they haue vndertaken diuers famous expeditions into Barbarie Ethiopia India and Brasile Within these 90. yeeres they haue taken and fortified the principall places and harbours of those prouinces chalenging vnto themselues the peculiar traffike of the Atlantike and east Ocean They seised vpon the Terceraz knowing that without touching at those Ilands no ship could safely passe into Ethiopia India Brasil or the New-world Returning from those countries towards Spaine or Lisbone they put in to releeue their wants and sicke passengers and outward they touch to take in fresh water and fetch the winde In Africke they are Lords of those places which we spake of before in the description of Spaine In Persia they haue Ormus in Cambaia Diu Damain and Bazain in the hither India Chaul Goa and the neighbour fortresses of Cochin Colan the Iland Mauar and the hauen Columbo in the Iland Zeilan Amongst these Goa is the chiefest as the place where the Viceroy keepeth his court Ormus famous for the iurisdiction of the sea and the traffike of the Persian and Cambaian gulfes Cochin and Colan for their plentie of pepper Mauar for the pearle-fishing Columbo for the abundance of Cinnamon Damain and Bazain for fertile prouision In these quarters they haue some princes their confederates others their feodaries The chiefe and wealthiest of Allies is the king of Cochin sometime tributarie to the king of Calecute but now by the intercourse and traffike with the Portugals he is growne so rich and mightie that the other princes do enuie his prosperitie The king of Colan is likewise their confederate Their chiefe force consisteth in situation and strength of their places and in the number goodnes of their shipping As concerning situation this people wisely considering that in regard of their contemptible numbers they were not of power to make any famous iourney into the inland regions neither to match the Persians the Guzarits the princes of Decan the king of Narsinga and other barbarous potentates in Campania turned all their cogitations to immure themselues in such defensiue places that with small forces they might euer haue hope to diuert great attempts and make themselues Lords and commanders of the sea and nauigation which when they had done they intertained and maintained so strong a nauie that no prince in those parts was able to wrong them yea they furnished those vessels so thoroughly that one single ship would not refuse to cope with three or fower of the Barbarians With this Armada of one and twentie ships Francis Almeida defeated the Mamelucks neere the towne of Diu. Alfonse Alburquerck with thirtie great ships woon Calecute with one and twentie he tooke Goa and regained it with fower and thirtie with three and twentie he tooke Malaca with sixe and twentie he entred the red sea and with two and twentie recouered Ormus In processe of time as their mightines increased Lopes Zuarezius made a iourney into the red sea with seuen thirtie Galleons Lopes Sequeira with twentie fower ships but with greater number of soldiers then euer before laid siege to Gnidda in the red sea Henry Menesius wasted Patane with fiftie ships Lopes Vazius Sampaius left in the Arsenal 136. ships of war for the greater part all excellent well furnished Nonius Acunia vndertooke a iourney to Diu with 300. ships wherein were three thousand Portugals and fiue thousand Indians besides a great number of his guard and seruants which ordinarily follow the Viceroyes in those countries Besides his confederates and feodaries he is confined with most mightie princes his enimies as the Persian who chalengeth Ormus as holden of him in vassalage the king of Cambaia who maketh title to Diu and other places which were once vnder his iurisdiction Nizzamaluc Idalcam for so the Portugals call the two princes of Decan the kings of Calecute Narsinga As for the kings of Persia Narsinga they neuer waged warre against the Portugals because they haue alwaies had to do with more dangerous enimies other princes though they haue enterprized to their vttermost to regaine Diu Chial Goa and other places and haue left no meanes vnattempted to bring their desseignes to effect yet their abilitie could not worke any prosperous successe to their laborious indeuors by reason of the places situate so commodiously for the transportation and receit of continuall succours from the sea And though they haue vndertaken the like actions in the deepe of winter hoping by tempests and other casualties to barre the Portugals from their sea succours yet they neuer preuailed because the ships and courages of the Portugals the one resolute to indure the siege and by patience to ouercome the other determining hap what may neuer to forsake their distressed countrey-men haue set all vpon hazard and exposed their fortunes to the mercy of the winde waues of the sea Their woorst greatest and fiercest enimie is the Turke who being backed with the like aduantage of situation which the citie of Aden affoordeth him sometime pricked by his proper enuie emulation and ambition sometime egged on by the perswasions of the king of Cambaia hath often indeuored to dispoile them of the soueraigntie of the red sea and finally to driue them out of the east India The greatest nauie that euer he sent against them was to recouer Diu consisting of sixtie fower ships and by them defeated Afterwards he sent a nauie of greater ships to the conquest of Ormus and that likewise was almost wholie beaten bruised and drowned In the further Indies they hold nothing but Malaca and the Moluccas In times past Malaca was far greater then now it is for it lay scattered three miles alongst the sea coast but the Portugals that they might the better defend it haue brought it into a round forme containing not aboue a mile in compasse Heere the king hath two puissant enimies Ior and Achem the one mightie at land the other farre mightier at sea by whom the towne not without great danger hath more then once beene besieged but by the aide sent from India alwaies releeued with great slaughter of the enimie At length Paulus Lima defeated king Ior and raced the castle built by him neere Malaca wherein besides other spoiles he found 900. brasen cast peeces This territorie is subiect to great danger by reason of the puissance of this king of Achem bending all his cogitations to the rooting and finall destruction of the Portugals out of this prouince and therefore the king of Spaine of late yeeres sent Matthias Alburquerk with a great power into India with authoritie to secure the territorie of Malaca and to fight with the king of Achem. To secure their trade of spices and nutmegs in the Moluccas and Banda they built a castle in the Iland Ternate of late yeeres for want of succours deliuered vp to the Mahumetans and the Portugals reculed into the Iland of Tidore there establishing their trade and factorie The Great Turke VNder the Empire of the Turkes is
the tenths of Ecclesiasticall liuings in mines tributes customes The profits of the Church liuings amount to a good summe of money for in this kingdome there were seuen cathedrall Churches threescore Monasteries of men and women endowed with most rich reuenues First Gustan and after his sonne Eric seised the greatest part thereof into their possessions Some of the foresaid mines are wrought at the kings charges some at the charge of priuate persons allowing onely the tenth part Of three copper-workes I haue knowne the tenth part which is the kings to amount to the value of three thousand dolars yeerely hereby estimation may be made of the siluer and lead But his taxes do far surpasse all other things for he leuieth the tenth of rie wheat barley fish oxen skins and such like Of the tenth of oxen at some times he hath gathered 18. thousand and with them maintayneth his court his officers his nauie and his armies for in the time of warre either with the Dane or Moscouite he alloweth his soldiers victuals and by this meanes prouideth it at verie easie rates as well offending as defending The marriage of the kings daughters is at the disposition of the people they allow them besides siluer plate and other gifts one hundred thousand dolars for a dowrie Of the vplandish people and others which pay not the imposition of victuals the king is accustomed to exact of euerie poll according to his ability fiue dolars or more yeerely The customes are paide in the hauen townes the chiefe where of are Calmaâ—e Lodâ—â—is and Stockholme where aâ— some times three hundred ships of burthen are to be seene Abo Auge Reualia Parnouia Narue It is thought that the king doth lay vp in his treasuries sixe or seuen hundred thousand dolars besides the expences vpon the fortresses of Reualia and Viburgh There are maintained in Sweueland and Gothland about thirtie two troupes euerie one consisting of fiue hundred or six hundred soldiers al harquebusiers alwaies ready to march whither occasion calleth Bicause of the thicknes of the woods the horsemen serue with petronels and seldome vse pikes or lances The footemen are most excellent for euerie soldier is able to make and furnish himselfe with any furniture whatsoeuer euen to the making of his owne flaske and tuchboxe as likewise the common people in Perâ—â—ia and the neighbouring prouinces being contented with a little haue alwaies accustomed to make all implements for their houses and bodies to build to weaue to play the taylors to sow to reape and to forge tooles fit for their busines And as for those trades which are neither common nor necessarie as to paint to worke in siluer and such like there are notwithstanding found among them verie good workemen wanting rather matter then art to worke vpon The Sweuian horsemen are diuided into thirteene companies Sweueland and Gothland maintaine eleuen and Finland two and vpon necessitie they can raise a greater force for the Dukedome of Vermeland as report goeth is able to furnish better then ten thousand men with horse In Marchland there is such plentifull breede of horse that there they are sold at a verie low rate both these prouinces are in Gothland Their horse is not so bigge bodied as the Frieslander but exceeding strong hardy actiue able to endure trauell and fed with a little I will not omit to speake of two noble vsages of the king of Sweueland towards his soldiers one is that if a soldier be taken prisoner he is ransomed at the kings charges the other that if his horse be slaine the king bestoweth an other vpon him He giueth yeerely to his captaines and those which serue on horsebacke in part of payment of their wages a garment which the Romanes termed Idolis and may be taken for a cassocke As touching their sea affaires by reason of their huge sea coast and infinite hauens the kingdome swarmeth with marriners and shipping which the king may arrest in his dominions as other princes are accustomed to doe he maintaineth commonly fiftie ships of warre whereof euerie one carrieth fortie pieces of ordinance more or lesse King Gustan brought in the vse of galleies In the warre which king Iohn waged with the Danes before the peace treated on at Stetin was agreed he put to sea seuentie great ships besides others of smaller burthen in which were 22000. fighting men In the sommer time they warre at sea in the winter at land for then the riuers are frozen as likewise the sea neere the shore for a great space Seeing I haue spoken of guns I will adde this much that the king is thought to haue about eight thousand great pieces the most part of brasse and that he could cast many more if he had more store of tinne In the castle of Stockholme onely are numbred fower hundred Vpon the west side of Sweueland is Denmarke on the east Moscouie with both which he hath had long warre The Sweuians haue suffered much losse by the Denmarkes for king Christian the second besieged Stockholme and forced it committing all kinde of crueltie against the inhabitants filling the citie with blood and dead carcasses The title which the Dane pretendeth to the crowne of Sweueland is the cause of their enimities The hauens the situation of the countrey and especially Gotland which is a member of Gothia and therefore the Sweuian claimeth it as his right affoordeth the Dane this facilitie of inuading it at his pleasure After Gustan recouered the kingdome he and his sonne Henrie and Iohn raigned successiuely and although blood enough hath beene shed in the wars betweene Gustan and the Danes yet the kingdome hath retained her honor and the citie of Lubecke the mightiest state in that sea sometimes by confederating with the one sometime with the other doth in so euen a ballance pease the differences of these two nations as it suffereth not the one to practise against the other vpon the perill that may ensue to the offender In warring with the Moscouite the Sweuian hath the most aduantage because Finland which bordereth vpon Russia by reason of the great lakes marishes wherof it is full yeeldeth hard perillous passage to the enimie oftentimes swallowing vp whole armies in those congealed waters there he keepes the castles of Viburge Narue Reualia other piles and peeces vpon the borders of the great Duke of Moscouia excellent well fortified as bridles to stoppe his violent courses In which he doth very wisely for those pieces which lie in the territories of our enimies are to be regarded most carefully because they bring foorth two notable effects first they defend what is ours and offend what is the enimies The further they are distant from our borders the better they stand vs in steed for while the enimy is occupied in besieging thereof our owne state standeth in quiet and time affoordeth meanes for rescue or deliuerie thereof at leysure and that without spoile to our owne people or losse of our proper
reuenues They grieue the enimie with so much the more dammage by how much the neerer they are situated vnto them Of this effect was Cale is in the possession of the English the places which the Spaniards Portugals hold in Africke But the fortresses built in our owne borders serue to no other end then to defend what is alreadie ours that to our great disaduantage for as often as they are inuaded all things are done at a sudden and it cannot be auoided but somewhat will fall to the spoile of the enimie To ende with the king of Sweueland he is so much better able then the Moscouite to defend his territories by how much sea-forces ioyned to land-forces are able to preuaile against a state furnished with land-forces onely Poland THE kingdome of Polonia was neuer so great as at this day the great Dukedomes of Lituania and Liuonia being ioyned thereto It stretcheth from the flood Notes and Obra which diuideth it from Marchia and Odera which seperateth it from Silesia to Berâ—say and Boristhenes which two parteth it from Moscouia It reacheth from the Balticke sea to the riuer Niester which parts it from Moldauia and to the mountaines Carpathie which diuide it from Hungarie By this limitation from the borders of Silesia to the frontires of Moscouia betweene the west part and the east it containeth 120. Germain miles and from the vtmost bounds of Liuonia to the borders of Hungarie not much lesse So allowing the forme thereof to be round it is far larger then a man would take it to be It containeth many and goodly large prouinces as Polonia the great and the lesse Massouia Prussia Russia Volinia Liuonia and Lituania Among these prouinces Poland was found inhabited of the Polonians but Prâ—se part of Pomeran Podalia Volinia Masouia and Liuonia haue been obtained and gained by armes Lithuania and Saâ—otgathia prouinces of Russia were the inheritance of the house of Iagello For in the yeere 1380. Iagello then Duke of Lithuania tooke to wife the Princesse Hedinge the last of the blood royall of Polonia and was installed king on three conditions the first that he should become a Christian the second that he should cause his people to do the like the third that he should vnite his principalities to Poland These couenants were accomplished in our age when the race of Iagello ended For when the people were vnwilling by depriuing the heires which had right to the empire of their iust inheritance to subiect it to election they alwaies called vpon the performance of the conditions hoping that the nobilitie and people of Lituania would not loose their honor and dignitie by this mixture yet at last on the one side when they considered the issue of their Princes to faile for Sigismund Augustus was the last heire male and on the other side fearing the force of the Moscouite they agreed to vnion and election In times past Liuonia was the seate of the Dutch Knights and they had therein their chiefe gouernor whom they termed the Great Master But in the yeere 1558. being spoiled of the greatest part of their territorie by the great Duke of Moscouie they fled to Sigismund king of Poland who tooke them into his protection and vntill the raigne of king Stephen 1582 the prouince was neuer regained For the most part Poland is a plaine countrie and but for certaine mountaines rather hils then mountaines situated in the lesser Poland and diuiding it from Prusland all the residue of the countrie stretcheth it selfe into most ample plaines wherein are very many woods especially in Lithuania The greater and the lesser Poland are better inhabited then any other prouince of the kingdome The like may almost be spoken of Russia for the neerenes of the sea concourse to the hauens and situation of the riuers Prussia and Liuonia haue fairer cities goodlier buildings and by traffike and concourse of merchants greater plentie of riches For when the Dutch Knights were Lords of the countrie they builded cities like those of Germanie and all alongst the sea coast for the space of fowerscore miles many castles and places of good esteeme They haue many faire hauens of good woorth and are Lords of all the traffike between Poland and the Balticke sea which is a thing of great value and consequence For the riuer Vistula arising in the extremest bounds of Silesia watereth all Poland the lesse and part of the greater and Mazouia and Prussia and falleth into the Baltike sea below Danske whither it transporteth the greatest quantitie of Rie corne hony and waxe of the whole kingdome a iourney of fower hundred miles From another coast the most famous riuer Duina arising out of the lake Ruthenigo parting Liuonia into euen portions falleth into the sea about Riga a citie of great concourse There are in Prussia and Liuonia many lakes amongst which one is called the new sea one hundred miles long in Liuonia is a lake called Berhas more then 400. miles long from thence spring the riuers which running by Pernouia and Narue make two notable hauens for traffike Betweene these two cities standes Riualia giuing place to neither in beautie Samogithia is more rude and barbarous then the other prouinces and Podalia more barren which is not to be attributed to the nature of the soile for it is most plentifull of those commodities which the climate vnder which it lieth can affoord but to the crueltie of the Tartars which so vexe it with continuall inrodes that the inhabitants are driuen either to flie for feare or to be ledde away captiues of the barbarous Tartars The riches of Poland are the abundance of corne and all sorts of graine which grow there in so plentifull sort that in the yeere 1590. and 1591. it releeued not onely the bordring nations oppressed with famine and scarcitie but also yeelded some portion of releefe to the wants of the Genowaies Tuscane Rome It floweth with honie waxe whereas in all these northerly nations of Poland Lithuania Russia Muscouia there are no wines growing insteed thereof nature hath bestowed vpon them incredible quantities of honie whereof these people doe brew an excellent kinde of Beuerage The Bees make honie either in the woods where they finde the trees made hollow by rottennes or mans industrie or in hiues set in the open field by the countrey people or in holes of the earth or in any place where they can finde neuer so small a liking It aboundeth with flaxe and hempe with sheepe cattle and horses Amongst the beasts of the wood are found wilde oxen and wilde horses and the bufle which cannot liue out of the wood of Nazouia The riches of the land consist in the salt-pits of Bozena and Velisca in the territorie of Cracouia The reuenues of the kingdome for the most part are equally diuided betweene the noblemen and gentlemen for no man is left so rich by inheritance that he may excel others aboue measure and the greatest reuenue
one million and three hundred thousand England three millions and Belgia as many if by the continuance of the war in those countries that number be not much decaied The Italians conceiting marueilous highly of themselues thinke no prouince vpon the face of the earth for wealth and people comparable to Italy but they forget that as it is long so it is narrow and nothing wide or spacious neither that two third parts haue not one nauigable riuer a want of great consequence neither that the Apenine a mountaine rockie and barren doth spred itselfe ouer a fourth part Let them not deceiue themselues nor condemne others plentie by their owne wants nor measure others excesse by their handfuls For fertilitie doth France in plentie of graine or cattle giue place to Italy Or England for cattle wooll fish or mettall Or Belgia for number or goodlines of cities excellencie of artificers wealth or merchandise Or Greece for delectable or commodious situation hauens of the sea or pleasant prouinces Or Hungarie for cattle wine corne fish mines and all good things else But I will not stand vpon these discourses onely let me tell you that Lumbardie containeth the thirde part of Italy a prouince delightsome for battell plaines and pleasant riuers without barren mountaines or sandie fieldes and to be as full of people as the whole halfe of Italy besides Yea what may be said of Italy for profite or pleasure that may not be spoken perticularly of France England Netherland both the Pannonies Wherefore sithence the countrey is not onely large mightie and spacious but vnited populous plentifull and rich at least let it be beleeued and accounted for one of the greatest empires that euer was The gouernment is tyrannicall for throughout the kingdome there is no other Lord but the king They knowe not what an Earle a Marquesse or a Duke meaneth No fealtie no tribute or tole is paid to any man but to the king He giueth al magistracies and honors He alloweth them stipends wherewith to maintaine their estates and they dispatch no matter of weight without his priuitie His vassals obey him not as a king but rather as a God In euery prouince standeth his portraiture in gold which is neuer to be seene but in the newe moones then is it shewed and visited of the magistrates and reuerenced as the kings owne person In like manner the gouernours and Iudges are honored no man may speake vnto them but vpon their knees Herein the people shew their base mindes making themselues the slaues not the subiects of the prince Strangers are not admitted to enter into the kingdome least their customes and conuersation should breede alteration in manners or innouation in the state They are onely permitted to traffike vpon the sea coasts to buy and sell vittaile and to vent their wares They that doe traffike vpon the land assemble many together and elect a gouernor amongst them whom they terme Consul In this good maner strangers enter the kingdome but alwaies awaited on by the customers and kings officers The inhabitants cannot trauell but with licence and with that neither but for a prefixed season and to be sure of their returne they grant no leaue but for traffikes sake and that in ships of 150. tun and not aboue for they are iealous that if they should goe to sea in bigger vessels they would make longer iourneis To conclude it is a religious law of the kingdome that euerie mans endeuours tend wholy to the good and quiet of the common wealth By which proceedings Iustice the mother of quietnes policie the mistresse of good lawes and industrie the daughter of peace doe flourish in this kingdome There is no countrey moderne or ancient gouerned by a better forme of policie then this Empire by this gouernment haue they ruled their Empire two thousand yeeres And so hath the state of Venice flourished 1100. yeeres the kingdome of France 1200. It is two hundred yeeres since they cast off the yoke of the Tartars after their ninetie yeeres gouernment For their arts learning and policie they conceiue so well of themselues that they are accustomed to say that they haue two eies the people of Europe one the residue of the nations none They giue this good report of the Europeans because of their acquaintance with the Portugals with whom they trafficke in Macao and other places and the renowme of the Castilians who are their neighbours in the Philippinae By the multitudes of people before spoken of you may imagine the state of his forces for herein all other prouisions take their perfection But to speake somewhat in particular The power of this Prince remembring his contentment and nature detesting all inuasion is more readie and fit to defend then offend to preserue rather then increase His cities for the most part are builded vpon the bankes of nauigable riuers enuironed with deepe and broad ditches the wals built of stone and bricke strong aboue beleefe and fortified with caualiers and artificiall bulwarks Vpon the borders toward Tartarie to make sure worke against such an enemie they haue built a wall beginning at Chioi a citie situate betweene two most high mountaines and stretching it selfe towards the east sixe hundred miles betweene mountaine and mountaine vntill it touch the cliffes of the Ocean Vpon the other frontires you may behold many but small holds so built to stay the course of the enemie vntill the countrie forces be able to make head and the royall armie haue time to come leisurely forward for in 400. great townes he keepeth in continuall pay forces sufficient vpon the least warning to march to that quarter whither occasion calleth Euery citie hath a garrison and guarde at the gates which at nights are not only fast locked but sealed and may not be opened before the seale at morning be throughly viewed To speake truth their soldiers horsemen and footemen by land or sea are more famous for their numbers their gallant furniture and plentie of prouision then for strength and courage For the inhabitants partly by their effeminate and wanton kinde of life partly by their forme of gouernment whereby they are made vile base and vmbragious haue little valour or manhood left them They vse noforren soldiers except those whom they take in warre these they send into the inland countries where being marked to distinguish them from other they serue more like slaues then soldiers yet haue they pay with rewards for their good seruice and punishment for their cowardize true motiues to make men valorous The rest which are not inrold are not suffered to keepe weapons in their houses Their sea forces are nothing inferior to their land forces for besides their ordinarie fleets lying vpon the coastes for the safetie of the sea townes by reason of the abundance of nauigable riuers and so huge a sea-tract full of hauens crecks and Ilands it is thought that with ease they are able to assemble from fiue hundred to a thousand great
ships which they terme Giunchi To thinke that treasure can be wanting to leuie so great a number of ships soldiers and mariners many men affirme that the kings reuenues amount to 120. millions of gold which value although it may seeme impossible to him that shall make an estimate of the states of Europe with the kingdome of China yet may it finde place of beleefe if he do but call to minde first the nature and circuite of the Empire being little lesse then all Europe next the populousnes of the inhabitants accompanied with inestimable riches then tho diuersitie and plentie of mines of gold siluer iron and other sorts of mettall the vnspeakable quantitie of merchandise passing from hand to hand by so many nauigable riuers so many armes and inlets of the sea their vpland cities and maritime townes their toles customes and subsidies For he taketh the tenth of all things which the carth yeeldeth as barly rice oliues wine cotton wooll flaxe silke all kinds of mettall fruits cattle sugar hony rubarbe campher ginger woad muske and all sorts of perfumes The custome onely of salt in the citie Canto which is not of the greatest nor the best traffike yeeldeth 180. thousand crownes yeerely the tenth of rice of one small towne and the adiacent territory yeeldeth more then 100. thousand crownes By these you may coniecture of the rest He leaueth his subiects nothing saue foode and clothing He hath vnder him no Earles Lords or Nobles of any degree no nor priuate persons indowed with great wealth Wherefore sithence this empire is so huge and all the profits thereof are in his hands and at his disposition how can the former assertion of so great a yeerely reuenue to men of reason seeme any thing admirable There are two things moreouer which adde great credite to this reckoning one is that all his impositions are not paide in coine but some in haie some in rice corne prouender silke cotton wooll and such like necessaries the other is that the king of 120. millions which he receiueth disburseth againe three parts thereof And so sithence it goeth round from the king to the people it ought to seeme no woonder if the people be able to spare it againe for the princes vse at the yeeres end For as waters do cbbe as deepe as they flow so impositions easily leuied suffice for the expences of the state and the people receiue againe by those expences as much as they laide out in the beginning of the yeere The king of China feareth no neighbour but the great Cham of Tartaria all the rest acknowledge vassalage Against this enimie the ancient kings built that admirable wall so much renowmed amongst the wonders of the Orient Towards the sea he bordereth vpon the Iaponians and Castilians The distance betweene Iapan and China is diuers From Goto one of the Ilands of Iapan to the citie Liampo is threescore leagues from Cantan 297. The Ilanders of Iapan doe often spoile the sea coasts of China by their incursions descending on land and harrying the countrey more like pirats then men of war For in regard that Iapan is diuided into manie Ilands and into diuers seigniories ill agreeing amongst themselues though they excell the Chinois in armes and courage yet are they not of sufficient power to performe any action of moment against them Vpon another frontire lye the Spaniards of whom the Chinois not without good cause are verie iealous because of the situation of the Philippinae commodiously seated for the inuasion of China and the fame of their riches well knowen to the Spanish But the king of Spaine wisheth rather to plant Christianitie peaceably amongst them whereof there was once good hope that God had opened a passage thereunto For though the Chinois will suffer no stranger to enter within their dominions yet certain Iesuits zealous in the increasing of the Christian religion in a territorie so spatious as that is entered with great secrecie and danger and obtayning the fauour of certaine gouernors obtained a priuilege of naturalization especially frier Michaell Rogerius who in the yeere 1590. returned into Europe to aduise what course were best to take in this busines About the same time intelligence was brought from two friers remaining there that after diuers persecutions they were constrained to forsake the citie wherein they soiourned and had conuerted many and to make haste to sea-ward The Portugals are likewise eie-sores vnto them but by the report of the iustice and moderation of Ferdinand Andrada which he shewed in the gouernmeÌ„t of the Iland of Tamo by the traffike which they exercise in those seas they can better digest their neighbourhood then that of the Spanish This was the first Portugal that arriued in the citie of Cantan and set a land Thomas Perez Iegier for Emanuell king of Portugall But other captaines being there afterwards disimbarked behaued themselues so leudly that they occasioned the said Embassador to be taken for a spie and cast in prison where he died most miserablie the residue were entreated as enimies At last it was permitted the Portugals for traffike sake to settle a factory in Macao where againe before they had strongly fortified their colony they were coÌ„strained to submit to the limitations of the Chinois to whom in short time for their strength wisedome friendship and allians with the Castilians they became suspicious therfore they do daily more more bridle their libertie of traffike carrying so heauie a hand towards them that they would faine giue them occasion to leaue Macao of their owne wils and retire backe againe into India from whence they came The kingdome of Siam VPon the borders of China to speake nothing of Cauchinchina because we know nothing woorth relation of that territorie ioineth the countrey of Siam accounted amongst the great kingdomes of Asia It tooke his name of the citie Siam situated vpon the entrance of the riuer Menan It is also called Gorneo It stretcheth by east and west from the citie Campaa to the citie Tauai in which tract by the sea coast are conteined 500. leagues Of which the Arabians once vsurped 200. with the cities Patan Paam Ior Perca and Malaca now in the possession of the Portugals From the south towards the north it reacheth from Sinca-Pura situate in degree to the people called Gueoâ—â— in 29. degrees The lake Chiamai is distant from the sea six hundred miles the vpland circuit stretcheth from the borders of Canchinchina beyond the riuer Auan where lieth the kingdome of Chencra Besides the lake of Chiamai the riuers Menon Menam Caipumo Ana which cause greater fertilitie of graine through the whole region then a man would beleeue are all his The better part of his kingdomes are muironed with the mountaines Ana Brema and Iangoma the residue is plaine like Egypt abounding with elephants horses pepper gold and tin In the west part are huge woods tygres lions tinces and serpents It containeth these prouinces Cambaia Siam Muantai
keepe in their possession all the profits of the lands woods mines yea and the waters of pooles and riuers through their whole dominions No man may wash himselfe in Ganges which runneth by Bengala nor in Ganga which watereth the land of Orissa before he hath paid tole to the king The king himselfe is now inforced to buie this water causing it to be brought vnto him by long iourneies vpon a superstitious custome either to bathe or purge himselfe therein He is absolute Lord of the bodies and goods of his subiects which he shareth to himselfe and his captaines leauing the people nothing but their hands and labour of lands the king hath three parts and his captaines the residue Whereupon sithence all these barbarous princes maintaine not peace and iustice as arches whereupon to lay the groundworke of their estates but armes conquest and the nurserie of a continuall soldierie it must needes followe that they are able to leuie greater troupes of horse and foote then otherwise we were bound to beleeue But to induce some measure of credit let vs compare the abilities of some Christian princes with theirs If the king of France were absolute Lord of all the lands and profits of his whole dominion as these men are it is thought that his yeerely reuenues would amount to 15. millions and yet therein are neither mines of gold nor siluer The elergie receiueth sixe millions the kings demesnes amount to one and an halfe the residue is theirs who haue the inheritance and yet the peazants liue wel here in comparison of the villagois of India Polonia and Lithuania Besides this the king hath eight millions of ordinarie reuenue arising of customes and escheats How mightie a prince would he be if he were landlord of the demesnes and rents of the whole kingdome and should imploy them vpon the maintenance of soldiers as doth the king of Narsinga Surely whereas now the kings reuenues doe hardly suffice for the maintenance of fower thousand men at armes and six thousand crosbowes if this allowance were added to the former he might as easily maintaine 150. thousand To returne to Narsinga the king to see that his captaines performe their duties once a yeere proclaimeth a muster whereat they dare not but be present At the muster day those who haue presented their companies defectiue either in number or furnituâ—e are sure to be cassed but those who bring their companies complete and well armed he honoureth and aduanceth What forces may be gathered out of so ample a dominion armed after their manner as aforesaid you shall gather by that which Iohn Barros writeth of the armie which king Chrismarao led against Idalcan in the iournie of Raciel These are his words verbatim Vnder sundry captaines the armie was diuided into many battailions In the vantgard marched Camaraique with one thousand horse 17. elephants and 30. thousand footmen Tiarabicar with two thousand horse twentie elephants and fiftie thousand footemen Timaipanaique with three thousand horsemen and 56. thousand footemen After them followed Hadainaique with fiue thousand horsemen fiftie elephants and one hundred thousand footemen Condomara with six thousand horse sixtie elephants 120. thousand footemen Comora with 250. horse fortie elephants and 80. thousand footemen Gendua with one thousand horse ten elephants and thirtie thousand footemen In the rereward were two eunuches with 1000. horse 15. elephants and forty thousand footemen Betel one of the kings pages led 200. horse twentie elephants and eight thousand foote After all these followed the king with his garde of sixe thousand horsemen three hundred elephants and fortie thousand footemen Vpon the flanks of this battell went the gouernor of the citie of Bengapor with diuers captaines vnder whose colours were 4200. horse 25. elephants and sixtie thousand footemen seruing for wages Vpon the head of the battell ranged 200. thousande horsemen in small troupes like our vantcurrers in such sort and order scowring the countrie before behinde and on all sides that no noueltie could so suddenly happen but notice thereof was giuen at the Imperiall tent in a moment Twelue thousand carriers of water and twenty thousand light huswifes followed this armie The number of lackies merchants artificers scullions they call them Maniati oxen buffals and carriage beasts was infinite When the armie was to passe any riuer knee-deepe before the foremost were passed there was scant remaining sufficient for the latter whereof to drinke Before this iournie the king sacrificed in nine daies 20736. head of liuing creatures as well of birds as beasts the flesh whereof in honor of his idols was giuen to the poore The soldiers were clothed in garments of cotten wooll so close and hard quilted that they would beare out the thrust of a lance or sword Euery elephant was trimmed in a couering of cotten wooll with a frame on his backe bearing fower men To their tusks were fastened long and broad swords to cut in sunder whatsoeuer stood in their way The footemen were armed with bowes iauelins swords and bucklers These last the better to couer their whole bodies and to manage their heauie bucklers carried no offensiue weapons In the fight when the king perceiued Idalcan by the furie of his great ordinance to make hauocke of his men and dismay the residue leaping into the head of the battell is reported to vse this prince-beseeming incouragement Beleeue me my companions Idalcan shall rather boast that he hath slaine then ouercome a king of Narsinga With which words and ensample his soldiers all inflamed and ashamed of their cowardize with a furious charge broke the enemies aray and put Idalcan to flight Amongst other spoiles they tooke fower thousand Arabian horses one hundred elephants fower hundred great peeces besides smal The number of oxen buffals tents and prisoners was inestimable With Idalcan were fortie Portugals with the king of Narsinga twentie In his raigne two of his captaines rebelled Virapanai vsurped Negapatan and Veneapatir the territorie adioining to Matipura Calecute THE most noble part of India is that which lieth betweene the mountaine Gate and the Indian Ocean It stretcheth from Cape Comerin to the riuer Cangierecor three hundred miles long In this prouince raigneth the king of Calecut who though he may not be compared to the princes aboue spoken of for number and power yet for pleasant and plentifull situation he may be saide farre to surpasse them For the region is so cut as it were into many parcels sometime by creekes of the sea sometime by riuers and sometime by lakes that nature as it should seeme would haue it diuided into seuerall prouinces as Trauancor Colan Cochin Crangonor Calecute Tano Canonor Seuen yeeres agone Pereimal king of all Malabar ruled these prouinces who after he became a Mahumetan and resolued to trauell to Meca there to spend the remnant of his daies diuided the land into many principalities but with this prouiso that all soueraigne authoritie should rest in the king of Calecute with the title of
to be walled about Candahar the chiefe seate of Paramisus famous for the traffike of India and Cathaio whither the merchants of those countries do resort Eri the chiefe citie of Aria so abounding with roses that thereof it should seeme to take the name Barbarus saith it is of thirteene miles compasse Ispaa the chiefe seat of Parthia so spatious that for the circuite thereof the Persians hiperbolically terme it the halfe world Chirmain is the chiefe seat of Caramania renowmed for the excellent cloth of gold and siluer wrought therein Eor is a noble citie and so is Custra of Susiana But all these for beautie and magnificence may bow and bend the knee to Siras seated vpon the riuer Bindimire It was once the chiefe seat of Persia and as some thinke called Persepolis Alexander the great burnt it to the ground at the intreatie of his Concubine but afterward being ashamed of so vile an action caused it to be reedefied againe It is not at this time so great as in times past yet it is thought to be one of the greatest cities of all the Orient with his suburbs contayning twentie miles in compasse It is a prouerbe amongst the Persians quando Suars erat Siras tunc Cairus erat eius Pagus yet they account it not verie ancient neither are they of their opinions who will haue it the head of Persia. Tauris and Casbin are most famous cities and besides their magnificence may glorie that in them the kings of Persia keepe their courts The forme of gouernment amongst this nation is not like the gouernment of any other Mahumetan people neither is there to be seene the like policie in any place through the whole east as amgōst the Persians Al the rest hate nobility depending vpon the faith and seruice of slaues do either murder their brethren or put out their eies But amongst these people nobilitie is honored the king entreateth his brethren kindly and magnificently and they allow in their dominions many noble rich and mightie Barons of which sort there is not one to be found through the whole Ottoman dominions They likewise grace gentilitie and highly esteeme their seruice on horsebacke they delight in musicke and learning they studie poesie and therein become excellent They giue their minds to Astrologie all which good parts the Turks do vtterly reiect and despise Merchandize and Mechanicall trades are fauoured in Persia and in all kinde of ciuilitie and curtesie excell the Turkish The security of this state consisteth rather in prowesse then numbers they maintaine three sorts of soldiers one sort the king keepeth in continuall pay and alwaies about his owne person The second is the Timarotes for this kingdome likewise as doth the Turke in lieu of wages allotteth certaine quantities of land to great numbers of horsemen The third are Auxiliaries which serue for pay and those are onely Georgians and Tartarians To speake of the two first the essentiall sinewes of this king and kingdome they are all horsemen For where princes relie onely vpon the valour of the gentrie there is little regard had of the footemans seruice the like reason may be giuen for their want of shipping For although on the one side lieth the Caspian and on another the Persian gulfs yet to this day were they neuer owners of any warlike shipping If they chance to saile vpon the Caspian a sea eight hundred miles long and sixe hundred broad they dare not venter into the maine but houering by the shore timerously saile from one place to another Of the Persian sea the Portugals are lords It aboundeth in mettall of excellent fine temper especially in the prouince of Cazan They haue not the vse of artillerie neither the Arte of defending besieging assaulting mining or intrenching of fortresses and all because they want the vse of footemen to whom these peeces of seruice do properly belong as it doth to horsemen to fight in plaine and open field Besides these wants they are infested with two other more greeuous mischiefes and those are ciuill dissentions arising of the greatnes and disloialtie of their Sultans with the length of iourneies and the scarcitie of nauigable riuers Those riuers which they haue are not frequented at all or at leastwise so little that small ease ariseth thereby They fal all into the Caspian or Persian seas The Inland regions are sandie and vtterly destitute of water How can then the forces of that land make any commodious or speedie rendeuous when halfe the land is drie and barren in so waste a tract not one riuer seruing for nauigable transportation as doth the Loir in France Poo in Italy Vistula in Poland Sheild in Flanders and such like in other kingdomes There are also many deserts and many mountaines disioyning the prouinces farre in sunder Heere in it resembleth Spaine where for want of nauigable riuers except towards the sea coast traffike is little vsed and mountaines and prouinces lie vnmanured for scarcitie of moisture But nature vnwilling that humane life should want any easement hath so prouided for mutuall commerce in these sandie and barren places that through the labour of Camels the want of nauigation is richly recompenced throughout Persia and the bordering countries These beasts carrie woonderous burdens and will longer continue then either horse or mule They will trauell laden with one thousand pound weight and will so continue fortie daies and vpward In sterill and deepe sandie countries such as are Lybia Arabia and Persia they drinke but once euery fift day and if extremitie inforce they will indure the want of water ten or twelue When their burdens are off a little grasse thornes or leaues of trees will suffice them There is no liuing thing lesse changeable and more laborious certainly ordained of nature a fit creature for those sandie and deepe places of Asia and Africke wherein euen man himselfe feeleth the want of foode and water Of these there are three sorts vpon the lesser men trauell the middle sort haue bunches on their backs fit for carrying of merchandise the greater and stronger are those which carry burdens of one thousand pound weight What numbers of horsemen this king is able to leuie was manifested in the warres betweene Selim the first and Ismael betweene Ismael and Soleman and betweene Codabanda and Amurath Not one of them brought aboue thirtie thousand horse into the field but so thoroughly furnished that they had little cause to feare greater numbers The richer and abler sort arme themselues after the manner of our men at armes the residue being better then the thirde part of their Caualrie content themselues with a skull a iacke and cemiter They vse the launce and the bow indifferently Touching their riches the common opinion is that in the daies of king Tamas the yeerely reuenues amounted to fower or fiue millions of gold who by a sudden doubling of the value of his coine raised it to eight and accordingly made paiment to his souldans and soldiers But
because it hath few mountaines and is enuironed on euerie side with the sea the aire is verie milde and temperate euen there yea much more temperate then France which is farther distant from the Pole as you may perceiue by the vines wich neuer ripen in England and yet yeeld most perfect wines in France Likewise it happeneth verie often that the northren or western winde rising from the sea bringeth springtide in the winter season decking the fields with flowers and the gardens with herbes that the inhabitants of Turon Poictou and the Isle of France enioy as forward a sommer as those of Prouince or Lago di Garda The whole lande of France is fertill and fruitfull and euerie where plentifull of all good things And as the Apennine spreading almost ouer the fourth part of Italy for the most part is barren yeeldeth small store of fruit so on the cōtrary in the mountaines of Auuergne being but few stand many good townes and rich places where cloathing is exercised and from whence a good part of the kingdome is serued with flesh butter and excellent cheese the rest of the kingdome almost is plaine heere and there garnished with fruitfull hils and greene valleies in euerie place plentie doth as it were contend with varietie fertilitie with delicacie commodiousnes of situation with beautious cities Herein without all controuersie Italie giueth place to France for although some one corner thereof affoordeth exquisite pleasure and delightfull situation as Riuiera di Salo Campania the territorie of Croton Tarentum and some other cities of Calabria yet these are singular and few in Italy common and frequent in France especially in Burgundie Brie the Isle of France Turon Aniou Zantoin and Languedo◠in each of which prouinces it should seeme that nature her selfe hath diuided and as it were dedicated by allotment some places to Ceres some to Bacchus some to Pomona and some to Pallas But there is nothing in France more worthie the noting then the number and pleasure of the nauigable riuers whereof some as it were gird in the whole realme as Sagona Rhodanus Mosell Some others cut thorough the middle as Sequano Loire Garonne Into these three riuers fall so many other riuers some from the vttermost bounds some from the inmost parts of the realme that it maketh the whole countrey commodious for trafique and exchange of each others wants insomuch that by this facilitie of carriage entercourse of merchandize all things may be saide to be in common to the inhabitants of this kingdome In Aniou onely are fortie riuers great and small whereupon Katherin de Medicis was woont to say that this kingdome contayned more riuers then all Europe beside Truely this was a Hyperbolicall speech yet not much more then truth for the goodnes of the soile and easie transporting of commodities is the cause that there are so many cities and so many townes and those most commonly seated vpon the bankes of the riuers And although it haue many goodly hauens yet the vpland townes are fairer and richer then those that stand neerer the sea which argueth that their wealth is their owne and not brought from forreine countries for there the sea townes excell the land townes where more benefit and prouision is reaped by the sea then by the land as Genua Venice Ragusi but where the state and prosperitie of cities dependeth wholy vpon the land there the vplandish townes far surpasse the sea townes as Millaine and many other in Flanders Germanie and Hungarie All this notwithstanding although like goodnes of soile be proper to the whole realme of France as likewise the situation of the riuers commodious yet Paris except whose largenes proceedeth from the kings court the parliaments and the vniuersitie the townes there for the most part are but small and meane beautifull commodious and verie populous Iohn Bodin writing a description thereof in the time of Henrie the second saith that there were seuen and twentie thousand villages hauing parish Churches not comprehending Burgundie among them In another description written in the raigne of Charles the ninth it is saide that the number of the inhabitants exceeded fifteene millions And as the cities and townes of France may boast of their riuers so the Castles and villages of the noblemen are no lesse fauoured with the pleasure and strength of lakes and marishes which although they may not be compared to the lakes of Italy and Swizerland yet are they so many and so full of excellent fish that the numbers of the one may equallize the largenes of the others The same may be spoken of woods that they are not so spacious as plentifull out of these woods in times past the greatest part of the kings reuenues did arise and the noblemen do make great profite by selling great quantities thereof for firewood but greater by sales of timber trees for for want of stone the greatest part of their buildings consist of timber In regard of the commodious situation of these riuers seruing so fitly for the transportation of vittailes from one place to another this kingdome is so abundantly furnished with all plentie of prouision that it is able to nourish any armie in the fielde how populous soeuer When Charles the fift entred France first by Prouince and afterward by Champaigne it maintained more then one hundred fiftie thousand soldiers besides garrisons In the raigne of Charles the ninth and in our times also there were maintained in this kingdome 20000. horse 30000. footemen strangers and of French 15000. horse and 100. thousand footemen neither did the kingdome for this feele want or scarcitie There are in France as a man may terme them fower loadstones to draw riches from forreine nations corne caried into Spaine and Portugall wines transported into England Flanders and the inhabitants of the Balticke sea and salt wherewith the whole kingdome the bordering nations are plentifully stored This salt is made in Prouince of the salt water of the Mediterranean sea and at Bayon in Zantoine where the heate of the sunne ceaseth his vertue of getting making and boiling salt of sea water not daining to yeeld so great a fauour any farther northward I said of sea water because further north there may be salt found also but is made either of some speciall spring water as in Lorraine or compound of some minerals mixt with fresh waters as in Poland England and Germanie or else it is taken foorth of some salt mines and such in times past were in Sweueland but they are now decaied The fourth loadstone is canuasse and linnen cloth whereof what profit ariseth a man will hardly beleeue vnlesse he hath seene what abundance thereof is carried into Spaine and Portugall to make sailes and cordage for the furnishing of shipping There growes also Woad Saffron and other merchandize of smaller value which though they equallize not the abouesaid commodities yet rise they to a round summe yea such as may enrich a kingdome By reason of
aire and discommodities of the tempestuous seas The whole trade of merchandize for the most part is in the hands of Iewes or Christians of Europe Epidaurians Venetians Frenchmen and Englishmen In so large a territorie as the Turke hath in Europe there is neuer a famous Mart-towne but Constantinople Capha and Thessalonica in Asia but Aleppo and Damasko Tripoli and Adena in Africke Cair Alexandria and Algier Although the ordinarie reuenues are no greater then aforesaid yet the extraordinarie arise to a greater reckoning and that by confiscations and presents For the Bassas and great officers as it were Harpyes sucke the verie bloud of the people and after they haue heaped vp inestimable riches for the most part they escheat to the coffers of the graÌ„d Seignior It is reported that Imbrain Bassa carried from Cair sixe millions and Mahomet Visier a farre greater masse Ochiali besides his other riches had three thousand slaues The Sultana sister to Selim the second receiued daily two thousand fiue hundred Chechini and for the ease of pilgrims trauellers iournying from Cair to Mecha she began to trench a water-course all alongst the way an enterprise surely great and maiesticall To raise his donatiues to a high reckoning it is a custome that no embassador may appeere before him emptie handed no man may looke for any office or honorable preferment if money be wanting no generall may returne from his prouince or iourney without his presents and you must thinke that so magnificent a prince will not swallow small trifles The Vaiuods of Valachia Moldauia and Transiluania hold their estates by vertue of this briberie and yet they are often changed For the estates are giuen to the best chapmen who againe to make good their daies of paiment oppresse the people and bring the commons to extreme pouertie Notwithstanding all this we haue seene the Persian warre to haue drawne drie his coffers and emptied his treasuries Not long sithence both at Constantinople and through the whole empire the value of gold was raised aboue beleefe insomuch that a Chechin of gold was double his value the allay of gold and siluer was so much abased that the Ianizars finding themselues agreeued thereat brought great feare not onely vpon the inhabitants but also to the grand Seignior in threatning that they would set fire on Constantinople In Aleppo 60. thousand ducats were taken vp of the merchants in the name of the grand Seignior Although his reuenues are not so great as the spatious firtil apprehension of so mighty an empire may seeme to obiect yet hath he an assistance of greater value then his surest reuenues and that is his Timars or stipends For the Ottaman princes seize vpon all the land which they take from their enimes and assigning a small parcell peraduenture none at all to their ancient lords diuide the residue into Timars to euerie gallant seruitor a portion but vpon condition to finde so and so many seruiceable horse for the warre Therein consisteth the chiefest preseruation of the Ottaman empire for vnlesse vpon this consideration the care of manuring the land â—ere committed to the soldiers and they againe set it ouer to others for their vse and lucre all would lie waste through the whole empire themselues affirming that wheresoeuer the grand Seignior once treadeth with his horse hoofe if it were not for this course there neuer after would grow grasse againe With these Timars he mantaineth 150. thousand horsemen excellent well armed and alwaies readie at their owne charges to march whither their leaders will command them So great a cauallery can no other prince maintaine with the yeerely expence of fowerteene millions of gold Which maketh me woonder that some writers comparing the Turkish receits with the Christians neuer speake word of so huge a member of the Turkish reuenues It is reported that in the warre of Persia the Turke conquered so much land that thereof he erected fortie thousand Timars a new exchequer at Tauris from whence he receiueth yeerely a million of gold The institution of these Timars and the choosing of the Azamogli for so they terme the yoong lads whom they meane to make Ianizars are as it were the verie arches or pillars of the Ottaman Empire And heerein they seeme to haue imitated the Romane policie For the Romane Emperors did alwaies inure their citizens to the warre and of them consisted the Pretorian Cohorts which neuer departed from the empires person Tacitus saith that the election of the yoong men which was made in this manner gaue the occasion of the Eatanian reuolt In the Romane empire Timars or stipends were giuen to the soldiers in vse as rewards of their good seruice and they were called Beneficta and the lessees beneficiarij Alexander Seuerus confirmed them to the heires of his soldiers but vpon condition that they should be alwaies readie to serue otherwise not Constantine the great made them hereditarie without exception or limitation By these infinite troups of horse the emperor worketh two exceeding politike effects through the whole empire by the first he so aweth his subiects that they can no sooner stirre but as so many falcons these Timarots are presently on their necks and this is the drift of dispersing them through the prouinces the second is that one part of them are alwaies ready at the sound of the trumpet vpon al occasions to march while the other stay at home to keepe the inhabitants in duty and obedience Besides this Cauallery he entertaineth in pay a great number of horsemen diuided into Spachi Vlufagi and Caripici these are as it were the nurserie from whence springeth the degrees of Bassas Beglerbeis and Sangiaks Then hath he his Auxiliaries the Alcanzi the Tartars the Walachians and Moldauians The other pillar of his estate is his Infantery consisting of Ianizars In them two properties are to be noted their birth-place and practise As concerning their birth-place they are not chosen out of Asia but Europe for they alwaies accounted the Asians effeminate and cowardly alwaies more readie to flie then willing to fight but the Europians hardy couragious and good men of warre The Asians they terme after their owne name Turkes the Europians Rumi that is Romans As concerning their practise they are taught when they are yoong and therefore no maruell if as they grow in age so they increase in strength actiuitie and courage for these three vertues make a perfect soldier The tithing of springals is made euery third yeere vnlesse occasion constraine a quicker election as it happened in the Persian warre wherein they were forced not onely to make more haste then ordinarie in their elections but also compelled to take vp Turkish Azamoglani that is yoong men which was neuer put in practise before When these yoong lads are brought to Constantinople they are suruiewed by the captaine of the Ianizars who registreth their names their parents country in tables From thence some are sent into Natolia and other prouinces to learne
the whole world multitudes of men vnconquerable militarie discipline vncorrupted corne and prouisions store infinite Multitudes in times past haue bred confusion and commonly we haue seene great armies ouerthrowen by small numbers but the Turkish multitudes are managed with so good order that although it be farre more easie to range a small armie then a great yet euen in order haue their great armies excelled our small so that I must needs conclude that they goe far beyond vs both in discipline and numbers herein giuing place no not to the ancient Romanes much lesse to any moderne nation how warlike soeuer And this their due commendation consisteth not only in armes but in thirst patience hard diet as for wine by their law they are vtterly forbidden it In the field euerie ten soldiers haue their corporall to whom without any grudging they dutifully obey You shall neuer see woman in their armies their silence is admirable for with the becke of the hand and signe of the countenance they vnderstand without words what they are to doe rather then they will make any noise in the night they will suffer their slaues and prisoners to escape They punish theft and quarrelling extremely They dare not for their liues step out of their ranks to spoile vineyard or orchard They feare not death beleeuing their destinies to be written in their foreheads ineuitable The valiant are assured of preferment the cowards of punishment They are neuer billetted in townes nor suffred to lodge one night within them To keepe them in breath and exercise their princes are alwaies in action with some neighbour or other being verie iealous of the corruption of their discipline The Princes adioyning Toward the east from Tauris to Balsara lie the Persians toward the south and the Persian gulfe the Portugals toward the red sea Prester Iohn vpon the west the Xeriffe and the kingdome of Naples on the north border the Polonians and the Germans Without all question the Turke excelleth the Persian in militarie discipline for Mahumet the second tooke Vssuncassan Selim the first and after him his sonne Soliman defeated Ismael and Tamas Amurath the third by his Lieutenants tooke from them all Media the greater Armenia and their chiefe citie Tauris Their batallions of footemen and the vse of great ordinance which the Persians want and know not how to manage haue beene the chiefest occasions of these good fortunes And although they haue sometime ouerthrowen them in horse-fights yet alwaies with the losse of ground not to themselues onely but to their confederates Selim the first tooke from the Mamelucks Siria and Aegypt Amurath the third almost wholy extinguished the nation of the Georgians their surest allies To the Portugals he is far inferiour for in sea-fights and sea forces there is as great inequalitie betweene them as betweene the Ocean and the Persian gulfe The Portugals haue in India hauens and castels territories and dominions plentifull in timber prouision and all sorts of warlike furniture for the sea not without many great princes their allies and confederates whereas the Turke hath no one place of strength in the Persian gulfe but Balsara The tract of the sea coast of Arabia which may seeme to stand him insteed hath but fower townes and those weake and of small esteeme which are reasons sufficient to induce that in this gulfe as likewise in the red sea he hath small meanes to rig out any gallant Armada Besides the soile is vtterly barren of timber fit for the building of galleies for which scarcitie whensoeuer he had occasion to set foorth a nauie in those seas he was constrained to send downe his stuffe from the hauens of Bithinia and Cilicia by Nilus to Cair and from thence to conuay it vpon camels backes to his Arsenal at Suez What successe his fleetes haue had in those parts you may read in the discourse of Portugall for the Portugals take great care to preuent him of setting foote in those seas yea as soone as they doe but smell that he is preparing any sea forces they presently looke out and spoile whatsoeuer they light vpon For captaines soldiers armes and munition he is better prouided then Prester Iohn for this prince hath a large territorie without munition and infinite soldiers without weapons Bernangasso his lieutenant lost all the sea coast of the red sea and brought the Abissine into such extremities that to obtaine peace he promised the payment of a yeerely tribute In Africke he hath a greater iurisdiction then the Xeriffe for he is Lord of all those prouinces which he betweene the red sea and Velez de Gomera but the Xeriffe hath the richer the stronger and better vnited Neither of them for the neighbourhood of the king of Spaine dare molest one another The residue of his neighbours are the Christians and first the king of Poland what either of these princes can effect the one against the other hath beene manifested by their forepassed actions In some sort it seemeth that the Turke feareth the Polaques for vpon sundrie occasions being prouoked as in the raigne of Henrie the third in the warre which Iuonia Voyvod of Walachia made with the Turkes wherein great numbers of Polaques serued And in the raigne of Sigismund the third notwithstanding the incursions of the Kosacks and the inrodes of Iohn Zamoseus Generall of Polonia he stirred not neither with woontlike disdaine once offered to reuenge these indignities Againe since the infortunate iourney of Ladislaus they neuer enterprised iourney against the Turkes no nor at any time aided the Walachians their neighbours their friends and confederates but suffered whatsoeuer they held vpon the Euxin sea to be taken from them This vile part I rather attribute to the base minde of the king then to any want of good will in the gentlemen or nobilitie Sigismund the first being by Leo the tenth mooued to war vpon the Turke answered Few words shall serue make firme peace betweene the Christian princes then will I be nothing behinde the most forward Sigisâ—und the second bore a minde so far abhorring from warre that he not onely neuer made attempt against the Turke but being iniuried by the Moscouite let him doe what he would vnreuenged King Stephen a great politician thought the warre of Turkie full of danger notwithstanding discoursing with his familiars he would often say that if he had but thirtie thousand good footeâ—en ioyned with his Polonian horsemen he could haue found in his hart to trie his fortune with this enimie The princes of Austrich are borderers by a far larger circuit of land then any other prince and being constrained to spend the greatest part of their reuenues in the continuall maintenance of twentie thousand footemen and horsemen in garrisons they seeme rather to stand content to defend their owne then any way minded to recouer their losses or inlarge their bounds Ferdinands iourney to Buda and Possouia was rather couragious then prosperous the reason was not because his
and Heluetia are esteemed to be ten millions of men The people is diuided into fower sorts husbandmen and they beare no office citizens noblemen and prelates The last three sorts make the assemblies and states of the Empire Of Prelats the Archbishops Electors haue the chiefest place The Archbishop of Ments is Chancelor of the Empire the Bishop of Coloin is Chancelor of Italy and the Bishop of Treuers is Chancelor of France The Archbishop of Saltzburg is of greatest iurisdiction and reuenue The Bishop of Maidburg writeth himselfe primate of Germanie Breme and Hamburg had great iurisdictions next follow aboue 40â— other Bishops the great master of the Dutch order and the Prior of the knights of Ierusalem then 7. Abbots and they likewise are states of the Empire Of secular Princes the king of Bohemia is chiefe who is chiefe taster the Duke of Saxonic Marshall the Marques of Brandeburg high Chamberlain the Earle Palatine Sewer Besides these princes there are thirtie other Dukes amongst whom the Archduke of Austria holdeth the highest place and of these Dukes the king of Denmarke by reason of his dukedome of Holsatia is reckoned to be one Then the Marquises Lantgraucs Earles and Barons innumerable The free cities which in times past haue beene 96. and are now but 60. gouerning themselues by their peculiar lawes are bound no further then to pay two fiue parts of whatsoeuer contribution is granted in the assemblies The cities Imperiall because as we said before they pay tribute to the Emperor pay 15. thousand Florens The cities haue suffiçient reuenue of their owne for the most part amounting aboue the value of the contributions It is thought that the Empire receiueth euery way aboue 7. millions which is a great matter yet besides this ordinary the people not ouerpressed as in Italie do pay other great subsidies to their princes in times of danger The Empire is bound at leastwise accustomed to furnish the Emperor when he goeth to Rome to be crowned 20. thousand footemen and fower thousand horse and to maintaine them for eight moneths and therefore it is called Romanum subsidium The reuenues of the cities and lay princes haue beene greatly augmented since the suppressing of poperie and bringing in of new impositions which taking their beginning from Italy for euill examples spread farre quickly passed ouer to France and Germanie In times of necessitie great taxes are laid vpon the whole Empire and leuied extraordinarily and that they may be gathered with the greater case Germanie is parted into ten diuisions which haue their particular assemblies for the execution of the edicts made in the generall diets of the Empire As concerning the multitude of people it is thought that the Empire is able to raise two hundred thousand horse and foote which the warres before spoken of may prooue to be true as likewise the wars of France and Belgia for since the yeere of our Lord 1566. the warre hath beene continued in those two prouinces for the most part with Germane soldiers and yet to this day great and continuall inrolements are taken aswell of horsemen and footemen through the whole Empire At one time Wolfang Duke of Bipontled into France an armie of twelue thousand footemen and eight thousand horsemen in the behalfe of the Protestants and at the same time the Count Mansfield was leader of fiue thousand horsemen of the same nation in behalfe of the Catholikes William of Nassow had in his armie eight thousand Germane horsemen and ten thousand footemen the Duke of Alua had at the same instant three thousand What should I speake of the numbers that entred Flanders with Duke Casimere Or those that entred France vnder the same leader in the yeere of our Lord 1578 Or to what end should I make mention of that armie where of part serued Henrie the fourth part the league but to prooue that this nation must be very populous seeing that warres are continually open in some one or other part of Christendome and no action vndertaken therein wherein great numbers of Germans are not waged and entertained To speake nothing of the Netherlands who in times past haue resisted the whole powers of France with an armie of fower score thousand men or of the Swissers who in their owne defence are thought able to raise an armie of 100. and twentie thousand men I will onely put you in minde of that expedition which they made out of their owne territories into Lumbardy in defence of that state against Francis the French king with an armie of fiftie thousand footemen The best footemen of Germanie are those of Tiroll Sweuia and Westphalia the best horsemen those of Brunswick Cleueland and Franconia Of weapons they handle the sword and the pike better then the gunne In the field they are very strong as well to charge as to beare the shot for order is of great effect which is as it were naturall to them with a stately pace and firme standing They are not accounted for the defence of fortresses and for their corpulent bodies I hold them not fit for the assault of a breach And therefore they are to be accounted rather resolute and constant then fierce or couragions for they will neuer come to the seruice wherein courage and magnanimitie is to be shewed After the victorie they kill all whom they meete without difference of age sex or calling if the war be drawen out at length or if they be besieged they faint with cowardnes In campe they can endure no delaies neither know they how to ouercome by protracting If their first attempts fall not out to their mindes they are at their wits ende and lose courage if they once begin to runne they will neuer turne againe But in delaying and temporising the Spanish passe all other nations He that retaines them must be at extraordinarie charges great trouble by reason of their wiues consuming so much prouision that it is a hard thing to prouide it almost vnpossible to preserue and without this prouision they stand in no steed Their horses are rather strong then couragious and because of ten which goe to the warre eight are prest from the plough they are of small seruice and when they see their blood their hart quaileth But the Spanish genits in this case waxe more fierce In sea forces they are not much inferiour to their land forces although they vse not the sea fights yet the cities of Hamburg Lubecke Rostoch and some others are able to make a hundred ships some one hundred and fiftie equall to the forces of the king of Denmarke and Sweathland When these strong and â—nuâ—cible forces are vnited together they feare no enimy and in imminent perill they are sure of the aide of the Princes of Italy Sauoy and Lorraine for these Princes neuer forsooke the Empire in necessitie To the Zigethan-warre Emanuel Duke of Sauoy sent sixe hundred Argoliteers Cosmo Duke of Florence three thousand footemen paide by the State Alphonsus the second Duke
countrie is 75. miles long and 55. broad Carniola with the bordering countries vp to Tergiste is 150. miles long and 45. broad They are plentifull of corne wine flesh and wood The countie of Tirol is full of mines of siluer and salt pits and is eighteene German miles long and broad The territories of Sweuia Alsatia and Rhetia doe pay little lesse then two myriades and an halfe of ordinarie reuenue so much extraordinarie besides the 18. cantons of Rethia are vnder the same iurisdiction They are so well peopled that vpon occasion they are able to leuie 100. thousand footemen and 30. thousand horse I know no other prouince in Europe able to say the like And therefore the Emperor is not so weake a Prince as those who are ignorant of the state of kingdomes doe suppose him reporting his territories to be small vnprouided of necessaries poore in monie and barren of people But this is certaine that as he is a Lord of a large dominion fertile rich and infinite people so let euery man thinke that by the neighborhod of the Turke bordering vpon him from the Carpathie mountaines to the Adriatique sea the forces of a mightier prince may seeme small and ouerlayed For what prince bordering vpon so puissant an enemie but either by building of fortresses or by intertaining of garrisons is not almost beggered I will not say in time of warre but euen during the securest peace Considering that the forces of the Turke are alwaies readie strong and cheerefull yea better furnished in the time of peace then any other nation in the hottest furie of warre Wherefore it standes him vpon that is a borderer vpon so powerfull an enemie either for feare or iealousie to be euer watchfull and to spare no charges as doth the Emperor retaining in wages continually twenty thousand soldiers keeping watch and warde vpon the borders of Hungarie These aske great expences and yet lesse then these are not to be defraied for the strengthening of other places besides other expences not meete here to be spoken of Wherefore seeing the Turke like an vnsatiable dragon hath ouerwhelmed so many noble prouinces and so many flourishing kingdomes yea hath brought vnder his yoke those cities which were thought impregnable and those bulwarks which the world deemed could neuer be forced let vs not shut both our eares and say lie is farre from vs when he stands at our doores yea close by our sides Denmarke ALthough it may seeme needlesse to make any mention of Sweuelād because it is as it were situated in another world and with whom there is no great entercourse of trading yet for the spatious largenes thereof it may well deserue a place amongst other kingdomes spoken of in these relations It is situate in that part of Europe which some terme Scandia others Scandania or Balthia from whence issued the Gothes and Vandales the verie treaders downe of the Romane Empire It is subiect both to the Danish and Sweuian crowne The king of Denmarke besides the Cimbrian Chersonese where Helsatia Theutomarsia the Dukedome of Slesia Flensburge Friesland and Iuthland regions fruitfull replenished with store of cattle and wilde beasts doe lye retaineth other spacious Ilands the best whereof stand in the entrance of the Balticke sea being 15. in number all comprehended vnder the name Denmarke The chiefest of them is Sclandunia containing 60. miles in length and little lesse in bredth It excelleth the rest in woorth both for the number of villages the mildenes of the aire and because it hath beene and is the seate of their kings He hath also Gothland in his iurisdiction which is placed right ouer against Gothia One of his kinsemen hath the gouernment of Osilia a pretie Iland in the greater gulfe of Liuonia and ruleth those fat and plentious countries which lie in the continent of Liuonia Scania likewise acknowledged his soueraigntie and he holdeth the kingdome of Norway which from the confines of Scania extendeth and stretcheth northward 1300. miles to the castle of Wardhouse vpon whom border the Lappians The Iles adioining therto Sania Setland and Faria lying in the maine sea are in his tenure In times past the people of Norwey haue beene of great puissance they afflicted England scourged France and therein obtained a prouince called to this day Normandie In Italie they conquered the kingdome of Sicill and Appulia And in the holy warre Boemand leader of the Normans woon the principalitie of Antioch In the north Ocean besides that of Friesland and the sea coast of Island and Gromland he holdeth the dominions of the foresaid Ilands of Shetland and Faria The Orchades acknowledge the kings of Norwey for their lords although they are subiect to the Scottish crowne Sithēce the kingdome of Norwey became electiue turmoiled with ciuill wars and intestine discords it came to the possession of the Danish kings who that he may hold it surely intreateth the inhabitants cruelly spoiling them of their substance and to leaue no hope of better fortune to this miserable people he holdeth fortified all the creekes and hauens of the sea coast The wealth of the kingdome consisteth in the abundance of cattle and sea fish whereof there is such store that of the herring fishing onely a mightie masse of money is yeerely gathered so huge is the number of all sort of fish that at sometimes of the yeere a ship can make but slowe way in this sea and the marishes meadowes adioining thereunto are verie pleasant and sauorie to the feeding cattle Scania is rich in corne and pasture and well replenished with people Norwey hath no riches of any moment except timber fit for the erecting of houses and framing of ships from thence transported into Holland and Flanders and cattle and great store of cheese and milke Some profite also ariseth of a kinde of fish dried in the winde which the Dutchmen call Stockfish It is taken in Ianuarie and laid in the winde and cold vntill it be indurate and hardened like wood and then carried into diuers regions as a kinde of sustenance The greatest matter of gaine to the king of Denmarke is that narrow sea or streight betweene Cronburg Eltzenburg commonly called the Sound which is a passage so narrow that no shipping can passe that way without the licence and fauour of the watchmen keeping garrison there to receiue the impostes and customes of the arriuing vessels it is easily gathered to what some of money that impost amounteth by the infinite number of shipping of Holland Zealand France England Scotland Norwey and the Baltike sea that saile in those seas and of necessitie must passe the iawes of that narrow streight The inhabitants are as needie of Rhenish French Spanish wines the spices of Portugall or the fruits of Andoluzia as they againe are greedie of the waxe honie skins and corne which are brought thither from Prussia Liuonia Moscouia and the bordering nations Touching his powerablenes in land seruice it was neuer seene that he
enterprised any iourney of reputation but that against the Theutomarsi vpon whom king Valdemar laid the yoke of subiection but falling againe into rebellion after many chances of warre beginning in the yeere 1500. they were vtterly vanquished by Frederick the second in the yeere of our Lord 1558. Before that time they discomfited Iohn the sonne of king Christian the first What this king of Denmarke is able to performe at sea may be gathered by the names which vpon occasions he hath rigged to sea at the intreatie of Henrie the second king of France Christian the second sent a nauie of 100. ships into Scotland against the English and in them ten thousand land soldiers But for as much as it is apparent that he is lord of so ample a sea coast possesseth so many hauens in Denmarke Scaâ—â—a Norwey and so many Ilands without the Baltike sea it is most likely that he is able to assemble a mightie fleete of ships if money were not wanting which as I take it cannot but often faile him considering that in his whole kingdome there is growing no merchandise of value excepting seafish neither is there any famous Mart towne which is able to draw or long to maintaine traffike with other nations The greatest matter is his customes of the sea townes the profite of certaine mines in Scania the horses cattle of the Danish Chersonesse the timber and fish of Norwey and the Ilands It hath beene obserued that fiftie thousand oxen hath beene driuen out of these prouinces into Germanie for which tole hath beene paid at Gutthorpe He reapeth some profit likewise of Wardhouse whither the English of late yeeres haue sailed betweene Norwey and Groenlant some to Colmogro others to Stockholme not farre from S. Nicholas where they traffike with the Russies for waxe honie and flaxe thither resort likewise Hollanders Scots and Frenchmen Almost in the middle of this baie is an Iland and towne called Wardhuis which Frederick the second caused to be strongly fortified and here the merchants pay their custome Sweueland THE king of Sweueland raigneth in Scandia which is larger then Denmarke for it is accounted a iourney of fiue and fortie daies from the borders of Scandia to Lapland and the coast of the Balticke sea is little lesse then 400. miles long and his tract of land is esteemed larger then France and Italy In Liuonia this king possesseth Riualia the Narue Danouia and other peeces of good esteeme the Iland Vlander Alandes and many other places not woorthy speaking of situated in the Sweuian and Finland sea These regions besides Liuonia are diuided into three kingdomes Gotland Sweueland and Vandalia which againe are subdiuided into eleuen prouinces and twelue Counties among the which the Lappians are not accounted because this people though inhabiting a larger countrey then Sweueland cannot be termed to liue vnder any certaine dominion because of their miserie pouertie and wandring from place to place through woods and mountaines but they who haue anie manner of certaine abode or setled habitation are vnder the Sweuish dominion and pay rich skins for their tribute Of the three kingdomes whereof we spake Gotland bordereth vpon Scandia and is diuided into east and west both bounded with the lake Weret in the midst whereof the king delighting in the pleasantnes of the place keepeth his court Twenty fower riuers do run into this lake yet it emptieth it selfe but by one mouth The inhabitaÌ„ts for the excessiue noise of the waters call it in their toong the Diuels Head The word Gothia signifieth a heauenly countrie which doth wel agree thereto for the abundance of sustenance no region being comparable vnto it in fertilitie of flesh fish and corne Next followeth Sweueland larger then Norwey and Gotland both togither In Sweueland is Vpsalia their chiefe city and Stockholme the kings seate Stringa Enuecopia Orogundia Arboia Arosia Then comes Finland situate betweene the Balticke and Finland bay where stand Abo the chiefe citie Raugina and Augo both famous mart townes Vames Viburge and Castlehome in the Alandian Ilands The husbandmen inhabite without the townes and by reason of the plentie of timber the woods vallies and other places defended from the furie of the northren winde they liue here in verie good sort keepe in their houses flockes of cattell and instruments to digge to build or to make any thing necessarie for the life of man and this is the reason that townes here are neither so faire nor so frequent as in Germanie or England Ouer and aboue cities and villages there are accounted 1433. parishes in some of which a thousand people or as they terme it a thousand housholds or fires doe inhabite but there are few of these parishes in which at the least there are not an hundred families By this a man may iudge the number of this people especially if he consider the fruitfulnes of their generation for the women of Finland by a secret operation of their beere as some thinke become exceeding fruitfull The men liue here verie long chiefly in the most northerly parts neither is it miraculous amongst them to see a man liue aboue an hundred and thirtie or fortie yeeres This long liuing is the true cause of their propagation for where men liue shortest liues there the vertue of generation must needs soonest decay and therefore our Lord God in the beginning of the world did permit mankinde to liue seuen hundred yeeres and more that the world might the sooner be peopled and the act of generation which now for the shortnes of our liues is determined within fortie yeeres was then more vigorous at one hundred and vpward then in this our age at ten The riches of this kingdome consisteth in the plentie of victuals which this word Gothia signifying an heauenly region as we said before and Finland signifying a good countrey do well witnes Their prouision is flesh fresh fish salt fish fish dried in the smoke and sunne corne and beere whereof there is so great abundance that it is a hard thing to see a begger amongst them and trauellers are there freely entertained It is so rich in mines of lead copper siluer and some gold that no prouince in Europe may compare therewith And these mines are to be found in euerie place if the countrey people bound to carrie wood to the mines and to other seruile workes did not hide and hinder the discouerie thereof as much as in them lyeth Most fine siluer is found in the prouince of Vestros and more would be were it not for the enuy of the inhabitaÌ„ts who though they know not the vse of trying of mettals doe notwithstanding murmur that any strangers should imploy their labours therin And this their frowardnes toward strangers ariseth not of hatred but vpon a iealousie that they should be ouerreached or otherwise abused by theÌ„ for by nature they are simple and well meaning not giuen to ambition nor infected with auarice The kings reuenue consisteth in fower things
Bremea Caipumo and Chencra The inhabitants of Lai which border vpon the north of the prouinces of Muantai and Caipumo and are diuided into three principalities are vnder his obeisance The first is that of Iangoma the second of Cucrai the third Lanca neere Chachinchina They inhabite a plaine and welthie countrey into which the Gueoni Marke Paul calleth their country Cangigu discending from the mountaines to hunt for men make oftentimes cruell butcheries amongst them The people of Lai for feare of these anthropophagi acknowledge the soueraingtie of Siam but they often rebell and obey as they list The wealth of the countrey may be coniectured by the firtilitie for being situated in a plaine and watered with most noble and famous riuers like an other Egypt it cannot but abound with plentie of all things It bringeth foorth rice graine of all sorts horses elephants infinite store of cattle gold and tinne siluer is brought thither by the people of Lai By reason of this plentie the people are drowned in pleasure and wantonnesse They follow husbandry but take no great delight in manuell occupations which causeth the kingdome to be poore in merchandise Amongst many other cities three are famous Cambaia seated vpon the riuer Menon which rising in China is so hugely augmented by the falling in of many riuers that his owne chanell not sufficing for receit thereof it renteth the earth to disgorge it selfe into a thousand Ilands making a second Meotis more then 60. miles long Meicon signifieth the captaine Menon the mother of waters The second citie is Siam whose statelines giueth the name to the whole countrey It is a most goodly citie and of admirable trasfike which may the better be imagined by the writing of a certaine Iesuite who reporteth that besides the naturall inhabitants there are more then thirtie thousand Arabian housholds The third citie is called Vdia greater then Siam consisting of fower hundred thousand families It is said that two hundred thousand boats belong to this citie and the riuer Caipumo whereupon it is seated This king to shew his maiestie and magnificence keepeth a guard of sixe thousand soldiers and two hundred elephants of these beasts he hath thirtie thousand whereof he traineth three thousand for the warre This is a great matter if you weigh their woorth and their charges in keeping His gouernment is rather tyrannicall then kinglike for he is absolute Lord of all the demeanes of the kingdome and either setteth them out to husbandmen or giueth them to his nobles for their maintenance during life and pleasure but neuer passeth the right of inheritance He bestoweth vpon them likewise townes and villages with their territories but vpon condition to maintaine a certaine number of horsemen footemen and elephants By this policie without any pennie pay or burden to the countrie he is able to leuie twentie thousand horsemen 250. thousand footemen Vpon occasion he can wage a greater number by reason of the largenes of his kingdomes and the populousnes of his townes For Vdia onely the chiefe seat of his kingdome mustered 50. thousand men And although he be Lord of nine kingdomes yet vseth he no other nation in the warre but the Siamits and the inhabitants of the two kingdomes of Vdia and Muantai All honors and preferments are bestowed vpon men of seruice in this kingdome In times of peace they haue their warlike exercises and in certaine pastimes which the king once a yeere exhibiteth at Vdia are shewed all militarie feats of armes vpon the riuer Menon where more then 3000. vessels which they terme Paraos diuided into two squadrons skirmish one against the other Vpon the land runne the horses and elephants and the footemen trie it out at sword and buckler with point and edge rebated the remainder of their daies they spend in riot and wantonnes Their borders towards the East reach to Canchinchina betweene whom are such huge woods lions tigers leopards serpents and elephants that they cannot infest one another by armes Towards the lake Chiamai they border vpon the Chinois Towards the sea they affront the Arabians and Portugals The one tooke from them Patan Paam Ior and Peam the other Malaca and the territorie adioyning so that betweene them they bereaued him of two hundred miles of land and contenting themselues with the sea coasts and the customes arising vpon the carriyng out and bringing in of merchandise they abstaine from further inuasion of the inland prouinces and hold it good policie to keepe firme peace with the king and his countries Toward the west lieth the kingdome of Pegu like an halfe moone betweene the mountaines of Brama and Iangoma Towards the north lye the Gudoni inhabiting the barrein and sharp mountaines betweene whom and Siam dwell the people of Lay. This people is subiect to the crowne of Siam for feare of these Canibals of whom if it had not beene for his protection they had long agon beene vtterly deuoured Not fortie yeeres since the king made a iourney against them with twentie thousand horse their horse are small but excellent good in trauell 250. thousand footemen and ten thousand elephants part imploied for seruice part for carriage No kingdome hath greater store of these beasts or doth more vse them An innumerable number of oxen buffals and beasts of carriage followed this armie whom they slew when they wanted other prouision Hitherto haue we deuised of Siam and Pegu as they stood before the comming of the Portugals into India but how in proces of time the state was altered you shall now heare In times past diuers kingdomes of Barma situated along the riuer towards the lake Chiamai obeyed the king of Pegu vnder the gouernment of certaine Lieutenants Sixtie yeeres sithence one of these captaines ruler of the kingdome of Tengu by the aide of his faction and reputation of his vertues entred into rebellion and slaying the Nobles of the land vsurped the kingdome Afterward he forced the cities and conquered the kingdome of Prom Melintai Calam Mirandu and Ana all inhabited by the Bramians for the space of one hundred and fiftie leagues towards the north He assaied likewise the conquest of Siam but comming before Vdia the chiefe citie of the kingdome he was forced to raise his siege and depart He vndertooke this iourney with 300. thousand footemen consuming more then three moneths in making way for his armie through stonie mountaines huge woods maccessible places and in lieu for the losse of 120. thousand of his soldiers he tooke two hundred thousand Siamits prisoners At his returne home he inuaded the kingdome of Pegu and woone it Afterward in the yeere 1507. he renued his iourney against Siam and ouercame the king thereof who slew himselfe with poison but he tooke his sonnes and with them the better part of the kingdome He belegerd Vdia with a million of men and vpward Our late writers call this man and his successors because their fame arose by the conquest of the kingdomes of Brama
waters are better then our drinkes Cookerie is in no such request with them as with vs nor their tables accustomed to such cates their banquets are onely furnished with rice and mutton Neither doe the people of the east spend a quarter of that clothing which we doe they goe to the warre halfe naked hiding nothing but their priuities they stand not in need of that number of workemen which we doe amongst whom the greatest part of our life is spent in weauing and deuising stuffes and fashions to cloath the carkasse and adorne the bodie with cloath silke colours and imbroderies All their expences are onely vpon cloathing of cotton wooll and that but from the nauell to the knee These are the reasons which I meant to lay why they may gather fortie thousand men with more ease then we ten and to these may be added this as the last that vpon ordinance and their furnitures vpon prouisions and their carriages vpon horses pioners and a thousand like necessaries infinite summes are expended of which the people of the east are vtterly ignorant especially those which haue not to deale with the Portugals or Arabians They goe to the warre without armour without curases helmets lances or targets which with vs cannot be conueyed from place to place without great expence Virgil calleth this luggage iniustum fascem because it seemeth a needles trouble and therein we degenerate much from the ancient Romanes who for ten daies iourney and more carried euerie man 's his proper weapons both offensiue and defensiue yea and sometimes his victuals What should we speake of the armies of the Assirians and Ethiopians of Belus Ninus Simiramis Cambises Cirus Darius Sesostris Sesacus were they not as huge and populous by the report of all histories as these whereof we intreat Or in times lesse ancient haue not we and our ancestors seene the Arabians Tartarians and Turkes inuading prouinces with armies of three hundred thousand people and vpward By moderne examples and memorie of later accidents to giue credit to the ancient I will set downe what happened in Angola a noble rich prouince of the west Ethiop adioyning to Congo reported by the letters of certaine Iesuits and Portugall captaines In the yeere 1584. Paulus Diazius by the fauour of God and valour of his people vpon the second day of Februarie put to flight the king of Angola and defeated his armie consisting of one million and two hundred thousand Moores which may well prooue that these populous armies are of little seruice and small continuance rather like violent stormes then dripping showers and though with ease they are gathered yet without greater prouision then any prouince is able to affoord them they are not easily held together When their prouision is spent they begin to break and bid adue to the action and that most commonly not in the middest of their course but euen in their first remooues for merchants victualers tailors shomakers smiths and such like follow not their warres and if they should then this inconuenience would follow that for one million of soldiers it were necessarie to prouide another million of wagons packehorses carters carpenters victualers merchants and their seruants and then neither riuers would serue them for drinke nor the fields with bread nor the earth for lodgings so must they needs sinke vnder their owne waight which the eastern Princes leading these vnaccustomed numbers vpon long iourneis in some sort forecasting did alwaies prouide incredible masses of money victuall and such like warlike prouisions long before they entred into action as was well seene in Xerxes who to maintaine that great armie as well at sea as at land which he led for the conquest of Greece spent seuen yeeres in preparation for the iourney To returne to the king of Barma of late yeeres he tooke the hauens of Martela and Pernasor and turning his armies sometime towards the north sometime toward the west he vexed the Princes of Caor and Tipura tooke the kingdomes of Aracan and Macin leading vpon this iourney 300. thousand men and fortie thousand elephants Aracan is a kingdome round inuironed with mountaines and woods as with a wall or trench the chiefe citie which giueth the name to the countrey is situated vpon a riuer fifteene leagues from the sea and 35. from Catagan Macin is a kingdome abounding in Aloës this wood which the Arabians call Calambuco and others Lignum vitae for the sweete sauour is valued by the people of the east at the waight in siluer In India and Cambeia they vse it at the buriall of great Lords in bathes and in other wantonnes It groweth most frequent in the rough mountaines of Campa Cambaia and Macin That which is brought to vs is in no esteeme with them the right is found say they in Congo and Angola and the bordering countrey and vsed by them in all their grieuous and dangerous maladies which if it be true I maruell that the Portugals will let slip so precious a commoditie Narsinga IN the rowe of these potent princes inhabiting betweene Indus and Ganges dwelleth the king of Narsinga Whatsoeuer lieth betweene the mountaines Gate the gulfe of Bengala betweene the promontories Guadauerne and Comorin for the space of 200. leagues abounding as prodigally as any other prouince in the Indies with all good things is vnder his dominion The waters sometime falling from the mountaines sometime from the riuers and receiued into trenches meres and lakes doe woonderfully coole moisten and inrich this land causing the graine and cattell to prosper aboue imagination It is no lesse plentifull of rice birds beasts wilde and tame buffals elephants and mines of precious stones and mettals It breedeth no races of horse for the war but they buie them of the Arabian and Persian merchants in great numbers the like doe all the princes of Decan Within the bounds of Narsinga dwell fiue nations different in language he hath many strong places vpon the Indian Ocean Canora is at his command wherein are the hauen townes of Mangolar Melind Batticala and Onor but the Portugals receiue the custome of Batticala and in times past of Onor In Narsinga are two imperiall cities Narsinga and Bisnagar by reason whereof he is termed sometime king of Narsinga sometime king of Bisnagar It is vndoubtedly beleeued that this king receiueth yeerely twelue millions of ducats of which he laieth vp but two or three the residue he expendeth vpon the troupes of his soldierie that is to say fortie thousand Nairs and twenty thousand horsemen kept in continuall pay Vpon necessitie he is able to leuie a far greater number for besides these allowances he setteth out certaine lands to 200. captaines vpon condition to keepe in readines a proportion of horsemen footemen and elephants The wages of these captaines to some of whom he giueth a million of ducats yeerely may be an argument of his great reuenues for to these proiects this prince and all the potentates of the East
of their bodie as blinde lame tall bold c. This king is verie puissant in people of whom he exacteth no other tribute then the tenths of the increase of their liuely hoods For exercise and insteed of occupations they giue themselues to steale to slay their neighbours and to take them prisoners and then to barter them for horses with the merchants of Barbarie He hath vnder him many kingdomes and nations some white some blacke He is an heauie enemie to the Abessines taking away their cattell rifling their mines and leading away the people in captiuitie His horsemen ride after the Spanish manner armed with lances steeled at both ends darts and arrowes but their inrodes resemble rather robberies and garboiles then wars managed by valiant soldiers The Turke likewise on the east and the king of Adel on the southeast do cruelly vexe him for they haue curtald his large dominion and brought his prouinces into great miserie In the yeere 1558. the Turke harried the whole territorie of Bernagasso but since expulsed and tooke from Prester Iohn whatsoeuer he was Lord of vpon that sea coast especially the hauen and citie of Suaquen and Erococo in which place the mountaines betweene Abex and the red sea make a gate as it were for the traffique and carriages of the Abessines and Arabians And sithence that Bernangasso was inforced to submit himselfe to the Turkish commands to buy his peace and in name of a tribute to pay one thousand ounces of gold yeerely The king of Adel is his no lesse infestious enemie he bordereth vpon the kingdome of Fatigar and his siegniorie stretcheth alongst the red sea as far as Assum Salir Meth Barbora Pidar and Zeila Many ships come from Aden and Cambaia to Barbora with merchandise which they trucke for flesh honie wax and vittail these commodities are carried to Aden gold iuorie and such wares are sent to Cambaia the greatest part of vittail honie wax corne and fruits brought from Zeila are carried into Aden and Arabia as likewise much cattell especially sheepe hauing tailes of 25. pound weight with heads and necks all blacke the rest of their bodies all white Of these cattell there are some altogether white with turning crooked tailes as long as a mans arme and dewlaps like oxen Some of their kine haue hornes with many branches like our deere othersome haue one horne in their forehead growing backward a span and halfe long The chiefe citie of this kingdome is Arar 38. leagues distant from Zeila towardes the southeast He professeth Mahumetisme and since his conuersion he hath intitled himselfe with the sirname of Holy aâ—owing continuall war against the Abessine Christians and therefore he watcheth the time of the foresaid fast of fiftie daies when he entreth their territories burneth their villages taketh prisoners and then committeth a thousand other mischiefes The Abessine slaues doe often leaue their countrie and take vpon them great iournies putting themselues in the seruice of great Lords where many times by their industrie and good carriage they become high commaunders in Arabia Cambaia Bengala and Sumatra For the Mahumetan princes being all tyrants Lords of those countries which they haue forced from the Gentils to secure their estates doe neuer trust their home-bred subiects but wage strangers and slaues vnto whose fidelitie they commit their persons and the managing of all the affaires of their kingdomes And amongst all sorts of slaues the Abessine is in greatest esteeme for his faithfulnes and towardly disposition The king of Adel ouerlaieth Egypt and Arabia with these slaues which hee changeth with the Turks and princes of Arabie for armour prouision of warre and soldiers In the yeere of our Lord 1500. Claud king of Abex perceiuing himselfe inferior to Grad-Ameda king of Adel for he had vexed his land with 14. yeeres incursions forsaking the frontires retired himselfe into the inward parts of his kingdome intreating for aide of Stephen Gama viceroy of India vnder Iohn the third king of Portugall who was then in the red sea with a warlike nauie In compassion of his miseries and religion he sent him fower hundred Portugall-shot very well furnished vnder the conduct of Christopher his brother By their aide and vse of their artillerie he ouerthrew his enemies in two battels but the king of Adel obtaining of the gouernor of the citie of Zebit one thousand harquebushers and ten pieces of ordinance in the third fight put the Portugals to flight and slew their captaine Afterwards when Adel had sent away these Turkes king Claudius set vpon him at vnawares by the riuer Zeila and the mountaine Sana with eight thousand footemen fiue hundred Abessine horsemen and the remainder of the liuing Portugals one of whome gaue Grada-Amada his deaths wound But in March 1509. Claudius fighting with the Moores of Malaca gaining the victorie was slaine in the battel Adam his brother succeeded against whom being a demi-Mahumetan the greatest part of the Abessine nobilitie rebelled and was ouerthrowne in the yeere 1562. by Bernagasso By this casualtie did the Aethiopian affaires ebbe flow vntill in the raigne of Alexander things began in some sort to returne to their ancient estate by the aide of the Portugals who furnished them with weapons both offensiue and defensiue and by their examples incouraged them to be stout and couragious against their enemies All that were liuing after the defeature of Christopher Gama and all that euer went thither since that day to this doe still remaine there marrying wiues and begetting children King Alexander gaue them leaue to elect a Iusticer and to end all matters of controuersie amongst themselues which maketh them so willing to stay and to teach them the vse of their weapons the manner of our warfare and how to fortifie passages and places of importance Sithence those times Francis Medices contracting friendship with the Abessine diuers Florentines some for pleasure and some for profit haue trauelled into those prouinces wherein when they are once entred the king intreateth them so faire and giueth them so largely whereupon to liue that they can hardly obtaine licence to returne againe into their owne countries Besides these he hath other enemies as the king of Dancali whose citie and hauen is Vela vpon the red sea and the Moores of Doba a prouince diuided into foureteene Lieutenantships These people though they are accounted within the limits of the Abessine Empire yet doe they often rebell hauing a law amongst themselues that no yoong man may contract matrimonie vnlesse he can bring good proofe that he hath slaine twelue Christians Monomotapa IN the residue of Aethiop raigne diuers powerfull princes as the kings of Adel Monomugi Monomotapa Angola and Congo of which as yet we vnderstand very little But that the Reader by the description of one may coniecture of the rest I wil speake somwhat of the state policie of Monomotapa because it is mightier and more famous then the rest This kingdome containeth all that Iland which lieth between the riuers of Cuama and Spirito Santo a territorie of 150. leagues in compasse and from Spirito Santo it stretcheth euen to the Cape of Good Hope for the Vizeroys of that huge tract do acknowledge him for their soueraigne and supreme gouernour of townes villages they haue few those cottages which they haue consist of timber and tâ—ach One of their chiefe cities is called Zimbas and other Benema taxa the one fifteene miles the other 21. distant from Cefala towards the west The soile aboundeth with corne with cattle great and small wandring by heards through the fields and woods By the store of teeth from thence transported we may coniecture that lesse then 5000. elephants cannot but die yeerely in this countrey These beasts are here very great There is no climate like it for plentie of gold for by report there are 3000. mines whereout gold is digged gold is likewise found in the earth in rocks and riuers The mines of Manica Boro Quiticui and Toroe which some men call Butua are the richest The people are meane of stature black wel set They conuerse with the king kneeling on their knees and to sit in his presence is the vse with them as with vs to stand and that is granted but to great lords The assay of meate and drinke is not made before but after the prince hath eate and drunke Heere are no prisons because law passeth vpon the offendor in the very moment wherein the offence was committed The offences most seuerely punished are witchcraft theft and adulterie They pay no other tribute but certaine daies worke and presents without the which no man may appeere in the princes presence The king beareth in his coat of armes a certaine little spade with an Iuorie handle and two small darts He keepeth for his faithfullest guard two hundred dogs He keepeth the heires of his vassall princes to be secured of their parents loyaltie One of the kings not long sithence was conuerted and Baptized by Gonsalua Silua a Iesuite with the greater part of his courtiers but afterwards by the perswasion of certaine Moores in great credite about him he caused him to be slaine Sebastian king of Portugall offended heereat proclaimed warre against him vnder the leading of Francisco Barreâ—â—o This armie consisted of sixeteene hundred the greatest part gentlemen to whom the Monomotapa fearing their armes and valour offered honorable conditions but the captaine whom no offer or indiffeferencie could satisfie was ouercome and his armie vtterlie consumed yet not by the enimie but by sicknes and the infectious aire of the countrey FINIS Faults escaped Page 17. lin 30. for lanciers read men at armes Page 20. lin 38. for defensible r. defeasible Page 24. lin 22. for supremacie r. soueraigntie Page 28. lin penult these words without relation to the kingly authoritie are superfluous Page 65. lin 30. for it might r. he might Page 65. lin 34. for he is immediate r. mediate he is Page 127. lin 24. for can be wanting r. cannot be wanting 1597.
exceedeth not 25. thousand dukets Only the dukes of Curland and Regimount exceede this meane For although they are feodaries of the kingdome acknowledge the king as their superior yet are they not as liuing members of the state they come not to the diets of the kingdome they haue not their voices in the election of the prince neither are they accounted as naturall Lords of the kingdome but for strangers as in truth they are the duke of Curlan being of the house of Ketleri and the duke of Regimount of the family of Brandenburge All Prussia did belong to the Dutch Knights who had their Great Master resident there who when he was not able to withstand the forces of the Polonians yeelded himselfe feodarie to king Cassimere afterwards when Albert of Brandenburge their Great Master became a Protestant he was created Duke of Prussia and the countrey diuided into two parts the one regall immediately holden of the crowne the other Ducall allotted to Albert and his successors to hold by fealtie In the kings partition stand Marieburge Torouia Gulma Varnia and Danske in the Duchie which yeeldeth 120. thousand ducats yeerely the chiefe towne is Regimont the Germans call it Conningsburgh and there the Duke keepeth his court The gouernment of Polonia representeth rather an Aristocracie then a kingdome because the nobility who haue great authoritie in the diets of the kingdome choose the king and at their pleasure limite him his authoritie They haue neither law nor statute nor forme of gouernment written but by custome from the death of one prince to the election of an other the supreme authoritie resteth in the Archbishop of Gesne who is president of the counsels appointeth the diets ruleth the Senate and proclaimeth the new elected king Before king Stephen erected new Bishops Palatines and Castellanes in Liuonia few other besides the Archbishop of Leopolis and his 13. Suffragans 28. Palatines and thirtie of the chiefest Castellanes were present at the election of the newe king In the time of their diets these men assemble in a place neere vnto the Senate house where they choose two marshals by whom but with a tribunelike authoritie they signifie vnto the councell what their requests are Not long since their authoritie and reputation grew so mightie that they now carie themselues as heads gouernors rather then officers ministers of the publike decrees of the estates There was one of the councel that after the maner of Clodius refused his Senators place to become one of these officers When a new king is to be chosen these men do more and more limit his authoritie not suffring it to stretch one iot farther then accustomed But although the crowne of Poland be at the disposition of the nobilitie yet was it neuer heard that they reiected or ouerslipped the kings successor or transferred the kingdome into any other line more then once when deposing Ladislaus whom notwithstanding they afterward restored they elected Weneslaus the Bohemian Likewise they haue alwaies a regard to the kings daughters as of Hedinge maried by them to Iagello and in our times of Anne giuen in mariage to king Stephen It was no smal cause of the aduancement of Sigismund the third to the crowne of Polonia that he was the sonne of Katherine sister to Sigismund the emperor and of the foresaid Anne And although the kingly authoritie be electiue yet after he is chosen his power is absolute in manie things as to call the diets to appoint the times and place at his pleasure to choose laie councellors and nominate the bishops and whom he will haue to be of the priuie councell he is absolute disposer of the reuenue of the crowne and Lord of those which hold of him immediate but ouer the tenants of the nobilitie he hath no iurisdiction he is absolute establisher of the decrees of the diets and soueraigne Iudge of the nobles in criminall causes it is in his power to reward and aduance whom pleaseth him to speake in a word such as is his valor dexteritie and wisedome such is his power authoritie and gouernment As the Polanders say the decrees of the king indure but three daies they conuerse with him not as cosins as in France but as brethren And as the king hath absolute authoritie ouer them which immediately hold of him so the nobilitie dispose absolutely of their vassals vpon euerie of whom they exercise more then kingly authoritie in manner as vpon slaues In establishing their kingdome they haue done one thing woorthie the noting which is that as the Romanes increased their names and dominion by communicating the lawes and honors of Italy and the citie of Rome to other cities yea whole prouinces so the kings of Polonia haue enlarged vnited and strengthened their estate by participating the priuileges of the Polish nobilitie to those prouinces which either they haue conquered by armes or otherwaies purchased gracing the nobles thereof with fauours equall to any bestowed on the Polish nobilitie By this equallyzing king Ladislaus strongly vnited Russia and Podalia to Poland Sigismund Augustus Lithuania Stephen Liuonia for equalitie in offices promotions knitteth affections in peace and warre The force of this kingdome as of others consisteth in graine coine footemen horsemen armour and munition Of graine we haue spoken alreadie In coine it is not verie rich for excepting Danske they haue neuer a mart towne woorthie estimation and the wares that are brought from Prussia Liuonia do not inrich the kingdome with ready money yea they do hardly suffice to barter with the English Flemmish for cloth silks wools or with the Spanish and Portugals for sugars spices fruits Maluesâ—ies For when the countrie is not giuen to traffike nor the cities to buy sell nor the people to labour and the nobilitie is very gallant prodigall in expences spending more then their reuenues in diet and apparell and the seasoning of their meates for the Polanders vse more spices then any other nation and their wine their silke and the greatest part of their woollen cloth is brought from forren nations how can the kingdome be rich in siluer For in transporting of rich ware and returning of little consisteth the wealth of euery kingdome gathering together by venting home-bred commodities the coine of forren countries and keeping it once brought in from passing abroad againe In this practise consisteth the wealth of Naples and Millan for Naples sendeth to sea great store of corne wine oile silke woad horses fruits and such like which bring in huge masses of forren coine Millan supplieth the want of other prouinces with corne rice clothes iron works and wares of all sorts and returneth little againe If the kingdome of Naples and Sicill were as well stored with artificiall workmanship as they are prouided with corne and wealth no other kingdome could compare with them To returne to Poland notwithstanding their riches are not so small as some thinke they are for the reuenues of