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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09829	The most noble and famous trauels of Marcus Paulus, one of the nobilitie of the state of Venice, into the east partes of the world, as Armenia, Persia, Arabia, Tartary, with many other kingdoms and prouinces. No lesse pleasant, than profitable, as appeareth by the table, or contents of this booke. Most necessary for all sortes of persons, and especially tor trauellers. Translated into English; Travels of Marco Polo. English	Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?; Frampton, John, fl. 1577-1596.	1579 (1579)	STC 20092; ESTC S105055	116,899	196

Armenia he lesser and of many things that there is made CHAP. 5. FIrst and formost I will beginne to declare of the Prouince of Armenia noting suche commodities as there is You shall vnderstand there be two Armenias the greater and the lesser In the lesser there is a King subiect to the Tartar and he dothe maynteyne the Countrey in peace and iustice In this Countrey be many Cities and Townes and greate abundance of all things In thys Countrey they take great pleasure and pastime in Hawking and Hunting as well of wilde beastes as of Fowles of all sortes In that Countrey be many infirmities by reason the ayre is yll there and for that cause the men of that Countrey that were wonte to be valiant and strong in armes bée turned nowe to be vile and giuen to ydlenesse and drunckennesse In this Prouince vpon the Sea side there is a Citie called Gloza wherevnto is greate trade of Merchandise and all Merchantes that doe traffique thither haue their Cellers and Warehouses in that Citie as well Venetians and Ianoueys and all other that do occupye into Leuant Of the Torchomanos in Armenia the lesser CHAP. 6. I Haue declared vnto you of Armenia the lesser and now I will shewe you of Torchomania whiche is a part of Armenia in the which ther be thrée maner of people the one called Torchomanos and those bée Mahomets and speake the Persian language and they liue in the Mountaynes and fieldes whereas they may find pasture for their Cattell for those people liue by the gaines of their Cattell There be very good Horses called Torchomani and good Mayles of great value The other or second maner of people be Armenians and Greekes and those dwell and liue togither and liue by occupations and trade of Merchandises There they doe make very goodly and rich Carpettes large and fayre as you shall finde in any place Also they worke there cloth of Crymson Silke and other goodly couloures The chiefest Cities in that Countrey be Chemo Isiree and Sebasto whereas Saint Blase was martired There be also many Townes of which I make no mention and they bée subiecte to the Tartar of the East and he setteth gouernoures there Of Armenia the greater and of the Arke of Noe. CHAP. 7. ARmenia the greater is a greate Prouince or Countrey In the beginning thereof is a greate Citie called Armenia where they doe make excellente Bochachims or Buckrams In this Citie be very good Bathes naturallye And this Countrey is subiect to the Tartar there is in it many Cities Townes and the most noble Citie is called Archinia which hath ioyning to it two prouinces the one called Archeten the other Arzire In this Citie is a Bishop The people of this Countrey in the sommer time bée in the pastures meddowes but in the winter they can not by reason of the great cold snow waters for then it is so colde the scant the cattell and beastes can liue there and for this cause they do driue their cattel into warmer places wher they haue grasse plēty In this gret Armenia is the Arke of Noe on a high Mountain towards the South which doth ioyne to a Prouince towardes the East called Mausill And in that Prouince diuell Christians which be called Iacobites and Nestorians Heretikes of the which hereafter shall be spoken This Countrey towards the North doth ioyne vpon the Georgians of the whych shall be spoken in the next Chapter In this part towards the Georgians there is a well the water wherof is like oyle and is of great abundance quantitie that sometimes they lade .100 Ships with it And this oyle is not good to eate but for Lamps and Candles and to annoint Camels Horses and other beastes that be galled scabbie and haue other infirmities and for this cause it is fetched into diuers places Of the Georgians and of the Tovver and gate of yron CHAP. 8. IN Georgiania is a king called Nand Maliche which is as much to say as Dawnid and is subiect to the Tartar. The saying is that in the olde time the Kings of that Prouince were borne with a token or signe vnder their right shoulder In this Countrey the men be faire of body venterous valiant in armes and good archers and are Christians Gréekes mingled togither they go all with their heare like Priestes This is the Prouince that King Alexander could not passe whē he woulde haue come towards the West parts bycause that wayes were dangerous narrow compassed on the one side with that Sea on the other side with high Mountaines that no Horse can passe or go for the space of four leagues for the way is so narrow strōg that a few mē be able to kéepe it against al the hostes of the world And K. Alexander perceiuing that by no meanes he coulde passe would likewise make prouision that the people of that Countrey might not passe to him And made there a greate strong Tower which is called the Tower and gate of yron In this Prouince of the Georgians be many Cities and townes there they do make great plēty of cloth of gold of silke in great abundance for they haue greate plentie of silke And there doe bréede the goodlyest and best Hawkes in the world And the Countrey is plentifull of all things néedefull They liue there by the trade of Merchandise and by labour of the Countrey Through all this Countrey is greate Mountaynes and the way narrow and strong and many welles and for this cause the Tartars can neuer haue the vpper hand of them There is a Monast●rie of Monckes of the order of Saint Bernarde and hard by the Monasterie there is a water that descendeth from the Mountayne in the which they find no fishe but in Lent and then they do take it in greate plentie from the firste day of Lent till Easter euen The place is called Geluchelan and hath sixe hundred Miles compasse and it is from the Sea twelue dayes iourney and this water entreth into Euphrates whyche is one of the foure principall Riuers whiche come from Paradice terrenall and commeth out of India and is deuided into many branches and doth compasse those hilles From thence they bring a silke called Gella Now I haue declared vnto you the partes of Armenia which be towards the North and now I wil declare vnto you of others their neyboures which be towards the South and West Of the parties of Armenia tovvards the South and of the Kingdome of Mosull CHAP. 9. MOsull is a great Kingdome in the which dwell many generations of people called Arabies and all be of the secte of Mahomet although there be some Christians called Iacobites and Nestorians and these haue by themselues a Patriarke called Iacobia and he dothe institute Bishops Archbishops Abbots Priestes and other Religious men There is made cloth of gold and of silke which

be called by the name of the Kingdome Mosulinus and there is greate plentie and abundance of it and also greate plentie of spices and good cheape and of other Merchandise In the Mountaynes of this prouince dwell people cal●ed Cordos and others called Iacobinos The rest be Moores of the sect of Mahomet and be good men of warre and be all rouers and robbers of Merchants Of Baldach and of many goodly things that be there CHAP. 10. BAldache is a very great Citie in the whych is resident one that is called Calipho whiche is among that Moores as it were chiefe gouernour head Through the middest of the Citie runneth a great Riuer and goeth into the Indian Sea. And there is from this Citie to the place where it entreth into the Sea. xviij dayes iourney From this Citie to the Sea and from the Sea to this Citie there dothe passe dayly by this Riuer in many and diuers vessels diuers kinds of Merchandise and they haue to their neyboure the India And in this Countrey is a Citie called Chisi By thi●●iuer they goe to the Indian Sea. Betwéene Baldach and Chisi vppon the Riuer is a Citie called Barsera compassed with greate Mountaynes of Palmes and Date trées perfect good In Baldach they doe make cloth of golde of diuers sortes and cloth of silke called cloth of Nasich of Chrimson and of diu●rs other coloures and fashions There is great plentie of foure footed Beastes and of Fowles This Citie is one of the best and the noblest in the worlde There was in this Citie a Calipho of the Moores wonderfull and maruellous rich of gold and pretious stones And in the yeare of our Lorde God .1230 the King of the Tartars called Alan ioyned a greate company and went and sette vpon this Citie and toke it by force being in the C●tie one hundred thousande Horsemen besides infinite number of footemen And there he founde a great Tower full of golde siluer and pretious stones And King Alan séeing this great treasure maruelled much and sent for the Calipho and sayd vnto him I do much maruell of thy auarice that hauing so great treasure didst not giue parte of it to mainteyne valiant men that might defend me from thée knowing that I was thy mortall enimie And perceyuing the Calipho knewe not how to make him an answere said vnto him bycause thou louest this treasure so well I will thou shalte haue thy fill of it and caused him to be shut fast in the same Tower where he liued foure dayes and died miserably for hunger and from that time forwards the Moores woulde haue no more Caliphos in that Citie Of a Citie called Totis and of other notable things CHAP. 11. TOtis is a greate Citie of the Prouince or Countrey of Baldach in the whiche Prouince there be manye Cities and Townes but the most noblest is Totis The people of thys Citie bée Merchantes and h●ndycraftes men There they do make cloth of golde and of silke very riche and of greate value And this Citie is sette in so good a place that they doe bryng thyther all Merchandises of India and of Baldach and of Osmaseilli and of Cremes and of many other Cities and Countreys and also of the Latines There is greate plenty of pretious stones and for that cause the Merchants gette muche Thyther trade the Armenians Iacobite● Nestorians Persians and these in a manner bée all Mahomets Rounde aboute this Citie be many fayre Gardens full of singular good frutes although the Moores that there doe dwell be very ill people robbers and killers Of a great miracle that hapned in Mosull CHAP. 12. IN Mosull a Citie in the Prouince of Baldach was a Calipho a great enimie of the Christians whose studie daye and night was how he might destroy them and to make them forsake their faith in Iesus Christ and vpon this ioyned in councell diuers times with hys wise men and in the ende one of them said I will tell you a way how you shal haue good cause to kill or force them to renounce their Faith. Iesus Christ sayth in hys Gospell If you haue so much Faith as the grayne of Mustard seede and saye to thys Mountayne passe from this place to another place it woulde do therefore cause to be called togither all the Christians and commaund them by their beléefe that such a hill doe passe from that place to suche a place truly it is not possible for them to doe it and not doing it you may iustly saye to them that eyther theyr Gospell dothe not saye truth and by that meanes they follow lyes or else they haue not so much Fayth as a grayne of Mustarde séede And thus as well for the one as for the other you maye iustly putte them to death or else force them to forsake theyr Fayth they holde This councell pleased well the Calipho and those of hys sect beléeuing that nowe they hadde good occasion to performe their euill purpose and incontinent he commaunded all the Chrystians that were in hys Countrey to come togither whiche was a great number and they being come before hym he cause thē to reade those Scriptures of Iesus christ And after that euery one of them had hearde it he asked them if they beléeued that these sayings were true and they answered yea Incōtinent said the Calipho to them I wil giue you fiftéene days respite to make either yōder hil to passe to such a place or else to renounce youre fayth in Iesus Christe as false and to turne Moores and if you will not doe this you shall all die And the Christians hearing this cruell sentence were sore troubled yet on the other part they comforted themselues with hope in the faith they had in the truth they beléeued And incontinent the Bishops and Prelates and Ministers that were among the Christians commaunded all the Christians men women and children to fall to continuall Prayer to oure Lorde Iesus Christ that he would helpe and councell them howe to rule and gouerne themselues in that greate trouble and néede And after eyght dayes were past appeared an Angell to a holy Bishop and commaunded him that he should say vnto a Shomaker that was a Christian that had but one onely eye that he should make Prayers to God the which for his fayth and Prayers shoulde make that hill remoue from his place into the place the Calipho had appoynted And incontinente the Bishop sente for that Shomaker and with great desire prayed him to make Prayers to oure Lord God that for hys m●rcie and pitie he woulde remoue that hill as the Calipho and M●ores had appoynted The poore Shom●ker excused himselfe saying he was a greate Sinner and vnworthy to demaund that grace of God and this excuse he made with great humilitie like a iust and chast man full of vertue and holynesse and a kéeper of Gods commaundements deuoute and a great almes man according to his abilitie You sh●ll vnderstande

by his sayd wiues two and twentie Sonnes the eldest of them is called Chinchis in remembrance of the first King of Tartares and also to renue that name this firste sonne is called Chinchis Cane and shoulde haue succéeded his father in the Kingdome but bycause he dyed before his father his eldest sonne called Themur Cane and this his sonnes sonne bycause he should raigne after him kepte a greate Court by himselfe Of a greate Citie called Cambalu and of all the goodly and maruellous things that be done there CHAP. 55. NOw I will declare vnto you of the worthy and noble Citie called Cambalu the whiche is in the prouince of Cathaya This Citie is foure and twenty myles compasse and is fouresquare that is to euery quarter sixe miles compasse The wall is very strong of twenty paces high and battlements of thrée paces high The wall is fiue paces thicke This Citie hathe twelue gates and at euery gate is a very faire pallace And vpon the toppe of euery corner of the said wal is also a faire pallace and in all these pallaces ioyning to the wall be many people appoynted for to watch and kéepe the Citie And in those pallaces be all maner of armour and weapons for the defence and strength of the Citie The stréetes of this Citie be so faire and streight that you may sée a Candle or fire from the one ende to the other In this Citie be manye fayre Pallaces and houses And in the middest of it is a notable greate and faire Pallace in the whiche there is a great Toure wherein there is a greate Bell and after that Bell is tolled thrée times no body may goe abroade in the Citie but the watchmen that be appoynted for to kéepe the Citie and the nurses that doe kéepe children newly borne and Phisitions that goe to visit the sicke and these may not go without light At euery gate nightlye there is a thousand men to watch not for feare of any enimies but to auoyde théeues and robbers in the Citie which many times do chance in the Citie And this great watche the greate Cane doth cause to conserue and kéepe h●s people and subiects that no man should do them hurt Without this Citie be twelue suburbes very greate and euery one of thē answereth to his gate of the Citie And in these be many Merchantes and men of occupations and thyther do resort all people that come out of the Countreys and such Lordes as haue to do with the King or his Courtes And in these suburbes be moe than twentye thousande single or common women and neuer a one of them maye dwell within the Citie on payne of burning Out of this Citie goeth euery daye aboue a thousande Cartes with silke The great Cane is garded euery night with twentie thousande Gentlemen on Horsebacke not for any feare but for dignitie They be called Chisitanos which is as much to say as Knightes for the body or trustie Knights The manner of the great Cane for his dinner is this They make ready all the Tables rounde about the Hall and in the middest of the Hall is made ready the Table for the greate Cane setting his backe towardes the North and his face towardes the South His firste wife sitteth next vnto him on hys lefte hande and his other wiues following orderly On his other side do sitte his sonnes and his sonnes children one after another according to his age Those that be of the imperiall lignage do sitte downe afterward at another table more lower And the other Lords and their wiues do sitte at other Tables more lower according to their degrées dignities offices estates and age At the saide Tabl●s commonly do sitte foure thousand persons or very néere and euery one may sée the great Cane as he sitteth at his dinner In the middest of the Hall is a very greate vessell or cesterne of fine gold that will holde tenne Hoggesheads which is alwayes kept full of perfect good drinke And néere vnto that vessell be other foure vessels of siluer bigger than that full of good wine with many other vessels and pottes by them of gold and of siluer which may be of pottels a péece or as muche as will serue foure men for a dinner At dinner out of the vessell of golde wyth pottes of golde they drawe wine for to serue the greate Cane his Table for him his wiues children and kindred and out of the vesselles of siluer with Iars and Pottes of siluer they drawe wine to serue the Lordes and the Ladies and all others sitting at the Tables as well wemen as men And euery one that sitteth at the tables hathe a cuppe of golde before hym to drinke in And euery one that bringeth anye seruice to the greate Canes Table hathe a towell of golde and silke before his mouth bycause his breath shall not come vppon the meate and drinke they bring When the great Cane will drinke all the Musitians that bée in the Hall doe play and euery one that serueth knéeleth downe tyll hée haue drunke In the Hall be alwayes Iesters Iuglers and fooles attending vpon the Tables to make pastime all dynner tyme and after Dinner is done and the Tables taken vppe euerie man goeth aboute his businesse All the Tartares kéepe greate feasting and chéere euery yeare on the daye that Cublay Cane was borne which was on the eight and twentith day of September and that is the greatest feast they make in all the yeare saue one that héereafter shall be spoken of The greate Cane doth apparell himselfe that day he was borne on in cloth of golde maruellous rich and .12000 Barōs be apparelled with him after the same sorte touching the cloth of gold but not so rich and preciouse and euery one of thē hath a great girdle of gold and that apparell and girdles the great Cane giueth them And there is neuer a one of those garments with the girdle but it is worth .10000 Bisancios of golde whiche may be a thousand Markes By this you may perceyue that he is of great power and riches And on the sayde day all the Tartares and Merchantes and subiects and those that dwell in his Countreys be bounde to presente vnto hym euery one somethyng according to his degrée and abilitie in knowledging him to be their Lorde And whatsoeuer he be that doth begge any office or gift of him must giue him a present according to the gift he doth aske And all his Subiects and Merchantes and trauellers or anye other that be founde in his Countreys or Prouinces be vsually bounde to pray for the greate Cane to hys Idols to preserue hym and hys Countreys whether they be Tartares or Christiane or Iewes or Moores The Tartares begin their yeare the firste day of February and do kéepe a great feast that day And the greate Cane and hys Barons with all the rest of the Citie doe apparell themselues in white that daye

there be founde any signe of burning hée is guiltie if not he is quytte There is no pestilence in the Indias nor yet other of the diseases that vse to trouble oure regions and for this cause there is more Townes and people than is to be beléeued There be manye that make hostes of a million of menne whych is .1000000 Nicholas declared that of one to●●e there went out against another tow●● great hosts and had battayle and when the one had ouercome the other for a great triumph they did bring twelue Cart loades of gold laces and of silke with the whych the men that remayned deade had tyed theyr locke hayres that hanged downe vpon their backes He sayd more that sometimes he had gone to their wars only for to sée both parties and they dyd not hurt hym for that they knew hé● was a straunger In an Iland named Laua the great is founde in a fewe places a trée that hath in the middest of the harte a rodd● of yron very small but so long as the hart goeth and hée that hath of this yron next vnto his flesh shall not perishe by no kinde of yron and for this cause there be many that cut their skinnes and put a péece of it betwéene the skinne and the flesh it is much estéemed The things that of the byrde Phoenix be declared and written in verses by Latancio séeme not to be fables for the sayde Nicholas doeth say that at the end of India there is only one byrde named Seuienda whose bil is like vnto Alboge or togither with many hoales and when the time of his death commeth he gathereth togither dry woodde into his neste and sitting vpon it he singeth so swéetely wyth his bill that he delighteth and pleaseth muche those that heare him and then flittering with his wings vppon the wood there cōmeth fire and he letteth hymselfe burne then there commeth a worme out of his neste and of hys ashes and of it bréedeth the birde vnto the likenesse of that byrdes byl Those of that country made the Alnogue with the which they play very swéetly And Nicholas maruelling much of it they tolde him of what the making of it procéeded Also there is in the first India in an Iland called Saylana a riuer named Arotanie so full of fishe that easily they maye take them vp with their handes but as soone as a manne holdeth one of these fishes in his hande there commeth vnto him a Feuar and letting the fish go the Feuar is gone from hym the cause of it appeareth to be the nature of the fish as among vs there is a fish which we call Torpedo whych fish if a man do hold in his hand it will be num and grieue him although the Indians saye that it commeth by meanes of their Goddes by a certaine tale that they do tell of it AFter for an information to the reader kéeping the truth of the Historie I did write those things rehearsed as the sayd Nicholas gaue report and then there came another out of the high India which standeth towardes Septentrion or the North and he came sente vnto the Pope for to sée the things and manners of these parties for in those parties they had fame that in the Occident or west there was another worlde being Christians And this mā declared that neare vnto Cataya there was a kingdome which indured twentie dayes iourney the which king and people were Christians but of the sect of the Nestorians He declared that the Patriach of the Nestorians had sent him for to bring him tydings certaine from these parties He rehearsed that they had bigger more richer Churches than ours being al vaulted and that their Patriarch was very rich in golde and in siluer that euery father of family did giue yearelye vnto him an ounce of siluer I communed with this man by an interpretet whych could the Turkish tong and the Latin and I demaunded of him by meanes of this the wayes townes houses customs manners and of other things that a man delighteth to heare there was great difficultie to learne it for lacke of the interpreter and also of the Indian but he affirmed the power of the great Cane or Emperoure of al men to be greate and mighty for he had vnder him nyne mighty kings Also he declared that he hadde trauelled many months through the high Scithia is nowe Tartaria and throughe Persia and that finallye he came vnto the riuer Euphrates from whence he entered into the sea and sayled vnto Trip●le and from thence to Venice and from thence to Florence He reported to haue séene manye Cities more fai●e than ours both in publike edifications and of Citizens for he declared to haue séene many cities ten myles and of twentie myles in compasse And after that this man had spokē with Eugenius the fourth Pope of that name he wēt from Florence for to sée Rome in deuotion he demaunded neyther siluer nor gold séeming that he came not for gain but only to fulfil the message of hym that sent him IN the same time there came vnto the Pope certaine men from Ethiopia in deuotion of the faith with whō I had communication by an interpreter to knowe if they knew any thing of the riuer of Nilus and of his springing Two of them gaue answere that they were of a countrey being very neare vnt● two welsprings from whence the riuer Nilus procéedeth when I hearde this I coueted to knowe the things that of this matter the olde auntiente Phylosophers namely Ptolomes did write firste of the fountaines of Nilus It appeareth not that they knewe it but only by coniecture to appeare that they drew out some things of the Originall increase of the sayde riuer And as these witnesses of sighte did tell me of these and of others worthy to remayne in memorie it séemed vnto me verye good to write them They declared that the Riuer Nilus hadde his heade and Welspryng neare vnto the Region Equinoctiall at the foote of verye hyghe mountaynes whyche are alwayes couered on the toppe with Mistes from thrée welsprings two of them standing 40. paces the one from the other and in 500. paces they méete and make the riuer so great that no man may passe ouer but with boate The thirde which is the biggest standeth a thousand paces frō the other two and he commeth into the riuer of the others ten myles off Also they sayde that more than 1000. riuers did enter into Nilus and it increaseth so muche in those countryes with the raine of March April and May that it maketh Nilus to swell ouer so muche that it made wonderfull great floudes Also they declared that the water of Nilus was verye swéete and sauerie before he entereth among the other Riuers and it hath vertue to heale those that haue the leaprie and scabs if they washe themselues in it And beyonde the headsprings of Nilus fiftéene dayes iourney there be verye fruitefull countries ful of

that thys Shomaker dyd pull out his eye by this meanes He hadde hearde manye tim●s this saying in the Gospell If thy eye offende thee pull it out and cast it from thee He being a simple man thought that so corporally and m●terially the Scriptures shoulde be vn●erstanded For it chanced on a time there came a M●yde into his Shoppe to bespeake a payre of Shoes and to take the measure of his foote put off hir hose and he withall was tempted to lye with hir remembring himselfe and ●hinking vpon his sinne and yll intent sent hir away without discouering any thing of his yll thoughte and intente and remembring the saying of the holy Gospell being ouercome with zeale and yet not hauing the true knowledge plucked out his eye And so this Shomaker being so desired by the Bishop and other Christians did graunt and promised to praye vnto our Lord God for the sayd cause And the time of the .xv. dayes being come that the Calipho had appoynted he caused to come togither all the Christians whiche came in Procession with their Crosse into a faire playne hard by the hill and Mountayne And to that place came the Calipho with muche people armed with intention that streight way if the Mountayne did not remoue to kill them all Incontinente the Shomaker knéeled downe vppon the earth vpon his bare knées and very deuoutely prayed to oure Lorde lifting vp his hearte and handes to Heauen praying to Iesus Christe to succour and helpe them his Christians that they shoulde not perishe and for that his faith was cléere makyng an end of his Prayer the power of the Almightie God Iesus did cause the Mountayne to remoue and goe from the place it stoode into the place the Calipho and his Councell hadde commaunded And the Moores séeyng thys greate and manyfest miracle stoode wonderfully amazed saying Great is the God of the Christians and the Calipho with a great number of the same Moores became Christned And after this Calipho dyed the Moores that were not Christned would not consente that this Calipho should be buried wheras the other Caliphoes were buried for bycause that after that myracle he lyued and dyed like a true and faythfull Christian. Of Persia and of the Countreys of the Magos and of other good things that be in them CHAP. 13. PErsia is a noble Prouince or Countrey although it was much more in the old time than it is at this present for it was destroyed by the Tartars In Persia is a Citie called Sabba from the which the saying is the thrée Kings departed that went to Iesus Christ that was newly borne in Bethleem In this citie there are Sepulchres very faire and beautifull and I Marcus Paulus was in that Citie and asked of the people of that Countrey what they could say or knewe of the thrée Kings to the which they could say nothing but that they were buried in those thrée Sepulchres But the other people out of the Citie thrée dayes iourney talked of this matter in thys maner following for the which you shal vnderstād that thrée days iourney frō the Citie Sabba is a Towne which is called Calassa Tapeziston which in our language is as much as to say the Towne of them that worship the fire for their god And these people say that whē the thrée Kings departed frō the prouince for to go to the land of the Iewes which was Bethleem to worship the great Prophet there newly borne they carried with thē Golde Incense and Myrre and when they came to Bethleem in Iudea found a child lately borne and did worshippe him for God and presented to him the foresaide thrée things and that the said child did giue thē a little Boxe closed or shut fast commanding thē they should not open it But they after they had trauelled a long iourney it came in their mindes to sée what they carried in the said Boxe and opened it and foūd nothing in it but only a stone and they taking it in ill parte that they sawe nothing else did cast it into a well and by and by descended fire from Heauen and burnt all the Well wyth the stone And the Kings séeing this each of them toke of the same fire and carried it into their Countreys and for thys cause they do worship the fire as god And when it chanceth in any place in that Countrey that they lacke fire they goe to séeke it in another place where they cā get of it and so do light their Lampes And sometimes they goe and séeke it eyght or tenne dayes iourney and not finding of it they goe ofttymes to the Well aforesayd to haue of the same fire Of all this before written you shall take that which doth agrée with the holy Gospell in saying the thrée Kings went to worship our Lord Iesu and did offer those giftes aforesaide All that is declared besides that be erroures and reacheth not to the truth but augmēted with lyes vpon lyes as the vulgar people without knowledge are accustomed to do Of eyght Kingdomes in Persia and the commodities of them CHAP. 14. IN the Prouince of Persia be eyght Kingdomes the first is called Casun the second which is towardes the South is Curdistan the third Lore the fourth Ciestan the fifth Iustanth the sixth Iciagi the seauenth Corchara the eyght Tunchay All these Kingdomes be in Persia in the partes towards the South sauing Tunchay In these Kingdomes be very faire Horses and Moyles coursers of great value and Asses the greatest in the worlde of great price that wil go and runne very swiftely and these the Merchants of India do commonly buy in the Cities of Atris● of Arcones which do ioyne by Sea vpon the India and do sel thē as Merchandise In this Kingdome Tunchay be very cruell mē that wil kill one another If it were not for feare of the Tartar of the East which is their Lord and King neyther Merchant nor other could passe but should be eyther robbed or taken prisoner They be strong people and be of the sect of Mahomet There they do worke and make greate plentie of cloth of gold and silke in great abundance and rich In that Countrey gr●weth greate plentie of Cotten wooll Also there is gr●ate abundance of Wheate Barly Dates and ●ther grayne and Wine and Oyles and frutes Of Iasoy and of many maruellous things there CHAP. 15. IAsoy is a goodly Citie and bigge full of Merchants There they do make great abundance of cloth of gold and silke They be called accordyng to the Citie Iasoy The people of this Countrey be of the sect of Martin Pinol that is Mahomet and do speake another language than the Persians And going forward eyght dayes iourney from this Citie through a playne Countrey but not peopled or anye Towne sauing Mountaynes where is great plentie of Partriches and wild Asses at the ende of this is the Kingdome of the Crerina that is a

very good for ●ll trauellers What is found in that Countrey CHAP. 18. DEparting from the foresayd Castell you shall come into ● very faire playne full of gr●sse with all things in it fitte for mans sustenance And this playne dothe last ●ixe dayes iourney in the whiche there is man● fayre Cities and Townes The ●●●ple of that Countrey ●peake the Persian language and haue greate lacke of water and sometimes they shall fortune to go .40 miles and not finde water Therfore it shall be needefull for those that do trauell that way to carrie w●ter with them from plac●●o place And being past these sixe dayes iourn●y there is a Citie called Sempergayme faire and pleasaunte with abundance of victuals There be excellen●e good Mellones and the best Hunters for wilde beastes and t●king of wilde Fowle that be in the world Of the Citie of Baldach and of many other things CHAP. 19. TRauelling forward in this Countrey you shall come to a Citie called Baldach in the whiche King Alexander married with the daughter of Darius king of the Persians This Citie is of the Kingdome of Persia they do t●●re speake the Persian tong and be all of the sect of Mahomet And this Countrey dothe ioyne with the Tartar of the East betwéene the Northeast and the East And departing from this Citie towardes the Countreys of the said Tartar you shall goe two dayes iourney withoute finding any Towne bycause the people of that Countrey do couet to the strong Mountaynes bycause of the ill people that be there In that Countrey be many waters by reason whereof is greate plenty of wild Fowle and of wylde Beasts and there be man● Lions It is néedefull for the trauellers that way to carrie prouision with them that shall be néedefull for themselues and for their Horses those two dayes iourney And being past that you shall come to a Towne called Thaychan a pleasaunt place and well prouided of all vittayles néedefull and the hilles be tow●rdes the South faire and large That prouince is .xxx. dayes iourney And there is great plētie of salt that all the Cities and Townes thereaboutes haue their salt from thence Of that Countrey CHA● ▪ 20. DEparting from that towne and trauelling Northeast and to the East for the space of thrée dayes iourney you shall come to faire Cities and Townes well prouided and victuals and frutes in great abundance and these people do speake the Persian language and be Mahomets There be singular good wines and great drinkers and yll people They go bareheaded hauing a Towell knit about● their browes They weare nothing but skinnes that they do dresse Of the Citie Echasen CHAP. 12. AFter that you haue trauelled forwarde foure dayes iourney you shall come to a Citie called Echasen on a playne and there is not farre from it manie Cities and townes and great plentie of woods about it There goeth through the middest of this Citie a gret riuer There is in that countrie many wilde beastes and when they be disposed to take anye of them they will cast dartes and shoot● them into the flancks and into the sides The people of that countrey doe speake the Persian tong and the husbandmen with their cattayle do liue in the fieldes and in the woods Of the manner of the Countrie CHAP. 22. DEparting from this Citie you shall trauayle thrée dayes iourney without comming to any towne or finding any victuals eyther to eate or drinke and for thys cause the trauellers do prouide themselues for the time at the end of these thrée days iourney you shal come to a prouince called Ballasia Of the prouince called Ballasia and of the commodities there CHAP. 23. BAllasia is a great prouince they do speake the Persian tong be Mahomets and it is a great kingdome and auncient There did raygne the successours of king Alexander and of Darius king of Persia. And their king is called Culturi which is as much to say as Alexander and is for remembraunce of the great king Alexāder In this countrey grow the precious stones called Ballasses of greate value And these stones you can not carrie out of the countrey without speciall licence of the king on pain of léesing life and goods And those that he doth let passe be eyther he doth forgiue tribute of some king or else that he doth sell and if they were not so straightlye kept they would be little worth there is such great plentie of them This countrie is very colde and there is found greate plenty of siluer there be very good coursers or horses that be neuer shod bycause they bréede in the mountaines and woods There is great plentie of wilde foule and greate plentie of corne and Myl● and Loli● In this kingdome be great woods narrow ways strong men and good Archers and for this cause they feare no bodie There is no cloth they apparell themselues with skinnes of beastes that they kil The women do weare wrapped aboute their b●dies lik● the neather part of garments some an hundreth fathom some fourescore of linnen very fine and thinne m●de of flaxe and Cotton wool for to séeme great and fayre and they doe weare bréeches very fine of silke with Muske put in them Of the Prouince of Abassia vvhere the people be blacke CHAP. 24. AFter you be departed f●ō Ballasia eyght dayes iourney towards the South you haue a prouince cal●ed Abassia whose people be blacke and do speake the Persian tong and doe worship Idolles There they do vse Negromancie The men do weare at their heares iewels of golde siluer and pretious stones They be malicious people and leacherous by reason of the great heate of that Countrey and they eate nothing but flesh and Rice Of the Prouince called Thassimur and of many things there CHAP. 25. WIthin the iurisdiction of this Countrey betwéene the East and the South there is a Prouince called Thassymur and the people do speake the Persian tong They be Idolaters and great Negromancers and do call to the Spirits and make them to speake in the Idols and do make their Temples séeme to moue They doe trouble the ayre and doe many other diuelish things From hence they may go to the Indian Sea. The people of that Countrey be blacke and leane and do eate nothing but flesh and Rice The Countrey is temperate In this Countrey be many Cities and Townes and rounde about many hilles and strong wayes to passe And for this cause they feare no body and their King dothe mainteyne them in peace and iustice There be also Hermit●s that do kéepe great abstinence in eating drinking And there be Monasteries and many Abbeys with Monkes very deuout in their Idolatrie and naughtinesse Of the saide prouince of Thassymur CHAP. 26. I Minde not now to passe further in this prouince for in passing of it I sh●uld enter into the Indeas wherof for this time I wil not declare any thing but at the returne I wil