of purpose by Mango the great Cham of Tartary a Christian also with a puissant army and a world of people to releeue the distressed Christians in Syria and so Haalon with Hayton king of Armenia scouring through the Countries of Persia Asiria and Mesopotamia in the end entred into Syria and in a few dayes tooke Aleppo sacking and razing it downe to the ground But it continued not so long for afterwards being repaired by the Christians it was againe taken by the Sultans of Aegypt who possessed it many yeares but in the yeare 1516. when Campson Ganrus raigned in Aegypt it was peaceably deliuered vp by Cayerbeius the Traitor into the hands of Selymus the first who fauourably tooke the Citizens into his protection and the more to winne their hearts graunted vnto them greater priuiledges then they had in former time inioyed And so euer since hath continued vnder the Turkish Gouernment hauing vnder the regiment thereof fiue and twenty thousand Timarriots that is to say Pensioners which are all horsemen so called of Timaro that is a stipend which they haue of the Grand Signeor viz. the possession of certaine Villages and Townes which they hold during their life and for which they stand bound For euery threescore Duckates of yearlie reuennew to maintaine one horseman either with bow and arrowes or else with Target and Lance and that as well in time of peace as in time of warre Hauing rested in Aleppo two Moneths and better Mr. Iohn Mildenab and my selfe tooke our leaue of the Consull and Merchants with a full intent and purpose to trauell vnto the great City Lahor in the great Mogors Countrey in the East Indies lodging all that night on a thinne Turkish Carpet in woods-caine where the Carauan was assembled to the end that we might bee with the foremost for delay in such trauell doth produce great and ineuitable danger From Aleppo we spent three daies iourney vnto the bankes of Euphrates passing by many villages not worth the naming and fertile plaines abounding with all sort of prouision necessary for mans life One of those Villages is a Village of note vnto this day called by the Countrey people Tedith where the Iewes keepe a monument in remembrance of the great Synagogue holden there in the yeare from the Creation 3498. For after the twelue Tribes were by Salmanazar King of the Assirians led captiue into a Country neuer inhabited by any before a yeare and halfe iourney so as men in this age trouble their wits to know where they remaine in the East or West Indies in Tartaria or Moscouia and new inhabitants in their place I say it so fell out that after the captiuity of Babylon an hundred and twenty men of the chiefest of the Iewes held a Synode at the aforesaid Village of which Esdras was the Scribe at which Synode as the Rabbins affirme were present Nehemias Mardocheus Zorababel Ioshua the high Priest Daniel Ananias Azarias Misael Haggeus Zacharias and Malachiah and placed the bookes of the old Testament in the same order as now they are and changed the hebrew characters the figure T excepted into the Assirian characters which is the square forme vsed at this day and changed the Hebrew tongue into the Armenian tongue but that was altered afterward and the right Hebrew tongue restored Neare vnto this Towne is the Valley of Salt memorable for that great ouerthrow which Dauid gaue the Aramits when he slew of them in one battell eighteene thousand men Here also Campson Gaurus the great Sultan of Aegypt fought that deadly and mortall battell with Selymus the first the great Turke where hee lost his life being troden without regard to death both by his owne Souldiers and pursuing enemies after he had with great Maiesty gouerned the Kingdome of Aegypt Iudea and Syria many yeares and together with the losse of his life and ouerthrow of his army he lost the great and populous Kingdome of Aegypt which he and his predecessours had gotten and kept by martiall prowesse aboue the space of three hundred yeares Being arriued on the bankes of Euphrates we found it as broade as the Thames at Lambith but in some places it is narrower in some broader running with a very swift streame and current almost as fast as the Riuer of Trent At this place doth this Riuer beginne to take his name being here all gathered into one channell whereas before it commeth downe from the lake Chieldor-Giol in Armenia in manifold armes and branches and therefore is called by the Countrey people by a name which signifieth a thousand heads Here it is that Merchants vse to passe downe by Barke vnto Babylon thereby to auoide and shunne the great charge and wearisomnesse of trauell through the desart of Arabia Which passage they make sometimes in fifteene dayes sometimes in twenty dayes and sometimes in thirty dayes answerable to the rising and falling of the Riuer and the best time to passe thither is either in Aprill or October when the Riuer doth swell with abundance of râ—ine The Boates are flat bottomed because the Riuer is shallow in many places so that when they trauell in the Moneths of Iuly August and September they finde the Riuer at so low an ebbe that they are faine to carry with them a spare Boate or two to lighten their owne if they should chance to fall on the shoales Euery night after Sunne-set they fasten these Boats to a stake the Merchants lying aboord and the Marriners vpon the shore as neare as they can vnto the same In this passage downe the Riuer you shall meete with diuers troupes of Arabians who will barter their prouision of dyet for they care not for money as Hennes Kids Lambe Butter and sowre milke for Glasses Combes Corall Amber Kniues Bread and Pomegranates Pilles wherewith they vse to tanne their Goates skinnes in which they Churne withall All of them as well Women Children and Men are very good swimmers who oftentimes will swimme to the Barke side with vessels full of milke vpon their heads These people are very theeuish and therefore in your passage downe good watch must be kept But to returne where we left wee were constrained by the deepnesse of the riuer to ferry ouer our whole Carauan which consisted of a thousand persons besides Camels Horses Mules and Asses by reason of which multitude we spent a whole day in transporting ouer the said Carauan The gaines of which transportation yeelded the ferriman a Shaughoe which is fiue pence English vpon a beast It was the manner of the Aegyptian Sultanes not to account themselues worthy of the name of Sultanes or great Generall before they had incamped their army vpon this side of the Riuer and in this place and there with solemne pompe had in the sight of the army forced their horses into the Riuer to drinke giuing to vnderstand by that ceremony the greatnesse of their Empire and that they were ready by force of armes to proue
subiect and tributary to the Scepter of Persia and contrariwise both by nature and affection great enemies to the Turke This Towne was much indangered in the warres betwixt Amurat the great Turke and Mahomet Codibanda the Persian King ready to bee swallowed vp of both One while the Bassae of Reiuan on the great Turkes behalfe made an inrode vpon them with a thousand and fiue hundred Harquebusiers whom they were faine to pacifie with a very bountifull present excusing themselues that if they had beene backward in bringing vnto him their voluntary tributes it was done for feare least they should haue fallen into the displeasure of Mahomet Codibanda their King who no doubt if heâ— should haue vnderstood any such matter would haue been ready to destroy their Countrey and depriue them of their liberty and liues The Bassae was no sooner departed with this answere and their present but forth with Aliculi-cham was sent by the Persian King with three thousand Souldiers and with this direction that if the country were subdued by the Turks he should fight against it and if it had voluntarily yeelded it selfe vnto them hee should not only recouer it but also burne it and bring away all the chiefe men of the Countrey for prisoners and slaues To auoide which danger these poore Chiulfalini were glad to present the Persian Prince with greater and more liberal gifts then they did their enemy Bassae Thus these miserable people in the midst of armes and squadrons of the enemy were constrained what with presents and what with lies notably to preserue their liberties and their liues in safety Within a dayes iourney and halfe of this Towne is the Chalderan plaines memorable for the battell fought there on the seuenth day of August in the yeare 1514. betweene the two great Emperours Ismael King of Persia and Selymus the first Emperor of the Turkes In which battell Selymus lost aboue thirty thousand men amongst whom was Cassan-Bassae his great Lieutenant in Europe seauen Sanzacks with the two Malcozzian brethren who labouring the one to rescue the other were both together staine Besides his common foot-men of whom he made least reckoning he lost most part of his Illirian Macedonian Seruian Eâ—irot Thessalonian and Thracian horse-men the vndoubted flower and strength of his army which were in that mortall battell almost all slaine and grieuously wounded And certainly had it not beene for the Turkes great Artillery Ismael with his thirty thousand horse-men had ouerthrowne Selymus with his three hundred thousand Turks But Selymus reseruing all his great Ordonance at his last refuge caused it to bee discharged by violence whereof such slaughter was made as well of his owne men as of his enemies mingled together what for dust what for smoke and thundering of the Artillery hauing on both sides almost lost the vse of sight and hearing and â—â—eir horses being so terrified with the thundering report of the great Ordonance that they were not now to be managed the battell was broken off and the victory yet doubtfull In the end Hismael had the worst and was put to flight by reason that the Persian horses had neuer beene vsed to the noise and thundering of the artillery which they could not abide to heare The Turkish stories to expresse the terrour of this day number it amongst their dismall daies terming it the only day of doome The manner of this battel is painted in the Counsell chamber at Venice and is reported that Selymus the great Turke caused it so to bee done and sent it to the Senate there At Chiulfal we staied eight dayes and passed againe the Riuer Araxis leauing the noble Kingdome of Armenia â—alled now Turcomania because of the Turcomanes a people that came out of Scythia as before wee noted who liue as sheepheards in their tents but the natiue people giue themselues to husbandry and other manuall sciences as working of Carpets and fine Chamlets Wee were no sooner ouer but wee entred into Media which by some is deuided into Media Atropatia and Media the Great The description of MEDIA ATROPATIA MEdiae Atropatia is called by the Hebrewes Madian but now it is termed Sâ—ruan or Seruania The bounds of this Kingdome Northwards are the Albanians and a little beyond them some wandering and vagabond Tartars called Pericorschi betweene Caucasus and the Riuer Volga whereupon it may be that the Tartarians are comprehended vnder the name of Volcenses Eastward the lake as Polycletes terme it or rather as other call it the Sea of Corazan viz. the Caspian Sea Southward on Armenia and more towards the South and South-cast Media the great The whole countrey is very fruitfull and watered with the Riuer Araxiâ— and Cirus and other Riuers that are famous euen in antique Writers Diuers Cities are there in this Kingdome but my purpose is to speake only of those which we saw in these parts viz. Sumachia Derbent Sechi Ere 's and Aras Sumachia is the Metropoliticall City of Sirâ—an and lyeth betweene Derbent and Ere 's where the Kings of Siruan vsed to keepe their great and sumptuous Courts chiefly inhabited by Armenians and Georgians In this City our English Merchants did traffique much and had an house giuen them by Obdowlocan in the yeare 1566. as reuerend Mr. Hackluit doth relate who then raigned there vnder the Persian King In this City wee saw the ruines of a most cruell and barbarous spectacle that is to say a turret erected with free stone and flints in the midst of which flints were placed the heads of all the Nobility and Gentry of that Countrey which fell out on this occasion This Countrey of Siruan in time past was of great renowme hauing many Cities Townes and Castles in it the Kings thereof being of great power able to wage warre with the Kings of Persia but through their diuersity in religion the Persian made a conquest of them razing downe to the ground their Cities Townes and Castles that they should not rebell and also putting to death their Nobility and Gentry and for the greater terrour of the people placed their heads in the foresaid Turrer About a mile distant from this Towne is the ruines of an old Castle once esteemed to be one of the strongest Castles in the world and was besieged by Alexander the Great a long time before hee could winne it And a little further off was a Nunnery most sumptuously builded wherein was buried as they told vs the body of Ameleke Canna the Kings Daughter who slew her selfe with a knife for that her Father would haue forced her shee professing chastity to haue marryed with a Prince of Tartary vppon which occasion the Virgins of this Countrey doe resort thither once a yeare to lament her death This City is distant from the Caspian Sea with Camels seauen dayes iourney and from Derbent sixe dayes iourney It was in the yeare 1578. yeelded vp vnto Mustaffa the Generall of the Turkish army without resistance who presently
the great desart countrey of the Tartars to the West part the country of the Circassians the mountaine Caucasus to the North the riuer Vâ—lga which hath seuentie mouthes or falles into the same and to the South part ioyneth the countries of Media and Parthia This Sea is fresh water in many places and in other places as salt as the maine Ocean It hath many goodly riuers falling into it as the great riuer Volga called by the Tartars Edell which runnes at the least two thousand miles in length as also out of Syberia Yaic and Yem and out of the Periardian mountains Araxiâ— Cirus Canac and diuers others too long to write of And though so many goodly riuers do discharge themselues into it yet it emptieth not it selfe except it be vnder ground into the blacke Sea by Constantinople Now by the commodious site of the Sea a very profitable trade might be planted being but seauen daies sayling from Astracan to Gheilan the gaines of which passage is as I haue credibly heard say both of Persians and Armenians fifty in the hundred euen in meere Buttanosses To further which commerce and trade Abas the Persian king hath diuers times of late sent sundry Ambassadors to the grand Duke of Moscouia among other things requesting of him that merchants might haue a safe conuoy to transport their goods downe the riuer Volga into the Caspian Sea and so to Gheilan which he promised most faithfully to performe so faâ—re as his power would extend I know the voiage will be chargeable yet the benefit will quite the charge were the passage safe and secure down the riuer and had we barks of our building but of fifty or three score tuns which might by reason of the great store of timber in those parts be easily builded The coÌ„modities to be found at Gheilan Casbin are silks of all sorts of colors both raw wrought and that in such quantity that a merchant may bâ—stow thirty or forty thousand pounds yearly as also all maner spices drugs pearls diamonds and rubies likewise carpets of diuers sorts with diuers other rich merchandizes the prices of which I think not meet to set down because of their â—ising falling as the market goes In exchange of which coÌ„modities we are to carry thither tin copper and brassel as also caâ—sies for the common pâ—ople broade cloath for the merchants better sort of people blacke cloathes for womens garments good chamlets vâ—luets died in graine with purple colours and fine reds cloath of gold and tissue veluets imbroidered with gold fine holland cloath for the king and Sultanes dags and pistols complete harnesses targets of steele shirts of male stonebowes brushes and such like The only colors of cloth which are to be sent are skarlets violets in graine fine reds blacks brown blewes London russets taunies Lion colors faire liuely greens the like I am perswaded that any honest factor residing in Casbin may vent a thousand cloathes yearly wherof the Venetians haue good experience But to leaue this noble countrey of Hircania we will againe come to Casbin a principall Citie in Media where we stayed fifteene daies From Casbin we set forwards to the great and populous Citie of Hispaan lodging euery night eyther in a Persian village or in a faire Caine built of stone where we found all kinde of prouision necessarie for our selues and beastes trauailing sixe or seauen in a company company sufficient by reason of the great peace and tranquilitie which the Persians liue in aboue the Turkes and so hauing spent sixe daies wee arriued at Com a verie ancient Citie This Citie is called by Ptolomie Guriana and was so great in times past that the inhabitants affirmed vnto vs that when it was in it first flourishing estate it was twice as bigge as Constantinople but it was much ruinated by Tamerlane and euer since hath lien in the dust without repaire Cassan carrying away the trade of merchandize from her which was once the Mistresse and Ladie thereof It is well seated for water and all other necessaries hauing a spacious riuer running by it with a stone bridge ouer the same the which we no sooner passed but wee entred into the bounds of Parthia a kingdome once famous but now so mingled with Persia that the verie name of Parthia is quite extinguished among them The description of PARTHIA THis Prouince in antique writers is much renowmed Nigro doth call it Corassan and would haue the metropoliticall Citie to be Charras vnder which he would comprehend the Zagathean Tartars but herein he is much deceiued for Corassan and the Zagathean Tartars is very nigh two moneths trauell from Hispaan which is the chiefe and principall Citie of Parthia as shall be shewed in due time and place Mercator and Minadoi doe call it Arach and Alphonsus Hadrianus Iex The bounds of this Prouince Eastward is on Aria Southward on the great desart of Caramania Westward on Media and Northward on Hircania The North part is very woody and compassed about with huge mountaines â—uery plaine is inclosed with a seuerall pale of high hils belonging to â—â—e same though the climate heere be subiect to much heate yet doth the countrie produce all sorts of delicate fruits only Oliues excepted being watered with many prettie riuers which flow from the mountaines The natiue people were at the first a most base vile and obscure people dâ—iuen out of the cold countries of Scythia at that time when the Assirians and Medes flourâ—shed and they continued so a long time after when the Persians gained the monarchy from the Medes yea and after Alexander had conquered Persia they were so rude and barbarous that no Macedonian Prince would take vpon him to be king of Parthia But in processe of time they became very valiant and great souldiers for after they serued in the warres one while vnder Eumenes another while vnder Antigonus and after vnder Selâ—ucius Nicanor and then vnder Antiochus commaunders of great account they grew so famous by their seruice that finding themselues strong enough they made head against Antiochus and reuolted from him making choyse of a king among themselues who in short time brought such renowne to the Parthians as that they enlaâ—ged their confines and augmented their territories in such mâ—nner that Parthia once despised and contemned of the Mâ—cedonians within the raigne of eight kings became sole Lady comâ—aundresse ouer all the countries from the mountaine Caucasus to thâ— riuer Emphrates subdoing Persia Media and Assiria sacking and dâ—spoyling the great and weaâ—thie Citie of Babylon in so much that their fame spread vnto Rome a Citie that could neuer abide any kingdome or countrey to flourish but it selfe These were they that gaue the great ouerthrow to rich Crassus of Rome who minding more his gold then the guiding of his armie was slaine himselfe and many thousand Romanes the Parthians with exprobration of his thirst after
the beginning of another and that the Turkish Empire could neuer stay in one state and it were good that his highnesse should obserue not the Turkes words but his deeds and how the Othoman Emperors according to the opportunitie of the time haue vsed by turnes sometimes force sometimes fraude as best serued their purposes He wished also the king that at length this his deceit might manifest it selfe vnto the world and though in former times there were sometimes wanting will and sometimes occasion to vnite their forces yet now he hoped that by an imployment from his Maiestie to the Christian Princes that they would combine themselues for their common good against the common enemie and that it concerned no lesse his Highnes then the Christians to haue the power of the great Turke abated this taking vp of armes should be for the good of his Maiesty howsoeuer the warre should fall out if wel he should then recouer what his predecessors before had lost with much more that was the Turkes If otherwise yet by voluntarie entering into armes to countenance himselfe and to giue the Great Turke occasion to thinke that he feared him not which was as hee said the onely way to preserue the common safetie Many such speeches passed from Sir Anthony but most of the chiefe counsellours were obstinately bent against it at the first howbeit the King being stilâ— animated by his forcible perswasions and his Generall Oliuer-chan a Georgian Christian furthering the busines in the end with the rest of his Councell consented thereto and so Sir Anthony within three moneths after his first arriuall was dispatched to these seuerall Princes viz. to Queene Elizabeth of famous memorie to King Iames our dread Soueraigne to the French King to the Emperour the Pope the King of Spaine the Senate of Venice and the Duke of Florence with Letters of credence and very rich and bountifull presents to conclude a generall peace among themselues and betweene the Persian and our Christian world The chiefe things that the Persian requested of the Christians was that they would send him by the way of Syria men skilfull in the casting of great Ordinance an Engine once hated of the Persians who held it a sinne and shame to exercise so cruell a weapon against mankind yet nowe knowing by wofull experience of what moment it is in a set battell the King did specially require such men as were skilfull therein hauing matter enough within his Dominions whereof to cast them that they with an armie by land 〈…〉 Turke promising in the meane time himselfe to fill Asia the lesse with his armie and that if they would be in the field three moneths he would be sixe monethes if the Christian Princes would bring an hundred thousand fighting men into the field hee would bring two hundred thausand and so they should giue vnto themselues a faire occasion to recouer both by land sea all such places as they had before lost either in Hungaria or vpon coast of Peloponesus and Grecia But how well Sir Anthony behaued himselfe in so waighty a negotiatioÌ„ I leaue to the world to iudge of sure I am that for his fidelitie therein hee left his brother Master â—obert Sherley a worthy gentleman as a pledge for his returne out of Christendome accompanied with fiue English men viz. honest Captaine Powell Iohn Ward Iohn Parrot who afterwards died in Lahor being in Master Mildenals company one Brookes who is gone for the East Indies and an English gunner whose name I doe not well remember who was slaine by an Italian in the way to Corassan All these at the first were very kindly intreated by the King and receiued large allowance but after two yeares were fully expired and no newes of that great and important Ambassie and the King perceiued that Mahomet the great Turke beganne now to haue him in iealousie and that the whole warre was like to lie vppon his owne necke without any helpe from the Christians he began to frowne on the English notwithstanding Master Sherley through his good desert soone gained the Kings gracious fauour againe And as euident signes thereof obtained of the King freedome of conscience for all Christians throughout his Dominions allowing also his house to be the onely harbour and receite for all poore Christians that trauaile into those parts And farther the King to manifest his loue gaue him out of his Seraglion in Marriage a Cirassian Lady of great esteeme and regard But that hee should haue a child in Persia and that the King a professed enemie to the Name of our blessed Sauiour should bee the God-father this certainely is more fitte for a Stage for the common people to wonder at then for any mans priuate studies Notwithstanding if we do rightly consider on the one side the great power preparation that the Persian is able to make against the great Turke and on the other side the miserable captiuity of many thousands of poore Christians that are subiect vnto the Turkish tyranny we cannot denie but that both the Embasseies of Sir Anthony Sherley also of M. Robert his brother are of great importance that a combinatioÌ„ of so great forces together would soone haue deliuered many poore ChristiaÌ„s of their miseries the world of it ignominy mankind of that monster of Turkish tyranny that hath too long raigned laid the earth desolate As for the first the strength of the Persian consisteth now in three kinds of soldiers the first are the soldiers of his court to the number of nine thousand as we said before The second kinde are such who by custome and duty are bound to serue him in his wars these be his ancient gentlemen of hâ—s country who hold landâ— possessions desceÌ„ded vnto them from their ancestors or holden by the gift of the king these are sent for in time of wars are of duty bound to performe such like seruice as the gentry of Italy France Spain do vnto their Soueraigns these do amount since Abas came to the crowne very nigh to forty thousand most of them come well armed the rest content themselues with headpeeces Iacks and vse for their weapons either horsmen staues or bowes which they can most cunningly handle discharging their arrowes also very neere vnto that they ayme at either forward or backward The third sort are such as are sent vnto him from the Princes and neighbours his confederates and these are commonly sent from the Princes of Iberia Albania and the countries bordering vpon Media and Armenia who being halfe Christians beare a mortall hatred against the Turke Besides the King hath vnder his dominions these great famous couÌ„tries Seruania otherwise called Atropatia some part of Georgia these countries since the yeelding vp of Tauris haue voluntarily yeelded vp themselues vnder his protection Besides Media the great Gheilan or Gely Massandran or Hircania Parthia Aria Candâ—har Heri Corassâ—n Farsi
they are said to driue there cattaile from the pasture least they should perish by Satietie And true it is that the vngy or hay which groweth in these parts is of so strong an operatiue power to fatten that they are constrained before they giue it their cattaile to flake and coole the heats thereof with water Herodotus speaketh as an eye-witnesse that the place where Euphrates runneth out into Tigris not farre from the place where Ninus is seated is a Region of al otherâ— most excellent which bringeâ—h forth corne so aboundantly that the ord nary fields in his time did returne the seed sowne in them two hundreth fold the better places three hundreth that is thrâ—e hundreth bushels for one or at the least three hundreth graines for one corne And there is nothing that better proueth the excellency of this soile then the abouÌ„dant growing of Palm-trees in these places without the care labor of man The most of which trees do beare fruit out of which the inhabitants make both meat wine hony and whatsoeuer else the life of man begetteth at nature Pliny affirmeth that such is the fertility of the grouÌ„d that they are coÌ„strained twise to mow down their corne-fields a thiâ—d time to eate them vp with sheepe adding this singularity to the soile that the second yeere the very stubble or rather falling downe of the seed againe yeeldeth them a haruest of corne without any farther labour So that by these few collections we may gather that they are farre besides the truth which haue sought Paradise either beyond our knowne world or in the middle region of the aire or nere the Moone or as far as the South-line or the North-pole beeing meere vanities imagined in mens fancies Cardinal Bellarminâ— in his coÌ„trouersiâ—s is likewise much troubled to finde out the place where Paradise should bee whether it be in the earth or in the aire yea some are so mad that they doe peremptorily set downe that the earthly Paradise after Adam was banished thence for his sin was by God lifted vp into the aire but this as His Maiesty learnedly sheweth in his Praemonition to al Christiâ—n Monarchs free Princes and states is like one of the dreames of the Turkish Alcoran sâ—eing no such miracle is mentioned in the scriptures hâ—uing no ground but from the curious fancies of some boiling braines who cannot be content sapere ad sobrietatem We conclude then that the garden of Eden was created by God in this habitable world and that in the lower part of the region of Eden called by the Iewes Aram FluuioruÌ„ Aram amongst the â—iuers and by the Greekes Mâ—sâ—potamia conteyning a part of Shinar Armenia and reteining the name of Eden in some part vnto this day as before is declared From the Island of Eden wee returned to Mosuâ— and staied there eight daies so went down the riuer Tigris to Bagdâ—t or New Babilon beeing carried not on boat as down the riuer Euphrates but vpon certaine Zatarres or rafts borne vpon goates skins blowne full of winde like bladders Which rafts they sel at Bagdat for fire carry their skins againe home vpon Asses by land to make other voiages down the said riuer This riuer is very famous because it watered Paradise whose coursing is very strang for some part of it issuing out of the Mountaines Nifates passeth through the lake Topiti in Armenia a lake which hath Nitrum in it the property whereof is to rent and teare a mans apparell with such swiftnesse that it mingles not it selfe with the water of the said lake and therevpon it is called Tigris which in the languag of the Medes signifieth an arrow Nere to the vttermost corner of this lake it falleth into a great deepe runneth for a great space vnder ground and then riseth againe neere to Colonitis and from thence courseth towards Opis and the ruins of Nineuy and so to 〈…〉 Persian gulfe The description of New Babilon now called Bagdat BY this riuer the cittie Bagdat is very aboundantly furnished with all kinde of prouision both of corne flesh fowle fish and venison of all sorts besides great store of fruit but especially of dates and that very cheape This citty by some is called new Babilon and may well be because it did rise out of the ruines of old Babilon not farre distant being nothing so great nor so faire for it conteines in circuit but three English miles and is built but of brick dryed in the sunne their houses also beeing flat roofed and lowe They haue no raine for eight moneths together nor almost any clowd in the skie night nor day Their winter is in Nouember December Ianuary and February which moueths are neuerthelesse as warme as our summer in England In a word this towne was once a place of great trade and profit by reason of the huge Carauans which were wont to come from Persia and Balsara but since the Portugalls Englishmen and Hollanders haue by their traffique into the East-Indies cut off almost all the trade of Marchandize into the gulfs of Arabia and Persia both Grand Cairo in Egipt and Bagdat in Assyria are not now of that benefit as they haue beene either to the merchant or great Turke his tributes both in Egypt and his customes in this place being much hindred thereby Memorable not withstanding is this towne for that it was the onely place where for the space of six hundreth yeares the Mahumetane Caliphes were resident and kept their sumptuous court vntill the Tartare Prince and the King of Armenia as before is declared did besiege it and in the end tooke it with the Caliph also together with an inestimable masse of treasure Which treasure when the two Princes saw they demanded of the Caliph why he would not with the same leauy and wage souldiers for his owne defence Whereunto he answered that vnto that time he thought his owne subiects had beene sufficient enough to haue resisted any forraine enemie which they vnderstanding immediatly caused all that treasure to be carried into the castle and the couetouâ— wretch set in the midst of the same forbidding that any man should giue him either meat or drink where he miserably dyed through famine in the midst of his riches After it continued vnder the Tartar and Persian gouernment vntil it was taken by Solyman the Turkish Emperor from Tamas the Persian king who after it was yeelded vnto him according to an old superstitious manner receiued at the hands of a poore Caliph the ensignes and ornaments of the kings of Assyria so this city with the great countries of Assyria and Mesopotamia somtimes famous kingdomes of themselues and lately part of the Persian kingdome fell into the hands of the great Turke in the yeare 1534 and so haue continued euer since Prouinces of the Turkish Empire It was reported vnto Rodulphus the Emperor for a certaine truth that the king of Persia had
The religion of â—he Armenians is spotted with many absurdities The great battell fought betweene two great Bassaes Delymenthes a valiant Nobleman of Persiâ—â— The Ecmenick Ilands The â—ake Actamar callâ—â— in ancient tiâ—â— Martiana Solyman after ten dayes siege tooke the City Van. The Riuer Araxis springeth out of the hill Taurus The Riuer Cirus The Riuer Canac The mountaâ—â— Anti-Taurus The mountaiâ— Gordaeus Ioseph Antâ—quitat lib. 1. cap. 5. Fruitfull propagation aâ—ter the flood Rheubarb Berosuâ— Manasseus Damasceâ— Noah wrote bookes Hierome the Aegyptian Nicholas Damascene The Riuer Araxis The Chiulfallines great drinkers of wine but no quarrellers in drinke Chiulfal much indangered in the last warre betweene thâ— Turke and thâ— Persian The mortall battell sought betweene Selymus the first Emperour of the Turks and â—ismael the Sofie of Persia. The Kingdome of Siruan Atropatia exceeding fruitfull Sumachia A most barbarous spectacle in Sumachia The Persian Prince punisâ—eth the inhabitants of Sumachia with diuers kindes oâ— tortures and deathâ— Derbent builded by Alexander thâ— Great The great wall which Alexander built betweene Derbent and Testis Sechi Ere 's made Mamodaean silkes Arasse the most chiefe and opulent Citie in the trade of Merchandize that is in all Seruauia The originall of the Medes Sâ—â—chatana â—uffinus de Medioruâ— oriâ—ne The Castell which Daniel the Prophet builded Iosephus Anti. lib. 10.11 Tauris yeeldeth to Selymus the first 1514. Sacked by Soâ—yman 1535. â—iserably â—oâ—led by Osâ—an Visier 1583. The misery of the Taurisians Tauris wonne by the Persian King in the yeare 1603. Our first entry into the Persian kingdome Great quiet in Persia. A most horrible and terrible tempest Bassars are certaine streetes of trafficke Ardouil the first place that receiued the Persian superstition The Author 〈◊〉 the Persian sâ—perstition The Turks and Persians differ not about the interpretation of their law but about the true successour of their great Prophet Mahomet â—he new praiâ—r of the Perâ—ians Bachu Oyle springeth out of the ground Gheilan The Caspian Sea A trade might be planted by â—he Muscouianâ—erchants â—erchants The barkes which must passe the Caspian sea must nâ—t draw fiue foote water because in diuers places it is very shoald The commodities of Persia The commodities to be carried from England into Persia. The colours of cloath to be sent into Persia The Citie Com once twice as big as Constantinople The Parthians were at the first a most seruile and base people Ciuill and good gouernment The Persian law against idlenesse 〈◊〉 sort of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kings 〈◊〉 The kings garden The gard of the kings Pallace The order of the Persian dignities in Hispaan The Sultanes The Treasurers The gâ—eat Chancellours The Caddi or Judges The 〈…〉 The Califâ—s The nature of the Persians The Persians giuâ—n to sensualitie The Persians verie inconstant The impietie of the sons of Artaxerxes the Persian king The Persian Prince slaine by one of his own Eunuchs The impiety of Abas King of Persia. The descripâ—ion of the Persian king The Persian horses very good The weapons of the Persian souldiers The kings exercises in the Aâ—-maidan The Persian kings correction of Iudges Herodotus See Les ombres des defuncts sieurs de Villemer de Fontaines pag. 46. Sir Anthony Sherleys arriuaâ— in Persia. Sir Anthony Sherleys speech vnto the King Sir Anthonie Sherley sent bâ— the Persian King to eight seuerall Princes The demanâ— of the Persiaâ— King Master Robert â—herley left as â— pledge for Sir Anthoniesâ—eturne â—eturne out of Christiandom The great power that the Persian king is able to make against the Turke The coâ—ntrieâ— subiect to Persia The Persâ—â—â—s betteâ— souldiers then tâ—e Turkes The miserable thraldome of the Christians vnder the Turkish tyranny The Gecian Nobility put to death in the presence of the great Turke whilst he sat feasting with his Bassaes The miseries of the Constantinopolitanes The countries which besides Grecia that groane vnder the Turkish slauery A tribute of soules paide yearly by the Christians to Mahomet that lying Prophet The king oâ—â—ersia or late â—eare hath â—â—nt fiue â—eveâ—â—ll Embaslaâ—â—urs into â—hristendome The Persians promise vnto the Emperor The Emperors promise tâ— the Persian king The reasons why the Emperour leaues the Pâ—rsian king in field to himselfe and concludes a peâ—ce wit the great Turke Some parts of Châ—istendome greatly in indebted to the Sherlies No more but fiue kings in Persia. Darius Medus Cyrus Esay 44.28 2. Chro. 36.22 1. Esdras 1.2 Esdras 2. Ioseph Anti. 11. ca. 1. Herodoâ—us Ahashuerosh Iustin. lib. 3. Darius Longimanus Darius The Ieweâ— confuted Daniel 9.25 The Iewes surmise that the Messiah liueth in the world inuisibly Herodo lib. 7. As the captiuitie grew at three times So the returne was at three times The riuer Bindamir Alexander at the request of a strumpet fiâ—eth Peâ—sepolis Excellent armour made in Syras Batan a commodious porâ— towne in the Persian Golfe for the East Indian company The riuer Iesdri ninneth close by Batan Herodot lib. 5. Cassiod lib. 7. â—ariar â—pist 15. The riuer Châ—aspes The description of Nineuie The magnificent building of Nineuie by Ninus Ninus reigned in Nineuâ—e The rich and sumptuous tombe of Ninus His Epitaph Sardanapolus the last king of the Assyrians Sardanapalus destroyeth himselfe His Epiâ—â—ph Sanâ—heâ—ib slain by hâ—s 2. sons 2. Reg. 19 37. Herodotus lib. 2. The Description of the Region of Eden That Paradise was vpoâ— the earth is without all disputâ— Paradice planted in the country of Eden neere Babilonia The riuers which watered Paradicâ— The eâ—our of those disproued which make Pâ—son to be Nilus Strange fertility and happinesse in the region of Eden Palme-trees in greâ—t aboundance Pliny nat â—i stor lib. 18. c. 17. Bellaâ—m lib. de Grat. primi hominis The strang coursing oâ— the riuer Tigris Bagdat the seat of the Caliph for sixe hundreth yeereâ— Bagdat won by the Tartar Prince and King of Armenia Bagdat yeelded vnto the Turkes A Caliph is a man reuerenced of all Mahometaâ— Princes and hath an old priuiledge in the choice confirmation of the Assyrian kings and Suâ—ans of Egypâ— At Case the body of Aly intombed The country wherein Abraâ—am was born The tower of Babel The perswasion of Nimrod The diuision of languages no humane dâ—uice but a pâ—nishment of God vpâ— on mankind The description of old Baâ—ylon â—erod lib. 1. â—rist Pol. li. 3. 〈◊〉 of Belus 〈◊〉 by Semiâ—ais The captiuitâ— confirmed bâ— the Heathen 〈◊〉 10. The opinion of them of Mecha touching Mahomeâ— their Propheâ— The Turkish religion a meere sâ—igne inuention It is ful of liâ—â— and fables Thâ— promises are meere carnall pleasures Mahomet wrought no mirâ—cles but propagated his doctrine with fire and sword The effects of â—he Turkish religion Lud. Viues 〈◊〉 1. de veâ—itate Fidei The mouth c. Hell Anna a towne in Arabia The Camâ—ll a commodious beast
THE PREACHERS TRAVELS Wherein is set downe a true Iournall to the confines of the East INDIES through the great Countreyes of Syria Mesopotamia Armenia Media Hircania and Parthia With the Authors returne by the way of Persia Susiana Assiria Chaldaea and ARABIA Containing a full suruew of the Knigdom of Persia and in what termes the Persian stands with the Great Turke at this day Also a true relation of Sir ANTHONIE SHERLEYS entertainment there and the estate that his Brother M. ROBERT SHERLEY liued in after his departure for Christendome With the description of a Port in the Persian gulf commodious for our East Indian Merchants and a briefe rehearsall of some grosse absudities in the Turkish ALCORAN Penned by I. C. sometimes student in Magdalen Colledge in OXFORD LONDON Printed for Thomas Thorppe and are to bee sold by Walter Burre 1611. TO THE VERTVOVS AND Worthy Knight Sir THOMAS HVNT one of his Maiesties Iustices of the Peace and Quorum in the Countie of Surrey I. C. wisheth all terrestriall and celestiall happinesse SIR when I consider that it is the common manner of all that write any Bookes in this age to Dedicate the same to one or other of great place I bethought me to whome I might offer these my trauels and at last resolued with my selfe none to be more fit then your Worship both in regarde of your zeale to Religion because you doe giue to diuers Congregations in this land Milke without siluer and bread without money which not many other Patrones doe as also for your loue vnto Schollers who though in this vnthankfull age of ours men wonder at vs Vâ— pueri Iunonis auem and wee wonder againe at them because they doe so litle for vs yet my selfe and many others now of some place in the Church neuer departed discontented from you Many other respects as well publike as priuate doe naturally beare this small discourse to the very point and center of your Worships onely Patronage Concerning the matter of this discourse you shall finde in the Preface and concerning the maner there is no great matter of learning or ingenious inuention onely a simple relation of a simple truth yet somewhat there is which may happily concerne the learned and giue some satisfaction to an indifferent Reader when hee vnderstands how two of the most mightie and most warlike Princes among the Barbarians the great Turke and the Persian are now in armes one against the other stirred vp thereunto by two of our Country-men Sir Anthonie Sherley and Master Robert Sherley his brother A warre not onely like to be long and bloudie but also very commodious and of great oportunitie to the Christian Commonweale for that it doth gâ—aunt and giue leasure to diuers parts of Christendome to refresh themselues and to increase their forces much weakned both by the Great Turkes warres and most of all by their ciuill dissentions at home For Cortug-ogli the Turkish Pirate in his perswasiue Oration to his great Mast. Solyman The Magnificent to besiege Rhodes could say vnto him And now dread Soueraigne if it please you to vouchsafe but to looke into the matter you shall see that there is a diuine occasion by the procurement of our great Prophet Mahomet presented vnto your most sacred Maiestie for that the Christians of the West are at discorde and mortall warre among themselues And to say the truth the discords and dissentions of Christian Princes haue laide more Countreyes to the enrichment of the Great Turke then euer his bowe or Shield could haue purchased In the dayes of Mahomet the second these polluted Sarazens had gleaned out of Christendome like scattered eares of corne neglected by the owners Two hundred Cities twelue Kingdomes and two Empires and still as a canker running on before the Persian tooke the field against them they euery yeere did fret and eate into Christendome Finally I might haue added many worthy collections as well out of sacred as prophane writers that haue written of the most stately and magnificent Empire of the Medes and Persians in times past and so haue compared it with the moderne and present estate thereof which hath scarce a shadow of the antique Gouernment wherewith it was then ruled and gouerned But the matter would haue proued too long made this volume too great and therefore for those aduertisements I purpose to put them forth when God shal make me strong and able In the meane time whatsoeuer is here penned I leaue it with your Worship beseeching you to giue it entertainment And so I do most humbly take my leaue commending both your selfe your vertuous Lady and your whole family to the best mercies of the Lord Iesus From mine House in Southwarke this 18. of October Anno Dom. 1611. Your Worships to command in the Lord IOHN CARTWRIGHT Gentle Reader IT was my purpose to haue added to this Iournall some obseruations touching our Northwest Passage with many reasons to haue proued the great probabilitie thereof But I am perswaded by some friends to make stay thereof vntill the truth of the newes That it is alreadie discouered be throughly examined In the meane time moderate thy opinion of our former proceedings And though some maleuolent tongues haue especially shot out their venemous poyson against me vpon what ground they cannot iustly say when they haue beene pressed thereto yâ—t God is my witnesse that my Conscience is cleare either from wronging the Companie that then was or any wayes from hindring the full proceeding of that Voyage which I purpose shortly to make good vnto the world And for this small discourse if it passe currant in thy iudgement I shall thinke my selâ—e to haue gained enough in lieu of all the Trauels of all the dangers perils that I haue sustained in those places THE PREACHERS TRAVELS Wherein is set downe a generall description of the most principall Kingdomes that haue beene and are at this day in ASIA the great viz. Syria Mesopotamia Armenia the great Media Hircania Parthia Persia Susiana Chaldaea Assiria and Arabia TOGETHER WITH THE MOST memorable occurrences and expeditions which the Princes of those parts haue had each against the other THE PREFACE POMPEY the Great being put to flight in the battell at Pharsalia by Iulius Caesar was desirouâ— to know of Cratippus the Philosopher what should be the euent of the warres betweene Caesar and himselfe demanding of him an sit Prouidentia whether the purpose decree of God were vnchangeable without alteration To whom Cratippus answered not as a Philosopher but as a true Diuine saying Fatales esse Imperiorum periodos the prouidence of God is most sure and certaine which Pompey found most true in a small time after when Caesar was created the first Emperour of the Roman Monarchy and which also shall be verified God willing in the discourse of this Iournall wherein is principally shewed how all humane affaires and the greatest Cities of renowme haue had their Periods in their greatest
perfections to which though they haue ascended gradatim yet they haue forthwith fallen into a retrograde of declination till they haue beene brought to the lowest degree which misery can allot So true is that of Seneca Nulla sors longa dolor voluptas Inuicem cedunt breuior voluptas Ima permut at breuis hora summis Nemo confidat nimium secundis Nemo desperet meliora lapsis No chance is long for griefe and eke delight By course giue place pleasure hath shorter flight An houre but shorâ— that presently doth end Doth make the lowest things aloft ascâ—nd Let none too much trust in a prosperous state Let none despaire but hope for better fâ—te For in this small discourse wee shall see how vnauoidable destruction doth alwaies attend on the succession of greatnesse and aduancement on the posterity of misery as also the sacking of many Cities the depopulating of the greatest Countries the deposing of Princes and high descended families of their liues together with their Crownes and Kingdomes and that in so short a time as neuer the like was executed in the antique world Two reasons haue moued me to set downe this Iournall The one for that I haue not yet seene any that hath made a full description of these parts as they are at this day which I hope shall be performed by my selfe who spent much time in those Countries being familiarly conuersant to helpe my knowledge herein with many Sultanes and principall Commanders in the Kingdome of Persia as also diuers Ianizaries who serued in the warres betweene the great Turke and the Persian The other is for that I doe verily perswade my selfe that this discourse will breede much delight vnto any indifferent Reader when hee shall vnderstand how mighty the forces are of the Persian King a capitall enemy of the name of Christ as also in what termes he standeth at this day with the great Turke what Kingdomes he possesseth what Prouinces are subiect vnto him his worship his religion his kinde of gouernment their weapons their manner of fight their forme of battell the reuennues and expences of that Crowne and in a word whatsoeuer else is necessary to be knowen Finally you haue here described the seueral Nations Situations Cities Riuers Mountaines and Prouinces which I haue seene and passed by It is not my purpose to write any thing of the Ilands in the Mediterranean-Sea which we sailed by and are so much renowmed in old writers viz. Maiorica and Minorica Corsica Sicilia Malta Cephalonia Zant Candia Rhodes and Cyprus howsoeuer many excellent things might be spoken of them yet seeing they are so well knowen to most of our nation I omit to write binding my selfe to a true relation of what mine eyes haue seene in more remote parts of the world not respecting the iudgement of the vulgars but contenting my selfe with the conscience of truth beside which I protest I purpose to write nothing The beginning of the trauell ANd first I will beginne at Alexandretta Alexandretta now called Scanderone is a roade in the bottom of the Mediterranean-Sea on the coast of Cilicia where our Merchants land their goods to be sent to Aleppo within eight miles of this roade is Tharsus the chiefe Citty of Cilicia and the Countrey of St. Paul the place also where King Salomon sent for great store of gold and other prouision for the building of the Temple whither the Prophet Ionas also sledde when he should haue gone to Nineuie A little from this Towne did Alexander the Great giue the ouerthrow in person to Darius in ioyning of their first battell together Lying at an Anchor in the aforesaid roade the space of two houres our Ianizaries with a sufficient guard and horses for our selues were ready to conduct vs vp to Aleppo and safe-guard vs as well aâ— they might from the dangers and euils which many times in the way doth befall passengers In our passage vp no matter of importance happened many false rumours of Theeues were diuulged by the Countrey people to affright vs but we by the assistance of God arriued in safety at Aleppo being some sixe miles before our approch to the Citty encountred by many of our English Merchants to giue vs the welcome on the Turkish shore After mutuall courtesies ended they accompanied vs into the City vnto the Consull Pallace where hauing dismounted our selues we were well entertained by Mr. Richard Colethrust worthy Consull then to our worthy English nation At whose charge and expences I abode two moneths and better all which time I fell into consideration not so much of the City as of the Prouince in which it standeth offering hereby vnto my selfe two things worthy obseruation The description of SYRIA FIrst the greatnesse of the Kingdome of Syria which confronteth East-ward on Mesopotamia South-ward on Arabia North-ward on Cylicia and Asia the lesse and West-ward on Tyre and Sydon and the bottome of the Mediterranean-Sea The other the diuision of the said Kingdome which deuideth it selfe into fiue notable Prouinces viz. Palestina Foenitia Celestria Syria and Camogena The last of which fiue is that part which runneth vp to the Riuer Euphrates and to the confines of Armenia in which standeth the great and wealthy City of Aleppo This Kingdome of Syria hath diuers Cities of importance but my purpose is to speake but of those which my Iournall leadeth me vnto and which my eyes haue seene viz. Tripolis Hamath Antioch and Aleppo The description of Tripolis TRipolis is a Towne which standeth vnder a part of Mount Lybanus two English miles distant from a certaine Port which trendeth in the forme of an halfe Moone hauing on the one side thereof fiue block-houses or small Forts wherein is very good Artillery and â—ept by an hundred Ianizaries This City is as great as Bristow and walled about the walles being of no great force The chiefest strength is a Citadell which standeth on the South side within the walles and ouer-lookes the whole Towne and is strongly kept with two hundred Ianizaries and good Artillery Through the midst of this City passeth a Riuer wherewith they water their Gardens and Mulbery trees in such sort that there grow on them abundance of silke wormes where with the Inhabitants makes great store of very white silke which is the chiefest naturall commodity in and about this place Finally this roade of Tarapolos or Trapolos commonly called Tripolis was more frequented before Scanderone was found out with all sorts of Christian Merchants as Venetians Genouis Florentines Marsilians Sicilians Raguses and English men then any other Port of the great Turks Dominions Some say that the Scale is againe translated from Scanderone thither but how true it is I leaue to the Merchants to report One inconuenience this Towne is subiect vnto for right before it toward the Sea is a banke of mouing sand which gathereth and increaseth with the Westerne winds in such sort that according to an old prophesie amongst them this banke is like
did surprise the City intreating all the inhabitants in friendly manner without doing or suffering any outrage to be done vpon them but for this their infidelity in voluntary yeelding themselues to follow the religion of the Turkes when as they were not induced thereunto by any necessity Emirhamze eldest Sonne to Mahomet Codibanda King of Persia comming with his army into Seruan did with great cruelty punish the miserable and infortunate commons of this City making their houses euen with the ground destroying both the old and new wals thereof and bringing the whole land to nought that somtimes was so desired a â—eceit of the Turks Sixe dayes iourney from this City lyeth Derbent This city hath sundry names giuen vnto it by writers Somtimes it is called Derbent because it is in figure narrow and long and sometimes Demir-Capi because there were the yron-gates that were sometimes the entrance into Scythia and sometimes Alessandria because it was first erected by Alexander the Great when hee warred against the Medes and Persians at which time also he made a wall of a wonderfull height and thicknesse which extended it selfe from this City to a City in Armenia called Testis belonging to the Georgians And though it be now razed and decayed yet the foundation remaineth and it was made to this purpose that the inhabitants of that Countrey newly conquered by Alexander should not lightly flie nor their enemies easily inuade them This City is seated vpon an high hill and builded all of free stone much after our buildings being very high and thicke neuerthelesse it neuer grew great nor famous and euen in these dayes there is no reckoning made of it and the reason is because of the situation seruing for passage only out of Tartaria into Persia and out of Persia into Tartaria receiuing those that trauell too and fro not as Merchants and men of Commerce but as passengers and trauellers and to speake in a word it is seated in a very necessary place as the case standeth by reason that it is in the ports of the Caspian Sea but not profitable vnto it selfe much like as it is in the passages of the Alpes where though the Frenchmen Switzers Dutchmen and Italians continually doe passe by them yet was there neuer found a meane City much lesse any City of state and importance About foure daies iourney from Sumachia is Sechi which also at the same time as Sumachia offred themselues to Mustapha as vassals and subiects to the Turks who all were gladly intertained of him and some of the chiefe of them apparelled in silke and gold and honored with great magnificence and in the end had all protection promised vnto them Here also standeth the Citie Ere 's most fruitfully watered with the riuer Araxis and Cyrus and hath yeelded in times past great store of those fine white silkes commmonly tearmed by the marchants Mamodaean silkes whereof at this day there is not to be found no not a very small quantitie by reason of the monstrous ruines and ouerthrowes that hath happened in these countries partly by the Armies of the great Turke and partly by the Armie of the Persians which still hath succeeded one another in their cruell incursions and bloodie inuâ—sions For after the people of Sechi and Ere 's had yeelded themselues voluntarily without any resistance vnto Mustaffa great Amurats Generall Emirhamze the Persian Prince came vpon them with his armie as vpon rebels to inflict deserued punishment In effecting of which his purpose he spared neither sexe nor age nor any condition but though the persons were vnequall yet was the punishment equall to all carrying away with him the two hundred peeces of artilerie that were left in the sort by Mustapha and presently sent them to Casbin to his father There is also in this Kingdome another Citie that bordereth vpon the Georgians called Arasse being the most chiefe and opulent Citie in the trade of Merchandise partly by the aboundant grouth of silke there nourished partly by other good necessary commodities there growing and there brought as rough and smooth galles Cotten wooll Allome besides all kinds of spices and drugs and Diamonds and Rubies and other stones brought out of the East-Indies But the principall commoditie is raw silke of all sorts so that from hence hath beene and is carried yearly fiue hundred and sometimes a thousand mules laden of silke to Aleppo in Syria From this towne we spent sixe daies trauell to Tauris passing ouer the riuer Araxis leauing Media Atropatia and entring into Media the great The description of MEDIA the Great THis countrey hath for it bounds westward Armenia the great and Assiria Southward Persia Eastward Hircania and Parthia and Northwards the Caspian Sea The land is high and spacious most part mountainous full of hils woods rockes and ruines specially towards the North parts but Southwards it aboundeth with silkes fruits wilde beasts and falcons It receiued the name from Medus Iasons sonne who being an earnest follower of his fathers vertues in honour of his mother Medea after the death of his father Iason builded the Citie Medea and established the kingdome of the Medes calling it after his owne name which in continuance of time grew to that estate that all the East was in subiection to the Empire thereof I omit to write any thing of Astyages who raigned in this countrey or of his dreame how he saw springing out of his daughters belly a vine whose branches should ouershadow all Asia meaning Cyrus that was borne of her or how Cyrus was brought vp of an heard-man and miraculously preserued from death and lastly how Cyrus was banished into Persia and after being come to mans estate ouercame Astyages his Grandfather remouing the Empire from the Medes to the Persians being all matters of antiquitie and not so pertinent to our iournall The chiefe Citie of this country is Tauris which in times past was called Ecbatana as Ortelius and Minado do witnesse howsoeuer P. Ionius very vniustly would haue it Terua and Nigro the Italian Tigranoama It was first founded by Deiocis the first king of Media who no sooner gaue out his edict for the building thereof but forthwâ—th the inhabitants with one consent did make it the chiefe Citie aboue the rest and so euer since it hath remained one of the chiefest seats both of the Median and Persian kings Memorable also is this Citie for the resiance once of the Prophet Daniel who neere vnto the same builded a most magnificent and sumptuous Castell which many yeares remained a maruailous monument the beauty wherof was so liuely and perfect that continuance of time did little deface it being very fresh and flourishing in the time of Iosephus In this Castell were all the kings of Media Persia and Parthia for many yeares together intombed But now time hath worne it out it faring with buildings as with mens bodies they waxe old and are infeebled
But to leaue these two great Monarches the onely enemies to the name of Christ in field each against the other I come now to my returne from those parts The returne of the Author by the way of Persia Susiana Chaldaea Assiria and Arabia HAuing tooke my leaue of Master Robert Sherley and the rest of my country-men I left them to the mercy of the king whose bountie and goodnesse by their returne hath plentifully shewed it selfe and betooke my selfe to the protection of the Almightie to bring me in saftie againe into my owne countrey being in my returne accompanied with one Signior Belchior Dios d' Croce an Armenian Portugall or Portugall Armenian and one Christophero a Greeke who were sent with letters from the gouernour of Goa to the king of Spaine but lost afterwards their liues and letters by shipwracke in the Venetian Golfe From Hispaan we spent ten daies trauell to Siras by perswasion of some Persian merchants that were bound for Aleppo with vs trauelling through the very heart of Persia it selfe paying now and then a Shaâ—ghee a peece to certaine villages in the way no matter of importance worth the relating till we come to the Citie it selfe The description of Persia. THis country in which Siras standeth is now called the Kingdome of Farsi but in ancient time the Kingdome of Persia a kingdome of it selfe very large and pacious confining Northwards on Media Parthia Eastward on the great desart of Caramania Westward on Susiana which Strabo maketh a part of Persia and lieth betweene Babylon and Persia as shall be declared hereafter and Southward on Ormuz and the Persian golfe containing also the great kingdome of Lar whence the best Bezar stones are brought Very famous is this countrey for that it was the first place where Elam the eldest sonne of Sem dwâ—lt whereby the people of this nation were a long time called Elamits as appeareth by the prophecy of Daniel who nameth it Elam as also because it was the seate of those fiue great Persian kings mentioned in the Scriptures viz. Darius Medus Cyrus Ahâ—shuerosh Darius Longimanus alià s Artaxerxes and Artaxerxes the third which was that Darius whom Alexander the great ouercame For Darius Medus his acts and deeds were of so small esteeme and regard that they are not worth the writing But concerning Cyrus his sonne in law many excellent things are spoken of him for no king conquered so many kingdomes as he did Besides he was in grace and fauour with God for by Daniels instructions he was brought to confesse and acknowledge the God of Israel Of him did Esay prophesie an hundred yeares before his birth and his diligence was so great in ayding the Iewes afâ—er their captiuity vnto Ierusalem that he suffered them quietly to returne with wealth and treasure and commaunded all his Princes of Syria and subiects to fauour and to helpe them publishing a decree for the building vp of their temple vnto God Notwithstanding this happy and fortunate Prince was slaine by Tomyris Queene of the Massogets in Scythia who not contenting her selfe with the death of her enemy commaunded also his head to be smitten oft and throwne into a bole of mans bloud with this exprobration of his crueltie in killing her sonne Tu quidem meum vluentis in pugna victricis filium perdidisti dolo captum at ego te cruore saturaâ—n Goe now and glut thy selfe with the bloud of men which in thy life time wouldest neuer be satisfied with bloud Next vnto him raigned Ahashuerosh whom our writers call Xerxes the Chaldeans Artaxerxes the first husband to Queene Hester whose dominion did extend it selfe from India vnto Ethiopia ouer an hundred and seauen and twenty Prouinces The goodnesse of this king was fully proued at what time the Church was miserably afflicted by proud Haman and hindered by cruell Cambyses against the decree of Cyrus for he gaue full liberty and licence vnto the Iewes to build the Temple at Ierusalem Neuerthelesse towards his latter daies he was very vnfortunate in his warres being twise ouercome both at sea and land by which vnfortunate successe he that earst while was termed the Terrour of all Nations became in so generall contempt of all his subiectes that both himselfe and his sonnes were slaine by Artabanus the traitour Next vnto him succeeded Darius Longimanus This Prince was no way behind his predecessours in pietie and deuotion towards God for he would not by any meanes change their institutions concerning religious worship but with great beneficence fauoured the Iewes For in the second yeare of his raigne the Temple at Ierusalem was finished and in the seauenth yeare Esdraâ— with a number in his company returned The last King was Artaxerxes the third whom they called by the name of Darius a Prince of great industrie and noblenesse of spirit yet at last was vanquished by Alexander the great and slaine by one of his owne kinsmen ending his life together with the Persian Empyre So that now by the computation of the raigne of these kings which was one hundred fortie and seauen yeares we may easily confute that malicious tergiuersation and erroneous exposition of the Iewes of the prophecy of Daniel touching the threescore and nine weekes to the comming of the Messiah The Iewes affirme that the same prophecie doth not belong to our Sauiour Christ but that it ended the day wherein the Temple was ouerthrowne by Titus and doe interprete Christ whom Daniel prophecied should be slaine after threescore and nine weekes to be Agrippa the last of the Herodians surmising peeuishly that the Messiah liueth in the worâ—d inuisibly colouring their grosse errours therein by the false and lying Histories of some Greeks and â—atines who attribute two hundred yeares and aboue to the Empire of the Persian kings whereby some haue beene driuen to recken the beginning of those weekes after the time of Cyrus that they may end at the death of our Sauiour Christ. Which false Histories to make vp those yeares name more Persian kings then euer were as Cambyses to succeed his father Cyrus wheras he was but left by his father King in Persia in his expedition into Scythia according to the Persian custome mentioned by Herodotus which was that if the king went out of the countrey with an armie hee must appoint another king to abide in the countrey during his absence And so were Cambises and Darius Histaspis kings of Persia. And whereas some Persian kings had two or three names as Darius Xerxes and Artaxerxes they make so many kings whereas the Scriptures set downe but the fiue before named who raigned as we said but one hundred fortie and seauen yeares Whereupon it falleth out that whether you beginne to account the threescore and nine weekes from the first yeare of Cyrus who then determined the Iewes reduction and as the captiuitie grew at three times so the returne from the
the three verses concluded That Sardanapalus enioyed that being dead which liuing he neuer had but so long as he was in feeding his panch Intimating that all pleasures which are not reduced to necessity and honestie are very reprochfull Here also raigned and dyed Saneherib who at his returne from the beseeging of Ierusalem was slaine by his two sons Adramelech Sharezar as he was in the temple worshipping Nisroâ—h his god Herodotus relates that after his death an image was set vp vâ—to him with this inscription Learne by me to feare God for a memoriall of Gods iudgement against him Finally that this city was farre greater then Babilon being the Lady of the East the Queene of Nations and the riches of the world hauing more people within her wals then are now in some one kingdome but now it is destroyed as God foretold it should be by the Chaldaeans being nothing else then a sepulture of herself a litle towne of small trade where the Patriarch of the Nestorians keeps his seate at the deuotion of the Turkes Sundry times had we conference with this Patriarch and among many other speeches which past from him he wished vs that before we departed to see the Iland of Eden but twelue miles vp the riuer which he affirmed was vndoubtedly a part of Paradise The description of the Iland of Eden THis Iland lyes in the heart of the riuer Tigris and is as we could guesse in circuit ten English miles and was somtimes walled round about with a wall of strong defence as appeares by the ruinous foundation of bricke which there remaineth And howsoeuer the beautifull land of Eden is now forgotten in these partâ— with those flourishing countries of Mesopotamia Assyria Babylonia and Chaldâ—a being all swallowed vp into meere Barbarism yet this Iland stil retains the name of the I le of Eden Now whither this Iland were the very Eden of Paradise is not probable but certaine it is that that garden of Pleasure which God chose out to set Adam into was seated in the lower part of the Region of Eden afterward called Aram fluuiorum or Mesopotamia a country which Southwards stretcheth it self ouer the great riuer Euphrates toward Shinar nie Babylon and Northwards containeth that continent of Mesopotamia Assyria and Armenia which is watred with Tigris between mount Taurus and Seleucia That there was such a Paradise as the garden of Eden vpon earth is without all dispute because the Scriptures tell vs of it And the Lord God planted a Garden Eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had made gen 2.8 And it is said of Caine that he dwelt in the land of Noa towards the East side of Eden gen 4.16 The Prophets likewise doe often make mention of the land of Eden and the inhabitants thereof As in Esay 37.12 where after Gozan and Haran and Reseph the Prophet speaketh also of the children of Eden which were at Telasser And the Prophet Ezechiel in the. 27. chap. and 23. vers bewailing the desolation of Tyrus sheweth what Merchants resorted thither and among many other nations he reconeth the merchants of Eden Now as they make mention of the land of Eden so also of the garden it selfe How is this land wast which was like the garden of Eden Ezech. 36.35 And in the Prophet Ioel. 2.3 the land is as the garden of Eden before him By which places of scripture it is euident that the garden of Eden was a certaine place vpon the earth which God chose out aboue all other places of the world to set Adam into after he had created him And that the very Eden of Paradice was in this contrey is plaine by the relation of Moses who saith that it was eastward in Eden that is it lying eastward as this countrey doth from Indaea For so it is sayd that the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden which quarter of the world is to be vnderstood eastward in respect of Iudâ—a Besides this countrey standeth in the most excellent temper of all other to wit fiue and thirty degrees from the Equinoctiall line and fiue and fifty from the North-pole in which climate the best wines the most delicate fruits the sweetest oyle and the purest graine of all sorts are this day found in great aboundance Againe the very riuers which course through this countrey doe make good that the very Eden of Paradice was here planted For Moses describeth that a riuer went out of Eden to water this garden and from thence deuided it selfe into fourâ— braunches and we find by experience that Tigris and Euphrates running through this country of Eden doe ioyne in one and afterward taking seuerall waies a part doe water both the land of Chus and Hauilah as Moses relateth the true seates of Chus and his sonnes beeing then in the valley of Shinar in which Nimrod built Babell and not in Ethyopia as some would haue it And as for the land of Hauilah that country ioyned to Persia eastward where Hismael and his Sonnes dwelt for they dwelt from Hauilah vnto Shur that is towards Aegipt as thou goest to Assiria Gen. 25.18 And therefore they that make the riuer Pison to bee Ganges doe contrary both Scripture experience and reason For how can the riuer Ganges which runneth through the great Mogors country in the East-Indies be a braunch of those riuers which watred Eden since the riuer Tigres though it rise in the same quarter of the world is distant from Ganges aboue foure thousand miles And as for them that would haue the riuer Gihon to bee Nilus doe dreame of an impossibility because the riuer Nilus is farther distant from Tigris and Euphrates then Ganges is being begotten in the mountaines of the Moone in Ethyopia almost as farrâ—e off as the cape of good hope which our East-Indian shippes doe double and falleth into the Mediterranean-Sea whereas Euphrates springeth as we haue said out of the Mountaines of Armenia and falleth into the golfe of Persia the one rising South which is Nilus and running North the other rising North which is Euphrates and coursing South threescore three degrees one from the other Finally this country aboundeth with all kind of fertility and happinesse though not in that exquisit manner as before the fall of Adam because it was accursed in special like as all the earth in generall yet thus much I find written of it Strabo maketh mention of the South-part of Armenia which is the North border of Eden or a part thereof to bee a region which aboundeth with most pleasant fruites and delightfull trees alwaies greene and florishing witnessing therby a perpetual spring not fouÌ„d elswhere but the Indies only And Q. Curtius writeth on this maner As you trauell on the left hand of Arabia famous for plenty of sweet odours there lieth a champain country placed between the two riuers Tigris and Euphrates and is so fruitful and fat a soile that
won this citie these countries again from the Turk in the yeare 1604 but that newes was not true for in Aprill last 1611 it was then vnder the Turkish gouernement Within two daies trauell of Bagdat lyeth Cafe a little village where the bodies of Aly whome the Persians honor and his two sons Hassan and Ossain lye entombed by whose sepulchers it is in great credit and is euery vere visited by the Persians in all respects after the same sort that the Turks do visit the sepulchers of the three first successors Abuchacher Ottaman and Omar yea the very Kings of Persia vsed to be crowned and giâ—t with the sword in this place where the Caliph was wont to keepe his residence as being the man that represented Aly and occupied the chiefe roome of their filthy abhominable priest-hood Hauing stayed 20. daies at Bagdat wee put our selues into the company of a Chiaus who was bound from the Bassa of Bagdat for Constantinople being in number sixeteen persons and no more to trauell through a great part of Chaldaea and the defart of Arabia So soon as we were out of this cittie we passed ouer the swift riuer Tigris on a great bridge made with boats chained together with two mighty chaines of Iron and so entred into a part of Bagdat on this side of the riuer like London and Southwarke where we stayed foure dayes The description of Chaldaea THis part of new Babylon standeth in Chaldaea which hath on the East Assyria on the West Syria and Palestina on the North Armenia and on the South the desart of Arabia It is called by some by the name of Mesopotamia because it lyeth in the middle of the two great riuers Euphrates and Tigris This country is famous for many things and among the rest for that it was the country wherein Abraham was borne For Eupolemon in his booke of the Iewes relateth that about the tenth generation from the â—loud Abraham was borne in Camerine a towne of Babylonia otherwise called Vr or Chaldeopole where he inuented Astronomie and was in such fauour with God that by his commaundement he remoued into Phoenicia and there taught the course of the Moone of the Sun and of the Planets to the great liking of the king of that country all which saith the same Author he had receiued by tradition from Enoch whom the Greeks call Atlas vnto whom the Angell had taught many things Besides here were the great Southsayers Enchanters and Wise-men as they call them the first Astrologians which are so described and derided in the Scripture and indeed from this country and Egypt is supposed to haue sprung â—e first knowledge of Astronomie Two places of great antiquity did we throughly view in the country the one was the ruines of the old tower of Babel as the inhabitants hold vnto this day buâ—lt by Nymrod the nephew of Cham Noahs sonne a man very valiant and couragious yet very prophane and irreligious insomâ—ch that he perswaded the nations about him that all their prosperitie and happie fortune came not from God but from their owne prowesse and industrie giuing them farther to vnderstand that if God should send any more flouds he would on their behalfe and his predecessours take reuenge on him by building a tower so high that the waters should not dare to touch the top thereof Hereupon they began to build and continued building as â—lycas saith forty yeares together raising the worke to such an height that it was beyond all expectation But God seeing their madnes did not punish them with a generall extermination because as yet they had made no vse of those fearefull examples which perished in the Floud but made them mutinous one against another by changing their language whereby they could not vnderstand one another Of which ouerthrow Sybilla thus prophecied At such time as men vsed one kind of language they builded a most high tower as if they would haue mounted vp into heauen but the Gods sent downe winds and ouerthrew the tower giuing euery one his distinct and seuerall language So that the Diuision of Languages was not a deuise of man as some wicked spirits that call that storie into question would haue it but a punishment cast by God vppon mankind For it was a common opinion by the verdict of Abidenus that men beeing bredde of the earth and trusting in their owne strength would needes in despight of the Gods go reare a toâ—er vp to the Sunne in the same place where Babylon now is and farther addeth That at that time beganne the diuersitïe of Languages whâ—rupon the Hebrewes called that place Babell And now at this day that which remayneth is called the remnant of the tower of Babel there standing as much as is a quarter of a mile in compasse and as high as the stone-worke of Paules steeple in London It was built of burnt bricke cimented and ioyned with bituminous mortar to the end that it should not receiue any cleft in the same The brickes are three quarters of a yard in length and a quarter in thicknesse and between euery course of brickes there lyeth a course of matâ— made of Canes and Palme-tree leaues so fresh as if they had beene layd within one yeare The other place remarkable is the ruines of old Babylon because it was the first citie which was built after the Floud For after Nimrod had drawn the people together he did not onely make lawes but began to build the great citie Babylon his son Belus amplifying it and at last Semiramis the wife of Ninus finished it in great glory shew as Herodotus and Solinus relate This city was built vpon the riuer Euphrates as we found by experience spending two dayes iourney and better oâ— the ruines therof It was so great that it contayned in compasse foure hundred and fourescore furlongs the walles were fiftie cubites in breadth and two hundred cubits high Aristotle reports that it was so huge and great that when part therof was taken by the enemie the other part heard not of it in three dayes together and the Inhabitants were so many in number that they durst giue battell vnto Cyrus the greatest Monarch for power that euer was in Persia. Amongst other stately buildings was the temple of Bel erected by Semiramis in the middle of this citie inuironed with a double wall carried foure-square of great heighth and beautie hauing on each square certaine brazen gates curiously engrauen In the vault of the square shee raysed a tower of a furlong high which is halfe a quarter of a mile and vppon it againe taking a Basis of a lesse circuit shee set a second tower and so eight in all one aboue another Vppon the toppe whereof the Chaldaeans Priests made their obseruation of the stars because the tower ouer-topped the ordinary clouds Some do thinke that the ruins of Nimrods tower is but the foundation of this temple of Bel
that all those Countries were theirs which lay along the Riuer from the Mountaine Taurus vnto the desart of Arabia The description of MESOPOTAMIA BEing ouer the aforesaid Riuer we arriued at Bi r and entred into the famous Prouince of Mesopotamia which North-wards bounds on a part of Armenia the Great where the Altar of Hercules stood South-ward on the desart of Arabia Eastward on Assiria and Westward on Armenia the lesse The Hebrewes were wont to call this Kingdome Aram Nearot Syria amongst the Riuers as the Iewes doe at this day The Greeks call it Mesopotamia because it lyeth betweene two great Riuers which watered Paradise Euphrates and Tygris The Turkes doe call it Diarbech This Prouince of it selfe is most fruitfull but by the Turkish warres much ruinated and wasted neuerthelesse there are some Cities of great importance The description of Bir. BI r called by Ptolomey Barsina is an ancient City but very ruinous It is very famous for the situation being built on the side of an high craggy mountaine hauing the Riuer Euphrates running close vnder the walles therof and a most delightfull valley yeelding abundance of graine and other necessary prouision But because this towne is not much esteemed by the Turks but left open to the fury of euery enemy I will be sparing to speake thereof and so passe to the rest The description of Orpha ABout two daies iourney from this vnrespected towne we came to Orpha a City of great account and estimation which many suppose to haue beene the famous City Edessa which Seleucus the next King after Alexander the Great built For hauing conquered Asia and Syria Functius reporteth that he beganne to build townes and Cities as Antioch Laodicea Seleucia Apamia Bâ—rouea Pellum and Edessa and they are not deceiued because that as yet there remaineth certaine monuments of Baldewine in Latin letters who after his brother Godfrey was possessed of Ierusalem is reported to haue taken Edessa and there raigned The aire of this City is very healthfull the Countrey fruitfull only wood excepted and therefore in steede thereof they burne the dung of Camels and other beasts dryed in the Sunne This City is built foure-square the West part standing on the side of a rocky mountayne and the East part trendeth into a spacious valley replenished with vineyards orchards and gardens the walles are very strong furnished with great store of artillery and containe in circuit three English miles and for the gallantnes of the site it was once reckoned the Metropoliticall seate of Mesopotamia howsoeuer it is now translated to Caramida or Caraemit There is in this City a fountaine full of fishes so vsed to hand that they will receiue any sustenance that shall be offered vnto them both Iewes Armenians and Turkes reported vnto vs that this fountaine was Iacobs-well and that here hee serued his Vncle Laban twise seauen yeares for faire and beautifull Rachel The gates of this City were much battered a little before our comming by Eliazgee the Scriuano and the rebels his followers The successe whereof so much tormented the haughty minde of Mahomet the Turkish Emperor as that it would scarce suffer him to thinke of any thing else For the rebell growing stronger and stronger by reason of the great numbers which he allured with the swâ—ete name of liberty hope of prey or the good entertainement by him giuen daylie more and more resorted vnto his camp had ouer-runne a great part of the Turkes Dominion in Asia the lesse and in these parts putting all to fire and sword that stoode in his way ransacking also diuers walled and fenced Cities by the way as he went this City bearing a share in that misery for being entred into the City hee drew the citizens to a composition of fifty thousand Chekens and so departed A rebellion not only dangerous to the great Turke but also very commodious and of great oportunity to the Christian commonweale and to the Persian himselfe if at that time they had taken vp armes together Memorable also is this City then called Carras for the great battell which was fought before it betweene the Romans and the Parthians when Marcus Crassus was Generall on the one side and Surena on the other side who ioyning both their armies together there was fought a most mortall and deadly battell For there might a man haue seene a miserable and lamentable sight of the ouerthrowne Romans which were so tortured and tormented with the Parthians arrowâ—s that some shewed vnto their Captains their hands fast nailed to their Targets some their feete shot through and nailed to the ground some their bodies stucâ—e full of forked arrowes and some wounded with speares and pikes in such cruell manner that the mâ—st part of tâ—â— Gâ—ntlemen of Rome slue tâ—â—mselues for Publius Crassus himselfe commanded one of his Gentlemen to kill him whose hâ—ad after was cut off by the enemy and sâ—nt to his Father for a present the Fathers fortune being no better then his Sonnes for his head was cut off as his Sons was and twenty thousand Romans of great account slaine besides a great number carried captiues into Parthia Plutarch affirmeth that the Parthians so triumphed of this victory in their feasts and plaies that they made rimes and iests of both Crassus heads At this City hauing paid our custome which is a Dollor on a summe of goods our Carauan was licenced to depart and at our ordinary houre which was three of the clocke in the afternoone we set forward towards the auncient City Amida now called Caramida or Caraemit fiue dayes iourney from Orpha trauailing sometimes ouer rough and craggy mountaines and sometimes through most delightfull plaines and vallyes amongst which there is one of note enuironed about with a pale of mountaines in such wise that there is but one entry and passage In the midst whereof wee beheld the ruines of a great Fortresse built as the Countrey people report by Aladeules a mountaine King who much annoyed Selymus the first and his army in his expedition against Ismael the Persian King This plaine is very pleasant to the eye by reason of the faire meadowes and brookes wherewith the same doth plentifully abound In this place did Aladeules build diuers houses of pleasures causing the same to be inhabited with the fairest young men and women that could be found so that when he had surprised any young man he brought him to this Fortresse and gaue vnto him a drinke which should cause him to sleepe so soundly that he should so remaine a long space as though he had beene dead Then would he cause him to be carried into this valley amongst his beautifull women and to bee cloathed in rich apparell so that awaking out of his trance hee should finde himselfe another man and as though hee came into a new world Forthwith he was entertained with all kinds of pleasures which youth and lust could desire and this continued so long as one whole
for age is ready to goe downe to his graue They doe adore and worship the Diuell to the end he may not hurt them or their cattell and very cruell are they to all sorts of Christians in which regard the Country which they inhabite is at this day termed Terra Diaboli the land of the Diuell They participate much of the nature of the Arabians and are as infamous in their Ladrocinies and robberies as the Arabians themselues They liue vnder the commandement of the great Turke but with much freedome and liberty For Selymus the second hauing a great multitude of them in his army against the Persians they did him little seruice performing no more then what well pleased themselues This theeuish company did sundry times arrest our Carauan affirming that their Prince had sent for a Dollor on a summe of goods without the payment whereof being fiue seuerall times demanded wee should not passe through their Countrey One Village of note is there in this Country wholly inhabited by the Curdies being fiue dayes iourney from Caraemit and three dayes iourney from Bitclish called by the Countrey people Manuscute This Towne is seated in a most fertile and fruitfull valley betweene two mountaines abounding with pasture and cattell and about a mile from it is an Hospitall dedicated to St. Iohn the Baptist which is much visited as well by Turkes as Christians who superstitiously affirme that whosoeuer will bestow either a Sheepe Kidde or some peece of money to releeue the poore of that place shall not only prosper in his iourney but obtaine forgiuenâ—sse of all his sinnes To the Gouernour of this Village we paied for our custome a Shaughee on a summe of goods and so were dismissed The next day following wee passed ouer many craggy and steepe mountaines and at the last rested our selues and wearied beasts on the banke of Euphrates being the outmost bounds on this side of Mesopotamia and so entred the day following on the borders of Armenia the Great which is by some distinctly deuided into three parts the North part whereof being but little is called Georgia the middle part Turcomania and the third part by the proper name of Armenia The description of ARMENIA ARmenia was founded by Armenius one of the companions of Iason who wonne the golden Fleece at Colchos for after Iason was dead Armenius hauing gathered together a great multitude of people and wandering vp and downe the Countrey in the end hee founded the Towne of Armenia neere vnto the mountaines out of which the Riuer Tygris springeth constituting many good and wholsome lawes whereby from time to time the Countrey of Armenia was gouerned by Kings of their owne Nation vntill such time as the house of the Ottamans subdued the same It is now called Turcomania and was the first seate of the Turkes after their first comming out of Scythia who left their naturall seates in that cold and bare Countrey to seeke themselues others in more pleasant and temperate Countries more Southerly stirred vp no doubt by the handâ— of the Almighty who being the Authour of all Kingdomes vpon earth as well of those which hee hath appointed as scourges wherewith to punish the world as others more blessed This people thus stirred vp and by the Caspian ports passing through the Georgian Countrey then called Iberia neere vnto the Caspian Sea first ceased vpon this part of Armenia and that with so strong an hand that it is by their posterity yet holden at this day and of them called Turcomania of all other the most true progeny of the Turkes These Turcomanes of a long time vnder their diuers leaders in the manner of their liuing most resembling their ancestours did roame vp and downe with their families and heads of cattell after the manner of the Scythian Nomades their Countrey men without certaine places of aboade yet at great vnity amongst themselues as not hauing much to loose or wherefore to striue This people did not only notably defend this Countrey thus by them at the first possessed but still incroched farther and farther and gayning by other mens harmes became at length dreadfull vnto their neighbours and of some fame also farther off Whereunto the effeminate cowardise of those delicate people of Asia with whom they had to doe gaue no lesse furtherance then their owne valour being neuerthelesse an hardy rough people though not much skilfull or trained vp in the feates of warre But to leaue these Turcomanes for a while wee will returne where we left This Countrey of Armenia hath for it vtmost bounds northward Colchos Iberia and Albania all which are now called by the Tartars Comania Colchos was that famous Prouince so much spoken of by the Poets for the fable of Medea and Iason and the golden Fleece the inhabitants now are called Mengrellians a Nation most barbarous and sauage selling their Sonnes and Daughters to the Turkes for litle or nothing Iberia is now called Georgia and Albania Zuiria Westward it confronts vpon Euphrates and Armenia the lesse Southward on Mesopotamia with that which the Curdies inhabit and Eastward on the Riuer Araxis which watereth the South part of Armenia and almost diuideth from Georgia A dâ—scription of the people of Armenia as they are at this day AT our first entrance into this Countrey we trauelled through a goodly large and spacious plaine compassed about with a row of high mountaines where were many Villages wholly inhabited by Armenians a people very industrious in all kinde of labour their women very skilfull and actiue in shooting and managing any sort of weapon like the fierce Amazones in antique time and the women at this day which inhabit the mountaine Xatach in Persia. Their families are very great for both Sonnes Nephewes and Nieces doe dwell vnder one roofe hauing all their substance in common and when the father dyeth the eldest Sonne doth gouerne the rest all submitting themselues vnder his regiment But when the eldest Sonne dyeth thâ— gouernment doth not passe to his sonnes but to the eldest brother And if it chance to fall out that all the brethren doe die then the gouernment doth belong to the eldest Sonne of the eldest brother and so from one to another In their dyet and cloathing they are all fedde and cladde alike liuing in all peace and tranquility grounded on true loue and honest simplicity To discourse how populous this nation is at this day is needlesse since they inhabit both in Armenia the greater and Armenia the lesse as also in Cilicia Bithinia Syria Mesopotamia and Persia. Besides the principall Cities of the Turkish Empire be much appopulated with them as Brusia Angori Trabisonda Alexandria Grand-Caire Constantinople Cassa Aleppo Orpha Cara-â—mit Van and Iulpha Some of this nation affirmed vnto vs that the chiefest cause of their great liberty in the Ottoman Kingdome is for that certaine of their Kings bare great affection and loue vnto Mahomet their lewde Prophet in
army escaped the sword of the Persians There was three great Sanzaecks slaine one taken and the other sled eight hundred Iamzaries seeing themselues forâ—aken of their Captaineâ— laid downe their Harquebusiers and other weapons and yeelded themselues vpon Delymenthes his word It might then well haue beene said of the Turks which the Poet speaâ—eth of the night wherein Troy was â—ackâ— Quis cladem illius noctis qui funere fando Explicet The slaughter of that night was such as that it is of the Turkes vntill this day accounted amongst their greatest losses and the victory so welcome to the Persians that in memoriall thereof they still keepe that day which was the thirteenth of October as one of their solemne holidayes In Bithlis wee staied two dayes and at our departure paied vnto the Gouernour of the said City a Dollâ—r on a summe of goods and so set forwards towards the great City Van three dayes iourney farther In which trauell we had a very wearisome and painefull iourney ouer high mountaines and craggy rocks the way being exceeding narrow that a beast could hardly passe with his burden without much heauing and tumultuous shouldering The which narrow passages the Turks told vs was by the commandement of Amurat the third the great Turke cut through by the maine industry of laborers for his army to passe like that incredible worke which Hanibal with vineger wrought vpon the Alpes In this place our trauell was very dangerous by reason of a brackish lake or little Sea called the lake Arctamar which was vnder the Rocke ouer which wee passed and wee inforced to ride shoaling on the side of the said Rocke that had not our Mules beene sure of footing both theâ— and we had perished with an insupportable downefall iâ—â—hat Sea Two miles from this shore in the aforesaid lake are two Ilands called the Ecmenicke Ilands inhabited only by Armenians and some Georgians which two Ilands doe bring forth and yeeld such store of cattell and plenty of rice wheate and batly that as the Island of Scycilia was called in timeâ— past Horreum P. Romani so these Ilands are at this day the gatners and store houses for all the Countrey round abouâ— Being arriued at Van our Carauan rested in the subâ—â—bs of the said City not daring to presume to enter the City by reason that the Bassae was gone to fetch in a rebell that was risen vp in those parts in whose absence the City vnder the sub-Bassae was no better gouerned then it should be On the West side of this City lyeth a pleasant and delightfull plaine wherein the Ianizaries twise a weeke doe exercise themselues after their manner in the seats of warre On the North side runneth the lake Arctamar called in antique time the Moore or Marish Martiana or Margiana or Mantiana Strabo affirmeth that it is matchable in greatnesse with the lake Mâ—otidis in the Kingdome of Sermatia so much spoken of by the Poets Out of this lake is caught yearly an innumerable quantity of fish like our Herring which being dryed in the Sunne they disperse and sell them ouer all the Countrey thereabout The description of Van. THis City is double walled with hard quarry stone and is the strongest Towne in all these parts being fortified with great store of brasse Ordonance and a strong Castle mounted on an high Rocke to command and defend the City It was once vnder the gouernement of the Persian but Solyman the Magnificent in the yeare 1549. with a puissant army did besiege the same which after ten daies siege was yeelded vnto him by the Persian Gouernour vppon condition that the Persian Souldiers there in garrison might with life and liberty depart with their weapons as Souldiers which was by Solyman granted and so the City was surrendred vp into his handes from the Persian King who neuersince could get the same into his possessions It is gouerned now by a Bassae who hath vnder him twelue thousand Timariots At this City wee stayed fiue daies paying a Dollor on a summe of goods and passed from thence to a Turkish Village called Gnusher the houses standing in two seuerall places the one row fit for the Winter and the other for the Sommer season Here wee beganne the ascent of the high mountaines of Arraret and about noone-tide we beheld Bruz the very crest of the Periardi mountaines now called Cheilder Monte the hils of Periardo These mountains so called are very famous by the rising of many notable great riuers which doe so fructiferate the country therabouts that the barbarous people call it Leprus which is to say fruitfull viz. First the Riuer Araxis which running out of a certaine Marish with many armes doth wonderfully inrich that champaine and drie Countrey This Riuer springeth out of the hill Taurus in this part where Periardo is situate on the side of the hill Abo and so runneth by East euen to the confines of Seruan and windeth it selfe towards the West and by North where it is ioyned with the Riuer Cirus and then passeth to Artaxata now called Nassiuan a City of the Armenians right against Reiuan another City and so watereth Armenia and coursing along the plaine of Araxis dischargeth it selfe into the Caspian Sea on the one side by South leauing Armenia and on the other side by North leauing the Countrey Seruania whose chiefe City is Eris This Riuer is deep and large but yet at this present it containeth not those maruels that Herodotus reporteth of it as also it is very hard to vnderstand that which Q. Curtius writeth touching the course thereof and that which Natales Comes hath left written of it in his History The Riuer Cirus likewise springeth out of Taurus and so descending into the champaines and plaines of Georgia charging it selfe and being greatly increased with other Riuers it is ioyned with Araxis and so maketh his issue also into the Caspian Sea This Riuer the inhabitants of the Countrey at this day call by the name of Ser in their owne language but the Turkes call it Chiur Out of these mountaines also springeth the Riuer Canac which maketh as it were almost an Iland a little on this side the City Ere 's and afterwards vnite it selfe in the Channell with Araxis and so runneth into the Caspian Sea Two other mountaines are of great note in this place the one is Anti-Taurus now called Mons Niger the blacke mountaine which runneth vp into Media and the other Gordaeus the tops of which mountaiâ—es are couered continually with white and hoary snowes The mountaine Gordaeus is inuironed with many other petty mountaines called the Gordaean mountaines on the tops whereof as we passed we found many ruines and huge foundations of which noâ—re son can be rendred but that which Iosephus giues saying that they which escaped the flood were so astonished and amazed that they durst not descend into the plaines and low countries but kept on the tops of those
by yeares and loose their beautie neuerthelesse Ecbatana now called Tauris remaines in great glorie vnto this day The description of Tauris IT is seated at the foote of the hill Orontes eight daies iourney or there abouts from the Caspian Sea and is subiect to winds and full of snow yet of a verie wholesome ayte abounding with all things necessary for the sustentation of man wonderfull râ—ch as well by the perpetuall concourse of merchandizes that are brought thither from the countries of the East to be conueighed into Syria and into the countries of Europe as also of those that come thither out of the Westerne parts to be distributed ouer all the East It is very populous so that it feedeth almost two hundred thousand persons but now open to the furie of euery armie without strength of wals and without bulwarkes sauing a Castle built of late by the Turkes The buildings are of burnt clay and rather low then high On the South side of this Citie is a most beautifull and flourishing garden large and spacious replenished with sundry kinds of trees and sweete smelling plants and a thousand fountaines and brookes deriued from a prety riuer which with his pleasant streame denides the garden from the Citie and is of so great beautie that for the delicacie thereof it is by the countrey inhabitants called Sechis-Genet that is to say the eight Paradises and was in times past the standing house of the Persian Kings whilest they kept their residence in this Citie and after they withdrew their seate from thence by reason of the Turkish warres to Casbin became the habitation and place of aboad for the Persian gouernours Sundrie mutations euen of late yeares hath this Citie indured both by the great Turke and the Persian For in the yeare 1514. it was yeelded to Selymus the Turkish Tyrant who contrary to his promise exacted a great masse of money from the Citizens and carried away with him three thousand families the best artificers in that Citie especially such as were skilfull in making of armour and weapons onely to enrich and appopulate the great Citie Consâ—antinople Afterwards in the yeare 1535. it was againe spoyled by Solyman the Turkish Emperour who gaue the whole Citie for a prey vnto his souldiers who left neither house nor corner thereof vnransacked abusing the miserable Citizens with all manner of insolencie euery common souldier without controlement fitting himselfe with whatsoeuer best pleased his greedie desire or filthie lust beside the most stately and royall Pallace of King Tamas together with the most sumptuous and rich houses of the Nobilitie were by the great Turkes commandement all rased downe to the ground and the greatest part of the best Citizens and beautifull personages of all sort and condition were carried away captiues And in the yeare 1585. it was miserably spoyled by Osmun visier vnto Amurat the third who commaunded his souldiers to do the worst that possibly they could or might do to it Here a man had need of a very learned eloquent pen to set forth the fierce and cruell execution of the Turkish souldiers For in truth who is able eyther by writing or by speech sufficiently and liuely to lay open the treachery the couetousnesse the wrath the crueltie the impietie the wickednesse of these triumphing Turks And on the other side who can expresse the crying of infants the gronings of the wounded the teares of parents the prayers of old men the â—eares the griefes and to be short the miserie of the Taurisians There was nothing but slaughter pillings rauishing spoyling and murdering virgins defloured men children defiled with vnspeakable and horrible Sodomitry younglings snatcht out of their mothers armes houses laid euen with the ground and burnt riches and money carried away and to be briefe all things wasted and ruinated Neither were those outrages committed once only but the second followed worse then the first and the third vpon that worse then the second so that it was a miserie almost inexplicable to behold that Citie which was once so populous and so rich sometimes the Court and Pallace of the Crowne and the honour of the Persian Empyre now subiect to the furie and cruelty of the Turke plunged in calamitie and vtterly destroyed This is the vncertaine state of the world sometimes vp and sometimes downe sometimes conquerers and within a while after conquered For this Citie groaned not full foure and twentie yeares vnder the Turkish slauery but Abas now King of Persia reposing no lesse confidence in his owne good fortune then the valour of his souldiers marched in the yeare 1603 with his armie directly to the Citie of Tauris and that with such expedition that he was come before it before any such thing was feared much lesse prouided for stirred vp hereunto partly by the great Turke troubles at home and his warres with the Christians in Hungarie as also with the disposition of the Taurisians whose minds were then so alienated from the Turkish gouernour that vpon the approach of Abas they were all readie to forsake him Neuerthelesse the King was constrained to besiege the Citie being then kept with a strong garrison of Turkish souldiers In which siege he for battery vsed the helpe of the Canon an engine of long time by the Persian skorned as not beseeming valiant men vntill that by their owne harmes taught they are content to vse it being with the same as also with skilfull Canoniers furnished by the Portugals from Ormuz So that after sixe weekes siege this Citie was surrendred vp into the Persians hands to the great reioycing of all Persia together with the whole countrey of Seruan except a fort or two which still stands out At this Citie we paid a dolour on a summe of goods and fiue Shaughes to the keeper of the Caine wherein we lodged and set forward to the wealthy Citie of Casbin distant from Tauris ten daies iourney passing the three first daies ouer many rough and craggie mountaines full of a thousand difficulties which were the more increased by wonderfull great snowes that were fallen by meanes whereof many passengers horses and mules if our guide had not beene good had perished in one common destruction Euery night we had great flâ—kes of lightening and huge thunderclaps with gâ—eat store of raine snowes which did much annoy our whole Carauan We had no sooner left those hard passages but we were forthwith encountred by a gallant troupe of Persian horsemen who lay vp and downe the borders by the kings commaundement to murder all Turkish merchants that should passe that way vpon reuenge of the death of a Persian merchant who being richly arriued at Van a little before our comming was iniuriously depriued both of his goods and life Hereupon the gouernour of this troupe demaunded of our Carauan-Bassa who was a Chiulphalin to deliuer vp into his hands all the Turkie merchants that were in our company to which request he durst not
and oppression where little iustice is to bee found being so farre from Constantinople Whereas Batan standeth in such a Countrey as is full of peace and tranquilitie hauing a most iust and vpright Prince the onely true stay of traffike Lord of the same whose onely care and endeuour is to maintaine and vpholde the trade of Merchandize But to leaue these thinges to the Merchants wee come now to the Kingdome of Assiria The description of ASSIRIA FRom Siras hauing spent eight daies trauell and better we entered into the Prouince of Susiana now called Cuâ—estan but in old time Assiria The bounds of this Countrey Northwards is on the South part of Armenia Eastward on a part of Persia Westward on Mesopotamia and Southward on a part of the Persian Golfe which part is 〈◊〉 of fennes and marish bogges without either port or hauen The climate in that part is exceeding hote and very much infested with bituminous matter which both spoiles the growth of trees and corrupt the waters whereby it comes to passe that the people are not long liu'de And howsoeuer this countrey was that land wherein the first Monarchie was setled so that many excellent things might be spoken of it yet since it hath endured so many mutations and changes by the outrage of armies that it hath lost her ancient name I will be sparing to write thereof least I should write many things rather fabulous then true and therefore laying aside the danger of lying I will passe vnto those townes and ruines which I haue seene The description of Susa. TRauelling two daies farther from the entrance into this Kingdome wee rested at Valdac once the the great Citie Susa but now verie ruinous It was first built by Tythonus and his sonne Memnon but inlarged by Darius the sonne of Histaspis In the building whereof Memnon was so exceeding prodigall that as Cassiodorus writeth he ioyned the stones together with gold It was once one of the regal Cities of the Kings of Persia and was so rich that Aristagâ—ras did in this maner cheere vp the harts of his souldiers when they came to besiege it Hanc vos vrbem si animose ceperitis iam cum Ioue de diuitijs licet certetis If you can winne this Citie couragious souldiers you may striue with Iupiter himselfe for riches which Alexander had good experience of when he found fiftie thousand talents in wedges of gold besides siluer and great store of coyne Behold saith Q. Curtius that in an houre which many kings had heaped together for posteritie falleth now into the hands of a stranger In a word such was the beautie and delectablenesse thereof for situation that they called it Susa which then in the Persian tongue signifyeth a Lilly but now it is called Valdac of the pouertie of the place Close by this ruinous towne swimmeth the famous Riuer Choaspes which after many turnings and windings through the countrey of Susiana dischargeth it selfe in the Persian Golfe The water of this riuer is very delicate to the tast so that it is no meruaile though the Persian and ParthiaÌ„ kings in times past would by their good wils drink of no other water For which purpose they had vessels of gold and siluer to carry the same after them whensoeuer they eyther did ride in prograce or goe to the warres Xerxes as Varrâ— relateth being on a time exceeding thirstie caused proclamation to be made throughouâ— his campe that if any soldier had any water of Choaspes left he should be well rewarded And it so fell out that a small quantitie was found which though it was exceeding muddie by reason of carriage yet that mightie Prince dranke freely of it Of such account was â—his riuer in ancient time Hauing passed ouer this riuer we set forward towards Mosul a very antient towne in this countrey sixe dayes iourney from Valdas and so pitched on the bankes of the riuer Tigris Here in these plaines of Assiria and on the bankes of Tigris and in the region of Eden was Nineuie built by Nimrod but finished by Ninus It is agreed by all prophane writers and confirmed by the Scriptures that this citty exceeded all other citties in circuit and answerable magnificence For it seemes by the ruinous foundation which I throughly viewed that it was built with foure sides but not equall or square for the two longer sides had each of them as we geffe an hundreth and fifty furlongs the two shorter sides ninty furlongs which amounteth to foure hundred and eighty furlongs of ground which makes threescore miles accounting eight furlongs to an Italian mile The walles whereof were an hundreth foote vpright and had such a breadth as three Chariots might passe on the rampire in front these walles were garnished with a thousand and fiue hundrâ—th towers which gaue exceeding beauty to the rest and a strength no lesse admirable for the nature of those times Here it was that Ninus raigned who after he had maistred Bactria and subiected vnto his Empire al those regions betweene it and the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont Asia the lesse excepted finished the worke of Ninâ—uie he left the world iâ— the yeare thereof 2019. after he had reigned two and fifty yeares After him succeeded Semiramis his wife a Lady of great prowesse and vertue who in this citty buried him so honourably and in such a sumptuous tombe that it was the onely patterne which Artemesia the Queene of Caria made for her husband Mausolus and accounted for the rarenesse thereof one of the seauen wonders of the world Vpon the Pillars whereof was set this Epitaph Mihi patâ—r Belus Iupiter Auus Saturnus Babilonicus proauus Chus Saturnus Aethiops Abauus Saturnus Aegiptus Atauus Coelus Phoenix Ogyges repeating the pedegree of Ninus to be the son of Belus the sonne of Nimrod the sonne of Chus the son of Cham and the sonne of Noah Now as the Monarchie of the Assyrians began by Ninus which lasted for the space of a thousand and two hundred yeares and some adde fortie yeares more so it ended in Sardanapalus that beastly Epicure who finding his forces too weake to fight against the power of Arbaces and Belochus his two Lieutenantâ— the one in Media and the other in Babylon retired out of the field to his pallace in Niniuie and there caused an huge fire to be made into which hee cast himselfe and all his riches herein onely playing the man Such was the effeminate wantonnes of this King that he consumed whole daies in the nurcerie among his concubines sparing no time from incontinent exercises As appeares by the Epitaph which liuing he commanded to be written on his tomb Ede Bibe Lude Eate Drinke Play Which Epitaph Aristotle chancing to find stayed and read the first part thereof and smiling said A man wold thinke this writing fitter to be fixed to the graue of an oxe then written vpon the tombe of a Prince And hauing perused
that therefore many trauellers haue bin deceiued who suppose that they haue seene a part of that tower which Nimrod builded But who can tel whether it be the one or the other It may bee that confused Chaos which we saw was the ruines of both the Temple of Bel being founded on that of Nimrod In a word their were burnt in tâ—is Temple an hundreth thousand talents of Frankincence in a yeere as Herodotus relateth This Temple did Nabuchadnezar adorne and beautifie with the spoiles of Ierusalem and of the Temple of Solomon all which vessels ornaments Cyrus re-deliuered And Xerxes after him euened this Temple with the soile which Alexander is said to haue repaired by the perswasion of the Chaldeans I denie not that it might haue been in his minde so to doe but hee enioyed but a few yeeres after the taking of Babilon and therefore could not performe any such worke But to returne where wee left To this city were the Iewes carried captiues and so thereof it was called the captiuity of Babilon A captiuity so well known to heatheÌ„ writers that they make mention of it For they expresly affirme that in the time of Ioachim King of Iuda Ieremie the Prophet was sent vnto them from God to foretell them of extreame calamity because they worshipped an Idol called Baal whervpon as they relate Ioachim commanded Ieremy to be burnt a liue But Ieremy tels them that the King of Assiria should put them to sore labor make them to digge a channel to saile out of the riuer Euphrates into the riuer Tigris wherevpon Nabuchadnezar did set forward with a mighty army spoyling Samaria winning Ierusalem and leading away King Ioachim prisoner Yea they doe set downe the very time of the captiuity viz. that it should last three score yeers and ten and that Nabuchadnezar at his returne to Babilon was stricken with madnesse and did cry out for a certaine time night and day to his subiects the Babilonians that so great a mischiefe would shortly fall vpon them that all the power of the Gods should not stay it For quoth he an halfe asse of Persia shall come make you thrals foreshewing that Cyrus should bee the man which should both build againe the Temple of Ierusalem and subdue Babilon So that now wee may iustly aske what is become of this proud city which once held the world in awe Where are her conduits the rarenesse of her bathes the hugenesse of her towers the greatnesse of her Temples the beauty of her princely palaces a number of other monuments of her kings vanities Alas time hath worne them out and we may say Miramur perijsse homines monumenta fatiscunt interitus Saxis nominibusque venit Why wonder we that men doe die Since monuments decay And towers fall and founders names Doe perish cleane away For first she was subdued by the Medes then by the Persians after by the Grecians then by the Saracens then by the Tartars after that by the Persians againe now by the Turkes So God doth appoint and God doth disapoint states and commonwealthes according to the decree of his Eternall will sinne being the only cause of his anger his anger the cause of all calamities and subuersion of Kingdomes according to that of Syrach Regnum a gente in gentem transferetur propter iâ—iustitiam Because of vnrighteous dealing and wrongs and riches gotten by deceit the Kingdom is translated from one people to another The description of Arabia FRom the ruines of old Babilon wee set forwards to Alepo traueling for the most part through the Desart Arabia This country of Arabia hath on the North Palestina and Mesopotamia on the East the golfe of Persia on the South the maine Ocean of India on the West Egipt the red-sea It is deuided into three parts the North-part whereof is the desart Arabia the South-part is called Arabia Foelix and the middle betweene both is Arabia Petrosa It is not my purpose to write any thing either of Arabia Foelix or Arabâ—a Petrosa because they lie not in the compasse of my trauell onely it shall not be amisse to insert a word or two of Mahomet and his superstition who was borne in this country and hath seduced the greatest part of the world with his abominable religion Concerning Mahomet the people of Mecha where he lieth intombed doe altogether condemne him both for his robberies and murders And himselfe in his Alcoran confesseth himselfe to be a sinner an idolator an adulterer and inclined to women aboue measure and that in such vnciuil termes a I am ashamed to repeate And concerning his Alcoran wherein hee hath inserted the precepts of his inuention there is no truth in it For first vpon paine of death it may not bee disputed vpon whereas the truth loues triall so that though the Arabians Turkes and Persians will not spare to say and that vauntingly that the doctrine of Mahomet is diuine conformable both to the old new Testament yet as good as they make it you may not examine it or call it into question as if a man should say behold you are paide in good money but you must not weigh it neither looke vpon it by day-light 2 Besides his Alcoran is pestred with a number of fables and falsities as nine hundreth vntruthes whereof two are most grosse that Abraham was the sonne of Lazarus and Mary the sister of Aaron 3. Againe it pointeth out at things sensible and corporall and not to things internall and spirituall for Mahomet most blasphemously reporteth in his prograce vp to the throne of God that hee felt the hand of God three-score and ten times colder then any yee that he saw an Angel that had a thousand heads a diamond table of a thousand miles in length and a Cocke of a wonderfull bignesse which is kept vntil the day of doome that then by the shrilnesse of his crowing the dead may be raised and further he setteth it downe that the diuell is circumcised with this leasing also that the starres are very candles hung out euery night from the firmament 4. And for his promises to all such as call vpon him faithfully are meere carnal and earthly such as I am ashamd to name being fit for none but Heliogabalus and Sardanapalus 5. His precepts are indulgent to periury giuing leaue to haue as many wiues as a man will to couple themselues not only with one of the same sex but with bruit beasts also to spoile one anothers goods and none to be accused vnder foure witnesses 6. For his miracles he wrought none at al but hee confesseth that God sent Moses with miracles and Christ his forerunner with miracles but for himselfe he was to come with fire and sword to force men to obey his law whereas the truth doth draw men of their own accords rediculous also is that which hee writeth of himselfe how when hee was a child an Angel
or Persia with the Caramanian desert as also the Kingdome of Lar which frontiers on Ormuz Prouinces so great and large that in ancient times were able with their multitudes to couer the face of the earth and to drinke the â—iâ—â—ers drie And to make himselfe more strong within the bowels of his kingdome he hath subdued the Turcoman nation that were rebellious in his fathers time as also he hath ruinated the houses of most of his ancient nobilitie as of late Amet-chan Lord of Gheilan Rustâ—n Mâ—râ—ze the King of Candahar Emir-Miran the â—ord of Iest and Ebrain-chan the gouernour of Lar who would neuer in his fathers time Mahomet-Codibanda send in their aide against the cruell enâ—mies â—f their common liberty but impeach and molest their soueraigne as much as they could leauing many times the poore King to escape with his life But now the King hath drawne all the aforementioned prouinces into his owne possâ—ssion and is able to carry all his force clâ—ere without interruption which at the least may be two hundred thousand strong and better And for his souldiers they are for the most parâ— very valorous and noble which bâ—ing compared with the Turâ—ish people who foâ— the most parâ— are very â—â—scall of vile race are by good right very highly to be esteemed For the naked Turkish horse-man is not to be compared with the Persian mâ—n at aâ—mes who comes into the field armed with a strong Cuiras a sure head peece and a good target whereas the Turkish Europeian hoâ—sâ—men altogether naked vse only a square or crooked buckler wherewith they doe scarcely couer themselues and the Asian horsemen bucklers maâ—e of soft reeds wound round and couered with some kinde of silke Againe the Persian horseman weareth his poudrons and gantlets and beareth a staffe of good Ash armed at both ends fighting with them as occasion serueth at the staffe after the manner of the Numidâ—ans and with doubling and redoubling their often thrust from on high doe easily wound or kill the vnarmed Turks with their horses whereas the Turkâ—sh horseman after the manner of the Grecians doe couch their staues in their rest and so that the first course most commonly break the same being made of light and brittle fire and so presently come to their scimaâ—ars or horseman mace being in all other things farre inferiour to the Persian man at armes And for the Turkish archers on horsebacke they are in no respâ—ct to be compared with the Persians who are well mounted and surely aâ—med vsing both greater and stronger bowes and shoote more deadly arrowes making small account of the Turkes So that all things well consiâ—ered the Persian is now able to deale in field with the great Turke hauing both numbers of souldiers good store of shot and other warlike furniture as also which is the chiefest stay of a state obedience of his subiects And verily when Persia was at the weakest had not the Turkish Emperours Selymus Solyman and Amurat beene allured either by treason rebellion or intestine discordes they would neuer haue taken that warre in hand And so much of the Persians forces And as for the miserable thraldome that the poore Christians doe endure vnder the Turkish tyranny we thanks be giuen vnto God in these Northerne parts of the world may behold with safety but not without pitie when we rightly consider how that the people among whom our Sauiour himselfe conuersed at what time his beautifull steps honoured this world with those Churches in Grecia which his Apostles so industriously planted so carefully visited so tenderly cherished instructed and confirmed by so many peculiar Epistles and for whom they sent vp so many seruent prayers are now become a cage of vncleane birds filthy spirits doe possesse them The Turke with his Curaam and Mahomet with his Alcoran are Lords of these places So that now the Grecians haue lost their liberty which their ancestors had many times before to their immortall praise worthily defended against the greatest Monarches of the world and are now so degenerate by the meanes of the Turkish oppression that in all Grecia is hardly to be found any small remembrance of the ancient glory thereof Insomuch that whereas they were wont to account all other NatioÌ„s barbarous in comparison of themselues they are now become no lesse barbarous then those rude nations whom they before skorned Infinite are the miseries which they from time to time haue endured vnder the Turkish tyrants and so great hath beene the fury of that barbarous Nation that no tongue is able to expresse or pen descâ—ibe For what tongue is able to expresse the miseries that the poore Greekes indured when the imperiall Citie of Constantinople was taken and spoiled by Mahomet the great in the yeare 1453. when the cruell tyrant could not content himselfe with the spoile and riches of that faire Citie but caused also as he sate feasting with his Bassaes and great commaunders most of the chiefe Christian Captaines both men and women of whom many were of the Emperors line and race to be in his presence put to death deming his feast much more stately and magnificent by such effusion of ChristiaÌ„ bloud There might a man haue seene the poore Christian captiues driuen vp and downe by the mercilesse soldiers as if they had beene droues of cattell or flocks of sheepe It would haue pittied any strong heart to haue seene the noble Gentlewomen and great Ladies with â—heir beautifull children who flowed in all worldly wealth and pleasure to become the poore miserable bondslaues of most base and contemptible rascals who were so far 〈◊〉 shewing them any pity as that they deligâ—ted in nothing more then to heape more more misery vpon them making no more reckoning of them then of dogs There might the Parents see the wofull misery of their beloued children the childreÌ„ of the parents the husband might see the shameful abuse of his wife the wife of her husbaÌ„d generally one friend of another yea such was their malice to the Christian faith that they coÌ„uerted the temple of Sophia built for God to be honored in into a stable for their horses making it a place for the executioÌ„ of their abhominable vnspeakable filthinesse yea the image of the crucifixe they also tooke down put a Turks cap vpoÌ„ the head therof so set it vp shot at it with their arrowes afterwards in great derision carried it about in their campe as it had beene in procession with drums playing before it rayling spitting at it calling it the God of the Christians which I note not so much done in contempt of the images as in despight of Christ the ChristiaÌ„ religion Neither haue they committed these outrages monstrous cruelties in Grecia alone but in other parts of Christendom also as Italy hath sundry times tasted of their cruell incursions bloudy inuasions Besides Seruia Bulgaria Transiluania Moldauia
captiuitie was at three times For first in the second yeare of Cyrus Zorababell with welnigh fiftie thousand Iewes returned and then laid the foundation of the Temple which was finished the second yeare of Darius Longimanus And many Iewes remaining in Babylon who for the loue of their possessions and children hauing purchased of the kings of Persia a forme of a commonwealth elected to themselues a Prince of the line of Dauid whom Origen calleth a Patriarch calling him Aechmalatarcham which signifieth the head of the outlawes And in the seauenth yeare of Darius Longimanns Esdras with a number in his company returned And lastly in the twentieth yeare of the same Darius Nehemiah with his company departed So that it falleth out that whether you beginne to account the threescore and nine weekes from the first yeare of Cyrus who then determined the Iewes reduction or from the second yeare of Darius as others will for that hee confirmed and put the same in execution or from the twentieth yeare of his raigne for that hee then made a new edict in fauour of Nehemiah and sent him intò Iewrie And not onely the tribes of Iuda Leui and Beniamin to the number of thirtie thousand but some of the other tribes to the number of tenne thousand returned also into Iewrie by the Edict of those kinges Euery way those threescore and nine weekes did ende eyther in the raigne of Augustus or Herode vnder whom Christ was borne or in the yeare of Tiberius vnder whome hee suffered Hee that would reade more of the ancient estate of Persia eyther concerning the Royall Maiestie thereof or the Religion Lawes Manners and Customes of the same or the Militarie Discipline whilest shee held the world in awe let him reade Barnabas Brissonius who hath written three bookes De Regio Persarum Principatu In the meane time wee come to describe that which wee haue seene returning where we left to Siras ancient Persepolis The description of Sieras ancient Persepolis THis Citie is situated on the banks of Bindamir a great and famous riuer which courseth through Persia and the kingdome of Lar and so emptieth it selfe into the Persian Golfe and was once the Metropoliticall seat of all the kingdome vntill of late yeares Hispaan hath gained that priuiledge from her Notwithstanding it is large spacious containing very neere ten miles in circuit and lieth iust in the road way which leads from Hispaan to Ormuz Plinie did call it caput Persiciregui for so it was during the Monarchy the head Citie of the Persian kingdome which continued famous many yeares together being stuffed with the spoyles of the whole world for Alexander when he tooke it found in the treasury fortie thousand talents of gold euery talent being sixe hundred crownes by Budaeus his computation And the same tâ—me at the request of a drunken strumpet he set this gallant Citie on fire himselfe being the first president in that wofull misery which in short time was quite burnt downe to the ground as Diodorus Siculus relateth Which vnhappy mischance Quintus Curtius on this manner bewaileth Huno exitum habuit Regiatotius Orientis vnde tot gentes ante iâ—ra petebant patria tot regum vnicus quondâ—m Gâ—aecia terror c. Such a miserable end befell to the reâ—all Citie of all the Eaâ—â— whence so many Nations did deriue their lawes and customes which was the seate of so many kings and in times past the onely terour of Greece So that in and about this towne are to be seene the ruines of many ancient monuments as two great gates thaâ— are distanâ— one from the other the space of twelue miles which shewes the circuite of this Citie as it was in the time of the Monarchy to be both large and spacious On the South side we viewed the ruines of a goodly Pallace â—â—ilded as they say by King Cyrus a Pallaâ—◠〈◊〉 â—agnified by Aelianus in his first booke de animalibus cap. 59. And on the North side the ruines of an old Castle which seemes was gyrt about with a three-fold wall â—he first wall being foure and twentie foote high adorned and beaâ—â—iâ—ied with many Tuâ—rets and spires the second was like vnto the first but twice as high â—nd the third was foure square being foure score and ten foote high All fabricated of free stone On each side were twelue gates of Brasse with brazen pales set before them very curiously wrought all which did shew the magnificence of the founder On the East side of this ruinous Castle some foure acâ—es of ground distant is a mountaine on which was erected a goodly Chappell in which most of the Persian kings in anticke time were intombed And though this Citie hath endured sundry mutations and changes yet is it not to be esteemed one of the least Cities in Persia for out of it in short time is leuied twentie thousand horsemen well armed Besides it is one of the greatest and most famous Cities of the East both for traffike of merchandize as also for most excellent armour and furniture which the armorers with wonderfull cunning doe make of yron and steele and the 〈◊〉 of certain hearbs of much more notable tempâ—r and beautie then are those which are made with vs in Europe not onely Headpâ—ecâ—s Curiaffes and complete armours but whole caparisons for horses curiously made of thinne plates of yron and steele Now by the sâ—tuation of this towne on the riâ—er Bindamir a verie profitable trade for the East Indian companie might be at Batan an hauen towne in the Persian Golâ—e which trendeâ—h in the forme of an halfe Moone hauing a little pretie Iland as a most commodious shelter in the mouth of the same whereby a shâ—p of fiue hundred â—unnes and better may ride at pleasure Very desirous is the Persian King that our shipping should come thither or to any othâ—r port in his dominions promâ—sing oftentimes times as may be iustified very probably that it should be lawfull for vs to builde and fortifie and to enioy all priuiledges in as ample manner as his owne subiectes and that if the Portugals in Ormuz should offer violence to our shipping that then hee would become their professed enemie whose league of friendship I am assured they dare not in that Iland breake standing so many waies beholding to the Persian King as they doe Besides where wee planted in Batan the King would quickly cut off the greatest trade of Merchandize eyther of raw silke or Indico from Tauris to Constantinople and turne it vnto that harbour There wee should haue a speedie vent for our broade cloath Carsies Tinne and Lead and haue in barter for the same whatsoeuer eyther the kingdome of Persia or India doth affoorde So that in mine opinion to haue Batan for a resting and refreshing harbour after our tedious sayling through the great Ocean were farre better then Bantam in Iaua or Aden or any other port in Arabia Felix places altogether of wrong