MY, Natural Genius, the manner of my Education, and the Example of others, inſpired me in my young years with a reſtleſs deſire of travelling the World, that I might my ſelf be an Eye Witneſs of thoſe things I had either read or heard of. But the Authority of my Parents, who deſigned me for the Gown, and my want of ſufficient means, were powerful Obſtacles to my deſires; and would have confined me at home, had not fortune, mightier than all theſe, ordered it contrary to their intent, and according to my wiſhes. For before I had attained the fifteenth year of my age, I was ſent into Italy, in a Military Imployment, which kept me there two whole years before I came home again into my own Country; from whence, ſoon after my Return, I was obliged to march into Catalonia with a better Command than that I had before. I continued there in the Army for the ſpace of three years, and would not have quitted the Service, if my Fathers untimely Death had not called we home again to take poſſeſſion of a ſmall Eſtate he left me, and to obey my Mothers abſolute Commands, who called me back, as the only perſon, after ſo great a loſs, that was able to dry up her tears.

Theſe Conſiderations made me to return; and after that, to leave the Sword, and to put on the Gown, and change a Souldiers life for that of a Lawyer; to which ſtudy upon this occaſion I did wholly apply my ſelf; read the Inſtitutions, the Codex, and the Digeſts or Pandects, where having made a pretty good progreſs in four or five years time I was perſwaded to take my Degrees in the Univerſity, which I did accordingly with an indifferent good ſucceſs. Then was I received into the Soveraign Court of Judicature of my Country in the quality of an advocate, as being the firſt ſtep to higher dignities, exerciſed my ſelf in Declamations upon fictitious Cauſes, and pleaded real and choice ones in Apparatu, as they term it, with ſome applauſe and credit. I was well enough pleaſed with theſe kinds of exerciſes, in which young men love to ſhew their Wit and Eloquence to the Publick, and where they get more praiſe than money; But when I deſcended to the lower practice of the Law, I found it ſo crabbed, ſo mean and ſlaviſh, that in a ſhort time I was quite weary of it. I carefully examined the ways and means by which Lawyers attain to Riches and Dignities, and found there was much of fraud and indirect proceeding in them, and that unleſs I did comply with men of that Calling in all theſe vices, I ſhould never get either Wealth or Credit by my practice. Now being naturally inclined to Eaſe and Pleaſure, and loving frankneſs and honeſty, I clearly perceived I was no ways fit for that Imployment. So while I was thinking and contriving how to caſt it off with ſome plauſible reaſon, a fatal accident took away my loving Mother; and although her death made me abſolute Maſter of my ſelf and Eſtate, yet it laid ſo much grief and ſorrow on my heart, that all things at home became odious to me, inſomuch that I made a ſtrong reſolution to leave my Native Land, if not for ever, at leaſt for a long time.

Purſuant to this deſign, I diſpoſed of all my Concerns, except of a ſmall Eſtate in Land, which I reſerved for a place of retreat in caſe of neceſſity, leaving it in the hands of a faithful Friend, who ever ſince gave me a very good account of it ſo long as he could hear from me. Having in that manner ordered my affairs and taken leave of my beſt friends, I travelled into the chiefeſt Provinces of the Kingdom of France 'till I came to the famous City of Paris, where I ſpent almoſt two years without going above fifty or ſixty Miles from it. But the former deſire of ſeeing more Countries, and an opportunity while I was there of travelling into Germany made me depart from that Populous City to go and ſee the ſeveral Courts of the German Princes, thoſe of the Kings of Swedeland and Denmark, and at laſt the Low-Countries, where I made an end of my European travels, and reſted my ſelf, till the year 1655. in which I took ſhipping for the Eaſt Indies.

The cauſes and motives which induced me to take this long Voyage were theſe:

Firſt, My natural curioſity of ſeeing Countries, and the wonderful relations I had heard or read of thoſe remote parts of the world.

Secondly, The earneſt ſolicitations of a Friend who had a concern in Batavia, and was bound for that place.

And laſt of all, The great gain and profits which I was told would accrue to me by this Voyage if it ſhould prove ſucceſsful.

Theſe Arguments and Invitations eaſily prevailed with me, ſo that having in a ſhort time ordered my affairs, and prepared my ſelf for this purpoſe, I went with my friend aboard a new Ship, called the Golden Dragon, bound for Batavia. She was a Veſſel of about ſix hundred Tuns, and thirty two Guns, and carried near four hundred People Seamen or Paſſengers, and great Sums of Money, where my Friend, called Monſieur de Nuits, had a great concern.

In order to our Voyage we weighed Anchor from the Texel on the twelfth day of April 1655. and with a freſh Eaſterly Wind ſailed through the Channel betwixt France and England with all the ſpeed and good ſucceſs we could wiſh, till we came to the open Seas, and thence proſecuted our Voyage to the Canary Iſlands with variety of Winds and weather, but no Storms or Tempeſts.

There we took in freſh Proviſions, ſuch as the Iſlands afford, and which we had occaſion for; and ſteering from thence towards the Iſles of Capo verdo to fetch a conſtant Trade Wind, we came in ſight of them without any accident worth my relating It is true, we ſaw ſeveral Sea Monſters, flying Fiſhes, new Conſtellations, &c. But becauſe thoſe things are uſual, that they have been deſcribed by others, and have for many years loſt the grace of Novelties, I purpoſely omit them, not being willing to increaſe the Bulk of this Book with unneceſſary relations which would but tire the Readers patience and my own.

To proceed therefore with my intended brevity, I think it will be ſufficient to tell you that we made the Coaſts of Braſil, and got there another Trade Wind, which carried us towards the Cape of Good Hope with indifferent good ſucceſs. We doubled the Cape without any danger, and purſued our Voyage with all chearfulneſs and alacrity, till we came to 38 degrees of South Latitude, on the Second day of Auguſt of the ſame year 1655.

Till this time and place Fortune had ſmiled upon us, but now ſhe began to frown, for about three or four a clock in the afternoon the Sky began to change its former clearneſs and ſerenity into thick Clouds, Lightnings and Thunders, which were the forerunners of the vehement Winds, Rain, Hail and Tempeſt, which ſucceeded ſoon after. The very approach of this violent ſtorm did much terrifie our Seamen, and although they had time to take down their Sails, tie faſt their Guns, and order every thing as they thought fit, yet foreſeeing the terrible Hurricane that hapned immediately after, they could not chuſe but dread the violence and fierceneſs of it.

The Sea began to foam, and turn its ſmooth Surface into Mountains and Vales. The Winds ran all the points of the Compaſs in leſs than two hours time. Our Ship was toſſed to and fro, up and down again, in the horrideſt manner imaginable; one Wind drove us forward, and another beat us back again; our Maſts, Yards, and Tackling were broken, and the ſtorm was ſo violent that a great part of our Seamen being ſick could hardly hear and obey command.

All this while our Paſſengers were kept under Deck, and my Friend and I lay at the main Maſt ſadly caſt down, and both repenting, he for his covetous deſire of gain, and I for my fooliſh curioſity. We wiſhed our ſelves a hundred times in Holland, and as often deſpaired ever to ſee it again, or any other Land, for any would have ſerved our turn then. He was a very honeſt young man, but no Souldier nor Seaman. At the begining of the ſtorm I was full of courage, and well reſolved to ſubmit to the will of God without any murmuring or fear of dying, but he did not underſtand that Philoſophy, the dreadful image of Death appeared to him with all his horrour, and I think I might have ſeen it in his face if we had not been in the dark. I have admired he did not die for the very fear of it: At firſt he ſigh'd and and groaned only, but a while after, when the ſtorm increaſed, he broke out into the ſaddeſt howling in the world.

He accuſed his Fathers Counſel and Command, who had ſent him, but chiefly his own folly in obeying. He called his dear Mother, Brothers, and Siſters, and bad them an Eternal Farewel, as likewiſe his beloved Country, which he had no hopes ever to ſee again. He lamented and deplored the cruelty of his Fate that put an end to his life in the flower of his Age by ſo horrid and untimely a Death. In fine, he made ſuch ſad complaints, and was ſo eloquent in his affliction, that I was moved with Compaſſion more than with the fear of being drowned. Pity firſt wrought upon my heart, and drove out of it all the Stoicity my reaſon had laid there in ſtore; then fear and infirmity came in, ſo that I began to howl and lament with my afflicted Friend, as if I had been as weak as he, and had it not been for ſome ridiculous Expreſſions of his, which made me ſometimes laugh, I think I had been as much dejected as he.

Mans weakneſs and ſimplicity is much to be admired in ſuch occaſions as this, and ſhews that Cuſtom, Prejudices, and Opinions, have more influence upon his mind than true reaſon he ſo much boaſts of, and which in ſuch occurrences as this forſakes him, and leaves the maſtery of his Soul to weak and ſilly Paſſions. Death is but one and the ſame thing what ſhape ſoever it aſſumes to appear in, and we commonly fear the manner of Death more than Death it ſelf.

Before this ſtorm (wherein none of our People periſhed by the ſpecial Grace of God) I had been expoſed to a great deal more danger than I was now; I had been expoſed to the mouth of Canons, I had fought in Battels, and in Sieges, where many thouſands of men had loſt their lives, and where we marched upon the ſlain to a ſeeming inevitable Death: Yet the fear of it did hardly make an Impreſſion on my heart becauſe it was an uſual thing, and the contempt of danger as much accounted courage and gallantry as the fear of it cowardlineſs and infamy, yet death is ſtill but one and the ſame thing.

While my Friend and I were thus lamenting, the Maſter and his Crew were not aſleep, neither did they neglect any thing that could contribute to our preſervation; They uſed all their art, and all their endeavours, ſome about the Stern, ſome about the Pumps, and others about ſeveral other parts of the Ship; and God did ſo bleſs their labour, that they kept her up while the violent Hurrricane laſted, which at laſt fell into one particular Wind, that got the maſtery of the others, and drove us to the Southward with ſo great rapidity that we were not able to keep out of that Courſe, but muſt yield to his violence. After two days running that Courſe the Wind changed a little, and drove us to the Southeaſt for the ſpace of three days, the weather being ſo foggy that we could ſee nothing at five or ſix yards diſtance. On the ſixth day the Wind ſlaked a little, but drove us ſtill to the Southeaſt till towards night, when of a ſudden we felt a very great Calm, juſt as if our Ship had fallen into a Pool or dead Lake, which cauſed no ſmall wonder in us. Two or three hours after we were thus becalmed the weather cleared up, and we ſpied a great many Stars, but could not make any good obſervation by them. We judged in general that we were not far from Batavia, and a great many Leagues from the South Continent: But it proved afterwards we were much deceived in our Conjecture. The ſeventh day we continued in this great Calm, as if we had been ordered to celebrate the Sabbath day after ſix days labour and toyl; during this Calm we ſearched and examined all the parts of our Ship, and found her pretty tight, though ſhe was a new Ship, and had never gone a Voyage before. But ſhe was ſo ſtrongly built that ſhe endured the rage of the Seas without ſpringing any Leak able to endamage her. The eighth day at Noon a fine breeze began to blow, and drove us to the Eaſtward, much to our joy and ſatisfaction, for beſides that it made for our purpoſe, we were afraid of being becalmed; at night the weather grew dark and miſty, and the Wind ſtiff and violent, ſo that we feared another ſtorm The Fog continued all the day following, and the wind blowing by fits and puffs, which did ſometimes put us to great danger, at night the Wind changed, grew boiſterous and drove us again to the Southeaſt with great impetuoſity, the Fog growing ſtill thicker and thicker. About the middle of the night, the Wind being very high, and our Ship running very ſwiftly, ſhe ſtruck of a ſudden upon a Bank, much contrary to our expectation, and ſtuck there ſo faſt that ſhe remained there without any motion as if ſhe had been nailed to the place. Then did we think our ſelves abſolutely loſt, and looked every moment to ſee our Ship ſtaved in pieces by the fury of the Seas and Wind, and every body fell to his Prayers ſeeing neither Art nor Induſtry could avail. But God, whoſe mercies are great, ſhewed us ſalvation where we expected nothing but deſtruction; for the Morning being come, and the Sun having expelled the darkneſs of the Night, and diſſipated the thickneſs of the Fog, we ſaw that our Veſſel ſtuck upon a Bank near the ſhore of a great Iſland or Continent. The diſcovery of this Land turned our deſpair into hopes, for although it was unknown to us, and we could not tell what good or bad fortune we ſhould have in it: Yet any Land was then welcome to men who had during many days been ſo miſerably toſſed upon the water betwixt life and death, hopes and deſpair.

About Noon the weather grew very clear and hot, the Sun over-powring the Miſt and Fog, and the Wind abating much of his violence, ſo that the Sea did by degrees loſe much of his rage and agitation. In the Afternoon about three a Clock it Ebbed from the ſhore, and left our Ship with leſs than five foot of water upon a kind of a muddy Sand where ſhe ſtuck very faſt. The place where ſhe ſtuck was not above a Musket ſhot from a pretty high but acceſſible ſhore, whither we reſolved to remove our ſelves and our goods whatever ſhould come on't, and in order to it our Long-boat was let down, and twelve of our ſtouteſt men were ſent aſhore well armed to diſcover the Country, and to chuſe a place near the Sea where we might encamp with ſome ſafety without going far from our Ship. As ſoon as they were landed they carefully viewed the Country from the top of a riſing ground not far from the ſhore, but ſaw neither Houſes, nor Inhabitants, nor any ſigns of either, the Country being but a Sandy barren Land, where grew nothing but buſhes and little ſhrubs wild and ſavage. They could ſee neither River nor Brook in the parts they had diſcovered; and not having time to make a farther ſearch that day, nor counting it prudence to venture any farther into ſo unknown a place, they came back again to the Ship three hours after their landing. The next Morning we ſent them aſhore again with proviſions, and order to ſend the Boat back again to fetch our People by degrees, and likewiſe our Proviſions and Goods, which were all whole by Gods mercy without any the leaſt damage. All theſe Orders were executed with great care and diligence, ſo that the day after our being caſt upon the Bank we got all aſhore with a good part of our Proviſions and Goods moſt uſeful and neceſſary. The firſt who landed pitched the Camp on the ſide of a riſing ground near the Sea over againſt our Veſſel, which could cover us on the Land ſide from being ſeen by any body that ſhould come towards the ſhore, and afforded us a convenient ſtation for a Sentinel to diſcover a good way round about. Thither did we by degrees carry our goods, leaving in the Ship but ten or twelve men to keep her till we could tow her off upon high water, if it was poſſible, or diſpoſe of her otherwiſe.

One of the firſt things we did ſo ſoon as we were landed was to call a Council, to adviſe what order we ſhould take for our mutual preſervation. It was preſently reſolved that we ſhould keep for the preſent upon the Land the ſame order and diſcipline we kept at Sea, till ſuch times we ſhould think fit to alter it; ſo after this reſolution it was agreed, we ſhould humble our ſelves before God Almighty, to give him moſt hearty thanks for preſerving our lives and goods in ſo ſpecial a manner, and to implore his divine aſſiſtance for the future in a place altogether unknown to us, and where we might fall into the hands of ſome barbarous people, or ſtarve there for want of Proviſions, if he in his mercy did not provide for us as he had done heretofore.

After this Reſolution and humiliation our Officers divided our People into three equal parts, whereof two were ordered inceſſantly to work about the Camp in drawing of a Trench to ſecure us from any ſudden invaſion, and the others were imployed in diſcovering the Country, and fetching in Wood and ſuch kind of ſupplies. Thoſe who were left aboard the Ship had orders to ſee what condition ſhe was in, and what could be done with her. After an exact examination they found that her Keel was broke by the violent ſhock ſhe gave againſt the Sand, and that ſhe ſtuck ſo faſt in it, that it was impoſſible to tow her off if ſhe were never ſo ſound, ſo that they thought the beſt way was to take her in pieces, and build a Pinnace or two out of her ruines to ſent to Batavia with all ſpeed and diligence. That Counſel was approved of, and the fitteſt men for that purpoſe were employed for the execution of it with all diligence. The parties that were ſent to diſcover durſt not venture far in the Plain for fear of ſome danger or ill accident, till ſuch a time that the Camp was better fortified, and the Guns carried thither from the Ship. They brought in only Wood, and ſome kind of wild Berries, of which they found great quantities upon the buſhes and ſhrubs of the place; ſome ſpreading along the ſhore found a very great plenty of Oyſters, Muſcles, and other Shell fiſh, which did not only refreſh our People, but did alſo much ſave our Proviſions, which upon examination we found could not hold out above two Months according to the ordinary allowance: The conſideration whereof made us think of ſome way to husband it, which could be but by getting and ſaving. In the firſt place we uſed all diligence to get our Nets and Hooks ready, for we had found that the Sea thereabouts was very full of fiſh; we fed as much as we could upon the Berries of the Plain, and upon the Shell fiſh of the ſhore; and on the other ſide we ſhortned every ones allowance, and reduced it to eight ounces a day of the Ships Proviſions. But our greateſt want was ſweet water, for although we had made a Well in the Trench that afforded as much of it as we could uſe, yet it was ſomewhat brackiſh and ungrateful by reaſon of the nearneſs of the Sea.

Our adventurers made every day ſome new diſcovery, and having gone ſo far as almoſt Ten Miles about the Camp without finding any the leaſt ſign that the Country was inhabited grew every day bolder and bolder: They ſaw no living Creature in all this ſandy Plain, but ſome Snakes, a kind of a Rat almoſt as big as a Rabbet, and ſome kind of Birds like wild Pigeons, but ſomewhat bigger, who fed upon the Berries we have made mention of. They killed ſome of them with their Guns and brought them to the Camp, where after trial they were found to be very good meat, eſpecially the Birds.

Theſe new diſcoveries made us a little remiſs in our Fortifications, and we contented our ſelves by drawing a ſmall Trench about our Camp, caſting up the Earth inwardly, and thought it was enough in a place where we found no Inhabitants. We planted ſome Guns upon the moſt convenient places, and ſetting all thoughts of fear aſide, dreaded nothing ſo much as hunger, and the injuries we might receive from the weather, which we were not yet acquainted with, for it had proved very temperate ſince our Landing upon that Coaſt, where we had been fourteen days before our Pinnace could be perfected. But about the ſeventeenth day ſhe was ready to put to Sea with Proviſion for Eight men for ſix weeks time, which was as much as ever we could ſpare. Now there aroſe great ſtrife amongſt the Seamen about the ſending of the Pinnace to Battavia, for few would venture on that Voyage, yet it was neceſſary that ſome ſhould go. Whereupon it was agreed that a number of the beſt Seamen ſhould be taken out of the whole Crue, and that they ſhould caſt Lots among themſelves to determine the difference, which was done accordingly. The Lot fell upon the Maſter himſelf, upon a Seaman called Prince, and ſix more, whoſe names I have forgotten. They ſeeing it was the will of Fortune that they ſhould go, ſubmitted to it joyfully, and after having agreed upon a Signal we ſhould give them, to find us out if ever they ſhould come again with relief, and taking their leave of the Company, they went aboard the Pinnace, and with a good Land Gale ſailed to the Eaſtward till they were out of our ſight. We made publick Prayers for their proſperity with many ſighs and tears, truſting in Gods goodneſs and mercy.

The ſame day we adviſed among our ſelves what kind of Government we ſhould keep as moſt convenient for our preſent Condition, for ſome of our Officers being gone in the Pinnace our Sea Diſcipline was ſomewhat altered, neither did we judge it proper for the Land, upon better conſideration.

The buſineſs was debated Pro and Con, but after ſome conteſtation it was agreed that we ſhould live in a Military Diſcipline under a Captain General. And other inferiour Officers, which together ſhould compoſe a Soveraign Council of War with Authority to direct and order every thing abſolutely. Now the queſtion was whom we ſhould chuſe of all the Company. All were inclined to defer that honour to Van de Nuits, my Friend, as being the Perſon of moſt eminent quality among them, and who had the greateſt concern in the Ship, but he modeſtly excuſed himſelf, alledging that he was young and unexperienced in Military Affairs, and therefore not fit for ſuch Command, and that it was neceſſary in ſuch an occaſion to make choice of a Perſon of riper years and greater experience in that kind than himſelf was, who never was a Souldier. Then, obſerving ſome trouble and irreſolutions in their faces, he went on in this manner:

This unexpected Speech, and the looks of the Company, who all turned their eyes upon me, put me ſomewhat out of Countenance, but being ſoon come to my ſelf, I anſwered, That his recommendation proceeded more out of affection and love than out of any knowledge of either merit or good Conduct in me; that I was a Foreigner among them, and born in a Country far from Holland, and that I thought there were many in the Company far more capable of that Command than I was, and therefore deſired to be excuſed, chuſing rather to obey my betters than to uſe any Authority over them. I had no ſooner ended my Speech, but one Swart (a ſtout and active fellow, who never went out of my company in all the diſcoveries we had made in the Country) took me up ſomewhat briskly, and ſaid: Sir, All theſe excuſes will not ſerve your turn, and if Mr. Van de Nuits counſel and mine be taken you ſhall be our General whether you will or no; for beſides what he hath worthily ſpoken of you, all the Company (and I particularly) know that ſince we were caſt upon this Land you have ſhewed your ſelf moſt active and induſtrious for the common good and preſervation of all, and are therefore moſt fit to command us. We are Seamen and Traders, altogether ignorant of Military Diſcipline, which you alone can teach us here, ſince there is no body among us that underſtands it, and who is ſo well qualified as your ſelf, upon which conſideration I 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 declare that you are the only ſit perſon to command us, and that I will ſubmit to no mans command but yours.

This blunt Fellows Speech, which he pronounced with a ſtrong and loud voice, did ſo affect the minds of the Company, already diſpoſed by Van de Nuits recommendation, that all with one voice cried out, Captain Siden muſt be our General.

When I ſaw I could not avoid the taking of this Command, I made ſign for ſilence, and ſpake to them in this manner:

All theſe Priviledges and Prerogatives were preſently granted me, and I was ſaluted by all the Multitude in the quality of their General, and had a Tent larger than ordinary ſet up in the middle of the Camp for the firſt Badge of my Authority. I lay in it that night with Van de Nuits; and had his advice in ſeveral things, which were afterwards put in execution.

The next day we called all our People together, and in their preſence I made Van de Nuits Over-ſeer General of all the Goods and Proviſions we had, or ſhould hereafter have. Swart Captain of the Artillery, Arms, and Ammunitions of War. Maurice, an expert and active Seaman, Admiral of our Fleet, which was to conſiſt of a Long-boat, a little Boat, and another Pinnace we were a making out of the pieces of our broken Ship. Morton, an Engliſh man, who had been a Serjeant in the Low Countries, I made Captain of the Eldeſt Company. De Haes, a ſober and vigilant fellow, was made ſecond Captain, one Van Sluis, third Captain, one de Boſch, fourth Captain, and one Brown, Major General.

I gave all theſe men leave to chuſe their inferiour Officers with my approbation, which they did accordingly.

I had two Servants with me, the one called Deveſe, who had been my Serjeant in Catalonia, a ſtout and underſtanding fellow, ſober, and truſty, who had ſerved me ever ſince I left the Wars, and followed my fortune every where, him I made my Lieutenant General; and the other, named Turſi, my Secretary.

Our Officers being all choſen, we numbred our People, and found we were three hundred and ſeven Men, three Boys, and ſeventy four Women, all in good health; for although there were many of them ſick when they firſt landed, they were all well again in leſs than a Weeks time, which was no ſmall argument of the healthineſs of the Country. I diſtributed all theſe into four parts, and gave Maurice ſix and twenty of the beſt Seamen, and the three Boys, to man his Navy. Swart had thirty for his Artillery. I diſpoſed two hundred men into four Companies, and Van de Nuits had all the reſt to attend him, and take Orders of him in the Camp, or out of the Camp. We had two Trumpetters, which uſed to ſay Prayers in the Ship beſides their Office of Trumpetting. I took one of them, and gave Van de Nuits the other, and they both were confirmed in both their imployments after the Dutch faſhion.

All our Affairs being ſo ordered and ſetled, in the Evening I called our Superiour Officers together, and told them, that before our Proviſions were all ſpent we ſhould go about by Sea and Land to diſcover the Country, and endeavour to get ſome freſh Proviſion, as likewiſe to diſcover ſome fitter place for a Camp than that we were in, where in a ſhort time all things would grow ſcarce, and where we had not ſo much as good water. That my opinion was we ſhould ſend ſeveral Parties of men well Armed to make new diſcoveries, and go farther into the Country than we had gone yet. They readily aſſented to my Propoſals, and told me they were ready to obey my Orders.

Whereupon I commanded Maurice to man his two Boats, and to ſend them all along the Coaſts, as far as they could conveniently go, the one, on the right ſide of the Camp, and the other, on the left. I ordered Morton to take twenty men out of his Company, and to go all along the ſhore on the left hand. De Haes was commanded to take thirty out of his, and to go through the middle of the Country; and I my ſelf drew forty men out of the two other Companies, and left my Lieutenant to command in the Camp in my abſence.

We all took three days Proviſion, and good ſtore of Powder and Bullets, with Swords and half Pikes, and I commanded all my men to be ready early in the Morning, and to wait for further Orders, which they did accordingly. The next day, which was the twentieth ſince the firſt day of our Landing, and from which we ſhall hereafter reckon as our principal Epoche, all my men were ready by break of day, and came to receive my Commands, which were the ſame I had given the night before, with this Addition only: That if they ſhould meet with any thing conſiderable they ſhould preſently ſend advice thereof to the Camp. I likewiſe gave Orders to Morton to keep with the Boat as near as he could, and to come every night to the ſhore to joyn with the Boats-Crew before Sun ſetting, I my ſelf intending to keep the ſame Method with Maurice.

As ſoon as theſe Orders were given we went our ſeveral ways all full of hopes and alacrity. I marched my men in Rank and File, and I divided them into three Parties, the firſt that had the Van was compoſed of ſix Musketteers and a Corporal, the ſecond of twelve and a Serjeant, I my ſelf brought up the Rear.

We marched within Musket ſhot diſtance one from another in that manner as near the ſhore as we could, that we might be within ſight of our Boat. The Sea was very calm, and the Weather very ſtill, though ſomething hot. At noon the Boat came to us at a place where we ſtood near the ſhore, and there we took ſome reſt and refreſhment for the ſpace of two hours. All the Country we came upon for ten or twelve Miles was much like to that about our Camp, and we did not ſo much as find a Brook or a Spring in all our way, all being dry Sands, and nothing growing upon them but Buſhes and Thorns. After we had taken ſome reſt, we marched five Miles beyond the place where we had halted, and there the ground began to grow more unequal, and to riſe here and there into ſmall Hills. Two Miles farther we found a Brook of ſweet water, which gave us no ſmall occaſion of joy, chiefly when we ſaw that a little farther up in the Country there was ſome ſmall plots of green Trees upon the Banks of the Brook; there we halted again, and made Signs to our Boat to come to us, which they did immediately, coming into the Brook with the Tide; and finding it was a very good Harbour for ſuch a Veſſel as theirs, they rowed up a Mile into the Land till they came to a plot of green trees, where we pitched our Camp for that night. Maurice brought us ſome Fiſh he had taken in the Sea, and ſome Oyſters, and other Shell fiſh. We ſtrook fire, went to Supper an hour before night, and then to ſleep, keeping a good Guard about us, and hiding our fire with green Boughs we fixed in the ground round about it leſt it ſhould be ſeen at a diſtance. The next day early in the morning I ſent three of my men back again to the Camp to give them notice of the Brook and the Trees we had found, and to tell them we intended to proceed farther. But before we removed from that place I ſent five men up the Brook to diſcover more of the Country. They came back two hours after, and told us that the Country above was a little more Hilly than below, but dry and barren, and like that which lay towards our Camp. Our Boat fell down towards the Sea after theſe men were come with this account, and had carried us over the Brook, which was deep and not fordable, unleſs we went two or three Miles higher. When we had got over we marched on along the ſhore ſtill within ſight of our Boat, and found that the Country grew more and more unequal.

When we had gone five or ſix Miles further we came to a pretty high Hill, which was barren and without Trees. We got on the top of it, and from thence diſcovered a Wood of tall Trees four or five Miles beyond this Hill, which Trees ſtood upon a high ground that ſhot a good way into the Sea.

At the ſight of theſe green Trees we did much rejoyce, and reſolved to go thither after we had taken a little refreſhment. We marched on through a Sandy Plain that lay betwixt us and the Wood, and reached the foot of the high ground in leſs than two hours time, got up into the Wood, and found it did conſiſt of very lofty Trees, not thick, and under which there was not much under-wood, ſo that it was eaſily pervious; there I kept my men very cloſe to one another, and doubled the Van, that they might be the more able to reſiſt if they ſhould be ſet upon by any men or fierce Beaſt. As we went we cut down ſeveral Boughs, and ſtrewed them upon the ground, whereby we might know the way we came in our return. In that manner we marched on in as direct a Line as we could till we came to the other ſide of the Wood, where we ſpied the Sea again, and ſaw Trees over the Water at ſix or ſeven Miles diſtance, which demonſtrated to us that this water was a great Bay between two Capes.

The place was very delightful to behold, and afforded a very fine proſpect over the Bay, which made us wiſh we had been caſt away nearer to it than we were. We had left our Boat on the other ſide of the Wood by reaſon of the great way ſhe muſt go about before we could meet her again. I ſent down ten of my men to the Water ſide, where they found a vaſt quantity of Oyſters, and other Shel-fiſh, which was no ſmall encouragement. As ſoon as they were come up I ſent three men to Maurice, and bid him row as faſt as he could towards the head of the Cape, where he ſhould meet with a Party I intended to ſend immediately that way. I ſent another Party towards the inner part of the Wood on the Land ſide to ſee if they could find any ſweet water. Thoſe who went towards the head of the Cape travelled almoſt two Miles before they found any, but at laſt they perceived a Declivity in the ground, which led them down into a kind of a Vale, very full of green and thick Trees, at the bottom of which they found a fine ſtream of ſweet water, running into the Bay. In this pleaſant place they ſtopped, and ſent three of their Company to bring me notice of it; they had not been come a quarter of an hour but the ten men, who were ſent on the contrary ſide, came back again, and told us they had gone a great way in the Wood, which they thought grew wider and wider towards the Land; that they had found a Heard of Deer near a little Brook, whereof they had killed two, and ſhot at two more. They had cut theſe Deer into four pieces, and carried them upon their backs, which was no uncomfortable ſight to us. We left the place where we ſtood, and marched towards the Vale above mentioned, having before diſpatched five of our men towards the Camp, to give them notice of what had hapned to us, and ſent them part of our Veniſon for a token of the good Fortune we had met with. When we were come to the Vale, I liked it ſo well, that I reſolved to encamp there that night, and to remove our old Camp thither, as ſoon as poſſibly we could. My men made preſently a fire, and fell a roaſting of their Veniſon; and I ſent five of them to meet with the Party which were ſent to Maurice; they marched but two Miles farther before they came to the head of the Cape, where they joyned with the other Party, and there ſtanding all together, upon the moſt eminent place they could find, looked for Maurice his coming. He as ſoon as he had received my Orders, Rowed to the Rendezvous with all the diligence poſſible, and came to the place half an hour before Sun ſetting, where having pulled the Boat upon the ground, they all came to the new Camp before it was night.

They found us very merry, ſome about the fire roaſting of meat, and others lying upon Beds of dry leaves and dry Moſs, which they had gathered good ſtore of in a little time.

We paſſed all the night in that place with a great deal of joy and quietneſs, and the morning being come I got up betimes, and bid Maurice and his Crew to prepare for the old Camp, whither I intended to return by Water with only two of my men beſides the Boats Crew. I left one to Command the reſt, and ordered him to keep in that place till he heard farther from me, promiſing to be with him again in leſs than three days, and that in the mean while they might ſupply their wants with Hunting, Fiſhing, and Shelling; ſo we went towards the Boat. We ſoon reached the place where ſhe lay, put her to Sea, and Rowed to the old Camp the ſame day, a gentle breeze favouring our Voyage; we arrived about Sun ſetting, and were received by our People with general demonſtrations of joy. They had heard of the new Camp, and all asked me if they ſhould not remove thither? I anſwered, We would do that with all ſpeed, it being the beſt place to pitch upon of all thoſe we had ſeen.

Morton and De Haes were come to the Camp two or three hours before my arrival, and came to give me an account of their Expeditions.

Morton told me, he had marched his men fifteen or ſixteen Miles to the left ſide of the Camp through a Sandy and barren Country, where they had not found ſo much as a Spring or Brook of ſweet Water; that at night they were gone to meet the Boat on the ſhore, according to my Orders, and lain there till the next morning, which being come, they departed early from that place, and proceeded to the Weſtward in the ſame manner as the day before, through a Rocky and Stony Country, without finding any water till Noon; at which time they came to a pretty broad River, where they ſtopt till their Boat came to them. That they had obſerved the Tide came into this River with great noiſe and Impetuoſity, and that the water was ſalt where they came to it at firſt, as being not far from the Sea, which had obliged them to go up the River till they ſhould find ſweet water. That going up along the Banks they had at the laſt found a Stream of ſweet water, which refreſhed them much, and ſo proceeded in their diſcovery; they had been ſet upon by two great Crocodiles, which ran out of the River to devour them, but that they having ſpied them before they could come near, had fired at them, and the report of their Guns had ſo frighted thoſe Monſters that they ran into the water with more haſte than they were come out of it. That ſeeing the danger there was along that River by reaſon of theſe, or other fierce Creatures they might meet with; and having no Proviſion to go on any further in a Country where they could get nothing but ſome Shell-fiſh, and thoſe only upon the Sea-ſhore, they thought they ſhould proceed no farther, but come back again the ſame way they were gone, according to my Command of not ſtaying longer without ſome ſpecial reaſon.

De Haes told me he had marched twenty Miles the firſt day through a Sandy Plain, directly to the Southward. That at night they were come to a little Hill full of Heath, where they lay till next morning. That when the Sun began to ſhine they ſaw a very great Miſt five or ſix Miles beyond their Poſt, which clearing up by degrees, as they marched towards it, they diſcovered a great Pool or Lake of ſtanding water, which could be no leſs than ten Miles Diameter. That being come near this Lake they had ſeen abundance of Reeds and Ruſhes growing about the ſhore, and an infinite number of Water-Fowl, that flew from place to place, and made a very great noiſe in their flight.

That they had gone a good way about this Lake before they could come to touch the water by reaſon of the Marſhy and Muddy ground about it, where they could not march without danger of ſinking, till they came to a Sandy place near a Hill, ſomewhat higher than that they lay upon the night before. That having got to the top of it, from whence they had a very large proſpect round about, they could diſcover nothing but a large Heath, and at great diſtance towards the South, a long Row of very high Mountains, which ſtood like a Wall, and reached from Eaſt to Weſt as far as they could ſee. That after this diſcovery, they, being afraid of wanting Victuals, were returned to the Camp on the third day according to my Command.

I found by theſe relations that I had had far better luck than theſe two Captains, and we were all the more encouraged to go to the new Camp on the Eaſtward; that we ſaw it had ſuch conveniences as we could not find any where elſe, and that all our hopes lay on that ſide.

The next morning I called a Council, where I propounded our removal to the green Vale. It was embraced preſently, and ordered that we ſhould tranſport our People and Goods thither by degrees, beginning with thoſe which were moſt neceſſary and eaſie to carry. The New Pinnace we were making was almoſt finiſhed, and would be ready in four or five days more, and fit to tranſport our Guns, Casks, and other Lumber.

In the mean while we uſed both our Boats to remove our Proviſions, and ſent many of our People by Land, with ſuch Axes, Nails, Spades, and other Implements of that kind as we had there.

The Major went with the firſt Party, my Lieutenant with the ſecond; and when I ſaw that moſt of our People and Goods were removed to the new Camp, and that the Pinnace was ready, I ſent her loaded with diverſe things, and travelled thither my ſelf by Land.

I omitted to tell you that Maurice had doubled the Cape in his ſecond Voyage without any danger by reaſon of the calmneſs of the Sea, and the ſtilneſs of the weather, which was clear and ſerene, without any Rain or great Wind above ſix weeks after our Landing, and ſo temperate that we felt neither heat not cold in the firſt Month except about noon, at which time the Sun was ſomething hot; grew hotter every day as it drew nearer to us, and brought the Spring about Auguſt: For in thoſe Countries it begins then; contrary to our Parts, where the Summer ends at that time. Maurice told me, that at the head of the Cape he had found many ſmall rocky Iſlands, which lay together very thick as far as a great one that lay at the very mouth of the Bay, and defended it from the fury of the Waves; he was of opinion that it would prove an excellent Harbour for Ships, if the paſſage into it was not too difficult, or too ſhallow for great Veſſels by reaſon of the many Rocks that lay between the Cape and the great Iſland which divided and ſheltered the Bay from the main Ocean.

Well Maurice, ſaid I to him, when we have removed all our Goods and People, and they are ſettled in the new Camp, we ſhall have time enough to diſcover thoſe Iſlands, and I will leave the diſcovery of them to your care and induſtry.

In leſs than twelve days after the firſt diſcovery of the Vale we had tranſported all our People and Goods from the old Camp to the new, which in my abſence Van de Nuits and other Officers named Sidenberge. That name obtained ſo in two or three days time that it was impoſſible afterwards to change it. Our men, partly by my order, or of their own accords, made ſeveral good Huts along the Brook ſide upon a piece of Ground almoſt a Mile long, which abutted to the Bay on the Eaſt ſide of the Cape. Wood we had plenty enough upon the place, and our Fiſhermen took ſo much Fiſh in the Bay that we knew not what to do with it for want of ſalt to ſeaſon or ſmoak it. But Maurice quickly ſupplied us with that, for being gone upon ſome of thoſe Rocks which lay at the mouth of the Bay, he found there as much of it as would ſerve the whole Company twenty years if we ſhould be ſo long in that place

That Salt was naturally made by the water of the Sea, which in great ſtorms being ſlung upon thoſe Rocks, filled ſome hollow places in them, where the heat of the Sun did afterwards turn it into Salt. There were every day great Parties ſent into the Woods to diſcover and hunt the Deer, of which many Herds were found up and down, and many of them killed by our men. We ſaw every day multitudes of Water-fowl fly over the Bay, which made us judge that they had ſome particular haunt there. Maurice with his new Pinnace and his Longboat ventured every day further and further into the Bay, and in the Iſlands, and made ſeveral good diſcoveries. He found a place near the great Iſland where grew abundance of Reeds and Ruſhes, and thither it was that an infinite number of Sea-fowl of al ſorts did repair. He found another place where there came many green Turtles to lay their Eggs upon the Sand, from whence we might draw the greateſt part of our ſubſiſtance. In fine, we found ſo many things to ſhift withal that we were certain never to want Victuals if we ſhould live there a thouſand years. The greateſt want we were ſenſible of was that of Powder, for though we had ſaved a good quantity of it, yet that was a thing that would be conſumed every day, and that we did not know how to get again when our ſtock was ſpent. We foreſaw likewiſe that our Cloaths, Hooks, and Veſſels would in a ſhort time be worn out if our friends, that were gone in the Pinnace for Batavia, ſhould be loſt, and no relief ſent us. But we had already ſo many experiments of Gods mercy towards us, that we hoped he would not forſake us.

The Spring came on apace, and we laid up every day new Victuals, by the means of which we ſaved the Ships Proviſion as much as we could, and chiefly ſome Casks of Peaſe, and other kind of Pulſe we had brought from Europe. It came in my head to ſow ſome of theſe in the ground, and having told ſome of my Officers of my deſign, they all readily agreed to it. In order to it, we felled a great many Trees above and below the Camp, and having cleared the ground of all buſhes and underwood, which we burned upon the place, we made ſeveral furrows in the ground, and ſowed our Peaſe in them, covered them carefully with the earth we had taken up, recommending our endeavours to him that gives the increaſe.

Some of our Huntſmen venturing far in the Wood killed abundance of Game, and not being able to carry it all with them, they hanged two Deer upon an old and thick Tree with an intent to fetch them home the next day. But when ſeven of them came to the place the day following, they ſaw upon the Tree a great Tiger gnawing on the dead Deer before that terrible Creature perceived our men, which I ſuppoſe was occaſioned through his hunger, which made him ſo eager about his meat that he minded nothing elſe. Our People were much ſurpriſed at the ſight, and ſtood ſtill behind ſome Trees, and two of them, having cocked their Guns, well charged with Bullets, they aimed, and ſhot a him both at one time, and fetched him down the Tree. The Tiger made a hideous Cry when he fell, but being ſhot in two places through the body he died immediately; they ſtripped him of his ſpotted skin, and taking down the dead Deer brought them in triumph into the Camp. I was glad of their ſucceſs, but yet new fears came upon me upon that ſubject; for I judged, that ſince they had found this mighty Creature in the Forreſt, there might be a great many more in it, which at ſome time or other might come to our Camp, and fall upon our People unawares.

I ſuggeſted this to the Council, and it was reſolved, That without any delay we ſhould make a ſtrong Pallizado about our Hutts. We fell to work the next morning, and in leſs than ten days after we had empaled our Camp on all ſides, ſo as to be ſecure from any ſudden invaſion of Men or Beaſts. Our Huntſmen alſo became a little more cautious than before, and did not dare to ſtraggle in the Woods leaſt they ſhould meet any of thoſe dreadful Creatures.

It was now ſeven weeks ſince we were caſt away, and hitherto we had had no ſtrife nor quarrel among us ſo long as we lay in fear and danger: But as ſoon as we thought our ſelves ſecure from men, beaſts, thirſt, and hunger, when we fed plentifully upon freſh meat and Fiſh, and we did not labour ſo much as before, then our People began to be wanton. We had a great many Women among us, of which I hitherto forbore to ſpeak, becauſe I ſaw no great occaſion for it. But now that they began to act their part, and ſtir up trouble among us, I muſt a little ſpeak of them.

Some of them were poor women, who compelled by Poverty, and their hopes of Preferment, were perſwaded to go to the Indies. Some had their Husbands there, or other Relations, but moſt of them were Whores taken out of Bawdy houſes, or ſpirited away by Fellows, who ſold them to the Maſter for a little money, notwithſtanding the puniſhment ordained by the Laws againſt ſuch practices. Theſe Whores ſeeing themſelves at reſt, and the men idle for the moſt part, began to ſmile at them, and by amorous ſpeeches to draw ſome of them to themſelves; they found many ſo well diſpoſed that they needed no ſpur to be put on, ſo they would ſometimes come together in the night, and enjoy one another in the beſt manner they could. But as we lay altogether in a little Camp, and that there was a Guard kept in the night, they could not meet ſo ſecretly but ſome body or other would diſcover them and become a ſharer in the prey. Theſe practices did often occaſion quarrels, and jealouſies, which at laſt came to blows, but chiefly upon this particular occaſion.

Two young Fellows lay both with one woman, and did not know one of the other; once ſhe appointed a meeting to one of them in the night, and the other coming to her a while after, and requeſting the like favour that very night, ſhe denied him, and put him off upon frivolous pretences. The Fellow being ſubtil, and of a jealous diſpoſition, ſuſpected ſomething of the truth, and reſolved ſo narrowly to watch her that he would find the true reaſon of her denial; he did it accordingly, and caught the Wench with her other Gallant in the fact, the ſight whereof did ſo move his anger, that he drew his Sword and ſtuck them both in the ground, and then ſlunk away without being ſeen.

The unfortunate Couple cried out, and were found in that poſture, firſt, by the next Sentinel, and then by the whole Guard, who having taken the Sword out of their bodies, and out of the ground, into which it was run above a foot (ſuch was the ſtrength and rage of this jealous Lover) carried them to the Chirurgeon, who preſently dreſſed their wounds, then came to me to give me an account of the buſineſs.

The next day I aſſembled the Council to adviſe what ſhould be done about this horrid fact, but we knew not whom to accuſe. We examined every body that could be ſuſpected; we asked the wounded man, Whether he had any enemies which he could himſelf ſuſpect? He anſwered, That as he had neither wronged nor diſobliged any body of the Company, ſo he could not faſten any ſuſpition upon any man. We examined the Wench, but ſhe would accuſe no body, although ſhe ſuſpected, and it may be knew the Author of the Crime; but knowing that it was a juſt indignation and exceſs of Love that had moved her other Lover to take that revenge, ſhe was ſo generous as not to accuſe or mention him in the leaſt.

This put us into a great perplexity, and we did not know by what ways or means we ſhould find out the Criminal, when at laſt it came into our thoughts to draw out our men into the Fields, and ſee which of them wanted his Sword, for no body would own that which had been found in the unhappy Couples bodies. When they were all drawn up, we called every one of them according to the order of the Liſt, and found out the Fellow by the want of his Sword. He was immediately apprehended, and brought to his trial. We asked him, What was the reaſon he was come into the field without his Sword? To which he anſwered boldly, He came without becauſe he had none. Had you never any in this Camp, ſaid I to him? Yes Sir, I had one Yeſterday. What have you done with it? I lent it laſt night to one who was to go to Sea this morning (for it was true, that a Party of Maurice his men were gone early in the morning to ſome of the Iſlands.) Then we asked him, What the mans name was he lent his Sword to? I do not know his name, ſaid he, although I lent him my Sword, and did ſometimes converſe with him, as I do indifferently with any one in this Camp, where I know every one by his face, although I am ignorant of the names of moſt men in the Company, and I do think that it is the caſe of every man here as well as mine. Then I asked him, Whether he was a Seaman or a Paſſenger he lent his Sword to? He was a Seaman, and told me, he had loſt his own Sword when he borrowed mine; and becauſe he would not have it known that he had loſt his Weapon, he intreated me to let him have mine upon his urgent occaſian. Then did we ſend for the Sword with which the fact had been committed, and asked him, Whether he knew that Sword? He readily anſwered, He might very well know it, ſince he had wore it ever ſince I trained up all the men of the Camp into a Military Diſcipline, whereof himſelf was one. Sir, ſaith he, This is my Sword, and the very ſame I lent laſt night to him that borrowed it of me. How came this Sword to be found in the bodies of the two wounded perſons if your hands did not thruſt it through them?

And pleaſe you General, it doth not follow that I thruſt it into their bodies becauſe it is my Sword, he that had it of me might uſe it to commit that cruelty inſtead of uſing his own, thereby to ſhake off all ſuſpition from himſelf, and lay the guilt on me. I confeſs that there are many apparent Arguments againſt my Innocency, but I am ſure there is no evident proof, and I hope you will never find any. After this ſtrict examination, finding we could not convince this Fellow till Maurices Crew were come from Sea, we deferred his trial until another time.

But it fell out by fortune that the men of the Boat being upon one of the Sandy Iſlands where they turn Tortoiſes, and ſome of them having a mind to ſwim, went into the Sea to waſh and cool themſelves in that Element; and as ſome were more forward than others, a great Shark ſnapped the forwardeſt of the Company, who being warned by that dreadful example, got out of the water with all the haſt poſſible. The Story of this fatal accident, as likewiſe the deſcription of the perſon who had been devoured, came to the knowledge of the Priſoner we had examined, before we could bring him to a ſecond trial. When he was tried again, he cunningly catching hold on the opportunity, ſaid confidently, That he had lent his Sword to him who was devoured, of whoſe Face and Perſon he made a very exact deſcription in our preſence. So that we could not do any good, nor bring any evident proof againſt him. We all admired his confidence and ſubtilty, and hearing that the wounded perſons were like to be well again, we were contented to keep him in bonds till they were both out of danger. The woman was ſooneſt well, and here you may admire the humour of ſome of that Sex. As ſoon as ſhe was cured ſhe came to the young man who had wounded her, and expreſſed the greateſt love to him that can be imagined, under pretence that ſhe had been the cauſe of all his trouble. But I think the true reaſon was, that ſhe looked upon this Fellow as a man well in his body, having never been wounded, and who conſequently was far more vigorous than her other Gallant, who had lately received a large wound through the body.

This accident occaſioned new Laws, and new Cuſtoms. We conſidered, that as long as we had Women among us they would be the occaſion of trouble and miſchief if we did not betimes take ſome good courſe, and allow our men the liberty of uſing them ſometimes in an orderly manner. But we had but ſeventy four women, and above three hundred men, and therefore could not give every man a Wife. We conſulted long upon a Method, and at laſt pitched upon this, We allowed the principal Officers each of them one woman wholly for himſelf, with the priviledge of chuſing according to his rank. The reſt we diſtributed into ſeveral diviſions, and ordered it ſo, that every man, who was not paſt fifty years of Age, might have his woman-bedfellow every fifth night; we laid aſide the old men, and the four Wives that were going to their Husbands in Batavia, and who profeſſed to be very chaſte and honeſt. Theſe kept together, and lived a while very reſerved, but when they ſaw that all the other women lay freely every night with a man without incurring any blame, and that the relief we expected from Batavia was long a coming, they began to grow melancholy, and to repent that they had choſen chaſtity for their ſhare, by which means they were deprived alone of thoſe delights and pleaſures which they ſaw all the other women take ſo freely and ſo plentifully. They ſhewed their diſcontented minds by a hundred actions, and they nor we were never quiet till we had diſtributed them among the reſt, and then they were ſatisfied. Here we had a very great proof that multiplicity of men to one woman is no friend to Generation, for few of theſe women, who were common to five men, proved with Child; and on the contrary, all thoſe who lay but with one man preſently got a great belly. I think that is the natural reaſon why multiplicity of Husbands was never allowed in any Nation, although Poligamy of Wives and Concubines was ever uſed, and is ſtill practiſed in moſt Countries.

Now the time was come that we were to ſet up the Signal we agreed upon with the eight men of the firſt Pinnace ſent to Batavia. I therefore commanded our men to chuſe in the Forreſt a tall and ſtreight tree to ſet it up at the head of the Cape with a white Sail the largeſt we had, which was done accordingly. I commanded alſo a great fire to be made every night at the ſame place, that the Ships ſent to our relief might ſee it in the dark, and take their aim by that. We were in good hopes that the Pinnace was got to Batavia without any great difficulty, conſidering the good weather we had had, and that the General would ſend us relief with all the diligence poſſible. But God it ſeems had ordered it otherwiſe, for the weather, which for almoſt two months had been fair, began to grow rainy, and ſtormy, ſo that we ſaw almoſt every day great tempeſts in the Ocean, although our Bay was not much agitated by them by reaſon of the high ground, and the many little Iſlands that ſheltered it from the violence of the Winds and Waves. It rained almoſt every day for a fortnight together, but the Sun ſhined hot every day alſo, ſo that we had a mixture of Rain, Wind, and Sunſhine at the ſame time. It was well that we had been provident in powdring and ſmoaking of meat and fiſh, which we laid up in great ſtore in the empty Casks we had brought from our Ships, for if we had not done ſo, we might have wanted Victuals while this bad weather laſted, which was above a fortnight. It grew a little better after that ſpace of time, but not ſo good but we had Winds, Rains, and Storms at Sea; then ſudden calms, at the leaſt once or twice a week, which made us deſpair of ever hearing from Batavia, and made us reſolve to provide for our ſelves there, without depending upon any relief from thence.

The weather grew very hot, and ſince the rain fell all things were viſibly grown in the fields, and our Peaſe did thrive the beſt that ever I ſaw, ſo we were like to have a great Crop of them, which encouraged, us to break more ground, and to ſow a great many more. There was an infinite of Fiſh and Fowl in the Bay, and upon a calm day we could take as many of them as we pleaſed; but our Nets began to wear out, and we were forced to tear ſome of our Cables to make new Nets of them, which we made a ſhift with for a great while, neceſſity being the mother of Arts.

Our Huntſmen had made ſuch a noiſe in the Wood near the Camp, and ſo chaſed the Dear, that they were quite gone from that part, and none could be ſeen ten miles about us. That made them reſolve to take another courſe, and to go by water to the other ſide of the Bay, or to the bottom of it, where we ſaw Wood all round. Maurice was firſt ordered to make diſcoveries on the other ſide; which he did, and found there were great Woods there, and a little River that ran into the Bay. He rowed four or five miles up that River and ſaw nothing but Trees, and ſome marſhy ground along the bank of it, yet we ſuppoſed there would be many Deer found on that ſide if we ſhould put it to a trial. In order to which, fifty of our men having taken Victuals and Ammunition for a Week, went to the Banks of that River in the Pinnace, and the Longboat, and having Landed there, made themſelves Huts, keeping the Long-boat with them to uſe it according to their occaſion, and ſending the Pinnace back again. A while after being gone into the Forreſt to ſeek for Deer, they found great Herds of them, whereof they made a great ſlaughter; they likewiſe found a kind of Beaſt like a Swine, but bigger, and ſlower in his pace, and uſing to go a rooting in the Woods in great numbers; they killed firſt one of them, vvhich upon examination proved far better meat than any of our European Pork.

Maurice being deſirous to diſcover the great Iſland that lay at the mouth of the Bay, landed there with twenty men; the firſt part of it that lay inwardly he found to be but Stony and Rocky places, but when they were gone a little beyond, they found it to be a pretty big Iſland, conſiſting for the moſt part of mooriſh ground, which being almoſt dreined by the heat of the Summer was turned into very good Paſture ground; they found hundreds of Deer feeding upon it, and abundance of Fowl of all kind, ſo tame that they would let a man come within a yard or two of them, they marched to the Eaſtward of the place, and found that this Land was divided from the continent by a narrow Channel only; it was found afterward that in the Spring time the Deer ſwam from the Continent to the Iſland, which Iſland was not above twelve miles Diameter. Theſe new diſcoveries being ſo happy filled our hearts with joy, and a certain aſſurance we ſhould not want for Victuals if we were ten times as many, and made us bold to venture farther.

Maurice had obſerved that the Bay ran a great way in length towards the Southeaſt, and ſuppoſed there was ſome great River that flowed from that ſide of the Country into the Sea, which was not unlikely. He therefore, having obtained leave to take a Weeks Proviſion, and a ſufficient number of men, ſailed that way with a reſolution to go as far as he could with his Pinnace, and we having prayed for his good ſucceſs minded our other concerns, in hopes of his happy return.

By this time our Peaſe were almoſt ripe, and nine or ten days after we had a moſt prodigious Crop of them, every Peck yielding above a hundred, which is almoſt incredible; and we expected another Crop that promiſed no leſs than this if it ſhould come to perfection. We dried them carefully, and laid them up in ſtore for the Winter and ſo we did with every thing that would keep, uſing for the preſent ſuch as could not be preſerved.

It was above a quarter of a year ſince we were ſetled at Sidenberg, and having heard nothing from Batavia, we concluded our Pinnace was periſhed, and gave it over for loſt; but our greateſt trouble was, that above ten days were paſt ſince Maurice was gone and we heard no tidings of him: This caſt a general ſorrow upon our hearts, and in that great affliction we did not know what Counſel to take, we durſt not ſend the Longboat in ſearch of him for fear ſhe ſhould be loſt, knowing that without our Veſſels we could hardly be able to ſubſiſt.

Our Huntſmen had made a kind of a new Plantation on the other ſide of the Bay for conveniency of hunting, and without our Boats we could keep no commerce with them. All theſe reflections, and the fear of worſe accidents increaſed our affliction throughout all the Camp, where we lay lamenting the loſs of our Pinnaces above a fortnight before we could hear any thing of either of them. Maurice did not come, and we did not know what to think of him and his Veſſel, knowing there had been no great ſtorms ſince ſhe was gone, and that being in ſo calm a Sea ſhe could not have periſhed by Tempeſts. We did not think neither that ſhe was fallen into the hands of Enemies or Pyrates, having reaſon to believe from our former experience that there were no men in thoſe parts.

Wavering ſo betwixt hope and fears, upon a calm day we ſaw Maurices Pinnace and two Veſſels more coming along with him towards us. While we were looking upon them, wondring how he came by theſe two Veſſels, and what they might be, We ſpied ten Sails more at a good diſtance coming after them. This unexpected Fleet put our Camp into a great apprehenſion. We ran all to our Arms, prepared our Cannons for our defence, and ſent Scouts towards the ſhore to obſerve the motions of this Fleet. In the mean while they drew near to the ſhore, and at Musket ſhot they all caſt Anchor in good order; but Maurices Pinnace came very near, ſo that we could ſee him and his men from the ſhore, and hear him plainly ſpeak to us. He bid us not be afraid, and deſired us to ſend the Boat with three men only to fetch him aſhore; after ſome conteſtation we ſent the Boat, which being come aboard him he leapt into it with one of his men, and took down with him a tall and grave Perſonage in a black Gown, a Hat on his head, and a white Flag in his hand, and ſo came aſhore to us.

I, with ſome of my Officers, ſtood at ſome diſtance, but when we ſaw this man landed we went to meet him. Maurice told us in few words, That he was ſent from the Governour of a City ſituate about ſixty miles above the Bay, where we had received all the kindneſs and civility imaginable, and deſired us withal to expreſs all manner of reſpect to him. Upon that advice we did bow to him in very humble and ſubmiſſive manner, which he received with a great deal of gravity and mildneſs, and ſtretching his right hand towards Heaven, ſaid in very good Dutch.

After this, Maurice having told him that I was the General, he gave me his hand, which I humbly kiſt, and he took me about the neck and kiſſed me in the middle of the forehead, and then deſired to march to our Camp, where we received him in the beſt manner we could. He looked upon our Huts and Pallizadoes, and nodded his head in ſign that he liked it very well; then ſpake thus to me:

We made no anſwer, but making a low reverence left him in the Hut, and went to Maurice, who expected our coming in Van de Nuits Hut. We were no ſooner with him but we began to ask him queſtions concerning his journey; and he having begged our leave and favourable audience ſpake to us in this manner:

AT the foot of the great Mountains we reſted three days upon the Borders of Sevarambè, in a little Town called by the Inhabitants Cola, from the delightſomneſs of the place; for it ſtands upon a ſmall Riſing, and is watered by three pleaſant Rivers, Banon, Caru, and Silkar, which render the ground thereabouts extraordinary fruitful beyond all credit, to a miracle. For ſome have told me, that they have uſually in their fields every year four Crops of Corn, becauſe the ground wants neither heat nor humidity to bring forth, and is never parched with the drought of Summer; for here as well as in all the Kingdom of Sevarambè, they know no difference between Summer and Winter, unleſs it be by the courſe of the Sun and Stars, which draw nearer to or farther from the Northern and Southern Poles. Sermodas had here many old Acquaintances, and particularly a ſhe-friend, who cauſed us to ſtay in this place longer than we purpoſed at firſt. For our great expectation and earneſt deſire was to paſs over the Mountains into Sevarambè, to injoy the delights of that Paradiſe on Earth. But whiles Sermodas was diverting himſelf one way, he cauſed ſome Divertiſement to be given us another way, that our abode there might not ſeem too tedious. He intreated ſome of the chief of the place to ſhew us their Gardens of Pleaſure, and to lead us out into the Fields to hunt the Oſtrich with Beagles, and Grey-hounds, or Dogs not much unlike that ſort which we have in Europe. This Hunting was performed in Parks, where this ſort of Game was kept for Diverſion. The pleaſure that it afforded to us, and the extraordinary actions which were thereby repreſented, cauſed us not to think the time long, or our abode in that place tedious, though we were in great expectation of injoying ſweeter Delights beyond the Mountains in a Country ſo far excelling all others in the World, according to the relation which had been given to us.

It is the uſual cuſtom of all Travellers that paſs often through this Town, to have a ſhe-Comrade, with whom they are wont to ſpend ſome days. For in the Country of Sevarambè ſuch kind of natural delights are not allowable by the Laws of the Country, nor agreeable with the ſtrict lives and ſewere Cuſtoms of the Inhabitants, nor with the nature of the Air; for at the firſt entertainment of inordinate luſt, ſuch diſorder happens in the blood and veins of men, that their countenances are immediately changed, and their skins are covered with Boils and Scabs, chiefly their Noſes, which have ſo great a correſpondency with the noble Members. For this cauſe the Inhabitants of Sevarambè abominate the leaſt ſign of all laſciviouſneſs. I never was amongſt a more temperate and orderly Generation. All Paſſengers therefore uſe to make a due preparation before they can or are admitted to paſs over the Mountains. At this Town of Cola therefore Travellers ſtop to refreſh themſelves with thoſe delights which are only allowable in Sporumbe.

After three days reſt Sermodas had provided all things needful for our paſſing over the Mountains, ſome Proviſions and Carriages. We had to each man of us an Unicorn appointed to carry us. This Creature by the skill of the Sporvi are brought to be as tame as our Horſes. They ſeemed to me far ſtronger and more ſwift, and ſo ſure footed, that though we climbed over Rocks and Mountains, there was none of them ſeen ſo much as to ſtumble or fall. Inſtead of a Bit and Bridle we held in our hands a ſilken cord tyed to the horn, which was in the front of the Beaſt, and at the leaſt motion it would bend and turn, and go a ſwifter or ſlower pace, according to our deſire. I inquired ſeveral things concerning this Animal, which I could never hear of in all Europe. Sermodas gave me great ſatisfaction, and informed me of its nature, properties, and excellent qualities, ſo that I had brought ſome over with me into my own Country, had not this tranſportation been forbidden by the Law of that place.

We took our leaves of Cola about noon after a plentiful Dinner. An Unicorn of a Cheſtnut colour, with many black ſpots on the right ſide, and white on the left, was prepared for me to mount upon. At the firſt when I ſaw the nimbleneſs of the Beaſt, I was afraid to venture my ſelf upon it, and could not be perſwaded to make any uſe of it, till Sermodas aſſured me, that it was one of the gentleſt Creatures in the World, and ſo extraordinary ſwift, that we paſſed over the Mountains through uneven ways into Severambè in a day and a half, being near threeſcore or fourſcore miles.

Theſe Mountains are not inhabited by any other thing but Lions, Tygers, Panthers, and ſuch wild and ravenous Beaſts as care not much for the ſociety of men. We had the ſight of many thouſands of them in our way, and ſaw the Roman Sports of their Theatres and Amphitheatres in the bottoms, when we were on the ſide of the Hills; for there we met with theſe ſurious Beaſts contending for their prey. Two Bears were devouring an unhappy Deer, which by chance was by them ſurpriſed in Thicket or Buſh of Brambles. They had no ſooner ſeized upon it and overcome it, but in ſteps the Lion to ſhare in the ſport. The two Bears would not allow him any part, therefore one ſteps back to encounter him, whiles the other held the innocent Deer half dead; but the Lion being too ſtrong for the firſt Bear, the ſecond ran in to reſcue him with that fury, that made the Lion leave his hold. The fight laſted about an hour, with ſuch a variety of ſport, that we could not paſs on in our Journey, till we had ſeen the end. At laſt the Lion had ſo bitten the Maſter-Bear by the legs, that he was ſcarce able to ſtand; which when the Lion perceived, he retreated from him about an hundred paces, and then was too ſtrong for the other Bear, which had unadviſedly purſued him. After a ſhort diſpute the Bear ran away, and left the Lion alone to his dinner with the lame Bear in ſight, which ſent to him many ſnarlings and wiſhful looks waiting till this King of Beaſts had well ſatisfied his appetite. But when the Lion had well filled his paunch with the Deer fleſh, and that he endeavoured to drag away the reſt, the two Bears ſeeing his greedineſs, gave the Lion another aſſault, and obliged him to depart with a good piece of fleſh in his mouth, leaving the remainder to the hungry Bears that devoured all to the very Guts.

In purſuance of our Journey we were carried over a high Mountain named Sporakas; the top reaches to the ſecond Region of the Air, and is always covered over with Snow and Ice in this hot Country. There is a very clear Fountain of water which yields a plentiful ſtream running down the Rocks and Mountains of various aſcents, and by the fall and diverſity of the noiſes and rumbling of the water, gives to the Paſſengers a pleaſant Muſick. When I was within a mile of the place, I thought I had heard ſome Trumpets, Drums, and war like Harmony, Flutes and Hoboys, and ſuch other windy and watry Inſtruments of Muſick. What! ſaid I to Sermodas, what means this warlike Muſick that we hear? Is there not an Army coming before us? This queſtion cauſed Sermodas and all the Sporvi to ſmile. No, ſaid Sermodas, we have no need to fight amongſt our ſelves, this Country is more free from all diſputes and contentions than any other under the Sun. We are not pinch'd with thoſe neceſſities that are apt to make you Europeans ſo mad and furious one againſt another. There is nothing of oppreſſion or violence to be ſeen here. We are never aſſaulted by any Enemy: All our Thieves, Robbers, and diſorderly perſons are confined to the skirts of our Dominions where they live to plague one another, but they are not ſuffered to abid in the middle and bowels of the Kingdom. Since Noahs Flood, whereof we have more certain Memoires than you in Europe, there was never any diſorder nor War in this place, or in the Country round about, becauſe of the excellent Orders and uſeful Laws of this Country, which I ſhall hereafter repreſent to you. At the top of the Mountain we lodged in a Tent which Nature had prepared in a Diamant Rock, with ſeveral Apartments. The Rock ſtood in a plain ground, as high as the great Steeple of Amſterdam. It occupied about an Acre of ground, having many tranſparent Turrets round about at the middle of it. There was an entrance into it ſo luminous and glorious, that I thought the Sun had made here its abode, and that there was one within as well as without in the Heavens. In the firſt room we reſted our ſelves, and unloaded our Unicorns. Some of the company gave them Provender, others kindled us a fire; but Sermodas led me and Maurice by the hand to take a full view of this ſtately Palace. When we had gone round, and ſeen the glory of it, and taken notice of the brightneſs of the Diamant with the cryſtal Turrets, and ſteps by which men may climb up to the top, and which are made of Ice congealed and hardened into Cryſtal by length of time, we returned to our company to take a ſhare of the fire they had kindled; but we were no ſooner ſate down in the niches about the Wall, but out comes a Leopard followed by a wild Maſty from ſome inner rooms where they had been ſleeping all the day. Now the noiſe of men had awakened them, and obliged them to ſeek another more quiet retreat. The entrance was ſtopt with our Fardels and Goods to keep out the cold wind that blew in. When therefore we perceived them running and walking about, we ran to our Arms to defend our ſelves from their fury. But ſtay, ſaid Sermodas to me, we need not ſtir, you ſhall ſee pleaſant ſport, if you will ſit quietly. He had no ſooner ſpoken the words, but the Leopard and the wild Maſty began to ſalute one another with grim looks and furious crys, which ended not without a ſharp diſpute for maſtery. Sometimes the one had the upper hand, anon the other would tread his Enemy under foot. They were ſo furiouſly ſet one againſt another, that they took no notice of our being there, nor of the fire kindled in a corner, till two of our company, by the order of Sermodas, diſcharged two Guns upon them. The Bullets killed the Leopard, but the wild Dog retreated into the inner rooms; where he remainded till the next morning, that we fetched him out with fire, and diſpatched him alſo. We were mightily afraid at their firſt appearance; but when we perceived how little they regarded us, and how ſpeedily they fell foul of one another, we were well pleaſed with their company, for the room was large enough for them and us. Sermodas led us into every chamber, and corner of this Diamant Palace, where we had the ſight of all manner of Proſpects and ſnapes of Beaſts and Birds graven there with Natures finger to delight Paſſengers when they paſs over theſe rough Mountains into Sevarambé. I ſhall forbear from giving any exact Deſcription of it, for fear this ſtrange account, incredible of it ſelf, ſhould injure the reſt of this Story, and cauſe my Reader to ſuſpect the truth of all other paſſages of theſe Travels in this remote Country. The night we ſpent in ſuch pleaſant dreams, as made us Europeans to laugh heartily in our ſleep. We fancied our ſelves in a moſt glorious Paradiſe, and were not willing to depart the next day. Had not Sermodas promiſed to bring me back the ſame way, I had prevailed upon him to have ſtaid there a few nights, that we might have again a taſte of our drowſie delights, and of our imaginary happineſs, which to us was as good as any real and true.

I had almoſt forgot a Cuſtom obſerved by all the crooked Sporvi, when they come to this place, to prepare themſelves to go down into the glorious and fruitful Vallies of Sevarambé. They waſh themſelves all over their bodies in a Mineral Fountain of a Water, which to the eye appears very yellow, which Fountain ſtands at a ſtones caſt from the Rock; and though the Air be cold, this Fountain is hot, and of an excellent virtue: for the Water cleanſeth not only the filth of the body, but it hath that influence upon the humors of men, that they are freed from all thoſe extravagant deſires of Luſt and Lechery, which agrees not with the Air and Manners of the Sevarambi. Before we went to ſleep, Sermodas led me and my Companions out to this rare Fountain: Now, Captain, ſaid he to me, ſtrip your ſelf naked, and waſh your ſelf in this Water: with theſe words he ſhewed me ſeveral corners, which ſeemed to be made purpoſely for men to bathe themſelves and waſh their bodies from the irregular inclinations of theſe other Regions. After we had well cleanſed our ſelves, we returned to our Lodging, and after ſupper Sermodas gave me this account of this Cuſtom: Captain, ſaid he to me, we are entring into a Climate where men are forced to be abſtemious againſt their wills; where if they harboured thoſe amorous affections which other men have, they meet with ſo many and ſuch powerful temptations, that they would be far more extravagant than the reſt of men, and be more deformed than any people; for the Air and nature of this Country is ſuch, that it ſets a mark upon all men that touch any other women than their own. And ſuch Virgins as forget themſelves, are ſpotted viſibly to the eyes of all beholders, as you ſhall ſee when you come amongſt them. For the prevention therefore of this and all other inconveniencies which proceed from luſtful appetites, we have a cuſtom to waſh our ſelves in this admirable Fountain, whereof the water hath that virtue to free us from thoſe lecherous inclinations as well as our bodies from filth, and to oblige us to appear amongſt the Sevarambi with a quiet and calm ſpirit: ſo that none or few dare joyn with any other female but his own. I inquired whether they had not a plurality allowed them: No, anſwered Sermodas, we in our Country have that allowance, and this cauſeth us all to be ſo crooked in our bodies; for this ſhape proceeds from the crookedneſs of our reaſon, which carries us to act and perform ſuch things as agree not, I confeſs, with the excellency of our humane nature, but only with thoſe natural propenſities, which we either by Art or reſolution ſhould reſtrain within the compaſs of a moderate appetite. But you are entring amongſt the ſobereſt people of the World, free from all thoſe wild paſſions which cauſe ſo much diſturbance in other Lands. They are the perfecteſt and moſt beautiful Ladies that ever you beheld, all their Country and all things therein are ſtately, glorious, pleaſant, rich and noble, and ſo extraordinarily full of innocent delights, that you would be content to abide there for ever.

This ſhort account, with the many relations that we had already of this Country, inflamed our deſires to be Eyewitneſſes of theſe rare things, and to injoy the ſtately advantages that this place and Country afford. Therefore the next morning early we waſhed and prepared our ſelves for our Journey. But there happened an accident which retarded our Journey for a while. As ſoon as our Unicorns were looſe and ready to be loaded, a Jaccal happened to run by in ſight of theſe Animals. As ſoon as they perceived it, they ran after it ſo ſwiftly, that one of the foremoſt caught the Jaccal, and killed it: for there is a natural Antipathy between theſe two creatures, as there is between a Hare and a Grey-hound. At the firſt ſight of a Jaccal it is not poſſible to keep in the Unicorn, who is naturally carried to purſue this ravenous Beaſt. This gave us the trouble to run about a mile after them to the declive of the Hill, where the Unicorns were all dividing the ſpoils of the dead Jaccal: one was tearing the tail, another was buſie about the Head, another was devouring the guts; they had all ſhared it amongſt them. When we had brought them back, we all mounted, and went on in our Journey. About ten miles in our way, at the top of a very high ſteep Hill, we ſaw the great City of Sevarinde, and the beautiful Country where it is ſituate. Here the Sporvi are wont to perform certain Ceremonies before they dare venture farther; for they imagine, that if they neglected or contemned them, the Great Spirit of the Air, which governs in that Climate, would puniſh them with ſome ſignal token of his diſpleaſure, as he doth ſuch as are given to Debauchery and Lechery. I and my Comrades were all obliged to follow the ſame Cuſtoms and Manners, for fear of giving offence, and for avoiding thoſe deformities and marks which are ſaid to be inflicted upon all Contemners of the Laws of the Land.

In our Travelling we had the ſight of many ſtrange Creatures, Animals, Birds, and Inſects, whereof I knew not ſo much as the name. The Trees in our Road were hung with Apes and Monkies: the Woods full of aromatick Trees and ſweet Perfumes: the Mountains and Wilderneſſes were inriched with Diamant Rocks and Banks of Cryſtal: the Rivers and Streams of Water are full of ſandy Gold and precious Stones tranſparent. When I conſidered how rich and delightful a place the deſcent of theſe Mountains was, I judged that the Country beyond, and the Bottoms and Vallies muſt conſequently exceed all that I ever beheld on Earth. One thing I cannot omit: we ſaw in our travelling a Beaver purſued and hunted by a Creature not much unlike in ſhape to our Rabbets, but of another nature, more ravenous and fierce. For Eagles and Vultures of all kinds and ſorts, they were here in ſuch numbers, that the Sky was ſometimes darkned with them.

In the way Sermodas gave me and my Companions ſeveral precautions how we ſhould behave our ſelves amongſt the Sevarites. Firſt he adviſed us to talk but little: For, ſaid he, they are the wiſeſt of all men. If therefore you will gain any eſteem, or hinder your ſelves from being deſpiſed, abſtain from too much diſcourſe; for if they perceive, by a multiplicity of words, any indiſcretion in you, they will contemn you, and not think you worthy to abide in the Land, much leſs to be honoured by them. Again, take heed of ſwearing, curſing, or damning; for ſuch irregularities in language were never yet admitted into that Land. They ſpue or baniſh out all diſorderly perſons, and confine them to the Borders. Obſerve next to do as you ſee other men, and take heed you be not ſingular in any practices: but when once you are admoniſhed by them, imitate them, and follow their good advices; for in ſo doing, you will preſerve your ſelves in their eſteem, and ſhew them reſpect. Obſtinacy and ſingularity are vices not known amongſt them as they are amongſt you Europeans. Take heed that you drink not too much of the delicious Wines of the Country, but uſe all things with abſtinence and moderation. Refuſe not any gifts which they will beſtow upon you; for they are all noble and generous in their behaviour and actions, and love not to ſee their favours ſlighted by Strangers. I ſhall, ſaid Sermodas, inform you what to do, and give you other directions, as I ſhall ſee occaſion, that you may paſs with credit through the Country of the Sevarambi. When he had ended his diſcourſe, we thanked him for his kindneſs, and promiſed him our ready obedience to all that he ſhould require from us. He ſeemed to be well ſatisfied with our compliance with him from the beginning. Thus we travelled along till we came to the foot of theſe high Mountains to the paſſage of a large River three times bigger than the Danube or the Rhyne. It is called by the Sporvi Cocab, and by the Sevarambi Rocara. It runs at the bottom of the Hills, and incompaſſeth the Kingdom of the Sevarites almoſt round, till it meets with another large River, which together unite their ſtreams, and fall into the Pacifick Sea beyond the Streights of Magellan, about one hundred Leagues Southwards. At Sunſetting we came to the banks of the River, but could not get over till the next day; for there is no Bridge ſuffered to be made, becauſe the Sevarites are not willing to give ſuch an eaſie acceſs into their Country. They are afraid of two things, of the Vices of Strangers, and of their Diſeaſes, which cauſes them to ſet Guards at the mouth of their Rivers, and all the ordinary Paſſes, leſt a ſudden Invaſion ſhould diſorder their quiet and earthly tranquillity. This cauſed us to ſtop upon the ſides of the River till the morning; for the Boat which was to carry us over and our company, was then on the other ſide, and after Sun-ſet there can no man be admitted into this happy Country: beſides there are many things to be examined of Strangers before they can be received into the Boat. We lodged therefore all night at the foot of the Mountains in a beautiful Arbour or Bower of Jeſmine mixed with Roſe-trees, which in this place flouriſh and bear all the year long; for here neither Snow nor Froſt is to be ſeen, nor ſuch cruel winds as hinder the Fruits of the Earth. The Bower was about an hundred paces from ſide to ſide, ſo that our Unicorns and Goods lay and reſted with us in the ſame place all night. Whiles our Supper was providing, Sermodas took me and my Companions to walk with him near the Rivers ſide, and to diſcourſe with me about the Wonders of Nature, the delightſomneſs of the Proſpect, the clearneſs of the River-water, the ſweet harmony of the Evening-birds, the pleaſant noiſe of the Cryſtal-ſtreams, together with the comfortable brieſes of Wind, which amongſt the branches of the Cheſtnut, Orange, Cedar, Elm, Oak, and other Trees, which here upon the ſides of the Mountains grow naturally without planting, and promiſcuouſly together, made ſuch an Angelical Muſick, that we imagined our ſelves in Paradiſe, and wonderfully contributed to our ſatiſfaction in our Walk. Sermodas being in the middle of us, asked how we liked this abode: It is, replied Maurice, the moſt glorious that I ever was in. You will ſee and know ſomething more when you get over the River, and behold the excellency of thoſe things which are there confined. I asked him how it came to paſs, that we in Europe were ſo ignorant of this Country, and why this ſhould excel all others. This queſtion, replied Sermodas, requires a long diſcourſe to give an anſwer to it; but I will not leave you without ſome ſatisfaction. You muſt know, that when Adam, the firſt man, had offended his God by diſobedience, he ſhut him out of the earthly Paradiſe, and would not ſuffer him nor his wicked Poſterity to injoy the pleaſures of that pleaſant abode. They had liberty to inhabit round about, but for two thouſand years Paradiſe was guarded in ſuch a manner, that none could enter into it all that time. Afterwards came the Flood, which turned and altered Mountains and Vallies; therefore we have ſome Records that tell us, that the earthly Paradiſe, which, during the old World, was in Aſia, was then tranſported hither, and all thoſe rare Trees, with the Jewels and Riches, were carried hither by Angels, and planted in this remote corner. And becauſe there was no man then fit to inhabit ſo bleſſed a place, of the Sons of Noah, a new couple were formed, not out of the ſlimy Earth as the former, but out of a purer and more delicate ſubſtance, out of ſome Metal mixed with Gold and Silver: hence it is, that their bodies are ſo clean, pure, glorious, and ſplendid as you ſhall ſee. This couple, named Chericus and Salmoda, are the Parents of all the Sevarites; from their loins proceed the numbers of beautiful men and women, which you ſhall ſee on the other ſide of the River. They had an hundred Sons and as many Daughters, and lived, by our Records, two thouſand years; afterwards he was buried in the City of Sevarinde, where you ſhall ſee his Sepulchre. When men and women began to increaſe, his eldeſt Son Sevarias appointed Laws for men to govern their actions, and to avoid all kind of confuſion. Theſe Laws we can ſhew you in our Regiſters, ſubſcribed by all the men of thoſe days. In his time there happened ſome Sons of Noah to be carried by the ſtormy winds upon theſe Coaſts. At their landing one of them met with a beautiful Virgin called Seriſſa, whom he raviſhed and got with child. She brought forth Twins, a Boy named Bubo, and a Girl called Chreſtona. Theſe two being crooked, could not meet with Matches amongſt the Sevarambi, who deſpiſed them: Therefore when they came to the Age of thirty, they matched and increaſed ſtrangely. When Sevarias our Law-giver ſaw how numerous they were like to be, being a juſt man, would not deſtroy them, neither would he ſuffer the pure Race of the Sevarambi to be defiled or mixed with the filthy Generations of the other part of the World. He ſent a way Bubo and Chreſtona with their old European Father and their Mother Seriſſa, with all their Children and Grand-children to build the City of Sporunde, and to inhabit the Country on this ſide the River, appointing a certain Tribute for us to pay as an Acknowledgment that we are deſcended partly from the ſame ſtock: hence it is, that we are all ſo deformed, and a little crooked, and that the true Sevarites will not be perſwaded to joyn with us in Marriage, and yet they love us as brethren, and have a natural inclination for all men in general, which obliges them to be courteous, kind, affable, liberal, and bountiful to them all when they happen to fall into their hands. Sevarias our wiſe Law-giver appointed to us diſtinct Laws, and in ſome reſpects contrary to the reſt of the Sevarites according to the crookedneſs of our European nature, which he ſaw could not live up to that natural Sanctity which became us as men. He gave us therefore liberty to make the vileſt of our female Sex Slaves for our conveniency in times of need, and in travelling up and down our Country; but ſuch practices as theſe are not agreeable with the ſtrictneſs of the lives of the reſt of the Sevarambi, they abominate ſuch mixtures; and though their Country inclines them as much as any to the fleſh, they cannot be perſwaded to make uſe of it out of the rules and ways preſcribed to them. And if at any time they forget themſelves by chance, the Air and Country is ſo great an enemy to ſuch practices, that it diſtinguiſheth them from all the reſt by ſome viſible mark upon their Noſes or Foreheads, which cauſeth them to be immediately baniſhed out of the Country to the Confines over another River on the other ſide of the Kingdom, where they have the liberty to live deprived of all the pleaſures of this earthly Paradiſe. Thither are confined all the diſorderly perſons, the lecherous, the filthy, and baſe, each ſort have their diſtinct places of abode, or Iſlands from whence they are not ſuffered to depart till they dye naturally: For our wiſe and ever glorious Law-giver commanded us not to put men to death for any miſtake, forgetfulneſs, or miſcarriage of their lives. Killing is permitted by our Laws only in defence of our own perſons; all other Offenders againſt the Municipal Laws of the Land are baniſhed to the Borders, where they live to repent them of their wickedneſs, and moſt times dye good men. I ſhall give you a farther account of the excellent Laws and Manners of the Sevarites, when we ſhall be on the other ſide amongſt them; for they will not be perſwaded to venture over into theſe parts, for fear of infecting themſelves with Foreign Cuſtoms and Manners, and the vicious Air, which is every where but in Sevarambé. But, Captain, ſaid Sermodas to me, when we had walked about a mile from our Company, it is time for us to viſit them again, for yonder comes a furious Company down the Mountains, which will force us to a retreat. I looked and ſaw a Party of Jaccals followed by two old Lions and ſome young ones running apace towards us, howling as if they had been mad: hunger makes them more furious and greedy than otherwiſe they would be; for they increaſe ſo faſt, that in the Woods and Retreats there is not ſufficient food for them all to fill their Paunches every day. Towards the dawning of the day they burſt out of their Caves and Holes to ſeek their neceſſary proviſions for them and their young ones. The foremoſt were not above an hundred paces from us, when they firſt declared their coming with fearful out-crys, which were ſigns to the Lions round about, that they had diſcovered ſome prey. We were then without Weapon, and never dreamed of any danger in ſo pleaſant an abode. All the wild Beaſts underſtood the Alarm of their fore-runners, and haſted to the place where the Jaccals had made a noiſe. A mixture of all ſorts followed them cloſe at the heels, Lions, Bears, Tygers, Elks, Leopards, and ſome other ſorts which I ſhall hereafter deſcribe. It was not time for us to ſtay there any longer, and ſee our danger haſten upon us. We took our ſelves to our heels, and ran with Sermodas towards our Bower, where all the Sporvi had put themſelves in a poſture of defence as ſoon as they heard the noiſe. But we could not make ſuch haſte, but one of the foremoſt Leopards caught Maurice by the Coat, and tore off a piece, which the furious beaſt devoured, and gave him time to eſcape; another bit me by the Buttocks, and held me ſo faſt, that I could not get away from him. In the mean while all my Company run before, every one ſhifting for himſelf. I thought my ſelf loſt, but I was reſolved to ſtruggle for my life. The leſs hopes I ſaw of eſcaping, becauſe ſeveral Companies of other ravenous Beaſts were near at hand. I turned therefore my ſelf and pulled the Leopard by the Ears, thruſting one of my fingers into his right Eye. The pain forced him to let go his hold, which as ſoon as he had done, he leaped upon me with his open Jaws, into which I thruſt my right hand and took hold of the Tongue, neceſſity adding more ſtrength to my Arm, I pluckt it by the root whiles the beaſt held me with his Paws. At that inſtant ſix roaring Lions, and three Bears, with an infinite number of Jaccals, had overtaken and ſurrounded me, but none offered to touch me. I flung amongſt them the Leopards tongue, which they all greedily catched at with a ſhort diſpute, which of them ſhould have it. This gave me leiſure to run about a dozen paces from them before they had ended it. As ſoon as a Lion had taken it for his ſhare, the reſt fell foul upon the Leopard, which was become ſo troubleſom to them, becauſe of his extraordinary howling, that they minded me not ſo much, only an old Bear made after me, and overtook me. When I ſaw Sermodas and Maurice, and all the Company haſtening with Weapons to my reſcue, their ſight and coming gave me ſome hopes of eſcaping out of the Jaws of an unavoidable death. The Bear gallopped after me, and was juſt at my very heels, when I ſtumbled and fell flat on my face, the Bears fury cauſed him to run about a dozen paces beyond me over my body, before it could ſtop; then were Sermodas, Maurice, and all the reſt come in with their Guns, and other Weapons, and one for my ſelf. As ſoon as I had got a Sword in my hand, I ran at the Bear, and wounded the beaſt in the right Thigh at the firſt blow, but at the ſecond I thruſt it in at the breaſt, and wounded him at the heart. In the mean while all our Company were not idle, they fell upon the wild Beaſts with their Swords and Halberts in their hands, and killed in a ſhort time twenty Lions, thirteen Bears, and forty Jaccals, with threeſcore other ſort of furious and ravenous Creatures. We found dead the next day one like a Bull with ſix Horns, two ſmall ones a little above the Noſe, two a little bigger under the Eyes, and two great ones upon his Head. This beaſt is called Suja, and lives upon the ſpoils of other Animals. We ſaw another having a Head like a Lion, a Skin like a Crocodile, and a Tail as a Fox as red as blood, the Claws were bent in, but when they were ſtretched out, they were about a foot long, and as ſharp as Needles. Sermodas told me, that this was the moſt furious beaſt in all the World; for nothing can eſcape out of its Jaws and Claws, it tears in pieces all that it meets with, and were it not that it hath but a ſmall appetite, it would devour all the Lions of the Woods. He told me, that the Sporvi called it Forabab, and that there are no Females of them to be found, becauſe they are begot by a mixture of Lions and other Animals which copulate together. We killed two other beaſts as big as ordinary Maſties, but ſo extraordinary furious, that none are to be compared to them. We continued the ſlaughter near two hours, reſcuing one another when the wild beaſts were too hard for any of us, and had worſted us. The reſt we put to flight, having wounded moſt of them: three of the Sporvi in our company were bit in their Limbs, and ſix of us run through the Arm with the Claws of the Lions. After this fierce Encounter, which was not above three ſtones caſt from our Bower, we went, very joyful to have eſcaped the danger, to refreſh our ſelves with a good Supper of Roaſt meat and Fruit, which was ready prepared for us. Sermodas embraced me and Maurice, expreſſing much joy for our eſcape out of this great danger, becauſe none of us had been devoured by theſe furious Inhabitants of the Woods. After Supper he walked into the Air, and met with a Shrub tree upon the bank of the River, called Mezola, he took a ſtick from it, and rubbed the Wound of my Buttocks, and before the morning I was perfectly cured of my Wounds, as all the reſt of the men hurt by the beaſts: For had he not applied this to our Wounds, we ſhould have been lame, and hindred thereby from paſſing over the River into Sevarambe. We laid our ſelves down upon the Banks and Beds of Earth made under the Bower for Strangers to reſt themſelves, and ſlept all night, only we were interrupted by the howlings of ſtrange Creatures and beaſts of prey, who ranged about the Bower, attempting to enter in, but we had ſtopt the paſſages and ways, ſo that there was no entrance for any of them.

The next morning a large Boat was on this ſide to carry us over with five grave Signiors, two came to our Bower to call to us before we were up, and viſit us. The chief Owner of the Boat was named Kibbus. As ſoon as we heard them we roſe and dreſſed our ſelves. Sermodas went out to give Kibbus an account of our perſons and misfortunes: which when he had underſtood, he entred in with him, and took us by the hand and kiſſed us, bidding us be of good chear, and that his Prince would be joyful to ſee us. We went with him to ſee the ſlaughter of the wild beaſts which we ſtripped of their skins, becauſe the Sevarambi are great Lovers of Furs; and this was a noble Preſent, which we intended to give to their King. As ſoon as we had diſpatched our buſineſs, Kibbus with his Companions called us one after another to ask us, whether we had any infirmities or diſtemper in our bodies: after this he cauſed us to waſh in a Fountain hard by, and gave us green Gowns, which he had in his Boat on purpoſe for all Travellers, buttoned before with rich Buttons of Jaſper ſtones. They were perfumed in ſuch an extraordinary manner, that I never ſaw the like. After this and ſome previous Ceremonies, we were admitted with our Unicorns into his wide and large Boat, and in an inſtant we were carried over to a ſmall Town, where I beheld the moſt beautiful men and women of the World. They all knowing us to be Strangers, of a Foreign Country, went to the banks of the River to ſalute and welcome us. At the head of them was a grave Gentleman with ruddy cheeks, and a comely countenance, and a long beard of bright hair, which in the Sun ſhined as if they had been of gold: he was attended upon by ſix moſt beautiful tall young Men, who were followed by four of the female Sex, whom I cannot liken to any but to Angels: they ſurpaſſed all that lever beheld with my eyes on Earth. Theſe were his Children. They took Maurice and my ſelf by the hand, asked of our welfare and Country, and ſpoke to us in very good French. I was glad to meet in ſo remote a place a man that ſpoke that Language, I deſired to know his Name: My Name, ſaid he, is Zidi Marbet. All the reſt of the Town did him Obeiſance when he paſſed by them; for he was a man of great Riches and Authority, and of an excellent Memory and Wit. Sermodas had ſome private diſcourſe with him near the River; afterwards he marched with us into his Town to his Palace, the moſt glorious thing that I ever beheld, and yet that was nothing to what I ſaw afterwards. The Town lay upon the banks of the River, and had ſix uniform Streets abutting to the Water. The Houſes were for the moſt part built all of white and black Marble, very curious to the eye: they were covered over with a ſhining Slate, which ſeemed to be gilt with Gold before every door. In a wide empty place grew ſeveral aromatick and excellent rare Trees for pleaſure and profit. We all admired to ſee the place, ſometimes we ſtood aſtoniſhed at the beauty of the men and women, anon we were raviſhed with the glorious and delightſom abodes. Whereever we caſt our eyes, we ſaw nothing but that which deſerved our wonder and admiration. Zidi Marbet walked with us with his company, and led us to his Palace, which excelled all the other houſes in beauty. At our entrance we ſaw two Poſts of pure Ivory, ring'd round with Gold, with a little Court paved with white and black Marble. The Houſe was built almoſt in the ſame manner as the reſt, but ſurrounded with the moſt beautiful Trees, and moted with a Draw-bridge of black Wood like Ebeny, having Chains of Gold inſtead of Iron. In the Water the Fiſh were in ſuch plenty, and ſo great, that we ſaw hundreds as we paſſed by. At our firſt entrance we ſtood in amaze to behold the glory of the inſide, we could not ſufficiently admire the beauty and ſplendor of the rich Moveables, the Hangings and Tapiſtry over-laid with Gold and precious Stones, with all other things which can never be believed, if I ſhould offer to relate them. Here we ſtopped ſeven days, till we had News from Sevarinde, whither we had ſent word of our Arrival, to know the Kings Pleaſure. In the mean while I cannot expreſs the delights which were given to every day; the ſweet Concerts of Muſick, the pleaſant Walks about the Town, the Recreations of Hunting, Fiſhing, Hawking, and other Sports, were not wanting to us, with many other Paſttimes. Zidi Marbet and his whole Family were extraordinary civil to us. The Town were not wanting in their reſpects.

At the end of ſeven days, Sermodas our Guide, with the reſt of our Company, ſet forward towards Sevarinde, where we arrived in ſix days. The Journey was the moſt pleaſant that ever I had been in. There was ſcarce any manner of Recreation or innocent Pleaſure belonging to our bodies, but we found it in the way. All our ſenſes were raviſhed with their delights; the Ears with the ſweet Harmony and Tunes of all manner of Singing-birds, with the grateful Crys of all ſorts of Creatures: our Eyes beheld all the moſt glorious Sights which are to be ſeen in all the Earth: the Fields, the Towns, and Cities, the Woods, the Vallies, and Mountains refreſhed our Eye-ſight with new objects of pleaſure and wonder at every moment: our Noſes met with the rareſt Perfumes; every Buſh and corner yielded to us new delights of this kind. For our Taſte we had every where ſuch Dainties and rare Wines, that are not to be expreſſed. One thing I took great notice of, That all thoſe Creatures which are elſewhere, are to be ſeen in this earthly Paradiſe; as Lions, Bears, Wolves, Jaccals, &c. and tame beaſts, as Sheep, Cows, Camels, Oxen, Horſes, &c. but they are not of the ſame nature, as elſewhere. The wild beaſts, as ſoon as they ſwim over the River of Rocara, loſe all their fierce diſpoſitions, and become as harmleſs and mild as Lambs; for they feed upon graſs and Inſects, without offering to meddle with any living Animal. Likewiſe they, as well as the tame beaſts, have another cry, not ſo harſh and unpleaſant, as every where elſe. Their crys are more grateful to the ear. All things, in a word, are ſo ordered, as if they were purpoſely intended to delight and increaſe the pleaſure of the Inhabitants We ſaw in our Journey many ſtrange birds and tame beaſts, not to be ſeen in any other part of the World. The Fields almoſt in every place are watered with freſh Streams and Chanels, full of all manner of freſh water fiſh: ſo that in every Town and Village we ſaw many Fiſh-ponds incompaſſed about with the rareſt Trees in Nature. The ground is ſo extraordinary fruitful, that it is ordinary for them to gather three or four Crops every year of ſeveral forts of grain. So that it is no wonder, if men and creatures are here ſo numerous. Every two miles we met with a good Town in our way, ſome more, ſome leſs glorious than the reſt; but built ſo regular and uniform, that I judged that theſe Sevarites were not ignorant of the humane Sciences and Arts, which are imperfectly known in other parts of the World. Sermodas informed me, that for Philoſophy, the Mathematicks, Aſtrology, and the reſt, they were all trained up in them from their youth. They chiefly excel in all delightful Sciences and Arts, as Muſick and the Mathematicks. Every Child about fourteen years of age can play upon all manner of Inſtruments, with that dexterity and nimbleneſs, that I have often wondered to look upon them, and hear ſuch raviſhing Tunes and Airs, which our Muſicians are not acquainted with. They are not much skill'd in Phyſick, nor in thoſe Arts, which mens Vices and Diſeaſes cauſe the Europeans to inquire into; for ſeldom any diſtemper ſeizeth upon them, till they fall away with old age, and drop into their graves. I never ſaw any deformity amongſt them, but ſuch variety of Beauties both in men and women, that we were all raviſhed to look upon them. Theſe Beauties in the female Sex were not pitiful and effeminate, as amongſt our women; but accompanied with a great deal of Majeſty, Modeſty, and Gravity together. It is not poſſible to inſtance all the ſeveral particulars and inſtances of their beauty; for there was as great a variety in that excellency of the body, as there is a variety and diverſity in the deformity of ours in Europe. Sermodas entertained us in our Road with many delightful and ſatisfying Stories concerning theſe Sevarites. But I intend to repreſent them in the ſeveral Chapters or Heads unto which they properly belong.

We had in our Journey a ſight of many Eagles and Vultures; but I was told, that they prey upon nothing but Inſects: and for venemous creatures, there are none to be found. They know not what it is to live always in fear, to be poyſoned by Aſps, Scorpions, Snakes, or to be devoured by flying Serpents and Crocodiles, which in other Kingdoms ſwallow man and beaſt. So that in all reſpects this Country is the happieſt, the moſt pleaſant, and abounds with ſo many neceſſaries to the life of man, that it is not poſſible to imagine any thing more.

We ſaw many Diamant Rocks in our way, with which the Inhabitants imbelliſh their Houſes. We ſaw ſome Rocks of Jaſper, of Sardonyx, of Beryl, and Emerald; for Gold and Silver and Braſs, they find theſe Metals, but rough, as plentifully as we do in other Countries, ſtones. But as they never make uſe of Money, they reſine the Gold for no other purpoſe but to adorn themſelves and their Dwellings, and for other civil uſes. Silver they have in great abundance, and Braſs much more eaſie to be purified than ours in Europe or America, becauſe Nature being hotter and more powerful, performs that in the boſom of the Earth which belongs to our Refiners to do, and fits the Metal for their uſe with a ſmall alteration and labour. All manner of precious Stones are to be found here in the High-ways, in ſuch abundance, that had our Merchants liberty to trade into theſe parts, they would bring down the price of Jewels, that they would not be looked upon as they are for ſuch rich Commodities. The Cattle and the Sheep here are far bigger and better than ours, and all their tame beaſts; but when they want any thing, they exchange with one another: and if they are not able to purchaſe it in that manner, they have all that great love and affection for one another, that they never deny things that may benefit the publick Society, or any of the Sevarites. There is amongſt them ſo much love, ſincerity, good correſpondence, that no Nation hath the like beſides themſelves. Hence it is, that poverty and want are not known amongſt them. They are great Lovers of Hoſpitality, and ſtrive to excel one another in this Vertue. An Example of this we had in our way to Sevarinde; for in a great Town, named Bubaſti, ten of the Chief men contended with one another in civil manner to have us to lodge at their houſes, which I may juſtly call Palaces: and to content them all we were forced to divide ourſelves, and to accept of all their kindneſſes neither could we get away from them in a day, they had ſo many new inventions and Recreations to retard us till the Evening, and then they would not ſuffer us to depart till the next morning.

Our firſt ſtage was at Foralar, thirty miles from the River, where we met with Excellencies and Riches beyond all belief and imagination. The next was Fuſtad, about five and thirty miles from Foralar. The third was Brobas, a large City well walled, and ſo glorious to the eye when the Sun ſhines, that it dazles it. The fourth night we reached as far as Crocarambe. The fifth we entred into Bubaſti: And the ſixth day about noon we were received and welcomed into Sevarinde. As ſoon as we were arrived and entred into the Palace appointed for our abode, men and women of all ſorts, but of rare and compleat beauty, came in to welcome us, bringing with them of the Fruits of the Country. Amongſt them a party of Muſicians, a dozen in number entred the Hall, where we were refreſhing our ſelves, and admiring all the Excellencies before our eyes, and the Divine Beauty of thoſe incarnate Angels, the Women of that place. At the firſt they ſaluted us with a ſhort Speech to this purpoſe in their own Language, which was immediately interpreted to us by a ſtander by in Spaniſh Welcome, noble Strangers, to our City of Sevarinde, let not your misfortunes and loſſes grieve you, the great Being of Beings hath ſent you to diſcover what I underſtand was never known to your World. You ſhall ſee by experience the Generoſity and brave minds of the Sevarambi. We rejoyce to have an occaſion of imitating our bountiful God, and expreſs our Liberalities to his Creatures, and our kindneſs to men, though of another World and Parentage. This brings me and my Companions into this place, and at this time to mitigate your ſorrows, and cauſe you to forget your ſhipwrack and calamity▪ With theſe words he made a grave bow and nodded to the reſt of his Comrades and immediately the Muſick began to play ſo ſweetly, that we reckoned our ſelves in Heaven, and not upon Earth. This Sport continued about two hours with an interruption of other Sports. We taſted there alſo ſome of the moſt delicious Wines of the World; they grow not as ours upon ſhrubs and ſhort ſtumps, but upon great Trees as high as the Cedar and Oak-trees neither have they any trouble with them to manure or cut them, for the Wine-tree brings forth of its own accord plentifully. In an Orchard of theſe kinds of Trees about the compaſs of an Acre, they have ſometimes ten Tun of this rare Wine, as clear as Cryſtal, but ſo extraordinary ſtrong and pleaſant, that the Vin de la Cindad of Paris, nor the Rheniſh, nor Frontiniack, nor Florence, nor Canary, nor any other ſorts of Wine of Aſia, or Europe are to be compared to this Divine Nectar, which ſo refreſhes Nature, and ſtrengthens the body, that the oldeſt perſons in that Country ſeem to be but young. Their age is diſcoverable only by their grey hairs and long beards, which they are not to cut by the Law of the Land. That evening Sevarminas ſent us a Meſſenger to know of our welfare, adviſing us to prepare our ſelves for the next morning to wait upon him, for he was very deſirous to ſee us. Sermodas had been with him, and had given him an account of us, and of our behaviour ſince our landing in Sporumbè, and our entrance in Sevarambé. At his return to us, after Supper we deſired him to give us an exact account of the extent of the Dominions of his King Sevarminas, and of the further moſt bounds of his Empire. In anſwer to your requeſt, ſaid Sermodas to us, I muſt tell you, That we have now a Prince called Sevarminas, lineally deſcended from our wiſe Law-giver Sevarias: this is the ſeventh thouſand five hundred and ninth King, who hath ſince that time reigned in this Land. His Government between the Rivers are threeſcore and five Principalities: the chief are Roſtaki in the Weſt, Shafſtati on the North towards the Pacifick Sea, Roblati on the Eaſt, and Manaſti on the South. Theſe are the four principal Parts of the Kingdom commanded by four chief Officers, who are to have an inſpection over the other leſſer Diviſions. Theſe wait upon Sevarminas, and are of his Privy Council. The other Chieftains are to reſide in their ſeveral Principalities, and take care to do Juſtice, and puniſh all Offenders with Baniſhment to their ſeveral places appointed for their retreat. Beſides theſe Juriſdictions within the Rivers, there are ſeveral other places belonging to Sevarminas, which acknowledge him for their Supreme Lord; but they are full of all baniſhed men, Offenders of the Law, and Malefactors. There is the Province of the Sporvi, which you have ſeen already, commanded by the Noble Albicormas: the next to us is the Iſland of the Fornicators, whom theſe Sevarambi cannot endure. Theſe all appear with their rotten Noſes and poyſoned Faces, ſo that they are aſhamed to ſhew themſelves amongſt perfect men. They live in Woods and dark Caves, men and women promiſcuouſly, without any regard to their honeſty, which they have had no care to preſerve. They have an ill-favour'd old Hag for their Governeſs, a filthy Bawd, named Bruſtana. Their Country affords them many good things, ſo that they live without much labour; but are ſo deformed and infectious, that none dares venture amongſt them, who hath any regard to the ſafety of his own perſon or Honour. When amongſt the Sevarites any, either man or woman, breaks the Law by any ſuch fleſhly liberty, they are immediately ſent over and landed there, from whence they cannot poſſibly return, becauſe there is no Boat dares carry them from thence. In this place they have a freedom to do what they liſt, and to pleaſe themſelves with the choice of perſons of their own diſpoſition and temper without any reſtraint. The next Province is that of the Knaves, a cunning ſort of men, who are all upon catches, continually plotting the miſchief of others. When there is the leaſt ſuſpicion of any ſuch perſon in a Province of the Sevarites, they never leave till they have found him out, and ſent him to this place, where he is commanded by Marabo: when any excels in Knavery, he is there promoted in his Court to Offices of Honour and Truſt. Theſe have the largeſt and beſt Province belonging to Sevarminas beyond the River; for they are numerous and increaſe daily in number of men and in Lands towards the South. They diſpoſſeſſed another Generation of covetous Raſcals, who had been baniſhed from among the Sevarambi, and had laid great improvement upon their Lands, having built many good Towns and Cities. When the Knaves, their Neighbours, had underſtood it, they caught it from them, and drove them out of it by a Trick, ſending the Covetous to live in their Country empty of Inhabitants. The next is the Province of diſorderly perſons troubled with the diſtempers of diſcontent, fury, ambition, and other Vices. Sevarminas is forced to keep a Guard upon their Borders, and to place next to them the ſtouteſt and moſt warlike ſouls, for fear of a ſudden irruption. There are thirteen other large Provinces filled with other kind of men; but I forbear to ſpeak of them till I ſhall give you an account of an attempt which the bordering Provinces made once to diſpoſſeſs King Sevarminas of his Throne, and to ſeize upon the Territories of the unſpotted Sevarites, who were forced to arm themſelves, and drive thoſe diſorderly Villains into their own Neſts, where they are now confined. Since that time care hath been taken to build ſuch Walls and Forts, as that they cannot now eaſily paſs over to trouble the Peace of the Sevarites. I had almoſt forgotten to ſpeak of the large Province of Fools, which lies directly South from Sevarindé. If any perſon, by a miſchance, becomes crack-brain'd or diſtemper'd with any kind of folly, he is condemned to be tranſported to the Iſland of Cracos, where he is to ſpend all his days in what Exerciſes pleaſe him beſt. The Country affords him all Neceſſaries without pains: therefore the Fools lead a pleaſant life in the Woods and Medows. Before we go out of the Kingdom, I will, ſaid Sermodas, beg leave of Sevarminas to have a Guard, and viſit the Provinces of Knaves and Fools, where you ſhall ſee ſuch Tricks and Sports, as you never ſaw the like. And if you deſire to viſit any other part of the Kingdom, I will deſire leave from our mighty King, who will take care to provide for your ſafety in going and coming. For though in this happy Paradiſe there is nothing of evil, all things are anſwerable to the excellent and kind nature of the Inhabitants; yet round about the Borders in the adjoyning Iſlands and Provinces, there is as much Diſturbance, War, Tumult, and Unquietneſs, as in any part of your Northern World; for the Sevarambi have a Law to ſend thither all thoſe perſons who deſire to cauſe any alteration in their Government or Manners, or who live not according to the ſtrict Rules which they have received from their Forefathers, and which by no means they will be perſwaded to change. Some of theſe baniſhed men, after a certain number of years, and a viſible ſign of Reformation, have leave to return, and to be admitted again amongſt the Sevarambi; but others are ſo unquiet and unruly, that they are a trouble to themſelves, and all that are concerned with them. Therefore our Princes and Governors will not admit them again, for fear they ſhould relapſe into the ſame evils, and diſturb this Kingdom, which for many thouſand years hath continued in peace and proſperity without alteration by the excellent Laws of our Great and wiſe Sevarias, the firſt Monarch of this happy Land. Hence it is, that we never have any change of chief Governours or Governments, every one knows his duty, his place and abilities, and is fully ſatisfied with the advantages that he expects from thence. Here is no oppreſſion nor violence, the leaſt inclination of that unnatural diſpoſition ſends men away to the Borders to prevent future miſchiefs. Neither have the Sevarites that wicked cuſtom of coining Money, and buying and ſelling all things with money, the root of all Northern evils. They will not admit of any ſuch weed to grow in this Land, but things are exchanged for one another. And you have ſeen ſince your entrance, there is ſo great an abundance of all good things, that men muſt be lovers of wickedneſs, that can be evil in the midſt of ſuch a plenty of goodneſs where it overflows. But I muſt tell you, ſaid Sermodas, of one thing more, which cauſeth us to continue in peace: we are not ſubject to the wicked attempts and temptations of any evil Spirit, as you are in the Northern World. Thoſe dangerous Imps care not to viſit this Southern part; for they have been ſo often caught in the ſnares here, that they dread the very ſight of the Sevarites, or of their Country. You, I underſtand, in the Northern parts lay moſt of your miſcarriages at the Devils door, who hath a room in many of your habitations, and a dwelling in every place and corner; but we are altogether free from his company and temptations. Sometimes it is true, he ſends ſome looſe Devils to debauch a few indiſcreet perſons, but then we ſend them away immediately to their proper places with the Fiend in their company. But, ſaid Maurice, how can you keep the Devils out of your Land? They fly in the empty Air, and go by night as well as by day. Sermodas anſwered, Our eyes are better than yours, but the Sevarites of all men have the moſt refined ſenſes. They can ſee when the Spirits come amongſt them; for this purpoſe there is a conſtant Guard kept in all the uſual Roads upon the Borders of the Sevarites, four hundred Conſpirers, if I may ſo call them, are kept in conſtant Pay to drive away the Devil with Spells, when he ventures to approach upon the Borders. They have a particular Art to command the evil Spirits, which no man knows but themſelves. It is true, ſome of the peeping and craſty Raſcals creep into this Land through by ways out of the uſual Roads; but when the Sevarites catch them, they torment them ſufficiently, and deal with them as with Spies, without any compaſſion of them: ſo that they ſeldom return to this place again, but by their cruel entertainment they keep all their other Comrades from entring in amongſt the Sevarambi. I know that in your Countries you have not that care nor vigilancy of your ſelves for your own good. Hence it is, that all ſorts of Devils have ſo great an intereſt in your parts, and that you can ſcarce ſtir without meeting one or many in your way. Beſides, this Country between the Rivers bears an aromatick Tree, which the Devils cannot endure; for it ſends up into the Air ſuch a ſtrong ſmell, that they are ready to choke when they draw near to a place where it grows, and you ſhall ſee that the Inhabitants have been adviſed by their wiſe Sevarias, to plant one in every Garden and ſide of their Houſes. The Tree is named Craſſarabi, and bears a leaf like a Palm-leaf, but is full of prickles as a Thorn and Bramble-buſh. The Sevarites have this way to torture the poor Devils that unhappily fall into their hands: they tye them with a Cord inviſible to you, but viſible to them, anſwerable to the ſubſtance of the Devils, which is airy, and then bind them to this Tree, where they ſlaſh them with a Rod cut out of the branches, which cauſes them to howl moſt dreadfully. We may chance to give you a ſight of this action, if you travel into the Country towards the Borders. Another way they have to plague and impriſon them, by making Gun-powder; for when the Devils come into a Land, they always draw to that place where there is the greateſt noiſe and diſturbance, for there they imagine they may make a good intereſt. Now there is no greater noiſe in this Land than this of the Gun-powder, which we make not as you do in Europe, but with a wheel, as you may ſee, if you travel into the Land. Sometimes therefore it happens, that the ſillieſt of them prying too near into the work, either to underſtand the Art, or to know what the Sevarites are doing, they are many times caught by their ears, and I have known half a dozen wound into a grain of Gun-powder, and impriſoned ſo cloſe, that they could not poſſibly get away, till the powder took fire. The beſt and ſtrongeſt powder hath always ſome of theſe airy Beings ſhut up. This cauſeth the deſtruction that follows when Gun-powder takes fire; for then the Devils being releaſed, break out with a vengeance, and tear in pieces all that dare ſtand in their way. The Sevarites have many other ways to puniſh them for the inſolences and wickedneſſes which they have committed in the World; but when I have an opportunity, I ſhall give you an account of that. I could wiſh, ſaid Maurice, that our Country-men in Europe knew how to deal with theſe ſubtle Creatures, and how to be revenged for the continual wrongs which they daily receive from their malice and evil ſuggeſtions. It is a queſtion, ſaid I, whether many of them would make uſe of that Art, if they knew it; for a great many are ſo pleaſed with their company and ſuggeſtions, that they ſeek them rather, than to endeavour to be rid of them. Well, ſaid Sermodas, let them be in love with their own miſchief and danger, the Sevarites are ſeldom taken and deceived by their allurements: and if at any time they are carried to any wickedneſs, they are baniſhed; and if the Devil be caught, he is ſeverely tortured. This good order and many others, when I ſhall ſpeak to you of their Laws, preſerves happineſs, peace, and proſperity in this Country.

This Diſcourſe pleaſed us well, and cauſed us to intreat Sermodas to take ſome other time to inform us of the Laws of the Sevarites. We asked him ſeveral other queſtions concerning their Government within the Rivers, concerning their Cuſtoms and Tributes, and whether all the Country was ſo happy and rich as that which we had already beheld. He anſwered to all queſtions ſo exactly, that we thought our ſelves much obliged to him for his ſingular favour. He was well acquainted with all things, for he had been imployed about the Affairs of Sevarminas from his infancy, and was often ſent to carry the Tribute to his Court. He told us, that the Kings Revenues were certain, and that from all parts men brought to him all ſorts of Neceſſaries for him and his numerous Court. That he never had any need to demand more, for his Expences were as regular as his Incomes; and that if he ſhould want any thing more, there is none of his Subjects, from the meaneſt to the higheſt, but would think himſelf highly honoured, if he would accept of all that they have. But as he is a great Lover of Juſtice and Equity, he is content with the ancient Reverſions of the Provinces, which are ſufficient to cauſe him and his Court to live in great abundance and extraordinary Splendour, which all the Sevarites looked upon as their greateſt Glory. Sevarminas, ſaid he, is a middle-aged man, and hath reigned in this place twenty two years, with the general love of all his Subjects. He is adored by us all as our viſible God. His Fathers name was Seravino, a Prince of an extraordinary Beauty; he reigned amongſt us thirty years, and mightily inlarged the Palace and Dwelling of the Kings of this Country. You ſhall ſee to morrow a place which hath not its parallel on Earth for Riches and humane Glory, and you ſhall ſee a Prince and ſuch noble Attendants, that your eyes never looked upon any thing, nor perſons more deſerving admiration. After this diſcourſe, Sermodas led us all to our Chambers, where we had all things convenient for us, and ſhewing us in a great wide room hung with Cloth of Gold, each mans Bed of embroidered Silver for him to reſt till the next morning, he took his leave of us, and bid us good night. We reſted very ſweetly without any diſturbance till the next morning, when a Concert of Muſick in the next Chamber awakened us. Sermodas opened firſt our door, and entred our Room, deſiring us to get up and put on the Apparel which he had brought to us. Whiles we were dreſſing of our ſelves, a Meſſenger came from King Sevarminas to haſten us away, becauſe he intended to give us Audience, and then to take ſome Recreation before Dinner. At the time of our appearance he appointed ten Senators of his City, men of great Gravity and Worth, to attend upon us, and lead us to him. We were conducted through the Streets full of Sevarites, who ſeldom ſee Strangers in thoſe parts. Their curioſity cauſed them to throng together to look upon us: we marched thus about half a mile through the moſt ſplendid places, and had the ſight of ſo many rare objects, that the World cannot afford the like. The number of Jewels and precious Stones, the quantity of Gold, Silver, the excellency of the Structures, Arches, Palaces, and Temples dedicated to their God, are beyond all credit and imagination of men. But nothing ſurpriſed us ſo much as to look upon the Royal Court and the glory of it. It ſtands upon a ſmall riſing incompaſſed about with a deep River, and walled three times round with ſquare ſtones cut out of a Diamant Rock about ſix foot ſquare, and poliſhed ſo well, that at the firſt approach our eyes could not endure the brightneſs of the place when the Sun ſhines clear without a cloud. Some other precious Stones were intermixed of green and red colours, but all tranſparent. There was but one entrance over the River by a Bridge. The firſt Gate was full of Ivory Pillars and Supporters, and embelliſhed with large ſtones, black and white Marble. Round about in the void ſpace were delicate Walks, and Gardens full of ſtrange ſorts of Trees, ſome yellow, others green, ſome black, others white, and ſhewing to the eye ſuch a variety of beautiful colours, that it is the moſt glorious Proſpect of the World. The ſecond Wall was all of a red ſtone, but bright and ſhining. The third and innermoſt Wall was as white as Snow, like to our Alabaſter, but of a ſtone which is not to be found in any part of the Northern World. In the empty places round about between the Walls, grew all manner of Trees for pleaſure or profit, with ſome that are not to be ſeen elſewhere. The Kings Palace ſtood within theſe three Incloſures, having round about it a large Green with ſeveral Walks of ſandy Gold and ſtately Images of Alabaſter and Porphyry, repreſenting all manner of ſhapes, as beaſts, birds, and men in moſt actions of their life. Theſe Images ſtood upon Baſes of Saphir, and the Images were all made of a tranſparent hard ſtone as clear as Cryſtal. You may imagine, that at our firſt entrance, the Sun ſhining in its greateſt brightneſs upon them, we were caſt into a ſudden maze, and ſurpriſed at the unexpected view of ſo many glorious things. The Palace was perfectly round, with four long Galleries reaching from ſide to ſide, and as many Gates. It was built of precious Stones, of all ſorts and ſizes: the Tyling was of Gold and Silver, and the inſide was ſo curiouſly wrought, and ſo rich, that it is not to be imagined nor believed, if I ſhould here declare every particular. The King ſate in an empty Court in the middle of his Palace, under a beautiful Gallery inriched with all manner of Jewels: round about him on the right and left ſtood his Counſellors and Attendants: his Seat was a Throne of ſix ſteps, over which there was a Canopy of State, before it were ſix Baſes upon which ſtood ſix Lions rampant of a red ſtone. To this place we were conducted by Sermodas and the Ten Grandees, and led to the foot of the Throne, where we were taught to do our Obeiſance upon our knees. The King had a rich Crown upon his Head, and a Scepter in his right Hand, and ſate in a great deal of Majeſty and Glory. Sermodas adviſed me to ſpeak to the King, as ſoon as we had paid him that reſpect which was due to his Perſon and place. Therefore I ſtood up, and addreſſed my ſelf to him in this manner in the French Tongue, which he underſtood well: Moſt glorious and mighty Prince, you ſee before you poor Strangers caſt upon your Coaſts by a ſtorm, which I know not how to name, happy or unhappy; for ſince our Arrival in your Land, we have met with ſo many civilities and expreſſions of kindneſs from your loving People, that we have already received a compenſation for the loſs of our Ships and Goods. We are come here to adore your Majeſty in obedience to your Commands, and to receive from you thoſe Orders, which we ſhall punctually follow. We doubt not but according to your wonderful clemency, your Majeſty will look with compaſſion upon ſuch objects of pity as Providence hath made us, and to raiſe us up from our hard and low Fortune. As all things that we have hitherto met with in your noble Kingdom, are beyond all belief and credit, we are perſwaded that the King of ſo glorious a Land, muſt needs have Vertues as extraordinary and Divine. We humbly ſubmit our ſelves therefore to your Majeſties Wiſdom and Mercy, and that when we ſhall have performed what your Majeſty ſhall think fit to require from us, you would out of your compaſſion and goodneſs, ſuffer us to depart into our own Countries, that we may ſpread abroad all over the World the Riches, the Excellency, and Wealth of this earthly Paradiſe, and the noble Vertues of your moſt Glorious Majeſty, and publiſh your Fame where-ever the Sun appears with his beams of Light. Sevarminas ſeemed to like our perſons and our Speech, to which he returned this Anſwer: That he had ſent for us, not to offer any injury to our perſons: That he who was a Lover of Juſtice amongſt his own Subjects, could not do injuſtice to Strangers: That the Sevarites in general were of a civil behaviour, and inclinable to pity the miſeries of other men; but that he had given ſtrict Orders to have a care of our perſons, and furniſhes with all that we ſhould want. He told us, That not only the curioſity of ſeeing us, who were come out of remote Nations, famous for their induſtry and wit, had cauſed him to ſend for us to diſcourſe with us, and underſtand our Cuſtoms and Manners; but alſo to diſcover to us his Kingdom and the Riches of it, that we might report it in our own Lands, and incourage ſome to venture to trade with his People: That for that purpoſe he would appoint a place or an Iſland in the Pacifick Sea, where all the Commodities and Riches of the Sevarambi ſhould be tranſported, becauſe the ancient Laws, as well as the good and preſervation of his Kingdoms Peace, Vertues, and Innocency, ſuffered him not to admit all manner of Strangers into his Borders: That he had received a good report of us, which inclined him the more to ſend for us, and that he hoped that our converſation and behaviour would be anſwerable to his expectation, and the kindneſs that he would ſhew. After this, he inquired of our Country, how long we had been from it, who commanded in Chief, what Commodities we had of any requeſt, what Arts and Sciences of any uſe to the life of man. To all theſe particulars, and many others, I gave him full ſatisfaction. So that, as a gratification, he ſent for a Box of Jewels, which he beſtowed upon us, together with Collars of Gold and Ambergrieſe, which he wiſhed us to wear whiles we ſhould remain in that Country. After we had continued with him about an hour, he roſe up from his Throne, and commanded Zidi Parabas, the Maſter of his Ceremonies, to lead us to Lodgings provided for us in his own Palace, and Zidi Marlorat his Chancellor and chief Miniſter, to diſcourſe with us about a Trade, and the means to open it with us. During our abode in thoſe parts, we had ſeveral meetings with him, and aſſured him, that the Dutch Nation would be overjoy'd to meet with ſo civil a People, ſo ſociable and amiable, and that they would quickly embrace the firſt motion of a Trade with them. We extolled our home-Commodities, and ſhewed what advantage they would reap by a converſation with us; but the Chancellor told me, That ſuch as I was ſhould have liberty to enter into their Borders; but Ruſſians and Raſcals of an ill life could not be admitted by the Laws of their Land. Yet they ſhould have leave to trade in Sporumbe, and in the Iſlands, which Sevarminds would appoint for that purpoſe; but that none of the Sevarites ſhould go thither, unleſs it be ſuch baniſhed men as are ſent away for their miſdemeanours. I replied to him, That if he would keep away from thence ſuch as are baniſhed out of Sevarambè for their Knavery, we would trade with all the reſt; for we and all our Country-men had rather deal with honeſt men than with Knaves. At laſt it was concluded to prevent the inconveniencies on both ſides, That all the Dutch ſhould land amongſt the Sporvi, and in an Iſland that is at the mouth of the great River Rocara in the Pacifick Sea, about an hundred and thirty Lagues from the Streights of Magellan. This Iſland is peopled with a generation of men deſcended from the Sevarites, and baniſhed out of the Country for their inordinate love of women and men. There are three good Towns belonging to it, and a capacious Harbor for Ships of the greateſt burden. I acquainted the Chancellor with our Art of Navigation, with many other knowledges which the Europeans uſe with great profit and advantage to their Kingdoms. He ſeemed to be well ſatisfied and mightily pleaſed with the account I had given him. Whiles Sevarminas was gone to hunt and ſport himſelf, Sermodas and Zidi Parabas led us round about the Galleries and Walks, ſhewing us the rare Fiſhponds, the ſtately Orchards, the riches and beauty of the Buildings, and all things round about, which cauſed us to wonder, and ſtand many times in a maze. The Art of Painting is here alſo, and the Sevarites excel in that skill. Therefore the Galleries, and generally all the Palace of Sevarminas, was adorned with many lively Repreſentations. Maurice, who was an excellent Painter, admired ſome Pictures, and told us, that he thought they could not be made but by a Divine hand. The Sevarites are excellent in Geometry and Aſtrology. They have differing names for all the Stars that appear in their Hemiſphere, and underſtand perfectly well all their Motions and Vertues. As ſoon as we returned from our pleaſant Walk, we met with Sevarminas about dinner-time returned from his Hunting, whereof I ſhall give this ſhort account, for this Sport is not like to ours. The Sevarites hunt not with Dogs, but with tame Foxes, of an extraordinary ſwiftneſs; they hunt Rabbets, Hares, Deer; and all other wild beaſts are hunted with tame Leopards. In the morning that the King intends to ſee this Sport, the chief Huntſman hath orders to prepare all things for the diverſion, twenty Leopards are then let looſe in a wide Park, where the wild beaſt is brought. The King and all his Nobles are mounted upon their glorious Mules, of beautiful colours, with Trappings of Silver and Gold, adorned with precious Stones. The Leopards, at the ſight of the Lion or the Bear, draw near to him by degrees, and taking their opportunity, they run to him. When he feels himſelf overpowered, he ſeeks his ſafety in his heels, and all the Mules gallop after him. I am not able to repreſent all the various actions and delights that are here expreſſed to the Beholders eyes; but this kind of Hunting is much eſteemed by the Sevarites, and none have the liberty to make uſe of it, but the King and ſome of the prime Nobles; for it is a Royal Sport, and gives much ſatiſfaction to the Spectators. Sevarminas at his return entred into his Palace, accompanied with all his Servants, in very rich Attire: ſome of them came and ſpoke to us in the Spaniſh Tongue, and bid us welcome into their Country. We anſwered their Civilities with reſpect, and followed the Train of Sevarminas that walked two and two into the Palace, into a great Hall an hundred yards in length, and as many in breadth, where Tables were ready covered with all manner of curious Dainties, of all ſorts. Sevarminas and his Queen, with three of his Sons, and ſix of his Daughters, ſate down at a Table, which ſtood at the upper end, raiſed a little above the reſt, under a large Canopy ſhining with Gold and precious Stones, of an ineſtimable value. As ſoon as they were ſate down, the Muſick in the Galleries round about began to play ſuch raviſhing Tunes, that we Europeans were aſtoniſhed. Sermodas and Zidi Parabas invited us to ſit down at a Table not far from that of Sevarminas. To tell you of all the Glory and State we beheld, the ſweetneſs of the Wines, the various Services, and the dainty Meats, of the excellent and raviſhing Sights, I reckon it impoſſible, I could fill up a Volume of thoſe things that were then preſented to our ſenſes; ſo many and ſuch variety of objects, rare and wonderful, appeared before us, that when Zidi Parabas ſaw how we were pleaſed with them, he inquired of us, whether we had any ſuch Delights in Europe. I anſwered, That the pleaſures and delights of the Europeans are many and curious, but they are not to be compared to what we then ſaw. One of the Table inquired of us about ſome other particulars; and becauſe he was a Learned Philoſopher, he propoſed to us ſeveral learned Queſtions relating to the Nature of things. Every one had liberty to ſpeak his mind and judgment. After all, he declared his opinion, with a repetition of what every one had ſpoken, and then added his own ſolution with that Learning and Gravity, that I never heard the like. This to me and Maurice was almoſt as good as the Muſick and Meats; for at Table it is a modern as well as ancient delight to feed the mind with rare inſtructions, as well as the body with meat and drink. After Dinner Zidi Parabas went to wait upon Sevarminas, and underſtand his pleaſure. When he was returned to us again, he brought us up to Sevarminas, who was then ſitting on his Throne with his Queen Larida at his right hand, and his Daughters and his Sons on the left. She was the moſt beautiful Creature that I ever beheld. We paid them our reſpects according to the mode of their Country. To pleaſe Queen Larida, Sevarminas asked us many queſtions in Spaniſh, a Tongue which ſhe underſtood: after all they ſeemed to be well ſatisfied. Sevarminas ſent us all Gifts and Preſents of a great value. When I was returned into Europe, I ſold the Jewels and other Rarities, which the King and Queen beſtowed upon me, for above ſix millions of Gold. Maurice and the reſt of my Companions had Gifts according to their Qualities. We had Orders to walk about the City, and take a view of the Rarities of that wonderful place. To ſpeak truth, every thing, if it were in our own Country, would ſeem a rarity. I never beheld ſo much Glory and Riches, nor ſuch beautiful objects, nor ſuch gravity, and comely Perſonages ſo full of Majeſty and goodneſs. They were ſo far from ſcorning or contemning us that were Strangers, that they ſeemed they could not too much honour and reſpect us; for Sevarminas had given that ſtrict Order, to give us all the ſatisfaction that we could deſire.

Zidi Parabas led us to their publick Halls through beautiful Streets, paved with many tranſparent ſtones. When we entred into them, we ſaw their Court of Judicature. On both ſides were the Lawyers Cells or little Cloſets. Theſe are a certain number of men, who are locked up as Priſoners in this place, and not ſuffered to range up and down the City, for fear they ſhould infect the reſt of men with their idle notions and Quirks. They are here all kept, the Judges only excepted, as our mad and craſie men in Europe, are confined to Bedlams, and as the wild beaſts to their dens; for by this Policy they preſerve the City in quiet. When we were in their vaſt Hall, and heard ſome entring in, they looked all to ſee, whether we were fit for their turn, whether we had committed ſome offence that deſerved puniſhment; but when they ſaw that we viewed that place only out of curioſity, they ſneaked all in again, and would not ſo much as look upon us all the time that we were there, till the Trumpet began to ſound, and the Judge ſate upon his Seat. Then came in a company of Sevarites leading a young Girl that had forgotten her ſelf, and given liberty to a puny Fellow to play the wag with her. They had both of them great punches of fleſh growing upon their Noſes and Foreheads, which came up in the very act. As ſoon as their Neighbours had beheld this ſuperfluity, they underſtood the crime, and took hold of them both to bring them to this Tribunal. The Lawyers, like Bees, ſwarmed round about, all the petty Attorneys, Clerks, Bailiffs, Sergeants, demy-Sergeants, Pleaders, Sollicitors, Probationers, &c. and ſuch a gang of them, that I pitied the poor Couple to fall into their unmerciful hands. Amongſt the Sevarites in every City they have a Hall or a Convent of theſe perſons, whom they all eſteem no better than Butchers and Executioners, they have not that honour as amongſt us in Europe, nor that eſteem of honeſt men, with which many of them cozen our World. Zidi Parabas made me get up to hear their Pleading, but I underſtood not their Language, only Sermodas gave me an account of ſome paſſages. The crime was not to be denied, which cauſed them both to look aſhamed, becauſe they had forgotten all honeſty, and loſt their honour. The Judge asked them many queſtions. All the cruel Lawyers cryed to puniſh her with death, becauſe ſhe had not given them any thing to plead for her; but the young man had got a bawling Lawyer to ſpeak for him when his crime came to be examined; but all would not do: he would have made the Judge believe, that this Excreſcence in his ſace was only a natural deformity proceeding from ſome other inward cauſe, and not from Luſt. But the Judge, a wiſe and brave man, of the Court of Sevarminas, convinced him of his errour, and made him at laſt confeſs, that the Girl had inticed him with her bewitching Looks. In concluſion of the Tryal, the lecherous couple were ſent to the Iſland of Whores and Rogues, where they were to live confined for ever from all friends and acquaintances, and to ſpend their life in luſt and debauchery, a ſufficient puniſhment, as they imagined, for their forgetfulneſs. I took no great delight amongſt the Lawyers; for I looked upon this place as the Hell in the midſt of the earthly Paradiſe of the Sevarites. After theſe two Fornicators had been judged and condemned to perpetual baniſhment, where nevertheleſs they live in great plenty, there was brought before the Judge a Thief, a ſneaking Fellow, differing in looks, as well as in manners, from the reſt of the Sevarambi. The Judge, whoſe name was Zidi Moraſco, commanded him to be examined before him by a crafty Lawyer. And it was proved plain againſt him, that he had ſtole ſome Jewels and Gold from his Neighbour, with ſome Garments of Cloth of Silver, covered over with precious Stones, of a great value. The Fellows countenance ſince this deed was mightily changed; for every wicked action, eſpecially amongſt the Sevarites, alters the countenances of men. The Eyes being the windows of the Soul, through them it diſcovers all the inward thoughts, fears, apprehenſions, and diſpleaſures that rowl in the breaſt. Beſides, the Thieves have here in this Country a mark, which immediately appears upon their Chins and Cheeks, a black ſpot very ugly to the eye. This Fellow alſo was adjudged unworthy to live any longer amongſt the religious Sevarites. I asked Sermodas, why the Sevarambi ſuffered the Lawyers, who I told him in our Country, were generally none of the beſt men in the World: What! ſaid he, have you any there? Yes, ſaid I, to our ſorrow, we cannot be quiet for them. Captain, replied he, I muſt tell you, were it not for theſe Fellows, the Sevarites would not be able to live ſo quiet as they do; nor ſo innocent as in all other Countries: fear as well as ſhame muſt keep men in awe, and in the performance of their duties to their Neghbours and Superiours. And though men are not here ſo inclinable to wickedneſs as in Europe, becauſe they proceed from another ſtock and generation of men; yet the pleaſures of the Country, together with the inticements of ſome ſubtle Devils, whom we cannot always perceive, many may be brought to do what is contrary to Law, Reaſon, Equity, and Juſtice. It is therefore for the publick Good, that theſe men are living amongſt us. And though they are as bad as thoſe whom they plead againſt, they are here confined in theſe and ſuch like. Cells, where there is a publick proviſion made for them, to keep them from running up and down to breed diſturbances. Such amongſt them as are honeſt, good, and merciful men, are highly eſteemed, but they are very rare; and if they were known to be honeſt and good men amongſt the Lawyers, the reſt would not ſuffer them to come near the Bar, but would baniſh them out of their Society, and deprive them of all manner of Practice and liberty of Pleading. The greater Knaves they are, the more eſteemed amongſt the Lawyers, though leſs valued by the reſt of the Sevarites. Therefore, to keep up their credit amongſt both, is a hard Chapter, and not to be done without ſome kind of diſſimulation on ſome ſide. With that he pointed at a great fat Fellow, who ſtood up in Court to ſee and look for his Clients: Do you ſee, ſaid he, that Knave? Do you ſee him? I turned my eyes towards him, and beheld him ſtedfaſtly, and asked what he was: He is, ſaid Sermodas, one of the chief Attornies of this Court, a cunning Fellow, his name is Rekrap, a wicked Villain, and a great Oppreſſor of poor Fellows that fall into his hands. After the Court had examined and tryed all the Cauſes, the Lawyers departed to their Dens; and Zidi Parabas taking me by the hand, led me to the Shambles of the City, and to view all the Excellencies of that Noble place. As I was paſſing one of their Temples, I intreated him to give me a ſight of that which I judged to be a Rarity, or rather full of Rarities; for it was ſo glorious without, that I could not but think that the inſide was far more rich and ſplendid. Zidi Parabas made ſome difficulty to yield to my requeſt; but Sermodas perſwaded him to grant it at laſt, when he had asked me ſome queſtions concerning the Religion of our Country: Are you not, ſaid he, deſiled with Idolatry, I mean with the Worſhipping of Images; for I muſt tell you, that this is a great abomination amongſt the Sevarambi. We have Pictures and Images in our Houſes, but none in our Temples: we adore a great and glorious Being, the Creator and Author of this earthly Paradiſe: he is an infinite Spirit, not to be conſined within our walls; therefore our Temples are open on the top, when we are at our Devotions. He is not to be likened to any outward Image or Repreſentation; therefore our ever bleſſed Sevarias commanded us to have no Images in our Temples, nor to liken God to any Creature or Repreſentation viſible to the eye. If therefore you have never diſhonoured your ſelf with ſuch kind of practices, you may be admitted to ſee and walk in our Temples. I thanked him for his kind condeſcenſion, and aſſured him, that though it was a wickedneſs that many Nations in Europe were guilty of, yet our Country-men abominate ſuch kind of follies, and that for my own particular I never was of that Religion which allows of Idolatry and Worſhipping of Images. When he underſtood this, he walked to the great Gate of the chief Temple, where he met with a grave Prieſt ſtanding at the door, unto whom he declared our buſineſs: the Prieſt took me by the hand, and in Spaniſh told me, that I ſhould ſee the Temple of his God. I walked round, and ſaw ſo many glorious Sights and ſuch extraordinary Riches, that all Europe together cannot produce the like. The Prieſts name was Ziribabdas. I deſired him to tell me ſomething of the Religion of the Country, and of their Manners: for that purpoſe Zidi Parabas took me by the hand, and led me to a by-place much like a Chancel, where when we were all ſate down, in Niches of beaten Gold in the Wall, Ziribabdas began his Diſcourſe in this manner: I perceive you are a ſtranger to this Country and to the Cuſtoms of the Sevarites, I know not what Religion you have in your Country, nor what thoughts you have of the Great God, who hath made us all; but I hope none of you are guilty of the foul ſin of Worſhipping of Images, which we hear is univerſally practiſed by the Europeans. I anſwered him, That there were a great many Nations who did abominate and hate ſuch practices as well as the Sevarites. Well, ſaid he, in regard you are free from that vice and baſeneſs, I will ſhew you a great many Sacred Curioſities of this Temple, which you have not yet ſeen, and I will give you a brief account of our Religion in this Country. You muſt therefore know, that we acknowledge but one only Great God, Maker of all things, Lord of Heaven and Earth, who ſendeth us all thoſe good things that we injoy: Reaſon teacheth to worſhip and praiſe him for his goodneſs and innumerable mercies. For that purpoſe we have Schools erected in every corner of this City to train up Youth, and teach them the Principles of Religion. All perſons are obliged twice every week to aſſiſt at our publick Devotions, which are Songs made to praiſe our God, with Inſtruments of Muſick: we have alſo Prayers, which I and my Brethren offer for the proſperity of Sevarminas and of his Royal Family. Once a year every perſon is obliged to preſent ſomething upon a Table, which ſtands in the middle of this and other Temples, as a token of gratitude to God: now this thing is always the richeſt and beſt beloved thing that he hath. By this means every one ſhews, that his affection for God is greater than for any thing elſe. Religion amongſt us is the moſt ſacred thing, and whatſoever belongs to Religion is highly valued by every one. There is the greateſt reſpect ſhewn to religious perſons and religious things amongſt all the Sevarites, you ſhall not hear Oaths and Blaſphemies, Curſing and Damning. The Rules of good living are regiſtred in the Book of our Law giver Sevarias; and ſince that time we are all ſo addicted to it, and all our Generations ſo uſed and trained up in our obedience to theſe Laws, that very few perſons offer to break or violate them: and if at any time any ſuch be, he is carried away and baniſhed into the Iſlands: by this means peace, plenty, and good manners are here to be ſeen every where, and men take not the liberty to do what they liſt. But the Rules of Reaſon are commonly obſerved by all the Sevarites in their behaviour and actions: ſo that you ſhall not ſee any thing of Drunkenneſs, Gluttony, Quarrelling, Murders, and Villanies committed ſcarce in a whole year all over the Empire. But for our better Government in matters of Religion, beſides our King, who is the chief Moderator in all diſputable matters, we have thirty Chieftains under ſix principal Heads, who are always at the Court attending upon our Prince. Theſe thirty live in their Precincts and Juriſdictions, having under them ſuch as have the care of and inſpection over every Town and Hamlet. We have beſides, publick Meetings and Aſſemblies to conſult about matters of high moment. Now there is ſuch an excellent order and harmony in all reſpects, that we injoy Peace both in Divine and Civil Affairs, and there is no jarring, diſputations, and diſſenſions, as amongſt you in Europe, but a bleſſed concord and agreement. If any be ſuſpected to be otherwiſe diſpoſed, he is immediately baniſhed to the loneſom Iſlands, where he can quarrel with none but with wild beaſts that inhabit there. He is never ſuffered after to ſet a foot in the Country of the Sevarambi; but there in thoſe Iſlands amongſt the Woods and Caves he is confined, and obliged to ſpend the reſt of his days in fighting with the Lions, Jaccals, wild Dogs, Bears, and ſuch like furious Creatures. By this means you ſhall ſee we preſerve peace and quiet both in Church and State. But that our Governors might not act in an arbitrary way, we ſuffer no mans Will to be a Law, but that of our glorious Sevarminas and his lawful Succeſſors; but for the reſt of all our Governors, they have Rules and Laws to act by in all occaſions: neither can they do any thing without the conſent, advice, and concurrence of other wiſe men appointed for that purpoſe. For our Belief, I muſt tell you, we know and are taught by Nature as well as by the Works of our great Sevarias, that God created all things in Heaven and Earth: That in the beginning this Paradiſe ſtood in another part of the World; but when men began to abuſe thoſe good things that it affords, it was tranſported hither upon the ſhoulders of Angels, and all the Trees planted here, where they have increaſed: and that becauſe the firſt Generation of men was corrupt and wicked, there was another man and woman made to inhabit here, and to live in this bleſſed Kingdom. We believe, that when we come to dye, our Souls being of a ſpiritual ſubſtance, fly up to the Firmament, where they reſt till a certain time be appointed to joyn them again together. Now our bodies decay not as yours, we lay them in places where they continue thouſands of years without any alteration. I ſhall ſhew you our Sepulchres, and that of our Kings, where you may ſee all the Princes who have governed in theſe happy Regions ſince the beginning of the World, as freſh as if they were yet all alive.

We believe, that when our bodies and Souls ſhall be again joyned, your generation and ours ſhall be received together into a place appointed for us, ſuch I mean of you as are honeſt and good men; but for the reſt of you, I know not what you are fit for, unleſs it be to be caſt into the Sea, or baniſhed to a loneſom place, where they may live without doing harm. We believe that there are good and evil Spirits above us, and that the Sun, Moon, and Stars are full of Creatures anſwerable to their light and beauty. We believe, that when this generation ſhall be tranſported ſomewhere elſe, other Creatures ſhall ſucceed us in this Paradiſe, and in other parts of the World. We have many things that we believe; but I muſt tell you, that our reaſon directs us, and rules our judgments in all matters of Faith as well as practice; only ſome things of a ſublime nature, which our ſenſes cannot attain to, we muſt ſubmit to the Wiſdom of our Sevarias, who had them by Inſpiration from the Angels, with whom he had a familiar acquaintance, and therefore his body is not to be found in the Sepulchre of our Kings; but it is thought they took him with them into the place appointed for their abode, and that there he lives with them without fear of death, in expectation that all his Poſterity ſhould come to him. But you muſt take notice, That ſuch of our Generation as are baniſhed for their miſdemeanors, will be admitted one day to the ſame happineſs, if they bear patiently their puniſhment, and are ſorry for their wickedneſs; but ſuch alſo muſt be purged in a fire which is in the Air, through which their bodies, as well as ours, muſt paſs to mount up to the higheſt ſtation deſigned for us: but with this difference, that the fire ſhall open to let us go by; but they muſt burn a while there, till their bodies be freed from all corruption and filth, ſome more, ſome leſs, according to their diſpoſitions, but few ſtay there leſs than twenty years, ſome an hundred, others a thouſand, till ſuch time as their bodies be ſublimated and fit for an higher abode. Such of us as are incorrigible, ſhall be confined to a ſad Pit, where they ſhall be up to the Elbows in Mire and Dirt, and be deprived of all comforts of life. Whiles he was ſpeaking this, there happened an accident, which cauſed him to ſtop and put an end to this good Diſcourſe. Ziribabdas was called to receive a dead Sevarite, and open the Caves, in which the deceaſed lay in Coffins of Ivory and Gold. He excuſed himſelf, and told me, that he had much more to ſay concerning the Religion of their Country, but could not remain with us any longer. I was glad to have this opportunity to ſee their manner of burying the dead. At the great Gate of the Temple ſtood near a thouſand people with the friends of the deceaſed. When Ziribabdas came to them, one who ſtood before the Corps and the Bearers, ſpoke to him in this manner, as was afterwards interpreted to me. Moſt holy Prieſt, we have brought to you our Neighbour Suffarali, a good man, and a religious Sevarite, who hath often expreſſed his Devotion in this place, and his reſpects to your Holineſs; we deſire that he may be admitted amongſt the dead Sevarites, as he hath lived amongſt them with reſpect and honour. Ziribabdas ſate himſelf down in an Ivory Chair adorned with many precious Stones, which ſtood in the Porch, and then he called the Friends of the deceaſed, inquiring of them, whether he had committed no unworthy action in his life-time? Whether he had lived peaceably with his Neighbours? Whether he had not been privately guilty of drunkenneſs, &c? Whether he had not at his departure bequeathed ſomething to the Church? How many children he had? What were their names? And ſuch like queſtions, to which they gave an anſwer, and ſatisfied him fully. Afterwards they carried in the Corps into the Temple, and laid it upon a long Table of an Emeraldſtone, and the Prieſts anointed the body all over with an excellent Oyl, called the Oyl of Botamine, which ſignifies in their Language Uncorruption: For ſuch is its extraordinary virtue, that it keeps a body from all manner of corruption or alteration an hundred years. Now this is a Sacred Oyl, which only the Prieſts, who are learned in Chymiſtry, make of ſeveral Ingredients; for this cauſe it is no where to be found but in their Temples, unto which they have their Laboratories annexed. Now once in an hundred years they anoint over all the bodies of the deceaſed from the beginning of the World: by this means the bodies are kept freſh, and ſo lively and beautiful, that if a dead body could ſtand upright, at a diſtance no man could diſtinguiſh the dead from the living. When the body was well anointed, they opened a large Cave of a thouſand yards broad, and as many long. It had as many Cloſets as there were houſes in the City. Ziribabdas, at the opening of the mouth of the Cave, cauſed ſome Ceremonies to be performed, and then marched down a pair of ſtairs into this burying-place: the Corps was carried after him, and I and my Companions, with Sermodas, were admitted to behold the ſubterranean Rarities, and to walk up and down in the Caves, ſo full of tranſparent ſtones, that the light entring in by two or three holes, made on purpoſe, cauſed it to be as light within, as if the Sun had ſhined there in its Meridian. In the Cave were ſix hundred thouſand ſeparations, capacious enough to hold above an hundred thouſand bodies: they were all laid one upon another in very good order. There were ſeveral Alleys and Walks between the ſeparations, unto which were doors of maſſie Gold, and in ſeveral places ſtood great Pots full of that Oyl of Botamine, which the Prieſts caſt upon the bodies, when they perceive any alteration in the bodies by their ſmelling. By this means it happens, that there is not the leaſt noiſom ſmell; but there is every where the moſt bleſſed Perfume in every corner, as if you were in a Garden of Roſes, or amongſt blooming Beans. When we had well viewed the Caves, I intreated Ziribabdas to ſhew me the Sepulchres of their Kings; for that purpoſe he led us out at another door, when all the company was departed, and ſhewed us all their Princes ſitting in Chairs of State, as if they were alive; but this place was not in the Cave, but round about their Temple, in Cloſets made on purpoſe. The Princes were all cloathed in their Royal Attire, which they change once every year; for that purpoſe the King that reigns is bound to ſend them Veſtments according to the ancient Cuſtom. Ziribabdas ſhewed us all the ancient Kings ſitting in their gravity and Majeſty, and pointed out to ſome who had been very remarkable in their Lives for ſome noted Actions, by which they had obliged the Nation of the Sevarites, and rendered their Names and Memories more ſacred than others amongſt their Poſterity. He ſhewed us King Bormarti, who was ſo great a Lover of Juſtice, that he baniſhed his own Son for committing a fault, and ſent him to live and dye in the Iſlands. He told of his King Robarmi, who invented the Art of Painting, and laid the Foundations of Sevarinde. He ſhewed us the Body of King Darti, who built the ſtately Palace for the Kings of the Sevarites, and fetched the ſtones from the Diamant Rocks and the Mountains of Saphyr, at a great diſtance from thence, upon Carts driven with the Wind, with Sails as Ships. We ſaw King Marati, who taught the Sevarites how to make Boats, and to fiſh in the Rivers. We ſaw the Bodies of King Bumorli, Serabi, Cuſſori, Menari, Menaſti, Nacri, Labomor, Apolori, Ribolo, Staraki, Muraki, Amlorod, and many others, who had been reverenced for ſome witty Invention or glorious Action, by which they had benefited Poſterity as well as their own Generation. Therefore their Cloſets were more beautiful and richer than the reſt, and they had the Honour to have their Images placed in the noted Rendezvous of the City, for all men to look upon them, and for all Poſterity to reverence and reſpect them. By this Honour the ſucceeding Kings were the more incouraged to do good, and abſtain from all blame; they are the more animated to deſerve well from their Generation, and to invent ſomething to advantage their People. We walked about to ſee all the Rarities of this Royal Sepulchre, which exceeded in glory the richeſt and ſtatelieſt Palaces of our European Emperours and Kings. To ſpeak of the rare Jewels, of the Gold and precious Stones, and of the excellent things that were never brought over nor ſeen in our World, I ſhould be endleſs; for here in every place there are red, yellow, white, and other tranſparent Stones of rare Vertues, not known to us in Europe. Orient Pearls as big as Walnuts are as ordinary as Pebble-ſtones in our Country. The common people poliſh them, and hang them in ſtrings about their Windows; but they ſeldom wear them, becauſe they have 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 rarer and more glorious things to put about their necks and bodies as Ornaments, than theſe things, which, for want of a name, I omit. Ziribabdas ſhewed me next the Gallery of their ſacred Hieroglyphicks, which is one of the rareſt things of the World. The Gallery is about half a mile long, joyning to the Temple, ſtanding upon an Arch, under which are beautiful Walks and Cloſets, for the Learned Students in all Arts and Sciences to ſpend their time, and imploy themſelves in their ſearches into the Myſteries of Nature. The Wall is of a white tranſparent ſtone, as clear as Cryſtal, and the Gallery is paved with Diamant ſtones ſquare, at every ſix foot is a great large Window of Cryſtal, and the top is covered and arched over with Saphyr ſtone. Emeralds, Chryſolytes, Rubies, Jaſpers, Beryls, and other precious Stones not known to us, are without number about in the Walls. This Gallery was built in the year 3406. after the Creation of the World, by King Murabormati, a great Philoſopher, and a Learned Student of Natures Myſteries. In theſe Walls he cauſed the Rules of all ſorts of Sciences, and the Principles of all manner of Arts to be ingraven in black in the white ſtone of the Walls, not in Characters, but in Figures and dark Enigmes and Repreſentations. Here I beheld the ſhapes of all manner of Creatures of this and our World in all kind of poſtures and actions of life, put here to repreſent the ſacred Myſteries thereby ſignified to the underſtanding Reader. In this Gallery were ſeveral hundred Learned Students beholding and ſearching into the directions that were given them by theſe Hieroglyphicks. And in ſome Cloſets, near adjoyning, were ſeveral companies of men diſcourſing and diſputing about thoſe things which were repreſented upon the Wall. We were introduced amongſt them to look and ſit with them, and obſerve their grave poſtures and mien; but for their Learned Lectures and excellent Diſcourſes, we underſtood nothing, only Sermodas told us, that here were all the Wits and Learned men of the Sevarites gathered together; and that for their better underſtanding of all manner of Sciences, and to perpetuate Learning, and free it from forgetfulneſs, they had in the Gallery the Rules and Axioms of all Arts, with all the Definitions and other matters of any moment, needful to be known in relation to any Skill or Science; and that when any Student doubted of any matter, in theſe Cloſets the great Doctors were met to direct and teach the ignorant, and improve all Arts and Sciences; and that by degrees as they improved Learning by new Diſcoveries, they were always engraven upon the Walls, after a ſerious and judicial Examination of the Learned Doctors, and their Approbation of ſuch invented things and Rules: which Hieroglyphicks were graven with the names of their Authors for a perpetual Memory. We walked three or four turns in the Gallery, and ſaw ſuch variety and number of new Objects and Repreſentations, that I have often wondered, how any one man can have that vaſt memory to give an interpretation to all thoſe things of different ſhapes, and to comprehend all the Myſteries of ſuch Enigmes. In ſome places of the Gallery the Wall was covered over with Plates of Silver, and the Hieroglyphicks were of Gold; but generally they were in black upon a white clear ſtone, and ſo hard, that though, as I was informed by Zidi Parabas and the Prieſt, ſome of the Hieroglyphicks have been there put above a thouſand years ago, yet appear as freſh, as if they had been graven but yeſterday. At the end of the Gallery are two large Cabinets, of a curious workmanſhip, and rare ſtone, of a reddiſh colour, moſt beautiful to the eye, curiouſly cut and graven. The Cabinets are full of Pictures and Images of all ſorts of Creatures, which ſerve the Learned in their Contemplations: here are alſo a great many Skeletons of many Animals, with all manner of rare things, which are to be found in this wonderful Country. Here I ſaw a great Saphire ſtone, about the bigneſs of a Gooſe, in which the Heavens and the Earth were repreſented very lively to the eye. In an Emerald, about the bigneſs of a mans head, I found in one ſide all manner of Birds graven with the finger of Nature, and in the other all ſorts of Beaſts. I ſaw ſeveral other precious Stones, one having the Image of a Man, another of a Horſe, another of a Woman, another of a Camel, another of an Eagle, another of a River, another of a Fiſh, another of other Creatures, ſo curiouſly engraven, that no Artiſt could mend Natures work. Theſe ſtones were uſeful not only to ſatisfie mens curioſity, and pleaſe the ſight of the Learned; but alſo to teach them ſeveral things concerning thoſe creatures, which were thereby intimated to them. We found ſeveral Learned men obſerving thoſe things, and viewing them with leiſure: For that purpoſe are ſeveral Seats for them to ſit down and contemplate. Here I ſaw alſo many Taliſmans, an Art altogether loſt in Europe, and not to be recovered but from the Learning of the Sevarites; for Zidi Parabas ſhewed me a round ſtone, hollow within, wherein I ſaw, through many parts of it tranſparent, a perpetual motion of Trees, Woods, wild Beaſts, and many Animals, which he told me, was but a Taliſman made to direct ſuch as are Learned in this Art, how to make others for the ſame purpoſe. Some are ſo skilful, that with a Taliſman they will kill any beaſt or creature at a mile diſtance; but as the Sevarites are not for the deſtruction of creatures, but for their preſervation, they never make uſe of this Art to do miſchief, but ſave and comfort ſuch creatures as are decaying, and to put life into thoſe that are dead. Only the venemous creatures and noiſom Flies, if by the procurement of any evil-ſpirited, ſuch are introduced into the Country, then the Philoſophers have an Art to make ſuch a Taliſman, as will not only deſtroy the Flies, and diſarm the beaſt of his poyſonous and ill qualities; but ſeverely puniſh the wicked Spirit, who hath been ſo bold as to ſend in ſuch troubleſom creatures into their Land. For this purpoſe I ſaw upon four corners of the great Church a great Giant of black Marble, holding in his right hand a pair of Rams horns, as they appeared to me; but in truth it was nothing but a Taliſman to keep off the Devils and evil Spirits from their Meeting-place and holy Aſſembles. In his left hand he held a Book open, of white Marble, in which ſome Characters were graven, as I was told, which the Devils cannot endure to ſee, and therefore keep at a diſtance from ſuch places. Beſides, theſe Learned in Taliſmanical Figures, have the Art to make thoſe Taliſmans as have an influence not only upon bodies corporeal, but alſo upon the ſubtle Spirits of the Air, and will bind them to a good Behaviour, or drive them with vengeance off from the place, or elſe ſo benum their ſenſes, that they can neither ſtir nor move, but are as ſo many mazed creatures, without life or motion, when they come within ſuch a compaſs. For that purpoſe I ſaw upon the top of the Temple a great Eagle of Gold ſtanding with its wings abroad on the higheſt Pinacle of the Temple, which Ziribabdas told me, was nothing but a Taliſman made to drive away all ſubtle Spirits of the Air, or to hinder their malicious intents in that Sacred place, and amongſt the people of the City. He told me, that they have ſome perſons ſo well acquainted with that Art, that they can work wonders, and do any Miracle by their Taliſmans, kill and make alive, cure diſtempers, benum the minds and ſenſes of men, draw together thouſands of creatures and birds, and make them perform any action that may be named. I intreated Ziribabdas to let me ſee ſome of the skill of theſe Learned men in this Art. I importuned him ſo much, that he went into one of the Cloſets from the Gallery, and fetched to us a grave Signior about an hundred years of age, with a long beard reaching down to his knees, and a pair of large whiskers each near a foot long. He ſaluted me very gravely, and led me into a private Cloſet, which belonged to him, out of it there was a way and a door into a ſtone-Balcony, of a red tranſparent ſtone, with ſeveral Boſſes or Apples of Gold. He had ſeveral curious Inventions, Taliſmans, and other things of a wonderful Art. One thing he took in hand, about the bigneſs of a Buſhel, having ſeveral handles to it, the ſubſtance, as I thought, was of Cryſtal: it had ſeveral large holes: in the midſt I could ſee many birds, all without motion, till the grave Philoſopher, whoſe name was Zidi Mufti, pulled a ſtring, and ſet them all in a motion, then did we hear the chirping of all manner of birds, ſo pleaſantly, that we ſtood in a maze and wondered; but much more, when we ſaw all the birds of the Air, that can be named, flying a pace towards us into the Philoſophers Cloſet: there were Eagles, Cormorants, Magpies, Crows, Vulturs, Jack-daws, Kites, Sparrows, Falcons, &c. I numbered above a thouſand, which in leſs than a quarter of an hour came into the Cloſet, and perched upon the Balcony and upon the Gallery. When Zidi Mufti ſaw them all come, he played another tune, and all theſe Birds began to dance two and two, and chirp according to their kind, very pleaſantly. This ſport laſted about an hour, with ſuch a variety of action, that we could have wiſhed it might have laſted longer. At the concluſion the Philoſopher diſmiſſed them, neither at that time did any of them injure one another, but were as quiet and harmleſs, as if there had been no enmity between them. When they were gone, he took the Image of a man made in Wax; but ſhewing all his privy parts backwards, and with it he marched to the Balcony, where he ſate up and ſpoke two or three hard words, to the beſt of my remembrance they were theſe, Bomralok Koſtraborab Abrolakar Bourakabou Branbaſtrokobar Abrovora Birikabu, and immediately there came a company of men and women of the Sevarites that danced all naked before us in a beautiful Green: whiles he held the Image in that place, they were not able to depart from thence, but continued playing and dancing, and ſporting with one another above an hour, ſhewing ſuch antick tricks, as I never ſaw the like; for all this they were not diſhoneſt; but immediately as ſoon as the Image diſappeared, every one of them departed and run away; but whiles the Image ſtood ſtill, they were neither aſhamed, nor could they ſtir from the place, ſo great a power theſe Taliſmans have upon the minds of men, as well as the bodies of beaſts and birds. 'Tis an Art which can give as much delight as profit to thoſe that underſtand it well; for they can perform thoſe things in Nature that are moſt wonderful, and advantageous to the life of man. In the firſt Ages of the World this Art was generally known amongſt the Learned: and when I ſaw how perfect the Sevarites were in it, I wiſhed with all my heart, that we had but ſome inſight into the ſame Art and skill for the good of our Country; but our ignorance would ſlander ſuch knowledges, and think it to be Magick, if we did not underſtand the depth of it, nor the cauſes that ſuch men ſet a work, for many wonderful effects are to be produced by the inferiour cauſes, which are ſecret and hid to the moſt part of men; for ſuch is our natural unskilfulneſs, that we know not the hundredth part of thoſe things that we may eaſily attain to. This Learned Philoſopher gave me another diverſion: he fetched his Inſtrument for that purpoſe, and cauſed ſuch muſical Sounds and Voices to be in the Air round about us at a diſtance, that we began to hang between fear and pleaſure. When Ziribabdas ſaw a change in our countenance, he deſired us to be contented, and aſſured us, that we ſhould receive no harm. The noiſe and voices continued half an hour, not in the Inſtrument, but at a diſtance, and with ſuch a variety of Sounds, that I could never imagine what it was. For whiles he ſtayed upon the Balcony, he turned the Inſtrument round with a little wheel, which was in the inſide, but this had the power by the Taliſmanical Art to cauſe in the Air ſuch ſhrieks, crys, hollowings, and ſometimes ſuch curious and melodious voices, that we were raviſhed and ſtruck into admiration. We deſired to know what it was that made that noiſe in the Air; the Philoſopher told us, that they were airy Spirits, which this Taliſman had the power to attract, and to oblige to break out into thoſe ſhrieks and crys. This cauſed us to wonder the more, that this corporeal Inſtrument, which ſeemed to have nothing but material, ſhould draw together on a ſudden ſuch powerful Spirits, and oblige them to give ſport to men. I concluded from theſe Examples, that he that underſtands well the Taliſmanical Art, is able to do any thing in Nature, to work wonders and miracles, and to delight himſelf with any kind of ſport when he pleaſeth. After theſe paſſages, I ſaw another Philoſopher, very well skilled in this curious Art, bring before Sevarminas threeſcore Lions roaring, with an hundred Bears, twenty wild Horſes, two hundred Maſtiffs, thirty Leopards, forty wild Bulls, which he cauſed firſt to cry every one according to his cuſtom and nature, then the Philoſopher forced them to dance whiles he played upon a muſical Inſtrument, and they performed this as exactly, as if they had been taught on purpoſe; but when he ſaw his time, he ſet them all together by the ears, the Dogs, the Lions, and the Bears, every one pitched upon his Enemy, and began a pleaſant Fight, which laſted two full hours, with a great deal of variety of ſport, which cauſed Sevarminas and all his Court oſttimes to laugh heartily. When he hath a deſire to take any ſuch diverſion, he ſends for ſome of theſe men skilled in the Taliſmanical Art, and they anſwer his expectations in all things, and bring before him whom, and what they pleaſe. We returned our thanks to this worthy Philoſopher for his great pains. He anſwered, that he was glad to give us any delight, and that if we would viſit him at ſome other more convenient time, he would ſhew us ſome more of his skill in acting greater wonders, than what we had ſeen; but that he had done this only to divert us for the preſent, becauſe he ſaw that we could not ſtay with him long; but if we would ſee more wonderful things, that we ſhould do well to come to him ſome morning, and to ſpend a whole day with him, and that then he would ſhew us what we had never ſeen, nor never ſhould ſee but by his and his Companions means. We returned him our thanks again for his great kindneſs, and then departed with Ziribabdas, who led us next to ſee the Treaſury of the Church, which is a large Room joyning to the Porch, all arched above, with ſix Windows on the top: the Walls were of Diamant, niched with Saphirs and Emeralds, in it were Cheſts and Coffers full of the rareſt things in Nature, offered to the ſervice of the great God by the Citizens of Sevarinde. We beheld with admiration the rare workmanſhip, the curious things, and the Excellencies that had been there laid up by many Ages, and never made uſe of. Some Pictures were upon the Walls of this Treaſury, of an admirable hand: Ziribabdas told us, that the Painter was an European, caſt upon their Coaſts by a ſtorm at Sea, and that he lived and dyed in that Country; and that the Father of Sevarminas had ſuch an affection for him, that he gave him a beautiful young Virgin to Wife, one of the moſt conſiderable of his Court, and gave him an Eſtate to live on, having made him a Citizen of Sevarinde: and that he lived there fifty years, till he was an old man, leaving behind him many children, Girls and Boys, to perpetuate his name amongſt the Sevarites. His name was Simeon van Zurich, a Dutch man, who had a great skill in Swimming; for when he was caſt away, all the Ships company was loſt, but only him: they were at a diſtance from the ſhore, and could not ſo well ſwim, or were devoured by the fiſhes. It was his fortune to be carried ſtark naked on the Coaſt of the Sevarites, in an Iſland full of Ladies of Pleaſure, who had been baniſhed thither for their incontinency. As ſoon as it was day, he found himſelf ſurrounded by a whole Troop of the female Sex, who had a great delight to ſee him, and came to draw him into the Country; but when he ſaw no men, he was afraid to venture amongſt them: this cauſed him to ſwim up the River into the Land in the ſight of theſe beautiful Creatures that accompanied on the ſhore, and often made ſigns to him to land, and go no further; but he continued on till he landed amongſt the innocent Sevarambi, who cloathed and brought him to their King. He was by him entertained courteouſly and nobly, and provided for the reſt of his days. When we had taken notice of the Treaſury, and of all the great Rarities that are in it, we marched into the Church or Temple again to ſee the excellent Workmanſhip, the Carving, and rare things that adorn this excellent place. Ziribabdas cauſed us to take notice of three Partitions in the Temple, the one, which is at the higher end, is only for their Prieſts and their King: the ſecond is for their Nobles: the third is for all ſorts of perſons promiſcuouſly without exception. By that time we had ſeen all this, the night drew on apace, which cauſed us to withdraw towards our Lodgings. Zidi Parabas led me, and Sermodas went with Maurice, our other Companions followed us to our Lodgings. We took our leaves of the generous and civil Ziribabdas, the Chief Prieſt of that ſtately and glorious Cathedral-Temple of Sevarinde, and thanked him heartily for his great courteſie ſhewed to us. When we came to our Lodgings, we found our Supper ready, and we were no leſs prepared for it; but Zidi Parabas returned to the Palace, to give Sevarminas an account of his Commiſſion and of our Walk, promiſing to return to us the next day. Sermodas, my ſelf, and Companions ſupped that night together, the Muſick playing all the while we were eating. After Supper we had good ſtore of rare Wines brought to us, which we received and made good uſe of; but, as we underſtood, that the Sevarites hate Drunkards and drunkenneſs, I adviſed all my Companions to drink moderately, for fear of giving an offence to thoſe noble people. They followed my advice, and after an hour or two's diſcourſe with Sermodas, we went to our beds, where we had been the night before. Sermodas brought us into the Chamber, and then bid us good night, telling us, that he would call us up the next day, and ſhew us ſome other diverſions, as pleaſant as thoſe of the day before. We thanked him, and told him, that we ſhould be ready to wait upon him, and that we had ſeen ſo many wonders already, that we thought that we could never ſee any more: at thoſe words he departed ſmiling.

The next morning Zidi Parabas and Sermodas, with twenty more Gentlemen of the Kings Court, came to attend upon us, Sermodas only entring the room, the reſt ſtayed in a Chamber hard by till we were dreſſed. As ſoon as we were ready, two Fellows, with Flutes in their hands, ready to play, ſaluted us, offering to conduct us to the company that ſtayed for us: they marched before us, making moſt curious Muſick, till we came to the company. A grave Signior of them ſtood with Zidi Parabas, and told us, that we muſt that day ride with Sevarminas into the Country, and that he had ſent them to call upon us for that purpoſe. Sermodas had cauſed ſome of the excellent Wines of the Country to be brought, he cauſed ſome to be poured forth into a great ſhell of a Fiſh, which is the ordinary Drinking veſſels of that Country. He cauſed us to taſte of it, and obliged all the company, before we went out, to pledge us: which when we had done, Zidi Parabas led us to the door, where we ſaw as many Dromedaries ready ſadled as we were men: we mounted upon them that were prepared for us; but when I inquired for a Bridle, they bid me take hold of the Ears; for in this Country theſe Creatures have Ears of an incredible length, they are commonly an Ell long, but very ſlender: ſo that they are faſtened together as the Reins of a Bridle, at the end, with a Claſp, or ſome ſuch thing. This men hold in their hands, and with this they govern or turn them at their pleaſure. I muſt confeſs, I was afraid when I was firſt mounted upon this ſtrange beaſt, which is ſo ſwift, that in a day we rid over hedges and ditches and uneven places, above one hundred and fifty miles. We went through the ſtreets to the Kings Palace, where we attended not long before there came out a great Train with Sevarminas himſelf, I and my Companions alighted to ſalute and do him reverence. He inquired how we had thrived, whether we wanted any thing; we aſſured him, that amongſt ſo courteous and obliging a People as his Subjects were, we thought that we could not poſſibly want any manner of thing needful for the life of man. He bid us get up again and ride along with him, we were in all near a thouſand, all on ſwift Dromedaries: the Kings was as white as Snow, all the reſt either red or black. It ſeems Sermodas had given the King an account of the paſſages of the former day: ſo that, to increaſe the more our wonder, he was reſolved to ſhew us the excellency of his Country, and many other rare things; for that purpoſe he had appointed in our Road towards the Confines, all the ingenious men to meet us at every Town with their Taliſmans in their hands ready to ſhew us their skill and ſport. We had not gone above two Leagues Southward, but we came to a Town called by the Sevarites Magmandi, where thirty Philoſophers met the King; and to welcome him, they had a Taliſman ready to make a Louſe grow in an inſtant as big as a Camel. I ſaw the beaſt, and admired how ſuch things could be done by a man, and as they told me, that they did it by the natural cauſes alone, without the concurrence of any other thing. As ſoon as the Philoſopher had turned the Louſe into a Camel, he mounted upon it, and offered his ſervice to Sevarminas to wait upon him in his Progreſs, which was accepted. And if I ſhould ſay, that this ſtrange Camel gallopped, or rather flew, as faſt as any of our Dromedaries, ſcarce any perſon will believe it: yet true it is, that this new-made creature led the way before us, and returned back with 〈…〉 the wing no ſigns of being weary: in 〈…〉 Provender the Philoſopher had 〈…〉 himſelf with a bottle of Spirits, 〈…〉 he would ſometimes, as I took 〈…〉 , pour into the Camels Ears, and-by that means kept the beaſt alive and vigorous. Another of theſe Philoſophers had got a Flea in his hand, which, with an Image of Wax, he turned into a Dromedary, ſo like that which the King was upon, that I could not tell how to diſtinguiſh them. I ſaw the Flea which he held in a ſilken ſtring, he ſhewed it to all our company, and before us, by an application of the Taliſmanical Figure, the Flea began to dilate it ſelf into the body of a Camel, and out of the body the legs and ears and head broke out almoſt like a Snail when it goes to creep, or like a Tortoiſe. All this was done in leſs than a quarter of an hour. He alſo had a Saddle ready to ride along with us in the company of the King and his Nobles. I confeſs, I took theſe two Learned Sevarites for Conjurers, if not for Devils in mens ſhape. When Zidi Parabas perceived in our way, that Maurice whiſpered to me, he drew near to me, and aſſured me, that they could do more wonderful Feats than that by their great Art, and that what they had done, was done by the ſecret power of natural cauſes, ſet on work by the influence of the Taliſman. I told him, that I could wiſh, that we in our Country had the ſame skill and knowledge: but he anſwered, That ſuch Myſteries are not fit but for men of the moſt refined Wits, and that no dull or vicious apprehenſions can be capable of the ſublime Notions that ſuch men muſt have to act ſuch Wonders, and to find out the way to make ſuch ſtrange Taliſmans. Another of theſe Philoſophers, who ſtood within ſome golden Rails adjoyning to the High-way, had in his hand a naked Image of Wax, repreſenting a young Girl, which Image he turned about his head, with ſome hard words which he uttered out of his mouth, and immediately there came to the place all the young Maidens within a certain diſtance, and threw off their garments with their modeſty, in my judgment; but the religious Sevarites are not aſhamed to behold what Nature teaches other men to cover. Theſe Maidens leaped over the Rails about threeſcore in number, and began a moſt pleaſant Dance upon the green graſs before all our company, the Philoſopher having appointed a Muſician ready for that purpoſe, who played all the while upon his Inſtrument of Muſick, according to which theſe Maidens leaped and danced up and down, which gave Sevarminas much ſport and to all his Court; but when the Philoſopher began to turn away, and cover the waxen Image, they took all their garments again, and departed with much ſatisfaction, becauſe they had given ſome delight to their Prince, whom all the Sevarites reverence as they do a viſible God; they are therefore very joyful, when they can do any thing to pleaſe and delight him. The reſt of the Philoſophers ſhewed every one in his turn what he was able to do. One held a Mouſe by the tail in one hand, and his Taliſman in the other, and threw the Mouſe behind Sevarminas upon his Dromedary, which as ſoon as it was there, but a moment, it had the power to attract one of the moſt beautiful Virgins, whom I ſaw ſtraggling behind the King. This thing cauſed the whole company to burſt out in laughter; for ſhe was juſt putting on her Apparel with the reſt of her Companions, when the Taliſman tyed her hands and feet, and drew her on a ſudden, ſo that ſhe was ſeen to leap all naked through the midſt of us behind the King, where ſhe remained till the Philoſopher drew her back with the Taliſman, and cauſed her to put on her cleaths and depart. Another of theſe Makers of Taliſmans was blowing with a Pipe at the breech of a Cat, which ſwelled bigger than any Elephant: when therefore he ſaw his time, he turned the tail towards the company, and by a ſecret Taliſman gave liberty to the wind to go ſoftly out by the ſame hole where it was put in. The noiſe was ſo delightful, that I never heard more variety and ſweoter Muſick in my days; for the Philoſopher ſtroked the Cats back and belly, and as he preſſed it harder or ſofter, the wind would go out and whiſtle all ſorts of Tunes. The King himſelf and all the company deſired the Learned man to come to Court as ſoon as he ſhould return, and give them that ſport, which they fancied very much. I looked upon the Cat, whether it was alive, and I ſaw that it was a natural Cat, much like the Civet-Cats; for beſides the Muſick, the Air was filled with ſuch excellent and glorious ſmells, that we were all raviſhed and in a maze, how this could come to paſs. All the reſt ſhewed ſome trick or other, but for brevity ſake I omit them, to give an account of our Journey. I cannot here deſcribe the number of beautiful Fabricks, of Orchards full of all manner of Fruittrees, Gardens with all kind of Flowers, Herbs, and Plants, both delightful to the eye, and uſeful to the body. I cannot number all the other Rarities and Riches which this Country was full of, with the pleaſant Chanels of Cryſtal-water, with the Bridges and Arches in our way, with the many Towns walled and open, moſt of precious Stones, and adorned with Gold and Silver, and Ivory, and all manner of Riches. If I ſhould give a particular account, no perſon can believe, unleſs he had been himſelf an Eye-witneſs of the things that we ſaw then in our Journey. We went through Paraſcali, a good Town, where the River Omer joyns with Rocara. The Inhabitants were ſo civil, that they met the King with rich Tables of Gold, covered all over with Diſhes of Sweet-meats, of a China ſubſtance and make. Every Cavaliero had liberty to take what pleaſed him beſt. Whiles we ſtayed there, ſome Philoſophers ſtood in our way to give us ſome of the former ſports: at laſt he that was mounted upon his Camel, made of a Louſe, cauſed two great wings to grow out at the back, by the means of a Taliſman, which he had brought with him in his hand. As ſoon as they were perfected, the Camel flew up to the top of the great Steeple of the Temple of Paraſcali, where it ſtood a while with the Philoſopher on its back: at laſt it returned to us again without any harm either to the beaſt or the man. The next Town was Moramir, the third Storax, the fourth Bolaciro, the fifth Memrak, the ſixth Burino, where we ſtopt to take a Dinner prepared for us. I muſt not forget to mention certain Images that ſtood in the High-way, at the entring in of the Town; there were two chief, a young Maid of Alabaſter, and a Man of white Marble. The Philoſophers Camel would not go beyond them, till he began to prick the beaſt forward with a Taliſman. If it had not been for this accident, I ſhould not have taken ſo much notice of them, nor inquired after the cauſe of their being there. Zidi Parabas gave me full ſatisfaction, and told me, that they were the Images of two unfortunate Lovers of the Town of Burino, who had been conſtant to one another, till death ſeparated them, their love and conſtant affection cauſed their deaths: For it happened, that their Parents would not conſent to their conjunction, which they dared not agree to without their leave, and the publick Solemnity, for fear of the diſgrace which uſually, as a conſequence, attends upon ſuch kind of amorous indiſcretions in the Country of the Sevarites. They were therefore reſolved to love one another tenderly, and to refuſe all other Matches and Proffers. They had been often tempted with other Propoſals, and with the Beauty and Riches of other Parties; but Ziricus and Malimna, ſo were they named by Zidi Parabas, flighted all things but the ſight and company of one another, which they would endeavour to injoy by ſtealth, becauſe they were narrowly watched by their jealous Parents, who by no means would ſuffer them to come near together with their good will. Their love by this reſtraint increaſed more and more, and their mutual affection found many Tricks and Arts to meet together in ſpight of their Parents watchfulneſs. They found many back doors and ſecret corners, to which their extraordinary Sympathy brought them together: yet they would not be perſwaded to violate the Law of the Sevarites. This Love continued near forty years with a conſtancy worthy to be chronicled; yet their Parents would never conſent to their Marriage. At laſt when they ſaw, that neither their affection, nor their reſolution never to change could prevail upon their cruel Parents, and their invincible obſtinacy, they conſulted betwixt themſelves to depart together out of the Kingdom, and to marry in ſome other Land. Whiles they were in this reſolution, they knew not which way to go, becauſe the paſſages were narrowly guarded. At a meeting therefore, an old crafty Devil appears to them in the likeneſs of a man, and offers them his ſervice to aſſiſt them over the Seas. They agreed for a price to be tranſported to an Iſland not inhabited, upon the Pacifick Sea, with ſome Tools, and grain for their maintenance. The Devil, in the ſhape of a Sevarite, promiſed to bring them a Ship in the dead time of the night to the great River of Rocara; for they thought he had been ſome Sea-man or Ship-maſter. The time and place of departing was appointed. The young Couple, according to their ingagement, came to the place a little before the evening; and when they ſaw that the Devil was rough to them, and had cloven feet, they began to ſuſpect, yet they were ſo paſſionate for one another, and therefore ſo blind, that the woman firſt ventured her ſelf in the Arms of the Devil to be carried through the water to the Ship, which they ſaw in the River: the young man intending to follow next; but the wicked Devil, inſtead of conveying the young Virgin ſafe aboard, plunged and held her under water till ſhe was ſtifled and dead, and that in ſight of her Sweet-heart, who as ſoon as he heard her begin to ſhriek, and ſaw what was practiſing againſt her life and his, it is not to be imagined what torments and trouble of mind he was in, ſometimes with his Sword in his hand he ran into the water up to the neck, again he would return up to the bank, to ſee whether his dearly Beloved was yet alive, again he would run into the River, till at laſt, when he perceived the wickedneſs of the counterfeit Devil, he caſt himſelf ceſperately into the River; and though he had never any skill to ſwim, his love for his Beloved, for whom he had a more tender affection than for his own ſoul, made him venture, and found a means to get as far as the body of his murdered Darling, which he brought aſhore, and ſeeing no ſign of life, he killed himſelf, and fell upon her body. In remembrance of this Tragedy the Town hath dedicated theſe two Images, the one to Ziricus, and the other to Malimna, with a great many leſſer Images of young Men and Maidens, that are all weeping for the misfortune of theſe two conſtant Lovers. This ſtory Zidi Parabas told me, whiles the Dinner was bringing in to the great Hall of Ivory, where the King Sevarminas was to dine with all his Court. When we were ſate down, we had all things needful preſented before us, with a Concert of Muſick mingled with rare Voices of ſome Virgins of the City. After this, a Philoſopher brought in a Silver Chain, a great white Rat, about the bigneſs of a good Rabbet, which leaped upon the Table near Sevarminas, and looked wiſhfully upon him when he was eating; but when the Rat ſaw that the King ſaid nothing, the Rat reached forth its paw or foot, and took ſome of the meat. The King was not a little ſurpriſed with the Rats boldneſs: How now! ſaid he, did your Maſter teach you this? The Philoſopher by the Taliſmanical Art could make it ſpeak what he liſted, for he could govern the tongue of the little creature in that manner, that what was in his mind the beaſt would ſpeak: By your leave, my Lord, quoth the Rat to the King, I am hungry. The Rats ſpeech ſurpriſed the King, and all the company left their meat to hear the diſcourſe between the King and the Rat; for the Philoſopher told his Majeſty, That it would give him any anſwer that he would deſire. They not knowing from whence it proceeded no more than we, they ſtood to ſee what the Rat would ſay: the Rat was neither aſhamed, nor afraid of the company, but went from one diſh to another to taſte which was the beſt; it met with an Oſtrich-Pye, on which it fell aboard without any manners: the King bid it be gone, I'le fill my belly firſt, anſwered the Rat, now I am here. King, I command thee to be gone. Rat, I love this company too well to run away in haſte. King, Make haſte. Rat, We muſt do nothing raſhly. King, Thou wilt eat all. Rat, There is enough in the Land for you and me too. King, Who tutored thee? Rat, My Maſter. Several other diſcourſes paſt between Sevarminas and this artificial creature, which was made to ſpeak, not by its own underſtanding, but by that of the Philoſopher only; by the Taliſmanical Art he could make uſe of the organ and tongue of the Rat to ſpeak what was according to his mind. This was a curious paſſage, and gave the whole company great delight. The Philoſopher told Sevarminas, That he could make any beaſt, that was tame, to ſpeak in that manner, and ſay any thing. We found this to be too true; for afterwards another Learned man had taught a Camel, another an Aſs, another a Dromedary, another a tame Lion to ſay any thing, with as much reaſon, as if they had been rational creatures, whereas it was but the organ of their tongue that was made uſe of by the ſtrong power of a Taliſman to turn which way, and articulate whatſoever the Author of the Taliſman pleaſed. We ſtayed not long in the place; but as ſoon as we had all dined, and refreſhed our ſelves, we mounted upon our Dromedaries, and went on in our Journey. The Louſe, Camel, and the Flea turned into a Dromedary, going with us in our company, we paſſed by a curious Town that ſtood upon an Hill, which had a plentiful ſtream of water riſing from the top, and falling from a ſteep place upon a Diamant Rock, and then incompaſſed the Hill round with a deep Chanel, over which there was a curious Bridge of precious Stones, with Silver Globes on the top, and the ſides of the Walls with a moſt beautiful Arch, the moſt regularly built that I ever knew. The Towns name is Tiftani, commanded by a Prince, the moſt conſiderable of all the Subjects of Sevarminas, he came out to meet us with a beautiful Guard of young Gallants, all cloathed in Cloth of Silver. The Princeſs alſo came to the entring in of the Town with a beautiful Attendance of Ladies in their rich Attire covered over with Pearls, and the richeſt and moſt precious Stones. They made a low obeiſance to King Sevarminas, and offered him the Keys of their City, which he returned to the Prince Muraski: that was the name of the Prince, who was young, about the age of thirty years. We paſſed through the ſtreets through the Acclamations and Applauſes of all the Common people, that are the happieſt in the World in all reſpects; for they pay but little or no Tribute, and have all things in ſuch abundance, glory, and plenty, that there is no want nor complaints in all the Land, the pooreſt Sevarite hath enough, and the richeſt can have no more than they uſe, for all the reſt is ſuperfluous. The next Town was Tiptanicar, where upon an high Tower ſtood a Taliſman of Gold, for what intent I could never learn. We went through Muramni, Boraſcot, Malaviſi, and ſeveral other good walled Towns in our way. We lodged that night in one of the Kings Palaces, ſituate in a little Lake, about ten miles in compaſs, in an Iſland that ſtands in the middle. Several Boats and Veſſels waited for us to convey us and our Dromedaries over to the Iſland. This place is one of the moſt pleaſant abodes of the World. Here we ſtop'd above a fortnight, which we ſpent ſometimes in fiſhing, ſometimes in hunting, walking about, and admiring the wonderful things that appeared every where. Sometimes the Kings Philoſophers together with the Muſicians, would make us ſuch good ſport, that we were never weary, we could have ſpent the days and the nights in ſeeing ſuch ſports and paſſtimes. Sevarminas all this while ſent for me often, with De Nuits and Maurice, to diſcourſe with us, and inform himſelf concerning the Affairs, Commodities, and Conveniencies of our Country: in which particulars I always gave him ſuch anſwers as would increaſe his deſire to entertain a Trade and Correſpondency with our Nation, and the other People of Europe. When we had lived here in this Caſtle, and pleaſant Iſland called the Iſle of Foxes, and in the Sevarites Language Criſtako, we ſet forward for another place called the Mount Timpani, where the Kings of the Sevarites have another Houſe of Pleaſure: it is about an hundred Leagues diſtant towards the Southweſt from Criſtako. We paſſed through many Woods, Vallies, and an open Country in our way to it, and had the ſight of ſeveral rare Towns, Seravi, Puteoli, Nanti, Quarok, Runtour, and ſeveral others no leſs rich and beautiful than the former. I cannot forget to mention a rare Invention which I ſaw at Seravi. There is a large River about two miles diſtant from the Town, which ſtands upon a Hill without any water. The ingenious Sevarites therefore have found an Art to convey this great River in an artificial Chanel, built and ſupported upon an Arch of hard Diamant ſtone, above two miles from one Hill to the other, over a deep Valley, into which the River did run before; but becauſe the Valley was not ſo wholeſom an Air as the top of the Mountain, they have built there their houſes, and been at the trouble to make for the River an artificial Chanel, ſo deep, that Boats of an hundred Tun can ſail up and down in the drieſt time of Summer; for there is ſcarce any mud or dirt in the Chanel over the Valley: the water is as clear as Cryſtal.

In another Town called Runtour, there was a company of Apes met us at the entry in of the Town: they were ſo bold, that they leapt upon the backs of our Dromedaries, and put us in no little danger to be caſt to the ground. But one of our Philoſophers pulled out of his pocket a ſtrange Taliſman, of a yellow colour, through which there was a hole which he clapt to his lips, and whiſtled away the Apes. They were not gone ten paces from us, but they all fell down dead with the venemous Spirits which this Taliſman conveyed to them without hurting any creature elſe; for you muſt know, that what is a poyſon to one creature, is not ſo to another, and theſe skillful men ſo well read in the ſecret Myſteries of Nature, can direct their operations which way they pleaſe, at a diſtance as well as near at hand. The King of the Sevarites hath always one or more of theſe Philoſophers to accompany him when he goes into the Country, for fear any accident might happen to his Perſon or Retinue.

We found a plentiful Dinner prepared for us at Nanti, where the Ladies of the Town waited upon Sevarminas at the Table, and came to the reſt of his Company to offer their Services. The Governors name was Forabo, an old grave Signior near fourſcore years of age, he had twenty Sons comely and proper young men, with five Daughters, all by one Woman, whoſe name was Pluralis: ſhe was then a grave Matron of a beautiful and grave countenance, her Daughters young Ladies followed her when ſhe came to ſalute Sevarminas and his Lords. We made no long ſtay in this place, but marched next to the Mount Timpani, but could not get thither till the next day at night; we lodged therefore in the Town of Durambi, and the next day early in the morning we ſet forward in our Journey to mount Timpani, where we arrived about Sun-ſet. There happened nothing in this days riding remarkable, only Maurices Dromedary being offended that he had kicked her with his heel, caſt him to the ground, and bruiſed his thigh and arm; but the Kings Phyſician applying an Herb called Muroz, which he found in the fields hard by, cured the wound, eaſed him preſently of his pain, ſo that he never complained afterwards. The nature of theſe creatures is ſuch, that they muſt be gently dealt withal, otherwiſe they become furious and mad: but if the Rider handles them ſoftly, there is no beaſt ſo gentle, ſo eaſie, and uſeful.

Mount Timpani is a pleaſant Hill crowned on the top with all manner of the moſt beautiful Trees in Nature, bearing all ſorts of Fruits. In the midſt is the Kings Palace moted round. The water runs from ſix great Fountains, which are on the top of the Hill, unto which there is an eaſie aſcent on the ſide of the Hill: about half a mile from the Caſtle is a Town of the ſame name, very glorious to the eye when the Sun ſhines. The Caſtle or the Kings Palace is about a mile in circumference, with ſtrong Walls of clear ſtones, of a white and reddiſh colour, ſuch as I never ſaw the like before. It was well furniſhed with all manner of Houſhold-ſtuff, the richeſt that I ever beheld: the large and ſpacious Rooms, Chambers, and Halls, and Galleries, with their Ornaments, were not to be numbered. At our firſt arrival, the Governor of the Town, with the chief Inhabitants, came to wait upon their King, who ſhewed them a great deal of reſpect as belonged to his loving Subjects. All this while he had concealed the cauſe of his Journey to that place, and would not let any perſon, not his own Son, nor any of his Privy Counſellors underſtand any thing of it, till three or four days after our arrival; for it becomes a great Prince, who intends to act ſecurely in weighty matters, not to let any man, not his greateſt Friends, know his intentions to the full. Sevarminas having here a great buſineſs to put in execution, which concerned nothing leſs than the ſafety and peace of his Empire, he concealed it from all the world, and gave out, that he would make this Progreſs for his paſtime and for his health. The Governors name was Smuriamnas, a man of an ancient Family, lineally deſcended from the great Sevarias, but young and very ambitious, and no leſs proud and haughty amongſt his Equals, which cauſed his People not to affect him ſo much as otherwiſe they would have done. At our arrival he came to pay his Homage and Reſpects to Sevarminas his Prince, and the next day invited him and all the Court to a coſtly and ſumptuous Banquet. I and my Companions, together with Sermodas and Zidi Parabas, were lodged in a ſpacious Chamber, where were twenty Beds of Ivory and Gold, with curious Curtains of Silk embroidered with Gold, with the Walls hung with Pictures, very well and artificially drawn. After Supper we went to take our leaves of King Sevarminas, and were immediately conducted to our Chamber, where we reſted ſweetly, till the next morning the noiſe of the Trumpets, Bag-pipes, Flutes, Viols, and Violins, Harps, Guitars, and all manner of Muſick played at the Kings riſing. This pleaſant and raviſhing Harmony awakened us and our Chamberfellows, and obliged us to put on our Apparel. We walked about the Chamber a while, diſcourſing of the ſtrange paſſages of our Journey, when in came a Meſſenger from the King to call us to him. He had an intent to walk about his Parks, and view the Town before Dinner. He was therefore willing, that we Strangers might go along with him, not only for our ſatiſfaction, but alſo to ſhew his People men of foreign Nations come to adore and worſhip him. The Parks were all walled round with many Lakes, Ponds, Rivers, and Streams of Water full of all manner of wild and tame Fowl, with all ſorts of Beaſts, Deer of all kinds, Rabbets, Hares, and a ſort of Creature named Buffoli, which hath no joynts in its fore-legs, and nevertheleſs runs as ſwift as any other beaſt. In the Parks we had the ſight of many Trees and Woods, where the Birds and wild Fowl and Beaſts uſe to ſhelter themſelves. After this Walk we marched into the Town, all our Company, where the Governor at the entrance received us with his Family; but the Citizens, with the chief men, ſtood at a diſtance, crying out, men, women, and children in their Language, Marabi, Marabi, Marabi, that is, Juſtice, Juſtice, Juſtice. I ſaw at this ſudden cry the Governors countenance change: he nevertheleſs drew near to Sevarminas with all the reſpect imaginable; but he received him with a ſetled countenance, and asked what the people meant by their Marabi. Before he had time to anſwer, one of the chief of the Sevarites ſtept forward, followed by all the reſt. They all fell upon their knees, and bowing to Sevarminas, they humbly intreated him, that he would liſten to and pity their grievance. What is the matter? anſwered he. One of them ſtood up, and in the Governors preſence ſpoke to him in this manner: Moſt Noble and ever Glorious Monarch, we your Subjects are heartily glad to ſee you amongſt us, we have longed a great while to have you here to free us from an intolerable burden. Prince Smuriamnas our Governor forgetting the bleſſed Rules of our great Sevarias, oppreſſeth us contrary to all Law and Juſtice, and hath ſpilled the innocent blood of many of our friends, whoſe Souls will not ſuffer us to ſleep in quiet, till their deaths be revenged. We have often admoniſhed him to recal him from his perverſe and wicked practices; but to all our admonitions he hath returned nothing but curſes and blows without mercy: ſo that for theſe many years we have lived as ſo many ſlaves; and unleſs your glorious Majeſty will relieve us, we muſt forſake him and his Principality, and ſeek our remedy in a retreat far from him. But we expect from your Juſtice and Goodneſs that relief which you have afforded to many of your poor Subjects in ſuch like caſes. This Speech made Smuriamnas faint away, ſo that he fell down as dead before the whole company; but Sevarminas cauſed him to be taken up, and his Phyſician to take care of him. Sevarminas expected this complaint before he heard it. His coming was to remove and puniſh Smuriamnas, and place in his ſtead his eldeſt Son Suricolis, a young Man of an excellent beauty, who waited upon him from his youth. As ſoon as he heard the peoples grievance, he aſſured them, that he would ſeverely puniſh him according to Law, and cauſe them to receive ſatisfaction, wiſhing them all to depart home with this aſſurance, without noiſe or tumult, and to be ready when his Judges ſhould be ready to examine their Cauſe, to bring in their Allegations and Proofs againſt Smuriamnas. In the mean while Sevarminas would not go to the Palace of Smuriamnas as he was invited, nor to the Town Hall, where the Chief of the Town promiſed to bring him a Dinner; but he returned with all his Train to the Caſtle, where Dinner was ready for us. He gave Order, that Smuriamnas ſhould be kept in a cloſe Priſon, joyning to the place of Judicature, till the next day; for then he intended, with the Advice of his Court, to puniſh him according to the Laws of the Land; for it ſeems he had been guilty of Murder, and Violence, and Oppreſſion, and had not obſerved the ſacred Laws of the Sevarites in his Juriſdiction. The next day we went down into the Town to accompany Sevarminas, who ſate down upon an high Throne prepared for him, under a Canopy of Gold, embroidered; round about ſate and ſtood his religious Counſellors and Judges. When it was noiſed about the Town, that Sevarminas was ſate in his Judgment-ſeat, for it was not above nine of the clock in the morning, the whole Town came to the place, with intention to accuſe Smuriamnas, who was brought before the King with his hands tied behind his back. Preſently there came a Widow with four young Infants weeping, becauſe Smuriamnas had killed her Husband in his anger, for no other cauſe, but becauſe he would not comply with his irregular commands. She proved it againſt him by no leſs than ten Witneſſes, who were there preſent upon the place. Another ſtept up and ſaid, That he had killed his Brother, producing ſufficient Witneſſes that ſaw the Murder. Another complained of the deſtroying of his Friend privately: others came forth to declare how Smuriamnas had oppreſſed them with cruel Exactions. The King deſired no other proof of theſe Accuſations, but the view of his body without a diſguiſe, covering, or paint: For, as I ſaid before, as ſoon as men amongſt the Sevarites have committed any wickedneſs, there is immediately an alteration upon the body and skin of the Offendor, that declares what he hath done. That this might not appear, Smuriamnas had made uſe of the Taliſmanical Art and of Painting, by the one to keep down all tumors and riſing in his face and hands, and by the other to cover all ugly colours that were upon his skin. Therefore the King commanded him to be ſtript naked, and carried into a Bath, and there to be rub'd and waſhed, which accordingly was done. When he was brought back, I never ſaw ſuch a disfigured Creature, his arms were as black as pitch, his hands all gore blood, his face as green as graſs, his legs as yellow as ſaffron, on his back and legs appeared two Tumors about the bigneſs of Walnuts. When he appeared ſo odious to the company, the King paſſed his Sentence upon him, to the great joy of the Inhabitants: and becauſe blood requires blood, and no other Crime is to be puniſhed with death but Murder amongſt the Sevarites, the King delivered him to the will of the aggrieved parties to put him to death. They took him firſt and whipped him, till his body was full of ſcars and wounds, which they anointed with honey, and then tyed him upon an high place in the middle of their Town with his face upwards. As ſoon as he was there, a Swarm of Waſps and Bees flew about him, with ſome Vulturs and Eagles, which devoured him in two days: ſo that there was nothing remaining of his body but the bones. The King condeſcended to this exemplary puniſhment, the rather, becauſe Smuriamnas had a deſign to alter the Government of the Sevarites, and revolt from his obedience: for that purpoſe he had endeavoured to perſwade ſome other petty Princes to joyn with him againſt their Soveraign King Sevarminas. Yet he was ſo gracious to call his Son in the prefence of all the Chief men of the Town, and to reſtore him to his Fathers Eſtate and Goods, without the leaſt diminution of any thing. He gave him this admonition in the prefence of a multitude of people: Suricolis, ſaid the King, thou haſt ſeen a ſevere Example of Juſtice upon thy Father for abuſing his Power and Authority, I might make that uſe of his Crime, to deprive all his Family from any ſuch opportunity of doing a miſchief; but I conſider, that thy Religious inclinations have often cauſed thee to diſallow thy Fathers proceedings, and to blame him for the liberty he took contrary to Juſtice and Law. I conſider, that thou art as likely to do as much good as Smuriamnas hath done miſchief. I reſtore thee not only to thy Fathers Eſtate, but likewiſe to his Authority and Command. Take heed that thou followeſt not thy Fathers Example: let not thy Glory puff thee up with pride, nor thy Power cauſe thee to act contrary to Reaſon and Law: remember that there is a puniſhment for evil doers, as there are rewards for the juſt: behave thy ſelf with that diſcretion and moderation, that thou mayſt have the commendation rather than the condemnation of thy Country-men, that thou mayſt deſerve well from me and them. This Clemency and Juſtice made Sevarminas to be praiſed in all parts amongſt the Sevarites; for thereby all perſons were obliged, and thereby ſecured from ſuch like violences, and the noble Family of Smuriamnas continued in its Splendour and Glory, only a rotten Member was taken out of the way for the Publick good.

After this piece of Juſtice, we remained there about a month, which Sevarminas ſpent in regulating all thoſe things-that were amiſs in the Government of Smuriamnas through his ill Management of Affairs. Afterwards he left there the new Governor Suricolis to do Juſtice in his abſence, commanding him to be impartial in all his publick Actions, and to abſtain from the Vices unto which his Father was inclinable, which caſt him into the dangerous precipice of deſtruction.

We departed from thence with the bleſſings and good wiſhes of all the Inhabitants, and in three days we returned to Sevarinde, where our coming was expected with much impatience; for in the Kings abſence that City could not be governed well by any other perſon. Some diſorders therefore had happened, which the Viceroy could not pacifie without the Kings Authority and Preſence. The whole City met us at two miles from the place, and in a moſt beautiful order marched along with us into Sevarinde.

I continued in the City about half a year, which I ſpent in inquiring after the Conveniencies of the Country, the Sea-Ports, the Commodities and Riches that it brings forth, that I might give that information to my Country-men, which might benefit them in future Ages after my return to my own Country; for we were in expectation of a Ship from Batavia, whither we had again ſent ſome of our men with a Veſſel, which we had recovered amongſt the Sporvi, to deſire the Governor of Batavia to ſend a Ship that might convey away our Goods and perſons.

But whiles I ſtayed there, a young Lady of Sevarinde, who had loſt her Husband by death, fell in love with Maurice, and often treated us very nobly in her houſe. Manrice was no Sevarite, and could not refrain from ſome amorous embrances, which the Lady gladly accepted of; for it was not lawful by the Law of the Sevarites to match with any other generation. But to cover their actions, the Lady had made uſe of the skill of the Philoſophers to keep down the Tumors in her skin and body, and to paint Maurices face and hands, which hindered their ſecret correſpondency from being known abroad. I muſt needs confeſs, that Maurices happineſs cauſed me to look abroad, and ſee whether I could meet with the ſame Fortune: For that purpoſe I walked about the City often, early and late, to ſee what I ſhould by chance meet with. About a month before our departure from Sevarinde, a young Gentlewoman, who had Father and Mother, and never knew a man, invited me into a Garden, where ſhe was alone, in the Spaniſh Tongue. I was glad of this opportunity, we walked therefore ſeveral turns together, talking of divers matters: at laſt ſhe opened her mind to me in this manner. Sir, I underſtand by your countenance, that you are a Stranger, our King Sevarminas hath a great eſteem for you, as well as my Father and Mother: we have often talked of you and your religious behaviour ſince your coming into our Country; we ſhall therefore be glad to be acquainted with you; for in my Fathers name I will bid you welcome, and will aſſure you, that he will give you a kind reception; for he is a Merchant, and conveys Commodities from City to City amongſt the Sevarites. Sir, modeſty will not give me leave to tell you more of my mind; but when we ſhall be better acquainted, I hope—With theſe words ſhe broke off with a modeſt bluſh upon her Cheeks. The young Woman was moſt beautiful, and was cloathed in white Silk, with a Girdle of pure Gold, all beſet with precious Stones about her middle. She inquired whether I were not married in my own Country, I aſſured her, that I was not: upon this, ſhe confeſſed her amorous inclinations for me, but withal told me, that every thing muſt be performed in due time, and that ſhe would not precipitate the buſineſs, but wiſhed me to ask her Fathers conſent, aſſuring me, that ſhe would willingly leave all to live and dye with a man of that ſweet temper and diſpoſition that I was of. Her loving Complements I anſwered with Careſſes, and aſſured her, that I ſhould think my ſelf happy in her injoyment. We ſpent ſome time together to begin our acquaintance, and to inform ourſelves of one anothers Conditions and Eſtate; but the night obliged me to leave her for that time, and return to my Lodgings. When I gave Maurice an account of all particulars, he adviſed me not to neglect the offer, but to viſit her in her Fathers houſe; for himſelf and his Lady, he told me, that he was reſolved to carry her with him to Batavia, where he intended to live and dye with her: and though Women amongſt the Sevarites are forbidden Goods, and that it is not lawful to tranſport them to other Countries, he was perſwaded by the means of friends with Sevarminas, to get that liberty and priviledge, which was never granted to any before. This diſcourſe and his hopes made me conceive the ſame. I went therefore often to ſee the young Lady, who entertained me and my Companions very courteouſly, as well as her Father and Mother. After ſeveral Viſits, I opened the matter to the Parents in their Daughters abſence; they made ſome difficulty, becauſe of the Laws of the Country, and my inclinations to return into my own Country. But when I told them, that we had Plantations in Batavia, not far from thence, and that I would live and dye with her there, they began to yield to my requeſt, in caſe Sevarminas would diſpenſe with the Law of the Land, and ſuffer me to carry her away. This I told them, that I would endeavour to obtain from his goodneſs. I cannot give an exact account of all our pleaſant meetings, of the rare things ſhe diſcovered to me, of the delightful Walks, and other things which paſs all imagination. But certainly her company and ſweet Converſation made me ſpend my time with great contentment. In order to our Marriage, when the Portion was agreed upon, I cauſed Zidi Parabas and Ziribabdas, my two intimate Friends, to open the buſineſs to King Sevarminas, that we might have his approbation and conſent to that which was not agreeable with the ancient Laws of the Sevarites. But in regard we had behaved our ſelves ſo religiouſly ſince our being in the Country, he thought it no diſgrace to grant us more liberty than ordinary. After this buſineſs had been debated in his Privy Council, it was reſolved that this courſe ſhould be taken to oblige us the more, and invite our Country men to trade with his People. Therefore I had a leave to marry publickly my young Miſtreſs, and Maùrice alſo had a Diſpenſation to take to Wife his courteous Lady. When all theſe things were agreed upon, the day was appointed, for both King Sevarminas, and all the Nobles of his Court, aſſiſted at the Solemnity, and brought us to his Royal Palace, where he beſtowed upon us moſt rich and glorious Gifts, and entertained our new and young Wives with a ſumptuous Feaſt, at which they had the Honour to ſit next the Queen. The Ceremony of Marriage was performed in the great Temple of Sevarinde, by breaking of bread, and joyning of hands, with many Prayers and Bleſſings from their Prieſts. It was concluded with a Dance and Muſick, where all the young Ladies of the Court ſhewed their activity.

Before the Marriage was concluded, a Ship was arrived amongſt the Sporvi from Batavia, where Meen Heer van Plumerick commanded in Chief. As ſoon as we had news of this Ship, we went and gave an account of its arrival to Sevarminas, who deſired us to ſend for the Captain Van Plumerick, and promiſed, that then we ſhould have liberty to depart along with him, with our Wives, and ſuch things as belonged to us, to Batavia, or whither we had a mind to go. We thanked him for his great and extraordinary Civilities, and told him, that we would ſpread his Fame all over the World. According to this Order, Sermodas was ſent back to Sporunde, to fetch Captain Van Plumerick, whoſe Ship had Orders to get into the River of Rocara. He came with ſome kind of reluctancy, not knowing the Civilities and good Entertainment that we had found amongſt the Sevarites. But when he was arrived, and ſaw the Riches and Happineſs of the People and Country, and found them, as well as we, to be men of Faith, good Behaviour, and Honeſty, he was not ſorry for his condeſcenſion to this requeſt. After his arrival to Sevarinde, we remained there two months, which we ſpent in merry Sports, Feaſts, Banquets, Hunting, Hawking, and all manner of Delights, according to the cuſtom of that glorious Court. Sevarminas was well pleaſed with the Converſation of Van Plumerick; for he was a gallant Man, and knew ſo well how to hit the humor of Sevarminas, that the King gave him very rich Preſents. His Ship had Orders to draw near to the Borders of the Sevarites into the River Rocara, becauſe we might more conveniently load our Goods, and becauſe Sevarminas had a great deſire to go on board, and ſee the manner and faſhions of our Ships of War, and the great Guns that were on board. To comply with his deſire, we all went to the banks of the River Rocara, where the Ship rode at an Anchor, trimmed and flouriſhing with Garlands and Pendents of all colours. Sevarminas, accompanied by all his Court, was carried in the Captains Pinnace that waited for him, with ſeveral other Boats: when he was aboard, the Cannon and Trumpets bid him welcome. The Captain preſented him with ſome Rarities, which they have not in that Country. He gave him a Watch, a Clock, Guns of an extraordinary make, with many other things of Europe. After a Banquet in the great Cabin of the Ship, he returned to the ſhore, very well ſatisfied with his Entertainment. He deſired one or two of our great Guns; for he intended to have ſome caſt of Silver, becauſe he had no Braſs nor Bell-metal in all his Country.

We returned with him to Sevarinde, and then taking our farewel of all our Friends and Relations, we carried away our Goods, and ſhipped them aboard. Van Plumericks Ship, with our Wives, and all our Company, ſet ſail towards Batavia; but a ſtorm, or rather a Hurricane at Sea, had a moſt driven us back again on the ſhore. We eſcaped narrowly by the great skill of the Mariners, and the watchfulneſs and vigilancy of the Captain: ſo that in ſix days, or thereabouts, after the ſtorm, we had ſight of a Cape in Batavia, where we landed, to the great joy of all our Country-men, who were deſirous to ſee the new Country that we had diſcovered, when we ſhewed them our Riches and Jewels, and gave them an account of the excellent People that inhabit there.