The preachers trauels Wherein is set downe a true iournall to the confines of the East Indies, through the great countreyes of Syria, Mesopotamia, Armenia, Media, Hircania and Parthia. With the authors returne by the way of Persia, Susiana, Assiria, Chaldæa, and Arabia. Containing a full suruew of the knigdom [sic] of Persia: and in what termes the Persian stands with the Great Turke at this day: also a true relation of Sir Anthonie Sherleys entertainment there: and the estate that his brother, M. Robert Sherley liued in after his departure for Christendome. With the description of a port in the Persian gulf, commodious for our East Indian merchants; and a briefe rehearsall of some grosse absudities [sic] in the Turkish Alcoran. Penned by I.C. sometimes student in Magdalen Colledge in Oxford.

The description of Soltania.

AT Soltania we safely arriued. This Citie is called by Ptolome, Heraclea; but by others Tigranocerta, be∣cause of the wonderfull ruine of the huge buildings; and was in times past one of the royall seates of the Persian Kings, but it was much ruinated by the Scythian Tamer∣lane, when with a world of people he ouerran these coun∣tries: it retaineth now no shew of the ancient majestie, but onely in the Churches by him spared. This desolate towne is on euery side enuironed with huge mountaines, whose tops are to be seene a far off, alwaies couered with deep snowes, called in ancient time Nyphates, Caspius, Coa∣thras & Zagras, taking their beginning no doubt of Can∣casus the father of mountaines; which ioyning one to ano∣ther, some one way, some another, doe deuide most large and wide countries.

Before this towne lieth a very great and spacious plaine, memorable for that dreadful & horrible tempest which fell on Solyman the Turkish Emperour and his whole armie in the yeare 1534. For whilest he lay incamped in these plaine fields with his Army, there fell downe such an horrible and cruell tempest from the mountains, as the like whereof the Persians had neuer seene before at that time of the yeare, being in the beginning of September; and that with abun∣dance of rain, which froze so eagerly as it fel, that it seemed the depth of Winter had euen then of a sodaine beene come in: for such was the rage of the blustering windes, ••triuing with themselues, as if it had beene for victory, that they swept the snow from the toppe of those high moun∣taines, and cast it downe into the plaines in such aboun∣dance, that the Turkes lay as men buried aliue in the deepe snow, most part of their tents being ouerthrowne & beaten downe to the ground, with the violence of the tempest and weight of the snow, wherein a wonderfull number of sicke

souldiers and others of the baser sort which followed the campe perished, and many other were so benummed, some their hands, some their feete, that they lost the vse of them for euer: most part of their beasts which they vsed for car∣riage, but specially their camels were frozen to death. Nei∣ther was there any remedie to be found for so great mis∣chiefes, by reason of the hellish darknesse of that tempe∣stuous night, most of their fires being put out, by the ex∣tremitie of the storme: which did not a little terrifie the superstitious Turkes, as a thing accounted of them omi∣nous. Many of the Turkes vainely thought, that this hor∣rible tempest was brought vpon them by the charmes and inchantments of the Persian Magitians; whereas it was vndoubtedly by the hand of God, which bringeth the proud deuises of Princes to nought.

Notes

• A most horri∣ble and ter∣rible tempest.