called by the Arabians Axarafi were by King Ferdinand receiued into loyall allegeance together with the city it selfe which notwithstanding after the departure of the Moores became the greatest part of them desolate howbeit the limits of this as they differ much from the ancient precincts of Spanish diocesses so do they come neerer to the forme prescribed by King Vamba vnto all the Cathedrals of Spaine For this diocesse hath on the East the territory of Corduba West the frontiers of Algarue North it lieth ouer against that part of Portugale which is called The gouernment of Saint Iago but the residue toward the South is inclosed with the diocesse of Cadiz and the Ocean sea Principall townes here are very many especially the royall city of Siuill most largely and pleasantly situate vpon the banke of Baetis and enuironed with beautifull and stately walles This famous riuer Baetis or Guadalquibir springing out of the forest called in times past Saltus Tugiensis and holding on his course by the chiefe cities of his adopted prouince doth from this noble city knowen of olde by the name of Colonia Romulea continue his streames in a chanell nauigable and abounding with fish to the Westerne Ocean for the space of threescore miles the banks on both sides flourishing with Oliuets Vineyards and most admirable sweet Gardens perfumed with the delectable and fragrant odour of Citrons HISPALENSIS CONVENTVS DELINEATIO Auctore Hieronÿmo Chiaues Priuilegio Imp. et Regiae Maiests. Next vnto Siuill in authority and greatnesse Caesariana alias Xeres de la frontiera and Iulia firmitas now called Astigi which in old times were colonies of the Romans do excell all other townes cities Carmona and Vtrera may well be termed the two granaries and storehouses of Siuill Next followes Marchena called out of ancient stonie monuments I know not how truly Martia Colonia and Arçobriga being the lord-ship townes of the most illustrious ducal familie of the Ponces To these you may adde Vrsao called of old Genua Vrbanorum and at this present Osuna the most honorable and rich dukedome of the Girones ennobled with an Vniuersitie For oile corne and wine Constantina Caçalla and Maronio do principally excell Nebrisa likewise situate at the mouth of Baetis the most happie natiue soile of Aelius Antonius the restorer and author of the Latin tongue in Spaine is famous for antiquity and inferiour to none in plenty of Corne. Also in the very bay whereinto Baetis dischargeth his streames vpon the headland called of old Luciferi Promontorium stands the towne which we now call Solucar or Sant lucar the rich mart-towne of the Gothish Dukes and very commodious for the west-Indan fleets Other principall townes of this Diocesse for breuities sake I omit The soile in all this tract is most miraculously plentifull of wheat wine and oile and of all kinde of graine wherewith it supplieth remote and forrein countreies and how deseruedly might Plinie haue preferred this part before Italie had not he an Italian caried a greater affection to his owne countrey yet Spaine by him wheresoeuer it borders vpon the sea is commended which praise of his we vnderstand especially of that part of Andaluzia which pertaines to the Diocesse of Siuill because it lies open to the maine Ocean and to the gentle blasts of the west The skie here is most fauourable smiling alwaies with a temperate and most amiable aspect the people borne to piety and good arts excelling in sharpnesse of wit and surpassing others in a bold kinde of courage and towardlinesse of minde which is in a manner peculiar and hereditary to this nation will in no case suffer themselues either in offices of curtesie or in exploit of warre to be excelled by any nation The Archbishop of Siuill next that of Toledo is the highest prelacy in all Spaine whilome it had eleuen suffragan Bishops as appeareth out of the subscriptions of councells namely the Bishop of Corduba who now is vnder the Iurisdiction of Toledo The B. of Iliberis who after the expulsion of the Moores remoued to the Metropolitan sea of Granada The B. of Ilipa or Elepla of late called Pennaflor which towne is now destitute of a B. sea and subscribes to the authority of the church of Siuill The Bishopricke of Tuccitan now called Martos and in old time Augusta Gemella Colonia at this present destitute of a B. and vnder the Iurisdiction of Gienna The Bishopricke of Malaga which now is suffragan to Siuill The Bishopricke of Aegabria now called Cabra it hath no prelate but belongeth to the church of Corduba The bishopricke of Asindia or Asidonia now called Medina Sidonia subiect to the B. of Cadiz the episcopall sea being remoued from Gadisea others call it Asidonia it is now said to stand not farre from that place where Xeres is situate vnlesse you will say that in the same tract it retained one and the selfe-same name It had also the Bishopricke of Ossonoba nere Pharo a towne in Algarue the Moores named it Eruba afterwards it was incorporated into the church of Siluis which before being a member of Siuill was by Pope Paul the third made Suffragan to Euora which himselfe had aduanced to a Metropolitan sea The bishopricke of Abdera which was translated to the sea of Almeria and is now Suffragan to Granada The bishopricke of Astigi which now is ingraffed into the church of Siuill The bishopricke of Italica seated in a most noble colonie of the Romans not only citizens but also Emperors Generals which standing six miles from Siuill on the other side Baetis was in ancient times when S. Gerontius the martyr was bishop a place highly reuerenced Out of this towne sprang Traianus Hadrian and Theodosius three great and renowmed Emperors It is commonly called Old Siuill the vast ruines thereof being now scarse extant a wofull spectacle of the mutability of humane things by so much the more to be lamented in that the forlorne fragments of that most beautifull and large Amphitheatrum which now lie scattered and disiointed renew a more sad memory of the ancient greatnesse and magnificence At this time the Archbishop of Siuill hath for suffragans the bishops of Malaga of Cadiz and of the Canary-isles The maiesty dignity wealth of this church we cannot in few words decypher Sufficeth that we do gather out of their own audits accounts that the archbishops yerely reuenues amount to aboue 100000. duckets The principall of the church vnder him haue cleerely more than 30000 the whole society of the church is allowed 120000. which are diuided among 40. Canons 11. priuileged priests 20. fellow-portionaries or pensioners and so many halfe-pensioners yet so as the Canons and priuileged priests haue such daily allowance as by the yeere comes to 2000. duckats a man the pensioners haue lesse than so much by a fourth part and the halfe-pensioners are allowed only a third part Next vnto the Archbishop the greatest authority remaines in the Deane whose dignity is esteemed worth 5000.
the second booke of Chronicles But there being three Arabiaes Deserta Felix and Petraea we are especially in respect of the neerenesse and neighbourhood of it to Iudaea to speake of the later in this place ARABIA PETRAEA tooke the name of Petra the Metropolitane city of this prouince and place of residence of their Kings This also was called NABAIOTH by the Hebrews of Nabaioth the sonne of Ismaël Esa 60. Ezech. 27. whereupon the name and appellation of Nabataea arose amongst the old Historiographers It sometime did belong to the Edomites and Amalechites and was a part of their lands and country Whereupon the Israelites by the commandement of God were constrained to passe by this country Saint Hierome saith that Petra the city is of the Hebrews called Iacteel and of the Syrians Recem This country by reason of the passage of the children of Israel through it and the great workes and wonders of God done in it is very famous and oft mentioned in the holy Scriptures The places of it oft spoken of in the booke of God are these The Red sea Exod. 13.14.15.23 Num. 11.14.21.33 Deut. 1.2.11 Iosu 2.24 Psalm 77.105.113 Act. 7.1 Cor. 10. Sur and Mara Exod. 15. Elim Exod. 15.16 There were twelue wels and seuenty palme trees of which Strabo doth speake in the sixteenth booke of his Geography The wildernesse of Sin Exod. 16. Arabia Petraea in many places was a vast and horrible desert as is apparant out of the first and eight chapters of Deuteronomy of which there are also diuers other testimonies euery where to be obserued Sinay Exod. 16. Raphidim Exod. 17.19 Horeb Exod. 3.17 Obserue in this place that Horeb was part of those mountaines which the Greekes call Mélanas that is the Blacke hils which are of such a wonderfull height that vpon the toppe of them the sunne may be descried at the fourth watch of the night that is about three of foure of the clocke in the morning an houre or two before her appearance to those which dwell in the plaine But Sinay was the East part or ridge of mount Horeb. This is proued by these places of Scripture Exod. 33. Deut. 4.5.9.10.29 Psalm 105. Actor 7. In Deut. 33. Sinay is called the hill Pharan and in Exod. 18. the Holy mount Moreouer there is mention made of the hill and wildernesse of Sinay almost in euery chapter throughout the whole bookes of Exodus and Leuiticus and in the two and thirtith chapter of Deuteronomy it is againe spoken of The country round about it is called the Wildernesse of Sinay Num. 9.10.26 Amalec Exod. 17. Num. 14.24 Deut. 25. Madian Exod. 18. Num. 10. Act. 7. The Graues of lust and Haseroth Num. 11.12 Deut. 1. Pharan Num. 12.20 Deut. 1.33 The Desert of Zin Num. 13.20.26 Deut. 32. The Desert of Cades and Cadesbarne Num. 13.20.26.32.34 Deut. 1 9. Iosu 10.15 Horma Num. 14.21 Hor Num. 20. Deut. 32. The Waters of strife Num. 20.26 Oboth Ieabarim Zared the Brooke Mathana Nahaliel Bamoth Num. 21. Deut. 2. Also of Zared and Seir mention is made in Num. 24. Deut. 1.2.33 Iosu 24. Tophel and Laban Deut. 1. Elath Deut. 2. Asiongaber Deut. 2.3 Kings 22.2 Paral. 8. Beroth Mosera Gadgad Iatebatha Deut. 10. In the three and thirtith chapter of Numbers the foure and twenty mansions or places of abode where the children of Israel in that their tedious peregrination between Aegypt and the Holy Land pitched their tents are recited by name Which mansions and encamping places of theirs were greatly famoused with many miracles and wonderfull workes of God which he wrought there in the sight of that peruerse and froward generation These places were not remote one from another by equall distances as is very probable by these places of the Old Testament Exod. 14.15.19 Num. 10.14.33 Neither did the people of Israel being led through this wildernesse vp and downe euer crosse the first way which they had gone before but by winding turning this way and that way they came thrise to the Red-sea as may easily be demonstrated out of the three and thirtieth of Numbers the second of Deuteronomy and the eleuenth of Iudges These do necessarily appertaine to the vnderstanding of the tract of that their iourney and orderly placing of those forsaid mansions and resting places Of SYRIA and PHOENICIA Although in old time the name of SYRIA and the bounds thereof were more large yet that is properly called Syria which is enclosed within the mount Amanus Monte Negro Postellus calleth it a part of the riuer Euphrates Iudaea and the Phoenician sea PHOENICIA a part of Syria famous by many reasons and accidents amongst his more notable cities had Tyre and Sidon But the chiefe or Metropolitane city of COELESYRIA Hollow Syria or Holland in Syria we may call it lying Eastward from Iudaea was Damascus oft mentioned both in holy and prophane writers Of which places we haue spoken of in Palaestina Thus farre Stella the authour of this Mappe hath discoursed vpon the same Of the old Palaestina read Saint Hierome and that which the learned B. Arias Montanus hath written of it in his Chaleb Iacobus Zieglerus Wolfangus Wissenburgius and Michaêl Aitzinger haue described the same in seuerall and peculiar treatises Iosephus in the six and seuen bookes of the warres of the Iewes Adam Reisner in seuen bookes and Christianus Adrichomius haue described Ierusalem the chiefe city of Palaestina IEWRY and ISRAEL An exposition with an history or discourse vpon certaine places of this Mappe ADER or Eder a tower The Iewes do call a flocke or herd Eder although others do thinke that the word rather signifieth a defect or want and I know not whether it do in those places signifie a floore or plot of ground I meane that which the Latines do call Aream In this place some write that the natiuity or birth of our Sauiour Christ was by the Angels told vnto the Shepheards Beersabe the well of the oth or the well of confirmation made by an oth so called for that Abimelech King of Gerar made a couenant neere this place first with Abraham Gen. 21. then with Isaac Gen. 26. Againe Iacob going into Aegypt when he came vnto this well he was encouraged and commanded by a voice from heauen that he should boldly go downe into Aegypt and not feare God promising him that out of his seed should come the Captaine or Leader of the Gentiles and the Redeemer of Israel Gen. 46. It is also called the Fountaine of fulnesse or saturity for Agar the handmaid of Abraham when she was with her sonne Ismaël cast out by Sara her mistresse she wandred vp and downe in this place ready to die presently with her sonne for want of drinke but the Angell shewed her this well whereby she with the child drunke their fill and were satisfied Gen. 21. Neither is that Beersabee Gen. 22.3 King 13. diuerse from this BETHANIA the house of obedience or the house of affliction or the house
the coast of Norway or borders of Scotland as we shall by and by shew more plainly m So it is written apparently But obserue heere That of the Arabicke letters diuerse in forme and shape of body are the very same and are onely distinguished one from another by pricks or points placed either ouer their heads or vnderneath them Heereupon it is that that Arabicke word which heere I call _____ Zanbaga supposing only one letter to be misplaced which might be the fault of the printer may indifferently be either _____ Norbaga or Norwega as the Danes call it or _____ Neriga or Nerigon whereof Pliny speaketh which is all one in effect For Pomponius Mela saith that Thule Bergarum thus the learned Clarencieux readeth not Belgarum litori apposita est that is Thule is vpon the coast of Norway oueragainst the citie Bergen And it is out of all question saith the same authour that by Nerigon Pliny did vnderstand that same country which at this day we call Norway n That our authour did meane Island if there were no other argument this one were alone sufficient to prooue it For I doe not remember that any one of the ancient writers euer tooke vpon him to define Thule according to his length and breadth only Ptolemey and those other authours haue pointed at it as we haue shewed before and haue told vs whereabout it lieth in the Sea by the longitude and latitude of it as also by the situation of it from Scotland The Orkeney iles and Bergen in Norway Whereas he saith that the length of Rosland is 400 miles it is I say apparant that he meant Island For Ortelius in his Island thus writeth of it Patet haec insula in longitudiue centum milliarium Germanicorum vt vulgus scriptorum habet The length of this Iland as the common sort of writers doe testifie is one hundred Germane miles Now that a common or ordinary Dutch mile doth containe foure English or Italian miles it is a thing so commonly knowen that it needeth no proofe But hauing handled Gentle Reader the particulars for the most part before in their seuerall places least I be too tedious in a thing not greatly needfull I cease to trouble thee any longer GALIZIA a kingdome of Spaine THe kingdome of GALIZIA is bounded vpon the West and North with the Ocean sea vpon the East with the Asturias and the kingdome of Leon vpon the South with the riuer Min̄o and the Kingdome of Portingall It was sometime as Ferdinand Oiea the authour of this Mappe writeth much greater then now it is at this daie and was then held to be one of the largest kingdomes of all Spaine For it extended it selfe Eastward vp as farre as the mountaines of Biscaya and the head of the great riuer Duero Durius Pliny calleth it and so from thence it ranne all along by the banke of this riuer euen till where it falleth into the maine sea as our said authour prooueth by the testimony of Marius Aretius in his description of Spaine of Annius Viterbius and Floriano de Campo in the 40. chapter of his fourth booke and likewise in the third chapter of his fourth booke It is very vneuen and mounteinous or euery where full of dry barrein hils and dales and therfore much of it by reason it wanteth water is waste and not inhabited Their Villages and townes especially the greater and better sort of them are situate vpon the Sea or vpon some great riuer not farre from thence except Santiago Lugo and Mondon̄edo with one or two more Yet which is very strange heere are bred such woonderfull store of horses that that fable which reporteth that hereabouts in Spaine the mares conceiue with foale by vertue of the winde may seeme to be something probable Yea and this our authour Fernandez Oiea saith that it hath great store of cattell and of all manner of Deere aswell for necessary prouision and mainteinance of the house as for game and disporte for the nobility and gentry of the land But of Fish heere taken not only in the Sea but also in the fresh riuers there is such variety and woonderfull store that it is from hence conueighed to most places throughout all Spaine It hath many hot bathes and other springs and waters of rare and soueraigne vertues It yeeldeth great plenty of wine and that so good especially that which is made about Orense and Riuadauia that it is transported from hence farre and neere into all countries Christian It offordeth much good fruite of all sorts but especially of Limons and Orenges Silke and Flax are verie great and gainefull commodities vnto the inhabitants Heere were sometime as Pliny testifieth very rich Mines of gold And Niger writeth that amongst the Artabri who inhabited not farre from Cape finister the riuers and brooks did bring downe after any great store of raine Earth mingled with Siluer Tynne and Gold-ore yea and that the soile heere was so fertile of Gold Copper and Lead that ofttimes the husbandmen with their ploughes did turne vp great cloddes of good gold Yet we know now saith Maginus that the Mines of this country at this day are of no great account It hath also some quarreis of fine marble Pedro de Medina reckoneth vp threescore Cities and townes of note in Galizia of which these following are the most famous and renowmed and therefore the more worthy the speaking of in this place COMPOSTELLA a goodly city situate betweene the two riuers Sar and Sarela is now commonly called and knowen by the name of SANTIAGO Saint Ieameses for that the body of the glorious Apostle Saint Iames elder brother to Iohn the Euangelist who first preached the gospel heere and planted Christianity amongst the Spaniards lieth heere interred and in honour of this blessed Apostle by the consent generally of all Prince Nobles and Prelates it was long since adorned with the title and dignity of Metropolitan This by-word is common amongst the Spaniards That there be three Apostolicall Churches in the world most renowmed and famous Saint Peters in Rome Saint Ieamses in Spaine and Saint Iohns in Ephesus They commonly hold that the first Church that euer was built in Spaine was that of our Lady in Saragosa the second was this of Saint Iames. Heere also is a goodly Vniuersity and schoole of good learning where all the Liberall Sciences are professed and taught and many students are brought vp and maintained vntill they come to be of age and abilitie for publike seruice either in the Church or Commonwealth The GROINE is a very goodly towne situate in an isthmos or demy-ile betweene two baies or creeks of the sea whereof the one is held to be one of the best hauens of the world And therefore heere for the most parte of the Kings ships in time of peace doe lie at anchor LVGO one of the principall cities of all Galizia standeth vpon the Min̄o not farre from Castro de Rey where this riuer ariseth It