The world surveyed, or The famous voyages & travailes of Vincent le Blanc, or White, of Marseilles ... containing a more exact description of several parts of the world, then hath hitherto been done by any other authour : the whole work enriched with many authentick histories / originally written in French ; and faithfully rendred into English by F.B., Gent.

CHAP. XXXVII. Of the Kingdom of Tazatay, and the Philosophy of the Indians.

WEst of Transiana lies the kingdom of Tazatay, or Tasatail, otherwise called the red kingdom, or the land of Liarrean, or Hiarcan, and the Kingdome of the Sun, for the severall apparitions the Sun makes there during his twenty four hours course, as they say. While we were in Transiana, a Country appertaining to the Empire of Pegu, hearing speech of Ta∣zatay, and the wonders of a Mountain there, I prevailed with my companion to go thither, so with an Interpreter two small Elephants, and two Hacambals or Camels, we parted thence, leaving all our goods and Merchandizes with our Host, having registred them in the Casa de la contration,* 1.1 in the Indies thoroughout there being such order that a Mer∣chant can loose nothing, though he should dye, all being faithfully kept and restored to his heirs, paying onely the dues of custome and impost.

After three dayes travaile we came on the top of a moun∣tain, where there was a small Town called Brasifir, here we had convenient accommodation that night; in the mor∣ning going down we crossed a River, and came to the other great Mountain we so much desired to see,* 1.2 that appeared exceeding high and arduous: neverthelesse having ascended

about two good leagues we met a man mounted on a Dro∣medary coming down the Mountain, and asking him if we had far to the next habitation, he answered we had but the tenth part of one Sun, as through the Indies they count Suns, that is, by dayes journies. Then travailing about an hour, we came to Tambo, and alighting from our beasts that were all in a water for the difficult travaile, we found there plenty of provision for our refreshment. There was a good old man and his wife that gave us freely what they had,* 1.3 and amongst other things Areca, the best methought I ever drunk.

At the same time there arrived a man we took by his carriage to be a fool, he sate down with us at table, never∣thelesse would eat nothing but what we entreated him to, and while we were at meat he told us severall stories an∣swerable to the opinion we had of him. Our Host asked us if we would not go see the Lord of the place at his Cha∣bacaran, or Palace: to which we agreed, and went this visit on foot, for 'twas on the top of the next mountain, not far off.

* 1.4Being arrived we went to make our respects to him, and he returned us great civilities, and discoursing of our voy∣age, he told us 'twas truth, that at the top of the Moun∣tain the Sun rose three severall times in four and twenty hours, as we might easily perceive if we ascended: where∣upon out of curiositie I requested my companion we might go thither early in the morning, and hereupon I asked the Lord being there two houres before day, if I should see the rayes of the Sun; he told me for this purpose I must be on the top of the Mountain upon a structure we saw some two leagues and a half above us in a bending of the Mountain, and that below, where his Castle stood, it was not seen but twice a year, that is, once three houres before day, and a∣nother time an hour and a quarter before Sun rising: and seeking to be informed by the most ancient Inhabitants, they all told me the same thing.

But I found my companion so incredulous of this matter, as he had reason, that we desisted, and on the morrow took the way to return whence we came: and since, meeting with a Gentleman of great curiositie, he told me he had been in a Countrey beyond Swedeland, where for four moneths toge∣ther the Sun continually appeared, which must needs be in Lapland,* 1.5 in seventy eight degrees, from May to August. And a Merchant of Sabooram assured me that in his Coun∣trey the longest dayes were one and twenty hours of Sun,* 1.6 with little or no night, which is in about sixty four or sixty five degrees.

Hereupon I will say something of the Astronomy used amongst these East Indians; their opinion is, the earth is not round but flat,* 1.7 and that there are not, nor can be Antipodes, else say they, there must be two suns, one to lighten us, the other them; that there is but one Hemisphere for the Sun and Moon to move in; that the sun is not of the bignesse we make it, nor so great as the earth, whereof it is but the sixtieth part, that the Sun never leaves our Hemisphere, no not by night; but then conceales himselfe behind certain Mountains. That 'twere a great folly to say the earth were higher then the heavens, which notwithstanding must needs be, if we allow Antipo∣des. That the Poles held immovable are not so, but that these two starres turn within two degrees round the Pole. That 'tis an errour the Sun should by night go hide himself under us: that the two Poles are not diametrically opposite, since, as they say, they may be seen at the same time, upon sea and land, though very low neverthelesse. That if there were Antipodes, that must be the bottom of the earth, and all rivers would naturally run thither, contrary to experi∣ence, and a thousand other opinions as strange, as absurd, for want of knowledge in the spheare and Astronomy:

So they laugh as at a thing childish and fabulous, at the opinion of the Ancients and Moderns on this side, of the rotundity of the earth in the middle of the world, and the Ubiquitary habitation, and that the Sun turns quite round from East to West. They hold for certain, that the Sunne rises in all other points, as they observe in Tazatay where they imagine it to rise as 'twere North, and North-West. They think to prove their phantastical imaginations, when they describe the Iliaca, a bright starre in the West,* 1.8 and opposite to that Biliaca, which appears beyond the Line; and is, that the shepheards fear so much,* 1.9 by the Persians called Zobona, so mortiferous to cattle; for which cause they house them while that starre raignes, and the better to preserve them, they make them turn tayle to the starre, for if they face it, it makes them languish, and dye in the end.

They say that these two opposite starres may be seen in a Line at the same time through a trunck, and that each moves about his Pole in twenty four houres, but that these are not the same, as the North, and the Crusero.

The North being no more distant from the Pole then two degrees and a quarter, and one of the other two, a degree and a half onely.

And whereas the ancients observed onely two Poles, each in his Hemisphere, they make six Poles in the same Hemi∣spheare,

which are Casara,* 1.10 the pole of the World, that of the Zodiack, the Artick, and Antartick, and these two starrs, and a thousand other fancies as incomprehensible, as they are farr from the sence of reason and experience, And that which confirmes them in their errors, is, that they can discerne the two polar starrs from the same place, as in Japaca, seven degrees beyond the Line in Java, and the like in Sumatra, and other parts, and accordingly in travell, they make a strange calculation of the distances of places.

They jeer likewise at the frame of our spheare, and the divi∣sion of the Zodiack into twelve signes; some to the North, some to the South, and understand not this but after their own way.

* 1.11They call the Zodiack Cazatoni, that is, Significator. The signes they call Ant, Ronia, Amiessem, Emisen, Courpsa, Cheoser, Irat, Metrias, Escorgat, Tamasee, Besir, Bizihir, Azourac, Persan, the highest spheare Birquen, Emine, the Ecliptick Zo∣berna, that is obscurity, because Ecclipses proceed thence. That the Zodiack is an oblike circle, and that from thence and the Re∣gion of fire, the Sun takes his course, and thence makes ge∣neration of all inferiour things. Like some of the ancients, likewise they hold that the Heaven stands like a vault o∣ver the earth, and floates, and swimmes upon the wa∣ters.

* 1.12In breife, I shewed them the work of Paul Rao the Italian, who speakes of all this Astronomy of the Ancients, which sup∣poses the Equinoctiall divides the Zodiack in two parts, South and North, at which they scoffed, and grew cholerick, say∣ing, so base a book was fit for the fire, that held nothing but errors, and wondered our Prince would suffer such frauds and impostures, as they called them, to be published in his Dominions; they believing as well the lands inhabited from East to West, as from South to North, are in view of the pole Artick, and that it is false there should be any part of India under the Antartick, since, as they think, they have the North as much elevated as we in Europe, and many ex∣travagancies hereupon, which I leave to be argued, and confuted by the learned in Astronomy and Cosmography.

Hearkning to these Indian opinions, I have been told, that the Chineses,* 1.13 that speculative Nation, hold the Heavens to be round, but the Earth square, and the Empire of China stands punctually in the middle, as being the excellence and Principality of the World, other parts being but as the skirts and accessaries, so as they were a little cholerick when they saw our cards designe their Countrey in the extremity of the East, as an indignity to the Grandeur, and Maje∣sty

of their Country and King, whom they call the sonne of the sun.

And truly these poore Indians wanting the knowledg of sci∣ences and experience,* 1.14 are not so much to be blamed for their opi∣nions, since in the middle of sage and learned Greece, there were of the ancient Philosophers that maintained almost the same; that the earth was not round, but some as Lucipus, that it was like a drum, others, that it was hollow like a barke, as Heraelitus, others like a Cilinder, or Roler, as Anaximan∣drus, and Democritus; others that it was absolutely flat, as Empodocles and Anaximines: some have wandered as far as this Paradox, to release it from the center,* 1.15 and make it run in the heavens, about the immovable sun, which with no less extravagancy hath been renewed in our times. But for the Antipodes, they who held the rotundity of the earth, allowed them not for all that, holding those parts inhabita∣ble, either for being covered with innavigable seas, or for the insupportable heats of the Torrid Zone: even some of the anci∣ent fathers have for other considerations been taken with this opinion, as Lactantius, St. Augustine, and others,* 1.16 and they say a learned Germane Bishop was accused of Heresie, for maintain∣ing there was Antipodes.

But besides the reasons of science, experience of Navigation, and modern voyages shewes sufficiently the truth of this mat∣ter, whereof I leave the large discourse to the more lear∣ned.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Fidelity for the Mer∣chants in India.
• * 1.2

  The mountain of the sun.
• * 1.3

  Tambo an Inne.
• * 1.4

  Ridicu∣lous opi∣nions of the sur∣rising.
• * 1.5

  Lapland.
• * 1.6

  Sabooram Liberia in high Tar∣tary.
• * 1.7

  The Indi∣ans strange opinions in Astro∣nomy.
• * 1.8

  The Indi∣ans Iliaca and Pili∣aca.
• * 1.9

  This must be the dog or Medusa's head.
• * 1.10

  Six Poles with the Indians.
• * 1.11

  The Zodi∣ack.
• * 1.12

  St. Basil in Exameron.
• * 1.13

  The Earth square with the Chinesses.
• * 1.14

  The opini∣on of the G••eek Philoso∣phy, of the forme of the Earth.
• * 1.15

  Antripodes, by whom not belie∣ved.
• * 1.16

  Virgill, Bishop of Strasbourg.