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 citie of Tebessa.

THis great and strong citie built by the Romans neere vnto Numidia, and being distant two hundred miles southward from the Mediterran sea, is compassed with an high wall made of such stones, as are to be seene vpon the Colosso at Rome: neither saw I, to my remembrance, any such wals in all Africa or Europe; and yet the houses and other buildings are verie base. Through part of this citie runneth a great riuer: and in the market, and diuers other places stand certaine marble pillers, hauing Epi∣grams and sentences with Latin letters engrauen vpon them: there are also other square pillers of marble couered with roofs. The plaines adiacent al∣beit verie drie, yet are they most fruitfull for corne. Fiue miles from hence grow such abundance of wall-nut-trees, as you would take them to be some thicke forrest. Neere vnto this towne standeth a certaine hill full of mighty caues, wherein the common people say, that giants inhabited of olde: but it is most euident, that those caues were digged by the Romans at the same time, when they built the citie: for certaine it is that the stones whereof the citie-walles consist, were taken out of those rockes. The inhabitants are people of a couetous, inhumane, and beastly disposition; neither will they vouchsafe to looke vpon a stranger: insomuch that Eldabag a famous Poet of the citie of Malaga in Granada, hauing in his trauell this way receiued some discourtesie, wrote in disgrace of Tebessa certaine satyricall verses, which my selfe likewise haue thought good here to set downe in the dispraise thereof.

Within this place here's nought of any worth, Saue worthles nuts, which Tebessa affourds. Soft, I mistake, the marble walles are worth Your earnest view, so are the Christall-fourds:

But hence are banisht vertues all diuine, The place is hell, the people woorse then swine.

This Eldabag was a most learned and elegant Poet in the Arabian toong, and out of measure satyricall, and bitter in his inuectiues. But to returne to our former purpose, these Tebessians haue alwaies rebelled against the king of Tunis, and haue slaine all the gouernours that he hath sent. Wherefore the king that now is, trauelling vpon a time towards Numidia, sent certaine ambassadours into the city, to know how the citizens stood affected towards him: vnto whom they (instead of God saue the King) made answere: God saue our Citie-walles. Whereat the king waxing wroth, sacked the citie forth∣with, beheaded and hanged diuers of the inhabitants, and made such hauock, that euer since it hath remained desolate. This was done in the yeere of the Hegeira 915.