THE History of Trauayle in the VVest and East Indies and other countreys lying eyther way towardes the fruitfull and ryche Moluccaes As Moscouia Persia Arabia Syria Aegypte Ethiopia Guinea China in Cathayo and Giapan VVith a discourse of the Northwest passage In the hande of our Lorde be all the corners of the earth Psal. 94. Gathered in parte and done into Englyshe by Richarde Eden Newly set in order augmented and finished by Richarde VVilles ¶ Imprinted at London by Richarde Iugge 1577. Cum Priuilegio To the ryght noble and excellent Lady the Lady Brigit Countesse of Bedforde my singuler good Lady and Mystresse AL studies haue theyr speciall tymes Ryght noble Lady all good partes and singuler qualities of the mynde are holden vp and maynteyned with honour The seely chylde learneth in his teÌ„der age how to speake to reade to write youÌ„g laddes bestowe theyr tyme in the study of other liberall sciences as yeeres come on and wyt encreaseth so finally the whole course of learnyng is runne ouer Agayne the arte of Grammer is wont erst to be learned and than Logike afterwarde naturall Philosophie goeth not before eloquence in our schooles Geometry is first read than Geography So that the studies of good letters haue their times in respecte of mans age they haue theyr tymes in the order of learning yea they haue a tyme that maketh vs all to bestowe therein our tyme and to studie eche facultie in due tyme I meane that speciall tyme they floryshe in I may not denye but that learnyng hath at all tymes ben well accompted of in most countreys the skyll of dyuers languages well thought of learned men to haue ben alwayes rewarded what is than that speciall tyme wherin all studies doe flooryshe Learnyng may bee ryght well compared vnto the floutes fruites of the earth and the speciall tyme of learnyng vnto theyr singuler seasons In May floures in Iune Cheries at Haruest corne in September Grapes so fareth it in the study of good letters There was a tyme whaÌ„ the arte of grammer was so muche esteemed that Gramariens proceeded masters thereof as woorshypfully as other professours now doe in any other facultie Than was it honourable to be a Poet honourable I say for that the Poet Laureate enioyed the honour of a Palatine that tyme is paste There was a tyme whan Logike Astrology onely so weeried the heades of young schollers yea and busied olde age also that true Philosophie in deede was almost forgotten eloquence defaced the languages exiled that tyme is past Not long since happy was he that had any skil in the greke tongue he was thought a great scholler that could make a greeke verse Nowe a dayes who studieth not rather the Hebrue language VVhere haue you almost any greeke aucthour printed Geography laye hydden many hundred yeeres in darkenesse and obliuion without regarde and price of late who taketh not vppon him to discourse of the whole worlde and eche prouince thereof particulerly euen by hearesay although in the first principles of that arte he bee altogeather ignorant and vnskylfull This tyme is now So long as Poetry was esteemed the arte of grammer accompted of Logike muche made of Astrology well thought of Diuine Poets good Gramariens perfecte Logiciens excellent Astronomers no where wanted A Virgile can you neuer want where one Mecènas is Honour promotion bestowed vppon the maynteyners of controuersies in religion hath brought gray heares from endlesse Sophistry from Scotus formalites from Buridan and Burley from Holcot from Bricot from Vademecum from Dormi secure and taught yonger yeeres rather to passe through Aristotle and his interpreters than euer to dwell therein caused them to studie the scriptures to reade ouer the fathers to conferre the counseyles to learne the greeke and Hebrue languages to searche the Chalday Paraphraste to peruse the olde Doctours to translate the newe wryters to heape vp common places to discourse of sectes to wryte cunningly to preach eloquently and made them to be for braulyng Sophisters graue Philosophers for formal Dunses plaine doctors for rude questionaries diuine Orators for vnskilful schoolemen eloquent and graue diuines It is nowe almost one hundred fiftie yeeres agoe that Don Henrico sonne of Iohn the fyrst of that name Kyng in Portugale and Nepheu vnto our Kyng Henry the fourth made his vyage after the conquest of Sepâ—a to the Canaries and eâ—â—â—uraged the Portugales to searche the coastes of Africa and to seeke the landes thereabout not spoken of to fore His grande Nepheu Iohn the seconde so furthered this enterpryse that the Portugale shyppes halled the Cape of good hope discouered Aethiopia and sayled where antiquitie denyed passage beyond all Africa into the Indian seas He sent also expert and cunning traueylers into Aegypt and the redde sea coastes to espye what way the Portugales might looke for beyond the Cape of good hope to Calecut in India the which viage in his sonne Emanuell his tyme was prosperously taken in hand by Vasquez Gama the nienth day of Iuly in the yeere of our Lorde .1497 happely ended in Iuly againe two yeeres after to his great credit and preferment to the immortal fame honour of his Prince and countrey Here began the studie of Geographie that euer since Ptolomeus raigne laye troden vnder foote buried in dust and ashes to spring vp agayne and by the relations of skilful traueylers in Europe Affrike Asie through the discouery of the far Indies the Moluccaes new founde landes of late so to be wondred at as no other facultie more I dare be bold to say that generally all Christians Iewes Turkes Moores Infidels Barbares be this day in loue with Geographie The wylde and rogishe Tartares myght for famine perishe in the winter if they in the sommer skylfully followed not the sunne The heathen Giapans diuided the worlde into three partes Afrike was described by a Moore The Iewes report the estates of all countreyes to the Turkes The Turkishe Basshaes gouerne the sweetest prouinces in Europe Afrike and Asia no men greater traueylers than Christians VVho but Geographers doe teach vs what partes of the earth be cold warme or temperate Of whom doe we learne howe to diuyde the world into partes the partes into prouinces the prouinces into shyres of Geographers vnto whom haue wee to make recourse for Mappes Globes tables and Cardes wherein the dyuers countreys of the worlde are set downe vnto Geographers Set Geographie asyde you shal neyther be able to get intelligences of the situation and strength of any citie nor of the limites and boundes of any countrey nor of the rule and gouernement of any kingdome nor be able wel to trauayle out of your owne doores wil you see what wise and experte traueylers skilful in geometry and Astronomy for that is to bee a Geographer in deede be able to doe Looke you on the King of Portugales title the two partes of the three therein were atchiued
leagues beyonde thestimation of the best pilotes The contentes of the sixt booke Fol. 124. OF sundry opinions why the sea runnneth with so swyft a course from the East to the West and of the great gulfe of the North part of the fyrme lande The viage of Sebastian Cabot from England to the frosen sea â–ª and howe beyng repulsed with Ise in the moneth of Iuly he sayled farre Westwarde Of people apparelled with beastes skinnes and how Beares take fyshes in the sea and eate them How Sebastian Cabot after that he had discouered the lande of Baccallaos or Baccallearum was called out of Englande into Spayne where he was made one of the assistaunce of the counsayle of the affayres of India and of his second viage Of the Ilande Fortis and howe a great foule as bygge as a Storke lyghted in the gouernours shyp also howe he arryued at Dariena with the kinges nauie Howe Vaschus receyued the new gouernour and of habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall How Petrus Arias the new gouernour distributed his armie to conquere the South regions ryche in golde and to erect new colonies in the same Of the ryche golde mynes of Dabaiba and of the expedition agaynst the kyng of that region Of the violent course of the sea from the East to the West and of the difficult saylyng agaynst the same Of the pestiferous and vnholsome ayre of Sancta Maria Antiqua in Dariena and how the Spaniardes were of necessitie enforced to plant theyr fyrst colonie and habitation there The cause of the varietie of regions lying all vnder one degree or paralel and by what meanes the Sonne beames are cause of feruent heate Of toades and flees engendred of droppes of water and of a house set on fyre with lyghtnyng Of a Dogge deuoured of a Crocodyle and of venemous byting of great Bats also of Lions Tigers other wilde beasts How in these regions all foure footed beastes growe to a bigger quantitie then they which were of y e fyrst broode also of certayne trees of whose planckes if shyps be made they are safe from the wormes called Broma or Bissas Of a tree whose wood is present poyson yf it be only borne about and of an hearbe that is a preseruatiue agaynst the same Of the ryche Ilandes of the south sea and of certayne expeditions agaynst the Canibales The contentes of the .vii. booke Fol. 130. THe particuler description of the Ilande of Hispaniola and of the ryche Iland called Margaritea Diues lying in the South sea also of the great abundaunce of bygge pearles founde in the same Howe the auctoure compareth Hispaniola to the earthly Paradyse and howe it farre excelleth Italy in fertilitie and temperate ayre Of the fyrst inhabitours of Hispaniola and of the Ilandes of Canarie Howe thinhabitauntes of Hispaniola in theyr songues and rhymes had certayne prophesies that apparelled men shoulde come to theyr countrey and bryng them into seruitude and of theyr familiaritie with spirites also howe those spirites haue no more appeared to them since they were baptised Of theyr expertenesse in swymmyng and of theyr delicate Serpentes byrdes foules and Popingiays Of the fourme and situation of Hispaniola neere the Equinoctiall and howe colde is in some place thereof accidentall and not by the situation of the region Of the Oxen and Swyne of exceedyng bygnesse and of eares of wheat as bygge as a mans arme in the brawne also howe the Swyne are fedde with Mirobalanes c. Of plentie of golde Brasyle Mastix Gossampyne Electurum of thincommodities of intemperate regions Of dyuers languages in the Ilande and howe the prouinces are diuided into regions Howe Andreas Moralis sayled into a daungerous and darke caue within the rocke of a mountayne and of whole ryuers deuoured of suche caues also of the conflyct of the waters Of a standyng poole in the toppe of an hygh mountayne how fearne and bramble bushes growe onely in colde regions The Contentes of the .viii. booke Fol. 135. OF a great lake or standyng poole of sowre and salte water and of the sea fyshes in the same in the myd lande of the Ilande also of deuouryng fyshes called Tiburoâ—i Of the ryuers fallyng into the lakes and of CC. sprynges in the space of a furlong A marueylous hystorye of a kyng stryken dumbe and lame by a myracle and of the Indian language Howe suche as are drowned in the lake are neuer cast vp agayne and of the Ilande Guarizacca in the myddest of a standyng lake also of a lake of freshe water and an other of salte and freshe water Of a large playne of two hundred myles in length and an other of an hundred and twentie Of the marueilous fyshe or monster of the sea called Manati or Matum fedde with mans handes and howe she caryeth men ouer the lake Of the mountaynes vales hylles playnes and ryuers of Hispaniola and howe golde is founde in all mountaynes and golde and fyshe in all ryuers Of salte bayes and howe the ryuers haue theyr increase from the caues of the mountaynes also howe there is no hurtefull beast in the Ilande Of the pleasures of Hispaniola and of the region of Cotohi wel inhabited situate in a plaine in the toppes of mountaynes reachyng to the cloudes Of moderate colde in the mountaynes and of fearne of marueylous bygnesse Howe pure and massie golde is founde in the region of Cotoy or Cotohi and that the vaine of gold is a lyuyng tree also of the rootes branches and floures of the same and howe certayne caues are susteyned with pyllers of golde What gold is brought yeerely from Hispaniola into Spaine and of the salte of the mountaines being as hard as stones and cleare as crystall also sprynges of salte freshe sowre water Of certayne wylde men lyuing in caues and dennes without any certaine language and of their marueylous swiftnes a foote Of pytche of the rocke and two kyndes of trees and of the leafe of a tree vsed in the steede of paper also howe thinhabitants thynke that the Christians can make those leaues speake and disclose all secretes Of a strong coloure made of the iuice of a certayne apple and of the hearbe whose smoke is poyson The contentes of the nienth booke Fol. 142. OF the kindes of fruites wherewith the inhabitauntes of Hispaniola lyued fyrst and how they came to the knowledge of Iucca also how Ceres fyrst founde Wheate and Barley in Egypt Why theyr kynges are called by diuers names and by what names they salute the kynges chyldren when they are borne How they make theyr testamentes and how certayne of the kynges wyues and concubines are buried with them Of the variable motions of the elementes in Hispaniola and where it rayneth but litle and where muche Of the colonies and villages that the Spaniardes haue builded in Hispaniola and of the other Ilandes about the same Of a spryng whiche runnyng vnder the sea from Hispaniola breaketh foorth in the Iland of Arethusa also
as though it were pullyshed and is without of colour inclynyng towarde blacke and shyneth or glystereth very fayre and is within of no lesse dilicatenesse Suche as haue accustomed to drynke in these vesselles and haue been troubled with the disease called the frettyng of the guttes say that they haue by experience founde it a marueylous remedie agaynst that disease and that it breaketh the stone and prouoketh vrine This fruite was called Cocus for this cause that when it is taken from the place where it cleaueth fast to the tree there are seene two holes and aboue them two other natural holes whiche altogeather do represent the gesture and figure of the cattes called Mammoni that is Munkeys when they crye which crye the Indians call Coca but in very deede this tree is a kinde of Date trees and hath the same effecte to heale frettyng of the guttes that Plinie descrybeth all kynds of Date trees to haue There are furthermore in the firme lande trees of suche byggenesse that I dare not speake therof but in place where I haue so many wytnesses whiche haue seene the same as well as I. I saye therefore that a league from Dariena or the citie of Sancta Maria Antiqua there passeth a ryuer very large and deepe which is called Cuti ouer the which the Indians had layde a great tree so trauersing the same that it was in the steade of a bridge the whiche I my selfe with dyuers other that are at this present in your maiesties court haue oftentymes passed ouer And forasmuche as the said tree had line long there and by y e great weight therof was so shronke downewarde and partly couered with water that none coulde passe ouer it but were wette to the knee I beyng then in the yeere .1522 the official or Iustice in that citie at your maiesties appoyntment caused an other great tree to be layde in that place whiche in lyke maner trauersed the ryuer and reached more then fyftie foote ouer the further syde This tree was exceeding great and rested aboue the water more then two cubytes in the fall it cast downe all such other trees as were within the reache thereof and discouered certayne vynes whiche were so laden with blacke grapes of pleasaunt taste that they satysfied more then fyftye persons whiche ate theyr fyl thereof This tree in the thyckest part therof was more then syxteene spannes thycke and was neuerthelesse but litle in respect of many other trees whiche are founde in this prouince For the Indians of the coaste and prouince of Cartagenia make barkes or boates thereof which they call Canoas of suche byggenesse beyng all one whole tree that some conteyne a hundred men some a hundred and thirtie and some more hauyng neuerthelesse such voyde space within the same that there is left sufficient roome to passe to and fro throughout all the Canoas Some of these are so large besyde the length that they conteyne more then ten or twelue spannes in breadth and sayle with two sayles as with the maister sayle and the tryncket which they make of very good cotton The greatest trees that I haue seene in these partes or in any other regions was in the prouince of Guaturo the kyng wherof rebellyng from the obedience of your maiestie was pursued by me and taken prisoner at whiche tyme I with my companye passed ouer a very hygh mountayne full of great trees in the top whereof we founde one tree whiche had three rootes or rather diuisions of the roote aboue the earth in fourme of a tryangle or treuet so that betweene euery foote of this triangle or three feete there was a space of twentie foote betwene euery foote and this of such heyght aboue the earth that a laden Carâ— of those wherewith they are accustomed to bryng home corne in the tyme of haruest in the kyngdome of Toledo in Spayne â–ª myght easely haue passed through euery of those partitions or wyndowes which were betweene the three feete of the sayd tree From the earth vpwarde to the trunke of the tree the open places of the diuisions betweene these three feete were of suche â—eyght from the ground that a footeman with a Iauelin was not able to reache the place where the sayde feete ioyned togeather in the trunke or bodye of the tree whiche grewe of great heyght in one peece and one whole bodie or euer it spread in braunches whiche it did not before it exceeded in heyght the Towre of Sainct Romane in the citie of Toledo from whiche heyght and vpward it spread very great and strong braunches Among certayne Spaniardes whiche clymed this tree I my selfe was one and when I was ascended to the place where it begunne to spreade the braunches it was a marueilous thyng to beholde a great countrey of suche trees towarde the prouince of Abrayme This tree was easy to clyme by reason of certayne Besuchi whereof I haue spoken before which grew wreathed about the tree in suche sort that they seemed to make a scalyng Ladder Euery of the forsayd three feete whiche bore the bodie of the tree was twentie spannes in thickenesse and where they ioyned all togeather aboute the Trunke or bodie of the tree the principall Trunke was more then fourtie and fyue spannes in circuite I named the mountayne where these trees growe the mountayne of three footed trees And this whiche I haue now declared was seene of all the companie that was there with me when as I haue sayde before I tooke kyng Guaturo prysoner in the yeere .1522 Many thynges more myght heere be spoken as touching this matter as also howe there are many other excellent trees founde of diuers sortes and dyfference as sweete Cedar trees blacke Date trees and many other of the whiche some are so heauye that they cannot floote aboue the water but syncke immediatly to the bottome and other agayne as lyght as a Corke As touchyng all which thynges I haue written more largely in my generall historie of the Indies And forasmuche as at this present I haue entred to entreat of trees before I passe any further to other thynges I wyll declare the maner howe the Indians kindle fyre only with wood and without fire the maner wherof is this They take a peece of wood of two spannes in length as bygge as the least fynger of a mans hand or as an arrowe well pullyshed and of a strong kynde of wood which they keepe only for this purpose and where they entend to kyndle any fire they take two other peeces of wood of the dryest and lyghtest that they can fynde and bynde them fast togeather one with an other as close as two fyngers ioyned in the myddest or betweene these they put the poynt of the fyrst litle staffe made of harde and strong woodde whiche they hold in theyr handes by the toppe thereof and turne or rubbe it rounde about contynually in one place betweene the two peeces of woodde which lye bounde togeather vppon
the whole passage lieth how long it is what breadth it carieth how perilous how prosperous the iorney is and what commodities the paynfull trauayler can reape therby what gaine the venterous marchant may looke for what wealth what honour what fame wyll to our Englyshe nation thereof ensue Thus muche right honorable my verye good Lady of your question concernyng your seruantes voyage If not so skylfully as I would and was desirous fully to do at the least as I could leasure suffered me for the litle knowledge God hath lent me yf it be any at all in Cosmographie and Philosophie and the small experience I haue in trauaile Chosing rather in the cleare iudgement of your Ho. mynde to appeare rude and ignorant and so to be seene vnto the multitude then to be founde vnthankefull and carelesse in any thing your Ho. shoulde commaunde me God preserue your Honour At the Court the .xx. of Marche Your Ho. most humbly at commaundement Richard Willes To the right worshipfull my singuler good Mystres M. Elizabeth Morisyn OVr Indian readinges our Asian lectures our Geographical description of the whole world wyll I end with certayne reportes of the prouince China in Cathayo and some intelligences of the worthy Ilands lying therby in the East Ocean The relation whereof though at the first myght seeme briefly to be passed ouer and in a fewe substantiall poyntes only to be touched as in the rest of our discourses concernyng this facultie we haue done Yet the worthynesse of matter herein conteyned the order of ciuile gouerment the maners fashions of the inhabiters the discription of that countrey so wel gathered the noueltie thereof in our language haue effectually moued me to doo the whole discourse into Englysh Needlesse I graunt the labour is for you that perfectly in so few Monethes so few weekes so fewe dayes learned the Italian tongue out of the whiche language this translation is made The singular care you euer haue had of my well dooyng and the speciall fauour I haue founde among your Honorable frendes for your sake vvoulde not only not let me to play the negligent Poete in the fift Act but compelled me to handle euen the last Scene more abundantly aswel to acknowledge your good skill both in Cosmographie and in forreine languages as also to testifie vnto the world the great benefites the which I haue receyued for vschering as it were herein so good so wyse so vertuous so worshipfull a mystres Nowe after all these learned exercises of your younger yeeres God Almyghtie send you great good successe in your present affaires with encrease of prosperitie and muche honour as you dayly shall grow elder At London the 21. of Feburary 1576. Your seruaunt euer R. Willes Reportes of the prouince China Certayne reportes of the prouince China learned through the Portugalles there imprisoned and chiefly by the relation of Galeotto Perera a gentleman of good credit that lay prisoner in that countrey many yeeres Done out of Italian into Englyshe by R. W. THis land of China is parted into .13 shyres the which sometymes were eche one a kyngdome by it selfe but these many yeeres they haue been all subiect vnto one Kyng Fuquien is made by the Portugalles the first shyre bycause there their troubles began and had occasion thereby to know the rest In this shyre be viii cities but one principally more famous than others called Fuquieo the other seuen are reasonably great the best knowen wherof vnto the Portugalles is Cinceo in respect of a certayne hauen ioyning thervnto whyther in tyme past they were wont for merchandyse to resort Cantan is the second shyre not so great in quantitie as well accoumpted of both by the Kyng thereof and also by the Portugalles for that it lyeth nearer vnto Malacca than any other part of China and was fyrst discryed by the Portugalles before any other shyre in that prouince this shyre hath in it seuen cities Chequeam is the third shyre the chiefest citie therein is Donchion therein also standeth Liampo with other thirtiene or fourtiene Boroughes countrey townes therein to to many to be spoken of The fourth shyre is called Xutiamfu the principall citie therof is great Pachin where the Kyng is alwayes resident In it are fyftiene other very great cities of other townes therein and Boroughes well walled and trenched about I will say nothing The fyft shyre hath name Chelim the great citie Nanquin chiefe of other fyftiene cities was herein of auncient tyme the royall seate of the Chinish kynges From this shyre and from that aforesayde Chequeam forwarde bare rule the other kynges vntyll the whole region became one kyngdome The sixt shyre beareth name Quianci as also the principall citie thereof wherein the fine claye to make vesselles is wrought The Portugalles beyng ignorant of this countrey and fyndyng great aboundaunce of that fine claye to be solde at Liampo and that very good cheape thought at the first that it had been made there howbeit in fine they perceiued that the standing of Quinzi more neare vnto Liampo than to Cinceo or Cantan was the cause of so muche fine claye at Liampo within the compasse of Quinci shyre be other .12 cities The seuenth shyre is Quicin the eight Quansi the nienth Confu the tenth Vrnan the eleuenth Sichiua In the first hereof there be .16 cities in the next fyftiene howe many townes the other three haue we are ignorant as yet as also of the proper names of the .12 and .13 shyres and the townes therein This finally may be generally sayde heereof that the greater shyres in China prouince may be compared with mightie kyngdomes In eche one of these shyres be set Ponchiassini and Anchiassini before whom are handled the matters of other cities There is also placed in eche one a Tutan as you would say a gouernor and a Chian that is a visiter as it were whose office is to goe in circuit and to see iustice exactly done By these meanes so vpryghtly thinges are ordered there that it may bee worthely accompted one of the best gouerned prouinces in all the world The Kyng maketh alwayes his abode in the great citie Pachin as muche to say in our language as by the name thereof I am aduertised the towne of the kyngdome This kyngdome is so large that vnder fyue monethes you are not able to traueyle from the townes by the sea syde to the Court and backe agayne no not vnder three monethes in poste at your vrgent businesse The Posthorses in this countrey are litle of bodie but swyfte of foote Many doe traueyle the greater parte of this iourney by water in certayne lyght barkes for the multitude of ryuers commodious for passage from one citie to an other The kyng notwithstandyng the hugenesse of his kyngdome hath such a care thereof that euery Moone by the Moones they recken their monethes he is aduertised fully of whatsoeuer thing happeneth therein
by these meanes folowyng The whole prouince beyng diuided into shyres and eche shyre hauyng in it one chiefe and principall citie wherevnto the matters of all the other cities townes and Boroughes are brought there are drawen in euery chiefe citie aforesayde intelligences of suche thinges as doe monethly fall out and be sent in writing to the Court. If happely in one moneth euery post is not able to goe so long a way yet doeth there notwithstandyng once euery moneth arryue one poste out of the shyre Who so commeth before the newe-Moone stayeth for the deliuery of his letters vntyll the Moone be chaunged Then lykewyse are dispatched other postes backe into all the .13 shyres agayne Before that we doe come to Cinceo we haue to passe through many places and some of great importance For this countrey is so well inhabited neare the sea syde that you can not go one myle but you shall see some towne Borough or Hostry the which are so abundantly prouided of all thinges that in the cities townes they liue ciuily Neuertheles such as dwel abrode are very poore for the multitude of them euery where so great that out of a tree you shal see many tymes swarme a number of children where a man would not haue thought to haue founde any one at all From these places in number infinite you shall come vnto two cities very populose and beyng compared with Cinceo not possibly to be discerned which is the greater of them These cities are as well walled as any cities in all the worlde As you come in to eyther of them standeth so great and mightie a brydge that the lyke thereof I haue neuer seene in Portugall nor els where I heard one of my felowes say that he told in one bridge .40 arches The occasion wherfore these bridges are made so great is for that the countrey is toward the sea very plaine and low ouerwhelmed euer as y e sea water encreaseth The breadth of the bridges although it bee well proportioned vnto the length therof yet are they equally buylt no higher in the middle than at eyther end in such wyse that you may directly see from y e one end to the other the sydes are wonderfully well engraueâ— after the maner of Rome workes But that wee did most marueyle at was therwithall the hugenesse of y e stones the lyke wherof as we came in to the citie we dyd see many set vp in places dishabited by the way to no small charges of theyrs howbeit to litle purpose whereas no body seeth them but such as doe come bye The arches are not made after our fashion vauted with sundry stones set togeather but paued as it were whole stones reaching from one piller to an other in suche wyse that they lye both for the arches heades and galantly serue also for the hygh waye I haue been astunned to beholde the hugenesse of these aforesayde stones some of them are .xii. pases long and vpwarde the least a .xi. good pases long and an halfe The wayes echewhere are galantly paued with fouresquare stone except it be where for want of stone they vse to laye bricke in this voyage wee traueyled ouer certayne hilles where the wayes were pitched and in many places no worse paued than in the playne grounde This causeth vs to thinke that in all the worlde there be no better workemen for buildinges than the ininhabitantes of China The countrey is so well inhabited that no one foote of ground is left vntilled small store of cattell haue we seene this way we sawe onely certayne Oxen wherewithall the countrymen doe plough theyr grounde One Oxe draweth the plough alone not onely in this shyre but in other places also wherein is greater store of cattell These countrymen by arte doe that in tyllage which we are constrayned to doe by force Here be solde the voydinges of close stooles although there wanteth not the dunge of beastes the excrements of man are good marchandise throughout all China The dungfermers seeke in euery streete by exchaunge to buye this durtie ware for hearbes and wood The custome is very good for keepyng the citie cleane There is great aboundance of Hennes Geese Duckes Swyne and Goates Wethers haue they none the Hennes are solde by weight and so are all other thinges Two pounde of Hennes fleshe Goose or Ducke is woorth two Foi of their money that is d. ob sterling Swines fleshe is solde at a peny the pounde Beefe beareth the same pryce for the scarcitie thereof howbeit Northwarde from Fuquieo farther of from the sea coast there is Beefe more plentie and solde better cheape Beefe onely excepted great aboundance of all these viandes we haue had in all the cities we passed through And if this countrey were lyke vnto India the inhabitantes whereof eate neyther Henne beefe nor porke but keepe that onely for the Portugalles and Moores they would be solde here for nothyng But it so fallyng out that the Chineans are the greatest eaters in all the world they doe feede vppon all thinges specially on porke the fatter that is vnto them the lesse lothsome The highest price of these thinges aforesayde I haue set downe better cheape shall you sometymes buye them for the great plentie thereof in this countrey Frogges are solde at the same price that is made of Hennes and are good meate amongst them as also Dogges Cattes Rattes Snakes and all other vncleane meates The cities be very gallant specially neare vnto the gates the which are marueylously great couered with Iron The gate-houses buylt on hygh with Towers the lower parte thereof is made of bricke and stone proportionally with the walles from the walles vpward the buyldyng is of tymber and many stories in it one aboue the other The strength of theyr townes is in the mightie walles and ditches artillerie haue they none The streetes in Cinceo and in all the rest of the cities we haue seene are very fayre so large and so streight that it is wonderfull to beholde Theyr houses are buylte with tymber the foundations onely excepted the which are layde with stone in eche syde of the streetes are paynteses or continuall porches for the marchantes to walke vnder the breadth of the streete is neuerthelesse suche that in them .xv. men may ryde commodiously syde by side As they ryde they must needes passe vnder many hygh arches of triumph that crosse ouer the streetes made of tymber and carued diuersely couered with tyle of fine claye vnder these arches the Mercers doe vtter theyr smaller wares and such as lyst to stande there are defensed from rayne and the heate of the Sunne The greater gentlemen haue these arches at their doores although some of them be not so myghtyly buylt as the rest I shall haue occasion to speake of a certayne order of gentlemen that are called Loutea I will first therefore expounde what this worde signifieth Loutea is as muche to say in our language as Syr and
we laye in prison at Fuquieo we came many tymes abrode and were brought to the pallaces of noble men to be seene of them and theyr wyues for that they had neuer seene any Portugall before Many thinges they asked vs of our countrey and our fashions and dyd wryte euery thyng for they be curious in nouelties aboue measure The gentlemen shewe great curtesie vnto straungers and so dyd we finde at their handes and bycause that many tymes we were brought abrode into the citie somewhat will I say of such thinges as I dyd see therein beyng a gallant citie and chiefe in one of the thirtiene shyres aforesayde The citie Fuquieo is very great and mightily walled with square stone both within and without and as it may seeme by the breadth thereof filled vp in the middle with earth layde ouer with bricke and couered with tyle after the maner of porches or galeryes that one myght dwell therein The steyers they vse are so easily made that one may go them vp and down a horsebacke as eftsoones they doe the streetes are paued as already it hath been sayde there be a great number of Merchantes euery one hath written in a great table at his doore such thinges as he hath to sell. In lyke maner euery artisane paynteth out his craft the market places be large great aboundance of all thinges there be to be solde The citie standeth vppon water many streames run through it the bankes pitched and so broade that they serue for streetes to the cities vse Ouer the streames are sundry brydges both of tymber stone that beyng made leuell with the streetes hynder not the passage of the Barges to and fro the chanelles are so deepe Where the streames come in and goe out of the citie bee certayne arches in the wall there goe in and out theyr Parai that is a kynde of Barges they haue and this onely the day tyme at nyght these arches are closed vp with gates so doe they shut vp all the gates of the citie These streames and Barges doe ennoblyshe very muche the citie and make it as it were to seeme an other Uenice The buyldinges are euen well made hygh not lofted except it be some wherein merchandise is layde It is a worlde to see howe great these cities are and the cause is for that the houses are buylt euen as I haue sayde and doe take a great deale of roome One thyng we sawe in this citie that made vs all to wonder and is woorthy to bee noted Namely ouer a porche at the commyng in to one of the aforesayde foure houses the whiche the kyng hath in euery shyre for his gouernours as I haue erst sayde standeth a Towre buylt vppon fourtie pyllers eche one whereof is but one stone eche one fourtie handfulles or spannes long in breadth or compasse twelue as many of vs dyd measure them Besydes this theyr greatnesse suche in one peece that it myght seeme impossible to worke them they bee moreouer cornerde and in colour length and breadth so lyke that the one nothyng dyffereth from the other This thyng made vs all to wonder verye muche Wee are wont to call this countrey China and the people Chineans but as long as we were prisoners not hearing amongst them at any tyme that name I determined to learne howe they were called and asked sometymes by them thereof for that they vnderstoode vs not whan wee called them Chineans I answered them that all the inhabitantes of India named them Chineans wherefore I prayed them that they would tell mee for what occasion they are so called whether peraduenture any citie of theyrs bare that name Heerevnto they alwayes answered mee to haue no suche name nor euer to haue had Than dyd I aske them what name the whole countrey beareth and what they would answere beyng asked of other nations what countrymen they were It was tolde me that of auncient tyme in this countrey had been many kynges and though presently it were all vnder one eche kyngdome neuerthelesse enioyed that name it fyrst had these kyngdomes are the prouinces I spake of before In conclusion they sayde that the whole countrey is called Tamen and the inhabitantes Tamegines so that this name China or Chineans is not hearde of in that countrey I doe thinke that the nearenesse of an other prouince thereabout called Cochinchina and the inhabitantes thereof Cochinesses fyrst discouered before that China was lying not farre from Malacca dyd gyue occasion both to the one nation and to the other of that name Chineans as also the whole countrey to be named China But their proper name is that aforesayde I haue hearde moreouer that in the citie Nanquim remayneth a table of golde and in it written a kyng his name as a memory of that residence the kyngs were wont to keepe there This table standeth in a great pallace couered alwayes except it bee in some of theyr festiuall dayes at what tyme they are wont to let it be seene couered neuerthelesse as it is all the nobilitie of the citie goeth of duetie to doe it euery day reuerence The lyke is done in the head cities of all the other shyres in the pallaces of the Ponchiassini wherein these aforesayde tables doe stande with the kyng his name written in them although no reuerence be done thervnto but in solempne feastes I haue lykewyse vnderstoode that the citie Pachin where the kyng maketh his abode is so great that to goe from one syde to the other besydes the Subarbes the which are greater than the citie it selfe it requyreth one whole day a horsebacke going hackney pase In the Subarbes be many wealthy marchantes of all sortes They tolde me furthermore that it was Moted about and in the Motes great store of fyshe wherof the kyng maketh great gaynes It was also tolde mee that the kyng of China had no kyng to wage battayle withall besides the Tartares with whom he had concluded a peace more than fourescore yeeres agoe Neuerthelesse theyr friendshyp was not so great that the one nation might marry with the other And demaunding with whom they married they sayde that in olde tyme the Chinish kynges whan they would marry theyr daughters accustomed to make a solempne feast whervnto came all sorts of men The daughter that was to be marryed stoode in a place where shee myght see them all and looke whom shee lyked best him did shee chuse to husbande and if happely he were of a base condition hee became by and by a gentleman but this custome hath been left long since Nowe a dayes the kyng marryeth his daughters at his owne pleasure with great men of the same kyngdome the lyke order he obserueth in the maryage of his sonnes They haue moreouer one thing very good and that whiche made vs all to marueyle at them beyng Gentiles namely that there be hospitalles in all theyr cities alwayes full of people we neuer sawe any poore body begge
We therefore asked the cause of this answered it was that in euery citie there is a great circuit wherein be many houses for poore people for blinde lame old folke not able to traueyle for age nor hauyng any other meanes to lyue These folke haue in the aforesayde houses euer plentie of rice duryng theyr lyues but nothyng els Such as be receyued into these houses come in after this maner Whan one is sicke blinde or lame he maketh a supplication to the Ponchiassi and prouyng that to be true he wryteth he remayneth in the aforesayde great lodgyng as long as he lyueth besides this they keepe in these places Swyne and Hennes whereby the poore be releeued without goyng a beggyng I sayd before that China was full of ryuers but now I mynde to confyrme the same anewe for the farther we went into the countrey the greater we found the ryuers Sometymes we were so farre of from the sea that where we came no sea fyshe had been seene and salt was there very deere of freshe water fyshe yet was there great aboundance that fysh very good they keepe it good after this maner Where the ryuers doe meete and so passe into the sea there lyeth great store of Boates specially where no salte water commeth and that in Marche and Apryll These Boates are so many that it seemeth wonderfull ne serue they for other than to take small fyshe By the ryuers sydes they make leyres of fine and strong nettes that lye three handfulles vnder water and one aboue to keepe and nourysh their fyshe in vntyll suche tyme as other fyshers doe come with Boates bryngyng for that purpose certayne great chestes lyned with paper able to holde water wherein they carry theyr fyshe vp and downe the ryuer euery day renuyng the chest with freshe water and sellyng theyr fyshe in euery citie towne and village where they passe vnto the people as they neede it most of them haue nette leyres to keepe fyshe in alwayes for theyr prouision Where the greater Boates can not passe any farther forwarde they take lesser and bycause the whole countrey is very well watred there is so great plentie of dyuers sortes of fyshe that it is wonderfull to see assuredly we were amazed to beholde the maner of their prouision Theyr fyshe is chiefly nourished with the dung of Bufles and Oxen that greatly fatteth it Although I sayde theyr fyshyng to be in March and Aprill at what tyme we sawe them doe it neuerthelesse they tolde vs that they fyshed at all tymes for that vsually they doe feede on fyshe wherfore it behoueth them to make theyr prouision continually Whan we had passed Fuquien wee went into Quicin shyre where the fine claye vessell is made as I sayde before and we came to a citie the one syde whereof is built vppon the foote of a hyll wherby passeth a ryuer nauigable there we tooke Boate and went by water towarde the sea on ech syde of the ryuer we found many cities townes and villages wherein we sawe great store of marchandyse but specially of fine clay there dyd wee lande by the way to buye victualles and other necessaryes Goyng downe this ryuer Southwarde we were glad that we drewe neare vnto a warmer countrey from whence wee had been farre distant this countrey we passed through in eyght dayes for our iourney laye downe the streame Before that I doe say any thyng of that shyre we came into I will fyrst speake of the great citie of Quicin wherin alwayes remaineth a Tutan that is a gouernour as you haue seene though some Tutans doe gouerne two or three shyres That Tutan that was condempned for our cause of whom I spake before was borne in this countrey but he gouerned Foquien shyre nothing it auayled him to bee so great an officer This countrey is so great that in many places where we went there had ben as yet no talke of his death although he were executed a whole yeere before At the citie Quanche whyther we came the riuer was so great that it seemed a sea though it were so litle where we tooke water that we needed smal boates One day about .ix. of y e clocke beginning to row neare the walles with the streame we came at noone to a bridge made of many barges ouerlinked all togeather with two mighty cheyns There stayed we vntil it was late but we saw not one go either vp theron or downe except two Louteas y t about the going downe of y e sun came set them downe there the one in one side the other in the other side Than was the bridge opened in many places barges both great smal to the number of .600 began to passe those that went vp the streame at one place such as came downe at an other Whā al had thus shot the bridge than was it shut vp againe We heare say that euery day they take this order in all principall places of merchandyse for paying of y e custome vnto the king specially for salt wherof the greatest reuenews are made that the king hath in this countrey The passages of the bridge where it is opened bee so neare the shore that nothing can passe without touching the same To stay the barges at their pleasure that they go no farther forward are vsed certayne yron instrumentes The bridge consisteth of .112 barges there stayed wee vntyll the euenyng that they were opened lothesomely oppressed by the multitude of people that came to see vs so many in number that we were enforced to goe asyde from the banke vntyl such tyme as the bridge was opened howbeit we were neuerthelesse thronged about w t many boates full of people And though in other cities and places where wee went the people came so importunate vpon vs that it was needfull to withdraw our selues yet were we heere much more molested for the number of people and this bridge the principal way out of the citie vnto an other place so well inhabited that were it walled about it myght bee compared to the citie Whan we had shot the bridge we kept along the citie vntill that it was nyght than met we with an other ryuer that ioyned with this we rowed vp that by the walles vntyll we came to an other bridge gallantly made of barges but lesser a great deale than that other bridge ouer the greater streame heere stayed we that nyght and other two dayes with more quiet being out of the prease of the people These riuers do meet without at one corner point of the citie In either of them were so many barges great and small that we all thought them at the least to be aboue three thousande the greater number therof was in the lesser ryuer where we were Amongst the rest here lay certayne greater vessels called in their language Parai that serue for the Tutan whan he taketh his voyage by other ryuers that ioyne with this towards Pachin where the king maketh
his abode For as many tymes I haue erst sayd all this countrey is full of riuers Desirous to see those Parai we got into some of them where we found some chambers set foorth with gilded beds very richly other furnished with tables and seates all other thinges so neate and in perfection that it was wonderfull Quiacim shyre as farre as I can perceiue lyeth vpon the south On that syde we kept at our first entry thereinto traueyling not far from the high mountaynes we saw there Asking what people dwelleth beyond those mountaynes it was told me that they be theeues men of a strange language And bycause that vnto sundry places neare this riuer y e mountaynes do approch whence the people issuing downe do many tymes great harme this order is taken at y e entry into Quiacim shyre To gard this riuer wheron continually go to fro Parai great small fraught with salt fish poudred with pepper and other necessaries for that countrey they do lay in diuers places certain Parai great barges armed wherin watch warde is kept day night in both sides of the riuer for the safetie of the passage securitie of suche Parai as doe remayne there though the traueylers neuer go but many in company In euery rode there be at the least thirtie in some two hundred men as the passage requyreth This garde is kept vsually vntyll you come to the citie Onchio where continually the Tutan of this shyre and eke of Cantan maketh his abode From that citie vpwarde where the ryuer waxeth more narrow and the passage more daungerous there be alwayes armed one hundred and fiftie Parai to accompany other vesselles fraught with marchandyse and all this at the king his charges This seemed vnto me one of the strangest thinges I dyd see in this countrey Whan we laye at Fuquien we dyd see certayne Moores who knewe so litle of theyr secte that they could say nothyng els but that Machomet was a Moore my father was a Moore and I am a Moore with some other wordes of theyr Alcorane wherewithall in abstinence from Swynes fleshe they lyue vntyll the deuyll take them all This whan I sawe beyng sure that in many Chinish cities the reliques of Machomet are kept as soone as we came to the citie where these felowes be I enfourmed my selfe of them and learned the trueth These Moores as they tolde me in tymes past came in great shippes fraught with marchandise from Pachin ward to a Porte graunted vnto them by the kyng as hee is wont to all them that traffike into this countrey where they beyng arriued at a litle towne standyng in the hauens mouth in tyme conuerted vnto their secte the greatest Loutea there Whan that Loutea with all his family was become Moorysh the rest began lykewyse to doe the same In this part of China the people be at libertie euery one to worshyp and folow what him lyketh best Wherefore no body tooke heede thereto vntyll such tyme as the Moores perceyuyng that many folowed them in superstition and that the Loutea fauoured them they began to forbyd wholy the eatyng of Swines flesh But all this countrymen and women chosing rather to forsake father and mother than to leaue of eatyng of porke by no meanes would yelde to that proclamation For besides the great desyre they all haue to eate that kynde of meate many of them doe lyue thereby and therefore the people complayned vnto the Magistrates accusing the Moores of a conspiracy pretended betwixt them and the Loutea agaynst theyr kyng In this countrey as no suspicion no not one trayterous worde is long borne withall so was the kyng speedily aduertised thereof who gaue comcommaundement out of hande that the aforesayde Loutea should be put to death and with hym the Moores of most importance the other to be layde fyrst in pryson and afterwarde to be sent abrode into certayne cities where they remayned perpetuall slaues vnto the kyng To this citie came by happe men and women threescore and odde who at this day are brought to fiue men and foure women for it is nowe twentie yeeres agoe this happened Theyr ofspryng passeth the number of .200 and they in this citie as the rest in other cities whyther they were sent haue theyr Moscheas wherunto they al resorte euery fryday to kepe theyr holydaye But as I thynke that wyll no longer endure then whiles they do lyue that came from thence for theyr posteritie is so confused that they haue nothing of a Moore in them but abstinence from Swynes fleshe and yet many of them do eate thereof priuilie They tell me that theyr natiue countrey hath name Camarian a fyrme lande wherein be many kynges and the Indishe countrey well knowen vnto them It may so be for as sone as they dyd see our seruauntes our seruauntes were Preuzaretes they iudged them to be Indians many of theyr woordes sounded vppon the Persike tongue but none of vs coulde vnderstand them I asked them whether they conuerted any of the Chinishe nation vnto theyr secte they answeared me that with much a do they conuerted the women with whom they do marry yeldyng me no other cause thereof but the difficultie they find in them to be brought from eating swines fleshe and drynking of wine I am perswaded therfore that if this countrey were in league with vs forbyddyng them neyther of both it would be an easy matter to draw them to our religion from theyr superstition wherat they them selues do laugth when they do their Idolatrie I haue learned moreouer that the sea wherby these Moores that came to China were woont to trauaile is a very great gulfe that falleth into this countrey out from Tartaria and Persia leauing on the other syde all the countrey of China and lande of the Mogorites drawyng alwayes towarde the south and of all lykelyhood it is euen so because that these Moores the whiche we haue seene be rather browne then white wherby they shewe them selues to come from some warmer countrey then China is neere to Pachin where the ryuers are frosen in the wynter for colde and many of them so vehemently that cartes may passe ouer them We dyd see in this citie many Tartares Mogorites Bremes and Laoynes both men women The Tartares are men very white good horsemen and archers confinyng with China on that side where Pachin standeth separated from thence by great mountaines that are betwyxt these kingdomes Ouer them be certaine wayes to passe and for both sydes Castelles continually keapte with souldiers in tyme past the Tartares were woont alwayes to haue warrs with the Chineans but these fourescore yeeres past they were quiete vntyll the seconde yeere of our imprysonment The Mogorites be in lyke maner whyte and heathen we are aduertised that of one syde they border vppon these Tartares and confine with the Persike Tartares on the other syde whereof we sawe in them some tokens
as theyr maner of clothes and that kynde of hat the Saracenes do weare The Moores affirmed that where the kyng lyeth there be many Tartares and Mogorites that brought into China certayne blewes of great valewe al we thought it to be Vanil of Cambaia woont to be sold at Ormus So that this is the true situation of that countrey not in the Northpartes as many tymes I haue harde saye confynyng with Germanie As for the Bremes we haue seene in this citie Chenchi certaine men women amongst whom there was one that came not long since hauyng as yet her heare tyed vp after the Pegues fashion this woman and other moe with whom a blacke Moore damsell in our companye had conference and dyd vnderstande them well ynough had dwelte in Peghu This newe come woman imaginyng that we ment to make our abode in that citie byd vs to be of good comforte for that her countrey was not distant from thence aboue fiue dayes iourney and that out of her countrey there laye a hygh way for vs home into our owne Beyng asked the way she aunsweared that the fyrst three dayes the way lyeth ouer certayne great mountaynes and wyldernesse afterwarde people to be mette withall agayne Thence two dayes iorney more to the Breames countrey Wherfore I doo conclude that Chenchi is one of the confynes of this kyngdome seperated by certayne huge mountaynes as it hath been already sayd that lye out towardes the South In the residue of these mountaynes standeth the prouince Sian the Laoyns countrey Cambaia Chinapa and Cochinchina This citie cheefe of other syxteene is situated in a pleasaunt playne aboundyng in thynges necessarie sea fysh only excepted for it standeth farre from the sea of freshe fyshe so muche store that the market places are neuer emptie The walles of this citie are very strong and hygh one day dyd I see the Louteas thereof go vpon the walles to take the viewe thereof borne in theyr seates I spake of before accompanied with a troupe of horsemen that went two and two It was tolde me they myght haue gone three and three We haue seene moreouer that within this aforesayde citie the kyng hath moe than a thousand of his kynne lodged in great pallaces in diuers partes of the citie theyr gates be redde and the entrye into theyr houses that they may be knowen for that is the kyng his colour These gentlemen accordyng to theyr nearenesse in blood vnto the kyng as soone as they be maried receiue theyr place in honour this place neither encreaseth nor diminisheth in any respect as long as the kyng lyueth the kyng appoynteth them theyr wyues and familie allowyng them by the Moneth al thynges necessarie abundantly as he doth to his gouernours of shyres and cities howebeit not one of these hath as long as he lyueth any charge or gouernment at al. They geue them selues to eatyng and drinkyng â–ª and be for the most part burly men of bodie insomuche that espiyng any one of them whom we had not seene before we myght knowe hym to be the kyng his cosyn They be neuerthelesse very pleasaunt courteous and fayre conditioned ne dyd we finde al the time we were in that citie so much honour and good entertaynement any where as at theyr handes They byd vs to theyr houses to eate and drynke and when they founde vs not or were not wyllyng to go with them they byd our seruantes slaues causing them to syt down with the first Notwithstanding the good lodging these gentlemen haue so commodious that they want nothyng yet are they in this bondage that duryng lyfe they neuer goe abrode The cause as I dyd vnderstand wherefore the kyng so vseth his cousynes is that none of them at anye tyme may rebell agaynst hym and thus he shutteth them vp in three or foure other cities Most of them can play on the Lute and to make that kynde of pastyme peculier vnto them only all other in the cities where they do lyue be forbydden that instrument the Curtisans and blynde folke only excepted who be musitions and can play This king furthermore for the greater securitie of his realme and the auoydyng of tumultes letteth not one in al his countrey to be called Lord except he be of his blood Many great estates and gouernours there be that duryng theyr office are lodged Lordlyke and do beare the port of myghtie Princes but they be so many tymes displaced and other placed a newe that they haue not the whyle to become corrupt True it is that duryng theyr office they be well prouided for as afterwarde also lodged at the kynges charges and in pension as long as they liue payde them Monethly in the cities where they dwel by certaine officers appoynted for that purpose The kyng then is a Lorde only not one besydes hym as you haue seene except it be suche as be of his blood A Nephewe lykewyse of the kyng the kyng his systers sonne lyeth continually within the walles of the citie in a strong pallace built Castelwyse euen as his other cousins do remaynyng alwayes within doores serued by Eunuches neuer dealyng with any matters Their festiuall dayes newe Moones and ful Moones the magistrates make great bankets so do such as be of the king his blood The king his Nephewe hath name Vanfuli his pallace is walled about the wall is not high but foure square and in circuit nothing inferiour to the walles of Goa the outside is painted red in euery square a gate ouer each gate a tower made of timber excellently wel wrought before the principal gate of the foure that openeth into the high streat no Loutea be he neuer so great may passe on horsbacke or carried in his seat Amydde this quadrangle standeth the pallace where that gentleman lieth doubtlesse worth the sight although we came not in to see it By report the roofes of the towers and house are glased greene the greater part of the Quadrangle set with sauage trees as Okes Chestnuttes Cypres Pineapples Cedars and other suche lyke that we do wante after the maner of a wood wherin are keapt Stagges Oxen and other beastes for that Lorde his recreation neuer goyng abrode as I haue sayde One preheminence this citie hath aboue the reste where we haue been and it of ryght as we do thynke that besydes the multitude of market places wherein all thynges are to be solde through euery streate continually are cryed all thynges necessarie as fleshe of all sortes freshe-fyshe hearbes oyle vineger meale rise in summa al thinges so plentifully that many houses neede no seruauntes euery thing beyng brought to theyr doores Most part of the merchantes remayne in the suburbes for that y e cities are shut vp euery night as I haue sayde The merchantes therefore the better to attende theyr businesse do chuse rather to make theyr abode without in the suburbes then within the citie I haue seene in this ryuer a
requisite for theyr Nauie There stayed Balthasar Gagus a great traueyler fiue monethes who describeth that place after this maner Ainan is a goodly countrey full of Indishe fruites and all kynde of victualles besydes great store of Iuelles and pearle well inhabited the â—ownâ—s buylte of stone the people rude in conditions apparelled 〈◊〉 diuersly coloured rugges with two Oxe hornes as it 〈◊〉 made of fyne cypres hangyng downe about theyr 〈◊〉 and a payre of sharpe cyzers at theyr foreheades The cause wherefore they goe in suche attyre I could not vnderstande except it be for that they doe counterfaite the deuyll in the fourme of a bruite beast offeryng to him vp them selues Santianum is an Isle neare vnto the hauen Cantan in the confines lykewyse of China famous for the death of that woorthie traueyler and godly professour and paynefull doctor of the Indyshe nation in matters concernyng religion Francis Xauier who after great labours many iniuries and calamities infinite suffred with much pacience singular ioye and gladnesse of mynd departed in a cabben made of bowes and rushes vppon a desarte mountayne no lesse voyde of all worldly commodities than endued with all spirituall blessinges out of this lyfe the seconde day of December the yeere of our Lorde .1552 after that many thousandes of these Easterlynges were brought by him to the knowledge of Christ. Of this holy man his perticular vertues and specially traueyle and wonderfull workes in that region of other many litle Isles yet not so litle but that they may ryght well be written of at leasure all the later histories of the Indyshe regions are full FINIS Of the Northeast frostie Seas and kyngdoms lying that way declared by the Duke of Moscouia his ambassadour to a learned Gentleman of Italie named Galeatius Butrigarius likewise of the viages of that worthie old man Sebastian Cabote sometymes gouernour of the companie of the Merchantes of Cathay in the Citie of London IT is doubtlesse a marueilous thyng to consyder what changes and alterations were caused in all the Romane Empyre by the Gothes and Vandales and other Barbarians into Italy For by their inuations were extinguyshed all artes and sciences and all trades of Merchandies that were vsed in dyuers partes of the worlde The desolation and ignoraunce whiche insued hereof continued as it were a cloude of perpetuall darkenesse among men for the space of foure hundred yeeres and more insomuche that none durst aduenture to goe any whyther out of theyr owne natiue countreys whereas before the incursions of the sayde Barbarians when the Romane Empyre floryshed they myght safely passe the seas to all partes of East India whiche was at that tyme as well knowen and frequented as it is nowe by the nauigations of the Portugales And that this is true it is manifest by that whiche Strabo wrytteth who was in the tyme of Augustus and Tiberius For speakyng of the greatnesse and ryches of the citie of Alexandria in Egypt gouerned then as a prouince of the Romanes he wryteth thus This onely place of Egypt is apte to receyue all thynges that come by sea by reason of the commoditie of the hauen and lykewyse all suche thynges as are brought by lande by reason of the ryuer of Nilus whereby they may bee easely conueyed to Alexandria beyng by these commodities the rychest citie of merchauntes that is in the worlde The reuenues of Egypt are so great that Marcus Tullius sayth in one of his orations that kyng Ptolomeus surnamed Auleta the father of queene Cleopatra had of reuenues twelue thousande and fyue hundred talentes whiche are seuen millions and a halfe of golde If therefore this kyng had so great reuenues when Egypt was gouerned of so fewe and so negligently what myght it then be woorth to the Romanes by whom it was gouerned with great diligence and theyr trade of merchandies greatly increased by the traffike of Trogloditica and India wheras in tyme past there coulde hardly be founde .xx. shyppes togeather that durst enter into the gulfe of Arabie or shewe theyr prowesse without the mouth of the same But at this present great nauies sayle togeather into India and to the furthest partes of Ethiope from whence are brought many rich and pretious merchandies into Egypt and are caried from thence into other countreys And by this meanes are the customes redoubled aswel by such thynges as are brought thither as also by suche as are caryed from thence forasmuche as great customes aryse of thinges of great value And that by this voyage infinite and pretious merchaundies were brought from the redde sea and India and those of dyuers other sortes then are knowen in our tyme it appeareth by the fourth volume of the ciuile lawe wherein is described the commission of Themperours Marcus and Commodus with the rehearsall of al such stuffe and merchandies wherof custome shoulde be payde in the redde sea by suche as had the same in fee farme as were payde the customes of all other prouinces partaynyng to the Romane Empyre and they are these folowyng Cinamome Long pepper Whyte pepper Cloues Costus Cancomo Spikenarde Cassia Sweete perfumes Xilocassia Myr. Amome Ginger Malabatrum Ammoniac Galbane Lasser Agarike Gumme of Arabie Cardamome Xilocinamome Carpesio Sylkes of diuers sortes Lynnen cloth Skynnes and Furres of Parthia and Babylon Iuorie Wood of Heben Pretious stones Pearles Iewelles of Sardonica Ceraunia Calamus Aromaticus Berille Cilindro Slaues Cloth of Sarmatia The sylke called Metaxa Uestures of sylke Died cloth and sylke Carbasei Sylke threede Gelded men Popingayes Lions of India Leopardes Panthers Purple Also that iuyce or lyquour whiche is geathered of wooll and of the heare of the Indians By these woordes it doeth appeare that in olde tyme the said nauigation by the way of the red sea was wel knowen muche frequented perhaps more then it is at this present Insomuch that the ancient kynges of Egypt consyderyng the great profite of the customes they had by the viages of the red sea and wylling to make the same more easie commodious attempted to make a fosse or chanel which should begin in the last part of the said sea where was a citie named Arsinoe which perhappes is that that is nowe called Sues and shoulde haue reached to a branch of the riuer of Nilus named Pelusio whiche emptieth it selfe in our sea towarde the East about the citie of Damiata They determined also to make three causeys or hygh wayes by land which shoulde passe from the sayd branch to the citie of Arsinoe but they founde this too difficult to bryng to passe In fine king Ptolomeus surnanamed Philadelphus ordeyned another way as to sayle vppon Nilus agaynst the course of the riuer vnto the citie of Copto and from thence to passe by a desart countrey vntyl they come aboue the red sea to a citie named Berenice or Miosormo where they imbarked
and dyuers other All the Tartars whiche inhabite towarde the East beyonde the ryuer of Volga haue no dwellyng places nor yet cities or Castles but cary about with them certayne cartes or wagens couered with beastes hydes vnder the whiche they reste as we do in our houses They remoue togeather in great companyes whiche they call Hordas They are warlyke people and good horsemen and are all Macometistes Sebastian Munster in his booke of Uniuersall Cosmographie wryteth that the citie of Mosca or Moscouia conteyneth in circuite .xiiii. myles and that it is twyse as bygge as the citie of Praga in Bohemie Of the countrey of Moscouia besyde other prouinces subiecte to the same he wryteth thus It extendeth in largenesse foure hundreth myles and is ryche in syluer It is lawful for no man to go out of the realme or come in without the Dukes letters It is playne without mountaynes and full of woodds and marishes The beastes there by reason of the colde are lesse then in other countreys more southwarde In the middest of the citie of Mosca beyng situate in a playne there is a Castell with .xvii. towres and three bulwarkes so strong fayre that the lyke are scarsely seene in any other place There are also in the Castell .xvi churches and three very large courtes in the whiche the noble men of the courte haue theyr lodgynges The Dukes pallaice is buylded after the maner of the Italian buyldyng and very fayre but not great Theyr drynke is mede and beere as is the maner of the most part of the people that inhabite the North partes of the woorlde They are exceedyngly geuen to droonkennesse Yet as some saye the princes of the lande are prohibit on payne of death to absteine from suche strong drinkes as are of force to inebriate except at certayne times when licence is graunted them as twise or thrise in the yeere They plowe the ground with horses and plowes of wood Theyr corne and other grayne by reason of long colde do seldome waxe rype on the ground by reason wherof they are sometimes inforced to rype drye them in their stooues and hot houses and then grynd them They lacke wyne and oyle Moscouia is extended vnto Iurham and Corelia which are in Scithia The famous ryuer of Tanais the Moscouites call Don hauyng his sprynges and originall in Moscouia in the Dukedome of Rezense It ryseth out of a ground that is playne baren muddy full of maryshes and wooddes And where it proceedeth toward the East to the mountaynes of Scythia and Tartarie it bendeth to the south and commyng to the maryshes of Meotis it falleth into them The riuer of Volga sometyme called Rha and now called of the Tartars Edell runneth towards the North certaine myles to whom is ioyned the riuer Occa or Ocha flowing out of Moscouia and then bendyng into the South and encreased with many other riuers falleth into the sea Euximum which diuideth Europe and Asia The wood or forrest called Hircania silua occupieth a small portion of Moscouia Yet is it somewhere inhabited and by the long labour of men made thynner and barer of trees In that part that lieth toward Prusia is a kinde of great fierce Bulles called Vri or Brisonts as writeth Paulus Iouius There are also Alces much lyke vnto Hartes with long snowtes of flesh and long legges without any bowyng of theyr houx or pasternes These beastes the Moscouites cal Lozzi and the Almaines Helenes The iorney that is betweene Vlna of Lituania by Smolence to Mosca is trauayled in winter on sleades by the snow congeled by long frost and made very slypperie and compact lyke Ise by reason of much wearyng and treadyng by meanes whereof this viage is perfourmed with incredible celeritie But in the Sommer the playne countreyes can not be ouercome without difficult labour For when the snow beginneth to be disolued by contynuall heate it causeth marishes and quamyres inextricable and daungerous both for horse and man were it not for certaine Causeis made of timber with in maner infinite labour The region of Moscouia as I haue said beareth neither Uines nor Oliue trees nor yet any other trees that beare any apples or fruites of very pleasant and sweete sauour or tast except Cherry trees forasmuch as al tender fruites and trees are burnt of the cold blasts of the North wynde Yet do the fieldes beare al kyndes of corne as wheate and the grayne called Siligo whereof the fynest kynde of breade is made also Mylle and Panycke whiche the Italians call Melica Lykewyse al kyndes of pulse as Beanes Peason Tares and such other But theyr cheefe haruest consisteth of Honye and Waxe forasmuch as the whole region is replenished with fruitefull Bees which make most sweete Hony not in the husband mens hyues but euen in hollow trees And hereby commeth it to passe that both in the wooddes and shalowed launes are seene many swarmes of Bees hangyng on the bowes of trees so that it shall not be necessarie to call them togeather or charme them with the sound of Basens There are oftentymes founde great masses of Hony combes conserued in trees of the olde Hony forsaken of bees forasmuche as the husbandmen can not seeke euery tree in so great and large woods Insomuche that in the stockes or bodies of exceedyng great and hollowe trees are sometymes founde great pooles or lakes of Hony Demetrius thambassadour of the Duke of Moscouia whom he sent to the Bishop of Rome not many yeeres since made relation that a husbandman of the countrey not farre from the place where he remayned seekyng in the woods for Hony descended into a great hollowe tree full of Honye into the which he slypt vp to the breast and lyued there only with Hony for the space of two dayes calling in vaine for helpe in that desart of woodds and that in fine dispayryng of helpe he escaped by a marueylous chaunce beyng drawen out by a great Beare that descended into the tree with her loynes downewarde after the maner of men For when the man as present necessitie and oportunitie serued perceyued the Beare to be within his reache he sodenly clasped her about the loynes with his armes and with a terrible crye prouoked the beast to enforce her strength to leape out of the tree and therewith to drawe hym out as it chaunced in deede These regions abounde with Beares whiche euery where seeke both Honye and Bees not only herewith to fyll theyr bellyes but also to helpe theyr syght For theyr eyes are oftentymes dulled and theyr mouthes wounded of the Bees both which greefes are eased by eatyng of Honye They haue weakest heades as Lions haue strongest Insomuche that when beyng thereto enforced they cast them selues downe headlong from any rockes they couer theyr heades with theyr feete and lye for a tyme astonyshed
and halfe deade with knockes They walke sometymes on two feete and spoyle trees backewarde Sometyme also they inuade Bulles and so hang on them with all theyr feete that they weerye them with weight The Beare as sayeth Plinie bringeth foorth her byrth the thirtie day and often tymes two Theyr birth is a certaine white masse of flesh without fourme and litle bigger then a mouse without eyes and without heare with only the nayles or clawes commyng foorth but the damme with continuall lyckyng by litle and litle figureth the informe byrth When she entreth into the denne which shee hath chosen shee creepeth thyther with her belly vpwarde least the place should be founde by the steppes of her feete And beyng there deliuered of her byrth remaineth in the same place for the space of .xiiii. dayes immoueable as wryteth Aristotle They lyue without meat .xl. dayes and for that tyme susteyne them selues only by lyckyng and suckyng theyr ryght foote At the length chaunsing to finde meate they fyll them selues so full that they remedy that surfeyte by vomyte which they prouoke by eatyng of Antes Theyr byrth is oppressed with so heauy a sleepe for the space of .xiiii. dayes that it can not be raysed eyther with prickyng or woundes and in the meane tyme growe exceedyng fatte After fourtiene dayes they wake from sleepe and begyn to lycke and sucke the soles of theyr fore feete and lyue thereby for a space Nor yet is it apparent that they lyue by any other meate vntyll the spring tyme of the yeere At whiche tyme begynnyng to runne abrode they feede of the tender buddes and young sprygges or braunches of trees and other hearbes correspondent to theyr lyppes Before fiue hundred yeeres the Moscouites honoured the Goddes of the Gentyles And then fyrst receyued the Christian fayth when the Byshoppes of Grecia began to discent from the church of the Latines and therefore receyued the rites of the Greekes They minister the sacrament with fermented breade vnder both kyndes And thinke that the soules of dead men are not helped with the suffragies of priestes nor yet by the deuotion of theyr friendes or kynsfolke Also that the place of Purgatorie is a fable In the tyme of the diuine seruice the hystorie of the myracles of Christ and the Epistles of sainct Paule are rehearsed out of the Pulpitte Beyonde Moscouia are many people which they call Scythians and are partely subiecte to the Prince of Moscouia These are they which Duke Iuan subdued as are the people of Perm Baskird Cezriremissa Iuhra Corela and Permska These people were Idolatours before the Duke compelled them to baptisme appointed a byshop ouer them named Steuen whom the Barbarians after the departure of the Duke flayed alyue and slue But the Duke returnyng shortly after afflicted them sore and assigned them a newe byshop It is here also to be noted that the olde Cosmographers fayned that in these regions towarde the North pole there should be certayne great mountaynes which they called Ripheos and Hyperboreos which neuerthelesse are not founde in nature It is also a fable that the ryuers of Tanais Volham doe spring out of hygh mountaynes whereas it is apparent that both these ryuers and many other haue theyr originall in the playnes Next to Moscouia is the fruitful region of Colmogora through the whiche runneth the ryuer of Diuidna beyng the greatest that is knowen in the North partes of the worlde This ryuer increaseth at certayne tymes of the yeere as doeth the ryuer of Nilus in Egypt ouerfloweth the fieldes rounde about and with aboundaunce of fatte moysture resisteth the coldnesse of the ayre Wheate sowne in the grounde groweth aboundauntly without ploughyng and fearyng the newe iniurie of the proude ryuer springeth groweth and rypeth with wonderfull celeritie of hastyng nature Into the ryuer of Diuidna runneth the ryuer of Iuga And in the very angle or corner where they meete is a famous marte towne named Vstiuga beyng a hundred and fyftie myles distant from the chiefe citie of Mosca To this marte towne from the higher countreis are sent the precious furres of Marternes Sables Woolues such other which are exchaunged for dyuers other kyndes of wares marchandies Hytherto Munsterus And forasmuche as many doe marueyle that such plentie of hony should bee in so coole a countrey I haue thought good to declare the reason and naturall cause heereof It is therefore to be considered that lyke as spices gums and odoriferous fruites are engendred in hotte regions by continuall heate duryng all the whole yeere without impression of the mortifying qualitie of colde whereby all thynges are constrayned as they are dilated by heate euen so in colde and moyst regions whose moysture is thynner and more wateryshe then in hot regions are floures engendred more aboundauntly as caused by impression of lesse and faynter heate woorkyng in thynne matter of wateryshe moysture lesse concocte then the matter of gummes and spyces and other vncâ—uous fruites and trees growyng in hot regions For although as Munster sayeth here before the region of Moscoâ—â—a beareth neyther vines or Oliues or any other fruitee of sweete sauour by reason of the coldnesse thereof neuerthelesse forasmuch as floures wherof hony is chiefly geathered may in sommer season growe aboundantly in the playnes maryshes woode not onely on the ground but also on trees in colde regions it is agreeable to good reason that great plentie of hony should be in suche regions as abounde with floures which are brought foorth with the fyrst degree of heate and fyrst approche of the sunne as appeareth in the spryng tyme not only by the spryngyng of floures in fieldes and Gardeynes but also of blossomes of trees spryngyng before the leaues or fruite as the lyghter and thynner matter fyrst drawne out with the lowest and least degree of heate as the lyke is seene in the arte of styllyng whereby all thynne and lyght moystures are lyfted vp by the fyrst degree of the fyre and the heauyest and thyckest moystures are drawne out with more vehement fyre As we may therefore in this case compare the generation of floures to the heat of May the generation of gummes to the heat of Iune and spyces to the heate of Iuly Euen so in suche colde regions whose summer agreeth rather with the temperate heate moysture of May then with thextreme heate of the other monethes that heate is more apte to bring foorth aboundance of floures as thinges caused by moderate heate as playnly appeareth by their tast and sauour in which is no sharpe qualitie of heate eyther byting the tongue or offendyng the head as is in spices gums and fruites of hotte regions And as in colde and playne regions moderate heate with aboundance of moisture are causes of the generation of floures as I haue sayde so lykewyse the length of the dayes and shortnesse and warmenesse of the
Syria Egypt Pontus he knewe by fame that spices myght be conueighed from the further India vp the riuer Indus against the course of the same and from thence by a small vyage by land passing ouer the mountaines of Paropanisus to be caried to the ryuer Oxus in Bactria which hauing his originall aâ—most from the same mountaynes from whence Indus doâ—th spryng and violently carying with it many other ryuers falleth into the sea Hircanum or Caspium at the porte called Straua And he â—arnestly affirmed that from Straua is an easie safe nauigation vnto the marte towne of Citrachan or Astrachan and the mouâ—h of the ryuer Volga and from thence â—uer against the course of the ryuers as Volga Occha and Mescho vnto the citte Moschâ— and from thence by lande to Riga and into the sea of 〈◊〉 and all the West regions For he was vehemently and more then of equitie accensed and prouoked by the iniuries of the Portugales who hauyng by force of armes subdued a great parte of India and possessed all the marte townes takyng wholly into theyr handes all the trade of spyces to bryng the same into Spayne and neuerthelesse to sell them at a more greeuâ—us anâ— intollerable price to the people of Europe then euer was heard of before And furthermore kepte the coastes of the Indian sea so straightly with continuall nauies that those trades are thereby left of which were before exercised by the gulfe of Persia and towarde the ryuer of Euphrates and also by the streightes of the sea of Arabia and the ryuer Nilus and in finâ— by our sea by which trade all Asia and Europe was aboundantly satisfied and better cheape then hath been since the Portugales had the trade in theyr handes with so many incommodities of such long viages whereby the spyces are so corrupted by thinfection of the pompe and other filthinesse of the shyppes that theyr naturall sauour taste and qualitie aswell heereby as by theyr long reseruyng in the shoppes sellers and warehouses in Lusheburne vanysheth and resolueth so that reseruyng euer the freshest and newest they sell only the woorst and most corrupted But Paulus although in all places he earnestly and vehemently argued of these thinges and styrred great malice and hatred agaynst the Portugales affyrmyng that not only thereby the customes and reuenues of princes should be much greater if that vyage might be discouered but also that spyces myght bee better cheape bought at the handes of the Moscouites yet could â—e nothyng auayle in this suite forasmuche as Duke Basilius thought it not good to make open or disclose vnto a straunger and vnknowen man those regions which gyue enterance to the sea Caspium and the kyngdomes of Persia. Paulus therefore excludyng all hope of further traueyle and become nowe of a marchaunte an Ambassadour brought Basilius letters Pope Leo beyng now departed to Adrian his successour in the which he declared with honourable and reuerende woordes his good will and fauourable mynde towarde the Byshoppe of Rome For a fewe yeeres before Basilius then keepyng warres agaynst the Polones at suche tyme as the generall counsayle was celebrate at Laterane requyred by Iohn Kyng of Denmarke the father of Christierne who was of late expulsed from his kyngdome that safe passage myght be graunted to the Ambassadours of Moscouia to goe to Rome But whereas it so chaunced that kyng Iohn and Pope Iulius dyed both in one day whereby he lacked a conuenient sequester or solicitour he omitted his consultation as touchyng that legacie After this the warre waxed hotte betweene him and Sigismunde the kyng of Polonie who obteynyng the victorie agaynst the Moscouites at Boristhene supplications were decreed in Rome for the ouerthrowe and vanquyshyng the enemyes of the Christian fayth whiche thyng greatly elienated both kyng Basilius him selfe and all that nation from the Byshoppe of Rome But when Adrian the .vi. departed from this lyfe and lefte Paulus now readie to his seconde vyage his successour Clement the .vii. perceyuyng that Paulus styll furiously reuolued and tossed in his vnquyet mynde that vyage towarde the East sent him agayne with letters to Moscouia by the whiche with propense and friendly persuasions hee exhorted Basilius to acknowledge the maiestie of the Romane churche and to make a perpetuall league and agreement in matters of religion which thyng should bee not only for the health of his soule but also greatly to the increase of his honour And further promysed that by the holy aucthoritie of his office he would make him a kyng and gyue him kyngly ornamentes if reiectyng the doctrine of the Greekeâ— hee would confourme himselfe to the aucthoritie of the Romane churche But Paulus who with more prosperous iourneyes then great vauntage had from his youth traueyled a great parte of the worlde although hee were nowe aged and sore vexed with the strangurie came with a prosperous and speedy iourney to Moscouia where he was gentelly receyued of Basilius and remayned in his Courte for the space of twoo monethes But in fine mistrustyng his owne strength and deterred by the difficultie of so great a iourney when he had vtterly put away all his imaginations and hope of this trade to India returned to Rome with Demetrius the Ambassadour of Basilius before we yet thought that he had been in Moscouia The Byshoppe commaunded that Demetrius should bee lodged in the most magnificent and princely parte of the houses of Vaticane the rooffes of whose edifies are gylted and embowed and the chambers rychly furnyshed with silken beddes and cloth of Arresse Wyllyng furthermore that he should be honourably receyued and vestured with silke He also assigned Franciscus Cheregatus the Byshoppe of Aprutium a man that had often tymes been Ambassadour to dyuers regions to accompany him and shewe him the order and rytes of our religion with the monumentes and maners of the citie Furthermore when Demetrius had certayne dayes rested and recreated him selfe washing away the fylth he had gathered by reason of the long viage then apparelled with a fayre vesture after the maner of his countrey he was brought to the byshops presence whom he honoured kneelyng with great humilitie and reuerence as is the maner and therwith presented vnto his holinesse certeyne furres of Sables in his owne name and in the name of his prince and also delyuered the letters of Basilius which they before and then the Illyrian or Slauon interpretour Nicolaus Siccensis translated into the Latine tongue in this effecte as foloweth To Pope Clement shepard and teacher of the Romane church great Basilius by the grace of God lord Emperour and dominatour of all Russia and great Duke of Volodemaria Moscouia Nouogradia Plescouia Smolenta Ifferia Iugoria Periunia Vetcha Bolgaria c. Dominator great prince of Nouogradia in the lower countrey also of Ceruigouia Razania Volotchia Rezeuia Belchia Rostouia Iarostauia Belozeria Vdoria Obdoria Condiuia c. You sent vnto vs
that we wyll with lyke humanitie accept your seruantes if at any tyme they shall come to our kyngdomes where they shall as frendly and gently be entertayned as if they were borne in our dominions that we may hereby recompence the fauour and benignitie which you haue shewed to our men Thus after we haue desired you Kynges and Princes c. With all humanitie and fauour to entertayne our welbeloued seruantes we wyll pray our almyghtie God to graunt you long lyfe peace which neuer shall haue end Wrytten in London whiche is the cheefe citie of our kyngdome in the yeere from the creation of the worlde 5515. in the moneth of Iiar the fourteene day of the moneth and seuenth yeere of our reigne This letter was wrytten also in Greeke and diuers other languages The voyages of Persia traueiled by the merchauntes of London of the company and felowshyp of Moscouia In the yeeres .1561 1567. 1568. IT shall not heere be needefull to wryte any thyng of the way from hence to Moscouia by sea vnto the porte of Saincte Nicolas where our merchantes haue a house of their trafique for as muche as the same is alredy well knowen And therefore it shall suffice for the description of this voyage to shewe the way from Sainct Nicolas in Moscouia vnto Persia as our men traueyled by the regions of Moscouia vnto the Caspian sea and by that sea into Media and Persia vnto the courte of the great Sophie Kyng of Persia and many other realmes and kyngdomes subiecte vnto the same as heereafter shall bee more particularly declared with suche breuitie as the tyme and matter now requireth Forasmuch as many thinges myght bee written touchyng this voyage and the merchauntes trafique in these regions whiche for many great considerations ought not to be publyshed or put in prynt and therefore touchyng only those thinges it shall suffice to the reader to vnderstande the description of the regions with the maners and customes of the people of those countreys after the maner of a Geographicall historie partely to delight and content the desyre of suche as take pleasure in the knowledge of straunge thinges and countreys whereby the mynde of man increaseth in wisedome and knowledge both in humane affayres and also of the marueylous and manyfolde workes of god nature that thereby God may be glorified and sanctified in all his workes in the spirites of all good and vertuous men which delight in the same And wheras in the description of this voyage I may seeme to haue kepte no due order of wrytyng I shal desire the reader to haue me excused for that I coulde not orderly haue any information of them that came from Persia but was fayne to geather certayne notes only by communication and conference with them at sundrye tymes with fewe woordes as occasion serued But now to enter into the voyage From the merchauntes house at the porte of Sainct Nicolas in Moscouia they traueyle vp the ryuers of Duina and Sachana vntyll they come vnto the citie of Vologda where also the merchantes haue an other house a thousande werstes or Rus myles or myles of Russia whiche may bee about seuen hundred Englyshe myles Then from Vologda ouerlande to the citie of Yeraslaue which lyeth on the ryuer Volga a hundred and fourescore Rus myles At this citie of Yeraslaue the merchantes lande theyr goods for Persia and buylded theyr shyppes there vppon the sayde ryuer at a place named Vstwicki Zelesnoy about a hundred myles from Yeraslaue So traueylyng from thence downe the ryuer Volga vntyll they come to Astracan a forte of the Emperour of Moscouia lying threescore myles from the Caspian sea Uppon Volga lyeth a great towne of merchaundies named Costrum and beyonde that a strong Castell of bricke named His Nouogorod standyng vppon a hyll And from thence vppon an arme of the same ryuer lyeth a great fortresse named Cazan which the Moscouite woon from the Tartars Nogais being their chiefe and principall holde and therewith conquered the whole countrey of Cazan or the Tartars Cazamites conteynyng two thousande myles From Cazan vpon the sayde ryuer the Moscouite hath in his subiection the one syde of the ryuer and the Tartars called Crimes haue the other syde But they dare not passe ouer the ryuer by reason that the Moscouite keepeth many Garisons on the ryuer and in certayne Ilandes of the ryuer from place to place as occasion serueth So that the ryuer is kept quietly notwithstandyng the conflicte that happened to Banister outward by reason of the Turkes souldiers that would haue spoyled his shyppes which neuerthelesse defended them selues manfully and slue two hundred of the Turkes For the Turke sent thyther an arme of .xl. thousande Turkes and Tartars to recouer Astracan from the Moscouite but they were enforced to breake vp theyr Campe for lacke of victualles and other necessaries especially bycause the wynter drue neare and the Moscouite prepared a great army against them From Astracan downe the sayde ryuer to the Caspian sea is the distance of threscore myles From the enterance into the Caspian sea in two or three dayes saylyng with a good wynde crosse ouer that sea from the North to the South they come to the realme of Media arryuing at a porte named Bilbil enteryng into a small ryuer that falleth into the Caspian sea and passing from thence by lande with Camels in three dayes iourney they come to a citie of Sharuan or Media named Shamaki And from thence in .xviii. dayes iourney by Camelles they come to the great and famous citie of Tauris or Teueris being the greatest citie of Persia for trade of merchandies This citie is esteemed almost twyse as byg as London and for the most parte is buylded of rawe brickes not burnt but only dryed and hardened in the sunne the doores of the houses be very lowe and litle The Sophie in tyme paste remayned chiefly in this citie But after that the region about this citie was inuaded by the Turkes he went further into the countrey and buylded a towne named Casbin which before .xx. yeeres was but a village where he now keepeth his courte being .xiii. dayes iourney from Shamaki by horse and .xx. dayes by Camelles Note that neare vnto this syde of the Caspian sea dwell the Tartars called Nogais and Shalcauis Also certayne Arabians and Christians named Armenians The Caspian sea is otherwise called Mare de Baccan and may seeme so to be called by reason of a towne by the sea syde named Bacco Certayne extractes of the voyage of maister Antony Ienkinson into Persia in the yeere .1561 IN the yeere .1561 maister Antonie Ienkinson was sent as Ambassadour into Persia with the Queenes maiesties letters in the Latine Italian and Hebrue tongue to the great Sophie or kyng of Persia to entreate of commodities of merchaundies whiche myght bee betweene her maiesties merchantes and them vppon certayne priuileges and free passage to bee graunted vnto her merchauntes both
was Teueris of the chiefe citie of Persia. He asked hym many thynges more as of the realme of Englande marueylyng that it shoulde be an Iland of so great rychesse and power as Edwardes declared vnto hym of the ryches and abundaunce of our merchaundies as he further vnderstode by our trafique in Moscouia and other countreys He demaunded also many thynges of the Queenes maiestie and of the customes and lawes of the realme saying oftentymes in his owne language Bara colla that is to saye wel said He asked also many thinges of kyng Philip and of his warres agaynst the Turke at Malta Then demaunded of hym what was the chiefe cause of his resorte into his realme And beyng certified that it was for the trade of merchaundies he asked what kynde of merchaundies he coulde bryng thyther Such sayde he as the Venetian merchauntes which dwellyng in our countrey in the citie of Londro sende to Uenes and from thence into Turkie by Halepo and Tripoli in Sorya from whence as by the seconde and thyrde handes with great charges of many customes and other thynges thereunto parteyning they are at the length brought into your countrey and cities of Persia. What merchaundies are those sayd the Sophie Edwardes answeared that they were great abundaunce of fine carseis of brode clothes of all sortes and coloures as scarlettes violettes and other of the fynest cloth of all the worlde Also that the Venetians brought out of Englande not onely such clothes redie made but furthermore great plentie of fyne wool to myngle with their wools of the which they coulde not otherwise make fyne cloth Affirming that there went out of Englande yeerely that wayes aboue two hundred thousande carseis and as manye brode clothes besyde fine wool and other merchaundies besyde also the great abundaunce of like clothes y t which were caried into Spaine Barbarie and diuers other countreys The Sophie then asked hym by what meanes such merchaundies myght be brought into Persia. Ryght well Sir sayde he by the way of Moscouia with more safetie and in much shorter tyme then the Venetians can bryng them fyrst from Englande to Uenes and from thence into Persia by the way of Turkye And therefore if it shall please your maiestie to graunt vs free passage into al your dominions with such priuileges as may apperteyne to the safegard of our lyues goodes and merchandies we wyl furnysh your countreys with al such merchandies other commodities in shorter tyme and better cheape then you may haue the same at the Turkes handes This talke and muche more was between the Sophie and Edwardes for the space of two houres all whiche thynges lyked hym so well that shortly after he graunted to the sayde Arthur Edwardes two other priuileges for the trade of merchandies into Presia all wrytten in Azure and golde letters and deliuered vnto the lorde keeper of the Sophie his great seale The lorde keeper was named Coche Califaye who sayde that when the Shaughe that is the kyng or prince dyd sytte to seale any letters that priuilege shoulde be sealed and deliuered to Laurence Chapman In this priuilege is one principal article for seruantes or merchantes That yf the Agent do perceyue that vpon theyr naughtie doynges they woulde become Busor men that then the Agent whersoeuer he shall fynde anye such seruant or seruantes to take them and put them in pryson and no person to keepe them or maynteyne them This article was graunted in respect of a custome among the Persians being Mahumetanes whose maner is frendly to receyue and wel entertayne both with giftes lyuyng all suche Christians as forsakyng theyr religion wyl become of the religion of the Persians Insomuch that before this priuilege was graunted there was great occasion of naughtie seruantes to deceyue and robbe theyr maisters that vnder the coloure of professyng that religion they might liue among them in such safetie that you might haue no law agaynst them eyther to punysh them or to recouer your goodes at theyr handes or els where For before the Sophie whom they say to be a marueylous wyse and gracious prince seemed to fauour our nation and to graunt them such priuileges the people abused them very much and so hated them that they would not touche them but reuiled them callyng them Cafars Gawars which is infydels or misbeleeuers But after they saw how greatly the prince fauoured them they had them afterward in great reuerence and would kysse theyr handes and vse them very frendly For before they tooke it for no wrong to rob them defraud them beare false witnesse against them such merchandies as they had bought or sold make them take it againe and chaunge it as often as them listed And yf any straunger by chaunce had kylled one of them they woulde haue the lyfe of two for one slayne and for the debtes of any straunger woulde take the goodes of any other of the same nation with many other such lyke abuses in maner vnknowen to the Prince before the complayntes of our men made vnto hym for reformation of such abuses which were the cause that no merchant strangers of contrary religion durst come into his dominions with theyr commodities which myght be greatly to the profite of hym and his subiectes The Articles 10 Item that the merchantes haue free lybertye as in theyr fyrst priuilege to go vnto Gylian and all other places of his dominions now or hereafter when occasion shal be geuen 11 Item yf by misfortune any of theyr ships should breake or fal vpon any part of his dominions on the sea coast his subiectes to help with al speede to saue the goodes to be deliuered to any of the sayd merchants that liueth or otherwyse to be kept in safetie vntyl any of them come to demaund them 12 Item yf any of the sayd merchants depart this lyfe in any citie or towne or on the hygh way his gouernours there to see theyr goodes safely kept and to be deliuered to any other of them that shal demaund them 13 Item the sayde merchants to take such camell men as they them selues wyl beyng countrey people and that no Kyssell Bayshe do let or hynder them And the sayde owners of the camels to be bounde to answere them such goodes as they shall receyue at theyr handes and the camell men to stande to the losses of theyr camels or horses 14 Item more that the sayde carryars do demaunde no more of them then theyr agreement was to pay them 15 Item more if they be at a pryce with any carryours and geuen earnest the Camell men to see they keepe theyr promesse 16 Item if any of the sayd merchauntes be in feare to trauaile to geue them one or more to go with them and see them in saftie with theyr goods to the place they wyll go vnto 17 Item in all places to say in all cities townes or villages on the hygh way his subiectes to geue them
or rather against the charitie that ought to be among Christian men that such as violentlye inuade the dominions of other shoulde not permit other frendly to vse the trade of merchandies in places neerer or seldome frequented of them whereby theyr trade is not hyndred in such places where they them selues haue at theyr owne election appointed the martes of theyr trafficke But forasmuch as at this present it is not my entent to accuse or defend approue or improue I wil ceasse to speake any further hereof proceade to the discription of the first viage as breefely and faithfully as I was aduertised of the same by the information of such credible persons as made diligent inquisition to know the trueth hereof as much as shal be requisite omittyng to speake of many partiticuler thinges not greatly necessarie to bee knowen whiche neuerthelesse with also the exacte course of the nauigation shall be more fully declared in the seconde vyage And if herein fauour or friendshyp shall perhappes cause some to thynke that some haue been sharpely touched let them laye a parte fauour and friendshyp and gyue place to trueth that honest men may receyue prayse for well doyng and lende persons reproche as the iust stipende of theyr euyll desartes whereby other may bee deterred to doe the lyke and vertuous men encouraged to proceede in honest attemptes But that these vyages may be more playnely vnderstoode of all men I haue thought good for this purpose before I intreate hereof to make a breefe description of Affrica beyng that great parte of the worlde on whose Weste syde begynneth the coaste of Guinea at Cabo Verde about the twelue degrees in latitude on this syde the Equinoctiall line and two degrees in longitude from the measuryng lyne so runnyng from the North to the South and by East in some places within v.iiii and .iii. degrees and a halfe within the Equinoctiall and so foorth in maner direcly East and by North for the space of xxxvi degrees or there about in longitude from the West to the East as shall more playnely appeare in the description of the seconde vyage A breefe description of Affrike IN Affrica the lesse are these kyngdomes the kingdome of Tunes Constantina which is at this day vnder Tunes and also the region of Bugia Tripoli and Ezzah This part of Afrike is very baren by reason of the great desartes as the desartes of Numidia Barcha The principall portes of the kingdome of Tunes are these Goletta Bizerta Potofarnia Boua and Stora The chiefe cities of Tunes are Constantina and Boua with diuers other Under this kyngdome are many Ilands as Zerbi Lampadola Pantalarea Limoso Beit Gamelaro and Malta where at this present is the great maister of the Rodes Under the South of this kyngdome are the great desartes of Libia All the nations in this Africa the lesse are of the secte of Mahumet a rusticall people lyuyng scattered in villages The best of this parte of Afrike is Barbaria lying on the coast of the sea Mediterraneum Mauritania now called Barbaria is diuided into two partes as Mauritania Tingitania and Cesariensis Mauritania Tingitania is nowe called the kyngdome of Fes and the kyngdome of Marrocko The principall citie of Fes is called Fessa and the chiefe citie of Marrocko is named Marrocko Mauritania Cesariensis is at this daye called the kyngdome of Tremisen with also the citie called Tremisen or Telensin This region is full of desartes and reacheth to the sea Mediterraneum to the citie of Oram with the porte of Massaquiber The kyngdome of Fes reacheth vnto the Ocean sea from the West to the citie of Argilla and the porte of the sayde kyngdome is called Salla The kyngdome of Marrocko is also extended aboue the Ocean sea vnto the citie of Azamor and Azafi which are aboue the Ocean sea towarde the West of the sayde kyngdome In Mauritania Tingitania that is to say in the two kyngdomes of Fes and Marrocko are in the sea the Ilandes of Canarie called in olde tyme the fortunate Ilandes Towarde the South of this region is the kyngdome of Guinea with Senega Iaiofo Gambra and many other regions of the blacke Moores called Ethiopians or Negros all whiche are watered with the ryuer Negro called in olde tyme Niger In the sayde regions are no cities but only certayne lowe cotages made of boughes of trees plastered with chauke and couered with strawe In these regions are also very great desartes The kyngdome of Marrocko hath vnder it these seuen kyngdoms Hea Sus Guzula the territory of Marrocko Duchala Hazchora and Telde The kyngdome of Fes hath as many as Fes Temesne Azgar Elabath Errifi Garet and Elcauz The kyngdome of Tremisen hath these regions Tremisen Tenez and Elgazaet all which are Machometistes But all the regions of Guinea are pure Gentyles and Idolatours without profession of any religion or other knowledge of God then by the lawe of nature Africa the great is one of the three partes of the worlde knowen in olde tyme and seuered from Asia on the East by the ryuer Nilus on the West from Europe by the pillers of Hercules The hyther parte is now called Barbarie and the people Moores The inner parte is called Libia and Ethiopia Afrike the lesse is in this wyse bounded On the West it hath Numidia On the East Cyrenaica On the North the sea called Mediterraneum In this countrey was the noble citie of Carthage In the East side of Africke beneath the redde sea dwelleth the great and myghtie Emperour and Christian kyng Prester Iohn well knowen to the Portugales in theyr vyages to Calicut His dominions reache very farre on euery syde and hath vnder hym many other kynges both Chrystian and heathen that pay hym tribute This mightie prince is called Dauid Themperour of Ethiopia Some wryte that the kyng of Portugale sendeth hym yeerely .viii. shyppes laden with marchaundies His kingdome confineth with the redde sea and reacheth farre into Afrike toward Egypte and Barbarie Southwarde it confineth with the sea towarde the cape de Buona Speranza and on the other syde with the sea of sande called Mare de Sabione a very dangerous sea lying betweene the great citie of Alcayer or Cairo in Egypt and the countrey of Ethiopia In the whiche way are many vnhabitable desarts cōtinuing for the space of fiue dayes iorney And they affirme that if the sayd Christian Emperour were not hyndered by those desartes in the whiche is great lacke of victualles and especially of water he woulde or nowe haue inuaded the kingdome of Egypt and the citie of Alcayer The cheefe citie of Ethiopia where this great Emperour is resident is called Amacaiz being a faire citie whose inhabitantes are of the colour of an Olyue There are also many other cities as the citie of Saua vpon the ryuer of Nilus
I entered into the citie I went to their Temple or Meschita where I sawe a great multitude of poore people as about the number of .xxv. thousande attendyng a certayne Pilot who should bryng them into their countrey Heere I suffered muche trouble and affliction beyng enforced to hyde my selfe among these poore folkes faynyng my selfe very sicke to the ende that none should be inquisityue what I was whence I came or whyther I would The Lord of this citie is the Soltan of Babylon brother to the Soltan of Mecha who is his subiecte The inhabitauntes are Mahumetans The soyle is vnfruitfull and lacketh freshe water The sea beateth agaynst the towne There is neuerthelesse aboundance of all thinges but brought thyther from other places as from Babylon of Nilus Arabia Foelix and dyuers other places The heate is here so great that men are in maner dryed vp therewith And therefore there is euer a great number of sicke folkes The citie conteyneth about fyue hundred houses After fyftiene dayes were past I couenaunted with a pilot who was ready to departe from thence into Persia and agreed of the price to goe with him There laye at Anker in the hauen almost a hundred Brigantines and Foistes with diuers boates and barkes of sundry sortes both with Ores and without Ores Therefore after three dayes gyuyng wynde to our sayles we entred into the redde sea otherwyse named Mare Erythraeum Of the red sea and why it can not be sayled in the nyght Cap. 21. IT is well knowen to wyse men that this sea is not red as some haue imagined but is of the colour of other seas We continued therefore our vyage vntyll the goyng downe of the Sunne For this sea is nauigable only in the day tyme and therefore in the nightes the maryners rest them vntyll they come to the Ilande named Chameran from whence they proceede forwarde more safely Why this sea can not be sayled in the nyght they say the cause to be that there are many daungerous sandes rockes and shelues and therefore that it is needefull of diligent and long prospecte from the toppe Castell of the shyppe to foresee the dangerous places The seconde booke entreating of Arabia Foelix That is the happie or blessed Arabia Of the citie of Gezan and the fruitfulnesse thereof Cap. 1. FOrasmuche as hytherto wee haue spoken somewhat of the maners of the people and cities of Arabia Foelix it may nowe seeme conuenient to finishe the reste of our vyage with such thinges as we haue seene in the sayde countrey of Arabia Therefore after sixe dayes saylyng we came to a citie named Gezan It hath a commodious porte and very fayre where we found about fourtie and fyue Brigantines and Foistes of dyuers regions The citie is harde by the sea syde and the Prince thereof is a Mahumetan The soile is fruitful lyke vnto Italie It beareth Pomegranates Quinses Peaches Apples of Assyria Pepons Melons Oranges Gourdes and dyuers other fruites Also Roses and sundry sortes of floures the fayrest that euer I sawe It seemeth an earthly Paradyse The moste parte of the inhabitauntes go naked â–ª In other thinges they lyue after the maner of the Mahumetans There is also great abundance of fleshe wheate barley the grayne of whyte Millet or Hirse whiche they call Dora whereof they make very sweete bread Of certayne people named Banduin Cap. 2. DEparting from the citie of Gezan the space of .v. dayes sayling towarde the lefte hande hauyng euer the coast of the lande in sight we came to the sight of certayne houses where about .xiiii. of vs went alande hopyng to haue had some victuals of the inhabitans But we lost our labour for in the steede of victuals they cast stones at vs with stinges They were about a hundred that fought with our men for the space of an houre Of them were slayne .xxiiii. The rest were dryuen to flyght they were naked and had none other weapons then slynges After theyr flyght we brought away with vs certayne hens and Calues very good Shortly after a great multitude of the inhabitauntes shewed them selues to the number of fyue or syxe hundred but we departed with our praye and returned to the shyppes Of an Ilande of the red sea named Camaran Cap. 3. THe same day saylyng forwarde we came to an Iland named Camaran which conteyneth ten myles in circuite In it is a towne of two hundred houses the inhabitantes are Mahumetans it hath aboundaunce of freshe water and fleshe and the fayrest salte that euer I sawe The porte is eight myles from the continent it is subiecte to the Soltan of Amanian of Arabia Foelix After we had remayned here two dayes we tooke our way towarde the mouth of the red sea in the space of two dayes saylyng This sea may here be sayled both day and nyght For as we haue sayde before from this Ilande vnto the porte of Zida the red sea is not safely nauigable by nyght When we came to the mouth of the sea we seemed to be in maner inclosed for that the mouth of the sea is there very streyght and no more then three myles ouer Towarde the right hande the continent lande is seene of the heyght of ten pases the soile seemeth rude and not cultured At the lefte hande of the sayde mouth ryseth a very hygh hyll of stone In the myddest of the mouth is a litle Ilande vnhabited named Bebmendo and is towarde the lefte hande to them that sayle to Zeila But they that goe to Aden must keepe the way to the lefte hande All this way we had euer the lande in our sight from Bebmendo to Aden in the space of two dayes and a halfe Of the citie of Aden and of their maners and customes towarde straungers Cap. 4. I Doe not remember that I haue seene any citie better fortified then this It standeth on a soyle not much vnequall it is walled on two sydes The reste is inclosed with mountaynes hauyng on them fyue fortresses The citie conteyneth sixe thousande houses Theyr exercise of bying and sellyng begynneth the seconde houre of the nyght by reason of extreeme heate in the day tyme. A stone cast from the citie is a mountayne hauyng on it a fortresse The shyppes lye neare the foote of the mountayne it is certaynely a very goodly citie and the fayrest of all the cities of Arabia Foelix To this as to the chiefe marte the merchauntes of India Ethiopia and Persia haue recourse by sea and they also that resorte to Mecha Assoone as our Brigantines came into the hauen immediately the customers and searchers came aborde demaundyng what we were from whence we came what merchaundies we brought and howe many men were in euery Brigantine Beyng aduertised of these thinges immediately they tooke away our maste sayles and other tackelynges of our shyppes that we should not departe without paying of custome The day after our arryuyng there the Mahumetans tooke mee and put shackles on
my legges whiche came by occasion of a certayne Idolatour who cryed after mee saying O Christian Dogge borne of Dogges When the Mahumetans hearde the name of a Christian incontinent they layde handes on mee and brought mee to the Lieuetenaunt of the Soltan of that place who assemblyng his counsayle asked their opinion if I should bee put to death as a spye of the Christians The Soltan him selfe was out of the citie and therefore his Lieuetenaunt who had yet neuer adiudged any man to death thought it not good to gyue sentence agaynst mee before the Soltan should be aduertised hereof And therefore I escaped this present daunger and remayned in custodie fiftie and fyue dayes with an Iron of eightiene pounde weyght hangyng at my feete The seconde day after I was taken many Mahumetans in great rage resorted to him whose office was to make inquisition of treason These a fewe dayes before by swymmyng hardly escaped the handes of the Portugales with the losse of theyr Foistes and Barkes and therefore desired greatly to bee reuenged of the Christians affyrmyng with outragious crye that I was a spye of the Portugales But God fayled not to assyst me For the maister of the prison perceyuing the outrage of the Mahumetans and fearyng that they would offer me violence made fast the gates of the prison After that fyue and fiftie dayes were paste the Soltan commaunded that I should be brought before him and so set vppon a Camel with my shackles I came in eight dayes iourney to the place where the Soltan laye and was brought to his presence in a citie named Rhada for there the Soltan had assembled an army of thirtie thousande men to make warre agaynst the Soltan of the citie of Sana whiche is three dayes iourney from Rhada and situate partly on the declining of a hyll and partly in a playne very fayre to be seene well peopled and hauyng plentie of all thinges When I came before the Soltan he began to aske me what I was I answered that I was a Roman professed a Mamaluke in Babylon of Alcayr and that of religious mynd to discharge my conscience of a vowe whiche I had made to see the bodie of Nabi the holy Prophet I came to the citie of Medinathalhabi where they say he is buried and that in all cities and countreys by the way I hearde honourable reporte of his greatnesse wisedome and singuler vertue and therefore ceassed not vntyll I entred his dominions moste desirous to see his face yeldyng thankes to God and Nabi that it was nowe my chaunce to be presented before him trustyng that the equitie of his wisedome would thereby consyder that I was no spye of the Christians but a true Mahumetan and his seruant and slaue Then sayde the Soltan Saye Leila illala Mahumet resullala whiche woordes I coulde neuer well pronounce eyther that it pleased not God or that for feare and scruple of conscience I durst not Therefore when hee sawe mee holde my peace he committed me agayne to pryson commaundyng that I shoulde be straightly looked vnto where .xvi. men of the citie were appoynted euery daye foure to watche me by course So that for the space of thre monethes I had not y e fruition of heauē during which miserable time me diet was euery day a lofe of myllet so litle that seuen of them woulde not haue satisfyed my hunger for one daye But if I myght haue had my fyll of water I woulde haue thought my selfe happie Within three dayes after the Soltan marched with his army of thyrtie thousande footemen as we haue sayde and three thousande horsemen to beseege the citie of Sana These horsemen were borne of Christian parentes and blacke like the Ethiopians and whyle they were yet very young were bought in the kyngdome of Prester Iohn named in Latine Presbyter Iohannes or rather Preciosus Iohannes These Christian Ethiopians are also named Abbyssini They are brought vp in discipline of warre as are the Mamalukes and Ienetzares of the Turkes This Soltan hath them in great estimation for they are the gard of his owne person and therefore haue greater wages and are in number fourescore thousande They couer theyr bodie with a sindon like vnto a cloke or cape putting out onely one arme and are besyde naked without any other apparell In the warres they vse rounde targettes made of bufles hydes with certayne litle barres of Iron to strengthen them These targets are paynted very fayre with sundrye colours and very commodious to resyste dartes and are in largenesse as muche as the mouth of a barell the handle is made of woodde as bygge as they may well holde in theyr handes and made fast with nayles They vse dartes and shorte brode swoordes At other tymes they vse also vestures of lynnen cloth of sundry coloures Also of gossampine or Xylon otherwyse also named bombasine In the warres euery man beareth with hym a slyng which he casteth fyrst shakyng it often about his head When they come to .xl. or .l. yeeres of age they make them hornes by wreathyng y e heare of their heds so bearyng two hornes lyke young Gotes When they procede to the warres fyue thousande Camels folowe the army all laden with ropes of bombasine How the women of Arabia are greatly in loue with whyte men Cap. 5. AFter the army was departed I was incontinent commytted to pryson as I haue sayde Harde by the prysone was a long entrie in maner of a cloyster where somtyme we were permitted to walke Ye shall further vnderstande that in the Soltans place remayned one of his three wyues with twelue young maydes to wayte vppon her very fayre and comely after theyr maner and of coloure inclinyng to blacke The fauoure that they bore me helped me very much for I with two other beyng in the same pryson agreed that one of vs should counterfytte him selfe to be mad that by this deuice one of vs myght helpe an other In fine it was my lotte to take vppon me the mad mans part and therefore stoode me in hande to do suche follies as pertayne to madnesse Also the opinion whiche they haue of mad folkes made greatly for my purpose for they take mad men to be holy and therefore suffered me to run more at large vntyll the Eremites had geuen iudgement whether I weare holy or ragyng mad as appeareth heareafter But the fyrst three dayes in which I began to shew my madnesse weryed me so muche that I was neuer so tyred with laboure or greeued with payne for the boyes and rascall people sometyme to the number of .xl. or .l. hurled stones at me almost without ceassing while in the meane time againe I paid some of them home with lyke wages The boyes cryed euer after me callyng me mad man And to shewe it the more I caryed alwayes stones with me in my shyrt for other apparel had I none The queene hearyng of my follies looked oftentymes out
in the midde waye I founde an exceedyng hygh and large mountayne where is great pentie of wylde beastes and especially of Monkeys whiche runne about the mountayne euery where There are also many Lions very noysome to men and therefore it is not safe to iorney that way but when a multitude of men goe togeather at the least to the number of a hundred I passed this way with a great companie and yet were we in daunger of the Lions and other wylde beastes which folowed vs for we were sometimes constrayned to fyght with them with dartes slyngs and bowes vsyng also the helpe of dogges and yet escaped hardly When I came to the citie I fayned my selfe sicke and in the day tyme lurked in the temple and went foorth only in the night to speake with the pilot of the shyp of whom I haue made mention before and obteyned of hym a foist or barke to depart thence secretly Of certayne places of Ethiopia Cap. 14. IN the syxt chapter here before I haue made mention howe departing from the queene I went to the citie of Aden where I couenaunted with a certayne pilot to goe with hym into India and that he woulde not go thyther before he had fyrst made a viage into Persia and that at my fyrst beyng in the citie of Aden he coulde not yet for the space of a moneth depart from thence Duryng whiche tyme I traueyled the regions and cityes whereof I haue spoken vnto this my returne to Aden Nowe therfore accordyng to our agreement to trauayle diuers countreys and regions committing our selues to the sea we were by inconstant fortune and sundry tempestes deterred from that viage for whereas we were nowe syxe dayes sailyng on our waye to Persia a sodayne contrary tempeste droue vs out of our waye and cast vs on the coast of Ethiope Our barkes were laden with rubricke that is a certayne redde earth which is vsed to dye cloth for yeerely from the citie of Aden departe fyfteene or twentie shyps laden with rubricke which is brought out of Arabia Faelix Beyng therefore thus tossed with stormes we were dryuen into a port named Zeila where we remayned fyue dayes to see the citie and tarrye vntyll the sea were more quiet Of the citie Zeila in Ethiopia and the great fruitfulnesse therof and of certayne straunge beastes seene there Cap. 15. IN this citie is great freequentation of merchandies as in a most famous mart There is marueylous abundance of gold and Iuerye and an innumerable number of blacke slaues solde for a small pryce these are taken in warre by the Mahumetan Mores out of Ethyopia of the kyngdome of Presbiter Iohannes or Preciosus Iohannes whiche some also call the kyng of Iacobins or Abyssins beyng a Christian and are caried away from thence into Persia Arabia Faelix Babylonia of Nilus or Alcair and Mecha In this citie iustice and good lawes are obserued the soyle beareth Wheate and hath abundaunce of flesh and diuers other commodious thynges It hath also Oyle not of Olyues but of some other thyng I knowe not what There is also plentie of Hony and Waxe there are lykewyse certayne sheepe hauyng theyr tayles of the weyght of syxeteene pounde and exceedyng fatte the head and necke are blacke and all the rest whyte There are also sheepe altogeather whyte hauyng tayles of a cubite long hangyng downe lyke a great cluster of grapes and haue also great lappes of skynne hangyng from theyr throtes as haue Bulles and Oxen hangyng downe almost to the grounde There are also certaine Kyne with hornes lyke vnto Hartes hornes these are wylde and when they bee taken are geuen to the Soltan of that citie as a kyngly present I sawe there also certayne Kyne hauyng only one horne in the middest of the forehead as hath the Unicorne and about a spanne of length but the horne bendeth backwarde they are of bryght shynyng red colour But they that haue Hartes hornes are enclynyng to blacke colour Conye is there good cheepe The citie hath an innumerable multitude of merchants the walles are greatly decayed and the hauen rude and despicable The kyng or Soltan of the citie is a Mahumetan and entertayneth in wages a great multitude of foote men and horsemen They are greatly geuen to warres and weare onlye one loose syngle vesture as we haue sayde before of other They are of darke ashye colour enclining to blacke In the warres they are vnarmed and are of the sect of Mahumet Of Barbara an Ilande of Ethiope Cap. 16. AFter that the tempestes were appeased wee gaue wynde to our sayles and in shorte tyme arryued at an Ilande named Barbara the Prince whereof is a Mahumetan The Ilande is not great but fruitfull and well peopled it hath abundance of flesh The inhabitants are of colour enclynyng to blacke Al theyr ryches is in heardes of cattayle We remayned here but one day and departyng from hence sayled into Persia. The thyrde booke entreateth of Persia and of certayne townes and partes of Persia. Cap. 1. WHen we had sayled the space of twelue dayes we aryued at a citie called Diuobanderrumi that is to say the holy porte of Turkes It is but a litle way from the continent when the sea ryseth with hye tydes it is an Iland enuironed with water but at a lowe fludde or decrease of the sea one may go thyther by land it is subiect to the Soltan of Cambaia The Gouernour is named Menacheas It is a marte of great merchandies There dwell about it foure hundred merchants of Turky it is well walled round about and defended with al sorts of engins They haue barkes and brygantines somewhat lesse then ours we remained here two daies Departyng from hence we came to an other citie named Goa in the space of three dayes iorney this also aboundeth with merchandies and is a mart greatly frequented The soyle is fruitefull with plentie of all thynges necessary the inhabitantes are Mahumetans Neare vnto this are two other fayre cities and portes named Giulfar and Meschet Of the Iland and citie of Ormus or Armusium and of an Iland of Persia where pearles are found Cap. 2. PRoceedyng on our viage we came to a citie named Ormus verye fayre This is seconde to none in goodlye situation and plentie of pearles it is in an Ilande dystaunt from the continent twelue myles It hathe great scarcenesse of freshe water and corne From other regions is brought thyther all victualles that nouryshe the inhabitauntes Three dayes saylyng from thence are geathered those muscles which bryng foorth the fayrest and byggest pearles they are taken as I will nowe declare There are certayne men that get theyr lyuing by fyshyng These hauing small Boates cast into the sea a great stone fastened to a corde and this on both sydes of the Boate to make it as stedfast and immoueable as a shyppe lying at an Anker The Boate
thus stayed as it were with weyght and balance an other appoynted to that purpose casteth into the sea a corde with a stone hangyng at it In the myddest of the Boate an other hauing a sacke hangyng on his shoulder before and behynde and a stone hangyng at his feete hurleth him selfe into the sea and swimmeth vnder the water euen vnto the bottome of the sea for the deapth of fyftiene pases or more and there remayneth vntyll he haue geathered the pearle Muscles which he putteth in his sacke then he casteth away the stone that weyghed him downe and commeth vp by the corde There are seene sometyme almost three hundred shyppes and other kynde of vessels which come thyther from many places and countreys The Soltan of the citie is a Mahumetan There are aboue foure hundred merchauntes and factours remaynyng here continually for the trafike of merchandies whiche come from diuers other regions as silke pearles precious stones spices and suche lyke They lyue with Ryse for the moste parte for they haue none other corne Of the citie named Eri in Chorazani a region of Persia and of the riches therof Also of Reubarbarum Cap. 3. DEpartyng from Ormus I went into Persia And after ten dayes iourney I came to a certayne citie named Eri. The name of the region is Chorazani by which signification we may also name it Flaminia The Kyng of the region dwelleth in the citie It is fruitefull and plentifull almost of all thinges There is seene so great aboundaunce of sylke that you may in one daye bye as muche as may suffice to lade three thousande Cameles Corne is there neuer deare by reason of the great abundaunce There is great plentie of Rubarbe as I geather by this coniecture that syxe pounde of Rubarbe after our pounde of .xii. vnces to the pounde are solde for one croune of golde The citie conteyneth in circuite about seuen thousande houses They are of the secte of Mahumet Departyng from hence twentie dayes iorney I obserued that the continent region or firme lande farre from the sea syde is very well inhabited with many good townes and vyllages Of the ryuer thought to be Euphrates And of Castoreum Cap. 4. IN this iorney I came to a certayne great ryuer whiche in the inhabitantes language euen at this daye is named Eufra which I veryly thynke to be Euphrates consideryng also the large capacitie thereof Proceedyng therefore on my iorney by the ryuer towarde the left hande I came in the space of three dayes to an other citie named Schyra This hath onely one prynce and he a Persian Mahumetan and subiecte to none other Here are founde all sortes of precious stones and especially the stone Eranon whiche delyuereth men from witchecraftes madnesse and fearefulnesse proceedyng of melancolie It is the stone commonly called the Turquesse They are brought in great abundaunce from a citie named Balascam where is also great plentie of Castoreum and sundrye kyndes of coloures And heere I notifie vnto you why there is found litle true Castoreum among vs because it is adulcerate by the Persians before it come to our handes for these people are greatly geuen to the counterfettyng of suche thynges as I saw by experience before myne eyes for willyng on a time to proue the odoriferous strength of pure Castoreum I sawe certayne that had experience hereof do in this maner They tooke the bladder of Castoreum and foure of them one after an other put it to their noses to smell The fauour of it was so strong that it made theyr noses bleede and by this profe they knew it to be pure Castoreum not counterfect I asked the Persian whether Castoreum as other the lyke vngments or drugges would sone loose his strength He answered that the strength of that sauour myght be preserued the space of ten yerees yf it were not counterfect The Persians are very courteous and gentle people lyberall and gratious one to an other and fauorable to strangers and this I speake as I haue founde and seene by experyence Duryng the tyme that I was there I founde a certayne Persian merchant who the yeere before knewe me in the citie of Mecha he was borne in the citie of Eri in Corozain As soone as he saw me he spake to me in this maner Lodouicke what God or fortune hath sent thee into these countreyes Art not thou he whom not long sence I knewe in Mecha To whom I answered I am certaynely the same and am now come hyther for the great desire that I haue to see the worlde Praysed be God sayd he that I haue nowe found a companion of my iorney that is taken with the same desire that I haue and therfore for the space of fyfteene dayes we remayned togeather in a citie named Squilaz He exhorted me not to depart from hym but that we should togeather by his guydyng trauayle the cheefe partes of the world Enteryng therefore on our iorney we came fyrst to a place named Sainct Bragant Of the citie of Sainct Bragant bygger then Babylon And of the kyng of Persia named the Sophie Cap. 5. THey saye that the citie of Sainct Bragant is bygger then Babylon the kyng of the citie is a Mahumetan The merchantes saye that when it pleaseth hym he assembleth an armie of threescore thousande Horsemen The people are of colour enclinyng to whytenesse and verye warrelyke men This we say only by enformation of other for we coulde not safely passe anye further by reason of the great warres which the Sophie then made agaynst those Mahumetans which are of the sect and religon of Bubachar Othomar Omar â–ª These were the felowes of Mahumet as we haue written before of Mahumet and his felowes The Persians abhorre these as heretikes and false doctours although they them selues also be Mahumetans of an other secte whiche is of Mahumet and Hali whose doctrine they embrace and esteeme for most perfect and true religion Here therefore the sayde Persian my good friende and ioyfull companion of my iourney sayde thus vnto mee That thou mayest vnderstande Lodouike the vnfayned good will that I beare thee and the desyre I haue that our friendshyp may be knyt with indissoluble bandes and thereby to assure thee that I will not fayle thee in thy necessitie I haue a Nyese named Samis whom I wil gyue thee to wyfe Samis in theyr tongue signifieth the Sunne for shee deserued so to be called for her singuler beautie and sayde furthermore that he dyd not trauayle the worlde for lacke of any thyng but only for his pleasure and desyre of knowledge And therefore passyng no further by reason of the warres as we haue sayde we returned to the citie of Eri where he enterteyned mee in his house honourably and shewyng mee his Nyese instauntly desyred mee to take her to wyfe But I hauyng my mynde otherwyse destinate would not
maner al kyndes of beastes as wylde Bores Harts Wolues Lions sundry kinds of birdes and foules vnlike vnto ours Pecockes also and Parrottes It hath innumerable Kyne of shynyng yelowe coloure also sheepe exceedyng fatte There is so great abundaunce of flowers and Roses that they fayle not in wynter There can not be a more temperate ayre and therfore they lyue muche longer then we do Not far from this citie is an other citie named Mangolor from whence about the number of .lx. shyppes departe yeerely laded with Ryse The inhabitantes are partly Idolaters and partly Mahumetans Their maner of lyuing and apparell is as we haue sayd before Of Canonor and Narsinga great cities of India Cap. 7. DEpartyng from hence we directed our iorney toward the citie of Canonor beyng a very goodly citie Heere the kyng of Portugale hath a very strong towne The kyng of the citie is an Idolater and no great frend to the kyng of Portugale The citie hath a porte whyther are brought the horses of Persia but the custome for horses is exceedyng great Departyng from hence and entryng further into the lande we came to the citie of Narsinga where many Mahumetan merchauntes do dwel The soyle beareth neyther wheate nor vynes or fewe other fruites except Oranges and Gourdes They eate no breade but lyue with ryse fyshe and suche walnuttes as the countrey beareth In maners and Idolatrye they are lyke vnto them of Calecut of whiche we wyll speake heareafter There is founde plentie of spyces as Ginger Pepper Myrobalans Cardanum Cassia and dyuers suche other Also many and dyuers kindes of fruites vnlyke vnto ours and muche sweeter The region is in maner inaccessible for many dennes and diches made by force The kyng hath an army of fyftie thousande gentelmen whiche they call Heros In the warres they vse swoordes rounde Targettes or Buklers Lances Dartes Bowes Slynges and begyn nowe also to vse Gunnes They go naked coueryng onely their priuities except when they go to the warres They vse no horses Mules Asses or those Camels whiche we commonly call Dromedaries They vse onely Elephantes yet not to fyght in the battayle Great merchaundise is vsed in the citie for thyther resorte from dyuers countres two hundred shyppes yeerely Departyng from the kyngdome of Narsinga in .xv. dayes iorney towarde the East we came at the length to a citie named Bisinagar Of the fruiteful citie of Bisinagar in the kyngdome of Narsinga Cap. 8. THe citie of Bisinager is vnder the dominion of the kyng of Narsinga and subiect to hym The citie is very large and well walled situate on the syde of a hyll and eyght myles in circuite It is compassed with a triple wall and is a famous mart of all sortes of ryche merchaundise The soyle is marueylous fruitefull and hath whatsoeuer pertayneth to delicates and pleasures There is no lande more commodious for haukyng and huntyng for it hath large playnes and goodly woods a man would saye it were an earthly Paradyse The kyng and people are Idolaters He is a Prince of great power he hath an army of foure thousande horsemen And yet is it to be noted the price of a good horse there to be no lesse then foure or fyue hundred of those peeces of golde whiche they call Pardais And sometyme it so chaunceth that a horse is solde for eight hundred of those peeces of golde The cause of which great price is that they are brought out of other countreys and that they haue no Mares being forbydden by the commaundement of the kynges streightly chargyng the portes to be kepte least any Mares should be brought into the countrey Hee hath also foure hundred Elephantes to serue in the warres and likewyse as many Camelles of the kynde of those swyfte runnyng Camelles which be commonly called Dromadarii And here me seemeth good oportunitie to say somewhat of the docilitie agilitie and wyt of Elephantes as we haue promised Of the docilitie agilitie and wit of Elephantes Cap. 9. THe Elephant of all foure footed beastes and nexte vnto man is most wittie and docible and not farre from humane sence and surmounteth all other beasts in strength When the Indians bring them to the warres they put great packesaddelles on their backes suche as in Italie they vse for the great Mules These packesaddelles they gyrde vnder theyr bellyes with two chaynes of Iron Uppon the saddelles they place on euery syde a litle house or if you will rather call them Turrettes or Cagies made of wood euery Turret conteyneth three men Betweene the two Turrettes sitteth an Indian on the backe of the beast and speaketh to him in his owne language whiche the beast vnderstandeth and obeyeth for it is certaine that no other beast approcheth so neare to the vnderstandyng of man Seuen men therefore are thus placed vppon one Elephant when they goe to the wars and all armed with coates of fence Targets Bowes Launces Dartes and Slynges Also the trunke or snoute of the Elephant which of the Latines is called Promuscis or Proboscis and of some the hande of the Elephant is armed and hath a swoord fastened to it of the length of two cubites very strong and of a handfull in breadth And thus furnished they proceede to the battayle When it is requisite to goe forewarde or backewarde the gouernour sittyng aboue gyueth them an instruction with such voyces as they are accustomed vnto for sometyme he sayth thus to the beast Stryke here stryke there forbeare here goe forewarde there turne this way and that way All which woordes he vnderstandeth and obeyeth without spurre or brydell But where it so chaunceth that by casting of fyre they are with feare dryuen to flyght they can by no meanes be stayed And therfore these people haue many subtile deuises howe they may feare them with fyre which this beast by the sense of nature feareth aboue all thinges and therefore flyeth in maner at the sight of fyre And to speake somewhat of theyr strength as I haue seene by experience I remember that when I was in the citie of Canonor certayne Mahumetans drue a shyp aland turnyng the shyp after the maner of the Christians with the fore ende towarde the lande and laying vnder it three rowling beames Then three Elephantes commodiously applied drawyng with great force and bendyng downe theyr heades to the ground brought the shyp to lande But many haue thought that the Elephantes haue no ioyntes in theyr legges and that therefore they could not bende theyr legges which thyng doubtlesse is false for they haue ioyntes as haue other beastes but in the lowest parte of theyr legges The Females are more fierce then the Males and much stronger to beare burdens Sometime they are taken with furie or madnesse and testifie the same by disordinate runnyng here and there One Elephant exceedeth the bygnesse of three Bufles
on the grounde praye vnto and then depart to theyr houses and countreys By this meanes they beleeue that all theyr synnes are quite forgeuen them and therefore for the space of three dayes they lyue there in safegarde as if it were in Sanctuarie and for that tyme is it not lawfull for any man to arrest or trouble an other for what so euer quarell Certainely I neuer saw in any place a greater multitude of people assembled except in the citie of Mecha The syxt booke contaynyng the voyage of India Of the Cities of Caicolon and Colon. Cap. 1. MY faythfull companyon Cociazenor the Persian of whom I haue made mention here before consyderyng that by the meanes of warres and imminent daungers there was nowe no place for merchaundies especially for that the Portugales had made sore warres and great slaughter in the citie of Calecut by occasion that the inhabitantes of the citie had conspired with the Mahumetans for the murther of eight and fourtie Portugales whiche was done at my beyng there I thought it best in tyme to depart from thence This facte so greatly moued the kyng of Portugale to reuenge that he hath since that tyme kepte hostile warres agaynst them and greatly consumed them and defaced their citie We therfore departyng from thence by a very fayre ryuer came to a citie named Caicolon distaunte from the citie of Calecut fiftie leagues the inhabitantes are idolaters There is great aboundaunce of merchaundies and great frequentation of merchauntes the soyle beareth plentie of the best kynde of pepper The kyng of the citie is not very rych In apparel and maners they differ litle from them of Calecut Heere we founde certayne merchantes Christians named of the profession of saint Thomas the Apostle They obserue the fastyng of fourtie dayes as we do and beleeue in the death and resurrection of Christ as we do and therfore celebrate Easter after our maner and obserue other solemnities of our religion after the maner of the Greekes They are commonly named by the names of Iohn Iames Matthias and Thomas Departyng from thence in the space of three dayes iorney we came to an other citie named Colon about twentie myles distant from the aforesayde The kyng is an idolater and a prince of great power hauyng euer an armie of twentie thousande horsemen there is a very fayre port Neare to the sea syde the soyle beareth no corne yet great aboundance of fruite and pepper as in the citie of Calecut but by reason of the warres we remayned no longer heere Not farre from hence we sawe men fyshe for pearles in maner as we haue sayde before of the citie and Ilande of Ormus Of Cyromandel a citie of India Cap. 2. THe citie of Cyromandel is by the sea syde and distant from the citie of Colon seuen dayes saylyng The citie is very large but without walles it is subiecte to the kyng of Narsinga and is within the syght of the Iland of Zaylon After that you are past the poynt of Comerin the soyle beareth plentie of Ryse This citie is in the way to diuers great regions and cities It is inhabited with innumerable Mahumetan merchantes resortyng thyther from many countreys There are no spyces but aboundaunce of fruite as in Calecut I founde there certayne Christians who affyrme that the bodye of saint Thomas the Apostle is there in a certayne place about twelue myles from this citie and also that there are certayne Christians whiche relygiously obserue the holy body and that the Christians are euyll vsed because of the warres whiche the kyng of Portugall hath made agaynst the people of these countreys Also that the Christians are sometyme murthered secretly lest it shoulde be knowen to the kyng of Narsinga who is in amitie and frendshyppe with the kyng of Portugall and greatly fauoureth the Christians The cause whereof as they saye is also partly by reason of a certayne myracle whiche was this The Christians on a tyme had a great conflicte with the Mahumetans where one of the Christians beyng sore wounded on his arme resorted incontinent to the sepulchre of saint Thomas where makyng his prayers touchyng the holy place his arme was immediatly healed Whereupon as they saye the kyng of Narsinga euer after greatly fauoured the Christians Here my companion solde muche of his wares But by reason of the warres betweene the kynges of Narsinga and Ternaseri we determined to depart from hence And therefore saylyng ouer a gulfe of .xx. leagues with great daunger we arriued at an Iland named Zailon very large as containing in circuite a thousande myles Of the Ilande of Zailon and the precious stones founde there Cap. 3 IN this Ilande are foure kynges of great dominion by reason of the largenesse of the Ilande But because of the warres among them at my beyng there I coulde not tarye long to haue particular knowledge of the region and maners of the people There are in the Ilande many Elephantes There is also a very long mountayne at the foote whereof are founde many precious stones named Piropi commonly called Rubines or Rubies The merchauntes iewelers come by them by this meanes Fyrst goyng to the kyng they bye of hym a certayne measure of that grounde where suche stones are founde of the largenesse of a cubite euery way The price of this is fyue pieeces of gold yet with suche condition that in dyggyng the grounde there is euer one present for the kyng to the ende that if in dyggyng be founde any of those precious stones exceedyng the weyght of x. Caractes the same to be reserued for the kyng And the rest that are founde vnder that wayght to apparteyne to the merchaunt Not farre from the sayde mountayne are founde diuers other sortes of precious stones as Iasynthes Saphires Topases and suche lyke Harde by the mountayne runneth a great ryuer The soyle bryngeth foorth the sweetest fruites that euer I sawe especially cloues and apples of Assiria of exceedyng sweetnesse and all other as in Calecut Of the tree of Cinamome in the Iland of Zaylon Cap. 4. THe tree of Cinamome is not much vnlike a Baye tree especially the leaues it beareth berryes as doth the Baye tree but lesse and whyte It is doubtlesse therefore none other then the barke of a tree and is geathered in this maner Euery thyrde yeere they cutte the branches of the tree Of this is great plentie in the sayde Ilande When it is fyrste geathered it is not yet so sweete but a moneth after when it waxeth drye A certayne Mahumetan merchaunt of the Ilande tolde my companyon that there in the top of a hygh mountayne is a certayne denne whyther the inhabitantes of the countrey resort to praye in memorye of our fyrst father Adam who they saye after he had synned by breakyng the commaundement of God lyued in that place in continuall penitence Whiche thing they
breast These ceremonies are done the seconde watche of the nyght Within fyfteene dayes after the wyfe biddeth to a banquette all her husbandes kynsfolkes and when they come at a daye appoynted they go al to the place where her husbande was burnt and at the same houre of the nyght then commeth foorth the wyfe garnyshed with all her iewells and best apparell vsyng therein the helpe of all her kynsfolkes In the same place is made a pytte no deeper then may serue to receiue the woman This pytte is sette about with reedes and the reedes are couered with a cloth of sylke that the pytte may not be seene In the meane tyme also a fyre is made in the pyt with sundry sorts of sweet woods the wife after that her gestes haue well banqueted eateth very muche of a certayne meate whiche they call Betola whiche troubleth her mynde as though she were halfe madde or drunken In the meane whyle a great company of suche theyr musitions as we haue spoken of before apparelled like deuyls with burnyng stickes in theyr mouthes daunce fyrst about the pytte and then make sacrifice to the great deuyl Deumo The wyfe also in y e meane season runneth vp and downe lyke a madde body with countenaunces of dauncyng and reioycyng Then turnyng her to them that are disguised lyke deuyls she commendeth her selfe to theyr deuoute prayers desiryng them for her to make intercession to the great Deumo that after this transitorie lyfe it may please him to receyue her into the company of his Angelles After the ceremonies are fynished shee taketh her leaue of all her kynsfolkes whiche stande rounde about her and neare vnto the pitte then with sodaine outrage and a loude crye liftyng vp her handes she hurleth her selfe into the burnyng pit which done her kynsfolkes standing neare vnto the fyre couer her with litle fagottes of sweete wood hurlyng also thereon much pitche that the bodie may the sooner be consumed and except the wyfe shoulde doe this after the death of her husbande she should euer after be esteemed an euyll woman be hated of all men and in fine in danger to be slayne both of her owne kynsfolkes and her husbandes and therefore shee goeth to it the more willingly The kyng him selfe is present at these pompes which are not commonly vsed for all men but only for the kynges priestes and noble men Of the iustice which the inhabitantes of Tarnassari obserue Cap. 10. IF any kyll a man he is adiudged to death as in the citie of Calecut Of giuyng and receyuyng iustice is ministred as proofe may be made by writing or witnesse They wryte in parchement lyke vnto ours and not in barkes of trees as doe they of Calecut When they contende for any thyng they resorte to the gouernour of the citie to whom the kyng hath giuen full aucthoritie of iurisdiction and if any merchaunt straunger dye there without children he may make no inheritour but all his goods is due to the kyng when the kyng is dead his chyldren succeede in the kyngdome When the inhabitantes dye theyr goods are equally diuided among theyr children Howe the Mahumetans are buried in the citie of Tarnassari Cap. 11. WHen any of the Mahumetan merchantes dye they are embaulmed with many spices and sweete gummes and theyr bodies put in Coffins of wood with chiefe regarde that theyr heades lye towarde the citie of Mecha which is from thence Northwarde Of the dyuers sortes of theyr shyppes or other vesselles Cap. 12. THey haue Brigantines very shalowe and with flatte bottoms which drawe but small depth of water Some also vse Foistes hauyng two or double forepartes and two Mastes and are open without any couerture There is an other kynde of shyppes of burden Of the which some beare the burden of a thousande tunnes In these they carry Botes and other smaller vesselles to the citie of Melacha when they goe for spices Of Bangella a great and riche citie of India and of the great power of the kyng Cap. 13. IT is now tyme to speake further of our viage and of our proceedyng therein Therefore packyng vp our wares and commityng vs to the sea we came in twelue dayes saylyng to a citie named Bangella distant from Tarnassari seuen hundred myles This citie in fruitfulnesse and plentifulnesse of all thinges may in maner contende with any citie in the worlde The kyngdome and dominion of this citie is exceedyng large The kyng hath an army of two hundred thousande footemen and horsemen Mahumetans and is of so great power that he keepeth sore warres with the kyng of Narsinga The region is so plentifull in all thynges that there lacketh nothyng that may serue to the necessarie vses or pleasures of men for there are in maner all sortes of beastes good and holesome fruites and plentie of corne Spices also of all sortes Lykewyse of bombasine and silke so exceedyng great aboundance that in these thinges I thinke there is none other region comparable with this and therefore here are very many riche merchantes For euery yeere departe from hence fyftie shyppes laden with clothe of bombasine and silke into the cities and countreys of Turchia Syria Arabia Persia Ethiopia and India There are also many merchaunt straungers whiche buye precious stones of the inhabitauntes Of certayne Christian merchauntes which exercise merchandies there Cap. 14. HEre we founde many Christian merchantes which were borne in the citie of Sarnau as they tolde vs. They resorte thyther as to a great marte with cloth of silke and wood of Aloes Laser which yeldeth the sweete gumme named Laserpitium commonly called Belzoi beyng a kynde of myrre They bryng also Castoreum and diuers other sweete sauours The sayde Christians tolde vs also that there be in that kyngdome many Christian Princes subiect to the great Cham of the citie of Cathai The apparell of these Christians was Chamlet loose and very full of pleytes and lyned with bombasine cloth On theyr heads they weare certayne coppen or sharpe poynted cappes of two handfull hygh of scarlet colour They are white men They acknowledge one God in Trinitie are baptised after our maner They beleeue the doctrine of the Apostles and Euangelistes They wryte backewarde after the maner of the Armenians They celebrate the birth and buriall of Christ and obserue fastyng the fourtie dayes of Lent as we doe They celebrate also certayne sainctes dayes They vse no shooes but weare loose hose of silke garnished with dyuers Iewels On theyr fingers they weare Ringes with stones of incomparable splendour At meate they vse no table but eate lying on the grounde and feede of all sortes of fleshe They affyrmed also that there are certayne Christian kynges whiche they call Rumi of great power confinyng or borderyng on the dominions of the great Turke When these Christians had seene the precious merchaundies of my companion and
specially a great braunche of Corall they earnestly desired him to goe with them to a certayne citie where they promised him that by theyr procurement he shoulde sell his ware at great auantage if he would buye Rubie stones and that he might therby easily geat aboue tenne thousande peeces of golde Affirming that those kynde of stones were of muche greater value in Turkey Wherevnto my companion answered that he woulde goe with them if they would departe in shorte space We will sayde they departe euen to morow for here is a Foist whiche departeth hence to morowe and taketh her viage to the citie of Pego whyther we desyre to bryng you My companion consented the rather to his request bicause he was aduertised that he should fynde there certayne Persians his countrey men Therefore with this good companie departyng from the citie of Bangella and saylyng ouer a great gulfe lying on the South syde wee came at the length to the citie of Pego a thousande myles distaunt from Bangella Of Pego a famous citie of India Cap. 15. THe citie of Pego is not farre from the sea and is situate vppon the continent or fyrme lande A very fayre ryuer runneth by the citie by the which merchandies are caried to and fro The kyng of the citie is an Idolater The inhabitauntes in apparell liuyng and maners are lyke vnto them of Tarnassari but of whiter colour as in a colder region somewhat lyke vnto ours The citie is walled and the houses well buylded and very fayre of stone and lyme The kyng hath a myghtie armie both of footemen and horsemen and hath in his armie Pensionarie Christians borne euen in the same region Theyr wages is euery moneth sixe of those peeces of golde which they cal Pardaios is payde them out of the Kynges treasury They haue abundance of corne and flesh as in Calecut Here are but fewe Elephantes yet other beastes and foules as in Calecut Here are also trees for buyldyng and to make shyppes the fayrest that euer I sawe Also exceedyng great Reedes as byg as the bodie of a grosse man or a tubbe Here are likewyse siuit Cattes or Muske Cattes and of small pryce as three for one peece of golde There are fewe merchandyes in this citie except precious stones and specially Rubies which neuerthelesse are brought thyther from an other citie named Capela beyng towarde the East thirtie dayes iourney where are also founde precious stones named Smaragdes or Emeraldes When we arryued at Pego the kyng was absent fyue twentie dayes iourney in a place where he kepte warre agaynst the kyng of Aua. But shortly after he returned with great tryumphe for the victorie which he had agaynst his enemie Of the munificence humilitie and great richesse of the Kyng of Pego Cap. 16. THis kyng vseth not suche pompes and magnificence as doeth the kyng of Calecut But is of suche humanitie and affabilitie that a chylde may come to his presence and speake with him being neuerthelesse very ryche It is in maner incredible to speake of the ryche Iewelles precious stones pearles and especially Rubies which he weareth surmounting in value any great citie His fingers be full of Ringes and his armes all full of braselettes of golde all beset and moste gloriously shinyng with suche precious stones His legges also and feete beyng garnyshed in lyke maner His eares lykewyse are so laded with suche Iewelles that they hang downe halfe a handfull The splendour or shinyng of these Iewelles is so great that if one see the king in the darke night he shineth in maner as it were the beames of the sunne At good oportunitie the Christian merchantes spake to the kyng and certified him that my companion had brought sundry merchaundies of great estimation The kyng answered that they shoulde come to him the day folowyng bycause that that present day he shoulde sacrifice to the deuyll Therefore the nexte day he sent for vs willyng that my companion should bryng with him suche merchandies as he had The which the kyng toke great pleasure to behold and not without good cause for among other thinges there were two great branches of corrall of such bignesse and fayrenesse as no man there had euer seene the lyke The kyng astonished at these thinges asked the Christians what men we were They answered that we were Persians Then sayde the kyng to his interpretour Aske them if they will here make sale of theyr merchandies To whom then my companion sayde thus Most honorable Prince all these are yours take them and vse them at your pleasure Then sayde the kyng agayne These two yeeres paste I haue kepte continuall warre with the kyng of Aua and therfore my treasure of money is consumed But if you will bargaine by the way of exchaunge for precious stones and especially Rubies I will so deale with you that it shall not repent you Then sayde my companion to the Christians I pray you gyue the kyng to vnderstande that I desire none other thyng then the beneuolence of his highnesse and therefore that I desire him to take of my merchaundies what lyketh him best and that without money or permutation of any other thing When the kyng hearde this he answered that he had hearde by reporte that the Persians were very curtuous and liberall men and that he neuer knewe so liberall a man as this was and swore by the head of the deuyll that by this occasion he would proue which of them two should be most liberall and therefore callyng vnto him a Page of his chamber commaunded him to fetche a casket of precious stones This casket was of the breadth of a spanne and a halfe euery way square and full of Rubies hauyng also within it sundry receptacles or boxes where the stones were sorted in order When he had opened the casket he commaunded it to be set before the Persian willing him to take of those precious stones as many as he would But my companion the Persian yet more moued to liberalitie by this the Kinges munificence spake to the kyng these woordes O most honourable Prince I perceyue your beneuolence to be suche towarde me that I sweare by the holy head of Mahumet and all the mysteries of his religion wherevnto I am professed that I freely and gladly gyue vnto you all my merchaundies For I doe not trauayle about the worlde for gaynes of richesse but rather of desyre to see the worlde In the which thereto I neuer founde any thyng wherein I so greatly reioyced as in the beneuolence and fauour which your maiestie hath shewed me The kyng answered Wylt thou yet contende with mee in liberalitie And with those woordes tooke out of the casket of euery boxe some as many Rubies as he coulde holde in his hande with this rewarde whiche was two hundred Rubies shewed his kyngly munificence and beneuolence towarde the Persian saying vnto
warres who in theyr language sayde thus vnto me Are you our friende Yea sayde I. Then we pray you in the way of friendship shewe vs that Christian which is muche hygher and stronger then any other of the Christians and kylled in maner euery day about twentie of the Mahumetans and resisted the dartes of fiftie Naeros these are of the garde and escaped without hurte I answered that that Christian was not nowe in the citie but was gone to Cucin to the Uiceroye But when I better considered the matter I sayde thus vnto them Are you my friendes Yea we are sayde they Then sayde I That souldier that fought so valiauntly in the battayle was no Portugale Then sayde they Of what countrey was he then I answered agayne that he was the God of the Portugales and the great God of all the world Then sayde they Uerily you speake the trueth For we heard the Mahumetans say that it was not the Portugales but the Portugales God that gaue them the ouerthrowe and therefore we thynke your God to bee better then theyrs although we know him not And by this meanes it was bruiâ—ed ouer all the countrey that the Mahumetans were ouercome rather by the assistaunce of God then by the strength of men For these people are very simple and ignoraunt and astonyshed in maner at euery thyng For some when they sawe one of our company hauyng a little bell in his hande and hearde the noyse of the bell when he moued his hand and no noyse when he set it downe they tooke it for a myracle saying one to an other doubtlesse theyr God is the greatest God for when they touche the bell it speaketh and when they touche it not it sayeth nothyng They tooke pleasure and admiration to beholde the solemnities of the Masse And when the priest lyfted vp the holy bread or host I sayde vnto them beholde here the God of the Portugales and of all the worlde Then sayde they You say truly but we can not perceyue it This haue I sayde that you may hereby knowe what simple and ignorant people these are yet are they very great inchaunters and can inchaunte Serpentes whose poyson is so strong that they kyll only with touchyng They are also of incredible agilitie and therefore excell in vautyng leapyng runnyng swymmyng tumblyng walkyng on ropes and such other exercises of lyghtnesse and agilitie The seuenth booke entreating of the viage or Nauigation of Ethiopia Cap. 1. THey that will take vppon them to wryte any hystorie had neede to beare well in memorie what they haue promysed and taken in hande lest for theyr paynes and well meanyng they be rewarde with shame and rebuke and therfore whereas in the beginnyng of this booke I promysed to wryte of the Nauigation of Ethiope I will with the description of this viage make an ende of my long traueyle and speake of such thinges as I sawe there by the way in my returne from India into my long desired countrey in the company of the Portugales Of diuers and many Ilandes of Ethiope Cap. 2. THerefore the seuenth day of December we directed our iourney towarde Ethiope trauersing fyrst the great gulfe and saylyng foure hundred myles came to an Ilande named Monzambrich vnder the dominion of the kyng of Portugale But before we arryued there we sawe by the way many townes parteining to the Portugales and also many strong fortresses in the kyngdomes of Melinda and Mombaza The kyng of Portugale hath also certayne fortresses in Monzambrich and Zaphala But if I should here speake of the memorable factes of the valiant knyght Tristan dè Cugna at his returne from India I should take in hande a thyng farre aboue my reache beyng suche as deserue rather the commendations of Homer Uirgil for he inuaded and subdued the great cities of Gogia Pati and Craua with also the goodly Ilande of Sacutara where the kyng of Portugale hath erected certayne fortresses and omit also to speake of many other Ilandes whiche we sawe in the way as the Ilande of Cumeris and sixe other which beare plentie of ginger suger dyuers other goodly fruites and abundance of fleshe also the most fruitfull Iland of Pende likewise subiect to the kyng of Portugale Of the Ilande of Monzambrich and the inhabitantes thereof Cap. 3. THis Ilande as we haue sayde is subiecte to the kyng of Portugale as is also Zaphala From the Ilande of Monzambrich is brought much golde and oyle but is brought thyther from the firme lande The Ilande is not byg and is inhabited with blacke Mahumetans lyuyng in maner in necessitie of all thinges yet hath it a commodious porte They haue no corne but that is brought from the continent where also we went alande to see the countrey where we sawe nothyng but a vagabunde and rascall kynde of blacke men coueryng only theyr priuities with leaues of trees and are besyde naked and the women in lyke maner Theyr lyppes are two fingers thicke theyr foreheades very large theyr teeth great and as white as snow They are fearefull at the sight of euery thyng and especially when they see armed men Therefore seeing theyr fearefulnesse knowing them to be without weapons that can doe any great hurte only sixe of vs well armed â–ª bearyng also with vs Hargabuses and hauyng in our companie a blacke slaue that somewhat knewe the countrey we began to enter further into the lande and when we had gone forwarde one dayes iourney we founde many heardes of Elephantes Here the slaue that was our guyde gaue vs counsayle to take fyrebrandes in our handes bycause these beastes feare fyre aboue all thinges But we once chaunced to fynde three Female Elephants which had very lately brought foorth theyr Calues and therefore feared not the fyre but without all feare folowed vs so farre that we were fayne to flee to a mountayne to saue vs from the beastes When we had entred about tenne myles into the land we found a certayne denne on the syde of a mountayne where some of the blacke inhabitauntes lurked These spake so confoundedly and chatteringly lyke Apes that I am not able to expresse theyr maner of speeche Yet to goe the nearest thereto that I can theyr speach is lykest to the euyll fauored voyce which the Muleters of Sicilia vse when they dryue theyr Mules and suche maner of blabberyng vse these people in theyr speache Heere the Pilot of the shyppe asked vs if wee woulde buye any kyne saying that here we should haue them good cheape But we thinking that eyther he had mocked vs or that agreeing with the inhabitauntes whom he knewe before he woulde haue deceyued vs of our money and wares sayde that we had no money Then sayde he vnto vs These people desire nothyng lesse then money hauyng muche more plentie of golde then we haue which is founde not farre hence
as sayled behynd the Sunne towarde the West dyd greatly lengthen the daye And albeit that the sayde booke of Peter Martyr is peryshed yet hath not fortune permytted that the memorie of so woorthy and marueylous an enterpryse shoulde vtterly be extincte forasmuche as a certayne noble gentelman of the citie of Vincenza in Italie called master Antonie Pigafetta who beyng one of the companie of that voyage and after his returne into Spayne in the shyppe Victoria was made knyght of the Rhodes wrote a particular and large booke thereof whiche he gaue to Themperours Maiestie and sent a copie of the same into Fraunce to the lady Regent mother vnto the French king who committed it to an excellent philosopher called master Iacobus Faber hauing long studied in Italy wyllyng hym to translate it into the Frenche tongue This booke therefore was printed fyrst in the Frenche tongue and then in the Italian with also an epistle to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as touchyng the same voyage written by Maximilian Transiluane secretarie to Themperours Maiestie in the yeere 1522. And doubtlesse among all the cities of Italie the citie of Vincenza may herein muche glorie that besyde the auncient nobilitie and many excellent and rare wyttes whiche it hath brought foorth aswell in learnyng as discipline of warre it hath also had so woorthy and valiaunt a gentleman as was the sayde master Antonie Pigafetta who hauyng compassed about the ball or globe of the worlde hath lykewyse described that voyage particularly For the whiche his so noble and wonderfull an enterprise so happily atchiued if the same had ben done in the olde tyme when Th empyre of the Greekes and Romans floryshed he shoulde doubtlesse haue ben rewarded with an Image of marble or gold erected in a place of honour in perpetuall memorie and for a singular example of his vertue to the posteritie In fine this may we boldly affyrme that the antiquitie had neuer such knowledge of the worlde whiche the Sunne compasseth about in .xxiiii. houres as we haue at this present by the industrie of men of this our age But before I speake any thyng of the vyage I haue thought it good fyrst to adde hereunto the Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane which he wrote to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as a preface to his sayde booke ¶ The Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane secretarie to the Emperours Maiestie written to the ryght honorable and reuerende lorde the lord Cardinal of Salepurge of the marueylous and woonderfull nauigation made by the Spanyardes rounde about the worlde in the yeere of Christ M.D.xix. IN these dayes my most honorable and reuerend lord returned one of those fiue ships whiche the yeere before Themperours beyng at Saragosa in Spaine were at his maiesties commaundement sent to the newe worlde heretofore vnknowen vnto vs to seeke the Ilandes of spices For albeit the Portugales bryng vs great quantitie of Spyces from that part of East India whiche in olde tyme was called Aurea Chersonesus where is nowe thought to be the great rych citie of Malaccha yet in East India growe none of those Spyces except Pepper For other Spyces as Sinamome Cloues Nuttemegs and Mase whiche is the huske that couereth the shell of the Nut are brought from other farre countreys and from Ilandes scarsely knowen by theyr names from the whiche Ilandes they are brought in shyppes or barkes made without any Iron tooles and tyed togeather with cordes of Date trees with rounde sayles lykewyse made of the small twigges of the branches of Date trees weaued togeather These barkes they call Giuâ—che with the whiche barkes and sayles they make theyr viage with only one wynde in the stearne or contrarywyse Neyther yet is it a thyng greatly to be marueiled at that these Ilands where the Spices growe haue ben vnknowen so many worlde 's past vnto our tyme forasmuch as all suche thynges as vnto this daye haue ben wrytten of old autours of the places where spices growe are all fabulous and false Insomuch that the countreys where they affyrme them to growe are nowe certaynely founde to be further from the place where they growe in deede then we are from them For lettyng passe many other thynges that are wrytten I wyll speake more of this which Herodotus otherwise a famous auctoure affirmeth that Sinamome is founde in the toppes of the nestes of certayne byrdes and foules that bryng it from farre countreys and especially the Phenyx the whiche I knowe no man that euer hath seene But Plinie who might more certaynely affyrme thinges by reason that before his tyme many thynges were knowen and discouered by the nauigations of great Alexander and other sayth that Sinamome groweth in that part of Ethiope which the people inhabit called Trogloditi Neuerthelesse it is now found that Sinamome groweth very far from all Ethiope now much further from the Trogloditi which dwel in caues vnder the ground But to our men which are now returned from those partes and the Ilandes of spices hauyng also good knowledge of Ethiope it was necessarie to passe far beyond Ethiope before they come to these Ilands and to compasse about the whole worlde and many tymes vnder the greatest circumference of heauen The which nauigations made by them beyng the most marueylous thyng that euer was done by man vppon the earth sence the fyrst creation of the worlde and neuer founde before or knowen or attempted by any other I haue deliberated faythfully to wryte to your honorable lordeshyppe and to declare the whole successe thereof As touchyng which matter I haue with all diligence made inquisition to knowe the trueth aswell by relation of the Captayne of that shyppe as also by conference with euery of the maryners that returned with hym All whiche gaue the seâ—fe same information both to Themperours Maiestie and diuers other And this with such faythfulnesse and sinceritie that not onely they are iudged of all men to haue declared the trueth in all thynges but haue thereby also geuen vs certaine knowledge that al that hath hitherto ben sayd or wrytten of olde autours as touchyng these thynges are false and fabulous For who wyl beleeue that men are founde with onely one legge Or with suche feete whose shadowe couereth theyr bodyes Or men of a cubite heyght and other suche lyke beyng rather monsters then men Of the whiche neyther the Spanyardes who in our tyme saylyng by the Ocean sea haue discouered all the costes of the lande towarde the West both vnder and aboue the Equinoctiall nor the Portugales who compassyng about all Affryke hath passed by all the East and lykewyse discouered all those costes vnto the great gulfe called Sinus Magnus nor yet the Spaniardes in this theyr last nauigation in the which they compassed about the whole earth dyd neuer in any of theyr viages wryte of such monsters which doubtlesse they would not haue omytted if they myght haue had certayne
soules rest in Caues and to be that reflexion of the ayre the which we doe call Eccho Dec. 8. c. 9. The contention betwixte Garaius and Cortesius for ambition Dec. 7. c. 5. Dec. 8. cap. 1. .2 The great Cormorantes that deuoure fishe of fyue pounde weight at one morsel Dec. 7. c. 9. The shamelesse daunses of naked women at theyr funeralles and obsequies Dec. 7. c. 10. Theyr woorshipping of the crosse in Saltier .x. Or made thus x vppon theyr newe borne babes to dryue away deuylles as also in the nyght tyme if they feare any thyng imagining with that signe the place to be purified Dec. 8. c. 9. The Chiribikes follies in daunsing whole weekes togeather theyr language full of difficulties for leauyng out some sillables in speech theyr maner of mariage by clippyng the brydes heare Dec. 8. c. 8. The dead bodyes of gentlemen to be rosted so hanged vp to roofe for buttry goddes the bones of other that laye buried a whole yeere to be taken vp againe at the .xii. monethes ende and solempnely buried Decade 8. c. 9. To conclude How Captayne Olitus whom Cortesius feared not a litle therefore sent vnder the pretexte of honour as it were to discouer other landes tooke head him selfe agaynst Cortesius and miserably was murthered in the end Dec. 8. c 6 .10 These with some other the lyke thinges may the curious reader finde in many woordes set downe in the aforesayde .7 and .8 Decades spoken of all for the most parte before in P. Martyr his other doinges or mentioned in Ouiedus Summary or by R. Eden briefly noted or not greatly needfull to be set foorth at large in Englyshe except they were matters of greater weight One speciall thing I obserued amongst other in reading ouer these .6 7. and 8. Decades to wyt the West Indians not onely to be conquered by the Spaniardes but also to be theyr slaues and bondmen the cause why after the conquest made of them the Spanyardes doe in continuall bondage and slauery keepe them vnder is expresly brought foorth by Pe. Martyr Dec. 7. c. 4. in the spanysh tounge as it was read at the Indishe counsayle boorde in Spayne and may thus be Englished These be the Indians qualities in respecte whereof they deserue no libertie IN the continent or fyrme lande they eate mans fleshe they be more gyuen to Sodomye than any other nation of the world there is no order of iustice among them they goe naked they haue neyther loue nor honestie they bee fooles and furious there is no truth in them except it be for theyr owne profit inconstant without all discretion very vnkynde louers of nouelties they delyght to make them selues dronke with wynes made of diuers hearbes fruites and graine as ale and sider to ouercome their braynes as wel otherwise with hearbs as in making drinke thereof or eating them â–ª They are very bruitishe and doe make it a prayse to wallowe in vyces No obedience no reuerence at all sheweth the young man to the olde the childe to his father Neyther teaching nor chastning amendeth them they be traitors cruell so full of reuenge that they neuer forgyue any offence great enemyes vnto our religion They be slothfull theeues of iudgement very grosse and base without all honestie and good order Neither doe the men behaue them selues loyally with theyr wyues nor the wyues with their husbandes they be superstitiously giuen to soothsaying as fearful as Hares filthes eating lyse spiders woormes whersoeuer they finde them they haue no arte nor good condition of men Hauing learned any pointes of Christian religion they are woont to say that to be good in Spayne but in India nothing woorth for that they desire not to alter their maners They haue no beardes for they peele and plucke vp the heare as faste as it groweth They take no pietie on sicke folke suche as bee very sicke they gyue ouer to some one kynsman or neighbour of theyrs or els carry them to the mountaynes to dye there leauing with them some small portion of bread and water and so goe theyr way The elder they waxe the woorse they bee vntyll they be .xi. or .xii. yeeres olde some hope there is that they would prooue ciuil and vertuous when they grow elder they become bruit beasts In conclusion I say that god neuer created so corrupte a people for vice and beastlinesse without any mixture of goodnesse and ciuilitie they are as blockishe as Asses making no accompt at all to kyll them selues In the fyft Decade is written by P. Martyr or geathered rather by him out of Ferd. Cortesius relations the conquest of that portion of the West Indishe continent that lyeth in the hot zone neare the Tropike of Cancer betwyxte our Weste sea and Mar del zur the chiefe prouince wherein is Mexico and the principall citie Themistitan This region after that it was conquered by Cortesius beganne to be called Noua Hispania newe Spayne for the lykenesse thereof vnto the Spanysh kyngdome in nature of soyle greatnesse disposition of the ayre other such lyke thynges as Cortesius him selfe writeth vnto Charles the fifth humbly desiryng his maiestie to allowe of that name Some later wryters haue gyuen the particuler name of one shyre vnto the whole callyng it Mexico and the generall name of that whole shyre to the head citie therein calling Themistitan lykewyse Mexico howbeit in trueth Themistitan is the principal citie in Mexico prouince Mexico the chiefe prouince in all newe Spaigne Of this countrey the commodities it doeth yeelde the nature of the inhabiters partly you haue already seene in Gon. Ferd. Ouiedus historie Fol. 221. and chiefely Fol. 225. The kyng of this countrey bare name Monte Zuma or Muteezuma as Cortesius that conquered him writeth â–ª in P. Martyr his Decades printed in Spaigne An. d. 1530. Meteezuma in his .4 â–ª Decade entituled de insul nuper inuentis to no. orb p. 506. Multoxumam as also in the last edition thereof at Cullen ioyntly with the three first decades the which our Printer in the translation hereof hath folowed in the discourse of the West Indies Ilandes Straunge names are many tymes diuersly written though in effecte they meane all one Henricus say we with the Frenchmen Henry the Almans Henreich the Italians Arrigo the Portugales Henrico as Barros speaking of king Iohn the first his sonne whom Cadamust called in his Nauigation Huric This kyng was so welthie so mightie his dominions so large that the inhabiters knew no other prince in all the worlde of him Cortesius had intelligence by Montegius and Portucarrerius and from him certaine rich presentes for his maister Charles Themperour as in the aforesayd discourse of the west Indish Ilands it hath ben sayde Wherefore the .16 day of August in the yeere of our Lorde .1520 Ferdinandus Cortesius with .15 light horsemen and fyue hundred footemen well appoynted besides three noble men of the citie Cempoal named Teuchius Mamexus
Tamaius and .13 hundred men of that countrey to serue in steede of packe horses for cariage after the maner there began to set forwarde from his Castle Vera crux towardes Themistitan in Mexico distant from thence Westwarde a hundred leagues or thereabout Cempoal standeth from Vera Crux .4 leagues eche league in this countrey is .4 Italian miles Foure dayes iourney from Cempoal Cortesius was enterteined curtuously by the inhabiters of a goodly shyre named Sienchimalen as also by the citizens of Texuacan after that he had passed with his army an exceedyng hygh hyll thicke clad with yse snow euen in the moneth of August The like enterteynment was offered him his companie as hee marched forward vntill he came to the Tascaltecans lande who are so great enemies vnto the Mexicans that liuyng amyd their dominions they had rather want their greatest necessaries to wit salt and cotton to cloath them than become subiects in any wise to the Prince of Mexico With these Tascaltecans Cortesius had three conflictes passing through their countrey in the ende valiantly gaue them the ouerthrow Tascalteca is a greater citie more populous and better serued than Granata in Spayne was at what time the Moores yelded their bread is made of Maiz that is Indish corne a very good seat for hauking hunting freshe water fishing sea fish is scarse for it standeth from the sea aboue .50 leagues of pulse good store This towne wals houses in number 20000. built of stone high strong in respect of the enemy euer at hand they keepe markets and fayres The people doth weare hose and maketh good accompt of Iewels precious stones of crestes bushes of feathers to set them foorth in the warres they garnishe euery thing with gold wood is brought to be sold to the market on mens shoulders timber boordes bricke lime stone are vsuall merchandise Theyr Carpenters Masons Potters are very skilfull There is no vessell wrought amongst vs more artificially than theyrs is Medicinable hearbes are solde openly They vse baths the nation politike gouerned in maner of a common wealth The whole circuit of this prouince is .90 leagues full of townes boroughes and villages hils and dales most â—ruitfull well stored of good souldyers in respecte of their enemyes rounde about them About one league of this citie encamped Cortesius by his spials vnderstanding the citizens not to mistrust or feare any inuasion tooke the strongest part therof by night in the morning came the best citizens to offer him all obedience Cortesius than returning with the victorie victuals to his campe found it in a troublesome mutinie for the great distresses present calamies they thought them selues to be in so far of from their owne country in the midst of their enemies This mutinie appeased he with good woords comfortable reasons persuading them their enemies to be weaker the spreadyng abroade of the gospell to be now in their hands them selues to be Spaniardes who esteeme not death to wyn glory a most happy death that to be where life is spent in the conquest of infidelles and barbares to lye by the sea side idlely that were to no purpose Thus appeased he the rebellious myndes of his companyons and after .20 dayes abode made in this prouince he led them into an other shire for pastures and riuers the most commodious for habitation best in all that countrey The principall citie hath name Churultecal as great as faire as Tascalteca and so gouerned vntil the king of Mexico oppressed it Here was Cortesius receyued with songes musicall instruments and trumpets by the priestes and children of the citie after their maner wel feasted The end of all this mirth was an vprore of the inhabiters agaynst him procured by the kyng of Mexico as it was supposed whereof Cortesius hauing secrete intelligence by a woman of Cempoal that folowed his Campe summoned a parle with the beste citizens of Churultecal at his owne lodging Those citizens first laid he fast by the heles than speedely with his army warned to be in a readinesse for that purpose set vpon the deceiptful Barbares of a soden before that they were throughly prouided and gaue them the ouerthrow The prince of Mexico acquitted him selfe of this vprore protesting by his Ambassadors to Cortesius that his disloyall subiectes the Churultecals had bruted that conspiracie vnder his name to doe him iniury whom they would not willingly obeye He sent withall rich presentes praying Cortesius to come to Themistitan promising him that he should want nothyng there notwithstandyng the harde prouision thereof in so barren a place altogeather in the water To conducte Cortesius thyther he sent also certayne Gentlemen for guydes and other of his nobilitie to receyue him as he came neare To speake of euery curtesie shewed him in this iourney and to wryte of euery place he passed and particulerly to rehearse euery dayes iourney euery hyll towne ryuer house and gardeyne by the way would breede ouermuche tediousnesse In fewe the Lordes of the countrey as he went vsed him well especially in Guazucingo prouince and Chialcho shyre the one whereof was violently oppressed by the prince of Mexico the other willingly subiect vnto him In the cold mountaynes he wanted no wood in the townes hee was prouided for and his companions who were of Cempoallens Tastaltecans Churultecans Gâ—zucinges in number .4000 of Spaniards not aboue .300 In this maner Cortesius accompanyed folowed came at the length into a vale bearing name Colua â–ª wherein be two meres the one salt water of .60 leagues in circuit the other a freshet Partly on the land partly in the salt meere standeth Iztapalapa a fayre towne from whence to Themistitan the royall seat of Mexico there lyeth a way on a stone wall two speares length broad built vp in the water by hand with infinite charges the wall serueth also for a bridge by this bridge sides stand three fayre townes Mesicalcingo Coluacan VVichilabusco The first is supposed to haue .3000 houses the second .6000 the third .4000 wel built especially their Towers their Temples wherin they doe sacrifice In these townes great aboundaunce of salt is made that serueth all such as doe acknowledge the Prince of Mexico for their Lord. Other be denied it as of the Tascaltecans it was sayde This salte meere rysing doeth flowe into the Freshet as it ebbeth the Freshet falleth into the salt meere agayne The freshe water may serue neuerthelesse for drinke the salte water becommeth not freshe therewithall The wall hath many draught bridges for warfare and sluses for passage where toll is payde vnto the kyng Halfe one league before you come to Themistitan where the lyke bridge or causey from the lande ioyneth with the aforesayde wal standeth a strong Castle double walled about with two strong Towers not possible to be conquered To this place came a thousande Gentlemen Courtiers foorth of the citie
to receyue Cortesius all apparelled a lyke saluting him one by one after theyr countrey maner to wytte touchyng the ground with theyr finger and than kyssyng it in signe of reuerence After all them came the kyng of Mexico Montezuma him selfe in the middle of the bridge accompanyed with two hundred of his nobles orderly two and two in better attyre then the other aforesayd but all on their bare feete though euery body in this countrey otherwise weareth shooes The kyng as he went leaued vpon the shoulders of two noble men the one wherof was his brother not that he needed any such helpe but for that the kynges of Mexico are woont so to be honoured as though they were holden vp by the strength of theyr nobilitie These two noble men Cortesius meeting with king Meteezuma and lyghtyng of his horse to imbrace hym dyd forbyd hym to touche theyr kyng as an vnlawful action in that countrey the rest of the kynges company came orderly to salute Cortesius after theyr maner Cortesius presented the kyng with a chayne of Bugle set with some Diamondes and Rubies of no great value but such as pleased the kyng who rewarded hym agayne with two other chaynes of gold wrought in maner of sea Crabbes Snails so returned into y e citie with Cortesius againe where he lodgyng hym in the royal pallace erected therein for hym a throne and presented hym the seconde tyme with other riche gyftes and prouision of all thynges necessary for hym and his trayne All the bridge length as he went with the kyng stoode on eche syde certayne great Temples wherein were sacrificed slaues and chyldren payed for tribute by kyng Meteezumaes vassalles Neere vnto Cortesius throne kyng Meteezuma had his clothe of estate where vnto the Spaniardes before his nobles there assembled he spake in this sort Noble and valiaunt men of armes in the feelde and mercyfull Capitanes vnto such as do yeelde them selues you are welcome into this countrey Of auncient tyme we haue hearde and in our old Chronicles we do reade that neyther I nor any of this land be auncient inhabiters hereof but aliens and forreyners brought hyther by a great prince vnto whom we were al subiect While this prince leauyng vs heere went home agayne to see his countrey our forefathers maried had issue buylded vp houses and erected certayne cities so that at his returne we neyther woulde go backe agayne with hym nor acknowledge him for our prince any more Wherfore we haue been euer of opinion that his posteritie woulde come to recouer this countrey and make vs his subiectes againe Consyderyng then the place from whence you say that you do come and that which you gyue vs to vnderstand of your great and myghtie lorde and kyng that sent you hyther we be throughly perswaded that he is our true Lorde so muche the more for that as you say he hath long since knowen that we dwelt heere Assure your selues therfore that we wyll all yeelde vnto you and acknowledge you our lordes in his name that sent you in this wyll we not fayle we wyll not deceyue you all my dominions shall you rule for all my subiectes shall obey commaunde all that we haue for you be nowe in your owne prouince and house Be ye mery and refreshe your selues after your long trauayle and many laboures in the warres I am not ignorant what hath happened vnto you all the way I doubte not but that the Campoales and Churultecanes haue said euyl of me vnto you but I pray you geue no credit vnto any mans wordes concernyng me especially vnto my enimies some wherof hauing ben my subiectes at your commyng are gone from me and do report vntruethes of me to purchase therewith your fauour I knowe that they beare you in hande that my seate the furniture of my house the very walles therof are beaten golde Furthermore that I am a God that I fayne my selfe a God and suche lyke toyes but you see all thynges here are made of lyme stone and earth Do you not see that I am made of fleshe and bone mortall and corpulent you see they haue not sayde the trueth I haue in deede certayne place lefte me by my forefathers what soeuer I haue it shall be yours dispose thereof as you thynke good I wyll nowe departe to other of my houses where I am woont to lye I wyll see that neyther you nor your trayne want any thyng be ye of good cheare be gladde for you are in your owne countrey you be in your owne houses Cortesius aunsweared in fewe and to the purpose especially concernyng that poynte the kyng of Spayne to be that prince whom they looked for After syxe dayes spent there ioyfully noyse was brought to Cortesius of certaine murthers and iniuries offered vnto the Spanyardes in a towne of Muteezumaes dominions and that by Muteezuma his consent This occasion tooke he throughly to bryng Muteezuma in subiection And fyrst he caused hym to keepe that house wherein Cortesius laye then to sende for the malefactors whom Cortesius openly executed by whose confession Muteezuma founde gyltie was for a tyme set by the heeles but delyuered agayne by and by confessyng his faulte and promysyng all loyaltie and dewtie chose rather to remayne a trew subiect in Cortesius palace then to lyue abrode at libertie like a kyng as in effect he shewed both in sendyng abrod commission to discouer the golde mynes throughout all his dominions at Cortesius motion in geatheryng togeather great summes of golde and treasure to be presented vnto the Spanyshe kyng in geuyng both counsayle and the meanes howe to conquer crftelie prince Cacamozin Muteezumaes vassall refusyng all obedience vnto the Spanyardes finally in a publike assembly exhortyng all his nobles to acknowledge the kyng of Spaine for theyr soueraigne Lorde and to yeelde vnto hym that obedience and in his name to Cortesius that duetie whiche he hym selfe was woont to looke for at theyr handes The processe was written by publike notaries confyrmed by the nobles and a copie thereof delyuered vnto Cortesius Mexico prouince enuyronned about with hygh and Alpyshe mountaynes standeth in a playne countrey in circuit .70 leagues about the greatest part whereof are two Meres the one of salt water the other of freshe The two lakes go one into the other at a streict caused by litle hylles that runne amyd all the foresayde playne This streict is passed by boate out of the one lake into the other to all the townes standyng on either syde of the aforesayd lakes Our Indyshe wryters name the boates Canoa the Indians call them Aâ—caler troughes as it were all of one peece I haue traueyled in the lyke vpon the ryuer Sone in the edge of France neere hygh Burgundie In the mydst of the salte Mere two leagues euery way from the lande standeth that ryche and welthy citie Temixtitan or Themistitan no lesse in quantitie then Siuilia or Corduba in Spayne From the land
vnto it lye foure wayes or walles built vp out of the water two Speares length brode commodiously for suche as trayuayle thyther by lande with sundrye draught brydges by the way to cut of inuasions if neede were Of these foure wayes one was that where Cortesius met with kyng Muteezuma In one of these walles or bridges freshe water is brought from the lande into the citie by two gutters no lesse in quantitie then hoggesheades the one thereof serueth when y e other is either stopped or musty The streats are streight many in number built much after the maner of Uenice both to go by lande and by water The brydges ouer the water in this citie be made of woodde of suche breadth that tenne may passe ouer them togeather so many in number that it were a thyng almost infinite to recken them The number of houses therein amounteth to .60 thousande Amongest other one streate is very large sumptuously buylte and famous for all sortes of merchaundies that prouince yeeldeth wont to be solde there .60 thousande merchauntes as it is thought dayly haunt that streat There are solde sundry sortes of mettales iewelles fruites foule hearbes and all other necessaries seruyng for meates clothes warfar buyldings and pleasure For euery speciall kynde of merchaundies is appoynted a speciall standyng by it selfe They sell by tale and measure the vse of weyghtes as yet they haue not Theyr mony is a kynde of Nutte shels of the kyrnell it selfe is made theyr drynke The tree is planted vnder the bowes of some other for defence vntyl it be growen strong hable to abyde the heate of the Sunne then is the fense tree cut downe and that let to continue many Lordes haue thereof great reuenewes in that countrey Steele and Iron they want in steede whereof they vse to make theyr instrumentes of a kynde of harde stone wherewith they woorke golde syluer copper brasse exellently wel in what fourme or shape so euer they lyste You can not shewe them any kynde of thyng but they wyll drawe it and set it out most lyuely in metall so cunnyng artificers they be To the markets all thinges are brought eyther by water in Canoaes or on slaues backes There standeth a goodly palace in the market place for iudgement There be resydent alwayes .x. or .xii. graue senators to see good order kept in that streate to decide controuersies happenyng there to punyshe offenders Other see what is to be solde in the market and what measure is made Many gorgeous temples be in this citie many goodly towers buylte where noble men haue ben buryed with gallant chappelles to theyr Idolles many princely palaces for that all the nobilitie of that countrey lyeth some parte of the yeere in the citie and the best citizens great ryche men The good order and policie in so barbarous a nation is wonderfull to beholde Concernyng their abhominable Idolatry Cortesius is worthy of great commendation for the throwyng downe the Idoles where he came beyng a stranger though the princes of that prouince and Meteezuma also tooke it not well principally in the palace persuadyng them that it was not seemely for a kyng to worshyppe that whiche a knaue or slaue of his had made Euery noble man hath besydes the palaces in the citie his castle souldiers receyuers other officers in the countrey and neere the court gallant houses for recreation with pleasaunt gardens orchardes pondes other the lyke delightes The noble men and Gentlemen of this countrey can not be fewe in number whereas dayly the court is furnished with fyue hundred young gentlemen besydes the multititude of seruyng men that attende on them And the fashion in this countrey is of all the nobilitie to sende theyr sonnes for education sake vnto the Court although many of them dwel an hundred and fyftie or two hundred leagues of So large so myghtie is the kyngdome of Mexico yet so well gouerned the kyng so duetyfully obeyed of all his subiectes aswel absent as present eche shyre yeeldyng and duely paying vnto hym the commodities therof according to theyr custome that Cortesius thinketh no prince in the world to be more feared reuerenced of his people The kyng hath sundry goodly pallaces and in them many ryche and costly ornamentes of golde of syluer of feathers so artificially wrought that neyther any sort of needle worke nor kynde of picture may seeme to make the lyke shewe Among the rest three special houses of recreation the kyng hath in his palace In one of them are a number of moustrous and defourmed persons dwarfes crookebackes syngyng men by nature twoo headed monsters and others with theyr keepers The second house is so large that in it commodiously two kynges may be resident The place is set foorth with many Alabaster Marble pyllers ten goodly pondes therin well stored with fyshe and foule of al sortes that eyther do lyue in the water or on the lande with their keepers and diuersities of meates for theyr diuers natures In this place kept he also young chyldren that had whyte heades were of fayre complexion aswel boyes as gyrles The thyrde house serued for Lions Tygers Wolues Foxes and other the lyke wylde beastes eche sort in theyr seueral dennes The least of these three houses is so well buylt that the kyng at his pleasure may lodge therein with all his court The prince is thus serued Fyue hundred gentlemen at the least with theyr folowers gyue attendaunce at the court al the day long though they come not alwayes in the kynges syght These gentlemen syt downe to dynner when the kyng sytteth and do fare as well as he their folowers haue theyr reuersion The buttrey cellar pantry and other offices neuer shut come in who wyll meate drynke he can not want The hall wherein the kyng dyneth is matted vnder foote his meate is brought vp by .300 young men pensioners fleshe fyshe fruites salates of all sortes vppon chaffyng dyshes in the wynter to keepe the meates warme These wayters neuer come neere the boord for the kyng sytteth on a leather cushyng artificially wrought at a table raylled about within the precincte whereof standeth his Sewer to set hym downe those meates he lyketh of best At his ryght hande syxe olde men syt downe vnto whom the kyng hym selfe carueth The kyng washeth before meate and after he is serued in earthen dyshes his cuppes be of the same mettall he shyfteth hym selfe foure tymes a daye Whatsoeuer he hath once vsed be it apparell â–ª napery or any other kynde of housholde stuffe it is neuer brought hym any more to vse but bestowed by hym vpon his seruauntes or frendes at conuenient tymes For honour sake eche one commeth into the palace barefoote in most humble wyse they come before the king when they are called bowing downe theyr heads theyr eies to the ground It were great presumption to looke the king in the face when he talketh with any of them
at the same place where Muteezuma tooke his deaths wound Cortesius exhorted them to peace otherwise threatning the vtter decay ruine of that their so famous and noble a citie with protestation of pietie on them whom once he had taken to be his friendes promising pardon for that which was done and settyng downe what befel vnto other nations that refused his friendshyp The Mexicans making small accompte of his woordes answered that they tooke him for no friend but for their enemy that he should depart with all his trayne out of their countrey if he would haue peace otherwise they woulde so long continue theyr siege vntill by force they had dryuen him out though for euery Spanyarde slayne there dyed a thousande Mexicans for his friendshyp they cared not pardon they asked not most willingly they would all dye so that they might deliuer their posteritie from the Spanyshe tyranny Wherefore Cortesius waying with him selfe the great daunger that presently might ensue for want of victualles if he stayed the Mexicans continuing their assalte for perill to be stopped at the draught bridges if he departed so muche the more for that these Barbares were not ignorant of .70 thousand ducates heaped vp togeather by him in that prouince set vppon them the seconde tyme with the aforesayde engines but all in vayne So stoutly their enemyes defended them selues and so fiercely they resisted the assalte giuen Chiefly the Spaniardes courage appeared in winnyng of a certayne Tower that alwayes commaunded them nexte in the ruine of such houses as for the nearenes thereof bred them great incombrance and perill After many woundes receyued and great slaughter done on both sides the principal citizens counterfectyng a conclusion of peace promysed obedience vnto Cortesius so that all deedes past myght be forgotten Cortesius lykyng well thereof at their request set free a priest he had of theirs in prison to deale betwyxt them and throughly persuaded that no guyle was ment withdrew his company from skirmishing But he was no sooner set downe to dynner after his restlesse afflictions and continuall labours but the Mexicans tooke the towne bridges and voyded the trenches which Cortesius for passage had caused to be filled vp Presently therefore he rushed out amongst them agayne with his horsemen but the iourney went so hardly with the Spanyardes that Cortesius wounded in the head was scarsly able to retyre agayne many of his company were slayne such as escaped were not able to continue in the fielde any longer wearyed with blowes worne out with hunger It remayned only that now they eyther presently must peryshe or els depart out of the countrey By nyght therefore Cortesius and his souldyers priuely thought to slyp away with Muteezumaies children and certayne of the Mexican nobles captiues charging the Spanysh kyng his officers with the fifâ—h part of his treasure and takyng the residue thereof with him But the Barbares hauyng intelligence thereof oppressed them in the way tooke theyr goods slue many of the Spaniards and with them their captiues if happely any escaped they were such as marched in the most for both the vangarde and rereward were altogeather discomfited and lost to the number of .150 Spanyardes 42. horses .2000 Tascaltecans and Guazuzings that ayded them Thus paynefully with great daunger and no lesse griefe Cortesius lefte Themistitan pursued by his enemyes that folowed him nothyng holpen by the way as he repayred home refreshyng his Campe with a dead horse after fyue dayes spent with the foode of parched corne and that in small quantitie before he came to Tascalteca The Tascaltecans curtuously enterteyned him and his with whom he made his abode .20 dayes to refreshe his wearyed army that done he conquered other cities in that prouince eyther enemyes vnto the Tascaltecans as Tepeaca where he buylte for safetie of passage Segura la Frontera or suche as for feare of the Mexicans had not yeelded them selues before to wyt Guaccachiulla Izzuca and other principall townes therabout Finally he sendeth for horsemen and shot out of the Ilande Hispaniola wynneth many Barbares fauour assistance agaynst the Mexicans maketh prouision of .13 flye Boates to annoye by water the citizens of Themistitan Meteezumaes Nepheu Catamazinus the new kyng of Mexico fearyng on the other syde the Spanyardes returne and seeing many of his subiectes to fall from him wanteth not in any wyse to set all thinges in a readinesse for warres especially pykes to annoye the horsemen whom they most dreaded Eightiene leagues from Tascalteca towardes Themistitan standeth Tazuco a goodly citie of the Mexicans Cortesius fyrst of all tooke this citie caused his prouision for fly Boates wrought in Tascalteca to be brought thyther Such was the hatred of the Tascaltecans and Guazuzings agaynst the Mexicans that they carried the tymber vppon theyr shoulders from Tascalteca to Tazuco without any grudging for the prouision aforesayde From Tazuco Cortesius cut a passage into the salte Mare of Mexico to bryng his flye Boates to the siege of Themistitan this trenche three Englyshe myles long and foure fathome deepe was finyshed by .8000 pyoners of that countrey in fyftie dayes This nauy annoyed very muche the citizens in destroying theyr sculles and troughes and stopping their passage from place to place besydes the assalâ—e giuen therewith to the towne it selfe Cortesius army euer as it came destroyed all suche places by the way that either persecuted him fleeing away before or presently might domage his returne The citie he besieged in three places at once after that hee had cutte of all the freshe water conductes and taken the wayes and bridges and stopped all passage for any enemy of his into the towne the number of his souldiers amounted vnto .120000 for out of all the countrey about the Barbares came with Cortesius some for libertie some for friendshyp some for hope of gaine The siege lasted neuerthelesse ten weekes in the ende whereof with continuall battry the citie defaced and more than .100000 citizens worne out partly in fight and partly wasted with misery and hunger Cortesius tooke theyr new kyng priuely walkyng in a secret corner of the lake and subdued throughly with him the citie Themistitan .14 townes by the lake syde all the Mexican realme and prouince vnto the Spanyshe crowne in the iurisdiction whereof it doeth presently remayne The spoyle of the citie in value great Cortesius diuided amongst the Spanyshe souldyers reseruyng the fyfth parte therof and certayne fine feather woorkes the whiche he sent into Europe to be presented vnto Charles the fyfth kyng of Spayne and Emperour than in Germanie Who lysteth to see this hystorie more at large may reade Cortesius Nauigations and Frauncis Lopez woorke thereof written in the Spanyshe tongue made not long since Italian by Lucius Maurus and if I be not deceyued nowe a doyng into Englyshe An abridgement thereof I promysed or a commentary as Caesar termeth suche kynde of wrytynges to gyue other men occasion to
by the Emperour of Moscouia and the Sophi of Persia as hereafter shall appeare where we will wryte of the sayde priuileges Maister Ienkinson at his first commyng founde some difficultie to obtayne the Emperours licence to goe into Persia but at the length by friendshyp made hee gaue him both licence to goe and also gaue him letters commendatorie vnto the Sophie and committed also to him certayne affayres of his to doe there And after certayne banquettes and honourable enterteynment accompanied him with an Ambassadour of Persia who had been long in his Courte Therefore saylyng ouer the Caspian sea they arryued on the West syde thereof Not farre from thence is a towne named Darbent where is a very strong Castell of stone made by Alexander Magnus and a wall of the length of thirtiene dayes iourney whicâ—e he made when he kepte warres agaynst the Persians and Medians that the inhabitauntes of that countrey then newly conquered shoulde neyther lyghtly flee nor his enemyes inuade them This Darbent is now vnder the dominion of the Sophie and in the latitude of .41 degrees From Darbent to Bilbec or Bilbil the porte and harborowe where they discharge theyr goods is halfe a dayes saylyng And from thence to Sharuan is ten dayes iourney This towne standeth in a valley is in the countrey of Media in the whiche towne also remayneth the Soltan or gouernour of Media vnder the Sophie In the meane tyme the Kyng of Media named Abdalica cosen vnto the Sophie came thyther and honourably enterteyned maister Ienkinson and the Englyshe merchauntes which were with him and made them a great banquet causyng maister Ienkinson who was then rychely apparelled in silke veluet and scarlet as became an Ambassadour for the Queenes maiestie to sit downe somewhat farre from him The Kyng him selfe dyd sitte in a very ryche Pauilion wrought with silke and golde of the length of sixtiene fatham or thereabout placed on a hylles syde hauyng before him a goodly fountayne of fayre running water wherof he and his nobilitie dronke He was rychly apparelled with long garments of silke and cloth of golde brodered with pearle and pretious stones Uppon his head he had a Cappe with a sharpe ende of halfe a yarde long standyng vpryght of ryche cloth of golde wrapped about with a piece of Indian silke of twentie yardes long wrought with golde On the lefte syde of his Tollepan so is the cappe called was a plume of feathers set in a troonke of golde rychly inameled and set with precious stones At his eares he wore earerynges with pendantes of golde and stones a handful long with two great Rubies of great value in the endes therof All the grounde within his Pauilion was couered with Carpettes and vnder him selfe was spred a square Carpet wrought with siluer and golde and therevppon were layde two sutable Cussions Thus the kyng and his noble men satte in his Pauilion with theyr legges acrosse as doe Taylers Yet commaunded stooles to be gyuen to our men bycause they coulde not sitte so then caused meate to be sette before them and made them a banquet of a hundred dyshes of meate and as many of fruites and conserues After the banquet he caused them to goe with him a huntyng and hauking in the which they killed certayne beastes and Cranes Maister Ienkinson founde so much fauour with this kyng that at his departyng he commended him to the Sophie with his letters and also wrote in his fauour to his sonne being then in the Sophies courte So that after his commyng thyther by his meanes he came at the length to the presence and speache of the Sophie whiche otherwyse he should haue done very hardly by reason of the Turkes Ambassadours which then were there and resisted his affayres with many persuasions to the Sophie and other of his nobilitie agaynst the Christians as mortall enemies both to the Turkes and Persians and theyr religion And whereas a whyle before a perpetuall peace and amitie was concluded betweene the Turke and the Sophie the Ambassadours woulde persuade him that his friendshyp with the Christians or contracte with them touchyng any affaires and especially suche as myght be preiudiciall to the Turke or any of his subiectes myght engender newe suspitions and occasions of breache of the laâ—e concluded peace with many suche other surmised accusations Wherevppon the Sophie stayde and prolonged the tyme before he woulde admit maister Ienkinson to his speache At the length when by the friendshyp and fauour of Kyng Abdalaca and his sonne with other friendes made in the courte the tyme was appoynted that maister Ienkinson shoulde be heaâ—de there was one that came to him without the courte gate before he lyght from his horse on the ground and gaue him a payre of shooes sent from the Sophie suche as he him selfe was wonte to weare in the nyght when he ryseth to pray willyng him to put them on his feete for that it was not otherwyse lawfull for him beyng a Gawar or Caffer that is a mysbeleeuer to treade vppon that holy grounde When hee came to his presence he demaunded of him of what countrey of Frankes he was meanyng by Frankes Christians For they call all Christians Frankes that is Frenche men as we commonly call all Mahumetans Turkes although there bee many Mahumetans of other nations besyde Turkes He answered that he was a Christian of the best Frankes of the countrey of Englande declaryng further vnto him the cause of his commyng thyther to be for the great commoditie of him and his subiectes by the way of merchandies as myght further appeare by the letters directed vnto his maiestie from the Queene of Englande his Prince and the Emperour of Moscouia Muche more talke had he with maister Ienkinson not here to be written but by reason of the Turkes Ambassadours at this present was no great thyng done heerein to the preferment of the merchantes affayres Yet he commaunded that maister Ienkinson shoulde be honourably vsed and sent him certayne ryche apparell At this tyme was also in the Sophies courte the sonne of the Kyng of the Georgians a Christian Sismatike as they are nowe called The same tyme also a sonne of the Turkes who had before attempted somewhat agaynst his father and fledde to the Sophie was by him at the Turkes request deteyned in prison And vppon the late conclusion of peace the Turke required the Sophie to send him his head which hee graunted and sent it him by the sayd Ambassadours This voyage of maister Ienkinson was in the yeere .1561 Here foloweth such informations as was gyuen mee by maister Geferie Ducate principall Agent of the merchanteâ— for the last voyage into Persia in the yeere of our Lord â–ª 1568. beginning in the dominion of the Sophie at the citie of Shamaki in Media bycause the beginning of the voyage from Moscouia hytherto is declared heere before SHamaki is the fayrest towne in all Media and the chiefest commoditie
of that countrey is rawe silke and the greatest plentie thereof is at a towne three dayes iourney from Shamaki called Arashe and within three dayes iourney of Arashe is a countrey named Groysine whose inhabitauntes are Christians are thought to be they which are otherwise called Georgians there is also much silke to be solde The chiefe towne of that countrey is called Zeghaui from whence is carryed yeerely into Persia an incredible quantitie of hasell Nuttes all of one sorte and goodnesse and as good and thyn shaled as are our Fylberdes Of these are caryed yeerely the quantitie of 4000. Camelles laden Of the name of the Sophie of Persia and why he is called the Shaugh and of other customes THe Kyng of Persia whom here we call the great Sophi is not there so called but is called the Shaugh It were there daungerous to call him by the name of Sophi bycause that Sophi in the Persian tongue is a begger and it were as much as to call him the great begger He lyeth at a towne called Casbin whiche is situat in a goodly fertile valley of three or foure dayes iorney in length The towne is but euyll buylded and for the most part all of brycke not hardened with fyre but onely dryed at the Sunne as is the most part of the buyldyng of all Persia. The kyng hath not come out of the compasse of his owne house in .xxxiii. or .xxxiiii. yeeres whereof the cause is not knowen but as they saye it is vppon a superstition of certayne prophesies to whiche they are greatly addicted he is nowe about fourescore yeeres of age and very lustie And to keepe hym the more lustye he hath foure wyues alwayes and about three hundred concubynes And once in the yeere he hath all the fayre maydens and wyues that may bee founde a great way about brought vnto hym whom he diligently peruseth feelyng them in all partes takyng suche as he lyketh and puttyng away some of them which he hath kept before And with them that he putteth away he gratifieth some suche as hath doone hym the best seruice And if he chaunce to take any mans wyfe her husbande is very glad thereof and in recompence of her oftentymes he geueth the husbande one of his olde store whom he thankfully receyueth If any straunger beyng a Christian shall come before hym he must put on a newe payre of showes made in that countrey and from the place where he entereth there is dygged as it were a causye all the way vntyll he come to the place where he shall talke with the kyng who standeth alwayes aboue in a gallerye when he talketh with any strangers and when the stranger is departed then is the causye cast downe and the grounde made euen agayne Of the religion of the Persians THeyr religion is all one with the Turkes sauyng that they dyffer who was the ryght successor of Mahumet The Turkes saye that it was one Homer and his sonne Vsman But the Persians saye that it was one Mortus Ali whiche they woulde proue in this maner They say there was a counsayle called to decide the matter who shoulde be the successour and after they had called vppon Mahumet to reuele vnto them his wyll and pleasure therein there came among them a litle lizarde who declared that it was Mahumetes pleasure that Mortus Ali should be his successour This Martus Ali was a valiant man and slewe Homer the Turkes prophet He had a swoorde that he fought withall with the whiche he conquered all his enimies and kylled as many as he stroake When Mortus Ali dyed there came a holy prophet who gaue them warnyng that shortly there woulde come a whyte Camell vppon the which he charged them to lay the body and swoorde of Mortus Ali and to suffer the Camell to carye it whether he woulde The whiche beyng perfourmed the sayde whyte Camell caryed the swoorde and body of Mortus Ali vnto the sea syde and the Camell goyng a good way into the sea was with the swoorde and bodye of Mortus Ali taken vp into heauen for whose returne they haue long looked for in Persia. And for this cause the kyng alwayes keepeth a horse redye sadled for hym and also of late kepte for hym one of his owne daughters to be his wyfe but she dyed in the yeere of our Lorde .1573 And saye furthermore that yf he come not shortly they shal be of our beleefe much lyke the Iewes lookyng for theyr Messias to come and reigne among them lyke a worldly kyng for euer and deliuer them from the captiuitie which they are nowe in among the Christians Turkes and Gentyles The Saugh or Kyng of Persia is nothyng in strength and power comparable vnto the Turke for although he hath a great Dominion yet is it nothyng to be compared with the Turkes neyther hath he any great Ordinaunce of Gunnes or Harkebuses Notwithstandyng his eldest sonne Ismael about twentie and fyue yeeres past fought a great battayle with the Turke and sleue of his armye about an hundred thousande men who after his returne was by his father cast into pryson and there continueth vntyl this daye for his father the Shaugh had hym in suspition that he would haue put hym downe and haue taken the regiment vppon hym selfe Theyr opinion of Christ is that he was an holy man and a great Prophet but not lyke vnto Mahumet saying that Mahumet was the last Prophet by whom all thynges were finished and was therefore the greatest To proue that Christ was not Goddes sonne they saye that God had neuer wyfe and therefore coulde haue no sonne or chyldren They goe on pylgrymage from the furthest part of Persia vnto Mecha in Arabia and by the way they visite also the sepulchre of Christ at Ierusalem whiche they nowe call Couche Kalye The most part of Spyces whiche commeth into Persia is brought from the Iland of Ormus situate in the gulfe of Persia called Sinus Persicus betweene the mayne lande of Persia and Arabia c. The Portugales touche at Ormus both in theyr viage to East India and homewarde agayne and from thence bryng all suche Spyces as is occupied in Persia and the regions there about for of Pepper they bryng verye small quantitie and that at a verye deare pryse The Turkes oftentymes bryng Pepper from Mecha in Arabia whiche they sell as good cheape as that which is brought from Ormus Sylkes are brought from noo place but are wrought all in theyr owne countrey Ormus is within two myles of the mayne lande of Persia and the Portugales fetche theyr freshe water there for the whiche they paye trybute to the Shaugh or kyng of Persia. Within Persia they haue neyther golde nor syluer mynes yet haue they coyned money both of golde and syluer and also other small moneys of Copper There is brought into Persia an incredible summe of Duche Dolours which for the most part is there