bulles Also Alces lyke vnto hartes whiche the Moscouites caule Lozzi and are cauled of the Germaynes Helenes helenes On the East syde of Moscouia are the Scythyans which are at this day cauled Tartars Of the Scythyans and Tartars a wanderinge nation and at all ages famous in warres In the stede of houses they vse wagons couered with beastes hydes wherby they were in owlde tyme cauled Amaxouii Amaxouii For cities and townes they vse greate tentes and pauilions not defended with trenches or waules of tymber or stone but inclosed with an innumerable multitude of archers on horsebacke The Tartares are diuided by companies which they caule Hordas hordâ— which word in theyr toonge signifieth a consentynge companye of people gathered togyther in forme of a citie Euery Horda is gouerned by an Emperour whom eyther his parentage or warlyke prowes hath promoted to that dignitie For they oftentimes keepe warre with theyr bortherers and contende ambiciously and fiercely for dominion The large dominion of the Tartars It dooth hereby appeare that they consiste of innumerable Hordas in that the Tartars possesse the most large desertes euen vnto the famous citie of Cathay in the furthest Ocean in the East They also that are neareste to the Moscouites Cathay are knowen by theyr trade of marchaundies and often incursions The Tartars of Europe In Europe nere vnto the place cauled Dromon Achillis in Taurica Chersoneso are the Tartars cauled Precopites the dowghter of whose prince Selymus Themperour of the Turkes tooke to wyfe These are most infest to the Polones and wast the regions on euery syde betwene the ryuers of Boristhenes and Tanais They that in the same Taurica possesse Caffam a colonie of the LiguriaÌ„s cauled in owlde tyme Theodosia doo bothe in religion al other thynges agree with the Turkes But the Tartars that inhabite the regions of Asia betwene Tanais and Uolga are subiecte to Basilius the kynge of the Moscouites The Tartars of Asia are subiecte to the Duâ—e of Moscouia and thuse them a â—ouernour at his assignement Amonge these the Cremii afflicted with ciuile seditions where as heretofore they were riche and of great poure haue of late yeares loste theyr dominion and dignitie The Tartars that are beyonde the ryuer of volga The Tartars beyonde the ryuer of Uolga do religiously obserue the freÌ„dship of the Moscouites and professe them selues to be their subiectes Beyond the Cassanites towarde the Northe are the Sciambani rich in heardes of cattaâ—lle and consistynge of a great multitude of men After these arâ— Nogai Nogai Sigismunduâ— cauleth them Nogaysri whiche obteyne at this daye the chiefe fame of ryches and warly affayres Theyr Horda althowgh it bee most ample yet hath it no emperoure but is gouerned by the wysdome and vertue of the most ancient and valient men after the maner of the common wealthe of Uenece Beyonde the Nogais sumwhat towarde the south and the Caspian sea the nobelest nation of the Tartars cauled Zagathai The nobelesâ— nation of the Tartars inhabite townes buylded of stone and haue an exceadynge greate and fayre citie cauled Samarcanda which Iaxartes the greate ryuer of Sogdiana runneth through The ryuer Iaxartes and passinge from thense about a hundreth myles fauleth into the Caspian sea With these people in owre dayes Ismael the Sophi and kynge of Persia hathe often tymes kepte war with doubtfull successe Ismael the Sophâ— kyngâ— of Persia. In so muche that fearynge the greatenesse of theyr poure which heresysted with all that he myght he lefte Armenia and Taurisium the chiefe citie of the kyngedome for a pray to Selinius the vyctourer of one wynge of the battayle From the citie of Samarcanda The citie of SamarcaÌ„da descended Tamburlanes the myghty Emperoure of the Tartars whome sum caule Tanberlanis TaÌ„burlanes the myghtie Emperour of the Tartars The conquestes of Tamburlanes But Demetrius sayth that he shulde bee cauled Themircuthlu Thys is he that abowte the yeare of Chryste M. CCC.lxxxxviii subdued almost all the Easte partes of the worlde And lastly with an innumerable multytude of men inuaded the Turkes dominions with whom Baiasetes Ottomanus their kynge and father to the greate grandefather of this Solyman that nowe lyueth metinge at Ancyra in the confines or marches of Galatia and Bythinia gaue hym a sore battaile in the whiche selfe on the Turaes parte .20000 men and Baiasetes hym selfe was taken prisoner Baiasetes whom Tamburlanes caused to bee locked in an irenâ—cage and so caried hym abowte with hym throwgh all Asia which he also conquered with a terrible army He conquered al the landes betwene Tanais and Nilus and in fine vanquisshed in battayle the great Soltane of Egypte whom he chased beyonde Nilus and tooke also the citie of Damascus Frome the region of these Tartars cauled Zagathei is browght great plentie of silken apparel to the Moscouites This apâ—arel tâ—ey haue of the Perâ—ians But thâ— Tartars that inhabite the midland or inner regions bâ—inge none other wares then truckes or droues of swyftâ— runnynge horses and clokes made of whyte feltes also hales or tentes to withstonde thiniuries of coulde and rayne These they make very artificially and apte for the purpose They receaue agayne of the Moscouites coaâ—es of cloth and syluer monye The Tartars traffiâ—ke wâ—th the Moscouites conteynynge all other bodely ornamentes and the furnyture of superfluous housolde stuffe For beynge defended ageynst the violence of wether and teÌ„pestes only with suche apparell and couerture whereof wee haue spoken they trust only to theyr arrowes which they shoote aswell backwarde flyinge as when they assayle theyr enemies face to face Albeit when they determined to inuad Europ theyr princes and capitaynes had helmetts coates of fense and hooked swoordes which they bought of the Persians Towarde the southe The tartars of the South syde of Moâ—couia the houndes of Moscouia are termined by the same Tartars which possesse the playn regyons nere vnto the Caspian sea aboue the marysshes of Meotis in Asia and aboutâ— the â—yuers of Borysthenes and Tanais in parte of Europe The people cauled Roxolani Gete and Bastarne Gete and Roxolani inhabited these regions in oulde tyme of whom I thynke the name of Russia tooke originall Russia For they caule parte of Lituania Russia the lower wheras Moscouia it selfe is cauled whyte Russia Lituania therfore lyeth on the Northwest syde of Moscouia Moscouia cauled white Russia Lituania Pruissa Liuonis Denmarke Norway Tuecia The people of Laponia But towarde the full west the mayne landes of Prussia and Liuonia are ioyned to the confines or marches of Moscouia where the Sarmatian sea breakynge furth of the streightes of Cimbrica Chersonesus nowe cauled Denmarke is beÌ„ded with a crooked goulfe towarde the northe But in the furthest bankes of that Ocean where the large kyngedomes of Norwaye and Suecia are ioyned to the continent and almoste enuironed with the sea are
ryuers and the resytus with a large mote that receaueth plentie of water frome the sayde ryuers The citie is also defended on the other syde with an other ryuer named Iausa whiche fauleth also into Moscus a little beneath the citie Furthermore Moscus runnyng towarde the South fauleth into the ryuer Ocha or Occa muche greater then it selfe at the towne Columna The ryuer Ocha and not very farre from thense Ocha it selfe increased with other riuers vnladeth his streames in the famous riuer Uolga Uolga wher at the place where they ioyne is situate the citie of Nouogrodia the lesse Nouogrodia so named in respecte of the greater citie of that name from whense was browght the firste colonie of the lesse citie Uolga cauled in owlde tyme Rha Rha. hath his originall of the greate marysshes named the white lakes The whyte lakes These are aboue Moscouia betwene the Northe and the West and sende furthe from them almost all the ryuers that are dispersed into dyuers regions on euery syde as wee see of the Alpes from whose toppes and sprynges descend the waters of whose concourse the ryuers of Rhene Po and Rodanum haue theyr increase For these marysshes in the steade of mountaynes ful of sprynges minister abundant moysture forasmuch as no mountaynes are yet founde in that region by the longe trauayles of men in so much that manye that haue byn studious of the owlde Cosmographie suppose the Ryphean and Hyperborean mountaynes so often mentioned of the ancient writers The Ryphean hyperborean mountaynes to bee fabulous From these marysshes therfore the ryuers of Dwina Ocha Moschus Uolga Tanais and Borysthenes haue theyr originall The Tartars caule Uolga Edel Tanais they caule Don And Borysthenes is at this day cauled Neper Tanais and Boristhenes This a lyttle beneathe Taurica runneth into the sea Euxinus The sea Euxinus Tanais is receaued of the marysshes of Meotis at the noble marte towne AzouÌ„ But Uolga leauynge the citie of Moscha towarde the south and runnynge with a large circuite and greate wyndynges and creekes first towarde the Easte then to the West and lastly to the south fauleth with a full streame into the Caspian or Hyrcan sea The Caspian sea Aboue the mouth of this is a citie of the Tartars cauled Cytrachan which sum caule Astrachan Astrachan where martes are kepte by the marchauntes of Media Media Armenia Armenia and Persia. Persia. On the further banke of Uolga there is a towne of the Tartars cauled Casan Casan of the which the Horda of the Casanite Tartars tooke theyr name It is distante from the mouth of Uolga the Caspian sea fyue hundreth myles Aboue Casan Cl. myles at the enteraunce of the ryuer Sura Sura Basilius that now reigneth buylded a towne cauled Surcium Surcium to thintente that in those desertes the marchauntes and trauailers which certifie the gouernours of the marches of the doinges of the Tartars and the maners of that vnquiet nation may haue a safe mansion amonge theyr customers Themperours of Moscouia at dyuers tymes eyther moued therto by occasion of thynges presente or for the desyre they had to nobilitate newe and obscure places haue kepte the seate of theyr courte and Empire in dyuers cities For Nouogrodia whiche lyeth towarde the Weste and the Lyuon sea Nouogrodiâ— not many yeares past was the headde citie of Moscouia obteyned euer the chiefe dignitie by reason of the incredible number of houses and edifies with the oportunitie of the large lake replenysshed with fysshe and also for the fame of the moste auncient and venerable temple whiche more then foure hundreth yeres sence was dedicated to Sancta Sophia Chryste the soonne of God The temple of Sancta Sophia accordynge to the custome of the Emprours of Bizantium nowe cauled Constantinople Nouogrodia is oppressed in maner with continuall wynter and darkenesse of longe nyghtes The eleuatioÌ„ of the pole at Nouogrodia Moscouia For it hath the pole Artike eleuate aboue the Horizon threescore and foure degrees and is further from the Equinoctiall then Moscouia by almoste .vi. degrees By whiche dyfference of heauen it is sayde that at the soommer steye of the soonne it is burnte with continuall heate by reason of the shorte nyghtes heate by reason of short nyghtes The citie also of Uolodemaria The citie of Uolodemaria beinge more then twoo hundreth myles distant from Mosca towarde the Easte had the name of the chiefe citie and kynges towne whyther the seate of Thempire was translated by the valiant Emperours for necessarie considerations that such ayde furniture and requisites as appperteyne to the warres myght bee neare at hande at suche tyme as they kepte continuall warre ageynste the Tartars theyr bortherers For it is situate withowt Uolga on the bankes of the ryuer Clesma whiche fauleth into Uolga But Moscha The citie of Moscha aswell for those gyftes and commodities whereof we haue spoken as also that it is situate in the myddest of the most frequented place of all the region and Empire and defended with the ryuer and Castel hath in comparyson to other cities byn thowght moste woorthy to bee esteemed for the chiefe Moâ—cha is distant from Nouogrodia fiue hundreth myles and almost in the mydde way is the citie of Ottoferia otherwyse cauled Otwer or Tuwer vppon the ryuer of Uolga Otteferis Uolga This ryuer neare vnto the fountaynes and springes of the same not yet increased by receauyng so many other ryuers runneth but slowely and gentelly And passeth from thense to Nouogrodia through many wooddes and desolate playnes Furthermore frome Nouogrodia to Riga the nexte porte of the Sarmatian â—ea Riga is the iornay of a thousand myles lyttle more or lesse This tracte is thought to bee more commodious then the other bycause it hath manye townes and the citie of Plescouia in the waye The citie of Plescouia beinge imbrased with two ryuers From Riga perteynynge to the dominion of the greate master of the warres of the Liuons to the citie of Lubecke a porte of Germanie in the goulfe of Cymbrica Chersonesus nowe cauled Denmarke are numbered aboute a thousande myles of daungerous saylynge The citie of Lubeke From Rome to the citie of Moscha Frome Rome to Moscouia the distance is knowen to bee two thousande and syxe hundreth miles by the nearest way passynge by Rauenna Taruisium the Alpes of Carnica Also Uillacum Noricum and Uienna of Pannonie and from thense passynge ouer the ryuer of Danubius to Olmutium of the Marouians and to Craconia the chiefe citie of Polonie are coumpted .xi. hundreth myles From Cracouia to Uilna the headde citie of Lithuania are coumpted fiue hundreth myles and as many from that citie to Smolenzko situate beyonde Borysthenes from whense to Moscha are coumpted syxe hundreth myles The iorney frome Uilna by Smolenzko to Moscha wynter trauayle by I se
the arbitriment of the chooser so that it bee not grounde already occupied or lefte of other The portion of grounde beinge thus chosen as it were assygned of the augures to buylde a temple they inclose their slaues within the same whose helpe the Christians vse in tyllynge of their grounde and gatherynge of golde as we haue saide These places appointed vnto them they keepe as long as them lyue And if they perceaue tookens of lyttle golde they requyre an other plotte of ground of twelue pases to be assigned them leauyng the first in commen Owre inclosiers woolde leaue no such commens And this is thorder which the Spaniardes inhabitinge Dariena obserue in gatheryng of golde I suppose also that they vse the lyke order in other places How be it I haue not yet enquired so farre It hath byn proued that these twelue pases of grounde haue yelded to their choosers the summe of fourescore Castellans of gold Aurisacra Famâ—e And thus leade they theyr lyues in fulfyllynge the holy hunger of golde But the more they fyll their handes with fyndynge The broosie of couetousnes the more increaseth their couetous desyre The more woodde is layde to the fyer the more furiously rageth the flame Unsaciable couetousnesse is no more diminisshed with increase of rychesse then is the drinesse of the dropsye satisfyed with drinke I lette passe manye thynges wherof I intende to write more largely in tyme conuenient if I shall in the meane season vnderstande these to be acceptable vnto yowre holynesse my dewtie and obseruaunce to whose autoritie hath caused me the gladlier to take this labour in hande The prouidence of the eternall creatour of all thynges graunt yowre holynesse many prosperous yeares ¶ The laste booke of Peter Martyr of Angleria of the Landes and Ilandes lately founde and of the maners of the inhabitauntes of the same I Haue partli declared before in mi decades how certeine fugitâ—ues which came owt of the large West landes arriued in the confynes of Dariena Loke Decade â—ii Liber x. And howe that marueylinge at the bookes of owre men they declared that they sumtyme dwelte in regions whose inhabitauntes vsed suche instrumentes and were ruled by politike lawes Also that they had cities fortified with waules Cities fortifyed with waules and faire pallaces with streates well paued and common places whyther marchauntes resort as to the burse or streate These landes owre men haue nowe founde Therfore who were thautours hereof or what successe they had herein who so desireth to know with the conditions of straunge regions and the maners of the people let hym giue diligent attendance to such thynges as folowe Of the Iland of Cuba nowe cauled Fernandina The Iland of Cuba or Fernandâ—na lyynge nexte vnto Hispaniola on the west syde and yet sumwhat so bendynge towarde the Northe that the circle cauled Tropicus Caneri deuideth it in the myddeste wher as Hispaniola is distante from the Tropike and declinynge certen degrees toward the Equinoctial line we haue spoken sumwhat before In this Iland of Fernandina there are nowe syxe townes â—rected Wherof the chiefe is named Sanctiago of saynt Iames the patrone of the Spanyardes In this there is natiue golde found both in the mountaynes and ryuers By reason wherof they are daylye occupied in gathering digging the same But shortely after that I had finished my sayde bookes thre Spanyardes that were the most auncient citizens of Cuba The Spaniards of Cuba attempt new vyages as Francâ—scus Fernandes of Corduba Lupus Ocho Christophorus Morantes determined to seeke newe landes as the myndes of the Spanyardes are euer vnquiet and geuen to attempte great enterprises They furnyshed at their owne charges three of those shyppes whiche they caule Carauels And hauynge fyrste lycence of Diegus Velasquen the gouernour of the Ilande they departed with a hundreth and ten men from the West angle of Cuba The west angle of â—uba For this angle is moste commodious to relieue shyppes and to make prouision for freshe water and fuell Thus they sayled continually syxe dayes and a halfe betwene the West and the South contented onely with the syght of the heauen and the water durynge whiche tyme they suppose that they sayled not past threescore and syxe myles Note For they ley at anker all nyght where so euer the faulynge of the soonne tooke the day light from them leaste by wanderynge in vnknowen seas they myght chaunce to be cast vppon rockes or sandes But at the length they chaunced vppon a great Ilande named Iucatana The Iland of Iucatana whose beginnyng thinhabitauntes caule Eccampi A great citie well buylded Owre men went to the citie stondynge on the sea syde the whiche for the bygnes therof they named Eâ—yrus or Alcair Thinhabitauntes enterteined them very frendly When they were entered into the citie they marueyled to behold the houses buylded lyke towres magnifycall temples Temples streates well paued and great excercise of bying and sellyng by exchaunge of ware for ware humane people Their houses are eyther bylte of stone or of bricke and lyme and artifycially wrought To the fyrste porches of their houses and fyrst habitations they ascend by ten or twelue steares They are couered eyther with tyles Cunnyng artifycers slates reades or stalkes of certeyne herbes They gratified the one the other with mutuall gyftes The barbarians gaue owre men many brooches and iewelles of golde verye fayre and of cunnyng woorkmanshyppe Owre men recompensed them with vestures of sylke and woolle counterfecte stones of coloured glasse and christall haukes belles of laton and suche other rewardes whiche they greatly esteemed for the straungenes of the same They sette nowght by lookynge glasses bycause they haue certeyne stoones muche brighter Appareled people This nation is appareled after a thousande fasshyons with vestures made of gossampyne cotten or bombage of dyuers coloures The women are couered from the girdle to the heele hauynge dyuers fasshions of veles aboute their heades and brestes with great cautele least any parte of their legges or feete bee seene They resorte muche to their temples vnto the which the chiefe rulers haue the wayes paued from their owne houses They are Idolatours and circumcised Circumciâ—ed Idâ—laters They occupie their maner of exchaunginge with muche fydelitie They vse to adourne the heares of their heades being demanded by thinterpretours of whom they receaued their circumcisyon they answered that there once passed an exceadynge fayre man by their costes who lefte them that in tooken to remember hym Other saye that a manne brighter thâ—n the soone went emonge them and executed that offyce But there is no certentie hereof When owre men had remayned there certeyne dayes they seemed to bee molestous to thinhabitantes accordynge to the common sayinge The longer a geste tarieth the woorse is his enterteynement The whiche thynge owre men perceauyng they made the more hâ—st awaye Beynge therfore prouided of all
tempestes When the kynges harde these woordes they gaue the Capitayne great thankes promysinge gladly to obserue and fulfyll all suche thynges as he required Then the Capitayne demaunded whether they were Moores or gentyles Moores and gentyles They answered that they had none other kynde of religion but that lyftyngâ— vppe theyr handes ioyned togyther and theyr faces toward heauen they cauled vppon theyr god Abba whiche answere lyked the Capitayne verâ— well bycause the gentyles are sooner persuaded to owre fayth then the Moores c. Many Ilands Dâ—partynge frome hense they came to the Ilandes of Zeilon Zubuth Messana and Calaghan by the conducte of certeyne pylottes of the sayde kynges Of these Zubuth is the beste and hath the trade of beste trafique In the Ilande of Mâ—ssana The Iland of Messana they founde dogges cattes hogges heunes goates ryâ—e ginger Cocus mylle panyke barlye fygges oranges ware â–ª and golde in greate quantitie This Ilande is aboue the Equinoctiall towarde owre pole .ix. degrees twoo thyrde partes and .162 degrees frome the place frome whense they deparâ—ed They remayned in this Iland for the space of .viii dayes and then directed theyr vyage towarde the northwest and passed betwene these fyue Ilandes Zeilon Bohol Cangbu Barbai and Catighan In this Ilande of Catighan are certeyne great battes as bygge as Eagles Battes as bygge as Eagles of the which they toke one They are good to bee eaten and of taste muche lyke a henne There are also stocke dooues Fowles with hornes turtle dooues popingiayes and certeyne foules as bygge as hennes These foules haue lyttle hornes and lay great egges which they couer a cubet depthe in the sande Egges hatched in sand by the heate whereof and vertue of the soonne they are hatchâ—d and the younge byrdes creepe owte of the sande by them selues From the Ilande of Messana to Catighan â–ª are .xx. leaques saylynge towarde the West And bycause the kynge of Messana coulde not folowe the shyppes they taryed for him about the Ilandes of Polo Ticobon and Pozon where the Capitayne tooke hym into his shippe with certeyne of his principall men and so folowed theyr vyage towarde the Ilande of Zubut The Ilande of zubut whiche is abowte fiftie leagues distante from Catighan The .vii. day of Apryll abowte no one they entered into the porte of Zubut And passynge by many vyllages and habitacions in trees they came to the citie where the Capitayne gaue commaundement to the maryners to stryke theyr sayles to set them selues in order in maner of battayle ray causing all the ordinaunce to bee shorte of wherewith all the people were put in greate feare After this the Capitayne sent an ambassadoure with thinterpretoure to the kynge of Zabut The kynge of zubut When they approched nere to the citie they founde the kyng with a great company of men sore astonyshed at the noyse of the gunnes But thinterpretour aduertised them that it was the custome of owre men in al sucke places where â—hey coome to discharge theyr ordinaunce in token of frendeshyppe and to honour the lorde of the citie With which woordes the kyng and his coompany were well quieted After this thinterpretour declared that his master was the Capitayne of the ships of the greatest Prince in the worlde and that they wente to discouer the Ilandes of Molucca And further that hearyng of his good name and fame by the reporte of the kyng of Messana they determyned to visite hym and to haue vyttayles for exchaunge of theyr marchaundies The kynge answered that he was well contented therwith and that tâ—ey were hartely welcoome Neuerthelesâ—e that it was a custome in that place â–ª that all 〈◊〉 shyppes as cutered into that hauen shuld pay tribute And that there were not many dayes paste sence a shyppe laden with golde and slaues dyd so paye A shyp laden with gold and slaues In token wherof he caused to coome before hym certeyne marchaunces of that coompany whiche yet remayned with hym To this thinterâ—recour answered that forasmuch as his lorde was the Capitayne oâ— so myghtie a Prince he neuer payde tribute to any kynge in the worlde and wolde not nowe begynne Wyllynge hym to take this for a resolute answere that if he wolde accepte the peace that was profered hym he shulde enioy it And if he rather desyred warre he shoulde haue his handes full When thinterpretour had sayde these woordes one of the sayde marchauntes who was a Moore spake to the kynge in this maner CATACAIA Chitae that is Take hede syr For these men are they that haue conquered Calicut Calicut Malaca Malacha and all the greater India and are of suche poure that yf yowe intreate them otherwyse then well yowe may to late knowe what they are able to doo more then they haue doone at Calicut and Malaca When thinterpretoure harde these woordes he sayde that the kynge his lorde was of much greater puissaunce and more dominions and lorde of more shyppes then was the kynge of Portugale declarynge further that he was kynge of Spayne and Emperour of all Christendome Addynge hereunto that yf he wolde not bee his frende he wolde hereafter sende thyther suche a poure of armed men as shulde destroy his contrey The Moore conferred all these woordes with the kynge who sayde that he wolde further deliberate with his counsayle and gyue theym a full answere the daye folowynge In the meane tyme he sente theym certeyne vyttayles and wyne When all these thynges were declared to the kynge of Mâ—ssana who was the chiefest there abowt nexte vnto hym and lorde of many Ilandes he wente alande and repayred to the kynge of Zubut and declared vnto hym the great humanitie and curtesie of the generall Capitayne Shortely after the Capitayne sente certeyne of his men with thinterpretour to the kynge of Zubut to knowe his pleasure and what aunswere he wolde make them As they wente towarde the courte they mette the kynge commyng in the streete accompanied with many of his chiefe men He caused owr men to sit downe by him and demaunded of them if there were any more then one Capitayne in theyr coompanie And whether it were theyr requeste that he shulde pay tribute to Themperour They answered that they desyred none other thynge but that they myght exercise marchaundies with them Sheadyng of bludde is a token of frendshyppe and to barter ware for ware The kynge made answere that he was well content therwith wyllynge the Capitayne in token of frendshippe to sende him a little of the blud of his ryght arme affirmyng that he wold do the lyke c After this the kynge of Messana with the kynge of Zubuâ— his neuie who was the prince and certeyne other of his gentylmen came to the shyppes and brought the Capitayne many goodly presentes They entered into greate amitie and had large communication of many thynges The Capitayne persuaded them to the Christian fayth which they
in the way Yet are we led by coniecture to thinke it to bee scarsely twoo hundreth myles Understand myles of Germany that is leaques forasmuch as from Moscouia to Uuolochda from Uuolochda to Ustyug sumwhat into the Easte and laste of all frome Ustyug by the ryuer Dwina is the ryght passage to the northe sea This region besyde the castel of Colmogor and the citie of Dwina situate almost in the mydde way betwene the spryngs and mouthes of the ryuer and the castell of Pienega standynge in the very mouthes of Dwina is vtterly withowt townes and castels yet hath it many vyllages whiche are farre in sunder by reason of the barennesse of the soyle c. In an other place he wryteth that Suchana and Iug after they are ioyned togyther in one loose theyr fyrste names and make the ryuer Dwina c. But lette vs nowe returne to the hystone of Paulus Iouius Unto Ustiuga from the Permians Pecerrians Inugrians Rych furres Ugolicans and Pinnegians people inhabytynge the north and northeast prouinces are brought the precious furres of Marterns and Sables Also the cases of woulfes and foxes both whyte and blacke And lykewise the skynnes of the beastes cauled Ceruarii Lupi that is harte woolfes Lupi Ceruarii beinge engendered eyther of a woolfe and a hynde or a harte and a bytch woolfe These furres and skyns they exchange for dyuers other wares The best kynde of sables and of the finest heare wherwith nowe the vestures of princes are lyned Sables and the tender neckes of delicate dames are couered with the expresse similitude of the lyuynge beaste are brought by the Permians and Pecerrians whiche they them selues also receaue at the handes of other that inhabâ—te the regions neare vnto the north Ocean The Permians and Pecerrians a lyttle before owre tyme dyd sacrifice to Idols after the maner of the Gentyles The mountaines cauled hiperboreâ— but doo nowe acknowleage Chryste theyr God The passage to the Inugrians and Ugolicans is by certeyne rowgh 〈…〉 which perhappes are they that in owlde tyme weâ—e câ—uled Hyperborei In the toppes of these are founde the beâ—â—e kyndes of Falcons whereof one kynde cauled Herodiuâ— is whyte with spotted fethers haukes of diuers kyndes There are also ierfalcons sakers and peregrines whiche were vnknowen to the ancient princes in theyr excessiue and nise pleaâ—ures Beyoâ—de those people whom I last named beinge all tributarâ—es to the kinges of Moscouia are other nations the last of men not knowen by any viages of the Moscouites forasmuche as none of theym hâ—ue passed to the Ocean The passage from Moâ—couia to cathay and are therefore knowen onely by the fabulous narrations of marchauntes Yet is it apâ—arente that the ryuer of Diuidna or Dwina drawynge with it innumerable other ryuers runneth with a vehement course towarde the northe and that the sea is there exceadyng large so that saylyng by the coast of the ryght hande shippes may haue passage from thense to Cathay as is thought by most lykely coniecture Cathay excepte there lye sum lande in the waye For the region of Cathay perâ—eyneth to thextreme and furtheste partes of the Easte situate almost in the paralell of Thracia Master Eliot cauleth Cathay the region of siuaruÌ„ and knowen to the Portugales in India when they sayled neare thereunto by the regions of Sinara and Malacha to Aurea Chersonesus and brought from thense certeyne vestures made of Sables skynnes by which only argument it is apparente that the citie of Cathay is not farre from the coastes of Scythia The Gothes subuerted the Romane Empire But when Demetrius was demaunded whether eyther by the monumentes of letters or by fame lefte theym of theyr predicessours they hadde any knowleage of the gothes who nowe more then a thousand yeares sence subuerted Thempire of the Romane Emperours and defaced the citie of Rome he answered The north regions conâ—pired ageinst the Romans that both the nation of the Gothes of the name of kynge Totilas theyr chiefe capitayne was of famous memorie amonge them And that dyuers nations of the north regions conspired to that expedition and especiallye the Moscouites Also that that armie increased of the confluence of the Barbarous Liuons and wanderynge Tartars But that they were all cauled Gothes forasmuch as the Gothes that inhabited Scondania and Iselande were the auctoures of that inuasion Moscouia And with these boundes are the Moscouites inclosed on euery side whom we thinke to be those people that Ptolome cauled Modocas but haue doubtelesse at this day their name of the riuer Mosco whiche runneth through the chiefe citie Mosca named also after the same The citie of Mosca This is the most famous citie in Moscouia aswell for the situation thereof beinge in maner in the myddest of the region as also for the commodious oportunitie of ryuers multitude of houses and stronge fense of so fayre and goodly a castell For the citie is extended with a longe tracte of buyldynges by the bankes of the ryuer for the space of fyue myles The houses are made all of tymber and are diuided into parlers chambers kichins of large roomes yet neyther of vnseemely height or to lowe but of decent measure and proportion Richard chast celer toulde me that these mastes are sumwhat holowe on the one syde and that the hole syde of the next entereth into the same wherby they lye very close For they haue greate trees apte for the purpose browght from the foreste of Hercinia of the which made perfectly rounde like the mastes of shippes and so layde one vppon an other that they ioyne at the endes in right angles where beinge made very faste and sure they frame theyr houses thereof of maruelous strength with smaule charges and in verye short tyme. In maner all the houses haue priuate gardens aswell for pleasure as commoditie of herbes wherby the circuite of the dispersed citie appeareth very greate All the wardes or quarters of the citie haue theire peculiar chappells But in the chiefest and highest place therof is the Church of owre ladi of ample and goodly workemanshyppe whiche Aristoteles of Bononie a man of singular knowleadge and experience in architecture buylded more then .lx. yeares sence At the very head of the citie The castel of Moâ—ca a little ryuer cauled Neglina which dryueth many corne mylles enteryth into the ryuer Moscus and maketh almost an Iland in whose end is the castell with many strong towrs and bullwarkes buylded very fayre by the diuise of Italien architecturs that are the masters of the kinges workes In the fieldes abowt the citie is an incredible multitud oâ— hares and roe buckes whitehares and roe buâ—kes the which it is lawefull for no man to chase or persue with dogges or nettes excepte only certeyne of the kinges familiars and straunge ambassadours to whom he giueth licence by speciall commaundement Almost three partes of the citie is inuironed with two
feastes and holy misteries Especially the pleasaunte Maluasies of the Iland of Creta nowe cauled Candy Maluasie are had in moste honoure and vsed eyther as medicens or for a shewe of excessiue aboundaunce forasmuche as it is in maner a miracle that wynes browght frome Candy by the streyghtes of Hercules pillers and the Ilandes of Gades All the north parte of the firme lande was cauled Scythia â—nd the people Scythyans tossed with such fluddes of the inclosed Ocean shulde be droonke amonge the Scythyan snowes in theyr natiue puritie and pleasauntnesse The common people drinke mede made of hony hoppes sodden together whiche they keepe longe in pytched barrells where the goodnes increaseth with age They vse also beere and ale as doo the Germanes and Polones They are acustomed for delycatenes nâ— sommer to coole theyr beere and mede with puttynge Ise therin Drynke cooled with Ise. whiche the noble men reserue in theyr sellars in great quantite for the same purpose Summe there are that delyte greately in the iuse that is pressed owte of cherries before they bee full rype wyne of cherryes whiche they affyrme to haue the coloure of cleare and ruddy wyne with a verye pleasaunte taste Theyr wyues and women Their womeÌ„ are not with them in suche honoure as they are in other nations For they vse them in maner in the place of seruantes The noble men and gentelmen doo diligently obserue theyr walkes and haue an eye to their chastitie They are seldom bydden furth to any feastes nether are permytted to resorte to churches farre of or to walke abrode withowt sum greaâ—e consyderation But the common sorte of women are easely and for a smaule price allured to lecherye euen of straungers by reason wherof the gentelmen doo lyttle or nothynge esteme them Iohn the father of kynge Basilius dyed more then .xx. yeares sence He maryed Sophia the doughter of Thomas Paleologus who reigned farre in Pâ—loponnesus now cauled Morea and was brother to Themperoure of constantinople Thomas Paleologus Shee was then at Rome when Thomas her father was dryuen owte of Grecia by the Turckes The coÌ„quest of the turkes in Grecia Of her were fyue chyldren borne as Basilius hym selfe George Demetrius Symeon and Andreas Basilius tooke to wyfe Salomonia the doughter of George Soborouius a man of synguler fideliâ—ie and wysdome one of hys counsayle The excellent vertues of whâ—ch woman only barennesse obâ—cured When the prynces of Moscouia delyberat to marie theyr custome is to haue choyse of the vyrgynes in the realme how the Princes chuâ—e theyr wyues to cause suche as are of most fayre and bewtyfull vysage and personage with maners vertues accordyng to bee browght before them Which afterwarde they committe to certayne faythful men and graue matrones to bee furder vewed in so muche that they leaue no parte of them vnserched Of these shee whome the prynce moste lyketh is pronounced worthy to bee hys wyfe not withowt greate and carefull expectatioÌ„ of theyr parentes lyuynge for that tyme betwene hope and feare The other vyrgyns also which stoode in election and contended in bewty and integritie of maners are often times the same day to gratyfye the prynce maryed to hys noble meÌ„ gentellmen and capytaynes wherby it sumtymes commeth to passe that whyle the princes contemne the lynage of roiall descente suche as are borne of humble parentage are exalted to the degree of princely estate In lyke maner as Themperours of the turckes were accustomed to bee chosen by cumlynesse of personage and warly prowes Basilius was vnder thage of forty and seuen yeares Duke Basilius of cuâ—ly personage singuler vertue and princely qualities by all meanes studyous for the prosperitie and commodities of hys subiectes Furthermore in beneuolence lyberalytie and good successe in hys doynges to bee preferred before his progenitours For when he hadde .vi. yeares kepte warre with the Lyuons that moued .lxxii. confetherate cities to the cause of that warre he obteyned the victorie and departed with fewe conditions of peace rather gyuen then accepted war betwene the Polones and Moâ—chouites Also at the begynnynge of his reigne he put the Polones to flight and tooke prisoner Constantine the capitayne of the Ruthens whom he brought to Moscouia tyed in chaynes But shortly after at the ryuer Boristhenes aboue the citie of Orsa he hym selfe was ouercomne in a great battayle by the same Constantine whom he hadde dismissed Yet so that the towne of Smolenzko whiche the Moscouites possessed before and was nowe woonne by the Polons sâ—ulde styll perteyne to the dominions of Basilius But ageynste the Tartars war betwene the Moschouites Tartars and especially the Tartars of Europe cauled the Precopites the Moscouites haue often tymes kepte warre with good successe in reuenge of thiniuries doone to them by theyr incursions Basilius is accustomed to brynge to the fielde more then a hundreth and fiftie thousande horsemen deuided into three bandes and folowynge the banners or enseignes of theyr capitaynes in order of battayle The Moscouitâ—s army Their baÌ„ner On the banner of the kynges wynge is figured the image of Iosue the capitaine of the Hebrewes at whose prayer the soonne prolonged the daye and steyde his course as wytnesse the hystories of holye scripture Armies of footemen are in maner to no vse in those great wyldernesses aswel for theyr apparel beinge loose and longe as also for the custome of theyr enemies who in theyr warres truste rather to the swyftenesse of theyr lyght horses then to trye the matter in a pyght fyelde Theyr horses are of lesse then meane stature Their horses and horsmeâ— but verye stronge and â—wyfte Theyr horsemen are armed with pykes ryuettes mases of Iren and arrowes Fewe haue hooked swoordes Theire armure Theyr bodies are defended with rounde Targets after the maner of the Turkes of Asia or with bendyng and cornarde targettes after the maner of the Greekes Also with coates of mayle brygantynes and sharpe helmettes Basilius dyd furthermore instytute a band of hargabusiers on horsbacke hargabusiers and caused many greate brasen pieces to bee made by the woorkemanshype of certeyne Italyans Gunnes and the same with theyr stockes wheeles to bee placed in the castell of Mosca The kynge hym selfe with pryncely magnyfycence synguler familiaritie wherwith neuerthelesse no parte of the maiestie of a kynge is vyolate is accustomed to dyne openly with hys noble men and straunge ambassadours in hys owne chamber of presence where is seene A meruelous quantitye of syluer and gylte plate standynge vppon two great and high cubbardes in the same chamber The Prince dyneth openly Sigismundus sayth that much of this is golde He hath not abowte hym any other garde for the custody of hys person sauynge only hys accustomed famylye For watche and warde is dylygently kepte of the faythfull multytude of the citisens In so muche that euery warde or quarter
theyr multitude and with what greate armyes they assayle theyr enemyes theÌ„ eyther in the strengthe and valyantenesse of theyr souldyers or in well instructynge theyr armye and fyght better afarre of then at hande and therfore study howe to circumuent or inclose theyr enemyes and to assayle them on the backe halfe Instruments of warre They haue many trumpiters The which whyle they blow all at once after theyr maner make A meruelous straunge noyse They haue also an other kynde of instrumentes which they caule Szurna These they blowe withowte seasynge for the space of an houre togither so temperyng the same and holdyng in the wynd whyle they drawe more that the noyse seemeth continuall withoute intermyssion The Moscouites and Tartars apparell They vse all one maner of appareyle as longe coates withowte pleyghtes and with narrowe sleaues after the maner of the Hungaryans These the Christians vse to butten on the ryght syde and the Tartars vsinge the lyke butten them on the lefte syde They weare redde and shorte buskyns that reache not to theyr knees and haue the soules therof defended with plates of Iren. In maner all theyr shyrtes are wroughte with dyuers colours aboute the necke and haue the collars and ruffes bysette with lyttle rounde baules lyke beades of syluer or gylted copper and sumtyme perles also They gyrde them selues beneth the bellye euen as lowe as theyr priuy members that they may seme more boorely which they greately esteme as doo at thys day the Spanyardes Italyans and Almaynes The prouince of Moscouia is neyther very large nor frutfull The prouince of Moscouia forasmuche as the fertylytye is hyndered with sandye grounde which eyther with to muche drynesse or moyster kylleth the corne Furthermore the immoderate and sharpe vntemperatenesse of the ayre while the coulde of the wynter ouercommethe the heate of the soonne Extreme coulde sumtymes dothe not suffer the corne to rype For the coulde is there sumtyme so extreame that lyke as with vs in sommer by reason of heate euen so there by extreame coulde the yearth hath many great chynkes or breaches Water also cast into the ayre and spettle faulyng from on s mouthe are frosen before they touche the grounde I my selfe when I came thether in the yeare 1526. sawe the braunches of frutefull trees wythyred by the coulde of the wynter before which was so extreame that many of theyr wagoners or caries whom they caule Gonecz were founde frosen to deathe in theyr sleades There were sum that at the same tyme leadyng and dryuyng theyr cattayle from the nexte villagies to Moscouia dyed by the way with theyr beastes through thextremytie of the coulde Furthermore the same yeare many players that were accustomed to wander aboute the contrey with daunsyng beares were founde dead in the high wayes Wylde beares also inforced therto by famyn lefte the wooddes and ranne here and there into dyuers villagies and houses At whose commyng while the men of the countrey forsooke theyr houses and fledd into the fieldes manye of them perysshed throughe the vehemencie of the coulde Agayne it sumtymes so chaunceth that in sommer the heate is as extreame Extreme heate in cold regions as in the yeare .1525 in the which almost al kynds of pulse and grayne were scorched and burnte and such a derth of corne folowed that drought that that which before was bowght for three dengas was afterwarde soulde for .xx or .xxx. Furthermore also manye villagies wooddes and stackes of corne were sette on fyre by thextreame heate The smoke wherof so fylled the regyon that the eyes of many were sore hurte therby There arose also as it were a darke and thycke myst without smoke which so molested the eys that many loste theyr sight therby They sowe and narysshe the seades of melons with great diligence in certeyne raysed beddes myxte with doonge wherby they fynde a remedy both ageynst extreame could and heat For if the heate exceade they make certeyne ryftes in the beddes as it were breathyng places least the seades shulde be suffocate with to muche heate And if the coulde bee extreme it is tempered with the heate of the mucke or dunge Lyttle beastes Theyr beastes are muche lesse then owres yet not all withowt hornes as one hath written For I haue there sene oxen kyne goates and rammes all with hornes Not farre from the citie of Moscha are certeyne monasteries which a farre of seeme lyke vnto a citie They saye that in thys citie is an incredible number of houses The citie of Moâ—couia or Mosca And that the syxte yeare before my commynge thyther the prince caused them to bee numbered and founde them to bee more then one and fortye thousande and fyue hundreth houses The citie is very large and wyde and also very slabby and myrie By reason wherof it hath many brydges and causeys The ayre of the regyon is so holsome holsome ayer that beyond the sprynges of Tanais especially towarde the north and a great parte also towarde the Easte the pestylence hath not byne harde of sence the memorye of man Yet haue they sumtimes a disease in theyr bowells and headdes not much vnlyke the pestylence Thys disease they caule a heate wherwith suche as are taken dye within fewe dayes A ryche spoyle Sum wryte that Iohn the duke of Moscouia and sonne of Basilius vnder the pretence of religion sacked spoyled the citie of Nouogardia and caried with hym from thense to Moscouia three hundreth sleades laden with golde syluer and precious stones of the gooddes of the Archebysshoppe the marchauntes citisins and straungiers Solowki is an Ilande situate in the north sea .viii. leaques from the continent betwen The â—land of Solowki Dwina and the province of Corela Howe farre it is dystant from Moscouia can not bee well knowne by reason of manye sennes marysshes Wooddes and desolate places lyinge in the way Albeit suÌ„ say that it is not three hundreth leaques from Moscouia two hundreth frome Bieloiesero Bieloiesero In thys Ilande is made greate plenty of salte and it hath in it a monasterie into the which it is not lawfull for any woman or virgyn to enter There is also great fysshyng for hearyng They say that here the soonne at the sommer Equinoctiall The lengthe of the day shyneth continually excepte two houres Demetriowe is a citie with a castel distante from Moscouia xii leaques declining from the west sumwhat toward the north By this runneth the ryuer Lachroma that runneth in to the ryuer of Sest Sest also receaueth the ryuer Dubna which vnladeth it selfe in Uolga And by the commoditie of thus many ryuers many riche marchaundies are browght without great laboure or difficultie from the caspian sea by the ryuer Uolga to Moscouia and dyuers other prouynces cities abowte the same The trade from Moscocouia to the Caspian sea Bieloiesero a citie with a castell is situat at a lake of the same name For Bieloiesero
of thys iorney sayd that many nations of Lucomorya are subiecte to the prynce of Moscouia yet for asmuch as the kyngdome of Tumen is neare therunto Tumen whose prince is a Tartar and named in theyr toung Tumenski Czar that is a kynge in Tumen and hath of late doone great domage to the prynce of Moscouia it is moste lyke that these nations shulde rather bee subiecte vnto hym Neare vnto the ryuer Petzora Petzora wherof mentioÌ„ is made in thys iorney is the citie and castell of Papin or Papinowgorod Papin whose inhabytauntes are named Papini and haue a priuate language differyng from the Moscouites Beyond thys ryuer are exceadynge hygh mountaynes hygh mountaynes supposed to bee hyperborei and Rhiphei â–ª reachyng euen vnto the bankes whose ridgies or toppes by reason of continuall wyndes are in maner vtterly barrayne withowt grass or frutes And although in dyuers places they haue dyuers names yet are they commonly cauled Cingulus Mundi that is the worlde In these mountaynes doo ierfalcons breede wherof I haue spoken before There grow also Cedâ—r trees amonge the which are founde the best and blackest kynde of sables And only these mountaynes are seene in all the domynyons of the prynce of Moscouia which perhappes are the same that the owld writers caule Rhipheos or Hyperboreos so named of the Greeke worde Hiper that is vnder and Boreas that is the north For by reason they are couered with continuall snow and froste they can not withowt great difficultie bee trauayled and reache so farre into the north that they make the vnknowne land of Engroneland Engronland The duke of Moscouia Basilius the soonne of Iohn sent on a tyme two of hys capitaynes named Simeon Pheodorowitz Kurbski and Knes Peter Uschatoi to search the places beyonde these mountaynes and to subdewe the nations therabowte Kurbiki was yet alyue at my being in Moscouia and declared vnto me that he spent xvii days in ascendyng the mountayn and yet coulde not coome to the â—oppe therof which in theyâ— tounge is cauled Stolp that is a pyller Stolp Thys mountayne is extended into the Ocean vnto the mouthes of the ryuers of Dwina and Peâ—zora But nowe hauyng spoken thus muche of the sayde iorney I wyll returne to the domynyons of Moscouia with other regyons lyinge eastwarde and southe frome the same towarde the myghtye Empyre of CATHAY Cathay But I wyll fyrst speake sumwhat brefely of the prouynce of Rezan and the famous ryuer of Tanais The prouynce of Rezan situate betwene the ryuers of Occa and Tanais The frutfull prouince of Reâ—an hath a citie buylded of woodd not farre from the banke of Occa. There was in it a castell named Iaroslaw Iaroslaw wherof there nowe remayneth nothynge but tokens of the olwd ruine Not farre from that citie the ryuer Occa maketh an Ilande named Strub which was sumtym a great dukedome whose prince was subiect to none other Thys prouince of Rezan is more frutfull then any other of the prouynces of Moscouia In so muche that in thys as they saye euery grayne of wheate bryngethe furthe two and sumtymes more eares whose stalkes or strawes growe so thycke that horses can scarsely go throwgh them or quayles flye owt of them There is greate plenty of honnye honny fysshes foules byrdes and wylde beastes The frutes also do farre exceade the frutes of Moscouia The people are bould warlyk men ¶ Of the famous ryuer of Tanais FRome Moscouia vnto the castell of Iaroslaw and beyonde for the space of almoste xxiiii leaques ruÌ„neth the ryuer of Tanais at a place cauled Donco Donco where the marchauntes that trade to Asoph Asoph Capha Capha and Constantynople Constantinople fraight theyr shyppes and thys for the moste parte in autumne beynge a rayney tyme of the yeare For Tanais here at other tymes of the yeare doth not so abounde with water as to heare shyppes of any burden Thys famous ryuer of Tanais dyuydeth Europe from Asia Tanais divideth Europe frome Asia and hath hys orygynal or springes almost .viii. leaques from the citie of Tulla toward the south inclynyng sumwhat towarde the Easte The springes of Tanais and not owte of the Riphean mountaynes as some haue wrytten But owte of a great lake named Iwanowosero that is the lake of Iohn A great lake â–ª being in length and breadth abowt .1500 Werstes in a wood whiche sum caule Okonitzkilies and other name it Iepiphanowlies And owt of this lake sprynge the twoo greate ryuers of Schat and Tanais The ryuer Schat Schat towarde the Weste receauynge into it the ryuer of Uppa runneth into the ryuer of Occa betwene the West and the north But Tanais at the fyrste runneth directly East and continueth his course betwene the kyngdomes of Casan and Astrachan within syxe or seuen leaques of Uolga Casan Astrachan And frome thense bendynge towarde the south maketh the fennes or marysshes of Meotis Meotis Furthermore nexte vnto his sprynges is the citie of Tulla Tulla and vppon the banke of the ryuer almoste three leaques aboue the mouthes of the same is the citie of Asoph which was fyrste cauled Tanas Foure dayes iorney aboue this is a towne cauled Achas Achas situate harde by the same ryuer Frutefull regions abowt Tanais whiche the Moscouites caule Don. I can not sufficiently prayse this ryuer for the exceadynge abundaunce of good fysshes and fairenesse of the regions on bothe sydes and bankes with plentie of holsoome herbes and sweete rootes besyde dyuers and many frutefull trees growynge in â—uche coomly order as though they had byn set of purpose in gardens or archardes There is also in maner euery where suche plentie of wylde beastes Plentie of wylde beastes that they may easely be slaine with arrowes â–ª In so much that suche as trauayle by those regions shal stand in neede of none other thynge to mayntayne theyr lyfe but only fyre and salte Fire and salt In these partes is no obseruation of myles but of dayes iorneys But as farre as I coulde coniecture from the fountaynes or sprynges of Tanais vnto the mouthes of the same iorneyinge by lande are almost fourescore leaques And saylynge from Donco frome whense I sayde that Tanais was fyrste nauigable in scarsely .xx. dayes vyage where Tanais is fyrste nauygable they come to the citie of Asoph tributarie to the Turkes Asoph which is as they say fyue dayes iorney frome the streight of Taurica otherwyse cauled Precop In this câ—tie is a famous mart towne vnto the which resort many marchauntes of dyuers nations and from dyuers partes of the worlde The marte of Asoph For that all nations may the gladlyer haue recourse thyther free lybertie of bying and sellynge is graunted vnto all Libertie aâ—sureth strangers and that withowt the citie euery man may freely vse his owne and accustomed maner of lyuynge withowt punysshement Of the altares of
father had byn sent ambassadour to the great Chan of Cathay And that the great citie of Cambalu where the great Chan kepeth his courte in winter was in maner destroyed by Necromancie and magicall artes wherin the Cathaynes are very expert as wryteth Marcus Paulus Uenctus Ther was also at the same tyme thambassadour of the kynge of Persia cauled the great Sophic This ambassadour was appareled all inscarlet and spake much to the duke in the behalfe of owre men of whose kyngdome and trade he was not ignorant The people cauled Czeremisse Czeremisse dwell in the wooddes beneth Nouogardia the lower They haue a peculiar language and are of the secte of Machumet They were sumtyme subiecte to the kynge of Casan but the greater part of them are nowe subiecte to the prince of Moscouia Many of them at my beinge there were brought to Moscouia as suspected of rebellion This nation doth inhabite a large region withowt houses from Uuiathka and Uuolochda hâ—bitacion withowt houses to the ryuer of Kama All the nation aswell women as men are very swyft of foote and expert archers wherin they so delite that theyr bowes are in maner neuer owt of theyr handes and gyue theyr children no meate vntyl they hyt the marke they shoote at Two leaques distante from Nouogardia the lower were many houses to the similitude of a citie or towne where they were accustomed to make salte Salte These a fewe yeares sense beinge burnt of the Tartars were restored by the commaundement of the prince Mordwa are people inhabytynge by the ryuer of Uolga on the south banke beneth Nouogardia the lower And are in al thynges like vnto the Czeremisses but that they haue more houses And here endeth Thempire of the Moscouites Note here that Matthias of Michou in his booke of Sarmatia Asiatica writeth that the dominion of the duke of Moscouia recheth from the northwest to the southeast fyue hundreth myles of Germanie which are more then leaques For they affirme that a Germane myle is more then three Englysshe myles ¶ Of the Tartars WEe wyll nowe adde hereunto sumwhat of the people confinynge with â—he Moscouites towarde the East of the which the Tartars of Casan are the first The Tartars of Casan But before wee speake of them particularly wee wyl fyrst reherse sumwhat of theyr maners and customes in generall The Tartars are diuided into companies which they caul Hordas of the which the Horda of the Sawolhenses is the chiefe in fame and multitude horda For it is sayde that the other Hordas had theyr ofsprynge and original of this And albeit that euery Horda hath his peculiar name as the Sawolhenses Precropenses and Nahays with dyuers other being all Machumetans yet doo they take it euyll and count it reproch to bee cauled Turkes but wyll them selues to bee cauled Besermani Besermani by the which name also the Turkes desyre to bee cauled And as the Tartars inhabyte many prouynces reachynge far on euery syde euen so in maners and order of lyuynge doo they not agree in all thynges They are men of meane stature The stature of the Tartars with broade and fat faces holowe eyde with roughe and thyck beardes and poulde heades Onely the noble men haue longe heare and that exceadyng black which they wreath on both sydes theyr eares They are stronge of body and stoute of mynde prone to leacherye and that vnnaturall They eate the fleasshe of horses camells and other bâ—astes excepte hogges They absteâ—ne from hogges flesshe Abstinence from which they absteyne by a lawe They can so abyde fasting hunger that they suÌ„time forbeare meate and sleepe for the space of foure days occupyed neuertheleâ—se aboute theyr necessary affayres Ageyne when they gette any thyng to deuoure Uoracitie they ingorge them selues beyond measure and with that surfecte in maner recompense theyr former abstynence And beynge thus oppressed with laboure and meate they sleepe contynually for the space of three or foure days withowt doyng any maner of worke or labour durynge which tyme the Lyuons and Moscouites into whose domynyons they are accustomed to make theyr incursions assayle them vnwares thus oppressed with meate and sleepe lyinge scatered here and there owt of order withowte watch or warde Also if when they ryde they bee molested with hunger and thyrste So doo the Turkes they vse to lette theyr horses blud and with drynkyng the same satysfye theyr present necessytie and affyrme theyr horses to bee the better therby And bicause they all wander in vnknowen places they vse to dyrect theyr iorneys by thaspecte of the starres Iorneying by the pole star and especyally of the pole starre which in theyr tounge they caule Selesnikoll that is an iren nayle They greatly delyte in mares mylke Mares mylke and beleue that it maketh men strong and fatte They eate herbes very much and especyally such as growe abowt Tanais Fewe of them vse salte horse flesshe eaten When theyr kynges dystrybute any vytayles among them they are accustomed to gyue one horse or cowe to fortye men Of the slayne beaste the bowells and trypes are reserued for the chiefe men and capytaynes Clenly These they heate at the fyre vntyll they may shake owt the doonge and then deuoure them gredely They sucke and lycke not only theyr fyngers imbrued with fatte but also theyr knyues and styckes wherwith they scrape the doong from the guttes The heades of horses are counted delycate disshes with them as are bores heades with vs hors heades deintie meate and are reserued only for the chyefe men The Tartars horses Theyr horses wherof they haue great aboundaunce are but smaule and with short neckes but very strong and such as can wel away with labour hunger These they fede with the branches barkes or ryndes of trees the rotes of hearbes and weedes wherby they accustome them to hard feedynge and exercyse them to contynuall laboure by reason wherof as say the Moscouytes theyr horses are swyfter and more durable then any other These kynde of horses they caule Pachmat They haue none other saddells and steroppes then of woodd Saddels and styrrops of woodde except suche as they eyther bye of the Chrystians or take from them by vyolence Least theyr horse backes shulde bee hurte with theyr saddells they vnderlaye them with grasse and leaues of trees They also passe ouer ryuers on horsbacke But if when they flye they feare the pursuynge of theyr enemyes then castynge away theyr saddells apparelle and all other impedymentes reseruyng only theyr armoure and weapons they flye amayne and with greate ceelrytye Theyr women vse the same kynde of apparell that doo the men withowt any dyfference except that they couer theyr heades with lynnen vayles The Tartars women and vse lynnen hose muche lyke vnto maryners sloppes When theyr queenes coome abrod they are accustomed to couer theyr faces The other multytude of the
common sorte that lyueth here and ther in the feeldes haue theyr apparell made of sheepes skynnes which they chaung not vntyll they bee worne and torne to fytters They tarye not longe in one place iudgyng it a great mysery so to doo The Tartars curse In so muche that when they are angrie with theyr chyldren the greatest curse that they can gyue them is that they maye remayne perpetually in one place and drawe the stynshe of theyr owne fylthynesse as doo the Chrystyans When they haue consumed the pasture in one place they go to an other with theyr droues of cattayle and theyr wyues and chyldren whom they euer cary about with them in Wagons albeit the Tartars that dwell in cities and townes vse an other order of lyuynge If they be inclosed with any daungerous warrâ— they place theyr wyues chyldren and owld folkes in the sauest places There is no iustice amonge them No iustice amonge the Tartars For if any man stande in neade of any thynge he may withowt punnysshemente take it awaye from an other If any complayne to the Iudge of the vyolence and wronge doonne vnto hym the offender denyeth not the cryme but sayth that he coulde not lacke that thyng Then the Iudge is wonte to gyue thys sentence If thowe also shalte haue neede of any thynge doo the lyke to other Sum say they do not steale But whether they steale or not lette other iudge They are surely a theeâ—â—sshe kynd of men and very poore The Tartars are theeues and poore lyuynge only by robbyng of other and stealyng away other mens cattayle and vyolently also caryynge awaye the men them selues whom eyther they selle to the Turkes or proffer them to bee redemed by ransome reseruynge only the younge wenches They seldome assaulte cities or castells They reioyce in spoylynge but burne and waste townes and vyllagyes In so muche that they so please them selues herin that they thynke they haue so muche the more inlarged their empire in howe muche they haue wasted and made desolate manye prouynces And althowgh they bee moste impacyent of reste and quyetnesse yet doo they not kyll or destroye one an other excepte theyr kynges â—ee at dessention betweene them selues If any man bee slaine in any fraye or quarel and the autours of the myschefe bee taken only theyr horsse harnesse weapons and appâ—rell are taken from them and they dismissed So that the murtherer by the losse of a vyle horse or a bowe is dyscharged of the Iudge with these woordes gette the hense and goo abowte thy busynesse They haue no vse of golde and syluer excepte only a fewe marchauntes But exersyse exchaunge of ware for ware And if it so chaunce that by sellyng of such thynges as they haue stolne they gette any monye of theyr bortherers they bye therwith certeyne apparel and other neceâ—saryes of the Moscouites The regyons of theyr habytations the feelde Tartars I meane are not lymytted with any bouÌ„des or borthers The feelde Tartars A mery tale There was on a tyme a certeyne fatte Tartar taken prysoner of the Moscouites to whom when the prynce sayd How arte thow so fatte thowe dogge sythe thowe haste not to eate the Tartar answered Why shulde not I haue to eate sythe I possesse so large a land from the East to the west wherby I may bee abundauntely nuryâ—shed But thowe mayste rather seeme to lacke syth thowe inhabytest so smaule a portion of the worlde and duste dayly stryue for the same Casan Caâ—an is a kyngedome also a citie and a castell of the same name situate by the ryuer Uolga on the further bâ—nke almost threscore and tenâ—e leaques beneath Nouogarâ—ia the lower Alonge by the courâ—e of Uolga towarde the East anâ— South it is termined with deserte fyeldes Towarde the sommer East it confineth with the â—artars cauled Schibaâ—â—â—i and Kosatzki The kynge of this prouince The kynge of Caâ—an is able to make an army of .xxx. thousande men especially foote men of the which the Czeremiâ—se Czubasâ—hi are most expert aâ—chers Archers The Czubaschi are also cunnynge maryners Maryners The citie of Casan is threscore leaques distant froÌ„ the principâ—l castel Uuiathka Furthermore Casan in the Tartars language The towne Tartars signifieth a braâ—en potte boylynge These Tartars are more ciuile then the other For they dwell in houses tyll the grownde and exercise the trade of marchaundies They were of late subdued by Basilius the greate duke of Moscouia and had theyr kynge assigned them at his arbitriment But shortely after Moâ—couâ—a inuâ—ded by the Tartars they rebelled ageine and associate with other Tartars inuaded the region of Moscouia spoyled and wasted many cities and townes and ledde away innumerable captiues euen from the citie Moscouia which they possessed for a tyme and had vtterly destroyed the same if it had not byn for the valyantnesse of the Almayne gunners which kept the castell with great orâ—inaunce The prince of moscouia tributary to the Tartars They also putte duke Basilius to flyght and caused him to make a letter of his owne hande to Machmetgirei theyr kynge to acknowleage hym selfe for a perpetuall tributarie to them wheruppon they diâ—solued the siege and gaue the Moscouâ—tes free liberâ—ie to redeeme theyr captiues and gooddes and so departed But Basilius not longe able to abyde this contumelie and dishonour Duke Basilius armâ— ageynst the Tartars after that he had putte to death suche as flyinge at the fyâ—st encounterynge were the cause of this ouerthrowe assembled an armye of a hundreth and fourescore thousande men shortely after in the yeare .1523 And sent forwarde his army vnder the conducte of his Lieuetenaunte and therewith an heralde at armes to bydde battayle to Machmetgirei the kynge of Casan with woordes in this eâ—â—ecte The last yeare lyke a theefe and robber withowt byddyng of battayle thou dyddeste pryuilie oppresse me Wherefore I nowe chalenge the once ageyne to proue the fortune of warre if thou mystruste not thyne owne poure To this the kynge answered that there were manye wayes open for hym to inuade Moscouia And that the warres haue no lesse respect to the commoditie of tyme and place theÌ„ of armure or streÌ„gth And that he wold take thaduantage therof when where it shulde seeme best to him and not to other With which woordes Basilius bâ—inge greatly accensed and burnyng with desyre of reuenge inuaded the kyngdome of Casan whose kynge beinge stryken with suddeyne feare at thapproche of so terrible an army assigned the gouernance of his kyngdome to the younge kynge of Taurica his neuie whyle he hym selfe went to requyre ayde of the Emperour of the Turkes But in fine the kynge of Casan submytted hym selfe vppon certeyne conditions of peace whiche the Moscouites dyd the gladlyer excepte for that time because theyr vittayles fayled them to maynteyne so great a multitude The kyng of Casan â—ubmitteth hym selfe But wheras duke Basilius hym selfe was not
and often tymes dye for extreme debilitie In so much that many of them for feare of theyr lyfe to coomme which they thynke woorse then the present payne preferre death before lyfe The pourgeinge of the metall frome the vre When they haue thus grounde the stones very smaule they cast that substaunce vppon brode tables inclynynge sumwhat stiepe or standynge a slope and cast wateâ— theron sterynge continually the sayde pouder of marble by the meanes wherof the earth and vre of the myne is wasshed away and the golde as the heauier matter remayneth on the tables When they haue doonne thus often tymes they ouerturne the golde continually with tâ—eyr handes rub it with thynne spoonges owt of the which they presse a softe earth and thus continewe vntyll the pure metall remayne lyke vnto golden sande The melting of golde After that this preparation is fynysshed othâ—r woorkemen receauynge it at theyr handes by measure and weyght cast it into earthen pottes puttynge thereto a certeyne portion of leade with branne of barly and weedes of the sea cauled reites or ouse These thynges proportioned accordyngly they close the pottes diligently with cley Algâ— â–ª and so let them stand in a furnesse with fyer for the space of fyue continuall dayes and nyghtes In which space al other thinges of contrary mixture beinge consumed only the golde is found in the vessels sumwhat diminysshed of the fyrst weyght And by this labour and diligence is golde possessed in the furthest parte of Egypt Wherby euen nature her selfe teacheth vs howe laborious it is in fyndynge tedious in pursuinge daungerous in keepynge and in vse constitute betwene pleasure and sorowe ¶ The discription of the two viages made owt of England into Guinea in Affrike at the charges of certeyne marchauntes aduenturers of the citie of London in the yeare of owre Lorde M.D.LIII. THat these vyages to Guinea are placed after the booke of Metals as separate from other vyages the cause hereof is that after I had delyuered the sayde booke of metalles to the handes of the printers I was desyred by certeyne my frendes to make summe mention of these viages that sum memorie therof myght remayne to owr posteritie if eyther iniquitie of tyme consumynge all thinges or ignoraunce creepynge in by barbarousnesse and contempte of knoweleage shulde hereafter bury in obliuion so woorthy attemptes so much the greatlyer to bee estemed as before neuer enterprysed by Englysshe men or at the leaste so frequented as at this present they are and may bee to the greate commoditie of owre marchauntes if the same be not hyndered by thambision of such as for the conquestynge of fortie or fyftie myles here and there and erectynge of certeyne fortresses or rather blockhouses amonge naked people Ambition â–ª thinke theÌ„ selues woorthy to bee lordes of halfe the worlde enuying that other shulde enioy the commodities which they them selues can not holy possesse And although such as haue byn at charges in the discouerynge and conquestynge of such landes owght by good reason to haue certeyne prâ—uilegies preeminencies and tributes for the same yet to speake vnder correction it may seeme sumwhat rigorous and ageynst good reason and conscience or rather ageynst the charitie that owght to bee amonge Chrysten men that such as violentely inuade the dominions of other shuld not permit other frendely to vse the trade of marchandies in places neuer or seldome frequented of them wherby theyr trade is not hindered in such places where they them selues haue at theyr owne election appoynted the martes of theyr trafike But forasmuche as at this presente it is not my intent to accuse or defend approue or improue I wil cease to speake any further hereof and proceade to the descripâ—ioÌ„ of the fyrst viage as briefely and faythfully as I was aduertised of the same by thinformation of such credible persons as made diligent inquisition to knowe the truth hereof as much as shal be requisite omyttynge to speake of many particular thynges not greatly necessarie to be knowen whiche neuerthelesse with also thexact course of the nauigation shal be more fully declared in the second vyage And if herein fauoure or frendshyppe shall perhappes cause sum to thinke that sum haue byn sharpely touched let them laye a parte fauoure and frendshippe and gyue place to truth that honest men may receaue prayse for well doinge and lewde persons reproche as the iust stipende of theyr euyll desertes whereby other may bee deterred to do the lyke and vertuous men encouraged to proceade in honest attemptes But that these vyages may bee more playnely vnderstode of al men I haue thowght good for this purpose before I intreate hereof to make a breefe description of Affrica beinge that greate parte of the worlde Africa on whose Weste syde begynneth the coast of Guinea at Cabo Uerde abowte the .xii. degrees in latitude on this syde the Equinoctiall line The coast of Guinea and two degrees in longitude from the measurynge line so runnynge from the north to the south and by east in sum places within v. iiii and .iii. degrees and a halfe within the Equinoctiall and so furth in maner directly east and by north for the space of .xxxvi. degrees or there abowt in longitude from the West to the East as shall more playnely appere in the descryption of the seconde vyage ¶ A breefe description of Affrike IN Affrica the lesse are these kyngedomes The kyngedome of Tunes and Constantina which is at this day vnder Tunes Tunnes and also the region of Bugia Bugia Tripoli Triâ—oli and â—zzab This part of Afrike is very baren by reason of the great desertes as the desertes of Numidia and Barcha Numidia The principall portes of the kyngedome of Tunes are these Goletta Bizerta Portofarnia Boua and Stora The chiefe cities of Tunes are Constantia and Boua with dyuers other Ilandes of Tunnes Under this kyngedome are many Ilandes as Zerbi Lampadola Pantalarea Limoso Beit Gamelaro and Malta where at this presente is the greate master of the Rodes Malta Under the southe of this of kyngdome are the great desertes of Libia The disertes of Libia Al the nations this Africa the lesse are of the secte of Machomet and a rusticall people lyuynge scattered in vyllages The beste of this parte of Afrike is Barbaria lyinge on the coaste of the sea Mediterraneum Barbarie Mauritania nowe cauled Barbaria is diuided into two partes Mauritania as Mauritania Tingitania and Cesariensis Mauritania Tingitania is nowe cauled the kyngdome of Fes and the kyngedome of Marrocko The principall citie of Fes is cauled Fessa and the chiefe citie of Marrocko The kingdoÌ„s of Fes and maâ—rock is named Marrocko Mauritania Cesariensis is at this day cauled the kyngedome of Tremisen Tremesin with also the citie cauled Tremisen or Telensin This region is full of desertes and reacheth to the sea Mediterraneum to the citie of Oram with the porte of
Massaquiber Oram Nassaquiber The kyngedome of Fes reachethe vnto the Ocean sea from the West to the citie of Argilla and the porte of the sayde kyngedome is cauled Salla Saâ—la The kyngedome of Marrocko is also extended aboue the Ocean sea vnto the citie of Azamor and Azafi whiche are aboue the Ocean sea towarde the West of the sayde kyngdome Azamor In Mauritania Tingitanea that is to say in the two kyngedomes of Fes and Marrocko are in the sea the Ilandes of Canarie cauled in owlde time the fortunate Ilandes The Ilandes of Canarie Toward the south of this region is the kyngedome of Guinea Guinea with Senega Iaiofo Gambra and manye other regions of the blacke Moores cauled Ethiopians or Negros Ethiopians all whiche are watered with the ryuer Negro cauled in owlde tyme Niger In the sayde regions are no cities but only certeyne lowe cotages made of bouwes of trees plastered with chauke and couered with strawe In these regions are also very great desertes The kyngedome of Marrocko hath vnder it these seuen kyngedomes Hea Sus Guzula the territorie of Marrocko Marrocko Duchala Hazchora and Telde The kyngedome of Fes hath as many as Fes Fes Temesne Azgar Elabath Errifi Garet and Eicauz The kyngedome of Tremisen hath these regions Tremesin Tremisen Tenez and Elgazaet all which are Machometistes But all the regions of Guinea are pure Gentyles and Idolatours withowt profession of any religion or other knowleage of god then by the lawe of nature Guinea Africa the great Africa the great is one of the three partes of the worlde knowen in owlde tyme and seuered from Asia on the East by the ryuer Nilus On the West from Europe by the pillers of Hercules The hyther part is nowe cauled Barbarie and the people Moores The inner parte is cauled Libia and Ethiopia Afrike the lesse is in this wyse bounded Affrike the lesse On the west it hath Numidia On the east Cyrenaica On the north the sea cauled Mediterraneum In this countrey was the noble citie of Carthage Carthage In the East syde of Afrike beneth the redde sea dwelleth the greate and myghtye Emperour and Chrystian kynge Prester Iohan Prester Iohn well knowen to the Portugales in theyr vyages to Calicut His dominions reache very farre on euery syde and hath vnder hym many other kynges both Chrystian and hethen that pay hym trybute This myghty prince is cauled Dauid Themperour of Ethiopia Sum wryte that the kynge of Portugale sendeth hym yearely .viii. shyppes laden with marchaundies His kyngedome confineth with the redde sea and reacheth farre into Afrike towarde Egypte and Barbarie Southwarde it confineth with the sea towarde the cape de Buona Speranza Cape de Buona Speranza and on the other syde with the sea of sande cauled Mare de Sabione The sea of sande a very daungerous sea lyinge betwene the great citie of Alcaer or Cairo in Egypte and the countrey of Ethiopia Alcair In the whiche way are many vnhable desertes continuinge for the space of fyue dayes iorney And they affirme that if the sayde Chrystian Emperour were not hyndered by those desertes in the which is great lacke of vittayles and especially of water he wolde or nowe haue inuaded the kyngedome of Egypte and the citie of Alcayer The chiefe citie of Ethiope where this great Emperour is resydent is cauled Amacaiz beinge a fayre citie whose inhabitauntes are of the coloure of an olyue There are also many other cities as the citie of Saua vppon the ryuer of Nilus where Themperoure is accustomed to remayne in the soommer season There is lykewyse a great citie named Barbaregaf And Ascon from whense it is sayde that the queene of Saba came to Ierusalem to heare the wysdome of Salomon From wheÌ„se the queene of Saba came This citie is but lyttle yet very fayre and one of the chiefe cities in Ethiope In the sayde kyngdome is a prouince cauled Manicongni Manicongni whose kynge is a Moore and tributarie to Themperour of Ethiope In this prouince are many excedynge hyghe mountaynes vppon the which is sayde to be the earthly Paradyse The earthly Paradyse And sum say that there are the trees of the soonne and moone whereof the antiquitie maketh mention The trees of the soonne and moone Yet that none can passe thyther by reason of greate desertes of a hundreth dayes iorney Also beyonde these mountaynes is the cape of Buona Speranza And to haue sayde thus much of Afrike it may suffice ¶ The fyrst vyage of Guinea IN the yeare of owre Lorde M.D.LIII. the xii day of August sayled from Porchemouth two goodly shyppes the Primrose and the Lion The prymrose The Lyon with a pynnesse cauled the moone The Moone beinge all well furnysshed aswell with men of the lustiest sorte to the number of seuen score as also with ordinaunce and vyttayles requisite to such a vyage Hauynge also two capitaynes the one a straunger cauled Antoniades Pinteado a Portugale Pinteado borne in a towne named the porte of Portugale a wyse discrete and sober man who for his cunnynge in saylynge beinge aswell an expert pylot as polytyke capitayne was sumtyme in great fauoure with the kynge of Portugale and to whom the coastes of Brasile and Guinea were commytted to bee kepte from the Frenchemen to whom he was a terroure on the sea in those partes Brasile Guinea and was furthermore a gentleman of the kinge his masters house But as fortune in maner neuer fauoureth but flattereth The flatteryng of fortune neuer promyseth but deceaueth neuer rayseth but casteth downe ageyne and as great wealth and fauour hath alwayes companions emulation and enuie he was after many aduersites and quarels made ageynst hym inforced to come into Englande where in this golden vyage he was euyll matched with an vnequall coompanion and vnlyke matche of most sundry qualities and conditions with vertues few or none adourned with vices dyuers and many fowly spotted The euel conditions of Wyndam knowen of many with out profyte and desyred of fewe or none for his wyckednes whose smaule acquayntaunce was profitable to all men and his familiar conuersation an vndoinge that happye was the man or woman that knewe hym not he for his gooddes and shee for her name In fine vnfortunate was the coompany that had owght to doo with hym in so much that it was no maruayle that so goodly an enterpryse with so noble a furniture of men shyppes and ordinaâ—â—ce of all sortes with all kynde of vyttayles and that of so â—reat abundaunce had so smaul successe which could be none otherwyse wher so foule a spotte dyd blemysshe ye rather deface the rest Thus departed these noble shyppes vnder sayle on theyr vyage But first this capitayne Wyndam puttyng furth of his shyp at Porchmouth a kynseman of one of the headde marchauntes and shewynge herein a muster of
vnprofitable And brynge rather a fame to theyr inuentoures then trewe glorye Fame differeth from true glory Perillus was famous by diuisynge his brasen bulle yet so that it had byn better for hym to haue byn obscure and vnknowen They haue therefore deserued more trewe commendation whiche in buyldynge of cities townes fortresses bridges cundites hauens shyppes and suche other haue so ioyned magnificence with profecte that bothe may remaine for an eternal testimonie of absolute glory Absolute glory whose perfection extendeth to the gratifyinge of vniuersal mankind as farre as mans mortalitie wyll permit The whiche thinge whyle I consider and caule to memorie howe Cicero defineth trewe glory to bee a fame of many and greate desertes eyther towarde owre citizens What is true glory owre countrey or towarde all man kynde and the same to bee of such excellencie that the owlde poetes for sume effecte fayned it to bee the sweete Ambrosia and Nectar wherwith the goddes are fedde and that of such force that who so may drynke therof shal also become a god that is to say immortall and happy mee thynke verely that yf man maye be a god to men as holy scripture speaketh of Moises and other the kynges of Spayne of late dayes if I may speake it without offence of other may so much the more for theyr iust desertes and good fortune be compared to those goddes made of men whom the antiquitie cauled Heroes and for theyr manyfolde benefites to man kynde honoured theym with The kynges of Spayne Heroes diuine honoure as theyr famous factes so farre excell al other as I dare not speake to such as haue not yet harde or redde of the same least the greatnesse therof shulde at the first brunte so muche astonyshe the reader that he myght geue the lesse credite to the autoure of this booke who neuerthelesse hath moste faythfully wrytten this hystorye of suche thynges wherof he hath seene a greate parte him selfe as being by the moste catholyke and puissaunt kynge Ferdinando appoynted a commissionarie in th affayres of India and gathered the residewe partly by information and partly out of the wrytinges of such as haue byn as Uyrgyll wryteth of Eneas The certentie of this hystory Et quorum pars magna fui that is doers and parte of such thynges as are conteyned in the hystorie as Gouernours Lieuetenauntes Capitaynes Admirals and Pylottes who by theyr paineful trauayles and prowes haue not onely subdued these landes and seas but haue also with lyke diligence commytted thorder therof to wrytinge And not this onely but for the better tryall of the trewth herein haue and yet doo in maner dayly sende from thense into Spayne such monumentes as are most certeyne testimonies of theyr doynge as yow may reade in dyuers places in this boke This newe worlde is nowe so much frequented the Ocean nowe so well knowen and the commodities so greate that the kynge erected a house in the citie of Siuile cauled the house of the contractes of India perteynynge onely to th affayres of the Ocean The house of the contractes of India to the which al such resorte for necessaries as attempte anye vyage to this newe worlde and lykewyse at theyr returne make theyr accompte to the counsayle for the Indies for the golde and suche other thynges as they brynge from thense The counsayl for the Indiâ—s It is therefore apparent that the heroical factes of the Spaniardes of these days The heroicall factes of the Spanyardes deserue so greate prayse that thautour of this booke beinge no Spanyarde doth woorthely extolle theyr doynge aboue the famous actes of Hercules and Saturnus and such other which for theyr glorious and vertuous enterpryses were accoumpted as goddes amonge men And surely if great Alexander and the Romans which haue rather obteyned then deserued immortall fame amonge men for theyr bluddye victories onely for theyr owne glory and amplifyinge theyr empire obteyned by slawghter of innocentes and kepte by violence Great Alexander The â—panyardes warres in the Indies haue byn magnified for theyr doinges howe much more then shal we thynke these men woorthy iust commendations which in theyr mercyfull warres ageynst these naked people haue so vsed themselues towarde them in exchaungynge of benefites for victorie that greater commoditie hath therof ensewed to the vanquisshed then the victourers They haue taken nothynge from them but such as they them selues were wel wyllynge to departe with and accoumpted as superfluities as golde perles precious stones and such other for the which they recompensed theym with suche thynges as they muche more estemed The benefites that the Indians haue receaued by the Spanyardes But sum wyll say they possesse and inhabyte theyr regions and vse theym as bondemen and tributaries where before they were free They inhabite theyr regions in deede Yet so that by theyr diligence and better manurynge the same they maye nowe better susteyne both then one before Theyr bondage is suche as is much rather to be desired then theyr former libertie which was to the cruell Canibales rather a horrible licenciousnesse then a libertie Lybertie The Canibales and to the innocent so terrible a bondage thaâ— in the myddest of theyr ferefull idlenesse Feareful idlenesse they were euer in daunger to be a pray to those manhuntynge woolues But nowe thanked be God by the manhodde and pollicie of the Spanyardes this deuelysshe generation is so consumed partely by the slaughter of suche as coulde by no meanes be brought to ciuilitie and partly by reseruynge such as were oueâ—come in the warres and conuertynge them to a better mynde that the prophecie may herein bee fulfylled that the woolfe and the lambe shall feede together Isai. 65. and the wylde fieldes with the vale of Aâ—hor shal be the folde of the heard of gods people Moises as the minister of the lawe of wrath and bondage geuen in fyer teÌ„pestes The warres of Moises was coÌ„maunded in his warres to saue neyther man woman nor chylde and yet brought no commoditie to the nations whom he ouercame and possessed theyr landes But the Spaniardes as the mynisters of grace and libertie The Indians subdued to the fayth browght vnto these newe gentyles the victorie of Chrystes death wherby they beinge subdued with the worldely sworde are nowe made free from the bondage of Sathans tyrannie by the myghty poure of this triumphante victourer Isai. 42. whom as sayth the prophet god hath ordeyned to be a lyght to the gentyles to open the eyes of the blynde and to delyuer the bounde owt of pryson and captiuitie What other men do phantasie herein I can not tell but suer I am that lyke as the slowe and brutysshâ— wyttes for the sclendernesse of theyr capacitie and effeminate hartes do neuer or seldome lyfte vp theyr myndes to the contemplation of goddes workes and maiestie of nature The contemplation of gods workes but lyke brute beastes lookynge euer
bringynge with them popingayes breade water and cunnyes But especially stocke doues much bygger then owres which he affirmeth in sauour and taste to bee muche more pleasaunt then owre partryches Stock doues of more pleasaunt tast theÌ„ partriches Wherfore where as in eatinge of them he perceaued a certeyne sauoure of spyce to proceade from them he commaunded the croppe to bee opened of suche as were newely kylled and fownde the same full of sweete spyces whiche he argued to bee the cause of theyr strange taste For it standeth with good reason that the flesshe of beastes shulde drawe the nature and qualitie of theyr accustomed nuryâ—hemente As the Admirall harde masse on the shore there came towarde hym a certeyne gouernoure The humanitie of a reuerende owlde gouernour a man of foure score yeares of age and of great grauitie althowgh he were naked sauinge his pryuie partes He had a greate trayne of menne waytinge on hym All the whyle the preeste was at masse he shewed hym selfe verye humble and gaue reuerente attendaunce with graue and demure countenaunce When the masse was ended he presented to the Admirall a baskette of the fruites of his countrey delyueringe the same with his owne handes When the Admirall had gentelly interteyned hym desyringe leaue to speake he made an oration in the presence of Didacus thinterpretoure in this effecte An oration of the naked gouernour I haue byn aduertised moste mighty prince that you haue of late with greate power subdued many landes and Regions hytherto vnknoweÌ„ to you and haue browght no little feare vppon all the people and inhabitantes of the same The which your good fortune you shal beare with lesse insolencie Theyr opinion of the 〈◊〉 of man if you remember that the soules of men haue two iourneyes after they are departed from this bodye The one fowle and darke prepared for suche as are iniurious and cruell to man kynde The other pleasaunt and delectable ordeyned for theÌ„ which in theyr lyfe tyme loued peace and quietnes If therefore you acknowleage your selfe to bee mortall and consyder that euery man shall receaue condigne rewarde or punyshemeÌ„t for such thinges as he hath done in this life you wyl wrongefully hurte no man When he had sayde these wordes and other lyke which were declared to the Admirall by thinterpretour he marueylinge at the iudgemente of the naked owlde man answered that he was gladde to heare his opinion as touchinge the sundry iourneys and rewardes of sowles departed from theyr bodyes Supposinge that nother he or any other of thinhabitantes of those Regions Desyre of golde founde that which religion coulde not fynde had had any knowleage thereof Declaringe further that the chiefe cause of his comminge thyther was to instructe them in such godly knowleage and trewe religion And that he was sente into those countreys by the Christian kynge of Spayne his lorde and maister for the same purpose Virtus post nummos c. And specially to subdue and punishe the Canibales and such other mischeuous people And to defende innocentes ageynst the violence of such euyl doers wyllynge hym and all other such as embrased vertue in no case to bee afrayde But rather to open his mynde vnto him if eyther he or any other suche quiete men as he was hadde susteyned any wronge of theyr neyghbours and that he wold see the same reuenged These comfortable wordes of the Admirall soo pleased the owlde man that notwithstandyng his extreeme age he woulde gladly haue gone with the Admiral as he had doone in deede if his wyfe and chyldren had not hyndered hym of his purpose But he marueyled not a lyttle that the Admirall was vnder the dominion of an other And muche more when thinterpretour towlde hym of the glorye magnificence pompes greate power and furnymentes of warre of owre kynges and of the multitudes of cities and townes which were vnder theyr dominions Intendyng therfore to haue gonne with the Admirall his wyfe and children fell prostrate at his feete with teares desyrynge hym not to forsake them and leaue them desolate At whose pytifull requestes the worthy owlde man beinge moued remayned at home to the comfort of his people and famylie satisfyenge rather them then hym selfe For not yet ceasinge to woonder and of heauy countenaunce bycause he myght not departe he demaunded oftentymes if that lande were not heauen which browght foorth suche a kynde of men For it is certeyne that amonge them the lande is as common as the sonne and water The Iland as common as the sunne and water And that Myne and Thyne the seedes of all myscheefe haue no place with them They are contente with soo lyttle that in soo large a countrey they haue rather superfluitie theÌ„ scarsenes Soo that as wee haue sayde before they seeme to lyue in the goulden worlde The golden worlde without toyle lyuinge in open gardens not intrenched with dykes dyuyded with hedges or defended with waules They deale trewely one with an other without lawes without bookes and without Iudges They take hym for an euyll and myscheuous man which taketh pleasure in doinge hurte to other And albeit that they delyte not in superfluities yet make they prouision for thincrease of suche rootes ProuisioÌ„ without care wherof they make theyr breade as Maizium Iucca and Ages contented with suche simple dyet Simple diete wherby health is preserued and dyseases auoyded The Admirall therfore departinge from thense and myndinge to returne ageyne shortly after chaunced to coome ageyne to the Ilande of Iamaica beinge on the sowthe syde therof The Iland of Iamaica and coasted all a longe by the shore of the same from the Weste to the Easte From whose last corner on the East syde when he sawe towarde the North on his lefte hande certeyn high mountains he knewe at the length that it was the sowthe syde of the Ilande of Hispaniola hispaniola which he had not yet passed by Wherfore at the Calendes of September enteringe into the hauen of the same Ilande cauled saynt Nycolas hauen he repayred his shippes to thintent that he myght ageyne wast and spoyle the Ilandes of the Canibales The Canibales and burne all theyr Canoas that those raueninge wolues myght no longer persecute and deuoure the innocent sheepe But he was at this tyme hyndered of his purpose by reason of a dysease which he had gotteÌ„ with to muche watchinge Sickenes of to much watchinge Thus beinge feeble and weake he was ledde of the maryners to the citie of Isabella where with his two brytherne which were there other his familiers he recouered his health in shorte space Yet coulde he not at this tyme assayle the Canibales by reason of sedicion that was rysen of late amonge the Spanyardes which he had lefte in Hispaniola wherof we wyll speake more heareafter Thus fare ye wel ¶ The fourth booke of the fyrst decade to Lodouike Cardinall of Aragonie COlonus the
Admirall of the Ocean returning as he supposed from the continent or firme lande of East India Easte India had aduertisement that his brother Boilus one Peter Margarita an owld familier of the kinges and a noble man with diuers other of those to whom he had left the gouernemeÌ„t of the Iland The Spanyardeâ— rebelle in the Admirâ—ls absence were of corrupted mynde ageynst him departed into Spayne Wherfore as wel to purge him of such crimes as they shuld ley to his charge as also to make a supply of other men in the place of them which were returned especially to prouyde for vitailes as wheat wyne oyle and such other which the Spanyardes are accustomed to eate bycause they coulde not yet well agree with such meates as they fownde in the Ilandes determined shortly to take his vyage into Spayne But what he dyd before his departure I wyll brefely rehearse The kynges of the Ilandes which had hytherto lyued quietly and content with theyr lyttle whiche they thowght abundante The kynges of the Ilande rebell wheras they nowe perceaued that owre men began to fasten foote within theyr Regions and to beare rule amonge them tooke the matter so greuously that they thowght nothynge elles but by what meanes they myght vtterly destroy them and for euer abolysshe the memory of theyr name For that kynde of men the Spanyardes I meane which folowed the Admirall in that nauigation The Spaniardes mâ—sbehauour was for the most parte vnruly regardynge nothinge but Idlenes playe and libertie And wolde by no meanes absteyne from iniuries Rauyshynge the womeÌ„ of the Ilandes before the faces of their husbandes fathers and brethrene By which theyr abhomynable mysde maynour they disquieted the myndes of all thinhabitantes In so much that where so euer they fownde any of owre men vnprepared they slewe them with suche fyercenes and gladnes as thowgh they had offered sacryfyce to God Intendynge therefore to pacifie their troubled myndes and to punyshe them that slew his men before he departed from thense he sent for the kynge of that vale which in the booke before we descrybed to bee at the foote of the mountaynes of the Region of Cibaua This kynges name was Guarionexius Guarionexius the kynge of the greatyale Didacus the interpretour who the more streyghtly to concyle vnto hym the frendeshyppe of the Admirall gaue his syster to wyfe to Didacus a man from his chyldes age browght vp with the Admiral whom he vsed for his interpretoure in the prouinces of Cuba After this he sent for Caunaboa cauled the lorde of the howse of goulde that is of the mountaynes of Cibaua For this Caunaboa Caunaboa the kynge of the house of golde he sent one capitayne Hoieda whom the ditionaries of Caunaboa had enforced to keepe his howlde bysiegeinge for the space of .xxx. dayes the fortresse of saynte Thomas in the which Hoieda with his fyftie souldiers stoode at theyr defence vntyll the comminge of the Admirall Whyle Hoieda remayned with Caunaboa Capitayne hoieda many ambassadours of the kynges of dyuers Regions were sent to Caunaboa persuadinge hym in no condicion to permitte the Christians to inhabite the Ilande except he had rather serue then rule On the other partie Hoieda aduertised Caunaboa to goo to the Admirall and to make a league of frendeship with hym But the ambassadours on the contrary part threatened hym that yf he wolde soo doo the other kynges wolde inuade his Region But Hoieda aunswered theym ageyne that wheras they conspired to maynteyne their libertie they shuld by that meanes be browght to seruitude destruction if they entended to resist or keepe warre ageinst the Christians Thus Caunaboa on the one syde and the other kynge Caunaboa â—ad sâ—ain the Spanyardeâ— beinge troubeled as it were a rocke in the sea beaten with contrary fluddes much more vexed with the stormes of his gyltie conscience for that he had priuilie slaine .xx. of owre men vnder pretence of peace feared to coome to the Admirall But at the length hauing excogitated this deceyte Caunaboa coÌ„spireth the Admiralleâ— death to haue slayne the Admirall and his coompany vnder the colour of frendshippe if oportunitie wold soo haue serude he repayred to the Admiral with his hole familie and many other wayting on hym armed after theyr maner Beinge demaunded why he browght soo greate a rout of men with hym he aunswered that it was not decente for soo great a prince as he was to goo foorth of his howse without suche a bande of men But the thinge chaunced much otherwyse then he looked for For he fell into the snares which he had prepared for other For wheras by the way he began to repente hym that he came foorthe of his howse Hoieda with many fayre wordes and promyses Fayre worde make fooles fayne browght hym to the Admirall At whose commaundement he was immediatly taken put in prison So that the sowles of owre men were not longe from their bodies vnreuenged Thus Caunaboa with all his familie beinge taken the Admirall was determined to runne ouer the Ilande But he was certified that there was such famine amonge thinhabitantes Famine in the Ilande of hispaniola that there was alredye fyftie thousande menne deade therof And that they dyed yet dayly as it were cotton sheepe The cause wherof was wel knowen to bee theyr owne obstinacie and frowardnes For where as they sawe that owre men entended to choose them a dwelling place in the Ilande supposinge that they myght haue driuen them from thence if the vytailes of the Ilande shoulde fayle they determyned with them selues not only to leaue sowing and plantyng but also to destroy and plucke vp by the rootes euery man in his owne region The hunger of golde causeth great famine that whiche they had alredye sowen of both kyndes of breade wherof we made mencion in the fyrst booke But especially amonge the mountaynes of Cibaua otherwyse cauled Cipanga for as muche as they hadde knoweleage that the golde which abundeth in that Region was the cheefe cause that deteyned owre men in the Ilande In the meane tyme he sent foorth a Capitayne with a bande of men to searche the sowthe syde of the Ilande Who at his returne reported that throwghe out all the Regions that he trauayled there was suche scarsenes of breade that for the space of .xvi. dayes he eate nowght elles but the rootes of herbes and of younge date trees or the fruites of other wylde trees But Guarionexius the kynge of the vale lyinge beneth the mountaynes of Cibaua whose kyngedoome was not soo wasted as the other gaue owre menne certeyne vytayles Within a fewe dayes after bothe that the iourneys myght bee the shorter and also that owre men myght haue more safe places of refuge if the inhabitantes shuld hereafter rebell in lyke maner he buylded an other fortesse whiche he cauled the towre of CoÌ„ception betwene the citie of
office one Don Christopher a Portugale the soonne of the countie of Camigna was gouernoure of the Ilande whom the Canibales of the other Ilandes slewe with all the Christian men that were in the same excepte the byshop and his familiers which fledde and shyfted for them selues forsakynge the church and all the ornamentes thereof For yowre holynes hath consecrated fyue byshoppes in these Ilandes at the request of the most catholyke kynge Fyue byshoppes of the Iland made by thâ— bysshop of Rome In Sancto Dominico being the chiefe citie of Hispaniola Garsia de Padilla a reguler fryer of the order of saynt Fraunces is byshop In the towne of Conception doctor Petrus Xuarez of Deza And in the Ilande of saynte Iohn or Burichena Alfonsus Mansus a licenciate beinge bothe obseruantes of thinstitucion of saynt Peter The fourth is fryer Barnarde of Mesa a man of noble parentage borne in Toledo a preacher and byshop of the Ilande of Cuba The fyfte is Iohannes Cabedus a fryer preacher whom yowre holynes annoynted mynister of Christ to teache the Christian faithe amonge the inhabitantes of Dariena The Canibales shall shortely repent them and the bludde of owre men shal be reuenged And that the sooner bycause that shortly after they had committed this abhominable slaughter of owre men they came ageyne from theyr owne Ilande of Sancta Crux otherwyse cauled AyAy to the Ilande of Sancti Iohannis The Canibales of the Iland of Sancta Crux and slewe a kynge whiche was a frende to owre men and eate hym and all his famely vtterly subuertinge his vyllage vppon this occasion that violatinge the lawe of hostage he had slayne seuen Canibales whiche were lefte with hym by composition to make certeyne canoas bicause the Iland of Sancti Iohannis beareth greater trees and apter for that purpose then doth the Ilande of Sancti Crux the chiefe habitacion of the Canibales These Canibales yet remaynynge in the Ilande certeine of owre men sayling from Hispaniola chaunced vppon them The thynge being vnderstode by thinterpretoures owre men quarelynge with theym and caulynge them to accompte for that mischeuous deede they immediatly directed theyr bowes and venemous arrowes ageynst them and with cruell countenaunces threatened theÌ„ to bee quyet least it shulde repent them of theyr commyng thyther Owre men fearynge theyr venemous arrowes for they were not prepared to fyght gaue them signes of peace Being demaunded why they destroyed the vyllage and where the kynge was with his famelye they answered that they rased the vyllage and cutte the kynge with his famelie in peeces eate them in the reuenge of theyr seuen woorkemen And that they had made faggottes of theyr bones to cary theim to the wyues and chyldren of theyr slayne woorkemen in wytnesse that the bodyes of theyr husbandes and parentes lay not vnreuenged and therewith shewed the faggottes of bones to owre men who beinge astonyshed at theyr fiercenes and crueltie were enforced to dissimble the matter and houlde theyr peace quarelynge noo further with them at thaâ— tyme. These and suche other thynges doo dayly câ—aunce the which I doo let passe least I shulde offende the eares of yowr holynes with suche bluddy narrations Thus haue wee sufficiently digressed from the regions of Beragua and Vraba beinge the chiefeste foundations of owre purpose Beragua and Uraba Wee wyll nowe therefore entreate sumewhat of the largenes and depthe of the ryuers of Vraba The ryuers of Uraba Also declare bothe what they and the landes whiche they runne through doo brynge foorth lykewise of the greatnes of the lande from the Easte to the West and of the bredth therof from the Southe to the North and what theyr opinion and hope is of thynges yet vnknowen in the same Wee wyll therfore beginne at the newe names wherwith the Spanyardes haue named these prouinces sence they were vnder the dominions of the Christians ¶ The nynth booke of the seconde Decade of the supposed Continent BEragua therfore they cauled Castella Aurea that is golden Castile And Vraba they named Andaluzia Noua that is newe Andalusia Beragua cauled Castella aurifera and Uraba Andaluzia noua Sum caule Peru Noua Castilia And lyke as of many Ilandes which they subdued they choose Hispaniola for the chiefe place of theyr habitacion soo in the large tract of Paria they appoynted theyr coloine or bydyng place in the twoo regions of Vraba and Beragua Beragua and Uraba regions of Paria â–ª that all suche as attempte and vyages in those coastes may resorte to them as to safe portes to bee refreshed when they are wery or dryuen to necessitie All owre seedes and plantes The frutefulnes of Uraba do nowe maruelously encrease in Vraba Lykewyse blades settes slippes graffes suger canes and suche other as are brought from other places to those regions as also beastes and foules as we haue sayde before O maruelous frutefulnes Twentie dayes after the seede is sowne they gather rype cucumers and such lyke But colwortes beetes Letuse Borage are rype within the space of ten dayes Gourdes melones and pompones within the space of .xxviii. dayes Dariena hathe many natiue trees and frutes of dyuers kyndes with sundry tastes The frutfuâ—nes of Dariena holsome for the vse of meÌ„ Dyuers holsomy frutes of â—rees of the which I haue thowght it good to descrybe certeyne of the best They noorysshe a tree which they caule Guaiana Guaiana that beareth a frute much resemblynge the kynde of citrous which are commonly cauled limones of taste sumwhat sharpe myxt with swetenes They haue also abundance of nuttes of pynetrees and great plentie of date trees Pine trees Date trees whiche beare frutes bygger then the dates that are knowen to vs but they are not apte to bee eaten for theyr to much sowernes Wylde and baren date trees growe of them selues in sundry places the branches wherof they vse for biesommes and eaâ—e also the buddes of the same Guarauana Guarauana being higher and bygger then the orange tree bringeth furth a great frute as bygge as pome citrous Ther is an other tree much lyke to a chestnut tree whose frute is lyke to the bygger sort of fygs beinge holsome of plesant taste Mameis Mameis is an other tree that bringeth foorthe frute as bygge as an orange in taste nothynge inferioure to the beste kyndes of melones Guananala Guananala beareth a frute lesse then any of the other but of sweete sauoure lyke spice and of delectable taste Houos Houos is an other tree whose frute bothe in shape and taste is much lyke to prunes but sumwhat bygger They are surely persuaded that this is the Myrobalane-tree Mirobalani Hogges fed with mirobalanes These growe soo abundantely in Hispaniola that the hogges are fedde with the frute therof as with maste amonge vs. The hogges lyke this kynde of feadynge soo well that when these frutes wax rype the swyneherdes can by no meanes keepe
and well armed with nayles and fanges which we caule dogge teeth They are so fierce that in my iudgement no reall lyon of the byggest sorte is so stronge or fierce Of these there are many founde in the firme land whiche deuour many of the Indians do much hurte otherwyse But syns the comming of the Christians many haue byn kyld with Crossebowes after this maner As soone as the archer hath knowlege of the haunt of any of these Tygers The huntyng of tigers he gothe searchynge theyr trase with his crossebowe and with a lyttle hounde or bewgle and not with a greehounde bycause this beast wolde soone kyll any dogge that wolde venter on hym When the hounde hath founde the Tyger he runneth about hym bayinge continually and approcheth so neare hym snappynge and grynnynge with so quicke flyinge and returnyng that he hereby so molesteth this fierce beaste that he dryuethe hym to take the next tree at the foote whereof he remayneth styl baying and the Tyger grynnyng and shewyng his teeth whyle in the meane tyme the archer commeth neare and .xii. or .xiiii. pases of stryketh hym with the querel of his crossebowe in the breste and flyeth incontinent leauynge the Tyger in his trauayle for lyfe and death bytynge the tree and eatynge earth for fiâ—rcenesse Then within the space of twoo or three houres or the day folowynge the archer returneth thyther and with his dogge fyndeth the place where he lyethe deade In the yeare 1522. I with the other rulers magistrates of the citie of Sancta Maria Antiqua in Dariena toke order in owr counsayle A rewarde of foure or fyue pieces of golde to bee giuen to euery man that kylde any of these Tygers A reward for kyllinge of â—igers by reason wherof many were kylde in shorte space both with crossebowes and also with dyuers snares and ingens But to conclude I wyll not obstynately stand in opinyon whether these beastes bee Tygers or Panthers or of the number of any other such beastes of spotted heare or also peraduenture sum other newe beaste vnknowen to the owlde wryters as were many other wherof I haue spoken in this booke Of which thynge I doo not greately meruayle For asmuche as vnto owre tyme thys greate parte of the worlde was vnknowen to the antiquitie In so muche that none of the wryters of that age nor yet Ptolomie in his Cosmographie or any other sence hym haue made any mention herof vntill the fyrst Admyrall Don Chrystopher Colonus discouered the same A thynge doutelesse without comparyson muche greater then that whyche is sayd of Hercules Colocus compared to Hercules that he fyrste gaue thenterance of the sea Mediterraneum into the Oâ—ean The pillers of hercules whiche the Grekes coulde neuer doo before hym And herof rysethe the fable that the mountaynes of Calpe and Abila which are directly one agaynst an other in the strayght of Gibilterra the straightes of Gibilterra the one beyng in Spayne and the other in Affryke were ioyned togither before they were opened by Hercules Note who erected those hys pyllers whiche your maiestye gyue in token of prehemynence and lyke enterpryses with lykewyse these hys wordes PLVS VLTRA PLVS VLTRA wordes doutelesse worthy for so greate an vnyuersall an Emperoure and not conuenyent for any other Prynce howe farre Themperouâ— maiestie excelleth hercules Forasmuche as your holy Catholyke Maiestye haue spredde them in so straunge and remote regyons so manye thousande leaques further than euer dyd Hercules And certeynlye syr If there had byn an Image of golde made in the prayse and fame of Colonus He had as well deserued it as any of those men to whom for theyr noble enterpryse the antiquytie gaue deuyne honoure if he had byn in their tyme. But to returne to the matter whereof I began to speake I neede say no more of the forme of thys beaste for as muche as your Maiestye haue seene that whych is yet alyue in Tolledo And suerly the keper of your Maiesties lyons who hath taken vppon hym the charge to tame this beaste myght better haue bestowed his paynes in an other thynge that myght haue bynne more profitable for the safegarde of his lyfe bycause this Tyger beinge yet but younge wyl dayly bee stronger and fiercer and increase in malyce The Indians and especially they of the firme lande in the prouince whiche the Catholyke Kynge Don Ferdinando commaunded to bee cauled golden Castyle caule this beaste Oobi This thinge is straunge that chaunced of late that wheras the Tiger wherof we haue made mention before A tiger made â—ame wolde haue kylde his keeâ—â—â— that then kept hym in a cage was in fewe dayes after made so tame that he ledde her tyed only with a smaule corde and playde with her so familyarly that I maruayled greatly to see it yet not without certeyne belefe that this frendshyp wyll not laste longe without daunger of lyfe to the keeper forasmuch as suerly these beastes are not meete to bee amonge men for theyr fiercenes and cruell nature that can not bee tamed ⧠Of the maners and customes of the Indians of the firme lande and of theyr women THe maners and customes of these Indians are dyuers in diuers prouinces Sum of them take as many wyues as them lyste and other lyue with one wyfe whome they forsake not without consent of both parties which chauncethe especially when they haue no chyldren The Indian women The nobilitie aswel men as women repute it infamous to ioyne with any of base parentage or strangers except Christians whom they count noble men by reason of theyr valientnes although they put a difference betwene the common sorte and the other to whom they shewe obedience countynge it for a great matter and an honorable thyng yf they bee beloued of any of theÌ„ In so much that yf they knowe any Christian man carnaâ—ly they keepe theyr fayth to hym so that he bee not longe absent farre from them For theyr intent is not to bee widowes or to lyue chast lyke religious women Many of theym haue this custome that when they perceaue â—hat they are with chylde they take an herbe wherwith they destroy that is conceaued For they say that only wel aged women shulde beare chyldren and that they wyl not forbeare theyr pleasures and deforme theyr boddies with bearynge of chyldren wherby theyr teates becoome loose and hangynge which thynge they greatly disprayse When they are delyuered of theyr chyldren they go to the ryuer and washe them Whiche doone theyr bludde and purgation ceaseth immediatly And when after this they haue a few days absteyned froÌ„ the company of men they becomme so strayght as they say which haue had carnall familiaritie with them that such as vse them can not without much difficultie satisâ—ie theyr appetite They also whiche neuer had chyldren are euer as byrgins The men of India In sum partes they weare certeyne lyttle apernes rounde
of the which the sayde pilote brought summe with hym into Spayne They haue syluer and copper and certeyne other metalles They are Idolaters and honoure the soonne and moone Idolaters and are seduced with suche superstitions and errours as are they of the firme And to haue wrytten thus muche it maye suffice of suche thinges as haue semed to me most woorthy to be noted in the SuÌ„marie of Gonzalus Ferdinandus wrytten to TheÌ„perours maiestie ¶ Of other notable thynges gathered owte of dyuers autours And fyrste of the vniuersal carde and newe worlde THe hole globe or compase of the earth was dyuyded by the auncient wryters into three partes as Europa Affrica and Asia whiche partes conteyne in longitude .180 degrees begynnynge the fyrst degree at the Ilandes of Canarie And conteyne in latitude towarde the North .63 degrees begynnynge the fyrste degree frome the Equinoctiall And .10 degrees towarde the South All the reste of the longitude which conteyneth other .180 degrees is discouered of late tyme as the West India cauled the newe worlde west India the newe worlde bycause none of the owlde autoures had any knowelege or made any mention therof All that therfore is cauled newe which is Westwarde from the Ilandes of Canarie And thus accomptynge these .180 degrees towarde the East discouered in owlde tyme with the other .180 degrees discouered of late dayes they make 360. degrees which is al the circle of the Equinoctiall in the sphere The circumference of the Equinoctiall lyne Also the part aboue the .63 degrees of the North latitude The North regions was founde by men of late tyme as Norway and Grutlande with many other prouinces Lykewise the part more south then .10 degrees of latitude The South regions was discouered of late dayes althoughe Ariane and Plinie say that it was knowen in owlde tyme whiche yf it were yet had they no suche particular description thereof as we haue in these dayes ¶ A discourse of the vyage made by the Spanyardes rounde abowte the worlde THe vyage made by the Spanyardes rownde abowt the worlde is one of the greatest and moste marueylous thynges that hath bynne knowen to owre tyme. And althoughe in many thynges we excell owre aunciente predicessours in this especiallye wee so farre exceade all theyr inuentions that the lyke hath not heretofore byn knowen to this day This viage was written particularly by Don Peter Martyr of Angleria being one of the counsayle of Themperours Indies Don Peter Martyr to whom also was commytted the wrytyng of the hystorie and examination of al suche as returned from thense into Spayne to the citie of Siuile in the yeare M. D. xxii But sendynge it to Rome to bee prynted in that miserable tyme when the citie was sacked it was lost and not founde to this day or any memory remaynynge therof Rome sacked sauynge suche as sum that redde the same haue borne in mynde And amonge other notable thynges by hym wrytten as touchynge that vyage this is one that the Spanyardes hauynge sayled abowt three yeares and one moneth A day lost in three yeares and one moneth and the most of them notynge the dayes day by day as is the maner of all them that sayle by the Ocean they founde when they were returned to Spayne that they had loste one daye So that at theyr arryuall at the porte of Siuile beinge the seuenth day of September was by theyr accompt but the sixth day And where as Don Peter Martyr declared the strange effecte of this thynge to a certeyne excellente man who for his singuler lernynge was greately aduaunced to honoure in his common welthe and made Themperours ambassadoure this woorthy gentelman who was also a greate Philosopher and Astronomer answered that it coulde not otherwyse chaunce vnto them hauynge sayled three yeares continually euer folowynge the soonne towarde the West And sayde furthermore that they of owlde tyme obserued that all suche as sayled behinde the soonne towarde the West dyd greatly lengthen the day And albeit that the sayde booke of Peter Martyr is perysshed yet hath not fortune permitted that the memorie of so woorthy and marueylous an enterpryse shulde vtterly bee extincte forasmuch as a certeyne noble gentleman of the cytie of Uincenza in Italie cauled master Antonie Pigafetta who beinge one of the coompanie of that vyage and after his returne into Spayne in the shyppe Uictoria Antonie Pigafetta was made knyght of the Rhodes wrote a particular and large booke therof which he gaue to Themperours Maiestie and sente a coppie of the same into Fraunce to the lady Regente mooâ—her vnto the frenche kynge who committed it to an excellent philosopher cauled master Iacobus Faber Iacobus Faber hauyng longe studyed in Italy wyllynge him to translate it into the Frenche toonge This booke therefore was printed fyrst in the frenche toonge and then in the Italien with also an epistle to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as touchynge the same viage written by Maximiliane Transiluane secretarie to Themperours Maiestie Maximilian Transiluane in the yeare .1522 And doubtelesse amonge al the cities of Italie the citie of Uicenza may herein much glorie that beside the ancient nobilitie and many excellent and rare wyttes whiche it hath browght furth aswell in learnynge as discipline of warre it hath also had so woorthy and valiaunt a gentleman as was the sayde master Antonie Pigafetta who hauing compased abowte the ball or globe of the worlde hath lykewyse described that vyage particularly For the whiche his so noble and woonderfull an enterprise so happily atchiued The rewarde of noble enterpryseâ— if the same had byn doone in the owlde tyme when th empyre of the Grekes and Romans florysshed he shulde doubtelesse haue byn rewarded with an Image of marble or golde erected in a place of honoure in perpetuall memorie and for a singular exemple of his vertue to the posteritie In fine this may we bouldly affirme that the antiquitie had neuer such knowlege of the worlde whiche the soonne coompaseth abowte in xxiiii houres The antiquitie had no suche knowlege of the worlde as we haue as we haue at this presente by thindustrye of men of this owre age But before I speake any thynge of the viage I haue thought it good fyrst to adde hereunto the Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane which he wrote to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as a preface to his sayde booke ¶ The Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane secretarie to The Emperours maiestie wrytten to the ryght honorable and reuerende lorde the lorde Cardinall of Salsepurge of the marueylous and woonderfull nauigation made by the Spanyardes rounde abowt the worlde in the yeare of Christ. M. D. xix IN these daies my most honorable and reuerend lorde returned one of those fiue shippes which the yeare before Themperours beinge at Saragosa in Spayne were at his maiesties commaundement sent to the newe worlde heretofore vnknowen vnto vs to seeke the Ilandes of spices The
the men whome he seemed to see in the same Wherupon he profered hym selfe to enter into leaque of frendshyppe wâ—th the kynge of Spayne and to accepte owre men as his brotherne and chyldren wyllyng them to come alande as into theyr owne houses Also that for theyr commynge that Ilande shulde no more bee cauled Tidore but Castile for the greate loue whiche he bore to theyr kynge whom he reputed as his lorde and master This kynge is a Moore and is named Raia Sultan Mauzor The Ilandes of Molucca are fiue in number are thus named Tarenate Tidore Mutir Macebian and Bacchian The fyue Ilandes of molucca Of these Tarenate is the chiefest Tarenate Directly ageynste the Ilande of Tidore there is an other great Ilande named Gilolo The Iland of Gilolo inhabited of Moores and Gentyles Moores gentyles The Moores haue two kynges of the which one hath syxe hundreth chyldren the other sixe hundreth and fiftie The Gentyles kepe not so many women as doo the Moores nor yet lyue in suche superstitions They praye to the fyrste thynge that they meete in the mornynge when they go furth of theyr houses and honoure that as theyr god for that day The kynge of the gentyles is very ryche in golde Golde In the sayde Ilande of Gilolo are reedes as bygge as a mans legge and full of cleare water holsome to bee drunke water in reedes The .xii. daye of Nouember the kynge of Tidore appoynted owre men a ware house in the citie where they might sell theyr marchaundies Theyr maner of exchange was in this sort Theyr maner of barteringe For tenne yardes of good redde cloth they had one Bahar of cloues whiche amounteth to foure Cantari and syxe pounde weight And one Cantar is a hundreth pounde weight For .xv. yardes of cloth sumwhat woorse then the other they receaued in Cambie one Bahar For .xxxv. drynkynge cuppes of glasse they had one Bahar For .xvii. Cathyls of quicke syluer one Bahar They came dayly to the shyppes with many of theyr barkes full of goates hennes fygges of a spanne longe also the frute cauled Cocus with dyuers other kyndes of vyttayles in such quantitie that it was a marueylous thynge to beholde water of A straunge qualitie They furnyshed also theyr shyppes with fresshe water which is hotte as it issheweth owt of the sprynge but is very coulde when it hath stoode a while in an other place It spryngeth from the mountaynes on the which the cloue trees growe They sawe a cloude ryse in maner dayly which compaseth about the sayde mountaynes The kynge of the Ilande of Bacchian sente the kynge of Spayne two deade byrdes of straunge forme Byrdes of a straunge forme They were of the byggâ—nes of turtle dooues with lyttle heades and longe vylles also longe and smaule legges and no wynges but in the stâ—ade therof certeyne longe fethers of diuers colours and tayles lyke turtle dooues All the other fethers are of one coloure much lyke vnto tawny except those of the wynges They flye not but when the wynde bloweth These Moores are of opinion that these byrdes coomme frome the heauenlye Paradyse and therfore caule them Manuccodiata that is the byrdes of god When they were determyned to depart from the Ilandes of Molucca certeyne kynges of the Ilandes accompanied theÌ„ with theyr canoas and conducted them to an Ilande cauled Mare where they refresshed theyr shyppes with freshe water and fuell The kynges sent Themperours maiestie many presentes and embrasynge owre menne departed with the teares in theyr eyes And owre men for theyr laste farewell shotte of all theyr ordinaunce When in the Ilande of Mare they perceaued that one of theyr shyppes leaked and toke water very sore They leaâ—e one of theyr shyppes behynd them wherby they were inforced to tary there three dayes But seinge that they coulde fynde no remedie for the same but in longe tyme they determined to leaue it gyuynge order that if afterwarde it coulde bee repayred they shuld returne into Spayne as well as they coulde In all the Ilandes of Molucca is founde cloues The Ilandes of Molucca ginger breade of the roote of Sagu ryse goates sheepe hennes fygges almondes sweete pomegranates and sowre oranges lemondes and hony which is made of certeyne flyes lâ—sse then antes hony of flyes Also canes of suger oyle of Cocus mellons geurdes and a marueilous coulde frute which they name Camulicai and dyuers other frutes Furthermore whyte and redde popingiayes Popingiayes and other of variable coloures It is not paste fiftie yeares sence the moores fyrste inhabited anye of these Ilands which were before inhabited only with geÌ„tyles The Ilande of Tidere The Iland of Tidore is aboue the Equinoctiall line towarde owre pole abowt .27 minutes And in longitude froÌ„ the place from whense they departed .171 degrees And from the Archipelagus in the which is the Iland of Zamal which our men named the Iland of theeues ix degrees and a halfe and runneth to the quarter of south southwest and north northeast Terenate Terenate is vnder the Equinoctial line foure minutes vnder the pole Antartike Mutir Mutir is directly vnder the Equinoctiall line Macchian is .xv. minutes toward the pole Antartike Macchian â—nd Bacâ—hian one degree These Ilandes are lyke foure sharpe mountaynes except Macchian which is not sharpe The byggest of all these is Bacchian Bacchian Departynge from the Iland of Mare and directyng these courle towarde the southwest with onely .xlvi. men in theyr shyppe and .xiii. Indians they passed by the Ilandes of Chacouan Lagoma Sico Gioghi Caphi Sulacho Lumatola Many Ilande Tenetum Buru Ambon Budia Celaruri Benaia Ambalao Bandan Zorobua Zolot Noceuamor Galian and Mallua with dyuers other Ilandes both great and smaule of Moores Gentyles and Canibales Owre men remayned xv dayes in the Ilande of Mallua to repayre theyr shyppe in certeyne places where it tooke water The Iland of Mallua All the fieldes of this Ilande is full of longe and rounde pepper Pepper and is situate towarde the pole Antartike vnder the Equinoctiall line .viii. degrees and a halfe and is in the longitude of .169 degrees and 40. minutes The pilote which owre men brought owt of the Ilandes of Molucca toulde them that not farre from thense was an Iland named Arucetto in the which are men and women not past a cubite in height hauynge eares of such byggenesse that they lye vppon one and couer them with the other Lyttle men with longe eares But owr men wolde not sayle thyther bothe bycause the wynde and course of the sea was ageynste theym and also for that they gaue no credite to his reporte The .xxv. day of Ianuary in the yeare .1522 they departed from Mallua and the day folowyng arryued at a greate Iland named Timor The Iland of Timor beinge fiue leaques distante from Mallua betwene the south and southwest In this
groweth and rypeth with woonderfull celeritie of hastynge nature Into the ryuer of Diuidna runnethe the ryuer of Iuga The ryuer of Iuga And in the very angle or corner where they meete is a famous marte towne named Ustiuga Ustiuga beinge a hundreth and fyftie myles distant from the chiefe citie of Mosca To this mart towne from the hygher countreys are sent the precious furres of marternes Furrea sables woolues and such other whiche are exchaunged for dyuers other kyndes of wares and marchaundies Hytherto Munsterus The naturall cauâ—e of much hony in could regioÌ„s â–ª Gummes and spices in hot countreys And forasmuche as many doo maruaile that suche plentie of hony shuld bee in so coole a contrey I haue thought good to declare the reason and naturall cause hereof It is therefore to be considered that lyke as spices gums odoriferous frutes are engendered in hot regions by continuall heate duryng al the hole yeare withowt impression of the mortifying qualitie of could wherby al thynges are constrayned as they are dilated by heate Floures in coulde regioÌ„s euen so in could moyst regions whose moysture is thinner more waterysshe then in hot regions are dowres engendered more abundantly as caused by impression of lesse and faynter heate woorkynge in thynne matter of waterysshe moisture lesse concocte then the matter of gummes and spices and other vnctuous frutes and trees growing in hotte regions For althoughe as Munster saithe here before the region of Moscouia beareth nother vines or oliues or any other frutes of sweete sauoure by reason of the couldenesse therof neuerthelesse forasmuch as floures wherof hony is chiefely gathered may in sommer season growe abundantly in the playnes Floures of trees marysshes and wooddes not onely on the grownde but also on trees in coulde regions it is agreeable to good reason that great plentie of honye shulde bee in suche regions as abounde with floures which are brought furthe with the fyrst degree of heate and fyrst approch of the sonne as appeareth in the sprynge tyme not onely by the springinge of floures in fyeldes and gardeynes but also of blossomes of trees spryngynge before the leaues or frute Blossoomes of trees as the lyghter and thynner matter fyrste drawne owte with the loweste and leaste degree of heate An exemple of the degrees of heate as the lyke is seene in the arte of styllynge wherby all thinne and lyght moystures are lyfted vp by the fyrste degree of the fyre and the heuyest and thickest moystures are drawne owt with more vehement fyre As we may therfore in this case compare the generation of floures to the heate of May The generation of floures by moderate heate the generation of gummes to the heate of Iune and spices to the heate of Iuly Euen so in suche coulde regions whose soommer agreeth rather with the temperate heate and moysture of May then with thextreeme heate of the other monethes that heate is more apt to brynge foorth abundance of floures as thynges caused by moderate heate as playnely appeareth by theyr tast and sauoure in which is no sharpe qualitie of heate eyther bytynge the toonge or offendyng the head as is in spices gummes and frutes of hotte regions And as in could and playne regions moderate heate with abundance of moisture are causes of the generation of floures as I haue sayde so lykewyse the length of the dayes and shortnesse and warmenesse of the nyghtes in sommer season in suche coulde regâ—ons Longe dayes and shorte nyghtes is a greate helpe herunto Cardanus wryteth in his booke De Plantis that bramble fearne growe not but in could regions Bramble and ferne as dooth wheate in temperate regions And that spices and hotte seedes Spices can not growe in coulde regions forasmuch as beinge of thinne substaunce they shulde soone be mortified extinct by excessiue could For as he sayth nothing can concocte rype and attenuate the substance of frutes with owt the helpe of ayer agreable to the natures of such thynges as are brought foorth in the same althowgh it may doo this in rootes But in maner all floures are of sweete sauour The sauoure oâ— floures forasmuch as the moysture that is in them being thinne and but lyttle is by meane heate soone and easely concocte or made rype Such also as are soone rype are soone rotten according to the prouerbe Plinie althowgh in the .xi. booke of his naturall hystorie Cap. viii he wryteth that hony is gathered of the floures of all trees and settes or plantes what plinie wryteth of hony except sorell and the herbe cauled Chenopode whiche sume caule goose foote yet he affirmeth that it descendeth from the ayer for in the .xii. chapyture of the same booke he wryteth thus Thus coommeth from the ayer at the rysynge of certeyne starres and especially at the rysynge of Sirius Serius is otherwyse cauled Canicula this is the dogge of whom the canicular dayes haue theyr name and not before the rysyng of Vergiliae which are the seuen starres cauled Pleiades in the sprynge of the day For then at the mornynge sprynge the leaues of trees are founde moist with a fat dewe In so much that such as haue bynne abrode vnder the firmamente at that tyme haue theyr apparell annoynted with lyquoure and the heare of theyr headde clammy And whether this bee the swette of heauen what is hony or as it were a certeyne spettyl of the starâ—es eyther the iuise of the ayer pourgynge it selfe I wolde it were pure howe hony is corrupted liquide and simple of his owne nature as it fyrste fauleth from aboue â—ut nowe descendyng so far and infected not only with such vncleane vapoures and exhalations as it meteth with by the way but afterward also corrupted by the leaues of trees herbes and floures of sundrye tastes and qualities and lykewyse aswel in stomackes of the bees for they vomite it at theyr mouthes as also by longe reseruynge the same in hiues it neuerthelesse reteyneth a great parte of the heauenly nature c. Ageyne in the .xiiii. chapiture of the same booke he wrytethe that in certeyne regions toward the north hony of great quantitie in North regioÌ„s as in sum places of Germanie hony is found in such quantitie that there haue bynne seene hony combes of eyght foote longe and blacke in the holowe parte By the whiche woordes of Plinie and by the principles of naturall philosophie it dooth appere that abundaunce of hony shulde chiefely bee engendered in such regions where the heate of soommer is temperate and continuall aswell by nyght as by day as it is not in hotte regions where the nyghtes be longe and coulde as is declared in the Decades hot nyghtes in coulde regions For lyke as suche thynges as are fyned by continuall heate mouynge and circulation A similitude are hyndered by refrigeration or coulde as appereth in the art of styllynge and
admit no passage to Suecia The sea betwene Norway the Ilandes is cauled Tialleslund Euripus or the streightes The Ilande of Lofoth whose myddest .42 67 10. Langanas whose myddest 41 67 Uastral The streightes or boyling sea whose myddest .41 30 67 30. The sea betwene these three Ilandes is cauled Muscostrom that is boylynge At the flowynge of the sea it is swalowed into the caues and is blowne owt ageyne at the reflowynge with no lesse violence then the streames of ryuers faule from mountaynes This sea is nauigable vntyll it bee lower then the mouthes of the rockes Such as chaunce into it owt of dewe tyme are caried headlonge into whyrlepooles The fragmentes of the lost ships are seldome call vp ageyne But when they are caste vp they are so brused and freted ageynste the rockes Dangerous places in the sea that they seeme to bee ouergrowne with hore This is the poure of nature passyng the fabulous Simplegades and the fearefull Malea with the daungerous places of Silla and Caribdis and all other miracles that nature hath wrought in any other sea hytherto knowen to man The Ilandes abowt Norway are of such frutfull pasture Frutfull Ilandes about Norway that they brynge not theyr beastes into the stables before the moneth of NoueÌ„ber And do many places winter theÌ„ abrode Suecia or Suethlande ¶ Suecia is a kyngedome ryche in golde syluer Golde and syluer copper leade Iren fruyte cattayle and exceadynge increase of fysshe of the ryuers lakes and the sea And hath no lesse plentie of such wylde beastes as are taken with huntinge Towarde the West it is ended with the mountaynes of Norway from the Castel of Wardhus vnto th end wardhus castell 51 63 40 Towarde the South with the line from this ende vnto the degrees .53 30. 61. And frome thense vnto the degrees .61 60. 30. Aboue the goulfe of Suecia The goulfe of Suecia toward the north with the south ende of Lapponia from the castel of Wardhus vnto th ende .62 70. Towarde the Easte it is ended with the line frome this ende vnto the degree .63 69. c. Stokholme the chiefe citie The citie of Stockholme 64. 61. This is the chiefe mart towne of Suecia and is strongely defended by arte and nature It is situate in marisshes after the maner of Uenece and was therefore cauled Stokholme forasmuche as beinge placed in the water the fundation is fortified with stockes or piles The sea entereth into it with two armes or branches of such largenes and depth that ships of great burden and with mayne sayles may enter by the same with theyr full fraight This suffered of late yeares greuous spoyle destruction to the singular exemple of cruel hostilitie And such as the like hath not bin lightly shewed to any other citie receaued by league composition In al the tract from Scokholme to the lake aboue the riuer of Dalekarle which is in the degree Gold in could regâ—ons 56. 30. 63. 50. are mouÌ„taines frutful of good siluer copper and leade They gette great ryches by the salmons and plentie of other fysshes whiche they take in certeyne greate lakes Fysshe The dukedome of Agermannia occupieth the north syde to the consines of Laponia This tract is ful of wods in the wâ—iche they hunt the beastes cauled Uros or Bisontes which in theyr toonge they caule Elg The beaste cauled Uroâ— or Elg. that is wilde asses These are of such height that the highest part of their backes are equal with the measure of a man holdynge vp his armes as hyghe as he may reach c. Upsalia the chiefe citie Upsalia 62. 62. 30. here is buried the body of saynt Hericus kynge and martyr Copperdalia that is the copper valley Copperdaliâ— is a dukedome southwarde from the dukedome of Iemptia Under this is the valient nation of the people cauled Dalekarly Oplandia is a dukedome the nauil or middest of Scondia Oplandia The citie of Pircho on the north syde of the lake of Meler was once a great citie and able to arme .xiiii. thousande men to the warres but is nowe browght to a vyllage All the tracte of Oplandia hath mynes of syluer copper and steele Of the Ilandes and rockes that lye abowte Suecia the myddest is .67 30 61 30. These were cauled of the owlde wryters Done the reason of which name remayneth to this day For there are in these innumerable multitudes of byrdes Byrdes In so muche that thinhabitauntes of the nexte coaste sayle thyther in the mooneth of May whyle the byrdes syt on theyr egges which they steale and reserue them in salte for a longe tyme. Egges reserued in salte Bothnia BOthnia is so named of the precious furres of all sortes that are caried from thense into foraigne regions Precious furres For by these and theyr fysshynge they haue great commoditie Fysshe Salmons of the best sort are taken in these seas and are great ryches amonge these nations Bothnia is diuided into twoo partes as Nordbothnia and South Bothnia cauled Ostrobothnia Nordbothnia is termined with the south ende of the Lapones vnto the ende .78 30 69. Towarde the East it is termined with this end and vnto the degree .78 30 68 20. Towarde the West with the line terminynge the East syde of Suecia And towarde the Southe with the residue of the goulfe of Suecia from th ende that hath degrees .63 69. Ostrobothnia towarde the East is termined from the said ende of the most East coaste And towarde the South with a line extended by the mountaynes frome this ende vnto the degree .71 66 Towarde the north and weste with part of the goulfe of Suecia c. Gothia or Gothlande GOTHIA is by interpretacion good For the holye name of God is in the Germayne toonge Goth that is Good At what tyme the Gothes vppon a general consent sent furth theyr ofsrpyng or succession to seeke newe seates or countreys to inhabite Thinuasions of the Gothes and when they possessed the coastes of Meotis and Asia none of the owlde wryters haue made mention as farre as I knowe But they haue byn knowen sence the tyme that the Romanes dilated theyr Empyre by Illirium nowe cauled Slauonie vnto the ryuer of Danubius And were also famous from the tyme of Cesar Dictator and Octauianus Augustus by reason of theyr greate warres at Danubius beinge thuttermost bounde of Thempire The warre of the gotheâ— ageynst the Romans Neuerthelesse in that renoume what Gothia was vnder what parte of heauen it was situate or of whom the Gothes toke theyr original it hath byn vnknoweÌ„ almost to this age This is termined towarde the north with the south ende of Suecia And towarde the weste The boundes of Gothland with the other mountaynes of Norway which continewe from the boundes of Suecia to the mouthes of the ryuers of Trolheta c. It hath many goodly townes cities castels mines
c. The citie of Uisba The citie of Uiâ—ba being in the degree .61 30 54 15. was an ancient and famous marte towne as is Genua in Italie at this day But afterwarde beinge afflicted by thincursions of the pirates of the Danes and Moscouites Danes and Moscouites it was left desolate There remayne to this day certeyne ruines whiche testifie the ancient nobilitie In this place were the fyrste stacions of the Gothes that possessed Meotis It is at this daye of frutfull soyle and famous by many goodly and stronge castels and monasteries There is amonge other a monasterie of thorder of saynt Benedicte in the which is a librarie of abowt two thousande bookes of owlde autours A librarie of two thousand â—ookes Abowt the yeare of Christ fourscore and .viii. the Gothes vnto whom resorted a great multitude of other people of these northe parâ—es of the worlde as from Liuonia Prusia Russia and Tartaria with diuers other contreys makynge them dyuers Kynges and capitaynes dyd depopulate and brynge in subiection the more parte of Europe inuaded Italie destroyd Rome The Gothes inuaded Europe and destroyd Rome inhabited that parte of Italie now cauled Lumbardie â–ª and lykewyse subdued the roialmes of Castile and Aragonie Theyr warres contynewed aboue three hundreth yeares ¶ Finland and Eningia FInlandia is as much to say as a fayre lande or fine land so named for the fertilitie of the grownde Plinie semeth to caule it Finnonia For he saith that abowte the coastes of Finlande are many Ilandes withowt names Of the which there lyeth one before Scithia cauled Pannonia The goulfe cauled Sinus Finnonicus is so named at this day of the lande of Finnonia Pannonia falsely taken for Finnonia Finnonia confineth with Scithia and runneth withowt all Tanais that is to say withowte the limetes of Europe to the confines or Asia But that the name of Finlande seemeth not to agree hereunto the cause is that this place of Plinie is corrupted as are many other in this autour So that from the name of Finnonia or Phinnonia it was a likely erroure to caule it Pannonia forasmuch as these woordes doo not greately differ in wrytynge and founde so that the counterfecte name was soone put in the place of the trew name by hym that knewe Pannonia and redde that name before beinge also ignorant of Phinnonia Eningia had in owlde tyme the tytle of a kingedome Eningia it is of such largenesse But hath nowe only the tytle of an inferiour gouernoure beinge vnder the dominion of the Slauons and vsyng the same tonge In religion it obserued the rites of the Greekes of late yeares when it was vnder the gouernaunce of the Moscouites But it is at this present vnder the kynge of Suecia and obserueth thinstitucions of the Occidentall church Spanysshe wynes are browght thyther in great plentie which the people vse merely and cherefully Spanysshe wyneâ— It is termined on the north syde by the southe line of Ostrobothnia and is extended by the mountaynes Towarde the west it is termined with the sea of Finnonia accordyng to this description and hath degrees .71 66. c. ¶ Of the difference of regions and causes of greate cities after the description of Hieronimus Cardanus Liber .xi. de Subtilitate THere is an other difference of regions caused of coulde and heate For suche as are neare vnto the poles are vexed with to much coulde And such as are vnder the line where the soonne is of greateste force are oppressed with heate Such as are in the myddest betwene both are nearest vnto temperatnesse Under the pole it is impossible that there shulde bee populous cities bycause the lande is baren and the cariage or conueyaunce of frutes vyttayles and other necessaries is incommodious By reason wherof it is necessarie that thinhabitauntes of suche regions lyue euer in continuall wanderynge from place to place or els in smaule vyllages Suche as inhabite temperate regions haue meane cities aswell for that they haue more commodious conueyaunce for necessaries as also that they may dwell better and more safely togyther then in vyllages by reason of fortifying theyr townes with walles and exercisynge of artes and occupations whereby the one maye the heâ—ter helpe the other Yet that owlde Rome beinge in a tâ—mperate region was of such incredible byggenesse the 〈◊〉 was that it obteyned Thempire of the worlde by reason wherof all nations had consâ—uence thyther and not the greatnesse of the walles But it is necessarie that the greatest cities bee in hotte regions fyrste for that in such regions parte of the soile is eyther barren yf it lacke water or els most frutefull if it abounde with water And for this inequalitie when they fynde any place meete to susteyne a multitude it foloweth of necessitie that greate cities bee buylded in such places by reason of great concourse of people resortynge to the same An other greate cause is that wheras in such regions marchauntes come very farre to such commodious places they passe through many deserte and perelous regions So that it shal be necessary for theyr better securitie to coome in great companies as it were greaâ— armies And therfore whereas such a societie is once knytte togyther in a commodious place it shulde bee great hinderance aswell to thinhabitantes as to marchauntes if they shulde wander in incommodious places And by this confluence both of suche as dwell neare to suche places and also of straungers and such as dwell farre of it is necessarie that in continuance of tyme smaule townes becoome greate câ—ties as are these Quinsai Singui Cambalu Memphis Cairus or Alcair otherwise cauled Babilon in Egipte But if here any wyll obiecte Constanâ—inople in owlde tyme cauled Bizantium being in a temperate râ—gion althowgh it bee not to bee compared to such cities as are more then .lx. myles in â—ircuite yet doo we aunswere hereunto that the Turkes Empire is the cause of the greatnesse hereof as wee sayde before of Rome ¶ The historie written in the latin toonge by Paulus Iouius bysshoppe of Nuceria in Italie of the legation or ambassade of greate Basilius Prince of Moscouia to pope Clement the .vii. of that name In which is conteyned the description of Moscouia with the regions confininge abowte the same euen vnto the great ryche Empire of Cathay I 〈◊〉 fyrste briefely to descâ—ribe the situation of the region which we plainely see to haue bin little knowâ—â— to Strabo and Ptolome and then to procede in rehearsinge the maners customes and religion of the people And this in maner in the lyke simple style and phrase of speache as the same was declared vnto vs by Demetrius the ambassadoure Demetrius the ambassadour of Moscouia a man not ignoraunt in the Latin toonge as from his youth browght vp in Liuonia where he learned the fyrst rudimentes of letters And beinge growne to mans age executed thoffice of an ambassadour into dyuers Christian prouinces For wheras by reason
of the citie is inclosed with gates rayles The custodie of the citie and barres neyther is it lawfull for any man rasshely to walke in the citie in the nyght or withowt lyght All the courte consysteth of noble men The dukes courte gentelmen and choyse souldyers which are cauled owte of euery regyon by they re townes and vyllagies and commaunded to wayte course by course at certeyne moonethes appoynted Furthermore when warre is proclaymed all the armye is collected bothe of the owlde souldiers and by musterynge of newe in all prouynces For the lieuetenauntes and capytaynes of the armye are accustomed in all cities to muster the youth and to admytte to thorder of souldyers such as they thynke able to serue the turne They re wages is payde them of the common treasurye of euery prouynce which is gathered and partely payde also in the tyme of peace although it bee but lyttle Souldyers wages of the common treasury But such as are assigned to the warres are free frome all tributes and inioye certein other priuilegies wherby they may the more gladly cherfully serue theyr kynge and defend theyr contrey For in the tyme of warre occacyon is mynystred to shewe trewe vertue and manhodde where in so greate and necessarie an institituon euery man accordynge to hys approued actiuitie and ingenyous forwardnesse may obteyne the fortune eyther of perpetuall honoure or ignominie Vix olim vlla fides referentibus horrida regna Moschorum Ponti res glacialis erat Nunc Iouio autore illâ— oculis lustramus et vrbes Et nemora et monâ—es cernimus et fluuios MoschouiaÌ„ monumenta Ioui tua culta reuoluenâ— Coepi alios mundâ—s credere Democriti ¶ Other notable thynges as concernynge Moscouia gathered owt of the bookes of Sigismundus Liberus Note that when he sayth myles he meaneth leaques FRom whense Russia had the name Russia there are dyuers opinions Sume thynke that it was so named of one Russus the soonne or neuie of Lech the kynge of the Polons Other affirme that it was so cauled of a certeyne owlde towne named Russus not farre frome Nouogoroda or Nouogardia the more Sum also thynke that it was so cauled of the browne coloure of the nation The browne colour of the Russes But the Moscouians confute al these opinions as vntrewe Affirmynge that this nation was in owlde tyme cauled Rosseia as a nation dispersed as the name it selfe dooth declare For Rosseia in the Ruthens tounge Rosseiâ— doothe signifie dispersed or scattered The which thynge to be trew dyuers other people commyxt with thinhabitauntes and dyuers prouinces lyinge here and there betwene dyuers partes of Russia doo playnely declare But whense so euer they tooke theyr name doubtlesse all the people that vse the Slauon tounge The Slauon tounge spreâ—dâ—th farre and professe the fayth of Chryst after the maner of the Greekes cauled in theyr common language Russi and in the Latin tounge Rutheni are increased to suche a multytude that they haue eyther expulsed all the nations that lye beewene them or drawne them to theyr maner of lyuynge in somuche that they are nowe cauled all Rutheni by one common name Furthermore the Slauon tounge whiche at this daye is sumwhat corruptly cauled Sclauon runneâ—h exceadyng faâ— as vsed of the Dalmates Bossuenser Croatians Istriâ—ns and by a longe tracte of the sea Adriatike vnto Forum Iulii Of the Caruians also whome the Uenetians caule Charsos and lykewyse of the Carniolans and Carinthians vnto the ryuer Drauus Furthermore of the Stirians within Gretzium and by Muera vnto Danubius and from thense of the Mysians Seruians Bulgarians and other inhabitynge euen vnto Constantinople Furthermore of the Bohemians Lusacians Silesians Moranians and thinhabitauntes neare vnto the ryuer Uagus in the kyngedome of Hungarie The Polons also and the Ruthenians whose Empire reacheth very farre lykewyse the Circasians and Quinquemontanians vnto Pontus and is from thense vsed in the north partes of Germanie amonge the remanent of the Uandales inhabityng here and there Uandales All whiche nations althowgh they acknowleage them selues to bee Sclauons yet the Germayns taking the denomination only of the Uandales caule al theÌ„ that vse the Slauon tounge Uuenden Uuinden or Uuindysh Of the Princes that nowe reigne in Russia The Pâ—inces of Russia the chiefe is the great Duke of Moscouia who possesseth the greatest part therof The seconde is the great duke of Lithuania and the thyrde the kynge of Polonie who nowe obteyneth the dominion of Polonie and Lithuania In autoritie and dominion ouer his subiectes the prince of Moscouie passeth all the monarkes of the worlde The duke of Moscouia For he depriueth all his noble men and gentelmen of al theyr holdes and munitions at his pleasure He trusteth not his owne brotherne but oppresseth all with lyke seruitude In so muche that whome so euer he commaundeth eyther to remayne with hym in the courte or to goo to the warres or sendeth on ambassage they are compelled to bee at theyr owne charges excepte the younge gentelmen the soonnes of the Boiarons that is the noble men of the lowest degree He vsurpeth this autoritie aswell ouer the spiritualtie as the temporaltie constitutynge what him lysteth of the goods and lyfe of al men Of his counsilers there is not one that dare dissente from hym in any thynge They openly confesse that the wyl of the prince is the wyll of god and therfore caule hym the key bearer and chamberlen of god and beleue him to bee the executor of gods wyll By reason wherof the prince hym selfe when any peticion is made to hym for the deliuerie of any captiue is accustomed accustomed to aunswere When god commaundeth he shal be deliuered Lykewyse when any asketh a question of an vncerteyne or doubtefull thynge theyr custome is to answere thus God knoweth and the greate prince It is vncerteyne whether the crueltie and fiercenes of the nation doo requyre so tyrannous a prince or whether by the tyranny of the prince the nation is made so fierce and cruell Basilius the soonne of Iohn was the fyrst that tooke vppon hym the name and title of a kynge in this maner The great lorde Basilius by the grace of god kynge and lorde of all Russia and the greate duke of Uuolodimaria Moscouia Nouogardia c. Furthermore wheras nowe this prince is cauled an Emperour why the duke of Moâ—couia was cauled an Emperour I haue thought good to shewe the tytle and cause of this errour Note therfore that Czar in the Ruthens tounge signifieth a kynge wheras in the language of the Slauons Pollons Bohemes and other the same woorde Czar signifieth Cesar by whiche name Themperours haue byn commonly cauled For bothe they and the Slauons that are vnder the kyngdome of Hungarie caule a kynge by an other name as sum Crall other Kyrall and sum Koroll but thinke that only an Emperoure is cauled Czar Whereby it came to passe that the Ruthene
great Alexander and Iulius Cesar whiche many wryters make mention of in this place The altars of Alexander and Cesar. or of theyr ruines I coulde haue no certeyne knowleage of thinhabitauntes or any other that had oftentymes trauayled these places Furthermore the souldyers whiche the prince of Moscouia maynteyneth there yearely to oppresse thincursion of the Tartars beinge of me demaunded hereof answered that they neuer sawe or harde of any such thynge Neuerthelesse they sayde that abowt the mouthes of Tanais the lesse foure dayes iorney from Asoph nere vnto a place cauled Sewerski by the holy mountaynes The holy mountaynes they sawe certeyne images of stone and marble Tanais the lesse Tanais the lesse hath his sprynges in the dukedome of Sewerski whereof it is cauled Donetz Sewerski and fauleth into Tanais three dayes iorney aboue Asoph But suche as iorney from Moscouia to Asoph by lande From Moscouia to Asoph they passynge ouer Tanais abowt the owlde and ruinate towne of Donco doo sumwhat turne from the south to the Easte In the which place if a ryght line bee drawen from the mouthes of Tanais to the spirnges of the same Moscouia shal be found to bee in Asia and not in Europe Moscouia in Asia and not in Europe ¶ More directly from Moscouia to Cathay THe great and large prouince of Permia The prouince of Permia is dystante from Moscouia two hundreth and fyftie or as sum say three hundreth leaques directly betwene the East and North And hath a citie of the same name by the ryuer Uischora which runneth .x. leaques beneth Kamam The iorney by lande can scarcely bee trauayled thyther but in wynter by reason of many ryuers marysshes Marysshes in sommer and fennes But in sommer this iorney is dispatched with more facilitie in boates or smaule shippes by Uuolochda Ustiug and the ryuer Uitzechda which runneth into Dwina .xii. leaques from Ustiug Dwina Ustiug But they that go from Permia to Ustiug muste sayle vp the ryuer Uischora ageinst the course of the streame and passing ouer certeyne ryuers sumtymes also conueyinge theyr boates into other ryuers by lande they come at the length to Ustiug three hundreth leaques distant frome the citie of Permia There is smaule vse of breade in this prouince For theyr yearely tribute Tribute they pay to the prynce furres horses Furres and horses They haue a priuate language and letters of theyr owne whiche one Steuen a bysshop who confirmed them yet waueryng in the fayth dyd inuente For before beinge yet infantes in the fayth of Chryste they slewe and fleyde an other bysshop that was appoynted to instructe them This Steuen afterwarde when Demetrius the sonne of Iohn reigned was taken for a saynte amonge the Ruthens Of these people there yet remayne many Idolatours here and there in the woods whom the moonkes and heremites that go thyther Monkes and heremites doo not cease to conuert from theyr vayne errour In the wynter they iorney in Artach as they doo in many places of Russia Artach are certeyne longe patentes of woodde of almost syxe handfuls in length Patentes whiche they make faste to theyr fiete with latchettes therwith performe theyr iorneys with great celeritie Marcus Paulus wryteth that these dogges are almost as byg as Asses and that they vâ—e syxe to one steade They vse for this purpose greate dogges in the steade of other beastes with the which they cary theyr farthels on sleades as other doo with hartes in other places as we wyll further declare hereafter They say that that prouince toward the East confineth with the prouince cauled Tumen perteynynge to the Tartars The situation of the prouince of Iugaria Iugaria is apparente by that which we haue sayde before The Moscouites caule it Iuhra with an aspiration and caule the people Iuhrici This is that Iugaria from whense the Hungarians came in tyme paste hungaria possessed Pannonia Pannonia and vnder the conduct of Attila Attila subdued many prouinces of Europe wherin the Moscouites doo greatly glory that a nation subiecte to them inuaded and wasted a great parte of Europe Georgius Paruns a greeke borne and a man of reputation with the Prince of Moscouia wyllynge to ascribe to the ryght of his prince the great dukedome of Lithuania and the kyngedome of Polonie with certeyne other dominions toulde me that the Iuharici or Iuhgary beinge subiectes to the great duke of Moscouia came furth of theyr owne countrey and fyrste inhabited the regions abowt the fennes of Meoris and then Pannonie which was afterwarde cauled Hungarie The hygher or superyor Hungarye is cauled Austria by the ryuer of Danubius Also that in fine they possessed the region of Morauia so named of the ryuer and lykewyse Pollonie Polonie so cauled of Polle which signifieth a playne Furthermore that Buda was so cauled after the name of the brother of Attila Buda They say also that the Iuhgari vse the same tounge that doo the Hungarians The which whether it be trew or not I do not knowe For althowgh I haue made diligent inquisition to knowe the truth hereof yet coulde I fynde no man of that region with whom my seruaunt beinge expert in the Hungarian tounge myght speake They also pay furres for theyr tributes to the prince of Moscouia Furres And albeit that pearles and precious stones are brought frome thense to Moscouia Pearles and Precious stones yet are they not gathered in theyr Ocean but in other places especially about the coast of the Ocean nere vnto the mouthes of Dwina The prouince of Sibier Sibiâ—r confineth with Permia and Uuiathka The whiche whether it haue any castels or cities I doo not yet certeynly knowe In this the ryuer Iaick hathe his originall and fauleth into the Caspian sea They saye that this region is deserâ—e bycause it lyeth so neare the Tartars Aspreolos I thynk to be marterns yet sum think theÌ„ to be squerels Geâ—nerus wryteth that the kyngs of the Tartars haue they re tenâ—eâ— couered withowt wyth the skynnes of lyons within â–ª with the skynnes of â—sbles and Ermynes Or that yf it bee in any parte inhabited the same to be possessed of the Tartar Schichmamai Thinhabitantes haue a peculiar language and haue theyr chiefe gaynes by the furres of marterns whiche in fayrenes and greatnes excell all the furres of that kynde that are founde in any other prouinces Yet coulde I haue no great plentie of them in Moscouia at my beinge there Note that longe after the writyng of this hystorie at Rycharde Chaunceler his fyrst being in Moscouia Duke Iohn Uasilivich that nowe raygneth subdued all the Tartars with theyr regions and prouinces euen vnto the great citie and mart towne of Astrachan the Caspian â—ea At the same tyme also there was in the dukes court an ambassadour that came frome this prouince of Sibier who declared that his
dayes By which tarying leaste they shulde bee hyndered they caryed on theyr shulders with greate laboure theyr barkes and fardelles ouer a streyght of lande conteynyng halfe a leaque in breadth From hense they sayled to the region of the wyld Lappones The region of the Wylde Lappones cauled Dikilappones to a place named Dront Dâ—ont beinge CC. leaques distant from Dwina towarde the North. And thus farre as he sayth doth the prince of Moscouia exacte tribute Furthermore leauyng theyr barkes here they fynysshed the residue of theyr iorney on sleades Iorneyinge on sleades He further declared that there were heardes of hartes as are with vs of oxen whiche in the Noruegians tounge are cauled Rhen beinge sumwhat bygger then owre hartes howe the baites drawe sleades These the Lappones vse in this maner They ioyne them to sleades made lyke fyssher botes as wee put horses to the carte The man in the sleade is tyed fast by the feete least he fall owte by the swyfte course of the hartes In his lefte hande he holdeth a collar or rayne wherwith he moderateth the course of the hartes and in the ryght hand a pyâ—â—ed staffe wherwith he may susteine the sleade froÌ„ faulyng if it chaunce to decline to much on any part And he toulde me that by this meanes he trauayled twentie leaques in one daye â—â— leaques in one day and then dismysses the harte who by hym selfe returned to his owne master and accustomed stable This iorney thus fynysshed they came to Berges a citie of Norduegia or Norway The citie of Berges in Norway situate dâ—rectly towarde the north betwene the mountaynes and went from thense to Denmarke on horsebacke At Dront and Berges the day is sayde to bee .xxii. houres longe in the sommer Equinoctiall Blasius an other of the prynce of Moscouia his interpretours who a fewe yeares before was sent of his prince into Spayne to Themperour declared vnto vs an other and shorter way of his iorney A shorter iorney For he sayde that when he was sent from Moscouia to Iohn the kyng of Denmarke he came fyrste on foote vnto Rostowe Rostow And takynge shyppe there came to Pereaslaw Pereaslaw and from Pereaslaw by the ryuer Uolga to Castromow Castromow and that from thense goynge seuen Werstes by lande he came to a lyttle ryuer saylynge by the which when fyrst he came to Uuolochda Uuolochda then to Suchana Suchana and Dwina Dwina and in fine to the citie of Berges in Norway ouerpassynge in this vyage all the perelles and laboures that Istoma rehearsed before he came at the length to Hafnia the châ—efe citie of Denmarke hafnia whiche the Germaynes caule Koppenhagen KoppenhageÌ„ But in theyr returnynge home they both confesse that they came to Moscouia by Liuonia Liuonia and that they were a yeare in this vyage Albeit Georgius Istoma sayde that halfe the parte of that tyme he was hyndered by tempestes and inforced to tary longe in many places by the waye Yet they both lykewyse constantely affirme that in this iorney eyther of them trauayled a thousand threescore and ten Werstes werste is almost an Italian myle that is three hundreth and fortie leaques Furthermore also Demetrius who of late was sent ambassadour from the prynce of Moscouia to the bysshoppe of Rome by whose relation also Paulus Iouius wrote his description of Moscouia confirmed all these thynges to bee trewe Paulus Iouius All they being demaunded of me of the congeled or frosen sea made none other answere but that in places nere vnto that sea Ryuers faulyng into the froâ—en sea they saw many and great riuers by whose vehemente course and abundaunt flowynge the seas are dryuen farre from the shore and that the sayde water of the ryuers is frosen with the sea a good space from the lande as in Liuonia and other partes of Suecia For althowgh by the vehemencie of the wyndes wynde the Ise is broken in the sea Ise. yet dooth this chaunce seldome or neuer in ryuers excepte by sum inundation or flud the Ise gathered togyther bee lyfted vp and broken For the flakes or pieses of Ise caryed into the sea by force of the ryuers doo flote aboue the water in maner all the hole yeare and are ageyne so vehemently frosen togyther that a man maye there sumtymes see great heapes of the Ise of manye yeares I se of many yeares as dooth appere by such pieses as are dryuen to the shore by the wynde I haue also byn credebly informed by faythfull men that the sea Baltheum otherwyse cauled the goulfe of Liuonia is often tymes frosen in many places The sea Baltheum They say furthermore that in that region whiche is inhabyted of the wylde Lappones the soonne in the sommer Equinoctiall dooth not faule for the space of .xl. dayes where the son fauleth not in .xl. dayâ— yet that the body therof is so hydden with a darke myste or cloude three houres that the beames doo not appere Neuerthelesse to gyue such lyght durynge that tyme that the darkenesse hyndereth not theyr woorke The Moscouites make theyr boste that these wylde Lappones are tributaries to theyr prynce The Wylde Lappones are tributaries to the Moscouites Wherat I do not greatly maruayle forasmuch as they haue none other neare vnto them that may demaunde tribute of them Theyr trybute is onely furres and fysshe Furres and fysshe hauynge in maner none other thynge greately commodious And albeit they lacke breade salte and other intysementes and glutteny and lyue onely with fysshe and wylde beastes yet are they exceadyng prone to lechery They are such expert archers Experte archers that if in theyr huntynge they espye any beastes whose skynnes they desyre to saue vnperysshed they wyll not lyghtly mysse to hytte them in the nosethrylles â—hen they go furth on huntynge they are accustomed to leaue at home with theyr wyues suche marchauntes or straungers as they haue receaued into theyr houses Good felowshyp So that if at theyr returne they perceaue theyr wyues throwgh the company of the strangers to be myrier and more iocunde then they were wonte to bee they gyue the straungers sum present But yf they fynd it otherwyse they thrust them furth of the doores with woordes of reproche But nowe by the company they haue with straungers that resorte thyther for gaynes they begyn to leaue theyr natiue barbarousnesse They gladly admitte marchauntes bycause they brynge them apparel of grose cloth also hatchettes needels spones knyues drynkynge cuppes earthen and brasen pottes with such othâ—r necessarie wares Necessary warres So that they vse now to eate sodden and rosted meate and doo embrase more ciuile maners Theyr owne apparell is made of the skynnes of dyuers beastes sowed togyther And in this apparell they sumtymes comme to Moscouia Yet fewe of them haue cappes or hosen which they vse to make of hartes skynnes
of this smaule begynnynge and how Colon folowed this matter reueled vnto hym not withowte goddes prouidence ¶ What labour and trauayle Colon tooke in attemptyng his fyrst vyage to the Indies AFter the death of the pilot and mariners of the Spanyshe caruell that discouered the Indies Chrystopher Colon purposed to seke the same But in howe muche more he desyred this the lesse was his poure to accomplishe his desire For besyde that of him selfe he was not able to furnysshe one shyppe he lacked also the fauour of a kynge vnder whose protection he might so enioy the riches he hoped to fynde that none other myght take the same from hym or defeate hym therof And seinge the kynge of Portugale occupied in the conquest of Africa and the nauigations of the East which were then fyrst attempted The kinge of Portugale the kynge of Castyle lykewyse no lesse busyed in the warres of Granada The kyng of Castile he sent to his brother Bartholomewe Colon who was also priuie to this secreate to practise with the kynge of Englande Henry the seventh beinge very ryche and withowt warres Kynge Henry the seuenth promysynge to brynge hym great ryches in short time if he wolde shew him fauour and furnysshe hym with shippes to discouer the newe Indies wherof he had certeyne knowleage But neyther here beinge able to brynge his sute to passe he caused the matter to bee moued to the kynge of Portugale Don Alonso the fyfte of that name at whose handes he founde neither fauour nor money forasmuch as the licenciate Calzadilla the byshop of Uiseo Barnarde knewe not all thynges and one master Rodrigo men of credit in the science of Cosmographie withstoode him and contended that there neither was nor coulde any golde or other ryches bee founde in the west as Colon affirmed By reason whereof he was very sadde and pensiue but yet was not discouraged or despaired of the hope of his good aduenture which he afterward found This done he tooke shippinge at Lisburne and came to Palos of Moguer where he coÌ„muned with Martin AloÌ„so PinzoÌ„ an expert pylot who offered hym selfe vnto hym After this disclosynge the hole secreates of his mynde to Iohn Perez of Marchena a fryer of thorder of saynt Frances in Rabida and wel lerned in Cosmographie declarying vnto hym how by folowyng the course of the son by a temperate vsage rich and great landes myght be founde the fryer greatly commended his enterpryse and gaue him counsayle to breake the matter to the duke of Medina Sidonia Don Enrique of Guzman a great lorde and very ryche The duke of Medina Sidonia And also to Don Luys of Cerda the duke of Medina Celi The duke of Medina Celi who at that tymes had great prouision of shippes well furnyshed in his hauen of Santa Maria. But wheras both these dukes tooke the matter for a dreame and as a thynge diuised of an Italian deceauer who as they thought had before with lyke pretence deluded the kynges of Englande and Portugale the fryer gaue hym courage to go to the courte of the Catholyke princes Don Ferdinando and lady Isabell princes of Castile affirmynge that they wolde bee ioyfull of such newes And for his better furtherance herin wrote letters by hym to fryer Ferdinando of Talauera the queenes confessor Chrystopher Colon therfore repayred to the court of the Cathollike princes in the yeare M. CCCC.lxxxvi and delyuered vnto theyr handes the peticion of his request as concerninge the discouerynge of the newe Indies But they beinge more carefull and applyinge all theyr mynde howe they myght dryue the Moores owt of the kyngdome of Granade The coÌ„quest of Granada which great enterpryse they had alredy taken in hande dyd lyttle or nothynge esteme the matter But Colon not thus discouraged found the meanes to declare his sute to such as had sumtymes priuate communication with the kynge what men knowe not they count funtasticall Yet bicause he was a stranger and went but in simple apparell nor otherwyse credited then by the letter of a gray fryer they beleued hym not neyther gaue eare to his woordes wherby he was greatly tormented in his imagination Colon his interteinmente Only Alonso of Quintanilia the kynges chiefe auditour gaue hym meate and drynke at his owne charges and hard gladly such thynges as he declared of the landes not then founde desyrynge hym in the meane tyme to bee contente with that poore enterteynemente and not to despayre of his enterpryse puttynge hym also in good conforte that he shulde at one tyme or other coome to the speache of the Catholyke princes And thus shortly after by the meanes of Alonso of Quintanilia Colon was browght to the presence and audience of the Cardinall Don Pero Gonzales of Mendoza archbysshop of Toledo The archbysshop of Toledo a man of great reuenues autoritie with the kynge and queene who brought hym before them after that he well perceaued and examyned his intent Colon is brought to the kynges presence And by this meanes was his sute harde of the Catholyke princes who also redde the booke of his memorials which he presented vnto them And although at the fyrst they tooke it for vayne and false that he promysed neuerthelesse they put hym in good hope that he shulde bee well dispatched when they had fynyshed the warres of Granada which they had now in hand With which answere Colon beganne to reuyue his spirites with hope to bee better estemed and more fauorably to bee hard amonge the gentelmen and noble men of the court who before tooke hym only for a craftie felowe and deceauer and was nothynge dismayde or discouraged when so euer he debated the matter with them althowghe many iudged hym phantasticall The iudgement of ignorant folkes as is the maner of ignorant menne to caule all such as attempte any thynge beyonde theyr reach and the compaâ—se of theyr knowleage thinkyng the worlde to bee no bigger then the cagies wherin they are brought vp and lyue But to returne to Colon So hotte and vrgente was the siege of Granada that they presentely graunted hym his demaunde to seeke the newe landes Colon is dispatched and to brynge from thense golde syluer perles precious stones spices and suche other rych thynges They gaue hym also the tenth parte of all the reuenues and customes dewe vnto the kynge of al such landes as he shulde discouer Colon his rewarde not doynge preiudice in any thynge to the kynge of Portugale The particulars of this agrement were made in the towne caused Sanera Fe and the priuilege of the rewarde in Granada the .xxx. daye of Aprell the same yeare that the citie was woonne And wheras the sayde Catholyke princes had not mony presently to dispatch Colon Luys of s. Angell the kynges secretary of accomptes lente theym syxe quentes of marauedes whiche in a grosse summe make .xvi. thousande ducades Two thynges are herein chiefely to
be noted One quent is .x hundreth thousand◠wherof the one is that for so smaule charges they haue increased the reuenues of the crowne of Castyle as much as the Indies are in value The other is that endynge the conquest of the Moores who possessed the kyngdome of Granada eyght hundreth yeares they immediately beganne the conquest of the Indies as though the nation of the Spanyardes were euer appoynted to feyght ageynst infidels and enemies of the fayth of Iesu Chryst. By this trauayle of Colonus in so noble an enterpryse and so harde successe dooth the sayinge of Plinie appere to be most trew wher in the preface of his natural hystory wryttē to thēprour Uespasiā he writeth ī this maner Res ardus vetustis novitatem dare Nouis autori tatem absoletis nitorem obseuris lucem sastiditis gratiam dubiis fidem omnibus vero naturam et naturae fuatl omnia Itaque etiam non assecutis voluisse abund◠pulchrum atque magnificum est That is to say It is a dyfficulte thynge to gyue newenes to owlde thynges autoritie to newe thynges bewtie to thynges owt of vse fame to the obscure fauoure to the hatefull credite to the doubtefull nature to all and all to nature To such neuerthelesse as can not attayne to all these it is greately commendable and magnificall to haue attempted the same In the scuchen of armes gyuen to Colon by Don Ferdinando and queene Elizabeth Catholike princes so cauled for theyr warres ageynst the infidels these verses were wrytten Por Castilla y por Leon Nueuo mundo hallo Colon. That is For Castile and for Leon The newe worlde founde Colon. ¶ Of newe Spayne cauled Noua Hispania or Mexico NEwe Spayne is that parte of the continent or firme lande that lyeth West and South frome the lande of Floryda This was subdued to thempire of Castile by the ryght noble gentelman Ferdinando Cortese the marquesse of the vale of Quaxaca In this lande are many provinces cōteynyng in thē in maner innumerable cities amonge whichthat is the chiefe which the Indiās caule Mexico or Temixtitan The citie of Mexico or Temixtitan cōsystyng of more thē fiue hundreth thousand inhabitauntes It standeth in the myddest of a lake of salte water as doth Uenece in the sea The lake conteyneth fortie Persian myles cauled Parasange euery one consystynge of .xxx. furlons and more as sum say In these regions is founde great plentie of golde syluer Golde and syluer and precious stones with innumerable other thynges both necessary for the lyfe of man and pleasaunt as sylke Sylke bombasine cotton Cotton alame Alam Safferne Woade woade with dyuers other thynges wherwith clothe sylke is dyed There is also such abundance of suger Sugar that certeyne Spanysshe shippes are yearely fraighted therwith and brynge the same into Siuile from whense it is caryed in maner to all partes of Chrystendome Thinhabitauntes of Mexico are subtyle people and vse much craft in theyr bargening They haue not the vse of golde and syluer monye Shelles for money but vse in the steade therof the halfe shelles of almonds whiche kynde of Barbarous money they caule Cacao or Cacanguate In maner al kyndes of corne are there very good cheape Corne Beastes especially barly and wheate They haue great plentie of hartes wylde bores Lyons Leopardes and Tygers which beastes wander in maner in euery place The region is moste commodious for haukynge and huntynge for the great abundaunce it hath of beastes and foules haukyng and huntynge But the people exercise all theyr cunnynge in makynge the images of theyr Idolatry and in paintyng Paintynge Theyr women are valiant and sumptuous in theyr apparell and other tyrementes For they so vychely frynge and byset the same with perles women sumptuously appareled precious stones and golde that nothynge can be more excellent They haue a kynde of paper greatly differyng from owrs In this they expresse theyr mindes by certeyn figures For they haue nor otherwise thuse ofletters The nation is desyrous of warre and dooth not longe keepe the condicions of peace vnuiolated A warlike nation But delyteth rather in ciuile and most cruell battayle amonge them selues then to lyue in peace and quietnesse Suche as in the warres faule by any meanes into the handes of theyr enemies eyther by submission or otherwyse are partely sacrificed to the Idoles Captiues sacrificed to Idoles and the residue gyuen to the souldiers to bee eaten in lyke maner as wee rewarde dogges and haukes with parte of theyr pray They haue innumerable Idoles which euery one maketh for his particular god after the phantasie of his own brayne and gyueth therto diuine honour Albeit at this day they doo by lyttle and lyttle leaue of theyr barbarous fiercenesse and with owre religion embrase better maners For they nowe professe the fayth of Chryst and in his name pray vnto God the father Vnderstande here that as touchynge these regions cauled new Spayne yow may reade at large in the booke here before entiteled of the landes and Ilandes lately founde This booke foloweth immediatly after the Decades althowgh the printer haue also wrytten the thyrde decade ouer the head of that booke which intreateth principally of the regions nowe cauld newe Spayne Of the conquest of this Mexico Francisco Lopez hath written a large booke in the Spanysshe tounge ¶ Of Peru. The prouince cauled Peru was also named noua Cathilia by them that fyrste founde it This region is the west parte of America and is situate in the longitude of .290 degrees proceadynge from the West to the East And southwarde begynneth fiue degrees beyonde the Equinoctial line and is extended very farre into the south This is taken to bee the rychest lande in golde syluer Peru is the rychest lande that is knowen perles precious stones and spyces that euer was founde yet to this day For golde is there in such plentie that they make pyspots therof and other vessels applyed to fylthy vses But this is more to bee marueyled at that in a citie cauled Collao was founde a house all couered with massie plates of golde A house couered withgold In theyr warres also theyr harnesse was of golde and syluer harnes of golde Theyr weapons are bowes arrowes flynges dartes and pikes Thinhabitantes are warlyke people and of great agilitie They haue cities defended with lawes and armes The region is exceadyng frutefull A frutful region and yeldeth corne twyse in the yeare It is so florysshynge with many fayze wooddes mountaynes ryuers and other both pleasaunt and necessary commodities that it seemeth in maner an earthly Paradyse It hath dyuers kyndes of beastes and yet none hurtfull or of rauenynge kynde There are sheepe of such heyght that they vse them in the steade of horses Great sheepe Sume wryte that they are as bygge as the younge foles of camels and that theyr woolle is very softe and fine Also that the
onely of one shyppe as Plinie and Mela doo wryte rehersynge the testimony of Cornelius Nepos who affirmed that the kynge of Suema presented to Quintus Metelus Celeâ— Lieuetenaunt of Fraunce The hystorye of Comelius Nepos certeyne Indians dryuen by tempest into the sea of Germanie if the same were not of the lande of Laborador or Bacallaos and they deceaued in theyr coloure Note this For sum say that lykewyse in the dayes of the Emperoure Fredericus Barbarossa certeyne Indians were browght in a Canoa from the citie of Lubec in Germanie Indians in Lubec Furthermore pope Eneas Syluius wryteth that the Sarmation sea is as certeyne as the Scythian Germanian or Indian sea Nowe also there is great knowleage and experience how the nauigations and passage may be attempted by Norwayâ— and other north regions vnder the same north The Sarmaâ—â—an sea and to folow that coaste to the souâ—h sea of Sur and keepe that course by the tracte of China Olanus Gothus the archbysshop of Upsalia and borne in Gothlande hath wrytten muche of these north regions and nauigations by the north sea In the trace of this vyage by the north sea â—lande are the Ilandes of Islande and Gruntlande Gruntlande althowgh there is doubte whether Gruntlande be an Ilande or parte of the firme lande It is xl leaques from Lapponia Lapponia and sumwhat more frome Finmarchia a lande of Scandinauia in Europe Finmarchia The people of Gruntland are stronge men and of coomly stature They sayle with smaul shippes or barkes couered close aboue with lether or beastes hydes for feare of the coulde and fysshes Gruntlande Gruntlande as sum say is fyftie leaques from the north parte of the firme lande of the West Indies by the lande of Laborador The distance from Gruntland to the lande of Laborador But it is not yet knowen whether this land be continent or adherent with Gruntlande or if there bee any streyght of sea betwene theÌ„ If all bee one firme lande adioynynge by any parte then the two great partes of the world seeme to ioyne togyther abowt the north pole or vnder it or beneth it of the streight if it be forasmuch as it is not past fortie or fiftie leaques froÌ„ Finmarche to Grunâ—lanâ—â— wherby it may appere that althowgh there be any suchstraight of â—idynge them yet are they neyghbours not farre in sunder Furthermore from the land of Laborador by thaccompt of the pilottes is abowte foure hundreth leaques to â—aial one of the Ilandes of Azores The Ilandeâ— of Soua or Azores otherwyse cauled the Ilandes of Soria lyinge in the West Ocean ouer ageynst Spayne Also by their accompte the lande of Laborador is abowte fiue hundreth leaques from Irland From laborador to Irland and sixe hundreth from Spayne That the Spanyardes haue sayled to the Antipodes that is suche as go fiete to fiete ageynst vs and inhabite the inferiour hemispherie or halfe globe of the earthe contrarie to thoppinion of the owlde writers AL the ancient philosophers of the genâ—iles do deny that there may be any passage from owre hemispherie or halfe compasse of the earth to the Antopides by reasoÌ„ of the burnt line cauled Zona Torrida and the Ocean sea lyinge in the mydde way wherby this vyage shulde be hyndered and impossible as Macrobius wryteth Macrobius at large in his coÌ„mentaries vpon the dreame of Scipio Of the Chrystyan phylosophers Clemente wryteth that it is not possible for any man to passe the Ocean Clement and other wryters of later tyme seeme to confirme the same In deede I verely beleue that this way was neuer knowen to them aswell for that euer presupposynge the thynge to bee impossible they neuer attempted it as also that the Indians whom we caule Antipodes haue no shippes sufficient for so longe and difficulte a nauigation to brynge them knowleage herof The Indians are Antipodes as haue the Spaniardes to passe the Ocean vnto theÌ„ In so much that at this present this vyage is by dayly experience so well knowen vnto the Spanyardes and Portugales that they can in maner go thyther blyndfielde contrarye to thoppinion of those phylosophers I wyll here omytte to speake of many shippes â—hat haue sayled ordynaryly frome Spayne to India and speake onely of the shyppe Uictoria which compassâ—d abowt the hole globe of the worlde and touched in the landes of two or three Antipodes The shyppe 〈◊〉 and in fine returned to Spayne by a contrary way wherby is declared the ignorance of the sage antiquitie In this nauigation they founde mâ—ny secreaâ—es A strâ—unge thinge amonge the which this is strange and woorthy memorie that al such deade Christians as were cast into the sea lay on theyr backes and turned theyr faces vpwarde but the gentyles lay all groouelyn on theyr bellyes They also pâ—rceaued the soonne and moone to keepe a contrary course from that they doo here euer to cast the shadowes of all thynges towarde the south Shadowes to 〈◊〉 the soâ—th whiche thynge also was knowen to sum of the owlde wryters For this is manifeste that the sonne ryseth on the ryght hande to theym that lyue in the thyrtie degrees on thother syde the Equinoctiall The sonne rysynge on the ryght â—ande so that lookynge towarde the sonne they turne theyr faces to the north wherby it appeareth to bee trew that they affirme They consumed three yeares lackynge .xiiii. dayes in goynâ—e and commynge The vyage of Magellanus and loste a daye in theyr accompte whereby they dyd eate flesshe on frydayes and celebrated the feaste of Easter on Mundayes so that they ouerleaped a day not faylynge in the calender and kept no iust rekenynge of the bisertile The cause wherof whyle some haue searched by phylosophie they haue erred more then the maryners They sayled x. thousande leaques and .xiiii. myles by theyr accompte albeit they shulde haue gonne lesse if theyr way hadde liue ryght forth But as they were enforced partely of necessitie and partely to fynde that they sowght they made many wyndynges and turnynges They trauersed the Equinoctiall line syxe tymes withowt burnynge contrary to thoppinion of tâ—e owlde autours They remayned fyue monethes in the Iland of Tidore whose inhabitauntes are Antipodes to theym of Guinea Antipodes Guinea wherby it is apparente that wee maye communicate with them And althowgh they lost the syght of the northe starre yet dyd they euer dyrecte theyr course therby For beinge in the .xl. degrees of the south The north starre they sawe the needle of the compaâ—se stande as directly towarde the north as it dooth in the sea Mediterraneum althowgh sum say that it looseth his force sumwhat The needle compasse Abowt the poynt of the Southe or pole Antartike they sawe a lyttle whyte cloude and foure starres lyke vnto to crosse with three other ioyayâ—ge therunto which resemble owre Septentrion and are indeed to
nowe aged and sore vexed with the strangurie came with a prosperous and spedy iornay to Moscouia where he was gentely receaued of Basilius and remayned in his courte for the space of twoo monethes But in fine mistrustynge his owne strength and deterred by the difficultie of so great a iorneye when he had vtterly put away all his imaginations and hope of this trade to India returned to Rome with Demetrius â—hambassadour of Basilius before we yet thowght that he had byn in Moscouia Demetrius interteynement at Rome The bysshoppe commaunded that Demetrius shuld bee lodged in the most magnificeÌ„t and princely part of the houses of Uaticane the rouffes of whose edifies are gylted and embowed and the chambers richly furnysshed with sylken beddes and cloth of Arresse Wyllynge furthermore that he shuld bee honorably receaued and vesâ—ured with silkâ— He also assigned Franciscus Cheregatus the bysshoppe of Aprutium a man that had often tymes byn ambassadoure to diuers regyons to accompanie hym and shewe hym thorder and rites of owre religion with the monumentes and maners of the citie Furthermore when Demetrius had certeyne dayes rested and recreate him selfe wasshyng away the fylth he had gathered by reason of the longe vyage then apparelled with a fayre vesture after the maner of his countrey he was browght to the bysshoppes presence whom he honoured kneelynge with great humilitie and reuerence as is the maner and therwith presented vnto his holynes certeyne furres of Sables in his owne name and in the name of his prince Demetrius is brought to the popes presence and also delyuered the letters of Basilius which they before and then the Illyrian or Slauon interpretoure Nicolaus Siccensis translated into the Latine toonge in this effecte as foloweth To pope Clemente sheparde and teacher of the Romane churche Basiâ—ius letters to pope Clement greate Basilius by the grace of God lorde Emperour and dominatour of al Ruâ—sia and great duke Uolodemaria Moscouia Nouogrodia Plescouia Sâ—nolenia Ifferia Iugoria Periunia Uetcha Bolgaria c. Dominator great prince of Nouogrodia in the lower coÌ„trei Also of Cernâ—gouia Razania Uolotchia Rezeuia Belchia Rostouia Iaroslauia Belozeria Udoria Obdoria Condinia c. Yow sent vnto vs Paulus Centurio a câ—tizeÌ„ of Genua with letters wherby yowe do exhorte vs to ioine in poure and counsayle withyowe and other Princes of ChristeÌ„dome ageynst the enemies of the christian faith and that a free passage and redy way may bee opened for bothe yowre ambassadours and owres to coome and go to and fro whereby by mutuall dewtie and indeuoure on both parties we may haue knowleage of the state of thinges perteynynge to the welth of vs both Wee certes as we haue hetherto happely by the ayde and helpe of almyghty god constantly and ernestly resisted the cruell and wycked enemies of the Christian faithe so are we determined to doo hereafter And are likewise redy to consente with other Christian Princes and to graunt free passage into owte dominions In consideration wherof we haue sente vnto yowe owre faithfull seruaunt Demetrius Erasmus with these owre letters and with hym haue remitted Paulus Centurio desyringe yowe also shortly to dismisse Demetrius with safegarde and indemnitie vnto the borthers of owre dominions And we wyl likewyse doo the same if yowe sende yowre ambassadoure with Demetrius wherby both by communication and letters wee may bee better certâ—fied of thorder and administration of such thynges as yowe require so that beinge aduertised of the mindes intent of al other Christian princes we may also consult what is best to be done herein Thus fare ye wel Giuen in owr dominion in owr citie of Moscouia in the yeare from the creation of the worlde seuen thousande and three hundreth the thyrde day of Aprell But Demetrius as he is experte in diuine and humane thynges and espâ—cially of holy scripture seemed to haue secreate commaundement of greater matters whiche we thinke he wyll shortly declare to the seâ—ate in priuate consultations For he is nowe deliuered of the feuer into the whiche he fell by chaunge of ayer and hath so recouered his strengthe and natiue colour that beinge a man of threescore yeares of age he was not only presente at the popes masse celebrated with great solemnitie in the honour of saynt Cosmus and Damian but came also into the Senate at such tyme as Cardinal Campegius commynge â—yrst from the legacie of Pannonia Cardinall Campegius was receaued of the pope and all the nobilitie of the courte And furthermore also vewed the temples of the holye citie with the ruines of the Romane magnificence The â—uines of Rome and with woonderynge eyes behelde the lamentable decay of the auncient buildinges So that we thinke that shortly after he hath declared his message he shall returne to Moscouia with the bysshop of Scarense the popes legate not vnrecompensed with iust rewards at the handes of his holynesse The name of the Moscouites is nowe newe The description of Moscouia althowgh the poete Lucane maketh mention of the Moschos confinynge with the Sarmatians and Plinie also placeth the Moschos at the sprynges of the great ryuer of Phasis in the region of Colchoâ— aboue the sea Euxinus towarde the East Theyr region hath very large boundes and is extended from the altars of great Alexander abowt the springes of Tanais The altares of great alexander to the extreme landes and north Ocean in maner vnder the Northe starres cauled charles wayne or the greate beare beinge for the most parte playne and of frutfull pasture but in sommer in many places full of marisshes For whereas all that lande is replenysshed with many and great ryuers which are greatly increased by the winter snow and I se resolued by the heate of the soonne the playnes and fyeldes are therby ouerflowen with marisshes Marisshes in sommer and all iorneys incumbered with continuall waters and myrie slabbynesse vntyl by the benefite of the new wynter the ryuers and marisshes bee frosen ageyne and giue safe passage to the sleades that are accustomed to iorney by the same The woodde or forest of Hercynia and not Hyrcania as is redde in sum false copies occupieth a great parte of Moscouia The forest of hercynia and is here and there inhabited with houses buylded therein and so made thinner by the longe laboure of men that it dooth not nowe shewe that horrour of thicke and impenetrable woods and laundes as many thinke it â—o haue But beinge replenysshed with many wylde beastes wyld beastes is so farre extended through Moscouia with a continuall tracte betwene the East and the North towarde the Scythian Ocean The Scythian Ocean that by the infinite greatnesse therof it hath deluded the hope of such as haue curiously searched th ende of the same In that parte that reacheth towarde Prussia are founde the greate and fierce beastes cauled Uri or Bisontes The beastes cauled Uri or Bisontes of the kynde of