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 Tartary, Frightfull deserts, fierce dogs, a strange History of two lovers, the Empire of the Tartars, and their Religion.

OF Grand Tartary, which lies on the North of all the Pro∣vinces I have spoken of, I know nothing but by the re∣lation I received in these parts, and by the Memorialls of a certain Hollander, who was at Pegu. The Inhabitants of these Countreys then tould me, that beyond the Kingdom of Tazatay, Mandranella, Transiana, and Casubi, towards the North, are vast solitudes, and sandy deserts, which you must travell for many dayes, before you can arrive at a Kingdom called Sina∣bo, which at one end, towards the East confines with Co∣chinchina, subject to the great King of Tabin or Chi∣na.

To passe these vast sands, there must be made good pro∣vision of victualls, water, and beast; for as a Merchant of Drogomania told me, a Country confining Eastward upon these Kingdomes, the deserts of Arabia are little in compari∣son to them: and when I told him the fourty tedious days it cost us, betwixt Suria and Medina, through the deserts of Arabia, he answered, this was nothing in respect, since by the help of guides they might here and there find a well, whereas in the deserts of Asia, in two and twenty dayes journey together, nothing was to be found but sand, and that one day as he travailed along with the convoy, by mis∣fortune one of the jarrs of water broke, which was a great mischiefe to them, and a very important losse, being for∣ced for want of it to kill one of their Camells, to drink the loathsome water within him, and eat his flesh.

He told me then for more commodious passage, above all things it was necessary to provide good beasts, and chiefly Persian Asses, the best beast the world affords for carriage, and the most proper for those wayes, and are worth as much as a good horse.

That after these sands they came to huge Mountains, ab∣solutely barren, which in my opinion must needs be mi∣neralls, but they try them not, they are so far distant, and the way so troublesom.

I observed in my East and Western voyages, that where the Mines of gold, silver, and precious stones, where the Moun∣tains were ordinarily barren, having nothing growing about them, as they observe of the Calanfour, or clove, which suf∣fers no plant near it.

The Merchant observed likewise, that in these Mountains, which must be those the Ancients called Juac, dividing high and low Asia; there are abundance of serpents of prodigious bignesse, but are more advantage then damage to them; for being free from venom, and of an excellent substance and nou∣rishment, they eat there nothing else. As I remember I saw in the Mountains of Syr, in Africa.

For, passing these Mountains, and lodging with the Arabi∣ans under their tents, 'twas our admiration to see huge ser∣pents play with children, who would give them morsells of bread.

But to return to our Tartarian Merchant, he told me, that having passed this Mountainous Country, they came to ano∣ther desert, of twenty dayes over, void of all food, where he was constrained to stray a good dayes journey to hunt for water, and other commodities, and this too with weapon in hand, because there lives a certain Horde or nation of

Shepherds or Tartars Nomades, who keep huge Mastifes, the most fierce and bloody in the world, which indeed have more of the wolf then the dog: they keep these dogs to de∣stroy passengers on the way, to which they train them for diet for themselves.

He told me that about three yeares before this breed of Rascals were almost all devoured by their own dogs, after their cruell usage of certain Merchants who passed that way, these to revenge themselves made an Ambush, and having taken them, served them as they had done others.

He told me many other curiosities of this country, and amongst others, that about twenty years before, he passed by the Isle of Volmous or Ayman, near to Cauchinchina, and the country of the Meores, that the people are haughty, great souldiers, well clothed, and very civil, lovers of honour and vertue, and of complexion rather white then black: that the land is full of im∣penitrable Forests, but well stor'd with Venison, and betwixt the Mountains good pasturadge; that they had there a potent King by the title of Emperour, on the day of his birth, wearing on his head three Crowns, in form of a Tiara, for the three king∣domes he possessed: that this Prince was King of Sinabo, the Magers, and Patanes.

Amongst other particulars of this country, he related to me a strange History, if it be true: Thus, that in a mountanous country vulgarly called Ismanca, very fertile, where there are clownes very wealthy in cattell, whereof they drive a great trade; as also in skins of divers beasts: there was a rich shepherd called Ismahan, who amongst other children, had a daughter of excellent beauty, who according to the custome of the country, kept her fathers flocks.

This maid of twenty yeares of age, loved a young shep∣herd her neighbour and kinsman, but poor, and to whose Father the rich shepherd had sent some corn, who seeing he could not be paid, and being aware of his daughters affecti∣on, he told his debtor, that on condition he would send his son to live in some remote parts, he would forgive the debt, which the other did; the young man being thus banished by force, the maid was extremely afflicted, and as one day she walk∣ed alone in the fields, lamenting the absence of her beloved Li∣za, so he was called; a Fiend in the same shape appeared to her, and demanded for whom she was so much tormented, since she had him assuredly present, and that he loved her more then the world besides.

Some say this poor young man being banished the presence of his dear Mistresse, sought out a Magician, who promised he should see and enjoy her; but bringing into a room to him a spirit in the form of the maid, as the spirits of joy and love made him fly

to embrace her, the Demon strangled him afterwards, taking the shape, or rather the body of the dead youth, continued his visits a long time to the maid, whereof her Father and Brothers having notice, resolved to surprize him; and in effect breaking up her chamber door, they found a stinking carcasse in bed by her, at which both she and the rest were extremely frighted; and the King of the country having notice of it, sent for the maid to know the truth, which she related as it was. The King sent her to live with an Aunt of his, where they say the Devil still frequented her, and would visit her publickly in the shape of her friend, wherein she took extreme content, nor could she be dis∣swaded from his conversation. How I know not, but they say she conceived, and was delivered of two children; who grown up, became the most valiant and strong in the country: so as since spirits are incapable of generation, as the best Divines conclude; we may suppose this was the youth himself, who by the Magicians means enjoyed the maid, and was afterwards killed by the devil that abused him; and indeed some authentick authours mention such another History of one Phillinnion, and Machetus, and others.

But let us come back to Tartary, where I learnt many other things of one Amador Baliora a Limner, with whom I met coming back from Pegu, and saw good part of his Memorials. He had been in the Indies twelve or thirteen years, and had drawn the plots of several Towns excellently well, insomuch as having escaped shipwrack, and arrived in health at Diu, when all his company was hanged; for his qualification the Gover∣nour saved his life, and he drew him many exquisite pictures, for which he gave him five hundred Croysades.

He had about fifty draughts of the principal townes in the In∣dies, Persia, and Tartary; and had leave of the Vice-roy to draw the plots of as many more as he would; his design being to com∣pile them in a large volume, and present it to the King of Spain; but I understood afterwards, that returning for Europe, he died upon the sea of Scarbut, and for that his Comerade had disgusted him, he would not give him his memorials and draughts, but by Testament bequeathed them to the Captain of the ship he was in, Joseph Grogne a Portuguese, esteemed a Jew though he dissem∣bled the Christian. The Memorials was a great losse; for be∣sides the draughts, there was abundance of remarkable singula∣rities he had noted in his travailes, whereof the Captain made small account, for that he had written them in French, which he understood not, and withall in an imperfect and bad character: But the plots and draughts were excellently done, and besides the deliniation of the towns, he had drawn the inhabitants and their garments to the life.

I drew some my self though rudely, which is not hard to compasse,

Notes

• Sinabo.
• Drogoma∣nia may be Dragoian, or Turco∣mania. Deserts of Tartary.
• Persian Asses.
• Serpents good meat.
• fier••e dogs
• Volmous.
• This must be the great Mo∣gor.
• A History of an Incu∣bus.
• Phlegon Trallianus.
• The ad∣ventures of Amador a Painter.