The principal nauigations, voyages, traffiques and discoueries of the English nation. [vols. 1-3] made by sea or ouer-land, to the remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth, at any time within the compasse of these 1600. yeres: deuided into three seuerall volumes, according to the positions of the regions, whereunto they were directed. The first volume containeth the worthy discoueries, &c. of the English ... The second volume comprehendeth the principall nauigations ... to the south and south-east parts of the world ... By Richard Hakluyt preacher, and sometime student of Christ-Church in Oxford.

Of diuers prouinces and cities.

ANd after three yeres I departed out of the empire of Cataie, trauailing fiftie dayes iourney towards the West.* 1.1 And at length I came vnto the empire of Pretegoani, whose principall

city is Kosan, which hath many other cities vnder it. From thence passing many dayes trauell, I came vnto a prouince called Casan,* 1.2 which is for good commodities, one of the onely prouinces vnder the Sunne, and is very well inhabited, in••omuch that when we depart out of the gates of one city we may beholde the gates of another city, as I my selfe saw in diuers of them. The breadth of the sayd prouince is fifty dayes iourney, & the length aboue sixty. In it there is great plenty of all victuals, and especially of chesnuts, and it is one of the twelue prouinces of the great Can. Going on further, I came vnto a certaine kingdome called ‖ 1.3 Tebek, which is in subiection vnto the great Can also, wherein I thinke there is more plenty of bread & wine then in any other part of the world besides. The people of the sayd countrey do, for the most part, inhabit in tents made of blacke felt. Their principall city is inuironed with faire and beautifull walles, being built of most white and blacke stones, which are disposed checkerwise one by another, and curi∣ously compiled together: likewise all the high wayes in this countrey are exce••dingly well pa∣ued. In the sayd countrey none dare shed the bloud of a man, or of any beast, for the reuerence of a certaine idole. In the foresayd city their Abassi, that is to say, their Pope is resident, being the head and prince of all idolaters (vpon whom he bestoweth and distributeth gifts after his ma∣ner) euen as our pope of Rome accounts himselfe to be the head of all Christians. The women of this countrey weare aboue an hundreth tricks and trifles about them, and they haue two teeth in their mouthes as long as the tushes of a boare. When any mans father deceaseth among them, his sonne assembleth together all the priests and musicians that he can get, saying that he is determined to honour his father: then causeth he him to be caried into the field (all his kinssolks, friends, and neighbours accompanying him in the sayd action) where the priests with great so∣lemnity cut off the fathers head, giuing it vnto his sonne, which being done, they diuide the whole body into morsels, and so leaue it behinde them, returning home with prayers in the company of the sayd sonne. So soone as they are departed, certaine vultures, which are accustomed to such bankets, come flying from the mountaines, and cary away all the sayd morsels of flesh: and from thenceforth a fame is spread abroad, that the sayd party deceased was holy, because the angels of God carried him into paradise. And this is the greatest and highest honour, that the sonne can de∣uise to performe vnto his deceased father. Then the sayd sonne taketh his fathers head, seething it and eating the flesh thereof,* 1.4 but of the skull he makes a drinking cup, wherein himselfe with all his family and kinred do drinke with great solemnity and mirth, in the remembrance of his dead and deuoured father. Many other v••le and abominable things doth the sayd nation commit, which I meane not to write, because men neither can nor will beleeue, except they should haue the sigh•• of them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  His retu••ne Westward.
• * 1.2

  Casan.
• ‖ 1.3

  Or Thebet.
• * 1.4

  The same sto∣ry concerning the very same people is in William de R••∣br••cis.