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 the Iland of Eden.

THis Iland lyes in the heart of the riuer Tigris, and is (as we could guesse) in circuit ten English miles, and was somtimes walled round about with a wall of strong defence, as appeares by the ruinous foundation of bricke which there remaineth. And howsoeuer the beautifull land of Eden is now forgotten in these part••, with those flourishing countries of Mesopotamia, Assyria, Babylonia, and Chald••a, being all swallowed vp into meere Barba∣rism, yet this Iland stil retains the name of the Ile of Eden

Now whither this Iland were the very Eden of Para∣dise, is not probable: but certaine it is, that, that garden of Pleasure, which God chose out to set Adam into, was seated in the lower part of the Region of Eden,* 1.1 afterward called Aram fluuiorum, or Mesopotamia: a country which Southwards stretcheth it self ouer the great riuer Euphra∣tes, toward Shinar nie Babylon: and Northwards contai∣neth that continent of Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Arme∣nia, which is watred with Tigris, between mount Taurus and Seleucia.

That there was such a Paradise as the garden of Eden,* 1.2 vpon earth, is without all dispute, because the Scriptures tell vs of it: And the Lord God planted a Garden, East∣ward

in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had made. gen. 2.8. And it is said of Caine, that he dwelt in the land of Noa towards the East side of Eden. gen. 4.16. The Pro∣phets likewise doe often make mention of the land of E∣den and the inhabitants thereof, As in Esay 37.12. where after Gozan, and Haran, and Reseph, the Prophet speak∣eth also of the children of Eden which were at Telasser. And the Prophet Ezechiel in the. 27. chap. and 23. vers. bewailing the desolation of Tyrus, sheweth what Mer∣chants resorted thither, and among many other nations, he reconeth the merchants of Eden. Now as they make mention of the land of Eden, so also of the garden it selfe. How is this land wast, which was like the garden of Eden. Ezech. 36.35. And in the Prophet Ioel. 2.3. the land is as the garden of Eden before him. By which places of scripture it is euident that the garden of Eden, was a certaine place vpon the earth, which God chose out (aboue all other places of the world) to set Adam into after he had crea∣ted him.

* 1.3And that the very Eden of Paradice was in this contrey is plaine by the relation of Moses, who saith that it was eastward in Eden, that is, it lying eastward (as this countrey doth) from Indaea. For so it is sayd, that the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden, which quarter of the world is to be vnderstood, eastward, in respect of Iud••a. Besides this countrey standeth in the most excellent tem∣per of all other, to wit fiue and thirty degrees from the Equinoctiall line, and fiue and fifty from the North-pole: in which climate the best wines, the most delicate fruits, the sweetest oyle, and the purest graine of all sorts, are this day found in great aboundance.

* 1.4Againe the very riuers, which course through this coun∣trey, doe make good, that the very Eden of Paradice, was here planted: For Moses describeth, that a riuer went out of Eden to water this garden, and from thence deuided it selfe into four•• braunches: and we find by experience, that Tigris

and Euphrates, running through this country of Eden doe ioyne in one, and afterward taking seuerall waies a part, doe water both the land of Chus, and Hauilah, as Moses relateth: the true seates of Chus and his sonnes, beeing then in the valley of Shinar, in which Nimrod built Ba∣bell, and not in Ethyopia as some would haue it. And as for the land of Hauilah, that country ioyned to Persia eastward, where Hismael and his Sonnes dwelt: for they dwelt from Hauilah vnto Shur, that is towards Aegipt, as thou goest to Assiria. Gen. 25.18. And therefore they that make the riuer Pison to bee Ganges,* 1.5 doe contrary both Scripture, experience, and reason. For how can the riuer Ganges, which runneth through the great Mogors coun∣try in the East-Indies, be a braunch of those riuers which watred Eden, since the riuer Tigres (though it rise in the same quarter of the world) is distant from Ganges, aboue foure thousand miles? And as for them that would haue, the riuer Gihon to bee Nilus, doe dreame of an impossibi∣lity; because the riuer Nilus is farther distant from Ti∣gris and Euphrates, then Ganges is: being begotten in the mountaines of the Moone in Ethyopia, almost as farr••e off as the cape of good hope (which our East-Indian shippes doe double) and falleth into the Mediterranean-Sea; whereas Euphrates springeth (as we haue said) out of the Mountaines of Armenia, and falleth into the golfe of Persia: the one rising South which is Nilus, and running North; the other rising North, which is Euphrates, and coursing South, threescore & three degrees one from the other.* 1.6 Finally this country aboundeth with all kind of fertility and happinesse though not in that exquisit man∣ner, as before the fall of Adam, because it was accursed in special, like as all the earth in generall, yet thus much I find written of it; Strabo maketh mention of the South-part of Armenia, which is the North border of Eden, or a part thereof; to bee a region which aboundeth with most pleasant fruites and delightfull trees, alwaies greene

and florishing, witnessing therby a perpetual spring, not foūd elswhere, but the Indies only. And Q. Curtius writeth on this maner: As you trauell on the left hand of Arabia (fa∣mous for plenty of sweet odours) there lieth a champain coun∣try placed between the two riuers Tigris and Euphrates, and is so fruitful and fat a soile, that they are said to driue there cattaile from the pasture, least they should perish by Satietie. And true it is that the vngy, or hay, which groweth in these parts, is of so strong an operatiue power to fatten, that they are constrained (before they giue it their cat∣taile) to flake and coole the heats thereof with water.

Herodotus speaketh as an eye-witnesse, that the place where Euphrates runneth out into Tigris, not farre from the place where Ninus is seated, is a Region, of al other•• most excellent, which bringe••h forth corne so aboundantly, that the ord nary fields in his time did returne the seed sowne in them two hundreth fold: the better places three hundreth, that is thr••e hundreth bushels for one,* 1.7 or at the least three hundreth graines for one corne. And there is no∣thing that better proueth the excellency of this soile, then the aboūdant growing of Palm-trees, in these pla∣ces, without the care & labor of man. The most of which trees do beare fruit, out of which the inhabitants make both meat, & wine, & hony, and whatsoeuer else the life of man begetteth at nature. Pliny affirmeth, that such is the fertility of the groūd, that they are cōstrained twise, to mow down their corne-fields,* 1.8 & a thi••d time to eate them vp with sheepe: adding this singularity to the soile, that the second yeere, the very stubble (or rather falling downe of the seed againe) yeeldeth them a har∣uest of corne without any farther labour.

So that by these few collections we may gather, that they are farre besides the truth, which haue sought Pa∣radise, either beyond our knowne world, or in the mid∣dle region of the aire; or nere the Moone; or as far as the South-line; or the North-pole, beeing meere vanities imagined in mens fancies. Cardinal Bellarmin•• in his cō∣trouersi••s is likewise much troubled, to finde out the

place where Paradise should bee,* 1.9 whether it be in the earth or in the aire; yea some are so mad, that they doe peremptorily set downe, that the earthly Paradise, after Adam was banished thence for his sin, was by God lifted vp into the aire: but this (as His Maiesty learnedly shew∣eth in his Praemonition to al Christi••n Monarchs, free Prin∣ces and states) is like one of the dreames of the Turkish Al∣coran, s••eing no such miracle is mentioned in the scriptures, h••uing no ground but from the curious fancies of some boi∣ling braines, who cannot be content sapere ad sobrietatem. We conclude then, that the garden of Eden was created by God, in this habitable world, and that in the lower part of the region of Eden, called by the Iewes Aram Fluuiorū, Aram amongst the ••iuers: and by the Greekes M••s••potamia, conteyning a part of Shinar & Armenia, and reteining the name of Eden, in some part vnto this day, as before is declared.

From the Island of Eden wee returned to Mosu••, and staied there eight daies & so went down the riuer Ti∣gris to Bagd••t or New Babilon, beeing carried not on boat, as down the riuer Euphrates, but vpon certaine Za∣tarres or rafts, borne vpon goates skins blowne full of winde like bladders. Which rafts they sel at Bagdat for fire,* 1.10 & carry their skins againe home vpon Asses by land, to make other voiages down the said riuer. This riuer is very famous because it watered Paradise, whose coursing is very strang: for some part of it, issuing out of the Mountaines Nifates, passeth through the lake Topiti in Armenia, (a lake which hath Nitrum in it, the property whereof is to rent and teare a mans apparell) with such swiftnesse, that it mingles not it selfe with the water of the said lake, and therevpon it is called Tigris, which in y^e languag of the Medes signifieth an arrow. Nere to the vttermost corner of this lake, it falleth into a great deepe & runneth for a great space vnder ground, and then ris∣eth againe neere to Colonitis, and from thence courseth towards Opis and the ruins of Nineuy, and so to 〈…〉〈…〉 Persian gulfe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Descrip∣tion of the Re∣gion of Eden.
• * 1.2

  That Paradise was vpo•• the earth, is with∣out all disput••.
• * 1.3

  Paradice planted in the country of E∣den neere Babilonia
• * 1.4

  The riuers which wate∣red Paradic••.
• * 1.5

  The e••our of those dispro∣ued, which make P••son to be Nilus.
• * 1.6

  Strange ferti∣lity and happi∣nesse in the region of E∣den.
• * 1.7

  Palme-trees in gre••t a∣boundance.
• * 1.8

  Pliny. nat. ••i. stor. lib. 18. c. 17.
• * 1.9

  Bella••m. lib. de Grat. primi hominis.
• * 1.10

  The strang coursing o•• the riuer Ti∣gris.