The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The Qualitie of the countrie.

[ IIII] SPaine in many places is not well manured, either for that the ground is stony, or the de∣sarts vnpleasant•• yet if we compare it with Affricke it is much more fertile, for that it is not soviolently hot. Spaine in many places yeelds sufficient for the life of man, as wheat, wine, fruits, oile, cattell, flax, iron, mettalls, hony and wax, and it hath waters to nourish [ E] fish, with such like things. It is not so molested with windes as France, nor the aire is not infected with mists, or pestilent fogs and marishes. There is greater aboundance of gold, siluer and iron in Spaine than in any other place. They doe not onely digge for gold in mines, but also some write that whenas the riuers swell with raine, their sand is mixt with gold, especially that of Tagus. There are in diuers places of this realme fountaines both hot and cold, which haue admirable vertues to cure diuers diseases. There wants no cat••ell in Spaine, where there are not onely many tame beastes, but also great store of wild. It is much esteemed for the horses which are bred there, the which are so swift, as some say they are ingendred by the wind. It hath not many hurtfull beastes vnlesse they bee conies, which worke vnder the ground, spoiling the roots of plants, [ F] and doing much other harme. The riuers of Spaine (except that of Duero) runne gently, and doe not spoile the countrie with there violence. Some write there bee a hundred and fiftie riuers great and small, whereof there bee fiue of principall note, ••••ha is Ebro, Tagus, Guadiana (in old time called Anas) Guadalquibir or Betis, Duero and Minio. They haue aboundance of fish which the sea yeelds them. The ayre is ge∣nerally

[ A] good, cold towards the North and the Pyrenee mountaines, and temperate to∣wards the Ocean and Mediterranen seas. It yeelds fruits of all kinds, and in such abun∣dance, as it doth in a manner furnish all the Northern regions, especially with oliues, orenges, limons, figs and such like. The flesh is of an excellent tast, especially the mutton and porke. It is not to be spoken, what store of good fish they haue vpon their coast, espe∣cially of Andaluzia, Portugal and Biscay. Strabo writes that towards the straight of Gi∣braltar, the tonnies grow wonderfull fat, with akorns which fall into the sea from the oaks which grow vpon the shoare. And the reuerend father Lewis of Grenado hath written, that in the yere 1575•• the sea did cast vp (neere to Penique in Portugal) a fish that was 40 [ B] fadome long, and 15 foot broad, and so big, as two tall men being of either side, one could scarce see the other; and the taile of it at the end, was fiue fadome wide. In the yere 1578. there was taken, vpon the coast of Valencia, a sea calfe, 100 foot long. And some∣times they take such huge whales vpon the coast of Biscay, as one doth yeeld 200 iarres of oile. But to returne to that which the land doth produce, it abound with pitch, scar∣let, rushes, flax, hempe, quicksiluer, Castille sope, turpentine and alome. Plinie doth much esteeme the copper of Mont Moriana, which is at this day called Sierra Morena. There is also great store of fine wools. But to come to euery countrie in particular.

Cattellogina is generally barren, and yeelds more fruit than corne, neither hath it any store of good plants. Neere vnto Vich, the countrie is rough and stonie, and halfe desart: [ C] but about Tortosa the soile is reasonably good.

In Aragon neere to the Pyrenee mountaines, they may trauell whole dayes, and find not any inhabitants; yet there are some valleis which yeeld reasonable store of fruit and corne, and the waters worke great effects in all places where they passe. Neere to Callata∣jub, the aire is good, and the countrie fruitfull.

Valencia stands in the most temperate and pleasing aire of all Spaine: the countrie is full of gardens and places of wonderfull delight, where there growes abundance of rice, sugar, corne and fruit; and this countrie is much like in qualitie, to that which is about Naples. As for the riuers which water this realme of Valencia, the chiefe are Gualdalaui∣ar, which signifieth a pure and cleere water, it passeth neere vnto the citie of Valencia, and [ D] Xucar, which was in old time called Sucron. This countrie hath mines of siluer at Buri∣ol, of gold at Lodar, of iron at Finistrat and at Iabee, of allabaster at Piacent, and of alome, lime and plaister in many places: from thence also we haue the best silkes in the world, cotton of Murcia, scarlet, crimson, and other pretious colours, with sweet and pleasant perfumes. Finally, all the sences of man are wonderfully pleased with that which comes from thence, and growes in that happie region.

The realme of Murcia is not well peopled, neither doth it yeeld any thing of impor∣tance; for that the mountaines are rough and stonie, and the plaines not well watered with riuers, and so by consequence barren, for that it raines seldome in Spaine.

As for Grenado, it is one of the most fertill soiles of Spaine, especially, wheras Genil [ E] and Darre do passe; for that these two riuers do water the countrie about Grenado, part∣ly of themselues, and partly by the helpe and industrie of the inhabitants; by which meanes, plants, fruits, herbes, and corne grow in abundance; but aboue all it causeth great store of cattell, sugars, and as good silkes as may be seene. The Moores which were expel∣led in the yere 1492. said, that Paradice was directly in that part of Heauen which hangs ouer Grenado. Towards the North, there is a great plaine, which is so fertile, as it is not credible without seeing of it. Ne••re to the riuer of Genil there is another plaine which is very delightfull, and yeelds great profit, and vpon the mountaines which are neere, they feed great troups of cattell. Neere to Alhama, there are hot bathes which are wonderful delightfull and comfortable both for whole and sicke; and neere vnto them there passeth [ F] a little riuer (which is exceeding cold) called Riofrio. The ••oile about Malaca is partly plaine and partly valley, and full of very good fruit.

There is no part of Spaine that yeelds more fruit and come than Andaluzia, nor that hath more troups of cattell, especially of horse; and this countrie is such, as it may bee iustly termed the storehouse, fruiterie, wineseller, and stable of Spaine, yea & a birdcage,

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

where there are such store of birds, especially of those which we call thrushes, or felfaires [ A] (which are most excellent) as it is almost an incredible thing, for him that hath not seene it. About Siuille, there is great store of fruit, wine, oyle and corne. Neere vnto Cordo∣ua, the soile is very fruitfull, and there are goodly gardens to be seene with many wa∣ters, which make it very delightfull. Nere vnto Almaden, there is a good mine of quick∣siluer, which is a liqued mettall, but it exceeds them that are firme in waight; it fastens it selfe to gold whensoeuer it comes neere it, and doth seperat it from all other mettalls; and when there is no gold it flies to siluer, and doth purge it from the mixture of earth, copper, and lead, wherewith it is engendred: it doth not care for any other mettalls, but doth eat, pierce through them, and flies away, and then dissolues immediatly into [ B] smoake, and from smoake returnes to his substance againe. In these mines of Almaden, there are two kinds of quicksiluer, the best is that which comes out of stones being bro∣ken, and is called pure, or virgin: that which is of lesse value is found vnder the earth; but they are both poison by nature. They that digge it out, grow in a short time pale and wan, resembling rather ghosts than liuing creatures; and they do most commonly shake, and liue little. Quickesiluer hath this propertie, that it gets incensibly into the bones; so as when in the towne of Almaden, they do breake the bones of dead mens leggs which haue remained any time in the ground, there comes forth a good quantitie of quicksil∣uer; I speake of such as haue laboured in the mines. Gilders to preserue themselues from this danger which growes by the handling of quicksiluer, are accustomed to hold a peece [ C] of gold in their mouthes when they worke, the which being drawen forth is all couered with quicksiluer. The rockes from whence they draw it are red, by reason of the vermilli∣on which is as it were an excrement of these mines, and doth alwaies accompanie it: and therefore Plinie did hold that there were vaines of vermillion neere vnto Almaden, the which in those daies were much esteemed. About Marchena are bred the best and good∣liest gennets of all Spaine.

Estremadura is a countrie more exposed to the sun than any one in Spaine; and there∣fore as in Italie they driue their cattle from Abrusso to the plaines of Apulia, when win∣ter comes; so in Spaine they passe from the Northren parts of Estremadura, where in sommer the heat is excessiue, which is the cause they haue no great towns. In all that tract [ D] wheras the riuer of Guadiana runs vnder ground, there are very good pastures, whereon they feed many troups of cattle. The territorie of Guadalcanal hath been in great estima∣tion in our times, by reason of a good vaine of Siluer which hath been found there.

New Castille is watered by the riuer of Tagus, the which hath many other riuers fal∣ling into it. It hath more plaines than Castille the old, and therefore abounds more in corne; yet it lies more to the South. Castille the old hath her greatest reuenues by cattel: the riuer of Duero passeth through it, the which doth so swell by reason of the abun∣dance of waters which fall into it, as it becomes the greatest riuer of Spaine. True it is, that by reason of her swift course and narrow chanell (restrained for the most part with [ E] high and very steepe rockes) it is not so commodious for nauigation, neither doth it help so well in the production of fruits, as Ebro, Guadalquibir and Tagus. Neere vnto Madrid, they haue a very good ayre, and a great commoditie for woods fit for hunting. About Vailledolid, the soile is very fertile for corne, cattel, wine and fruits of all sortes.

Galicia is a rough countrie, and hath no store of waters. There are good wines neere vn∣to Orens as hath been said, and they haue good fishing, and great store of game for hun∣ting. Asturia is of the same nature and qualitie that Gallicia, but it is more rockie and lesse inhabited.

There growes very little wine in Biscay, and therefore in some places, especially at S. Adrian, they plant apple trees in steed of vines, of which fruit the inhabitants make cidar, [ F] which is hard of disgesture, but of a pleasing tast to him that is accustomed therewith.

As for Portugal the aire is very good, and it is refreshed by the flowing of the water, which is very great vpon all that coast being full of creeks of the sea. The scituation is hil∣ly, and it yeeldes excellent fruits, with many other rich commodities, whereof I haue formerly made particular relation in my discription of that countrie.