Pacquin wherein the king keepeth his court is situated in 48. degrees The Empire is diuided into fifteene prouinces sixe maritime Cantan Foquem Chiqueuan Pantora Nanquij the rest inland Quichiu Iuana Quancij Suiuam Fuquam Cansij Xianxij Nonam Sancij The prouinces of Quinci Cantan and Foquem are diuided from the vplandish with mountaines like the Alpes but not aboue two daies iourney asunder Thomas Perez the king of Portugals ambassador made fower moneths iourney from Cantan to Nanquij alwaies bearing northerly It is not so spacious but it is as fertil for it yeeldeth not only what is fitting for humane life but whatsoeuer the delicate and effeminate appetite of man may lust after Many plants yeeld fruit twice or thrice a yeere and that not onely by the temperature of the aire but by the number of riuers and plentie of waters which doe both cause traffike through euery corner of the region and so water it on all sides that it resembleth a most pleasant and delectable garden plot Of this plentie there are two causes one the prodigall expences of the king in digging of trenches through the whole land sometime cutting through rockie mountaines sometime damming vp deepe vallies to make them leuell with high mountaines to draine the waters of lakes and marishes the other for that the whole region is situated vnder the temperatre Zone and in no place either by nature or mans industrie wanteth moisture so that all creatures taking nourishment of heate and moisture must needes here wonderously prosper In no place plants may take larger scope to spread their branches nor cattell larger walkes to wander in then in this countrie The last reason is for that the idle are neither seuerely punished nor altogether tolerated euery one is forced to doe somewhat no foote of land is left vnhusbanded nor dram of stuffe cast away vnwrought Amongst all admirables one thing is woorthie consideration that in Cantan they keepe fower thousand whales to grinde corne and rice In China euery one is set about somewhat according to his yeeres and strength one laboureth with his hand one with his foote one with his eie another must be dooing with his toong those onelie who are impotēt in their limes haue no friends liuing to succour them are prouided for in hospitals That none may excuse themselues in saying he can do nothing euery one is bound to learne his fathers occupation which is the reason that the children borne as it were tradesmen learne their fathers occupations before they perceiue it becomming in time most artificiall mechaniques He that can not liue at lande seeketh his maintenance at sea for that is no lesse inhabited then the land yea infinite housholds liue vpon the riuers in boats without comming to land for a long season Some of these liue by ferrying ouer people some by transporting passengers and their merchandise others keepe shops other vessels of lodgings for merchants and trauellers Whatsoeuer is needfull for clothing for foode or nourishment delight or case of a ciuill life is to be found in the midst of great riuers Many nourish all sorts of poultrie especially ducks in their vessels To hatch the egges and nourish the yoong ones they vse not the dams as we do but an artificiall heate in a manner as they do in Egypt especially at Cair All night he keepeth them in his boat at morning sendeth them to feede in the fields sowed with rice whence all day long hauing fed vpon the weeds to the great good of the husbandman they returne towards euening to their cages at the sound of a little bell or cimball Many liue by carrying fish both salt and fresh into the high countries for in the spring when the riuers rise through thawes and land-flouds so incomparable quantities of sea fish do abound in the hauens or creekes that the fishermen depart rather wearied then wanting This fish the skippers buy for a small matter of the fishermen and keeking them aliue in certaine vessels made for the purpose they transport them into prouinces farre remote from the sea There they are sold and preserued in pooles and stewes neere cities and great townes to serue the markets and tables of the Chinois all the yeere long Because it is forbidden any inhabitant to passe out of the land without leaue and therewith neither but for a time limited it must needs be that by the daily increase of people the countrey be euen pestered with inhabitation It hath beene obserued amongst themselues that for euery fiue that haue died seauen haue beene borne The climate is so temperate and the aire so wholesome that in mans memorie any vniuersall pestilence hath not beene knowen to infest the countrey Notwithstanding least any man should thinke this people to enioy all sweetes without some mixture of sower you must note that their earthquakes are more dreadfull to them then any pestilence to vs for whole cities haue beene swallowed and prouinces made desart by this punishment They choke vp the course of ancient chanels and make new where were neuer any before they lay mountaines leuell with the ground making hauocke of the people In the yeere 1555. a deluge breaking out of the bowels of the earth deuoured 180. miles of firme land with the townes and villages standing thereupon those which scaped the floud lightning and fire from heauen destroied There are saide to be in China 150. cities 235. great townes 1154. castles and 420. boroughes without wals wherein soldiers are quartered of villages and hamlets some of them conteining a thousand housholds the number is infinite for the countrey is so couered with habitation that all China seemeth but as one towne They haue two metrapolitan cities Nanquin and Panquin In Nanquin towards the north the king keepeth his court Vnder the iurisdiction of the one are seuen prouinces vnder the other eight Both of them are so spacious that it is a daies iourney for a horseman to ride from one end to the other Of the number of inhabitants no certainty can be produced but according to manuscript relations and report of trauellers it is said that the kingdome containeth 70. millions of liuing soules This is an admirable report and not to be beleeued if it be compared with the prouinces of Christendome but surely something aboue conceite is to be credited to these spacious populous and barbarous nations Let vs set the largenes of their prouinces the circuite of their cities their plentie and aboundance of all things and in all places either prospering by nature or mans industrie with their numbers and inhabitation and we shall finde a countrey like inough to affoord such a reckoning cities and dwellings able to containe them and nourishment sufficient to maintaine them Italy exceedeth not nine millions Germany excluding the Swissers and Netherlands not ten and with the foresaid prouinces not aboue fifteene which number peraduenture France may reach vnto Spaine is farre inferior to Italy Sicilie hath but
kings of Brama or Barmia but the Portugals of a more sound iudgement grounded vpon neerer neighbourhood call them kings of Pegu. And for that it may not seeme that what we write as concerning their infinite numbers is either fabulous or reported altogither vpon heresay because that now heerebefore and hereafter we shall haue occasion to discourse of this point we thinke it not amisse to spend some time in shewing how by what likelihoods both in this and the other barbarous dominions such huge and numberlesse companies are leuied and nourished First therefore it is a ground infallible that populous armies at home or abroad cannot long endure without great reuenues and a continuall sea of readie money for as the members of our bodie cannot mooue without sinewes nor motion auaile vs if ioints were wanting so without money an armie can neuer be gathered nor being gathered kept togither nor resolutely lead foorth to any piece of seruice if coine be wanting which preuenteth infinite mischances and draweth after it armour prouision victuals and whatsoeuer is necessarie for life or armes And sithence the wealth of Princes euen as of priuate persons from whose purses they supply their occasion hath limits and measure Let them not thinke to begin any long warre much lesse to continue it vnlesse they throughly prouide aforehand or are Lords of mines rich and inexhaustible for great treasures are soone spent and that which hath thriftily been gathered in peace must prodigally be disbursed in warre euen one yeere of warre wasteth the reprisals of many yeeres peace Which mooued a certaine Portugall captaine to tell king Sebastian prouiding for his iournie into Barbarie that warres should be performed with three streames the first of men the second of vittaile the third of siluer For all warres are exceeding chargeable but those most excessiue and beyond opinion which are managed far from home The great Turke in his Persian iourneies felt the smart hereof who though he were so potent a prince was notwithstanding constrained to raise the value of his coine and abase the allay so farre foorth that the Ianizars finding themselues aggrieued thereat raised commotions set fire on the citie of Constantinople and rifled a great part thereof Neither could the king of Spaine sustaine the burden of so many warres and in so remote prouinces if he trusted to no other supplies then those of Spaine but Fortune hath giuen him a countrie prodigall in mines of gold and siluer assuredly paying the expence of one yeere with the income of another This clotheth and feedeth the soldier bringeth them to a head and maketh them to march cheerefully vpon all seruices Iohn laques Triuulce being demanded how many things were necessarie in warre answered three Monie monie monie But these grounds onely holde when the burden of the warre lieth vpon the purse of the prince and his people for sometime it happeneth that the soldier liueth vpon the enemies countrie as did the Huns Vandals Gothes Arabians and in our daies Tamerlane They entred the prouinces without controle or resistance being vnprouided of forces and made pray and spoile of whatsoeuer came into their reaches they ransacked the cities and fed vpon the villages The like good lucke had the Portugals in the East Indies and the Castilians in the West but the one far better then the other for neuer any nation conquered with lesse cost so much as the Spaniards haue done in New Spaine and Peru. But let not any people thinke to doe so in these daies no not in Asia or Afrike much lesse in Europe where the vse of great ordinance is in perfection and the arte of fortification so ingenious that one castell shall be able to sustaine yea well prouided to wearie the forces of the greatest potentate The Turks at Zigeth a sinall castell in Hungarie approoued this which in the yeere 1566. Soliman belegered with three hundred thousand men of warre and at last forced but with so great a slaughter of his people that scant the third part of this huge armie returned to their houses In like manner the Portugals in the beginnings of their Indian acquisitions with a few soldiers and in little time woon admirable victories but when the Barbarians began to grow acquainted with artillerie to allure Carpenters and Masons to build them castels and to arme vessels to sea their courages became calme and there set an end to their plus vltra The like did the Spanish in the new world to their Non sufficit orbis For after their first good fortunes they found in Noua Hispania the Chichimechi and in Peru the Pilcosonij the Ciriguani and the Luchij people so well prouided to stop the furious course of their former victories that sithence in twenty seuen yeeres space they haue not beene able to adde one footes bredth to their new emperie In the vale of Aranco Tecapel and the kingdome of Chile when the inhabitants saw them to be wounded and slaine with the strokes of their arrowes and swords they neuer afterward vouchsafed them their former reuerence nor carried the woonted conceit of their immortalitie and now being beaten by experience they feare not the cariere of the horse nor the terror of the harquebuse If the warre be at or within our owne doores then is it easie to leuie strong and populous forces as we reade of the Crotons Sibarites and Gauntois who made head against the power of France with fourescore thousand fighting men For when the warre was made in these populous countries and neere at hand euerie man made one in the medle gallantly armed and well prouided with furniture and victuall to hold out certaine daies but when the warre continued longer then expectation for want of money and foode euerie man retired one to the plough another to his shop the rest to those trades whereby they sustained themselues and their families The Scots for want of wealth neuer made famous iourney out of the Iland but at home they haue lead mightie armies for a short time either to reuenge wrongs or defend their frontires euen as did the Romanes for certaine ages warring with their neighbours at their priuate charges They tooke the field euerie man prouided with victuall for two or three daies and in one battell and few howers finished that warre But in the iourney against the Veij the warre continuing beyond opinion the State was inforced to procure pay for the armie That armies may far casier be gathered in the east and in Africke then in Europe the reasons are many Those regions for the most part are more plentifull and copious of all necessaries for humane life the people of the south are better contented with little then we their diet is spare and simple onely to maintaine life and not excesse but the Europeans must eate and drinke not to sustaine nature but to comfort the stomacke and expell colds Wine which with vs is deerer then bread is not to be found amongst them their
reuenues They grieue the enimie with so much the more dammage by how much the neerer they are situated vnto them Of this effect was Cale is in the possession of the English the places which the Spaniards Portugals hold in Africke But the fortresses built in our owne borders serue to no other end then to defend what is alreadie ours that to our great disaduantage for as often as they are inuaded all things are done at a sudden and it cannot be auoided but somewhat will fall to the spoile of the enimie To ende with the king of Sweueland he is so much better able then the Moscouite to defend his territories by how much sea-forces ioyned to land-forces are able to preuaile against a state furnished with land-forces onely Poland THE kingdome of Polonia was neuer so great as at this day the great Dukedomes of Lituania and Liuonia being ioyned thereto It stretcheth from the flood Notes and Obra which diuideth it from Marchia and Odera which seperateth it from Silesia to Berâ—say and Boristhenes which two parteth it from Moscouia It reacheth from the Balticke sea to the riuer Niester which parts it from Moldauia and to the mountaines Carpathie which diuide it from Hungarie By this limitation from the borders of Silesia to the frontires of Moscouia betweene the west part and the east it containeth 120. Germain miles and from the vtmost bounds of Liuonia to the borders of Hungarie not much lesse So allowing the forme thereof to be round it is far larger then a man would take it to be It containeth many and goodly large prouinces as Polonia the great and the lesse Massouia Prussia Russia Volinia Liuonia and Lituania Among these prouinces Poland was found inhabited of the Polonians but Prâ—se part of Pomeran Podalia Volinia Masouia and Liuonia haue been obtained and gained by armes Lithuania and Saâ—otgathia prouinces of Russia were the inheritance of the house of Iagello For in the yeere 1380. Iagello then Duke of Lithuania tooke to wife the Princesse Hedinge the last of the blood royall of Polonia and was installed king on three conditions the first that he should become a Christian the second that he should cause his people to do the like the third that he should vnite his principalities to Poland These couenants were accomplished in our age when the race of Iagello ended For when the people were vnwilling by depriuing the heires which had right to the empire of their iust inheritance to subiect it to election they alwaies called vpon the performance of the conditions hoping that the nobilitie and people of Lituania would not loose their honor and dignitie by this mixture yet at last on the one side when they considered the issue of their Princes to faile for Sigismund Augustus was the last heire male and on the other side fearing the force of the Moscouite they agreed to vnion and election In times past Liuonia was the seate of the Dutch Knights and they had therein their chiefe gouernor whom they termed the Great Master But in the yeere 1558. being spoiled of the greatest part of their territorie by the great Duke of Moscouie they fled to Sigismund king of Poland who tooke them into his protection and vntill the raigne of king Stephen 1582 the prouince was neuer regained For the most part Poland is a plaine countrie and but for certaine mountaines rather hils then mountaines situated in the lesser Poland and diuiding it from Prusland all the residue of the countrie stretcheth it selfe into most ample plaines wherein are very many woods especially in Lithuania The greater and the lesser Poland are better inhabited then any other prouince of the kingdome The like may almost be spoken of Russia for the neerenes of the sea concourse to the hauens and situation of the riuers Prussia and Liuonia haue fairer cities goodlier buildings and by traffike and concourse of merchants greater plentie of riches For when the Dutch Knights were Lords of the countrie they builded cities like those of Germanie and all alongst the sea coast for the space of fowerscore miles many castles and places of good esteeme They haue many faire hauens of good woorth and are Lords of all the traffike between Poland and the Balticke sea which is a thing of great value and consequence For the riuer Vistula arising in the extremest bounds of Silesia watereth all Poland the lesse and part of the greater and Mazouia and Prussia and falleth into the Baltike sea below Danske whither it transporteth the greatest quantitie of Rie corne hony and waxe of the whole kingdome a iourney of fower hundred miles From another coast the most famous riuer Duina arising out of the lake Ruthenigo parting Liuonia into euen portions falleth into the sea about Riga a citie of great concourse There are in Prussia and Liuonia many lakes amongst which one is called the new sea one hundred miles long in Liuonia is a lake called Berhas more then 400. miles long from thence spring the riuers which running by Pernouia and Narue make two notable hauens for traffike Betweene these two cities standes Riualia giuing place to neither in beautie Samogithia is more rude and barbarous then the other prouinces and Podalia more barren which is not to be attributed to the nature of the soile for it is most plentifull of those commodities which the climate vnder which it lieth can affoord but to the crueltie of the Tartars which so vexe it with continuall inrodes that the inhabitants are driuen either to flie for feare or to be ledde away captiues of the barbarous Tartars The riches of Poland are the abundance of corne and all sorts of graine which grow there in so plentifull sort that in the yeere 1590. and 1591. it releeued not onely the bordring nations oppressed with famine and scarcitie but also yeelded some portion of releefe to the wants of the Genowaies Tuscane Rome It floweth with honie waxe whereas in all these northerly nations of Poland Lithuania Russia Muscouia there are no wines growing insteed thereof nature hath bestowed vpon them incredible quantities of honie whereof these people doe brew an excellent kinde of Beuerage The Bees make honie either in the woods where they finde the trees made hollow by rottennes or mans industrie or in hiues set in the open field by the countrey people or in holes of the earth or in any place where they can finde neuer so small a liking It aboundeth with flaxe and hempe with sheepe cattle and horses Amongst the beasts of the wood are found wilde oxen and wilde horses and the bufle which cannot liue out of the wood of Nazouia The riches of the land consist in the salt-pits of Bozena and Velisca in the territorie of Cracouia The reuenues of the kingdome for the most part are equally diuided betweene the noblemen and gentlemen for no man is left so rich by inheritance that he may excel others aboue measure and the greatest reuenue
of their bodie as blinde lame tall bold c. This king is verie puissant in people of whom he exacteth no other tribute then the tenths of the increase of their liuely hoods For exercise and insteed of occupations they giue themselues to steale to slay their neighbours and to take them prisoners and then to barter them for horses with the merchants of Barbarie He hath vnder him many kingdomes and nations some white some blacke He is an heauie enemie to the Abessines taking away their cattell rifling their mines and leading away the people in captiuitie His horsemen ride after the Spanish manner armed with lances steeled at both ends darts and arrowes but their inrodes resemble rather robberies and garboiles then wars managed by valiant soldiers The Turke likewise on the east and the king of Adel on the southeast do cruelly vexe him for they haue curtald his large dominion and brought his prouinces into great miserie In the yeere 1558. the Turke harried the whole territorie of Bernagasso but since expulsed and tooke from Prester Iohn whatsoeuer he was Lord of vpon that sea coast especially the hauen and citie of Suaquen and Erococo in which place the mountaines betweene Abex and the red sea make a gate as it were for the traffique and carriages of the Abessines and Arabians And sithence that Bernangasso was inforced to submit himselfe to the Turkish commands to buy his peace and in name of a tribute to pay one thousand ounces of gold yeerely The king of Adel is his no lesse infestious enemie he bordereth vpon the kingdome of Fatigar and his siegniorie stretcheth alongst the red sea as far as Assum Salir Meth Barbora Pidar and Zeila Many ships come from Aden and Cambaia to Barbora with merchandise which they trucke for flesh honie wax and vittail these commodities are carried to Aden gold iuorie and such wares are sent to Cambaia the greatest part of vittail honie wax corne and fruits brought from Zeila are carried into Aden and Arabia as likewise much cattell especially sheepe hauing tailes of 25. pound weight with heads and necks all blacke the rest of their bodies all white Of these cattell there are some altogether white with turning crooked tailes as long as a mans arme and dewlaps like oxen Some of their kine haue hornes with many branches like our deere othersome haue one horne in their forehead growing backward a span and halfe long The chiefe citie of this kingdome is Arar 38. leagues distant from Zeila towardes the southeast He professeth Mahumetisme and since his conuersion he hath intitled himselfe with the sirname of Holy aâ—owing continuall war against the Abessine Christians and therefore he watcheth the time of the foresaid fast of fiftie daies when he entreth their territories burneth their villages taketh prisoners and then committeth a thousand other mischiefes The Abessine slaues doe often leaue their countrie and take vpon them great iournies putting themselues in the seruice of great Lords where many times by their industrie and good carriage they become high commaunders in Arabia Cambaia Bengala and Sumatra For the Mahumetan princes being all tyrants Lords of those countries which they haue forced from the Gentils to secure their estates doe neuer trust their home-bred subiects but wage strangers and slaues vnto whose fidelitie they commit their persons and the managing of all the affaires of their kingdomes And amongst all sorts of slaues the Abessine is in greatest esteeme for his faithfulnes and towardly disposition The king of Adel ouerlaieth Egypt and Arabia with these slaues which hee changeth with the Turks and princes of Arabie for armour prouision of warre and soldiers In the yeere of our Lord 1500. Claud king of Abex perceiuing himselfe inferior to Grad-Ameda king of Adel for he had vexed his land with 14. yeeres incursions forsaking the frontires retired himselfe into the inward parts of his kingdome intreating for aide of Stephen Gama viceroy of India vnder Iohn the third king of Portugall who was then in the red sea with a warlike nauie In compassion of his miseries and religion he sent him fower hundred Portugall-shot very well furnished vnder the conduct of Christopher his brother By their aide and vse of their artillerie he ouerthrew his enemies in two battels but the king of Adel obtaining of the gouernor of the citie of Zebit one thousand harquebushers and ten pieces of ordinance in the third fight put the Portugals to flight and slew their captaine Afterwards when Adel had sent away these Turkes king Claudius set vpon him at vnawares by the riuer Zeila and the mountaine Sana with eight thousand footemen fiue hundred Abessine horsemen and the remainder of the liuing Portugals one of whome gaue Grada-Amada his deaths wound But in March 1509. Claudius fighting with the Moores of Malaca gaining the victorie was slaine in the battel Adam his brother succeeded against whom being a demi-Mahumetan the greatest part of the Abessine nobilitie rebelled and was ouerthrowne in the yeere 1562. by Bernagasso By this casualtie did the Aethiopian affaires ebbe flow vntill in the raigne of Alexander things began in some sort to returne to their ancient estate by the aide of the Portugals who furnished them with weapons both offensiue and defensiue and by their examples incouraged them to be stout and couragious against their enemies All that were liuing after the defeature of Christopher Gama and all that euer went thither since that day to this doe still remaine there marrying wiues and begetting children King Alexander gaue them leaue to elect a Iusticer and to end all matters of controuersie amongst themselues which maketh them so willing to stay and to teach them the vse of their weapons the manner of our warfare and how to fortifie passages and places of importance Sithence those times Francis Medices contracting friendship with the Abessine diuers Florentines some for pleasure and some for profit haue trauelled into those prouinces wherein when they are once entred the king intreateth them so faire and giueth them so largely whereupon to liue that they can hardly obtaine licence to returne againe into their owne countries Besides these he hath other enemies as the king of Dancali whose citie and hauen is Vela vpon the red sea and the Moores of Doba a prouince diuided into foureteene Lieutenantships These people though they are accounted within the limits of the Abessine Empire yet doe they often rebell hauing a law amongst themselues that no yoong man may contract matrimonie vnlesse he can bring good proofe that he hath slaine twelue Christians Monomotapa IN the residue of Aethiop raigne diuers powerfull princes as the kings of Adel Monomugi Monomotapa Angola and Congo of which as yet we vnderstand very little But that the Reader by the description of one may coniecture of the rest I wil speake somwhat of the state policie of Monomotapa because it is mightier and more famous then the rest This kingdome containeth all that Iland which lieth between the riuers of Cuama and Spirito Santo a territorie of 150. leagues in compasse and from Spirito Santo it stretcheth euen to the Cape of Good Hope for the Vizeroys of that huge tract do acknowledge him for their soueraigne and supreme gouernour of townes villages they haue few those cottages which they haue consist of timber and tâ—ach One of their chiefe cities is called Zimbas and other Benema taxa the one fifteene miles the other 21. distant from Cefala towards the west The soile aboundeth with corne with cattle great and small wandring by heards through the fields and woods By the store of teeth from thence transported we may coniecture that lesse then 5000. elephants cannot but die yeerely in this countrey These beasts are here very great There is no climate like it for plentie of gold for by report there are 3000. mines whereout gold is digged gold is likewise found in the earth in rocks and riuers The mines of Manica Boro Quiticui and Toroe which some men call Butua are the richest The people are meane of stature black wel set They conuerse with the king kneeling on their knees and to sit in his presence is the vse with them as with vs to stand and that is granted but to great lords The assay of meate and drinke is not made before but after the prince hath eate and drunke Heere are no prisons because law passeth vpon the offendor in the very moment wherein the offence was committed The offences most seuerely punished are witchcraft theft and adulterie They pay no other tribute but certaine daies worke and presents without the which no man may appeere in the princes presence The king beareth in his coat of armes a certaine little spade with an Iuorie handle and two small darts He keepeth for his faithfullest guard two hundred dogs He keepeth the heires of his vassall princes to be secured of their parents loyaltie One of the kings not long sithence was conuerted and Baptized by Gonsalua Silua a Iesuite with the greater part of his courtiers but afterwards by the perswasion of certaine Moores in great credite about him he caused him to be slaine Sebastian king of Portugall offended heereat proclaimed warre against him vnder the leading of Francisco Barreâ—â—o This armie consisted of sixeteene hundred the greatest part gentlemen to whom the Monomotapa fearing their armes and valour offered honorable conditions but the captaine whom no offer or indiffeferencie could satisfie was ouercome and his armie vtterlie consumed yet not by the enimie but by sicknes and the infectious aire of the countrey FINIS Faults escaped Page 17. lin 30. for lanciers read men at armes Page 20. lin 38. for defensible r. defeasible Page 24. lin 22. for supremacie r. soueraigntie Page 28. lin penult these words without relation to the kingly authoritie are superfluous Page 65. lin 30. for it might r. he might Page 65. lin 34. for he is immediate r. mediate he is Page 127. lin 24. for can be wanting r. cannot be wanting 1597.
because it hath few mountaines and is enuironed on euerie side with the sea the aire is verie milde and temperate euen there yea much more temperate then France which is farther distant from the Pole as you may perceiue by the vines wich neuer ripen in England and yet yeeld most perfect wines in France Likewise it happeneth verie often that the northren or western winde rising from the sea bringeth springtide in the winter season decking the fields with flowers and the gardens with herbes that the inhabitants of Turon Poictou and the Isle of France enioy as forward a sommer as those of Prouince or Lago di Garda The whole lande of France is fertill and fruitfull and euerie where plentifull of all good things And as the Apennine spreading almost ouer the fourth part of Italy for the most part is barren yeeldeth small store of fruit so on the cōtrary in the mountaines of Auuergne being but few stand many good townes and rich places where cloathing is exercised and from whence a good part of the kingdome is serued with flesh butter and excellent cheese the rest of the kingdome almost is plaine heere and there garnished with fruitfull hils and greene valleies in euerie place plentie doth as it were contend with varietie fertilitie with delicacie commodiousnes of situation with beautious cities Herein without all controuersie Italie giueth place to France for although some one corner thereof affoordeth exquisite pleasure and delightfull situation as Riuiera di Salo Campania the territorie of Croton Tarentum and some other cities of Calabria yet these are singular and few in Italy common and frequent in France especially in Burgundie Brie the Isle of France Turon Aniou Zantoin and Languedo◠in each of which prouinces it should seeme that nature her selfe hath diuided and as it were dedicated by allotment some places to Ceres some to Bacchus some to Pomona and some to Pallas But there is nothing in France more worthie the noting then the number and pleasure of the nauigable riuers whereof some as it were gird in the whole realme as Sagona Rhodanus Mosell Some others cut thorough the middle as Sequano Loire Garonne Into these three riuers fall so many other riuers some from the vttermost bounds some from the inmost parts of the realme that it maketh the whole countrey commodious for trafique and exchange of each others wants insomuch that by this facilitie of carriage entercourse of merchandize all things may be saide to be in common to the inhabitants of this kingdome In Aniou onely are fortie riuers great and small whereupon Katherin de Medicis was woont to say that this kingdome contayned more riuers then all Europe beside Truely this was a Hyperbolicall speech yet not much more then truth for the goodnes of the soile and easie transporting of commodities is the cause that there are so many cities and so many townes and those most commonly seated vpon the bankes of the riuers And although it haue many goodly hauens yet the vpland townes are fairer and richer then those that stand neerer the sea which argueth that their wealth is their owne and not brought from forreine countries for there the sea townes excell the land townes where more benefit and prouision is reaped by the sea then by the land as Genua Venice Ragusi but where the state and prosperitie of cities dependeth wholy vpon the land there the vplandish townes far surpasse the sea townes as Millaine and many other in Flanders Germanie and Hungarie All this notwithstanding although like goodnes of soile be proper to the whole realme of France as likewise the situation of the riuers commodious yet Paris except whose largenes proceedeth from the kings court the parliaments and the vniuersitie the townes there for the most part are but small and meane beautifull commodious and verie populous Iohn Bodin writing a description thereof in the time of Henrie the second saith that there were seuen and twentie thousand villages hauing parish Churches not comprehending Burgundie among them In another description written in the raigne of Charles the ninth it is saide that the number of the inhabitants exceeded fifteene millions And as the cities and townes of France may boast of their riuers so the Castles and villages of the noblemen are no lesse fauoured with the pleasure and strength of lakes and marishes which although they may not be compared to the lakes of Italy and Swizerland yet are they so many and so full of excellent fish that the numbers of the one may equallize the largenes of the others The same may be spoken of woods that they are not so spacious as plentifull out of these woods in times past the greatest part of the kings reuenues did arise and the noblemen do make great profite by selling great quantities thereof for firewood but greater by sales of timber trees for for want of stone the greatest part of their buildings consist of timber In regard of the commodious situation of these riuers seruing so fitly for the transportation of vittailes from one place to another this kingdome is so abundantly furnished with all plentie of prouision that it is able to nourish any armie in the fielde how populous soeuer When Charles the fift entred France first by Prouince and afterward by Champaigne it maintained more then one hundred fiftie thousand soldiers besides garrisons In the raigne of Charles the ninth and in our times also there were maintained in this kingdome 20000. horse 30000. footemen strangers and of French 15000. horse and 100. thousand footemen neither did the kingdome for this feele want or scarcitie There are in France as a man may terme them fower loadstones to draw riches from forreine nations corne caried into Spaine and Portugall wines transported into England Flanders and the inhabitants of the Balticke sea and salt wherewith the whole kingdome the bordering nations are plentifully stored This salt is made in Prouince of the salt water of the Mediterranean sea and at Bayon in Zantoine where the heate of the sunne ceaseth his vertue of getting making and boiling salt of sea water not daining to yeeld so great a fauour any farther northward I said of sea water because further north there may be salt found also but is made either of some speciall spring water as in Lorraine or compound of some minerals mixt with fresh waters as in Poland England and Germanie or else it is taken foorth of some salt mines and such in times past were in Sweueland but they are now decaied The fourth loadstone is canuasse and linnen cloth whereof what profit ariseth a man will hardly beleeue vnlesse he hath seene what abundance thereof is carried into Spaine and Portugall to make sailes and cordage for the furnishing of shipping There growes also Woad Saffron and other merchandize of smaller value which though they equallize not the abouesaid commodities yet rise they to a round summe yea such as may enrich a kingdome By reason of
comprehended the better part of the ancient threefold diuision of the earth He holdeth in Europe the whole sea coast which from the borders of Epidaurus stretcheth it selfe to the mouth of Tanais whatsoeuer lieth betweene Buda and Constantinople and from the Euxine sea to the banks of Savus is his In that perambulation is contained Hungarie all Bosnia Seruia Bulgaria Macedon Epire Greece Peloponnese Thrace and the Archipelago with the Ilands He holdeth in Asia and Afrike all that is betweene Velez de la Gomera and Alexandria in Egypt betweene Bugia and Guargula betweene Alexandria and the citie Siene and from the citie Suez as farre as Swachen The hugenes of this territorie may be imagined by the circuit of some of the parcels Palus Meotis which is wholy his spreadeth it selfe one thousand miles into the land two thousand and seuen hundred miles do hardly incompasse the Euxine sea The coast of the Mediterranean sea as much as is subiect to him containeth in circuit 8000. miles Egypt wholy his is esteemed fiue hundred miles long From Tauris to Buda is 3000. and 200. miles so far it is from Derbent vpon the Caspian sea to Aden vpon the red sea and from Balsara vpon the Persian gulfe to Tremissen in Barbarie is accounted little lesse then 4000 miles In the sea he is Lord of the most noble Ilands of Ciprus Euboea Rhodes Samos Chio Lesbos and many other in the Archipelago In this progresse are contained many most puissant kingdomes abounding with all sorts of sustenance for the vse of man What prouince is richer in corne then Egypt Africko Syria and Asia What region more flowing with all good things then Hungarie Greece and Thrace In these prouinces hath the Turke fower cities of inestimable wealth Constantinople Cair Aleppo and Tauris Constantinople exceedeth all the cities in Europe in populousnes for it is thought that there are therein more then 700. thousand persons which if it be true it is twice as much as may be said of Paris Aleppo is a great citie in Syria and the staple of the whole traffike of Asia Tauris was the seate of the kings of Persia but taken from them in our daies and thought to containe more then 200. thousand persons Amongst all the cities of Africke Cair by many degrees may challenge the principalitie though some men compare Cano to it for greatnes It may well be called the garner not onely of Egypt but of the greater part of Africke and India whose treasures being conueied by the red sea and from thence to Cair vpon the backs of camels are at length distributed through all the regions of the Mediterranean sea This Empire from finall beginnings hath risen to such greatnes partly by their owne armes partly by the discords of the Christians that at this day it is the onely terror of the Christian commonwealth It hath been their hereditarie practise to stand vpon their garde and to preuent their enemies in their iourneies to vse admirable celeritie to keepe their forces readie and to haue them at hand not to haue many irons at one time in the fire nor long to manage warre with one nation least by practise they become better warriors then themselues not to spend their time and treasure in voyages of base account nor at one cast to set at all but to proceede leisurely and aduisedly and which is not the least policie amongst many that their princes march in person in most of their actions Diuers other lessons they obserue by which in the space of 300. yeeres they attained vnto a most mightie dominion and that too since the yeere 1500. to this day they haue almost doubled Their gouernment is meerely tyrannicall for the great Turke is so absolute a Lord of all things contayned within the bounds of his dominions that the inhabitants doe account themselues his slaues not his subiects no man is master of himselfe much lesse of his house wherein he dwelleth or of the field which he tilleth excepting certaine families in Constantinople to whom for some good seruice immunitie was graunted by Mahumet the second Neither any man be he neuer so great standeth secure of his life his goods or estate longer then Durante beneplacito of the Grand-Seignior By two policies he establisheth this tyrannicall gouernment by disfurnishing the people of weapons and by putting all commands into the hands of renegados whom he taketh as tithe from their parents in their childhood By this subtilty he gleaneth the prouinces of the flower sinewes of their strength for the likeliest and ablest springals are chosen and secondly with the same meanes he armeth himselfe and secureth his estate For these Ianizars being taken from the laps of their parents and deliuered to the trayning of this or that schoolemaster are made Mahumetans before they perceiue it and so by reason of their yoong yeeres forgetting their father and mother depend wholy vpon the pleasure of the Grand-Seignior yeelding him all dutifull and acceptable seruice as their maintainer and aduancer to honor and riches His forces consist in horsemen footemen shipping corne and treasure As touching his treasure it is generally receiued that he inioyeth little lesse then eight millions of ordinarie reuenue And where some men thinke that out of so large a dominion a greater reuenue may be raised therein they deceiue themselues for not calling to remembrance that the Turkes giue their minds to nothing but warre nor take care of any thing else but prouision of armour and weapons courses fitter to destroy and waste then to preserue and inrich prouinces Hereupon to maintaine their armies and to continue their expeditions they doe so pill and spoile the people that they hardly leaue them wherewith to hold life and soule together And therefore the poore men not sure of so much as their houshold prouisions much lesse of their wealth which by time and industrie they may gather take no more paines about their husbandrie and traffique then they needs must yea no more then their owne necessitie as neere as they can shall inforce them to make cleere at the yeeres ende For say they why should we sow and another reape Or why should we reape and another deuoure the reward of our labours This is the cause that in the Ottaman dominions you shall see admirable huge woods all things laide waste few cities well peopled especially the better part of the fields lie vnmanured In our countries by the abundance of people ariseth the decrenes of victuals and in Turkie through the scar sitie of inhabitants The greatest number of the husbandmen perish with carrying prouision and other necessaries to the remote places through which their armies are to trauell In their galleies likewise falleth most commonly so great mortalitie that of ten thousand rowers haled from their houses scant the fourth part returneth againe This the rather happeneth because the Turkes in winter time moring their galleies do not inure their mariners and gally-slaues to the change of
legions of Britannie were transported into the continent Holland and the bordering countries reuoked and immediately after the Sarracens finding the frontires of the Empire without garrisons passed ouer Danubius The Alani woon the streights of the Caspian hils the Persians indeuoured to get them a name and reputation the Gothes wandered throughout Moesia and Macedonia the Frenchmen entred Gallia But Constantine the Emperor restored it to the former glorie made an end of ciuill warre and tamed the barbarous and cruell nations and had he not committed two faults the Romane Empire might long haue flourished The first was the translating of the Imperiall seate from Rome to Constantinople which action weakened the West and ouerthrew the Empire For it is more cleere then day that as plants remooued out of their naturall soile and transported into regions contrarie in temperature and aire retaine small vigour of their naturall vertue So humane actions but especially cities and kingdomes loose their glorie and splendour by these great alterations And for this cause the Romane Senate would neuer consent that the people should leaue Rome and dwell at Veij a citie far more pleasant and commodious then Rome especially after the sacking thereof by the Frenchmen The seate of Constantinople is so pleasant so commodious and so fertile that it is hard to iudge whether humane wisedome or nature shewed most industrie in the situation thereof There is no citie vpon the face of the earth better serued by land and sea on one side lie the most beautifull meadowes on the other side the pleasant vallies here rise the fruitfull hillocks there floweth and refloweth the plentifull sea yeelding all sorts of needfull and delicate prouision to the inhabitants thereof He that did see it would say that here stroue Bacchus with Ceres Pomana with Flora magnificence with plentie who should be most bountifull to this citie After the sea hath made many gallant bayes and safe roades whereof Bospherus onely in the space of fiue and twenty miles yeeldeth thirtie it runneth by the citie and countrie with so quiet and gentle a streame that the great ships bringing corne from Siria and Egypt and the riches of Trapezond from Capha doe seldome miscarrie Here is euermore haruest which now and then faileth in Thrace and Asia Here sholes of fish frisking and playing hard vnder the wals of the citie swim in such woonderfull abundance that he which hath not seene it will hardly beleeue it but he may easily be perswaded hereof that considereth how in the winter time the fish flying the cold places ascend by Pontus Euxinus euen in the view of Constantinople towards Propontus then shunning the heate of summer returne againe by the same way which they went before At these two seasons of the yeere the inhabitants as well for their profit as delight store themselues with great quantities thereof At this day on the Northeast part of the citie on the other side of the water is the towne of Pera on the North part is the Arsenall where the gallies are built and doe remaine and on the South side is all the ordinance artillerie and houses of munition To speake in a word there is no place fitter seated for plentie of all things for weakning mens valors for corrupting vertue with vice then this great and most stately citie of Constantinople prooued by the sloth and delicacie of the greatest number of the Greeke Emperors and their armies For if the pleasures of Tarent and the soile of the Siberites were inchantments sufficient to make men effeminate and quite alter the nature of the inhabitants if the delights of Capua could soften and quench the fierce courages of Hannibal and his soldiers if Plato deemed the Cyrenians incapable of discipline by reason of their long prosperitie what may wee thinke of Constantinople for situation proud for buildings sumptuous especially of their temples for beautifull and commodious hauens pleasant and delightsome aboue any other citie through the whole world To conclude when nothing can be more dangerous to a state then innouations what could be more hurtfull I may say desperate to the Romane Empire then that great so daine and vnlooked for mutation That good wel meaning Emperor in this did neither more nor lesse then as a man endeuouring to adde a greater grace to his bodie should place his face on his knees and his hart on his heeles The second fault of Constantine was the diuision of the Empire to his children ann Dom. 341. By this diuision of one Empre he made three and withall a memorable diminution of his authoritie and force For when his sonnes fell to ciuill dissention they consumed one another so cruelly that the Empire resembled a bloodlesse yea liuelesse bodie And though sometime vnder some one prince it stood on foote againe yet it remained alwaies subiect to diuision and departed into two Empires the east and the west till the comming of Odoacer king of the Herules and Turingi into Italy with a mightie host by which inuasion Augustulus was brought to such a narrow pinch that for despaire he cast himselfe into the protection of the east Empire This happened in the yeere of our Lord 476. And about this time the Huns passed Danubius Alaricus king of the Gothes tooke Rome the Vandals first spoiled Andoluzia afterwards Africke the Alans woon Portugall the Gothes conquered the greater part of Spaine the Saxons Britaine the Burgundians Prouince Iustinian restored it somewhat to a better staie driuing the Vandals out of Africke and the Gothes out of Italy by his captaines anno 556. But this faire weather lasted not long For in the yeere 713. the armes and heresies of the Mahumetans began to vexe the east Empire and shortly after 〈◊〉 the Sarracens wasted Syria Aegypt the Archipelago Africke Sicill Spaine In the yeere 735. they vanquished Narbon Auignion Tolouse Burdeâ—â— and the bordering regions Thus by little and little went the westerne Empire to ruine As for the easterne it stood so weake and tottering that with all the force it had it was scarce able to defend Constantinople against the armes of the Sarracens much lesse to minister aide to the westerne prouinces But in the yeere of our Lord 800. Charles the great king of France obtained the title of the westerne Empire which Ado bishop of Vienna remembreth in these words Vpon the holy feast day of the natiuitle of our Lord assoone as the mightie king Charles had made an end of his praiers Leo the Pope set the Imperiall crowne vpon his head whereat all the people with one voice cried Câ—â—olâ— Augusto 〈◊〉 Deo coronatâ— magno pacifico Imperatori Romanorum vita â— victoria The westerne Empire was diuided from the easterne in this sort that Naples and Sipont eastward with Sicill should belong to the Greeke Empire Bononâ—a should remaine to the Lombards the Venetians were neuters the popedome free the rest Charles should possesse Bloudus saith that the Empresse Iren gaue the first
the tenths of Ecclesiasticall liuings in mines tributes customes The profits of the Church liuings amount to a good summe of money for in this kingdome there were seuen cathedrall Churches threescore Monasteries of men and women endowed with most rich reuenues First Gustan and after his sonne Eric seised the greatest part thereof into their possessions Some of the foresaid mines are wrought at the kings charges some at the charge of priuate persons allowing onely the tenth part Of three copper-workes I haue knowne the tenth part which is the kings to amount to the value of three thousand dolars yeerely hereby estimation may be made of the siluer and lead But his taxes do far surpasse all other things for he leuieth the tenth of rie wheat barley fish oxen skins and such like Of the tenth of oxen at some times he hath gathered 18. thousand and with them maintayneth his court his officers his nauie and his armies for in the time of warre either with the Dane or Moscouite he alloweth his soldiers victuals and by this meanes prouideth it at verie easie rates as well offending as defending The marriage of the kings daughters is at the disposition of the people they allow them besides siluer plate and other gifts one hundred thousand dolars for a dowrie Of the vplandish people and others which pay not the imposition of victuals the king is accustomed to exact of euerie poll according to his ability fiue dolars or more yeerely The customes are paide in the hauen townes the chiefe where of are Calmaâ—e Lodâ—â—is and Stockholme where aâ— some times three hundred ships of burthen are to be seene Abo Auge Reualia Parnouia Narue It is thought that the king doth lay vp in his treasuries sixe or seuen hundred thousand dolars besides the expences vpon the fortresses of Reualia and Viburgh There are maintained in Sweueland and Gothland about thirtie two troupes euerie one consisting of fiue hundred or six hundred soldiers al harquebusiers alwaies ready to march whither occasion calleth Bicause of the thicknes of the woods the horsemen serue with petronels and seldome vse pikes or lances The footemen are most excellent for euerie soldier is able to make and furnish himselfe with any furniture whatsoeuer euen to the making of his owne flaske and tuchboxe as likewise the common people in Perâ—â—ia and the neighbouring prouinces being contented with a little haue alwaies accustomed to make all implements for their houses and bodies to build to weaue to play the taylors to sow to reape and to forge tooles fit for their busines And as for those trades which are neither common nor necessarie as to paint to worke in siluer and such like there are notwithstanding found among them verie good workemen wanting rather matter then art to worke vpon The Sweuian horsemen are diuided into thirteene companies Sweueland and Gothland maintaine eleuen and Finland two and vpon necessitie they can raise a greater force for the Dukedome of Vermeland as report goeth is able to furnish better then ten thousand men with horse In Marchland there is such plentifull breede of horse that there they are sold at a verie low rate both these prouinces are in Gothland Their horse is not so bigge bodied as the Frieslander but exceeding strong hardy actiue able to endure trauell and fed with a little I will not omit to speake of two noble vsages of the king of Sweueland towards his soldiers one is that if a soldier be taken prisoner he is ransomed at the kings charges the other that if his horse be slaine the king bestoweth an other vpon him He giueth yeerely to his captaines and those which serue on horsebacke in part of payment of their wages a garment which the Romanes termed Idolis and may be taken for a cassocke As touching their sea affaires by reason of their huge sea coast and infinite hauens the kingdome swarmeth with marriners and shipping which the king may arrest in his dominions as other princes are accustomed to doe he maintaineth commonly fiftie ships of warre whereof euerie one carrieth fortie pieces of ordinance more or lesse King Gustan brought in the vse of galleies In the warre which king Iohn waged with the Danes before the peace treated on at Stetin was agreed he put to sea seuentie great ships besides others of smaller burthen in which were 22000. fighting men In the sommer time they warre at sea in the winter at land for then the riuers are frozen as likewise the sea neere the shore for a great space Seeing I haue spoken of guns I will adde this much that the king is thought to haue about eight thousand great pieces the most part of brasse and that he could cast many more if he had more store of tinne In the castle of Stockholme onely are numbred fower hundred Vpon the west side of Sweueland is Denmarke on the east Moscouie with both which he hath had long warre The Sweuians haue suffered much losse by the Denmarkes for king Christian the second besieged Stockholme and forced it committing all kinde of crueltie against the inhabitants filling the citie with blood and dead carcasses The title which the Dane pretendeth to the crowne of Sweueland is the cause of their enimities The hauens the situation of the countrey and especially Gotland which is a member of Gothia and therefore the Sweuian claimeth it as his right affoordeth the Dane this facilitie of inuading it at his pleasure After Gustan recouered the kingdome he and his sonne Henrie and Iohn raigned successiuely and although blood enough hath beene shed in the wars betweene Gustan and the Danes yet the kingdome hath retained her honor and the citie of Lubecke the mightiest state in that sea sometimes by confederating with the one sometime with the other doth in so euen a ballance pease the differences of these two nations as it suffereth not the one to practise against the other vpon the perill that may ensue to the offender In warring with the Moscouite the Sweuian hath the most aduantage because Finland which bordereth vpon Russia by reason of the great lakes marishes wherof it is full yeeldeth hard perillous passage to the enimie oftentimes swallowing vp whole armies in those congealed waters there he keepes the castles of Viburge Narue Reualia other piles and peeces vpon the borders of the great Duke of Moscouia excellent well fortified as bridles to stoppe his violent courses In which he doth very wisely for those pieces which lie in the territories of our enimies are to be regarded most carefully because they bring foorth two notable effects first they defend what is ours and offend what is the enimies The further they are distant from our borders the better they stand vs in steed for while the enimy is occupied in besieging thereof our owne state standeth in quiet and time affoordeth meanes for rescue or deliuerie thereof at leysure and that without spoile to our owne people or losse of our proper
the crowne raised of the mines of salt and siluer amount yeerely to sixe hundred thousand ducats True it is that Sigismund Augustus pawned part of his reuenues and king Henry a moneth before his flight to binde some part of the nobilitie fast vnto him sold vnto them more then three hundred thousand ducats of yeerly rent It is lawfull for the king by sales of escheats falling to the crowne to purchase liuings for himselfe and of the said reuenues to retaine great portions to his proper vse and spare his owne expences for when the king with his court abideth in Lithuania the Lithuanians defray the charges the like is done in most places of Poland He that waieth with himselfe that the reuenues of Scotland Nauarre and Sardinia exceed not yeerely one hundred thousand duckets nor the kingdome of Aragon to yeeld aboue one hundred thousand crownes euery three yeeres cannot lightly esteeme of the reuenues of this kingdome yet the king might raise his reuenues to a higher reckoning if he were lesse bountifull to his Palatines and Castellanes for most commonly he bestoweth on them two parts and three parts yea now and then the whole profits arising in their gouernments but in the time of war and dangerous occurrences yet by the decree of the assemblies of the kingdome the king doth lay greeuous impositions and taxes on the people which are either leuied of the prouinces or of the asâ—ise of bread and these tallages haue amounted to such a reckoning that therewith king Stephen sustained the burden of a most heauy three-yeeres warre against the great Duke of Moscouie yea the gentlemen for the defence of the kingdome are bound to serue at their own charges These serue on horsebacke some armed as our men at armes some lightlier armed some like the Tartars and those they terme Cossaches or aduenturers trained vp to steale to depopulate to waste to turne all things vpside downe These gent. serue in the field gallantly furnished attired in cassocks and hose shining with gold siluer thousand other colours they adorne themselues with plumes and feathers of eagles with the skins of leopards and beares and with many banners and partie-coloured ensignes These and such like furnitures do cause them to be discerned of their fellowes make them seeme terrible to their enimies and incourage their mindes to fiercenes and prowesse Their horse are small but nimble and farre more couragious then the Dutch It is thought that vpon necessitie Poland is able to raisean hundred thousand horse and Lithuania 70. thousand but far inferior in goodnes to the Polish They haue so great confidence in the great number of their horse that nothing fearing the power of any enimies they regard not the building of fortresses but resolue that they are able to defend their countrey their wiues and children their libertie and goods in the open field against any prince whatsoeuer boasting that in either chance of warre they neuer turned their backes to their enimies Sigismund Augustus labored that in the diets of the kingdome order might be taken for the fortifying of Cracouia because of the neighbourhood of the Emperor but he could neuer effect it partly because it should not giue their kings opportunity of absolute authoritie and tyrannicall emperie partly because they thinke themselues by noble courage sufficiently able to defend the kingdome They haue no infanterie for all the people of the kingdome is diuided either into merchants and artificers which inhabite the cities or labourers and husbandmen which liue in the countrey in such subiection as we spake off before and this is the reason that the gentlemen onely go to the warre and will not in any case serue on foote but when occasion serueth they wage Germaine and Hungarie footemen and of these king Stephen in his iourney into Liuonia entertained vnder his colours little lesse then sixteene thousand to conuey their great ordinance For pioners they vse the Tartars and their owne vplandish people The kingdome is sufficiently stored with great ordinance and all furniture belonging thereto of which it can suffer no manner of scarcitie first because the noblemen keepe many in their castles next for the neighbourhood of Germanie which is rich in mettall to cast great ordinance and plentifull of artificers to forge any thing belonging to the vse of warre And though it is not vsuall to seâ— many castles in Polonia yet the fortresses of Leopolis and Camentzie in Russia the castle of Cracouia in the lesse Poland Polocensis in the frontiers of Moscouia Marienbourge and some other townes in Liuonia are peeces of no small strength These forces of Polonia which we haue spoken of are such in quantitie and qualitie that few nations in Europe can equall them none surpasse them one thing they want and that is celerity for to the sure strengthning of euery kingdome fower things are required that is to say that their force be of their owne subiects that it be populous valiant quick their owne because it is dangerous trusting a stranger populous because of reenforcements after checks or ouerthrowes valiant because number without courage little auaileth yea it bringeth forth tumult and confusion quicke that they may lightly mooue and speedily be drawen whither necessitie enforceth The last of these fower vertues the Polands want that is celeritie which commeth two waies one by the authoritie of the prince the other by readie money The king hath not power to determine any thing to denounce warre to impose taxes or to gather treasure without the consent of the parliament and this parliament where it is necessarie that many be present is like an engine made of many peeces which without long delaies and losse of time can neuer readilie be ioined togither or mooued forward For in warlike affaires those princes make best speede which are best able to command and haue most money in readines otherwise in appointing and ordring the diets and deuising that the actions may answere the counsels then in executing and lastly in prouiding of money there happeneth such losse of time that litle is left for the beginning of the iourney much lesse for the accomplishment Besides the Barons and nobles are at such charges in trauailing to the diets and make such long tariance when they are there that at their departure they haue little left wherewith to maintaine the war It may be that for the defence of the state quicker and readier resolution would be taken because of the imminent danger fatall in generall But for the conquest of any place I beleeue they would proceed with like slownes and irresolution for the hope of good doth not so much mooue vs as the feare of euill yet hath our age seene in the raigne of Sigismund Augustus the Moscouite to haue conquered the prouinces of Moloch Smolock and that without resistance or reuenge a cowardize ill beseeming so high a king so mightie a state as likewise he inuaded Liuonia without impeachment which had
shadowed it selfe vnder the wing protection of the said Sigismund In the daies of Henrie of Aniow Iohn prince of Moldauia euen he that with an vndaunted spirit and famous victorie held war against the Turke was shamefully forsaken of them contrary to the couenants of confederacy betweene him and Sigismund Augustus concluded Yet must we needes confesse that such as is the courage valour and reputation of the prince such is the resolution alacritie and forces of the Polands of themselues populous valiant and couragious Stephen Bathor gaue good testimonie heereof in whose time Polonia not onely maintained the honor and glory of a kingdome sufficient to defend it selfe from forraine armes but also to make conquests of great matters from most potent enimies And seeing we haue spoken of celeritie a vertue most necessarie for euerie state it shall not be amisse to speake of the causes of this celeritie which as is aforesaid are two viz. the reputation of the prince which giueth it life and store of coine which preserues it in action for we haue seene in most mightie armies the body by the slownes of the head to haue spent the time most idly and very famous victories for want of money to giue continuall motion to the armie to haue brought forth small or no effects Besides the disposition of the soldier is a great helpe hereunto for no man can truly praise the Germane and Bohemian footemen for celeritie but this commendation without doubt is proper to the Italian Spaniard and Frenchmen not onely for that they are of better constitution of body but for that which in warre is all in all they are better contented to liue with a little though they want coine they are not discouraged neither waxe sicke with fruites if flesh be wanting and happen what may they longer and better can indure hardnes and scarcitie Their riding light armed is of more execution then armed at all peeces and their argoletiers more seruiceable then lanciers for which cause the French also in their late broiles haue giuen ouer their lances wherin of old did consist the glory of their armes and betaken themselues to the pistoll But to what aduantage they haue thus done let another dispute for I say not that a light armed man is absolutely to be preferred before a man at armes in chances of warre but onely affirme that he is more actiue and more readie yea the goodnes of the horse is of great consequence For the Flanders horse farre excelleth the Frieslander and Germane the Hungarie horse the Polonian the Turkie horse the Genet the Barbarie horse is more speedie then any of the rest Betweene both is the courser of Naples who though he be not so swift as the Spanish genet yet he is better able to indure trauell and to beare the waight of armour not becomming ouerâ—low therewith To speake truth experience manifesteth the Germane horse by reason of their slow pace to worke small effect either to pursue the fleeing enimie or swiftly to flie from their executing aduersarie for if the Wallachian Hungarian Polish Turkish Moorish or Barbarie horsemen should breake the Germans they are not able to flie and if it happen the German to ouerthrow them they are as vnable speedily to pursue for they charge slowly retire heauily So in fights at sea ships of burden are of small seruice because if winde want they can neither be mooued nor turned the great Galleons are somwhat better yet performe little more but the best of all is the galley for his swiftnes And for proofe hereof we haue seene the nauy of the Christians consisting of great ships to haue spent the better part of sommer and warlike season in preparations onely and on the contrarie the Turkish fleete soone furnished and speedily put to sea of such aduantage is spare diet and needfull prouision to the Turkish affaires and so discommodious is gluttonie to the proceedings of the Christians for wine and other delicates onely are as troublesome to the Christians as the whole prouision for a campe to the Turkish armie Therefore let no man maruell if they march in all their iorneies excellently well furnished with ordinance shot gunpowder and all necessaries for at land they haue their carriages laden onely with prouision at sea their ships and not with wine pullets and such needlesse vanities At a word they go to the warre to fight and not to fill their bellies The great Duke of Moscouia THE great Duke of Moscouia is Lord of a most large territorie and within the limits of his iurisdiction are contayned many regions Northward his scepter stretcheth to the north Ocean from the Bay of Granico to the riuer of Ob on the south all alongst the riuer Volga to the Caspian sea westward it reacheth to the borders of Liuonia and almost to the riuer Boristhenes and eastward to Volga Some write that it containeth in length three thousand miles in bredth 1500. wherein are contained fifteene Dukedomes sixteene prouinces and two kingdomes They were once subiect to the Tartars whose Prince Roydo in the yeere 1140. conquered all Moscouie but Iohn the first great Duke incouraged by their ciuill dissentions denied them tribute In processe of time when Ammetes the last successor of Roydo who died at Vilua had ouercome the Tartars Precopenses the great Duke adioyned to his Empire Permia Veatia and Iugria prouinces subiect to Ammetes From this time the forces of the great Duke increasing Basilius Casan and Iohn the second conquered the prouinces of Citrahan which are called kingdomes To confesse truth the great Dukes haue mightily enlarged their bounds and haue taken the great Duchies of Seuerin and Smoloncke Bielchese Prescouia Nouogrod Iaroslaue Roscouia some from the Polands some from other prouinces they possessed part of Liuonia and made their armes feareful to their neighbours The chiefe citie of the kingdome is Mosco where the Patriarch resideth Roscouia and Nouogrode are the seats of the Archbishops Cortisa Resania Columna Susdelia Casan Vologda Tueria and Smolonck are Bishopricks Plescouia Porcouia Staritia Sloboda Ieroslaue Volodomer from whence the kings seat was translated to the citie Mosco by Iohn the second Mosayco Saint Nicholas Sugana Vstiud Cargapolia The Emperor abideth in the citie Mosco which taketh his name of the riuer Mosco rising fourescore ten miles higher into the countrey The citie hath beene greater then now it is was nine miles compasse but since that in the yeere 1570. it was sacked and burnt by the Tartars Precopie it contayneth not aboue fiue miles According to Posseâ—inus a writer of good iudgement and industrie there are housed in this citie thirtie thousand people besides oxen and other cattell Nouograde hath the name of Great and yet the same author alloweth it not aboue twentie thousand inhabitants as likewise Smolonck and Plescouia This seemeth most incredible to me if it be true as some write that Plescouia when king Stephen of Poland besieged it had within it
loose much time in cutting down the woods before they could come to the inhabited places of their enimies They haue a few fortresses some built of stone some of bricke after the Italian fashion but without strength of moderne diuises or cunning workmanship Such are the castles of Mosco Nouograd Plescouia Porcouia Sloboda some are wrought with twigs earth wel troden downe as Smolonck But commonly the wals of strong places are built of great beames stuffed with turffe or mosse leauing loopholes for their shot This fortifying is very auailable against great ordinaÌ„ce but exceeding subiect to â—â—riâ—g They serue in the field as we told you before treating of his gouernment rather bearing themselues valiantly for feare of punishment then of their owne natures shewing alacritie or willingnes to the seruice He hath his captaines at a becke his soldiers suffer all extremities patiently they care not â—orâ—â—ost or raine they indure hunger scarcity with incredible conteÌ„tment they liue with a little better able to defend a fortresse then fight in field for here courage and agilitie there constancie and resolution are most seruiceable whereas the Polanders are better to fight in the field then to keepe a castle And therefore the Great Duke Iohn finding by experience the vnaptnes of his soldiers the readines of the Polonians in skirmishes and assaults was wont to say that his men had need of a spur to driue them forward the Polonians wanted a bridle to hold them back His chiefest force is in his horse but what number he can raise who can shew For I doe not beleeue that he is able as some say to arme three hundred thousand because though his Empire be large yet for the greatest part it lieth vnmanured as the many-daies iourney betweene Cazan and Astrachan and scarce meeting with one village in the way may well witnes In the war which king Stephen waged against him being not aboue 60. thousand foote and horse strong he was not able to raise so great a force I will not say to meete him in the open field yea not to hinder him from the forcing of Pozouia Vilocoluc and other pieces no nor to diuert him from the siege of Plescouia In the yeere 1570. the prince of the Tartars with fourescore thousand soldiers pierced euen to the bowels of his kingdome and set fire on his imperiall seat Mosco Therefore I thinke that they that report that the Great Duke can leuie three hundred thousand men and the king of Polonia two hundred do rather meane heads of horses then riders for there may be so many thousand horse and yet euerie one is not to be accounted a horse of seruice no more then euery horseman a rider or able to finde himselfe armour One hath his hart in his hose another wants abilitie a third wants strength of bodie a fourth both courage and strength yea admit he could raise so many horse and men as these men speake of yet would it be a hard matter perchance impossible for him to assemble them in one place or if he could where would wages or victuals be found sufficient to sustaine them For 200. horsmen in Moscouie require 300. packhorses and so many tenders who must all befed as likewise the victualers the merchants the artificers and such seruants as can hardly be spared in warlike enterprises To performe this whole Moscouie must of necessitie be gathered into one place and then it were to be feared least in so great a iourney from one part of the kingdome the other part opposite would run to ruine decay Likewise although such a proportion of horse as hath beene spoken of might be raised it were not wisedome for the state to strip the borders of their garrisons the prouinces of their sinewes the cities of their magistrates the countrey of husbaÌ„dmen Therefore I conclude that prince whose kingdome is able to affoord him 150. thousand horse to be brauely furnished if he can bring into the field but the third part I speake of warre and not of incursions Some more modest in writing affirme that the Moscouite could leuie 150. thousand horse if necessitie to defend himselfe should constraine him thereto and that Iohn the third in the voyage of Astracan entertayned 120. thousand horse and twentie thousand foote The same king inuading Liuonia in the time of king Alexander leuied a mightie armie and kept another vpon the borders of the kingdome The Great Duke Iohn adioyned to his troupes of horse certaine thousand of shot most strangers which yeelded him notable seruice in the defence of his cities Euerie second or third yeere he renueth his soldierie throughout the prouinces and keepeth a register of the sonnes of noblemen and the number of his seruants and horses The wealthier horsemen vse a curasse of brasse a helmet light and thin bucklers brought out of Persia and lances others are armed with Iacks quilted with bombast to resist arrowes These handle the bow and many of them the harquebuse all the sword and dagger The Germanes serue them in the field and the Italians in their fortifications To the Duke of Moscouie are adioyning the Tartars Precopenses the Taurici the Chersonesi the Circassi and the Tartars Negayans These people inhabite a countrey seuen daies iourney distant and are gouerned by Dukes after the manner of the Heluetians He hath receiued great iniurie of the Precopenses without hope of amends because they are confederate with the great Turke and by him furnished with harquebusiers ordinance and haue in their kingdome many strong places fortified with Turkish garrisons therefore he thinketh it hard and dangerous to inuade them being backed by the Turke whose power he should stir vp likewise against him It is the custome of the Precopi often vsed to make inrodes into the prouinces of the great Duke as likewise of the Polonian and to carrie away whatsoeuer comes to hand If the great Duke haue vanquished the Tartars of Cassan and Astracan let him attribute the conquest to his great ordinance which they wanted This Duke led against the Cassani an engine deuised on this fashion he fastened to the sides of charriots a broad and large planke bored full of holes and fitted for the shooting of harquebusiers and musketers with the which they did grieuously wound their enimies and could not be hurt againe by the arrowes of their aduersaries By these helpes it was no masterie to vanquish and subdue them But the Precopi haue the vse of gunnes and woorth all the rest the fauour and protection of the Turkish Emperor who thirsting to open a way into Moscouie or the Caspian sea assaied not many yeeres since to dig a trench from Tanais to Volga but his forces were put to flight by the Moscouites with the aid of the Tartars who feared their vtter destruction if the Turke had brought that designement to passe This was a deuise of greater courage then wisedome for the Moscouites not onely defeated his nauie taking
one million and three hundred thousand England three millions and Belgia as many if by the continuance of the war in those countries that number be not much decaied The Italians conceiting marueilous highly of themselues thinke no prouince vpon the face of the earth for wealth and people comparable to Italy but they forget that as it is long so it is narrow and nothing wide or spacious neither that two third parts haue not one nauigable riuer a want of great consequence neither that the Apenine a mountaine rockie and barren doth spred itselfe ouer a fourth part Let them not deceiue themselues nor condemne others plentie by their owne wants nor measure others excesse by their handfuls For fertilitie doth France in plentie of graine or cattle giue place to Italy Or England for cattle wooll fish or mettall Or Belgia for number or goodlines of cities excellencie of artificers wealth or merchandise Or Greece for delectable or commodious situation hauens of the sea or pleasant prouinces Or Hungarie for cattle wine corne fish mines and all good things else But I will not stand vpon these discourses onely let me tell you that Lumbardie containeth the thirde part of Italy a prouince delightsome for battell plaines and pleasant riuers without barren mountaines or sandie fieldes and to be as full of people as the whole halfe of Italy besides Yea what may be said of Italy for profite or pleasure that may not be spoken perticularly of France England Netherland both the Pannonies Wherefore sithence the countrey is not onely large mightie and spacious but vnited populous plentifull and rich at least let it be beleeued and accounted for one of the greatest empires that euer was The gouernment is tyrannicall for throughout the kingdome there is no other Lord but the king They knowe not what an Earle a Marquesse or a Duke meaneth No fealtie no tribute or tole is paid to any man but to the king He giueth al magistracies and honors He alloweth them stipends wherewith to maintaine their estates and they dispatch no matter of weight without his priuitie His vassals obey him not as a king but rather as a God In euery prouince standeth his portraiture in gold which is neuer to be seene but in the newe moones then is it shewed and visited of the magistrates and reuerenced as the kings owne person In like manner the gouernours and Iudges are honored no man may speake vnto them but vpon their knees Herein the people shew their base mindes making themselues the slaues not the subiects of the prince Strangers are not admitted to enter into the kingdome least their customes and conuersation should breede alteration in manners or innouation in the state They are onely permitted to traffike vpon the sea coasts to buy and sell vittaile and to vent their wares They that doe traffike vpon the land assemble many together and elect a gouernor amongst them whom they terme Consul In this good maner strangers enter the kingdome but alwaies awaited on by the customers and kings officers The inhabitants cannot trauell but with licence and with that neither but for a prefixed season and to be sure of their returne they grant no leaue but for traffikes sake and that in ships of 150. tun and not aboue for they are iealous that if they should goe to sea in bigger vessels they would make longer iourneis To conclude it is a religious law of the kingdome that euerie mans endeuours tend wholy to the good and quiet of the common wealth By which proceedings Iustice the mother of quietnes policie the mistresse of good lawes and industrie the daughter of peace doe flourish in this kingdome There is no countrey moderne or ancient gouerned by a better forme of policie then this Empire by this gouernment haue they ruled their Empire two thousand yeeres And so hath the state of Venice flourished 1100. yeeres the kingdome of France 1200. It is two hundred yeeres since they cast off the yoke of the Tartars after their ninetie yeeres gouernment For their arts learning and policie they conceiue so well of themselues that they are accustomed to say that they haue two eies the people of Europe one the residue of the nations none They giue this good report of the Europeans because of their acquaintance with the Portugals with whom they trafficke in Macao and other places and the renowme of the Castilians who are their neighbours in the Philippinae By the multitudes of people before spoken of you may imagine the state of his forces for herein all other prouisions take their perfection But to speake somewhat in particular The power of this Prince remembring his contentment and nature detesting all inuasion is more readie and fit to defend then offend to preserue rather then increase His cities for the most part are builded vpon the bankes of nauigable riuers enuironed with deepe and broad ditches the wals built of stone and bricke strong aboue beleefe and fortified with caualiers and artificiall bulwarks Vpon the borders toward Tartarie to make sure worke against such an enemie they haue built a wall beginning at Chioi a citie situate betweene two most high mountaines and stretching it selfe towards the east sixe hundred miles betweene mountaine and mountaine vntill it touch the cliffes of the Ocean Vpon the other frontires you may behold many but small holds so built to stay the course of the enemie vntill the countrie forces be able to make head and the royall armie haue time to come leisurely forward for in 400. great townes he keepeth in continuall pay forces sufficient vpon the least warning to march to that quarter whither occasion calleth Euery citie hath a garrison and guarde at the gates which at nights are not only fast locked but sealed and may not be opened before the seale at morning be throughly viewed To speake truth their soldiers horsemen and footemen by land or sea are more famous for their numbers their gallant furniture and plentie of prouision then for strength and courage For the inhabitants partly by their effeminate and wanton kinde of life partly by their forme of gouernment whereby they are made vile base and vmbragious haue little valour or manhood left them They vse noforren soldiers except those whom they take in warre these they send into the inland countries where being marked to distinguish them from other they serue more like slaues then soldiers yet haue they pay with rewards for their good seruice and punishment for their cowardize true motiues to make men valorous The rest which are not inrold are not suffered to keepe weapons in their houses Their sea forces are nothing inferior to their land forces for besides their ordinarie fleets lying vpon the coastes for the safetie of the sea townes by reason of the abundance of nauigable riuers and so huge a sea-tract full of hauens crecks and Ilands it is thought that with ease they are able to assemble from fiue hundred to a thousand great
ships which they terme Giunchi To thinke that treasure can be wanting to leuie so great a number of ships soldiers and mariners many men affirme that the kings reuenues amount to 120. millions of gold which value although it may seeme impossible to him that shall make an estimate of the states of Europe with the kingdome of China yet may it finde place of beleefe if he do but call to minde first the nature and circuite of the Empire being little lesse then all Europe next the populousnes of the inhabitants accompanied with inestimable riches then tho diuersitie and plentie of mines of gold siluer iron and other sorts of mettall the vnspeakable quantitie of merchandise passing from hand to hand by so many nauigable riuers so many armes and inlets of the sea their vpland cities and maritime townes their toles customes and subsidies For he taketh the tenth of all things which the carth yeeldeth as barly rice oliues wine cotton wooll flaxe silke all kinds of mettall fruits cattle sugar hony rubarbe campher ginger woad muske and all sorts of perfumes The custome onely of salt in the citie Canto which is not of the greatest nor the best traffike yeeldeth 180. thousand crownes yeerely the tenth of rice of one small towne and the adiacent territory yeeldeth more then 100. thousand crownes By these you may coniecture of the rest He leaueth his subiects nothing saue foode and clothing He hath vnder him no Earles Lords or Nobles of any degree no nor priuate persons indowed with great wealth Wherefore sithence this empire is so huge and all the profits thereof are in his hands and at his disposition how can the former assertion of so great a yeerely reuenue to men of reason seeme any thing admirable There are two things moreouer which adde great credite to this reckoning one is that all his impositions are not paide in coine but some in haie some in rice corne prouender silke cotton wooll and such like necessaries the other is that the king of 120. millions which he receiueth disburseth againe three parts thereof And so sithence it goeth round from the king to the people it ought to seeme no woonder if the people be able to spare it againe for the princes vse at the yeeres end For as waters do cbbe as deepe as they flow so impositions easily leuied suffice for the expences of the state and the people receiue againe by those expences as much as they laide out in the beginning of the yeere The king of China feareth no neighbour but the great Cham of Tartaria all the rest acknowledge vassalage Against this enimie the ancient kings built that admirable wall so much renowmed amongst the wonders of the Orient Towards the sea he bordereth vpon the Iaponians and Castilians The distance betweene Iapan and China is diuers From Goto one of the Ilands of Iapan to the citie Liampo is threescore leagues from Cantan 297. The Ilanders of Iapan doe often spoile the sea coasts of China by their incursions descending on land and harrying the countrey more like pirats then men of war For in regard that Iapan is diuided into manie Ilands and into diuers seigniories ill agreeing amongst themselues though they excell the Chinois in armes and courage yet are they not of sufficient power to performe any action of moment against them Vpon another frontire lye the Spaniards of whom the Chinois not without good cause are verie iealous because of the situation of the Philippinae commodiously seated for the inuasion of China and the fame of their riches well knowen to the Spanish But the king of Spaine wisheth rather to plant Christianitie peaceably amongst them whereof there was once good hope that God had opened a passage thereunto For though the Chinois will suffer no stranger to enter within their dominions yet certain Iesuits zealous in the increasing of the Christian religion in a territorie so spatious as that is entered with great secrecie and danger and obtayning the fauour of certaine gouernors obtained a priuilege of naturalization especially frier Michaell Rogerius who in the yeere 1590. returned into Europe to aduise what course were best to take in this busines About the same time intelligence was brought from two friers remaining there that after diuers persecutions they were constrained to forsake the citie wherein they soiourned and had conuerted many and to make haste to sea-ward The Portugals are likewise eie-sores vnto them but by the report of the iustice and moderation of Ferdinand Andrada which he shewed in the gouernmeÌ„t of the Iland of Tamo by the traffike which they exercise in those seas they can better digest their neighbourhood then that of the Spanish This was the first Portugal that arriued in the citie of Cantan and set a land Thomas Perez Iegier for Emanuell king of Portugall But other captaines being there afterwards disimbarked behaued themselues so leudly that they occasioned the said Embassador to be taken for a spie and cast in prison where he died most miserablie the residue were entreated as enimies At last it was permitted the Portugals for traffike sake to settle a factory in Macao where againe before they had strongly fortified their colony they were coÌ„strained to submit to the limitations of the Chinois to whom in short time for their strength wisedome friendship and allians with the Castilians they became suspicious therfore they do daily more more bridle their libertie of traffike carrying so heauie a hand towards them that they would faine giue them occasion to leaue Macao of their owne wils and retire backe againe into India from whence they came The kingdome of Siam VPon the borders of China to speake nothing of Cauchinchina because we know nothing woorth relation of that territorie ioineth the countrey of Siam accounted amongst the great kingdomes of Asia It tooke his name of the citie Siam situated vpon the entrance of the riuer Menan It is also called Gorneo It stretcheth by east and west from the citie Campaa to the citie Tauai in which tract by the sea coast are conteined 500. leagues Of which the Arabians once vsurped 200. with the cities Patan Paam Ior Perca and Malaca now in the possession of the Portugals From the south towards the north it reacheth from Sinca-Pura situate in degree to the people called Gueoâ—â— in 29. degrees The lake Chiamai is distant from the sea six hundred miles the vpland circuit stretcheth from the borders of Canchinchina beyond the riuer Auan where lieth the kingdome of Chencra Besides the lake of Chiamai the riuers Menon Menam Caipumo Ana which cause greater fertilitie of graine through the whole region then a man would beleeue are all his The better part of his kingdomes are muironed with the mountaines Ana Brema and Iangoma the residue is plaine like Egypt abounding with elephants horses pepper gold and tin In the west part are huge woods tygres lions tinces and serpents It containeth these prouinces Cambaia Siam Muantai
Bremea Caipumo and Chencra The inhabitants of Lai which border vpon the north of the prouinces of Muantai and Caipumo and are diuided into three principalities are vnder his obeisance The first is that of Iangoma the second of Cucrai the third Lanca neere Chachinchina They inhabite a plaine and welthie countrey into which the Gueoni Marke Paul calleth their country Cangigu discending from the mountaines to hunt for men make oftentimes cruell butcheries amongst them The people of Lai for feare of these anthropophagi acknowledge the soueraingtie of Siam but they often rebell and obey as they list The wealth of the countrey may be coniectured by the firtilitie for being situated in a plaine and watered with most noble and famous riuers like an other Egypt it cannot but abound with plentie of all things It bringeth foorth rice graine of all sorts horses elephants infinite store of cattle gold and tinne siluer is brought thither by the people of Lai By reason of this plentie the people are drowned in pleasure and wantonnesse They follow husbandry but take no great delight in manuell occupations which causeth the kingdome to be poore in merchandise Amongst many other cities three are famous Cambaia seated vpon the riuer Menon which rising in China is so hugely augmented by the falling in of many riuers that his owne chanell not sufficing for receit thereof it renteth the earth to disgorge it selfe into a thousand Ilands making a second Meotis more then 60. miles long Meicon signifieth the captaine Menon the mother of waters The second citie is Siam whose statelines giueth the name to the whole countrey It is a most goodly citie and of admirable trasfike which may the better be imagined by the writing of a certaine Iesuite who reporteth that besides the naturall inhabitants there are more then thirtie thousand Arabian housholds The third citie is called Vdia greater then Siam consisting of fower hundred thousand families It is said that two hundred thousand boats belong to this citie and the riuer Caipumo whereupon it is seated This king to shew his maiestie and magnificence keepeth a guard of sixe thousand soldiers and two hundred elephants of these beasts he hath thirtie thousand whereof he traineth three thousand for the warre This is a great matter if you weigh their woorth and their charges in keeping His gouernment is rather tyrannicall then kinglike for he is absolute Lord of all the demeanes of the kingdome and either setteth them out to husbandmen or giueth them to his nobles for their maintenance during life and pleasure but neuer passeth the right of inheritance He bestoweth vpon them likewise townes and villages with their territories but vpon condition to maintaine a certaine number of horsemen footemen and elephants By this policie without any pennie pay or burden to the countrie he is able to leuie twentie thousand horsemen 250. thousand footemen Vpon occasion he can wage a greater number by reason of the largenes of his kingdomes and the populousnes of his townes For Vdia onely the chiefe seat of his kingdome mustered 50. thousand men And although he be Lord of nine kingdomes yet vseth he no other nation in the warre but the Siamits and the inhabitants of the two kingdomes of Vdia and Muantai All honors and preferments are bestowed vpon men of seruice in this kingdome In times of peace they haue their warlike exercises and in certaine pastimes which the king once a yeere exhibiteth at Vdia are shewed all militarie feats of armes vpon the riuer Menon where more then 3000. vessels which they terme Paraos diuided into two squadrons skirmish one against the other Vpon the land runne the horses and elephants and the footemen trie it out at sword and buckler with point and edge rebated the remainder of their daies they spend in riot and wantonnes Their borders towards the East reach to Canchinchina betweene whom are such huge woods lions tigers leopards serpents and elephants that they cannot infest one another by armes Towards the lake Chiamai they border vpon the Chinois Towards the sea they affront the Arabians and Portugals The one tooke from them Patan Paam Ior and Peam the other Malaca and the territorie adioyning so that betweene them they bereaued him of two hundred miles of land and contenting themselues with the sea coasts and the customes arising vpon the carriyng out and bringing in of merchandise they abstaine from further inuasion of the inland prouinces and hold it good policie to keepe firme peace with the king and his countries Toward the west lieth the kingdome of Pegu like an halfe moone betweene the mountaines of Brama and Iangoma Towards the north lye the Gudoni inhabiting the barrein and sharp mountaines betweene whom and Siam dwell the people of Lay. This people is subiect to the crowne of Siam for feare of these Canibals of whom if it had not beene for his protection they had long agon beene vtterly deuoured Not fortie yeeres since the king made a iourney against them with twentie thousand horse their horse are small but excellent good in trauell 250. thousand footemen and ten thousand elephants part imploied for seruice part for carriage No kingdome hath greater store of these beasts or doth more vse them An innumerable number of oxen buffals and beasts of carriage followed this armie whom they slew when they wanted other prouision Hitherto haue we deuised of Siam and Pegu as they stood before the comming of the Portugals into India but how in proces of time the state was altered you shall now heare In times past diuers kingdomes of Barma situated along the riuer towards the lake Chiamai obeyed the king of Pegu vnder the gouernment of certaine Lieutenants Sixtie yeeres sithence one of these captaines ruler of the kingdome of Tengu by the aide of his faction and reputation of his vertues entred into rebellion and slaying the Nobles of the land vsurped the kingdome Afterward he forced the cities and conquered the kingdome of Prom Melintai Calam Mirandu and Ana all inhabited by the Bramians for the space of one hundred and fiftie leagues towards the north He assaied likewise the conquest of Siam but comming before Vdia the chiefe citie of the kingdome he was forced to raise his siege and depart He vndertooke this iourney with 300. thousand footemen consuming more then three moneths in making way for his armie through stonie mountaines huge woods maccessible places and in lieu for the losse of 120. thousand of his soldiers he tooke two hundred thousand Siamits prisoners At his returne home he inuaded the kingdome of Pegu and woone it Afterward in the yeere 1507. he renued his iourney against Siam and ouercame the king thereof who slew himselfe with poison but he tooke his sonnes and with them the better part of the kingdome He belegerd Vdia with a million of men and vpward Our late writers call this man and his successors because their fame arose by the conquest of the kingdomes of Brama
waters are better then our drinkes Cookerie is in no such request with them as with vs nor their tables accustomed to such cates their banquets are onely furnished with rice and mutton Neither doe the people of the east spend a quarter of that clothing which we doe they goe to the warre halfe naked hiding nothing but their priuities they stand not in need of that number of workemen which we doe amongst whom the greatest part of our life is spent in weauing and deuising stuffes and fashions to cloath the carkasse and adorne the bodie with cloath silke colours and imbroderies All their expences are onely vpon cloathing of cotton wooll and that but from the nauell to the knee These are the reasons which I meant to lay why they may gather fortie thousand men with more ease then we ten and to these may be added this as the last that vpon ordinance and their furnitures vpon prouisions and their carriages vpon horses pioners and a thousand like necessaries infinite summes are expended of which the people of the east are vtterly ignorant especially those which haue not to deale with the Portugals or Arabians They goe to the warre without armour without curases helmets lances or targets which with vs cannot be conueyed from place to place without great expence Virgil calleth this luggage iniustum fascem because it seemeth a needles trouble and therein we degenerate much from the ancient Romanes who for ten daies iourney and more carried euerie man 's his proper weapons both offensiue and defensiue yea and sometimes his victuals What should we speake of the armies of the Assirians and Ethiopians of Belus Ninus Simiramis Cambises Cirus Darius Sesostris Sesacus were they not as huge and populous by the report of all histories as these whereof we intreat Or in times lesse ancient haue not we and our ancestors seene the Arabians Tartarians and Turkes inuading prouinces with armies of three hundred thousand people and vpward By moderne examples and memorie of later accidents to giue credit to the ancient I will set downe what happened in Angola a noble rich prouince of the west Ethiop adioyning to Congo reported by the letters of certaine Iesuits and Portugall captaines In the yeere 1584. Paulus Diazius by the fauour of God and valour of his people vpon the second day of Februarie put to flight the king of Angola and defeated his armie consisting of one million and two hundred thousand Moores which may well prooue that these populous armies are of little seruice and small continuance rather like violent stormes then dripping showers and though with ease they are gathered yet without greater prouision then any prouince is able to affoord them they are not easily held together When their prouision is spent they begin to break and bid adue to the action and that most commonly not in the middest of their course but euen in their first remooues for merchants victualers tailors shomakers smiths and such like follow not their warres and if they should then this inconuenience would follow that for one million of soldiers it were necessarie to prouide another million of wagons packehorses carters carpenters victualers merchants and their seruants and then neither riuers would serue them for drinke nor the fields with bread nor the earth for lodgings so must they needs sinke vnder their owne waight which the eastern Princes leading these vnaccustomed numbers vpon long iourneis in some sort forecasting did alwaies prouide incredible masses of money victuall and such like warlike prouisions long before they entred into action as was well seene in Xerxes who to maintaine that great armie as well at sea as at land which he led for the conquest of Greece spent seuen yeeres in preparation for the iourney To returne to the king of Barma of late yeeres he tooke the hauens of Martela and Pernasor and turning his armies sometime towards the north sometime toward the west he vexed the Princes of Caor and Tipura tooke the kingdomes of Aracan and Macin leading vpon this iourney 300. thousand men and fortie thousand elephants Aracan is a kingdome round inuironed with mountaines and woods as with a wall or trench the chiefe citie which giueth the name to the countrey is situated vpon a riuer fifteene leagues from the sea and 35. from Catagan Macin is a kingdome abounding in Aloës this wood which the Arabians call Calambuco and others Lignum vitae for the sweete sauour is valued by the people of the east at the waight in siluer In India and Cambeia they vse it at the buriall of great Lords in bathes and in other wantonnes It groweth most frequent in the rough mountaines of Campa Cambaia and Macin That which is brought to vs is in no esteeme with them the right is found say they in Congo and Angola and the bordering countrey and vsed by them in all their grieuous and dangerous maladies which if it be true I maruell that the Portugals will let slip so precious a commoditie Narsinga IN the rowe of these potent princes inhabiting betweene Indus and Ganges dwelleth the king of Narsinga Whatsoeuer lieth betweene the mountaines Gate the gulfe of Bengala betweene the promontories Guadauerne and Comorin for the space of 200. leagues abounding as prodigally as any other prouince in the Indies with all good things is vnder his dominion The waters sometime falling from the mountaines sometime from the riuers and receiued into trenches meres and lakes doe woonderfully coole moisten and inrich this land causing the graine and cattell to prosper aboue imagination It is no lesse plentifull of rice birds beasts wilde and tame buffals elephants and mines of precious stones and mettals It breedeth no races of horse for the war but they buie them of the Arabian and Persian merchants in great numbers the like doe all the princes of Decan Within the bounds of Narsinga dwell fiue nations different in language he hath many strong places vpon the Indian Ocean Canora is at his command wherein are the hauen townes of Mangolar Melind Batticala and Onor but the Portugals receiue the custome of Batticala and in times past of Onor In Narsinga are two imperiall cities Narsinga and Bisnagar by reason whereof he is termed sometime king of Narsinga sometime king of Bisnagar It is vndoubtedly beleeued that this king receiueth yeerely twelue millions of ducats of which he laieth vp but two or three the residue he expendeth vpon the troupes of his soldierie that is to say fortie thousand Nairs and twenty thousand horsemen kept in continuall pay Vpon necessitie he is able to leuie a far greater number for besides these allowances he setteth out certaine lands to 200. captaines vpon condition to keepe in readines a proportion of horsemen footemen and elephants The wages of these captaines to some of whom he giueth a million of ducats yeerely may be an argument of his great reuenues for to these proiects this prince and all the potentates of the East
keepe in their possession all the profits of the lands woods mines yea and the waters of pooles and riuers through their whole dominions No man may wash himselfe in Ganges which runneth by Bengala nor in Ganga which watereth the land of Orissa before he hath paid tole to the king The king himselfe is now inforced to buie this water causing it to be brought vnto him by long iourneies vpon a superstitious custome either to bathe or purge himselfe therein He is absolute Lord of the bodies and goods of his subiects which he shareth to himselfe and his captaines leauing the people nothing but their hands and labour of lands the king hath three parts and his captaines the residue Whereupon sithence all these barbarous princes maintaine not peace and iustice as arches whereupon to lay the groundworke of their estates but armes conquest and the nurserie of a continuall soldierie it must needes followe that they are able to leuie greater troupes of horse and foote then otherwise we were bound to beleeue But to induce some measure of credit let vs compare the abilities of some Christian princes with theirs If the king of France were absolute Lord of all the lands and profits of his whole dominion as these men are it is thought that his yeerely reuenues would amount to 15. millions and yet therein are neither mines of gold nor siluer The elergie receiueth sixe millions the kings demesnes amount to one and an halfe the residue is theirs who haue the inheritance and yet the peazants liue wel here in comparison of the villagois of India Polonia and Lithuania Besides this the king hath eight millions of ordinarie reuenue arising of customes and escheats How mightie a prince would he be if he were landlord of the demesnes and rents of the whole kingdome and should imploy them vpon the maintenance of soldiers as doth the king of Narsinga Surely whereas now the kings reuenues doe hardly suffice for the maintenance of fower thousand men at armes and six thousand crosbowes if this allowance were added to the former he might as easily maintaine 150. thousand To returne to Narsinga the king to see that his captaines performe their duties once a yeere proclaimeth a muster whereat they dare not but be present At the muster day those who haue presented their companies defectiue either in number or furnituâ—e are sure to be cassed but those who bring their companies complete and well armed he honoureth and aduanceth What forces may be gathered out of so ample a dominion armed after their manner as aforesaid you shall gather by that which Iohn Barros writeth of the armie which king Chrismarao led against Idalcan in the iournie of Raciel These are his words verbatim Vnder sundry captaines the armie was diuided into many battailions In the vantgard marched Camaraique with one thousand horse 17. elephants and 30. thousand footmen Tiarabicar with two thousand horse twentie elephants and fiftie thousand footemen Timaipanaique with three thousand horsemen and 56. thousand footemen After them followed Hadainaique with fiue thousand horsemen fiftie elephants and one hundred thousand footemen Condomara with six thousand horse sixtie elephants 120. thousand footemen Comora with 250. horse fortie elephants and 80. thousand footemen Gendua with one thousand horse ten elephants and thirtie thousand footemen In the rereward were two eunuches with 1000. horse 15. elephants and forty thousand footemen Betel one of the kings pages led 200. horse twentie elephants and eight thousand foote After all these followed the king with his garde of sixe thousand horsemen three hundred elephants and fortie thousand footemen Vpon the flanks of this battell went the gouernor of the citie of Bengapor with diuers captaines vnder whose colours were 4200. horse 25. elephants and sixtie thousand footemen seruing for wages Vpon the head of the battell ranged 200. thousande horsemen in small troupes like our vantcurrers in such sort and order scowring the countrie before behinde and on all sides that no noueltie could so suddenly happen but notice thereof was giuen at the Imperiall tent in a moment Twelue thousand carriers of water and twenty thousand light huswifes followed this armie The number of lackies merchants artificers scullions they call them Maniati oxen buffals and carriage beasts was infinite When the armie was to passe any riuer knee-deepe before the foremost were passed there was scant remaining sufficient for the latter whereof to drinke Before this iournie the king sacrificed in nine daies 20736. head of liuing creatures as well of birds as beasts the flesh whereof in honor of his idols was giuen to the poore The soldiers were clothed in garments of cotten wooll so close and hard quilted that they would beare out the thrust of a lance or sword Euery elephant was trimmed in a couering of cotten wooll with a frame on his backe bearing fower men To their tusks were fastened long and broad swords to cut in sunder whatsoeuer stood in their way The footemen were armed with bowes iauelins swords and bucklers These last the better to couer their whole bodies and to manage their heauie bucklers carried no offensiue weapons In the fight when the king perceiued Idalcan by the furie of his great ordinance to make hauocke of his men and dismay the residue leaping into the head of the battell is reported to vse this prince-beseeming incouragement Beleeue me my companions Idalcan shall rather boast that he hath slaine then ouercome a king of Narsinga With which words and ensample his soldiers all inflamed and ashamed of their cowardize with a furious charge broke the enemies aray and put Idalcan to flight Amongst other spoiles they tooke fower thousand Arabian horses one hundred elephants fower hundred great peeces besides smal The number of oxen buffals tents and prisoners was inestimable With Idalcan were fortie Portugals with the king of Narsinga twentie In his raigne two of his captaines rebelled Virapanai vsurped Negapatan and Veneapatir the territorie adioining to Matipura Calecute THE most noble part of India is that which lieth betweene the mountaine Gate and the Indian Ocean It stretcheth from Cape Comerin to the riuer Cangierecor three hundred miles long In this prouince raigneth the king of Calecut who though he may not be compared to the princes aboue spoken of for number and power yet for pleasant and plentifull situation he may be saide farre to surpasse them For the region is so cut as it were into many parcels sometime by creekes of the sea sometime by riuers and sometime by lakes that nature as it should seeme would haue it diuided into seuerall prouinces as Trauancor Colan Cochin Crangonor Calecute Tano Canonor Seuen yeeres agone Pereimal king of all Malabar ruled these prouinces who after he became a Mahumetan and resolued to trauell to Meca there to spend the remnant of his daies diuided the land into many principalities but with this prouiso that all soueraigne authoritie should rest in the king of Calecute with the title of
goodnes haue alwaies wanted that vertue which should make armies dreadfull and fortunate and that is good order and warlike discipline The kingdome of Persia. PErsia and the Persian glorie hath beene often obscured first by the Arabians who to bury in obliuion the memorie of their former reputation enacted by law that they should no more be called Persians but Saracens then by the Tartarians lead by Chingis and lastly by Tamerlan and his followers But not long before our times by the vertue of Ismaell Sophy of whose originall and fortunes for the better vnderstanding of the state and historie of Persia it shall not be amisse to deuile the kingdome regained his ancient splendor When Mahumet after the decease of his first wife who adopted him her heire by her riches and his new superstition had gotten him a name amongst the vulgar he married for his second wife Aissa the daughter of one Abubacer a great rich man and of high authoritie in those quarters By this mans countenance and the friendship of Omar and Ottomar his kinsemen he gathered together a great rable of Arabians and partly by faire meanes partly by colour of religion he became master of many of the bordering townes and about the same time gaue Fatime his daughter by his first wife to Haly his cosin and to him after his death all his earthly substance making him the head of his superstition with the title of Caliph Abubacer by whose countenance Mahumet became gracious taking in ill part the preferment of the yoong man by the aide of Omar and Ottomar whose desires were in hope of succession by reason of the old mans yeeres and for kinreds sake rather to see Abubacer then Haly Caliph began openly to resist Haly and to spoile him and his wife Fatime of all the substance which was left him by his vncle Abubacer died Omar and Ottomar succeeded Omar was slaine by a slaue Ottomar in a priuate quarrell after whose decease Haly succeeded Against him rose Mauie who accusing him as accessarie to the death of Ottomar his Lord caused him to be slaine neere Cafe a citie within two daies iourney of Babylon where likewise he lieth buried The place is called to this day Massadall that is the house of Haly. After his decease the inhabitants of Cafe proclaimed Ossan the sonne of Fatima Caliph but him likewise Mauie resisted and slew by poyson Then was he absolute Caliph and after him his sonne Iazit Ossan left behinde him twelue sonnes one whereof was called Mahumet Mahadin The Moores say he neuer died but that he shall returne againe to conuert the world and therefore they keepe alwaies readie in the mosque of Massadella a horse gallantly furnished where in their fopperie they affirme that this worlds conuersion shall there first begin Vpon these differences of Haly Abubacer Omar Ottomaâ— Mauie haue mightie factions of armes and opinions arisen amongst the sectaries of this new superstition The Persians labour to prooue Haly true Caliph by the last will of Mahumet the Arabians stand as stifly to the three first When from the yeere of our Lord God 1258. to the yeere 1363. the Moores had no Caliph Mustapha Mumbala the last Caliph being slaine by Allacu king of the Tartarians a certaine noble man in Persia named Sophi Lord of Ardeuell deriuing his pedegree from Haly by Musa Ceresin his nephew and one of the twelue sonnes of Ossan in memorie of whom he altered the forme of the Turbant by his vertue and valour woon great credit and estimation to his new faction To him succeded Adar the sonne of Guine to whom Assembeg a powerfull Prince in Siria and Persia gaue his daughter in marriage But his sonne Iacobbeg fearing the power and estimation of Adar caused him to be slaine and deliuered his two sonnes Ismael and Soliman to his captaine Amanzar willing him to cast them in prison in Zaliga a castle in the mountaines but Amanzar detesting the tyrannie of his Lord conueyed the children to his owne house and brought them vp like gentlemen amongst his owne sonnes and falling sicke of a deadly disease forecasting what might happen after his disease gaue them horses and money willing them to flie and to betake themselues to their mothers house and tuition Ismael the eldest was no sooner returned to his mothers place but he vowed reuenge for his fathers death and after some fortunate expeditions tooke vpon him the cause and protection of the followers of Haly from whom he deriued his pedegree He made the turbant higher and sent Ambassadors to all the orientall Mahumetans to exhort them to vnitie in religion and cognisances By these meanes and fortune of his armes he became a terror to the east and slew Ossan then vsurper of the Persian estate with his ten brethren except Marabeg who saued himselfe and fled to Soliman the first Emperor of Turkes imploring his aide This Ismael at the lake Vay ouerthrew with a great slaughter the Prince of the Tartars Zagatai and in heat of this victorie had passed the riuer Abbian if his Astrologian in whom he greatly trusted had not foretold him that his passage should be prosperous but his returne infortunate He left to his sonnes a most spatious Empire bounded with the Caspian sea the Persian gulfe the lake Sioc the riuers Tygris and Oxus and the kingdome of Cambaia which prouinces containe more then twentie degrees from east to west 18. from north to south And although these kingdomes lying within these bounds held not immediatly of the crowne of Persia yet all acknowledged the Persian for their soueraigne Prince that is the kings of Macran Patam Guadel and Ormus The Georgians did follow their fortunes so did Media now called Siruan Dierbechia once Mesopotamia Cusistan the habitation of the Susiani Farsistan the countrey of the Persians Straua once Hircania â—athia at this day called Arac Caramania now Chermain Sigestan Carassa Sablestan and Istigiu whose ancient names were Drangia Bactria Parapamisus Margiana Of these regions those which lie neerest to the Persian sea are most plentifull by reason of the riuers euerie where dispersed through the whole land Amongst these riuers the most famous is Bindimir to whose waters the inhabitants are much beholding conuaying it by trenches and other inuentions into their grounds to their great ease and commoditie The prouinces lying vpon the Caspian sea for their riuers and temperature doe likewise participate of the said fertilitie especially all those quarters which are watered with the riuer Puly-Malon falling into the lake Burgian the residue of the prouince is drie by reason whereof townes villages are seldome seene in those places vnlesse it be by some spring or waters side The most ample and magnificent cities of Persia are Istigias the chiefe se at of Bactria thought to be one of the pleasantest cities of the east Indion the chiefe seat of Margiana situated in so fat and fertill a territorie that therefore Antiochus Soter caused it
to be walled about Candahar the chiefe seate of Paramisus famous for the traffike of India and Cathaio whither the merchants of those countries do resort Eri the chiefe citie of Aria so abounding with roses that thereof it should seeme to take the name Barbarus saith it is of thirteene miles compasse Ispaa the chiefe seat of Parthia so spatious that for the circuite thereof the Persians hiperbolically terme it the halfe world Chirmain is the chiefe seat of Caramania renowmed for the excellent cloth of gold and siluer wrought therein Eor is a noble citie and so is Custra of Susiana But all these for beautie and magnificence may bow and bend the knee to Siras seated vpon the riuer Bindimire It was once the chiefe seat of Persia and as some thinke called Persepolis Alexander the great burnt it to the ground at the intreatie of his Concubine but afterward being ashamed of so vile an action caused it to be reedefied againe It is not at this time so great as in times past yet it is thought to be one of the greatest cities of all the Orient with his suburbs contayning twentie miles in compasse It is a prouerbe amongst the Persians quando Suars erat Siras tunc Cairus erat eius Pagus yet they account it not verie ancient neither are they of their opinions who will haue it the head of Persia. Tauris and Casbin are most famous cities and besides their magnificence may glorie that in them the kings of Persia keepe their courts The forme of gouernment amongst this nation is not like the gouernment of any other Mahumetan people neither is there to be seene the like policie in any place through the whole east as amgōst the Persians Al the rest hate nobility depending vpon the faith and seruice of slaues do either murder their brethren or put out their eies But amongst these people nobilitie is honored the king entreateth his brethren kindly and magnificently and they allow in their dominions many noble rich and mightie Barons of which sort there is not one to be found through the whole Ottoman dominions They likewise grace gentilitie and highly esteeme their seruice on horsebacke they delight in musicke and learning they studie poesie and therein become excellent They giue their minds to Astrologie all which good parts the Turks do vtterly reiect and despise Merchandize and Mechanicall trades are fauoured in Persia and in all kinde of ciuilitie and curtesie excell the Turkish The security of this state consisteth rather in prowesse then numbers they maintaine three sorts of soldiers one sort the king keepeth in continuall pay and alwaies about his owne person The second is the Timarotes for this kingdome likewise as doth the Turke in lieu of wages allotteth certaine quantities of land to great numbers of horsemen The third are Auxiliaries which serue for pay and those are onely Georgians and Tartarians To speake of the two first the essentiall sinewes of this king and kingdome they are all horsemen For where princes relie onely vpon the valour of the gentrie there is little regard had of the footemans seruice the like reason may be giuen for their want of shipping For although on the one side lieth the Caspian and on another the Persian gulfs yet to this day were they neuer owners of any warlike shipping If they chance to saile vpon the Caspian a sea eight hundred miles long and sixe hundred broad they dare not venter into the maine but houering by the shore timerously saile from one place to another Of the Persian sea the Portugals are lords It aboundeth in mettall of excellent fine temper especially in the prouince of Cazan They haue not the vse of artillerie neither the Arte of defending besieging assaulting mining or intrenching of fortresses and all because they want the vse of footemen to whom these peeces of seruice do properly belong as it doth to horsemen to fight in plaine and open field Besides these wants they are infested with two other more greeuous mischiefes and those are ciuill dissentions arising of the greatnes and disloialtie of their Sultans with the length of iourneies and the scarcitie of nauigable riuers Those riuers which they haue are not frequented at all or at leastwise so little that small ease ariseth thereby They fal all into the Caspian or Persian seas The Inland regions are sandie and vtterly destitute of water How can then the forces of that land make any commodious or speedie rendeuous when halfe the land is drie and barren in so waste a tract not one riuer seruing for nauigable transportation as doth the Loir in France Poo in Italy Vistula in Poland Sheild in Flanders and such like in other kingdomes There are also many deserts and many mountaines disioyning the prouinces farre in sunder Heere in it resembleth Spaine where for want of nauigable riuers except towards the sea coast traffike is little vsed and mountaines and prouinces lie vnmanured for scarcitie of moisture But nature vnwilling that humane life should want any easement hath so prouided for mutuall commerce in these sandie and barren places that through the labour of Camels the want of nauigation is richly recompenced throughout Persia and the bordering countries These beasts carrie woonderous burdens and will longer continue then either horse or mule They will trauell laden with one thousand pound weight and will so continue fortie daies and vpward In sterill and deepe sandie countries such as are Lybia Arabia and Persia they drinke but once euery fift day and if extremitie inforce they will indure the want of water ten or twelue When their burdens are off a little grasse thornes or leaues of trees will suffice them There is no liuing thing lesse changeable and more laborious certainly ordained of nature a fit creature for those sandie and deepe places of Asia and Africke wherein euen man himselfe feeleth the want of foode and water Of these there are three sorts vpon the lesser men trauell the middle sort haue bunches on their backs fit for carrying of merchandise the greater and stronger are those which carry burdens of one thousand pound weight What numbers of horsemen this king is able to leuie was manifested in the warres betweene Selim the first and Ismael betweene Ismael and Soleman and betweene Codabanda and Amurath Not one of them brought aboue thirtie thousand horse into the field but so thoroughly furnished that they had little cause to feare greater numbers The richer and abler sort arme themselues after the manner of our men at armes the residue being better then the thirde part of their Caualrie content themselues with a skull a iacke and cemiter They vse the launce and the bow indifferently Touching their riches the common opinion is that in the daies of king Tamas the yeerely reuenues amounted to fower or fiue millions of gold who by a sudden doubling of the value of his coine raised it to eight and accordingly made paiment to his souldans and soldiers But