AFter that the diuine maiestie of God had finished the creation of the heauens, and vniuersal frame the whiche for his ornament and most comely composicion, was called Mundus, together with al thynges conteyned in the Cyrcuite of the same at the fyfthe day of his crea­cion. vpon the syxt daye the mooste noble creature called Man was made, for to be lord ouer y^e thinges aboue mencioned, Leauyng to him the vse and pleasures of thē. Of al other creatures, he was only endued with celestiall wysedome, and had the name of Adā gyuen vnto him, [Page] because he was made of a veyne of red earth. A whyle after was gy­uen to him a company keper, to the entente that solitarines shulde not anoy him. The woman which was made of his rybbe. They were set in the moost delectable place of the worlde, beynge compassed with fayre ryuers, that place was reple­nished with yonge sprynges, trees, herbes, and flowers, wonderfull pleasaunt and delectable to behold, and for that cause it was called Paradyse by a greeke terme. These two persons for a space led a most happy lyfe, and without feelynge of yll, for the earthe of her selfe brought forth al fruites at desyre. Notwithstandynge, for breaking the commaundementes of God, they were dryuen to forsake that place, after that the earth was a­cursed, [Page] whereby she brought no­thynge forth accordynge to her former fertillitie. They were constrayned to seke theyr lyuyng with swet and laboure, then raygned all kyn­des of syckenesse, felynge of colde and heate vppon the humayne bo­dyes, Cain was the fyrst begotten chylde of theim, and Abel was the second, and after them many more, and so encreased the world and the earth was well inhabyted. The more the nomber of men multiplied the more did they encrease in vyce, and theyr lyuynge dyd dayly waxe from il to worse. In steade of good doinge to theyr neyghbours, they began to annoy and hurt one an o­ther, and in steade of acknowle­gynge of the creatour, they had in contempte the goodnes of God, frō that tyme continued and encreased [Page] the wyckednes of men, in such sort that God therefore after he hadde found one iust man which was cal­led Noe, for whose cause he saued all his famyly for the restorynge of mankynde, sent the fludde, whiche drowned the hole earth with al ly­uynge thynges therevpon, excepte those which were saued in the holy arke made by the sayde Noe, [...] called [...] be [...]se it [...]oken [...] Chri­ [...] church fyue monethes then after the beginning of the flud, the arke touched groūd vpon the mountaynes, of Armenie, and Noe went out with his, and encreased mankynde in short space af­ter by the helpe of God, he enter­prised to haue all the partes of the earth inhabyted, and for that occa­on sente his chyldren into dyuerse contreys in the world, he sent his sō Cain into Egipt with his dukes (as Berose reciteth) Esennius into Libie, [Page] & in Cerene Tritames: & al the rest of Aphrique, he sent Iapetus the el­der, & Atalas. Into the Oriētal Asie he sente Ganges, with some of the chyldren of Gomer the Gallica, in­to the luckye Arabie, he sent Sabus the Encense bearer, Ara [...]us was by him appointed chyefe of the de­serte Arabie, and Petretus capy­teyne of Araby the stony, he caused the contrey from Damas vnto the borders of Palestyne to be inha­byted by Canaan. Into Europia he sent Tuisco the gyaunt to be kynge of Sarmatie, from the ryuer of Pa­nais vnto the ryuer of Rh [...], nyhg vnto the same Tuisco, there dydde inhabite the chyldren of Ister, and Mesa with his brethren, who had the contrey from the mount Adule vnto Mesemberie, and the contrey of Ponticque [...] [Page] at that tyme Tyras, Achardius, and Emathius, helde Italy, Gomer the Frenche man, Samotes the Celtes, the whiche be the countreys of the sayde Gaule, nowe called Fraunce, and Iubal enioyed the Celriberiens which is Spayne. The sodayne and short departure from his kind­red (who had not yet learned ney­ther the lyuyng ne maners of their parentes) was the cause of al the dyuersitie that syns folowed. In so muche that Cham (who dyd flee for the shame done to his father,) remayned he, his wyfe, and chyl­dren, in those partes of Arabie, & synce called by his name Cain, who neuer gaue to his posteritie any preceptes of religion, in so muche that he trauailed not to learne any. where vpon it came to passe by suc­cession of tyme, the one sente after [Page] the other out of one lande to inha­byte an other. After hauynge oc­cupied many coūtreys in the world for this skattered lygnage multy­plyed meruelously, fynally they fel into most execrable errours, out of the whiche they colde not vnwrap themselues, theyr language chan­ched, and it was not to be vn­derstande or intelligeble, the trew worshyppynge and knowledgynge of God was out of remembrance. So men haue lyued after suche a strāge sort that one can not wel de­serne the lyuing betwene the bests and them. They whiche do passe Egipt for the admiracion they had of the celestiall creatures, beganne to worshyp as gods the sonne, and the mone, callynge the son Osyris, and the moone Isis. They attribu­ted godlynes to respiracion, by the [Page] whiche all men do lyue, vnder the name of Iupiter, to the element of fyre, vnder the name of Vulcaine, to the ayre, vnder the name of Pal­las, to the earth, vnder the name of Seres, and to dyuers other crea­tures, vnder▪ many other names. And they of Egypt do not onely thus walke in darkenes, but also in the countreys possessed by them, whiche be descended from Cham, haue ben subiett to execrable bon­dage, and ignorance of the trew re­ligion. Moreouer there was neuer countrey that the people were so fertyll to brynge forthe chyldren, nor better merytynge the name of a mother for this respect, then this part of Arabie, which the said Chā with his occupied. Suche and so greate a ruyne was brought to man kynde, the banyesh mente of [Page] that onely personage, to the con­trary, S [...]m, and Iaphet, with all theyr stocke, who were instituted & appoynted by theyr fathers in cer­teyne lawe, were contented with small possessions, and therfore they were not so largely disparsed tho­rowe out the hole worlde as the o­ther. Then it came to passe, that the loue of the truth (that is to say the true hollynes and adoration of the ryght God) dyd remayne hyd in one onely nacion, vntyll the com­mynge of Messias.

THe Phylosophers in tyme past without any knowledge of the [Page] trewe Godde, of longe tyme dyd speake of naturall thynges. Some of them beleaued that the worlde was a thynge not created, and in­corruptyble, and that mankynde was without takynge beginning. The other ageyne iudged, that the worlde was created and subiecte to corruption, and that men were created by succession of tyme. To confyrme this opinion they sayde, before any thynge had his begyn­nynge, heauen and earthe had one onely forme, and that the propriete of these two thinges was confuse that synce these two elementes se­perated one from the other wher­vpon suche disposition and forme of the worlde, that we perceyue the eyre in contynuall agitacion, and that of him, the part of the fy­er had gotten the hyghest place, be­cause [Page] of his agilitie and lyghtnes, and that by this reason, the sonne and the other starres, hadde kepte theyr places and certeyne courses, in the hyghe region, as for that which resteth beynge as of a moist qualitie moued but a lyttle frō the fyrst place, because of his heuynes and weyght, hauynge a kynde of moystenes in hym of the moystest part one wold say that the sea had folowed it, and that the heauynes disapoynted of so greate humydite shall retourne to slammy earth and soft, the whiche by lyttle and lyt­tle shall harden, by reason of the heate of the sonne. In such sort the abouesayde by the vyolence of the heat shal be swollen & rysen, wher­vpon many humours vnder the holones of the groūde, risen vp, were gethered, and by lyttle and lyttle [Page] conuerted and tourned to matters rotten, as we se hathe happened in the maryshes of Egypt. Ageyne the earth beynge colde and moyste of her nature, is made hote in a ly­tle space by the vehemente heate of the ayre, that a man wolde iudge in a small tyme, that the heate had ben mingled with moyst thynges, whiche agayne shalbe formed in a proper matter, and engendred to an efficacie, to the whiche was gy­uen moystues, shed by nyght and by the vygneur of the sonne hadde kept and noryshed this matter ge­neratyue vntyll that by contynua­aunce of tyme, the abouesayd matters shalbe compelled to ascend vp also, as yf the tyme had ben come, that the sayde hardenesse woulde haue rendred that whiche it hathe engendred, that maye be open and [Page] broken by the vehemency of the sō, and in a lyttle space after, brought forthe all kynde of beastes, of the which, those whiche were pertici­pent of the greate heate, were vo­latyfe or made to fly, and did win the hyghest region of the eyre. The other which had more of the weigh tines or ponderousnes of the earth were made to remayne creapynge, and some goyng vpon the ground. The other which helde them selues of the qualitie of water, were trās­formed into the element of the qua­litie, and toke the name Fyshe, and by this the earth partly because of the heate of the son, partly because of the wyndes, became more dryer and warmer, so that the myghtye beastes ceased engendrynge, but they which engendred by a mutual coniunction did bringe forth other. [Page] They say after this sort, mē were fyrst created, who hath euer synce sought theyr meate and lyuynge in the fieldes, & feade after a strange and wylde sort, eatynge nothynge but herbes, and the fruite of the trees, and dyd no labour, for what by occasyon of the hurte that the wylde beastes dyd theym before, and for feare they shoulde dayly, they gathered theym selues toge­ther for theyr commen vtillitie and profyte that they myght succoure one an other, and prepare places to dwell in. Ageyne for that the soūd of theyr mouthes were cōfuse, they estudied to frame theyr tongues to a certeyne speache, so that by lyttle and lyttle they gaue euery thyng a name. And because they were de­uyded into dyuers partes, and regions of the worlde, they formed [Page] dyuerse and diuersitie of language and consequentely a ferme in theyr letters. And by this the humayne creatures lyuynge in great pouer­tie, and without vnderstandynge how to make reseruacion for their necessities, with that whiche God sent theim, as the fruite whiche the earth brought forth, fortuned oftentimes that one (amongest the greate nomber) dyed for hunger, and some for colde, wherevpon mē instructed by experience was dry­uen and learned to prepare a buck­ler to defende them from these and such lyke inconuenientes, serched (as saith the Philosophers) caues to auoyde the vyolence of the cold and reserued the frut for theyr prouision afterwarde they had know­lege of the proprietie of fyre, whae it was, together with all other ne­cessaries. [Page] In a space after, they in­uented al thynges apt and mete for humayne lyfe. To conclude neces­sitie was the cōpeller to seake these inuentions, at the last man hadde the arte to vse one an other in his place, that the handes, the wordes the excellencie of the spirites, was helpers togethers, and serued thē. Thes be they which be perswaded that the originall of man is, as a­boue rehearsed, and haue not re­ferred it to the dyuyne prouidence of God, doth hold opinion that the Ethiopiēs were the fyrst that were procreated amongest the mortalles and had this opinion, for that the lande of Ethiopie is the neighbour to the sonne, as before al other to feale the heate, howe muche as be­fore they did, neyther more nor lesse then al the rest of the earth, the said [Page] earth was slymye, then it shoulde haue ben, that of this fyrst tempa­rature and moistnes with the heat man shalbe engendred, who shuld rest in the place of his byrthe, ra­ther then in any other, whiche he knoweth not. Now we wyl begin by this region, and after we haue spoken a lyttle of Aphtique, one of the thre partes of the worlde (ac­cordynge to the same also is oure boke deuyded in thre.) We wyl re­herse in the fyrst place of the cytua­cion of the countrey of Ethiope, and maners of the nations which inha­byte there, and after by order, we wyll set forth the discription of all other regions and nations, as wel as we can possible. And for that I wolde not seme altogether slow­full. I wyll some what more to enryche my booke, entreate of more [Page] then the Frenche auctoure wryteth of as well in this parte folowynge the deuision of the worlde in foure: as also to enlarge the discription of Ethiope, with a bryefe and general discription of Aphrique, and many other anotacions, accordynge to the iudgement of Pomponius Mela.

AS touchynge the same mat­ter, that thynge which is cal­led all, what soeuer thynge it is, whervnto we haue giuē the name of the worlde and of heauen. It is one thynge and comprehendethe in one compase him selfe & al thinges. In hys parte is dyfference. From whence the sonne dothe sprynge, it is named the Orient or East. And [Page] there as it falleth it is named the Occidente or the west. That waye where his course doth lye, it is cal­led the South And on the cōtrarye parte the North. And in the middes of the same is the earthe on hyghe, and is gyrded rounde about wyth the see. And the same deuyded from the east to the west into two par­tes the which ar called Hemisphe­rise hath fyne distyncte porcyons or Zoones. Heate dothe vex the medle most and colde the extremes. The resydwe maye be inhabited. They haue lyke tymes of the yere, but yet not at one time our Antich­thones doth dwell in the one, and we in the other. The scituation of that being vnknowne for the vehe­ment heate of the plage, that is be­twene: we muste entreate vppon this. And so this is extended from [Page] the east vnto the west. And for be­cause it lyeth euen so it is somthing longer than where it is brodest. It is all compassed aboute with the C [...]ccear, and receaueth of hym foure seas, one from the Northe and two frome the Southe, and the fourth from the west. They shalbe decla­red in their places. This first bring very strayte and passynge not ten miles in bredth openeth the earth, and entrethe. And then is poured out longe and wyde and dryueth a fore him myghtely the see bankes, gyuing him place. And then againe they commynge together verye nygh, it is dryuen into such a strayt y^t it is lesse then a myle ouer. And then spreadeth it selfe agayne, but thae is very moderatly and then it goeth forthe into a more narowe place thē it was afore, where, whē [Page] it is once receyued it is agayne ve­rye huge and great, and is ioyned vnto the poole, but y^t is by a smale monthe. And all this same bothe where as it commethe and where as it spreadeth is called wyth one name our see. The strayte entre of it commynge in, the Latynes, dothe call Fretum. where as it spreadeth a brode, it receyueth dy­uers names in diuers places, wheras it first stratneth it selfe together it is called Helles Pontus. And then Propontus where as it spreadeth out, where it rynneth together a­gayne Eospherus of Thrace. And where agayne it powrethe out it selfe a brode it is called Pontus Euxinus. And there as it is cōmit­ted to the poole it is called Cymi [...]ꝰ Bospherus. The poole it selfe is [Page] called Meot [...]s. By this see and two noble ryuees called Tanais and Nil­us the hole worlde is deuyded into thre partes. The ryuer Tanais commynge from the Northe towarde the Southe rynnethe all moste in to the myddest of the poole Meotis. and from the contrary part Nilus rynneth into the see. And all that lande that is from the strayte vnto those fluddes on the one side we cal Africa. And on the other side Euro­pe, vnto Nilus, Africa, vnto Tanais Europe. And al that euer is beyond is called Asia.

[Page] EThiope is a region deuyded in­to two partes. Thone parte is called Asie. thother is Aphricke. The same which at this day is cal­led the Indes towarde the sonne rysynge, is enuironned with the rede see, and with the see of Barba­ria towardes the North it is bor­dynge on the countrey of Libie and Egepte towardes Occidente, and doth ioyne to the forthest Lible of the parte restynge, the whiche is set on the syde of Midy and ioyned to the other Ethiope, and was so called by a name Athiopes sonne of Vulcaiue, whiche first raygned (as sayth Plinie) of a Greke digestion Atho whiche signifieth burne and Oph which signifieth take hede, & that because of the approchynge nyghe to the soone. The countreye is continually hote, the same being [Page] vnder the region of the Midy. This countrey draweth towardes the west, and the desert towardes the East. Many sortes of people dwell there of dyuers figures, & kyndes. Some do thynke that they were the fyrst created of almortall crea­tures, and the true Inhabitoures of the earthe. They knowe not what bondage meaneth. They haue alwayes ben at lybertie. It is sayde that religion and the cere­moneyes for theyr Goddes were fyrst by them inuented. They haue doble vsaunce of letters. The let­ters which be called holye, are for the pristes of lawes vsage & to thē onely knowne, the other be for the common people. The fygures of their letters were not such that of them myghte be lykened two sela­bles, but moore lyker to the oute­ward [Page] parts of men and creatures, and to be compared to some instru­mentes that artificers occupy. E­uerye one of the fygures had thre proper significations. As for example. The figure of Milan, by the whiche was sygnyfyed celeritie or quiknes. By the fygure of one Cro­codile, was signified euyll. By the fygure of Locil was signified take hede and preseruation, and so conse­quently of all other figures euerye one to his proprietie signified son­drye thynges They which presen­ted the signe of Incence amongeste the pristes were holden most holy, and therefore they were axcepted with the kynge and worshypped of all the people as men endued wyth deuinitie, which was reputed to be sente by the deuyne prouydence. The kynge was bounde to lyu [...] a­cordynge [Page] to the ordinaunce of their lawes, and in al his affayres to be ruled as the fashion of the contrey, he coulde punishe no malefactours nor rewarded good doers, but wolde sende one of his offycers to hym whiche is ordeyned to be pu­nyshed, geuynge him charge to signifye to him death. As soone as he shulde cease spekynge to the male­factour, incontinently after, he shal go into his house and kyl him, with out remedy or other question to be axed. There is much honour attri­btted by them to the kynge, for as often as they shall perceyue him to be sycke in any part of his body, or what cause so euer it may be, they of the court, wyll in good grey take the lyke decease in the sawe parte where the kinge is sicke of, for they iudge if to be health full for theim, [Page] that if so be it, the kynge shuld lose either his legge or arme, that they myght also be pertycypent, of the lyke calamytie. Also they say that they which be seruantes with the kynge after they knowe that he is deade, do seke also theyr owne dea­thes, and that is in wytnesse or te­monial of the true amyte betwene theyr kynge and them. The same death sayth they doth tourne them to greeate honour.

The most part of the people of that countrey do commonly go naked, because it is so hote, onely they do couer theyr members with shepes skynnes, and other some of theym haue couerynges hangynge frome theyr heare (with the whiche they be interlaced) vnto the myddle of theyr bodyes. They haue no frute nor grayne, but of lyttle Palmes, [Page] and yet there is but a small quan­titie, some of the people lyue with hearbes and lyttle rootes of trees together with fleshe and mylke.

Meroe was the capitall towne, in that realme, and is an Ilonde in forme of a tryangle within the ry­uer of Nylo, and dothe extende al­most thre thousand Stades It was inhabited at the beginning by shepherdes giuen holly to the chase and by laboures, who had in theyr possessions the myndes of golde. Herodote doth resyte that the Macro­biens (whiche be people in Ethiope) do moore esteme tynne and lether, then golde, in so muche that the Imbassadours which kynge Cam­bises sent into that countrey, came home cheyned together lyke priso­ners in great cheynes of gold, they haue in that countrey great plenty [Page] of golde and Evene wodde. They kyl the Olyphantes and eate them They haue Lyons, Leopardes, Vnycornes, Dragons, the which by the nomber of knottes, they make of theyr tayles do kyl the O­lyphantes. There is found in that countrey certeyne kynde of stones, as the H [...]acinthe, and the Christo­p [...]rast. they do gather Peper there Theyr bowes belonge and burnt at the ende. The women of that countrey vse to go a warfare them selues, all lyke to the men. And they haue for the most part theyr lyppe persed, or thruste thorowe with a knyfe, and thorowe the same pas­seth a ring of copper. Some of thē do worshyp the son rysynge, other some the sonne going downe, some vse to cast the dead bodies into the ryuers, other some do enclose them [Page] in vessels of earth and kepe them a hole yere in theyr houses and so do worshyp the deade bodyes, & with great seremonie maketh offerynge of the fyrst fruite gathered. Some wrytethe that they vse of custome to chose him kyng which doth passe all other in the science of bryngyng vp beastes, and stronge of bodye. Theyr kyng had this prerogatyue of an olde and auncient custome o­uer the priestes of the cytie of Memphis, that he myght by his officer commaund which of them he wold to kyll them selues, and to apoynte in theyr steade and place whom he please. They do beleue that there is an euerlastyng God, and he whi­che made all thynges and gouer­neth the whole world. Ageyne they do beleue there shulde be an other mortal, the which god (as they say [Page] they knowe not. They haue theyr kynge in suche reuerence that they lyken hym to theyr God, for they say he hath merited more praise for a publyke cause, and worthyer of honour then theyr God. This lyke hath ben from the beginnynge also the estate of Ethiope. Suche hath ben theyr ceremonies and maner; of lyuynge. Neuer the lesse Marc Anthony Sabellique (out of whom we haue takē the most part which we haue and wyll rehearse) dothe say that he dyd vnderstande of the true and ryght men of the countrey that the kynge of Ethiope whiche we call pretian or prest Iohn whō they cal Gian, that is to say stronge is of so great a personage and blud, that vnder him he hath threscoore and two other kynges, and that is the chyefe of the Churche in his [Page] kyngdome be all gouerned by him. There be vnder hym in his kynge­dome a greate nomber of Arche­byshops, and eche of theim Ageyne haue at the least vnder theyr iuris­diction twenty byshops. They say more, that princes and noble bluds do eary the crosse before them, whē they go abrode. In lyke case, they cary a vessell made of golde fylled with earthe, and by that repre­sentaciō they be warned of the mortall condicion by one of the sayd ob­iections, and by the other of the pas­sion of Iesus Christ. The pryestes do mary wyues, to the ende they maye encrease, alwayes prouyded when theyr fyrst wyues be deade it is forbydden theym to take an o­ther. Theyr Temples be of greate hyghnesse and large, and farre ry­cher then ours, They haue dyuers [Page] couentes and orders of religion. As of saynct Anthony saynct [...]o­ [...]enick, saynt Augustin and other Their aparel is not of one certeine coloure, but as the supprior wold permit them to weare. They haue a great deuosion to our blessed and holy virgin Marye, and to saynct Thomas, which is called Didimus, They do surely thynke that theyr kyng which is called Gram is come of the seade of Dauid: Of the whi­che they esteme their generation to haue of longe tyme continued vn­tyll these presentes. The kynge is not blacke as other of the people of Ethiope be he is bothe of face and body whyte. The olde kyng of the countrey is called Garama, he is not enclosed in a wall. They dyd buylde a great nombre of tentes, and pauylions disposed by order, [Page] garnyshed with tapestry, & wrou­ght with sylke. The kynge of aun­cient custome doth neuer kepe hym selfe together in houses, and cloy­sters waled two houres, and why? They iudge it to be a thinge of im­famy & dishonestie. They obserue this kynde of doynge for a lawe, at al tymes in warres they can fynde a mylion of men, fyne hundreth O­lyphantes, and with them a greate nomber of horses and Camelles, & ageyne by occasion of a little trou­bles which chaunced, there is al about the countreys many bandes of his souldiours, and they which do discend be marked with a crosse the which is prynted with an hote frō, in what place so euer they come it shall appere vpon theim. They vse in theyr warres Iauelynges. The hyghest degree of dingnitie is [Page] presthod. The seconde degree is to be gyuen to the sage men, whiche they cal Balsamos and Panquez, they esteme gretly innocēcy, and for kno­lege they put these two vertues in the fyrst place of wysedome. The thyrde degree of reputacion is at­tributed to the state of the nobles, atter the whiche foloweth those whiche be in the estate of a Prince. The Iudges sayth theyr myndes, when there is any question of the death of a man, and doth send their myndes in wrytynge to the gouer­nour of the towne, which they call Lycomegia, which doth present the kynges person. They haue lawes registred in wrytynge, and do iuge al thinges as to thē shalbe thought good to be done with Iustyce and equitie. The man founde in anultry and condemned for the same, shall [Page] pay for amendes the fourth parte of theyr goodes. when that the woman is lykewyse founde the correction is cōmited to thē of the house, where she offended, and as they of the māciō shal thynke theim selues dishonored, so to punishe her. The men and women do weare whyte apparel set with pearles, and tray­neth theyr clothes euen to their fete and theyr sleues be neither open before nor behynde. They vse al co­lours in theyr aparel except blacke, and that they weare not because it is a dolefull token, the whiche they are accustomed to weare .xl. dayes after any of theyr frendes dye. At noble mennes tables, they are ser­ued for theyr fyrst mese with hard fleshe, which they cut vp properly, and do pouder it with spices, and with good appetyde eate the same. [Page] They do neuer apparel themselues in wollen cloth, theyr apparel is of lynnen & sylke. They haue dyuerse languages amongest them and do apply them selues to tyl the groūd. All the nacions of Libie whiche be on this syde of Ethiopie to the In­des vnto the Occident do folow the errour of Mahomet, and do lyue in a maner lyke to Barbaries, whiche be nowe in Egypte, and be called Maures, because of the frequenta­cion of Maures, whiche greued not this countrey of Libie so much as the Sarazines in the euyl tyme that so greate alteracion and mutacion chaunced in this worlde and that the aunciente lawes and creances, was as well thorowe al the coun­trey and nacions chaunged as also theyr names There is a lake wherin the bodyes whiche be washed [Page] withall dothe shyne lyke as they were annoynted with oyle. The same is feble also and weake that the thynges which do fal or be cast into it, as the leaues which be nigh the sayde lake fallyng therein doth not swymme vpon the water, but is receaued inwardly, and so synke downe. There be also meruelous byrdes with hornes, and Tragopomones and Pagasi which haue eares lyke Asses. But into the partes to wardes the borders Southward, there is nothynge notable. Al that way is wast, for it is interupt with waue hy [...]les, and rather lyke fresh­water bankes then sea bankes.

And from thens there is a greate cooste and withoute inhabytance. And for a certeyne tyme it was douted whether the sea was be­yonde or whether the earthe was [Page] compassed about or whether Aphrique, beynge voyde of all fruite, dyd extende it selfe without ende. But yf it be so that Hamo of Carthago whan he was sent by his countrey folkes to serche out the countreies, ofter he had passed the mouthes of the Ocean, and went a compasse a­boute a great part of Aphrique, he made report, that he dyd not lacke sea. But that he wanted victuall. A certeyne man called Eudoxus in the tyme of oure graundefathers, whē as he fled away from Lathy­rus Kynge of Alexandria wente forth by the Arabians baie (as Ne­pos affirmeth) and was caryed thorowe by those seas euen vnto Gades where there is certeine thin­ges of that border knowen. For beyonde those places which as we haue sayd before be deserte. There [Page] be dume people which vseth signes for spech, other hath tonges with­out soūde. some lacke there tonges other some also haue theyr lyppes c [...]auynge together, sauynge that they haue an hole vnder their nost­trelles, where they couet to drinke, but whan they haue lyste to eate, they take the corne sprynging here and there, & be reported to receaue one corne at once. These be admi­rable. yet not so admirable as no­table. Truelye they be worthy of parpetuall memory and prayse as well for their lyuynge as also for the obedyence to theyr prynce. For howe much is it to be accounted to vs for dishonor beyng Christians, reasonable creatures, endued with celestiall knowledge, and instructed in godly lawes to showe more dis­obedience to our magistrates thē [Page] the Infydels to theyr gouernours. what rebuke do they meret and de­serue, whiche knowe the worde of God, and yet neyther obeye the Quene nor her godly procedinges? Where as y^e Ethenekes not know­ynge the true God ne his lawes, do notwithstandyng lyue a purer lyfe then they. Well I wyshe all men wolde haue shame layde before theyr eyes as a glasse to loke in, that they myght therby be more asha­med to do euyl, thē the Infydels.

EGypt is a countreye in Aphric­que (whiche to the iudgement of some) is nighe to Aphrique, and this coūtrey is so called by y^e name of a brother of Danaus whiche had the name Egyptus, & was before called Aeria This countrey as Pli­ne sayth in his fyfte boke, is of the syde of the Orient by the rede see, and the region Palestine, towardes the Occedente of the countreye of C [...]ent, to the residue of the coūtrey of Aphricque, The same dothe ex­tende from the Midy to Ethiope towardes the syde of Septentrion to the sea of Egypte, There was [Page] sometyme greate Cyties as The­bes, Abidos, Alexadria, Babilon, Memphis, and at this tyme [...]aniete and Caire or Alcir, the which is the residens of Soldan. In Egypte (as saith Platon) there is no raine, and yet is the earth verye fruitfull, & al by reason of the ryuer of Nile, whiche is deuyded in suche sorte and made in fourme of a tryangle, for the which signe there is a word in Greke called Deltae, so that countrey is called Deltae by reason of y^e many and soundrye fluddes which come euery yere from the ryuer of Nile after y^e drougthe of the somer Some men iudged that it was an Ilande, because of the circuite that the sayde Nile had made all about the countrey. The Egyptiens, were the first inuentures of .xii. Goddes, and beganne to buylde Temples, [Page] Aulters, Images, and ingraued in stones figures of diuers bestes. The thynges whiche be issued out frō the Ethiopiens shal suffycyently declare the same to vs, who hathe ben the inuentures of these thyn­ges (as Diodore Cilicien saythe) Theyr wyues of an olde & auncient custome do vse to occupy marchaū: vyse, to kepe Hostyllerye and vyt­tyllynge houses & do also trafyke, wherevpon the men do gyue theim selues to make lynnen clothe and to cary fardles vpon theyr heades, where the women do not carye but vpon theyr shoulders, as our men do here in Inglāde Moreouer they vse to make water agaynst a wall lyke vnto our men, & the men cow­rynge downe to the grounde lyke as our women do here, all nessesa­ryes in the house the women do, and [...] [Page] after that is done they go a brode a bankettynge. Their custone is to assemble together with theyr Pre­late. The menne chyldren be not compelled to kepe theyr parentes, but the doughters, many of theim in tyme paste (when any of theyr frendes dyed) were accustomed to pole their heare & let their beardes growe longe. The Egyptiens to the contrarye shaue their beardes, & let the heare of theyr hedde growe. They kned the dowe there whych they make breade with their fete, and worketh the earth with theyr handes. This hathe ben a perticu­ler fassion to all those whych were dissended from thē (as the Grekes writeth) to cyrcūsisse their mēbers and preuites. The men be clothed with double apparell. The women do weare but one wydde at a time. [Page] They haue two kyndes of vsages of letters. The one is for y^e Pristes The other is for the common peo­ple. Notwithstandynge they haue both the same of the Ethiopiens. The Pristes for the space of thre dayes be accustomed to haue the vermyn & other fylthenes of theyr bodyes taken awaye because they feare to do seruyce with the fylthe­nes about them. They are accusto­mablye apparelled in linnen They sowe no Beanes. It is defended by their lawes, and whye? because they esteme them vncleane. They washe thre tymes in the daye wyth cold water, & .ii, times in the night They wyll not eate the heades of theyr Bestes vntyll suche tyme as they be sacreficed. Iudgynge them to be cursed by execrations durynge the tyme of theyr sacrefyces. They [Page] do sell the sayd heades to the Mar­chaunt straungers, and yf they can fynd no man that wyl by thē. They be cast into the ryuer of Nile. All the sacrifices of Egipt. Be of Oxen whiche neuer before serued. The Calues and Kyne be not saccrefy­ced, for that the same Beastes are dewe to be offred to Isis theyr God. They lyue by a kynd of meat made of Wheate and Rye, and of drynke made of branne, for in that coūtrey there is no wynes. They eate also of a certeyne fysshe parte hardened and dried in the sonne, and parte re­serued in sellers, whiche is moyste. Some tyme they eat byrdes which be salted and made harde as a crust of breade. Morouer the noble men in their bankeres do present wylde Duckes, both mayles & femayles. Whan they fynde a companye ga­ther [Page] at a supper, one amongst them taketh out of hys [...]uget an Image of death made of wodde or payn­ted cloth of halfe a yard longe, they showeth it to euery man at the ta­ble and sayth. Eate and make good chere, after that thou arte deade thou shalbe lyke to thys pycture. If the yonger do recontre or mete the elder, he gyueth place to hym, & tourneth to hym wyth reuerence, and in thus doynge they resemble the Lacedemoniens. Whan the yonger doth ouer take the elder by the way showeth worship and lay­eth his hād on the kne. They haue) as Haeste wryteth) gownes of lyn­nen borders downe to theyr knes, called Casiliers, & aboue the same they weare other whyt garmētes, but no wollen cloth. Al they which in olde tyme excelle in knowledge, [Page] or had establysshed lawes for the common weale. as coūcellers went fyrst to the Egyptiens to learne theyr knowledge and doctrine, in y^e whiche knowledge they passed all other as these report. Orpheus the Poet, Homere, museus Melampodes Dedalus, Licurgus Lacedemonien and also Solon of Athenes Platon. Philosopher, Phithagoras the Sami­en & his scoller Samolxis, Eudoxus Mathematicien, Democritus, Inopi­des borne in the Ilande of Chios Moyses the hebrew, and many o­ther so that the Pristes of Egypt glorifyed that they founde them in theyr bokes, Wherfore me thinke it is very necessary to speake more of their fachiōs, maners, & lyuings to thende we myght knowe that whiche they aboue named had ta­ken of them and other nations. For [Page] so (as sayth Ber [...]alde.) In the boke that Apulie dyd wryte vppon the golden Asse, that manye of our fa­chions and doynges was gathered out of the seremonies of the Egip­tiens, as to weare germentes, the men of y^e church to weare a crowne, to make alters, to go a processyon, to synge musycke, to do adoration, to pray and many other thynges. The Kynges of Eypte (as writeth Diodore Silicien in y^e second boke) dyd not as oure Prynces in theyr tyme whiche helde their wylles for lawes, and lyued in euyl order, but their conueruaciō was to be noted in that they lyued accordynge to theyr ordynaunces. They haue no bonde men nor slaues borne, as they haue in other coūtries. Noble mens chyldren serue them in theyr houses, as well of Pristes, as also [Page] of others, they must be twentye yeres olde and such was chosen as hadde knowlege, to thend that the Prynce moued, by the presens of his seruaūtes (whō were alwayes next to his person) shoulde not be fantesied and mynded to make o­ther actes, but of vertue, for the Kynges do nothing of them selues worthy of reprehēsiō, they haue at all tymes to councell theym other that be wyse also, there is certeyne houres appoynted as well in the nyght as in the daye, at the whyche tyme the Kynge shall vnderstande the affayres commytted to him by their lawes. At his vprysynge he shall receaue all complayntes exhi­byted vnto hym to the end he may knowe al that shal nede to be done. Euerye thynge is dispatched in tyme and in his place opposited [Page] by good conduxcion. After that is done, they wasshe their bodyes in the presens of many noble & migh­ty parsōs, putteth on a sumptuous robe, and makes sacrifyce to theyr Goddes. The custome of the grea­test Prelate amongst al the pristes is to leade nyghe to the aulter the beastes, and to prayse theyr Gods with a loude voyce the Kynge next to hym, and the people assystynge. They also pray for the health and prosperitie of theyr Kynge, whiche hath done true iustice to his subiec­tes, and afterwarde resitynge the vertue and excellency of their sayd Prince, as his deuosion towardes the Goddes, humilitie to man, the kepynge of his promesse, Iustyce, magninemitie, veretie, lyberalitie, modistie and mercye to theim in so­litarines. And afterwarde do curse [Page] all malifactoures, and therby dys­chargethe their Kynge of blame. Imputynge his offences to hys of­fycers. Whā that these solempnites be fynysshed, the Prelate doth ex­orte the Kinge to depart according to the wyll of theyr Goddes, & not to folowe the peoples aduyce of smale practyse, but to haue res­pecte to vertue and honour. After that the sacrifyce made of a Bull is done, the Prelate dothe rehearse out of holye bookes some actes of vertue made by their predicessors, to admonyshe theyr Kynge to rule after the example of theym, that is truly and iustlye. The aunciente lawes were not only made to meinteyne Iustyce, but also for the go­uernement of euerye thynge in all poyntes, as to eate, drynke, slepe, to banyshe and to accompanye wyth [Page] women. Their meates were denty: mooste commonlye they vse to eate Veale. They haue a certeyne mea­sure when they drynke wyne, that they can not passe the stynte, The which is to avoyde Ebrietie droū ­kennes and glotenye. Insomuche their laws were so wel instituted y^t it appered they were not made & ordeyned by a lawier, but by a moste perfecte Phisicion. And it was a maruelous thynge to se the Egyp­tiens so perticularly and duely ob­serue theyr lawes, and not theyr wylles, but this is moore worthye of maruell to say that they were not inclyned to gather and accumelate goodes, by a vniust maner or by a­nye vnreysonable couetousnes. They do punysh no man in indyg­nation, so that their felicitie was obtempered to the lawes & esteme [Page] theym whiche prayse and glorifie them selfes to be subiectes to many passions in folowynge theyr owne pleasures: in somuche that we may se they knowe theyr owne fautes, that neyther loue, heae, nor coue­tousnes coulde compel theym to do thynges whiche they knewe to be vnlawefull or preuidiciall to those whiche gouerne them by prudence and councel, besydes they haue res­pect least they shuld dysplease thē. The iustice of the kinge to the peo­ple on the other side is suche, that he hath the loue of all theym. that not onely the pristes, but also the hoole people of Egypt haue a great solicitude or more carefulnes, and tendernes ouer the health of theyr kyng, then they haue eyther of wife chyldren or other perticuler Lorde. And when such a iust king doth de­part. [Page] All in generall doth deploore and lament, rente theyr clothes in peeces, shut the churches, and are discoraged to commence any pub­lyke actes. By the space of .lxxii. dayes. two hundreth of theim go­eth about the streates in a strange apparel as well men as women .ii. tymes a day, and singeth after the maner and fourme of hymmes, the vertues of theyr kynge depar­ted. And they wyll not eate the flesh of any best baked, thei absteyn them selues from all delicate mea­tes as wel in drynking as also in eatyng. They vse no bathes, nor ointmentes, nor sleapes in beddes, nor haue not the companye of theyr wyues. So sorowfully be they al as thoughe theyr deare chyldren were departed. And more ouer touchynge this, they be wont to make [Page] redy that which shuld serue for the sepulcher, and at the last day, they shut the body within a lyttle Cyr­cle, before it is put in the sepulcher In the same place there shalbe red accordynge to the olde custome the Regester of all that which the king had done in his lyfe tyme, and it was permytted for euery one to accuse him. At these funerals there are a great nombre of people some come with loud voyce to praise his deseruynges and merites, other do blame his faultes, and make a gret noyse and brute. And by this brute it hath many times hapened that diuers kynges, haue ben plucked away from the honour of the sepulcher, and hauynge this feare doth styre and prouoke the kynges of Egypte to lyue well and iustely, fearing least after theyr death they [Page] shoulde incurre into the displeasure of any of theyr subiectes. And this is the state of the kyng of this countrey. Al Egypt is deuyded into di­uers gouernementes, euery one of them by a name, constituted a go­uernour who hath the charge of all thyngs. The reuenews of the kyn­ges lands was deuided in thre partes. The first part to the prestes of theyr lawe, to whome they gyue great honour, as wel for the admi­nistracion of theyr sacramentes, as also for theyr knoweledge, by the which other be tought, parte of the reuenewes be employed vpon such necessaries as serueth for the sacri­fices, and theyr owne lyuynges. they cā not suffre that the ministers of theyr gods shalbe poore, or that they shulde lacke any thynge to do sacrifyce withall. These priestes [Page] comynge to the kynge professeth to him the thynges which be to come aswell by the science of Astrology, as also by the sorte of theyr sacri­fices. Moreouer they do rehearse to theyr kyng bokes which be cal­led holly. The actes and deades of other kings, his predecessors bi the same he know the better what is expedient for him. They be not in a small nombre as ye wolde saye two in a companye, they be franke and haue the second place of aucto­ritie next to the kynge. The second part of the reuenewes is to the king who doth bestowe it for his neces­saries as wel vpon marterial wea­pons for warres, as also the neces­saries for his house, and shewe ly­beralitie towardes the good and vertuous people. And by this his lyberalitie the comon people be not [Page] burdened to pay taxes and fynes, as they do in other countreys. The thyrde parte of the reuenewes be­longeeh to the men of warre, to the ende they may haue the greater de­syre to put them selues forth in al partes dangerous, for the defence of theyr countrey. Theyr policie consisteth in thre maner of people, that is to say, labourers, herdemen and practisers of science. The la­bourers do bye eyther of the prests Kynge, or of men of warre, certeine grounde in the fyelde, and do con­tinue in labourynge all theyr lyfe longe vpon the same. And therof it commeth that they can better skyll to laboure and tyll the earthe, then other nacions. This industry and labour of theyrs is gyuē by nature from the father to the chylde, lyke­wyse the shepherde from the father [Page] to the chylde, do kepe and noryshe beastes and haue no other vocation This art and science hath ben gretly augmented by the artyficers of Egypt, for that they meddle with no publyke matter, nor do exercise no other occupaciō, but that which they are called to, and apoynted by theyr lawes, or learned of theyr fa­thers. They do iudge nothing rashly. In so muche they say that these thynges which be conducted posy­tyuely and by maturitie be of gret commodytie, and for the preserua­cion of societe and humayne lyfe,

They can fynde no better meanes to expulse or banyshe all noughty­nes, then to punishe mulefactours and euyl doers, so shal al offenders be whypped. And they haue suche a respect that due Iustyce be done, that neyther for loue frendship, nor [Page] money, the trespasses of the offendour shall be forgeuen, for they sayd, these remissions to be destruction of man. Wherfore in the gre­test Cyties as in Heliopole in Memphis, and Thebes there was elected and chosen good men, to whom the correction of all causes was com­mytted who do lyttle dyffer from those of Areopagites of Athenes or to the senate of the Lacedemoniens wher there was of longe time two iudges constituted. They do apere alwayes to the nomber of xxx. and they chose some of the moste lykest amonge them to be president. And ageyne there is gyuen to theym an other superior by the Cytizens. The kynge doth fynde all the necessaries as lyuynges, but the superi­ours was cōmaunded by the king to be more honorablye serued then [Page] the inferiours. He that is principal of thē hath a cheine of golde hange at his necke, wherunto is tyed an Image wel garnyshed with preci­ous stones. This cheyne is called verytie. In so much that president shulde signifie to all menne that he which was apoynted to heare their causes, by the cheyne shulde presēt veritie, and with truth to way all thynges. Ageyne theyr lawes con­teynynge in .viii. bookes, brought amongest them. This was the cu­stome, that the accuser shuld bring in written the causes of the accusa­cion & to certifie the iudge in forme and maner as it was done (Is the hurte doone to an other was a question.) To the defendant there was gyuen tyme to aunswere the plaintifes obiection, and to pourge him selfe or auoyde the fault, or els [Page] to deny al and be cleare. Moreouer they gyue audyence to the accuser. Fynally after that they haue benne harde two tymes before the iuges They take deliberacion, that done the iudge tourneth the Image to­wardes the true and feythfull par­tye, and doth pronounce iudgemēt Seyng nowe by chaunce we haue fallen into this passage, and taken vpon vs this iourney in the formal declaracions, it wolde be most best to rehearse some olde and auncient lawes of the Egyptians, to the en­tent that we may know the one frō the other, as those that be euyll to shone, and the other that be good & profytable to folow. Al Periurers were corporally punyshed, and ta­ken as men dispraysynge the religi­on of the goddes, in so doynge they had vyolated the fayth to man, the [Page] which is no other thyng then a true lyne of humayne societie and felowshyp, he that in the hygh way shal mete any man which hath ben pur­sued by theues or robbers, and be­ynge able, wolde not runne to take them, was holden coulpable of the inconueniens and misfortune hap­pened vnto the man. And if so be it, he coulde not folowe him. Yet was he bonde to come before the Iustice and there to declare the cause, and to present him selfe as an accuser agaynst the thyefe. The peyne that was appoynted to him that trans­gressed the law was: that he shuld endure a nombre of strypes with a rod, and not to eate nor drynke for the space of thre hoole dayes. The false accuser is punished as a great transgresser. Al the Egypciēs wer [Page] bounde to brynge theyr names in wrytynge, and the state of the go­uernour of theyr countrey he whi­che in that place was founde a ly­er, or gat his lyuyng by an vnlaw­full way, as vserye▪ or suche lyke, was put to death. The man whi­che kylleth an other, whether he be free or bounde, was iudged to dye. for murtherers or those which commit homicede, they be not curious to haue the lawes passe vpon them The person dead, present deathe to the manslers, so by that the nobles of the contrey be in surety and out of feare. The father which kyll the chylde is not put to deathe, but for the space of thre dayes & thre nigh­tes, he is continually nyghe death, beynge accompanied with a certein nombre of seriantes. And their re­son [Page] is, that thoughe they commyt this cryme, yet ought not to be pu­punished for they iudge that the fa­ther taketh awaye ageyne but the lyfe whiche before he gaue to his chylde, and it is sufficient for him to be afflicted by continual repentance and dollour he taketh for his euyll deade, and by this meanes it sea­meth to theym that other fathers were admonished not to cōmit the lyke. They haue a sharpe punishe­ment for the paradices and mans [...]e­ers. Fyrste they are with a sharpe poynted toole thrust thorowe, and afterwarde set vpon a great heape of thornes, and there be brused, for they esteeme manslauter to be the greatest cryme that a man can com­myt to put hym to deathe whiche wolde lyue.

[Page]If a women with chylde had done an offence and condempned to dye, execution shulde not haue ben done vntyll she hadde ben delyuered of chylde, for feare that the infaunte in her wombe not trespassynge shulde be punisshed with the tres­passer. And for one faute two par­sons to be punysshed. He that in y^e battayle obeyethe not hys Capy­teyne is not put to deth, but incur­reth in a notable infamie to the dys­struction of his honour. They haue suche a regarde to their honoures, that they esteme the dystruction of theyr name worse thē deth it selfe. The tongues of them be cutte out which do reueyle to theyr enemyes the secretes of publyke matters. All clyppers of money, Forgers of false Coyne, Changers of weyght and marke, Grauers of anye [Page] face scripture or writyng, and coū ­ter featters of letters haue theyr two Thombes cutte of, to thende those partes of the bodye whiche had done the offence shoulde beare the payne and punyshment, & were suffred notwithstandynge to lyue for others examples. They haue also a greuous punishmēt. for the mā whiche occupyeth parforce the free women, that is. shall haue his mē ­bers cut of. By that one euyll acte (say they) he commyteth thre cry­mes. Fyrst he hath defiled the wo­man. Secondly he hath commyt­ted force and vyolence. Thyrdly he let increase of chylder, or at the lest staynned the parentage and blode. He whiche is taken in adulterye shall suffre great tourmentes, and in the syght of the woman his nose shalbe cut of. by that meanes they [Page] wyll depreue him of part of his vi­sage, the whiche lost, in contynent loseth his beutye. We fynd in auc­ters that Bocchoris was the inuē ­ture of the lawes obserued among the Egyptiens concernyng world­ly matters. This amongst alother was ordeyned y^e money lent with­out a byll or recognisence, the bo­rower without fraude to repaye agayne to the Apprester for they holde this oppinion. That the pro­messe and fayth is of great efficacy and vertue. They dyd defende that any vnreasonable vserars should be had in theyr countrey. Also they woulde that no man shoulde haue theyr bodies bounde for any dette. Thynkyng it is suffyciente to haue theyr goodes bounde and not their bodyes to be subiecte to no other thynges but to the prefermente of all publyke [Page] like matters. They thē selues dyd fynd this to be repungnāt against reason that the mē of warre which put theym selues forth in infinitte dangers for the cause of the comē weale, to be caryed to pryson (as they were oftymes) by reason of suche dettes as they toke vp at v­sarye. The lyke to this lawe there was traunsported by Solon to the Athenes, and was called Sisatee, By the which they wold not suffre that the bodye of a Citiziner shuld be kept in pryson for moneye taken vp at vserye. Moreouer the sayde lawes the Ethiopiens obserue, one particular law as cōcerning theues by the whiche it was establyshed that all they whiche had stolne any thynge shulde brynge the stolne before the hygh Priest, and to giue him their names in writynge. In [Page] lykewyse he which had the robery done to, must come before the high Priest. and declare what he hathe lost, the daye and tyme whan, and how the robbery was committed. so by that meanes the thynges lost be recouered. Alwayes it was prouyded that the fourth parte of the stolne goodes the robber shulde haue. To make this lawe ther was certeyne lawyers that consydered wyth them selues that it shulde be vnpossible to dryue out of the coun­trey all theues, thought it therfore most expedient to fynde the wayes that suche gentyll men as had lost theyr goodes myght be restored to them agayne: made this lawe that the fourthe parte shoulde be to the thefe, and the rest to the howner. The estate of mariage is not in the same vniforme amongst the Egyptiens [Page] as it was with thē. For the pristes coulde take but one wyfe in mary­age, the other as manye as they wolde or coulde meynteyne. They thynke the chyld is neuer Illigite­metly begotten. I suppose they be ingendred of a woman slauesse. for that the man doth iudge the chyld to be God, & y^e woman which bare him in her bely to serue for no other purpose but to nourse hī y^t he may lyue. The hole charge the father is at with the chylde from his Infan­cye vntyll he come to age, is not a­boue .xx. Drachimes whiche is ten pens Englyshe. The Priestes do instructe the chyldren with holye let­ters and good bookes. They also teache them their scyences as Geo­metrie Arithimetique. They do not study to learne y^e feites of warres, neyther exercyse they mornynge, [Page] nor the arte of musycke, they haue this opinion. That mournynge is pernetious for yonge Infantes, & musycke vnprofytable, as to pur­chase vnto them great infamation. The maners to heale malydies and disseases is to obserue a dyet, or to prouoke to vomet: for seynge (as they do saye) that all sycknesses cō ­meth by y^e superfluitiē of meates, they can fynde no better medycyne to helpe the sycke patient, then to folow the aboue named rurle. The men of warre do spende nothynge to haue Barbers or Phisicions, for that at the sole and onely charge of the common weale there be Phisi­cions sounde which do heale theym whan they be hurt. They haue cer: tayne kynd of medycens left them in wrytyng by theyr predycessors, whiche be regestred in bookes cal­led [Page] holy. If a man obseruynge the maner of the medycens conteynyng in theyr bookes, had not holpen the sycke patient he was exempted by their lawe, and put in fault, but yf he hadde appoynted or other wyse ministred other medicene, then in the sayde bokes were specified, and that the patiente was not helped but dyed. The Phisicion was also condempned to dye. This law was instituted by the lawyers, for they iudged it a straunge thyng and vn­profytable for the sycke man to in­uente a newe maner of Phisycke, whan he had ben a longe tyme vi­sited with a desease, vnder the cou­lour of a newe experiens to hassard the lyfe of the parson. The Egygti­ens aboue all other nations, were subiectes to Idolytrye, amongste other thynges they dyd not onelye worshyp [...] [Page] the lyuynge beastes, but also the deade, as cattes, dogges, & wolfes, for they where not a shamed to be suche gret Idolyters, but glorified therin, and thought therby to pur­chase to them selues and to theyr Goddes great honour, They wold go about the townes & cyties with the Images of the sayde beastes, showynge (as they went) what beastes they were and howe they honoured theim. Whan that y^e sayd beastes be departed, they wrappe them in a lynnen shete: That done, they bowe them selues downe and knocke their brestes. They kepe theyr beastes dentily, for they giue theym to eate whete flower myxte with mylke, this they haue gyuen to them ordinerlye, To the other beastes whyche eate nothynge but harde fleshe, was gyuen byrdes & [Page] large money spent vpon them. Af­ter they be deade, the people showe them selues so sorowful as though it were for the death of their owne chyldren. Manye tymes they be­stowe vpon the sumptuous bury­ynge of the sayde beastes more thē theyr owne substance draweth to.

In so much when kynge Ptolomee Lagus reigned it chanced that ther was an Oxe in the cytie of Mēphis, which dyed for age.A talent [...] is .v.C.li [...]arlynge Hebraitū talentun vulgariū is .ii. hundeth and poundes syxti mynes is a hundrel drachmes a drachm is .iii. shillyngs .iii pens. The burienge of the sayde oxe coste his keper o­uer and aboue the ordinarie expen­ses which he had spent vpon him al his lyfe tyme the some of fyfty ta­lentes of syluer which he borowed of the sayde kynge Ptolome, These thynges shuld seme meruelous yet not so meruelus as credible to some men to beholde the sumptuous bu­ryenge of the dead beastes, whiche [Page] the Egyptians vse. So often as these thynges chaunce, al the parentes and frendes of the dead goeth about the streates, theyr heare of theyr heades all blouddy lamen­tynge vntyl suche tyme as the bo­dy is vnder the ground. These mis­fortunes gyue them occasion ney­ther to washe them selues, to eate delicate meates, or to drynke plea­saunt drynkes, nor to weare sump­tuous apparel, They haue three sortes of tombes. The fyrst be gorgious and costly. The seconde be not so coostely. The laste be of a lyttle value. The fyrst doth cost a tallant of syluer. The second .xx. mines, the thyrde a lytle or no certein somme, but at somtyme more, and lesse. They whiche make the fune­rals haue it by patremoni. That is after theyr fathers death, the sone make the sepulchers, and he wry­tethe [Page] all the expenses and charges that it myght cost. After that the pryce is made with him. The corps is gyuen him to burye for the price agreed of before. They whiche haue the charge to open & enbalme the body be called Saleurs, and be had in honour and reputacion, for that the priestes accompany theim to the temple. The officers be roūd about the coffin and corps, and one amongest them doth take all the in­trelles out of the belly, except that which belong to the raynes of the backe, the which once plucked forth be gyuen to an other to wasshe in wyne of Phenice together with o­ther swete odours. This done they do annoint the body fyrst with ointment of Cedre, and after with o­ther precious oyntmentes continu­ally for the space of xxx. dayes, and to [...] [Page] do couer it ouer with myrre and si­namonde and orher spices, to the entēt the body might be kept longe and to smel notwithstandyng swet After that they haue thus ordered the body, it is deliuered to the pa­rentes. A man lokynge vpon it shal not wel deserue whther it is a dead body or one a sleape for that al the partes, as the face, shoulders, handes, be hoole. Before the burienge of the deade the parentes shall de­clare to the iudges, and to the fren­des of the deade the daye of bury­enge, sayenge that the bodye shall passe the sea. The iudges to the nō bre of .xl. beynge redy to accompa­ny the corps he which is appointed to kepe the shyppe shal brynge her to the shore to New Rigge and ap­parel her. Moreouer before the body is put into the tombe, it is per­mitted [Page] euery one to accuse the dead yf he had ben founde to haue com­mited any euyll. The iudges gyue sentence that he shal be denied the sepulcher. If he had ben falsely accu­sed, the accuser shuld be greuously punished, but if no man could come and accuse hym, the parentes ende mournynge, and begin to recite the prayse of the deade without ma­kynge mencion of his genelogie (as the Grekes dyd) the Egiptiēs take them selues one lyke to an other in bludde and nobilitie. First they wil rehearse howe he hathe passed his youth, led his life, and the good doctryne y^t he learned, and degresseth from that, repetynge the notable actes done in his lyfe tyme, and a­mongest all other do magnifye his goodnes towardes the gods wis­dome, other vertues and qualities [Page] Some children burye theyr paren­tes in tombes. They whiche haue no sepulcher be buried in the moste strongest and thyckest wal in theyr houses within the which they reise a monument. To them which occupied vsery in theyr lyfe tyme, was denyed the sepulcher, and weare brought backe ageyne, frome the temple to theyr owne houses with out sepulcher appointed vntyl that theyr predecessors with theyr ry­ches chaunced to theym acquyted the debities of the deade, the same payd, he shal honorably be buried. Also they haue this custome to de­leuer in gage to the creditoure the deade body of the debitoure. The man which had his kynsman deni­ed the sepulcher, and wyll not re­deme him shall runne into great in­famie and sklaunder. In so muche [Page] that if the son bye not out the fa­father, he shall after his death also be denyed of the honoure of the se­pulcher. Not withoue iuste cause manye people wyll meruayl what they ment to ordeyne & make those lawes for affayres of the lyuynge And also to be so curious to doo that which myght rebound to the honour of the dead. It is manifest to vs the feruēt zeale and loue they beare to the lyfe of man, whiche woulde haue brought gladlye the same (by such examples) clere and without spot. Truely the Greekes who by the fables of poetes haue passed in verite and truth, hath written of the fauorynge and cherishing of the good and tormentyng of the euyll. To cause men lead a verteus and sincere lyfe, they thought they coulde not sufficient, nor trauayle [Page] to much. In lykewyse the Egipti­ens as wel by fables as also by er­nest and lawful attribuciō of praise exalted the good, and tormented the euyll. And therby they brynge or rather compell men daylye to do thynges profitable for the healthe and saluacion of this lyfe, that in so much we may se howe eche one ac­cordynge to theyr desertes, and to the qualitie of theyr crymes recea­ued that which they merited, and deserued, so that at the laste they were ruled and became vertuous. Wherefore we can not but iudge these lawes to be good, which prouoke men to a desyre to atteyn wisdome and vertue, and to flye coue­tousnes and that moste abhomina­ble vseries. What do we christians meane to alow that for good, which the Infidels esteme for euyll, and [Page] abhorre it. What reproche is it for vs to occupy so many kynde of vse­ryes to pyll and to polle the poore, the vserer to sell a commoditie for one hundrethe poundes that scante is valued at twenty poūdes. Alas alas I can not but lament to heare dyuers yonge gentylmen crye out vpon these vserers, and also yonge marchaunt men whiche haue mor­gaged theyr landes and layde their marchandyse in paune. For if they misse but one day of payment, or that theyr mony is not redy at the prescripted tyme, but come a daye or .ii. after, they wyll not receyue it but sue the rygur of y^e law, straight way extende they the statute of es­staple (as they call it) with a pro­cesse serued, then enter they vpō the house, londes, goods and al, thrust out him, his wyfe, chyldren and fa­myly, [Page] Yea so cruel be these vserers that albeit for thre hundreth poundes of money lente, they haue .vii. hunereth poundes with the intrest for a yere wel payd them, eyther of the gentylmennes landes, or poore yonge marchauntes goodes yet they wyll not gyue one peny backe agein, so wretched be they, though they gayne the halfe, and that there shulde remayne a small somme or rest, and fynde not so muche in the house, then shal the debitours bo­dy be comitted to prison, there to a­byde vntyl ful satisfaction be made This haue I sene practised with­in this xiiii. months, & who be they which haue occupied these vseryes. and shewed this extremitie, but such as htah professed moost of all godlynes, and yafned them selues [Page] holly. I speake this by no perticu­ler man, but as general griefe mo­ueth me. To al such corrupted conscience I say, not onely say but al­so exhort them to flye this art, and practise a godlyer, and lette theym herein folow the councel and walke the steppes of the Ethenikes, for I can not but nominate theim Infy­dels, yea more wycked then they which be not ashamed to doo that which they vtterli detest. And here I make an end of the discription of Egypt, and the nature of the Egiptianr, and wyll proceade to treate of other people inhabytynge in Aphrique.

THere be dyuers nations amon­gest the Penes or Puniciens. The Adrimachides do drawe to­wardes Egypte, and holde the fa­shyons of the Egyptiens, sauynge onely they weare theyr apparell af­ter the maner of the Punitiens, their wyfes do weare a cheyne of copper, and neuer do cut theyr heare. They do byte the fles betwene theyr teth when they fynde them about their bodyes, and after they do cast them awaye. They present onely amon­gest other people of that contreye theyr doughters, and promysethe thē to be faythfull to theyr kynge, and he onely to deflower them, and [Page] to haue his choyse to take of them whom he shal please or fantasye. The Nasamoniens be other people verye euyll, the most parte of them be robbers vpon the sea, and whan they se a shyppe a shore they tone vpon hir and robbeth hir, In somer they leaue theyr cattell all a­boute the cooste, and do go to a cer­teyne place where there is greate plentye of fayre and good fruytes, and gathereth theym. The fruyte whiche they gather before they be rype they do leaue in the sonne to drye. Afterwarde put mylke to­gether and stampeth it, and then they do swalow it hole. They haue ech of them many wyfes, and haue companye with them whan theyr lust is come vpon theym at the first place they tome at openly, without hauynge anye shame to do it in the [Page] presence of other, Lyke vnto them be the M [...]ssagetes whiche haue an other maner more of doynge, and is, in that they put theyr staues before them. The same also is the custome of the Nasamoniens, when that any of thē take a wyfe. The espoused is bounde to presente hym selfe to all them of the feast, and to be bounde to them to graunt for to do there plesure, and he which hath company with her may gyue her a presence without daunger, and do what he list with her. They vse certein othes. They amongest theym which be iust & of a holly lyfe were had in this reputacion, that after theyr deathe the menne of the countrey did reuoke or call ageyne their names, by certeyne obedes, in swe­rynge and touchynge the sepulcher did transport also, for to do theyr sort [Page] and gesse vpon the Sepulchers of theyr auncitours, and after they had made theyr oracion, they slepe vpon the same, and do coniectoure vppon that whiche myght come of it, whiche in sleapynge they drea­med fyrst of The maner of promi­synge which they haue one to an o­ther, is to present drynke in token of theyr promes, and if it so fortun they haue no drynke, they take the pouder of the earth, and laye it vpō theyr tong. There is an other kynd of people in that countreye called Garamantes that contrey was traficked and and traded of other nati­ons. They do vse no weapons, they dare not defende theym selues a­gaynst other which stryue against them, they do dwell beyonge the Nasomoniens towardes the occidēt in part of the sea. To those people [Page] do ende other which be called Ma­cez which do cause theyr heare to be shorne vpon the top of the head and let it grow in the mids. Theyr neyghbours be Guydans, who in theyr warres they make continually agaynst the Autrices, do insteade of other armours, put on onely the skinnes of certeyne bestes. The women in theyr apparell hade dyuers borders of furres or skynnes. And for this reason as it is written for that of euery man whō they haue had company they toke by a maner of a present, a vestment in such sort that she whiche is so apparelled, was counted most horourable, as to beloued of many. The Machliēs which be other people inhabyting in the countrey in Maraiz, be called Maraiz Tritonides. They do were theyr heare behynde, and nothyng [Page] before. The Auses contrawyse be other people inhabiting in the same region, and do weare theyr heare before. The maydens of that countrey do accustomablye parte theym selues into bandes or com­panyes, and do fyght one agaynste an other with staues, and cast sto­nes, and doth say that this fashion hath ben by theym obserued in the honour of theyr goddesse Minerue. Those whiche were wounded and constrained to leaue the fyeld were estemed with them whiche remay­ned and resysted vnworthye of the honour of the maydens. Contrarywyse, she which shalbe coūted most hardiest, at the ende is apparelled after the best sort they can al deuise And moreouer she is armed in ar­mour accordynge to the Grekes, & do weare a helmette, lyke vnto the [Page] come of a cocke, after the maner of the Corinthians. And after they haue so dressed her, they set her in a cart and do accompanye her all a­bout the Mazais. The people laste named haue theyr wyues commen amongest them, and do vse the na­ture lyke to beastes. So soone as theyr wyues haue had a chyld, and noursed it a tyme vntyll the sayde chylde haue a lyttle strengthe, the same amongest theym is called the father. The mother must forsake to lyue with the sayde chylde. And ye shall vnderstande that from .iii. monethes to three monethes, the man hath companye with the wo­man, and then the mother shall de­lyuer the chylde to one whome she shall please. The other people of the same region which be called At­lantes, because they inhabyte towardes [Page] the mount Atlas by Arom [...] es, that is without perticuler name They do detest the curse of the pas­synge sonne, with infinite execraci­ons, in that it is so hote that it burneth them and theyr region. They eate no kynde of fleshe, and haue no restynge place to sleape. The o­ther people of Aphrique, whiche be called Pastoriciens lyue by flesh and mylke, notwithstandyng they eate no beafe, no more then the Egipti­ens do eate porke: for ther the women of the contrey of Cerene haue a feare or horroure to beate theyr kynne. because they sayde beastes be offered to theyr god or Idoll I­sis, the whiche in Egypte is hono­red, and for his honour obserue certeyne fastyng dayes and holy daies The women of Barcees whiche be other people of that countrey haue [Page] a contrary obseruacion, for they neuer eate bieffe nor porke. And so sone as theyr chyldren be .iiii. or .v. yeres olde, they do beate the vey­nes of theyr heades, some of theim do burne the veygnes of the tem­ples, and that which is set burning vpon theyr heades is of bloud and woll, set on fyer vppon theyr heare to the entent that the moistnes and petuitie descendyng frō the braine and other partes of the head maye not hurt thē, by this meanes they say theyr chyldren are more healthfull and theyr persons in better dis­posicion. The maner of theyr sacri­fyce be these, that after they haue cut the eare of a shepe, they present it in signe of thankes geuen for the fyrst frutes they haue euery yere. They do cast the sayde eare vppon the couerynge of theyr house, that [Page] done, they do wry theyr shepes neckes. They do no other sacrifices but vnto the son and mone. They bury the dead, as the Greekes, ex­cept the Nasamoniens, when they perceaue that one amongest theim is at the point of deathe, beynge in his bed, doth lyft him vp, and ma­keth him to sit vpryght, for feare that he shulde yelde vp the ghost li­eng in his bed vpon his backe. their tabernacles be buylded, and gorgi­giously made, set vpon great trees after suche a sorte, that they wyll turne with euery wynde. The Maxiens do weare theyr heare on the ryght syde, and shaue away all on the left, they do peynt theyr bodies with red, and they say it commeth from the Troyens. The women of Zabiques be other people, endynge to the Maxiens And they do con­ducte [Page] theyr husbande cartes whe [...] they go a warfare. The zigante [...] be other people of that naciō. They haue a great quantitie of hony bees that the men by theyr industri kno­weth wel howe to kepe and norish them, so that they multiply gretly in so much there is so greate abun­dance that the people be fedde onely ther with. The people be also peinted red. All the nacions of the coun­trey of Libie do lyue a very strange and wylde lyfe, The mooste part of the day tyme in the somer, they goo vnder some shadowe, so that there is no diuersitie betwene theim and beastes, they make no prouision for that they lacke. And for theyr apa­rel they vse gotes skynnes. The moost myghtiest amongest theym, haue no cities subiecte vnder them but lytle towares al about the waters [Page] syde. In the which they put al their necessaries, and that whiche they haue gathered be layde in the sayde towers. Euery yere they do a kynde of obediens to theyr subiec­tes, and by that they shewe theym selues to be frendes to the good and parcecutoures of the rebel­lions, as theues, and robbers of coū treys. Theyr weapons in warre be proper, agreable both for theyr maner and nature, for that they are lyght of bodye, and the countrey plaine for the most part therof, they vse no swordes nor daggers, nor no lyke weapons, yet they cary with them iii. dartes, and a quantitie of stones which they gather, and put into a lether buget. They be fur­nished with such wepons both for the assautynge and retyryng backe that they do hurt greately theyr e­nemies, [Page] by that so longe exercyse they make thē selues parfet. They holde no feyth to strangers. The Troglodites (whom the Grekes cal herdmē or shepherds because they kepe cattel) be people in Ethiope of this same region, whiche thorowe out all countreys appointed theym selues a kynge. They haue theyr women and chyldren common, ex­cept the kyng which hath his wife and chyldren a part. As sone as the quene his wyfe is come to see hym The kynge with all magnificence dothe presente to her a nomber of cattel. As longe as the wyndes of Ethesiens do last to the dogge day­es. There doth fal in that countrey great plenty of rayne. They are fedde most comonly with the blud of beastes and mylke myngled sod­den [Page] together. And when that their pastures be baren because of the heate of the sonne, they do seke for the maryshes. They haue no wars one with an other, by reason wherof they lyue lyke lordes. They do kyll theyr olde mottons and those which can not kepe them selues frō maledies and disseases. They do asscribe no certeyne name to none of theyr chyldren. For they do thinke that the sheape and the bulles be theyr fathers and mothers, & why? because from those bestes they haue theyr dayly noryture. The commō people do vse to drinke the iuce of a tre called Aubespine The rich mē do cause to be pressed a certein kind of flower. The licour whereof ma­keth drynke for them, hauynge in a maner the tast of worse new wine [Page] They leade theyr sheape frome one place to an other, for feare that the sayd sheape shold be wery to abyde styll in one countrey. The peoples bodyes be all naked sauynge theyr members. Whiche they couer wyth skynnes. They sayd Troglodites. Whō they cal Megauares, do weare alwayes for theyr armour a coote of buffe with heare and al vndessed & amase set wyth poyntes of Iron, other do cary a bowe, another halfe a pycke. They do not passe to buyld Tombes and Sepulchers, but insteade of a tombe, they do burye the bodye of the deade with suche lyke woodde as we call splynt, or barkes of trees, and the bodye is wrapped therin euen from the top of the head, to the soole of the fote. Afterwarde they set it in some high place, and couereth it with the sto­nes [Page] they cast vpon, and that doone they do laughe at the deade. And after that they haue couered wyth stones they put vpon it a horne of a gote, and so leauethe hym without takynge any more cōpassyon. They make battell one agaynst an other not in angre or for ambytion (as y^e Grekes were wonte to do) but too gayne the commodytie of theyr pa­stures and fieldes. Fyrste in theyr warres they caste at one an other a great nomber of stones. And they vse of a custome to shut one at an other, so that theyr foloweth greate blodshed. These battelles be neuer ended but by the most ancient wo­men, the which be in great suertie (for that no man of thone parte nor of the other wyll hurte them) they do go betwene two, and so do part them whiche be conflicted. They which [Page] [...] from the desert, and ronne in­to that countrey for shadowe, and do deuower the lytle wyld beastes, makynge suche courses, sometyme dystroye manye Ethiopiens at theyr cōmyng out of the marysshes, long tyme past that nation had ben vn­done by the Lyons, had not dame nature for seane it, and geuen them succours by her prouidence. At the fyrst entrynge of the dogge dayes, a great multytude of pampyllions, as cater pillers do fley into this councrey, beyng brought without any wynde. The same swarme of lytle beastes doo neuer hurt theym whiche dwell in the marysshes. whervpō as wel for mourmuring as for bythynge, do constreyne the Lyons to departe. To this nation of Rirophagis is ioyned the Ilopha­gris and Spermatophages. The last [Page] named people lyue of the graynes (as we cal them) the accornes whi­che fall from the trees in Somer. The rest of the tyme, they gather certeyne kynde of herbes groynge in theyr orchardes wherof they ly­ue in tyme of hungre. But the I­lophagers with theyr wyfes and chyldren do go into the fyldes and do clyme vp into the trees, and bre­keth y^e weakest branches they dwel so well that they maye leape frome one tre to an other lyke as the byr­des do, and vpon the sayde trees they dwell without all daungers. And yf it so fortune, that the bran­ches shuld spreade ouer the weight of theyr bodyes, they holde theym vp with theyr hādes: but yf it had so chaunced in holdynge vp of thee sayde braunches they fall vpon the grounde, yet they fallynge, had no [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] harme, because of the agilitie and nimbilnes of their bodyes, besides all this they lyue of the sayd trees, chosynge out the tendrest bowes and do nyble and gnawe the same as the lytle mouse eateth the chiefe, & they ar certyfied with the bark [...]s of trees, These people be alwayes naked, and haue theyr wyfes and chyldren common. They fyght one agaynste an other, and all to gette others b [...]e [...]e garnyshed trees & in theyr fyghtes they do vse no other weapons but of wode, they which be ouercome, be as bonde slaues to the vaun­quyshers or ouer commers. They do oftentymes dye for hungre, or that after they haue ones lost their syght (the whiche fortune to them in leapynge from one tree to an o­ther) and cannot se to gather that [Page] whiche they vsed to lyue by, then they dye in continent after. The cyrcuit of thys nation is inhaby­ted by other Ethiopiens whiche be called Cinectens. There is no dyffe­rence betwene them and the other, for asmuche as they inhabit in the for rest countreye, they haue fewe or no fountaynes. They are com­pelled to liue vpon the tres because there is so many wylde beastes, & verye earlye in the mornynge they goo and seeke the waters and the fountaines, & do water the braun­ches of the trees in the heate of the daye, the wylde Oxen, the Leopar­des, and other wylde beastes, doo ronne to the waters for to drynke. And the sayde beastes do drynke so muche, that they become so heuye & puffed vp that they can not well resist. Then the Ethiopiens defen­dynge [Page] frome theyr trees verye fearsly and swiftly do assault thē, as well with bournynge staues as also with dartes and stones. In so muche nowe and then they kyll one amongeste the greate nomber. It chaunsethe sometyme also that the sayde wylde beastes haue the vpper hande and deuoure some of the men notwithstandynge moost commenlye there doth come at the last, certayne myght and strength so that they take the saide beastes & the rather by there art & industry And if it shuld hapen that they kyl not these beastes, but be dryuen to a excigency, then they do in such an extremitie take ageyne the skynnes of the sayd beastes, which they had eaten the fleshe before, do plucke a­way the heade, shoulders with the heare, castyng it in water, and with [Page] lytle fire doth sithe, afterwardes it is destrybyted amongest thē to eat, and are therwith sertyfied. They vse theyr chyldrē to shote at a but, and gyueth them no meat tyl they hit it, and therby they become good archers, and expert in castynge of stones. Thereis an other kynde of people in that countreye dwellynge nyghe the deserte, whiche be called Archridophages, and they be verye lowe men and marueylous blacke. At the pryme tyme the wynde of zephyrus, & the wynde of Libique do brynge out of the desert a nom­ber of marueilous great Locustes, which haue wynges of a lothsome coullour and fygure. The Ethiopi­ens beinge accustomed & broughte to this, made great a boundaunce of woodes, leaues and suche lyke in a longe valley. The season of the [Page] yere beynge come, that the sayde beastes aboue named were driuen out of the desert by the same wynd and that so great aboundaūce, that a man wolde take them to be clou­des which passed aboue the valley, agayne whā that the people, accor­dynge to theyr maner & custome, dyd put on fyre the sayd abondaūce of woodde couered wyth herbes in the valley the whiche they had be­fore heuen & cutte. The smoke that assended vp frome the sayde fyre into the ayre, was so hote, the locu­stes flyenge in the myddest of the heate, fel downe ded a lytle beyond the sayde valleye. The quantitie of them is so great that they largelye feade and vyttell al the people: And hauynge great store of salte in that countreye they do salte the sayd lo­custes and by that meanes they last [Page] longe. And this kynde of meate is plenty and for theyr apetit, that in al their life time they eate nothinge els for they bring vp no beastes or cattell in those countreys, nor they haue no fyshe, because they are far from the sea & fayre ryuers. They are very lyght, and runne swyftly, yet they lyne no longe tyme. They lyue but to the age of forty and no longer. Their endes be not so piti­full as vncredible, for whan they are come to their ful age, that is xl yeres expired. There ingendreth in their bodies certeyne vermines like vnto flees hauyng lytle wynges of diuers colors, & so made that they wolde feare a man. These vermin­nes first eateth the belly, then the brest, and afterwarde by lytle and lytle consumeth oll the body. They whithe be infected with this mala­dye, [Page] shall at the fyrst fele thē selues moued with an iche, and by reason of to muche scratchynge, there dothe folowe to the parson aflictiō a grudging of a newe dissease with allegement of the fyrst in a maner. a lytle after y^t by such Emotiō doth folowe affluence of bloude whiche commeth out of the bodye of the sycke patient, that there dothe issue in spite of him an infinit multitude of the sayde vermentes. And there­by feleth so great payne, that it dis­fygureth and dismembreth all his body. And after that it had stinted, a freshe doth issue suche abondance, of the sayde bloode and vermentes, that it is vnpossyble to helpe hym, in somuche eyther by the corrupte eare of the countreye, or beastlye bryngyng vp, they ende their lyuea most myserable and peryously. The [Page] extremyties of Aphrique towardes the parte of Midy, be in habited w^t a kynd of people which the Grekes call Cynamines otherwyse called be the barbarous wylde. They do weare great beardes, and do kepe for theyr defence a nomber of dog­ges, for from the middest of sommer to the myddest of wynter, there commethe into that countreye a multy­tude of Oxen from the countrey of Indes. And they knowe not frome whence this plentye shulde come, except it be that the sayde beastes be cōstreaned to fley out of the said region, into this countrey, for feare of the hurt of other wyld beastes, or by the iustynce of nature. Who hath ingendred many other thynges vn­knowen to man, moost worthye of admiration, and for that the people be not able to resyst so great a nomber [Page] of beastes commyng vpon thē, be constrayned alwayes to haue w^t them so great a nomber of dogges, by the help and course of the which dogges, there is taken many of the sayd beastes, after they haue kylled them, they eare continent one part, and for their prouision salt the rest. They do eat also manye other bea­stes whiche the dogges do werye & kyll. Beyond the aboue said people towardes the Midy, inhabyteth o­ther people whiche they cal Icthio­phages, who althoughe they haue the faces of men, yet they dyffer no­thynge frome beastes in theyr ly­uynges, these people dwell vnder the Troglodites in the greate sea A­rabie they be very barbarous. At altymes they be naked, their wifes and chyldren be common, and lyke brute beastes, they do not feale any volupe [Page] lupt or passion in thē selues except it be after theyr bodyes feale good or euyll. These people be voyde of discretion, good maners, and hone­stye. They dwell in ryuers and cre­kes of the sea along by the waters, and in the hyghe countreyes, in the whiche places be founde many depe caues and longe valleyes. Therbe dyuers narowe holes daungerous at y^e enteryng & euyl at y^e cōminge out. In so muche that whiche fo­loweth, a man may iudg the coun­trey by nature to be made after the fashiō of the Icthiophages for they gathered great heapes of stones, & and layed them before the entryng of all croked places, and made more suche inuentions for the nettes to take fyshe of the sea, because in the sea whan the flude cōmeth it chaū ­seth aboute nonetyde all the place [Page] nighe be cōpassed and closed about with waters, and they growe to suche an infinite nomber that they couer al the countrey and bringeth a great quantitie of fishe, which do swyme hither and thyther to fynde theyr pasture, so in the ende, at the retournynge agayne of the sea, the water do caste theym vp amongest the heapes of stones, and then the fyshe lye drie, and they be gathered by the people inhabytynge in that contrey, which do runne with their wyfe and chyldren, and gather the sayd fishes for their prouision. And when they dresse the sayde fyshe to eate, they lay it vpon the stones to wardes the Midy, or nontyde, and burnethe it in the heate of the sonne and doth let it lye vpon the one syde a whyle, and turneth the other side whē they thinke it is rosted inough [Page] they plucke out all the fleshe, & put it in a hollowe stone, which is lyke vnto a morter, then mixeth it with the grayne of a gosebery tree, or much lyke to it, these mingled together so well, that it maketh goodly meate to eate, they set it in the son after they haue put it together they make it lyke in proprietie to a tyle. This they vse for all theyr meate with great abundance and ioy, and seruethe theym insteade of corne, when it chaunce that the find of the sea abyde styll and nothynge demi­nyshe, by reason wherof they were forced to leaue theyr comodytie of fyshynge, and that they abyde hun­ger. Then they heape together the shels of the sea which be veri great and do breake thē with stones, and so fead of the fleshe they fynd with in the sayde shelles the whiche is in taste lyke to an oyster of the sea.

[Page]Ageyne if this kynd of lyuyng wer taken from theym by continuall tempestes and wyndes. They take the bones of the fyshes by theym gathered afore and gnaweth it like a dogge the tender and freshe. And the hardest bone they breake with stones. In so doynge they dyffer nothynge from beastes. This kind of vitell they receyue for theyr re­past with great ioye (as I rehear­sed before) syngynge and makynge good chere one with an other. And after that euery one of them by the care they haue to get chyldren, do accompany with the fyrste woman they mete, without hauynge any solicitude all theyr lyfe longe, whi­che commeth by reason of the afflu [...] which to theym be [...] [Page] for the space of v. days to that maner of lyuynge, the syxte daye they go together to fynde the welles to drink, by the way as they go, they crye both in one voyce in suche sorte that a man woulde iudge them rather to be the crieng of a multytud of wyld bestes then mens voyces. As soone as they come to the foun­taynes, they receyue in such abun­daunce of water, that they can not wel retourne ageyne, but rest them selues there and can eate no more, beynge afterwarde as men trou­bled or rather dronken. The next day folowyng they retourne a fis­shynge, and in this sorte passynge theyr lyues (beyng a very fewe of them sicke) and that is for because they eate but one kynde of meate, yet for al that they liue not so longe [...] of other natiōs, their [...] [Page] this cost to theyr lodgynge and by the pleasaunt shadowes they are tempr [...]. [...] must vnderstand that the caues of that countrey, the whiche haue theyr throtes towardes the Midy be as hote as a furnasse, because of the heate of the sonne, & consequently doth folow that they be neuer inhabited: wherfore almē of that contrey doth couer to dwell towardes the Septentrion. Such was the maner and lyuynge of the two I [...]thiophages. There restethe yet to speke of the Amazones whi­che (as they say) in tyme past was of one part of Aphrique in the con­trey of [...]bie They were women of warre and of good courage gret­ly differryng frome the women in our age and tyme. A certeyne time of theyr age they were accustomed to exercyse the seate of warre, and [Page] by that kept theyr virginitie. After that they had passed theyr age, as abouesayd, they maried husbands to encrease chyldren. They had the prehemines to gouerne all publike matters, for the common weale was ruled by them, in such sort ru­led the women, that theyr husban­des had the charge of al the domestical affayres whiche we accustoma­bly commit to our wyues. And the wiues to the contrary ruled as our men do heare, yea, so circumspecte they were, that theyr husbandes shulde not take in hande any pub­lyke matter, that they woulde not suffer theym once to speke in causes touchyng the common weale. So sone as they be in theyr bed, theyr chyldren be gyuen men to kepe, and they to nourse them, which infants be brought vp with wylke, and o­ther [Page] meates agreable for theyr age If a woman had ben deliuered of a man chylde he shulde haue had ei­ther his ryght arme broken or ben killed. But if she had brought forth a female or woman chylde, they woulde burne her brestes with an hote yron for to take away al that which might let her in the warres, and for that cause they were called with the Greekes Amazones: That is to say, women without brestes. They did inhabite (as it is writtē) in an Ilande called Hespera, which was so named for that it aprocheth nygh the Occident, and is within the lake Tritonide, nygh to the Ocean sea. That lake is so called by re­son of the ryuer Triton whiche pas­seth thorowe the same, beyng citu­ated to Ethiope and to the me unt Atlas, which is one of the hygheste [Page] and wydest in all that countrey.

This Ilande is greate, replenished with trees, and a bundance of frute In that countrey is plenty of shepe, wherwith most of the people be re­freshed and fedde. Wheate is vn­knowē to the inhabiters of that contrey, because there neuer grewe none there.

AFrique is ended on the est part with Nilus and on the other partes with the sea. And truely it is shorter thē Europa, for it is stretched contrary to no part of Asia, & not to the sea bankes of all Europia and it is more longe then broode & there as it butteth vpon the fludde it is most brode, and as it procedeth [Page] frō thense euen so rysyng vp w^t hil­les specially in the middest it goeth on croked into the west, and sharpeneth it selfe easely, and therfore by the way is made by lyttle and little narower, and there as his end is it is most narowe. For so much as is inhabited it is very frutful, but for as much as the most partes of it be vnoccupied, & eyther couered with baren landes, or els desert with the drought of heauen and of the coun­treys, or els be vexed with manye and mischeuous kyndes of wylde beastes, it is more waste then re­plenished with people The see wher with it is gyrded on the north syde we do cal Libicum. And on y^e south Ethiopicum and on the west Atlan­t [...]um. And on the part that lyethe vpō libicum next drouince vnto Ni­lus is that which we do cal Cirenas, [Page] and after that is it to whom is gy­uen a name by the vocable of the hole region that is to say Aphrique, The other partes the Numides and the Murrians doth holde, but the Murrians are set out vnto the see Atlantium beyonde them be Nigrite, and Pharusii. vnto the Ethiopes for they do possesse the residue of it and the hole syde that is towardes the south euen vnto the borders of A [...]a. And aboue those regions whiche are weshed with the Libicum see by Libies Aegiptii and Lencothio­pes and a nacion verye frequente and manyfolde called Setuli. after whom the region is vacant and vn­habitable continually for a greate space. And then the fyrst on the Est as we do heare say are Garamantes and after them Augila, and beyond them Proglodita, and last of all vpō [Page] the west Atlantes. And within if ye lyke to gyue credance are suche as be scant worthy to be called men, but rather halfe bestes. Aegipanes and Blemie: and Sa [...]pha [...]antes and Sat [...]ri, wandrynge without houses and mancions euerywhere & hath landes rather then inhabiteth them we haue manifest to you al thyngs at large, aswell the nature and maners of the people of Aphrique, as also the cituacion of theyr nacions and countreys. And heare we wil end the discription of this fyrst part of the world, geuyng the reader my trauaile, aspectyng and lo­kyng for the fortunate spar­kes of acceptacion. And for mine enterprise not­withstanding my la­bour I craue his good worde.