write it Gamrou others Gomrow and other-some Cummeroon The Artique pole mounts here to seven and twenty degrees and nine minutes A Towne it is of no Antiquity rising daily out of the ruines of late glorious now most wretched Ormus an houres journey thence I was told that it had not twelve houses twelfve yeares ago at this day encreased to a thousand but how can I credit it since one Newbery our country-man entitles it a Town at his being here which was in the yeare 1581. Yet old it cannot be since all agree the Portugals first founded it after Ormous doubtlesse and where the Castle was begun but in Anno 1513 by Albuquerq ' the Portugall Gumbroon is from Ormus nine english myles it also viewes Arabia about sixteene leagues west for there the Gulph is narrowest It was forced from the Portugall in the yeare 1612 by Ally-Reec the Shyrazian and is now compleatly governed by the Persian It is in compasse about two myles the earth is sandy without gardens springs or grasse from March to October so hot as the Natives flie away to Larr and other Townes where Date trees shadow them against the ever burning Sunne and ground or sand that scalds like hottest embers a great Mountayne reckned twenty miles distant but by its height seemes not eight anticipates the coole North-wind which to other parts breaths sweetly and refreshes them The houses are of Sunne-dried bricks thick sollid within are without much furniture without simple to look upon The windowes are large and trellised made to open when any Favonius murmurs among them The tops are tarrassed made both to walk sleep upon so Carpets be spred to soften them In the Summer season when few ships ride here they sleep in troughs or beds fild with water The Buzzar is very ordinary t is covered atop to keep out the searching beames of the scortching Sunne where under is sold Wine Arack Sherbet Thlummery and many other things to the eye and belly necessary The entrance into the Sultans house is at the East side of the Market place His the Shabanders English and Duch distinguisht by their Flags or Ensignes displayed by Aeolus atop their houses are all are worth the entring in or my noting of best note are two Castles at the North and South ends of the Towne spatious and defensive adorn'd with good Battlements and Platformes to play their uselesse Cannons on Fourescore brasse Peeces are planted here and are part of those they got from Ormus Anno 1622 two hundred more being sent up to Larr Spahawn and Babylon of small terrour if no better Gunners exercise them Whiles ships ride here Gumbroon is a garrison foure hundred horse and foot attend their Generall but dare not fight against the Sonne all summer billeting where they can find food and shelter In winter you may find here Merchants of sundry Nations English Ducth Persians Indians Arabs Armenians Turks Iewes and others The most common commodities here are belly food Wine Rack Sherbet Rosewater Sugar Almonds Dates Pomgranats Figs Currans Orenges Lemmons Pomecitrons Mirabolans Apples Peares Quinces and Flowers in great variety As also Goates Hens egges two yeare old Ryce c. most of which are sold by the crafty faire spoken Bannyans who swarme through all parts of Asia They will readily trade or prattle with Christian Turk Iew or Gentile but have no good fellowship for they hate to eat or drink with any save of their owne casts and religion rice plaintains and some fruits they eat drink water or sherbet which is faire water rosewater sugar and juyce of Lemons put together but for flesh eggs or such roots as raddish and the like resembling blood or wine not one bitt would they eat though you would give the poorest knave amongst them a thousand pound they are troubled with Pythagoras dreames doubting thereby they might eat up the soules of their friends or parents which transmigration of soules Tibullus elegantly thus detects to his Mistresse Quin etiam mea tunc Tumulus cum texerit ossa Seu matura dies sato properat mihi mortem Longa manet seu vita tamen mutata figura Seu me fingit equum rigidos percurrere campos Doctum seu cardi pecoris sing loria Taurus Sive ego per liquidum volucris vehar aëra pennis In quemcunque hominem me longa receperit aetas Inceptis de te subtexam carmina chartis When furthermore the grave my bones shal hide Or ripened dayes to swift foot death shall glide Or lengthned life remains in shape exchangde Making me horse well managed to range The fields or Bull the glory of the heard Or through the liquid Ayre I flie a Bird. Into what man soere long tyme me makes These works begun of thee fresh verses takes Some Sudatories cald here Hummums some Mosques some Synagogues and Sanhedrins are here but those so obscure that the eye can scarce direct us to them Most remarkable is the great Banayan Tree a league East from the Towne and opposite to Ormus Castle a Tree or rather twenty Trees the boughs rooting and springing up a whole aker together rounded within and shaded in forme of a Theater two hundred and nine paces about as I measured and wherein or under may ambush very secretly three hundred horse some call it the arched Fig tree some Arbor de Rays a tree of Roots others de Goa namd by us the Bannyan Tree from their adorning and adoring it with ribbons and streamers of varicoloured Taffata a goodly Diety such a one as Pliny observd long since in his Travayles amongst ' em Haec fuere Numinûm Templa priscoque ritu etiam nunc simplicia rura Deo praecellentem Arborem dicant Here under also they have a temple supported on one side by the body of the tree unseen to such as are without the branches in which for I adventured in are three of the most deformed Pagods or Idols imaginable invocated by the Bannyan in memoriall of Cuttery shuddery and Wyse their three deified predecessors kept by an old doting Braminy who for above threescore yeeres in this irreligious place has most wickedly sacrifizd his soule to Belzebub for many yeeres hee had all the Pagods offerings part being the virginity of the Brides at ten yeeres commonly which since he cannot actuate he is not asham'd as I was told to contract with Travellers who in an infernall disguise reap the unripe and unholy Holocausts A Persian Man Woman neer the Gulph To concomitate those carrion women take notice of those troopes of Jackalls which here more than any other where rally themselves not only each night committing burglary in the Town but commonly they teare the dead out of their graves and with a vulture appetite devoure their carcasses all the while ululating and in offensive noises barking and ecchoing out their sacriledge Wee made good sport to hunt them with doggs and swords but they are too many to be banisht too unruly to be conquered I
South sixty leagues and from Cape Comry two hundred a streame or arme issuing from Indus so incompasses her that she becomes a peninsule the Haven before the Towne is so land-lockt so good for anchorage that at Swalley Chaul Danda-Rajapuree and other Havens is no better riding either for the ground or Fort that so well safeguards them Nearchus great Alexanders Admirall from this place begun his Voyage and sayled to Ormus where hee repaired his weather-beaten Navie The Towne it selfe is both large and hospitable yet by reason of the Portugals pride and cruelty Christians are lesse beloved here then in other places 't was of good Trade affording Opium Assa-foetida Puchio Cotton Indico Mirabolans Sugar Arack Agats Cornelians Diaspries Calcedons Hematists Pearl Elephants teeth but since Surat and Cambaya her next neighbors have drawne the English and Dutch thither her Traffick and other allurements are contemned what she best boasts of is the Castle built after long fight and bloodshed by Albuquerque the famous Portugall Anno 1515 of their account 895 by whose cost and care it was so advanced that it compares at this day with any other Sea Towne in the Orient Nor could it ever have succceded had not false protestations bribes threats and other devices drawne beleife into the Pagans that their desire to have so many Castles and Marittim Forts was onely to defend themselves in parts where they were altogether strangers but it appeared afterwards that avarice rapine Tyrannie and lust allured them as Osorius their Bishop in vita Emanuelis 11 libro fol 347. speaks concerning them Etsi Lusitani imprimis arces cupiebant ad se defendendas postea tamen visum est speciem faederis amicitae dominationem quaeri Tyrannidem agitari c. Which caused such turmoyles that in no other part of India they found so long such strong resistance partly by their owne valour but chiefly by help of Mirhocem and his Mamalukes Campson Gaurus the then great Sultan of Egipt sent thither to quell their insolencies Notwithstanding by the ruine of that Sultan not long after by Selim the first 1516. the Portugals by little and little grew victorious though to obtaine it Laurensius-Almeida sonne to their Viceroy the most excellent of all their Captaines at that time perished The river Indus is by Pliny call'd Sandus Sinthus by Arrhian and now call'd Sinde not farre distant hence at 23 deg 15 min. lat some observe 24 deg 40 min. and West var. 16 degrees 30 min. commixes in two ostiums Thevet foolishly names seaven with the Ocean after three thousand miles flux from the Casmirian or as Mela in his third booke the Paropamisian mountaines in her discent receiving growth from many great and famous rivers which from other hills derive their origin mellow Indya and at last incorporate with that famous flood from whose name the most noble part of the universe is named the rivers are Behat Ravee Damiadee Ob-chan Wihy c. of old times named Hidaspes Acesinis Cophis Adris Ob-itarmas Coas Suastes Melzidas Hirotas Zaradas Hispalis c. On the other side the gulph Muskat in Arabia the happy is seated Muscat or Mascat not farre from Cape Rozelgate formerly call'd Ziagrum and Corodamum and almost Nadyr to the crabbed Topick I dare not conclude that this was that old Raamah from Raama sonne of Chush sonne of Cham by Ptolomy Rhaguma and Rhegma celebred by Ezekiel 27.22 The Merchants of Sheba a Citie in Arabia whence came the Queene and not from Aethiopia Chush being misinterpreted to visit Solomon and Raamah were thy Merchants meaning Tyre c. howbeit 't is certaine it has beene much more populous and famous then at this present though now she begins since Ormuz was lost to revive her glory being the best Port Haven and defence for Frigots Juncks and other Vessels of Warre and Trade belonging to the Portugalls who first conquered it and the Ile Anno Dom. 1507. and after it other adjacent Townes as Calajate Curiate Soar Orfaza and divers places till then under the Ormousian Empire at that time Zeifadin was King in nonage ruled by Atar a spitefull Eunuch whose deceit was so apparent as not onely made this Towne to blush in flames but had welnigh ruin'd his Masters Empire Torus the King brother then commanded here with Mamadee the Kings sonne undone by poyson given him from Nordino the second Officer after which it was betrayed to the Turks by Iack a Portugall but after some cost and toyle recovered yet next yeere by bribery the Tunks re-entred and wherein Peribeg the Basha plants a Colony and goes homeward but ere he got thither heares of its revolt and the slaughter of his silly Garrison the Newes so amazing him that hee goes to Mecha and turnes religious but by command of Solyman the great Turk is forced thence and for a reward of his fifty yeares good service is beheaded and his estate forfeited It now obeyes the Portugalls the Towne is seated in a Plain yet armed or propt with two rising advantagious mountaines a ditch and parapet drawne from one hill to the other so inviron her that she seemes inaccessible the Castle is large and defensive fill'd with men and stored with great Ordnance little else is worthy of our observation The seventeenth of December wee took ship in the William for Gombroon in Persia the Exchange the Hart and other brave ships went along with us and above three hundred slaves whom the Persians bought in India Trop Cancri Persees Ientews gentiles Bannaras and others The eightenth day we crost the Tropick and next day elevated the North pole twenty foure degrees odde minutes the gulph in this place straitned the shores of Carmania and Arabia in this forme appearing to us The Persian Gulph Arabia denominated from Arabus sonne of Apollo and Madam Babilonia at this day is more obscured than in ancient times such time as it was the seminary of famous men worthily in those dayes called happie Panchaya and Eudaemonia No part bred better Physitians Mathematicians and Philosophers Galen Hipocrates Avicen Algazales Albumazar Abubeer Alfarabius Mahomet-ben-Isaac ben Abdilla Siet Iooh ben Cazem ben sid ' Ally and others here borne or educated the Arabick so inchanted men that it is a common hyperbole amongst them the Saints in Heaven and Paradize speak it In it the holy Decalogue was given in it was hatcht the delusive Alcaron if gums aromatick succulent fruits fragrant flowers and such like delicacies can captivate thee say then Arabia is the Phoenix of the East with Danaeus the epitomè of delight and with Saint Augustin that it is Paradize 'T is tripartite Deserta Petrosa and Felix Deserta is also call'd humilis profunda and aspera by Servius Lucian and Aristides Petrosa Inferior by Strabo Nabothaea by Ptolomy and Barrha by Castoldus Rathal Alhaga by them habitants and by Zieglerus Bengacalla Foelix varies also in nomenclation by Pliny Sabaea and Mamotta by Solinus
structure and daily served by a multitude of hellish Priests or Bonzees not admitted to attend there except they be young well shap't and as strong in venerie as was Hercules Every new Moon they solemnly betroth unto the Devill a Damosell whose Parents account the ceremonie happie and honourable if any be more faire or singular than another shee is selected by the lustfull Priests devoted and brought into the Temple and placed right against the Mamada or Idoll the roome is first made glorious with Lamps of burnisht gold and a preparation by incendiating Lignum vitae or other gums and perfumes such as be curious and costly by and by the Lamps extinguish by myracle and in a grosse darknesse the Prince of darknesse approaches and abuses her so shee imagines and the rather credited in that the Devill leaves behind him certaine scales like those of fishes an argument of no phantasma but by this hellish conjunction they swell not unlesse the Bonzee second it Sathan is no sooner gone but she is saluted by the Bonzees who ravish her with songs and pleasant musique which ended shee acquaints them with her fortune and resolves them in such questions as she by their instruction propounded to the Devill and he had satisfied her in shee issues with applause and ever after is reputed holy and honourable many other things I could present you from tradition but I avoyd as much as may be to insert incertainties from hence therefore faile wee West and land in Chyna where though the travaile be difficult yet suffer me to glean a little though it but expresse my industrie and care to offer you the truest Novelties Of China CHINA is the most Easterly part of Asia A Kingdome both great and wealthie famous also but scarce discovered Their jealousie and discourtesie to strangers they suffer any to enter none to returne chiefly causes it It is subject to many severall names scarce any two strange people accord in one Nomenclation and no wonder since amongst themselves they affect variety the Kings new naming the whole Kingdome at their Coronation as they fancie it Ptolomy long agoe call'd it Sinarum Regio other Geographers Seres the Moores in Industant call it Cathayo the Arabians T'synin the Syamites Cyn the Malayans Tabenzo the Japonites Thau and T'syn the Tattarrs Ham Alhacen Tangis Paulus Venetus Mangi the Inhabitants if Perera Riccius and Trigautius say true Tamen and themselves Tamegines But how various soe're that be this is not uncertaine that it is a very spatious Monarchie for it extends from 17 deg to 43 of North Latitude and to the South Cantam to the North Pequin two royall Cities seeme to terminate it But thus confined On the East it has the Sea of Iapan Corea is part of China no Ile but to the North conjoyned with the Continent On the West the Desarts of Industant On the North the Tattars On the South the Phillipinae Iles and the South West adjoyneth to Cochyn-China and Pegu with part of Siam All agree that it is square and that from any one side to another is 1500 English miles the circuit above 4000. the Country is generally champaign fruitfull full of sweet and navigable rivers and which are no lesse inhabited than the Villages and Cities be of which China has no fewer than 600 Cities 2000 wall'd Townes 4000 unwalled 1000 Castles and of Villages scarce to be numbred and many they had need to be since they give lodging to above threescore millions of men and boyes besides women which be not inrolled The whole Empire is divided into fifteene great Provinces governed by so many Quon-fu and Lausia who have their Tutans and Chyans or Deputies under them Each of those Provinces has a Metropolis full of people fairely built and very spatious But every way more excellent than the rest are these foure Paquin by some called Pasquin Nanquin or Nanton Cantam or Canton and Quinsay by them called Ham-ceu of which foure at this day Paquin is chiefe or Emperiall PAQVIN elevates the North Pole 41 degr 15 minutes and by late Geographers is accounted that same Citie which some call Cambalu watered by Polisanga and China then must bee Cathaya yea if Pantoja and Di Canti say true the Chyna Monarch is that same great Cam which M. P. Venetus and Mandevile afore him have famoused The Citie Pequin is questionlesse the most spatious and best peopled in Asia if not in the world since it has 30 Duch leagues ninety English miles circumference it includes many stately buildings and Mausoleas 24000 are numbered of the Mandarins Sepulchers the meanest of which is not without beauty and a no lesse number of little guilded Chappell 's beside 3800 Temples devoted to Idolatry It has as many Gates Posterns as be dayes in a yeer sixscore Buzzars or Market-places above a thousand Bridges of stone and such water as is every where potable This City is not above a hundred miles from that marvellous wall which Crisnagol their King Zaintzon the 117 King some say built 1000 yeeres ago to keep out the invading Tartarr a wall 1200 miles long six fathoms high twelve yards thick and such as was seven and twenty yeeres erecting by a continued labour of 750000 men NANQVIN the second Citie for grandeur and bravery till of late was the China Metropolis It elevates the Artick Pole 32 degr and is distant from the Sea 8 leagues or there abouts The City is 12 leagues about circled with three strong walls and ditches the Kings Pallace is glorious and vast the other buildings many for 200000 are reckned but meanly beautifull the Temples are above a thousand the streets fayre the people industrious from Paquin removed East six hundred miles English most part of the way is navigable CANTAM is at the South end of China in 17 deg a Towne both rich and spatious our Ships came almost in view of it from it to Paquin is two months travell QVINZAY or Ham-ceu borders Cochin-China of old the greatest at this day the most admirable for variety of antick rarities in the Orient These bee the most noted but many other great and populous Cities this great Empire conteineth generally of one shape and alike governed None be without their Meani or Temples fild with Deastri or Idols The Countrey is generally champaign and fruitfull the husbandmans care and paines make it to fructifie and repay its thanks in various tribute each Province there is well watered and few of those rivers but abound in fish which the Chyneses not only banquet on but on Frogs Snakes Rats Dogs Hogs and such food as many other Nations abhominate they fish with Cormorants The people are Olive coloured more black or white as they vary from the Aequinoctiall they weare their haire very long and fillited their eyes are commonly black their noses little their eyes small their beards deformedly thin and nailes often times as long as their fingers serving as a mark to distinguish the
youth and haste came abortive into your hands and fail'd not of respective welcome Yet in so cold so nipping a Zone more cloathing may be accepted of and which I have woven with some toyle but very willingly hoping it may discover more maturity I formerly obeyed my friends who thought the first too short this then may prove the happier since I have laboured to give them a ready acknowledgement Let my errors therefore reflect on them and impale me in your favour for peradventure I may give boldnesse to your Factors to fetch exotique rarities in a new division of the world and in assuring their Barques to bring you home what may prove worthy your sight and mony But this lucky gale will suffer no longer complement The relation of our Sea-voyage is first enjoyned me 1626. VPon Good-Friday we took ship at Dover having six great well-man'd ships along with us In few houres coasting close by the I le of Wight call'd so from Gwydh a Brittish word signifying seene at distance Vectis in Pliny Vecta in Eutropius where a sudden and violent gust assaulted us which after an houres rage spent it selfe and blew us the third day double solemniz'd by being the feasts of Mother and Sonne upon the Lizards point or lands end of England the utmost promontory of Cornwall and from whence to the extreamest cape of Afrique wee compute our longitude and not from the Azores the first Meridian The wind blew faire so as the seven and twentieth day wee entred the Spanish Ocean the coast of Biscay neighbouring us Ere long we descried seven tall ships whom reputing enemies we bore up to speake with but they proved friends Hollanders out of the Levant who drunk our healths as they past by a roring Culverin and we vomited out a like eccho of thunder plowing up the liquid Seas in merrinesse till the nine and twentieth day made us the sport of Danger dancing upon the raging billowes Aeolus from his iron whistle blustering melancholly tunes a good while heaven and sea seeming undivided To which Tune Horace Od. 3. lib. 1. Illi robur et aes triplex circa pectus erat qui fragilem truci Commisit pelago ratem Primus nèc timuit praecipitem Africum Decertantem Aquilonibus nèc tristes hyadas nèc rabiem Noti A heart of brasse that man had sure Who in a Barque durst first endure The raging waves not valuing life Midst fierce South-west and North winds strife The Hyads who clouds seldome want Nor blustring South his sprite could dant Violence has no permanence in thirty houres the quarell 'twixt wind and sea was ended and joy in a serene sky reanimated us so as wee ended March in chase of a Turkish Pirat whom with top-gallant top-sailes we pursued 6 houres but to our griefe he out-sailed us The first of April we cut our passage into the vast Atlantick Ocean by Arabs call'd Magribana as saith Marmolius Atlantic Ocean nam'd from Atlas Maurus brother to the star-gazer Prometheus from whom two famous Mounts one in Mauritania th' other in Lybia are denominate Long we had not been in these seas but another Barbarian Sally man of Warre came up to us sculking all night in hope to board the first hee saw divided at day break we found the villaine who loath to parlee in fire and shot fled amaine and left us who swum so well that the third of April at Titans first blush we got sight of Porto Santo a holy Port call'd Cerne in Ptolomy commanded by the superstitious Spaniard and of Madaera or I le of Wood from the Canaries 300 miles the first discovered by Perestrellus anno 1419. 5398 undiscovered given him upon condition he would people it which he found difficult the Conies in such numbers resisting and undermining him The other the same yeere by Gonzalvo Zarco from incouragement of Henry sonne to King Iohn the first of Portugall The holy Port has five and twenty miles compasse notable in Wheat Ry Rice Oxen Sheep Bores Conies Sanguis Draconûm Fruits Flowers and Grapes at 8 leagues distance thus respecting us Porto Sancto The sixt of Aprill we had 27 degrees and a halfe at that instant descrying the Iles Canariae of old fortunate in name though not in quality undiscover'd till the yeare 1328 accidentally by one Machan or Marcham an English man from whose relation Lewes de Cerdezo two yeare after sail'd thither and by consent of his King Pedro of Arragon had liberty of conquest and benefit but long enjoyed neither Iohn 2. the Castilian King Anno 1405 extruding him From whom also Ventacurtius a French man snatches them but by Iohn de Betancour a well-descended Gentleman kinsman to Bracamonté the French Admirall is dispossest Anno 1417 shipping 10000 voluntiers by whose valour and constancie he subdued five of the Iles La Palma La Gomera Lanzarota Ferro and Fortéventura an atchievement honourable yet such vexation possest the ambitious Gaule that Canarie masterd him as made him entertaine death with an uselesse complement his Nephew Menaldus left heire to what he had got and has added his misfortunes Myndus a haughty Bishop incensing the Castilian King by whose greatnesse Menaldus is forced thence glad of some composition pay'd him by Don Barba the Bishops kinsman But see variety Barba repents the purchase and for small profit assignes his Title to Don Fernando Perazzo whose brain taking like infection growes weary of his toile and for other imployment parts with his claime to the Prince of Castile from whom 't was torne by Don Henrico Infant of Spaine to this day constant to Spanish servitude These Iles perhaps the same Ptolomy and Mela call Deorum currus are from the Morocco or Lybian continent 20 leagues from Spaine 200. six commonly numbred Cadamastus ten three by speculation by old Authors Ptolomy Pliny Strabo and others Canaria Capraria Nivaria Iunonia Ombrian or Pluvialia Aprosita or fracta lancea and as Martian adds Casperia or Fortunata At this day thus Canaria La-palma Teneriffa Lancaerota Hierro La Gomera and Fortéventura A word of what they were and are They knew no God but Nature were ignorant of the use of fire shaved with flint stones gave their children to be nurst by Goats cultured the earth with hornes of Oxen abhominated the slaughter of beasts For how can they be good Who dare each day imbrue their hands in blood Like beasts us'd women in common No meum tuum Lust and carelesnesse so vailing them that little difference was 'twixt them and their cattell Sylva domus erat cibus herba cubilia frondes The Woods their dwelling was the herbes their Diet And on the leaves and boughes they slept in quiet Some glimmering they had of superstition having alwayes two Kings one alive one dead The dead they wash and erect him in a Cave a staffe in one hand a payle of milk and wine set by him to support and help him in his Travell At this day are Spanish Christians
lesse than two houres being fild with nasty raine ending in thunder and flash mingling terribly Tornathos a great while the Tornado troubling us a weather so incertaine and variable as is admirable now blowing fresh and faire and forthwith storming outragiously in one houres space the wind veering about every point of the compasse The winds from East West North and South advance Their force and urge the furious waves to dance Vna Eurusque Notusque ruunt Zephirusque maligne flumine tum Boreas The infectious raines most damnifying the poore saylers who must be upon the decks to hand in their sailes abiding the brunt and which is worse commonly get forthwith into their beds or hamackoes resting their tyred bodies in wet nasty clothes thereby breeding many furious and mortall diseases as burning Feavers Calentures Fluxes Aches Scurvy and the like which doubtlesse did they moderate their bibbing strong waters and shift their filthy apparell might be prevented Other unlucky accidents happen in these seas to vexe them as when in most becalmings they swim in the bearing Ocean the greedy Tuberon or Shark arm'd with a double row of venemous teeth pursues them directed by a little Rhombus Musculus or pilot-fish that scuds to and fro to bring intelligence His body is right faire though seeming small And fitly him by name of Guide they call Musculus est parvus visu sed corpore pulchro Hinc piscem vero ductorem nomine dicunt the Shark for his kindnesse suffring it to suck when it pleaseth Many have beene devoured by this ravenous Dogge-fish more have suffered in their members whose shape mistaken in the posture by the Ingraver is thus resembled a Sharke fish By this under 13. degrees we are parrellel with Sierra Leon a Cape land upon the Lybian shoare by old Geographers improperly cal'd Deorum currus Frons Africae Tagazza and Zanguebai in Thevet and Marmolius strengthned by a Castle built by the Spaniard famoused for refreshing our English Neptune Drake at his returne from circumnavigating the body of the whole Earth and that thence to Bab-mandel the entrance into the red Sea Africk is no where broader The Inhabitants here along the Guinea coast Bynnin Cape Palmas Lopez Gonzalvo c. know no God nor are willing to bee instructed by Nature Scire nihil jucundissimum Howbeit the divell who will not want his ceremony has infused demonomy and prodigious idolatry into their hearts enough to rellish the divells pallat and agrandize their owne tortures when hee gets power to fry their soules as the raging Sunne has scorcht their bodies A Ship of ours coasting along and landing for discovery was so admired at by the Salvages as if they never had seene men nor Ship afore Two of our men adventured the shoare some hostages kept in the boat till they return'd and are welcom'd by thousands of those naked black skind Aethiopians who were so farre from injury that they loaded them with Flowers Fruits Toddy and what they judged acceptable after immeasurable admirations returning them safe aboard all contented Cape Verd. April the 18. wee had 15. degrees and ere morne were in height of Cape Verd in 14. degr so named by Florian Hesperion cornu Surrentium in Pliny Lybiae promontorium in Strabo of old cald Arsinarium at this day by the Negroes Mandangan Hacdar by the Alfarabes Discovered by Dio Fernandezo or Antonio di Nolle a Genoan Hesperidae Anno 1445. at the charge of King Alphonsus 5. Famoused especially in the Hesperian Garden enricht with Golden Apples robd by Alcides in despight of that hundred-headed Dragon engendred by Typhon on Echydna 'T was a Greeke fable who surpast for lyes The morall this The garden was a spacious greene and pleasant Field the apples of gold good sheep worth gold such sheep and fleece as Iason had the errour partly arising from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admitting a double construction sheep and apple The Dragon no other than a meare or fluxe of the Sea in forme or nature of a Dragon or Serpent invironing it swelling in 100 armes or sluces which Hercules to enrich Spaine passed over and exported The three faire daughters of Hesperus were three honest Ilands in the West adjoyning this garden their names Aeglae Arethusa and Hesperthusa now new named Mayo Sal and Bonavista three other neighbouring them the Atlantiades which we have no leisure now to treat of the magnifique Fabrick of Anthaeus calling us away to look upon but alas we find nothing extant save memory a pallace doubtlesse brave and capacious the Lord of it being no meane nor little man he grew 70. cubits high a dozen ordinary mens proportion a proper man and an excellent log for Hercules to smite at yet the Greekes perswade us his sword could not conquer nor was he overcome when by prodigious force Ioves sonne threw him thrice upon the ground the Earth his mother still reanimating him till being perceiv'd he strangled or choakt him in the helplesse Aire Extreame heat April 21. Aeolus was a sleep one breath of Ayre not comforting us the Sunne over-topping us and darting out such fiery beames that the Ayre inflamed the Seas seemed to burne our Ship sulphureous no decks no awnings nor invention possible able to refresh us so that for 7 dayes 70. are better endured in a zone more temperate wee sweat and broyle unable to sleep rest eat or drink without much faintnesse in this space our Ship making no way no current is felt in the vast Ocean till the fift day the billowes began to rowle and the Ayre troubled travelling with an abortive cloud which suddenly fell downe in forme of an inverted Piramid wonderfull and dangerous A cloud as I apprehend exhaled by the Sun a powerfull Magnet not agitated by the wind and missing the retentive property in the lowest region distills not in sweet drops but diffudes or falls hideously the whole cloud together so impetuously into the Ocean Spouts of raine that many great ships as if a thousand milstones or cataracts had fallen have beene dasht and sunke past all recovery and what 's little lesse formidable the stinking raine is no sooner in the Sea but as a fearefull farwell a whirlewind circles with such violence as helps the cloud to lash the murmuring Seas so furiously that oftimes the waves or surges rebound top gallant height as if it meant to retaliate the Ayre in another region God be praised we mist the rage of raine the gust somewhat affrighted us but it contraried Seneca's Philosophy Finis alterius mali gradus est futuri a pleasant Breese first increasing into a happy gale cooled the Ayre and posted us out of those exuberances of nature so that on May day we crost under the Aequinoctiall Aequator a circle imagined to divide the world into two equalls from either Pole ninety degrees and where we lost sight of the Sydus salutare the Pole-starre of a third magnitude fixt in
the tip of the little Beares tayle the Sunne at this time was in the 19. degree of Taurus in Artick declination 17. degrees 31. minutes May 6. We had some thunder and lightning or corpo sanctos such as seeme good Omens to the superstitious Portugalls and at night past by Santo croix the holy crosse every houre expecting the Monzoon Monzoons an anniversary wind that blowes one way six moneths and the other halfe yeer the contrary way constantly which if Sea-men neglect they lose their happy passage into India But how preposterous the yeere and wind proved elsewhere I know not doubtlesse it is the Emblem of inconstancy experience taught it us so long time proving our Antagonist that our passage to the Cape of good Hope became sixe weekes longer than we looked for forc't to runne into much more longitude than we desired An Inhabitant of Angola The slaughter of a man doth not suffice These caniballs we see but breasts armes eyes Like dainty meat they eat Aspicimus populos quorum non sufficit itae Occidisse aliquem sed pectora brachia vultum Crediderint genus esse cibi Nothing commendable in them but their Archery in which they excell shooting a dozen shafts ere the first touch ground their Amazonian neighbours forcing their care and diligence The only ornament they have is slashing and cutting their skinne and faces the Sunne and Moone are man and wife the Starres their children in their religion the divell is their Oracle May 24. We had 19 degrees and a halfe from whence to the thirtieth degr the wind was large and prosperous nothing in that great distance observable save that on the 26 day our Admirall the Mary in which one Hall commanded early discryed a saile which he made after with his barge long boat and 80. men at two leagues distance they perceived her a Carrack of 1500 Tun who durst not adventure her hulk against our shot and therefore made all sailes draw and that night escaped tho to grapple her our fleet divided all night but saw her not till the 27. day and but saw her her velocity so much excelled ours till the 7. of Iune she againe deluded us after two houres chase as a phantasma vanishing towards God Vpon May day we crost the line and last of May the Tropick of Capricorne Tropicus Capricorni the utmost limit of Apollo's progresse towards the Antartick and 53 dayes we swet within the burning Zone ere we past under both the Tropiques The first of Iune our observation was in 24 degrees 42 minutes South latitude Iunij 1. the Sunne then in 23. degrees 8l. North in the 20. degree of Gemini In which height we had many sudden and violent gusts and stormes contrary to our desires unable thereby to direct our course being driven to Lee-ward 100 leagues upon the coast of Brazeel to 25. degr latitude and 27. of longitude from the Lizard Howbeit post multos sequitur una serena dies for on the 13. day in the first watch our long lookt for Favonius blew sweetly upon us The West wind most men know From the vast sea is ever felt to blow Semper lenis aura Favoni Spirat ab Oceano At which time some Boobyes weary of flight made our Ship their pearch an animall so simple as suffers any to take her without feare as if a stupid sense made her carelesse of danger which to sympathize I have as simply for your sport depicted A Boobie T is not long since I told you how favourably Aeolus entertained us but his other adjunct is inconstancy for veering into another quarter he began to puffe and bluster yea so furiously that Neptune sweld with rage in such impatience that the Tritons Marriners grew agast not without reason the Cape land thought not neere enough and yet too neere us for foure dayes and nights not daring to beare any saile but lay ahull driving whither the storme compelled us all that while the sea surges so sublime and impetuous that wee were tost up into the Ayre and forth with throwne downe as into an Abisse sometimes dancing upon the liquid ridge of a dreadfull wave and anon inveloped with many others all seeming to swallow us heaven and sea roaring and commixing in an undivided manner yet the Lord be praised having Sea roome and good tite Ships his providence saved us in 16 dayes more meeting together joyfully at the Cape of good hope and I confesse ingeniously not till then did I feele that Ironic Satyre of Iuvenal biting us I nunc ventis animam committe doloso Confisus ligno Digitis â morte remotus Quattuor aut septem si sit latissimataeda Goe now and to the winds thy life commit Trust the smooth wood foure or seven fingers set From death the broadest heart of Pine admit Iune 24. Wee rais'd the Pole Antartick six and thirty degrees our longitude from the Meridian of the Lyzard five and twenty degrees wanting three to the Cape variation three degrees our course E. S. E. the Sunnes declination two and twenty degrees twenty sixe minutes and as many seconds North in the 17. degree of Gemini The same time mid-summer in England and mid-winter with us in those South clymats The 7. of Iuly betimes wee descried land and tho threescore miles distant from its height seemed very nigh us proving the place wee aimed at that famous promontory now no longer Tormentozo but of good Hope Howbeit we could not flie upon the wings of desire the wind withstanding our hast wherby we let fall our Anchor 14 leagues short of the Bay of Soldania and went a shore upon a little Ile 3 miles round corruptly cal'd Cony I le from the Welsh Cain-yne or white Ile where we kil'd many Conies or Cats rather great and rammish bad and waterish commended for dainty meat by hungry Sailers Ie junus raro stomachus vulgaria temnit It also superabounds with Seales piscis marinus as big as Lyons and though doggedly visaged can out barke them yea bellow like Bulls and from such as not till then see any may challenge wonder They turne to oyle and give their skins for buffe coates soft and serviceable Here are also birds cal'd Pen-gwins white-head in Welch like Pigmies walking upright their sinns or wings hanging very orderly downe like sleeves a creature fish and flesh participating sea and shore feeding in the one breeding in the other easie to be caught on land but that their undermining the sandy ground for habitacles makes the passage bad at sea diving like a Duck swift as a Dolphin fat but oylie some dare eat them curiosity may invite a taste but to make a meale on unsapory and offensive to which May-game of nature I may inculcate that made on her acquaintance Divide her I desire but neck and brest They savour well the Cooke may eat the rest Tota quidem ponatur anas sed pectore tantum cervice sapit caetera redde coquo
from the Aequinoctiall that night the 19 of September White-Sea the Sea was for 10 leagues as white as snow not froathy or by agitation of wind but in calmest weather as many say is here still the same from whence caused is not now to be disputed Next day we made the Sunne our Zenith in this Latitude opposing that rich part of Afrique we call Soffala and Mombassa in three degrees 50 min. South Magadoxa in 3 degrees Zanzibar Pata and Brava terminating one another till with Bernagasso the Port to the great Neguz or Priest Iohn the red Sea limits Africk from Asia Antartic Starres The three and twentieth day wee once more sail'd under the Aequator and againe bad farewell to those late usefull Antartique constellations the Crosiers foure starres like a crosse of a second magnitude 17 degrees 30 min. from the Pole Noahs Dove Polophilax and others the two Beares now rising in our Horizon againe and at eight degrees North the wind grew wearie of too much constancie veering into E. N.E so that the Monzoon affronted us and we could lie no neerer than South-East at which time many of your company died imputing the cause of their Calentures Fluxes Aches Scurvie Feavers and the like to the sulphurous heat there stinking water rotten meat and worm-eaten Biskets in the Torrid Zone no mans care can better it but in the temperate they all recover and become sweet and nourishing again But rather I beleeve their over-eating themselves at Mohelia where they farcinated their crude stomacks with unsalted flesh and gulped downe too much Toddy caused it here our Admirall threw over-board five and thirty dead men the Hopewell eleven the Starre five every ship lost some too many if God had pleased But of most note were Harvey Keynell an expert Masters Mate in the Starre Captaine Goodall all good if skill in Navigation humanity courage and piety may have it at whose putting into the Sea a spatious grave a volley of one and twenty great Gunns awaked the watery Citizens to safeguard such a Treasure heaven it selfe at that instant weeping so abundantly that I never saw a sadder raine and of lesse continuance The Master of our ship was removed into the Vice Admirall and Captaine Malim out of the Hopewell into ours who also died shortly after a Sea-man as wise and valiant as any other most memorable in that never to be forgot pollicie hee us'd in the Levant Seas after a brave fight to save his men and ship from fury of Algier Pirats for whom we may fitly apply that of the Prince of Poets Facta Ducie vivunt operosaque gloria rerum haec manet The Heroick deeds of all Brave men are written in Fames glorious roll The wind added to our affliction the boisterous waves breaking against our broad side patient in all those checks close hal'd cutting her way slowly and almost forc't upon Socotora an I le as we goe into the Red-sea where we will stay you a while the Sea is so dangerous Socotora or Succaba Dioscorida Socotora of old I judge call'd also Topazo from pretious Topaz stones had here as Pliny in his sixth book has it by Turks call'd Katukomar by Persians Caebar by the Spaniard Acebar and Aceur is in 13 degrees latitude North a little Ile it is yet for pleasant sight and choise of good things no way despicable one part rising into wholsome hills other parts falling into fruitfull dales all places garnisht with spreading trees sweet grasse fragrant flowers and rich corne Olives Aloes Sempervivum Sanguis draconum Coquos Dates Pistachoes Orenges Pomgranats Pome-citrons Melons Suger canes Limons and of fish fowle and flesh no where penurious the civit Catts also are here obtained These and the people were of late made slaves by Emir-ben-said King or Vice-Roy rather the Turk commanding him of Fartack in which Aden is builded but expulst by d' Cugua anno 1507. who made the Snakee the Prince fly to Caeshem and hisse at harmlesse distance the Portugall freeing the miserable Christians by whose help he rais'd a Castle planted a Colony but by Albuquerque was cashier'd five yeares after the Merchandise proving not equivolent to their charges The Inhabitants are true black the Sunne twice every yeare darting his fiery rayes perpendicular amongst them by profession they are Christians converted the third yeare after our Saviours passion by the Aethiopian Eunuch some say some say by St. Thomas the Apostle of the Orient their Churches are built in forme of the Crosse like ours kept sweet and neat without seats and images they have a Patriarch whom they reverence and other of the Clergy to whom they duly pay Tythes their Feasts and Fasts like ours the seniority are much regarded humility commanded and commended second Marriages are not allowed except they had no children use the crosse in Baptisme the other Sacrament in both kinds and being dead lament not but involve them in cleane linnen and so bury them that they looke towards Jerusalem Aden now so neere us seemes to invite a small relation It has 12 degrees 35 min. North var. West 19 degrees Madaena of old Adana in Calistus Adedi and Achanis in Eupolemus opposed to Azana in the Arabian shoare but snatcht anno 1458. from the Arabs by the Turks a ragged obscure sort of Locusts till then then swarming and mounting towards Trepizond The road or Bay is none of the safest in the change flowing eight foot water a S.E. and N.W. Moone makes a full sea there from Bab-mandel 18 leagues from Moha old Beronice or Moco rather a Towne in Arabia Petrea after Ptol. two and thirty Aden is seated low sulphuriously shaded by a high barren Mountaine whose brazen front scorching the miserable Towne yeelds a perfect character of Turkish basenesse It is a Peninsule and a good way to get breath thrusts it selfe into the blushing Sea big in circuit but has not many houses nor those curious their outsides discovering a discontented slavery the inside shewes poverty and wretchednesse A Castle it has set neer the sea not to be entred but by a long narrow dissected path or trench the Castle is very strong and lofty strengthned by so many rampiers and bulwarks stored with so many roring Cannons as if Mars dwelt there or that it kept a Mammon of treasure having in truth nothing but iron bullets armour and miserable raggamuffians to defend it the red Sea on whose bancks 't is seated borrowes not the name from colour rather from sand which on the shoare and from the bottome has when Apollo visits the Antipodes a ruddy reflection shall I tell you the severall names it has some say 't is called red from Erethreus sonne of Perseus and Andromida a Prince in the worlds adolescency much regarded from whose name as the Aegean and Icarian the Sea was named and by the Septuagint from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so translated other some from Edom Idumea a part of the Desart Arabia confining it
materiall is good white chalky stone flanckt with Ordnance and mounted high to play at advantage At the South end we perceived a faire Church with white battlements a top the houses of like stone strong and beautifull 3 other Temples affoording joy and pleasure to the heart and eye The nine and twentieth day we got neere the barre at Swalley and there cast Anchor because wee perceiv'd 13 saile of great ships and knew not whether they were friends or enemies the last day of November we adventured over the Barre 'twixt two boas in 4 fadome water a hundred paces asunder set there to manifest the passage either side without being very dangerous the Ships at Anchor proved our friends 6 English and 7 Dutch the most of them 1000 Tunne those of our Nation were good men of Warre The Palsgrave Exchange the William the Blessing c. each of which to do them right feasted our Lord Ambassadors with hearty welcome we rode in 5 fadome others in 9 twixt the sholds and continent The same day we came to an Anchor in Swalley roade Nogdi-Ally-beg the Persian Ambassador Sir Robert Sherley's Antagonist dyed having desperately poisoned himselfe for 4 dayes eating only Ophium the Mary where he dyed gave him eleven great Ordnance whose thundring Ecchoes solemniz'd his carrying ashoare his sonne Ebrahim-chan got him conveighed to Surrat 10 miles thence where they intombed him not a stones cast from Tom Coryats grave knowne but by two poore stones Tom. Coryats grave there resting till the resurrection Doubtlesse Nogdibeg had a guilty conscience hee had very basely misbehav'd himselfe in England and feared the extreame rigour of Abbas a just but too severe Master at no time to bee jested with in money matters or reputation so as neither his past good service alliance at Court skill in armes nor brave aspect could animate his defence assured of most horrid torture Other mens sufferings upon lesse cause made his seeme more unpardonable in the yeere 1612. a Persian Ambassador at Constantinople for assenting to such Articles 'twixt his Master and the Grand Seignior as seem'd advantagious to him but odious to the Persian Monarck was upon his returne beheaded at Cazbyn by command of his inraged Master the conditions were indeed dishonourable That the Prince of Persia should arrogate no other Title but Bashaw of Tauris that the Persian should pay tribute for Gheylan yeerly 400 bal's of silk that the Cadi of Tauris should bee of the Turkes Election c. which Abbas kickt back to Achmat with great indignation Tamas-coolibeg also came into his mind who dyed miserably tho once second in Persia upon spleene ill grounded by the King and of Turkish barbarisme not a few exemplaries Ebrahim Bassa Cycala Synon Bassa and Nassuf each of them in their times sitting at the Sterne guiding as they listed the Turkish greatnesse yet ere death cald for them they were cald for by precipitating ends such as made the remembrance of their passed glory relish the sowrer more deformed and Nogdibeg as we heard the King protest if he had not prevented it should first have beene hackt in peeces and then in the open market place burnt with dogs turds a perfume not fetcht from Arabia a staine indeleble branding with shame all his posterity Returne we to the roade againe Swalley road is from the Aequator 20 degrees and six and fifty min. North Swally road westerly variation 16. degrees and a halfe longit from Mohelia 28 degr at a low ebbe it resembles an I le beyond the sands Goga is easily discovered The first of December with some Pe-unes or black foot-boyes who can pratle some English we rode to Surat our Chariot drawn by 2 Buffolls who by practise are nimble in their trot and well managed we past thorow Swalley Town Batty famous for good Toddy Damkee to Surat Surat is the chiefe factory of the East India Marchants the station of their President at that time one Master Wyld was in that office a modest understanding Gentleman to whose kind respect I owe acknowledgement and in whose house the English house we had tidings of Sultan Curroon's Coronation at Agra Anno 1627. whose history we will prosecute after we have view'd the Towne which may well challenge a particular description SVRRAT perhaps so cald by the Surae whom Pliny places here is that old Muziris named by Ptol. if my judgement deceive me not nor am I ignorant Choul and Onor are imagin'd it by Molelius and Ramusius a Town at this day great famous rich populous nor ayre nor soyle agree with strangers the one inflamed by the torridnesse of the Zone the other sandy and sulphureous the Artick Pole is here elevated one and twenty degrees three min. subject in Iune to become Nadyr to the burning Sunne thence to September the clouds showring continually an insalubrious moysture the wind and thunder so commixing that no place in the world seemes more unhealthy all the other 8 moneths either parching or freezing Surat is accounted the third best Towne in the Gujurat Kingdome Amadavad Cambaya excelling her from the first removed foure from the other two good dayes journey all now adding lustre to the Moguls rich replendent Diadem Whether Gusurat comply with the Greekidiom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or from Gezurat in Arabick an Ile I question not a Province it is so usefull to the Mogull that his annuall tribute out of this one shire amounts as Marchants say to 150 Tunne of gold Surat is at this day not very strong neither in scite nor Ordnance a 100. yeere agoe Antonio Siverio a Portuguise with 200 men enter'd it sackt and burnt it a 1000 would now find it a hard enterprise It was after that subjected to Ecbar Anno Dom. 1566. of the Hegira 946. by valour of Chan Azem whose care defeated the confederacy of Mirza-chan Hussan Mirza Mahomet Chan Goga and other conspirators Surat is now in a quiet government watered with a sweet river named Tappee or Tindy as broad as the Thames at Windsor which arising out of the Decan Mountaines glides thorow Brampore 220 miles distant thence and in many Maeanders runnes by Surat and after 20 miles playing to and fro a league from Swalley road wanders into the Indian Ocean 'T is circled with a mud-wall a Castle of stone is strongly built at the South-West side the river washing it planted with great Ordnance and other shot awed by a Garrison who make dainty to admit a stranger to see their fortifications or parapets The West opens into the Buzzar thorow a faire gate of stone where toll-gatherers are ever ready to search and exact sound tribute for the great Mogull their Master the Medon is of no great beauty nor do the shops give splendor the crafty Banuyan desiring rather to be rich indeed then so accounted The houses are indifferently beautifull some are of carv'd wood others of bricks dryed in the Sunne the English and Dutch houses at the
twenty foure houres posting seventy in seven dayes foure hundred courses and gives those rebells battell at Titans first uprising and with their noise and clamour so terrifies them that after small resistance their whole Army is disordered many slaine and by a fresh supply of twelve thousand Horse led by Chan Goga an expert souldier after some skirmish they are chased and in flight Ebrahim Hossen and Mirza-cawn slaine Mohomet Hossen taken prisoner and beheaded and by this advantage not only Amadavar recovered and is fortified but Surat also conquered and most of Guzurat made subject to Ecbars diadem this done hee returnes Crown'd with Triumph and begins the Castle in Agray built of such good stone made so large and vast that she may deserve the Title of princesse of Asia twelve yeers scarce finisht it tho twelve hundred at some time were imployed about it he expended fifty thousand crow of Tacks a crow is a hundred lack The Castle of Agra built each lack a hundred thousand thirty sometime twenty tack make one roopee a roopee is two shillings three pence so that accounting but twenty tack to a roopee the totall he disbursed amounts to two millions and five hundred thousand roopees at Fettipore at that time also he spent about the wall and pallace a millions and five hundred thousand roopees in all foure million at Tzekander likewise three course or five miles from Agra as we go to Labor the Mousoleum of the great Mogulls begun by Ecbar augmented by Iangheer his sonne and yet scarce finished having already consumed fourteene millions of roopees in that wonder of India It would require an exact description in little thus The place is Scander a place where the greatest of Kings made his ne plus Ecbar the most magnifique of Tamberlans race is here buried t is a Mausoleum of foure large squares each about three hundred paces the materiall is free stone polisht at each Angle a small Tower of particoloured marble ten foot higher is another tarrasse on every side beautified with three Towers the third gallery has two on each side the fourth one the fifth halfe a small square gallery mounting to a royall pyree within is the mummy of Ecbar bedded in a coffin of pure gold the whole structure is built in midst a spacious and curious garden surrounded with a wall of red stone and in that a brave raile mounted by sixe staires which discovers a little garden but exquisitely beautifull and odorifferous Whiles these vast buildings were erecting Ganganna prosecutes Mirza Sulyman who whether of griefe or age is doubted dyed suddenly commending the successe to Skander his sonne in short time made away by rascall conspirators in 's place Douwett Bazat-cawn sonne a man both effeminate and hated so that now occasion gave it selfe richly for Ecbar to linck Bengala to his Crowne Imperiall he apprehends it and with a brave army of fifty thousand horse and sixe hundred Elephants marches against the Pathan and is past Ganges ere Sha-Douwet has notice of his comming which when hee is assured of sends Radgee B'han with 20000 horse to encounter them twixt Ziotsa and Moheb-Alli-poor they affront one another and for three houres skirmish gallantly but Ecbar at length has the mastery and couragiously pursues them to Pathan where King Douwet had fortified Ecbar by no means could commove them to battell nor in 3 moneths siege enter the City for Patan is both great and well fortified yet in the fourth hee forces it giving it as a prey to his men who used all sort of hostill violence the unlucky King buried in drink all that time senselesse of any losse till too late to repent it is convaied away in a boat at three dayes end made headlesse and sent to Ecbar as a Simbol of their love and his vanity the King having thus fortunately proceeded in Bengala goes back to Fettipore where whiles he oversees his buildings is mindfull to increase and bring to maturity his Empire which then was but in adolescency and to that end by the valour and vigilancy of Rustan-cawn and Zadoc-cawn the strong Castle Rhantipore is taken from the Radgees who of many hundred yeeres had lorded it after which the Castle Rota or Roughtaz in Berar in Bengala some thinke Oreophanta of old by a merry sleight or stratagem this Castle for many ages has acknowledged the Radgee her Governour her building both from Art and Nature excellent and impregnable Rotas t is seated upon a perpendicular hill the ascent cut oblique out of the firme rock for three miles continuance the rest round about precipitious the top is a plaine of eight miles every way the circuit twenty foure healthy wealthy and abounding in all good things necessary as water corne fruits wood and sixteene villages included by the Castle wall which gives the defence twofold wonderfull in a word not any Fort or Castle in Asia or it may bee in the universe is more delightfull or of greater strength and safety This the great Mogull lookes upon with a lustfull eye imeasurably thirsting after it but knowes neither by bribe nor valour how to compasse it pollicy must actuate and tho he comprehends no way yet ceases not to torture his invention till his bombast is spent and the enterprise undertaken by Mohebally-cawn a wise and daring Captaine who having leave without acquainting Ecbar or any other with his fantasies proceeds with foure hundred young men armd with cryzes and his Seraglio in two hundred doolaes or cajuaes as if hee were upon a Iourney into Bengala and in this order passing on when he came within view of the Castle he showes a Rajea his concubines and bribes him to procure leave of the Lord above that in regard of his haste he might with safety leave there his Seralio till his returne which he would take as a reall favour and study to remunerate the message is delivered the Radgee who loved women well entertains the motion and Ally-cawn imparting the secret to a prudent Eunuch disroabs the women and with their apparell cloaths himselfe and the foure hundred youths commanding the women in masculine attire to continue the Journey to Orixa the Eunuchs twelve in number with bowes and arrowes gard the Selaglio and by the Radgees command are entred but like Synons horse into wretched Troy for Ally-cawn giving the word the Doolaes are dismounted and out of which the warlike Amazons In the first place they kill the porters of the Castle gate then with incredible speed and courage assaile the astonisht Inhabitants whom they take prisoners and in the end the Radgee himself who to prevent excuse they send to Erebus thus is this Castle wonne which but by stratagem was not to bee taken by all the hostile force of India Ecbar heares it with incredible delight and joyes the more in his beliefe when he viewes that masse of treasure sent him thence by Ally-cawn to confirme the conquest After which the invincible
of which he had given moneys and command upon condition he would ratifie it and in no sort imagine them rebells or conspirators he was ready to obey if not he would take his owne courses Ecbar resends him a tart message and Selim to demonstate his neglect and boldnesse posts to Elabasse where he commands all sorts of Coine of gold silver and brasse to be stamp't with his owne name and motto yea to vexe the old man more affrights Anarkala his fathers wife whom he sirnamed Pomegranad and sent him of his new stampt mony a crime so strange so audaciously odious that the inraged Father curses him vowes reward and with speed acquaints his Chancellour Abdul Fazel with it who first moderates his Masters passion and then with all convenient haste accompanied with three hundred horse followes the post to do some service but Sha Shelim having intelligence how all this passed desirous to anticipate so sure an enemy he writes to Radgee Bersingh Lord of Soor thorow whose countrey hee needs must passe promising him a gratuity and the command of five thousand horse so hee would lay in wait for Abdul and send him his head the Radgee promises his best performance and with a thousand horse and three thousand foot lurks neere Gwaler and such time poore Abdul Fazel suspectlesse of any villany passes by Radgee falls upon him and notwithstanding the great advantage he had for three houres the fight was hotly continued but ore-pressing them with men and troops in the end his company were most part slaine and Abdul himselfe after twelve deep wounds taken and beheaded Selim receives it joyfully but Ecbar who loved him deerly becomes so passionate and sorrowfull that for three dayes he conceald himselfe and would not a long time after be comforted but like waves see another horror afflicting him newes of his other sonne Sha Danyel kild in the same Citty of the same disease Morad was formerly hereat he afflicts his decaying body immeasurably cryes and sighes and vowes upon Chanchanna revenge for not better regarding him who comes to purge himselfe but for some time is not admitted to Ecbars presence till by mediation of others and so returnes to Decan with an augmentation of power and dignity But the sorrow hee suffers in his rebellious sonne cooles his courage and inflames his passion some way he must tread to bring home or destroy him by perswasion or warre but feares both his sonne is so hardned and safegarded somewhat he must doe and therefore first as a King he rides against him with thirty thousand horse but by his mothers death is recalled whose body when he had most sumptuously interred in Delly in King Homayon her husbands Sepulcher he resolves to proceed against Sha Selym but his minde alters hee feares his sonne 's singular courage and way in fight and as a Father tries once more what perswasion can operate he dictates a pathetique letter mixt of love and anger reproving perswading diswading promising pardon and puts him in mind he was or should be at least his joy and comfort he had no mo sonnes nor grand children Myrad Zedda once the Princes Tutor or Schoolemaster carries it who so forceably penetrates the yeelding conceits and nature of Sha Selym that forthwith taking Perwees his little sonne along he leaves Halabassa passes Semena and after two dayes more the Wizard allowing the day fortunate with all his Umbraves he arrives in Agray and by Mortoza-Kawn is brought to Ecbars presence then in the Guzel-Chan who blushing to eye him so leads him into the Mahael or private lodging where forgetting his promise remembring the dances Selym had led him into such a rage that rapt him that The Prince submits after he had flasht terrour into his heart by the sparkling fury of his eyes and thunder struck him with a storme of mighty words with his fist he struck him so hard so oft upon the mouth that Selym throwing himselfe down requests his Father at once to punish him showes him his brest the sword and hand ready to it But Ecbar by this surfetting of choller intends no such sacrifice but commanding him to arise derides him and termes him Asse and Foole that commanding seventy thousand able men would so doltishly forsake them to trust the sugred and deceitfull promises of a reconciled Enemie That said he brings him forth againe and sends him back to prison giving all the Vmbraves his associates like welcome Radgee Batso excepted who wiser than the rest escaped By this imprisonment Sha Selym contrary to his custome abstaines foure twenty houres from Opium which next day Ecbar himselfe gave him and the third day by intercession of his Ladyes and Concubines is freed and sent to his owne home where he behav'd himselfe very orderly in princely sort each day visiting Ecbar till by some old mens malitious surmises he is restrain'd againe and the Mogull exasperated But the folly of his unnaturall and ill grounded rancour is not destinate against that object the jealousie of his braine throwing it upon Mirza Gashaw the Viceroy of Tutta's sonne for speaking one word by Ecbar ill taken and interpreted No recantation will satisfie his life must pay it the Kings Physitian is commanded to prepare two Pills of like shape but contrary operation Gashaw is trusted with them and brings them Ecbar The great Mogul poysons himself who imagining by a private mark hee knew the right one bids Gasha swallow one and himselfe the other Gasha ignorant of any deceit by chance devoures the best and Ecbar is poysoned too soone too late the miserable Mogul perceives his mischance repents his choller and for shame concealing the cause after foureteene dayes violent torment and trialls to expell the poyson yeelds up his ghost and having victoriously reigned five and twenty yeares in the 73 yeare of his age is by all his Umbraves with all possible state and solemnity in Tzekander three course from Agra in a new begun Monument buried and Sha Selym though a while resisted by Radgee Mansingh and Chan Asem who in vain endeavoured to make his sonne Cushroo Mogull Sha-Selym crowned great Mogull nominated by Ecbar as they alledged with such ceremony as was requisite is crowned by name of Iangheer King In the yeare of our Lord God 1604. and of Mahomet 984. We are now to present you upon the Asiatique stage various Scaenes compos'd of a miscelany of subjects excellent and remarkable A.D. 1604. A.H. 984. Iangheer so now we call him by mediation of Morteza Chan Cooly Mametchan and others receives Sultan Coshroe or Gushrow his late competitor and sonne into favour and to begin his greatnesse in the good will of his people receives Cham Asem and Radgee into grace againe But Cushrooe struck by his own guilt suspects his pardon counterfeit and entreats by letter Hussanbeg Viceroy of Cabul his old friend to meet him neere Fettypore with some Forces that by his love and care he might
victory The death of these great men so afflicted the whole Armie that throwing away all hopes of conquest each man fled which way his fancie directed him Tzaitsi-chan Governour of Brodera excepted who thought it too great a blemish to his honour to turne taile having five hundred horse and three Elephants as yet lusty and couragious but what could his opppsition do when Saffin-cawn in person with his victorious troops affronted him to contend were madnesse and therefore upon intreatie yeelds and has faire quarter gives him but his example could work but little with Ma'met-Cooly his sonne for hee imagining his Father had done cowardly with forty horse and one Elephant flies to Abdul-cawn who received little joy in such an untimely expression being burthened with sorrow and disgrace but bids him do as he did flie to avoyd the swift rage and pursuit of the Enemy In the flight Motsaib-cawn is brought back to Saffin-cawn and Abdul-cawn by unexpected onsets of the Coolies and high-way roagues as also by intollerable tempests amazed beaten and discouraged hastens to Baroch next day to Surrat and after eight daies refreshment and some fresh companie to Brampore to attend Curroons command and make provision for reparation of his honour never till then so notoriously blemished BAROCH where the pole septentrionall is elevated twenty one degrees fifty five min. is a Citie of good note in the Gusarat Province Baroch distant from Surrat by Cosumbay and Periaw foure and thirtie english miles from Cambaya fifty foure from Amadavad a hundred twenty foure from Brampore two hundred and eleven or there abouts It is seated in a beneficiall soyle watered by Narvar or Nardabah a sweet and delightfull river which from the Decan mountaines commixing with the Tappee flowes through Brampore hither and at Hansot a Village eight course lower separates and makes a pretty Isle and a small houres travell thence in two streames foure miles asunder incorporates with the briny Baroch is visible by reason of her high standing a good way distant built upon the best advantages of Nature and Art both so excellently contending as makes it at first view seeme impregnable she is well peopled and with such as extract great wealth by land and water the buildings are generally submisse and low especially those below the mountaine In quondam times her royalties were more spacious as soveranizing over many Townes of quality a great way removed as Medapore seventy miles thence Radgee-pore or Brodera eighty Iownbasser thirty c. each of which now enjoy peculiar Podestates howbeit as Merchants tell us the Mogul has received hereout as annuall tax or tribute one Million two hundred and threescore thousand mammoodees or shillings in our money 'twixt Baroch and Amadavad is intombed Polly-Medinae a Mohumitan Saint excessively reputed of by the superstitious people who in way of meritorious pilgrimage flock thither loaden with chaines or stones and locking up their mouthes from speaking vanity by such penance to obtaine children health wealth or what they lust after But to our story A.D. 1622. A.H. 1002. Iangheer during these offenssive broyles resides at Fettipore and heares of Abdul-cawns presumption and Curroons new rebellions hee sleepes unquietly and can take no rest till both of them receive due punishment he calls Sultan Perwees his sonne acquaints him with his affliction gives him order to levy some forces wherewith to persecute his traiterous Brother and those out-lawed Umbraves that attended him Curroon rebells and is beaten Perwees intreating Mahobet-chan to accompany him with 50000 horse moves against Curroon by the way he imprisons Mirza-chan Abdul-chans sonne but lately to Iangheers grandchild marryed and by order is sent manacled to Ethabarchan in Agra castle to be confined whiles Abdul Azief-chan by Abdulchans deceit brought to Curroons party escapes submitts to the Mogul and is pardoned Curroon has notice of the approach of his enemies so that from Azmeer he hasts to Mandow to augment his Army with a setled determination to bid them battell Perwees followes him and pitches ten English myles from his brothers campe and next morning drawing out his men assayles him who at the first shock by mishap of Rustan chan and Berkendaschan falls back and lets the enemy possesse his trenches in a word Perwees has the day and Curroon flies to Brampore his old receptacle Ganganna noting Curroons sadnesse makes it an advantage of his treachery he perswades the Prince to send him to mediate a peace with Perwees with an intent to deliver him into his hands having precontracted with Beyrambeg and Darab-chawn to seize him who to that end had ambushed neere the river Nardebah 20000 horse but Abdul chan disswades Curroon assuring him of Ganganna's villany Ganganna escapes the conspiracy comes to light and Beyrambeg with his associate is loaden with irons placed on an Elephant and with some selected troopes leaves Brampore and flyes into Decan where by Melec Ambar glad of such confusion he is welcomed and seated in Nassier-Throm where he dictates patience his Elephants and men are sent to Daultabat till he recalled them Sultan Perwees and Mahobet-chan enter Brampore and here whither Curroon was travelled They give Iangheer notice of their good fortune and hee celebrates it with no lesse joy than as if hee had triumpht over a dangerous enemy But behold this faire Sun-shine of content is inveloped with an unexpected cloud of storme and danger I'hen Thouz an Ouzbeg Tartar of long time watching some fit occasion to forrage the Moguls Territories by Curroons unquietnesse spies it with thirty thousand horse overruns Chabul perpetrating all sorts of spoyle and mischefe Iangheer exclaimes and rages violently but so soone as hee had given vent to this his swelling passion he sends post to Zaed-cawn son to Mahobet-cawn Viceroy of Bange to retaliate him this young Gallant delaies not but with twenty thousand horse interposes 'twixt the Citie and Tartarr gives him so furious a charge that Ihen Thouz is afraid to suffer it by base flight leaving his honour halfe his men and store of wealth to Zaed-cawn and by his joviall troopes to be rifled after which they enter Tartary and as farre as Gassany burne spoyle and make havock of what they meet with returning with great wealth and many Elephants to Kabul where with all acclamations of joy they are welcomed and by Iangheer so accepted of that he sends Zaed-cawn many thanks and adds to his former troopes 5000 as an augmentation of more honor and benefit This cloud once over-blowne the Horizon appeares more glorious and Iangheer contemplates in what part to enjoy with his beloved Noor-mahall most pleasure Cassimeer at length gets the preheminence It abounds with variety of choyce sports but the progresse was long and remote from most places whence in those active times hee was to receive intelligences howbeit delight swaied him against all objections giving Curroon by that distance so faire an advantage that with all speed sending his Umbraves word to follow
cloudy and his motion whirles into a malignant Orbe by the disconsolate Newes hee receives from Brampore of his beloved sonnes death His eyes grow dim his heart turnes leady and all conceits of pleasure relish unsavourie when the departure of Perwees objects it selfe and those hopes and comforts he had in him seeme fantasticall Goushroo and Sha Daniel are dead Perwees is now no more Sha Ethimore and Hussen his grand children made Christians Bullochy is a child Sheriare a foole and Curroon the very eye-sore of his conceptions a rebell wilde proud greedy treacherous and deceitfull himselfe was old and at his death the Empire subject to innovation or domestick consumption in these and such like dolorous cogitations Iangheer spends the weary minutes of his life till death ultima poena as they call it summons him in few moneths after to the resignation of his life and Empire Whiles Maehobet Chawn chawes the afflicting newes also of Prince Perwees his death 'Twixt whom forgetting Gangannas trechery was most exact friendship and sympathie He sees in him the privation of all his joyes the hopes he had in his suceession annihilated and the ambition of Normall and Assaph Cawn suspected to have poysoned him ingendring to a monstrous height so that bidding farewell to the world and all other society and imployments he contracts himselfe to privacie and solitude Mahobet-cawn turnes Eremite feeding upon contemplation of what had past and the lubricity of terrestriall pleasures vaine-glory and other vanities he forsakes his strong and delightfull Castle Rantampore and through Zialor comes to Radgee Zirmol and under licence fixes at Zirmol where hee anchorites But Curroones ayre swells with Chymaeraes now more than ever affecting the Empire none but children interposing him hee knew his Fathers affection was easily recovered and Assaph Kawn his restlesse projector carefull to state him in the chaire of Majesty so that arm'd with confidence and accompanied with forty Elephants and fifteene hundred horsemen he leaves Baker Chytor Tutta and through Tesel Chobager and Ecclisser comes to Masser Thormet in Decan where Melec receives him with all joy and adds to his troopes foure thousand horse with promise of forty thousand more to assist him upon any good occasion CHYTOR in mid-way 'twixt Brampore and Adsmeer is yet a Citie justly clayming precedencie for antiquity amongst all the Cities of Indya It was formerly called Taxila and that Metropolis whence King Porus issued against great Alexander Ranna Radgee Mardoot lineally descended from him of late yeeres and till by intreaty of Sultan Curroon Anno 1614. he came to Agra and in slight sort did some obeysance here soveraignizing and in Oodipore The Citie is at this day but meanly beautifull three miles in compasse not a third part of what was formerly Time and war have furrow'd her not onely disroabing her of her bravery in buildings where men inhabited but in huge Temples of Idolatry the ruines of above a hundred once lofty in fastidious Turrets to this day remaining of stone strong good white and well polisht rare and observable now inhabited by Storks Owles Batts and like birds of whom the superstitious people have no small esteeme and veneration the North pole is elevated in that place twenty five degrees This Province is bounded by Cambaya on the South by Chandys on the North by Berar East and on the West the Ocean returne we to our History Ganganna Gannaoa dies selfe conceited by his late honour and imployment against Mahobet-cawn whom hee verily thought had left the society of men for feare of him resolves to ferret him but in the mid'st of his bravadoes and hopes is arrested by grim death and his carkasse conveighed to Delly to be intombed amongst his great Ancestors At that time Iacont-cawn an Umbrave of great wealth honour and experience commanding eight thousand horse to serve Curroon by many affronts without cause put upon him by Mirzaladin Melecks sonne is inflamed with rage and flies to Chan Iehan Generall of Prince Perwee's Army at Brampore who receives him with joy and by his exaspiration with foure hundred Elephants and forty thousand horse make haste to Bellagate the widdow and child of Sultan Perwees being committed to the care of Lescarcawn where they use all extremities of warre spoyling burning and captiviting all they had a minde to and by rare chance Abdul cawn disgrac't intercepting some letters from Godgee Hessary they discover Abdul-cawn whom some call Abdulla-cawn the weathercock of those times his intent to turne from the Kings party and retvtue to Curroon hee is convicted his estate confiscate his honour reverst himselfe manacled cald the darling of inconstancy and upon an Elephant in disgracefull sort from the Army sent to Brampore where by Lascar-cawn hee is imprisoned This done they enter Decan with all speed and pierce most fortunatly into the mid'st of Melecks Kingdome doing what they pleased without opposition so that after six weekes hostility they returne loaden with abundance of wealth and over-joyed with their easie victory But when they thought themselves most sure Melec presents himselfe in an advantagious place with eighty thousand men incircling them on the one side the stupendious hills on the other so that surrounded with amazement and clad with black ragges of discontent they incamp not daring to hazard the fight or by stratagem break out to hazard their deliverance but in that miserable sort are lockt up the Decan at on time offending them till by famine finding no pleasure in their riches where no meat on sure tearmes was to bee purchased they were constrained to parle and submit assured only of their lives stript out of all their wealth and bravery returning with more shame than they had honour formerly Iangheer the great Mogull has advertisement of this variable successe but knowes not how to alter it nor cares hee much the death of Perwees so possesses him yet Normall ceases not to pursue her revenge against Mahobet and finding him so hard to be dealt withall begins will Channa-zeid-cawn his valiant sonne whom sheere calls home and places Mocrib-cawn in his command over five thousand horse and twelve thousand men but he had small joy of his greatnes for in lesse than three weekes being there by accident sailing over Ganges the boat is over-turned he drowned and Fedi-cawn is made Viceroy of Bengala and Malacca after him during which Iangheer being at Lahore an Ambassador Ziet Borka by name arrives with presents and commends from the King of Maurenahar or Manauwer accompanied with the only Oracle and wonder of his time Hodgee-Abdulradgee brother to Chojea Callaun admired by all and resorted to by many sorts of Tartars from Bochar Tuza Balck Samerchand Gaznahen and other parts none of which came empty-handed so that in small time this Monck was comparable in riches with most Potentates of Asia Hee is brought into Lahore with incredible joy and admiration all the Umbraves of the Court Assaph-cawn excepted attending him
expence of 90000 lac of roopees trebled They delay not but with extremity of rage assayle him and in two houres by villany of Amir-chan and Sheirgodgee his chiefe Captaines who betrayed him get the victory forcing him into the castle which for two dayes kept safe but in the third was by treason entred his men slaine his treasure taken and to make him incapable of future ambition has his eyes put out Sultan Bullochy not suffering him to be killed That done they againe proclayme Bulloch Emperor of Industant and Lord of the Moguls and send Eradet with 20000 horse against the Virago Queen who hearing how ill her sonne had sped and doubting treason in her Army lets fall the Majesty of her spirit sighs at the perfidy of her brother grieves she slew him not when she had him in her power complaynes of her owne wickednesse in continuing so long inraged against Mahobet-chan deplores her abusing his valiant sonne and with a dejected eye beholding the sudden eclipse of her glory and the inconstancy of her Friends she wraps all up in dismissing her guard and disroabed of her bravery submits to Bulloch's mercy who comforts her gives her his oath of safety and during his reigne affords her all respect and freedome But long this good Prince injoyes not his soverainty for Assaph-chan seeing all as he desired speeds away a sure post with letters to Curroon who made such haste that in 14 dayes he runne 2500 of our myles to Daita 8 course from Necanpore and from Brodera or Radjepore 120 to the East in Decan there finding him overjoyed with such good newes and sending his excuse to Melec-Amber the Decan King hasts on with Mahobet-chan Zulpheckar-chan and 7000 other rashboots and mancibdars through Guzurat to Amadavad where by Saffin-chan he is welcomed there hee slept not long for making Agra the object of his race he bids farewell to Saffin-chan and with a greater troope feeding them with great promises when he had the crowne in three weeks travell comes to Agra where he claymes the Imperiall Title and is by his owne favorites proclaymed King by name of Pot Shaw-Iehan then giving notice to his Father in law Azaph-chan how farre and with what successe he had travelled as also that so long as Sultan Bulloch was living his owne greatnesse was but counterfeit Assaph-chan flesht in former homicides and not caring how so he could fixe the Dyadem on Curroon at that tyme tottering he makes Radgee Bandor of his counsell who forthwith without examination of right or wrong posts to Lahore and with Assaph-chans keyes enters the hummum or Bath where the innocent Princes were and with a horrid speed and infernall cruelty strangles them all to lead Curroon through such a bloody path unto the crowne In this miserable sort A.M. 5598 A. D. 1628 A. H. 1008 dyed young Bulloch but three moneths Emperour of Industant or great Mogul in that massacre accompanying him Sultan Sheryar Sha-Ethimore and Sha-Hossen the baptised sonnes of Prince Daniel two sonnes of Sultan Perwees two sonnes of Sultan Morad or Amurath all whose carcasses were without any respect buried in a garden in Lahore neere the entrayls of Iangheer but their heads as an assurance of their death sent to Curroon to glut his eyes by so horrid a Spectacle with infernall ambition The murther of the royall blood of Industand being known to Chan-Iehan Zied-chan-and other Umbraves they are orechardged with amazement and feare they see Assaph-chan guilty but want power to question him especially by inquisition hearing it was Curroons commandement they heap up a thousand maledictions on their heads and crave vengeance from above to recompence them Curroon peceives the Empire storming at him but his incantations quickly quiets them And now after much toyle having through the Ocean of inconstancy arrived at the port of greatnesse and ease as he thought he gives order for his solemne coronation which accordingly by a generall assembly of the great Umbraves and Nobles of his Empire is performed by second proclamation assuming the Name of Sultan-Sha-Bedyn-Mahumet Then he orders the affaires of his Monarchy placing and displacing at his pleasure the Seraglio of his father is shut up Normall and her three daughters are confined stricktly Assaph-chan is made second in the Empyre and next him Mahobet-chan Abdul-chan is released Channa-ziedchan is made viceroy of Bengala againe Ambassadours from Persia Arabia Tartaria and Decan come and joy him in his greatnesse Divers Radgees as Radgee-kessing from Nagor Chan-Azem from Azimeer the puissant Radgees Mainsingh Tzettersingh and Ghessingh from Fettipore with 50000 horse move with great and solemne state to Agray whither after six weeks came Assaph-chan Zadoch-chan Eradet-chan Rustan-chan Saffin-chan and Mirgomley to all whom he gave thanks for ther severall Favours remitting and putting in oblivion all offences and insults during his rebellion After which he proclaymes a Iubile celebrated by all men there with all sports and delights possible Thus has Curroon through a sea of blood attayned the highest port and dignity of the eastern world surrounded with delights and guarded by a power in his conceiving unresistable but these sinnes he makes nothing of have apparantly in these our tymes drawn downe the heavy Iudgments of God almighty both in taking his beloved wife away the week of his inauguration since when he has made his daughter by that dead Lady his wife incest of so high a nature that that yeare his whole Empire was so wounded with Gods arrowes of plague pestilence and Famine this thousand yeares before never so terrible 1634 1014 The sword also seemes to threaten him the Persians having snatched from him Kermaen and Candahar the Tartar Kabull Sheuph-Almuck indangers Tutta and Lourebander Radgee Ioogh with his Coolyes trouble Brampore and two counterfeit Bullochyes have sowne the seed of an universall rebellion The event of all is in the hands of God who in Infidells hates sinnes of blood incest and dissembling wee will close this story with a caveat from a heathen but of more reason and temperance Quid ille qui Mundum quatit Vibrans corusca fulmen Aetneum mann Stator Deorum credis hoc posse effeci Intor videntes omnia ut lateas What that great Iupiter the world that shakes When Aetna's thunderbolts in hands he takes Think'st thou from him who all the world doth see In lurking holes concealed close to bee To end all at our being in his country he came within two dayes journey of Surrat and in a ceremoniall way the English merchants ships thundred out his health by 200 great shot which he most thankfully accepted of T is high tyme now to renew our Travaile Diu. Adjoyning this and in the Cambayan Territorie is Diu or Dew in former times call'd Delta frō a resemblance of that in Egipt Patala Patalena and Hidespa as Arrhian Pliny and Strabo have it seated at th'entrance into the gulph in the latitude of 22 degrees 18 minutes North from Ormus
which day the English advanced towards the Castle under which was riding the Portugall Armado and in despight of the Castle and best defence their Fleet could make being then but five Gallyons and twenty Frigots set fire on the Saint Pedro of one thousand five hundred Tun and Admirall of their Armado which mischance the rest of the Spanish Fleet with no small sorrow apprehended and finding no repaire to prevent more mischiefe and danger cut the Cables and in that flaming posture let her drive whither winde and tyde commanded her the English saw her too hot to meddle with and knew she could enrich the adventurer with no other booty but Bellonaes furniture so downe she went towards Larack in the way a rabble of Arabians and Persians boorded her like Iackhalls with hunger starved fury and avarice tore her asunder that rapine being no lesse base and outragious than the fire which two houres had assaulted her March 17. 1627. the seaventeenth of March the Persians to dispatch and shew they were not idle gave fire to a Mine stuft with forty barrells of powder which blew up a great part of the wall through which breach the enraged Portugalls immediatly sallyed maintain'd the fight above one houre against the amazed Persian who had drawne out a mayne Battalion but when the Trumpets sounded Acha recovered sense and magnanimity going on so couragiously that the most slow and hindmost discovered plainly a full scorne of death and powerfull desire of honourable execution for nine houres this conflict continued with great fury so that in fine the defendants were forced to retreat advis'd to it as well by pollicie as need for the heated Persian supposing themselves victors with great bravery begun to mount and enter the Citie in many quarters at which the Portugalls were very joyfull throwing on them such and so many Granadoes and burning fire-balls powder-pots and scalding Lead that the assailants in despight of their vowes and bravadoes were forced to retreat and could not prevent a thousand of their men from perishing which misery when Shaculibeg at full had viewed couragiously followed by two hundred men hee past through the fury of those affrighting fires and took one of their Flanckers but could not hold above halfe an houre they were so outragiously fryed and tormented with shewers of flames of Lead and Sulphur and in descending were beaten off by fifty Haydalgoes who for three houres affronted them repell'd them and retyred crown'd with conquest This entertainment so cool'd their bravery that for five dayes they did nothing but contemplate the valour and dexterity of their adversaries But the three and twentieth day assum'd more hopes when they beheld the fight betwixt the English and them our Cannon from the shore playing so hotly and battring their fortifications so soundly that at length making the ships their object after a great mutilation of shrowds and masts they sunk the Vice reare Admirall of Ru-Fryero's Fleet by that utterly losing their late hopes and ostentation of marine command and excellencie March 28 necessity humble them plague famine and fluxes raging in the City so as five dayes after two wel-bred Gentlemen well attended with great gravity mounted in a faire equipage to the Enemies Camp they were usherd in by some Coozelbashes of Shaculybegs Regiment and after small complement begun to treat of peace and that there might be a cessation of Armes which favour if the Duke would grant they were ready to acknowledge it and for retribution to present him two hundred thousand Tomayns in hand with good assurance of an annuall tribute of 140000 Ryalls which as afterwards they confessed was spoken in hypocrisie the Captaine dismisses them and appoints next day for answer acquaints the Generall who wanting money accepts their motion of peace so they would depose five hundred thousand amounting with us almost to two millions of pounds and pay yeerely to the King of Persia hundred thousand the Portugalls return'd him an answer they were in no such distresse to buy any favour so dishonourably and that greedinesse so overwhelmed them they assured a fift part of that proportion should never buy their ablest benefits After that they mediated a reconciliation twixt the English and them putting them in minde how they were Christians and by many reciprocall favours of old when Iohn of Gant invaded them and later times by allyances prevalent enough to beget good will in noble spirits If they had injured them they were now sorry and ready to satisfie in any punishment of paine or purse their Kings were at that instant good friends and how could such hostility be defended or answerd by law of Nations or Religion These and the like were sent them but whether the behaviour of the Fidalgo displeased our Sea men or that they understood them not or saw themselves so farre ingaged that with reputation they could not desist or that it was uttered with a faigned humility or the like I know not the Messenger departed not well satisfied And two dayes after saw apparently signes of confusion and revenge a hideous noise of hellish thunder amazing them caus'd by the English their blowing up two severall Mynes which gave open prospect into the Citie but the hearts of the assaylants durst not travell with their sight all their senses the last time were so confounded and disabled so that very poorely they onely became spectators and gave new courage to the dying Portugall all of them halfe dead with fluxes thirst the three pits in the Citie exhausted famine or pestilence The fourteenth day a ship full of Moores from Kishmee arrived at Ormus to help the Portugalls perceiving themselves intercepted they returned back thinking to land at some better quarter the Persian Generall swore they should receive no dammage by his Army to which when they foolishly gave beliefe to fourscore of their heads were forthwith struck off and the rest inchayned The Ormuzians languishing thus long under so many sorts of afflictions every houre hoped for delivery from Ru-Friero but he failed them The seventeenth day another breach was made by giving fire to sixty barrels of powder through which the Moores entred in huge swarmes but were beat back by eighteene Gentlemen without the Bulwark howbeit next day they re-entred and possessed it The eighteenth of Aprill two famisht renegadoes stole thence into the Camp of their Adversaries and being brought before the Duke confest the willingnesse of their departure told him their expectation of supplies together with their present miseries assuring him they could not endure long death raging more furiously within the City than the greatest forces they could oppose them with At that report the reanimated Persian againe beseiges her intending the next breach to enter pellmell amongst them which when the Portugall saw and no safety any way appearing the three and twentieth day knowing no faith in the Mahomitans they yeelded the Castle and their treasure unto the English only craving of them
these parts his father and grand-father being Dukes afore him and which is no lesse admirable is priviledg'd from degradation by oath from Abbas upon this occasion Aliculican his father was victorious in many pitcht battells against Turk and Tartar adding no small lustre to Mahomet Codobandaes Diadem most memorably when by command of Amurath the sawcy Basha of Rhyvan with fifteene hundred musquets breath'd defiance against Morad the Chielfall governor in Armenia for daring to side with Ismael in that famous overthrow they gave the insolent Turks Anno 1514 in the Calderan plains Morad thus suddenly assaulted sends a timerous excuse which rather inrages the Bassa implacable till Morad had glutted his greedie appetite with burnisht gold two thousand pound commanding him thence to Nassivan old Artaxata by that time hungry againe Alicolichan Shaw Mahomets Lieftenant in Georgia rates Morad vows to make the Turk to eat cold Iron meat the Basha car'd not for but by Ally-culicans fierce charge with a gallant troop of six thousand horse made him returne his bribe and flie as if the Devill had beene in his guts without more prating over Anti Taurus calld Mezis Taur scarce thinking himselfe safe in any place whiles the valiant Georgian extracted a treble summe from Morad for his levity returning a triumphant victor to the Court recompenced with the Sheraz Dukedome and his sonne after him who has prov'd no lesse fortunate in Sha Abbas his field-services having quieted Georgia subdued Larr part of Arabia Diarbec Ormus All which it seemes is now forgotten the young Sha-Soffy first cutting off his sonnes head the young Beglerbeg and when the great Duke was singing to himselfe Tutum me copia fecit Anno 1632 had such another trick serv'd him his greatnesse pressing him to destruction But though he be dead his banquet and respect to us must not bee forgotten Ingrato homine terra pejus nil creat sayes Ausonius At our being here he had absented himselfe of purpose and albeit Sir Robert Sherley took the paines to ride to him and tell him his error hee answered It was no dishonour for any man his Master excepted to stay his leasure but if our Lord Ambassador had had his guard and other furniture wee had gone away without his Licence After six dayes attendance his Greatnesse was pleasd to visit Sheraz followed by two thousand horse most unmanerly took his ease two dayes after without any respect or note taking of the Ambassador At length he sent a gentleman to bid him come and visit him returning with this answer hee was weary having come a great journey and that his businesse was to see his Master hee knew not him The Duke storms to be so slighted but durst not affront him knowing the King had commanded his whole Kingdome to honour and bid him heartily welcome so after some pause sent word he meant next day to visit him but faild in his promise his sonne the Beglerbeg eighteene yeere old being sent to excuse him Next day our Ambassador sent word by Shoc-Ally-beg to the Dukes sonne his visit should be retaliated Emangoly-cawn is angry no more respect was had of him wondring what kind of people wee were since his owne in a sort adored him But see how subtilly they intrapt him for he was no sooner alighted at the Dukes Pallace but by Shoc-Ally-beg is welcomed and by him ushered our Lord knew not whither into a long gallery rich in beauties plate carpets and other furniture where like a Statua the Duke himselfe at the very end sat crosse-legd not moving one jot till the Ambassador was at him when as if he had beene afrighted hee skipt up and bad him welcome vouchsafeing also upon knowledge that we were gentlemen to imbrace us and provide us a banquet So after two houres merriment departed invited to returne next day to a more solemne welcome Next day being come wee were ushered by a Sultan thorw two great courts into a rich and stately banqueting house a large open roome supported with twenty richly guilded pillars the roofe imbost with flaming gold the ground spread with rich carpets of silke and gold a state at one end of crimson satten thick imbroydered with pearles and gold under which hee was to in-throne himselfe one side most excellently depicted his Ormus Trophyes no cost no Art left out to do it to the life their incamping upon the shoare their assaults scaladoes and entrance the massacre of the Ormousians some beheaded some cheyn'd some their heads serving for girdles as also the English ships and sea skirmishes without whose help it never had beene gained and the like so well painted Velutsi revera pugnent feriant vitentque Moventes Arma Vâ—ri As seem'd indeed Men armd to fight ward strike till each man bleed And when the greene and crimson scaenes of silke were drawne from this Apollo wee lookt into a great square court which at this occasion was round beset with the prime men of the City and into another court where I think I told five hundred Plebeyans invited to illustrate the Dukes magnificence Before the proud Duke meant to display his radiance my Lord Ambassador was seated on the left side of the state you may note if you please that all Asia over the left hand as the sword hand is most honorable upon the other side sat the discontented Prince of Tartary at my Lords left hand was seated the Beglerbeg and next him the captive King of Ormus Next to the Tartar Prince sat Threbis-cawn a disconsolate Prince of Georgia a brave warrior a constant Christian opposite to the state Sir Robert seated himselfe and with us were placed the two Princes of Ormus and some Sultans The rest of the great banquetting roome was fild with men of especiall note Sultans rich Merchants and Cooselbashaes young Ganimeds arrayed in cloth of gold went up and downe with flagons of pure gold to powre out wine to such as noded for it upon the carpets were spread fine coloured pintado Table cloaths forty ells long broad thin pancakes six one upon another served for trenchers neere which were scattered wodden spoons whose handles were almost a yard long the spoone it selfe so thick so wide as requir'd a right spatious mouth for entertainment The feast begins it was compounded of a hundred sorts of pelo and candid dried meats as also of Dates Peares and Peaches curiously conserved such I took best notice of I meane as pleasd me best were Iaacks Myrabolans Duroyens Pistachoes Almonds Apricocks Quinces Cherries and the rest I leave to the confectioner to inquire after It seemes we are so infatuated with our banquet and wine that the Duke is not taken notice of pray pardon he is not yet come that when our bellies are full our eyes may have the better leisure to surveigh his greatnesse The feast being ended the vulgar multitude strove to rend the sky with Yough Ally-Whoddaw-Bashat i.e. Ally and God bee thanked the Eccho was as
that the Hypodrome the body of the great Mydan was an old famous place for view of horses if that content not I must ingeniously confesse I think this City was never named Hecatompylon such a one I know there was famoused in many Authors but by observing the position 37 degrees 50 minutes in Ptolomy I take Coom or Cazbyn to bee the relict of it the rather in that Ptolomy Pliny and Strabo in their Geography place Aspa in Parthia in 36 deg a name from whence Aspahawn may credibly have been deduced besides the lat is more agreeable or peradventure from Aspadana which they place in 33 deg Spawhawns latitude First speak we what she has been for grandeur in older times and with that we will couple our present observation If I exceed excuse it prestat de Carthagine tacere quam pauca dicere A. D. 645. of the Heg 25 by command of Omar then Calyph of Mecca Siet-ben-Abivakez with a few troops of victorious Sarazens attempts to pluck violently from Yezdgirds head the then tottering Diadem of Persia at the third pull having twice overthrowne him effected it the glorious command of that Monarchy then eclipsing which done this Ben Abivakez sacks his two best Townes Elmedin in Chaldea built Anno Domini 520 by Kozrao sonne to Kobödes and yet the Alcoran sayes it sprung out of hell and Spahawn in Parthia Also we may memorise her from Tangrolipix a Turqueman and Lord of the Zelzuccian Family of whom the Ottomans who in the yeere 1030. of the Hegira 410. Edward the Confessor ruling England Gruffyth ap Llewellyn Wales was intreated by Mahomet then Prince of Persia to ayd him against Pysastris an incroaching Babylonian which Tangrolipix did and prospered in After that he helped him against the invading Indyan and in recompence of his good services the Turque desires leave to passe Araxis to visit his countrimen betwixt the two seas the Hyrcan and Euxine and by jealous Mahomet denyed and so enraged that lurking awhile in the Carmanian Desert the Persian gulph was at his pleasure But vexing to be so confin'd marches against the King and at Shyraz beats his twenty thousand darstardly soldiers and after that opposes 60000 then also victorious whereby Mahomet fled with two much haste to get into Spahawn fell from 's horse and broke his neck the Turks then subjecting Parthya Rached-bila also sonne of Almoster-sha was slaine by Mazud Anno 1130. of the Heg 510 and buried in Spahawn which few for many shall speak her antiquity in the name she is now triumphant in Speak we now of the magnificence wee have told you how the story of ben-Abivakez a thousand yeeres ago cals her a great City but gives us no better description Ben-Ionas who sayes he saw it foure hundred seventy six yeeres ago affoords her twelve miles compasse rich and populous Mandevel A.D. 1300 which is above 300 yeeres since saies that in his time she was a noble City A. D. 1474 Ioseph Barbarus was here Vsan Cassan reigning and hee describes Spahawn to bee a great and famous City peopled with 1500000 soules the Towne and Suburbs ten miles in compasse Rabbi Benjamin and Contarenus the Venetian Ambass 80 yeere ago relate that then shee had 20 Italian miles in circuit and Lemius the Portuguise sent by Albuquerq to Sha-Ismael An. Dom. 1513. reports her glorious I shall now more largely and truly acquaint you with her present standing Spawhawn Metropolis of the Persian Monarchy is seated in the Parthian Territory now cal'd Ayrack as Umbelic to that spacious bodie at this day awed by the Persian Scepter from the Persian gulph removed a hundred seventie nine farsangs of English miles five hundred thirtie seven from the Caspian sea a hundred and twenty farsangs three hundred and sixty miles from Shyraz two hundred twenty two miles from Babylon foure hundred and fifty from Candahor eight hundred and seventie from Cazbyn 270. In compasse at this day nine English miles Circuit including seventy thousand houses and of soules above two hundred thousand compos'd besides Natives of English Duch Portuguiz ' Pole Muscovit Indian Arabian Armenian Georgian Turk Jew and others drawne thither by the magnetick power of gaine and novelty many things here are memorable which for order sake I will present you thus divided The Mydan Mosques Hummums Gates Pallaces Gardens Monuments and Ielphey the City adjoyning Let me lead you into the Mydan into the which ere I can bring you River we passe over a well-built Bridge of stone supported by five and thirty pillars through which the Syndery or Zindaren from the Acroceraunian Mountaines streames gently spreading in rainie seasons here welnigh so broad as the Thames at London but nothing so navigable in Summer her Channells being discovered The Mydan or great Market is without doubt the most spacious Mydan pleasant and Aromatick Market in the Vniverse a thousand paces from North to South the other way above two hundred resembling our Exchange or the place Royall in Paris but six times larger the building is of Brick well made and in delightfull manner fabricated the whole Mydan joyntly continued the inside is full of shops each shop full of ware archt above and in a Cupolo atop tarraswise framed and with plaister like that of Paris cemented This Mydan being the noblest part is so placed in the heart of this triumphant City The Kings Pallace or Chonna-Potshaugh conjoynes the West side of the Mydan possessing a large quantity backwards but juts not to the street further than the other buildings nor to the street side gives any magnifick front or state her best bravery being in the trimme pargetted and painted with blew and gold in mosaick or antick sort interlac't with posies of Arabick either savoring of ostentation they deifie their Kings or for instruction from the Alcoran within the roomes are archt enlighten'd by curious trellizes the roofe imbost above with red white blew and gold the sides with sports and painted Images the ground spread with rich and curious carpets of silke and gold without other furniture Tarrassed above garnisht with a Pharoe over-topping many Mosques and excellent for view and breathing The wildernesse behinde is fild with ayery Citizens priviledg'd from hurt or affrights and for which they returne their thankfull notes in a more swift melodious consort than if they were in the exactest vollyere in the Vniverse The North I le in the Medan shews eight or nine spacious archt rooms hung with Lamps and latten Candlesticks which being lighted gives a curious splendor Thither the Potshaw and others go to see pastimes of tumbling dancing girls and painted Catamites that damned sinne being tolerated by the Alcoran The furthest end North is appropriate for Mynts the first day silver gold the second next day brasse Not farre thence are victualling shops wherein to feed the helpfull belly after the busie eye and painfull feet are satiated Afore the Kings doore and within the
for fruit all so greene so sweet so pleasant as may well be term'd a compendium of sense-ravishing delights or King Abbas his Paradise Monuments should come now to our description Monuments but I found few to feed my eyes upon Rustans Tomb must be one two miles from Spahawn behind the Garden wee last spoke of a Tomb scarce discern'd by shape but by the Gowers Cabala preserv'd from Oblivion To see it wee foot it to the very top of an Imperious Mount where is only a hollow Cave whether cut by Art or Nature scarce discernable His grave is here his Image at a place neere Shyraz from his gigantive shape ingraven of old in a black-marble precipitious mountaine Noctae or Nogdi Rustan a brave Cavalier such time as Artaxerxes Queen Hesters husband wore that Diadem A.D. 3500. but envie the heyre of perdition so burnt in the wrathfull heart of his unnaturall brother Shawgad that when Rustan was hot in chase he fell into a dreadfull pit cover'd with boughes as if it had hatcht no danger but in prosecuting his hate was also slaine by a Dart Rustan flung up to retaliate him Such was the end of valiant Rustan of whom the Gowers the old Persians fable more than we of Bellyanis or Ogero the Dane Neere which and neerer the Citie is Darius or rather Xerxes mount a rising hillock and whence Xerxes viewd the innumerable Army he had in that large Plain weeping upon a meditation that in so few yeeres none should be living a Notion true and sooner than he predicted for what by Themistocles ashore and Leonidas at sea at Salamys and Thermopilae his huge Armie melted away and quickly became numerous Not farre thence ride we to the Acroceraunian hills I meane not those of Epire knowne to Ptolomy hard and loftie Through which bold daring Abbas is forcing passage though he effect it not under twenty yeeres and by th' incessant toyle of 40000 somtimes 200000 men to invite a sweet river to Spahawn that runnes contentedly to it selfe fifty miles thence and is by this I beleeve effected which when it is may well compare with that old wonder intended by vaine-glorious Nero 'twixt Ostia and Avernus now call'd Licola Within Spahawn I found none save that Columne or Pillar of heads of men and beasts erected as a Trophy of the Kings oath and as a Monument of the peoples levity At the base t is twenty foot round and threescore high or there-abouts for to my shame I confesse it I forgot to measure it The occasion this of erecting it Anno 1500. Heg 880. such time as Tamas shaw ruled Persia and Guinza added to the lustre of that Diadem this Citie surfetting with luxurie for Vbi uber ibi tuber sayes Apuleius refus'd not only to contribute reasonably to the Kings occasions at that time troubled with Turk and Tattar but most audatiously with stood his desired entrance a rebellion so insufferable as made him sweare a revenge scarce to be paralleld With fury he assaults in rage enters firing a great part and in all hostile severity pillaging each house and to conclude regarding neither the outcries of old men weak women nor innocent children in two dayes be made headlesse 300000 of those late Spahawnians and from Tamberlan's rigid example at Damascus erects a Trophy this pillar of their heads as a memoriall of their basenes En quò discordia cives perduxit miseros Another followes The Piller of Heades in Spaâ—â—awne Ielphey is the last part wee propos'd concerning this great Citie the scite resembles Pera to Constantinople or Southwark to London the river Syndery interposing T is call'd a Suburb as be Gower-abaut Abbas-ebaut Chanzabaut Azenabaut and Cheigh-Saban Though indeed they are peopled with men of one religion admitting very little mixture Ielphy is govern'd by a peculiar Podestate an Armenian Prince Hodge Nazar by name indeed a Christian Merchant hee and his enjoy freedome of conscience but for mony matters are at the disposition of the avaritious King In Ielphea nam'd from another of that name in Armenia old Ariaramnes I beleeve mentioned by Tortelius the people are numbred ten thousand in Azenabaut foure thousand families Ielphè is by some writ Golfa and Chiulfa but I think I have better hit our Dialect The Jelphelyns are habited like the Persians but differ in face most of these and the Georgians having brighter haire and more modest eyes than the Mahomitans They are generally Merchants and to say truly but Factors for the King who exacts an account at their death and inherits their posessions They professe Christianity taught them erroniously by Iacobus the Syrian Monothelite They have two Protomists one here in Ielphey th' other resides somtimes at Sib neere Tharsus other-times at Ecmeasin not farre from Rivan or Ervan Their religion I have already spoken of An Old Inhabitant of Persia. We entred Spahawn the tenth of April and on May day departed thence for the Court then at Asharaff in Mozendram about foure hundred English miles distant North. Our first nights journey was to Reegue or Reig an houres riding from Spahawne Thence-forward we made by reason of the intollerable heat pale Cynthia and Arcturus our night guides all day refreshing in the Carravans-raws good resting places if gnats forbid it not From Reigue we travell'd to Sardahan sixteene English miles next nght we made Whomg our Manzeil being seven and twenty miles from Sardahan Next night to Towgebawt a house and garden of the Kings for beauty add sweetnesse comparable to any other in Parthya the more observable being seated in a barren cursed sandie soile champaigne and terrible to inhabit in But The blushing Rose growes here the Violet And Parthyan Mirtle in choise order set Hic rosa purpureo crescit rubicunda colore Et Viole omne genus hic est Parthyca mirtus for five hundred paces it every way gives a series of all sorts of Persian fruits and flowers Pomgranads Peaches Apricocks Plums Apples Peares Cherries Chesnuts Damask red and white Roses and other flowers innumerable fructified by a crystall rivolet intermixt with many delicate naturall and artificiall Grottoes Labyrinths Meanders and Volliers with Sudatories or Hummums of good stone pav'd with choise white Marble the Mohull or Summer Lodge bragging of a dozen chambers delicate in view rich in gold imbosments and proud in th'Architect all safeguarded from sand and stealth by a defensive wall that hinders save in one rising hillock in midst of the six descents the affrighting sight of the circumvolving Wildernesse Who calls himselfe a Traveller must not imagine pleasure his Object 't is paine and miserie must entertaine him oftnest Otherwise I could have lull'd my selfe in this last Paradise but on wee must and try the difference From Tawgebagh wee got next night to Bawt six farsangs or 18 miles distant nothing memorable save an old Castle in the way which by Cynthia's palenesse we could hardly discover From Bawt wee got by break of day to
from those scandalous imputations Nogdi-Ally-beg his late Ambassador had blemisht him with and that perpetuall amity might be continued 'twixt the two famous Monarks of Great Brittayn and Persia The Pot-shaugh rose up and in the Turkish Tongue gave him a gratious answer To the first that the Turks were a base people compared with the generous minds and vertue of the Persians in fifteene battells he had given them ample proofe of their magnanimity and that no people in the world were to him so odious and offensive He wisht unity amongst all Christian Princes the Ottomans grounding their conquests meerely from their discord which if otherwise they would readily retreat to Tartary Concerning Trade the King of Great Brittayn should if he so pleasd have yearely ten thousand bales of silk delivered him at Ormus every Ianuary and for payment would accept of so many thousand Clothes as would equall in value his raw silks which as he knew the silk was a farre greater quantity then he could use in his owne Dominions so were the clothes to him but he would hazard the venting them by his Merchants to serve the Tartars Arabs Georgians and Muscovians And by this neither we nor he should have any need to traffique or correspond with Turkie It would infinitely redound to his honour and content for hereby he shoul'd disappoynt the grand Seignior of his yearly customes which he is forct to pay when his carravans go to Aleppo or other parts of Turkie to deliver the silk to the Venetian Genoan French or other European Merchants and an unexpressable torment and vexation to his heart and soule it must needs be to see the whole band of Ianizaryes maintained meerly out of those his customes What was this but to cherish thorns to prick his eyes or to make the swords of his inveterate Enemies sharp and fitted for his destruction Concerning Sherley he had been long of his acquaintance and done more for him than any of his native subjects that if Nog-dibeg had layd aspersions unjustly on him he should have decent satisfaction It argued indeed Nogdibeg was guilty of some heynous cryme in that he rather choose to kill himselfe than stand to his purgation from so impartiall a Justice in some sort he presag'd my rigor for if he had come by my head an oath of no small force I had cut him in as many peeces as there are dayes in a yeare and burnt them in the open market with stincking dogs turds But touching a perpetuall league of true friendship with the Monarch of Great Brittayne your Master I embrace it most heartily and wish them accurst that go about to eclipse it And you are truly welcome speaking to my Lord Ambassador that have done me that honour none of my famous Predicessors ever had before me for as you are the first Ambassador ever came hither out of your Nation so I account your Master the first of the worshippers of Iesus and of you in a higher respect than any other Ambassadors which said Abbas sat downe againe And whereas all Mahomitans sizeda or knock their heads against the ground and kisse his foot or garment most friendly he puld our Ambassador downe seated him close to his side smiling to see he could not sitt after the Asiatique sort crosse-legd and calling for a bowle of Wine drunk his Masters health at which the Ambassador uncoverd his head and to complement beyond all expectation the Pot-shaugh puld of his Turbant by discovering his bald head symbolizing his Affection and after an houres merriment departed But by what meanes the current of the Kings good will became diverted afterwards I cannot divine I could afterwards perceive that Mahomitan Princes are terrible crafty or mysteriously politicious for from that day till we got Cazbyn neither was our Ambassador feasted at Court neither saw he the King nor did any other Sultan invite or come to visite him we partly found the cause Mahomet-Allybeg was by bribery made our enemy a Persian lately advanc't from a base beginning and for his neat faculty in diving into all mens doings acquainting the Potshaw who grumble who are contented by such his parasitick facetiousnesse has ingrost his favour from all others insomuch as all things passe through this impure conveighance for whom he loves the King honours such as he hates the King crushes all to peeces So that to have his good opinion each great man out-vies others by guifts and such lincks of corrupt esteeme insomuch that his Annuall commings in are bruited sevenscore thousand pounds sterling And well may be since Myter-beg the overseer of the Kings Harams or Seralios has a hundred thousand pound yearly if it be true some here assured me Sors nostra humilior poore Tamer-begs house at the North end of the Towne imprisond us twelve long dayes and nights so long the Court stayd after we got thither where the Sunne darted his outragious beames so full upon us that no part of the burning Zone could broile more than did Asharaffe at that present but the Sunne did not more torment us all the day time than those innumerable swarmes of Gnats Mus-ke-toes and such like excrements stung and pesterd us each night they biting us we thrashing them like mad folks Notwithstanding some better use I desire to make of this time than in spider-catching and in the first place commemorate we the Kings justice Tiranny I may rather call it for which he is famoused above all other Mahomitan Emperors that by view of others miseries ours may appeare but reall flea-bitings A poore distressed wretch upon some businesse bestowed a long and tedious pilgrimage from Cabull in India to this miserable place where ere he knew how the successe would be rested his weary limbs upon a field carpet chosing to refresh himselfe rather upon the coole grasse than be tormented by the mercilesse vermin within the Towne but poore man he fell á malo in pejus for snorting in a climacterick houre the same time the King set forth to hunt and many Nobles after him his pamperd jade winded and startled at him the King examines not the cause but sent an eternall Arrow of sleep into the poore mans heart jeasting as Iphicrates did when hee slew his sleepy Centinel I did the man no wrong I found him sleeping and asleep I left him a comfortlesse complement poore wretch happy only in this Aeneae magni dextra cecidit the Courtiers also as the Negroes in Manicongo do who when their Captain receives a hurt by warre or accident sympathize by voluntary mayming themselves in the like part to applaud his justice made him their common marke killing him a hundred times over if so many lives could have beene forfeited but how highly soever they extoll their King I preferre those ancient pagans before him who out of Natures poetry could sing Nulla unquam de morte hominis cunctatio longa est A Soldats wife or concubin if you please to call her having fed
many Toparchies the Camae Camaecae Alizonii Basilei Vrgi c. buried at this day in oblivion or wrapt up in other Nomenclations Maurenahar part of Sogdiana has the river Iehun on the South Gihon or Gychon and Korazon with Gaznehen to the South East and to the West the Mare Caspium it is a part of Tartary spatious populous but barren mountainous the people affecting rape and idlenesse Some make it a part of Turquestan a remnant of those Alexander shut up and from whom are sprung those Caterpillers of the world the Turks the of-spring of Hagar and though to us but lately knowne yet to old Geographors the name Torc was familiar repeated by Rabbi Benjamin-ben Ionas in his Itinerary who notes that the captive Jewes brought hither by Salmanasser associated with the Torqs neere Nyshabur by Ptolomy Nisibi by others the mountains of Nisebon Hayton also commemorates them and Vlughbeghius Townes of account are Buchar and Seonargant Maracanda in Arrhyan Samrachatan in Chalcondiles Paracanda in Strabo Sarmagana in Ptolomy Bokar and Samarchand the birth places of Avicen call'd Honain-Ali-ben-sein borne Anno Heg 370 a famous scholler in ninety bookes of Physicks Chymicks and Philosophy helping others and of Tamerlan borne Anno Heg 760. Balk Thalan Arzan Kaz Sychamest c. inhabited by a Scythic people then and now removing too and fro in Tents a warlike race but illiterate and blockish great Idolators carving the Devill in many ugly postures very ceremonious abstaing from bread drink wine but to raw flesh of horse and man had a terrible appetite An Ouz-beg man And if we were to give every hill and Province their old nomenclations from Armenia to Indya it would savour of presumption and prolixity the quest is so obscure so ship-wrackt in the gulph of dim oblivion Heniochus in Mengrellia Gordiaei or Ghibel-Noae in Haiton in Iberia Niphates Moschici from Mesech and whence of Moscovite Pariaedri Coraxici and Baris in Armenia and those rabble of incertain Incolae the Massagets Taburaei Suaebi Bomaraei Alinorsi Cadusii Comari Sagazini Caerasini Pratitae Paredoni Cythaeni Marucaei Harmatatrophi Mandradani Sariphi Turquemanni Bochari Gaznehi and other Prouinces all of them comprised in these foure Ararat Caucasus Taurus and Imaus at this day new-named Arar Adozar Taur and Kopizath Nam hoc scito probe neque te lateat Vt Abasgi Alani Sacae Dacae Rhos atque Soromatae qui proprie Scythae Et quicunque finitima gens flatibus Boreae Communiter denominantur Scythae Scytharum nomine But more usefull to our intellect is the long time famous'd Mountaine Albors neere this place infamous in the Pyreē or Temple of Idolatrous Fyre which has never gone out for fifty Ages Strabo in his fifteen and Procopius in his second book of the warrs and jarrs in Persia remember it Ben-Ionas also a vagabond Jew records it Within the Fane round and low is an Altar elevated five steps from the ground afore this Altar is a Trench or ditch wherein the Fyre-god is placed a fire not as is other elementall fire fed by cumbustibles but of that Prometheus stole from Don-Phoebus Cart-wheeles or which Zertoost their Law-giver stole from heaven a cabala of equall truth and chuse you which likes you best and is no doubt in imitation of the Jewish fire which Moses commanded should never bee extinguisht or prophan'd 6 Levit. 13 the Devill ever frameing his worship to make it better accounted of after the best patterne In this Tophet they commonly immolated their little children and somtimes men of more yeers than discretion thinking by this voluntary to purchase an iron crowne of hellish martyrdome After he had vow'd himselfe to bee a sacrifice his friends in great troopes and with no lesse joy flockt about him clapping him on the shoulders with this greeting Hayle blessed man When when wilt thou burne thy impure carcasse to have it purg'd made glorious in Paradize he appoints a day and they prepare towards the ceremony the time being come they assemble at his gate he issues crown'd with garlands they mount him upon a Mule for after hee has vow'd hee must no more honour the profane earth with his foot-steps the Iesop annoints him with a hallowed oyle and after many loving farewells he incinerates in flame to ashes Ere his children depart or musick cease roaring the Priest having consulted with the Devill tells them their duty bids them sanctifie themselves and provide a costly banquet against such a day when their fathers ghost means to visit them they leap for joy and think each houre a day till the time accomplishes At last old Satan comes that subtle lyar and in their fathers shape or phantasme enters amongst them and at some distance deludes their eyes and readily satisfies their curiosities they inquire how Paradize contents him hee replies by prospect it is a garden of such delights as are ineffable but as yet cannot possesse it They aske why he tells them because his will is unperformed they aske who he left it with the Priest produces it the tenor is of one note his goods must be divided into three the Altar one the Priests another his children a third without which spell the ghost affrights them ever after The Gowers in many parts of Persia are of this religion the Persees also in Indya Upon these Mountains they fable that Pischyton Guztasps eldest sonne who in Iacobs dayes govern'd Persia lives here and thirty Immorall Chyrons who by a grant of Zertoost the fire-bringer are to abide here till Doomsday and if any steale in by chance they likewise may become immortall No doubt but Abbas attempted it Here also upon Quequits high hill are some reliques of the furious Gyantesse Lamasaque and of Arneost her husband a Gyant of monstrous shape and proportion I have forgotten how many score of cubits hee was high but arm'd hee was if you will beleeve the Persians with two hornes as big as the tusks of an Elephant his eyes were terrible big his taile like to a Cows but in fight as powerfull as was that club of Hercules This great theife and his wife were both slaine by Saint Ham-sha Honcoir such another souldier as was Saint Romayn at Rohan But leaving these ignes fatui let mee draw your eyes to our ensuing journeys After many laborious steps wee got to a Village called Ryna twelve miles short of Damoan where wee beheld a Castle so built upon the best advantages of Art and Nature that it seemes impregnable above it wants no ground fitted for ease and warre sweet gardens fild with fruits and flowers made happy in a rivolet of pure water springing there and thence delightfully streaming in many oblique meanders into the bottome In this place five and twenty yeere ago lived one Meleck Bahaman Late cōquest of Mount-Taurus who like a second Pluto commanded many hills and dales in Gelack and Taurus a King albeit confined to the middle region most commonly forced with great cost
and drunkennesse Their complements were heartie and not various to equalls affoording imbraces to superiours bowing the head and knee to this houre continued without much alteration the rest I offer not this in my conceit sufficing to parallell the moderne customes and to set them off with better lustre Of the Persians at this day The religion of the Persians at this day I have fitted by it selfe without commixture Speak wee of other observations They are very superstitious it may be noted from our adverse fortunes as we travelled for when wee stood at their mercy to provide us Mules Camells and Horses how hasty soever we appeared they took no notice of it nor cared to set us forward Their superstition except by throwing the dyce such a chance hapned as they thought fortunate a ceremony diduced from the Romans who had their albi atri dies In every mischance also or in sicknesse they use sorcery prescribing charmes crosse characters letters anticks or the like taken most commonly out of their Alcoran Nicromantic studies are much applauded as profound and transcending vulgar capacities many in those parts make a notable living of it and few Siets there but can exorcize Force In battell they have few tricks or stratagems yet prosper in an honest bravery There are many severall rancks and degrees amongst them foure most remarkable Chawns Coozel-bashes Agaes and Cheliby or Coridschey The Timarrs or Turqmars are more despicable In a common muster the Persian King can easily advance as appeares by roll and pension three hundred thousand horse and seventy thousand good musquetoons Such forces he can march withall but seldome exceeds 50000. enough to live together in such barren Countries Forces to particularize as some have partly the Sultans and their Command may better prove it Mirza Fetta has under his Regiment fiftie sub-Bashaes of note each of them commanding three hundred men His horse troopes are thus raised Emangoly Chan of Shyraz has under his charge 30000 horse Dav'd Chawn his brother Kaza-can Lord of Sumachy Assur-chawn Lord of Myreyvan Zedder Lord of the Kaddyes and Gusseroft Magar Sultan of Tabryz each command 12000 horse Soffy-chan Sultan of Bagdat Akmet Kawn Lord of Miscarroon Gusseraph-chawn Sultan of Koom Zenal-cawn Lord of Tyroan each his charge of 15000 horse Isaac-beg 24000. Ethaman the Vizier 17000. Soffy Koolican 16000. Gosserat-chan Governour of Arabestan Perker-cawn Lord of Gorgestan Hussan-chawn Lord of Ery Manwezir-can and Sinall-chawn Lord of Sigestan 10000 each of them Mahomet Governor of Genge 8000. Ham-sha-cawn of Dara 7000. Aliculi of Periscow 4000. Morad of Asharaffe 6000. Badur-can the Darragod 6000 and Dargagoly sonne to Gange Ally-can Sultan of Candahor 4000 three hundred and twenty thousand horse or there-about wonderfull when I consider the miserable pastures and want of other provant to encourage their horses with making chopt straw and a little barley serve the turne but by that thin dyet find them lesse apt to diseases and more couragious In peace they are not alwayes idle solacing their active bodies in sundry sorts of warlike exercises They cannot dance except as Pirrhus taught the Epyrots They love to hunt and chase the Stagg the Antilope Gazal Exercises Tyger Bore Goat Hare Fox Jackall Woolfe and the like abounding there In which pastimes they have singular skill courage and dexterity in Bow Dart Scemiter Gun and Javelin Their Harquebuz is longer than ours but thinner and not so good for service They can use that very well but detest the trouble of the Cannon and such field peeces as require carriage They have good Greyhounds not unlike the Irish apt to encounter any Lyon They have Spaniells also but not so good as their Hawkes may challenge They have many excellent Eyeries of Eagles Lannars Goshawkes and Hobbies their best Falcons are out of Russia and other Scythick Provinces they fly them at choise game commonly at Hares Jackalls Partrich Phesant Herne Pellican Poot Estrich c. Their Lures Jesses Varvills Hoods are richly set with stones of great price lustre The vulgar sort delight in Morice dancing wrastling assaulting bandying Ram and Cock-fighting wherein they spend much time but value not their money to see Boyes dance or Lavoltoes upon the rope wherein they are very excellent Their Physitians are great admirers of Nature Physicians and doat so much thereupon that they make that oft-times the first causer which indeed is but instrumentall or secundarie morall men they are and humane in language and garbe both which beget esteeme and honor from all that know them and did not avarice a vice predominating there and by occasion of sicknesse in me full dearly exemplified and Magick studies too far sway them I could value them above the rest however as they are they passe for a generation usefull and exquisite They have degrees transcending one another in Title as their skill and Seniority merits The Doctors are nam'd Haekeems it may be radically from the Hebrew word Hachajim that is a life-preserver Mulaii in the Arabick Mountebanks or Imposters are nick-nam'd Shitan-Tabib i.e. the Devills Chirurgion They are Masters of much knowledge and ignore not the Mathematiques Many Arabick Writers have flourisht in those parts most of whose Bookes they read and practise by namely Galen Averroys Hippocrates Alfarabius Avycenna Ben-Isaack Abu-Ally Mahummed-Abdilla Ben-Eladib Abu-becr Rhazis Algazzallys ' and Albumazar In Geography Abul-foeda and Alphraganus from whom they better their discourse and by such Lectures become admirable Nor want they the knowledge of herbs drugs and gums the Mydan in Spahawn abounding in singular variety and than which no place in the world can more aptly be termed a Panacaea a Catholicon of herbs of drugs a Magazein ' gainst all diseases having also no lesse choice of delicious fruits rare gums and aromatique odours This I observed that to such of us as had fluxes they gave Sloes Ryce Cynomon Pomgranad Barbaries to purge melancholy Alloës Senna Rhuparb for phlegme Turbith for colds sweatings oyles of Beaver of Leopards of Jackalls herba maris our Ladies Rose c. Which I note to shew you they have some skill and resembling Europaean prescriptions Howbeit sweating in Sudatories is the Epidemic Physick there most us'd of least charge and very usefull insomuch that some Cities have above threescore hummums or baths some say three hundred Phlebotomy is but little us'd not that it is bad not perhaps because Galen and the other old Naturalists never us'd it They desire rather to tread in an antick path of ignorance then by any new invention or wholsome study to wrong the judgements of their predicessors because forsooth Eventus varios res nova semper habet And hence it is as I imagine that they continue their maimed calculations out of a blind conceit that antiquity commanded them for they compute their yeares only by the Moone Lame calculations not by that course and motion of the Sun affirming that the firmament
hyerogliphick of our salvation which in the primitive and purest age was of such honour amongst the Christians as not only they used it in baptisme but upon their foreheads to despight the Jewes and Heathens and to glory in that thing the more they so branded them with as a calumnie I hate superstition in my heart but that so holy an example should be derided is miserable and to be pittied To returne the Renegado in token of more defiance spets thrice at it making him beleeve Christ never suffered but Iudas did and then is to exult in this Battalogue La la La-illah Hyllulla Allough aybyr Mahumed resul-Allough God is first and next him is Mahumet he then elates his finger as denying a Trinity and three Mussulmen dart three staves three times towards heaven which ere any touch the ground hee is new-named then led slowly upon an Asse about the Citie that every one there may note him for a Denizin a Beleever and Proselite to Mahumet But praised be God I never heard of any Europaean Christian who of late times renyed his Faith in Persia Their weddings have not much variety to dwell upon observe therefore that Poli-gamie is tolerable Mahomet to excuse his owne infirmity Marriages and borrowing it from the Romans honours such most as have most wives and beget most children to furnish the Emperour with souldiers for defence Paradize with Saints and to resound the meritorious praises of great Mahomet the Deruisse an order of begging Frier excepted who from a transcendent conceit of their owne purity abhor matrimony but suppose Sodomy and Natures blackest villanies no sinne or sins pardonable producing Mahomet their prototype or example who both by precept and custome warranted it but I have tyed your chast eares too long to so impure a subject Such therefore as dare wed they need not feare in Asia the women in those parts never predominate they provide a sum of mony and buy her good-will her parents being no further charged than to bathe and purifie her They marry more from report than knowledge the friends of either party commonly commending perswading and effecting it The day appointed being come the Bride is vailed with a fine lawne of callico her armes and hands are only naked they mount her bravely and a great troop of friends and kin accompany her to Church in the mid-way being met with an equall number of friends all together agrandizing the ceremonie after a joynt assent of him and her they alight and enter the Mosque where the Mulay takes the protest of their good liking she demanding three things as did the Jewish women of old bed-right food and cloathing their Fathers also speak themselves contented the Priest circles them with a sacred cord conjoynes their hands takes a reciprocall oath and calls Mahomet to witnesse the Caddy inrolls their names the houre day month and yeere of their nuptialls and with an Eugè dismisses them The first day vapors away in Tobacco feasts and other ordinary feastivalls the men and women being severed at night the Bride enters a stove and is soundly washt and perfum'd that her degree may the better appeare and her person be more accepted of next night they bathe together and seven dayes after in which time if hee discover her to be no Virgin she is return'd to her parents with no small dishonour otherwise is kept till death part them The Alcoran allowes incestuous mariages pretending that thereby true love is better contracted and longer conserved in families in case also the man be weary of her or that she is barren he acquaints the Mulay with his distemper who eases him upon his giving her a dowry after which it may be hee will require her againe and if she agree are secondly married yea five six seven times rejecting and revoking as hate or lust can stimulate by that disorder love vanishing jealousie budding rage advancing clamours roaring and by which many times the Fathers neither know their own Children nor they their parents Their Burialls revive some ceremonies of old us'd amongst Jewes and Gentiles At his farewell to the world the next of kin closes his eyes Burialls as did Ioseph in the 46 of Genesis and Telemachus in Ovid Ille meos oculos comprimat ille tuos they then wash him with cleane water as was Tabitha Acts 9. and carrie him to his grave with admirable silence a gesture well-becomming Funeralls they lodge the Carcasse where none lay formerly supposing it a vile part to disturb the dead whom in the grave they think sensible of torment they place his head towards Medyna and after the old mode septem ad Luctum septem ad convivium for seven dayes his next of kinne watches to keep the evill Angell from his Tomb during which he incessantly warbles out his Elegiac Threnodies as the last expression of love he can shew him Other burialls Others are thus buried In the first place go those of his own blood and family next them his slaves and other domestic varlets naked to their waist the rest in troozes who to expresse their zeale the better burne and scratch their armes and breasts cutting their flesh and printing circles a trick borrowed from the rebellious Jewes and prohibited by Moses Levit. 19.28 and in Deut. 14.1 so effectually that the blood trickles out in many places Next them are ranckt fifty young Gallants whose shoulders are made to beare some texts taken out of the Alcoran mixing with them selected Eulogies which they sing and ingeminate Next these follow a hundred or two hundred men of note each holding the cord that drawes the Corps or Hearse on every side throng the multitude some bearing in their hands Lawrel or Cypresse boughs others Coronets of flowers fruits or what best befits the season some semi-naked horsemen play along and oft times to demonstrate their love spare not to wound themselves and in the last place go the Preficae or women hyred to weep to howle to teare their periwiggs to smell to onyons hinc illae Lacrymae and to do such impostures as did the antick Romans noted in Livy and Jewes as Ieremy speaks 9.17 In this Decorum they march slowly and with great silence but at his Dormitory ululate Lala-Hillulla there uncloathing and mundifying the carcasse his sins thereby also vanishing they anoynt him with odours and pretious unguents and so wrapt in fine linnen they burie him in the earth and place his head towards Arabia his face looking up to heauen I note it in regard they put the other sex their faces downwards his armes spread as prepar'd to imbrace Mahomet above him they fix two stones at 's head and feet which in Arabiq ' characters ingrav'd and colour'd denotates his name quality religion and time of buriall there they leave him but give not over twice every day to come and sing his Requiem beseeching Mahomet to succour him against his bad Angells of whom they nourish this opinion That
considered which was his plot for Apostasie but that the Devill and Sergius who helpt him could not blaspheame nor bee suffered to derogate from their Majesty and to whom we say in the words of our Saviour to the Demoniack hold thy peace and ex ore tuo laus sordet The residue of the Book consists of Heresiarchyes against our blessed Saviour with Arrius it denies the Divinity with Sabellius the Trinity with Macedonius the holy Ghost proceeding with Manicheus the death of Christ and such like errours as to them and Satan seemed plausible In the 32 Azoara hee commands that no man be so impious to question any particle of his Law nor to dispute about it and yet in another chapter confesses that t is full of lyes 1 Commandement There is one and but one great God and Mahomet is his Prophet Sung every fourth houre both by the Muyezins Talismanni from the steeple tops of every Mosque in a cleare note Llala y-lala Mohummed resullula and the Persians by Syet Gunets direction to the honour of their Prophet Llala y-lala Mortus Ally vel-hillulla 2 Comman 'T is neither good nor just that any Mussulman live unmarried lest the professors of the Alcoran or Mahomet be thereby diminished Whence it arises that Poligamy is tolerated yea that such are thought the most honourable and brave men who super-abound in wives and concubines The chast Prophet Mahomet in the Azoara of Bacara boasts much of his owne delight and singularity therein and that he had strength at most times to satiate the lust of forty women In that chapter of Attahrim he also confesses that he oft had violated his faith and troth but it grieved him not in that hee had received pardon from God and had to witnesse it his good friends Rachel and Gabryel two holy Angels But who sees not that in this precept of his like a polite Machiavillian he had respect to the naturall disposition of the Arabians pleas'd with freedome and voluptuousnesse rather than to any vertue not caring how so by any magick he could yoak them to obedience and affectation of his Alcoran 3 Comman It behooves all Mussulmen to bee charitable and to hate contention From this command issues most good to Travellers for whereas Innes are not to be had in heathen countries stately buildings call'd Imarets in Turkie Carravans-raws in Persia Serrays in Indya are purposedly built and open for all commers never questioning their Country businesse nor religion the roomes are sweet and well kept the stables be convenient and not any is to pay ought in that t was founded from the charity of some Mahomitans who have beene knowne to spend in one of those common receptories fifteene thousand pound sterling such are in Shyraz Cashan c. they also erect Hospitalls for lame men and diseased yea for aged starved or hurt birds beasts and such like creatures 4 Conaman It behooves all Mussulmen to invocate their Prophet every day five times at least with sobriety and to attend his comming patiently Which they carefully accomplish and with such regard that when the Muyezin is heard to cry aloud from the Mosque they fall to prayer though then busied in prophane talk drinking drabbing or the like And in praying to help their memorie use Beads stop their eares and shut their eyes lest any thing might divert them in their zealous Orizons which they actuate in a quiet and silent murmur bending prostrating and kissing the ground or some relique of holy earth brought from Medina the Haram or Alcaba two holy Chappels in Mecca erected sayes the Alcoran by Abraham from the true Idea of that which Adam built in Paradize albeit some hold that he stayed there not above a day carried by Angels into heaven at the generall Deluge in every El-fata or prayer sizedaing or kissing the earth at each Epethite or name of God and Mahomet and after they have battologuiz'd Ilalay-lala they iterate another to this effect following In the name of the good and holy God Praised be the Soveraigne of all worlds the only mercifull God of Doom ' thee we serve thee wee call upon shew us the best way that which thou hast revealed to Mahumet but not that wherby thou punishest the Ungodly This also as I have noted amongst them being a meere Tautologie of the names of God and Maâ—met Bizmillah raugh mawn a raugh-heam Allhundill Alley Etto byatto almo barakatto assulwatto Attayo batto Leyla heessalem Aleyka I Iaanna nebeen rough meet Wallough heeweeber-catto Essa-lamalena Wallah Ebadulla hesolaheem Eshaddo Awla-El aha El-Allaho Eshaddai Mahummed resull-Allogh L'alla Essalamalena Ebadulla Solaheem Essalamaleekam Essalamaleeka Allyhomma Sul-hillulla Allaw Mohummed don Wallaw Wassaleem-chamma Salleata Alhumderalley Whoddaw said by all Mahomitans in Arabia Persia Indya Iava c. And though this be the most usuall yet they are not without other set formes of prayer compiled by Osman in his Parody for in the 17 Azoara Mahomet confesses that he could neither read nor write and by that famous Almotannabby who fell in his learned conceits to make his Name more venerable than Mahomet Their Elfataes are either for the safety of their Kings a happy issue the welfare of their Country thanks that they are Mussulmen Bosarmen or true beleevers and the like five times in foure and twenty houres praying or rather balbutiating orderly The houres are day-breake noone three in the afternoone sunne-set and at midnight recorded by these titles Ashaera Magreb Adelesher Kalamath and Erketh Arabically thus Dahour Lashour Mogrub Sallit Sabaha L'hair The first houre is acted by foure Tessalems or prostrations and two prayers 2. by ten times kissing the earth and five El-fataes 3. houre requires eight grovelings and foure ejaculations 4. has five Sizedaes and three orations and the last houre for a farwell has fifteen tesselems and eight repetitions after that houre to day breake t is held an ungodly thing to invocate The Persians since their reformation think it enough to pray thrice in foure and twenty houres at sob dor magareb Arabick words and which signifie morning noonee and night On the Gynmaa or Sabbath by the Persians call'd Y'owma and D'siuma by Turks Zuma-g'iuny Dumaad by the vulgar Arabs they assemble in the Mosques without seats and bells each first washing then kneeling with his face to Medina not speaking one to another spetting nor coughing scapes unpardonable 5. Command See thou observe yeerely a Month Lent a Byram c. The Lent or Ramdam call'd also Ramadan Ramazan and Ramulan begins commonly at the Sunnes entrance into Aries Libra other times no time certaine and is an imitation of our Lent or rather the forty dayes Moses was in Horeb and by some said in memory of Mahomets forty dayes hiding himselfe in the Desart flying from the rage of Mecca's Inhabitants and that in that moneth he divulg'd the Alcoran but most likely as in the 47 Azora of himselfe and 25 in which he treats of the
excellencie of the Alfurcan from his blasphemous lie that he was so long in the sixt heaven call'd Alahal where this Anthropomorphite sayes hee had the honour to shake hands with the Almighty which he sayes were 70 times colder than Ice and that being upon th' earth to make the people credit him he commanded the Moone to descend halfe of which he put into his own sleeve and the other halfe serv'd as a zone or girdle to Mortis Ally and to their like amazement after so rare a complement peec't it and placed it in the same Orbe whence first he drew it During this Ramdam all the day long they abstaine from all sorts of viands or refection he being counted the veriest heretique in the world dare ryot it But Don Phoebus is no sooner inveloped with his dark mantle the earths interposition and Dame Cynthia arrayed with brightnesse in their Hemisphere then they gormundize and let loose the reines of their unbridled appetite Epicurising in all kindes of delights to be invented or pleasures possible Prosper's saying That to fast from sinne is the best fast is here ridiculous So soone as the nine and twentieth day is past for though the Alcoran command forty yet by those of the late reformation it was limited to one Moone they begin the Byram as we doe Easter and continue their merriment and sports till the third day be ended the two dayes after the Byram are commonly call'd Chutsi-baaram Char-bahram or Byram The last houre of the last festivall many vow a zealous pilgrimage to their Prophets Sepulchre not magnetically attracted nor intombed in an iron coffin as some report but laid under a faire marble polisht and ingraved with Arabique sentences out of the Elesalem But in the way wallow in all kind of swinish turpitude villany and lothsomnesse yet no where persecuted being palliated with a Pilgrims coat and hypocritique sanctity The Buccarie they solemnize in November or Chodad-maw by Turks Silcade by Arabs Rabiel owl in commemoration of the Ram sacrificed by Abraham such time as Izmael they say should have beene killed Many other Festivalls they celebrate The Oud Hussan Nowrouz Imamy Caddyer-Ally Iedt-Ousant Auwpatsian the Sophyan the Roses Daffadillies c. The Oud-Hussan is from Hocem or Hussan soone of Ally slaine with eleven of his sonnes by Mavi the Chalyph Lord of Damascus and Nephew to Ozman A Festivall begun by Syet Gunet followed by Aydar and commanded by Sha-Izmael as a Triumph against the Ben-Humyans who tho they thought to have extirpt Ally's root yet by divine providence St. Azmully brancht secretly Anno Hegirae 90. and from him this Siet of Ardoveil reviver of the Sophian dignitie For the Syet not onely sleighted the Turkish opinion of Mahomets three successours Abubocher and the rest but cursed all such as honor them yea and foure other great Hodgees or Doctors of the Alcoran contemporarie friends and helpers of Mahomet those foure if I be not deceiv'd whom Mahomet in a feare for his presumption beholding God in Paradize wip't from the sweat of his brow and by divine myracle metamorphiz'd into foure learned men thus named Achmet Sembelim Abu-hamet Melec-zeddah and Sheck Vaffaim a tenet so offensive and exasperating to the Turks that of late the Muphti condemning an innocent Persian swore a great oath he thought it a better act and a more meritorious sacrifice to kill one Persian than seventy Christians But to our Storie All agree that Hussan was slaine trecherously by Chuse a slave to Mnavi Mavi was an Actor they therefore punish him yearely though rotten 1000 yeares since First framing a deformed Image his face blackt his nose pierc't with a Dart and clad in straw which done they hurrie it through the streets in a hurly-burly of thousands of people who when they have dragd it enough within the City hale it to some rising hill without wher to all mens view they elevate this supposed living Caytiffe The Caddy bawles out a pathetique Oration to this purpose That after much search Ally had directed them where to apprehend this Traytor unworthy the least pittie or procrastination this being that same villaine who slew Hussan and his sons Ceresin only escaping that every good man is bound in conscience to curse him yea to help to torment him in the vilest manner possible In shew of joy and assent they unanimously sing Epicinia a song of victorie and crie aloud Yough Ally yea strive to rend the clouds with their ceaselesse clamours At a set time they cease roring and fire is given to a trayne of Gunpowder which sets divers squibs a fire and at length dissipates and blowes up the detested Syrian by a hideous noise making the ayre eccho at his smokie Funerall Hussans ghost now sleepes quietly each Persian commends one anothers zeal haste home spend that night in merriment The Nowrouz is in imitation of our New-yeares day but they begin after the old manner in March such time as Phoebus in his equall shine to either Pole makes the Aequinoctium A festivall of jovialitie for one prayer preying upon varietie of wanton pleasures the Talismanni piping now to Bacchus Ceres and Madam Venus For I have observ'd that in manie parts for 11 months in the yeare we could see verie few women and those vailed but impossible in the streets or gardens to converse with anie without danger yet these twelve dayes of the Nowrouz all places were full of them yea their naked faces openly discovered frisking in amorous postures and drawing the eye by a forced Magique Gifts also and reciprocall presents are retorted up down with garments of silk gold horses fruits and piscashes of other sorts nothing but riding the great horse drinking cock-fighting fortune-telling singing courting and the like observed to the last minute of that Festivall The Imamy has some dependance on the Buckaree This a Camell that a Ram that for Ismael this for Mahomet In November the Meccan Protomist sends a sanctified Camell by an adopted sonne sometimes naturall who is welcom'd to Spahawn by many thousand Mussulmen who shew th'extream of joy for so holy a Present After they have tried tired their voices the Hodgee from an exalted place acquaints them with the cause of his long journey perswades them to a thankfull remembrance and blesses them The zealous multitude without anie respect of men or danger throng about the Beast who is no sooner in the field where Death arrests him but that they fall upon him and pluck off his haires with an admirable dexteritie keeping them as sanctimonious reliques praevalent against sudden death though manie die in the assault and thousands returne maymed hunger thirst povertie and the like After which the tormented Camell is by the Hodgee againe signed for a sacrifice The Darroguode first transfixes his Javelin The Visier beheads him and gives it the King The carkasse is torne peece-meale by the foole-hardie multitude so greedie to obtaine this charme of long life and plentie
worth his adoration Others regard the Sunne Moon Starres as heavenly soules and helpers and other some the refreshing streames shading trees and the like whereby I may fitly paralell them with what Tacitus speaks of the Celtes our neighbours Multa simulacra multum peregrinae superstitionis vestigim ibi videre liceat They have many solemne Festivalls In some of them they fasten sick or needy-men made stupid by too much zeale to a hook or engine which being hoist to elevate him with the Pagod the blood trickling from his wounded shoulders excessit medicina modum is preserved by the Priest at his discent as a meritorious sacrifice dasht against a Tree and after he has in most submissive sort intreated the divell to accept his offring returnes fild with joy and applause and hopes to thrive the better ever after They Offer in the night first making the streets bright as day by a multitude of lights then stuffing their hands and bags with ryce they glomerate and wind in dances in every corner wher a puppit-god sits throwing ryce and fruits but being once out of the magick ring haste away not daring to looke back lest the Devill should teare them for this their gratitude They use not common burialls in that the Carcaffe is placed in a deep cave long and narrow or betwixt two walls built so of purpose and wherein the foolish widdow immures her self never after speaking to any but expecting death by the arrow of Famine of all other the most formidable and insufferable Their Habits are best part nakednesse the zone excuses cloathing They delight in fishing and to sport upon the water in boates or curricurries thus shaped A Curricurre or boat Of Malacca MALACCA Terra aurifera in Iosephus elevates the Artick Pole 5 degr from the Aequator Was known of old by the name of Aurea Chersonesus and if my ayme deceive me not the same Ptolomy in his 7 lib. 2. c. cals Facola and more likely to be part of Ophyr from such abundance of Gold as hence in Pegu Syam Borneo and Sumatra is and has ever been ravished and in that Ophyr and Hobab with Havilah their brother sonnes of Ioctan here inhabited rather than Hispaniola supposed Ophyr by Columbus and Stephanus Soffala by Ortelius Gambra by Artius Montanus Ormus by Danaeus or those moon conceits of Peru by bold fac't Goropius or that Spanish brag of Pineda who threatens those that will not beleeve Cadiz was it for I see this place admits the conjecture better both from the Port of Ezion-geber in the red Sea whence by Arabia's shore and the Indian they might without helpe of the Adamant or Pole Starre facilitate their voyage and that this place has of old been denominate the Land of gold This old verse of Tzetza points at it Insula est Indica quam Poetae Auraeam vocant Alii vero peninsulam dicunt sed non Insulam Hebraei autem Ophyr Lingua sua vocant Habet enim Metalla Auri Lapides omnifarios Excellenter magis vero Prasinum lapidem The golden Indian Ile by Poets sung A peninsule some name it and no Ile The Hebrews call it Ophyr in their tongue All sorts of stones and mynes of gold ere while Are found there with the choisest Prasine stone And Malacca is a Chersonesse or Peninsula which makes it agree the better with this description of Ophyr The Citie Malacca is under 5 some observe 4 degrees North and obeys the Monarchy of Syam ever since Abdalla the honest King therof was An. 1508. most inconsideratly beheaded by the Portugall and that upon Sequeyra's complaint Albuquerk sackt it obteining an incredible masse of treasure 3000 peeces of great Ordnance and so much minted coyne that the King of Portugalls part being but a fift came to 250000 ryalls of 8 a conquest so forceable that notwithstanding the Castle and Garison left there by the Lusitanian the Syam King at his owne leisure prostrated it The Citie is above 3 miles long but very narrow built in a hemicycle upon the banks of a pleasant river as broad as is the Thames but not so potable a rivolet of sweeter water glides gently thorow the Town over which is rais'd a Bridge strong though meanly beautifull the wals circling her are reasonable strong but invalidable against the fiery vomits of the Cannon the buildings are generally low and base and lined with poore furniture though they want no gold to buy it with but being dark and close t is the lesse usefull the most observable are her Fanes Cypresses and Gardens the streets and fields show many delightfull Arbours and choyce fruits amongst which the Duroyen as valewable with them as Mynes of Gold and Silver abounding here Corne Suger and some other rarities the people are naturally hospitable affected with musick songs and strangers howbeit impatient and fierce if exasperated jealous if occasioned deceitfull if too much credited their language is epedemic and serves no lesse in these parts than with us the Latine in other parts the Arabic leave we Synca-pura and passe to Patania an easie dyaes journey thence Of Patania PATANIA Perimula of old at this day a well-known Citie in the Bengalan or Argaric gulph and extra Gangem elevates the Pole Artick about 7 degrees and is scituate in midst of those two famous Ports Malacca and Syam The government is Monarchicall the Kings derive themselves from a Gentile King of Delly who when he had subdued Patania left his sonne Gingee his Prorex here and from whom the late Queene and this Prince are truly branched The Mogull oft threatens to dethrone him yey he sits close and keeps his owne especially safeguarded by interposing Ganges and some small but usefull I'lets where he advantagiously fortefies The Towne is strong and best defended by 12 peeces of great brasse Ordnance one of them a Basilisco is twenty six foot long well proportioned in bore and squaring Some Temples of Idolatry Patania shews furnisht with wooden gods for politheisme but more note-worthy in some antick Monumēts of former Kings The people are black and go with the most part of their bodies naked they take great delight in eating of Betle and Opium and love Areck or strong liquor exceedingly they usually eat in plates of gold They frequently speak three Languages the Malay Siam and that of Chyna Their writing differs one which is the Malay from the right hand to the left as the Hebrews another which is the Syam from the left to the right as we a third which is the China right downe and bending no way all three very usuall and affected by the industrious They are part Moores and part Gentiles the one so worship God as the other do Pa-Gods or Idolls They are hospitable to such strangers as from desire of novely or gain reside amongst them neither do they enquire of what Countrie they be what their Businesse nor Religion The men of note transcend in curtesie for at any mans arrivall they
Sea-men case them like Rabbets but if my stomack deceive me not worse meat cannot be tasted of a fierce ilfavored carrion it is ever squeaking and in most hidious and offensive noises calling one another they hang in swarmes upon the boughs of trees by clawes fixed at the extreame part of their wings their monkey faces turned downwards Tectaque cum silvis celebrant lucemque perosae Nocte volant seroque tenent a vespere Nomen Houses and Woods they haunt hate Day and game In Night time and from twi light have their Name Their shapes which I have formerly put upon the Coquos best speaks ' em A day afore wee parted thence wee took a Fish an Eagle-fish I imagin'd it the eyes were five quarters asunder from one fin end to another were above foure yards its mouth and teeth resembled a Port-cullice a long small taile it had a creature take it altogether rather made to wonder at than to juncket on The I le has many good places to anchor in two are well knowne the one at the North-West side which beares the forme of a Hemi-cicle and elevates the Pole Antartique 19 degrees and 30 minutes the other at the South-East is directly opposite and in 20 degrees 15 minutes in longitude from Cape Comryn the utmost promontory of India 20 degrees 20 minutes and from the Lizard the extreamest part of England 99. both Bayes seeme land-lockt the ground is oazy the depth in 5 10 15 or 20 fadoms as the Sea-man best affects No where dangerous The Soile it selfe is stony and troublesome towards the shoare howbeit the inland parts are fat and pleasant full of shadowing trees and drilling rivolets reciprocally benevolent equally delightfull to the eye and taste some few places excepted which either storming at the aspiring height of some adjacent Mountaines or efflated in their owne noise descend so violently that they become Cataracts in their violent and precipitious fluxes but though the eare be angry at it the other sences derive much happinesse for hereby the earth is mellowed and made fruitfull which otherwise would bee too full of stones and sand yet such is the richnesse of it as rather commands us wonder at than describe it Amber-grease is often found flooting about this Iland how generated whether in the Whale or froth of Seas or other wise is yet doubted of Corall white and pleasant to look upon grows here in abunda-ce but how that stincking weed Tobacco came thither I know not whether by Art or Nature questionable To conclude this pleasantest of Asiatick Iles is un-inhabited unlesse you please to intitle Beasts and Birds Inhabitants those live here without dread of Lyon Tygre Wolfe Fox Dog or such offensive creatures and have it upon this condition to pay a gracefull Tith or Tribute to such ships as famine or foule weather direct to ride here a fit place for Sir Thomas Moore to have seated his Utopia in But his conceits were forged this merits the best of people If I have stood too long in her description excuse it in the surpassing delight I took in it such as without Circe's spells had a magick force To wish wee dwelt there But home we must the wind blew faire the Sea was calme and all our company fully refreshed So aboard wee went and in three houres saile lost sight of that Elisium wishing such an Optick glasse as every where would shew it us but our strong imaginations represent it The fift day we descried land it bore South-West from us by its height shape and position wee knew 't was that our Captaines called Englands Forrest next day we attained it The name was Anno 1613. imposed by Captaine Castleton Commander of the Pearle a ship I meane some say the errant Potugall first saw it and by Seignior Mascarenas from his owne name was denominated yet other-some go further and call it Pulo-puar an Indian name but by whom or when darkly writ in the mistique Character of Oblivion The I le has above fifty English miles circuit the South Pole is elevated in that place 20 degrees and 55 minutes South from the Aequator in longitude from Mauritius 1 degree and a halfe but distant thence seven and thirty Duch leagues and variation of the Compasse 23 degrees an I le exceeding lofty made fying her aspiring forehead within the middle Region every where greene and ever florishing pleasantly apparelled in various liveries especially in store of trees branching gallantly and mounting to a rare sublimity It had no Creature in it save birds till our Captaine landed some Hogs and Goats of both kinds that by a happy multiplication and encrease the future Passenger might be releeved and blesse the Planter It wants not water sweet and plentifull the fresh streams are Magazeins of watry Citizens such as sport themselves in that liquid Element 't were prolixity to name halfe of them the Eeles are notable many there be and most weigh thirty pounds not odious in their corpulency for to the tast they render themselves sweet moist and excellent the birds are many rare but most of them such as are spoken of in the Mauritius We must to Sea againe but not without a gratefull farewell to those healthy and well-plac't Ilands prepossest with a felicitated memoriall yea enricht with so great choice such plenty of victualls that the vast and churlish Ocean became lesse distastfull to us contemplating the jocune exercises and pleasures we were so late possessors of In few dayes by benefit of propitious windes we lancht farre into the Mare del Zur the Antartick constellations more visibly discovering themselves and to approach our Zenyth But long those happy Favonii continued not the wind veered into other our contrary quarters the Skie ore-spread with black and lowring clowds the Sea roar'd and labour'd in many dreadfull tumors threatning spight and no small danger for seaven whole dayes and nights the Tempest raged and forced us all that while to lye by the Lee to speake Sea language no saile but the mizzen daring to oppose the rest made prostrate to a sencelesse furie howbeit the old song Venit post multos una serena Dies revived us by a continued patience begetting freedome and victory For many hundred miles we had nothing bat Sea and Ayre to feast our sights with somwhat bettered by many shoales of fish every where concomitating us now and then by too much greedinesse proffering themselves to the deceitfull bait of the cunning Marriner In this vacancie I may remember Aristotle 2 lib. Meteor is of opinion that no great blasts of wind blow from the South meaning that the burning Zone is without much raine and clouds such as conduce to exhalation and vapours or that before they can exceed the Tropicks and enter the temperate Zone the Sunnes vehement and continued heat and rays dispell annihilate and make them unforceable Doubtlesse he retracted for who sees not that Phoebus in his attractive power so the matter be alike