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

The first testimonie, taken out of the 11. chap. ofthe fift booke of Paulus Orosius contra Paganos.

Of an huge and pernicious companie of Locusts in Africa, which after they had wasted the countrey, being drowned in the sea, and cast vp dead on the shore, bred a most woonderfull pestilence both of man and beast.

IN the consulship of Marcus Plautius Hypsaeus, and Marcus Fuluius Flaccus, Africa scarce breathing from bloudie warres, an horrible and extraordinarie destruction ensued. For whereas now throughout all Africa, infinite multitudes of locustes were gathered togither, & had not only quite deuoured the corne on the grounde, and consumed the herbes with part of their rootes, and the leaues and tender boughes of the trees, but had gnawne also the bitter barke, and drie woode; being with a violent and sudden winde hoised aloft in mightie swarmes, and carried a long time in the aire, they were at length drowned in the African sea. Whose lothsome and putrified carcases being by the waues of the sea cast vp in huge heapes farre and wide along the shore, bred an incredible stinking & infectious smell: whereupon followed so general a pestilence of al liuing creatures, that the corrupt dead bodies of foules, cattell, and wilde beasts dissolued by the contagion of the aire, augmented the furie of the plague. But how great and extraordinarie a death of men there was, I cannot but tremble to report: for in Numidia, where Micipsa was then king, died fowerscore thousand persons; and vpon the sea-coast next adioiningto Carthage and Vtica, aboue two hundred thousand are saide to haue perished. Yea in the citie of Vtica it selfe were by this meanes swept from the face of the earth thirtie thousand braue soldiers,

which were appointed to be the garrison for all Africa. And the destruction was so sudaine and violent, as they report, that out of one gate of Vtica, in one and the same day, were carried aboue fifteene hundred dead corpes of those lustie yoong gallants. So that by the grace and fauour of almightie God (through whose mercy, and in confidence of whom, I doe speake these things) I may boldly affirme; that albeit sometime in our daies the locusts in diuers parts, and vsually, doe some domage which is tolerable: yet neuer befell there in the time of the Christians so insupportable a mischiefe, as that this scourge of locusts, which being aliue are by no meanes 〈◊〉〈◊〉, should after their death prooue farre more pernicious: and which also li∣uing, the fruits of the earth would haue beene quite deuoured; it had beene much better they had neuer died, to the plague and destruction of all earthly creatures. Hitherto Paulus Orosius.