glory of the East where the generall Council was once assembled and one of the seas of the Patriarks who was called the Patriark of Constantinople But by the great discord of the Christians all Graecia and this City are fallen into the hands of the Turk who now maketh it his place of imperiall aboad It was won 〈◊〉 the time of Constantine the last Emperor so that by Constantine it obtained his honour and by Constantine it lost it In this City lyeth resident with the Turk an Ambassadour or Agent for the King of England The Christians that do now live in Grecia are in miserable servitude unto the Turke They disagree in many things from the doctrine of the Church of Rome Of the Sea running between Europe and Asia IF there were no other Argument that the Northern parts of the World were not discovered in times past by any that travelled that way yet this would sufficiently avouch 〈◊〉 that there was never thought upon anâ—… land between Asia and Europe higher than the River Tanais which doth not extend it selfe very faâ—… into the North but is short of the uttermost bounds that was by the space of foure thousand miles but this river which by the Tartarians is now called Don where it doth run it leaveth Asia on the Eastside and Europe on the West but going forward towards the South it disburtheneth it self into a dead Lake or Fen for so it seemeth which is called Meotis Palus spoken of in the second book of Justine and not forgotten by Ovid de Ponto and at this day in the dead of winter it is usually frozen that the Scythians and Tartarians neer adjoining do both themselves and their cattel yea sometimes with sleads after them passe over as if it were dry land On the Southern part of this Meotis is a narrow strait of the Sea which is commonly called by the name of Bosphorus Cimmerius because as it is thought sometime Oxen have ventured to swim crosse there from Asia to Europe or backward When the water hath run for a pretty space iâ—… so narrow a passage there beginneth â—… great and wide Sea named Pontus Euxinus whether as Josephus reporteth the whale did carry the Prophet Jonas and there did disburthen himselfe of his carriage by casting him upon the land At the mouth of this Sea is a very great strait knowne by the name of Thracius Bosphorus where the breadth of this sea is not above one mile serving Asia and Europe Oâ—… the side of Europe standeth Constantinople On the side of Asia the City called Pera or Galatae which for the neerenesse is by some reckoned a part of Constantinople When any of the Turks Janizaries have committed ought worthy of death the custome is is to send the same party in the night time over by boat from Constantinople to Pera whereby the way he is thrown iâ—… to the water with a great stone about his neck and then there is a piece of Oâ—…dnance shot off which is a token of some such execution The Turke is forced to take this course lest the rest of his Janizaries should mutiny when any of their fellowes is put to death By reason of the standing of Asia and Europe so neare together and the sea running between them which serveth each place with all manner of commodities it appeareth that Constantinople is marveâ—…lously richly and conveniently seaâ—…ed aâ—…d therefore a fit place from whence â—…e Turke may offer to atcâ—…ieve attâ—…mps After this stâ—…ait the sea openeth it self more large toward he 〈◊〉 â—…is called by the name oâ—… 〈◊〉 But then it groveth again into a â—…other straâ—…t which they write to be 〈◊〉 bâ—…ead 〈◊〉 two in 〈◊〉 This is called Hâ—…ll spâ—…ntus having on the one side 〈◊〉 in Asia on the otherside Sâ—…stus on the side of Euâ—…pe This is that place where â—…rxes the great King oâ—… Persia dâ—…d â—…ike his bridge over the Sea so muâ—…h renowned in ancient history which was not impossible by reason of the narrownesse the foundation of his bridge being rested on ships Here also may appeare the reason of the story of Leander and Hero which Leander is reported for the love of Hero to have often times swum over the Sea till at last he was drowned From this straâ—…â—…outhward the Sea groweth more wide and is called afterwards by the name of Mare Aegeum and so descendeth to the full Mediterranean Of Asia and first of Tartary ON the South side of Asia 〈◊〉 unto the Dominiâ—… the Emperour of Râ—…ssia is Tartary in ancient time 〈◊〉 Scyâ—…hia the bouâ—…ds whereof did then extend themâ—…es into a good part of Europe and therefore was called Scythia Europea but the greatest part of â—…t lyeth in Asia a mighty large Country extending it self on the North to the uttermost Sea on the â—…ast to the Dominion of the Great Cham or Prince of Cathaie on the South down to Mare Caspium The Tartarians which now inhabit it are men of great stature rude of behaviour no Christians but Gentiles neither do they acknowledge Mahomet They have few or no Cities among them but after the manner of the old Scythians do live in Wildernesses lying under their Carts and following their droves of Cattell by the milke whereof they do nourish themselves They sowe no corne at all because they abide not long in any one place but taking their direction from the North-pole-starre they remove from one coast of their Countrey unto another The Countrey is populous and the men are great warriours fighting alwaies on horseback with their bow arrowes and a short sword They have amongst them infiniâ—…e store of horses whereof they sell many into the Countries neere adjoining Their ordinary food in their warres is horse-flesh which they use to eat raw being chafed a little by hanging at their saddle They have great wars with the Countries adjoining but especially with the Moscovite and sometimes with the Turke from hence came Tamberlain who brought 700000. of the Tartarians at once into the field wherein he distressed and took prisoner Bajazet the great Turke whom he afterward forced to feed as a dog under his table They have now amongst them many Princes and Governours as those have one whom they call the Crim Tartars and those have ano ther which are the Tartars of Ma gaiae and so divers others The English have laboured to their great expences to finde out the way by the North Seas of Tartaria to go into Cathay and China but by reason of the frozen Seas they have not yet prevailed although it hath been reported that the Flemmings have discovered that passage which would be very likely to the great benefit of the Northern parts of Christendome yet that report doth not continue and therfore it is to be thought that the Flemmings have not proceeded so farre Of Cathaie and China NExt beyond Tartaria on the North-East part of Asia lyeth a
destroy so many ships and was called Syrtis magna as also on the North and West part was the other sand called Syr t is parva Some part of this Country was heretofore under the Sultan of Egypt whose Dominion did extend it self so farre to the West and there was divided from the Kingdome of Tunis but it is now wholly under the Turke and is commonly reputed as a part of Barbary For now by a generall name from the confines of Cyrene unto the West as farre as Hercules Pillar is called Barbary though it containe in it divers Kingdomes as Tunis Fessa and Morocco Of Mauritania and Caesariensis A Part of that Countrey which by a generall name is called at this day Barbary hath in old time been called Mauritania which was divided into two parts The East part whereof next to Africa minor was called by the Romanes Mauritania Caesariensis as the other was called Mauritania Tingitania In Mauritania Caesariensis was the Countrey of Numidia the people whereof were used in the warres of the Carthaginians as Light-horse-men and for all nimble services were very active In the East part of this Countrey standing in the sea was that famous City of Carthage supposed to be built by Dido who came from Tyâ—…us This City was it which for the space of some hundred yeares contended with Rome for the Empire of the world In the Romane histories are recorded the great warres which the people of Rome had with the City of Carthage In the first war of the three the contention 〈◊〉 the Iles of Sicilia Corsica and Sardinia when the victory fell to the Romans and the Carthaginians were glad to redeem their peace with the leaving of those Ilands The second warre was begun by Hanniball who brake the league and after he had taken same part of Spaine from the Romanes and sacked Sagantum a City of their friends came first over the Pyrena hils to France then over the Alpes to Italy where he overthrew the Romanes in three great battels and much endangered their estate he continued in Italy with his Army sixteen yeares till Scipio attempting on Carthage forced Hanniball to return to rescue his own Countrey There was Hanniball overthrowne and his City put to a great pension by Scipio who for his victory there was named Africanus In the third warre because the people of Carthage still brake the league their City was razed to the very ground by the earnest and continuall counsell of Cato the elder fearing evermore so dangerous a Neighbour though Scipio Nasica counselled to the contrary fearing lest if the dread of that enemy were taken away the Romanes would grow either to idlenesse or civill dissention which after they did It is reported of Cato that he never spake his judgement of any thing in the Senate but his conclusion was thus Thus I think for this matter and withall that Carthage is to be razed down And Scipio Nasica would reply in his conclusion Thus I think for this matter and withall that Carthage is not to be razed down Livy reporteth that the way whereby Cato prevailed that Carthage should be razed down was this while the question was very hot he bringeth into the Senate-house green Figs and let the Senators understand that the same day three weekes those figs were growing in Carthage Town whereby he made mannifest unto them that it was possible that an Army might be conveied from Carthage to Rome in so short a time as that they would not be able on a sudden to resist and so Rome might be surprized whereby they all concluded that it was no safety for their City to have so bad a neighbour so neare unto them In this Countrey toward the West not farre from Carthage stood Utica whereof the younger Cato was termed Cato Uticensis because he killed himself there in the Civill warres betwixt Caesar and Pompey because he would not come within the hands of his enemy Caesar. Not far from thence Westward standeth Hippo which was the City where S. Augustine was B shop This whole Countrey at this day is called the Kingdome of Tunis the King whereof is a kind of stipendary unto the Turke the people that inhabit there are generally Saracens and do profess Mahomet Some do write that Tunis standeth in the very place where old Carthage was which is not so but is siâ—…ua ed very neare unto the old ruines of the other Against the King of Tunis Charles the fifth had some of his warres by Sea Of MauritaniaÌ„ Tingitania THE other part of Barbary that lyeth along the Mediterranean farthest into the West was called in old time Mauritana Tingitana The people of which Country were those which almost in all the old histories were called by the name of Mauri Those of the other Mauritania being rather termed Numidia Into the Northwest part thereof did Hercules come and there set up one of his Pillars which answereth to the other in Spain they both being at the straits of Gilbralter in times past called Fretum Herculeum On the South part thereof lay the Kingdome of Bocchus which in the tiaâ—… of Marius had so much to do with the Romans In the west part of this Mauritania standeth on the hill called Atlas minor and on the South part is the great hill called Atlas major whereof the maine Ocean which lyeth between Mauritania and America is called Mare Atlantum This hill is so high that unto those who stood on the bottome of it it seemed to touch heaven with his shoulders This Country hath been long inhabited by the Saracens who from thence finding it to be but a short passage into Spaine did goe over now seven hundred yeares ago and possessed there the kingdome of Granado on the South side of Spain till they were thence expelled by Ferdinandus and Elizabeth or Izabell King and Queen of Castile In this Countrey since that time have the Spaniards taken some Cities and Holds and so also have the Portugals which by the divers event of victory have often been lost and won by them Here it was that the Emperour Charles the fifth had divers of his great warres against the Moores as well as in the Kingdome of Tunis For the assistance of one who claimed to be King of a part of this Country did Sebastian the King of Portugall go with all his power into Africa in the year 1578. where unadvisedly bearing himself he was slain together with two other the same day who claimed to be Kings so that there it was that true battell was fought whereof it was said that three Kings died in one day which battel is called the battell of Alcazar and was the ruine of the Kingdome of Portugall and the cauâ—…e of the uniting it to the Crowne of Spaine Astrologers did purpose that the blazing Starre which appeared the â—…eare before did signifie that iâ—…l eâ—…ent This whole Countrey doth maisâ—…aine in it besides some Imperiaâ—… government two absolute Kingdomes
defloured the Daughter of the said Julian which the Father took in such indignation that he procured those Saracens to come over into Spaine that so he might be revenged on his King but when those barbarous people had once set foot in there they could never be removed untill the time of Ferdinando and Elizabeth King and Queen of Spaine about a hundred years since The Author before named writeth that before the comming of those Moores into Spaine the King Rodericus would needs open a part of a Palace which had been shut long before and had by descent from hand to hand been forbidden to be entred by any yet the King supposing there had been great Treasure therein broke into it but found nothing there saving in a great Chest the Pictures of Men who resembled the proportion Attire and Armour of the Moores and a Prophecy joyned therewithall that at that time when the Palace should be entred such a people as was there resembled should invade and spoyle Spaine which fell out accordingly The Spaniards that now are be a very mixt people descended of the Goths which in former times possessed that Land and of those Sarazens and Jews which are the basest people of the World The Kingdome of Portugall dâ—…d containe under it Regnum Algarbiâ—…rum but both of them are now annexed unto Castile by the cunâ—…ing of the K ng of Spaine Philip he Second who took the advantage after the death of Sebastian who was slaine in Barbary in the year 1578. Then after him raigned Henry who sometimes was Cardinall and Uncle to Sebastian in whose time although shew was made that it should be lawfully debared unto whom the Crown of Portugal did belong yet Philip meaning to make sure worke did not so much respect the right as by maine force invaded and since to the great griefe of the Portugals hath kept it The chief City of Portugal is Lisbone called in Latine Olysippo from whence those Navigations were advanced by which the Portugals discovered so much of their South part of Africk and of the East-Indies possessed by them to this day The City from whence the Castilians do set forth their ships to the West-Indies is Sevill called in Latine Hispalis Another great City in Spain is Toledo where the Archbishoprick is the richest spirituall dignity of Christendome the Papacy only excepted In the time of Damianus à Goes there were reckoned to be in Spain foure Archbishopricks of great worth three other inferiour and forty Bishopricks as also in Portugal three Archbishopricks and eight Bishopricks He reckoneth up also in Spaine besides the great Officers of the Crown 17 Dukes 41. Marquesses 87. Earles or Counts and 9. Vicounts as also in Portugal besides the Officers of the Crown fix Dukes four Marquesses nineteen Earles and one Vicount In Spaine he saith are seven Universities The Country is but dry and so consequently barren in comparison of some other places What commodities it doth yeeld it may be seen in a Treatise of Damianus à Goes which he calleth his Hispania Not only this great and large Country heretofore divided into so many Kingdomes is now under one absolute King but that King also is Lord of many other Territories as namely of the Kingdome of Naples in Italy and the Dutchy of Millain of the Isles of Sicily Sardinia Majorque Minorque Evisa in the midland sea of the Islands of the Canaries in the Atlantique besides divers strong Towns and goodly Havens in Barbary within and without the Straits On the back side of Africk he commands much on the Frontiery besides the Islands adjoyning to the maine Land In the Westerne Indies he hath Mexico Brasil large Territories with the Islands of the South and the North Sea And Philip the second getting Portugall as a Dowry to that soâ—…ct Marriage got also all the dependances of that Crown in Africke the East-Indies and the Atlantique Sea the Towns of Barbary and the East-Indies willingly submitting themselves unto him but the Terceras he won by force at the first and second Expedition so if we consider the huge tract of ground that is under the Kings Dominion we will say that the Empery of the King of Spaine is in that respect the largest that now is or ever was in the World Of France THe next Country is France which is bounded on the west with the Pyrenay hils on the North with the English Seas on the East with Germany on the South-east with the Alpe-hils on the South-west with the Mediterranean Sea The Kingdome of France is for one entire thing one of the most rich and absolute Monarchies of the World having both on the North and South side the Sea standing very convenient for profit of Navigation and the Land it selfe being ordinarily very fruitful The consideration whereof caused Francis the first King of France to compare this Kingdome alone to all the Dominions and Seigniories of Charles the fifth Emperour for when the Herauld of the said Charls bidding Defiance to the King Francis did give his Majesty the title of Emperour of Germany King of Castaile Arragon Naples Sicily c. Francis commanded his Herauld to call him so often King of France as the others had Titles by all his Countries implying that France alone was of as much strength and worth as all the Countries which the other had Concerning this Argument see the warlike and politick Discourses of Monsieur de la Nove. He who writeth the Commentaries of Religion and state of France doth shew that when there had been of late in France in the daies of Francis the Second and Charles the Ninth three Civill Wars which had much ruinated the glory and beauty of that Kingdome when a little before the great Massacre in the yeare One thousand five hundred seventy two there had been peace in that Countrey scant full two yeares yet so great is the riches and happinesse of that Kingdome that in that short time all things were renewed and repaired again as if there had never been any such desolation The Revenue of the Crowne of France is exceeding great by reason of the Taxes and impositions which through the whole Kingdome are laid upon the Subjects for their Sizes and Toules do exceed all the Imposts and tributes of all the Princes of Christendome in as much as there are few things there used but the King hath a commodity issuing out of them and not only for matters of Luxury as in other states but from such things as be of necessity as Flesh Wood Salt c. It is supposed at this day that there be in the Kingdome thirty thousand men who are under-officers and make a good part of their living by gathering of the Kings tribute This is much increased no doubt in these latter times but yet of old it was in so great measure which caused that speech of Maximilian the Emperour as Iohannes Eventinus witnesseth
De Bello Turcico who said that the Emperour of Germany was Rex Regum meaning that his Princes were so great men The King of Spaine was Rex Hominum because his People would obey their Prince in any reasonable moderation The King of England was Rex diabolorum because the subjects had there divers times deprived their Kings of their Crowns and Dignity But the King of France was Râ—…x asinorum in as much as his people did beare very heavy Bâ—…thens of Taxes and Impositions In this Kingdome of France is one great Misery to the Subjects that the places and Officers of Justice are ordinarily bought and sold the beginning whereof was this Lewis the twelfth who was called a Father of the Country began to pay the debts of his Predecessor Charls the seventh which were very great and intending to recover unto France the Dukedome of Millain and minding not to burden his people further than was need thought it a good course to set at sale all the Offices of the Crown but with the places of Justice he did not meddle But his successors after him took occasion also to make great profit of them witness the Author contra Machiavel l. 1. c. 1. By the customes of that Country the King of France hath not that absolute power to muster and presse out Souldiers as in England and some other places of Christendome the Princes have But the manner is when the King will set forward any Military Service he sendeth abroad his Edicts or causeth in Cities and good Towns the Drum to be strucken up and whosoever will voluntarily follow he is enrolled Notwithstanding he wanted few Souldiers because the Noble and Gentlemen of France do hold it their duty and highest honour both to attend the King unto the wars and to beare their own charges yearely for many months The person of the King of France hath in former times been reputed so sacred that Guicciardine saith of them that their people have regarded them in that respect of devotion as if they had been demi-gods And Machiavel in his Questions upon Livie saith that they doted so much upon their Kings that they thought every thing did become them which they did and that nothing could be more disgracefull than to give any intimation that such or such a thing was not well done by their King But this opinion is much now decayed the Princes of the bloud are in the next ranke under the King himself There be many and very rich goodly Cities in France but the chiefest of all is Paris called Lutetia quasi Luto sita as some have merrily spoken which place is especially honoured first by the presence of the King most commonly keeping Court and Residence there Secondly by the great store of goodly houses whereof part belong to Noblemen and part are houses of Religion Thirdly by the University which is incomparably the greatest most ancient and best filled of alâ—… France Fourthly in that it is the chiefe Parliament City of that Kingdome without the Ratification of which Parliament at Paris Edicts and Proclamations coming from the King are not held authenticall Fifthly by the great Traffique of all kind of Merchandize which is used in that place The Parliament Cities in France are places where their Termes are kept and in severall Provinces are seven unto which the causes of inferiour Courts within their distinct Provinces may be brought by appeale but the Parliament of Paris hath that Prerogative that appeales from all Courts of the Kingdome do lie there That which we call our Parliament in England is amongst them tearmed Conventus Ordinum or the States France in ancient time as Caesar reporteth in the first of his Commentaries was divided into three parts Aquitania which was towards the West Celtica towards the North and West and Belgica which is towards the North. Belgium is sometime called Gallia inferior and sometime Germania inforior but we commonly call it the Low-Countries the Government whereof at this day is not at all under France but Gallia Celtica and Aquitania are under the French King The ancient Inhabitants of this Country were the Gaules who possessed not only all that we now call France being the greatest part of that the Romans called Gallia Transalpina but also a good part of Italy which they call Gallia Cisalpina a people whose beginnings are unknown this of them is certaine that they were a Nation of valourâ—… for they not only sackt Rome buâ—… also carried their conquering armeâ—… into Greece where they sate downâ—… and were called by the Name oâ—… Gallogrecians or Galathians Some report also that they enâ—… tred into Spaine and subdued anâ—… inhabited that part which was calâ—… led Lusitania now Portugallia buâ—… howsoever their former victoriâ—… and greatnesse they were by Iuliâ—… Caesar subdued and made a Provinâ—… of the people of Rome and so coâ—… tinued under the Romane Empiâ—… till about four hundred yeares afâ—… ter Christ when in the ruine an dismembring of the Roman Empirâ—… the French invaded Gaule and erâ—… cted a Monarchy which hath coâ—… tinued to this day in the successioâ—… of sixty four Kings of three sevâ—… ral races that is to say the Merâ—… vingians Carolovingians and Capâ—… vingians about twelve hundre years and now flourisheth undeâ—… Lewis the 13. the now raigning Kâ—… of France Although the French have done many things worthily out of their own Countrey in the East against the Saracens although they have â—…or a while held Sicily the Kingdome of Naples and the Dutchy of Millaine yet it hath been observed of them that they could never make good their footing beyond the Alpes or in other for reign Regions Howbeit in it self France is one of the strongest Kingdomes in all Europe at this day That which we commonly call the Low-Countries containeth seventeen several Provinces whereof the most part have several titles and Governours as the Dukedome of Brabant the Earledome of Flanders c. Of which the inheritance at several times did fall on Daughters who being married unto the Heire of some of the other Provinces did in the end bring the whole Country into one entire Government which was commonly called by the name of the Dukedome of Burgundy and yet so that in the uniting of them together it was by composition agreed that the severall Provinces should retaine their severall ancient Laws and Liberties which is the reason yielded why some of those Provinces in our age thinke themselves freed from obedience unto the King of Spain unto whom by inheritance they did descend because he hath violated their liberties to the keeping whereof aâ—… the first composition he was bound When this whole Country did be long unto the Crown of France the Dukedome of Burgundy was bestowed by Philip de Valois K. of France unto John de Valois a younger Soâ—… of his from whom by descent iâ—… came at last to Charles the Bold otherwise Proud Duke of Burgundy who left one
great Country called Cathaie the bounds whereof extend themselves on the North and East to the uttermost Seas and on the South to China The people are not much learned but more civill then the Tartars and have good and ordinary traffick with the Countries adjoining This Country hath in it many Kings which are tributaries and do owe obedience unto one whom they call the great Cham or Can of Cathaie who is the chief governor of all the Land and esteemed for multitude of people and largenesse of dominion to be one of the greatest Princes of the World but his name is the lesse famous for that he lyeth so far distant from the best Nations and the passage into this Country is so dangerous either for the perils of the sea or for the long space by Land His chief Imperiall City is called Cambalu On the South side of Cathaie and East part of Asia next to the Sea lyeth China and the people thereof Osorius describeth by the name of Sina and called their Countrey Synarum Regio This is a fruitfull Countrey and yieldeth as great store of rich commodities as almost any Country in the World It containeth in it very many severall Kingdomes which are absolute Princes in their Seats The chief City in this Countrey is called Quinsay and is described to be of incredible greatnesse as were wont to be the ancient Cities in the East as Babylon Ninive and others This Countrey was first discovered by the late Navigation of the Portugals into the East Indies The people of China are learned almost in all Arts very skilful workmen in curious fine Workes of all sorts so that no Country yieldeth more precious Merchandise then the workmanship of them They are great souldiers very politick and crafty and in respect thereof contemning the wits of others using a Proverbe That all other Nations do see but with one eye but they themselves have two Petrus Maffaeus Historiographer to the King of Spaine for the Eastern Indies doth report of them that they have had from very ancient time among them these two things which we hold to be the miracles of Christendome and but lately invented The one is the use of Guns for the wars and the other is Printing which they use not as we do writing from the left hand unto the right or as the Hebrewes and Syrians from the right hand unto the left but directly downward and so their lines at the top do begin again Of the East Indies ON the South side of China toward the Molucco llands and the Indian Sea lyeth the great Country of India extending it self from the South part of the Continent by the space of many thousand miles westward unto the River Indus which is the greatest Riverâ—… in all the Country except Ganges one of the greatest Rivers in the World which lyeth in the East part of the same Indies This is that Country so famous in ancient time for the great riches thereof for the multitude of people for the conquest of Bacchus over it for the passage thither for Alexander the Great throughout all the length of Asia for his adventuring to go into the South Ocean with so mighty a Navy which â—…ew or none had ever attempted before him And certainly thither it was that Solomon did send once in three yeares for his gold and other rich Merchandise for the Scripture saith that he sent his fleet from Ezion-geber which stood upon the mouth of the Red Sea and it was the directest passage which he had unto the Eastern Indies whereas if his purpose had been to send to Peru as some lately have imagined his course had been thorow the Mediterranean Sea and the Straits of Gâ—…lbraltar This Countrey had in ancient time many absolute Kingdomes and Provinces as in the time of Alexander Porus Taxiles and divers others In it were many Philosophers and men of great Learning whom they called Gymnosophistae of whom was Calanus who burnt himself before Alexander The men of the South part of India are black and therefore are called men of Inde The cattell of all sorts that are bred there are of incredible bignesse in respect of other Countries as their Elephants Apâ—…s Monkies Emets and others The riches hereof have been very great with abundance of gold insomuch that the Promontory who is now called Malacha was in times past named Aurea Chersonesus The commodity of spice is exceeding great that comes from thence The Portugals were the first which by their long Navigations beyond the Equinoctiall and the farthermost part of Africke have of late yeares discovered these Countries to Christendome as heretofore to the use of the King of Portugall so now of the King of Spaine who is reputed owner of them The Portugals did finde divers Kingdomes at their first arrivall in those parts as the Kingdome of Calâ—…cut the Kingdome of Cambaia the Kingdome of Cananor the Kingdome of Cochin and very many other with the Kings whereof they first entring League and Traffick and having leave given to build Castles for their defence they have since by policy incroached into their hands a great part of the Countrey which lieth neer unto the Sea-coast and are mighty now for the space of many thousand miles together The K. of Spain hath there a Vice-Roy whose residence is commonly in the Imperiall City called Goa They do every year send home great store of rich commodities into Spaine The people of the Country when the Portugals came first thither were for the most part Gentiles beleeving in no one God yea at this day there are divers of them who do adore the Sunne as their God and every morning at the rising thereof do use very superstitious Ceremonies which our Mer chants who do trade to Aleppo do oftentimes see for divers o these Indians do come thither witâ—… Merchandize But the Saracens whâ—… reverence the Prophet Mahomet from the Bayes or Gulphes of Persia and Arabia do traffick much thither so that Mahomet was known among them but in one Town called Granganor they found certain Christians dissenting in many things from the Church of Rome and rather agreeing with the Protestants which Christians had received by succession their Religion from the time of Thomas the Apostle by whom as it is recorded in the ancient Ecclesiasticall History part of India was converted In this Countrey of India are many great and Potent Kings and Kingdomes which had been alto gether unknown and unheard of in our part of the World but that we were beholding to the Portugals for their discovery and before their Navigation thither by the back side of Africkâ—… to some Relations that we had from the Venetians who traded and travelled thither by land out of Turkie The 〈◊〉 of these Kings and Kingdomes are these The King of Bâ—…arme the great Mogol the King of Narsing Pegu Siam the forenamed King of
Calecut and others Of Persia. THere be divers Countries between India and Persia but there are not famous Persia is a large Country which lyeth far West from India it hath on the North Assyria and Media on the West Syria and the Holy Land but next unto it Mesopotamia on the South the main Ocean which entreth in notwithstanding by a Bay called Sinus Perficus This is that Countrey which in ancient time was renowned for the great riches and Empire thereof These were they that tooke from the Assyrians the Monarchy and did set up in their Countrey the second great Empire which began under Cyrus and continued unto that Darius who was overthrown by Alexander the Great In this Countrey reigned the great Kings Cyrus Cambyses Darius the Son of Histaspes the great Xerrxes Artaxerxes and many others which in prophane writings are famous for their wars against the Scythians Egyptians and Grecians and in the Scripture for the delivery of the Jews from Babylon by Cyrus for the building of the 〈◊〉 Temple at Jerusalem and for many things which are mentio ed of them in the Prophency of Daniel The 〈◊〉 of this Nation although they were in former times very riotous by reason of their great wealth yet after they had lost their Monarchy by the Macedonians they have grown great Souldiers and therefore as they did ever strongly defend themselves against the old Romans so in the time of Constantine and the other Emperours they were fearefull Neighbours to the Romane Government and of late Time they have strongly opposed themselves against the Turkes ever making their party good with them And yet notwithstanding in the daies of Amurath the third father to Mahomet the Turke now reigning the Turke had a great hand upon the Persians going so farre with his Army as that he took the strong City Taunus standing within the Persians Dominions neer unto the Caspian sea but this losse was to be attributed partly to the great dissentions which were among the Persians themselves and partly to the multitude of the Turke his Souldiers who by fresh supply did overthrow the Persian although he slew down many thousands of them They fight commonly on horseback and are governed as in time past by a King so now by an absolute Ruler and a mighty Prince whom they terme the Shaw or Sophy of Persia. He hath many Countries and small Kings in Assyria and Media and the Countries ad joning which are tributaries Among other the Sophies of Persia about a hundred years since there was one of great power called Ismael the Persian who procured unto himself great fame by his many and valorous attempts against the Turk Surius in his Commentaries writting upon him saith that upon some fond conceit the Jewes were strongly of opinion that he was that Messias whom unto this day they expect and therefore hoped that he should have been their Deliverer and Advancer But he addeth in his report that it fell out so clean contrary that there was no man who more vexed and grieved them than that Ismail did The Persians are all at this day Sarazens in Religion beleeving in Mahomet but as Papists and Protestants do differ in opinion concerning the same Christ so do the Turks and Persians about their Mahomet the one pursuing the other as Herericks with most deadly hatred insomuch that there is in this respect almost cominâ—… all war between the Turk and the Persians Of Parthia and Media ON the North-East side of Persia lieth that Countrey which in old time was called Parthia but now named Arach of whom those great wars of the Romans with the Medians or Armenians in Tacitus and ancient Histories are true This Country aboundeth on Media by the West and it was in ancient time very full of people whose fight as it was very much on horseback so the manner of them continually was for to give an Onset and then to return their waies even to return again like to the Wild-Irish so that no man was sure when he had obtained any victory over them These were the people that gave the great Overthrow to that rich Marcus Crassus of Rome who by reason of his covetousnesse intending more to his getting of gold than to the guiding of his Army was stain himself and many thousand of the Romanes The Parthians with exprobration of his thirst after money poured molten gold into his mouth after he was dead Against these the great Lucullus fought many battles but the Romanes were never able to bring them quite to subjection On the West side of Parthia having the Mare Caspium on the North Armenia on the West and Persia on the South lyeth that Country which in time past was called Media but now Shirvan or Sirvan which is at this day governed by many inferiour Kings and Princes which are tributaries and do owe subjection to the Sophi of Persia. So that he is the Soveraign Lord of all Media as our English men have found who passing through the Dominion of the Emperour of Russia have crossed the Mare Caspium and Merchandized with the Inhabitants of this Media This Nation in former times was very famous for the Medes were they that removed the Empire from the Assyrians unto them which as in themselves it was not great yet when by Cyrus it was joyned to that of the Persians it was very mighty and was called by the name of the Empire of the Medes and Persians Here it was that Astyages reigned the Grandfather of Cyrus and Darius of the Mâ—…des The chief City of this Kingdome was called Ecbatana as the chief City of Persia was Babylon It is to be observed of the Kings of Media that in the summer time they did use to retire themselves Northward unto Ecbatana for avoiding of the heat but in the winter time they came down more South unto Susis which as it seemeth was a warmer place but by this meanes they were both taken for Imperiall Cities and chiefe residences of the King of Media which being known takes away some confusion in old stories The like custome was afterward used also by the Kings of Persia. Of Armenia and Assyria ON the West side of the Mare Caspium and of Media lyeth a Countrey called by a generall name Armenia which by some is distinctly divided into three parts The North part whereof being but little is called Georgia the middle part Turcomania the third part by the proper name of Armenia By which a man may see the reason of difference in divers Writers Some saying that the Countrey whence the Turkes first came was Armenia some saying Turcomania and some Georgia the truth being that out of one or all these Countries they did descend These Turks are supposed to be the issue of them whom Alexander the Great did shut up within certain mountaines neer to the Mare Caspium There is this one thing memorable in Armenia that after the great
Flood the Ark of Noah did â—…est it self on the Mountaines of Armenia where as Josephus witnesseth it is to be seen yet to this day the hils whereon it resteth â—…re called by some Nâ—…ae Montes The people of this Nation have retained amongst them the Chriâ—…tian faith as it is thought from the â—…ime of the Apostles but at this say it is spotted with many absurdities Among other Errors which the Church of Armenia hath been noted to hold this is one that they lid bathe their Children waving them up and down in flames oâ—… fire and repute that to be a necessary circumstance of Baptisme Which errour ariseth by mistaking that place of John the Baptist where he saith That he that came after him meaning Christ should baptize them with the holy Ghost and with fire In which place the word doth not signifie materiall fire but expresseth the lively and purging operation of the Spirit like to the nature of fire On the South part of Armenia bending towards the East lieth the Country of Assyria which is bounded on the West with Mesopotamia This Country was that Land wherein the first Monarchy was setled which began under Ninus whom the Scripture calleth Nim rod living not long after Noahs Flood and it ended in Sardanapalus continuing a thousand and three hundred yeares The King of this Country was Senacherib of whom we read â—…n the book of the Kings and here reigned Nebuchadnezzar who took Jerusalem and led the Jewes away prisoners unto Babylon In this Countrey is the swift River Tygris near unto the which was Paradise Upon this River stood the great City Ninive called by prophane Writers Ninus which was almost of incredible bignesse and exceeding populous by the nearnesse of the River and marvellous fruitfulnesse of the soil which as Herodotus writeth did return their Corn sometime two hundred and sometimes three hundred fold and did yield sufficiency for to maintain it This City for a long time was the Imperiall Seat of the Monarchy but being destroied as God foretold it should be by the Chaldeans the residence of the King was afterwards removed unto Babylon a great City in Chaldea first built by Semiramis Of Chaldea NExt unto Assyria lyeâ—…h Chaldea having on the East side Assyria on the West Syria or Palestina on the North Armenia on the South the Desart of Arabia This Countrey is often called by the name of Mesopotamia which name it hath because it lieth in the middle of two great Rivers Tygris and Euphrates It is called also by the name of Babylonia which word of it self properly taken doth signifie only that part of the Countrey which standeth about Babylon The chief City whereof was Babylon whose ruines do remain unto this day It was a rich and most pleasant City for all kind of Delight and was in the latter time of that Monarchy the Imperiall City of the Assyrians where Nebuchadnezzar and other their great Kings did â—…ye It was to this City that the children of Israel were carried captives which thereof was called the Captivity of Babylon The Kings of Persia also did keep â—…heir residence here it was built upon the River Euphrates some part of it standing on the one side and some part on the other having for its foundresse Semiramis the wife of Ninus Ammianus Marcellinus reporteth one thing of this Countrey wherein the admirable power of God doth appeare for he writeth that in these parts are a huge number of Lyons which were like enough to devour both men and beasts throughout the Countrey but withall he saith that by reason of the store of water and mudd thereof there do breed yearly an innumerable company of Gnats whose property is to flye unto the eye of the Lyon as being a bright and orient thing where byting and stinging the Lyon he â—…eareth so fiercely with his clawes that he putteth out his own eyes and by that meanes many are drowned in the Rivers others starve for want of prey and many the more easily killed by the Inha bitants It is supposed by Divines that in this Mesopotamia between the River Tygris and Euphrates Paradise did stand This was the Country wherein Abraham the Patriarch was born unto which the Romanes could very hardly extend their Dominion For they had much to do to get the Government of any thing beyond the River Euphrates From this people it is thought the wise men came which brought presents to Christ by the guiding of the Starre For as in India and all the Eastern parts so especially in this Country their Noblemen and Priests and very many people do give themselves to all Arts of Divination Here were the great Southsayers Enchanters and wise men as they call them Here were the first Astrologians which are so described and derided in the Scripture and against the Inhabitants of Babylon and Chaldea were the Lawes of the Romans made which are against divining Mathematicians who in Tullie de Divinatione Cornelius Tacitus as also in the Lawes of the Emperors are Ordinarily collected by the name oâ—… Chaldeans and indeed from these and from the Egyptians is supposed to have sprung the first knowledge of Astronomy It is thought that a great reason whereof these Chaldeans were expert in the laudable knowledge of Astronomy was partly because the Countrey is so plain that being without hils they might more fully and easily discover the whole face of the Heaven and partly because the old Fathers which lived so long not only before but in some good part also after the flood of Noah did dwell in or near to these parts and they by observation of their own did find out and discover many things of the heavenly bodies which they delivered as from hand to hand to their posterity But as corruption doth staine the best things so in proces of time the true Astronomy was defilled with superstitious Rules of Astrology which caused the Prophets Isaiah and Ieremiah so bitterly to inveigh against them And then in their fabulosity they would report that they had in their Records Observations for five and twenty thousand yeares which must needs be a very great untruth unlesse we will qualifie it as some have done expounding their yeares not of the Revolution of the Sun but of the Moon whose course is ended in the space of a moneth Of Asia the lesse ON the North-west side of Mesopotamia lyeth that Countrey which is now called Natolia but in times past Asia minor having on the North side Pontus Euxinus on the West the Hellespont and on the South the maine Mare Mediterraneum In the ancient writings both of the Grecians and of the Romans this is oftentimes called by the single name of Asia because it was best knowne unto them and they were not so much acquainted with the farther places of Asia the Great This Countrey in generall for the fruitfulnesse of the Land standing in so temperate a Climate and
Kings in whose Dominion it stood which may be gathered hereby that when once the Grecians had wonne it Durius Histaspis or Xerxes who were Kings of Persia did give charge that every day at dinner one speaking aloud should remember him that the Grecians had taken Sardis which intended that he never was in quiet till it might bee recovered again There stood also in the In-land Philadelphia Thyatina Laodicea and most of all to the North Pergamus which were the other foure Cities unto which St John the Evangelist did direct his Epistle Going upward from Ionium to the North there lyeth on the Sea-coast a little Country called Eolis and beyond that although not upon the Sea the two Provinces called Mysia Major and Mysia Minor which in times past were so base and contemptible that the people thereof were used in speech as a proverb that if a man would describe one meaner then the meanest it was said he was Mysiorum postremus On the West part of Mysia major did lye the Countrey called Troas wherein stood Ilium and the City of Troy against which as both Virgil and Homer have written the Grecians did continue their siege for the space of tenne yeares by reason that Paris had stollen away Helena the wife of Menelaus who was King of Sparta Eastward both from Troas and Mysia major a good space within the land was the Countrey called Phrygia where the Goddesse which was called Bona Dea or Pessinuntia or Cybele the mother of the old gods had her first abiding and from thence as Herodiaâ—… wrteth was brought to Rome as implying that good fortune should follow her thither In this Countrey lived that Gondius who knit the â—…ot called for the intricatenesse thereof Nodus Gordianus and when it could not be untied was cut in sunder by Alexander the Greâ—…t supposing that it should bee his fortune for the loosing of it so to be the Conquerour and King of Asia as by a prophecy of the same Gordius had been before spoken Yet North-ward from Phrygia lyeth the Countrey of Bythinia which was sometimes a Kingdome where Perusias raigned that had so much to do with the Romanes In this Countrey standeth the City Nicea where the first General Councill was held against Arius the Hereticke by Constantine the Great thereof called the Nicene Councilâ—… Here standeth also Chalcedon where the fourth Generall Councill was held by the Emperour Marcianus against the Heretick Nestorius From Bythinia Eastward on the North side of Asia the lesse standeth the Countrey of Paphlagonia where was the City built by Pompey the Great called by his name Pompeiopolis On the South of Paphlagonia toward the Iland of Asiâ—… minor diâ—… stand the Countrey of Galatia whereunto Saint Paul wrote his Epistle to the Galathians And this also was one of those Countries where the Iewes were dispersed unto which Saint Peter wrote his first Epistle as also unto them which were in Pontus Cappadocia and Bythinia from whence Southward lyeth the Province termed Lyeaoni And from thence yet more South bordering upon Pamphylia which touches the Mediterranean sea lyeth Pisidia concerning which Countries we find oftentimes mention made in such stories as do touch Asia the lâ—…sse From these Sourthern parts if we returne back againe unto the North and East of Asia major lieth the Kingdome of Pontus confining upon that which is named Pontus Euxinus In this Pontus did reigne Mithridates who in his younger daies had travelled over the greatest part of Asia and is reported to have been so skilfull that he could well speak more then twenty Languages His hatred was ever great towards the Romans against whom when he meant first to put his malice in practise he so combined with the Naturals of those parts that in one night they slew more than threescore and ten thousand of the Romans carrying their intendment so close that it was revealed by none till the execution was done Pompey the Great was the man who distressed this Mithridates and brought him to that extremity that he would gladly have poisoned himselfe but could not in as much as his stomack had been used so before unto that kind of Treacle which by reason of his inventing of unto this day is called Mithridate which is made of a kinde of poyson allaied that no venome would easily work upon him Southward from this Pontus standeth the old Kingdome of Cappadocia which in times past was observed to have many men in it but little money Whence Horace saith Mancipiis locuples eget aris Cappadocum Rex Eastward from this Cappadocia as also from Pontus is Armenia minor whereof the things memorable are described in the other Armenia And thus much touching Asia the lesse Of Syria and Palestina or the Holy Land SOuthward from Cilicia and Asâ—…a the lesse lyeth Syria a part whereof was called Palestina having on the East Mesopotamia on the South Arabia on the west Tyre and Sidon and the end of the Mediterranean Sea The people of this Syria were in times past called the Ardmites In their language is the translâ—…ion of the New Testament called Syriacke In this Countrey standed Anâ—… which was sometimes one of the ancient 〈◊〉 See and is a City of reckoning unto this day Here also standeth now the City of Aleppo which is a famous Mâ—…rt Towne for the Merchandizing oâ—… the Persians and others of the Eâ—…st and for the Turks and such Countries as be adjoining Here standeth â—…th also Tripolis The South part of Syria lying downe toward Egypt and Arabia was the place where the Children of Israel did dwell being a Country of small quantity not 200. Italian miles in length it was so fruitfull flowing with Milke and Honey as the Scripture calleth it that it did maintaine above thirty Kings and their people before the comming of the children of Israel out of Egypt and was sufficient afterwards to relieve the incredible number of the twelve Tribes of Israel It is noted of this Countrey that whereas by the goodnesse of the Climate wherein it stood and the fertility of the soyle but especially by the blessing of God it was the most fruitfull Lâ—…nd that was in the World Now ouâ—… Travellers by experience do finde the Countrey in respect of the fruitfulnesse to be changed Gâ—…d cursing the Land together with the Iewes the Inhabitants of it It is observed also for all the Easterne parts that they are not so fertile as they have been in former Ages the Earth as it were growing old which is an Argument of the Dessolution to come by the day of Judgement Through this Countrey doth run the River Jordan which hath heretofore been famous for the fruitfulnesse of the trees standing thereupon and for the mildnesse of the Aire so that as Josephus writeth when snow hath been in other places of the
Land about the River it hath been so calme that men did go in single thin linnen garments In this Countrey standeth the Lake called Lacus Asphaltites because of a kinde of slime called Bitumen or Asphaltum which daily it doth cast up being of force to joine stones exceeding fast in building And into this Lake doth the River Jordan runne This Lake is it which is called Mare Mortuum a Sea because it is salt and Mortuum or Dead for that no living thing is therein The water thereof is so thicke that few things will sinke therein in so much that Josephus faith that an Oxe having all his legges bound will not sinke into that water The nature of this Lake as it was supposed was turned into this quality when God did destroy Sodome and Gomorrah and the Cities adjoining with fire and brimstone from Heaven for Sodome and the other Cities did stand near unto Jordan and to this Mare Mortuum for the destruction of whom all that Coast to this day is a witnesse the Earth smelling of brimstone being desolate and yielding no fruit saving apples which grow with a faire shew to the eye like other fruit but as soon as they are touched do turn presently to soot or ashes as besides Josephus Solinus doth witnesse in his 48 Chapter The Land of Palestina had for iâ—…s Inhabitants all the Twelve Tribes of Israel which were under one Kingdome till the time Rehoboam the Sonne of Solomon But then were they divided into two Kingdomes ten Tribes being called Israel and two Iudah whose chiefe City was called Ierusalem The ten Tribes after much Idolatry were carried prisoners unto Assyria and the Kingdome dissolved other people being placed in their roome in Samaria and the Country adjoining The other two Tribes were properly called the Iewes and their Land Iudea which continued long after in Ierusalem aâ—…d thereabout till the Captivity of Babylon where they lâ—…ved for seventy-yeâ—…es They were afterward restored but lived without glory till the comming of Christ But since that time for a curse upon them and their children for putting Christ to death they are scattered upon the face of the earth as Runnagates without certaine Country King Priest or Prophet In their chiefe City Ierusalem was the Temple of God first most gloriously built by Solomon and afterward destroied by Nebuchadnezzar By the commandement of Cyrus King of Persia was a second Temple built much more base than the former For besides the poverty and smalnesse of it theâ—…e wanted five things which were is the former as the Jewes write First the Arke of the Covenant Secondly the pot of Manna Thirdly the Rod of Aaron Fourthly the two Tables of the Law written by the finger of God And fifthly the fire of the Sacrifice which came down from Heaven Herod the Great an Edomite stranger having gotten the Kingdome contrary to the Law of Moses and knowing the people to be offended therewithall to procure their favour he built a third Temple wherein our Saviour Jesus Christ and his Apostles did teach The City of Jerusalem was twice taken and utterly laid desolate first by Nebuchadnezzar at the Captivity of Babylon and secondly after the death of Christ by Vespasian the Roman who first began the Warres and by his sonne Titus who was afterward Emperour of Rome who brought such horrible desolation on that City and the people thereof by fire sword and famine that the like hath not been read in any History He did afterwards put thousands of them on one some day to be devoured of the Beasts which was a cruel custome of the Romans Magnificence Although Numbers and Times be not superstitiously to be observed as many foolish imagine yet it is a matter in this place not unworthy the noting which Josephus reporteth in his seventh booke and tenth Chapter de bello Judaico that the very same day whereon the Temple was set on fire by the Babylonians was the day whereon the second Temple was set on fire by the Romanes and that was upon the tenth day of August After this destruction the Land of Iudea and the ruines of Jerusalem were possessed by some of the people adjoining till that about six hundred yeares since the Saracens did invade it for expelling of whom from thence divers French men and other Christians under the leading of Godfrey of Bullen did assemble themselves thinking it a great shame that the Holy Land as they called it the City of Jerusalem and the place of the Sepulchre of Christ should be in the hands of Infidels This Godfrey ruled in Jerusalem by the name of a Duke but his successours after him for the space of 87. yeares called themselves Kings of Jerusalem About which time Saladine who called himself King of Egypt and Asia the lesse did winne it from the Christians For the recovery whereof Richard the first King of England together with the French King and the King of Sicilia did go in person with their Armies to Ierusalem but although they wonne many things from the Infidels yet the end was that the Saracens did retaine the HOLY LAND Roger Hoveden in the Life of Henry the second King of England doth give this memorable note that at that time when the City of Ierusalem and Antioch were taken out of the hands of the Pagans by the meanes of Godfrey of Bullen and others of his Company the Pope of Rome that then was was called Urbanus the Patriach of Ierusalem Heraclius and the Roman Emperour Fredericke and at the same time when the said Ierusalem was recovered again by Saladine the Popes name was Urbanus the Patriarke Ierusalem Heraclius and the Roman Emperour Fredericke The whole Countrey and City of Jerusalem are now in the dominion of the Turke who notwithstanding for a great tribute doth suffer many Christians to abide there There are now therefore two or more Monasteries and Religious houses where Fryars do abide and make a good commodity of shewing the Sepulchre of Christ and other Monuments unto such Christian Pilgrims as do use superstitiously to go in pilgrimage to the Holy Land The King of Spaine was wont to call himselfe King of Jerusalem Of Arabia NExt unto the Holy Land lieth the great Country of Arabia having on the North part Palestina and Mesopotamia on the East side the Gulph of Persia on the South the maine Ocean of India or Ethiopia on the West Egypt and the great Bay called Sinus Arabicus or the Red Sea This Countrey is divided into three parts North part whereof is called Arabia Deserta the South part which is the greatest is named Arabia Foelix and the middle betweene both that which for the abundance of Rocks and stones is called Arabia Petrea or Petrosa The Desart of Arabia is that place in the which God after the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt by passing thorow the Red Sea did keep his people under Moses for
world is Albion or Britania which hath heretofore contained in it many severall Kingdomes but especially in the time of the Saxons It hath now in it two Kingdomes England and Scotland wherin are four several languages that is the English which the civill Scots do barbarously speake the Welch tongue which is the language of the old Britains the Cornish which is the proper speech of Cornewall and the Irish which is spoken by those Scots which live on the West part of Scotland neer unto Ireland The commodities and pleasures of England are well known unto us and many of them are expressed in this verse Anglia Mons Pons Fons Ecclesia Foemina Lana England is stor'd with Bridges Hils and Wooll With Churches Wels and Women beautifull The ancient inhabitants of this land were the Britaines which were afterward driven into a corner of the Countrey now called Wales and it is not to be doubted but at first this Countrey was peopled from the continent of France or thereabout when the sons of Noah had spread themselves from the East to the West part of the world It is not strange to see why the people of that Nation do labour to fetch their pedigree from one Brutus whom they report to come from Troy because the original of that truth began by Galfridus Monumentensis above 500. yeares agone and his book containeth great shew of truth but was noted by Nubringensis or some author of his time to be meerly fabulous Besides that many of our English Nation have taxed the saying of them who would attribute the name of Brittannia unto Brutus and Cornubia to Corynaeus Aeneas Sylvius Epist. 1. 3. hath thought good to confirm it saying The English people saith he do report that after Troy was overthrown one Brutus came unto them from whom their Kings do fetch their pedigrees Which matter there are no more Historians that deliver besides a certaine English man which had some learning in him who willing to aequall the blood of those Iflanders unto the Roman stock and generosity did affirm and say that concerning Brutus which Livy and Salust being both deceived did report of Aeneas We do find in ancient Records and Stories of this Island that since the first possessions which the Britains had here it was over-run and conquered five several times The Romans were the first that did attempt upon it under the conduct of Julius Caesar who did onely discover it and frighted the inhabitants with the name of the Romans but was not able to sarre to prevaile upon it as any way to possesse it yet his successours afterwards did by little and little so gain on the Country that they had almost all of it which is now called England and did make a great ditch or trench from the East to the West sea between their dominion here and Scotland Divers of the Emperours were here in person as Alexander Severus who is reputed to be buried at York Here also was Constantius father unto Constantine the Great who from hence married Helena a woman of this Land who was afterward mother to the renowned Constantine But when the Romans had their Empire much weakned partly by their owne discords and partly by that decay which the irruptions of the Gothes and Vandals and such like invaders did bring upon them they were forced to retire their legions from thence and so leaving the Countrey naked the Scots and certaine people called the Pictes did breake in who most miserably wasted and spoiled the Country Then were the Inhabitants as some of our Authors write put to that choise that either they must stand it out and be slaine or give ground till they came to the sea and so be drowned Of these Pictes who were the second over-runners of this Land some do write that they did use to cut and pounse their flesh and lay on colours which did make them the more terrible to be seen with the cuts of their flesh But certaine it is that they had their name for painting themselves which was a common thing in Brittaine in Caesars time as he reporteth in his Commentaries the men colouring their faces with Glastone or Ode that they might seem the more dreadfull when they were to joyn battell To meet with the cruelty and oppression of these Barbars the Saxons were in the third place by some of the Land called in who finding the sweetnesse of the soile and commodiousnesse of the Countrey every way did repaire hither by great troops and so seated themselves here that there were at once of them seven several Kingdomes and Kings within the Compasse of England These Saxons did beare themselves with much more temperance and placability towards those few of the Countrey that remained then the Pictes had done but yet growing to contention one of their Kings with another partly about the bounds of their territories and partly about other quarrels they had many great battels each with other In the time of these Religion and Devotion was much embraced and divers Monasteries and rich Religious houses were founded by them partly for pennance which they would do and partly otherwise because they thought it too meritorious insomuch that King Edgar alone is recorded to have built above foure severall Monasteries And some other of their Kings were in their ignorance so devoted that they gave over their Crownes and in superstition did goe to Rome there to lead the lives of private men These seven Kingdomes in the end did grow all into one and then the fourth and most grievous scourge and conquest of this Kingdome came in the Danes who Lording it here divers yeares were at last expelled and then William Duke of Normandy pretending that he had right thereunto by the promise of adoption or some other conveiance from Harald did with his Normans passe over into this Land and obtained a great victory in Sussex at a place which he caused in remembrance thereof to be called Battell and built an Abby there by the name of Battell Abby He took on him to winne the whole by conquest and did beare himselfe indeed like a Conquerour For he seised all into his hands gave out Barons Lordships and Mannors from himself reversed the former Lawes and Customes and instituted here the manners and orders of his own Country which have proceeded on and been by little and little bettered so that the honourable government is established which we now see at this day It is supposed that the faith of Christ was first brought into this land in the days of the Apostles by Joseph of Arimathea Simon Zelotes and some other of that time but without doubt not long after it was found here which appeareth by the testimony of Tertullian who lived within lesse then 200. yeares after Christ And there are records to shew that in the daies of Eleutherius one of the ancient B shops of Rome King Lucius received here both Baptisme and
tradition among old writers that Britaine did breed no Wolves in it neither would they live here but the report was fabulous in as much as our Chronicles do write that there were here such store of them that the Kings were enforced to lay it as an imposition upon the Kings of Wales who were not able to pay much mony for tribute that they should yearly bring in certaine hundreds of Wolves by which meanes they were at the length quite rid from Wolves The Country of Wales had in times past a King of it self yea and sometimes two the one of North-Wales and the other of South-Wales between which people at this day there is no great good affection But the Kings of England did by little and little so gain upon them that they subdued the whole Country unto themselves and in the end King Henry the 8. intending thereby to benefit this Realme and them did divide the Country into Shires appointed there his Judices Itinerantes or Judges of the circuit to ride and by Act of Parliament made them capable of any preferment in England as well as other Subjects When the first newes was brought to Rome that Julius Caesar had attempted upon Britain Trully in the elegance of his wit as appeareth in one of his Epistles did make a flout at it saying That there was no gain to be gotten by it For gold here was none nor any other commodity to be had unlesse it were by slaves whom he thought that his friend to whom he wrote would not look to be brought up in learning or Musick But if Tully were alive at this day he would say that the case is much altered in as much as in our Nation is sweetness of behavior abundance of learning Musick all the liberal Acts goodly buildings sumptuous apparel rich fare and whatsoever else may be truly boasted to be in any Country near ad joining The Northern part of Britaine is Scotland which is a Kingdome of it self and hath been so from very ancient time without any such conquest or maine transmutation of State as hath been in other Countries It is compassed about with the sea on all sides saving where it joyneth upon England and it is generally divided into two parts the one whereof is called the Highland and the other the Low-land The Low-land is the most civill part of the Realm wherein religion is more orderly established and yieldeth reasonable subjection unto the King but the other part called the High-land which lyeth further 〈◊〉 the North or else bendeth towards Ireland is more rude and savage and whither the King hath not so good accesse by reason of Rocks and mountaines as to bring the Noblemen which inhabite there to such due conformity of Religion or otherwise as he would This Countrey generally is more poor then England or the most part of the Kingdomes of Europe but yet of late yeares the wealth thereof is much encreased by reason of their great traffick to al the parts of Christendome yea unto Spain it self which hath of late years been denied to the English and some other Nations and yet unto this day they have not any ships but for Merchandize neither hath the King in his whole Dominion any vessel called A man of war Some that have travelled into the Northerne parts of Scotland do report that in the Solstitium aestivele they have scant any night and that which is is not above two houres being rather a d mnesse then a darknesse The language of the Countrey is in the Lowland a kind of barbarous English But towards Ireland side they speak Irish which is the true reason whereof it is reported that in Britain there are four languages spoken that is Irish in part of Scotland English for the greatest part Welch in Wales Cornish in Cornwall In the confines between the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland which are commonly called the Borders there lye divers out-laws and unruly people which being subject to neither Prince by their good wits but so far as they list do exercise great robberies and stealing of cattell from them that dwell therabout and yet the Princes of both Realmes for the better preservation of Peace and Justice do appoint certain Warders on each side who have power even by Martiall Law to represse all enormities The Queen of England had on her side three whereof one is called the Lord Warden of the East Marches the other of the west Marches the third the Warden of the middle Marches who with all their power cannot so order things but that by reason of the outrages thereabouts committed the borders are much unpeopled whiles such as desire to be civill do not like to live in so dangerous a place It hath been wondred at by many that are wise how it could be that whereas so many Countries having in them divers Kingdomes and Regiments did all in the end come to the dominion of one as appeareth at this day in Spaine where were wont to be divers Kings and so in times past in England where the seven Kingdomes of the Saxons did grow all into one yet that England and Scotland being continuate within one Iland could never till now be reduced to one Monarchy whereof in reason the French may be thought to have been the greatest hindrance For they having felt so much smart by the Armes of England alone insomuch that sometimes all that whole Country almost hath been over run and possessed by the English have thought that it would be impossible that they should resist the force of them if both their Kingdoms were united joined into one The Custome theresore of the Kings of France in former times was that by their gold they did bird unto them the Kings and Nobility of Scotland and by that means the Kings of England were no sooner attempting any thing upon France but the Scots by and by would envade England Whereupon the Proverb amongst our people grew That he who will France win must with Scotland first begin And these French-men continuing their policy did with infinite rewards breake off the Marriage which was intended and agreed upon between King Edward the sixth and Mary the late unfortunate Queen of Scotland drawing her rather to be married with the Dolphin of France who was son to King Henry the second and afterward himself reigned by the name of King Francis the second But this was so ill taken by the English that they sought revenge upon Scotland and 〈◊〉 them a great overthrow in that 〈◊〉 which was called Musselborough field The people of this Country were in times past 〈◊〉 barbarous that they did not refuse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flesh which as S. Hierom doth 〈◊〉 of them he himselâ—… saw some of 〈◊〉 to do in France and the 〈◊〉 hereof went so far that Chrysostome in one place doth allude to such a matter There be many little Islands adjoining unto the
Pliny the fire did breake forth there and so strongly as that the elder Pliny who spent all his time in discovering the secrets of Nature pressing neer to behold it was stifled with the flame smoak ashes or that he died in the place as is most excellently described in the Book of his Epistle 〈◊〉 his Nephew the yonger Pliny Not farre from Sicily on the â—…outh lieth the little Isle called in old â—…ime Melita whence those dogs come which are so much desired under the names of Canes Melitenses This was the place where S. Paul was cast up after his ship-wrack in his journy to Rome where the Viper hanged on his hand and did not hurt him This Country is now called Malta and is one of the places most renowned in the world for repelling of the Turks When Soliman the Emperour of them did send against it a most mighty arm it was then defended by them who are called the Knights of Malta which by sea do great spoile to the Gallies of the Turk that passe that way There were in times past diverâ—… Orders of Knights and men that â—…ad vowed themselves to adventure their lives and whole state for the maintenance of Christs Religion and some places of the earth against the Infidels and Sarazens The most ancient of all those were called the Templers who were a great corporation or society consisting of divers Gentlemen yonger brothers for the most part out of all the Realms of Christendome Their chiese charge was to defeâ—…d the City of Jerusalem and the Reliques or remainder of the Temple there and Sepulchre of Christ for the preservation of which places together with the rest of the Holy Land they had given unto them and purchased for their mony very rich and ample possessions in England France Spaine Italy and other places of Europe insomuch that in the daies of Matthew Paris he reporteth that they had under them many thousands of Mannors They had also in every Kingdome where their Order was permitted a great and ample house where some chief of their company did lye who received the Rents within that Kingdome and caused the money to be transported into the Holy Land and other Ordinances to be made and executed belonging unto their Order of which Houses the Temple that is now in London was a chiefe one which had in former times belonged to the Jewes but was afterwards translated to that use when the Holy Land was quite taken by Saladine and could never be recovered into the hands of the Christians since the society of these Templers ceased the Pope and the King of France conspiring their ruines and their Land were dispersed into divers mens hands In the same time when the Timplers were in their strength there was another sort called the Hospitallers whose condition and im ployment was very like unto the other both of them fighting for the preservation of Palestina We read that sometimes these two companies had great jarrs between themselves whereby grew much hinderance to the wars against the Infidels All these were accounted as Orders of Religion and therefore it was forbidden them at any time to marry without dispensation from the Pope because not being entangled to Wife and Children they might be more resolute to adventure their lives After them grew up the Order of the Knights of Rhodes who since they could not live in the Holy Land yet would abide as near unto it as possibly they might and therefore partly to preserve Pilgrims which should go to visit the Sepulcher of Chirst and partly to infest the Turke and Saracens but especially to keep the enemies of Christs faith from encroaching further upon Christendome which most earnestly they did and do desire they placed themselves in the Island of Rhodes where daily doing grea fâ—…th to the Turk Soliman the great Warriour could not endure them but with a mighty Army so ove lâ—…id them that he won the Island from them After the losse of Rhodes the Iland of Malta was given unto these Knights by Charles the 5. Emperour whereupon they are now called the Knights of Malta for the great Master after he came from Rhodes went into Candy and from thence into Sicily and so into Italy from thence he made a voyage into England and then into France and hastly inâ—…o Savoy from whence he departed with the Religion into this Island and there they continue and behave themselves as in the former Iland and offering no violence unto Christians they much hinder the courses of the Turkes from Graecia and Asia and of the other Sarazens from Fez and Morocco They are very valiant men fit to do great service either by Land or Sea as appeared when Soliman did think to have surprised them and their Iland the description of which war is dilipently laid down by Caelius sâ—…undus Curio in a Treatise dedicated to Elizabeth Queen of England There have been divers other Orders of Knights yea and some of them reputed to be a kinde of Religion in Portugal France England Burgundy and some other places of Christendome but because their service hath not been emploi'd purposely as these which are before mentioned we do not touch them in this place Neer unto Graecia and Peloponnsus on the West side towards Italy is the Isle of Corcyra now termed Corfu and not far South from that is Cophalenia from thence South is Zon called by Virgil Nemerosa Zacynthus all which Ilands are at this day under the Venetians The greatest commodity which that Countrey doth yield are Corans which are gathered of a kind of small Grapes and for the making whereof they commonly one time every summer for the space of three weekes have a continuall drought day and night in which time the Currans are laid abroad in the open aire and may not be taken in insomuch that if the season do continue hot and dry their merchandize is very good but if there fall any raine untill the time be expired of their full drying the Currans are not good but do mould and change their colour to be somewhat white like meale The State of Venice under whom this Iland is doth make a great commodity of the impost or taxation which is laid upon this Merchandize calling the Tribute which is paid for them the Revenue of Saint Mark for unto that Saint is the City of Venice dedicated and they hold him for their Patron In this Iland besides the Merchants who repaire thither are divers Italians who be there in Garison for the Venetians in one special Castle which commandeth the whole Iland There are also divers Fryars of that Nation who perform nnto their Country men such exercises of Religion as are convenient They will not fuffer any of our Merchants to have Christian buriall among them unlesse at his death he be confessed after the Romish fashion whereupon some have been forced to convey over some of their
dead bodies into Morea which is not farre distant to be buried there among the Greekes and after their fashion The naturall Inhabitants of Zant are Greeks both by Language and Religion and observe all fashions of the Greekish Church in whose words being now much corrupted depraved there may yet be found some tokens and remainders of the old pure and uncorrupted Greek There are in this Countrey great store of Swine kept whereof the Inhabitants do feed and carry them into Morea but the Turks there by their Mahumetane profession will taste no Swines flesh In Zacynthus our English Merchants have an house of abode for their Traffick South-East from Moreah lyeth the great Island Creta where Minos sometimes did reign so famous for his severity This Countrey was then called Hecâ—…tompolis as having in it a hundred Towns and Cities Here stood the labyriâ—…th which was the work of Dedalus who conveighed the house so by the manifold turnings infiniteness of Pillars and Doors that it was impossible to find the way yet Theseus by the help of Ariadne the Daughter of King Minos taking a bottome of thred and â—…ing the one end at the first doore did enter and slâ—…y the Minotaur which was kept there and afterwards returned safe out again The ancient Inhabitants of this Country were such noted lyars that beside the Proverbs which were made of them as Crettenscmendacium Cretisandum est cum Cretensibus the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to Titus who was left there by him as Bishop of that Island doth cite a verse out of the Heathen Poet Epimenides that the Cretians are ever lyars evil beasts slow bellies This Island is in our daies called Candy being the place from whence our Sugar of Candy is brought It is under the Venetians and repute a part of their Seigniory although the Turks when they had taken Cyprus did think also to have surprised it but that it pleased God by the meanes of Don John of Austria in the behalf of his brother the King of Spaine and the Venetians to give the Turke that great overthrow at sea in the sight near unto Lepanto Yet since that time no doubt the Turks have a greedy eye upon the sland of Canay Between Creta and Peloponnesus lyeth Cithera There was the fine Temple of Venus who thereof by the Poets is called Citherea The Islands are many which lye in the Sea called Mare Aegeum from the bottome of Greece unto the top of the Hellespont as all the Cyclades Euboia and the great Iland Samos and Chios so Seyres where Achilles was born and was King of that Coutrey There is also Lesbos and Cemnos Mytilene and Ithaca where Ulysses was King and Andnos whither Themistocles was sent by the Athenians for Tribute as Plutarch layeth down the History Themistocles did tell them that he came to demand Tribute or some great imposition upon them being ' accompanied with two goddâ—…sses the one was Eloquence to perswade them and the other Violence to enforce them Whereunto the Andrâ—…ans made answer that they had on their side two goddesses as strong whereof the one was Necessity whereby they had it not and the other was Impossibilitie whereby they could not part with that which they never possessed Of these places something may be read in the old History of the Greekes Divers of these did strive that Homer was borne in them but of certain many of those Kings which Homer saith came with Agamemnon to the siege of Troy were Kings but of those small Ilands Eastward from thence not farre from some part af Natolia or Asia the lesser is the Iland of Rhodes the friendship of the inhabitants whereof was in ancient time very much desired by the Princes that had to do that way so that Alexander first and the Romans afterwards did embrace their league Here was that huge and mighty Image of the Sun which was called Colossus Rhodius This Country was long defended by those who were called the Knights of Rhodes against the power of the Turke and it was a great bulwarke to defend Christendome till that in the yeare one thousand five hundred twenty and one Solyâ—…an the Great Turke did win it from the Christians by force From thence Southward is the Isle Carpathus but in the farthest end of the East part of the Mediterranean is Cyprus which about 300. yeares since was a Kingdome and did afford great aide unto the Christians that went to conquer the Holy Land but it is now under the Turke The chief City thereof is â—…amogusta which is an Archbishops sea for Christians for their tribute do yet live there In this Countrey in old time was Venus much honoured and therefore she was called Cypria as also Paphia because she had a temple in a City there called Paphos Neer unto Syria stood the Island Tyrus against the pride whereof the Prophets doth much speak this was a rich City for Merchandise and Navigation in old time and is the place from whence Dido and the builders of Carthage did come The destruction of it is most famous by Alexander the great Of the rest of the small Islands we do say nothing Of the Islands in the Indian Sea THe Islands are very many that do lye in the Sea adjoining to the East Indies but the most famous among them shall onely be touched Among old writers as especially appeareth by Solinus was well known that which was then called Tâ—…probana which lieth neer the Equinoctiall Line It was in that time a Monarchy where the Kings reigned not by succession but by election and if any of them did grow intolerable he was deposed and enforced to dye by withdrawing from him all things necessary This is now called Sumatra and hath in it divers Kings Not far from thence lâ—…e Eastward the two Islands called Java major and Java minor which were also known to the old Writers as in general may be noted that all the East part either in the Continent or in the Ilands have very many smal Kings and Kingdomes From whence yet more East lieth a great number of â—…les which are now called the Molucco's which are places as rich for their quantity as any in the World from these it is that the Spaniards have yearly so great quantity of all kinds of spice neither is there any place of all the East-Indies that doth more richly furnish home their Carracts than do these Molucco's The Islands which are called by that name are by some of our writers accounted to be at least four twenty or five and twenty and some of them which are the bigger have in them two or three Kings apiece and some of them which are lesse are either the several Dominions of several Kings or else two or three of them do belong to some one Prince When Sir Francis Drake did compasse the whole World he came near unto these
but did not touch at any of them but Master Candish taking as large a journey was in one or more of them where he found the people to be intelligent and subtill and the Kings of the Country to take upon them as great state as might be convenient for such petty Princes Some of these Islands the Spaniards in right of the Portugals have got into their own possession with the Kings of some other they have leagued and a third sort utterly detest them More Northward over against China lyeth a Country consisting of a great many Islands called Japona of Japan the people whereof are much of the same nature with the men of China This Country was first discovered by the â—…esuites who in a blind zeale have travelled into the farthest parts of the world to win men to their Religion This Island is thought to be very rich About the parts of Japan there are diâ—…ers people whose most ordinary habitation is at the Sea and do never come into the Land but only for their necessities or to furnish themselves with new vessels wherein they may abide but lying not farre from the Land they have ducks and other fowls swimming about them which sometimes they take into their Boats and Ships in such sort do breed them to the maintenance of them and their Children Into this Iapan of late daies have our English also sail'd as into other parts of the East Indies and there erected a Factory The rest that be either neer unto Asia or Africa because there is little written of them we passe over onely naming them as the Philipinâ—… Borneo Bandaâ—…a as also on the side of Africke the Island of Saint Laurence called by the inhabitants Madagasâ—…ar 〈◊〉 and others of lesse note And yet we do find in Solinus and Pliny but especially in Pomponius Mela that it was known in old time that there were many Islands neer unto the East-Indies which as it might be first discovered by the trafficking of the Islanders into the continent so no doubt that Navy which Alexander sent out to India to desâ—…ry and coast thorow the Eastern seas did give much light thereunto partly by that which themselves did see and partly by those things which they heard in such places and of such persons as they met with in their travell Of the Islands in the Atlantick Sea THere be many Islands which he Westward from Africa and from Europe as those which are called the Gorgades that lye in the same climate with Guinea which are four in number not inhabited by men but they are full of Goats Peter Martyr in his first Decade the sixth Book saith that the Admirall Colonus in the year of Christ 1498 sailing to Hispaniola with eight ships came to the Isle of Madera from whence sending directly the rest of his ships to the East Indies he in one ship with decks and two Carayels sailed to the Equinoctiall betweene which and the Isle Madera in the middest way lye 13. Islands of the Portugalls in old time called Hesperides now Cabonerde two daies sailing distant from the inner parts of Ethiope one whereof is called Bonavista Northward from thence in the same climate with the South part of Morocco lye those which are called Canariâ—… or the fortunate Islands which are seven in number being most fruitful and very pleasant and therefore called by that name Fortunate Insulae This is famous in them that it hath pleased all Cosmographers to make their Meridian to be their first point where they do begin to reckon the computation of their Longitude and unto them after three hundred and threescore Degrees to return again From these Islands it is that those strong and pleasant Sacks which are called Canary Wings are brought and from thence are fetched those that they call Canary Birds These Islands are under the Crowne of Spaine The heat of the Countrey is very great and therefore fitter for concoction but besides that the sayle of it self is accommodated thereunto and by reason of them both these Islands do bring forth a Grape which is sweeter in taste then any other Grape and hath that property with it that the Wine which is made thereof doth not â—…ume into the head like other Sack but doth help the stomacke and exercise the force of it there The slips of their Vines have been brought into Spaine and some other places of Europe but they have not sorted to the same purpose as they do in their native Countrey ... There do grow also in these Isles good store of Sugar-canes which yeeldeth plentifully that kinde of commodite unto Spaine either for Marmelets wherein they much delight or for other uses Peter Martyr in the beginning of his Decades which he hath written de Orbe novo doth particularly touch the names and some other things of these Islands On the backside of Africa also just under the Equinoctial is the Isle of Saint Thomas inhabited by the Portugals which Island was taken in the later time of Queen Elizabeth by the Dutch it is reported that in the midst of this Iland is an Hill and over that a continual cloud where with the whole Island is watered such a like thing as this is reported of the Isle of Cloves The aire of this Island is unwholsome and there is hardly seen any Portugal or stranger that comes to dwell there which lives till he be above forty years of age More Northward from Africke lye those Islands which are called Azores Insulae being six or seven in number of which Tercera is one of the chief of whom the rest by some are called Tercera's which are farre inferiour in fruitfulnesse unto the Canaries These were first under the Crown of Portugal and one of them was the last which was kept out from the King of Spaine by the Prior Don Antonio who afterward called himself King of Portugal but the Spaniard at last took this Terrera from him and doth possesse all these Islands together with the rest of the Dominion which did belong to the Portugall He who list to see the unadvised proceedings of Don Antonio both in parting with Lisbon and the rest of Portugall as also in losing these Islands which last of all held out for him let him read Conestagio of the union of Portugall to the Crown of Castile But these Azores have in times past yeelded much Oade which thereupon in England was called Island Oade but now they are the place where the Spaniards do commonly touch and take in fresh water both going and comming to and from America finding that to passe directly without turning on either hand towards America is very hard by reason of the strong current of the water from the gulph of Mexico and so forward to the East and therefore they are enforced either to go lower to the South and so to water in some part of Guinea or thereabout or else to keep
affaires of those Countries the King caused a Councell and Councell house to be newly erected at Sivill where all things should be handled that did grow to any controversie and where the intelligences and advertisments might be laid up as in a place of record which should from time to time bee brought out of America Of this Councell Peter Martyr who wrote the Decades was one and continued there till he was very old and therefore might upon the surest instructions set down these things which he committed to story The desire of gain caused the Spaniards to seek further into the Countries but the tyranny and the covetousnesse of the Spaniards was such in taking from them their goods in deflowing their Wives and Daughters but especially in forcing them to labour in their Gold Mines without measure as if they had been Beasts that the people detesting them and the name of Christians for their sakes did some of them kill themselves and the mothers destroyed their children in their bellies that they might not be born to serve so hate full a Nation and some of them did in war conspire against them so that by slaughter and otherwise the people of the Countrey are almost all wasted nowwithin a hundred years being before many millions and those which remain are as Slaves and the Spaniards almost only inhabite those parts It is not unknown to all the parts of Europe that the insolencie of the Spaniards is very great even over Christians tyrannizing and playing all outrages wheresoever they get men in subjection and this maketh them so hatefull to the Portugals at home to the Italian in Milluin and Naples but especially to the Low-Countrey-men who have therefore much desire to shake off the yoke of their Governour Besides thaâ—… they are men immoderately given to the lust of the Flesh making no conscience even at home even to get Bastards in their young dayes and reputeth it no infamy unto them to frequent Harlots and Brothel-houses but when they are abroad especially in warlike services they are very outragous impudently and openly deflouring mens Wives and Daughters It may easily then be guessed what disorder they kept in the West-Indies where the Countries are hot and the women were not able to resist their insolencies and how they did tyrannize over the poor unarmed people making them to drudge for them not only like slaves but bruit beasts which gross over-sight of theirs was at the first so apparent that all of good minds did complaine thereof as appeareth by Peter Martyr himself who in his writing to the Pope and other Princes doth much deplore the ill usage of them who in name were Christians towards those simple Infidels And certainly it caused many of them to blaspheme the name of God and of Christ and to renounce their Baptisme whereunto they were either forced or intreated when they measured the God of the Christians by the actions of his servants whom they sound to be blasphemers and swearers riotous and great Drunkards ravenous tyrannous and oppressors unsatisfied covetous fornicators beyond measure given to incredible wantonnesse and exercising even among themselves all kind of envie contention murthers poisonings and all sort of inhumane behaviour Not long after the arrivall of the Spaniards there there were certain Fryars and religious men who moved with some zeale to draw the people there to the Christian faith did travell into those parts that so they might spread abroad the Gospel of Christ and when they came there beholding the intemperance of their Country-men which turned many away from the profession of Religion they were much moved in their hearts and some of them by writings and some other of them by travelling personally backe againe into Spaine did informe the King and his Court how dishonorable a thing it was to the name of Christ that the poor people should be so abused and how improbable it was that those courses being continued any of them would hardly embraced the faith The earnest Petition of these caused Charles the fifth the Emperour and King of Spaine by his Edict and open Proclamation published in the West-Indies to give liberty unto the Inhabitants and Naturals of the place that they should be in state of free-men and not of bond but his subjects were so inured proudly to domineere over them that this did little amend the condition of the people Since these daies notwithstanding the blind zeal of the Spaniards hath been such as that the Kings have been at some cost and other men also have been at a great charge to erect divers Monasteries and religious Houses there and many have taken the pains to go out of Europe as they think for Christs sake to reside as Monks and Friars in America There be established some Biâ—… shopricks there and other Governments Ecclesiastical and the Mass is there published and Latine service according to the custome of the Church of Rome labouring to root out their infidelity but mingling the Christian Religion with much Popish superstition By reason that the Country is exceeding rich and fruitful the Spaniards with great desire did spread themselves towards the North where they found some more resistance although nothing incomparison of Warriours but the greatest of their labour was to conquer the Kingdome of Mexico which Mexico is a City very great and as populous almost as any in the the world standing in the midst of a great Marsh or Fen. The conquerour of this was Ferdinandus Cortesius so much renowned in Spaine unto this day If there were any thing at all in these West-Indies which might savour of civility or any orderly kind of government it was in the Kingdome of Mexico where it appeared unto the Spaniards that there is a certain setled state which was kept within compasse by some degrees and customes of their own and which was able to make some resistance as it may be termed if it be compared with the other inhabitants of America although little if it be conferred with the courses of Christendom But the policy of the Spaniards was that by private means they came to understand of a King that confined neer upon Mexico who as he was of good strength so was he of exceeding malice towards these his borderers and by his forces and intelligence Ferdinandus Cortesius and his company came to have their will upon Mexico In this Countrey there standeth a very great Lake which at the one end is very large and almost round but towards the other end doth contract it self again into a narrow room and then spreadeth wide again and round onely about the third part of the compasse of the greateâ—… end In the lesser of the two their are set some houses in four or five severall places which represent our Villages but in the greatest pan of the Lake standeth Mexico it self being a City built of bricke to â—… good and elegant proportion where the water
issueth into divers streets of it as it is in Venice and from some part whereof there are diver Bridges unto the main Land mad also of brick but from the other â—…des men do come by boats where of there is abundant store continually going in that Lake The Writers do record thaâ—… there is to be found in this City a bundance of all kind of provision but especially fruits and other delightfull things which are brought in from other parts of the Countrey This was the chief City of all those quarters before the arrivall of the Spaniards there and in subjection thereunto were many large Provinces extending themselves every way so that the King of this place was a Prince of great estate And accordingly thereunto the Spaniards at this day have made it their chiefe and royall City where the King keeps his Vice-Roy of Mexico for the West-Indies as he hath his Vice-Roy at Goa for the East-Indies and from thence have all the parts of America but especially that which they call Hispania nova their directions and hence they fetch their Laws Ordinances and determinations unlesse it be such great causes as are thought fit to be referred to the Councell of Spaine The Sea which confineth neerest unto this City is called the Gulph of Mexico where as in divers other Bayes or Gulphes the stream or current is such that ships cannot passe directly to and fro but especially out of the Gulph that they are forced to take their course either high to the North or low to the South In and neer unto this Gulph are divers Iland conquered and inhabited by the Spaniards as the forenamed Cuba and Hispaniola where the Spaniards were visited by our English in the time of Queen Elizabeth and their Towns of Sancto Domingo and Saint Jago taken by Sir Francis Drake as also Jarvaica and Boriquen otherwise called the Iland of Saint Phu where the Earle of Cumberland took the Town of Porto-Ricco and many other Islands of lesse note In the Sea coasts of all this Nova Hispania the King of Spaine have built many Towns and Castles and therein have erected divers Furnaces and Forges for the Trying and Fining of their Gold They that do write of the discovery of the West-Indies do report that when Columbus at the first went thitherward in their greatest distraction and doubtfulnesse of minde whether to go forward or backward and Columbus had begged only two or three daies respite there was one of his company who after the Sea manner going up to discover the Land did espie some fire for the which being so happy and lucky a token he did hope to receive at the hands of the King of Spaine some bountiful reward but when he returned home there was nothing at all given unto him which he took with that malecontentednesse and disdaine that he fled over into Africa and there among the Moores did apostate and renounce the Christian faith so that he became a Saracen Of the parts of America towards the North. THE rumor of the discovery of these parts being blown over Christendome and the great quantitie of the Land together with the fruitfulness thereof being reported abroad some other Nations did enterprize to set foot therein as namely the Frenchmen who sent certain ships to a part of this Country lying North from Hispania nova some few degrees without the Tropick of Cancer into which when they had arrived because of the continuall greennesse of the ground and trees as if it had been a perpetual spring they called it Florida where after some few of them had for a time setled themselves the Spaniards took notice of it and being unwilling to endure any such neighbours they came suddenly on them and most cruelly slew them all without taking any ransome And the French in revenge of this deed of the Spaniards came in again afterwards into this Country and slew those that were the slaiers of their country men yet the Syaniards for want of men are not able to inhabite that Countrey but leave it to the old people The French had built in Florida upon the River of Mayo where they were visited by our Sir John Hawkins a Fort which they called Fort Carolin and had reasonably assured themselves for their defence against the Natives but some malicious spirits amongst them fled to the Spaniards with whom they return again into Florida to the murther and overthrow of their own Country-men He who list to see both the attempt of the French-men for the inhabiting of that part and the usage of the Spaniards towards them let him read the Expedition into Florida which is the end of Benzo's story concerning the New found World and there he shall find both the covetous and infatiable nature of the Spaniards who would not endure the French neere unto them although there was land sufficient and much to spare for both of them also their perfidiousnesse in breaking of Oaths and promises and their unchristian cruelty whereby they massacred all The Spaniards also to the number of three hundred foot and two hundred horse under the conduct of Ferdinando de Sota entred Florida about the year of our Lord 1550. and there conquered a thousand miles wide and large and after four or five yeares continuance in that Country betook themselves again from thence and went to new Spain landing at Panuc in Ships and Vessels that they had built in Florida And in all that time notwithstanding many conflicts with the natives and divers discommodities and wants which they sustained in the Countrey they lost but two hundred men After this departure of the Spaniards out of Florida brought thither by Ferdinando de Sota who died in the Country after the defeat of the French and their revenge again taken on the Spaniards the King of Spaine sent thither some small forces to take possession of the Country and sit down there for no other end as it is thought but to keep out other Nations from entring there the one half whereof set down on the River of Saint Augustine and the other half a dozen leagues from thence to the Northward at a place by them called Saint Helena In the year 1586. as Sir Francis Drake came coasting along from Cartagena a City in the main land to which he put over and took it after he departed from Sancto Domingo when the mortality that was amongst our English had made them to give over their enterpriâ—…e to go with Nombre de Dios and so over land to Panama there to have stricken the stroake for the Treasure he was on the coast of Florida in the height of thirty our men discryed on the shore a place built like a Beacon which was made for men to discover to Sea-ward so comming to the shore they marched along the Rivers side till they came to a Fort built all of whole trees which the Spaniards called the Fort of Saint John where the
King entertained halfe his Forces that he then had in the Countrey which were an hundred and fifty Souldiers the like number being at Saint Helena all of them under the government of Petro Melendez Nephew to the admirall Melendez that fifteen or sixteen years before had been to bring with onr English in the Bâ—…y of Mexico this Fort our English â—…ook and not far from thence the Town also of Saint Augustine upon the same river where resolving to umdertake also the enterprize of Saint Helena when they came to the Havens mouth where they should enter they durst not for the dangerous shoals wherefore they sorsooke the place coasting along to Virginia where they took in Mr. Ralph Lane and his company and so came into England as you shall heare when we speak of Virginia In these Northerne parts of America but especially within the main Continent some have written but how truly I cannot tell that there is a sea which hath no enter course at all with the Ocean so that if there be any third place beside the Mare Caspium and the Mare Mortuum in Palestina which retained in it self great saltnesse and yet mingleth not with the other sea it is in these Countries There is also in new Spain a great salt Lake as big or bigger than the dead sea of Palestine in the midst of which stands the great City of Tenustitan or Mexico the Mistris crâ—…imperiall City of those parts and on the Bankes or sides of that Lake many other Cities also beside which though they are but little in comparison of the greatnesse of Tenustitan yet of themselves are geeat This Tenustitan is supposed to consist of 60 thousand houses as you may read in the third Chap. of the fifth of the Decades and this City standing in the midst and center of this salt Lake go which way you will from the Continent to the â—…ity it is at least a League and an half or two Leagues on the Lake unto it some of the other Cities are said to be thirty some of forty thousand Houses the names of these are Mesiquailâ—…ingo Coluacana Wiohilabasco Iztapalapa and others the Lake though it be in the midst of the Land hath his fluxus and refluxus his ebbing and flowing like the Sea and yet seventy leagues distant from the Sea But certain it is that towards the South of these parts which is the Northern part of Hispania nova above Mexico there is a burning hill which often times breaketh out into flames as Vesuvius in Campania did in the daies of the elder Pliny and as Aetna hath done many ages since and before Peter Martyr his his fifth of his Decades saith that eight leagues from Tenustitan or Mexico as Ferdinando Cortes went thither from the Chiurute Calez where is a Hill called of the Inhabitants Popecatepeque as much as to say A smoakie mountaine at the top whereof there is a hole of a league and a halfe wide out of which are cast fire and stones with whitl-winds and that the thickness of the ashes lying about the Hill is very great It is reported also elsewhere of this hill that the flames and the ashes thereof oft times destroy the fields and Gardens thereabouts When Cortes went by it he sent ten Spaniards with Guides of the Countrey to see and make report thereof unto him two of which ten venturing further than the rest saw the mouth of this fiery gulph at the hils top and had they not happily soon returned towards their fellows and sheltered themselves under a rock on the side of the hill such a multitude of stones were cast out with the flame that by no meanes they could have escaped The English-men also desirous by Navigation to adde something unto their own Countrey as before time they had travelled toward the farthest North part of America so lately finding that part which lieth between Florida and Nova Francia was not inhabited by any Christians and was a Land fruitfull and fit to plant in they sent thither two severall times two severall companies as Colonies to inhabite that part which in remembrance of the Virginity of their Queen they called Virginia But this voyage being enterprized upon by private men and being not throughly followed by the State the possession of this Virginia for that time was discontinued and the Country left to the old inhabitants There were some English people who after they had understood the calmnesse of the Climate and goodnesse of the soyle did upon the instigation of some Gentlemen of England voluntarily offer themselves even with their Wives and Children to go into those parts to inhabite but when the most of them came there upon some occasions they returned home again the first time which caused that the second year there was a great company transported thither who were provided of many necessaries and continued there over a whole winter under the guiding of M. Lane but not finding any sustenance in the Country which could well brooke wiâ—…h their nature and being too meanely provided of Corn and Victuals from England they had like to have perished with famine and therefore thought themselves happy when Sir Francis Drake comming that way from the Westerne Indies would take them into his ships and bring them home into their native Country Yet some there were of those English which being left behind ranged up and down the Country and hovering about the sea-coast made means at last after their enduring much misery by some Christian ships to be brought back again into England While they were there inhabiting there were some children born and baptized in those parts and they might well have endured the Country if they might have had such strength as to keep off the inhabitants from troubling them in tilling the ground and reaping such corn as they would have sowed Again in the daies of our now raigning Soveraigne in the year of our Lord 1606. the English planted themselves in Virginia under the degrees 37 38 39. where they do to this day continue and have built three Towns and Forts as namely James-town and Henrico Fort Henricke Fort Charls with others which they hold inhabite sure retreats for them against the force of the natives and reasonable secured places against any power that may come against them by Sea In the same height but a good distance from the coast of Virginia lieth the Iland called by the Spaniards La Barmuda but by our English the Summer Ilands which of late is inhabited also by our Country men Northward from them on the coast lieth Nâ—…rumbega which is the south part of that which the French men did without disturbance of any Christian for a time possess For the French-men did discover a larg part of America towards the Circle Articke and did build there some Towns and named it of their own Country Nova Francia As our English men have adventured very far for the discovery of
of his Book De navigatione in Brasiliam doth tell that Sir Francis Drake of England when he passed through Magellane straights and so to the Molucco Ilands and then homeward from the East by Africk did in a device give the Globe of the earth with this word or Motto Primus mâ—…â—…ricumdedisti which is not simple to be understood that never any had gone round the world before him but that never any of fame for Magellane himself was slain as before is noted or else he did doubt of the truth of that narration that the Ship called Fictoria did return with safety into Spaine The Maps which were made at first concerning America and Peru did so describe the western part of Peru as if when a man had passed Magellane straits and did intend to come upward towards nova Hispania on the further side he must have born West by reason that the land did shoot out with a very great Promontory and bending that way But our English men which went with S. Francis Drake did by their own experience certainly find that the land from the uttermost end of the Straits on Peru side did go up towards the South directly without bending to the West and that is the cause whereof all the new Maps and Globes especially made by the English or by the Dutch who have taken their directions from our men are reformed according to this new observation When the Spaniards had once found an ordinary passage from the South Sea towards the Moluccoes they never ceased to travel that way and discovered more and more and by that means they had found out divers Islands not known in former ages as two for example sake a good distance from the Molucco's which because they be inhabited by men which do steal not only each from other but do pilfer away all things that they can from such strangers as do land there abouts they are called Insulae Latronum They have also descried some other neerer unto the East Indies which they now term Insulae Salomonis But the most renowned of all are those to whom the name is given Philippinae in remembrance of Philip the second King of Spaine at whose cost they were discovered These Philippinae are very rich and from thence is brought abundance of costly Spices and some other rich merchandize yea and Gold too There were also some other Islands descried by Magellanus himself which he called Insulas Infortunatas as being of quality contrary to the Canaries which are termed the Fortunate Islands For when he passing through the South sea and meaning to come to the Moluccoes where he was slain did land in these Islands thinking there to have furnished himself with victuals and fresh water he found the whole place to be Barren and not Inhabited Of the Countries that lie about the two Poles HAving laid down in some measure the description of the old known world Asia Africa and Europe with the Islands adjoyning unto them also of Americk which by some hath the title of New found World it shall not be amiss briefly to say some thing of a fift and sixt part of the Earth the one lying neer the South Pole and the other neer the North which are places that in former times were not known nor though of When Magellanus came down to the Southern end of Peru he found on the further side of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 main and hugh Land lying towards the South Pole which some have of his name called since Regio Magellanica and that so much the rather because he touched upon it again before he came to the Moluccoes Since his time the Portugals trading towards Calecâ—… and the East Indies there hath some of them been driven by tempest so far as to that which many now call the South Continent and so divers of sundery Nations have there by occasion touched upon it It is found therefore by experience for to go along all the degrees of longitude and as in some places it is certainly discovered to come up so high towards the North as to the Tropicke of Capricorn so it is conjectured that towards the South it goeth as far as to the Pole The ground whereof is that never any man did perceive the Sea did passe through any part thereof nay there is not any great river which hath yet been described to come out oâ—… iâ—… into the Ocean whereupon it is concluded that since somewhat must fill up the Globe of the Earth from the first appearing of this land unto the very Pole and that cannot be any Sea unless it should be such a one as hath no entercourse with the Ocean which to imagine is uncertain therefore it is supposed that it commeth whole out into the land to the Antartick Pole which if it should be granted it must needs be acknowledged withal that this space of earth is so huge as that it equalleth in greatness not only Asia Europe and Africa but almost America being joyned unto them Things memorable in this country are reported to be very few only in the East part of it over against the Moluccoes some have written that there be very waste Countries wildernesses but we find not so much as mention whether any do inhabite there or no. And over against the Promontory of Africk which is called Caput bonae spei there is a country which the Portugals called P sittacorum regio because of the abundant store of Parrets which they found there Neer to the Magellane straits in this south part of the world is that land the Spaniards call Terra delfuego those also which have toucht at it in other places have given to some parts of it these names Beach Lucath Maletur but we have no perfect description of it nor any knowledge how or by whom it is inhabited About this place the said Portugals did at one time saile along for the space of 2000. miles and yet found no end in the land And in this place they reported that they saw inhabitants which were very fair and fat people and did go naked which is the more to be observed because we scant read in any writer that there hath been seen any people at all upon the South coast More towards the East not far from the Muluccoes there is one part of this Country as some suppose although some doubt whether that be an Island or no which commeth up so high towards the North as the very Aequinoctial line and this is commonly called Nova Guinea because it lieth in the same Climate and is of no other temperature then Guinea in Africk is I have heard a great Mathematitian in England find fault both with Ortelius and Mercator and all our late makers of Maps because in describing this Continent they make no mention of any Cities Kingdoms or Common-wealth which are seated and placed there whereof he seemed in confidence of words to
Engine-maker Sicily once a Kingdom two famous Tyrants in it The tyrant Phalaris The tyrannies of Sicily were very famous Note that cruelty is alwaies attended with scar. Damocles the flatterer Note how the poor woman prayed for this Tyrant A good note for all inventers of tortures cruelty and likewise for time flatterers The mountian Aetna The reason of the fire in the mountain Aeina Note The Papists Purgatory is the fiery Aeana The death of Pliny the elder Note Malta the only place for repelling the Turks The society of the Knights Templers The Pope the King of France conspiring their ruine Hospitallers The Knights of Rhodes The Knights of Malta The Isle Corsu Cephalenia Zon. The commodities of the Countrey The Impost laid on this Island called the Revenue of St Mark. Zant the Inhabitants Greeks Creta The labyrinth of De dalus The most noted lyars The Island Candy Cithera where was the siue Temple of Venus Divers smal Islands Note The Island of Rhodes The Isle Carpathus The Isle Cyprus The City â—…amogusta The City Paphos The Island Tyrus The Island of Sumatra Two Ilands Iava major and Iava minor The Islands of Molucco's The great richs which the King of Spaine receives from hence yearly Note The Island of Iapan Diverssmal Ilands onely named The Ilands of Gorgades The Isle Madera Hesperides Bonavista Canary Ilands From hence she best Canary Sacks From hence great store of Sugar-canes The Isle of St. Thomas The Isle of Cloves The Ilands of Azores Note the unadvisedness of Don Antonio The people of America utterly void of all manner of knowledge of God or goodnesse The reasons conjectual of a new found World Some have entituled the Queen of England Soveraigne of these Provinces Their Religion Columbus the first discoverer of America In the year 1492. America discovered by Columbus The Island Haity The richs of the country The Island Cuba The pride of the Spaniard labouring to obscure the fame of Columbus Hispania nova Of whom this Country had its name Manner of the people The cruèlty of the Spaniards Their Armour Note their bread No good literature amongst them Note how the Devill did strangely delude these people Note the malice of Satan The admiration of the people at the approach of the men and shipping The mighty bignesse of the trees of Brasile They conceivâ—…d them to be some gods They admired and feared a Letter Some very rare Beasts The Sâ—…a Crocodiles Some rare stones Divers tree not elsewhere found The abun dance of Kin and Buls The condition of the people of America The Religion Yet many grievous sins by them committed Their attire Infinite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gold and silver in America Precious mines Attabaliba his ransome The Country people exchanged it for bablâ—… They dreaded men on horse-back The King had the fist part for his tribute A Councel at Sivill for the government of America Note the Spaniards cruelty His insolency and tyrannising pride Their beastly bassness Note their inhnmanity The Friars complaint of their cruelty Note Mexico described A great Lake Mexico the chief City of all those quarters The Gulph of Mexico Divers Islands in the gulph of Mexico Note And named it Florida The river Mayo Note the Spaniards unchistian cruelty Sir Francis Drakes Voyage Four cities 〈◊〉 in America The burning hill in Americs A strange fire Of Virginia the first plantation The second planta ion The third plantation Of the summer Ilands The fish of New found land Nova Al bion The Portugals discovery of Brasile A large Countrey and much inhabited Note The abundance of Brasile wood Their Religion Their apparell The proportion of the Inhabitants Note The Canibals or man eiters which is the country custome Their great use of Tobacco Note Note this ye Tobacconists A discription of the people of Peru. The riches of the Country of Peru. A strange story of the beast Cincia the first attempters against the Peruvians Guiana The rich ness anâ—… 〈◊〉 os the cuntry The river of the Amazone â—…ir Walter â—… leigh lid first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it to the Englâ—…sh They haâ—…e he Spaniâ—…rds and â—…ove the English A strange story Note Their strange devises to take fowls Divers flying fishes Magellanus straits The South Sea The Moluccoes Magellane the first that evercompased the world Insulae Latornum Insulae Salomonis Philippinae Their Riches Infulas infortunatas Regio Mâ—…gellanica Psittacorum regio Terra del fuego A description of the people Movâ—… Guinea Note Nigra Rupes Groin-land Nova Zembla S Hugh Willonghbies land
only Daughter and she was married to Maximilian the Emperour of the house of Austria from whom the inheritance descended unto Charles the fifth Emperour who yeelding it over to his Son Philip the second did charge him to intreat that people well which he forgetting to do under pretence of rooting out the profession of Religion did intangle himselfe and all that Countrey with a very long bloudy and wearisome warre There is no part of Europe which for the quantity of the ground doth yeeld so much riches and commodities as the Low-Countries do besides their infinite store of shipping wherein they exceed any Prince of Christendome They were in time past accounted a very heavy dull people and unfit for the Wars but their continual combating with the Spaniards hath made them now very ingenious ful of action and managers of great causes appertaining to fights either by sea or land The 17 Provinces are these Brabāt Gelderlād Artois Valencois Luxenburg Flanders Henault Lile Namurce Holland Zeland Tornabū Tornacetium Mechlin Utrecht and the East and West Freezeland France hath many petty Governments that do border upon it as the Dukedome of Savoy the State of the Switzers the Dukedome of Lorraine the Burgundians or Walloons against all which the King is forced to keep his frontier Towns There is nothing more famous in this Kingdome then the Salique law whereby it is provided that no woman nor the heire of her as in her right shall injoy the Crown of France but it goeth alwaies to the Heire Male. The Author of the Commentaries against Machiavel reputeth it a great blessing of GOD that they have the Salique Law in France and that not so much saith he because Woman by the infirmity of their Sex are unfit to govern for therein many men who have enjoyed Kingdomes have been and are very defective but because by that meanes the Crowne of France is never endangered by Marriage of a forraigner to come under the subjection of a stranger And this is the opinion of Philip de Comines in the 8 Booke of his Commentaries This Law is very ancient among them so that it cannot certainly be defined when it was Enacted but by vertue thereof Edward the 3. King of England and his Heires were cut off from inheriting the Crowne of France whereunto by marriage of a Daughter he was Heire in generall And by reason of this Law Henry the fourth late King of France rather injoyed that Dominion than the Sonne of the Duke of Lorraigne who-was neerer of blood by descending from the Elder Daughter of King Henry the second The Switzers are a People called in old time Helvetii who have no Noblemen or Gentlemen among them but only the Citizens of their Townes the yearely Officers whereof and their Council do govern their State There are in Switzerland 23 Cities or Towns which they call their Cantons although some rather think that name properly doth signifie the Rulers of those Towns and of them some do retain to this day the Romish Religion but some others have embraced the Gospel The Country where they live is not very fertile and being farre from any Seas they have no vent for their people but by sending them forth as hired souldiers which for their pay do fight oftentimes in Italy and France and sometimes in Germany Neare unto one part of them standeth Geneva which is challenged by the Duke of Savoy to have heretofore belonged to his Dominion but they pretend themselves to be a free City and by the help of Protestant Princes but especially by some of the Helvetians do so maintain it In this place there is a rare Law that if any Malefactor who hath fled out of his own Country be convinced of any grievous crime he suffereth there as if he were in his own Country Which they are forced to do because their Cities would be full of all sorts of Runnagates in as much as they stand on the confines of divers Princes and States Of Germany THE next Countrey unto France on the East side is Germany which is bounded on the West with France and the Low-Countries on the North with Denmark and the Danish Seas on the East with Prussia Polonia and Hungary on the South-East with Istria and Illyricum on the South with the Alpe-hils and with Italy The Governour General of this Country is called the Emperour of Germany who is chosen by three spiritual Princes the Archbishop of Collen called Coloniensis the Archbishop of Ments called Moguxtinus and the Archbishop of Trevers called Treverensis and three temporall Princes the Duke of Saxony the Marquesse of Brandenburgh and the Count Palatine of Rhene which if they cannot agree as to make a major part in their election then the King of Bohemia hath also a voice whereof it commeth to be said that there be seven Princes Electors of the Empire The manner of the choice of the Emperor was established by a Decree which is commonly called Bulla Aurea which was made by Charles the 4 Emperor of Germany and King of Bohemia wherein he doth set down all the circumstances of the Election of the Emperor and appointeth the King of Bohemia to be Sacri Imperii Archipincerna which is the Cup-bearer The 3 Bishops of Colen Ments and Trevers to be the Arch-Chancellours of the three several parts of the Empire the Count Palatine of the Rhene to be Sacri Imperii Archidapifer which should have the setting on of the first dish the Duke of Saxony to be Sacri Imperii Archimariscallus whose office is to beare the sword and the Marquesse of Brandenburgh to be Sacri Imperii Archi-Camerarius or great Chamberlaine all which Offices they supply on the day of the Emperours Coronation It appears by all the Romane Stories that in times past the Empire went sometimes by succession as unto the Sons of Constantine and Theodosius sometimes by Election and that either of the Senate or of the Souldiers who oftentimes also in mutiny did elect men unworthy yet such as fitted their purpose But now of late the Electors do choose some Prince of Christendome who hath otherwise a Dominion of his own which may helpe to back out the Empire and therein of late hath appeared the great cunning of that which we call the house of Austria whose greatest title within this 300 yeares was to be a mean Count of a mean place namely the County of Haspurg But since that time they have so planted and strengthened themselves that there have been 7 or 8 Emperours lately of that family but the Empire is not tied unto them as may appeare by the possibility which the Duke of Saxony and Francis the great King of France had to ascend to that Dignity When Charls the fifth was chosen Emperour one of the meanes whereby the possession hath been continued to that house hath been the electing of some one to be Rex Romanorum whilest
another of his Family was Emperour which Charls the fifth effected in his life time for his Brother Ferdinandus who after succeeded him and that hath been the attempt of Albertus late Cardinal and now Arch-Duke of Austria that he might be established in the hope of the Empire during the life of his brother 〈◊〉 the Second now Emperour and King of Bohemia Rex Romanorum is he who is fâ—…rre already invested in title to the Empire so that upon the death resignation or deposition of the then being Emperour he is immediately to succeed He who is now Emperor of Germany is called Caesar or Romani Imperii Imperator but very improperly in as much as the case is farre different from that which was when the Romane Empire did flourish for then the Territories thereof were very great all under the Regiment of one man unless it pleased him to associate to himself some other But Theodosius did divide the Empire into two soveraignties which were called the East and West Empires made Constantinople to be the chief seat of Arcadius one of his sons and Rome to be the principal City of Honorius the other which Westerne Empire continued in his glory but a while for the Gothes and Lombards and other barbarous People did both over-run it and as good as extinguish it in the which case it continued to the dayes of Charles the Great who revived it again but although there was some shew of Dominion belonging unto him in Italy yet his principal residence was in France and his successours after him removed it into Germany so that properly he is now to be called Imperator Germanorum It was a great policy of the Bishops of Rome that the Emperour was wrought to leave Italy and keep himselfe in Germany for the Popes did not like to have a strong Neighbour so near who might at his pleasure chastise or depose them if he saw good And the eunning of those Popes was such also that they weakned the state of the Emperor exceeding much in Germany by giving great exemptions to the Princes thereof insomuch that Munster rightly complaineth The Emperor beareth the Spread Eagle with two heads noting the East and West Empire but saith he one of the heads is quite pulled off and so be almost all the feathers and in the other head although life remaineth yet there is little spirit or vigour Surius in his Commentaries of the year 1530. reporteth that to the Emperour of Germany belongeth three Crownes The one of Silver which intendeth the Kingdome of Germany The second of Iron which is for the Kingdome of Lombardy And the third of Gold which is for the Sacred Romane Empire In Germany all are at a kind of commandement of the Emperour but most of the Princes otherwise take on them as absolute Governours in their Dominions so that they have liberty of Religion they do make Lawes they do raise souldiers they do stampe money with their own pictures as absolute Princes so doth the Duke of Saxony the Arch-Bishop of Colen and the rest The Princes of Germany came to that great strength of theirs by meanes of a base and inferior man who aspiring to the Empire whereof he was unworthy was content to release unto the Princes almost all kind of their service and duty so that their subjection since that time is little more then titulary yielding only very small maintenance to the Empire either in tribute souldiers or otherwise and albeit sometimes they refuse not to come by themselves or their Agents to the Diets and Parliaments holden by the Emperour yet that is as much for the safeguard of themselves from the invasion of the Turk who is not farre from them as for any other respect and the pay which they allow in such cases is rather held by them to be a contribution than any imposition to be admitted by duty yet there is extant a book where the particulars are mentioned how the Princes and free Cities are bound to maintaine upon their own charge three thousand eight hundred forty two horses and sixteen thousand two hundred foot for the service of the Emperour when he shall see cause but how smal a trifle is that in respect of the strength of so huge a Country The Princes themselves are so strong many of them that they dare encounter with any who oppugn them insomuch that whereas Charls the fifth was doubtless the greatest Emperour that had been from the daies of Charles the Great yet the Duke of Saxony and the Lantsgrave of Hassia with some few Cities which were confederate with them did dare to oppose themselves against the said Charles and entring the field with him did oftentimes put him to great inconveniences yea it is supposed by some that howsoever he had a hand upon these two yet his inability to match the rufling of some of those Princes was not the least cause why he resigned the Empire to his brother Ferdinando The manner of Germany is that the Title of Nobility which is in the Father commonly is imparted to all the Sonnes so that every Sonne of a Duke of Saxony is called Duke of Saxony and every Child of the Count of Mansfield is honored by the name of Count or Countesâ—…e of Mansfield but in the eldest House the chief Livelyhood doth remaine for keeping upright the dignity of the Family There are also Free States and Cities which have the same Authority as Argentine Franckeford and others This is to be noted of the Germanes that they may boast this above other more Westernly Nations of Europe that they are an unmixed Nation for whereas the Lombards and Gothes at severall times have set down in Italy and mixed themselves with the people thereof the Gothes Vandals and Saracens in Spaine the Francks in Gaule or France and the Normanes also the Saxons Angles Danes and Normanes in Great Britaine they have been free from such inundation and mixture yea many of the people that have afflicted and inhabited these other Nations have come from thence so that therein Germany hath an advantage of these other Nations that have been subject hereunto Of Italy ON the South side of the Alpes and Germany lyeth Italy stretching it selfe out at length toward the South and East It hath on the South side the Iland of Sicilia on the East that part of the Mediterranean which is called Mare Adriaticum or Mare superum which severeth Italy from Grecia on the West side that part of the Mediterranean which is called Mare Tyrrhenum or Mare Inferum and the upper or more Northen part of it neer Liguria Mare Ligusticum This Country for the figure thereof is by some likened unto a long leafe of a tree It hath in the middle of it which goeth all in length a mighty mountain named Mons Apenâ—…inus which is likened unto the Spina or Ridge-bone of the back Out of this Hill spring
Lapland Biarmia and thereabouts they are people so rude and heathenish that as Olaus Magnus writeth of them looke whatsoever living thing they doe see in the morning at their going out of their doors yea if it be a bird or a worm or some such other creeping thing they do yield a Divine Wâ—…ship and Reverence thereunto for all that day as if it were some inferiour God Damianus à Goes hâ—…th written a pretty Treatise describing the manner of those Lappians The greatest part of the Country of Russia is in the winter so exceeding cold that both â—…he Rivers are frozen over the land covered with snow and such is the sharpnesse of the aire that if any go abroad bare-faced it causeth their flesh in a short time to rot which befalleth to the fingers and toes of divers of them therefore for a great part of winter they live in stoves and hot-houses and if they be occasioned to go abroad they use many furs whereof there is great plenty in that Country as also wood to make fire but yet in the summer time the face of the soyle and the aire is very strangely altered insomuch that the Countrey seemeth hot the birds sing very merrily and the trees grasse and coâ—…n in a short spâ—…ce do appear so chearfully green and pleasant that it is scant to be beleeved but of them which have seen it Their building is most of wood even in the chiefe City of Mosco insomuch that the Tartars who lie in the North-east of them breaking oft into their Countries even unto the very Mosco do set fire on their Cities which by reason of their woodden buildings are quickly destroyed The manner of government which of late years hath been used in Russia is very barbarous and little less than tyrannous for the Emperour that last was did suffer his people to be kept in great servility and permitted the Rulers and chief Officers at their pleasures to pil and ransack the common sort but to no other end but that himself might take occasion when he thought good to call them in question for their misdemeanor and so fill his own coffers with flee cing of them which was the same course the old Roman Empire did use calling the Deputies of the Provinces by the name of Spunges whose property is to suck up water but when it is full then it selfe is crushed and yi ldeth forth liquor for the behalfe of another The passage by Sea into this country which was wont to be through the Sound and so afterward by land was first discovered by the English who with great danger of the frozen Seas did first adventure to saile so far North as to compass Lapland Finmark Scricfinia Biarmia and so passing to the East by Nova Zembla halfe the way almost to Cathaio have entred the River called Ob by which they disperse themselves for Merchandize both by water and land into the most parts of the dominion of the Emperor of Russia The first attempt which was made by the English for the entrance of Moscovia by the North seas was in the daies of King Edw. the sixt at which time the Merchants of London procuring leave of the King did send forth Sir Hugh Willoby with shipping and men who went so far toward the North that he Coasted the corner of Scricfinia Biarmia and so turned toward the East but the wheather proved so extream the snowing so great and the freezing of the water so vehement that his ship was set fast in the ice and there he his people were frozen to death and the next year some other comming from England found both the ship and their bodies in it and a perfect Remembrance in writing of all things which they had done and dis covered where amongst the rest mention was made of a land which they had touch'd which to this day is known by the name of Sir Hugh Willobies Land The Merchants of London did not desist to pursue this discovery but have so far prevailed as that they have reached one halfe of the way toward the East part of Chyna and Cathaio but the whole passage is not yet opened This Empire is at this day one of the greatest dominions in the world both for compasse of ground for multitude of men saving that it lyeth far North and so yieldeth not pleasure for good Traffick with many other of the best situated nations Among other things which do argue the magnificence of the Emperour of Russia this one is recorded by many who have travelled into those parts that when the great Duke is disposed to sit in his magnificence besides great store of Jewels and abundance of massie plate both of Gold and Silver which is openly shewed in his Hall there do sit as his Princes and great Nobles cloached in very rich and sumptuous attyre divers men ancient for their yeares very seemly of countenance and grave with white long beards which is a goodly shew besides the rich state of the thing But Olaus Magnus a man well experienced in those Northern parts doth say how truely I cannot tell that the manner of their sitting is a notable fraud and cunning of the Russian in as much as they are not men of any worth but ordinary Citizens of the gravest and seemliest countenance which against such a solemnity are picked out of Mosco and other places adjoining and have robes put on them which are not their own but taken out of the Emperours Wardrobe Of Spruce and Poland IN Europe on the East and North corner of Germany lyeth a Countrey called Prussia in Latine most times Borussia in English Pruthen or Spruce of whom little is famous saving that they were governed by one in a kinde of order of Religion whom they call the Grand-Master and that they are a meanes to keep the Moscovite and the Turke from some other parts of Christend me This Country is now grown to be a Dukedome and the Duke thereof doth admit traffick with our English who going beyond the Hance Townes do touch upon his country and amongst other things doe bring from thence a kinde of leather which was wont to be used i Jerkins and called by the name of Spruce-Leather-Jerkins On the Eâ—…t side â—… Germany between Russia and Germany â—…eth Polonia or Poland which is a â—…gdome diffeâ—…ing from others 〈◊〉 Europe because the King there is â—…osen by Election out of some of the Princes neere adjoining as laâ—…ely Henry the third King of France These Elections oftenâ—…mes doe make great factions there so that in taking parts they grow often there into Civill warre The King of Polonia is almost continually in warre either with the Moscovite who lyeth in the East and North-East of him or with the Turke who liâ—…th on the South and South Eâ—…st and someâ—…imes also with the Princes of Germany whereupon the Poles doe commonly desire to chule warriours to their King In this
Country are none but Christians but so that liberty of â—…ll Religion is pâ—…rmitted insomuch â—…hat there be Papists Coilâ—…dges of 〈◊〉 boâ—…h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iâ—… opinion 〈◊〉 Ar 〈◊〉 and diâ—…ers others But of 〈◊〉 years there 〈◊〉 been 〈◊〉 ea nest mâ—…tions in their Par 〈◊〉 that their Co ledges of Jâ—…suites shâ—…uld be dissolved and they banâ—…shed our of that Kâ—…ngdome as of laâ—…e they were from France The â—…eason of i is because that under colour of Religion they doe secretly deale in 〈◊〉 causes and many times sow sedi â—…ons and some of them have given couâ—…sell to murther Princes and â—…ever they be they are the only in telligencers for the Popâ—… besides that many of the Papiâ—…s but especially their Fryars and orders of Religion do hate and envye them first for that they take upon them with such pride to be called Jesuits as if none had to do with Jesus but they and are more inward with Princes then the rest are Secondly because many of them are more learned then common Monks and Fryars And thirdly because they professe more strictly and severely than others do the Capushins only accepâ—…ed This is that Country which in times past was called Sarmatia the chiefe City whereof is named Cracovia Of Hungaria and Austria ON the South-East side of Germany lyeth Hungaria called in the Latine Pannonia which hath been heretofore divided into Pannonia superior Pannonia inferior it is an absolute Kingdome and hath been heretofore rich and populous The Christians that do live there have among them divers sorts of Religion as in Poland This Kingdome hath been a great obstacle against the Turkes comming into Christendome but especially in the time of John Hunniades who did mightily with many great victories repulse the Tuâ—…ks Here standeth Bunda which was heretofore a great Fortresse of Christendome but the glory of this Kingdome is almost utterly decaied by reason that the Turk who partly by policy partly by force doth now possesse the greatest part of it so that the people are fled from thence and the Christians which remaine there are in miserable servitude Notwithstanding some part of Pannonia inferior doth yeâ—… belong to Christendome The Turks for the space of these forty or fifty years last past have kept continuall garrisons and many times great Armies in that place of Hungary which yet remaineth Christned yea and sometimes thâ—… great Turks themselves have come thither in person with huge Hosts accounting it a matter of their re ligion not only to destroy as many Christians as they can but also to win their land by the revenueâ—… whereof they may maintain some Religious house which they think themselves in custome bound to erect but so that the maintai ning thereof is by the sword to be wonne out of the hands of some of those whom they hold enemieâ—… to them Hungary is become the onely Cockpit of the World where the Turkes doe strive to gain and the Christians at the charge of the Emperor of Germany who entituleth himselfe King of Hungary doe labour to repulse them and few summers do passe but that something is either wonne or lost by eâ—…ther party That corner of Germany which lieth neerest to Hungary or Pannonia inferior is called Austria or Pannonia a superior whâ—…ch is an Arch-Dukedome From which house being of late much sprung come many of the Princâ—…s of Germany and of other parts of Europe so that the Crown Imperiall of Germany hath lately oft besallen to some one of this house In this Country standeth Vienna that noble City whâ—…ch is now the principle Bulwarke of Christendome against the Turke from whence Sâ—…liman was repelled by Ferdinandus King of Hungary in the time of the Emperour Charles the fift It was in this Country that Richard the first King of England in his return from the Holy Land was taken prisoner by the Arch-Duke of Austria and so put to a grievous ransome There were lately divers brothers of the Emperour Rodolphus the second which were all called by the name of Arch-Dukes of Austria â—…ccording to the manner of the Germans who give the titles of the Fathers nobility to all the children The names of them were Matthias Ernestus the youngest Albertus who for a good space held by dispensation from the Pope the Archbish oprick of Toledo in Spaine although he were no Priest and had then also the title of Cardinall of Austria and was imploied for Viceroy of Portugall by Philip the 2d King of Spain but after the death of the Duke of Parma he was sent as Lievtenant general Governor of the Low-Ciuntries for the K. of Spaine where since he hath attained to the marriage of the Infanta Isabella Eugenia Clara eldest daughter to K. Philip the second and last King of Spaine and by her hath he the stile of Duke of Burgundy although peaceably he cannot enjoy a great part of that Countrey Thorow both Austria and Hungary doth runne the mighty River Danubius as through Germany doth runne the Rheinc whereon groweth Vinum Rhenanum com monly calâ—…ed Rhenisir wine Of Greece Thracia and the Countries neere adjoining ON the South side of Hungary and South-East lieth a Country of Europe called in old time Dacia which is large and wide comprehending in it Transylvania Walachia Moldavia Servia Of which little is famous save that the men are warlike and can hardly bee brought to obedience They have lately been under the K of Hungary These Countries of Transylvania Walachia and Moldavia have certaine Monarchs of their owne whom they call by the name of Vâ—…gnode which do rule their Countries with indifferent mediocrity while they have the sway in their own hands but confining upon the Turke they are many times oppressed and overcome by him so that often they are his Tributaries yet by the wildnesse of the country and uncertaine disposition of the Rulers and their people he never hath any hand long over them but sometimes they maintain warre against him and have slain down some of his Bassaes comming with a great Army against them by which occasion it falleth out that he is glad now and then to enter confederacy with them so doubtfull a kind of regiment is that which now adaies is in those Countries The River Danubius doth divide this Dacia from Mysia commonly called Bulgaria and Russia which lyeth on the South from Danubius and is severed from Graecia by the Mountaine Haemus This Mountain is that whereof they reported in times past though but falsly that who so stood on the top thereof might see the sea four severall waies to wit East West North and South under pretence of trying which conclusion not Philip Alexanders Father but a latter Philip King of Macedonia did go up to that Hill when in truth his meaning was secretly to meet with others there with whom he might joine himself against the Romans which was shortly
for the convenience of the Sea every way and so many good Havens hath been reputed alwaies a very commodious and pleasurefull Countrey It is wholly at this day under the Turke The mountaine Taurus goeth along from the West unto the East part of it The greatnesse of this Countrey is such that it hath comprehended many Kingdomes and large Provinces besides Cities of great fame On the South-East part thereof neare to Palestina lyeth Cilicia the chiefe City whereof is Tarsus the Countrey of Saint Paul the place whither Solomon sent for great store of his gold and provision for the Temple whither Jonas also fled when he should have gone to Niniveh In the straits of the Cilicia neare to the mountaine Taurus did Alexander give a great overthrow in person to Darius in the joining of their first battell This place seemes to have been very fortunate for great Fights in as much as there also neare unto the straits was the baâ—…ell fought out between Severus the Emperour and Niger who being Governour of the Romanes of Syria would needs have aspired to the Empire but in a battell which was very hardly fought out he was overthrown in the straits of Cilicia In the very corner where Cilicia is joined unto the upper part of Syria is a little Bay which in times past was named Sinus Isicus near unto which Alexander built one of his Cities which he called by his own name But howsoever in times past it was named Alexandria it is now by the Venetians and other Christians called Alexandretta who should say little Alexandria in comparison of the other In Egypt the Turkes do call it Scandarond and it is a petty Haven where our Merchants do land most of their goods which are afterwards by Camels carried up to Aleppo At this day the City is so decayed that there be onely a few houses there Westward from Cilicia lieth the Province called Pamphylia wherein stands the City Seleucia built by Seleuchus one of the foure great successours of Alexander the Great On the West of this Pamphylia standeth Lycia and more west from thence confining upon the I le of Rhodes is Caria one of the Sea-Townes whereof is Halicarnassus which was the Countrey of Herodotus who is one of the most ancient Historians that is extant of the Gentiles and who dedicated his nine bookes to the honour of the Muses Here also was that Dionysius borne who is called commonly Dionysius Halicarnassus one of the Writers of the Romane Story for the first three hundred yeares after Rome was built The whole Countrey of Caria is sometimes signified by the name of this Halicarnassus although it was but one City and thereupon Artemisia who in the dayes of Xerxes came to aid him against the Graecians and behaved her selfe so manfully in a great fight at sea when Xerxes stood by as a coward is intituled by the name not of Queen of Caria but of Halicarnassus Also in the daies of Alexander the Great there was another Queen named Ada who also is honoured by the title of Queen of Halicarnassus We have thus farre described those Cities of Asia the lesse which do lie from that part that joineth unto Syria along the Sea coast Westward but being indeed the Southern part of Asia minor Now upwards towards the North standeth Ionia where those did dwell who had like to have joined with Xerxes in the great battell at sea but that Themistocles by a policy did winne them from him to take part with the Grâ—…cians Diodorus Siculus writeth that the Athenians who professed to be of kin to those Ionians were on a time marvellous importunate with them that they should leave their own Country and come and dwell with them which when the Ionians hardly but yet at length did accept the Athenians had no place to put them in and so they returned with great disgrace to them both A little within the Land lying North and East from Ionium was Lydia which sometimes was the Kingdome of Croesus who was reputed so rich a King when he was in his prosperity making best of his happinesse he was told by Solon that no man could reckon upon felicity so long as he lived because there might be great mutability of Fortune which he after ward found true For he was taken prisoner by Cyrus who was once minded to have put him to death but hearing him report the advertisement of Solon formerly given to him he was moved to thinke that it might be his own case and so took pity on him and spared his life These Lydians being inhibited afterward by Cyrus to use any Armour and give themselves to Bathes and Stewes and other such effeminate things Upon the sea-coast in Ionia standeth the City Ephesus which was one of the seven Cities unto which John in his Revelation did write hiâ—… seven Epistles and Saint Paul also directed his Epistle to the Ephesi ans unto the Church which was in this place This was one of the most renowned Cities of Asia the lesse but the Fame thereof did most arise from the Temple of Diana which was there built and was reputed for the magnificence thereof one of the seven wonders of the world This Temple was said to be two hundred yeares in building and was burnt seven severall times whereof the most part was by lightning and the finall destruction thereof came by a base person called Herostratus who to purchase himself some fame did set it on fire This was the place of which it is said in the Acts of the Apostles that all Asia and the whole World doe worship this Diana Tully reporteth De natura Deorum that Tinâ—…us being asked the reason why the Temple of Diana was on fire that night when Alexander the Great was born gave that jest thereof that the mistresse of it was from home because she being the Goddesse of Midwives did that night wait upon Olympias the Mother of Alexander the Great who was brought to bed in Macedonia Another of the seven Cities unto which John did write is Smyrna standing also in Ionia upon the Sea coast but somewhat more North then Ephesus which is the place where Polycarpus was Bishop who sometimes had been Scholler unto Iohn the Evangelist and living till he was of great age was at lâ—…st put to death for Christs sake when before he had been moved by the Governour of the Countrey to deny his Sa viour and to burn Incense to an Idoll But he answered that â—…ourescore and six yeares he had served Christ Jesus and in all that time he had never done him harm and therefore now in his old age he would not beginne to deny him The third City unto which the Epistle is directed in the Apocalyps is Sardis which standeth within the land in Lydia as is described by the best Writers and it was a City both of great pleasure and profit unto the
forty yeares because of their rebellion feeding them in the mean time with Manna from Heaven and sometimes with water miraculously drawn out of dry Rocks for the Country hath very little water almost no trees and is utterly unfit for tillage or corne There are no Towns nor inhabitants of this Desart in Arabia Petrosa are some but not many Arabia Foelix for fruitfulness of ground and convenience standing every way toward the Sea is one of the best Countries of the world and the principall cause why it is called Foelix is for that it yieldeth many things in abundance which in other parts of the world are not to be had as Frankincense especially the most precious Balmes Myrrhe and many other both Fruits and Spices and yieldeth withall store of some precious stones When Alexander the great was young after the manner of the Macedonians he was to put incense upon an Altar pouring on great store of Frankincense one of the Nobility of his Countrey told him that he was too prodigall of that sweet perfume and that he should make spare untill he had conquered the Land wherein the Frankincense did grow But when Alexander afterward had taken Arabia and had possession thereof he sent a ship load of Frankincense to the Noble man and bad him serve the gods plentifully and not offer incense miserably This is that countrey wherein Mahomet was borne who being of mean parentage was brought up in his youth in the trade of Merchandise but afterward joyning himself with thieves and robbers his life was to rob such Merchants as passed thorow Arabia and to this purpose having gotten together many of his own Countrey-men he had afterward a whole legion or more of the Roman Souldiers who being offended with Heraclius the Roman Emperour for want of their pay joined themselves to him so that at length he had a great Army wherewith he spoiled the Countries adjoining And this was about the yeare of Christ 600. To maintaine his credit and authority with his own men he fained that he had conference with the Holy Ghost at such times as he was troubled with the falling sicknesse and accordingly he ordained a new religion consisting partly of Jewish Ceremonies and partly of Christian Doctrine and some other things of his own invention that he might inveigle both Jewes and Christians and yet by his own fancy distinguish his own followers from both The Booke of his Religion is called the Alcaron The people which are Sectaries whereas indeed they came of Hagar the Hand-maid of Sarah Abrahams wife and therefore should of her be called Ishmaelites or Hagarens because they would not seeme to come of a bond-woman and from him whom they suppose a bastard they terme themselves Saracens as comming from Sarah they are called by some Writers Arabians instead of Saracens their name being drawn from their first Countrey Mahomet did take something of his doctrine both from the Jewes and Christians as that there is but one God that there is a life eternall in another world and the ten Commandements which they do admit and beleeve but from the Jewes alone the false Prophet did borrow divers things as that all his males should be circumcised that they should eate no swines flesh that they should oftentimes bathe purge and wash themselves which divers of their people which are more religious than the ordinary sort do five times in the day and therefore they have neare to their Churches and Houses of Devotion divers Baths whereinto when they have entred and washed themselves they do perswade themselves that they are as cleare from sinne as they were the first day they were born In this Country of Arabia standeth a City called Mecha where is the place where Mahomet was buried and in remembrance of him there is builded a great Temple unto which the Turkes and Saracens yearely goe on pilgrimage as some Christians doe to the Holy Land For they account Mahomet to be the greatest Prophet that ever came into the world saying that there were three great Prophets Moses Christ and Mahomet and as the doctrine of Moses was better by Christ so the doctrine of Christ is amended by Mahomet In this respect as we reckon the computation of our yeares from the incarnation of Christ so the Saracens account theirs from the time of Mahomet The Turkes whose fame began now about 3000 yeares since have imbraced the opinions and religion of the Saracens concerning Mahomet Some of our Christians doe report that Medina a City standing three daies journy from Mecha is the place where Mahomet was buried and that by order from himself his body was put into an Iron Coffin which being carried into a Temple the roofe or vault whereof was made of Adamant or perhaps of the Loadstone is attracted unto the top of the vault and there hangeth being supported by nothing But there is no certainty of this Narration This false Prophet as Lodovicus Vives de veritate fidei doth write being desirous in some sort to imitate Christ Jesus who foretold that he should rise again within the space of 3. dayes did give out that himself should rise again but he appointed a larger time that was after 800. yeares and yet that time also is expired but we heare no newes of the resurrection of Mahomet As the Deviil hath ever some device to blinde the eyes of unbelievers so he hath suffered it to be reported and credited among the Turkes that as Moses did allude to the comming of Christ so Christ did foretell somewhat of the appearing of Mahomet Whereupon it is ordinarily received among them that when Christ in St Johns Gospel did say That although he departed he would send them a Comforter it was added in the Text and that shall be Mahomet But that the Christians in malice to them have raced out those words Their own bookes do mention that Mahomet while he lived was much given to lasciviousnesse and all uncleannesse of body even with very beasts and his followers are so senslesse that in imitation of him they think no such wickednesse to be unlawfull For they are utterly unlearned and most receive whatsoever is delivered unto them out of the Alcaron Mahomet having made it a matter of death to dispute sift or call in question any thing which is written in his Law On the West side of Arabia between that and Egypt lieth the Gulph called of the Country Sinus Arabicus by some Mare Erithraeum but commonly the Red sea not from the rednesse of the water but because the land and bankes thereabout are in colour red This is the Sea through the which by Moses the people of Israel were led when they fled out of Egypt from Pharaoh God causing by his power the waters to stand on both sides of them that they passed through as on dry land This is that Sea through which the spices of the East Indies were in times past brought to
think thousands of yeares Whereof experiments are plentifully at this day by the whole bodies hands or other parts which by Merchants are now brought from thence and doth make the Mummia which the Apothecaries use the colour being very black and the flesh clung unto the bones Moses doth speak of this when he saith that Jacob was embalmed by the Physicians after the manner of embalming of the Egyptians But this manner of embalming is ceased long since in Egypt In Egypt did stand the great City Memphis which at this day is called Caire one of the famous Cities of the East Here did Alexander build that City which unto this day is of his name ca led Alexandria being now the greatest City of Merchandized in all Egypt of which Ammianus Marcellinus doth observe that there was never any or almost have ever been but that once in the day the Sun hath been ever seen to shine over Alexandria This City was one of the four Patriarchall seas which were appointed in the first Niâ—…ene Councill This Countrey was governed by a King as long agoe as almost any Countrey in the World Here reigned Amasis who made those good Lawes spoken of by Herodotus and Diodorus Sioulus in whose writings the ancient customes of the Egyptians are worthy to bee read After Alexanders time Ptolomeus one of his Captaines had this Kingdome of whom all his successors were called Ptolomeis as before time all their Kings were called Pharaohs they continued long friends and in league with the people of Rome till the time of Julius Caesar but after wards they were subjects to the Romanes till the Empire did decay When they had withdrawne themselves from the Romanes government they set up a Prince of their owne whom they termed the Sultan or Souldan of Egypt of whom about 400 yeares since Saladine was one But when the race of these were out the Mamabucks who were the guard of the Sultaine as the Janizaries be to the Turke appointed a Prince at their pleasure till that now about an 100 yeares ago or lesse the Turk Solimus possessed himself with the sole government of the Countrey so that at this day Egypt is wholly under the Turke There be Christians that now live in Egypt paying their tribute unto the Turke as others do now also in Graecia Aeneas Sylvius doth report in his History de mundo universo cap 60. that divers did go about to dig through that little Istmos or strait which at the top of the Red Sea doth joyne Egypt to some part either of Arabia or of the Holy Land imagining the labour not to be great in as much as they conceived the space of ground to be no more then one thousand five hundred furlongs Sesostris the King of Egypt as he saith did first attempt this Secondly Darius the great Monarke of the Persians Thirdly Ptolomy one of the Kings of Egypt who drew a ditch a 100. foot broad 30. foot deep and 37. miles and a halfe long but when he intended to go forward he was forced to cease for fear of inundaiton and over-flowing the whole land of Egypt the Red Sea being found to be higher by three Cubites than the ordinary plaine of Egypt was But Pliny affirmeth that the digging was given over lest the Sea being let in should marre the water of Nilus which alone doth yield drinke to the Egyptians Pet. Maffaeus in his Indian story doth tell that there was a Portugal also that of late yeares had a conceit to have had this work finished that so he might have made the third part of the old known world Africa to have been an Iland compassed round with the Sea Men commonly in the description of Egypt do report that whole Country to stand in Africk but if we will speake exactly and repute Nilus to be the bound between Asia and Africa we must then acknowledge that the Easterne part of Egypt from Nilus and so forward to the Red Sea doth lye in Asia which is observed by Peter Martyr in that pretty Treatise of his Delegatione Babylonica Although this Country of Egypt doth stand in the selfe same Climat that Mauritania doth yet the inhabitants there are not black but rather dunne or tawny Of which colour Cleopatra was observed to be who by inticement so won the love of Julius Caesar and Antonie And of that colour do those runnagates by devices make themselves to be who go up and down the world under the name of Egyptians being indeed but counterfets and the refuse of rascality of many Nations Of Cyrene and Africke the lesse ON the West side of Egypt lying along the Mediterranean is a Country which was called in old time Cyrene wherein did stand that Oracle which was so famous in the time of Alexander the Great called by the name of the Temple or Oracle of Jupiter Hammon whither when Alexander did repaire as to take counsell of himselfe and his successe the Priests being before taught what they should say did flatteringly confesse him to be the Sonne of God and that he was to be adored so that as the Oracle of Delphos and some other were plaine delusions of Sathan who did raigne in that darke time of ignorance so this of Jupiter Hammon may be well supposed to be nothing else but a cousenage of the Priests In this Countrey and all neare about where the Oracle stood are very great wildernesses where did appeare to Alexander for foure daies journy neither Grasse Tree Water Man Bird nor Beast but onely a deep kind of Sand so that he was enforced to carry water with him for himself and his company and all other provision on Camels backs At this day this Countrey hath lost his old name and is reckoned as a part of Egypt and lieth under the Turke In dry Countries as in Africa and the Wildernesse of Arabia they have much use of Camels First because they can carry a huge burthen of water and other provision Secondly because that themselves will go a long time without drinke travelling as Solinus writeth foure daies together without it but then drinking excessively and that especially of muddy and puddle water And thirdly because that in an extremity those that travell with them do let them blood in a veine and sucke out the blood whereby as the owner is much relieved so the Camell is little the worse Westward from this Countrey along the Mediterranean lieth that which in ancient time was called Africa minor for as in Asia one part above another was by an ex cellencie called Asia or Asta the lesse so this part of Africa was termed by the Romanes sometimes Africa simply some Africke the lesse In this Countrey did stand that place so famous mentioned by Salust under the name of Philionorum aroe which was the bound in that time betweene Africke and Cyrene On the North and East part hereof in the Sea neere unto the shore was the Quick-sand which in times past did
but in Latin some terme him Prestiosus Johannes but the most part Presbyter Johannes writing of him As he is a Prince absolute so he hath also a Priest-like or Patriarchall function and jurisdiction among them This is a very mighty Prâ—…nce and reputed to be one of the greatest Emperors in the world What was known of this Countrey in former time was knowne under the name of Ethiâ—…pia but the voyages of the Portugals in these late daies have best described it The people therefore are Christians as is also the Prince but differing in many things from the West Church and in no sort acknowledging any supreme Prerogative of the Bishop of Rome It is thought that they have retained Christianity even from the time of our Saviour being supposed to be converted by the Chamberlaine of Candace the Queen of Ethiopia who was instructed concerning Christ by Philip the Evangelist in the Acts of the Apostles Eusebius 〈◊〉 his Ecclesiasticall story doth make mention of this But they do to this daâ—… retaine Circumcision whereof the reason may be that the 〈◊〉 their Converter not having any fuâ—…ther conference with the Apostle nor any else with him did receive the ceremonies of the Church imperfectly retaining Circumcision which among the Jewes was not aboli shed when he had conference with Philip. Within the dominion of Prester John are the mountaines commonly called Lunae montes where is the first well-spring and rising of the river Nilus yet there are that fetch the head of this River out of a certaine great Lake toward the South called Zembre out of which toward the West runnes the River of Zaire into the Kingdome of Mani-congo The Râ—…ver of Zuama or Cuama towards the South to the Kingdome of Monomoâ—…apa or Benomotapa as the River Nilus towards the North through the Kingdome of the Abissines to Egypt which River running violently along this Countrey and sometimes hastily increasing by the melting of much snow from the Mountaines would over-runne and drown a great part of Egypt but that it is slaked by many ponds dammes and sluces which are within the Dominion of Prester John And in respect hereof for the maintenance of these the Princes of Egypt have paid upto the Governour of the Abissines a great Tribute time out of mind which of late the great Turke supposing it to be a custome needlesse did deny till the people of the Abissines by commandement of their Prince did breake downe their dams and drowning Egypt did enforce the Turke to continue his pay and to give much money for the making of them very earnestly to his great charge desiring a peace In this Countrey also of Prester John is the rising of the famous River Nigar supposed to have in it the most and the best precious stones of any River in the World which rising likewise out of a great Lâ—…ke out of that Mount after it hath runne a good space hideth it self for the space of 60. miles under ground then appearing again after it hath runne somewhat further makes a great Lake and again after a great tract another and at last after a long course fals at Cape Verde into the Atlantick sea Ortelius in his larger Maps describes it falling into the Sea like Nilus in Egypt with seven streames or Ostia but those that travell these parts say that there are only some Bayes but there is no River in those parts running into the Sea but 〈◊〉 There be other Countries in Africke as Agâ—…simba Libia interior Nubia and others of whom nothing is famous but this may be said of Africke in generall that it bringeth forth store of all sorts of wild Beasts as Elephants Lyons Panthers Tygers and the like yea according to the Proverbe Africa semper aliquid oportet novi Oftentimes new and strange shapes of wild Beasts are brought forth there the reason whereof is that the Countrey being very hot a d full of Wildernesses which have in them little water the Beasts of all sorts being enforced to meet at those few watering places that be where oftentimes contrary kindes have conjunction the one with the other so that there arifeth a new kind of Species which taketh part of bo h. Such a one is the Leopard begotten of the Lyon and the Beast called Pardus and somewhat resembling ei her of them A d thus farre of Africke Of the Northern Ilands THE Ilands that do lye in the North aâ—…e in number almost infinite the chiefe of them only shall be briefly touched Very farre to the North in the same Climate also with Sweden that is under the circle Articke lyeth an Iland called in old time Thule which was then supposed to be the farthest part of the world North ward and therefore is called by Virgil Utima Thule The Countrey is cold the people barbarous and yielde hâ—… liâ—…tle commodity saving Hawkes in some part of the yeare there is no night at all Unto this land divers of our English Nation do yearely travel and do bring from thence good store of fish but especially our deepest and thickest Ling which are therefore called Isl nd â—…ings It hath pleased God that in these latter times the Gospell is there preached and the people are instracted in Christianity having also the knowledge of good Learning which is brought about by the meanes of the King of Sweden unto whom that Iland is now subject There is lately written by one of that Nation a pretty Treatise in Latine which describeth the manner of that Countrey and it is to be seen in the first Tome of Master Hackluits Voyage Southward from thence lyeth Frizeland called in Latine Frizlandia whereas the Frizeland joyning to Germany is in Latine called Frizia On the coast of Germany one of the seventeene Provinces is called Zealand which continueth in it divers Ilands in whom little is famous saving that in one of them is Flishen oâ—… Flushen a Town of war and Middleburge is another a place â—…f good Mart. Livinus Limnius and some of the low Germans be of opinion â—…hat this City was fiâ—…t built by Metellus the Roman and that which now is called Middlâ—…burge was at the first termed Metolli Burgum The States of the Low-Countries do hold this Province against the King of Spain These Ilands have been much troubled of late with inundation of water The Iland that lyeth most West of any Fame is Ireland which had in it heretofore many Kings of their own but the whole land is now annexed to the Crowne of England The people naturally are rude and superstitious the Country good and fruitfull but that for want of tillage in divers places they suffer it to grow into boggs and deserts It is true of this Countrey which Solinus writeth of some other that Serpents and Adders do not breed there and in the Irish timber of certaine experience no Spiders web is ever found The most renowned Island in the
up as high as these Islands Of America or the new World ALthough some do dispute out of Plato and the old Writers that there was not only a guesse but a kind of knowledge in ancient time that besides Europe Asia and Africa there was another large Country lying to the West yet he that shall advisedly peruse the conjectures made thereupon may see that there is nothing of sufficiencie to enforce any such knowledge but that all antiquitie was utterly ignorant of the new found Countries towards the West Whereunto this one Argument most forcible may give credit that at the first arriving of the Spaniards there they found in those places nothing shewing Trafficke or knowledge of any other Nation but the people naked uncivill some of them devourers of mens flesh ignorant of shipping without all kind of learning having no remembrance of History or writing among them never having heard of any such Religion as in other places of the world is known but being utterly ignorant of Scripture or Christ or Moses or any God neither having among them any token of Crosse Church Temple oâ—… Devotion agreeing with other Nations The reasons which are gathered by some late Writers out of Plato Seneca and some other of the Ancient are rather conjectural that it was likely that there should be some such place than any way demonstrative or concluding by experience that therewas any such countrey and the greatest inducement which they had to perswade themselves that therewas any more Land towards the West then that which was formerly known was grounded upon this that all Asia Europe and Africke concerning the longitude of the World did containe in them but 180 degrees and therefore it was most probable that in the other 180. which filleth up the whole course of the Sun to the number of 360 degrees God would not suffer the water only to possesse all but would leave a place for the habitation of men beasts flying and creeping creatures I am not ignorant that some who make too much of vain shewes out of the British Antiquities have given out to the world and written something to that purpose that Arthur sometimes King of Britain had both knowledge of these parts and some Dominion in them for they find as some report that King Arthur had under his government many Islands and great Countries towards the North and West which one of some special note hath interpreted to signifie America and the Northern parts thereof and thereupon have gone about to entitle the Queen of England to be Soveraigne of those Provinces by right of descent from King Arthur But the wisedome of our State hath been such as to neglect that opinion imagining it to be grounded upon fabulous foundations as many things are which are now reported of King Arthur only this doth carry some shew with it that now some hundreds of years since there was a Knight of Wales who with shipping and some pretty company did go to discover those parts whereof as there is some record of reasonable credit amongst the Monuments of Wales so there is this one thing which giveth pregnant shew thereunto that in the late Navigation of some of our men to Norumbega and some other Northern parts of America they find some tokens of civility and Christian Religion but especially they do meet with some words of the Welch language as that a Bird with a whitehead should be called Pengwiun other such like yet because we have no invincible certainty hereof and if any thing were done it was only in the Northern and worse parts and the entercourse betwixt Wales and those parts in the space of divers hundred years was not continued but quite silenced we may go forward with that opinion that these Westerne Indies were no way known to former ages God therefore remembring the prophesie of his Son that the Gospel of the Kingdome should before the day of judgement be preached in all coasts and quarters of the world and in his mercy intending to free the people or at the least some few of them from the bondage of Satan who did detaine them in blockish ignorance and from their Idolatrous service unto certain vile spirits whom they call their Zemes most obsequiously did adore them raised up the spirit of a man worthy of perpetual memory one Christopherus Columbus born at Genua in Italy to set his mind to the discovery of a new World who finding by that compasse of the old known World that there must needs be a much more mighty space to the which the Sun by his daily motion did compasse about then that which was already known and discovered and conceiving that this huge quantity might as wel be Land 〈◊〉 Sea he could never satisfie himself till he might attempt to make proof of the verity thereof Being therefore himself a private man and of more vertue than Nobility after his reasons and demonstrations laid down whereby he might induce men that it was no vain thing which he went about he went unto many of the Princes of Christendome and among others to Henry the seventh King of England desiring to be furnished with shipping and men fit for such a Navigation but these men refusing him partly because they gave no credit to his Narration and partly lest they should be derided by their Neighbour Princes if by this Genoe-stranger they should be cousened but especially for that they were unwilling to sustaine the charges of shipping At last he betook himself unto the Court of Ferdinandus and Elizabeth King and Queen of Castile where also at the first he found but small entertainment yet persisting in his purpose without weariness with great importunity it pleased God to move the mind of Elizabeth the Queen to deale with her husband to surnish forth to ships for the discovery only and not for conquest whereupon Columbus in the year thousand four hundred ninety and two accompanied with his brother Bartholomeus Columbus and many Spaniards sayled farre to the West for the space of three score daies and more with the great indignation often mutinies of his company fearing that by reason of their long distance from home they should never return again insomuch that the General after many perswasions of them to go forward was at length enforced to crave but three daies wherein if they saw not the Iland he promised to return and God did so blesse him to the end that his Voyage might not prove in vain that in that space one of his Company did espye Fire which was a certain Argument that they were near to the Land as it fell out indeed The first Land whereunto they came was an Island called by the Inhabitants Haity but in remembrance of Spaine from whence he came he termed it Hispaniola and finding it to be a Countrey full of pleasure and having in it abundance of Gold and Pearle he proceeded further and
discovered another bigge Isle which is called Cuba of the which being very glad with great treasure he returned unto Spaine bringing joyful newes of his happy successe When Columbus did adventure to restraine the time of their expectation within the compasse of three daies engaging himself to return if in that space they saw no Land there be some write that he limited himself not at all adventures but that he did by his eye discerne a difference in the colour of the clouds which did arise out of the west from those which formerly he had seen which clouds did argue by the clearnesse of them that they did not arise immediately out of the Sea but that they had passed over some good space of the Land and thereby grew clearer and clearer not having in them any new or late risen vapours but this is but conjectural The Spaniards who are by nature a people proud have since the death of Columbus laboured to obscure his fame envying that an Italian or stranger should be reported to be the first discoverer of those parts And therefore have in their writings since given forth that there was a Spaniard which had first been there and that Columbus meeting with his Cards and descriptions did but pursue his enterprize and assume the glory to himself But this fable of theirs doth savour of the same spirit wherewithall many of them in his life time did reproach him that it was no matter of importance to find out these Countries but that if that he had not done it many other might and would Which being spoken to Columbus it a solemne dinner he called for an Egge and willed all the guests one after another to set it up on end Which when they could not do he gently bruising the one end of it did make it flat and so set it up by imitation whereof each of the other did the same whereby he mildly did reprove their envy towards him and shewed how easie it was to do that which a man had seen done before To go forward therefore Columbus being returned to Castile after his welcome to the Princes was made Great Admirall of Spain and with a new Fleet of more Ships was sent to search further which he accordingly did and quickly found the maine Land not farre from the Tropick of Cancer Which part of the Countrey in honour of Spain he called Hispania nova in repect whereof at this day the King of Spaine doth entitle himself Hispaniarum Rex Some there be which write that Columbus did not discover further then the Islands and that he spent the greatest part of his former labours in coasting Cuba and Hispaniola to see whether they were Islands or a Continent and that some other in the meane time did thrust themselves forward and discryed the firme Land among whom Americus Vespucius the chiefe of whose name a great part of the Countrey is called at this day America They found the people both of the maine Lands and Islands very many in number naked without cloaths or Armour sowing no Corn but making their Bread of a kinde of Root which they call Maiz. Men most ignorant of all kind of Learning admiring at the Christians as if they had been sent downe from Heaven and thinking them to be immortall wondring at their Ships and the tacklings thereof for they had no Ships of their own but big troughs which they call their Canoes being made hallow or the â—…ody of a Tree with the sharp bones of Fishes for yron and such like Instruments they have none Although it do appear that by the Warres of one of their petty Princes or Kings whom they call Cassickes had against another many thousands of the Inhabitants of those Countries were continually wasted and spoiled yet the number of them was so great in every part of the West-Indies that in Hispaniola alone there were supposed to be by computation of the Spaniards first arriving there not so few as 2000000. which yet by the cruelty of the Spaniards were so murthered and other ways made away that within fifty years after as their Writers report there were scant any thousands in that Island remaining of them The like is to be said of the populousnesse of other Coasts and quarters there The Armour which those people did weare when they entred into the Warres was nothing but some sleight covering either made of Wood or Sâ—…els of Fishes or of Cotton-wooll or some such foolish matter For thèy had no use at all of Iron or Steele but the most part of them came without any kinde of cloathing or covering yet armed with Bowes and Arrowes which were made sharp at the end with the scraping of Fish-bones or with Fish-bones themselves put on the end like an Arrow-head and that oftentimes they dipped in a kind of most venomous poyson Some other of them had for their Weapons great clubs wherewith they did use to beat out the braines of those with whom they did combate They had amongst them no good or wholsome food for even that Maiz whereof they made their bread had in the root thereof a most venomous kinde of liquor which is no better than deadly poyson but they crush out that juice and afterward do prepare the rooâ—… so that it maketh them a kinde of Bread There was no sort of good Literature to be found among them nay they could not so much as distinguish any times the one from the other but by a blockish kind of observation of the course of the Moon according to which they made their computation but without any kind of certainty saving for some few Moneths which were lately past but for the set calculaâ—…ing of ought which was done divers years before they could do nothing therein but onely grossely aime at it But that in all Ages it hath appeared that Satan hath used ignorance aâ—… one of the chiefest meanes whereby to increase Idolatry and consequentlie to enlarge his kingdome it were other wise incredible that any who have in them reason and the shape of men should be so brutishly ignorant of all kind of true Religion devotion and understanding For the adoration which they do give was only unto certain foule spirits which they call bâ—… the name of their Zemes. In remembrance of whom divers of them did keep in their houses certain things made of cotton wooll in the manner of puppets or like Childrens babies and to these they did yeeld a reverance supposing some Divine Nature to be in them because sometimes in the Evening and in the night time they had such illusions offered unto them as that they saw these their Puppets to move and stirre up and down in their houses and sometimes to utter voices and give divers sâ—…gnifications of such things as they would have to be done or not to be done Yea and that with such effect from the devill also that if their wills and commandements weâ—…e
thither have written concerning those West Indies shall find that the inhabitants there do use it most as a remedy against that which is called Lues venerea whereunto many of them are subject being unclean in their conversation and that not only in fornication and adultery with women but also their detestable and excrable sin of Sodomy After that the Spaniards had for a time possessed Hispania nova for the desire of Gold and Pearle some of them travelled towards the South and as by water they found the Sea westward from Peru which is alwaies very calme and is by them called the South sea as the other wherein Cuba standeth ' is termed the North sea so by land they found that huge and mighty Country which is called Peru wherein the people are for the most part very barbarous and without God men of great stature yea some of them far higher than the ordinary sort of men in Europe using to shoot strongly with bows made of Fish-bones and most cruel people to their enemies Our English people who have travelled that way do in their writings confess that they saw upon the South of Peru very huge tall men who attempting upon them when they put to land for fresh water were much frighted with their Guns or else doubtless had offered violence unto them which our men fearing got them away as speedily as they could There was one Petrus de Cieca a Spaniard who when he had travelled two and twenty years returned back again into Europe and wrote an excellent Book of the Discovery of that whole Country And he amongst other things doth record that there are found in some parts of Peru very huge and mighty bones of men that had been Gyants who dwelt and were buried there Amongst these the Spaniards partly by force but especially by perfidious treason did get infinite sums of Gold and Pearls wherewith being allured they hoped for more by reason that a great part thereof hath under the Zona torrida and that caused them to spread themselves here and there as far as they durst in the country where in some places they digged Gold out of the â—…rth and in some other they found it ready digged and tried unto their hands by the people of the Country which had used that Trade before their comming thither Amongst other creatures which are very famous in this Peru there is a little beast called Cincia which is no bigger than a Fox the tale whereof is long the feet short and the head like a very Fox which hath a bag hanging under her belly whereinto she doth use to put her yong when she seeth them in danger of any hunter or passenger That Petrus de Cieca of whom mention was made before telleth that himself saw one of them which had no less then seven young ones lying about her but as soon as she perceived that a man was comming neer unto her she presently got them into her bag and ran away with such incredible swiftness as one would not have imagined After the Spaniards had conquered Mexico they discovered Peru travelling towards the south and as they prevailed against the Mexicans taking part with an enemy neighbour so finding two brothers striving in Peru Guasâ—…ar Atabaliba they so demeaned themselves in their difference that they ruined both and got their incredible store of Gold The first that attempted against the Peruvians and destroyed their Kings were James of Almagra and the two brothers of Pizarres but dealing treacherously and cruelly with the Peruvians they long enjoyed not their victory but all of them died a violent death The people of Peru are in many places much wiser than those of Cuba Hispaniola and some others parts of the Continent where the Spaniards first landed and therefore they have some orders and solemne customes among them as among the rest they do bury their dead with observable ceremonies laying up their bodies with great solemnity into a large house prepared for that purpose They have also in one Province there a custome of carrying news messages veryspeedily to the end the King and Governor of the Country may presently take advertisement of any thing which falleth out and this is not on horse-back or by the Dromedary or Else as they use in other places but only men who pass over Rocks and thorow Bushes the next way and in 〈◊〉 set places there be alwaies fresh Posts to carry thaâ—… further which is brought unto them by the other The Spaniards have here and there scatteringly upon the sea-coasts set up some Towns and Castles but are not able to possess almost any thing of the land neither have they as yet discovered the inward parts thereof â—…hough daily they spread themselves more and more insomuch thâ—…t it is supposed that within these seven years last past they have gotten into Guiana where in former time no â—…ranger of that Nation hath been Guiana is a country which lieâ—…h to â—…he North sea in the same height as Peru to the South as it is discribed â—…bout five degrees from the Aequinâ—…ctial and that as I take it toward the South The Country is supposed to be exceeding rich to have in it many mines of gold which have not yet been touched or at least but very lâ—…tely to be exceeding fertile and delightful otherwise although it lie iâ—… the heat of Zona torrida but there is such store of rivers fresh waters iâ—… every part thereof and the soile it self hath such correspondency thereunto that it is reported to be as green and pleasant to the eye as any place in the world Some of our Englishmen did with great labour and danger pass by water into the heart of the country earnestly desire that some forces of â—…he English might be sent thither a Colony erected there by reason of the distance of the place the great hazard that if it should not succeed well it might prove dishonourable to our nation and withal because the Spaniards have great companies and strength although not in it ye many wayes about it that intendment was discontinued In divers parts of this Peru and near unto Guiana there are very many great rivers which as they are fiâ—… for any navigation that should be attempted to go up within the land so otherwise they must needs yeeld health and fruitfulness to those that iâ—…habit there The greatest of these rivers is that which some call Oregliana or the river of the Amazones And next is the river Maragnone down towards Magellane straights Rio de la Plata and our English men do speak of the river Orinoque in the greatest of which this is famous that for a good spece after they have run into the main sea yea some write 20. or 30. Miles they keep themselves unmixt with the salt water so that a very great way wiâ—…hin the sea men may take up as fresh water as