Sect. 1.

THat Tract of Land called Guinea, comprehends seven hundred Lea­gues from Cap Verd in fourteen Degrees of North Latitude, and nineteen of East Longitude to Cape Gonsalvo in the first Degree of Southern Latitude, and thirty of East Longitude; The Portugals were the first that ranged this Shore, and having some Intelligence of their Commodities, and the manner of Trading with them; by fair means and force together, they got footing up­on the Sea coasts, building Forts in some, and [Page 2]placing Garrisons and Factories in other places, which they then found such a Golden Trade, that they called some Coasts thereof by that name, and perceiving it so beneficial to them­selves and their Countrey, it was an induce­ment (as what will not Gold attract) to their further search on these Maritine Coasts all along to the Cape of Good Hope, and thereby consequently to the East-Indies; The fair quar­ter, and courteous usage, which the Inhabi­tants received from the Portugals already setled there, incouraged them to exchange their Commodities with them, which Trade accord­ing to the Custom of that Kingdom was main­tained by Factors, upon the King of Portugals particular account in every Port and Town, as if he intended the profits of Merchandizing should defray the charges of his Conquests and Garrisons, furnishing the Natives with Salt, Iron, Tin, Copper, Basons, Knives, Cloth, Linnen, and other European Goods, and re­ceiving in exchange, partly Cattle, Corn, Rice, and the like, but chiefly Gold it self in great abundance, both in Sand and melted Ingots, which gave Life and Briskness to the further Discovery of those Countreys, and continuance of that Trade to this very day, though not so considerable as formerly.

The English and other Nations, desirous to share in this Rich Trade, in short time Sailed thither, and because they had no Forts to Pro­tect [Page 3]their Persons and Goods from the danger of the Portugals, and treachery of the Inhabi­tants, they were compelled to Anchor along the Coasts near the greatest Towns of Con­course, and signifying to the Negroes what Wares they had brought, by their plausible demeanor, they at length imboldened them to come aboard their Ships, and bring their Gold, the manner of which Trade was very different from that of any other Countrey; For be [...]imes in the Morning, the wind being then generally off the Shore, and the weather calm, the Na­tives came aboard in their Canoes and Scutes to Traffique some for themselves, and some as Factors for others, carrying at their Girdles a Purse, wherein were several small Clouts or Papers, containing the Gold belonging some­times to ten several Men, which though all of the same weight and goodness, yet they readily distinguisht, and having made their bargains for Cloth, Linnen, or the like, at Noon they return'd with the Seabrize again to the Shore; but beside the agreement, these Factors have some small thing for themselves, in reward for their Brokage, but in process of time, the Hol­landers frequenting these Coasts, and being well acquainted with the manner of the English Traf­fique, and coming into the same places where the English Traded and were known, they soon spoiled this Golden Trade, by their sinister and indirect dealing, for Anchoring with the [Page 4] English, whom they found to have a better Trade than themselves, they secretly bribed those Factors aforementioned to carry their Passengers and Merchants aboard their own Ships, and not the English, obliging them to Trade only with the Dutch; Which Craft the English perceiving, used the same Arts to in­gage the Factors to themselves, so that out-try­ing each other, these Brokers commonly gain­ed to themselves six or seven per Cent. to the vast prejudice of all Trade upon these Coasts, for the future, since this ill Custom must be kept up by all Succeeding European Mer­chants;

It was observed that many Negro Merchants who dwelt up in the Countrey coming to buy Wares of the Dutch, with great quantities of Gold, and divers Slaves, thirty or more accord­ing to their Quality, to carry back the Goods they should purchase, and taking their Lodg­ings in the Houses of these Brokers, whom they acquainted with their full Commissions and Intentions, and to whom they delivered their Gold, these Factors would go aboard the Flemish Ships with them to Trade and Barter, and if the Negro Merchants were not skilled in the Portugal Tongue, these Brokers would bid the Hollanders not to speak the Morisco Language to them, because they Inhabited far within the Land, thereby giving the Dutch the watch-word, that they meant to deceive [Page 5]their Countreymen, and afterward divide the Spoil, so that the knavish Factor connived at the extravagant prizes of the Hollanders to draw the more Gold from the Merchant, whom he likewise cheated, sometimes by put­ting some of his Gold into his Mouth, Ears, or otherwise, which the Merchant Negro finding wanting in the Scale, adds to the Cheat him­self by blowing into the Christians Ballance to make it weight; The bargain being finished, and the Negro again landed, the Factor re­turns back to the Ship, to share his ill got gains with the Flemings; This way of pro­ceeding was very detrimental to the English, and other Christians that Trade upon these Coasts, so that unless they likewise connive with these Factors, their Voyage will be lost, and their Commodities unsold.

In 1553. Thomas Windam, and Anthony Pintado a Portugal, in two English Ships Tra­ded along these Coasts as far as Benin, where they presented themselves to the King who sate in a great Hall, the Walls whereof were made of Earth without Windows, the Roof of thin Boards, open in divers places; his Nobles ne­ver look him in the Face, but sit with their Buttocks on the ground, and their hands be­fore their Faces, not looking up till the King commands them; when they depart they go backward, turning their Faces still toward him. The next year Captain John Lock Sailed [Page 6]into these Parts to Trade for Gold and Ele­phants Teeth; And after him Captain Tower­son made several Voyages thither, who at the River St. Vincent, observed a kind of Pease growing on the Shore like Trees, with stalks twenty seven paces long; At Cape Tres Puntas, they made him Swear by the Water of the Sea, that he would not hurt them, before they would Trade with him; Aban a Negro King treated them kindly with a Pot of Palm or Coco-Wine, which they draw out of Trees.

The People are handsom and well propor­tioned, having nothing disagreeable in their Countenances, but the blackness of their Com­plexion, some of them have flattish Noses, all little Ears, my Dutch Author who writ some years since relates, that the People go all Na­ked till they are married, and then are cloth­ed from the middle to the knees; At the Mar­riage of their Daughters, they give half an Ounce of Gold to buy Wine for the Wedding, the Bride in the presence of her Friends swears to be true to her Husband, which the man doth not, for they have as many Wives as they can maintain, yet the first has this preheminence, that he can never take another but by her per­mission, but because the multitude of Wives and Children are counted the greatest honour and riches in that Countrey, they often persuade their Husbands to take more, and glory there­in, the first Wife likewise has the priviledge to [Page 7]lye with her Husband three Nights successively, whilst the rest must be content only with one, so that they live very quietly together, a Merchant or Captain will have thirty or forty, the King of Benin had six hundred, wherewith he went in Solemn Procession every year; The King of Fetu's Son had fourteen Sons and twelve Daughters, and kept an hundred Slaves to wait upon them; At Cape Gonsalvo they pink and colour their bodies, and offer their Wives to Strangers; The King uses his own Daughters when grown up as Wives, and the Queens with the like incestuous abo­mination make use of their own Sons.

Their Women (saith my Author) are un­faithful Discoverers of Natures most hidden se­crets, not being ashamed to be delivered pub­lickly in the sight of Men, Boys and Girls. They circumcise both Sexes, after Travel they accompany not their Husbands in three months after; as soon as she is delivered they gave her a drink made of Rice, Mays, Water, Wine, and Mallaguette like our Pepper, after which she lyes warm three or four hours, and then rises, washes her self and Child, and so falls to her work as before; Next they give it a name, usually of some Christian they are obliged to, then wrapping it in a kind of Blanket or Skin, they lay it upon Rushes where it continues a­bout five weeks, then the Mother tyes it to a board and carries it on her back with the Legs [Page 8]under her arm-pits, and the hands tyed about her neck, where it hangs all day, and never comes off till it goes to bed, and yet few or none of them prove lame or deformed, notwith­standing the shaking of their bodies, they give them the breast over their shoulders, and this may be the reason of the flatness of their Noses by their knocking them continually against the Back and Shoulders of the Mother while she is walking or at work; for it is observed that the Children of their Gentry whose Mothers do not labour, nor carry their Infants about them, have very comely Noses; they wash and rub them every morning with Oil of Palms.

When they are seven or eight years old, they hang a Net about their Necks, made of the Bark of a Tree, full of Fetiches or little Gods to secure them from the Devil, who they believe would else carry them away; They hang their Hair full of Shells, and Coral, about the Arms and Legs, with several Feticho's of different qualities, one being an Antidote against Vomit­ing, a second against dangerous Falls, a third prevents Bleeding, a fourth causes Sleep, a fifth secures them against Wild Beasts, and the like, giving to each Fetisso a different name: They soon learn to speak, go, and swim: When they are born, they are not black, but red: About seven year old they learn them to spin Thred, make Nets, and go a Fishing with their Fathers, and feed as they do, picking up any nasty [Page 9]thing in the Streets, which they eat with good Appetites: The Boys and Girls are all naked together, which makes them have no sense of shame or modesty, they being neither reproved nor corrected by their Parents: They are ex­cellent at Swimming, even at this Age, so that if their Canoe overset at Sea, they are very little concerned, all of them swimming back again to the place from whence they came, and consequently they can Dive with great dexterity and fetch up any thing from the bottom: About twelve their Fathers instruct them how to make a Canoe, and catch Fish; The Merchants bring their Sons acquainted with Europeans, and with the Mystery of Trade: At eighteen they begin to set up for themselves, two or three together hiring a House and purchasing a Canoe; they then cover their Nudities, grow amorous, and their Fathers look out Wives for them: The Girls clean the Houses, pick the Rice, beat the Mays, make the Bread, clean the Kitchen, buy and sell at Market, make Baskets of Rushes and Matts which they weave extream curiously, but their chief care is to provide Meat and Drink for their Parents, secure their Goods, and all other kinds of good Huswifry; when grown up, they are vary lascivious, and boast of their Gallantries, especially with Strangers, whom they seem to affect above their own Men: They are very careful to keep their Teeth white, have Wit enough, but are very wanton [Page 10]with the Young Fellows stark naked, to please whom they wash, comb, and plait their hair with great curiosity, some paint their Fore­heads and Eyebrows red and white, and hang Pendants in their Ears, all love Ribbons especi­ally red, they have Necklaces of Coral, and Bracelets upon their Wrists, Arms and Legs, when they go abroad they were a piece of Silk, Taffaty or other Stuff wrapt about them from the breast to the midleg, and have always a great bunch of Keys, though never a Coffer nor Trunk to open, the Virgins make it their whole business to appear acceptable especially to white men, and are seldom barren be­fore, though not very fruitful after Marri­age.

For many years the English frequenting these Coasts, made little benefit thereby, for the Inha­bitants grew so subtil, that perceiving their Gold was so earnestly desired by all Nations, they began to know its true value, and set such a rate thereon, that having been formerly often beguiled by others, they grew more wary and circumspect in their bargaining, and to look more narrowly to the measure and goodness of their Commodities, and though at first they knew no distinction of Christians, but thought the Portugals, and all other white men to be of the same Nation, yet they have since learn­ed the particular manners and dealing of each Countrey, and have found the fairest and squa­rest [Page 11]Trade from the English, who are therefore most welcome to them, and speed best of any other Nation whatsoever; Especially since his late Majesties happy Restauration, by whose gracious favour the Traders into these parts were Incorporated, and by their Charter dated Jan. 20. 1662. are intituled, the Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa, or the Guinea Company; The Limits of their Trade, being from Sally in South Bar­bary, to Cape de bona Esperanza, or the Cape of Good Hope, within which Limits all English Ships are prohibited to Trade unless Authorized by them. The Commodities exported by this Royal Company to Africa are Iron, Copper, Slesias, Sheets, Says, Perpetuana's, Cowries, Welch Plains, Manillos, Boysades, Chints, Rombergers, Coral, Callico's, Nicanies, Clouts, Amber, Powder, Muskets, Batteries of all forts, Turkey Carpets, Brandy, Strong Wa­ters, Spirits, Gingharus Taffeties, Beads of all sorts, Buckshaws, Knives and Sheaths, Swords, Tallow, &c. For which they import from thence to England, Gold, Elephants Teeth, Hides, Malagueta, or Ginny Pepper, Red Wood, Ambergreece, with several other good Commodities, besides numbers of Negroes for supplying his Majesties American Plantations to their great advantage; They have likewise divers Forts and Factories established upon those Coasts, for the security and defence of [Page 12]their Merchandize and Commerce in Africa, for the names of some of which I must be ob­liged to a Gentleman, who has lately travelled thither, of which I shall give a brief account, and touch upon the manners of the Natives and other observables as I pass along.

The first place he mentions is Gambo, where the English have a Fort, with eight pieces of Cannon, and the Government worth about two Thousand Pound a year; It is Scituate near Cape Verde, so called from its continual greenness, which makes it a most delectable place, being a Promontory, which throws it self into the Sea, covered with green Trees, and causing a very beautiful Prospect by reason of their evenness, seeming as if planted by a line; we have already described the Natives, only may add, that they have generally small Bellies, long Legs, broad Feet, long Toes, sharp Sight, quick Wits, are Envious, curi­ously Neat, Thieves, Letcherous, subject to the Pox, of which as well as their Pudenda they are not the least ashamed, yet hold break­ing wind backward a great incivility, and wondred at the Hollanders for offering them such contempt; Lastly, they have Stomachs like Estridges, as appears by their strange and usual repasts, of which I shall next give an ac­count.

When they go to Market, they wash from Head to Foot, and put on other Cloths; They [Page 13]buy only for one day; Their Bread is made by stamping their Millet as we do Spice in a woodden dish, steeping it over night with a lit­tle Maiz, and in the morning laying it on a stone, they grind it with another stone, as Painters do their Colours, till it be dough, which they then temper with fresh Water and Salt, and make Rolls thereof twice so big as a mans Fist, baking them a little on the Hearth, and then eat it; Their Viands are raw flesh, hand­fuls of Corn, large draughts of Aqua Vitae, Dogs, Catts, Buffles, Elephants, though stinking like Carrion, and a thousand Magots crawling on them; They have little Birds like Bullfinches which hang their Nests on the small ends of branches of Trees for fear of Snakes, these they eat alive Feathers and all; The Ne­gro's say that up in the Countrey, they eat dri­ed Snakes, and the guts of Dogs raw, which our Author hath seen, and a Boy who was left on Ship-board in pawn for Money, would pri­vately kill the Hens, that he might eat the raw Guts; They likewise eat raw stinking Fish dried in the Sun, yet can dispence with dain­ties when they have them; They make a kind of Ale of Mays and Water boyl'd together, and putting it into a Vessel as large as a Kilder­kin, four or five place themselves round, and drink it off, each sending a little Pot full to his best beloved Wife; They lay their hands upon the Head of him that drinks, and cry aloud [Page 14] Tautosi, Tautosi; He must not drink off all, but leaves a little to throw on the ground to his Fetisso, saying I, ou, spouting out some on the Arms and Legs of their Fetisso's, supposing that otherwise they should not drink in quiet; They are great drinkers, and feed as unmannerly as Swine, sitting on the ground, and cramming it in, not swallowing one Morsel after another, but tear their meat to pieces, and throw it in­to their Mouths, which stand gaping to re­ceive it, they are always hungry, and would eat all day long; Yea the Europeans have great Appetites while they are there; He that gets most, drinks most of their strong Liquors, for they lay up but little.

The next place belonging to the English on these Coasts is in the River of Sierra Leona, where our Author says, an Englishman dwelt a long time in one of the Isles, having a fair House, guarded with four pieces of Cannon, and was well beloved and protected by the Kings of that Countrey. In the first War with Holland 1666. our Author being aboard a Dutch Man of War, this English Factor writ to them divers times to desire he might come and Trade with them, they told him he might do it with safety, and upon their Parole, the Englishman called Abraham came aboard them in his Shallop, rowed by three Slaves, accompanied by a Hollander and two others which belonged to him, and was kindly treat­ed, [Page 15]but afterward the Captain contrary to the advice of the rest, treacherously made him a Prisoner; and the three Moores with him, to their great surprizal; And Jan. 1. 1667. their great Shallop was manned out with thirty Men, and one Piece of Ordnance to Besiege and plunder his House, which was built of Brick and Freestone, defended with four great Guns, incompassed with a fair Wood of Palm­trees, which supplied him with Wine; On one side were about twenty Cabines for the Natives, and on the other a Spring of good Water, it being the most beautiful Island upon the River.

Being about to land, they discovered 200 Moores got together about the House with Firelocks, and a greater number farther up in the Woods, which obliged the Hollanders to make a show of going up higher, as being weaker, and therefore had more occasion for the wind, but the Negroes thought they had been gone to Bowre, and dispatch a Canoe to give the King of Boulom the Alarum, which was persued by the Enemy, who fired into their Boat, and at length took them, they were two young Slaves belonging to the Portugals, who lived with the English Factor, but would confess nothing of their Message; The English in the House observing what passed, fired at them with their Cannon, and three of their Bullets fell within ten paces of the Boat; The [Page 16] Hollanders put themselves out of the reach of their Guns for the present, and came to an An­chor to wait the Tyde; About an hour after two Moores belonging to one of the Neighbour Islands made up directly to them in a Canoe, and came within Pistol-shot, but would not be persuaded aboard, the Dutch firing on them, they fled, and stooping for fear of their fire, seemed no higher than Catts; the English in the interim played upon them, though they saw they were out of their reach, to shew the Na­tives they had undertaken their Defence, and desired their Friendship.

The Tyde coming in, the Dutch retreated to their Ship, wherein they found several Moores and Portugals, and among them the King of Bouloms Son called Bembo, about 35 years old, well proportioned, and abating his Blackness, a very handsom Man, he was a very great Friend of Abrahams the English Factor, and when he understood he was a Prisoner, he instantly in­terceded for his Ransom, and on Monday noon came on board again with an hundred Ele­phants Teeth, weighing nine hundred pound weight, and two Civet Catts alive, upon the delivery whereof Abraham was dismist, the Hollanders giving him a little Barrel of Strong-Waters, a Roll of Tobacco, a Cheese and a Salvo of three Guns.

In the River of Madre-Bomba the English have likewise a House or Factory not inferiour [Page 17]to that of Siorra-Leone. The Kingdom of Bou­lom, wherein it seated, is principally inclined to the English and Portugals, of which last there are several that inhabit there. Let us now con­sider the Religion of the Negro's, if we may so call it, which is generally Paganism, they greet the New Moon with horrible roarings, and strange gestures of Adoration; they offer their Sacrifices in the Woods before great hollow Trees wherein their Idols are placed, yet this they do rather out of Custom than Zeal, using neither Form nor Method in their Devotions, every one making a God after his own fancy; some seeming to incline to Mahumatism, others to Judaism, and many of them are Roman Ca­tholicks, yet divers affirm, that God who giveth all things, and can do what he pleaseth, and causes Thunders, Lightning, Rain and Wind, is Omnipotent, and needs neither praying to, nor to be set forth in so mysterious a way as that of the Trinity. They believe that when People die they go into another World, and will have occasion for many of the same things they use here, and therefore put part of their Housholdstuff into the Grave with the dead Corps; and if they lose any thing, imagine their Friends in the other World had need of it, and have taken it away:

They have no Letters nor Books, yet keep Tuesday for a Sabbath, forbearing then their Fishing and Husbandry, and the Palm Wine [Page 18]which is gotten that day must not be sold, but is offered to the King, who bestows it on his Courtiers to drink at night. On this Day in the midst of the Market-place they place a Table on four Pillars about three yards high, whose flat cover is made of Straw and Reeds woven toge­ther, upon which they place many Straw Rings called Fetisso's or Gods, and within them set Wheat, Water & Oil for their God whom they imagine devours it; Their Priest they call Fe­tissero, who every Festival-day placeth a Seat upon that Table, and sitting thereon, preacheth to the People, but what his Doctrine is, the Europeans cannot understand: After this the Women offer him their Infants, whom he sprinkles with Water, wherein a live Snake swims, wherewith he likewise besprinkles the Table, and then uttering certain words very loud, and stroking the Children with some kind of Colours, as if giving them his Blessing; he himself drinks of that Water, the People clapping their hands and crying, I ou, I ou, and so he dismisseth this devout Assembly.

Many wear such Rings next their Bodies, to preserve them from the mischiefs their angry God might inflict upon them, in honour of whom they daub themselves with a kind of Chalky Earth, which is their Morning Mat­tens; At their eating, the first bit, and the first draught is consecrated to their Fetisso, where­with they besprinkle it: If Fishermen have [Page 19]not a good Draught, they present a piece of Gold to the Priest to reconcile them to their frowning Saint, who with his Wives makes a kind of Procession through the Streets, smiting his Breast, and clapping his Hands with a mighty noise, till he come to the Shore, where they cut down boughs from certain Trees, and hang them on their Necks, playing on a Tim­brel; Then the Priest turns to his Wives, and expostulates with them, and throws Wheat and other things into the Sea as an Offering to ap­pease the Fetisso's displeasure against the Fisher­men; When the King Sacrifices to his Fetisso, he commands the Priest or Fitessero to inquire of a Tree, whereunto he ascribeth Divinity, what he will demand; The Priest comes to the Tree, and in a heap of Ashes there provided, sticks the Branch of a Tree, and drinking wa­ter out of a Bason, spouts it upon the Branch, and then daubeth his Face with the Ashes, af­ter which the Devil out of the Tree gives an­swer to the Kings questions; The Nobility likewise adore certain Trees, esteeming them Oracles, and they report the Devil sometimes appears to them like a black Dog, and other­while answers them without any visible appari­tion. Some worship a Bird called Pittoie, spotted and painted as it were with Stars, and resem­bleth the voice of a Bull; To hear this Bird low in their Journey, is reckoned a good Omen, they saying, their Fetisso promises them good [Page 20]Fortune, and therefore they set a Vessel of Water and Wheat in the place where they hear it; And as the Earth and Air yield them Dei­ties, so the Sea is not illiberal to them, but yields certain Fishes whom they Canonize, upon this account, they never take the Tunny Fish, the Swordfish they take and eat, but dry the Sword on his back, which is held in great Veneration: Yea the Mountains are not without honour, and if they did not pacifie their Anger by setting daily Presents of Meat and Drink thereon, they believe they would bend their sullen Brows, and as their High Tops threaten to scale Heaven, would overwhelm the Earth, and destroy them all.

Neither has Nature alone this priviledge, but Art likewise is concerned in this making of Gods, which are composed sometimes of very filthy things, as of a piece of putrified Earth anointed over with Suet, Grease and Oil of Palms, with five or six Parrot Feathers bolt upright in the middle, to which morning and night they pay their constant Devotions; when it Thunders, Rains hard, or the wind blows very strong, there is not one of them to be seen in the Streets, all hide themselves in their Houses and cry, The Gods of the Whites are angry. The Devil is so dreadful to them, they tremble at naming him, and say he beats them, and makes them do evil things for their Fe­tisso, which every one carries about him, some [Page]

[Page] [Page 21]are made of the end of Horns filled up with Dung, others of little figures, as the heads of some Crea­ture and the like, which their Priests sell them at their own price, and pretend they found them under the Fetiche Tree, when any one Dies they make a new Fetisso or Ring of Straw, and conjure it to keep company and protect the dead in their Journey to the other World; They lay the Corps on a Matt upon the ground, wrapt in Woollen, with a Stool co­vered with a Goat-skin under the head, the body is then strowed with Ashes, the Arms laid by its side, and the Eyes opened, this con­tinues half a day, the best beloved Wife sitting by the Husband (as the Husband doth by his first Wife) crying Aury, and wiping her Face with a wisp of Straw; Other Women go round the House and Corps, sing­ing and beating on Basons; The Eldest Morini or Gentleman goes from House to House with a Bason, into which every one puts the value of Twelve Pence in Gold, with this they buy a Cow, with whose Blood the Fittessero or Priest appeaseth the Fetisso. The Friends and Kindred assembling, prepare a Hen, and then seating themselves in a corner of the dead mans House, they place all his Fetisso's or Gods on a row, the greatest in the midst, adorning the same with Garlands of Pease and Beans, and then sprinkle them with the Blood of the Hen, and hang a Chain or Garland of Herbs about [Page 22]their Necks, after this the Hen being boyl'd, the Women set it in the midst of his Fetisso's, and the Priest taking water into his Mouth, a­midst his Charms, spits it out on the Fetisso's, and plucking the Herbs from his Neck, he makes a Ball of them, wherewith he besmears his Face, which Ball hereby is made a Fetisso, and the Party deceased is now at rest.

In the mean time, the dearest of his Wives fills all the House with Mourning, the Neigh­bours and Friends assisting with Songs and Dances; At length they take up the Corps and carry it to the Grave, which is about four foot deep, and covered with Stakes that nothing may fall therein; The Women come about the Sepulchre, and expostulate thus with him in a pitiful and lamenting voice, Alas, why didst thou dye? Thou hadst so much Wheat, so much Maiz, thou wast beloved of thy Family, and they had great care of thy Person, why there­fore wouldst thou dye? what have we deserved, wherein have we offended thee, what discontent have we ever given thee, to oblige thee to leave us? If he be a man, they add; Thou wert so valiant, so generous, thou hast overthrown so many Enemies; thou hast behaved thy self gal­lantly in so many Fights, who shall now defend us from our Adversaries? Wherefore then wouldst thou dye? Others cry, He is dead, that brave Huntsman, that excellent Fisherman, that vali­ant Warriour, that great destroyer of Portugals, [Page 23] that generous Defender of our Gountrey, he is de­parted this World. Then they throw on a lit­tle Earth, but none can get in to the Corps, for he hath with him his Houshold Stuff, Armour, and whatsoever he used in his life time, and Wine too, if he loved it, to drink in the other World. Lastly, they cover the Sepulchre with a Roof to defend all from Rain; If the King dyes, greater Solemnity is used, yea his No­bles thinking so great a Personage ought to have Attendants, one offers to him a Servant, ano­ther a Wife, a third his Son or Daughter, even many of both Sexes to wait upon him, all whom are suddenly slain, and their Bloody Carcasses buried with him, yea the Kings Wives who loved him best, refuse not this last and ever­lasting Service, but are willing to dye, that they may again live with him. The Heads of the Slain are set upon Poles round about the Sepulchre; Meat, Drink, Cloths, Arms, and other Utensils are buried with them; After the Funeral, they go to the Sea, and there use other Ceremonies, some washing, while others play on Basons and Instruments, where the Widdow or Widdower is laid backward on the water with divers words of complaint, at last they return back to the dead Mans House, where they are very merry, drinking themselves drunk, and washing away all further sorrow.

Near Cape Miserado, the English have ano­ther Ware house or Factory, being in great [Page 24]favour with the Natives, who have no kind­ness for any other Nation that are Enemies to them; It was called Miserado by the Portugals, either because it is incompassed with Rocks that lye under water, and would inevitably de­stroy any Vessel which should come nearer than half a League, or because the French who were formerly Massacred here, cryed out Mise­ricorde, Misericorde, Mercy, Mercy; Besides the Natives of this place being very cruel, they have denominated the River, and called it Du­ro, as being hard and fatal to the Europeans. The Government of this Countrey is absolute and unlimited Monarchy, so that the King is the only and sole Judge in all Causes, and though he admit his Councellors sometimes to give their Opinions, yet he follows his own single resolved determinations; This absolute Power makes him jealous of his Honour, of which he will not endure the least diminution; His Highest Pomp consists in sitting upon a Shield, whereby he signifies that he is the Protection and Defence of his Countrey, and the Manager of all Wars, pacifying Civil Insurrections, and other weighty matters be­longing to him alone; His Title is Dondagh, which is as much as Monarch. When any No­bleman is Disobedient, and will not appear upon Summons, he sends this Koredo or Shield, as if he would upbraidingly say, Be you Lord your self, and bear the burden of the Countrey. [Page 25]This peremptory command by the Shield is sent by two Drummers, who as soon as they come near the Offenders Habitation, begin to beat their Drums, and so continue without ceasing till they have delivered the Shield, upon receipt whereof, he must speed away to Court without delay, carrying the Shield with him, which he presents to the King, begging forgive­ness for his miscarriages, and so taking up the Earth before the King, humbles himself.

Those that Address to the King for any fa­vour, make their way with Presents of Rib­bons, Elephants Teeth, or such things, which he must deliver at the House of the Kings chief­est Wife, who carries it to the King, request­ing that the Person may be admitted into his presence; If the King accept it, the Person hath leave to enter, otherwise if any complaints be brought against him, he sends it back, yet so as the Presenter dares not receive and carry it away, but continues his Suit by Friends with­out intermission, by whose frequent and renew­ed Mediations, the King at last seeming a lit­tle pacified, remits his severity, takes the Pre­sent, and calls for the Suppliant, who entring the Royal Presence, goes bowing all along to­ward the King, who sits on the ground upon a Mat, leaning on a Stool, when he approaches within two steps, he bows himself to the Earth, kneeling down upon one Knee with his his right Elbow on the ground, and names [Page 26]the Kings Title, Dondagh, whereupon the King if pleased Answers, Namady, I thank you, if not he sits silent. If it be a Person of Quality and his Subject, the King perhaps causes a Mat to be spread on the ground, upon which sitting at some distance, he moves his request; But if a Forreigner, who comes on­ly to salute the King, he is conducted to him without any further Ceremony, and receives an immediate dispatch; If the Person have any Proposition, Petition, or Complaint to make, an Interpreter is called, who coming with his Bow in his hand, opens the whole matter to the King, sentence by sentence, where to ac­cording to the quality of the Affair he receives Answer, with promise, if upon complaint, that when he hath heard the other party, he will forthwith give Judgment according to Right.

If any man come to thank the King for do­ing Exemplary Justice in a difficult Cause, after his Presents received, he divests himself of all his Cloths and Ornaments, saving a little Cloth to cover his Virilities, and so casts himself back­ward upon the groudn, and instantly turning again, rises upon one knee, takes up Earth with his hand, and lays it upon his head, then lean­ing with one Elbow upon the Earth, he says three times Dondagh, whereupon the King an­swers sometimes Namady, I thank you, and sometimes otherwise as he thinks fit: The first Address is usually performed in his own House [Page 27]in the presence of his chiefest Wife, but such as concern Justice, or the State of the Countrey he hears in the Council House in the presence of his Lords. When some Eminent Person sent from a Neighbour King, desires Audience, one of the Kings Wives goes with a Present, and tells him who sent it, whereupon the Person ap­pears before the King and takes up Earth.

When an Ambassador sent from another Great Prince approaches the Borders, he gives notice of his coming, whereupon he is ordered to remain in the next Town till all be made ready which is requisite in the Kings Town; There he is received with great Triumphs, which consist in exercising with Bows, Arrows, Lances and Shields, as if they were fighting against Enemies, with great Drummings and Songs of War; The Sport ended, the King retires to the Council-House, where after a little stay, inquiry is made if the King may be salu­ted; whereupon having permission, the Am­bassador enters, and kneeling down with his back to the King, and his Bow in his hand bent to the utmost, he allusively implys, that he will set himself to the utmost against his Enemies: Mean time the Ambassadors follow­ers chant forth his praises, as before the Kings Servants sung Elogiums to his Honour: These Encomiums they always begin with Polo, Polo Sammach, and then add, His handy-work is not to be equalled by another man, and then, I [Page 28]will stick as close as Pitch to him that opposes me. The Council-House is open on all sides, with great Attendance round about, where he receives this first Address; After which the Ambassador desires leave to relate his Embassy, but is put off till next day, so retiring, he di­verts himself till the appointed time in Feasts and Sportive Recreations. The Ambassador receives Answer by the Kings directions from an Interpreter, and then is shewed the Apart­ment for him and his Retinue, where the Kings Slaves bring them Water to wash, and the Kings Women being very neatly drest, in Dishes set on their heads bring Rice and Flesh, after which the King sends for his Welcom, Wine and other Presents, as a Kettle, Bason or the like. If any European Merchant bring the King a Present, he is invited to eat with him, but with no Black of what Quality soever will he eat out of the same Dish, but sends their Meat to them by his Women.

Once a year he makes a Great Feast for the Common People, buying up for that purpose all the Palm Wine, and Herds of Cattel, the Heads of which are painted and hung up in the Kings Chamber, in testimony of his Bounty: He inviteth also his Neighbour Kings, Cap­rains and Gentlemen, and then prays and sacri­fices to his Fetisso, which is the highest Tree in the Town. The King comes little abroad, morning and evening, his Slaves blow Trum­pets [Page 29]made of Elephansts Teeth while his Wives anoint and wash his Body: He sits in state holding in his hand the Tail of an Horse to drive away Flyes, being gallantly adorned with Rings of Gold on his Arms, Neck and Leggs, and Coral Beads where with he sets off his Beard. The Kings Children must maintain themselves when of Age, the People not liking to main­tain them idle; the King only bestows on them a Marriage-Gift and a Slave; when he dies, his eldest Brother succeeds in the Throne, and en­joys his Rice, Fields, Slaves and Women. These People believe that the Almighty whom they call Kanuo, will punish all their misdeeds, and reward well-doers, and therefore when oppres­sed, call for his Aid to do them Justice, con­tinually inculcating. That there shall a time come when all ill men shall receive their deserts. They imagin that their Friends after death be­come Spirits, whom they call Jannanen, and know all Transactions here below, with whom therefore they hold familiar Colloquies, acquain­ting them with all their troubles and adversi­ties; When they go into the Woods to hunt Elephants, Buffles, or any other dangerous En­terprize, they go first and offer to the Spirit of their deceased Parents, either a Cow, Wine or Rice, which they leave on the Grave; They suppose them to reside in the Woods, to whom therefore they address themselves with great complaints and lamentations when in affliction; [Page 30]where likewise there most Solemn Acts of De­votion are performed, when no Women nor Children are permited to come; The King calls upon the Souls of his Father and Mother almost in every matter of difficulty.

If a Woman be suspected of Adultery, the complaining Husband desires his Wife may be delivered up to Jannanen, or the Spirits of his Ancestors, and brings her in the Evening before the Council Assembled to that purpose, where after there calling the Spirits to her, she is blindfolded, admonished to forsake her evil Life, and not to go to any but her own Hus­band, and prosently a great noise or murmur is raised, as if Spirits did appear, with some unintelligible (though articulate) sounds, which are interpreted abloud to the whole Con­gregation, with threathings, that if ever she commit the like offence again, she shall be pu­nished according to her demerits, and together with her Paramour, shall be carried away by Jannanen, to whom yet none are delivered up but upon clear evidence of their Guilt, to which end they have a Water of Cursing or Divina­tion wherewith they extort the Truth in all doubtful matters, compounded of Barks and Herbs boiled together, which when it is enough, the Priest repeats secretly the names of the suspected persons, or other matters to which the Witchcraft must be applied, and then washes the Legs and Arms of those accu­sed [Page 31]with fair Water, after this he puts his Di­vining Staff, which is bruised and tufted at the end, into the Pot, and drops or presseth the Water out of it upon the Arm of Leg of the suspected Person, muttering these words over it, If he be guilty of this or that, then let this Wa­ter scald or burn him till the very Skin come off. If the Party remain unhurt, they judge him in­nocent, and proceed to the Trial of another till they have discovered the Criminal, who being found, the Executioner instantly leads him bound and blindfold into an open Field or Wood, and placing him on his Knees with his Head bowed down, he first runs him through the Body with a Scimetar, and then chops off his Head with an Ax, for they do not believe he is dead till his Head is off; The Carcase cut into four quarters after great lamentations, they leave in the Feild as a Prey to the Beasts and Fowls, but the Friends take away the Head as a great Present, and boiling it in a Kettle, drink up the Broth, hanging the Scull by their Fe­tisso or Idol. The like Trial is also made of o­ther offences among the Blacks, so that every one had need be very careful to prevent suspi­cion.

Some years since Mendino the King of Ma­nou died, whose Subjects and Favourites made strict inquiry according to Custom, how he came by his end, but the narrowest of their serutinies not being able to make any discovery, [Page 32]they were forced to acquiesce, yet had such an inveterate hatred against Manimassah, Brother of the deceased Mendino, that they forced him to the Trial, which seeing no other Remedy, he underwent without any hurt, as a remark­able sign of his Innocence, whereupon he de­manded to be restored to his former Honour and Credit, but instead thereof, the Tryers told him, The King in his Life time was our Common Father, and should not we after his death endeavour to find out what did befal him, or caused him to dye it were a great shame for us, we have examined and tryed you, but it shall not remain so, we will look farther into the business, and make the Southsayers acquainted with it; Manimassah mad at these inhumane usages, burst forth at last into these words; This shame is not to be suffered from my own Sub­jects in my own Countrey, I will go under the Conduct of the Spirits of my deceased Friends, and seek a dwelling place. In this manner leaving his Native Countrey, he travelled Northward into Gala, inhabited by a mean and simple People, and won so upon them by his endear­ing behaviour, that they unanimously besought him to be their Prince, to which he consented upon condition, That they should give him some of their Plants and Venison for an acknow­ledgement of their subjection. This they yeild­ed to, but such was their brutish Barbarism, that though they owned him their Lord, they [Page 33]used him as their Companion, for being whol­ly unacquainted with Civility, when any of them brought him Wine, Rice or Flesh, they came again to him to require their Callibashes or Basquets, which unmannerly clownish be­haviour, Manimassah so resented, that he withdrew from them, to require assistance from Flansire King of Folgia, whose Daughter he had Married to reduce the Gala's to his Autho­rity.

The King hearing the request of his Son in Law, lent him many Souldiers under the Con­duct of Flonikerry his General, who unexpect­edly fell into Gala, and subdued the People, setling Manimassah in an absolute Dominion, who hath ever since continned their Prince, and taught them with sorrow more respective qualities; after this, Flonikerry returned to Folgia, where he was received and welcomed with great applause, and the King willing to gratifie him for his honest performances, he ac­cording to Flonikerrys Petition, gave him leave to go and Conquer, and settle himself and his People in Cabo Monte an adjacent Countrey, expressing his kindness in saying, I shall do the desire of his Heart, and sending a considerable force to help him, that he might not be repul­sed; Marching toward this place, the Inhabi­tants being numerous and couragious, were not soon subdued, but at length tired with the continual onsets of their Enemies, who shot [Page 34]poysoned Arrows; which made all wounds though never so slight prove Mortal, a fatal Invention unknown to these People, they went with their Hoods upon their Heads as usual, to ask favour, which Flonikerry natural­ly inclined to pity, easily granted, bidding them go lie down with their Faces upon the ground according to the manner of that Coun­trey in such cases, then coming out of his Fort he trod upon them with his Feet; He then made an agreement with them, which was confirmed as followeth, first some Hens were killed in the presence of them all, of whose Blood the Conquered swallowed a little, as a token of Friendship. Afterward the Hens were boiled, and the Flesh eaten among them, only the Legs were kept for a perpetual Remem­brance, for if any Man after that time trans­gressed or broke his promise, to him were the Legs shown, who upon sight thereof soon re­canted for fear of the punishment that would assuredly follow.

Flonikerry overjoyed at his success, gave free scope to his thoughts to range farther, but for assuring his new Dominion, he first sought to win the minds of the vanquished to him, and then to contract a firm League of Friend­ship and correspondence with the Lords of his own Countrey. But wavering Fortune who minds nothing less than contribuance of her fa­vour, will blemish his new gotten glory with [Page 35]a dire and unexpected mishap, for scarce were the minds of the Nobility united, when there came out of Gala, Miminique Son of the afore­mentioned Manimassah, with a great Army of Gala's, and others make War upon him, of whose design his Father was not ignorant, hav­ing already forgot the kindness received from Flonikerrys Arms in setling him in his new ac­quired Dominions; Flonikerry upon the first Intelligence drew together his Forces, to whom the Nobles joining theirs, he formed a consi­derable Army, wherewith marching toward the Enemy, they soon met and came to a Bat­tle, wherein by the multitude of their Enemies, they were at first put to a disorderly retreat, which Flonikerry who was of an undaunted Spirit perceiving, and not used to shrink in Fight, digged with his hand a hole in the ground, and put his Knees in it, with a resolu­tion either to die there, or to remain Conque­rour, and indeed in one he had his desire, for after a long and sharp contest at length being even covered with Arrows, he was slain on the spot. However his men gathering new courage to revenge their Princes death, rallied and gave a fresh charge with such fury, that they turned the Fortune of the day, and be­came sole Masters of the Field.

The death of Flonikerry, whose body they privately buried, was sometime kept secret till they sent for his Brother Zillimanque to take [Page 36]his charge, who immediately accepting the same, pursued the Victory, and drew near the Enemies Camp, which he soon surprized, and gave as a spoil to his Souldiers; After which he marched farther, the People all along yielding subjection without blows, whereby they soon became Masters of the whole Countrey, and gain'd the reputation of a Mighty People; Af­ter which he was poisoned, as was thought, leaving behind him several Sons who were young, and not capable to manage their Fathers Conquests. However, Flansire his eldest was admitted Successor, during whose Minority his Uncle Jemmah undertook the Government, but Flansire growing to years, took the Royal Au­thority into his own hands, and to shew that he inherited as well his Fathers Valour as Coun­treys, resolves to inlarge his bounds yet farther, and to that end marcht with his Forces over the River Galinas or Hens, taking all the ad­jacent places as far as Sierra Liona, and placing Garrisons therein: Having settled his new Con­quests, he return'd to his own Native Principa­lity, where he spent a good part of his Life in peace and quietness, when on a sudden there came News from Sierra Liona that Kandaqualla his Governour was driven out thence, and for­ced to fly with all his People to the Islands of Bananeo, not being able to withstand, Falma of Dogo, who with a mighty Force inveded them; Flansire startled at this intelligence, and [Page 37]knowing nothing more necessary than expedi­tion, sent to the Lords, his Substitutes, to raise an Army and meet him at an appointed Ran­dezvouz; but they having made a private Con­federacy with Gamina their Master Flansires Brother, by his instigation they neglected and slighted his Commands. Flansire, ignorant of this Combination, leaving the Government of his Kingdom, Wives and Children to his trea­cherous Brother Gamina, marched with his eldest Son Flambore the present King of Quoia, not doubting in the least the Fidelity of his Provincials: He went first by Land to the Ri­ver of Hens, and from thence in Canoes to the Isles of Bananes, to take with him his People who were driven from Sierra Liona, and so bringing them back thither, he began a sharp War with Falma.

This Falma had been formerly in great fa­vour with the King of Dogo, or Hondo, but having debauched one of his Wives, the King was thereat so much offended, that not content the offence should, as usual, be bought off with Gifts or Slaves, he caused his Ears to be cut off, and banished him his presence, but length of time so wore out the Kings Fury, that Falma was again admitted to Court, where he had not been long, but he began to shew his Insolence, and at length addrest the King in these Terms; Sir King, considering the wickedness committed against you my Lord and Master, I am obliged [Page 38]to thank you for your gracious Sentence by which I am punished, whereby every one that looks upon me derides and scorns me, and the rather because the punishment is unusual, and the like offence customarily bought off with Goods and Slaves: Now as you were pleased to punish me, so I desire the like offence in others may be punished in the same manner. It may happen that some of the Kings Servants or Subjects may fall into the same Lapse, but if this Sentence be either denied, or not performed, I shall complain against my Lord the King in the Ways and in the Woods to the Jananen and Belli, that is, to all the Spi­rits and Demons. The King having heard this audacious Speech, took counsel upon it, and notwithstanding this seeming Threat, determin­ed that the punishment inflicted on him should not follow upon all: But yet to pacifie him in some measure, he made him General of an Ar­my to recover Sierra Liona out of the hands of Kandaqualla, who presided there for Flan­sire.

To repel this Invader Flansire as we said coming to Sierra Liona with an Army, and making sharp War, at length by the help of some Europeans he fell upon the Town of Fal­maha, and with Axes cutting down the Tree­wall, at last they forced an entrance, and set the Houses on fire, whose fury soon increased to an impossibility of being quenched, whereupon Fal­ma unable to resist, fled, whom young Flam­bore [Page 39]pursued, and though he mist him, yet got great Reputation, the People stiling him, The Pursuen of Falma. Flansire having thus re­conquered these Countries, and settled Kanda­qualla in his Lieutenantship, retreated with his Forces, intending to return to his Wife and Children; But on the way he had notice, that his Brother Gamana had usurped his Kingdom, killed all his Sons he could meet with, taken his Wives for himself, and had set up his Resi­dence at a convenient place near the River of Hens, to intercept and hinder his Brothers ap­proach; and as commonly one Trouble falls in the neck of another, this Rebellion of his Bro­ther was attended with the Invasion of Monou, who dwelt near Cape Miserado, and fell into his Countrey at Cape de Monto, where they burnt the Town, and led away all they met with for Slaves. Flansire understanding these mischiefs, marched toward the River Maqual­bary with all speedy, but complaining to the Kanou and Jananies (that is, to God and the Angels) of his distress in these words, To you only it is known, that my Father left me rightful Heir to his Kingdom, which falls to me by the Laws of the Land, seeing I was the eldest: You likewise know that my Brother hath rebel­led against me, and hath set himself up to be Lord, be you Judges between him and me in this intended Fight, and if the Cause be unjust that he manages against me, let the mischief fall upon his own head.

Thereupon he passed with all his Souldiers over the River, where the Armies suddenly met, and his Brother with great numbers of men being slain, he obtained a compleat Vi­ctory, but still kept the Field, though no other opposition appeared against him. While the King incamped in the Field to be more ready against any other appearing Rebels, his Son Flambore went with a Squadron of Souldiers into the Woods to hunt Civit Cats, and being by his sports got far into them, they discovered some of the Rebels busie in burying the dead body of Gamana the Usurper, who perceiving Flambore and his Followers, immediately fled, imagining he had come purposely with those Forces to search them out, and left the Corps behind them, with three Slaves in Chains, whom they intended to have dispatcht at his Grave according to Custom: Being by this means as­sured of Gamana's death, when they least ex­pected it, they brought the three Slaves to Flansire, who having from them understood all Circumstances, and how all things stood in the Countrey, he sent them to their Fellow-Rebels to admonish them to come and ask his pardon; and to ascertain them he would utterly forget their misdeeds; which goodness of the Kings, though presented by the mouth of these Slaves, wrought the desired Effect, for the Re­bels immediately submitted, and received their Pardon. This Rebellion thus supprest, King [Page 41] Flansire with all his Power marched to Cape Miserado to reduce Monou, which he did with great slaughter and spoil of the Countrey, and then retired home with his Forces, till Monou made a New Insurrection to revenge the Losses of Falma, but in short time he was again in a manner totally subdued by Flansires People.

In the Principality of Anten near Tekorari, the Hollanders some years since built a Fort, which in 1664. was attaqued by Sir Robert Holms in behalf of the Royal African Company, with two of the Kings Men of War, six Frigats, and some other Ships, and by them with no great difficulty won, but regained the next year by Admiral De Ruyter, being at that time only mann'd by four or five in health, and about as many more sick English-men, leaving in it seven Iron Guns, and six or eight Pounders. Upon the retaking, the Guns being drawn off to the Ship, De Ruyter caused it, as not being tenable, without many People and great Char­ges, to be blown up into the Air, and totally dismantled with twelve hundred pound of Pow­der. In the mean time the Negro's of the Mine plundered the Village of Tekorari, and laid it waste with Fire and Sword, out of malice to the Blacks of that place, exercising great Cruelty upon the Prisoners, cutting off their Heads, wherewith they went dancing and leaping up and down, and at last carried them home in to­ken of Victory; they were well Armed accord­ing [Page 42]to the Countrey fashion, some having Caps like Helmets, adorned with Feathers and Horns of Beasts, and Swords hanging on their Bellies, whereon instead of Handles they put the Bones of Lions, Tygers, and other Beasts, their Faces are generally painted with Red and Yellow, which make a very strange and terrible sight.

In the Kingdom of Fetu the Hollanders have a Fort called Cape Corso, strengthened with a convenient number of great Guns, and mann'd with a strong Garrison of Slaves, but in 1664 this with the Forts of Tekorari aforemention­ed Adia, and Anemabo were taken by Sir Ro­bert Holmes for the Royal African Company, but when De Ruyter in 1665. with the Dutch Fleet had forced the English Fort Cormantyn, he spared neither diligence nor cost to regain Cape Corse then in the English possession, and the rather because John Valkenberge the Dutch Commander in chief there, judged it very dangerous that any place in that Conntrey should be left in the hands of the English, al­ledging that if during the Wars in Europe they were expelled thence, by consequence they might easily be kept out, whereas by the hold­ing of this place, they had an opportunity to settle their Jurisdiction in the Countrey again, and in defiance of their Power might defend it against them: But finding the Na­tives sided with the English, threatning nothing but Fire and Sword, having also possessed them­selves [Page 43]of a place, where a hundred men might beat off a thousand, it was judged not feasible to be undertaken, without the greatest danger in the World, and therefore at present the design was laid aside.

In the Kingdom of Fantyn, the chief Town upon the Seacoasts called Cormantyn is the prin­cipal place of Trade, for the English, scituate upon a very high Mountain; It is the fairest and most delightful prospect upon the whole Coast, near which the English have a Castle fortified with four Bulwarks. In 1665. Feb. 8. This Cormantyn was surreptitiously at­taqued by the Dutch, the manner thus; The Holland Fleet coming to Anchor Feb. 6. west­ward of Cormantyn, the next day they got four or five hundred Canoes with Negro's from the Castle Del Myne, with which well mann'd they departed from the Fleet, intending to land at Anemabo, but were upon their approach near the Shore, saluted by the Negro's of Cor­mantyn, who lay behind the clifts and bushes with Muskets and great Ordnance, playing from the Fort with such fury and violence that they were beaten back, and forced to re­treat without doing any thing. This Enterprize was afterward twice reattempted upon hopes of having brought the Negro's to side with them, but without success, however resolving not to quit it, they came at last to a more strict alliance with the Negro's, who for security of [Page 44]their Faith delivered several Hostages into their hands; and the design was to be execu­ted with the first opportunity; Having pitcht on a time, at Night a Negro called Antonio, came in a Canoe sent by the Inhabitants of Fantyn, declaring that the People about Ane­mabo, and Adja could not be ready at the appointed hour, but in the Morning they would not fail them of their promised assistance, adding that early in the Morning at the new cast up Fort of Adja the Princes flag should be set up, upon which sign the Dutch might land with their whole Force. This concluded, the chief Commanders of the Fleet resolved the following Morning to make the onset, yet be­forehand sent a Letter to the English Comman­der in chief, requiring the surrender of the Fort without opposition. Accordingly at eight a Clock in the Morning, the Princes Flag being raised upon the new erected Fort of Adja, they lanched through with much hazard near the same Fort, and marched in order along the Shore with three thousand Negro's, every one with a Linnen Cloth about his Neck to distin­guish them from other Blacks, and came about Noon to Anemabo, drawing forth about a Musket shot westward of Cormantyn, to a Hill planted with three Pieces of Ordnance, where they found stout opposition, but at length o­verpowered they fled, and then the Hollan­ders entred the Town, and set it on Fire, the [Page 45]Flame and Smoke whereof suddenly surprized the Garrison in the Castle, insomuch that as soon as they saw the Souldiers with scaling Ladders, hand Granadoes, and other Utensils of War under their Walls, they took down the red Flag from the Tower, and immediately as it were without a stroke delivered it up. In­to this Castle were Souldiers out of the Castle of Myne instantly put to secure it; To the subduing this Fort, the Hollanders were not a little animated by the promise of assistance from the Natives of Fantyn, which they purchased of them as we hinted before, for fifty two Bars of Gold, to the value of two thousand five hundred Pound English Money.

Half a mile West from Cormantyn stands Ane­mabo, one half whereof is inhabited by the Fishermen of the Myne, and the other by those of Fantyn; At Cannon shot distance West from this lies Adja, where the Dutch had a Fort ta­ken by the English in 1664. and by them kept till the attempt upon Cormantyn, when they blew it up with Gunpowder by Strata­gem, for having laid an heap of Earth at the Mine, they intended when any came thereon with hopes of plunder, to have blown them up by Springing the Mine, but little harm was done, however the English in the mean time left the place and retreated to Cormantyn. Be­tween Adja and Anemabo lies a Town called Janasia, where the English have a Fort. The [Page 46]principal places of Trade lying near the Sea, and frequented by the Whites are Cormantyn and Ademabo, the former having been the chief place of the English upon this Coast for some years, where they got the best sort of Goods, and enjoyed most Friendship, for the support whereof, they built that Fort planted with forty two Pieces of Ordnance, and fortified with four Bulwarks. The King keeps his residence in the Town of Fantyn, and extends his Jurisdiction about ten or twelve Miles round, being able in time of War to bring eight or ten thousand men into the Field.

These Countries produce variety of Creatures, and among others Tygers and Leopards, who bear great enmity to each other, though gene­rally the Tyger is the Conquerour, therefore when the Leopard is pursued by the Tyger, he with his Tail wipes out his footsteps that so he may not be traced. Some of the Ancients knowing the fierceness of the Tyger, attributed to him the command of the Woods, but in these Parts, because he hurts no man but only Beasts, they make the Leopard King of the Forrest, for which ravening temper they are hunted and killed by all Men, even for their own safety. When a Leopard is killed they bring him dead to the Kings Town, there to be cut up and eaten, being flea'd they present his Skin and Teeth to the King, and the Peo­ple assembled, eat the Flesh boil'd as a dainty, [Page 47]spending the remainder of the day in Revelling and Dancing, as at their most Solemn Festi­vals. There is likewise a monstrous Creature which the Portugals call Salvage, that is a Sa­tyr, it hath a great head, a heavy body, fleshy and strong arms, no tail, and goes sometimes upright, and otherwhile upon all four like an Ape. The Blacks affirm it is of Humane Race, but by the alteration and change of the Woods and Wilderness it is become half a Beast, they sustain themselves in the Woods with Fruit and wild Honey, which they get out of the Trees, and as they are numerous, so upon meeting, they fight continually with each other. The Negro's relate strange things of them, and aver for certain, that they not only overpower fee­ble Women and Virgins, but dare also set upon armed Men. There is another strange Beast, like a Crocodile six or seven Foot long, very slender, and the Tongue of an extraor­dinary length. It is a Beast of Prey, and very strong, close set with gaudy Quills over the whole body, wherewith it offends Men, and defends it self against other Creatures, for when the Leopard attempts to seize it, it converts in­to a round Ball, setting up the points of its Quills that no hold can be fixed, their Food is generally Pismires, which with their Tongues they lick up at a great distance.

Both on the Sea coasts, and the upland Coun­trey many Civet Cats are found, it more re­sembles [Page 48]a Wolf than a Cat, for it hath a long Head, small Nose, flat Mouth, and short Ears, Teeth like a Dog, the Body part white, part ashcolour'd, speckled with black spots, the Legs and Feet of a middle size, with black Hairs, having four Claws forward and one backward, with black short flat Nails, the Tail long, bushy and speckled hanging to the ground; The Civet lyes between the Privities and the Cods, and is taken thence with a Spoon or some other fit Instrument. The Giraffa or Camelo-pard is a Beast not often seen, yet very tame, strangely compounded of a Libard, Hart, Buffle and Camel, and by reason of his long legs before and shorter behind, is not able to graze without difficulty, but with his high Head, which he can stretch forth half a Pikes length in height, feeds on the leaves and boughs of Trees. The Camels in Africk are more hardy than in other places, and will not only carry great burthens, but travel fifty days to­gether without any Corn, only turn them out at night to feed on Thistles, Boughs, and the like, and no less patient are they of Thirst, be­ing able to endure fifteen days without Drink. The Lions in cold places are gentler, in hotter more fierce, and will not flie the approach of two hundred Armed Horsemen; in time of their coupling eight or ten will follow one Female, with terrible and bloody Battels among them­selves: They report that Lions spare those who [Page 49]kneel to them, and prey rather on Men than Women, and not at all on Infants, unless com­pelled by hunger. The Africans believe he hath understanding, and tell of a Getulian Wo­man, who lying at the mercy of a Lion, be­sought him, that being so noble a Beast, he would not dishonour himself with so ignoble a Prey, as she a weak Woman was, whereupon he went away and left her: His Tail seems to be his Scepter, whereby he expresseth his Pas­sion; he shrinks at no danger, unless the co­vert of the Woods shroud him from Witnesses, and then he will take the benefit of flight, which otherwise he seems to disdain. Mento a Man of Syracuse was encountred with a Lion, who instead of rending, fawned upon him, and with his dumb eloquence, seemed to implore his Aid, shewing his Foot, wherein Mentor perceived a Thorn to stick, which he pluckt out. The like is reported by Gellius of a Fugitive Servant, who having performed the same kind Office to a Lion, was by him gratified for a long time by giving him a daily portion of his Prey: It happened that afterward this Man was taken, and presented to his Master a Roman Senator, who exhibited Games to the People, wherein Slaves and condemned Persons were exposed to the fury of Beasts, among whom he put this Servant, and by a wonderful fate this Lion was soon after taken, and brought to execute these horrid Spectacles. The Beasts running with [Page 50]violence to their bloody Encounter, suddenly this Lion stayed, and taking a strict view of him, fawned upon this his Guest, and defended him from the Assaults of the other Beasts, whereupon at the Peoples Intercession, who un­derstood the Passages from him, he was freed, and the Lion given him, who followed him with a string through the Streets, the Specta­tors crying, This is the Man who was the Lions Physician; This is the Lion who was this Mans Host.

The Hyaena is another strange Beast which some have thought to be Male one year, and Female another, it hath no Joint in the Neck, and therefore stirs not his Head, but the whole Body at once; He is said to imitate the Voice of Men, and drawing near the Sheepfolds, ha­ving heard the name of some of the Shepherds, will call him, and when he comes devour him: They say his Eyes are of various Colours, and that his shadow prevents the barking of a Dog: By ingendring with this Beast, the Lioness brings forth a Corcuta of like qualities with the Hyaena, he hath one continued Tooth without division throughout his Mouth. The Lybard is not hurtful to Men except they disturb him. The Dabu is said to be a foolish Creature, in shape like a Wolf, only his Legs and Feet are like a Mans; they that know his haunts, sing and fiddle before his Den, his Ears being so capti­vated with the Musick, that he is not aware his [Page 51]Legs are captivated with a Rope, whereby he is taken. The Zebra of all Creatures for beauty and comeliness is admirable, resembling an ex­cellently proportion'd Horse, but not so swift, all overlaid with curious party-colours, from Head to Tail, they live in great Heards, and when one is shot, the rest stand still, gazing till they see three or four fall down before them.

The Rivers breed Water-Elephants, about the bigness of a large Horse, but much thicker and rounder, seeming as if they were blown up; Likewise Sea-Cats, and many other monstrous Creatures. There are variety of Fowls of di­vers kinds, as Eagles, Parrots, Cranes, and ma­ny more, and among others a Bird no bigger than a Thrush, by whose chirping they guess at their good or ill Fortune in their Journey. Crocodiles are here so large, that they will swal­low an Ox whole; but above all things the monstrous Serpents produced in these Countreys are remarkable, among which the most poison­ous are of a Grass green: Some are so curiously spotted with lively Colours as are scarce to be found in any other Creatures. The King of Bena, whom the Inhabitants call King of Ser­pents, keeps commonly one of them in his Arms, which he strokes and fosters as it were a young Child, and so highly esteems, that none dare hurt or kill it. The Negro's rost and eat some of them as great Dainties. Africa hath been famous in all Ages for prodigious Serpents [Page 52]and Monsters. One called Minia attains such largeness, that it can swallow a whole Deer without chewing or tearing to pieces, de­vouring Boars and many other Beasts and Cat­tel; It lurks for Prey within some bush, which coming within reach, it suddenly seizes, wind­ing two or three times about the body and loins, till it falls down and dies, of which thus glutted he lies, not able to stir till his gorged Paunch has digested his Meal: Of this kind was that which the Roman Historians mention, which Attilius Regulus the Roman Consul in the first Punick War at the River Bagrada en­countred, and planted his Engines and Artil­lery against it, whose Skin sent to Rome for a Monument, was in length an hundred and twenty Foot: The Scales defended it from all hurt by Darts or Arrows, and with the Breath it killed many, and had eat divers of the Soul­diers, till at last with a Stone out of an Engine this Destroyer was destroyed. Hear how the elegant Lucan, as eloquently translated de­scribes it, when Julius Caesar in pursuit of Cato into Africa came to the place which was for­merly the habitation of this dreadful Serpent, and had this account given him by an African.

Some parts of Africa produce great numbers of Dragons, of vast bulk, slow motion, and their stinging incurably venomous; Some are said to be as big as Rams with Wings, long Tails, and divers rows of Teeth in his Mouth, his Scales seem painted with Blue and Green, hath two Feet, and feeds upon raw Flesh, Another Serpent hath a rundle in his Tail like a Bell, that makes a noise as he goes, some­what of the nature, I suppose, of the Rattle-Snake. There are a multitude of deadly Ser­pents in those Countreys, as the Cer [...]stes which hath a little Coronet of four horns, whereby he lureth the Birds to him, hiding all but his Head in the Sands, and then devoureth them: The Jaculi so called because they dart themselves from Trees on such Creatures as pass by. The Amphisvena hath two Heads which causeth it to crawl round. The Scytale is admirable for variety of Colours. The Dipsas kills those she stings with Thirst. The Hypanale causes them to Sleep to death, as happened to Cleopatra Queen of Egypt. The Hemorrhois makes them bleed to death. The Prester occa­sions them to swell till they burst; And not to [Page 57]poyson you with more names of venemous Creatures, the Basilisk is said to kill with her sight or hissing, as Galen and Solinus affirm, it is not half a Foot long, having on the Head three pointels like a Crown or Bishops Miter, it blasteth the ground, Herbs and Trees, and so infecteth the Air, that Birds flying over fall down dead, it affrights all other Serpents with the hissing, going upright from the Belly, if it kill any thing that is also venemous to such as touch it, only a Weasil kills it; The Ber­gameni bought the Carcase of one at an incre­dible price, which they hung up in their Temple, that was curiously painted by Apel­les, in a Net of Gold, to preserve it from being defiled by Birds or Spiders; Lemnius affirms that from an Egg laid by an old Cock after he is past treading of Hens, is produced a Basilisk or Cockatrice. The various kinds of Serpents in Africa, and the tremendous effects of them upon Mankind are excellently described by the Famous Lucan, lib. 9. relating the march of Cato's Army over the burning Sands of Libia.

Ostriches in Africa keep in great Companies, and appear afar off like Troops of Horsemen, putting a ridiculous terrour into the Caravans of Merchants, it seems to be a foolish Bird that forgetteth her Nest, and leaveth her Eggs for the Sun and Sand to hatch, she eateth any thing even the hardest Iron, and is said to be Deaf. Another Bird bigger than a Crane soars so high in the Air that his great Body is invisi­ble, yet from thence espieth his Prey and falls down directly upon it, he lives so long that all his Feathers fall away by Age, and then is fed by his young ones. Locusts or Grashoppers do here often renew the Egyptian Plague, coming in such vast numbers that like a Cloud they intercept the shining of the Sun, and hav­ing eaten the Fruits and Leaves, they leave their Spawn behind, who are worse than themselves, devouring the very Barks of the naked Trees. Orosius says, that one time after they had done all this mischief, they did worse by their deaths, for being carried by a strong Wind into the Sea, and again cast up dead on the Shore, their putrified Carcases caused such a Pestilence, that in Numidia only there died eight hundred thousand, and on the Sea coast near Utica and Carthage two hundred thousand. In some places they forced the People to leave the Countrey, it being so desart and de­stroyed that they left nothing to sustain them, and lookt as if it had snowed by reason of the [Page 62]Trees without Barks; The Fields of Maiz were as if trodden down; After a Tempest of Rain and Thunder they lay above two yards thick upon the Rivers Bank. In the River Nilus in the time of Mauricius the Emperour, at the place where Grand Cario now standeth, a Giant-like Monster was seen, from the bot­tom of his Belly upward he appeared like a Man, with Flaxen Hair, Frowning Counte­nance and Strong Limbs; After he had conti­nued in the view of multitudes three hours, there came out of the Water another like a Woman with a comely Face, part of her black Hair hanging down, and part gathered into a knot, her Face was fair, rosie Lips, Fingers and Breasts well composed, the rest of her Bo­dy hid under Water, from Morning to Sun­set they fed their greedy Eyes with this specta­cle, which then sunk down into the Waters and was never seen more.

At Eniacham the English have a Fort upon a little eminence about six hundred Paces with­in the Land, as also several other Factories at Rio Nuno, Rio Grande, Sierra Liona, Serbro, Cestos, Achin, Auta, Comenda, Acara, Ar­dra, Benin, with old and new Calabar, of which little more can be said than of those al­ready mentioned, only of the last I have met with this notable Relation. That in 1668. an English Ship bound for Guinea, Sailing to old Calabar, they entred a River called the [Page 63] Cross-River into Pirats-Island; after they had taken in their Negro's, and were ready to Sail, the Master called up the Boatswain and three Men more commanding them to look out the Copper Bars that were left, and carry them on Shore to try if they could sell them; The Boatswain with his small Company desired they might have Arms with them, not believing they were so harmless a People as reported, they took with them three Musquets and a Pistol, and so rowed toward the Shore, but not far from it their Match unhappily fell into the Water, and the Ship being fallen down lower toward the Sea quite out of sight, and they ashamed to go back without dispatching their business, one of them went ashore to the first House to light the match, but before he was twenty Rods from the Water-side, he was seized on by two Blacks or rather Tawny-Moores, and by them haled above half a Mile up into the Countrey, and thrown with great violence upon his Belly, and so compelled to lye till they stript him, and more Company coming to them, they were so eager for his poor Canvas Apparel, that some they tore off, others they cut off, and with that several pieces of his Flesh to his intolerable pain; With these Rags they made little Aprons to cover their Privities, clothing being very scarce there; The Boatswain finding this J. W. was thus carried away, was resolved with his other [Page 64]two Companions to venture their Lives to have him again, and arming themselves, they were suddenly beset with about a dosen men in seve­ral Canoes, but they valiantly maintained their Boat about three hours, for after two or there three Musquets were discharged, they defended themselves with their Oars and Boat hooks; The Boatswain received a mortal wound in his Groin, and fell down in the Boat, the other two adventured into the River, endeavouring by swimming to escape the Hands of these cruel Infidels, but the Negro's with their swift Ca­noes soon overtook them, and brought them on Shore to the other; They took the Boatswain out of the Boat, and instead of endeavouring to preserve what Life remained in him, one of them with a keen Weapon instantly cut off his Head; And while he was yet reeking in his Blood, they in a barbarous manner cut off pie­ces of Flesh from his Buttocks, Thighs, Arms, and Shoulders, and broil'd them on the Coals, and with much impatience eat it before his Companions Faces to their great astonishment.

About a Fortnight after one of the Company fell sick; And instead of being his Physicians to cure him, they were his Butchers to Mur­ther him, cutting off his Head, and broiling and eating his Flesh, rejoicing exceedingly at this rich Banquet. Ten days after the other fell sick, whom they used in the very same manner. J.W. continued still in Health though [Page 65]the Natives daily expected such another Ban­quet, because it seems it is not their Custom to kill those that are well, and therefore they re­solved to sell him; his Master was free to dis­course, especially since he had before learned the Tata Language in the West-Indies, which is easily attained, being compreheneded in few words, and all the Negro's speak it. He began to discourse his Master of the reason of their cru­elty, who told him, he should be content, for if he were not sick, he should not have his Head cut off; In the Boat which they took there was one Musket saved that was not discharged, which his Master some time after brought to him to know the use of; J. W. endeavoured as much as possible to keep him in ignorance, but being threatned if he refused, at length he was forced to shoot it off, but the Negroes who expected some delightful thing were frustrated, and at the sudden noise and flash of Fire, which they very much dread, ran from him extream­ly affrighted, but hearing no more noise came up to him again, and commanded him to do the like, he told them he had no Powder which caused the noise, but this would not satisfie these Barbarians, who were about to murder him for refusal, had not his Master prevented it; Afterward in discourse his Mas­ter told him, that the People were naturally civil, and simply honest, but if provoked full of Revenge, and that this cruelty toward him [Page 66]and his Friends was occasioned by the unhand­some carrying away some Native, without their leave about a year before, they resolving if any came ashore they should never go off alive; He had not been above seven Weeks in the Countrey but his Master presented him to the King, whose name was Esme King of the Buckamores, who immediately gave him to his Daughter Onijah; When the King went abroad, he attended him as his Page through­out the whole Circuit of his Dominions, which was not above twelve miles, yet boasting ex­ceedingly of his Power and Strength, and glo­rying extreamly that he had a White to attend him, whom he imployed to carry his Bow and Arrows. At several places remote from the Sea­side, some of the People would run away from him for fear, others fell down and seem'd to worship him, using those Actions they do to their Gods. Their Progress was never so long, but they could return home at Night, yet ne­ver without a full Dose of the Creature.

During all the time J. W. was a Slave with him, he never knew him go abroad and come home sober. They drink of the best Palm-wine, and of another Liquor called Peu­rore; The Englishman knew how to humour this profound Prince, and if any of the Na­tives abused him upon his complaint he had Redress, as once by striving with a Negro, his Arm was broke, which by providence more [Page 67]than skill was set again; After some months, the King of Calanach called Mancha, hearing of this beautiful White, courted his Neigh­bour Prince to sell him, and at length he was sold for a Cow and a Goat; This King was very sober, free from the Treacheries and Mischiefs the other was subject to, and would oft inquire of him concerning his King and Countrey, and whether his Kingdoms were bigger than his own, whose whole Domini­ons were not above twenty five miles in length, and fifteen in breadth; The Englishman told as much as he thought convenient, keeping with­in the bounds of modesty, yet relating as much as possible to the hononr and dignity of his Soveraign, first informing him of the great­ness of one of his Kingdoms, the several Shires and Counties it contained, with the number of its Cities, Towns and Castles, and the strength of each; the infinite Inhabitants and valour of his Subjects; One of these sufficiently amazed this petty Governour, that he need mention no more of His Majesties Glory and Dignity; It put him into such a profound Consternation, that he resolved to find out some way to tender his respects to this Mighty Prince, and could study none more convenient, than that if he could find a passage he would let him go to England, to inform His Majesty of the great favour and respect he had for him; This did not a little rejoice our Englishman; He also [Page 68]told him that he would send him a Present, which should be two Cabareets or Goats, which they there value at a very high rate, this King having himself not above seventeen or eighteen. He tells the King, that the King of England had many thousand Subjects under the degree of Gentlemen, who had a thousand Sheep a­piece, the Flesh of which they valued at a much higher rate than Goats.

Though our Captive lived very happily with this King, yet his desires and hopes were still to return to his Native Countrey, at length he promised him, that the first English Ship which came into the Road, should have liberty to release or purchase him; This very much rejoiced his Heart, now he thought eve­ry day a year, till he could hear of, or see some English Ship arrived. Oft did he walk down to the Sea-side, earnestly expecting the winds of Providence would blow some in thither, which being observed by one Jaga the chiefest Wizard in those parts, and much admired by the People (though they have a multitude of others) this man came to him one day, and in­quired why he went so often to the Sea-shore, he told him, to see if he could discover any English Vessel come in there, and knowing he was a Wizard, though not acquainted with his great Fame, nor willing to credit his Divinati­ons, yet to please him, askt when he did be­lieve there would one come in; Jaga instantly [Page 69]told him; That the fifteenth day after, an En­glish Ship would come into the Road. He then demanded whether that Ship should carry him away, to this he answered doubtfully, but told him, he should be offered to the Master of the Ship, and if they should not agree, but that he should come ashore again, and not be sold, he would soon after dye of grief. These fifteen days seemed very long, many a look did he cast on the Sea with an aking Heart, the fourteenth day he went to the high­est hill thereabout, but to no purpose, he could discover nothing, next Morning he went again two or three times but saw none, about two or three hours after, some of the Moors came running to the King, telling him there was a Canoe coming, so they call our Ships, at which our Englishman heartily rejoiced, hoping to be suddenly releast, yet durst not shew it for fear of punishment or death, for though he lived better now than with his first Master, yet his Service was far worse than the Slaves in Turkey, and their Diet worse than Dogs meat, and therefore he had just cause of joy; The Ship came immediately in, and he runs prosently to Jaga to know if it were an English Ship, who assured him it was, and so it hap­pened; one Captain Royden being Commander; who hastned to dispatch his business, took in his Negroes, and was ready to Sail, our Captive not hearing a word what should become of him, [Page 70]the King never offering to sell him; This made him resolve to endeavour an escape, to which end he had prepared a piece of Timber, and drawn it toward the water-side, on which he intended to paddle to the Ship, which-lay a­bout a League from the Shore.

Just by the Sea-side as he was about to lanch his floating stick, he espied a great Alligator, which will devour a man at a mouthful, this altered his mind, resolving rather to live with Infidels, than to be accessary to his own death; But the next day it pleased God to move the Kings Heart to let him go, sending him in a Canoe placed between a Negro's Legs, with some others to guide this small Vessel for fear he should leap over-board, and swim to the Ship. At a distance he haled her in English to the great surprizal of those within her, the Negro's gave him leave to stand up and show himself to the Captain, to whom he gave an Account, how four were left there, and he only remained alive. It was some time before they bargained, though the Captain was re­solved not to leave him behind. Several times the Negro's padled away with their Canoe, resolving not to part with him, but what with his intreaties and promises, he perswaded them to the Ship again, and at last they delivered him on board for forty five Copper and Iron Bars about the bigness of a mans Finger; When he came on board, his Hair was very long, and [Page 71]his Skin tawny like a Mulatto, having gone na­ked all the time he was there, and usually anoin­ted himself with Palm-Oyl, the Seamen very charitably apparalel'd him, and in short time after he arrived safely in England with a thick­ful Heart for so happy a deliverance. And here I shall conclude the view of Guinea.

Sect. II. A View of the Island OF St. HELENA, With the Product thereof.

BEfore I come to relate the Acquisitions of the English in the East-Indies, I will make an halt at the Island of St. Helena, This Isle is now by His Majesties Grace and Favour in the possession of the Honourable East India Company, as a place for watering and refresh­ment in their long Voyages to the Indies; It was formerly seized by the Dutch, but retaken May 6. 1673. by Captain Munday, with [Page 72]some other English Ships, and three rich Dutch East-India Prizes taken in the Harbour, since which the English have fortified and secured it against any future Invasion; It was so called by the Portuguess, because first discovered by them on St. Hellens day, being April 21. It lies in sixteen degrees, and fifteen minutes of South Latitude in the main Ocean, about fif­teen hundred Miles from the Cape of Good Hope, three hundred and fifty from Angola, and five hundred and ten from Brasile, the circumfe­rence is about seven miles, lying high out of the Water, and surrounded on the Sea-coasts with steep Rocks, having within many Cliffs, Mountains and Valleys, of which one is nam­ed Church-Valley, where behind a small Church they climb up to the Mountains. To the South is Apple-Dale, so called from the abundance of Oranges, Lemons and Pomegranats enough to furnish five or six Ships. On the West side of the Church, Ships have good Anchorage close under the Shore, to prevent the Winds which blow fiercely from the adjacent high Mountains.

The Air seems very temperate and healthful, insomuch that sick men brought ashore there, in a short time recover; Yet the heat in the Valleys is as intollerable as the eager cold upon the Mountains; It commonly rains there five or six times a day, so that the bareness of the Hills is not occasioned for want of Water, of [Page 73]which it hath two or three good Springs be­side, for furnishing Ships with fresh Water; The ground of its own accord brings forth wild Pease and Beans, also whole Woods of Orange, Lemon, and Pomegranat Trees all the year long laden both with Blossoms and Fruit, good Figs, abundance of Ebony and Rose-trees, Parsly, Mustard-seed, Purslain, Sorrel, and the like; The Woods and Moun­tains are full of Goats, very large Rams, and wild Swine, but difficult to be taken. When the Portuguess first discovered it, they found neither four-footed Beasts nor Fruit-trees, but only fresh Water; They afterward planted Fruit-trees, which so increased since, that at present all the Valleys stand full of them; Par­tridges, Pigeons, Moor-hens, and Peacocks breed here very numerously, whereof a good Marksman may soon provide a Dinner for his Friends. On the Cliff-Islands, on the South are thousands of grey and black Mews, or Sea-Pies, and also white and coloured Birds, some with long, others with short Necks, who lay their Eggs on the Rocks, and are so unaccus­tomed to fear, that they suffer themselves to be taken with the Hand, and gaze at their surpri­zers, till they are knocked on the Head with sticks.

From the Salt-Water beating against the Cliffs a Froth or Scum remains in some places, which the heat of the Sun so purifies, that it [Page 74]becomes white and good Salt; some of the Mountains yield Bole Armoniack, and a fat Earth like Terra Lemnia. The Sea will an­swer the pains of a patient Fisherman, who must use an Angle, not a Net, because of the foul ground and beating of the waves, the chief are Mackrel, Roach, Carp, but differing in colour from those among us; Eels as big as a mans Arm, and well tasted Crabs, Lobsters, Oysters and Mussels as good as English.

It is in this Island that the Scene of that no­table fancy, called. The Man in the Moon, or a discourse of a Voyage thither, by Domingo Gon­sales is lay'd, written by a late Reverend and Learned Bishop, saith the Excellent and inge­nious Bishop Wilkins, who calls it a plea­sant and well contrived fancy, in his own Book intituled, A Discourse of the New World, tend­ing to prove that it is possible there may be another habitable World in the Moon; Wherein among many other curious arguments he affirms, that this hath been the direct opinion of divers an­cient, and some Modern Mathematicians, and may probably be deduced from the Tenents of others, neither does it contradict any princi­ple of reason nor Faith; And that as their World is our Moon, so our World is theirs.

Now this small Tract having so worthy a Person to vouch for the credit of it, and many of our English Historians having published for Truth, what is altogether as improbable [Page 75]as this, as Sr. John Mandevil in his Travels and others, and this having what they are ut­terly destitute of, that is Invention mixed with Judgment, and was judged worthy to be Li­censed 50 years ago, and not since reprinted, whereby it would be utterly lost. I have not thought it amiss to republish the Substance thereof, wherein the Author says he does not design to discourse his Readers into a belief of each particular circumstance, but expects that his new discovery of a New World may find little better entertainment than Columbus had in his first discovery of America, though yet that poor espial betrayed so much knowledge as hath since increast to vast Improvements, and the then Unknown is now found to be of as large extent as all the other known World; That there should be Antipodes was once thought as great a Paradox as now that the Moon should be habitable. But the knowledge of this it may be is reserved for this our disco­vering Age, wherein our Virtuosi can by their Telescopes gaze the Sun into Spots, and descry Mountains in the Moon, but this and much more must be left to the Criticks, as well as the following faithful Relation of our little Eye witness and great Discoverer, which you shall have in his own Spanish Style, and de­livered with that Grandeur and thirst of Glory, which is generally imputed to that Na­tion.

It is sufficiently known to all the Countries of Audaluzia, that I Domingo Gonsales was born of a Noble Family in the renowned City of Sevil in 1552. my Fathers name being Therando Gonsales near kinsman on the Mo­thers side to Don Pedro Sanches the worthy Count of Almenara, My Mother was the Daughter of the Reverend and famous Law­yer Otho Perez de Sallaveda Governour of Barcellona, and Corrigidor of Biscay; I being the youngest of seventeen Children they had, was put to School, and designed by them to the Church; But Heaven purposing to use my Service in matters of far another Nature and quality, inspired me with spending some time in the Wars; It was at the time that Don Ferrands, the Noble and thrice renowned Duke D' Alva was sent into the Low Coun­treys in 1568. I then following the current of my desire leaving the University of Salamanca, whither my Parents had sent me, without giving notice to any of my dearest Friends, got through France to Antwerp, where in June 1569 I arrived but in a mean condition, for having sold my Books, Bedding and other things which yielded me about 30 Duck­ets, and borrowed twenty more of my Fa­thers Friends, I bought a little Nag, where­with I travelled more thriftily than usually young Gentlemen do, till arriving within a League of Antwerp, some of the cursed Geses [Page 77]set upon me, and bereaved me of my Horse Money, and all, whereupon I was forc' through want and necessity to enter into the Service of Marshal Cossey a French Nobleman, whom I served truly in a very honourable im­ploy, though mine Enemies to my disgrace, affirm I was his Horse-keepers Boy; But fot that matter, I refer my self to Count Mans­field, Monsieur Tavier, and other Persons of Quality and condition, who have often testifi­ed to many worthy men now living, the very truth of the business, which indeed was this, Monsieur Cossey being about this time sent Am­bassador to the Duke D' Alva Governour of the Low Countreys, he understanding the No­bility of my Birth, and my late misfortune, judging it would be no small honour to him to have a Spaniard of that Quality about him, furnished me with a Horse, Armour, and what­ever I wanted, using my Service in nothing so much, after I had learned French, as wri­ting his Letters, because my Hand was then very fair. In time of War if upon necessity, I sometime dressed my own Horse, I ought not to be reproacht therewith, since I count it the part of a Gentleman to submit to the vilest Office for the Service of his Prince.

The first expedition I was in, was when the Marshal my Friend met the Prince of Orange making a Road into France, and forced him to fly even to the Walls of Cambray; It was [Page 78]my good Fortune to defeat a Trooper by kil­ling his Horse with my Pistol, who falling upon his Leg could not stir, but yielded to my mercy; I knowing my own weakness of Body, and seeing him a lusty tall Fellow, thought it the surest way to dispatch him, which having done, I plundered him of a Chain, Money, and other things to the value of 200 Ducats, This Money was no sooner in my Pockets, but I began to resume the remembrance of my Nobility, and taking my audience of leave from Monsieur Cossey, I instantly repaired to the Duke D' Alva's Court, where divers of my Kindred seeing my Pocket full of good Crowns, were ready enough to acknowledge me; By their means I was received into pay, and in time obtained a good degree of favour with the Duke, who would sometimes jest a little more severely at my Personage than I could well bear, for though I must acknowledge my Stature is so little, as I think no man living is less, yet since it is the work of Heaven, and not my own, he ought not to have upbraided a Gentleman therewith; And those glorious things that have happened to me may evince, that great and wonderful matters may be per­formed by very unlikely Bodies, if the mind be good, and Fortune second our endeavours;

Though the Dukes joques a little disgusted [...]e, yet I endeavoured to conceal my resent­ments, and accommodating my self to some [Page 79]other of his humors, I was so far interested in his favour, that at his going into Spain in 1573. whither I attended him, by his kind­ness, and some other accidents, wherein by my Industry I was seldom wanting to my self, I was able to carry home 3000 Crowns in my Pocket.

At my return my Parents, who were ex­treamly disturbed at my departure, received me with great joy, which was increased because they found I had brought wherewith to main­tain my self without being chargable to them, so that they need not lessen the Portions of my Brothers and Sisters to provide for me. But doubting I would spend it as lightly as I got it, they continually sollicited me to marry the Daughter of John Figueres a considerable Merchant of Lisbon, to which I complied, and putting my Marriage Money, and good part of my own into the hands of my Father, or such as he advised me to, I lived in good fashi­on, and much like a Gentleman for many years very happily; At length some quarrels arising between me and one Pedro Delgades a Gentleman and Kinsman of mine, the causes whereof are needless to relate, this difference grew to such a height, that when no mediati­on of Friends could prevail, we two went alone with our Swords into the Field, where it was my chance to kill him, though a stout proper man, but what I wanted in strength I [Page 80]supplied in courage, and my agility countervail­ed for his Stature. This being acted in Carmona, I fled with all speed to Lisbon, thinking to conceal my self with some Friends of my Fa­ther in Law, till the business might be ac­commodated, and I acquitted by consent of the Prosecutors. This happened in 1596 at which time, a famous Spanish Count coming from the West-Indies, published Triumphant Declarations in Print, of a great Victory he had obtained against the English near the Isle of Pines, whereas in reality he got nothing at all in that Voyage but blows, and a considera­ble loss. It had been well if vanity and lying had been his only crimes; His covetousness had like to have been my utter ruin, though since it hath proved the occasion of Eternizing my name I verily believe to all Posterity, and to the unspeakable benefit of all Mortals for ever hereafter, at least if it please Heaven that I return home safe to my Countrey, and give perfect Instructions how those almost incre­dible and impossible Acquirements may be imparted to the World. You shall then see men flying in the Air from one place to ano­ther, you shall then be able to send Messages many hundred miles in an instant, and receive answers thereto immediately, without the help of any Creature upon Earth; You shall then presently impart your mind to your Friend though in the most remote and obscure place [Page 81]of a populous City, and a multitude of other notable Experiments; But what exceeds all, you shall then have the discovery of a New World, and abundance of rare and incredible secrets of Nature, which the Philosophers of former Ages never so much as dreamt of; But I must be cautious in publishing these wonder­ful mysteries, till our Statesmen have consider­ed how they may consist with the Policy and good Government of our Countrey, and like­wise, whether the Fathers of the Church may not judge the divulging them prejudicial to the Affairs of the Catholick Faith and Religi­on, which (by those wonders I have seen above any mortal man before me) I am in­structed to advance with my utmost endea­vours, without respect to any temporal advan­tage whatsoever.

But to proceed with my Narrative, this huffing Captain aforenamed, pretended much discontent for the death of the said Delgades, who was indeed some Kin to him, however he was willing to be quiet if I would have given him a thousand Duckets; I had now, besides a Wife, two Sons, whom I was not willing to begger, only to satisfie the avaritious humour of this Boaster, and was therefore ne­cessitated to take some other course; I imbarkt in a stout Carrick bound for the East-Indies, carrying the value of two thousand Duckets to Trade with, leaving as much more for the [Page 82]support of my Wife and Children behind me, whatever misfortune might happen to me; In the Indies I thrived exceedingly, laying out my Stock in Diamonds, Emeralds and Pearls, which I bought at such easy rates, that my Stock safely arriving in Spain (as I understood it did) must needs yield ten for one. But for my self having doubled Cape buona Esperanca in my way home, I fell dangerously sick, expect­ing nothing but death, which had then un­doubtedly happened, but that we just then recovered the Blessed Isle of St. Hellens, the only Paradice I believe on Earth, for healthful­ness of Air, and fruitfulness of Soil, producing all necessaries for the Life of man; It is about three Leagues in compass, and has no firm Land or Continent within 300 Leagues, nay not so much as an Island within an hundred Leagues of it, so that it may seem a Miracle of Nature, that out of so vast and tempestu­ous an Ocean, such a small Rock or piece of ground should arise and discover it self. On the South is a good Harbour, and near it di­vers small Houses built by the Portuguess to accommodate Strangers, with a pretty Chap­pel handsomely beautified with a Tower, and a fair Bell therein. Near it is a Stream of ex­cellent fresh water, divers handsome walks planted on both sides with Orange, Lemmod, Pomegranate, Almond-trees and the like, which are Fruit all the year, as do also divers others; [Page 83]There are store of Garden Herbs, with Wheat, Pease, Barley, and most kinds of Pulse, but it chiefly aboundeth with Cattel and Fowl, as Goats, Swine, Sheep, Partridges, wild Hens, Pheasants, Pigeons, and wild Fowl beyond credit; But especially about February and March are to be seen huge Flocks of a kind of Wild Swans, (whereof I shall have occasion to speak more hereafter) who like our Cuckoes and Nightingales, go away at a certain Season, and are no more seen that year.

On this happy Island did they set me ashore with a Negro to attend me, where praised be Heaven, I recovered my health, and continued there a whole year, solacing my self for want of Humane Society with Birds and bruit Beasts; Diego my Black-moor was forced to live in a Cave at the West-end of the Isle, for had we dwelt together, Victuals would not have been so plenty with us; But now if one succeeded well in Hunting or Fowling, the other would find means to invite and treat him, and if both mist, we were then fain to look out sharply, but this very seldom happened, since no Crea­ture there fears a man more than they do a Goat or Cow, whereby I easily tamed divers kinds of Birds and Beasts in a short time by only muzling them, so that till they came either to me or Diego they could not seed; At first I much delighted in a kind of Patridges, and a tame Fax, whereof I made good use; For if [Page 84]I had occasion to confer with Diego, I would take one of them muzled and hungry, and ty­ing a note about his Neck, beat him from me, whereupon he would streight away to Diego's Cave, and if he were not there, would beat about till they found him, yet this conveyance being not without some inconvenience need­less to be mentioned, after a while I perswad­ed Diego, (who though a Fellow of good Parts, was content to be ruled by me) to re­move to a Promontory or Cape on the north-west part of the Island, being though a League off, yet within sight of my House and Chappel, and then when the weather was fair, we could at all times by signals declare our minds each to other in an instant either by Night or Day, wherein we took much pleasure. If in the Night I would signifie any thing to him, I used to set up a light in the Bell Tower, which was a pretty large Room with a fair Window well glased, and the Walls within being plaistered were exceeding white, by reason whereof, though the light were but small, it made a great show, and would have done much farther off, if there had been need. Af­ter this light had stood half an hour I covered it, and then if I saw any signal of light again from my Companion at the Cape, I knew he waited for my notice, and so by hiding and shewing my light according to a certain Rule or Agreement betwixt us, I certified him of [Page 85]what I pleased. In the day I advertised him by Smoke, Dust, and sometimes by a more refined and effactual way. This Art contains many Mysteries, and may be very useful if well im­ployed.

Notwithstanding after a while I grew weary of it as too painful, and again used my Winged Messengers; Upon the Shoar, espe­cially about the Mouth of our River, I found great store of a certain kind of Wild Swans aforementioned, feeding usually upon prey, and that both of Fish and Birds, and which is more strange having one Claw like an Eagle, and the other like a Swan, These Birds com­monly breeding here in infinite numbers, I took thirty or forty of them young, and bred them up by hand for recreation, yet not with­out some thoughts of that Experiment which I after put in practice. These being strong and able to continue a great flight, I taught them first to come at call afar off, not using any noise, but only shewing them a White Cloth, and here I found it true what Plutarch affirms, That Creatures which eat Flesh are more deci­ble than others. 'Tis wonderful to think what Tricks I taught them ere they were a quar­ter old, amongst others I used them by degrees to fly with Burdens, wherein I found them able beyond belief, and brought them so forward, that a White Sheet being displayed to them by Diego upon the side of a Hill, they would car­ry [Page 86]from me to him Bread, Flesh, or whatever I pleased, and upon the like call come to me a­gain. Having proceeded thus far, I began to consult how I might join a number of them to­gether, so as to carry a heavier weight, which if I could compass, I might thereby ena­ble a man to fly and be carried safely in the Air from one place to another. I puzled my Wits extreamly with this thought, and upon Trial found that if many were put to the bear­ing of one great Burthen, by reason it was im­possible all of them should rise together just at one instant, the first that raised himself upon his Wings finding himself stayed by a weight heavier than he could move or stir, would soon give over, and so the second, third, and all the rest. I contrived at last a way whereby each might rise with only his own proportion of weight, I fastned about each Gansa a little Pul­ley of Cork, and putting a string of a just length through it, I fastened one end to a block of almost eight pound weight, and tyed a two pound weight to the other end of the String, and then causing the signal to be E­rected, they presently all rose together, being four in number, and carried away my Block to the place appointed. This hitting so luckily, I added two or three Birds more, and made Tryal of their carrying a Lamb, whose hap­piness I much envied that he should be the first living creature to partake of such an excellent device.

At length after divers Tryals, I was sur­prized with a great longing to cause my self to be carried in the same manner, Diego my Moor was likewise possest with the same de­sire, and had I not loved him well, and want­ed his Service, I should have resented this his ambitious thought; For I count it greater honour to have been the first Flying Man, than to be another Neptune who first adventured to Sail on the Sea. Yet seeming not to un­derstand his intention, I only told him that all my Gausa's were not strong enough to carry him, being a man though of no great Bulk, yet twice heavier than my self; Having pre­pared all necessaries, I one time placed my self and all my Utensils on the top of a Rock at the Rivers Mouth, and putting my self upon my Engine at full Sea, I caused Diego to advance the signal, whereupon my Birds, 25 in number presently rose all at once, and carried me over lustily to the Rock on the other side, being about a quarter of a League; I chose this time and place, because if any thing had fallen out con­trary to expectation, the worst that could hap­pen was my only falling into the Water, and be­ing able to swim well, I hoped to receive little hurt in my fall; When I was once safe over, O how did my heart even swell with Joy and admiration at my own Invention; How oft did I wish my self in the midst of Spain, that I might speedily fill the World with the [Page 88]fame of my Glory and Renown? Every hour I had a longing desire for the coming of the Indian Fleet to take me home with them, but they stay'd, by what mischance I know not, three Months beyond their usual time; At length they arrived being three Carricks much weather-beaten, the men generally exceeding Sick and Weak, and were therefore con­strain'd to refresh themselves in our Island a whole Month; The Admiral was called Al­phonso de Xima, a Vallant Wise Man, desi­rous of Glory, and worthy better Fortune than afterward befell him; To him I discovered my device of the Gansa's, being satisfied, that it was absolutely impossible otherwise to per­swade him to take so many Birds into his Ship, who for the niceness of their provision, would be more troublesom than so many men; Yet I adjured him by all manner of Oaths and Perswasions to deal ingeniously with me, and to be secret in the business, though of the last I did not much doubt, assuring my self he durst not impart the Experiment to any before our King were acquainted therewith. Of the first I had more apprehension, lest Ambition and the desire of gaining to himself the honour of so admirable an Invention, should tempt him to dispatch me. However I was forc't to run the Risque of it unless I would adventure the loss of my Birds, the like whereof for my pur­pose were not to be had in Christendom, nor [Page 89]was I sure ever to bring others to serve my turn.

It happened all these doubts were causless, the man I believe was honest, yet if he had designed otherwise, I lay'd a Plot to discover him, but the misfortune we met with pre­vented all these thoughts, Thursday June 21. 1599. we set Sail for Spain, I having allow­ed me a very convenient Cabbin for my Birds, and Room for my Engine, which the Captain would have perswaded me to have le [...]t behind me, and it was a wonder I did not, but my good fortune therein saved my life, for after two Months Sail it happened we met with an English Fleet about 10 Leagues from the Island of Teneriff, one of the Canaries famous throughout the World for a Hill therein cal­led Pico, which is kenned at Sea above an hun­dred Leagues off. We had aboard five times their number of men, all in good health, and were well provided with Ammunition, yet finding them resolved to fight, and knowing what infinite riches we carried, concluded it better if possible to escape, than by encoun­tring a crew of desperate Fellows, to hazard not only our own Lives, which a man of courage in this case does not value, but the Estates of many poor Merchants, who I am afraid were un­done by the miscarriage of this business. Our Fleet consisted of five Sail, that is, three Carricks, a Bark, and a Caravel, who coming from [Page 90]St. Thomas Isle, had in an ill hour overtaken us some few days before. The English had three Ships well provided, who no sooner spied but presently ingaged us, and changing their course, endeavoured to bring us under their Lee, which they might easily do as the Wind then stood, they being light nimble Vessels, as Eng­lish Ships generally are, ours heavy, deep laden, and foul with the Sea. Our Captain therefore resolved, wisely enough it may be, but neither valiantly nor fortunately, to fly, command­ing us to disperse our selves. The Caravel by too much hast fell upon one of the Carricks and bruised her so, that one of the English who undertook her easily fetcht her up and entred her, the Caravel sinking immediately before our eyes. The Bark for ought I could perceive escaped unpursued, and another of our Carricks after some chase was given over by the Ene­my, who expecting a sufficient Booty of us, and getting us between them, fell upon us with much fury, our Captain hereupon gave di­rection to run ashoar upon Tenariff, the Port whereof we could not recover, saying, That he hoped to save part of the Goods, and some of our Lives, and he had rather the rest should be lost, than all fall into the mercy of our foes.

When I heard this Resolution, observing the Sea to work high, and knowing all the Coast to be so full of Rocks and Shoals, that it was impossible our Ship should come near the [Page 91]Land unless broken into a thousand pieces, I represented to the Captain the desperateness of the attempt, wishing him rather to try the kindness of the Enemy, than throw away him­self and so many brave men; But he would by no Remonstrances be removed in the least from his Resolution, therefore finding it high time to shift for my self, I lockt up my little Casket of Jewels, which putting into my sleeve, I then betook me to my Gansa's, and having harnas­sed them to my Engine, and put my self there­on, supposing, as indeed it happened, that when the Ship should split, my Birds though they wanted their signal, yet for saving their own lives, which nature hath taught all Crea­tures to preserve to the utmost, would make toward Land, which fell out, thanks be to Heaven, according to my expectation; The People in the Ship wondred what I was doing, none being acquainted with the use of my Birds but the Captain, Diego being in the other Ship which fled away unpursued; We were about half a League from Land, when our Carrick struck upon a Rock, and split instantly to pie­ces, upon which I let loose the reins to my Birds, having first placed my self upon the top of the Deck, and with the Shock they all arose carrying me fortunately to the Land, of which you need not doubt but I was very joy­ful, though it was a miserable sight to behold my Friends and acquaintance in that woful [Page 92]distress, of whom yet many escaped better than they expected, for the English lanching out their Cock-boats, discovered more noble and generous tempers than we are pleased to allow them, taking compassion of their cala­mity, and endeavouring with all diligence to save them from the fury of the Waves though with much danger to themselves, among o­thers they took up our Captain, who, as Father Pacio since told me, having put himself with twelve others into the Cock-boat, was forced to yield to one Captain Raymundo, who car­ried him together with our Pilot along with them in their Voyage toward the East In­dies whither they were bound, but it was their hard fate by a breach of the Sea neer Cape Buona Esperanca to be swallowed of the Merciless Waves, whose Rage they a while before had so hardly escaped; The rest as I likewise heard, who where in all about twenty six Persons that they took into their Ship, they set them a land soon after at Cape Verde.

As for my self being now ashoar in an Island inhabited generally by Spaniards, I reckoned I was safe, but I soon found my self much mistaken, for it was my hap to pitch up­on that part of the Isle where the Pike afore­mentioned begins to rise, which is inhabited by a Savage kind of People who live upon the sides of that Hill, the top whereof is for the most [Page 93]part covered with Snow, and formerly account­ed, for its monstrous height and Steepness inac­cessible either for man or Beast, yet these Sal­vages fearing the Spaniards, keep themselves as neer the top as they can, where they had divers places of good strength, never coming down into the fruitful valleys but to seek for Booty, a crew of those Out-Laws happened to spy me soon after I landed, and thinking they had got a prize, approacht me with all speed, yet not so privately but I guest their design before they came within half a Mile, when perceiving them to come hastily down the Hill directly toward me, with long staves and other Weapons, which at that distance I could not dis­cern, I thought it necessary immediately to se­cure my self from the hands of these Villains, who had they taken me, out of hatred to us Spa­niards, would have certainly cut me to peices; The Countrey in that place was Sandy, but the Pike beginning even there to lift up it self, I e­spied in the side thereof a white Cliff, which I hoped my Ganza's would take for a Mark, and being put up, would make all that way, whereby I might quickly be carried so far that those Barbarous Raskals should [...] be able to overtake me, before I had got to some Spaniards House, or might at least gain time to hide my self from them, till by the covert of the night I might travel to Laguna the chief City of the Island, and not above three Miles off, [Page 94]with all celerity therefore I setled my self up­on my Engine, and let loose the Reins to my Gansa's, by good fortune they took all one course, though not just the way I aimed at. But what of that! O Reader prick up thy Ears and prepare thy self to hear the strangest chance that ever happened to any Mortal Man, and which I know thou wilt not have the grace to believe till thou seest the like Ex­periment, which I doubt not in a short time may be performed. My Gansa's like so many Horses that had gotten the bit between their Teeth, made not their flight, as I said toward the Cliff I intended, though I used my wonted means to direct the Leader of the Flock that way, but with might and main took up toward the top of the Pike, and never stoot till they came there, a place where they say never man came before, being in vulgar estimation (though since experimentally contra­dicted) at least fifteen Miles in height above the ordinary Level of the Land and Sea; What kind of place I found this I would glad­ly relate, but that I hasten to matters of far greater Importance; When I was there set down my poor Gansa's fell to panting, blow­ing, and gaping for breath as if they would all presently have died, therefore I thought good not to trouble them a while, forbearing to drawn them in, which they never use to in­dure without strugling, but little did I expect what followed.

It was now the season that these Birds were wont to take their flight away, as our Cucko's and Swallows do in Spain toward Autumn, and as I afterward found, being mindful of their usual Voyage just when I began to settle my self to take them in they as it were with one consent rose up, and having no other higher place to make toward, to my unspeakable fear and amazement, struck bolt upright, and never left towring upward, still higher and higher, for the space as I guest, of an Hour, after which I thought they laboured less than be­fore, till at length, ah most wonderful! they forbore moving any thing at all, and yet re­mained immoveable as steadily as if they had sate upon so many perches, the lines slacked, neither I, nor the Engine moved at all, but continued still, as having no manner of weight. I found then by Experience what no Philoso­pher ever dream't of, namely, that those things which we call heavy do not fall toward the center of the Earth as their natural place, but are drawn by a secret property of the Globe of the Earth, or rather something within it, even as the Load-stone draweth Iron which is within the Compass of its attractive Beams. For though in this place my Gansa's could continue unmoved without being sustained by any thing whatsoever but the Air as easily and quietly as a Fish in the middle of the Wa­ter, yet if they forced themselves never so [Page 96]little it is impossible to imagine with what swiftness they were carried, either upward, downward or side ways; I must ingeniously confess my horrour and amazement in this place was such, that had I not been arm'd with a true Spanish Courage and Reso­lution I should certainly have died for fear.

But the next thing that disturb'd me was the swiftness of the motion, which was so extra­ordinary that it even almost stopt my breath if I should liken it to an Arrow out of a Bow, or a Stone thrown down from the top of an high Tower, it would come vastly short of it; Another thing was exceeding troublesom to me, that is the Illusions of Devils and Wicked Spirits, who the first day of my arrival came about me in great numbers in the shapes and likeness of Men and Women, wondring at me like so many Birds about an Owl, and speaking several Languages which I understood not, till at last I met with some that spoke very good Spanish, some Dutch, and others Ita­lian, all which I understood; And here I had on­ly a touch of the Suns absence once for a short time, having him ever after in my sight. Now though my Gansa's were entangled in my lines, yet had they means easily to seize upon divers kinds of Flies and Birds, especially Swal­lows and Cuckoes whereof there were multi­tudes even like Motes in the Sun, though to [Page 97]say truth I never saw them eat any thing at all. As for my self I was I'le assure you very much obliged to those, whether Men or Devils I know not, who among divers discourses which I will forbear a while to repeat, told me, If I would follow their Directions, I should not only be carried safe home, but be assured to com­mand at all times all the pleasures of that place. To which motion not daring to give a flat denial, I desired time to consider, and withal intreated them, (though I felt no hunger at all, which may seem strange) to help me to some Victuals least I should starve in my Journey; Whereupon they readily brought me very good Flesh and Fish of several sorts and well drest, but that it was extream fresh without any relish of Salt; Wine likewise I tasted of divers kinds as good as any in Spain, and Beer no better in all Antwerp. They ad­vised me that while I had opportunity I should make my Provisions, telling me that till the next Thursday they could help me to no more, if happily then, at which time they would find means to carry me back, and set me safe in Spain in any place I would desire, provided I would become one of their Fraternity, and enter into such Covenants as they had made to their Captain and Master whom they would not name, I answered civilly, telling them, I saw little reason to rejoice in such an offer, de­siring them to be mindful of me as occasion ser­ved; [Page 98]So for that time I was rid of them, hav­ing first furnished my Pockets with as much Victuals as I could thrust in, among which I would be sure to find a place for a small Bottle of good Canary.

I shall now declare the quality of the place wherein I then was; The Clouds I perceived to be all under between me and the Earth. The Stars, because it was always day, I saw at all times alike, not shining bright as we see in the night upon Earth, but of a whitish colour like the Moon with us in the day time, those that were seen, which were not many, shewed far greater than with us, yea as I guest no less than ten times bigger; As for the Moon, being then within 2 days of the change, she appeared of an huge and dreadful greatness. It is not to be forgot that no Stars appeared but on that part of the Hemisphere next the Moon, and the nearer to her, the larger they appear'd. Again, whether I lay quiet and rested, or were carried in the Air, I perceived my self to be always directly between the Moon and the Earth, whereby 'tis plain that my Gansa's took their way directly toward the Moon, and also that when we rested, as we did at first for many hours, either we were insensibly car­ried round about the Globe of the Earth, though I perceived no such motion, or else that according to the opinion of Copernicus, the Earth is carried about, and turneth round [Page 99]perpetually from West to East, leaving to the Planets only that motion which the Astrono­mers call natural, and is not upon the Poles of the Equinoctial, commonly called the Poles of the World, but upon those of the Zodiack; The Air in that place I found quiet without any motion of wind, and exceeding temperate, neither hot nor cold, as where neither the Sun beams had any Subject to reflect upon, nor the Earth and Water so near to affect the Air with their natural Quality of coldness; As for that imagination of the Philosophers attri­buting heat and moisture to the Air, I alwaies esteem'd it a fancy; Lastly, I remember that after my departure from the Earth, I never felt either hunger or thirst, whether the pu­rity of the Air, freed from the Vapors of the Earth and Water, might yeild nature suffi­cient nourishment, or what else might be the cause I cannot determine, but so I found it, though I was perfectly in health both of body and mind, even above my usual Vigor. Let us now proceed, which we shall do fast enough for the future.

Some hours after the departure of that De­vilish Company my Gansa's began to bestir themselves, still directing their course toward the Globe or body of the Moon, making their way with such incredible swiftness, that I con­ceive they advanced little less than fifty Lea­gues [Page 100]in an hour, in which passage I observed three things very Remarkable, one that the farther we went the less the Globe of the Earth appear'd to us, and that of the Moon still lar­ger and more monstrous; Again the Earth, which I had ever in mine eye, seemed to mask it self with a kind of brightness like another Moon, and as we discern certain Spots or Clouds as it were in the Moon, so did I then see the like in the Earth, but whereas the form of those Spots in the Moon are al­ways the same, these on the Earth seemed by degrees to change every hour, the reason whereof seems to be, that whereas the Earth according to his natural motion (for such a motion I am now satisfied she hath according to the opinion of Copernicus) turns round up­on her own Axis every four and twenty hours from West to East) I should at first see in the middle of the Body of this New Star the Earth, a Spot like a Pear with a Morsel bit out on one side, in some hours I should observe this Spot move away toward the East; This no doubt was the main Land of Africa; Then might I perceive a great shining brightness in that place which continued about the same time, and was questionless the vast Atlantick Ocean; After this succeeded a Spot almost Oval, just as we see America described in our Maps, then another immense cleerness re­presenting [Page 101] Mare del Zur or the South Sea, and lastly a number of Spots like the Countreys and Islands in the East-Indies, so that it seemed to me no other than an huge Mathematical Globe turned round leisurely before me, wherein successively all the Countreys of our earthly World were within twenty four hours represented to my view, and this was all the means I now had to number the days, and reck­on the time.

I could now wish that Philosophers and Mathematicians would confess their own blind­ness, who have hitherto made the World be­lieve that the Earth hath no motion, and to confirm it are forc't to attribute to every one of the celestial Bodies two Motions directly contrary to each other, one from the East to the West to be perform'd in twenty four hours with an impetuous rapid motion, the other from West to East in several proportions; O incre­dible supposition! That those huge Bodies of the fixed Stars in the highest Orb, whereof they confess divers are above an hundred times bigger than the whole Earth, should like so many Nails in a Cart wheel be whirled a­bout in so short a time, whereas it is many thousand years, no less (say they) than thirty thousand, before that Orb finishes his course from West to East, which they call his natural motion; Now whereas they allow their na­tural course from West to East to every one of [Page 102]them, therein they do well; The Moon per­forms it in seven and twenty days, the Sun, Venus and Mercury in a year or thereabout, Mars in three year, Jupiter in twelve, and Saturn in thirty. But to attribute to these ce­lestial Bodies contrary motions at once, is a very absurd conceit, and much more to imagine the same Orb wherein the fixed Stars are, whose natural course takes up so many thou­sands of years, should be turned about every twenty four hours. I will not go so far as Co­pernicus who makes the Sun the center of the Earth and immoveable, neither will I be posi­tive in any thing, only this I say, allow the Earth its motion, which these eyes of mine can testify to be true, and all those absurdities are removed, every one having only his own single and pro­per motion.

But where am I? I promised an history, and am unawares turn'd disputer. One Acci­dent more befell worth mention, that during my stay I saw a kind of a reddish Cloud com­ing toward me, and continually approaching nearer, which at last I perceived was nothing but a huge swarm of Locusts. He that reads the discourses of learned men concerning them, as John Leo of Africa and others who relate that they are seen in the Air several days be­fore they fall on the Earth, and add thereto this experience of mine, will easily conclude that they can come from no other place than [Page 103]the Globe of the Moon. But now give me leave to go on quietly in my Journey for eleven or twelve days, during all which time I was carried directly toward the Globe or Body of the Moon, with such a violent Whir­ling as is inexpressible, for I cannot imagine a Bullet out of a Cannon could make way through the vaporous and muddy Air neer the Earth with half that celerity, which is the more strange since my Gansa's moved their Wings but now and then, and sometimes for a quarter of an hour not at all, only holding them stretcht out, as we see Kites, and Eagles some­times do for a short space, during which pauses I suppose they took their Naps, and times of Sleeping, for other time I could perceive they never had any; For my self I was so fastened to mine Engine that I durst slumber enough to serve my turn, which I took with as great ease, though it may seem incredible, as if I had lain on the best Down-Bed in all Antwerp.

After eleven days passage in this violent flight, I perceived we began to approach to another Earth (if I may so call it) being the Globe or very Body of that Star which we call the Moon. The first difference I found be­tween this and our Earth was, that it appeared in its natural colours as soon as ever I was free from the attraction of the Earth; Whereas with us, a thing a League or two from us puts on that deadly colour of Blew. I then per­ceived [Page 104]also that this World was the greatest part covered with a huge mighty Sea, those parts only being dry Land which are unto us some­what darker than the rest of her Body, I mean, what the Countrey people call, The Man in the Moon, and that part which shines so bright is another. Ocean besprinkled with Islands, which for their smalness we cannot discern so far off; So that the Splendor which appears to us in the Night, is nothing but the re­flection of the Sun beams returned to us out of the Water as from a Lookinglass. How much this disagrees with what our Philoso­phers teach in the Schools is very evident; But alas how many of their Errors hath time and experience refuted in this our Age, and among other vain conjectures, who hath not hitherto believed the upper Region of the Air to be very hot, as being next, forsooth, to the natural place of the Element of Fire; Meer Vanities, Fancies and Dreams; For after I was once free from the attractive Beams of that Tyranous Load-stone the Earth, I found the Air altogether serene, without Winds, Rain, Mists or Clouds, neither hot nor cold, but constantly pleasant, calm and comforta­ble till my arrival in that New World of the Moon; As for that Region of fire our Philoso­phers talk of, I heard no news of it, mine eyes have sufficiently inform'd me there is no such thing.

The Earth had now by turning about shew­ed me all her parts twelve times when I fi­nished my course; For when by my reckon­ing it seem'd to be (as indeed it was) Tuesday September 11. at which time the Moon be­ing two days old was in the twentieth degree of Libra) my Gansa's seem'd by one con­sent to stay their course, and rested for cer­tain hours, after which they took their flight, and in less than an hour set me on the top of an high Hill in that Other World, where many most strange and wonderful things were im­mediately presented to my sight, for I observed first, that though the Globe of the Earth ap­pear'd much greater there than the Moon doth to us, even three times bigger, yet all things there were ten, twenty, yea thirty times lar­ger than ours; Their Trees were thrice as high, and above five times broader and thicker; So were there Herbs, Birds, and Beasts, though I cannot well compare them to ours, because I found not any kind of Beast or Bird there which any way resembled ours, except Swal­lows, Nightingals, Cuckoes, Woodcocks, Batts, and some kind of Wild Fowl; And likewise such Birds as my Gansa's, all which as I now perceived, spend their time in their absence from us, in that World, neither do they differ in any thing from ours, but are the very same kind.

No sooner was I upon the ground, but I [Page 106]found my self extream hungry, stepping then to the next Tree I fastned my Engine and Gansa's thereto, and in great hast fell to ex­amining my Pockets for the Victuals I had reserved there, but to my great surprize and vexation, instead of Partridges and Capons, which I thought I had hoarded there, I found nothing but a medley of dry leaves, Goats Hair, Sheep or Goats Dung, Moss, and the like, my Canary-wine was turned, and stunk like Horse-piss; Oh the villany and cheats of these cursed Spirits, whose assistance if I had depended on, in what a condition had I been! while I stood musing and wondring at this strange Metamorphosis, on a sudden I heard my Gansa's fluttering behind me, and looking back, I spied them falling greedily upon a Shrub within the reach of their lines, whose leaves they fed earnestly upon, whereas before I had never seen them eat any green thing whatever, therefore stepping to the Shrub, I put a leaf to my Mouth, the tast whereof was so excellent, that I cannot express it, and certainly if I had not with great discre­tion moderated my Appetite, I should have surfeited thereon, yet it happened to be a good bait both for me and my Birds, when we had most need of refreshment.

Scarce had we ended our Banquet, when I suddenly saw my self surrounded with a strange kind of People both in feature, manners, and [Page 107]apparel, their Stature was very different, but they were generally twice as high as ours, their shape and countenance pleasant, and their habit hardly to be describ'd, for I never saw either Cloth, Silk, nor other Stuff, like that whereof their Cloths were made, neither, which is yet more strange, can I possibly relate their colour, they being in a manner all cloth­ed alike; it was neither Black, White, Yellow, Red nor Blue, nor any colour composed of these; If you ask what was is then, I must tell you, it was a colour never seen in our Earthly World, and therefore neither to be described nor conceived by us, for as it is hard to make a man born blind understand the difference be­tween Green and Blue, so neither can I de­cipher this Moon colour, as having no affi­nity with any I ever beheld, I can only say it was the most glorious and delightful that can be imagined, neither was any thing more pleasant to me during my stay there.

Being surprized at the appearance of these People so suddenly and in such accoutrements, I crossed my self and cry'd out, Jesus Maria; No sooner was the word Jesus pronounced, but young and old fell all on their knees (whereat I not a little rejoiced) holding up both their hands on high, and repeating certain words which I understood not; And presently rising again, one much taller than the rest came and [Page 108]kindly imbraced me, and ordering as I perceiv­ed, some of the rest to attend my Birds, he took me by the hand, and led me to his dwel­ling down toward the foot of the Hill, which was a building so great & beautiful, as nothing in our World is comparable thereto; Yet af­terward I saw such as this seem'd but a Cot­tage in respect of them; There was no Door about the House less than thirty Foot high, and twelve broad, the Rooms were forty or fifty Foot in height, and answerable in proportion, neither could they be much less, the Master thereof being full twenty eight high, and I suppose his Body would weigh twenty five or thirty of ours; After I had rested with him about one of our days, he led me five Leagues off to the Palace of the Prince of the Coun­trey, the stateliness whereof I have not now leisure to describe; This Prince was much taller than the former, and called (as neer as I can by letters declare it, for their sounds are not perfectly to be exprest by our Characters,) Pylonas which in their Language is First or Chief, if it doth not rather denote his Autho­rity and Dignity, as being the principal man in all those parts; Though yet there is one Su­pream Monarch amongst them, much greater of stature than he, commanding over all that whole World, having under him twenty nine other Princes of very great Power, and every one of these has twenty four Inferior Gover­nours, [Page 109]whereof this Pylonas was one. The first Ancestor of this great Monarch came out of the Earth, as they relate, and by marrying the Hei­ress of that vast Monarchy obtaining the go­vernment, left it to his Posterity, who have enjoyed it ever since, even forty thousand Moons, which is 3077 years; His name was Irdonozur whose Heirs to this day assume the same name, he, they say, having continued there about four hundred Moons, and begot divers Children, return'd (though by what means they know not) to the Earth again. I doubt they have their fables as well as we, since our Historians never mention any Earthly Man to have been in that World before my self, and much less to have return'd again, I cannot therefore but condemn this tradition as false and Romantick, though I found Learning was in great esteem among them, and they seem to detest Lying and Falshood which is there severely punished, and which may yield some credit to their Historical Narrations. Many of them live wonderful long, even beyond be­lief, affirming to me that some survived thirty thousand Moons, which is above a thousand years, so that the Ages of three or four men might easily reach to the time of the first Irdo­nozur, and this is generally noted that the tal­ler people are of Stature, the more excellent are their endowments of mind, and the longer time they live; for their stature is very different, [Page 110]great numbers not much exceeding ours, who seldom live above a thousand Moons, which is fourscore of our years, these they account very base, unworthy creatures, but one degree above brute Beasts, and accordingly imploy in the most mean and Servile Offices, calling them Bastards, Counterfeits or Changlings; Those whom they account true Natural Lunars or Moon Men, exceed ours generally thirty times, both in quantity of Body, and length of life, proportionable to the quality of the day in both Worlds, theirs containing almost thirty of our days.

The manner of our travel to the Pa­lace of Pylonas was more strange and incredible than any thing we have related, for at our first setting forth there were de­livered to each of us two Feather Fans like those our Ladies in Spain cool themselves with in Summer; You must understand that the Globe or the Moon has likewise an attractive power, yet so much weaker than the Earth, that if a man do but spring up­ward with all his strength, as Dancers do in shewing their Tricks, he will be able to mount fifty or sixty foot high, and being then above all attraction from the Moons Earth, he falls down no more, but by the help of these Fans as with Wings, they convey themselves in the Air in a short space, (though not quite so swift as Birds) whither they please. In two [Page 111]hours time (as I could guess) by the help of these Fans we were carried through the Air those five Leagues, in all about sixty Persons. Being arrived at the Palace of Pylonas, after our Conductor had got Audience, and decla­red what manner of Present he had brought, I was immediately called in to him by his At­tendants; By the Stateliness of his Palace and the reverence done him, I soon perceived his great­ness, and therefore managed my affairs in order to procure his favour accordingly, and having, as you may remember, a certain little Box or Casket of Jewels, the remainder of those I brought from the East-Indies, before I was in­troduced I secretly took them out of my pocket, and chusing some of each sort, I made them ready to be presented as I should think conve­nient.

I found him sitting in a most magnificent Chair of State with his Wife or Queen on one hand, and his Eldest Son on the other, one at­tended by a Troop of Ladies, and the other of young men, and all along the side of the Room stood a great number of handsom Per­sonages, whereof scarce one was lower of Sta­ture than Pylonas, whose Age they report is now one and twenty thousand Moons. At my entrance I fell on my knees, and though fit to address to him with these words in Latin, Propitius sit tibi Princeps Illustrissime Dominus Noster Jesus Christus, &c. As the former Peo­ple, [Page 112]so these hearing the holy name of our Savi­our, the King, Queen, and all the rest kneel­ed, pronouncing a word or two, I understood not, being rise again, I proceeded. Et Maria, Salvatoris Genetrix Petrus & Paulus, &c. And so reckoning up a number of Saints to find if they honoured any of them as their Patron, at last naming among many other St. Martinus they all bowed their heads and held up their hands in sign of great reverence, the reason whereof I found was, that Martin in their Language signifies God. Then taking out my Jewels, I presented to the King seven Stones of several sorts, a Diamond, a Ruby, an Emerald, a Sa­phire, a Topaz and an Opal, which he accept­ed with great Joy and admiration, as having seldom seen the like; Then I offered the Queen and Prince some others, and design'd to have bestow'd divers more upon his Atten­dants, but Pylonas forbid them to accept any, supposing, as I heard, they were all I had, which he would have me reserve for Irdonozur his Soveraign; He then imbraced me with much indearedness, & inquired divers things by signs, which I answered in the same manner to the best of my Skill, which not contenting him, he delivered me to the guard of 100 of his Giants as I may well call them, strictly charging them that I should want nothing fit for me; That they should suffer none of the Dwarf Lunars or little Moon Men, if I may so term them, to [Page 113]come near me. That I should with all dili­gence be instructed in their Language, and lastly that they should by no means impart to me the knowledge of several things by him Specified, what they were I could never un­derstand. It may be you long to know what Pylonas inquired of me; Why what should it be but, whence I came, how I arrived there, what was my name and business, with the like, to all which I answered as near the truth as pos­sible.

Being dismist I was provided with all ne­cessaries as my heart could wish, so that I seem'd to be in a Paradise, the pleasures where­of did not yet so transport me, but I was much concerned with the thoughts of my Wife and Children, and therefore still retaining some Sparks of Hope that I might again return to them I tended my Gansa's dayly with much care, which yet had signified little if other men had not done more than I could; For now the time came when of necessity all peo­ple of our Stature, and my self likewise, must needs sleep thirteen or fourteen whole days together, for by a secret and irresistible decree of nature when the day begins to appear, and the Moon to be enlightned by the Sun Beams which is in the first Quarter of the Moon, all people of our stature inhabiting these parts fall into a dead sleep, and are not possibly to be wakened till the Sun set, and is withdrawn, for as Owls [Page 114]and Bats with us cannot indure the light, so at the first approach of day we begin to be amazed therewith, and fall immediately into a slumber, which grows by degrees into a dead sleep till the light be gone, which is in fourteen or fifteen days, that is till the last Quarter.

Some will be apt to wonder what light there is in that World during the Suns absence, to them I declare that there is a two fold light, one of the Sun which I could not endure to behold, and another of the Earth; Now that of the Earth was at the height, for when the Moon is at the change, then is the Earth a full Moon to them, and as the Moon increaseth with us, so the light of the Earth decreaseth with them. I then found the light there, though the Sun was absent, equal to that with us in the day when the Sun is clouded, but toward the quarter it dayly diminisheth, yet leaving still a competent light, which seems very strange, though not so remarkable as what they there report, that in the other Hemisphere of the Moon, contrary to that I fell upon, where dur­ing half the Moon they see not the Sun, and the Earth never appears to them, they have notwithstanding a kind of light not unlike our Moon light, which it seems the neerness of the Stars and other Planets that are at a far less distance than from us, affords them.

You must understand that of the true Lunars [Page 115]of Moon men there are three kinds, some a little taller than we, as perhaps ten or twelve Foot high, these can indure the day of the Moon, when the Earth shines but little, but not the Beams of both, and therefore must then be laid asleep; Others are twenty Foot high or above, who can suffer all the light both of the Earth and Sun. There are in a certain Island (the mysteries where of are carefully concealed) men whose Stature is at least twenty seven Foot high of the measure of Spain; If any other come a land there in the Moons day time, they in­stantly fall asleep; This is called Insula Mar­tini, or Gods Island, and hath a particular Go­vernour, who as they report is sixty five thou­sand Moons old, which makes five thousand of our years, his name is said to be Hiruch, and he in a manner commands Irdonozur him­self, especially in that Island out of which he never removes; There is another likewise comes often thither, who they say is not above half his Age, that is about thirty three thousand Moons, or two thousand six hundred of our years, and he orders all things throughout the whole Globe of the Moon in matters of Reli­gion and the Service of God, as absolutely as our holy Father the Pope doth in any part of Italy, I would fain have seen this man, but was not permitted to come near him, his name is Imazes.

Now let me settle my self to a long nights [Page 116]sleep, to which end my Attendants take charge of my Birds, prepare my lodging, and signifie to me by signs how I must order my self. It was then about the middle of September, when I perceived the Air more clear than ordinary, and with the increase of the light I began to feel my self first dull and then heavy to sleep, though I had not been lately disturb'd of my rest; At length I delivered my self into the custody of this Sister of Death, whose Prisoner I was for almost a Fortnight after, and then awaking, it is not to be believed how fresh, brisk and vigorous I found the faculties both of my Body and Mind; I then immediately applyed my self to learning the Language, which is the very same throughout all the Re­gions of the Moon, yet not so wonderful, since I believe all the Earth of Moon does not amount to the fortieth part of our inhabited Earth, partly because the Globe of the Moon is far less than that of the Earth, and besides the Sea or Ocean covers very nigh three parts of four, whereas the Land and Sea in out World may be judged of an equal measure. Their Lan­guage is very difficult, since it hath no Affi­nity with any other I ever heard, and consists not so much of Words and Letters as Tunes and strange sounds which no Letters can ex­press, for there are few words but signifie di­vers and several things, and are distinguished only by their Sounds, which are sung as it were [Page 117]in uttering yea many words consist of tunes on­ly without words; By occasion whereof I find a Language may be framed, and easily learned, as copious as any other in the World only of Tunes which is an Experiment worth searching after; Notwithstanding these difficulties within two months I attained to such knowledge therein that I understood most Questions demanded of me, and with signs and words made reasonable shift to utter my mind, which Pylonas having notice of, he oftimes sent for me, and was pleas­ed to inform me of many things my Guardians durst not disclose, though I must needs say I ne­ver found they abused me with an untruth, but if I asked a question they were unwilling to re­solve, they would shake their heads, and with a Spanish shrug divert to some other discourse.

After seven Months time it happened the great Irdonozur making his Progress to a place about two hundred Leagues from the Palace of Pylonas, sent for me, yet would not admit me into his presence but discourst me through a Window where I might hear him, and he hear and see me at pleasure. I presented him the remainder of my Jewels which he very thank­fully accepted, saying he would requited them with gifts of a far more considerable value. I stay'd there not above a quarter of a Moon when I was again sent back to Pylonas, for if we had stay'd a day or two longer the Sun would have overtaken us before we could have [Page 118]recovered our home. The gifts he bestowed on me were such that a man would part with Mountains of Gold to purchase, they were all Stones nine only in number, of three sorts, one called Poleastis, another Machrus, and the third Ebelus, of each sort 3. the first are about the bigness of an Hazel-nut very like Jet, which among many other incredible Virtues hath this property, that being once put in the Fire they ever after retain their heat, though with­out any outward appearance, till quenched with some kind of liquor which no way endamages them though heated and cooled therein a thousand times; Their heat is so vehement that it will make any Metal within a foot of it red hot, and being in a Chimney warms the Room as if a great fire were kindled therein. The Machrus is yet more precious, in colour like a Topaz, so clear and resplendent as though not above the bigness of a Bean, yet being placed in the night in the midst of a large Church it makes all as light as if an hundred Lamps were hanged round; can any man wish for more useful properties in a Stone than these? Yet my Ebelus is so excellent that it may be much prefer'd before them, yea prized above all the Diamonds, Saphires, Rubies, and Emeralds that our World can afford. The Lunar colour is so exceeding beautiful that a man would travel a thousand Leagues to behold it, the Shape is somewhat flat, of the breadth of [Page 119]a peice of Eight, and twice the thickness, one side is of a more Orient colour than the other, which being clapt to a mans bare Skin, takes away all the weight and ponderousness of his Body, but turning the other side, it adds force to the attractive beams of the Earth either in this World or that, and makes the body half as heavy again; Do you wonder now why I should so overprize this stone? before you see me on Earth again, you will find I have reason to value this invaluable Jewel. I inquired whe­ther they had not any kind of Jem, or other means to make a man invisible, which I judged a thing of admirable use, and could mention divers of our learned men who had written to this purpose; They answered, that if it were possible, yet they were sure Heaven would not suffer it to be revealed to us creatures sub­ject to so many imperfections, and which might be easily abused to ill purposes, and this was all I could get of them.

Now after it was know that Irdonozur the great Monarch had done me this honour, it is strange how much all respected me more than before; my Guardians who had been hitherto cautious in relating any thing of the Govern­ment of that World, grew now more open, so that from them and Pylonas together I under­stood many notable particulars; As that in a thousand years there is found neither Thief nor Whore-Monger, for first there is no want [Page 120]of any thing necessary for the use of man, food growing every where without labour of all sorts that can be desired. As for Cloths, Houses or whatever else a man may be suppos'd to want, it is provided by their Superiors, though not without some labour, but yet so easy as if they did it for pleasure; Again their Females are all absolute Beauties, and by a secret dispo­sition of nature, a man there having once known a Woman never desires any other; Murther was never heard of amongst them, neither is it hardly possible to be committed, for there can be no wound made but what is cureable, yea they assured me, and for my part I believe it, that though a mans head be cut off, yet if within three Moons it be joined to the Carcass again, and the Juice of a certain Herb there growing applyed, it will be so consoli­dated as the wounded party shall in a few hours be perfectly cured. But the chief cause of their good government is an excellent dis­position in the nature of the People, so that all both Old and Young hate all manner of vice and live in such love, peace, and amity as it seems to be another Paradise; Though it is true likewise that some are of a better dispo­sition than others, which they discern immedi­ately at their Birth; And because it is an in­violable Law amongst them that none shall be put to death, therefore perceiving by their Sta­ture or some other signs who are like to be of [Page 121]a wicked and debauched humor, they send them, I know not by what means, into the Earth, and change them for other Children, before they have either opportunity or ability to do amiss among them, but first, they say, they are fain to keep them there for some time till the Air of the Earth alters their colour like ours. Their ordinary vent for them is a certain high Hill in the North of America, whose people, I am apt to believe, are whol­ly descended from them, both in regard of their colour, and their continual use of To­bacco, which the Lunars or Moon Men smoak exceedingly, the place abounding much with moisture, together with the pleasure they take therein, and some other respects too long to rehearse: Sometimes, though but seldom, they mistake their aim and fall upon Europe, Asia, or Africa. I remember some years since I read certain stories tending to confirm what is re­lated by these Lunars, and especiaily one Chap­ter of Neubrigensis, de rebus Angl. It is to­ward the end of the first book, the Chapter I have forgot: Inigo Mondejar in his discription of Nova Granata Book 2. Also Joseph Defia de Carana in his History of Mexico if my memo­ry fail not, recount what will make my report much more credible; but I value not testimonies.

If you inquire farther of the government of the Lunars, and how Justice is executed, alas what need is there of exemplary punishment [Page 122]where no offences are committed, neither need they any Lawyers, for there is no contention, the seeds whereof when they begin to sprout are instantly by the wisdom of the next Superior pluckt up by the Roots. And as little want is there of Physicians, they never surfeit them­selves, the Air is always pure and temperate, neither is there any cause at all of sickness, I could never hear of any that were distempered. But the time assign'd them by nature being spent, they dye without the least pain, or as I should rather say, they cease to live, as a Candle does to give light when what nourishes it is consumed. I was once at the departure of one of them, and was much surprized that notwithstanding the happy life he liv'd, and the multitude of Friends and Children he should forsake, yet as soon as he certainly un­derstood his end to approach, he prepar'd a great Feast, and inviting all whom he especially esteem'd, he exhorts them, To be merry and re­joyce with him, since the time was come he should now leave the counterfeit Pleasures of that World, and be made partaker of all true Joy and perfect happiness; I did not so much admire his own constancy as the behaviour of his Friends; With us in the like case all seem to mourn, when many of them do oft but laugh in their Sleeves, or under a Vizard. But here all both young and old did, in my conscience, not pretendedly but really rejoyce thereat, and if any dissem­bled, [Page 123]it was only grief for their own particular loss. Being dead their Bodies putrify not, and therefore are not buried, but kept in certain Rooms appointed to that purpose, so that most of them can shew their Ancestors Bodies un­corrupt for many Generations; There is never any Rain, Wind, or change of Weather, never either Summer or Winter, but as it were a perpetual Spring, yielding all pleasure and content, free from the least trouble or annoy­ance; O my Wife and Children what wrong have you done me to bereave me of the hap­piness of that place! But it is no great matter, for by this Voyage I am sufficiently assured, that when the race of my mortal life is run I shall attain a greater and everlasting happiness elsewhere.

It was the ninth of September that I began to ascend from the Pike of Tenariff, twelve days I was upon my Voyage and Arrived in that Province of the Moon called Simiri Sept. 21. following Friday May the twelft we came to the Court of the great Irdonozur and return'd back the seventeenth to the Palace of Pylonas where I continued till March 1601. When I earnest­ly requested Pylonas, as I had oft done before to give me leave to depart, though with never so great hazard of my life, back into the Earth again. He much dissuaded me, insisting on the danger of the Voyage, the misery of that place from whence I came, and the abundant happi­ness [Page 124]I now enjoy'd, but the remembrance of my Wife and Children outweigh'd all these reasons, and to say the truth, I was so elated with a desire of the deserved glory I should purchase at my return, as methought I deserved not the name of a Spaniard if I would not hazard twenty lives rather than lose the least particle thereof. I therefore replyed, that I had so strong a desire to see my Children as I found I could not possibly live any longer without going to them; He then requested me to stay one year longer, I told him, I must needs depart now or never, my Birds began to droop for want of their usual Voyage, three were already dead, and if a few more failed I was forever destitute of all possibility of return. At length with much solliciting I prevail'd, having first ac­quainted the great Irdonozur with my Inten­tions, and perceiving by the often baying of my Birds a great longing in them to be gone, I trim'd up my Engine, and took my leave of Pylonas, who for all the kindness he had shewn me required but one thing of me which was to promise him faithfully that if ever I had op­portunity I would salute from him Elizabeth whom he term'd, The great Queen of England, calling her the most glorious of all Women liv­ing, and indeed he would often question me about her, wherein he so much delighted that he seem'd never satisfied with talking of her, he likewise delivered me a Present for her [Page 125]of no small value, and though I account her an Enemy to Spain, yet will I not fail in performing this promise as soon as I am able

Thursday March 29. Three days after my waking from the last Moons light I fastened my self to my Engine, not forgetting to take the Jewels Irdonozur had given me, with the Virtues and use whereof Pylonas had aaquaint­ed me at large, together with a small quan­tity of Victuals whereof afterward I had great occasion. A vast multitude of People being present and among them Pylonas himself, after I had given them all the last Farewel, I let loose the reins to my Birds, who with much greediness taking wing, quickly carried me out of sight, it happened to me as in my first Passage, for I never felt either hunger or thirst till I fell upon an high Mountain in China about five Leagues from the High and Mighty City of Pequin. This Voyage was performed in less then nine days, neither heard I any news of these Airy men I met with in my ascending, nothing stay'd me in the least in my Journey, whe­ther because of the earnest desire of my Birds to return to the Earth, having already missed their season, or that the attraction of the Earth was so much stronger than that of the Moon, and so made it easier, yet so it was though I had three Birds less than before. For the first eight days my Birds flew before me, and I on the Engine was as it were drawn after, but the [Page 126]ninth day, when I began to approach the Clouds, I perceived my self and Engine to sink toward the Earth, and go before them. I was then horribly afraid least my Birds un­able to bear our weight, being so few, should be constrained to precipitate both me and them­selves headlong to the Earth, and therefore thought it very necessary to make use of my stone Ebelus which I clapt to my bare Skin within my Cloths, and instantly I perceiv'd my Birds made way with greater ease than before, as seeming freed from a great burthen, neither do I think they could possibly have let me down safely to the Earth without that help.

China is a Countrey so populous that I think there is scarce a piece of ground thrice a mans length which is not carefully manured; I be­ing yet in the Air some of the Countrey peo­ple spying me came running by Troops, and seizing me would needs carry me before a Ma­gistrate, and seeing no other remedy I yielded to them. But when I try'd to go I found my self so light that one foot being on the ground I had much ado to set down the other, which was by reason my Ebelus so applyed took all weight away from my Body, therefore consi­dering what to do, I pretended a desire of per­forming the necessities of nature, which being made known to them by signs, for they un­derstood not a word of any Language I could speak, they permitted me to go aside among a [Page 127]few bushes, assuring themselves it was impossi­ble I should escape from them; being there, I remembred Pylonas his directions about the use of my stones, and knit them up, (together with a few remaining Jewels I brought from Judea) into an handkerchief, all except the least and worst Ebelus, which I found means to apply in such manner to my body that but the half of its side touched my Skin, this done I drew toward my Guardians, till coming so neer that they could not cross my way, I shewed them a fair pair of heels, that I might have time to hide my Jewels which I knew they would have rob'd me of if not prevented. Being thus lightned I led them such a dance, that had they been all upon the backs of so many Race Horses they could never have over­taken me; I directed my Course to a thick Wood, wherein I entred about a quarter of a League and there finding a fine Spring, which I took for my mark, I thurst my Jewels into a hole made by a Mole hard by.

I then took my Victuals out of my pocket, to which till now in all my Voyage I had not the least appetite, and refreshed my self there­with, till the people who persued overtook me, into whose hands I quietly surrendred my self; They led me to an inferior Officer, who under­standing that I escap't from those who first ap­prehended me, caused an inclosure of boards to be made, wherein they put me, so that only [Page 128]my head was at liberty, and then carried me upon the Shoulders of four slaves, like some notorious Malefactor, before a Person of great Authority, who in their Language I learnt, was called a Mandarin, and resided a League off the famous City of Pequin. I could not understand them, but found I was accused for something with much vehemence, the sub­stance of this accusation it seems was, that I was a Magician as appeared by my being so strangely carried in the Air, and that being a stranger as both my Language and habit did declare, I contrary to the Laws of China had entred the Kingdom without a Warrant, and probably for no good intent. The Manda­rin heard them with a great deal of composed gravity, and being a man of quick apprehen­sion, and studious of Novelties, he told them he would take such order as the case required, and my bold attempt should not go unpunished; Having dismist them he ordered his Servants I should be kept in a remote part of his vast Pallace, be strictly guarded, and kindly used; This I conjecture by my treatment and what followed, for my accommodation was much better than I could expect, I lodg'd well, eat well, was well attended, and could complain of nothing but my restraint; Thus continued I many months, afflicted more with the thoughts of my Gansa's than any thing else, who I knew must be irrecoverably lost, as indeed they were.

In this time by my own Industry, and the assistance of those who accompanied me, I learnt to speak indifferently the ordinary Lan­guage of that Province, (for almost every Pro­vince in China hath its proper Tongue) where­at I perceived they were much pleased; At length I was permitted to take the Air, and brought into the spacious Garden of that Pal­lace, a place of extraordinary pleasure and delight, adorned with Herbs and Flowers of admirable sweetness and beauty, with almost infinite variety of Fruits, European and others, all composed with that rare curiosity as even ravished my senses in the contemplation of such delightful objects; I had not long recreated my self here, when the Mandarin entred the Garden on that side I was walking, of which having notice by his Servants, and that I ought to kneel to him (a usual reverence I found toward great Officers) I did so, and humbly intreated his favour toward a poor stranger who arrived in these parts not de­signedly but by the secret disposal of the Heavens; He answered in a different Language which I hear all the Mandarins use, and like that of the Lunars consisting chiefly of tunes, which was interpreted by one of his atten­dants, wishing me to be of good comfort since he intended no harm to me, and so passed on. Next day I was ordered to come before him, and being conducted into a Noble dining [Page 130]Room exquisitely painted and imbellished, the Mandarin commanding all to avoid, vouchsafed to confer with me in the Vul­gar Langaage, inquiring into the state of my Countrey, the Power of my Prince, and the Religion and Manners of the People, wherein having satisfied him, he descended to ask me a­bout my education and studies, and what brought me into this remote Countrey; I then at large declared to him the Adventures of my Life, only omitting what parti­culars I thought convenient, and especially for­bearing to mention the Stones given me by Ir­donozur,

The strangeness of my story did much amaze him, and finding in all my discourse nothing tending to Magick, wherein he ho­ped by my means to be instructed, he began to admire the excellency of my Wit, applaud­ing me for the happiest man that this World ever saw, and wishing me to repose my self after my long Narration, he for that time dis­missed me. After which the Mandarin took so much delight in me, that no day passed where­in he did not send for me; At length he ad­vised me to cloth my self in the habit of that Countrey, which I willingly did, and gave me not only the liberty of his House, but took me also with him when he went to Pequin, whereby I had opportunity by degrees to learn the disposition of the People, and the Policy of [Page 131]the Countrey, neither did I by my attendance on him, gain only the knowledge of these things, but the possibility likewise of being re­stored to my native Soil, and to those dear Pledges which I value above the World, even my Wife and Children; For by often fre­quenting Pequin, I at length heard of some Fa­thers of the Society of Jesus, who were become famous for the extraordinary favour afforded them by the King, to whom they had pre­sented some European Rarities, as Clocks, Watches, Dials, and the like, which by them were accounted exquisite Curiosities. To these by the Mandarins leave I repaired, and was welcomed by them, they much wondring to see a Lay Spaniard there, whither they had with so much difficulty obtained leave to arrive. There did I relate to Father Pantoja & others of the Society the foremention'd adventures, by whose directions I put them in writing, and sent this story of my Fortunes to Macao, from thence to be conveyed to Spain as a forerunner of my return; And the Mandarin being very indulgent to me, I came often to the Fathers with whom I consulted about many secrets, and with them also laid the Foundation of my return, the blessed hour whereof I do with pa­tience expect, that by inriching my Countrey with the knowledge of these hidden mysteries, I may at last reap the Glory of my Forrunate Misfortunes.

Mention being made in the preceding dis­course of the Pike of Teneriff one of the Canary Islands, which is thought not to have its equal in the World for height, its top being so much above the Clouds, that in clear weather it may be seen sixty Dutch Leagues at Sea, I can­not think it altogether unpleasant to give an ac­count of some English men who a few years since ascended to the top thereof, and Publish­ed the fellowing relation.

It cannot be ascended but in July and Au­gust, lying all the other months covered with Snow, though upon this and the near adja­cent Islands none is to be seen; It requires three days travel to come to the top; The Merchants and other worthy Persons who un­dertook this Journey proceed thus. Having furnisht our selves with a Guide, Servants, and Horses to carry our Wine and Provision, we set forth from Oratava a Port Town in the Island of Teneriff, scituate on the north side, two mile distant from the main Sea, and tra­vell'd from twelve at night till eight in the morning, by which time we got to the top of the first Mountain toward the Pico de Terraira, there under a very large and conspicuous Pine­tree we took our Breakfast, Din'd, and refresht our selves till two in the Asternoon. Then we passed through many sandy ways, over many lofty Mountains, but naked and bare, and not covered with Pine Trees as our first nights [Page 133]passage was; this exposed us to excessive heat, till we arrived to the foot of the Pico, where we found divers huge Stones which seemed to have fallen from some upper part; About six in the evening we began to ascend up the Pice, but were scarce advanced a mile, and the way being no more passible for Horses, we left them with our Servants. In the ascent of one mile, some of our Company grew very faint and sick, disordered by Fluxes, Vomitings, and Aguish Distempers, our Horses hair standing up like Bristles, and calling for some of our Wine carried in small Barrels on an Horse, we found it so wonderfully cold, that we could not drink it till we had made a Fire to warm it, notwithstanding the Air was very calm and moderate, but when the Sun was set, it began to blow with such violence, and grow so cold, that taking up our lodging among the hollow Rocks, we were necessitated to keep Fires in the mouths of them all night.

About four in the morning we began to mount again, and being come another mile up, one of our Company fail'd and was able to proceed no further; Here began the black Rocks, the rest of us pursued our Journey till we came to the Sugar Loaf, where we began to travel again in a white Sand, being fitted with Shoes, whose single Soles are made a Fin­ger broader than the upper Leathers, to en­counter this difficult passage; Having ascend­ed [Page 134]as far as the black Rocks, which lay all flat like a plain Floor, we climbed within a mile of the very top of the Pico, and at last we at­tained the Summit, where we found no such smoke as appeared a little below, but a conti­nual perspiration of a hot and sulphurous va­pour that made our Faces extreamly sore, all this way we found no considerable alteration of the Air, and very little Wind, but on the top it was so impetuous that we had much ado to stand against it whilst we drank the Kings Health, and fired each of us a Piece. Here also we took our Dinner, but found that our strong Waters had lost their vertue, and were almost insipid, while our Wine was more Brisk and Spirituous than before; The top on which we stood being not above a yard broad is the Brink of a Pit called the Caldera which we judged to be a Musket shot over, and near four­score yards deep in form of a Cone, hollow within like a Kettel, and covered over with small loose stones mixed with Sulphur and Sand, from among which issued divers Spira­cles of Smaok and Heat, which being stirred with any thing puffs and makes a noise, and so offensive, that we were even suffocated with the sudden rising of Vapors upon removing one of these Stones, which were so hot as not easily to be handled; We descended not above four or five yards into the Caldera or Caldron because of the Slipperiness under foot, [Page 135]and the difficulty, but some have adventured to the bottom; Other matters observable we discovered none besides a clear sort of Sulphur which lay like Salt upon the Stones; From this renowned Pico we could see the Grand Canaries fourteen Leagues distant, Palma eighteen, and Gomera seven, which interval of Sea seemed not much wider than the Thames about London; We discerned also the Herro being distant about twenty Leagues, and so to the outmost limits of the Sea much farther; As soon as the Sun appeared the shadow of the Pico seem'd to cover not only the whole Island and the Grand Canaries but the Sea to the very Horizon, where the top of the Sugar-loaf or Pico visibly appeared to turn up, and cast its shade into the Air it self, at which we were much surprized;

But the Sun was not far ascended when the Clouds began to rise so fast, as intercepted our Prospect both of the Sea and the whole Island, except the tops only of the Subjacent Mountains which seemed to pierce them through, whether these Clouds do ever surmount the Pico we cannot say, but to such as are far be­low they seem sometimes to hang above it, or rather wrap themselves about it, as constantly when the West Winds blow, this they call the Cap, and is an infallible prognostick of ensuing Storms; One of our Company who made this Journey again two years after, arriving at the [Page 136]top of the Pico before day, and creeping under a great stone to Shrowd himself from the cold Air; after a little space found himself all wet, and perceived it to come from a perpetual trickling of the Water from the Rocks above him; Many excellent and exuberant Springs we found issuing from the tops of most of the other mountains, gushing out in great Spouts almost as far as the huge Pine-tree we men­tioned before; Having stay'd a while at the top, we all descended the Sandy way till we came to the foot of the Sugar-loaf, which being steep even almost to a perpendicular we soon passed, and here we met with a Cave about ten yards deep and fifteen broad, being in shape like an Oven or Cupola, having a hole at the top near eight yards over; This we descended by a Rope that our Servants held fast on the top, while with the other end being fastned about our middles we swung our selves till being over a Bank of Snow, we slid down, lighting upon it, we were forced to swing thus in the descent, because in the midst of the bottom of this Cave opposite to the overture at the top is a round pit of Water like a Well, the surface whereof is about a yard lower, but as wide as the Mouth at top, and about six Fathom deep, we supposed this Water not a Spring, but dissolved Snow blown in, or Wa­ter trickling through the Rocks; about the sides of the Grott for some height there is [Page 137]Ice and Isicles hanging down to the Snow.

But being quickly weary of this excessive cold place, and drawn up again, we continued our descent from the Mountains by the same Passage we went up the day before, and so a­bout five in the Evening arrived at Oratava from whence we set forth, our faces so red and sore that to cool them we were forced to wash and bath them in Whites of Eggs; The whole height of the Pico in perpendicular is vulgarly esteemed to be two miles and an half. No Trees, Herbs nor Shrubs did we find in all the Passage, but Pines, and among the whiter Sands a kind of Broom being a bushy Plant; It is the opinion of some Ingenious Persons who have lived twenty years upon the place, that the whole Island being a Soil mightily im­pregnated with Brimstone did in former times take fire and blow up all or near all at the same time, and that many Mountains of huge Stones calcined and burnt, which appears all over this Island, especially in the South-West part of it, were cast up and raised out of the Bowels of the Earth at the time of that general conflragation, and that the greatest quantity of this Sulphur lying about the center of the Island raised up the Pico to that height at which it now is seen, which appears by the scituation of those Rocks that lye three or sour Miles round the bottom of the Pico, and [Page 138]in such order one above another almost to the Sugar-loaf as it is called, as if the whole ground swelling and rising up together by the ascension of the Brimstone, the Torrents and Rivers of it did with a sudden eruption Roul and Tumble them down from the rest of the Rocks, especially to the South-West where from the top of the Pico to the Sea-coast lye huge heaps of these burnt Rocks one under another, and there still remain the very tracks of the Brim­stone Rivers as they ran over this Quarter of the Island which hath so wasted the ground, beyond recovery, that nothing can be made to grow there but Broom.

Sect. III. A View of the Bay OF SOULDANIA, Near the Coast of Good Hope, on the Coast of AFRICA.

BEfore we arrive at the East-Indies, I cannot but divert once more to the Bay of Soul­dania lying in thirty four degrees and an half of South Latitude, about twelve Leagues short of the Cape of goods hope, in a sweet Climate full of fragrant Herbs, which the Soil produceth [Page 140]of it self, pleasing to the sense; Where the honourable East-India Companies ships used for­merly to refresh, and arriving there very weak and feeble with that Sea disease the Scurvey have often found very great relief, and it is ob­servable if any be not too much overgone with this malady, as soon as they come to enjoy the fresh Air on any shore with fresh Water and fresh Victuals, they presently recover, but if the Scurvey has overmuch prevail'd, they in­stantly dye as soon as they set their foot on Shore. Here is a most delicious Brook of sweet Wa­ter arising out of a mighty Hill hard by, called for its form, The Table, neer which is another Hill exceeding high like a Pyramid, and called by Europeans the Sugar-loaf here are great store of Cattel as little Cows, called by the barbarous Inhabitants Boos, and Sheep which they name Baas, who bear a short, course, hairy Wooll, and seem to have been never shorn. These Boos and Baas as they term them, were formerly bought in great plenty for small quantities of Kettle-brass, and Iron Hoops taken off our empty Cask, which for this long Voyage to the Indies are hoop't with Iron. These Salvages had the Cattel we bought of them at very great Command, for with a call they would presently run to them, and when they had sold a Bullock to us for a little peice of Brass, if we did not presently knock him down, they would by the same call make the poor [Page] [Page]

[Page 117]creature break from us, and run to them again, and then there was no getting them out of their hands, but by giving more Brass; By this trick they sometimes sell the same beast two or three times, whereby we may perceive the covetousness and deceit of this brutish People. Of all Metals they love Brass best, it may be for the rankness of the smell wearing great Rings thereof about their Arms, yea are so in love therewith, that if you lay before them a peice of Gold worth two pound sterling, and a peice of Brass worth two pence, they will leave the Gold and take the Brass; On this shoar are excellent small Roots for Sallards, and in the head of the Bay great store of large fat Mullets.

This remotest part of Africa is very moun­tainous, and overun with wild Beasts, as Ly­ons, Tygers, Wolves, and many other Beasts of Prey, which in the silent night discover themselves by their noise and roaring; To the Teeth and Jaws of which cruel creatures the Natives do here expose their old people if death prevent not, when once they grow de­crepit and troublesom, laying them forth in some open place in the dark night, when the Wild Beasts creep forth, and the young Ly­ons roar after their Prey. One miserable poor Old wretch was thus exposed when some Eng­lish Ships were there, who by his pitiful cries was discovered by our Court of Guard that [Page 118]were there ashoar not far from him by whom he was relieved and delivered for that present out of the Jaws of Death, and they asking Cooree one of the Natives (of whom hereafter) why they did so, he replied, It was their Custom when their People had lived so long that they knew not what to do with them thus to be rid of them; They saw in this Bay of Souldania many Whales, and about the Shoar divers party-coloured Fowls and Ostriches; The Soil about the Bay seems very good, but the Sun shines not upon a People in the whole World more Barbarous than those which pos­sess it, being rather Beasts in the Skins of men, than Men in the Skins of Beasts, as appears by their Ignorance, Habit, Language, Diet and other things wherein they appear absolutely brutish.

For as to Religion, generally all the People in the World as well Heathen as Christian do acknowledge the great God of Heaven and Earth, but they, as Cooree told us, own no God at all; Their speech seems rather an in­articulate noise than a Language, sounding like the clucking of Hens, or Gabling of Turkies, wherewith as they walk about, they make a ve­ry strange confused noise, if there be two, three, five, ten, twenty or more in company it is their manner to walk in rank one after another in small paths they have made by there going thus, as Cows in Summer do many times when [Page 119]they come home to the pail, or as Wild Geese who fly in Ranks, and as they fly make a noise, so these walking together gabble from the first to the last in company as if all spake and none answered; Their Habits are their Sheep-Skins undrest thonged together, which cover their bodies to the middle, with a little flap of the same Skin tyed before them, being naked downward, when it is cold they put the Woolley, and when hot the Fleshy side of those Skins next their Body. Their Ornaments and Jewels are Bullocks or Sheepsguts full of Ex­crements about their Necks, and therefore when we bought their Cattel they would take, and we were content they should, their Skins, Guts, and Garbage, which plentifully furnish't them with that stinking attire; When they are hungry they sit down upon some hillock, first shaking some of that filthy pudding out of the Guts about their Neck, then bowing down their Mouths to their hands almost as low as their knees, like hungry Dogs they gnaw and eat the Raw Guts, which you may conceive fills their Mouths full of sweet Green Sauce.

The Women are adorned, habited and dieted in the same manner, only they wear more about their lower parts than the men, they carry their sucking Infants under their Skins upon their backs, and their Breasts hanging down like Bagpipes, they put up with their hands to their Children that they may suck them over [Page 120]their Shoulders; Both Sexes make coverings for their heads of Cow-dung and such like silth, mingled with a little stinking Grease they be­smear their Faces with, which makes their Company insufferable if they get the Wind of you; I observed (saith my Author) that some of the rest of their Diet was agreeable to the former, for they would not refuse any thing, as rotten and mouldy Biskets which we have given them, fit for nothing but the dunghill, yea they will devour what a hungry Dog in England would refuse. I once observed a cou­ple of them, who had found on the Neighbour Shoar a large peice of a dead Fish the Sea had cast up, which stunk intolerably, they made a little fire with dry Cow-dung wherewith they warm'd and then eat it, with as much appetite as an hungry man with us would feed upon a very choice and Savoury Dish, which makes me apt to believe that these wretched creatures have but three senses, wanting the benefit both of smelling and tasting. These Brutes devote themselves to Idleness, for they neither spin nor dig; They are very streight and well limb'd, though not very Tall, their Faces very ill favoured, most of their Noses flat, have little or no beard, the hair on their heads short, black and curled, their Skins very tawny, swift they are of foot, and will throw Darts and shoot Arrows (which are their Weapons) very dan­gerously.

I shall here insert a true Relation (saith my Author) about three years before I went to India which was in 1615 one of the East In­dia Companies Ships returning thence and ar­riving at this Harbor, after a little stay when she was ready to Sail, and having then two of these Salvages aboard, the Commander re­solv'd to bring them both home with him, imagining that having learnt English here, they might discover something of their Countrey yet unknown to us; These poor wretches thus surprized and carried away against their wills were much disturbed; One of them meerly out of sullenness, though he was very well used, died soon after they put to Sea; The other who called himself Cooree a forenamed, was brought to London, and there kept Six Months in Sir Thomas Smiths House then Governor of the East India Company, where he had good Diet, good Cloths, good Lodging, and all other fitting Accommodations; One would have thought that this wretch might have conceived his present, compared with his former Condition a Heaven upon Earth.

But all these things gave him no content, though to his good Entertainment he had gal­lantry added, having a Chain of Bright Brass, with Breast, Back and Headpeice of the same, and a Buckler all of Brass his beloved Metal, yet all this did not now please him, for never did any man seem more weary of ill Usage, [Page 122]than he was of Courtesies, none being ever more desirous of returning to his Countrey than he; For when he had learn'd a little of our Lan­guage he would dayly lye on the ground and cry out very often in broken English, Cooree home go, Souldania go, home go. And not long after when he had his desire, and was return'd home, he had no sooner set footing on his own shore but he presently threw away his Cloths, his Linnen, with all his other covering, and instantly got his Sheep-Skins upon his back, guts about his Neck, and a persum'd Cap of Cow-dung on his Head, and so returned like a Dog to his vomit, & a Swine to his wallowing in the Mire, without a Metaphor; After this Fel­low was returned, it made the Natives very shy of us when we arrived there, for though they would come about us in great Companies when we first arrived, yet three or four days before they thought we would depart thence there was not one of them to be seen, fearing we would have dealt with them as formerly with Cooree. But it had been well he had never seen England, for as he discovered nothing to us, so certainly when he came home he told his Countreymen, having doubtless observ'd it here, that Brass was but a base and cheap com­modity in England, and it may be we had so well stored them with that Metal before, that we had never after such a free exchange of our Brass and Iron for their Cattel. It was [Page 123]here that I asked Cooree, who was their God, He lifting up his hands answered in bad Eng­lish, England God, Great God; Souldania no God.

In 1614. Ten Englishmen being condemned to dye for their several Crimes at the Sessions in the Old Bayly London, had their Execution respited by the intreaty of the East-India Mer­chants, upon condition they should be all ba­nished to this place, that so if they could find any peaceble aboad here, they might discover somewhat advantagious to Trade, this was done accordingly, but two of them when they came thither were taken thence, and carried on the Voyage to the Indies; One named Daffeld was that year redeemed from this sad banishment by Sir Thomas Row who was sent Ambassador to the Great Mogol, and afterward brought back to England by that Noble Gentleman, and being then intrusted by him, this ingrateful Villain stole some of his Plate and ran away; Another was likewise on the Voyage, but what became of him I know not. So that there re­mained only eight, which were here left with Amunition and Victual, and a small Boat to carry them to and from a very little uninha­bited Island, lying in the very Mouth of the Bay of Souldania, as a place for their re­treat and safety from the Natives on the Main; It is called Penguin Island, probably so named by some Welshman, in whose Language Penguin [Page 124]signifies a white head, there being many great large Fowls upon and about this Island with great Cole-Black Bodies and White Heads called Penguins.

The Chief Person left here was one Cross, who call'd himself Captain; He was before one of the Yeomen of the Guard to King James the first, but having twice or thrice had his hand in the bloud of men slain in Duels, and being now condemn'd to dye with the rest, upon very great suit made for him he was ba­nished hither with them, whither yet Divine Justice seem'd to persue him, for being a very stout resolute man and abusing the Natives, he was soon after his arrival surprized by them who shot his Body so full of Arrows that he look't like the man in the Almanack, and seemed to be all one wound; The other seven recovered their Boat, and got off the Continent rowing toward the Island without much damage, but the Wa­ter running very high, as soon as they were a­shore their Boat was split in peices, so that they were then forc't to continue in that mise­rable place where never a Tree grew either for Sustenance, Shelter or Shade, nor any thing else to sustain their lives, having no fresh Water but what the Showers left in the holes of the Rocks; And which added to their misery, it a­bounded so with venemous Serpents that it was very dangerous treading in the long Grass for fear of them; They had but a small quantity [Page 125]of dry Bisket, their Bellies were hungry, and their sleep unsafe, so that nothing could render their condition more unhappy, and yet these seven vile Wretches all lived to be made exam­ples of Divine Justice, for after they had con­tinued in this desolate place five or six months, and were all grown almost mad with Famine, it pleased God that an English Ship came into that Road bound for England; Four of these seven grew so impatient of an hours stay there, that immediately after the Ship came in they made a float of the Ruins of their split Boat, and other Wood, and with ravell'd and un­twisted Boat Ropes fastning as well as they could, all together, extremity instructing them, they got thereon poizing it to the best advantage, hoping by the benefit of their Oars, and strength of the Tide which ran quick toward the Ship to recover her; But their expectation failed them, for it being to­ward Evening when they made this attempt, and not being discovered by the Ship which then rid a good way up in their Bay, before they could come near her, the Tyde return'd and carried them back into the main Sea, where they all were cast away.

The day following the Ship sent a Boat to the Island, which took these three yet survi­ving into her, as the other four might have been had their patience held out but one night lon­ger, who gave this account of their Fellows [Page 126]misfortune; But notwithstanding all the suf­ferings of these miscreants, yet they behaved themselves so lewdly in the Ship in their re­turn homeward, that they were very often put in the Bilbows; At length the Ship arriv­ing safely in the Downs she had not been at Anchor three hours, when these Villains got ashore, where they had not been above three hours but they committed a Robbery, and a very few hours after were all apprehended for the Fact, and suddenly after that, their irre­claimable humor being related to the Lord Chief Justice, they were by his special War­rant Executed as incorrigible Wretches upon their former Sentence, near Sandwich in Kent, where they committed their Crime. The year following three other condemned Persons were carried to be left in this place, but hearing of the ill success of their Predecessors, and that they were unlike to be safe here when the Ships were ready to depart and leave them on shore, they all came and presented themselves on their Knees with tears in their Eyes before our Captain Joseph, humbly beseeching him to order them to be Hanged in that place before they went, which they chose much rather than to be left there; It was a very sad sight to behold three men in such a condition that they should esteem Hanging to be a mercy; Our Commander told them he had no Com­mission to Execute them, but to leave them [Page 127]there, and so he must do, and probably had done, but our fifth Ship the Swan staying in this place a day or two after took these poor men in. And so much for the Bay of Souldania.

Sect. IV. THE English Acquisitions in the EAST-INDIES.

HAving cleer'd our way let us now Sail merrily toward the Indies, doubling first the Cape of Good Hope, and then passing by Madagascar called also St. Lawrence, one of the greatest Islands in the World, stored with all manner of Provisions, but inhabited by a barbarous and Heathenish People, yet stout, warlike and very numerous. Over a­gainst which on the Continent of Africa are Zefala and Mozambique, where the Portugals have got footing, and may be strongly sup­posed [Page 128]to be the places whither Solomon sent his Navy of Ships built at Eziongebar which stood on the Banks of the Red Sea in Arabia the Happy, the Countrey of that famous Queen of the South, who hearing of his Wisdom and Renown, took her Journey thence to visit the Court of King Solomon; From that place Solo­mon sent his Ships for Gold, and Silver, and Ivory, coasting all along the African shore, the Art of Navigation being then unknown; And the Marriners steering without Chart or Compass, were necessitated to keep the Neigh­bouring Lands always in sight, as doubtless they did, these places being stored with those rich Commodities above other parts of Africa.

The Portugals, Dutch and English, disco­vered these Countries of India in the last Age; and have since setled themselves by Forts, and Castles there; The Portugals first brake the Ice, who in 1494. failing from Lisbon un­der Vasco de Gama, doubled the Cape of Good Hope, and succeeded so well afterward as to Conquer and Fortify several places in many Countreys of Asia, and the Islands thereof; In 1595. the Dutch set out our a Fleet from Amsterdam to India, wherein they used such extraordinary dexterity with then Cannon Law and Steel Arguments, that they made themselves Masters of 28 Forts and Castles, and of forty four or forty five Factories in a short time, for preserving their Trade. In [Page 129]1600. the English began their Discoveries un­der Sir James Lancaster with four Ships, whose endeavours were so blest, and the good Go­vernment of the Honourable East-India Com­pany prospered so well, that they setled their Residence and Factories in twenty four several places of note, as at Ormus and Jasques in the entrance of the Persian Gulf under the Persian Monarch; At Cambaja, Surat, Agria, and other places in the Great Mogols Countrey; At Maslapatan, Armagon, Petipoly, Pattana, Siam, and other places on the Coast of Cor­mandel, and the Continent of Asia; At A­chin, Ticko, Jambe, Prianian, on the Isle of Sumatra; At Bantam, Jacatra and Japarra on the Island of Java; At Socodana and Be­niermasa, on the Island of Borneo; At Macas­sar in the Isle of Celebs; At Poleroon on the Isle of Banda; At Firando in Japan; And lastly at Amboina, Hitto, and other of the Moluc­co's, which they quietly enjoyed, till the Dutch by base Circumventions, and treache­rous practices, deprived the English of that Trade, and several of them of their Lives, as has been at large published to the World.

The honourable East-India Company was incorporated in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, and hath since been confirmed, with divers Im­munities added to their Charter by all the suc­ceeding Kings, so that now they have as am­ple Priviledges as any other Company whatso­ever, [Page 130]and are found very beneficial to the Na­tion by the great Trade they drive in Im­porting so many rich Commodities from India, Persia and Arabia; They export from hence, Peices of Eight, Dollars, Broad cloaths, Perpe­tuana's, Gun-Powder, Elephants Teeth, Lead, Amber, Looking-Glasses, Sizars, Knives, Beads, Bracelets, Feathers, Coral, Quicksilver, Vermillion, Allom, Brimstone, and many others; For which they import all sorts of Spices, Cotton-yarn, Cal­licoes, Pintadoes, Tamerinds, Sanders, Spiknard, Bezoar, Alloes, Mirrhe, Rubarb, Opium, Frank­incense, Cassia, Borax, Calamus, Mirabolans, Green Ginger, Sugars, Sugar Candy, Camphire, Sandal Wood, Benjamin, Musk, Civet, Amber­greece, Rice, Indico, Silks both Raw and wrought; Salt Petre, Precious Stones of several sorts, Pearl, Mother of Pearl, Gold, Silver, Christal, Cornelian Rings, Agats, Lacquie Furrs, and Skins of Wild Beasts, Porcelane Copper, Chi­na Roots, Tea, Sanguis Draconis, China Wares of divers sorts with several other Commodities and Drugs too tedious to relate.

Designing to give some Account of the Coun­treys wherein the aforementioned Forts and Factories are placed, according to my propos'd Method, and the scantling allowed me, I shall begin with Ormus which is an Island Sci­tuate in the Persian Gulf about twenty Mile in compass, stony and full of Rocks, and in a manner barren of all necessaries except Salt [Page 131]wherewith the very Rocks are covered, and of Salt Stone many Houses built; So destitute of all things fitting for the life of man that the In­habitants had all their Victuals even the Water which they drank from the adjoining Coun­treys; The Air so hot in Summer that the people rest themselves in Caves covered over with Wood, where they stand or sit in Water up to the Chin, and have Loopholes in the Tops of their Houses to let in the Wind; Which notwithstanding, in regard of the Scituation, it was of late one of the richest Empories in all the World, the wealth of Persia and East-India being brought thither, and conveyed hence up by Water to the River Euphrates, and so by Boats or on Camels Backs to Aleppo, Alexandretta, Tripoly, and from thence dis­persed into all the Countreys of the Mediter­ranean Sea; The chief and only City was of the same name with the Island founded about seven hundred years ago by one Mahomet Dan­ku descended from the Kings of Saba in Ara­bia Faelix; Who with many Families of the Sabeans passed over the Streights into Carma­nia, and the Isles adjoining, and liking the Sci­tuation of this Island, built this City in it, which he called Ormus, or Armuzium, according to the name of the Promontory wherein it lies; It is seated at one end of the Isle, about 2 Miles in compass, well built and adorned with a fair Market place, some Churches, and a well [Page 132]fortified Castle, furnished with all necessaries for a Seige; By reason of its wealth and resort of Merchants, grown to such esteem that it gave gave occasion to this distich.

It was first under its own King, whose Domi­nion extended also to some part of the Conti­nent on either side, and over all the rest of the Islands within the Gulf; His Revenue of no great yearly value till the coming of the Portu­gals thither, by whom it was discovered under the conduct of Albukerque in 1509. Who having fortified some part of it for their own defence, made it the Staple of their Trade for the Indian Merchandize, so inricht the same that the Revenues of those Kings (though Vassals and Tributaries to the Portugals) amounted to an hundred and Forty Thousand Seriffs yearly; In this flourishing state it stood till 1622. when Abbas the Sultan of Persia having receiv­ed some affronts from the Portuguess, or desi­rous to remove the Trade from Ormus to some Port of his own, gave order to Emangoli Chan the Duke of Shiras to besiege it with fifteen thousand men; Who dispairing of prevailing by his Land Forces only, furnished himself with Ships and Cannon of some English Merchants, [Page 133]to whom he promised many things which he never performed; For being once Master of the City, he utterly destroyed it, removing the Ordnance to Lar, the wealth thereof to his own Treasury at Shiras, and the Materials of the Houses to Gombroon beforementioned, the Portuguess and Christian Natives, passing over to Muskahat in Arabia Faelix; Since which time though the English Captains that ventured in it were disappointed of the rewards they ex­pected, yet so much honour hath been given by the King of Persia to the English Nation, that the Agent who resides at Gombroon takes Custom of all Strangers who traffick thither.

The People hereof in their Persons, Habit, and Religion participate somewhat of the Ara­bians but most of the Persians; They are Ma­hometans for the most part, of the Sophian Sect, the Author of which Religion, has infatuated so great a part of the World with his Blasphe­mous dotage was Mahomet that Grand Impostor born at Jathrip an obscure Village not far from Medina, his Father called Abdalla was an Idolatrous Pagan, his Mother named Hemi­na as perverse a Jewess; Deprived of both his Parents when but two years old, he was left to the care of an Uncle, who not able to give him Education, nor willing to keep him any lon­ger, sold him at sixteen years of Age to the Ishmaelites, by whom exposed to Sale in the open Market he was bought by one Abdal a [Page 134]wealthy Merchant. By whom imploy'd at first in drudgery and servile Offices, till noting his great Wit, and fitness for better Services, he at last used him as his Factor, sending him with his Camels and Loads of Merchandize in­to Syria, Persia, Egypt and other places, wherein he behaved himself with such dexterity that he much increased his Masters wealth, and his own estimation; Of Person he is said to be low, and withal Scald headed, but otherwise comely and of good aspect; Much troubled with the falling sickness, which infirmity he made good use of afterward, affirming those fits were nothing but heavenly raptures in which he conversed with the Angel Gabriel; He is likewise said to have been well Skill'd in Magick, by which he taught a white Pigeon to feed at his Ear, which he declared was the Holy Ghost, by whom he was instructed in the Law he was to publish, but this not till afterwards; By Sorceries, comeliness of Person, and the great knowledge he had in his Masters business, he gained so far on the Affections of his Mistress that upon the death of Abdal she made him her Husband.

Possessed of all his Masters Wealth, he af­fected ease, and being till-then of no Religi­on, or at least a Pagan, he began to hearken to Sergius a Nestorian Monk, who flying out of Syria for fear of punishment (the Heresies of Nestorius being newly both revived and [Page 135]censured) came into Arabia, where he found Entertainment in the House of Mahomet; By his perswasions who found him a fit Instru­ment for the Devil to work on, he began to entertain thoughts of hammering out a new Religion which might unite all Parties in some common Principles, and bring the Christians, Jews and Gentiles, into which the World was then divided, under one Profession; Re­solv'd on this he retired to a Cave not far from Mecca as if he there attended only Con­templation; Sergius in the mean time Trum­petting in the Ears of the People both his Parts and Piety, who being thus prepared to be­hold the Pageant, out comes the principal Actor, with some parts of his Alcoran, plea­sing enough to sensual minds which he profes­sed to have received from the Angel Gabriel; And finding that this edified to his expectation he next proclaimed Liberty to all Slaves and Servants, as a thing commanded him by God, by whom the natural Liberty of Mankind was most dearly tendred, which drew to him such a Rabble of unruly People, that without fear or opposition he dispersed his Doctrines, re­ducing them at last to a Book or Method. The Book of this Religion he calleth the Alcoran, or Collection of Precepts, the original whereof they feign is written on a Table kept in Hea­ven, and the Copy brought to Mahomet by the Angel Gabriel. A Book so highly reveren­ced [Page 136]by the Mahometans that they write upon the cover of it; Let none touch this but he that is clean. The Body of it, as it now stand­eth, was composed by Osman the fourth Ca­liph or Governour, who seeing the Saracens daily inclining to divers Heresies by reason of some false Copies of Mahomets Law, and that the Empire by the same means was likely to fall into civil dissention, by the help of his Wife, who was Mahomets Daughter, he got a sight of all Mahomets Papers, which he re­duced into four Volumes, and divided into 124 Chapters, commanding expresly upon pain of death, that that Book, and that only should be received as Canonical through his Dominions; The whole body of it being only a Gloss and Exposition on Eight of the Com­mandments.

First, Every one ought to believe that God is a great God, and one only God, and Mahomet is his Prophet. They hold Abraham to be the Friend of God, Moses the Messenger of God, and Christ the Breath of God, whom they de­ny to be conceived of the Holy Ghost, affirm­ing that the Virgin Mary grew with Child of him by smelling to a Rose, and was delivered of him at her Breasts; They deny the Mystery of the Trinity, but punish such as speak a­gainst Christ, whose Religion was not, say they, taken away but amended by Mahomet, and whoever in his Pilgrimage to Mecca doth [Page 137]not visit the Sepulchre of Christ either going or coming, is reputed not to have merited or bettered himself by his Journey.

2. Every man must marry to increase the Disciples of Mahomet. Four Wives he allows to every man, and as many Concubines as he will, between whom the Husband makes no difference either in Affection or Apparel, but that the first Wife only enjoys his Sabbath days Benevolence; The Women are not admit­ted while alive into their Churches, nor after death into Paradise; And whereas in most o­ther Countreys Fathers give some Portions with their Daughters, the Mahometans give Money for their Wives, which being once paid, the Contract is Registred in the Cadies Book, and this is all their formality of Marriage.

3. Every one must give of his Wealth to the Poor. Hence some buy Slaves, and set them free, others buy Birds and let them fly; They use commonly to release Prisoners and Bond-slaves; To build Caves or Lodgings in the ways for relief of Passengers; Repair Bridges and mend High ways; But there most ordinary Almes consists in Sacrifices of Sheep and Oxen, which when the Solemnity is per­form'd they distribute amongst the Poor, to whom also on the first day of every year they are bound to give the Tyth or Tenth part of their profits the year past, so that there are scarce any Beggars among them.

4. Every one must make his Prayers five times a day. When they pray they turn their Bodies toward Mecca, but their Faces some­times one way, and sometimes another, be­lieving that Mahomet shall come behind them while at their Devotions. The first time is an hour before Sun-rising, the second at noon­day, the third at three a Clock Afternoon, the fourth at Sun-setting, the fift and last be­fore they go to sleep; At all these times the Cryers bawl in the Steeples (for the Turks and Saracens have no Bells) for the people to come to Church, and such as cannot, must when they hear the voice of the Cryers, fall down in the place where they are, do their Devotions, and kiss the ground thrice.

5. Every one must keep a Lent one month in a year. This Lent is called Ramazan, in which they suppose the Alcoran was given to Mahomet by the Angel Gabriel. This Fast is only in the day time, their Law allowing them to be as Frolick in the night as they please, so they abstain from Wine and Swines Flesh, which is prohibited in their Law at all times, but never so strictly abstained from as in Lent.

6. Be Obedient to thy Parents. Which Law is most neglected of any in all the Alcoran, never any Children being generally so unnatu­ral as the Turkish.

7. Thou shalt not Kill. This they keep inviolate amongst themselves, but the poor [Page 139]Christians are sure to feel their sury. And as if by this Law the actual shedding of Blood only were prohibited, they have invented punishments for their Offenders worse than death it self. As first the Strappado which is hanging them by the Arms drawn backwark, and then drawn up on high, and letting down again with a violent swing which unjointeth all their Back and Arms. Secondly, they some­times hoise up their Heels, and with a great Cudgel give them three or four hundred blows on the Soles of their Feet. Thirdly, It is or­dinary to draw them naked up to the top of a Gibbet or Tower full of Hooks, and cutting the Rope to let them fall down again, and by the way they are caught by some of the Hooks, where they commonly hang till they die for hunger.

8. Do unto others as thou wouldst be done unto thy self.

To those that keep these Laws he promis­eth Paradise a place of all Delights, adorn'd with flowry Fields, watered with Chrystal­line Rivers, beautified with Trees of Gold, under whose cool shade they shall spend their time with amorous Virgins, whose Mansions shall not be far distant. The men shall never exceed the Age of thirty, nor the Women of fifteen, and those to have their Virginities re­newed as oft as lost. Friday he ordained to be their Sabbath, partly to distinguish his Fol­lowers [Page 140]from the Jews and Christians who so­lemnize the days ensuing, but principally be­cause he was on that day proclaimed King or Emperor, and so accordingly created, Wine an Swines Flesh are the principal things for­bidden by the Alcoran, from the last whereof they all unanimously refrain, but on the first they are so besotted, that when they come at it they seldom go home again unled, insomuch that all the Wines in Constantinople have been thrown about the Streets, and death made the penalty for any who shall presume to bring any more into the City; Mahomet taught them, that every one should be saved by his own Religion, except those who revolt from the Alcoran to another Law; But so that under the Notion of Religion he means only such as worship the One and only God excluding thereby the Old Gentile Idolaters from the hope of Salvation. He likewise taught that at the end of the World all men who professed any such Religion should go into Paradise, the Jews under the Banner of Moses, the Christians under the Banner of Christ, and the Saracens under the Banner of Mahomet. They compel no man therefore to abjure the Faith wherein he was born, but secretly commend and ap­prove such as are zealous in their own Religion yet counting it a great honour to have daily new Proselites, they allure them with hopes of freedom and preferment, which with many [Page]

[Page] [Page 141]are too prevailing motives to cause them to renounce their Christian Profession; Hence some infer, it is better for a man that desires his Liberty to live in these Countreys than in some others, since he is never molested if he meddle not with their Law, their Women, or their Slaves.

Their Opinions of the end of the World are very rediculous, as that at the Winding of an Horn, not all Flesh only, but the Angels themselves shall dye; That the Earth with an Earthquake shall be kneaded together like a lump of Dough; That a second blast of the same Horn shall after forty days restore all again; That Cain shall be the Captain or Ring leader of the damned who shall have the Faces of Dogs and Swine; That they shall pass over the Bridge of Justice laden with their sins in Satchels; That the greater Sinners shall fall into Hell, the lesser into Purgatory only, with a thousand the like fopperies needless to relate, which may be found in the Alcoran, a thing so full of Tautologies, incoherences, and gross absurdities of so impure and carnal mix­ture, that whoever is taken with it must aban­don his natural reason, if Force, Ambition, or want of Christian Education, do not induce him to imbrace it. For if we seriously consider the causes of the deplorable increase and long continuance of this Religion, we shall find them to be cheifly these. 1. The greatness of the [Page 142]Victories obtain'd by the Saracens, who easily compell'd the conquered Nations to receive their Law. 2. The great zeal and diligence of the Arabians themselves, who being a numerous people, and much given to Merchandize have possessed themselves of all the Seacoasts of Africk from the Streights of Babel Mandel almost to the Cape of Good Hope; of all the Islands in those Seas, and many Factories and good Towns on the Coasts of India, in all which they have setled their Religion also, as a thing inseparable from their Nation. 3. A peremptory restraint of all dis­putations in any point of Religion whatsoever. 4. The Suppressing Philosophy and the Study of Humane Sciences, the light whereof might ea­sily detect the grosness of their Superstitions. 5. The sensual liberty allowed of having variety of Wives, and as many Concubines as they are able to keep. 6. The promise of the like sen­sual pleasures in the other World, with which a mind not illuminated with the Spirit of God, is generally more affected, than with the Spe­culative hope of a future happiness. 7. The forbidding Printing and Printed Books, where­by people might perceive the truth and purity of the Christian Faith, with the Falshood and impurity of the Law of Mahomet. Yet had not these last been sufficient to induce the belief of such absurdities if the first had not opened and prepared the way.

For force of Arms was really the most pre­vailing [Page 143]Argument by which Mahomet himself confirmed, and his Successors since have propo­gated and dispersed his Doctrine; Who being strengthned by that Rascal Rabble which re­sorted to him, he assaults Medina pretending a quarrel to the Jews, who had there a Syna­gogue, repulsed at first with loss of men and a wound in his face by which some of his fore­teeth were beaten out, and was there likely to have ended his New Religion, if not recovered by his Souldiers for further mischief. At the next onset he prevail'd, the Battel being sought neer a place called Bedez, scituate betwixt Mecca and Medina, frequently mentioned in the Alcoran. After which fight he took the City, converting the Synagogue to a Temple for his own impieties; The News hereof so startled the Nobility of Mecca that they armed all their powers against him and succeeded so well in the beginning of the War that they drove him forcibly from their Territories, which yet not long after he again subdued and made his cheif Residence at Mecca. From that his flight the Saracens compute their years, (as we from Christs Nativity) which they call the Hegira, and begins about the year of our Lord 617. so termed from an Arabick word that signifies; The Persecution raised a­bout Religion. It happened about this time that the Saracens revolting from Heraclius the Eastern Emperor joined themselves to Mahomet [Page 144]being exasperated by Julian the Apostate whom they served in his Wars against the Persians for telling them, upon demanding their pay. That he had greater store of Steel than Gold; But they then wanted a Head to resort to; Now serving Heraclius in the same War, they were used by his Officers in the same ill manner, for asking their pay, the Treasurer of the Army made them this Churlish answer, There is scarce Money enough to pay the Roman and Graecian Souldiers, and why must those Dogs be so impor­tunate for their Wages? Provoked herewith, and hearing the fame of Mahomet, they joined him, who strengthned herewith, and the com­ing in of the rest of their Countreymen he soon brought all Arabia under his Subjection, and having defeated the Emperors forces sent a­gainst him he conquered some parts of Syria and Egypt and returning to Mecca there died frantick and distempered, in the 70 year of his Age, and twenty third of his Impostures, of which he spent thirteen at Medina and the rest at Mecca. His dead Body being kept four days in expectation of a Resurrection which he promised to perform at the end of three grown full of stench and putrefaction, was carried to Medina and there interred; His Successors out of wicked and Worldly Po­licy keeping up the reputation of that Religion after his decease which they scorned and derided in his life, calling themselves Ca­liphs [Page 145]and Vicar Generals to him their Pro­phet.

But to return to Persia, the Government of that Empire is purely Despotick or Tyrani­cal, for the King has the sole Power of life and death over all his Subjects, independent from his Council, and without any Trials or Law Proceedings. He can put to what death he pleases the chief Lords of the Kingdom, no man daring to dispute the reason; Nor is there any Soveraign in the World more absolute than he. The King deceasing and leaving Male Issue behind him,- the Eldest ascends the Throne, while his Brothers are kept in the Haram or Castle, and their Eyes put out, and if the King have the least jealousy they are in­stantly put to death without further Examina­tion, and not only they, but the Children of the Kings Brothers and Sisters likewise; I re­member saith my Author, when I first travel­led into Persia they were not so rigorous, but were contented to move a red hot Iron to and fro before their Eyes; But Sha Sefi the last Emperor peceiving his command negligently Executed, and that the poor unhappy Princes had some sight left them, he ordered their Eyes to be digged out of their Heads; Sha Sefi's cruelty went yet further, for he spared not his Eldest Son Sha Abbas the lawful Heir of his Throne, ordering one of the Eunuchs to move an Iron before his Eyes, no man [Page 146]knowing a reason, but the Eunuch compassio­nating the young Prince, moved an Iron yet not red hot before his Eyes, and teaching him to counterfeit himself blind, preserv'd his sight till his Father lay upon his Death bed, when being very Penitent for having put out the Eyes of his Eldest Son to whom the Crown did of right belong, the Eunuch seeing the King so sadly afflicted, and ready to give up the Ghost, assured him that he would restore the Prince to his sight, and to comfort him at his death, brought the Prince with perfect Eyes to his Bed-side, the sight of whom pro­longed the Kings life till the next day, and gave him time to command all the Grandees of the Court to obey Sha Abbas his Eldest Son, as his lawful Successor and their King.

There are several of these Blind Princes at Ispahan, and I knew one particularly, saith my Author, who is still alive and a Person of excellent natural Parts; As Blind as he is, he is a great lover of Curiosities, and has built him a House at Ispahan worth seeing. He is overjoyed when he meets with any rarities out of Europe, feeling them in his hands, and causing his Eunuchs who are very apprehen­sive to tell him the meaning of every thing; He is a great admirer of Clock-work and Watches, and to know what a Clock it is, he has little points set up in the Dial Plate, and a half hand that he may not be deceived [Page 147]which points to the hour; With certain Fi­gures which he makes of soft Wax, and sets in order upon a Table, he will cast up an ac­count very exactly, several other good quali­ties are eminent in him, and it is a miserable spectacle that a man should be reduced to that deplorable condition only because he is of the Blood-Royal of Persia. This State is distin­guished like most of those in Europe into three bodies, first that of the Sword, which an­swers to the Nobility, and consists of the Kings Houshold, the Kans or Governors, and all the Souldiery. The second that of the Gown, comprehending all those that belong to the Law and Courts of Justice. The third is composed of Merchants, Handicrafts men, and Labourers.

Among other cunning contrivances, which Sha Abbas made use of to know the true State of his Affairs without trusting too much to his Ministers, he oft disguised himself and went into the City like an ordinary man un­der pretence of buying and selling, making it his business to discover whether false Weights and Measures were used; Going therefore one Evening out of his Palace in the habit of a Countreyman, he went to a Bakers to buy a Man of Bread, and thence to a Cooks to buy a Man of Roast-meat, (a Man is six pound six­teen ounces to the pound) the King having bought his bargains return'd to the Court, [Page 148]where he caused them to be weighed exactly, he found the Bread to want 57 Drams, and the Meat 43. Upon which he fell into a great rage against the Officers about him who ought to regulate such abuses, but especially against the Governor of the City, whose Belly he had caused to have been ript up but for the intercession of certain Lords. Besides the re­proaches he used toward them for their negli­gence, and little affection to the Publick good, discoursing of the injustice of false Weights, and how sadly the cheat fell upon poor men, who having great Families, and thinking to give them eight hundred Drams of Bread, by that fraud deprived them of an hundred forty three, then turning to the Lords present, he demanded what sort of Justice ought to be done to those People, when none of them da­ring to open their mouths while he was in that Passion, he commanded a great Oven to be made in the Market place, together with a Spit big and long enough to Roast a Man, and that the Oven should be heated all night, and another Fire to be kindled near the Oven. The next Morning the King caused the Cook and Baker to be apprehened, and to be led quite through the City with two men going before them; who proclaimed to the People; We are going to put the Baker into a red hot Oven in the Piazza to be Baked alive for selling Bread by false Weights, and the Cook is to be [Page 149]Roasted alive for having sold Meat by false Weights. Thus these two men served for an Example not only to Ispahan but to all the Kingdom, where every one dreaded the se­vere Justice of Sha Abbas.

Sha Abbas his Successor acted almost such another piece of severity, for having made one Jafer Kan a generous Lord, who kept a magnificent Train, Governor of Asterabat; At first he was very mild, but at last he began to exact such sums from the People, that his violences reached the Kings Ear, who being one day drinking with his Lords, and seeing the Master of his Musick in the Room, who was a merry Droll, and had always some plea­sant news to tell the King, he was pleas'd to ask him what the People said of Jafer-Kan, adding that he had made him Governor of di­vers Provinces, and had never heard any complaint of him, but now he was accused of strangely Tyranizing over the People. The Musick Master being a meer Flatterer, and knowing that Jafer-Kan was extreamly be­loved of the King, confidently aver'd, that the Governor was fasly accused, and that he had always known him apter to give than re­ceive. There was at the same time in the Room an Agis lately returned from a Pilgrimage at Mecca, him the King also asked what was his opinion of Jafer-Kan and his Government, being a Person long acquainted with him, to [Page 150]whom the Agis thinking to please the King, returned the same answer with the Musick Ma­ster. Whereupon the King who had been well informed of the Kans behaviour, turning toward the Lords present, What think you, said he, of these two Flatterers that absolutely know the contrary to what they speak. And at the same time commanded two of the Musick Masters Teeth to be pluckt out of his Mouth, and to be driven into the head of the Agis, which had like to have cost him his Life, be­ing a very old man; As for Jafer-Kan he was disgraced for a time, but his excellent Accom­plishments soon restored him again to favour.

Murther is severely punished, nor will Mo­ney save the Criminal; When the Murtherer is taken they carry him before the Magistrate who makes quick work, for he delivers him to the Parents or kindred of the Person slain who carry him to Execution, and without any Com­passion torture him to death. I remember saith my Author, the Governor of Shiras had a Fa­vourite, who falling in love with a young Persian Gentleman earnestly endeavoured to abuse his Body; One day meeting upon the Road together, and lying at night under the same Tent, the Favourite about Mid-night came to his Bed-side, and after many Sollicita­tions would have forced him; But being vio­lently resisted, the Favourite for Madness to find himself disappointed, and liable to be dis­covered, [Page 151]stab'd the young Gentleman to the heart, and fled to the Mountains. The Murther being divulged, the Mother, Widdow, and Sister of the Young Man repaired to the Governor for Justice, who willing to save his Favourite offered them Money, which they with scorn refusing, & threatning to complain to the King, he was thereupon constrain'd to persue his Favourite, at length he took & sent him to Ispahan saying, he would not judge of the Affair, but refer it to the K. The Mother, Widdow, and Sister immediate­ly followed the Murtherer to Ispahan and de­manded Justice of the King with that eager­ness, that though the King had an inclination to save the Favourite for the Governors Sake, he was forced to abandon him and bid them pay themselves with his bloud. Immediately he was carried to Execution, where the Widdow first stab'd him to the heart with a dagger, then the Mother took her turn, and after that the Sister, and then holding a Cup to receive his Blood, drank every one a Cup full to quench the thirst of their Revenge.

Above all things extraordinary care is taken for securing the high ways, for which purpose Guards are set at convenient distances; As the Caravan was one day setting out from Tauris to Ispahan, a poor Fellow took an occasion to rob a Cloak-Bag, and fled cross the Feilds not knowing the way, the Merchant missing his Goods complain'd to the Governor who hav­ing [Page 152]sought for him in vain, sent order to the Guards to search strictly for him, and send him as soon as seized. In a short time the Thief was constrained to forsake his Cloak-bag, and came cross the Fields for Water, who being seized was carried to the Governor, and soon convicted and condemned to Death, for Thieves find no mercy in Persia; Only they are vari­ously put to death, being sometimes tyed to a Camels tayl by the feet, and their Bellies ript open. Sometimes they are buried alive all but their Heads, and starved to Death, in which torment they will oft desire Passengers to cut off their Heads, though it be a kindness forbid­den by the Law. But the most cruel punish­ment of all is, when they set the Thief on Horse back with his extended Arms fastned to a long stick behind; then larding him with lighted Candels, they suffer them to burn him to the very Bowels; We met two in this mi­sery who desired us to hasten their Deaths, which we durst not do, only we gave them a Pipe of Tobacco according to their desire. One day there was a great Hubbub in a Bawdy-House where the Woman had prostituted her own Daughter, the King informed of it, com­manded the Mother to be thrown Head-long from a Tower, and that the Daughter should be torn in Peices by his Dogs, which he keeps on purpose for such Chastizements.

Having given some Account of Persia let [Page 153]us next advance into the Dominions of the Great Mogol and visit the Bay of Cambaia, and therein Swalley Rond, on the Banks whereof amongst many more English, lies in­terred the Body of Mr. Thomas Coryat, a man in his time sufficiently known; He for­merly Writ a Book intituled Coriats Crudi­ties hastily Gobled up in five Months Travels in France, Savoy, Italy Rh [...]tia, Helvetia, or Swit­zerland some parts of High Germany, and the Netherlands, newly digested in the hungry Air of Odcomb in the County of Somerset, Printed in 1611. and then ushered into the World by very many Copies of Excellent Verses made by the Wits of those times, which did very much advantage and improve, if not inforce the Sale thereof, doing themselves much more honour than him whom they undertook to commend in their several Encomiasticks, though he had not the apprehension to think so. I will give you a tast in a few short ones, whereby you may guess at the rest.

If Coryat had lived he designed to have Writ his last Travels to, in and out of East-India, for he resolved like another Ulysses to have rambled up and down the World at least ten yers before his return home, purposing to see Tartary in all the vast parts thereof, with [Page 156]as much as he could of China and after that to have vi­sited the Court of Prester John in Ethiopia, who is there called by his own people Ho Biot, The King, with many other places, which if he had lived to perform and pub­lish, might have been of good use, since he was both a particular and faithful Relator of what he saw, ever disclaiming that bold Liberty which many Travellers assume in Speaking and Writing what they please of remote parts where they cannot be easily contradicted resolving.

Believing him therefore an honest Historian since he had not opportunity himself, I shall give some Ac­count of his Foot-steps and Flittings up and down, who while he lived was like a perpetual motion, & therefore dead ought not to be forgotten; In 1612. He shipt himself for Constantinople now called by the Turks Stambole, where he strictly observed all remarkables and found much respect and incouragement from St. Paul Pindar then Ambassador there, to whose House he had always free Access; Here he took opportunity to view several parts of Greece, and in the Hellespont took special notice of those two Castles directly opposite to each other called Sestos and Abidos that stand on the several Banks which bound that very narrow Sea, and is famous by the Story of Hero and Leander; He much desired to see those seven Churches of Asia, which lye now in ruins, only Smyrna is still famous for Trade but not Religion, and Ephesus, with some others, which retain their names still, though they have lost the profession of their Faith with the rest. He saw what yet remains of the Ruins of sometimes Great Troy, a place once so populons as if sown with people but now with standing Corn, the very ruins of which place are almost gone to ruine, there only remaining part of an exceeding great House, supposed part of the famous Palace of [Page 157]Great King Priam. From Smyrna he found Passage to Gran Cairo in Egypt anciently called Memphis where he observed the remains of the once famed Pyramids; Re­turning thence back to Alexandria with another English­man, they passed by Sea to Joppa where they met some others going to Jerusalem, with whom joining, they tra­velled thither through a very Solitary, Rocky, uncom­fortable way full of danger from the Wild Arabs, who Rob and abuse Travellers; Arriving at Jerusalem they saw and heard all wherewith Pilgrims are usually treat­ed, of which you have a full Account in a small Book called Two Journeys to Jerusalem, &c. Here our Travel­ler had the Arms of Jerusalem made upon the wrist of his left Arm, and on his Right a single Cross made like that whereon our Saviour suffered on the sides of which were written, Via, Veritas, Vita, The way, Truth, and Life, and on the foot three Nails to signifie those which fastened our Saviour to it, done so artificially and in­delibly by a Black Powder as if drawn by some accurate Pencil upon Parchment. The poor man would much glory in beholding these Characters, applying the words of St. Paul to himself, I bear in my Body the Marks of the Lord Jesus, Gal. 6.17.

Hence they went to the Dead, Sea, the River Jordan, Sidon, Alexandretta, Scanderoon and Al [...]ppo, where he was kindly received by the English Consul, staying some time there for the Caravan, which consists of a mixt multi­tude from divers parts who travel together to prevent the incursions of Theives and Murderers; With these setting forward they came to the City of Nineveh in Assyria, which in Jonahs time was of three days Journey, but now so very mean and obscure, that Passengers can­not say, this is Nineveh, having lost its name and cal­led now Mozel. From thence they journeyed to Babylon in Chaldea Scituate upon the River Euphrates, once for its magnitude called a Countrey, now much contracted, and named Bagdat; From hence they proceeded through both the Armenias, where our Traveller was told, he saw that very mountain of Ararat whereon the Ark sest­ed [Page 158]after Noahs Flood, they went thence to Ispahan in Persia, the usual residence of Sha Abbas, and after that to Shushan where King Ahasuerus kept his Court in Esthers time, from thence they journeyed to Candahor the first Province North-East under the Great Mogol, and so to Lahore the second City of this Empire, a place of great Trade, Wealth and Delight, more temperate from the Suns heat than any other of his great Cities; At length he arrived at Agra the Mogols Metropolis, from Lahore to Agra is four hundred English Miles, the Countrey very rich, even, and pleasant, and the Road way on both sides all this long distance planted with great Trees, clothed all the year long with Leaves, of exceeding benefit to Travellers in that hot Clime, it is called by Travellers, The Long-Walk, very full of Villages and Towns convenient for the supply of Travellers.

At Agra our Traveller made a halt being kindly en­tertained by the English Factory, and there learned the Turkish and Arabian Languages, with some proficiency in the Persian and Indostan Tongues, in both which he got so much knowledge as was very advantagious to him in his Travels through the Mogols Territories, he always wearing the habit, and speaking the Language of that Nation; He afterward made an Oration to the Great Mogol in the Persian Tongue, bringing in the Story of the Queen of Sheba. 1 Kings. 10. In which parts of the Sacred Scripture the Mahometans have some knowledge, and told the King that as the Queen of Sheba having heard of the Fame of King Solomon came from far to visit him, and confessed that she had not been told half of what she now saw concerning the Wisdom, Greatness, Retinue and Riches of Solomon, so said our Orator, I had heard much of your Majesty before I had the honour of your sight, when I was very far off in my own Countrey, but what I now behold exceedingly surmounts all the reports thereof. Then intermixing other flatteries with his short Speech, he concluded, and was very well liked by the Mogol, who gave him an hundred [Page 159]Roupies, about twelve pound ten Shillings in our mo­ney, looking on him as a Dervise Prophet, or Pilgrim as he called him, who in that Countrey value not mo­ney, which might be the reason he did not reward him more liberally. He after got a great mastery in the Indostan or Vulgar Language, and a Woman be­longing to the English Ambassador there, having such freedom of Speech that she would scold and rail from Morning to Night, Coriat one day undertook her in her own Dialect, and by eight a Clock in the Morning so silenced her that she had not one word more to speak.

At the four Corners of their Mosquets or Churches in this Countrey there are high, round, small Tur­rets, open with light every way wherein a man may be easily seen and heard, into the top of these their devout Moola's or Priests ascend five times every day whence they proclaim as loud as possible these Arabian words, La alla, illa, alla Mahomet Resul-alla, that is, There is no God but one God, and Mahomet the Messenger from God, this voice is instead of Bells, which they use not in their Churches, and puts the most devout in mind of their Religion; One time Tom Coryat hearing their Priest thus crying, got upon a high place di­rectly opposite to him, and thus contradicted him, La alla illa alla, Hasaret Eesa Benalla, that is, No God but one God, and the Lord Christ the Son of God, and further added, That Mahomet was an Impostor; All this he ut­tered in their own Language as loud as possible in the Ears of many Mahometans present, but it may be questi­oned whether the judgment or discretion of our Pil­grim were more to be commended, for if this had been acted in many other places of Asia it would have cost him his Life with as much torture as cruelty could have invented, but being here taken for a mad­man he was let alone, and haply the rather since every one there has liberty to profess his own Religion free­ly, and if he please may argue against theirs without danger; As Tom Coryat did another time with a Moola; [Page 160]The question was which of them was the Musselman or true Believer; After much heat on both sides Coryat made this Learned distinction, That himself was the Or­thodox Musselman or True True Believer, and the Priest the Pseudo Musselman, or False True Believer.

He was a man of a very coveting Eye, who could never be satisfied with seeing, as Solomon speaks, and took as much pleasure therein as others in injoying great and rare things; He had the mastery of many hard Languages, besides Greek and Latine which he brought from England, and had he had Wisdom to manage them as he had skill to speak them, he had deserved more Fame in his Generation, but his Attainments made him ignorant of himself, being so ambitious of praise that he would hear more than he could possi­bly deserve, being like a Ship with too much Sail, and too little Ballast, yet had he not fallen into the smart hands of the Wits of those times he might have passed better.

On a time a Merchant who came from England met Tom Coryat as he was travelling toward. East India, and told him that when he was in England King James (then living) inquired after him, and when he had certified him of his meeting him, the King replyed, Is that Fool yet living? Which when our Pilgrim heard, he was much concerned because the King spake no more nor better of him, saying, that Kings would speak of poor men what they pleased; Another time the English Ambassador gave him a Letter (with a Bill to receive ten pound) to the Consul of Alappo, wherein were these words, Sir, when you shall hand these Letters, I desire you to receive the Bearer of them Mr. Thomas Coryat with Courtesy, for you shall find him a very honest poor Wretch, and further I must intreat you to furnish him with ten pounds which shall be repay'd, &c. Our Pil­grim liked the gift well but the Language much dis­pleased him, saying, That my Lord Ambassador had even spoiled his Courtesy in the carriage thereof, so that if he had been a very Fool indeed he could have said very little less of [Page 161]him than he did to call him honest poor Wretch, and to say no more of him was to say as much as nothing, and his favour does rather trouble than please me, when I was at Venice, said he, a Person of Honour wrote thus on my behalf to Sir Hen. Wotton then Ambassador there, My Lord good Wine needs no Bush, neither a worthy man Letters Commendatory, because whithersoever he goes he is his own Epistles, this, said he, was some Language on my behalf; At length his Letter was phrased to his mind, but he never lived to receive the money; A little be­fore his death he seem'd apprehensive thereof, for swounding away once, upon his recovery he declared the occasion was, for fear he should die in the way toward Surat whither he intended to go, and be buried in obscurity, and none of his Friends know what became of him, he travelling now as he usually did alone; Upon which the Ambassador willed him to stay longer, which he thankfully refused, and presently turned his Face for Surat, which was then about three hundred English Miles distant, and lived to come safe thither, where being over-kindly treated by some English who gave him Sack which they had brought from England, he calling for it as soon as he heard of it, and crying, Sack, Sack, is there such a thing as Sack, pray give me some Sack, and drinking of it, though not immoderately (being very temperate) it increased his Flux that he had then upon him, which caused him in a few days after his tedious and trou­blesome Travels (for he went most on foot) to come at this place to his Journeys end, for here he overtook death, Dec. 1617. and was buried at Swalley under a little Monument like those in our Church-yards.

Now to return, Cambaia is three Miles from the River Indus and as many in compass, one of the neat­est and best built Cities in all the East, so populous as judg'd to contain an hundred and thirty thousand Fa­milies. Swalley is more South and about a Mile from the Sea, but gives name to a darge capacious Bay where the Ships ride that trade to Surat; About [Page 162]ten Miles from this Bay is Surat, from whence the River is navigable only for Boats and Shallops, fortified with a Castle of Stone, and well stored with Ordnance. The Houses are for the most part built of Sun-dried Bricks very large and lasting, with flat roofs but bat­tlemented on all sides for fear of falling, and beautified with curions Gardens of Pomegranats, Melons, Figs and Lemons, interlaced with Rivulets and Springs; It is a Fac­tory for English Merchants, who have their President, and a magnificent House for the reception, and Staple of their Commodities.

The present Emperor or Mogol is called Aureng-zeb, having usurpt the Kingdom from his Father Cha-jehan upon this occasion. This great King having reigned forty years with much Clemency and Justice, in his de­clining Age he fancied a Young Lady of extraordinary beauty not above thirteen years old, and because the strength of nature would not permit him to satisfy his passion, he took certain Provocatives which were so hot, that he fell thereupon into a distemper which had almost killed him. This obliged him to shut himself up in his Court or Apartment, together with his Women for two or three Months during which time he very seldom appeared to his people and that at a great distance too, which made them believe he was dead. He had six Children four Sons and two Daughters, whom he loved all alike, making his Sons Governors or Vice Roys of four of the principal Provinces in his Kingdom; During the false report of his death, the Eldest Son kept with him, but the other 3 immediatly rebelled, & after many Skirmishes and much bloud-shed Aureng-zeb his third Son after the destruction of his three Brethren, caused himself to be declared King keeping his Father Prisoner; Some days before he ascended the Throne he sent to his Father for some of his Jewels, that he might appear before his people with the same magnificence his Predecessors had done, Cha-jehan taking this request of his Sons for an affront put upon him in Prison, fell into such a rage that he continued [Page 163]mad for some days, and had like to have died upon it; In the excess of this Vexation he called several times for a Mortar and Pestle, threatning to beat all his Jewels to Powder rather than his Son should have them, but Begum Saheb his Eldest daughter who never forsook him, throwing her self at his feet, and by virtue of that Cri­minal power she had over him as being both his Daugh­ter and his Wife, kept him from using that extremity more out of design to preserve, the Jewels for herself than her Brother to whom she was always a Mortal Enemy; For this reason when Aureng-zeb ascended the Throne he had only one Jewel on his Bonnet, and as a kind of Penance that he imposed upon himself for so many Crimes, he for some time would not eat wheaten bread, Flesh nor Fish, but fed dayly upon Barley Bread, Herbs and Sweat Meats; But Chajehan his Father dying in 1666. Aureng-zeb found himself rid of an object that every hour reproached his Tyranny, and began to enjoy himself with more delight, receiving his Sister Begum into favour, and calling her Cha Begum or Princeess Queen, a Woman of excellent accomplishments, and able to govern an Empire, and had her Father and Brothers taken her Counsel at the beginning of the War Aureng-zeb had never been King; He had another Sister called Rauchenara Begum who had always taken his part having sent him all the Gold and Silver she could pro­cure when she first heard he had taken Arms, in recom­pence whereof he promised her when he came to be King to give her the Title of Cha Begum, and that she should sit upon a Throne, all which he performed, and they lived lovingly together, till it happened that the Princess having secretly conveyed a handsom young man into her Apartment could not let him out so private­ly, after she had quite tired him, but the King had notice thereof; Thereupon the Princess to prevent the shame and reproach ran to the King, and in a pretended fright told him, there was a man got into the Haram even to her very Chamber who certainly designed either to have killed or Robbed her, that such an accident was never [Page 164]before known, and that it concerned the safety of his Royal Person, and he would therefore do well to punish the Eunuchs who kept the Guard that night. The King ran instantly in Person with a great number of Eunuchs, so that the poor Young Man had no way to escape but by leaping out at a Window into the River that runs by the Pallace Walls, whereupon a multitude of people ran out to seize him, the Kieg commanding they should do him no harm, but to carry him to the Officer of Justice, yet he happily made his escape, and has not been since heard of.

It is an Ancient custom among the Indians that the Husband happening to dye the wife can never marry again, so that when he is dead, she retires to bewail him, shaves her hair, and lays aside all her ornaments, taking off from her Arms and Legs the Bracelets her Husband put on when he espoused her in token of her submission, and her being chained to him, and all her life after she lives slighted and despised, yea worse than a Slave in the House where she was formerly Mis­tress. This unfortunate conditon causes them to hate life and rather dye with their Husbands than live in such Contempt, the Bramins or Priests likewise per­swading them, that after death they shall meet him again in the other World with greater honour and ad­vantage; Yet can no Woman burn with her Husbands Body without leave from the Governor of the Place, who being a Mehometan and abhoring this execrable custom of self Murther does often deny it to some Women, who are so offended there at that they spend the rest of their lives, in works of Charity, some sit on the Road Boyling certain Pulse in Water and giving the Liquor to Travellers to drink, others hold Fire ready in their hands to light their Tobacco, others make vows to eat nothing but the undigested grains, which they find in Cow-dung. But when the Gover­nor finds no perswasions will alter the Womans resolu­tions, and especially if he perceives by a sign from his Secretary that she has given him Money to that [Page 165]purpose, he in a surly manner gives her leave, bidding the Devil take her, and all her kindred; Immediat­ly the Musick strikes up, and away they go to the House of the deceased with Drums beating and Flutes playing before them, in which manner they accompany the Person who is to be burnt to the place appointed; All her kindred and Friends come and congratulate her for the happiness she is to enjoy in the other World, and the honour their Family receives by this her gene­rous resolution, she then dresses her self as if going to be Married and is conducted in Triumph to the place of Execution, with aloud noise of Musical Instruments and Womens voices who follow her, singing Songs in honour of the miserable creature that is going to dye, the Bramins who accompany her, exhort her to courage and constancy, and many of our European Spectators are of opinion, that these Preists give her some stupi­fying Liquor to take away the fear of Death, for it is their interest that these miserable wretches should destroy themselves, their Bracelets as well about their Legs as Arms, Pendants, Rings, and Jewels all be­longing to them who rake for them among the ashes when she is burnt; They burn them several ways, sometimes a little Hut of Reeds is erected on the bank of a Pond or River, besmeared with Oyl and other Drugs to increase the flame. The Woman is placed in the middle in a leaning posture with her head on a kind of Wooden Bolster, and resting her back against a Pillar, to which the Bramin tyes her about the middle, lest she should run away upon feeling the Fire, in this posture she holds the Body of her deceased Husband upon her knees, chewing Betele all the while, and when she has continued thus about half an hour, the Bramin goes out and the Woman bids them fire the Hut, which is quickly done, her Rindred and Friends throwing se­veral Pots of Oyl into it, the sooner to dispatch her. In some places they only build up a Pile of Wood upon which the Woman is placed as on a Bed, with her Husbands Body layed cross her, then some bring her a [Page 166]Letter, others a peice of Calicoe, another peices of Silver or Copper desiring her to deliver them to their Mother, Brother, Kinsman, or Friend in the other World, when she has received all, she puts them between her Husbands Body and her own tyed up in a peice of Taffe­ty, and then calls to kindle the Pile wherewith she is soon stifled, but there being scarcity of Wood in Ben­gale, the bodies of these poor wretches are many times only grilliaded and then cast into the River Ganges to be devoured by Crocodiles.

The magnanimity of many of these Women is admi­rable; The Raja of Velou having lost his City and his life in a Battle against the King of Visapours General, he was extreamly lamented, and eleven of his Wives no less concerned, who resolved to be burnt at his Funeral, which the General understanding, endeavoured to di­vert them by all kind usage, but finding perswasions in vain he ordered them to be shut up in a Room; He who had this command going to execute it, the Women in a rage told him, That 'twas to no purpose to keep them Pri­soners, for if they might not have leave to do what they had re­solved, in three hours there would not one of them be alive. The Person intrusted laughed at this Menace but the keeper of those Women opening the Dores 3 hours after found them all stretched out dead up the place, without the lest Mark or sign of any outward violence offered to them. Two of the greatest Lords of India came in 1642. to do Homage to Cha-jehan, who having offended the Grand Master of the Household, he told one of them one day in the Kings presence. That they had not behaved themselves as became them toward so great a Monarch. The Raja, or Lord looking on himself as a great Prince, he and his Brother having brought with them a Train of six­teen thousand Horse, being netled at this bold reproof of the Grand Master, drew out his dagger and slew him on the place before the King; The Grand Master falling at the feet of his own Brother who stood just by him, he was going to revenge his Death, but was prevented by the Raja's Brother who stab'd him likewise, & lay'd him [Page 167]athwart his Brothers Body; The King seeing these 2 Murthers retired into his Apartment for fear, but the Nobles and people presently fell upon the Raja's and cut them to peices; The King incensed at such an attempt committed in his house and presence, commanded the bodies of the Raja's to be thrown into the River, which their Troops that they had left about Agria un­derstanding threatned to enter the City and Pillage it, whereupon the King was advised for preventing the hazard to deliver them the bodies of their Princes. When they were to be burned thirteen Women be­longing to the two Raja's Houses came dancing and leaping, and presently got upon the Funeral Pile hold­ing one another by the hands, and being soon after stifled by the Smoak, fell together into the Fire, pre­sently the Bramins threw in great heaps of Wood, Pots of Oil, and other combustible matter to dispatch them. When I was at Patna, saith my Author, a very handsom young Woman of about two and twenty came to desire leave of the Governor to be burnt with the Body of her dead Husband; The Governor compassionating her Youth and Beauty, strove to disswade her, but fin­ding her resolute, he severely askt her, whether she understood what the Torment of Fire was, and whether she had ever burnt her Fingers? No, No, answered she more stoutly than before, I do not fear fire, and [...] let you know as much send for a lighted Torch hither. The Governour abominating her answer in great passion bid her go to the Devil. Some young Lords present desired the Governor to call for a Torch and try her, which with much ado he did, as soon as the Woman saw it coming she ran to meet it, and held her hand in the Flame without the least altering her counterance, searing her Arm up to the very Elbow, that her Flesh looked as if broil'd, whereupon the Governor com­manded her out of his sight.

The Government of the Great Mogol is as Arbitrary and Tyrannical as his Neighbours aforementioned, mea­suring his power by his Sword and Lance, and making [Page 168]his will his Law, there being no Laws upon Record in this Constitution to regulate Governors in the admini­stration of Justice but what are written in the Breasts of the King and his Substitutes, and therefore they often take the Liberty to punish the offender rather than the offence, mens persons more than their Crimes, though they still pretend to proceed by proofs and not pre­sumptions. In matters of consequence the Mogol himself will sit as Judge, and no Malefactors lye above one night in Prison and many times not at all, for if the Offender be apprehended early in the morning, he is instantly brought before the Judge, by whom he is presently either acquitted or condemned, if it be Whipping, that is exe­cuted usually with much severity in the place of Justice; If condemned to dye he is presently carried from Sen­tence to Execution, commonly in the Market-place, which quick Judgment keeps the People in such awe, that there are not many Execution. Murder and Theft they punish with death of what kind the Judge please to impose, some Malefactors being hang'd, others be­headed, some impaled or put upon sharp Stakes, a death of extream cruelty and torture, some are torn to pieces by wild Beasts, some killed by Elephants, and others Stung to death by Serpents. Those that suffer by Elephants, who are trained up for Executions, are thus dealt withal; If the Beast be commanded by his Rider to dispatch the poor trembling Offender presently, who lies prostrate before him, he with his broad round Foot at one stamp kills him, but if he be condemned so to die as to feel himself dye, the Elephant will break his Bones by degrees with his hard trunk, as first his Legs, then his Thighs, after that the Bones in both his Arms, this done his wretched Spirit is left to breath its last out of the midst of those broken Bones.

It is reported that strange kinds of deaths are execu­ted by the command of the King of Japan upon his Sub­jects, where some are Crucified or Nailed to a Cross, others rather Roasted than burnt to death, for there is a Stake set up; and a Fire made at a distance round about [Page 169]it, the condemned Person being naked is so fastned to the Stake that he may move round about it, and so doth as long as he is able to stir till his Flesh begins to blister; Then he falls down, and there lies roaring till the Fire made about him puts him to silence, by taking away both his Voice and Life; The reason they give for using such exquisite torments is because they count it disho­nourable for any man to die by an Executioner, and therefore Criminals are usually commanded to rip up their own Bellies, and those who will not do so are tormented in dying, hence these Condemned Persons call for their Friends about them, cat and seem to be merry with them, and in the close of the Banquet, they in their presence commit this sad slaughter upon them­selves, for being stript to the middle, the wretched self­murtherer strikes a sharp Knife into the bottom of his Belly, then rips himself up, and if after this he can wipe his bloody Knife upon a white Paper or Napkin laid by him, he is reckoned to dye with much honour, and is persuaded he goes to Fakaman, or the God of War.

When I was in India, saith my Author, one was sen­tenced by the Mogol himself for killing his own Father to dye thus, first a small Iron Chain was fastned to his Heels, which was tyed to the hind Leg of a great Ele phant, who drag'd him one whole remove of that King being about ten miles, so that all his Flesh was torn off his Bones when we met him, and appeared to us rather a Skeleton than a Body. Another having killed his own Mother, the Emperour was at a stand to think of a pun­ishment adequate to so horrible a crime, but after a lit­tle pause, he adjudged him to be stung to death by Ser­pents, accordingly one of those Mountebanks who keep them to shew tricks to the people, brought two Ser­pents to do Execution upon this wretched man whom he sound all naked, only a little covering before, and trembling. Then having angred these venemous Crea­tures, he put one of them to his Thigh, which present­ly twined it self about that part till it came near his Groin, and there bit him till Blood followed; The o­ther [Page 170]was fastned to the outside of the other Thigh twist­ing it round, and there bit him likewise; Notwithstand­ing the Wretch kept upon his Feet near a quarter of an hour, before which the Serpents were taken from him, but he complained extreamly of a Fire that with much torment had possessed all his Limbs, and his whole Body began to swell exceedingly, like Nafidius bit by a Lybyan Serpent called a Prester, about half an hour after, the Soul of that unnatural Monster left his groaning Car­case, and went to his place.

It happened a few years before Sir Thomas Row was Ambassador in this Court in 1618. that a Jugler of Bengala, a place famous for Witches, brought an Ape before the Mogol, who loved Novelties, that did many strange feats, the King to try his skill pluckt a Ring off his Finger, and gave it one of his Boys to hide, whom the Ape presently discovered; several other trials he made, wherein the Ape did his part to admiration; Before he was taken out of his presence, this strange and unexpected fancy came into the Kings Head; There are many disputes, said he; about that true Prophet which should come into the World, we are for Mahomet; The Per­sians magnifie Mortis Ally, the Hindoos or Heathens extol Bramon, Ram, and others, the Jews are for Moses, and the Christians for Christ; adding several other names, to the number of twelve in all, who have all their several followers in that part of the World; He then caused them twelve names to be written on twelve several Scrolls, and put together to see if the Ape could draw out the name of the true Prophet, this done the Ape put his paw amongst them and pull'd out the name of Christ; The Mogol a second time caused these twelve names to be writ again in twelve other Scrolls and Cha­racters, and put together, when the Ape again pluckt forth the name of Christ as before; Mabomet Chan a great Favourite present, said it was an Imposture of the Christians, though none were then there, and desired he might make a third trial, which granted he put but eleven of those names together, reserving the name of [Page 171]Christ in his hand, the Ape searching as before pluckt forth his empty paw, and so twice or thrice together the King demanding a reason for this, was answered, that happily the thing he looked for was not there, the Ape was bid search for it, who putting out those eleven names one after the other in a seeming indignation rent them, then running to Mahobet Chan caught him by the hand where the name of Christ was concealed, which he opened, and held up to the King, but did not tear it as the former. Upon which the Mogol took the Ape, and gave his Keeper a good Pension to keep him near about him, calling him the Divining Ape. And this was all which followed upon this admirable event, except the great wonder and amazement of the people, the truth whereof, saith my Author, I most certainly be­lieve, as being confirmed to me by several Persons of different Religions, who all agreed in the story and the several circumstances thereof.

I cannot but here relate a remarkable example of a very gross Flatterer, but a great Favourite of this King, who was noted above others of that Nation to be a great neglecter of God, believing it Religion enough to please the Mogol his Master, though a Souldier of approved va­lour. This man on a time sitting in dalliance with one of his Women, she pluckt an hair from his Breast about his Nipple in wantonness, without designing any hurt. This little inconsiderable wound by an unparallel'd fate became the occasion of his death, beginning presently to fester, and in a short time turned to an incurable Can­ker; When he found he must needs dye, he spake these notable words worthy to be recorded, Who would not have thought but that I who have been so long a Souldier should have died in the face of an Enemy, either by a Sword, Lance, Arrow, Bullet, or some such Instrument of death? But now though too late I am forced to confess that there is a great God above, whose Majesty I have ever despised, who needs no bigger Lance than an hair to kill an Atheist or a despiser of his Divinity; and so desiring these his last words might be told the King his Master, he died.

The then Mogol sent a Letter to our King James the first in the Persian Language, which is here faithfully translated to shew the manner and stile of the writing of that Court.

Ʋnto a King rightly descended from his Ancestors, bred in Military Affairs, clothed with honour and Justice, a Com­mander worthy of all command, strong and constant in the Re­ligion which the great Prophet Christ did teach King James; Whose love hath bred such an Impression in my thoughts as shall never be forgotten, but as the smell of Amber, or as a Garden of fragrant Flowers, whose beauty and odor is still incereasing; so be assured my love shall still grow and increase with yours. The Letters you sent me in the behalf of your Merchants I have received, whereby I rest satisfied of your tender love toward me, desiring you not to take it ill that I have not writ to yo hereto­fore; This present Letter I send to you to renew our loves, and herewith do certifie you that I have sent forth my Firmans or Proclamations throughout all my Countreys to this effect, that if any English Ships or Merchants shall arrive to any of my Ports, my People shall permit and suffer them to do what they please freely in their M [...]chandizing causes, aiding and assisting them in all occasions of injuries that shall be offered them, that the least cause of discourtesy be not done unto them, that they may he as free or freer than my own people. And as now and formerly I have received from you divers tokens of your love, so I shall still desire your mindfulness of me by some novelties from your Countreys, as an argument of Friendship betwixt us, for such is the Custom of Princes here; And for your Merchants I have given express Order through all my Dominions to suffer them to buy, sell, transport, and carry away at their pleasure, with­out the let or hindrance of any Person whatsoever, all such Goods and Merchandizes as they shall desire to buy, and let this my Letter as fully satisfy you in desired Peace and Love, as if my own Son had been Messenger to confirm the same. And if any in my Countreys not fearing God, nor obeying their King or any other void of Religion should endeavour to be an instrument to break this League off Friendship, I would send my Son Sul­tan Caroom, a Souldier approved in the Wars to cut him off, [Page 173]that no obstacle may hinder the continuance and increase of our Affections.

Some years after the Great Mogol sent two other Let­ters to the same King, one beginning thus, When your Majesty shall open this Letter, let your Royal Heart be as fresh as a small Garden, let all people make Reverence at your Gate. Let your Throne be advanced higher. Amongst the greatness of the Kings of the Prophet Jesus let your Majesty be the greatest; And all Monarchs derive their Wisdom and Counsel from your Breast as from a Fountain, that the Law of the Majesty of Jesus my revive and flourish under your protection. The se­cond Letter ran thus, How gracious is your Majesty whose greatness God preserve. As upon a Rose in a Garden so are mine Eyes fixed upon you, God maintain your Estate that your Mo­narchy may prosper and be augmented; and that you may ob­tain all your desires, worthy the greatness of your Renown, and as the Heart is Noble and Ʋpright so let God give you a glorious Reign, because you strongly defend the Law of the Ma­jesty of Jesus which God made yet more flourishing, because it was confirmed by Miracles, &c. What followed was to testify his care of and love to the English. All these Let­ters were writ in the Persian Tongue, the Court Lan­guage there, and Copies sent to the Ambassador Sir Thomas Row to get them translated. The Originals rowl­ed up somewhat long were covered with Cloth of Gold sealed up on both ends, according to the fashion of that Countrey; wherein we may observe how respectively the King speaks of our Blessed Saviour Christ Jesus; But having already over enlarged concerning this mighty Empire, we will take our leave of the Great Mogol, who is a Prince of much Wealth and Power having vast multitudes of Soldiers in constant pay, and in his ordi­nary removes which is not usually above ten mile at once, hath such an infinite number of men and other Creatures attending him whose drink is water, that in a little time, as it was said of the mighty Host of Sema­cherib they are able to drink up Rivers.

The Honourable East-India Company setled Factories [Page 174]likewise at Mastipatan, Armagon, Petipoly, Patania, Siam, Fort St. George and other places on the Coast of Corman­del, and the Continent of Asia; Mastipatan is a great City the Houses whereof are only wood, built, at a distance from each other, it stands by the Sea, and is a famous Road for Ships, from whence they Sail to Pegu, Siam, Ormus Sumatra and other places. Patania is a City South from Siam, and was governed many years by a Queen. In 1612. some English came hither with a Letter from Queen Elizabeth, and a Present from the Merchants of six hundred Rials of Eight, the Letter was delivered in great State being laid in a Bason of Gold carried on an Elephant adorned with little Flags, Lances and Min­strils, they then obtained a Grant to Trade upon the same conditions with the Hollanders. Siam is a Kingdom, the greatest part whereof lies between the Gulf of Siam and Bengal; The Countrey is very plentiful in Rice and Fruits, the Forrests full of Harts, Elephants, Ty­gers, Rhinocero's and Apes, where also grow abundance of large Bamboo Canes, under the Knots of these Bam­boo's are Emets Nests as big as a mans Head, which they make there to preserve themselves from the Rain that continues four or five months together; The King of Siam is accounted one of the richest Monarchs upon Earth, and stiles himself, King of Heaven and Earth, though he be Tributary to the Kings of China, there are Idols in his Temples seven Foot high all of massie Gold, when the King appears all the Doors and Win­dows of the Houses must be shut, all the People pro­strating themselves on the ground not daring to look up, and because no Person is to be in an higher place than the King, they that are within Doors are bound to keep their lowest Rooms; He suffers no Barber to come near him, one of his Wives cutting his Hair for him; One part of his magnificence consists in his train of two hundred Elephants, among which there is one that is White which he values so highly as to stile himself King of the White Elephant; He has a passionate kindness for them, accounting them [Page 175]his Favorites and the Ornaments of his Kingdom, if any of them fall sick and dye they are buried with the same Funeral pomp as the Nobles of the Kingdom.

At the Fort St. George an English Factory on the Coast of Cormandel Nov. 3. 1684. About nine at night hap­pened a violent storm which continued till two next morning. It untiled all the Houses in the Town with such a ratling terrible noise as if some thousands of Granadoes had been thrown on them and lay'd all their Gardens, of which they have many pleasant ones, as flat and level as the smoothest Bowling Greens; Trees of a great and prodigious growth, some perhaps as an­cient as the World, were violently torn up by the Roots, and their aged Trunks riven in pieces, the noise of the cracking and breaking of their Boughs and Branches seemed almost equal to that of the Tempest, but what was most surprising was that a strong Iron-Bar which belonged to a Window was with the ex­tream Force of the Wind snapped into three peices; Had this Hurricane continued two or three hours lon­ger, it would certainly have levell'd both the Fort and Town, though strongly built and well fortified.

Sumatra is accounted one of the greatest Eastern Islands, in length about seven hundred, and in breadth above two hundred Miles, where several English Fac­tories were setled. Our English had first Trade here in the latter end of Queen Elizabeth, whose name was then famous in those parts for her exploits against the Spaniards. The Queens Letters to this King were re­ceived with much Pomp, the King entertained the Messenger with a Banquet, presented him with a Robe, and a peice of Callicoe wrought with Gold, and gave his Passport for the Generals security, for whom he sent six Elephants, with Drums, Trumpets, Steamers and many Attendants; The cheif Elephant was about thirteen or fourteen Foot high having a small Castle like a Coach, covered with Velvet on his back, in the midst whereof was a great Bason of Gold with a rich Covering of Silk, wherein the Letter was put; The General was mounted on another Elepant, and being [Page 176]arrived the Dishes wherein he was treated were of Gold, their Wine is of Rice, wherein the King drank to the General out of his Gallery, about four Foot high­er than where he sate, it was as strong as Aqua Vitae; After the Feast some young Women danced and play'd on the Musick, the King sent a Letter and a Present to the Queen, and upon parting asked if they had the Psalms of David, and caused them to sing one, which he and his Nobles seconded with a Psalm (as he say'd) for their Prosperity.

In 1613 Captain Best Anchored in the Road at A­chin, and was kindly received, having an Araacia or Messenger sent riding in a Tent on an Elephants back, attended with two or three of the Kings Boys, (for he is attended by Boys abroad and Women within) to receive his Majesties Letter which was thus carried in a Bason of Gold, the General following with forty or fifty men; After the Letter and Present was delivered, the King told them they should see some of his pastime, which was first Cock-fighting, next that of Rams, then his tame Elephants, after them his Buffoloes each still exceeding the other in fierceness, lastly the Ante­lopes which the General had given him; All this while the King took Tobacco in a Silver Pipe given him by his Women, who stood in a close Room behind him. Then was Supper served in by Boys of about fourteen, in in a Metal of Gold and Copper mixed, continuing from seven a Clock to almost twelve in which were served in four hundred Dishes, beside hot Drinks; Next day the King sent the General an Elephant to ride on which none may do without his leave, and appointed one of his Cheif Officers constantly to attend him, and free access was granted him at all times, and the Articles agreed on between James Lancaster and his Predecessor were pro­mised to be ratified, May. 2. All strangers were invited to a Feast kept at the Spring of a River in the Water, six miles from the City, two Elephants were sent for the General, the dishes were served in by Boys, swim­ming with one hand and holding the Dish, or strong [Page 177]Drink in the other; Of all these drinks they must tast, and then throw the rest into the Water; This continu­ed from one till five, they had 500 Dishes well dressed; General Best weary of sitting so long in the Water had leave to depart an hour before the rest; The Captain of the Dutch got his Bane either by the hot Drinks or cold sitting so long in the Water, and soon after died. The King gave the General a new Title, calling and charging his Nobles to call him Arancaia Pule that is, The honourable White Man; June 2. They were entertained with a fight of four Elephants and a Tyger who was fastened to a Stake, and yet got such hold on the Legs and Truncks of the Elephants that he made them roar and bleed extreamly. Sometimes Wild Elephants fight before him who would soon kill each other but that tame ones are fastned to them who draw them back, fourscore or an hundred men helping them; To tame them they place a Wild one between two that are tame.

This King sent a Present and Letter to our King James the first, the Letter was written and painted very curiously, and being translated runs thus,

This Letter for the strange boasting form, and be­cause it contains a small Inventory of that Kings wealth is here inserted; This King was a stout proper man of about thirty two, strong by Sea and Land, his Coun­trey populous, his Elephants many, the English hav­ing there seen neer two hundred at a time; His Fri­gates and Gallies carried good Ordnance of all kinds; His building stately, and spacious but not strong; His Court at Achi pleasant, having a fine River which he cut and brought eight Miles in twenty days while they were there; He desired the General to pre­sent his Respects to the King of England and to intreat him to send him two White Women; For, said he, if I get one of them with Child and it prove a Son I will make him K. of Piaman Passaman and of the Coast from whence you fetch your Pepper, so that you shall not need to come any more to me, but to your own English King for those Commodities. He was cruel having pluckt out the Eyes of a Nobleman for look­ing on one of the Kings Women washing in a River; Another wearing a Shash or Turbant beyond his degree, had his head cut round, so far as that was two large; Some he boiled in scalding Oyl, others were sawn asun­der, Spitted alive, had their Legs cut off, or were otherwise tortured. The People are tawny and go naked, yet paint their faces, their Priests in their Sacrifices wear their Garments so close as if they were sowed to them with horns on their head turning back, and a Tail hanging down behind, for so they say the Devil appears to them, their Hair and Faces appear deformed with Green, Black and Yellow Colours.

Another considerable English Factory is at Bantam and other places on the Isle of Java Major, this is the chief City in the whole Island, scituate at the foot of a Mountain, whence issue three Rivers, two where­of run by the Walls, and the other through the midst of the City, yet none of them deep enough to admit of any Ships, the Houses are very mean, consisting of three chief Streets; The Natives are Heathens, and believe when they dye their Souls enter into some Bird, [Page 180]Beast or Fish, and therefore they eat neither Flesh nor Fish, yet toward the South are many who profess the Turkish Religion, and some of them called Faquirs are desperate Villains, who having been at Mecca to visit Mahomets Tomb, upon their return they run through the Streets and kill all they meet with their poysoned Dag­gers, and think that in so doing they do God and Maho­met good service and shall be saved thereby; If any of these Mad-men are kill'd their Followers bury them as Saints, and every one contributes toward erecting them a fair Tomb, which they visit, and bestow Alms upon the Keeper thereof. I remember saith my Author, that in 1642. a Vessel of the Great Mogols returned from Mecca to Surat with a great number of these Faquirs or Derviches, and one of them was no sooner landed and had said his Prayers, but he instantly took his Dagger and ran among several Dutch Marriners who were un­lading goods upon the Shore, and before they were a­ware this desperate Wretch had wounded seventeen of them whereof thirteen died, at length the Sentinel who stood at the entry of the Tent where the Governour and Merchants were, shot him through the Body so that he fell down dead; Immediately all the other Fa­quirs and Mahometans who were upon the place took up the Body and buried it, and at the end of fifteen days they had erected him a fair Monument; Every year the English and Hollanders pluckt it down, but when they are gone the Faquirs rebuild it, and plant Banners over it, nay some perform their Devotions at it; One time, saith my Author, my Brother and I, and a Dutch Chy­rurgeon were going along a narrow way, having the Pales of a Garden on one hand, and a River on the o­ther, behind the Pales one of these Rascaly Bantamers had hid himself, and thrust his Pike between the Pales thniking to have stab'd it into one of our Breasts, the Dutch man being somewhat before, the head of the Pike ran into his Breeches, whereupon we both laid hold on the Staff, but my Brother being next the Pales presently leap'd over and ran the Faquir through; Whereupon [Page 181]several Chineses and other Idolaters came and gave my Brother thanks for killing him; After which we waited on the King, and told him what my Brother had done, who was so far from being displeased that he gave him a Girdle, for the King and his Governours are glad when those Rogues are slain, counting them Desperados, and not fit to live.

In 1682. The Eldest Son of the King of Bantam made an Insurrection, declared himself King, and by the as­sistance of the Dutch took the City of Bantam and the English Factory there, proclaiming the old King his Fa­ther a Rebel against him. About the same time an Am­bassador came from the old King to his late Majesty King Charles the second of Blessed Memory, by whom he was received and entertained with all manner of kindness and civility, and having continued here for some time he returned again to his own Countrey.

At Socodona and Beniermasa in the Isle of Borneo the English setled other Factories; It is accounted as big as Spain, richly incompassed with other smaller Islands, and hath a City of the same name founded on Piles in the Salt Water, with Sumptuous buildings of Stone covered with Coco leaves. The people are generally more white than the rest of the Indians, of good Wits and approved Integrity, divided betwixt two Kings and two Religions, the King of Borneo and his Wife being Mahumetans, those of Laus still remaining in their An­cient Gentelism; These believe the Sun and Moon are Man and Wife, and the Stars their Children, ascribing to each of them Divine Honours, and to the Sun espe­cially, whom they salute at his first rising with great reverence, repeating certain verses; Their publick business is usually treated in the Night at which time the Councellors of State meet and ascend some Tree, viewing the Heavens till the Moon rise, & then go to the Senate house Their Apparel is very thin by reason of the extream heat of the Air, being only a Shirt of Silk or Calico which they wear more for modesty than warmth.

One of the Isles of Celebs is called Macassar where the [Page 182] English likewise setled a Factory, being 600 miles from East to West, plentiful of all necessaries for the use of man, in some parts over-grown with Wood, in which certain fiery Flyes make nightly such shining light as if every Twig or Bough were a burning Candel, in the midst are very high Mountains, out of which flow many Navigable Rivers. The Islanders have a Custom to Poyson their Arrows, and the most dangerous Poy­son they use is the juice of certain Trees in the Island of Borneo, which they will temper so as to work a swift or slow death at pleasure. They think the King has on­ly the secret Receit to take away the force of it, who boasts that he has the most effectual Poyson in the World, which there is no Remedy can prevent. One time an Englishman in heat of Blood had killed one of the King of Macassers Subjects, and though the King had par­doned him, yet both English, Hollanders and Portugals, fearing if the Englishman should go unpunished the Islanders would revenge it upon some of them, besought the King to put him to death, which with much ado being granted, the King unwilling to put him to a lingting death, and desirous to shew the effect of his Poy­son resolved to dispatch the Criminal himself, whereupon he took a long Trunk, and shot him exactly in the great Toe of the right Foot, the place he particularly aimed at; Two Chirurgeons one an Englishman the other an Hollander provided on purpose, imme­diately cut off his Toe, but for all that the Poyson had dispers­ed it self so speedily that the Englishman died presently; All the Kings and Princes of the East are very diligent in inquiring after strong Poysons, and some Europeans having tryed several of their Arrows by shooting at Squirrels, observed they fell down dead as soon as they were touched.

These are the principal Acquisitions of the English in these re­mote parts of the World, little or nothing more being to be said of the rest which are not very considerable, and some of them since quitted by the Honourable East-India Company; Having there­fore compleated my usual scantling, I shall here conclude.