshed with all sortes of men while he was câ—nuersant if any thing of barbarous maners yet remayned in so docible quiet a nature the same was put away by frâ—ming him selfe to better ciuilitie The cause of his legacie or ambassade was giuen by Paulus Centurio a Genuese who when he had receiued letters commendatory of pope Leo the tenth came to Moscouia for the trade of marchaundies of his owne mynde conferred with the familiars of Duke Basilius as touching the conformation of the rites of both churches He furthermore of great magnanimitie and in maner outragious desire sought â—ow by a new and incredible viage spices might be brought from India For while before hee had exercised the trade of marchandies in
Moscouia to Cathay THe great and large prouince of Permia is distant from Moscouia two hundred and fyftie or as some sai three hundred leagues directly betwene the East and North and hath a citie of the same name by the ryuer Vischora which runneth .x. leagues beneth Camam The iorney by land can scarsely be trauailed thither but in winter by reasō of mani riuers marishes ▪ and fens But in sommer this iorney is dispatched with more facilitie in boates or smal ships by Vuolochda Vstiug and the ryuer Vitzechda which runneth into Duina .xii. leagues from Vstiug But they that go from Permia to Vstiug must sayle vp the ryuer Vischora agaynst the course of the streame and passyng ouer certayne ryuers sometymes also conueying theyr boates into other ryuers by land they come at the length to Vstiug three hundred leagues distant from the citie of Permia There is smal vse of bread in this prouince For theyr yeerely tribute they pay to the Prince furres and horses They haue a priuate language and letters of theyr owne which one Stephen a Byshop who confirmed them yet waueryng in the fayth did inuent For before beyng yet infantes in the faith of Christ they slewe and fleyde an other Byshop that was appoynted to instruct them This Stephen afterward when Demetrius the sonne of Iohn reygned was taken for a Sainct among the Ruhens Of these people there yet remayne many Idolatours here and there in the woods whom the Munkes and Heremites that go thyther do not cease to conuert from theyr vaine errour In the winter they iorney to Artach as they do in many places of Russia Artach are certaine long patentes of wood of almost six handfulles in length which they make fast to theyr feete with Latchets and therwith perfourme theyr iorneis with great celeritie They vse for this purpose great Dogges in the steade of other beastes with the which they carry theyr fardels on sleades as other do with Hartes in other places as we wyl further declare hereafter They say that the prouince toward the East confineth with the prouince called Tumen parteining to the Tartars The situation of the prouince of Iugaria is apparent by that which we haue sayd before The Moscouites call it Iuhra with an aspiration and call the people Iuhrici This is that Iugaria from whence the Hungarians came in tyme past possessed Pannonia and vnder the conduct of Attila subdued many prouinces of Europe wherein the Moscouites doo greatly glorye that a nation subiect to them inuaded and wasted a great part of Europe Georgius Paruus a Greeke borne and a man of reputation with the Prince of Moscouia wyllyng to ascribe to the ryght of his Prince the great Dukedome of Lithuania and the kyngdome of Polonie ▪ with certayne other Dominions tolde me that the Iuhgarici or Iuhgarie beyng subiects to the great Duke of Moscouia came foorth of theyr owne countrey and fyrst inhabited the regions about the Fennes of Meotis and then Pannonie which was afterward called Hungarie by the ryuer of Danubius Also that in fine they possessed the region of Morauia so named of the ryuer and lykewyse Pollonie so called of Polle whiche signifieth a playne Furthermore that Buda was so called after the name of the brother of Attila They say also that the Iuhgarie vse the same tongue that do the Hungarians the whiche whether it be true or not I do not know For although I haue made diligent inquisition to knowe the trueth hereof yet could I fynde no man of that region with whom my seruaunt beyng expert in the Hungarian tongue might speake They also pay furres for theyr tributes to the Prince of Moscouia And albeit that pearles and precious stones are brought from thence to Moscouia yet are they not geathered in theyr Ocean but in other places especially about the coast of the Ocean neare vnto the mouthes of Duina The prouince of Sibier confineth with Permia and Vuiathka the whiche whether it haue anye castels or cities I do not yet certaynely knowe In this the ryuer Iaick hath his originall and falleth into the Caspian sea They say that this region is desart because it lyeth so neare the Tartars or that yf it be in any part inhabited the same to be possessed of the Tartar Schichmamai Thinhabitantes haue a peculiar language and haue theyr cheefe gaynes by the furres of Marternes whiche in fairnesse and greatnesse excel al the furres of that kynd that are found in any other prouinces Yet could I haue no greate plentie of them in Moscouia at my beyng there Note that long after the wrytyng of this historie at Richard Chaunceler his fyrst bryng in Moscouia Duke Iohn Vasiliuiche that nowe reygneth subdued all the Tartars with theyr regions and prouinces euen vnto the great citie and mart towne of Astrachan the Caspian sea At the same tyme also there was in the Dukes Court an ambassadour that came from this prouince of Sibier who declared that his father had been sent Ambassadour to the great Chan of Cathay and that the great citie of Cambalu where the great Chan kepeth his Court in wynter was in maner distroyed by Nigromancie and Magicall Artes wherein the Cathyans are very expert as wryteth Marcus Paulus Venetus There was also at the same tyme thambassadour of the kyng of Pertia called the great Sophie This Ambassadour was apparelled al in Scarlet and spake muche to the Duke in the behalfe of our men of whose kyngdome and trade he was not ignorant The people called Czeremisse dwell in the wooddes beneth Nouogradia the lower They haue a peculiar language and are of the secte of Machumet They were sometyme subiecte to the kyng of Casan but the greater part of them are nowe subiecte to the prince of Moscouia Many of them at my beyng there were brought to Moscouia as suspected of rebellion This nation doth inhabite a large region without houses from Vuiathka and Vuolochda to the ryuer of Rama All the nation aswell women as men are very swifte of foote and expert archers wherin they so delyght that theyr bowes are in maner neuer out of their handes and geue theyr chyldren no meate vntyll they hyt the marke they shoote at Two leagues distaunt from Nouogradia the lower were many houses to the similitud of a citie or towne where they were accustomed to make salte These a fewe yeeres since beyng burnt of the Tartars were restored by the commaundement of the prince Mordwa are people inhabytyng by the ryuer of Volga on the south banke beneth Nouogradia the lower and are in al thinges lyke vnto the Czeremisses but that they haue more houses And here endeth Thempire of the Moscouites Note here that Matthias of Michou in his booke of Sarmatia Asiatica writeth that the dominion of the Duke of Moscouia reacheth from the northwest to the southeast fyue hundred myles of Germanie
by the Emperour of Moscouia and the Sophi of Persia as hereafter shall appeare where we will wryte of the sayde priuileges Maister Ienkinson at his first commyng founde some difficultie to obtayne the Emperours licence to goe into Persia but at the length by friendshyp made hee gaue him both licence to goe and also gaue him letters commendatorie vnto the Sophie and committed also to him certayne affayres of his to doe there And after certayne banquettes and honourable enterteynment accompanied him with an Ambassadour of Persia who had been long in his Courte Therefore saylyng ouer the Caspian sea they arryued on the West syde thereof Not farre from thence is a towne named Darbent where is a very strong Castell of stone made by Alexander Magnus and a wall of the length of thirtiene dayes iourney whicâ—e he made when he kepte warres agaynst the Persians and Medians that the inhabitauntes of that countrey then newly conquered shoulde neyther lyghtly flee nor his enemyes inuade them This Darbent is now vnder the dominion of the Sophie and in the latitude of .41 degrees From Darbent to Bilbec or Bilbil the porte and harborowe where they discharge theyr goods is halfe a dayes saylyng And from thence to Sharuan is ten dayes iourney This towne standeth in a valley is in the countrey of Media in the whiche towne also remayneth the Soltan or gouernour of Media vnder the Sophie In the meane tyme the Kyng of Media named Abdalica cosen vnto the Sophie came thyther and honourably enterteyned maister Ienkinson and the Englyshe merchauntes which were with him and made them a great banquet causyng maister Ienkinson who was then rychely apparelled in silke veluet and scarlet as became an Ambassadour for the Queenes maiestie to sit downe somewhat farre from him The Kyng him selfe dyd sitte in a very ryche Pauilion wrought with silke and golde of the length of sixtiene fatham or thereabout placed on a hylles syde hauyng before him a goodly fountayne of fayre running water wherof he and his nobilitie dronke He was rychly apparelled with long garments of silke and cloth of golde brodered with pearle and pretious stones Uppon his head he had a Cappe with a sharpe ende of halfe a yarde long standyng vpryght of ryche cloth of golde wrapped about with a piece of Indian silke of twentie yardes long wrought with golde On the lefte syde of his Tollepan so is the cappe called was a plume of feathers set in a troonke of golde rychly inameled and set with precious stones At his eares he wore earerynges with pendantes of golde and stones a handful long with two great Rubies of great value in the endes therof All the grounde within his Pauilion was couered with Carpettes and vnder him selfe was spred a square Carpet wrought with siluer and golde and therevppon were layde two sutable Cussions Thus the kyng and his noble men satte in his Pauilion with theyr legges acrosse as doe Taylers Yet commaunded stooles to be gyuen to our men bycause they coulde not sitte so then caused meate to be sette before them and made them a banquet of a hundred dyshes of meate and as many of fruites and conserues After the banquet he caused them to goe with him a huntyng and hauking in the which they killed certayne beastes and Cranes Maister Ienkinson founde so much fauour with this kyng that at his departyng he commended him to the Sophie with his letters and also wrote in his fauour to his sonne being then in the Sophies courte So that after his commyng thyther by his meanes he came at the length to the presence and speache of the Sophie whiche otherwyse he should haue done very hardly by reason of the Turkes Ambassadours which then were there and resisted his affayres with many persuasions to the Sophie and other of his nobilitie agaynst the Christians as mortall enemies both to the Turkes and Persians and theyr religion And whereas a whyle before a perpetuall peace and amitie was concluded betweene the Turke and the Sophie the Ambassadours woulde persuade him that his friendshyp with the Christians or contracte with them touchyng any affaires and especially suche as myght be preiudiciall to the Turke or any of his subiectes myght engender newe suspitions and occasions of breache of the laâ—e concluded peace with many suche other surmised accusations Wherevppon the Sophie stayde and prolonged the tyme before he woulde admit maister Ienkinson to his speache At the length when by the friendshyp and fauour of Kyng Abdalaca and his sonne with other friendes made in the courte the tyme was appoynted that maister Ienkinson shoulde be heaâ—de there was one that came to him without the courte gate before he lyght from his horse on the ground and gaue him a payre of shooes sent from the Sophie suche as he him selfe was wonte to weare in the nyght when he ryseth to pray willyng him to put them on his feete for that it was not otherwyse lawfull for him beyng a Gawar or Caffer that is a mysbeleeuer to treade vppon that holy grounde When hee came to his presence he demaunded of him of what countrey of Frankes he was meanyng by Frankes Christians For they call all Christians Frankes that is Frenche men as we commonly call all Mahumetans Turkes although there bee many Mahumetans of other nations besyde Turkes He answered that he was a Christian of the best Frankes of the countrey of Englande declaryng further vnto him the cause of his commyng thyther to be for the great commoditie of him and his subiectes by the way of merchandies as myght further appeare by the letters directed vnto his maiestie from the Queene of Englande his Prince and the Emperour of Moscouia Muche more talke had he with maister Ienkinson not here to be written but by reason of the Turkes Ambassadours at this present was no great thyng done heerein to the preferment of the merchantes affayres Yet he commaunded that maister Ienkinson shoulde be honourably vsed and sent him certayne ryche apparell At this tyme was also in the Sophies courte the sonne of the Kyng of the Georgians a Christian Sismatike as they are nowe called The same tyme also a sonne of the Turkes who had before attempted somewhat agaynst his father and fledde to the Sophie was by him at the Turkes request deteyned in prison And vppon the late conclusion of peace the Turke required the Sophie to send him his head which hee graunted and sent it him by the sayd Ambassadours This voyage of maister Ienkinson was in the yeere .1561 Here foloweth such informations as was gyuen mee by maister Geferie Ducate principall Agent of the merchanteâ— for the last voyage into Persia in the yeere of our Lord â–ª 1568. beginning in the dominion of the Sophie at the citie of Shamaki in Media bycause the beginning of the voyage from Moscouia hytherto is declared heere before SHamaki is the fayrest towne in all Media and the chiefest commoditie
employed in rawe sylke They haue few bookes and lesse learnyng and are for the most part very brutyshe in all kynde of good sciences sauing in some kynde of sylke workes and in suche thynges as parteyne to the furniture of Horses in the which they are passyng good Theyr lawes are as is theyr religion wicked and detestable And yf any man offend the Prince he punysheth it extreamely not only in the person that offendeth but also in his chyldren and in as many as are of his kynne Theft and murder are often punished yet none otherwyse then pleaseth hym that is ruler in the place where the offence is committed and as the party offendyng is able to make frendes or with money to redeeme his offence There is often tymes great mutenye among the people in great townes whiche of Mortus Ali sonnes was greatest Insomuche that sometymes in the towne two or three thousand people are togeather by the eares for the same as I haue seene in the towne of Shamaky and Ardaruill and also in the great citie of Teueris where I haue seene a man comming from feightyng in a brauerie bryngyng in his hande foure or fyue mens heades carrying them by the heare of the head for although they shaue theyr heades most commonly twyse a weeke yet leaue they a tuft of heare vpon the crowne about two foote long I haue enquired why they leaue that tuft of heare vppon theyr heades They answere that thereby they may easlyer be caryed vp into heauen when they are dead For theyr religion they haue certayne priestes who are apparelled lyke vnto other men They vse euerye mornyng and afternoone to go vp to thetoppes of theyr churches and tell there a great tale of Mahumet and Mortus Ali and other preachyng haue they none Their Lent is after Christmas not in abstinence from flesh only but from al meates drynkes vntill the day be of the skye but then they eate sometimes the whole night And although it be against theyr relygion to drynke wyne yet at nyght they wyll take great excesse thereof and bee dronken Theyr lent begynneth at the newe Moone and they do not enter into it vntyll they haue seene the same Neyther yet doth theyr lent ende vntill they haue seene the next new Moone although the same through close weather shoulde not be seene in long tyme. They haue among them certayne holy men whom they call Setes counted holy for that they or any of theyr auncestours haue been on pilgrimage at Mecha in Arabia for whosoeuer goeth thyther on pilgrimage to visite the sepulchre of Mahumet both he and all his posteritie are euer after called Setes and counted for holy men and haue no lesse opinion of them selues And if a man contrarye one of these he wyll saye that he is a sayncte and therefore ought to be beloued and that he can not lye although he lye neuer so shamefully Thus a man may be to holy and no pryde is greater then spirituall pride of a mynde puffed vp with his owne opinion of holynesse These Setes do vse to shaue theyr headdes all ouer sauyng on the sydes a litle aboue the temples the whiche they leaue vnshauen and vse to brayde the same as women do theyr heare and weare it as long as it wyll growe Euery mornyng they vse to worshyppe God Mahumet and Mortus Ali and in praying turne them selues towarde the South because Mecha lyeth that way from them When they be in trauayle on the way many of them wyll as soone as the Sunne ryseth lyght from theyr horses turnyng them selues to the South and wyll laye theyr gownes before them with theyr swoordes and beades and so standyng vpryght worshyp to the South And many tymes in theyr prayers kneele downe and kysse theyr beades or somewhat els that lyeth before them The men or women do neuer go to make water but they vse to take with them a poâ—te with a spout and after they haue made water they flashe some water vppon theyr pryuie partes and thus do the women aswell as the men and this is a matter of great religion among them and in making of water the men do cowre downe as well as the women When they earnestly affirme a matter they wyll sweare by God Mahumet or Mortus Ali and sometymes by all at ones as thus in theyr owne language saying Olla Mahumet Ali. But if he sweare by the Shaughes head in saying Shaugham basshe you may then beleeue hym if you wyll The Shaugh keepeth a great magnificence in his courte and although sometymes in a moneth or syxe weekes none of his nobilitie or counsayle can see hym yet go they dayly to the courte and tary there a certayne tyme vntyll they haue knowen his pleasure whether he wyll commaund them any thyng or not He is watched euery nyght with a thousand of his men whiche are called his Curshes who are they that he vseth to sende into the countreys about his greatest affayres When he sendeth any of them if it be to the greatest of any of his nobilitie he wyll obeye them although the messenger shoulde beate any of them to death The Shaugh occupieth hym selfe alwayes two dayes in the weeke in his Bathestoue and when he is disposed to go thither he taketh with hym fyue or syxe of his concubines more or lesse and one day they consume in washyng rubbyng and bathyng hym and the other day in paryng his nayles and other matters The greatest part of his lyfe he spendeth amongst his wyues and concubines He hath nowe reigned about fyftie and foure yeeres and is therefore counted a very holy man as they euer esteeme theyr kynges if they haue reigned fyftie yeeres or more for they measure the fauoure of God by a mans prosperitie or his displeasure by a mans misfortune or aduersitie The great Turke hath this Shaugh in great reuerence because he hath reigned kyng so long tyme. I haue sayde before that he hath foure wyues and as many concubynes as hym lysteth and if he chaunce to haue any chyldren by any of his concubines and be mynded that any of those chyldren shall inherite after hym then when one of his wyues dyeth the concubine whom he so fauoureth he maketh one of his wyues and the chylde whom he so loueth best he ordayneth to be kyng after hym What I hearde of the maner of theyr mariages for offending of honest consciences and chaste eares I may not commit to wrytyng their fastyng I haue declared before They vse Circumcision vnto chyldren of seuen yeeres of age as doo the Turkes Theyr houses as I haue sayde are for the most part made of Brycke not burned but only dryed in the Sunne In theyr houses they haue but litle furniture of housholde stuffe except it be theyr Carpets and some Copper worke for all theyr Kettles and Dyshes wherein they eate
are of Copper They eate on the grounde sittyng on Carpets crosse legged as do taylers There is no man so symple but he sytteth on a Carpet better or worse and the whole house or roome wherein he sytteth is wholy couered with Carpets Theyr houses are all with flatte roofes couered with earth and in the sommer tyme they lye vpon them all nyght They haue many bonde seruauntes both men and women â–ª Bond men and bond women is one of the best kinde of merchandies that any man may bryng When they bye anye maydes or young women they vse to feele them in all partes as with vs men do horses when one hath bought a young woman yf he lyke her he wyll keepe her for his owne vse as long as hym lysteth and then selleth her to an other who doth the like with her So that one woman is sometymes solde in the space of foure or fyue yeeres twelue or twentie tymes If a man keepe a bonde woman for his owne vse and yf he fynde her to be false to hym and geue her body to any other he may kyll her yf he wyll When a merchant or trauailer commeth to any towne where he entendeth to tarry any time he hyreth a woman or sometimes two or three duryng his abode there And when he commeth to an other towne he doth the lyke in the same also for there they vse to put out theyr women to hyre as wee doo here hackneye Horses There is a verye great ryuer whiche runneth through the playne of Iauat whiche falleth into the Caspian sea by a towne called Backo neare vnto whiche towne is a strange thyng to beholde For there ishueth out of the grounde a marueilous quantitie of Oyle which Oyle they fetch from the vttermost boundes of al Persia it serueth all the countrey to burne in theyr houses This Oyle is blacke and is called Nefte they vse to cary it throughout all the countrey vpon Kyne and Asses of which you shal oftentymes meete with foure or fyue hundred in a company There is also by the sayde towne of Backo an other kinde of Oyle whiche is whyte and very precious and is supposed to be the same that here is called Petroleum There is also not farre from Shamaky a thyng lyke vnto Tarre and ishueth out of the grounde whereof we haue made the proofe that in our shyps it serueth well in the steade of Tarre In Persia are Kyne of two sortes the one lyke vnto ours in these partes the other are marueylous euil fauoured with great bones and very leane and but little heare vppon them theyr milk is walowish sweete they are like vnto them which are spoken of in the scripture which in the dreame of Pharao signified the seuen deare yeeres for a leaner or more euill fauoured beast can no man see In the countrey of Sheruan sometyme called Media if you chaunce to lye in the fieldes neare vnto any village as soone as the twylyght begynneth you shall haue about you two or three hundred Foxes whiche make a marueylous wawelyng or howlyng and yf you looke not well to your victuales it shall scape them hardly but they wyll haue part with you The Caspian sea doth neyther ebbe nor flowe except sometymes by rage of wynde it swelleth vp very hygh the water is very salt Howbeit the quantitie of water that falleth out of the great ryuer of Volga maketh the water freshe at the least twentie leagues into the sea The Caspian sea is marueylous full of fyshe but no kynde of monstrous fysh as farre as I coulde vnderstande yet hath it sundry sortes of fyshes whiche are not in these parties of the worlde The Mutton there is good and the Sheepe great hauyng verye great rumpes with much fat vppon them Ryse and Mutton is theyr cheefe victuale Of the Empire of the Persians and of theyr originall THe kyngdome or Empire of the Persians as it was in auncient tyme most famous euen so is it at these dayes mightie glorious comprehendyng many great large regions For all the tracte of Asia which is betweene the riuer of Tigris the gulfe of Persia and the Indian sea sometime called the sea Indus and the ryuer Iaxartes at this day called Chefell euen vnto the Caspian sea is at this day vnder the dominion of the Sophie of Persia. Of the originall of the Sophies thus writeth Caelius Curio in his Saracenicall historie In the yeere of our Lord .1369 was a certayne Prince among the Persians who possessed the towne of Ardenelim his name was Sophi glorified him selfe to discende of the rase and progenie of Alis Muamedis by Musan Cazin his Neuie He after the death of Calyfa the Soltan of Babilon and the contrary faction which the Turkes defended suppressed also of the Tartars began more boldly and freely to professe his opinion and sentence of theyr religion And bycause that Ocemus the sonne of Alis from whom he glorified him selfe to descend had twelue children willyng to adde to them of his secte a certayne signe whereby they myght be knowen from other ordeyned that they that would embrace his secte and profession should were on their heads a high cappe of purple vnder a vele wherwith all the Turkes inuolue theyr heades and in theyr language call it Tulibante hauing in the middest of it .xii. plumes or shappe toppes After his death succeeded his sonne Guines who in all the East partes obteyned so great opinion of wisedome and holinesse that most famous Tamerlanes Emperour of the Parthians who before had taken Bayazetes kyng of the Turkes made a iourney into Persia to visit him as a most holy man of whom Guines had so much fauour that he obteyned of him the libertie of .xxx. thousande Captiues which he brought with him whom also Guines addicted to his faction and his sonne Secaidar vsed them in his warres For with these after the death of Guines he made warre to certayne people of Scythia named Georgians his borderers beyng Christians afflicted them very greeuously Thus much of the originall of the Sophie of Persia they keepe continually warres with the Turkes for the religion of Mahumet For the Sophians or Persians folowe one maner of interpretation of Mahumettes religion and the Turkes an other the which interpretations neuerthelesse are so differyng one from the other that the one of them esteemeth the other for heretikes The Persians are of liberall nature of muche ciuilitie and curtesie greatly esteeming artes and sciences they acknowledge a certaine worthinesse or nobilitie among men wherin they differ much from the Turkes which make no difference betweene slaues and worthier men or Gentelmen Of the Region of Persia and the maners of the Persians Marcus Paulus Venetus writeth thus Cap. xix Lib. 1. PErsia is a great and large prouince was once noble and of great fame but nowe devastate and ouerrun by the Tartars it is of
in Calecut Fanan .30 One of two Carattes Fanan .65 Of three Carattes Fanan .150 Of three Carattes and a halfe Fanan .200 Of foure Carattes Fanan .300 Of foure Carattes and a halfe Fanan .350 Of fyue Carattes Fanan .400 Of fyue Carattes and a halfe Fanan .450 Of syxe Carattes Fanan .530 Of syxe Carattes and a halfe Fanan .560 Of seuen Carattes Fanan .630 Of seuen Carattes and a halfe Fanan .660 One of .viii. Carattes that hath ben well prooued in the fyre is woorth Fanan .800 Of .viii. Carattes and a halfe Fanan .900 One suche of tenne Carattes Fanan .1300 One of .x. Carattes and a halfe Fanan â–ª 1600 Of .xii. Carattes Fanan .2000 Of .xiiii. Carattes Fanan 3000 Of .xvi. Carattes Fanan 6000 Of the kynd of Rubies called Spinelle THere is also founde an other kynde of Rubies which we call Spinelle and the Indians Caropus They growe in the selfe same countrey of Pegu where as are the fyne Rubies are found in the mountaines in the vpper crust or floure of the earth These are not so fine nor of so good colour as are the true Rubies but haue somewhat the colour of a Granate which we commonly call a Garnet yet of these suche as are perfect in theyr colour are of value halfe lesse then true Rubies Of the Rubies called Balassi BAlassi are of the kyndes of Rubies but are not so hard their colour is somewhat lyke a Rose and some are in maner whyte they growe in Balassia whiche is a region within the firme lande aboue Pegu and Bengala and are brought from thence by merchants of the Moores to Calecut where they are wrought and pullyshed and are solde of the same price that are Spinel Of the Diamondes of the old myne THese Diamondes are founde in the first India in a kyngdome of the Moores named Decan from whence they are brought to other regions There are also founde other Diamondes whiche are not so good but somewhat whyte and are called Diamondes of the newe myne whiche is in the kyngdome of Narsinga They of the olde myne are not pullyshed in India but in other places There are made lykewyse in India other false Diamondes of Rubies Topases and whyte Saphires whiche appeare to be fyne and are also founde in the Ilande of Zeilam these stones differ in none other sauyng that they haue lost theyr natural colour Of these some are found that haue halfe the colour of Rubies other of Saphires other also of the colour of a Topase other haue al these colours myngled togeather They bore a fine hole in these through the middes whereby they appeare lyke the eyes of a Catte Of the whytest they make many small Diamondes whiche can not be knowen from the true sauyng by touchyng of such as are skylful in that practise They are solde by a poyse or wayght whiche they call Mangiar whiche weyeth two Tarre and two thirdes whiche amount to two thirdes or third partes of one Carat for foure Tarres wey one Fanan which is about two Carattes Eyght Diamondes that wey one Mangiar whiche is two third partes of a Carat are in value Fanan â–ª xxx whiche are three crownes of golde Sixe Diamundes that weigh one Mangiar Fanan .40 Foure that weigh one Mangiar Fanan .60 Two that weigh one Mangiar Fanan .80 One that weygheth one Mangiar Fanan .100 One of one Mangiar and a quarter Fanan .165 One of one Mangiar and a halfe Fanan .180 Of one Mangiar and three quarters Fanan .220 Of two Mangiars Fanan .320 Of two Mangiars and a quarter Fanan .360 Of two Mangiars and a halfe Fanan .380 Of two Mangiars three quarters full perfect Fanan .420 Of three Mangiars of lyke perfection Fanan .450 Of three Mangiars and a halfe Fanan .480 Of foure Mangiars Fanan .550 Of fyue Mangiars Fanan .750 Of sixe Mangiars Fanan .800 Of seuen Mangiars Fanan .1200 Of eight Mangiars Fanan .1400 And thus they proceede increasyng the price as they increase in weyght Of Saphires IN the Ilande of Zeilam are founde the beste and moste true Saphires being very hard and fine and of the colour of Azure They are of price as foloweth One that weigheth one Caratte is of value which are about two Marcels of siluer Fanan .2 One of the weyght of two Carattes Fanan .5 Of three Carattes Fanan .10 Of foure Carattes Fanan .15 Of fyue Carattes Fanan .18 Of sixe Carattes Fanan .28 Of seuen Carattes Fanan .35 Of eight Carattes Fanan .50 Of niene Carattes Fanan .60 Of tenne Carattes Fanan .65 Of eleuen Carattes Fanan .70 Of twelue Carattes Fanan .75 Of .xiii. Carattes in all perfection of colour Fanan .115 Of .xiiii. Carattes Fanan .160 Of .xv. Carattes Fanan .180 Of .xvi. Carattes Fanan .200 Of .xviii. Carattes Fanan .250 One that weigheth a Mitigall which is .xi. Fanans and a quarter that is about .xxiii. Carattes Fanan .350 Lykewyse in the Ilande of Zeilam is founde an other sorte of Saphires which they call Quinigelinam These are not so strong of darker colour and of much lesse value then are the other of the best kynd wherof one is woorth thirtiene of these of equal poyse Also in the kyngdome of Narsinga in a mountayne aboue Bacanor and Mangalor is found an other sorte of Saphires more tender and of woorse colour which they call Cinganloam These are somewhat whyte and of small value So that the most perfecte of this kynde weighing .xx Carattes is not woorth one Ducate Theyr colour is inclynyng somewhat to yelowe There is lykewyse founde an other kynde of Saphires vppon the sea coastes of the kyngdome of Calecut in a place named Capucar These the Indians call Carahatonilam They are of a darke Azure colour not shynyng but in the cleare ayre They are also tender brickle and of small estimation among the Indians They seeme on the one sydâ— lyke glasse Of Topasies THe naturall Topasies growe in the Iland of Zeilam and are named of the Indians Purceragua It is a harde and fine stone and of equall estimation with the Rubie the Saphire bycause all these three are of one kynde The perfecte colour of this is yelowe lyke vnto fine beaten gold and if it be perfecte and cleane whether it be great or litle it is woorth in Calecut as much fine gold as it weigheth But if it be not perfect it is woorth the weight of golde the Fanan which is lesse by the halfe And if it be in maner whyte it is woorth much lesse And of these are small Diamundes counterfecte Of Turquesses TUrquesses are founde in Exer a place of Siech Ismaell Theyr Mine is a drye earth that is founde vppon a blacke stone which the Moores take of in small peeces and carry them to the Ilande of Ormus from whence they are brought to diuers partes of the worlde by sea and by lande The Indians call them Perose They are soft stones of small weight and not much colde to know that they are good true in
the day they shal appeare of the very colour of the Turquesse and in the nyght by the light they shall appeare greene They that are not so perfecte doe not so chaunge theyr colour to the sight If these stones be cleane and of fine colour they haue vnderneth in the bottome a blacke stone vppon the which they growe And if any little vayne ryse vppon the sayde stone it shall be the better And to know more certainely that they are true Turquesses they put on the toppes of them a little quicke lyme tempered with water after the maner of an oyntment So that if the quicke lime appeare coloured they are iudged perfect and are of value as foloweth One that weigheth one Caratte is worth in Malabar Fanan .15 One of two Carattes Fanan .40 Of foure Carattes Fanan .90 Of sixe Carattes Fanan .150 Of eight Carattes Fanan .200 Of ten Carattes Fanan .300 Of twelue Carattes Fanan .450 Of fourtiene Carattes Fanan .550 Of greater then these they make none accompte bycause they are lyghter peeces and of greater circuite These of the byggest sorte the Moores carrie into the kyngdome of Guzerath Of Iacinthes IAcinthes growe in the Ilande of Zeilam They are tender stones and yelowe They are best that are of deepest colour The greatest parte of these haue in them certayne pimples or burbuls which diminyshe theyr fayrenesse And they that are in theyr perfection cleaue from this deformitie are neuerthelesse of small value For in Calecut where they are polyshed they that weygh one Fanan are woorth no more then halfe a Fanan And they of .xviii. Fanans are not woorth .xvi. Fanans There are also found other stones lyke vnto cattes eyes as Chrisolytes Amethystes which they do not much esteeme bicause they are of small value as also the stones called Giagonze Of Smaragdes or Emeraldes SMaragdes growe in the countrey of Babylon where the Indians cal the sea Dieguan They grow also in other parts of India They are stones of fayre greene colour and are light and tender Of these stones many are counterfect But lookyng on them curiously towarde the lyght the counterfectes shewe certayne burbuls as doeth glasse but in the true there is no suche seene but rather there appeareth to the eye a certayne verdour shynyng lyke the beames of the Sunne and being rubbed vppon the touche stone they leaue the colour of copper And the Smaragde of this forte is the best and most true and is in value in Calecut as muche as a Diamunde and somewhat more And this not by weyght but by greatnesse bycause the Diamunde quantitie for quantitie is of greater weyght then the Smaragde There is lykewyse founde an other kynde of Smaragdes which are greene stones but not so muche esteemed Neuerthelesse the Indians reserue these to set them foorth with other precious stones They leaue not any greene colour vppon the touche Of dyuers kindes of Spices where they growe what they are woorth in Calecut and whyther they are carried from thence Of Pepper FYrst in all the kyngdome of Malabor and Calecut Pepper groweth and is sold in Calecut by euery CC. Bahars fine for CCxxx Fanans euery Fanan as I haue sayde being in value one ryall of place of Spayne which is as muche as one Marcell of siluer in Uenice Bahar weigheth foure Cantares of the olde weyght of Portugale by the which they sell all spices in Lisbona Cantare is in Uenice Cxii pounde weyght of the grosse pounde beyng xviii ounces and of the subtyle pounde Clxxviii So that the sayde .712 poundes of Uenice subtile will cost about .xx. frenche crownes of gold which amount to about two Marchetti which make one penny the pounde They paye also to the kyng of Calecut for custome .xii. Fanans euery Bahar by the lode They that buye them are accustomed to bryng them to Cambaia Persia Aden and Mecha and from thence to Alcayr and Alexandria Now they paye custome to the kyng of Portugale after the rate of 6562. Maruedies the Bahar which are .193 Fanans Maruedies are Spanyshe coynes wherof sixe goe to a penny This do they partly bycause there arryueth no more so great diuersitie of merchauntes to buye them and partly by the agreement whiche the sayd kyng of Portugale made with those kynges the Moores and merchauntes of the countrey of Malabar Much pepper groweth lykewyse in the Ilande of Sumatra neare vnto Malaca which is fayrer and bigger then that of Malabar but not so good and strong This is brought from Bengala to China and some part to Mecha priuylie and by stealth vnwares to the Portugales whiche would not otherwyse suffer them to passe It is woorth in Sumatra from .iiii. C. vnto .vii. C. Maruedies the Canter of Portugale of the newe weight And from the new to the olde weight in Portugale the difference is two ounces in the pounde weight For the olde pounde consisteth of .xiiii. ounces and the newe pounde of xvi ounces Of Cloues CLoues growe in the Ilandes of Molucca from whence they are brought to Malacha and then to Calecut and the countrey of Malabar They are woorth in Calecut euery Bahar which is .712 poundes of the subtile pound of Uenice from .500 to .600 Fanans which are about fyftie frenche crownes whiche are in value about twelue Marchetti the pounde weyght and beyng cleane from stalkes huskes are in value .700 Fanans To carry them from thence into other regions they paye for pasporte xviii Fanans the Bahar which is woorth in Malacca from .x. to .xiiii. Ducades according to the rate and custome of the merchauntes Of Cinamome CInamome of the beste sorte groweth in the Ilande of Zeilam and in the countrey of Malabar groweth the woorst That of the best kynde is of small price in Zeilam But in Calecut if it be choyse and freshe it is woorth 300. Fanans the Bahar which are about fyue Marchetti the pounde Of Ginger called Beledi GInger Beledi groweth on euery side about Calecut from sixe to ntene myles and is woorth the Bahar .xl. Fanans and sometymes fyftie which is lesse then one Marchetto the pounde They bryng it from the mountaynes and out of the countrey to the citie where they sell it by retayle to the Indian merchauntes who geather it togeather in great quantitie and keepe it to such tyme as the Moores shippes arryue there to whom they sell it by the price of .xc. Fanans to Cx. which is lesse then two Marchetti the pounde bycause the weight is greater Of Ginger Mechino GInger Mechino groweth begynnyng from the mountaine of Deli vnto Canonor It is small and not so whyte nor so good as the other It is woorth the Bahar in Canonor about .60 Fanans whiche is about one Marchetto the pounde They paye for the Bahar sixe Fanans in money for the custome It is solde vncleansed or vnpurged Of greene Ginger in conserues IN Bengala is founde great plentie of Ginger Beledi of the which they make muche Ginger in conserues with Suger
and carrie it in stone pottes from Martabani to bee solde in the countrey of Malabar and is woorth the Farazuola which is .xxii. poundes and sixe vnces after the rate of xiiii.xv or .xvi. Fanans That that is freshe and made in conserues is woorth in Calecut .xxv. Fanans the farazuola bycause Suger is deare there Greene Ginger to put in conserues is woorth in Calecut three quarters of one Fanan the farazuola which is about two pounds for one Marchetto Of the Apothecaries drugges and of what price they are in Calecut and Malabar LAcca of Martabani if it be of the beste is woorth the farazuola which is .xxii. pounde weyght and sixe ounces of Portugale after sixtiene ounces the pound which is about fourtie pound weight of the subtile pounde of Uenice and is in value eightiene Fanans which are eightiene Marcels of siluer For one Fanan is in value about one Marcell of siluer Lacca of the countrey is woorth the farazuola Fanan 12 Borace that is good and in great peeces is woorth the farazuola Fanan .30 to .40 50. Camphire that is grosse in cakes is woorth the farazuola Fanan .70 to .80 Camphire to annoynt Idoles *** Camphire for theyr children to eate is woorth the Mytigall Fanan .3 Aguila is woorth the farazuola Fanan .300 to .400 Lignum aloe blacke heauy and fine is woorth Fanan .1000 Muske of the best is woorth the ounce Fanan .36 Beniamin of the best is woorth the farazuola Fanan .65 Tamarindi being new are woorth the faraz. Fanan .4 Calamus Aromaticus the farazuola Fanan .12 Endego to dye silke true and good the farazuola Fanan .30 Mirre the farazuola Fanan .18 to .20 Frankensense good and in graynes is woorth the farazuola Fanan .15 Frankensense in paste of the basest sorte the faraz. Fanan .3 Ambracan or Amber grease that is good is woorth the Metigall Fanan .2 to .3 Mirabolanes in conserue of suger the faraz. Fanan .16 to .25 Cassia freshe and good the farazuola Fanan one and a halfe Redde Sanders the farazuola Fanan .5 to .6 Whyte Sanders and Citrine whiche growe in the Ilande of Timor the farazuola Fanan .40 to .60 Spikenarde freshe and good the faraz. Fanan .30 to 40. Nuttemegges whiche come from the Ilande of Bandan where the Bahar is woorth from .viii. to ten Fanans whiche importe vi poundes weyght to the Marchetto are woorth in Calecut the faraz. Fanan .10 to .12 Mace which is brought from the Ilande of Bandan where the Bahar is woorth fyftiene Fanans which import about one Marchetto the pounde are woorth in Calecut the farazuola Fanan .25 to .30 Turbithes are woorth the farazuola Fanan .13 Woormeseede of the best kynde called Semenzana is woorth the farazuola Fanan .18 Zerumba the farazuola Fanan .2 Zedoaria the farazuola Fanan .1 Gumme Serapine the farazuola Fanan .20 Aloe Cicotrine the farazuola Fanan .18 Cardamome in graynes the farazuola Fanan .20 Reubarbe groweth abundantly in the countrey of Malabar and that whiche commeth from China by Malacha is woorth the farazuola Fanan 40. to .50 Mirabolani Emblici the farazuola Fanan .2 Mirabolani Belirici the farazuola Fanan one a halfe Mirabolani citrini Chebuli which are all of one sorte Fanan .2 Mirabolani Indi which are of the same Citrine trees Fanan .3 Tutia the farazuola Fanan .30 Cububes which growe in the Ilande of Iaua or Giaua are there of small price and solde by measure without weyght Opium which is brought from the citie of Aden where it is made is woorth in Calecut the faraz. Fanan .280 to 320. Opium of an other sorte whiche is made in Cambaia is woorth the farazuola Fanan .200 to .250 Of the weyghtes of Portugale and India And howe they agreee THe pounde of the olde weight conteyneth .xiiii. vnces The pounde of the newe weyght conteyneth .xvi. vnces Eight Cantares of the olde weyght make .vii. of the newe And euery newe Cantare is of C.xxviii poundes after xvi vnces to the pounde Euery olde Cantare conteyneth thre quarters and an halfe of the newe Cantare And is of C.xxviii poundes after .xiiii. vnces the pounde One Farazuoles is .xxii. poundes of .xiiii. vnces and .vi. vnces more with two fyfte partes Twentie Farazuoles are one Bahar One Bahar is .iiii. Cantares of the olde weight of Portugale All the Spices and drugges and al suche other thynges as come from India are solde in Portugale by the olde weyght and all the rest by the newe weyght Herby maie we wel consider that as we ought to reioyce and geue God thankes for the abundaunce of all these thinges which he causeth the earth so plentifully to bryng foorth to our vse so maye we lament the abuse of men whose couetousnesse causeth great dearth and scarsenesse in the myddest of abundaunce herein no lesse offendyng the lawe of nature then do such as by witchcrafte do entermingle poyson with thynges created for the health of man or by inchauntment corrupt the seedes in the grounde yea rather as the vnnaturall mother who destroyeth the chylde whom she hath long nuryshed Of the voyage made by the Spanyardes round about the world THe voyage made by the Spanyardes rounde about the worlde is one of the greatest and most marueylous thynges that haue ben knowen to our tyme. And although in many thynges we excel our ancient predecessours in this especially we so far exceed al their inuentions that y e like hath not heretofore ben knowen to this day This viage was written particulerly by Don Peter Martyr of Angleria being one of y e counsaile of themperours Indies to whom also was commytted y e writing of the hystorie examination of al such as returned from thence into Spaine to y e citie of Siuile in the yeere .1522 But sendyng it to Rome to be printed in that miserable tyme when the citie was sacked it was lost and not founde vnto this daye or any memorie remaynyng thereof sauyng such as some that read the same haue borne in mynde And among other notable thynges by hym wrytten as touchyng that voyage that is one that the Spanyardes hauyng sayled about three yeeres and one moneth and the most of them notyng the dayes daye by daye as is the maner of al them that sayle by the Ocean they found when they were returned to Spaine y t they had lost one daye So that at theyr arryuall at the porte of Siuile beyng the seuenth daye of September was by theyr accompt but the syxte daye And whereas Don Peter Martyr declared y e strange effect of this thyng to a certayne excellent man who for his singuler learnyng was greatly aduaunced to honour in his common wealth and made Themperours ambassadour this woorthy gentleman who was also a great Philosopher Astronomer answered that it coulde not otherwyse chaunce vnto them hauyng sayled three yeeres continually euer folowyng the Sunne towarde the West and sayde furthermore that they of olde tyme obserued that all suche
whiche tyme there dyed about .xxi. of theyr company whom they cast into the sea And suerly if God of his infinite mercie had not preserued the residue in tyme they had all dyed of famyn In fine beyng inforced of necessitie and halfe of theyr companye dead they sayled to one of the Ilandes of Capo verde called Insula Sansti Iacobi that is sainte Iames Ilande parteynyng to the kyng of Portugale Where as soone as they arryued they sent certayne a lande in the shyppe boate for vittayles declaryng to the Portugales with all loue and fauour what necessitie they were dryuen to and what miseries and trauayles they had susteyned infourmyng them furthermore of theyr marueylous voyage and such thynges as they had seene in both the East and West India with suche other gentle woordes whereby they obteyned certayne measures of Ryse But when afterward xiii of them returned for more Ryse they were deteyned Wheruppon the rest whiche remayned in the shyppe fearyng the lyke chaunce departed with full sayles and the .vii. day of September with the helpe of God entred into the hauen of San Lucar neere vnto Siuile where dischargyng all theyr ordinaunce for ioy they wente immediatly to the great churche in theyr shiertes and barefooted with a torche before them to geue thankes to almyghty God who had brought them safe to theyr owne country and restored them to theyr wyues and chyldren As touching the ende of this voyage Transiluanus wryteth somewhat more largely as foloweth The other shyppe whiche they left behynde them to be repared returned afterwarde by the Archipelagus afore sayde and by the great sea to the coastes of the fyrme of the West India and arryued at a region of the same beyng agaynst Dariena where the South sea of Sur is separate but by a litle space of lande from the west Ocean in the which are the Ilands of Hispaniola Cuba and other Ilandes of the Spanyardes The other shyppe whiche returned into Spayne by compassyng about the whole bowle of the world by the coastes of East India and Affrike departing from the Ilande of Tidore and saylyng euer on this syde the Equinoctial dyd not fynde the cape of Cattigara being about Asia and by the description of Ptolome reachyng many degrees beyonde the Equinoctiall But hauyng sayled many dayes by the mayne sea they came to the cape of Buona Speranza and from thence to the Ilandes of Capo verde where theyr shyppe beyng soore broosed by reason of the long voyage leaked and tooke water in suche sorte that the maryners beyng nowe but fewe in number and those also weake and feeble by reason of long sickenesse hunger were not able both to drie the pompe continually and otherwyse gouerne the shyppe and were therefore of necessitie inforced to go alande at the Ilande of saint Iames to bye them certayne slaues to helpe them But beyng destitute of mony accordyng to the custome of the maryners they profered them cloues for theyr slaues The whiche thyng when it came to the eares of the Portugale that was Captayne of that Ilande he cast .xiii. of them in prison Whereby the resydue that remayned in the shyppe beyng nowe but .xviii. in number were put in such feare that they departed immediatly without rescuing theyr felowes sailed continually both by day by night by the coastes of Afrike came in fine to Spaine y t .vi. day of September in the yeere of our lorde .1522 and arryued at the port nere vnto Siuile the .xvi. moneth after they departed from the Iland of Tidore Maryners doubtlesse more woorthy to be celebrate with eternall memory then they whiche in olde tyme were called Argonauti that sayled with Iason to wyn the golden fleese in the region of Cholchis the ryuer of Phasis in the great sea of Pontus And the shyppe it selfe more worthy to be placed among the starres then that olde Argo whiche departyng out of Grecia sayled to the ende of that great sea For this our marueylous shyppe takyng her voyage from the straightes of Gibelterra and saylyng by the great Ocean towarde the South and pole Antartike and turnyng from thence to the West folowed that course so farre that passyng vnder the great circumference of the world she came into the East and from thence agayne into the West not by returnyng backewarde but styll sayling forward so compassing about the ball of the worlde vnder the whole circumference of heauen vntyll she were myraculously restored to her natiue region of Spayne and house of Siuile ¶ The debate and stryfe betweene the Spanyardes and Portugales for the Diuision of the Indies and the trade of Spyces and also for the Ilandes of Molucca which some call Malucas VVritten in the Spanishe tongue by Francisco Lopes de Gomara THe Emperours maiestie was very glad that the Malucas and Ilandes of the Spycery were discouered and that he myght passe vnto them through his owne countreys without any preiudice or hurt to the Portugales and because also that Almanzor Lusfu and Corala whiche were the lordes of the Spycerie shewed them selues to be his freendes and became tributaries to hym He also gaue certayne gyftes and rewardes to Iohn Sebastian for his great paynes and good seruice forasmuche as he craued a rewarde for the good newes that the Ilandes of the Malucas and other Ilandes rycher and greater then they were found to be in his part of those countreys which parteyned vnto hym accordyng to the Popes Bull. And hereby it came to passe that there was great contention and stryfe betweene the Spanyardes and the Portugales about the Spycery and the diuision of the Indies by reason of the returne of Iohn Sebastian and the information whiche he gaue thereof who also affirmed that the Portugales had neuer any entraunce before that tyme into those Ilandes Hereupon the counsayle for the Indies aduertised the Emperour to maynteyne his fleete for those partes and to take the trade of Spyces into his owne hande forasmuche as it was his owne of duetie aswell for that those Ilandes fell on his part as also that he had nowe found passage and way through his West Indies into those regions and finally to consyder that he shoulde thereby obteyne and geat to hym selfe great reuenues besyde the inrychyng of his subiectes and realmes and that with small cost and charge The Emperour beyng thus aduertised of the trueth tooke it for good counsayle commaunded all thynges herevnto apperteynyng to be furnyshed accordyngly In this meane tyme when kyng Iohn of Portugale had knowledge what the Emperour determined to do and the speedy haste his counsayle made for the perfourmaunce hereof and of the commyng home of Iohn Sebastian of Cane with thinformation he made what of stoutnes of mynde and what for griefe was puffed vp with anger as were also the reste of the Portugales stormyng as though they would haue plucked downe the skye with theyr handes
magnanimitte to sende to the sayde fyrme landes and Ilandes honest vertuous and learned men suche as feare GOD and are able to instruct thinhabitantes in the Catholyke fayth and good maners applying all theyr possible deligence in the premisses We furthermore streightly inhibite all maner of persons of what state degree order or condition soeuer they be although of Imperiall and regall dignitie vnder the payne of the sentence of excommunicatiō which they shal incurre if they do to the contrary that they in no case presume without speciall lycence of you your heyres and successours to trauayle for merchaundies or for any other cause to the sayde landes or Ilandes founde or to be founde discouered or to be discouered towarde the West and South drawyng a lyne from the pole Artyke to the pole Antartike whether the firme landes and Ilandes founde and to be founde be situate toward India or toward any other part beyng distant from the line drawen a hundred leagues toward the west from any of the Ilands commonly called De los Azores and Capo Verde Notwithstandyng constitutions decrees and Apostolycall ordinaunces whatsoeuer they are to the contrary In hym from whom Empyres dominions and all good thynges do proceede Trustyng that almyghtie GOD directyng your enterprices if you folowe your Godly and laudable attemptes your labours and trauayles herein shall in shorte tyme obtayne a happie ende with felicitie and glory of all Christian people But forasmuche as it shoulde be a thyng of great difficultie these letlers to be caryed to all suche places as shoulde be expedient we wyll and of lyke motion and knowledge do decree that whyther so euer the same shal be sent or wheresoeuer they shal be receiued with the subscription of a common notarie thereunto requyred with the seale of any person constitute in ecclesiasticall dignitie or suche as are aucthorised by the Eclesiasticall court the same fayth and credite to be geuen thereunto in iudgement ▪ or els where as shoulde be exhibyted to these presentes It shal therefore be lawefull for no man to infrynge or rashly to contrary this letter of our commendation exhortation request donation graunt assignation constitution deputation decreee commaundement inhibition and determination And if any shall presume to attempte the same he ought to know that he shal therby incurre the indignation of almyghty God and his holy Apostles Peter and Paule Geuen at Rome at saint Peters In the yeere of thincarnation of our lorde M. CCCC.lxxxxiii The fourth day of the nones of Maye the fyrst yeere of our seate An Abridgement of P. Martyr his .5.6.7 and .8 Decades and particulerly of Ferd. Cortesius conquest of Mexico by R. VV. THe fyrst foure Decades of P. Martyr you haue already seene done into Englyshe by R. Eden as also certayne parcelles of the foure last P. Martir made eight decades of the west Indish newes in lesse labour these may be run ouer speciall regarde being had vnto that Decade wherein the more principall matter is expressed I meane the fyrst and that chiefly for the famous conquest of the citie Themistitan in Mexico prouince yea of all that great region we doe nowe vsually call newe Spaine As for the sixte Decade it conteyneth very little matter woorth the rehearsal except it be certeine reportes of the Spaniards how they found where they traueyled in the West Indies plough stuffe of gold that the prince of Nicoragua with his family became christian that certaine beardles Indians greatly feare suche men as haue beardes that they vse to sacrifice lyue men vnto their Idolles eyther taken in the warres or fatted vp at home bountefully for that purpose that Nicoragua Mere for the greatnesse and vnknowen length thereof for the ebbes and fluddes and many Ilandes therin myght woorthely be called a freshe water sea This freshet hath ben thought to run into the Northwesterne streicte rather of ignorance the course therof being not throughly knowen than that it so falleth out in deede as P. Martyr wryteth Finally in the .9 .10 bookes of the sixt Decade newes is sent to Rome of the controuersie betwixt the Spaniardes Portugales concernyng the Moluccaes handled more effectually in more ample maner by R. Eden Fol. 448. than P. Martyr in this place penned it Wherfore it were a needlesse woorke and actum agere in deede to trouble the reader therewith any further especially whereas in this volume mention hath ben made therof euen by P. Martyr him selfe as you haue already seene The lyke opinion am I also of touching the .vii. .viii. decades some parcels wherof the Aucthour doth repeate out of his former writinges as Dec. 7. c. 2. the ruine of the Ilandes Iucaies out of his fourth Dec. c. 3. Item out of the second Decade c. 10. the nature of that spring in the Ilande Boiuca otherwyse called Agnaneo the water whereof who so drinketh by reporte of an old man becommeth young agayne is in many woordes repeated by P. Martyr Dec. 7. c. 7. the whole summe of whose seconde discourse thereof is expressed in the former place by R. Edens addition of this clause Perhappes with some diet the which woordes are not in P. Martyr his texte to be shorte the two kindes of breade the Indians doe make of the rootes Iucca and a kynd of graine called Maiz suffitiently declared Dec. 1. lib. 1. Dec. 3. lib. 5. lib. 9. Dec. 3. be repeated againe Dec. 8. c. 3. Other parcelles of these aforesayd Decades wherein the subtelties of theyr Magicians and Coniurers Peaces or Pages are discribed their Tigres crueltie their sundry kindes of wylde beastes foule Serpents their diuers sortes of trees and fruites partly may you reade of in the breuiarie of Gonzal Ferd. Ouiedus historie as of the fountayne of pytch the stone pellets naturally made for Gunnes Fol. 224. out of the .7 Decade c. 7. and the Glowoormes out of the same c. 9. partly in R. Eden his notes of newe Spayne Peru Rio de la Plata Baccaleos and Florida set downe in this volume Fol. 225. as particulerly of the Nutshelles vsed in steede of money taken out of P. Mart. Dec. 8. c. 4. Partly in Theuetus woorkes of the newe founde worlde Englished long since and finally in those bookes which sundry learned Simplicistes haue lately written principally to ayde the Phisitians of our tyme. Some other curiosities there be conteyned in P. Martyr his two last Decades namely the Iucaien women to be so fayre that for theyr loue other countrey Barbares seeke to inhabite those Ilandes Dec. 7. c. 1. The Spanyardes well vsed of the Iucaiens contrary to all curtesie to haue carried away many of those Ilanders into slauery and misery Agayne certayne traueylers to haue ben seene there that had tayles lyke fyshe Dec. 7. c. 2. Fonde fantasies of mens soules departed Dec. 7. c. 3. wandring first North and than South about the worlde afterwarde to growe young agayne in iolitie Agayne other to imagine that the departed
soules rest in Caues and to be that reflexion of the ayre the which we doe call Eccho Dec. 8. c. 9. The contention betwixte Garaius and Cortesius for ambition Dec. 7. c. 5. Dec. 8. cap. 1. .2 The great Cormorantes that deuoure fishe of fyue pounde weight at one morsel Dec. 7. c. 9. The shamelesse daunses of naked women at theyr funeralles and obsequies Dec. 7. c. 10. Theyr woorshipping of the crosse in Saltier .x. Or made thus x vppon theyr newe borne babes to dryue away deuylles as also in the nyght tyme if they feare any thyng imagining with that signe the place to be purified Dec. 8. c. 9. The Chiribikes follies in daunsing whole weekes togeather theyr language full of difficulties for leauyng out some sillables in speech theyr maner of mariage by clippyng the brydes heare Dec. 8. c. 8. The dead bodyes of gentlemen to be rosted so hanged vp to roofe for buttry goddes the bones of other that laye buried a whole yeere to be taken vp againe at the .xii. monethes ende and solempnely buried Decade 8. c. 9. To conclude How Captayne Olitus whom Cortesius feared not a litle therefore sent vnder the pretexte of honour as it were to discouer other landes tooke head him selfe agaynst Cortesius and miserably was murthered in the end Dec. 8. c 6 .10 These with some other the lyke thinges may the curious reader finde in many woordes set downe in the aforesayde .7 and .8 Decades spoken of all for the most parte before in P. Martyr his other doinges or mentioned in Ouiedus Summary or by R. Eden briefly noted or not greatly needfull to be set foorth at large in Englyshe except they were matters of greater weight One speciall thing I obserued amongst other in reading ouer these .6 7. and 8. Decades to wyt the West Indians not onely to be conquered by the Spaniardes but also to be theyr slaues and bondmen the cause why after the conquest made of them the Spanyardes doe in continuall bondage and slauery keepe them vnder is expresly brought foorth by Pe. Martyr Dec. 7. c. 4. in the spanysh tounge as it was read at the Indishe counsayle boorde in Spayne and may thus be Englished These be the Indians qualities in respecte whereof they deserue no libertie IN the continent or fyrme lande they eate mans fleshe they be more gyuen to Sodomye than any other nation of the world there is no order of iustice among them they goe naked they haue neyther loue nor honestie they bee fooles and furious there is no truth in them except it be for theyr owne profit inconstant without all discretion very vnkynde louers of nouelties they delyght to make them selues dronke with wynes made of diuers hearbes fruites and graine as ale and sider to ouercome their braynes as wel otherwise with hearbs as in making drinke thereof or eating them â–ª They are very bruitishe and doe make it a prayse to wallowe in vyces No obedience no reuerence at all sheweth the young man to the olde the childe to his father Neyther teaching nor chastning amendeth them they be traitors cruell so full of reuenge that they neuer forgyue any offence great enemyes vnto our religion They be slothfull theeues of iudgement very grosse and base without all honestie and good order Neither doe the men behaue them selues loyally with theyr wyues nor the wyues with their husbandes they be superstitiously giuen to soothsaying as fearful as Hares filthes eating lyse spiders woormes whersoeuer they finde them they haue no arte nor good condition of men Hauing learned any pointes of Christian religion they are woont to say that to be good in Spayne but in India nothing woorth for that they desire not to alter their maners They haue no beardes for they peele and plucke vp the heare as faste as it groweth They take no pietie on sicke folke suche as bee very sicke they gyue ouer to some one kynsman or neighbour of theyrs or els carry them to the mountaynes to dye there leauing with them some small portion of bread and water and so goe theyr way The elder they waxe the woorse they bee vntyll they be .xi. or .xii. yeeres olde some hope there is that they would prooue ciuil and vertuous when they grow elder they become bruit beasts In conclusion I say that god neuer created so corrupte a people for vice and beastlinesse without any mixture of goodnesse and ciuilitie they are as blockishe as Asses making no accompt at all to kyll them selues In the fyft Decade is written by P. Martyr or geathered rather by him out of Ferd. Cortesius relations the conquest of that portion of the West Indishe continent that lyeth in the hot zone neare the Tropike of Cancer betwyxte our Weste sea and Mar del zur the chiefe prouince wherein is Mexico and the principall citie Themistitan This region after that it was conquered by Cortesius beganne to be called Noua Hispania newe Spayne for the lykenesse thereof vnto the Spanysh kyngdome in nature of soyle greatnesse disposition of the ayre other such lyke thynges as Cortesius him selfe writeth vnto Charles the fifth humbly desiryng his maiestie to allowe of that name Some later wryters haue gyuen the particuler name of one shyre vnto the whole callyng it Mexico and the generall name of that whole shyre to the head citie therein calling Themistitan lykewyse Mexico howbeit in trueth Themistitan is the principal citie in Mexico prouince Mexico the chiefe prouince in all newe Spaigne Of this countrey the commodities it doeth yeelde the nature of the inhabiters partly you haue already seene in Gon. Ferd. Ouiedus historie Fol. 221. and chiefely Fol. 225. The kyng of this countrey bare name Monte Zuma or Muteezuma as Cortesius that conquered him writeth â–ª in P. Martyr his Decades printed in Spaigne An. d. 1530. Meteezuma in his .4 â–ª Decade entituled de insul nuper inuentis to no. orb p. 506. Multoxumam as also in the last edition thereof at Cullen ioyntly with the three first decades the which our Printer in the translation hereof hath folowed in the discourse of the West Indies Ilandes Straunge names are many tymes diuersly written though in effecte they meane all one Henricus say we with the Frenchmen Henry the Almans Henreich the Italians Arrigo the Portugales Henrico as Barros speaking of king Iohn the first his sonne whom Cadamust called in his Nauigation Huric This kyng was so welthie so mightie his dominions so large that the inhabiters knew no other prince in all the worlde of him Cortesius had intelligence by Montegius and Portucarrerius and from him certaine rich presentes for his maister Charles Themperour as in the aforesayd discourse of the west Indish Ilands it hath ben sayde Wherefore the .16 day of August in the yeere of our Lorde .1520 Ferdinandus Cortesius with .15 light horsemen and fyue hundred footemen well appoynted besides three noble men of the citie Cempoal named Teuchius Mamexus
his abode For as many tymes I haue erst sayd all this countrey is full of riuers Desirous to see those Parai we got into some of them where we found some chambers set foorth with gilded beds very richly other furnished with tables and seates all other thinges so neate and in perfection that it was wonderfull Quiacim shyre as farre as I can perceiue lyeth vpon the south On that syde we kept at our first entry thereinto traueyling not far from the high mountaynes we saw there Asking what people dwelleth beyond those mountaynes it was told me that they be theeues men of a strange language And bycause that vnto sundry places neare this riuer y e mountaynes do approch whence the people issuing downe do many tymes great harme this order is taken at y e entry into Quiacim shyre To gard this riuer wheron continually go to fro Parai great small fraught with salt fish poudred with pepper and other necessaries for that countrey they do lay in diuers places certain Parai great barges armed wherin watch warde is kept day night in both sides of the riuer for the safetie of the passage securitie of suche Parai as doe remayne there though the traueylers neuer go but many in company In euery rode there be at the least thirtie in some two hundred men as the passage requyreth This garde is kept vsually vntyll you come to the citie Onchio where continually the Tutan of this shyre and eke of Cantan maketh his abode From that citie vpwarde where the ryuer waxeth more narrow and the passage more daungerous there be alwayes armed one hundred and fiftie Parai to accompany other vesselles fraught with marchandyse and all this at the king his charges This seemed vnto me one of the strangest thinges I dyd see in this countrey Whan we laye at Fuquien we dyd see certayne Moores who knewe so litle of theyr secte that they could say nothyng els but that Machomet was a Moore my father was a Moore and I am a Moore with some other wordes of theyr Alcorane wherewithall in abstinence from Swynes fleshe they lyue vntyll the deuyll take them all This whan I sawe beyng sure that in many Chinish cities the reliques of Machomet are kept as soone as we came to the citie where these felowes be I enfourmed my selfe of them and learned the trueth These Moores as they tolde me in tymes past came in great shippes fraught with marchandise from Pachin ward to a Porte graunted vnto them by the kyng as hee is wont to all them that traffike into this countrey where they beyng arriued at a litle towne standyng in the hauens mouth in tyme conuerted vnto their secte the greatest Loutea there Whan that Loutea with all his family was become Moorysh the rest began lykewyse to doe the same In this part of China the people be at libertie euery one to worshyp and folow what him lyketh best Wherefore no body tooke heede thereto vntyll such tyme as the Moores perceyuyng that many folowed them in superstition and that the Loutea fauoured them they began to forbyd wholy the eatyng of Swines flesh But all this countrymen and women chosing rather to forsake father and mother than to leaue of eatyng of porke by no meanes would yelde to that proclamation For besides the great desyre they all haue to eate that kynde of meate many of them doe lyue thereby and therefore the people complayned vnto the Magistrates accusing the Moores of a conspiracy pretended betwixt them and the Loutea agaynst theyr kyng In this countrey as no suspicion no not one trayterous worde is long borne withall so was the kyng speedily aduertised thereof who gaue comcommaundement out of hande that the aforesayde Loutea should be put to death and with hym the Moores of most importance the other to be layde fyrst in pryson and afterwarde to be sent abrode into certayne cities where they remayned perpetuall slaues vnto the kyng To this citie came by happe men and women threescore and odde who at this day are brought to fiue men and foure women for it is nowe twentie yeeres agoe this happened Theyr ofspryng passeth the number of .200 and they in this citie as the rest in other cities whyther they were sent haue theyr Moscheas wherunto they al resorte euery fryday to kepe theyr holydaye But as I thynke that wyll no longer endure then whiles they do lyue that came from thence for theyr posteritie is so confused that they haue nothing of a Moore in them but abstinence from Swynes fleshe and yet many of them do eate thereof priuilie They tell me that theyr natiue countrey hath name Camarian a fyrme lande wherein be many kynges and the Indishe countrey well knowen vnto them It may so be for as sone as they dyd see our seruauntes our seruauntes were Preuzaretes they iudged them to be Indians many of theyr woordes sounded vppon the Persike tongue but none of vs coulde vnderstand them I asked them whether they conuerted any of the Chinishe nation vnto theyr secte they answeared me that with much a do they conuerted the women with whom they do marry yeldyng me no other cause thereof but the difficultie they find in them to be brought from eating swines fleshe and drynking of wine I am perswaded therfore that if this countrey were in league with vs forbyddyng them neyther of both it would be an easy matter to draw them to our religion from theyr superstition wherat they them selues do laugth when they do their Idolatrie I haue learned moreouer that the sea wherby these Moores that came to China were woont to trauaile is a very great gulfe that falleth into this countrey out from Tartaria and Persia leauing on the other syde all the countrey of China and lande of the Mogorites drawyng alwayes towarde the south and of all lykelyhood it is euen so because that these Moores the whiche we haue seene be rather browne then white wherby they shewe them selues to come from some warmer countrey then China is neere to Pachin where the ryuers are frosen in the wynter for colde and many of them so vehemently that cartes may passe ouer them We dyd see in this citie many Tartares Mogorites Bremes and Laoynes both men women The Tartares are men very white good horsemen and archers confinyng with China on that side where Pachin standeth separated from thence by great mountaines that are betwyxt these kingdomes Ouer them be certaine wayes to passe and for both sydes Castelles continually keapte with souldiers in tyme past the Tartares were woont alwayes to haue warrs with the Chineans but these fourescore yeeres past they were quiete vntyll the seconde yeere of our imprysonment The Mogorites be in lyke maner whyte and heathen we are aduertised that of one syde they border vppon these Tartares and confine with the Persike Tartares on the other syde whereof we sawe in them some tokens