see The aire by nature to be coÌ„tinually mouyng and the moste firie parie of the same for the lightenesse thereof moste highe to haue climbed So that sonne and Moone and the planetes all participatyng of the nature of that lighter substaunce moue so muche the faster in how muche thei are of the more subtile parte But that whiche was mixed with waterie moisture to haue rested in the place for the heauinesse therof and of the watery partes the sea to haue comen and the matier more compacte to haue passed into a clamminesse firste and so into earth This earth then brought by the heate of the sonne into a more fastenesse And after by the same power puffed and swollen in the vppermoste parte there gathered manye humours in sondry places which drawing to ripenesse enclosed them selues in slymes and in filmes as in the maresses of Egipt and other stondynge waters we often se happen And seynge the heate of thaier sokyngly warmeth the cold grouÌ„d and heate meint with moisture is apt to engendre it came to passe by the gentle moisture of the night aire and the comforting heate of the daie sonne that those humours so riped drawyng vp to the rinde of the arth as though their tyme of childbirthe ware come brake out of their filmes and deliuered vpon the earth all maner of liuyng thinges EmoÌ„g whiche those that had in theÌ„ moste heate became foules into the aire those that ware of nature more earthie became wormes and beastes of sondrie kindes and where water surmounted thei drewe to the elemente of their kinde and had to name fisshes But afterwarde the earth beyng more parched by the heate of the Sonne and the drouthe of the windes ceased to bring furthe any mo greate beastes and those that ware already brought furthe saie thei mainteined and encreased by mutualle engendrure the varietie and nombre And they are of opinion that in the same wise men ware engendred in the beginning And as nature putte them forth emong other beastes so liued they at the first an vnknowen lyfe wyldely emong them vpon the fruictes and the herbes of the fieldes But the beastes aftre a while waxing noysome vnto them they ware forced in commune for eche others sauftie to drawe into companies to resiste their anoyaunce one helping another and to sieke places to make their abiding in And where at the firste their speache was confuse by litle and litle they sayed it drewe to a distinctenesse and perfeighte difference in sorte that they ware able to gyue name to all thinges But for that they ware diuersely sparckled in diuers partes of the worlde they holde also that their speache was as diuers and different And herof to haue aftreward risen the diuersitie of lettres And as they firste assembled into bandes so euery bande to haue broughte forthe his nacion But these men at the firste voide of all helpe and experience of liuyng ware bittrely pinched with hongre and colde before thei could learne to reserue the superfluous plenty of the Somer to supply the lacke of Winters barreinesse whose bitter blastes and hoÌ„grie pinynges consumed many of them whiche thing wheÌ„ by experieÌ„ce dere bought thei had learned thei soughte bothe for Caues to defende them fro colde and began to hourde fruictes Then happe fouÌ„d out fire and reason gaue rule of profite and disprofite and necessitie toke in hand to sette witte to schoole Who gatheryng knowledge and perceiuyng hymself to haue a helpe of his sences more skilfull then he thought set hande a woorke and practised connyng to supplie all defaultes whiche toÌ„gue and lettres did enlarge and distribute abrode THEI that had this opinion of the originall of manne and ascribed not the same to the prouidence of God affirmed the Ethopiens to haue bene the firste of all menne For thei coniectured that the ground of that countrie liyng nierest the heates of the Sonne muste nedes first of all other waxe warme And the earth at that tyme beyng but clammie and softe through the attemperaunce of that moysture and heate man there first to haue bene fourmed and there to haue gladlier enhabited as natiue and naturall vnto him then in any other place wheÌ„ all places ware as yet straunge and vnknowen whiche aftre men soughte Beginnyng therfore at them after I haue shewed how the worlde is deuided into thre partes as also this treatise of myne and haue spoken a litle of Aphrique I wyll shewe the situacion of Aethiope and the maners of that people and so forthe of al other regions and peoples with suche diligence as we can ¶ The thirde Chapitre ¶ The deuision and limites of the Earthe THose that haue bene before our daies as Orosius writeth are of opinion that the circuite of the earth bordered about with the Occean Sea disroundyng hym self shooteth out thre corner wise and is also deuided into thre seuerall partes Afrike Asie and Europe Afrike is parted from Asie with the floude of Nilus whiche coinyng fro the Southe ronneth through Ethiope into Egipte where gently sheadyng hymself ouer his baneques he leaueth in the countrie a merueilous fertilitie and passeth into the middle earth sea with seuen armes From Europe it is seperate with the middle earth sea whiche beginnyng fro the Occean afore saie deat the Istande of Gades and the pilours of Hercules passeth not tenne miles ouer But further entryngin â—semeth to haue shooued of the maighe lande on bothe sides so to haue won aâ—â—ore largenesse Asie is deuided from Europe with Tanais the floude whiche comyng fro the North ronneth into the marshe of Meotis almoste mid waie and there sincking himself leaueth the marshe and Pontus Eurinus for the rest of the bounde And to retourne to Afrike again the same hauyng Nilus as I saied on the Easte and on all other partes bounded with the sea is shorter then Europe but broader towarde the Occean where it rileth into mounteigne And shoryng towarde the Weste by litle and litle waxeth more streighte and cometh at th ende to a narowe poincte Asmuche as is enhabited therof is a plentuous soile but the great parte of it lieth waste voide of enhabitauntes either to whote for menne to abide or full of noisome and venemous vermine and beastes or elles so whelmed in sande grauell that there is nothing but more barreinesse The sea that lieth on the Nor the parte is called Libicum that on the Southe Aethiopicum and the other on the West Atlanticum AT the first the whole was possest by fower sondrie peoples Of the whiche twaine as Herodotus writeth ware founde there tyme out of minde and the other twaine ware alienes and incommes The two of continuaunce ware the Poenj and Ethiopes whiche dwelte the one at the Northe of the lande the other at the South The Alienes the Phoenices the Grekes the old Ethiopians and the Aegipcianes if it be true that thei report of theÌ„selues At the beginnyng thei ware sterne and vnruly and bruteshely liued with
smalle catteile whose milke and flesshe they eate They haue no maner of graine ne knowe what to doe therwith ¶ The first Chapitre ¶ Of Asie and the peoples moste famous therin ASie the seconde part of the thre wherin to we haue said that the whole erth is diuided tooke name as some hold opinion of the doughter of Oceanus and Tethis named Asia the wife of laphetus and the mother of Prometheus Or as other affirme of Asius the sonne of Maneye the Lidian And it stretcheth it self from the South bowtyng by the Easte into the Northe hauyng on the West parte the two flouddes Nilus and Tanais and the whole Sea Euxinum and parte of the middle earth sea Vpon the other thre quarters it is lysted in with the Occean whiche where he cometh by Easte Asie is called Eous as ye would saie toward the dawnyng by the South Indicus of the countrie named India and aftre the name of the stoure Scithiane vpon the Northe Scythicus The greate mounteine Taurus ronnyng East and West and in a maner equally partyng the lande in twaine leaueth one parte on the Northe side called by the Grekes the outer Asie and another on the South named the inner Asie This mountein in many places is fouÌ„de thre hundred .lxxv. miles broade and of length equalle with the whole countrie About a fiue hundred thre skore and thre miles From the coast of the Rhodes vnto the farthest part of Inde and Scithia Eastwarde And it is deuided into many sondrie partes in sondrie wise named wherof some are larger some lesse This Asie is of suche a sise as aucthours holde opinion that Affrike and Europe ioyned together are scante able to matche it in greatnes It is of a temperate heate and a fertile soile and therfore full of all kindes of beaste foule and worme it hath in it many countries and Seignouries On the other side of the redde Sea oâ—ter against Egipte in Affrike lieth the tripartite region named Arabia whose partes are Petrea boundyng West and Northe vpon Siria and right at fronte before hym Eastwarde Deserta and Arabia Felix by Southe Certein writers also adioyne to Arabia Pancheia and Sabea It is iudged to haue the name of Arabus the sonne of Appollo Babilone The Arabiens beyng a greate people and dwellyng very wide and brode are in their liuyng very diuers and as sondrie in religion Thei vse to go with long heare vnrounded forked cappes somewhat mitre like all aftre one sorte and their beardes partie shaueÌ„ Thei vse not as we doe to learne faculties and sciences one of another by appreÌ„tice hode but looke what trade the father occupied the same doeth the sonne generally applie hymself to and continue in The mooste aunciente and eldest father that can be founde in the whole Countrie is made their Lorde and Kyng Looke what possessions any one kindrede hath the same be commune to all those of that bloude Yea one wife serueth theim all Wherefore he that cometh firste into the house laieth doune his faulchoÌ„ before the dore as a token that the place is occupied The seniour of the stocke ensoieth her alnight Thus be thei al brethren and sistren one to another throughout the whole people Thei absteine fro the embrasinges neither of sister ne mother but all begrees are in that poynct as indifferent to them as to beastes of the fieldes Yei is adulterie death emong them And this is adulterie there to abandon the body to one of another kindred And who so is by suche an ouerthwarte begotten is iudged a ba stard and otherwise not Thei banrquet not lightly together vndre the nombre of thirtie persones Alwaie foresene that two of the same no â—hre at the leaste be Musicens waiters haue thei none but one kinsman to minister to another and one to helpe another Their tounes and cities are wallesse for thei liue quietly in peace one with another Thei haue no kinde of oyle but that whiche is made of Sesama but for all other thynges thei are most blessed with plentie Thei haue Shiepe greater then Rien and verie white of woulle Horses haue thei none ue none desire for that their Chamelles in all niedes serue theÌ„ aswell Thei haue siluer and golde plentie and diuerse kindes of spices whiche other couÌ„tries haue not Laton Brasse Iron Purple Safron the precious rote costus and all coruen woorkes are brought into theim by other Thei bewrie their kyng in a donghâ—lâ—e for other thei wille skante take so muche laboure There is no people that better kiepeth their promise and couenaant then thei do thus thei behight it When thei wille make any solempne promise couenaunte or league the two parties commyng together bryng with them a thirde who standyng in the middes betwirte theim bothe draweth bloud of echâ— of them in the palme of the hand along vnder the rote of the fingres with a sharpe stone and then pluckyng from eche of their garmentes a litle saggue he enoyncteth with that bloude seuen other stones lieng ready betwirte them for that purpose And whilest he so doeth he ralleth vpon the name of Dionisius and Urania whom thei accompt emong the nombre of goddes reuengers of faithelesse faithes This done he that was the sequestrer of the couenaunte becometh suretie for the parties And this maner of contracte he that standeth moffe at libertie thinketh miete to be kepte Thei haue no firynge but broken endes chippes of Myrche whose smoke is so vnholsonie that exrepte thei withstode the malice therof with the perfume of Styrar it would briede in them vncurable difeases The Tinamome whiche groweth emong theim none gather but the priestes And not thei neither before thei haue sacrificed vnto the goddes And yet further thei obserue that the gatheryng neither beginne before the Sonne risyng ne coÌ„tinue aftre the goyng doune He that is lorde and gourrnour emong them when the whole gather is brought together deuideth out vnto euery man his heape with a Iauelines ende whiche thei haue ordinarily consecrate for that purpose And emongest other the Sonne also hath a heape deuided out for hym whiche if the deuâ—sion be iuste he kindeleth immediatly with his owne beames and brenneth into ashes Some of the A rabiens that are pinched with penurie without all regard of body life or helth doe eate Snakes and Addres and suche like vermine and therefore are called of the Grekes Ophyophagj The Arabiens named Nomades occupie much Chamelles bothe in warre and burden and all maner cariage farre and nighe The floude that ronneth alonge their bordes hathe in it as it ware limall of golde in great plentie Whiche they neuertheles for lacke of knowledge do neuer fine into masse Another people of Arabia named Deboe are for the great part she pemasters and brieders Parte of theÌ„ notwithstanding occupie husbandrie tilthe These haue suche pleÌ„tie of gold that ofterimes emoÌ„g the cloddes in the fieldes thei finde litle peables of gold as bigge
with the sea And the fisshe folowing the tide and dispersinge them selues abrode in the maigne londe to seeke their foode at the ebbe when the water withdraweth retiring together with it alway to the dieper places and at laste remaining in these gutters crieques they are stopped in with the stone heapes and at the lowe water lye drie Then come the enhabitauntes with wyfe and children take them and laye them oute vpon the rocques against the midday sonne wher with the broiling heate of the same they be within a while skorched and parched Then do they remoue them and with a litle beating seperate the fysshe fro the bones Then put they the fisshe into the hollowes of the rocques and beate it to pomois minglinge therewith the siede of the whynne Paliurus And so facion it into lumpes muche like a bricke but somewhat longer And when they haue baken them againe a litle by the sonne they sitte them downe together and eate by the bealy Of this haue thei alway in store accordinge to the plenty that Neptune gyueth them But when by the reasoÌ„ of tempest the sea ouerfloweth these places aboue his naturall course and tarieth longer then his wonte so that they can not haue this benefight of fisshing and their store is all spent they gather a kynde of great shelle fysshe whose shelles they grate open with stones and eate the fisshe rawe in taste muche like to an oyster If it fortune this ouerflowing by the reason of the winde to continue longe and their shellefyshe to fayle them then haue they recours to the fyshebones which they do of purpose reserue together in heapes and when thei haue gnabeled of the softest and gristely partes with their tiethe of those that are newest and beste they beate the harder with stones into pieces and eate theÌ„ Thei eate as I haue said in the wilde field together abrode reioising with a semblaunte of merinesse a maner of singyng full vntuned That done they falle vppon their women euen as they come to hande withoute any choyse vtterly voide of care by reason they are alwaye sure of meate in good plentye Thus foure daies euer continual busied with this bealy bownsing chiere the .v. daie thei flocke together to go drinck al on a droue not vnlike to a heard of kiene to the waters shouting as they go with an yrishe whobub And when they haue dronke till their bealies stonde a strutte so that thei are skaÌ„t able to retourne euerye dodie layes him downe dronckar delike to reste his water bolne bealy and that daye eateth nothing The next daye agayne they fall to their fysshing And so passe they their lyfe continually Thei seldome falle into any diseases for that they are alway of so vniforme diete Neuerthelesse they are shorter lyued theÌ„ we are Theyr nature not corupted by any perswasion taken of other compreth the satisfieng of hoÌ„gre the greatest pleasure in the world As for other extraordenary pleasures they seke them not This is the maner of liuing propre vnto them that lye within the bosome of the sayde Arabique sea But the maner of them that dwell without the bosome is moche more merueilous For thei neuer drinke ne neuer are moued with any passion of the mynde These beynge as it ware by fortune throwen oute into the desertes facre from the partes miete to be enhabited giue them selues altogether to fysshing which they eate haulfe rawe Not for to auoyde thirste for they desire no moyste thinges but raither of a nature sauluage and wilde contented with such victualle as commeth to hande They coÌ„pte it a principal blessednes to be with oute those thinges what so euer they be that bringe sorowe or griefe to their haners Thei are reported to be of such pacience that thoughe a manne strike them with a naked sweard thei wil not shonne him or flye from him Beate them or do theim wronge and they onely wil looke vppon you neither shewinge token of wrathe nor countenaunce of pitie Thei haue no maner of speache emong them But onely shewe by signes of the hande and nodding with the heade what they lacke and what they would haue These people with a whole consent are maynteners of peace towarde all men straunger and other The whiche maner aâ—thoughe it be wondrefull they haue kept time oute of mynde Whether throughe longe conunaunce of custome or driuen by necessitie or elles of nature I can not saye They dwell not as the other Icthiophagi doe all in one maner of cabanes but sondry in diuers Some haue their dennes and their cabanes in them opening to the North to the ende they might by that meanes be the bettre shadowed fro the sonne and haue the colder ayre For those that are open toward the southe by the reason of the greate heate of the sonue caste for the suche a breathe fornais like that a manne can not come niere them They that open towarde the northe builds them preaty if abanes of the ribbes of whales whiche in those seas they plentuousty finde compassing them aboute by the sides accordynge to their naturall bendinge and fasteninge them together at bothe â—ndes with some maner of tyenge Those do they couer with the woose and the wiedes of the sea tempered together And in these they shroude them selues fro the sonne nature by necessitie deuising a way how to helpe and defende her selfe Thus haue ye hearde the lyfe of the Icthiophagi and now remaineth there for Aprique onely the Amazones to be spoken of which menne saye in the olde tyme dwelte in Libye A kinde of warlike women of greate force and hardfnesse nothing lyke in lyfe vnto our women The maner amonge them was to appointe to theirmaidens acerte in space of yeres to be trayned and exercysed in the feictes of warre Those beynge expired they ware ioyned to menne for yssues sake The women bare all the rule of the commune wealthe The women ware princes lordes and officiers Capiteines and chiefteines of the warres The menne had noughte to doe but the drudgery at home and as the women woulde appoincte them The children assone as thei ware borne ware deliuered to the men to nouryshe vp with milke and suche other thinges as theyr tendrenes required If it ware a boye they eyther brake the right arme assone as it was borne that it mighte neuer be fytte for the warres or flue it or sente it oute of the countrye If a wenche they streight ceared the pappes that thei might not growe to hindre them in the warres Therfore the Grecians called theim Amazones as ye woulde saie pappelesse The opinion is that thef dwelt in the Ilonde named Heipera which lieth in the marsshe named of a riuer that ronneth into it Tritonis ioyning vpon Ethiope and the mounte Atlas the greatest of all that lande This Ilonde is very large and greate hauyng plentie of diuers sortes of fruictes whereby the enhabitauntes liue Thei haue many flockes of shiepe and goates and other
memorie a greate deale for that it imported more weight And that was this Thei had frō their beginnyng no Phisicens emong theim but it was enacted by the consente of the Realme that who so was diseased of any malady should comon with other that had bene healed of the like afore And acordyng to their counsaille practise vpon himself But he that vsed or attempted any other waie to be punished for it Other write that the sicke ware brought out into the Marquet place where suche as had bene deliuered of the like grief afore ware bounde by the lawe to go fro persone to persone and shewe theim by what meanes thei had bene remedied Thei bewrie their dead in Honie and obserue the same maner of mournyng that the Egiptians do If any man haue medled with his wife in the nighte neither of theim bothe toucheth any thyng the next mornyng before thei be washed There was in Babilon a Temple dedicate to Venus it hath bene the maner in tyme paste that when their came any straunger to visite this Temple all the women of Babilon should come vnto hym or them with greate solempnitie and freshely appareile◠euery one hauing a garlande on her heade with some seueralle knowledge of distinction one frō another and offre their seruice to the straungter And looke whom he liked he must laie doune in her lappe suche sōme of money as pleased him That done thef bothe withdrew themselues fro the temple a greate distaunce and laie together That money was conserrate to Venus There ware cerrein kindredes emong theim that liued with none other thyng but fisshe dried against the Sonne and brused in a Mortare and so laied vp till niede ware And then did thei mingle it and kneade it with water into a maner of paashe and so baked it eate it There ware thre sortes of menne that bare rule and office emong them The king the nobles with the Seniours and those that had serueo in the warres and ware now exempte Thei had also menne skilfull in the secretes of nature whiche thei calle Magj and Chaldej suche as ware the priestes of Egipte institute to attende vpon the seruice of their Goddes These men all their life daies liued in the loue of wisedome ware connyng in the cours of the Sterres And sometyme by foretokenyng of birdes Right and somtyme by power of holy verses and nombres tourned awaise the euilles fro menny and benefited thē with thinges that ware good Thei could expounde Dreames and diclare the significations of vncouth wondres So that men ware certein of suche successe as thei had foreshewed Thei wente not into straūge scholes to learne their knowledge as the Grecians doe but learned the science of these thynges at their fathers hādes as heiritage from one generacion to another euen from their childhode at home in their houses Whereby it came to passe that beyng sokingly learned it was bothe the more groundedly learned and also without tediousnes Thei had one vniforme and constaunt waie of teaching and one constantnes of doctrine not waueryng and almoste contrary to it self as the doctrine of the Grekes where eche Philosopher almoste had his waie and iudgemente of the principles and causes of thynges But these menne agre al in one that the worlde is eternall and euerlastyng with out beginnyng and without ende And that the ordre of the whole was disposed by the prouidence of the highest The bodies aboue to haue their course not at all aduentures and without rule but by an inuiolable lawe of God acordyng to his ordenaunce and will moste certein Thei haue learned by long markyng and notyng of thynges tyme out of mynde one aftre another how by the course of the Starres to prognostique that is to foreshe we vnto men many thynges to come Thei holde that of all other Sterres the planetes are strongest of Influence namely Saturnus To the sonne thei attribute brightnes and vertue of life Mars Iupiter Mercurie and Venus thei obserue moste for that thei haue a course propre by them selues as interpretours of the mindes of the goddes to foresignifie thinges vnto men Which opinion is so grounded in them that they haue called all those foure planetes by the one name of Mercurius as ye woulde saye commune currours or messengers Thei also do warne menne of many thinges bothe hurtefull and availeable by the marking and knowledge of winde and weather of raine and droughte of blasing sterres of the eclipses of the Sonne and Mone of earthquakes and manye suche like Furthermore thei ymagine in the firmament other sterres subiecte in influence vnto these former wherof some are in the haulfe heauen continually in our sighte and some in the other haulfe continually oute of our sight And as the Egiptiens haue feigned them selues xii goddes so likewyse haue thei To euerie of the whiche they referre one moneth and one signe of the Zodiaque Thei haue prophecied vnto kinges many aduentures As vnto Alexandre victory when he made his exploicte towarde Dartus Likewise to Hirchanour and Seleucus and other the successours of Alexandre prophecied thei many thinges As also to the Romaines which had most sure successe Thei make compte also of xxiiij other starres without and beside the waie of the zodiaque xii towarde the northe and the residew towarde the southe Of the whiche so many as appiere in sight they iudge to apperteigne to the quicke and the other to the dead These troublesome mases haue thei broughte into the worlde more then enoughe beside the accompte that thei make of their obseruacions and deuinaciōs from their beginninge to Alexandres time nombringe them thre thousande and fourty yeres a shamefull lie excepte thei wil entreprete their yeres by the Mone as the Egiptians doe comptinge euery monethe for a yere ¶ The. iiii Chapiter ¶ Of Iewry and of the life maners and Lawes of the Iewes PAlestina whiche also is named Iudea beinge a seueralle prouince of Siria lieth betwirte Arabia Petrea and the countrie Coelosiria So bordering vpon the Egiptian sea on the west and vpon the floude Iordan on the Easte that the one with his waues wassheth his clieues and the other sometime with his streame ouerfloweth his banckes The Bible and Iosephus by ensample therof calleth this londe Cananea a countrie renoumed for manifolde substaunce Fertile of soyle well watered with riuers and springes and rich with precious balme Tienge in the nauelle of the world that it neither might be broyled with heate ne frosen with colde By the reason of the which mildenes of aier it was iudged by the Israelites or Hebrues and rightlye so iudged to be the country that God promised vnto Abraham Isaac and Iacob flowinge in aboundaunce of milke and honie Vpon the hope of enioyenge of this londe folowed they Moses oute of Egipte fortye yeres wandering in Lampe And before thei ware broughte into Cananea by Iosua his substitute ouercame with strong hande one and thirty kinges This is