The true travels, adventures, and observations of Captaine Iohn Smith, in Europe, Asia, Affrica, and America, from anno Domini 1593. to 1629 His accidents and sea-fights in the straights; his service and stratagems of warre in Hungaria, Transilvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia, against the Turks, and Tartars ... After how he was taken prisoner by the Turks, sold for a slave ... and escaped ... Together with a continuation of his generall History of Virginia, Summer-Iles, New England, and their proceedings, since 1624. to this present 1629; as also of the new plantations of the great river of the Amazons, the iles of St. Christopher, Mevis, and Barbados in the West Indies. All written by actuall authours, whose names you shall finde along the history.

CHAP. XIX.

The strange discoveries and observations of the Portugalls in Affrica.

THe Portugalls on those pars have the glorie, who first coasting along this Westerne shore of Affrica, to finde passage to the East Indies, within this hundred and fiftie yeeres, even from the Streights of Gibralter, about the Cape of Bone Esperance to the Persian Gulfe, and thence all along the Asian Coast to the Moluccas, have subje∣cted many great Kingdomes, erected many Common-wealths, built many great and strong Cities; and where is it they have not beene by trade or force? no not so much as Cape de Verd, and Sermleone; but most Bayes or Rivers, where there is any trade to bee had, especially gold, or conveniencie for refreshment, but they are scattered; living so amongst those Blacks, by time and cunning they seeme to bee naturali∣zed amongst them. As for the Isles of the Canaries, they have faire Townes, many Villages, and many thousands of people rich in com∣modities.

Ordoardo Lopez, a noble Portugall, Anno Dom. 1578. imbarquing him∣selfe for Congo to trade, where he found such entertainment, finding the King much oppressed with enemies, hee found meanes to bring in the Portugalls to assist him, whereby he planted there Christian Religion, and spent m••st of his life to bring those Countreyes to the Crowne of Por∣tugall, which he describeth in this manner.

The Kingdome of Congo is about 600. miles diameter any way, the chiefe Citie called S^t. Savadore, seated upon an exceeding high moun∣taine, 150. miles from the Sea, verie fertile, and inhabited with more than 100000. persons, where is an excellent prospect over all the plaine Countreyes about it, well watered, lying (as it were) in the Center of this Kingdome, over all which the Portugalls now command, though but an handfull in comparison of Negroes. They have flesh and fruits verie plentifull of divers sorts.

This Kingdom is divided into five Provinces, viz. Bamba, Sundi Pango, Batta and Pembo; but Bamba is the principall, and can affoord 400000. men of warre. Elephants are bred over all those Provinces, and of won∣derfull greatnesse; though some report they cannot kneele, nor lye downe, they can doe both, and have their joynts as other creatures for use: with their fore-seet they will leape upon trees to pull downe the boughes, and are of that strength, they will shake a great Cocar tree for

the nuts, and pull downe a good tree with their ruskes, to get the leaves to eat, as well as sedge and long grasse, Cocar nuts and berries, &c. which with their trunke they put in their mouth, and chew it with their smaller teeth; in most of those Provinces, are many rich mines, but the Negars opposed the Portugalls for working in them.

The Kingdome of Angola is wonderfull populous, and rich in mines of silver, copper, and most other mettalls; fruitfull in all man∣ner of food, and sundry sorts of cattell, but dogges fl••sh they love bet∣ter than any other meat; they use few clothes, and no Armour; bowes, arrowes, and clubs, are their weapons. But the Portugalls are well armed against those engines, and doe buy yearely of those Blacks more than five thousand sl••ves, and many are people exceeding well pro∣portioned.

The Anchicos are a most valiant nation, but most strange to all about them. Their Armes are Bowes, short and small, wrapped about with serpents skinnes, of divers colours, but so smooth you would thinke them all one with the wood, and it makes them very strong; their strings little twigs, but exceeding tough and flexible; their arrow••s short, which they shoot with an incredible quic••nesse. They have short axes of brasse and copper for swords; wonderfull loyall and faithfull, and exceeding simple, yet so active, they skip amongst the rockes like goats. They trade with them of Nubea, and Congo, for Lamache, which is a small kinde of shell fish, of an excellent azure colour, male and female, but the female they hold most pure; they value them at divers prices, because they are of divers sorts, and those they use for coine, to buy and sell, as we doe gold and silver; nor will they have any other money in all those Countries, for which they give Elephants teeth; and slaves for salt, silke, linnen cloth, glasse-beads, and such like Portugall com∣modities.

They circumcise themselves, and marke their faces with sundry flashes from their infancie. They keepe a shambles of mans flesh, as if it were beefe, or other victuall; for when they cannot have a good market for their slaves; or their enemies they take, they kill, and sell them in this manner; some are so resolute, in shewing how much they scorne death, they will offer themselves and slaves, to this butchery to their Prince and friends; and though there be many nations will eat their enemies, in America and Asia, yet none but those are knowne to be so mad, as to cat their slaves and friends also.

Religions and idolls they have as many, as nations and humours; but the devill hath the greatest part of their devotions, whom all those Blacks doe say is white; for there are no Saints but Blacks.

But besides those great Kingdomes of Congo, Angola, and Azichi, in those unfrequented parts are the kingdomes of Lango, Matania, Buttua, ••ofola, Mozambeche, Quivola, the Isle of Saint Lawrence, Mombaza, Me∣li••da, the Empires of Monomatopa, Monemugi, and Presbiter Iohn, with whom they have a kinde of trade, and their rites, customes, cli∣mates, temperatures, and commodities by relation. Also of great Lakes, that deserve the names of Seas, and huge mountaines of divers

sorts, as some scorched with heat, some covered with snow; the moun∣taines of the Sunne also of the Moone, some of crystall, some of iron, some of silver, and mountaines of gold, with the originall of Nilus; like∣wise sundry forts of cattell, fishes, Fowles, strange beasts, and mon∣strous serpents; for Affrica was alwayes noted to be a fruitfull mother of such terrible creatures; who meeting at their watering places, which are but Ponds in desart places, in regard of the heat of the Country, and their extremities of nature, make strange copulations, and so ingender those extraordinary monsters. Of all these you may reade in the history of this Edward Lopez, translated into English by Abraham Hartwell, and dedicated to Iohn Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, 1597. But because the particul••rs are most concerning the conversion of those Pagans, by a good poore Priest, that first converted a Noble man, to convert the King, and the rest of the Nobility; sent for so many Priests and or∣naments into Portugall, to solemnize their baptismes with such mag∣nificence, which was performed with such strange curiosities, that those poore Negros adored them as Gods, till the P••iests grew to that wealth, a Bishop was sent to rule over them, which they would not endure, which endangered to spoile all before they could bee recon∣ciled. But not to trouble you too long with those rarities of uncer∣tainties; let us returne againe to Barbary, where the warres being ended, and Befferres possessed of Morocco, and his fathers treasure, a new bruit arose amongst them, that Muly Sidan, was raising an Armie against him, who after tooke his brother Befferres prisoner; but by reason of the uncertainty, and the perfidious, treacherous, bloudy mur∣thers rather than warre, amongst those perfidious, barbarous Moores, Smith returned with Merham, and the rest to Saffe, and so aboard his Ship, to try some other conclusions at Sea.

Notes

• How the Portu∣galls coasted to the East Ind••es.
• Or Edward.
• The Kingdom: of Congo.
• Wilde Ele∣phants.
• The Kingdome of Angola.
• The Kingdome of Anchicos.
• A st••ange mony.
• A snambles of mans flesh.
• Their religions and Idols.
• Divers nations yet unknowne, and the wonders of Affrica.