A geographical historie of Africa, written in Arabicke and Italian by Iohn Leo a More, borne in Granada, and brought vp in Barbarie. Wherein he hath at large described, not onely the qualities, situations, and true distances of the regions, cities, townes, mountaines, riuers, and other places throughout all the north and principall partes of Africa; but also the descents and families of their kings ... gathered partly out of his owne diligent obseruations, and partly out of the ancient records and chronicles of the Arabians and Mores. Before which, out of the best ancient and moderne writers, is prefixed a generall description of Africa, and also a particular treatise of all the maine lands and isles vndescribed by Iohn Leo. ... Translated and collected by Iohn Pory, lately of Goneuill and Caius College in Cambridge

Of the towne of Azaphi.

IT was built by the Africans, and standeth vpon the shore of the Ocean sea, containing fower thousand families: inhabi∣tants there are great store, being for the most part very vnci∣uill and barbarous. In times past there dwelt many Iewes in this towne, which exercised diuers handy-crafts. Their soile is exceeding fertill; but so grosse is their owne vnskilfulnes and negligence, that they know neither how to till their ground, to sow their corne, or to plant vineyards: except perhaps some few of them (who would seeme to be more prouident then the residue) sow a quantitie of pot-herbes in their smal gardens. After the kings of Maroco gaue ouer the gouerment of the saide region, the citie of Azafi was vsurped by certaine which were said to fetch their originall from Farchon. Howbeit in our daies the said citie was gouer∣ned by a certaine prince called Hebdurrahmam: this man for a greedy and ambitious desire of raigning murthered his owne vncle: after whose death he gouerned the towne for certaine yeeres. He had a daughter of most ex∣cellent beauty, who falling in loue with a certaine courtier (whose name was Hali, being sonne vnto one Goesimen) by the helpe of her mother and her wayting maide enioyed oftentimes the companie of her paramour. Which when her father had intelligence of, hee rebuked his wife, threatening death vnto her, if shee reformed not the manners of her daughter: howbeit afterwarde hee dissembled his furie. But the mother through∣ly knowing her husbandes intent, tolde her daughters paramour that the prince was not to bee trusted, and therefore aduised him to take heede vnto himselfe. Whereupon Hali fearing least some mischiefe might light vpon him, began to determine with himselfe the princes death, and for* 1.1 his associate in this conspiracie he tooke a trusty friend of his who had been most familiar with him from his childhoode, and was captaine ouer a cer∣taine band of footemen. Wherefore both of them being alike mischieuous∣ly bent against their prince, expected nothing else but a fit place and opor∣tunitie to put their bloudie determination in practise. Contrariwise the king seeking by all meanes an occasion to effect his purpose, sent word vnto Hali vpon a certaine festiuall day, that after their Mahumetan deuotions were finished he shoulde come and walke with him; appointing a place, where he had laide a troupe of men in ambush to kill Hali at his comming: which being done, he went to church. Hali suspecting no harme at all, told his associate, that now was the time wherein they might bring their purpose to effect. And this intent of theirs they foorthwith declared vnto ten other of their adherents: and to the end that the whole matter might go securely and certainly forward, they presently assembled a great multitude of foote∣men (which they fained that they woulde sende the next day vnto Aza∣mor) that, if they were constrained to flie, they might haue aide and suc∣cour

in a readines. All their complices being armed, they came to church at the very same time when as the king with all his traine was entring there∣into, and had placed himselfe next vnto the Mahumetan preacher. The church was full of auditors, and the king had his guard attending vpon him, who bicause they knew the two foresaid yoong gentlemen to be very fami∣liar with the king, suspected none euill, but suffered them to draw neere vnto his person. Wherefore one of the saide yoong courtiers, as though he* 1.2 would haue done obeizance vnto the king, came before him, but Hali got in at his backe and stabd him through with a dagger: and at the verie same instant the other thrust him in with his sworde, and so this vnhappie king, imbrued in his owne bloud, gaue vp the ghost. The kings guarde went about to apprehend the authors of this fact; but being ouermatched by the contrarie part, and suspecting, least the people were authors of this conspi∣racie, they sought to saue themselues by flight. And after them followed all the rest of the assemblie, till the authors of the saide murther were left alone. They also immediately came foorth, and perswaded the people with many words, that they had slaine the king for none other cause, but onely in regard that he had attempted the vtter ouerthrow both of themselues and of the whole people. The citizens beeing to too credulous, aduaunced the two foresaid conspiratours to the gouernment of the kingdome: howbeit they agreed not long thereabout, but the common-wealth was diuersly tos∣sed hither and thither, sometime inclining to one, & sometime to another. Wherefore the Portugall merchants which vsually frequented that citie in great numbers, wrote vnto their king to sende foorthwith an armie of soldi∣ers thither: for they were in good hope, that he shoulde most easily and with small disaduantage winne the saide citie. Howbeit the king being no∣thing mooued with this message of theirs, would not send any forces at al, til he was more certainly informed by his said merchants touching the death of the king of Azaphi, & the dissension betweene the two new gouernours. As also, that they had made such a compact with a certaine captaine of the con∣trary faction, that it was the easiest matter in the world for him to cōquer the towne. For they had built them a verie strong castell vpon the sea-shore, wherein their merchandize might safely be bestowed. For the Portugals had perswaded the townes-men, that during the great tumult about the kings death, they were all of them in danger to lose both their liues and goods. Wherefore into this castell, among their vessels of oile and other wares, they cunningly conueied gunnes and all other kind of warlike instruments: but the townes-men being ignorant heere of, exacted nothing of the Portu∣gals saue onely custome due for their wares. Now after the Portugales had sufficiently prouided themselues of all kinde of armour and warlike muniti∣ons, they sought by all meanes an occasion to fight with the citizens. At length it came to passe that a certaine Portugals seruant buying meat in the citie, did so prouoke a butcher, that after much quarrelling they fell to blowes, whereupon the seruant feeling himselfe hurt, thrust the butcher

with his sworde, and laide him along vpon the colde earth, and then fledde speedily to the castell, wherein he knewe the merchants to be. The people immediately rose vp in armes, and ranne all of them with one consent vn∣to the castell, to the end they might vtterly destroy it, & cut the throats of all them which were therein. But the guns and crosse-bowes which were there in a readines made such hauock among the townes-men, that it cannot be, but they were greatly daunted. At this first encounter there were an hūdreth and fiftie citizens slaine outright; howbeit the residue woulde not therefore giue ouer, but gaue the castle daily assaults. At length the king of Portugall sent aide vnto his subiects, to wit fiue thousand footemen, two hundreth horsemen, with a great number of gunnes. Which forces when the citi∣zens sawe to approch, they presently betooke themselues to their feete, and fled vnto the mountaine of Benimegher: neither durst any man staie in the towne, but onely he that was the author of building the castle. And so it* 1.3 came to passe that the Portugall forces woon the towne without any perill or labour. Soone after the generall of the whole armie sent the builder of the castle vnto the king of Portugall. But the king sent him with a cer∣taine number of attendants backe againe to Azafi, and appointed him go∣uernour of all the region adiacent. For the Portugall king was not acquain∣ted with their customes, nether did he sufficiently know how they gouerned their common-wealth. Soone after ensued the miserable desolation and ruine, not onely of the citie but of the whole region thereabouts. In this dis∣course we haue beene somewhat tedious, to the end we might shew of how great euill a woman may be the instrument, and what intollerable mis∣chiefes are bred by dissension. These things were a dooing (as I remem∣ber)* 1.4 when my selfe was but ten yeeres olde: and being fowerteene yeeres of age, I had some conference with the Portugall captaine aforesaide. This captaine with an armie of fiue hundreth Portugals, and more then twelue thousand Arabian horsemen giuing battaile to the king of Maroco, con∣quered all the foresaid prouince on the behalfe of his master the Portugall king, in the yeere of the Hegeira 920. as in our briefe treatise concerning the Mahumetan religion we will declare more at large.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The occasion of the prince of Azafilin his death.
• * 1.2

  The prince of Azafi slaine, as he was hearing of a Mahume∣tan sermon.
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 woon by the Portugals.
• * 1.4

  Iohn Leo ten yeeres old at the winning of 〈◊〉〈◊〉.