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
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Title
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
Author
Leo, Africanus, ca. 1492-ca. 1550.
Publication
Londini :: [Printed by Eliot's Court Press] impensis Georg. Bishop,
1600.
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"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A05331.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 2, 2024.
Pages
Of the Alchymistes of Fez.
IN this citie likewise there are great store of Alchymists which are migh∣tily addicted to that vaine practise: they are most base fellowes, and con∣taminate themselues with the steam of Sulphur, and other stinking smels. In the euening they vse to assemble themselues at the great temple, where they dispute of their false opinions. They haue of their arte of Alchymie many bookes written by learned men, amongst which one Geber is of principall account, who liued an hundred yeeres after Mahumet, and being a Greeke borne, is said to haue renounced his owne religion. This Geber his works and all his precepts are full of allegories or darke borrowed speeches. Likewise they haue another author, that wrote an huge volume of the same arte, inti∣tuled by the name of Attogrehi: this man was secretarie vnto the Soldan of Bagaded, of whom we haue written in the liues of the Arabian philosophers.* 1.1 Also the songs or articles of the said science were written by one Mugairibi of Granada, whereupon a most learned Mamaluch of Damasco wrote a commentarie; yet so, that a man may much more easily vnderstand the text
descriptionPage 156
then the exposition thereof. Of Alchymistes here are two sorts; whereof the one seeke for the Elissir, that is, the matter which coloureth brasse and other metals; and the other are conuersant about multiplication of the quantities of metals, whereby they may conueniently temper the same. But their chiefest drift is to coine counterfeit money: for which cause you shall see most of them in Fez with their hands cut off.
Notes
* 1.1
A booke writ∣ten by Iohn 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the liues of the Arabian philosophers.