Purchas his pilgrimes. part 1 In fiue bookes. The first, contayning the voyages and peregrinations made by ancient kings, patriarkes, apostles, philosophers, and others, to and thorow the remoter parts of the knowne world: enquiries also of languages and religions, especially of the moderne diuersified professions of Christianitie. The second, a description of all the circum-nauigations of the globe. The third, nauigations and voyages of English-men, alongst the coasts of Africa ... The fourth, English voyages beyond the East Indies, to the ilands of Iapan, China, Cauchinchina, the Philippinæ with others ... The fifth, nauigations, voyages, traffiques, discoueries, of the English nation in the easterne parts of the world ... The first part.

The Nauigation of HANNO a Carthaginian Captaine on the Coasts of Africa, without HERCVLES Pillers, which he dedicated, written in the Punick tongue in the Temple of Saturne, after translated into the Greeke, and now into the English, with briefe annotations.

[ 10]

THe Carthaginians determined that Hanno should saile without Hercules Pillars, & those build Cities of the Liby-phinicians. He set saile with threescore Ships of fiftie Oares a peece, con∣ducting with him a great multitude of men and women, to the number of thirty thousand, with victuals and all other necessaries. We arriued at the Pillars, and passed them, and hauing sailed without them two daies,* 1.1 we built the first Citie, calling it Thymiaterium. It had around about it very large Champaignes. After turning toward the West, we came to a promontorie of Africa, called Soloente, couered all ouer with woods. And hauing here built a Temple to Neptune, we sai∣led halfe a day towards the East, till we arriued at a Fen, which is situated not farre from the Sea, very full of great and long Canes▪ and there were in it feeding Elephants, & many other creatures. Then hauing gone about a daies saile beyond that Fenne we built Cities on the Sea coast, calling [ 20] them by their proper names Murus, Caricus, Guta, Acra, Melitta and Arambis. Departing from thence we came to the great Riuer Lixus which descends from Africa: By it there were certaine men called Lixitae, feeders of Cattell, tending their flockes; with whom wee continued so long, that they became verie familiar. Moreouer vp in the Countrie aboue them the Negros inhabited, who will not traffique with any, and their Countrie is verie barbarous and full of wilde Beasts, and enuironed with high Mountaines, from which as they say, issues the Riuer Lixus, and round about the Mountains inhabit men of diuers shapes, which haue their abiding in Canes; they runne swifter then horses, as the Lixians report: from thence taking some Interpreters, we sailed by a desart Countrie towards the South two daies. And then wee vered one day towards the East, where in the bottome of a Gulfe we found alike Iland, that was fiue furlongs in compasse, which we inhabited, naming it Cerne, and by the way that we had sailed we iudged that that I∣land [ 30] was opposite to Carthage, for the Nauigation from Carthage to the Pillars, and from thence to Cerne seemed equall. Parting from thence, and sailing by a great Riuer called Crete, we arriued at a Lake, which had in it three Ilands greater then Cerne. From whence sailing the space of a day, we came to the further part of the Lake: there we saw very high Mountaines which ouer∣looked all the Lake: where were sauage people cloathed in beasts skins, who chased vs away with stones, not suffering vs to land: sailing from thence we came to another great and large streame full of Crocodiles, and Riuer-horses. From thence turning backe againe, wee returned to Cerne. Sailing then twelue daies Southerly, not going farre from the coast, which was peopled with Negros, who vpon sight of vs fled away, and spake so, as the Lixitae that were with vs vnderstood [ 40] them not. The last day we arriued at a Mountaine full of great trees, the wood whereof was odo∣riferous and of various colours. Hauing now coasted two daies by this Mountaine, wee found a deepe and troublesome race of Sea; on the side whereof towards the land was a plaine, where by night we saw fires kindled on euery side, distant one from the other some more some lesse. Ha∣uing watered here, we sailed by the land fiue daies, so that we arriued in a great Bay, which our Interpreters said, was called H••sperus his horne. In this there was a great Iland, and in the Iland a Lake, which seemed a Sea, and in this there was another Iland; where hauing landed, by day we saw nothing but woods, but in the night many fires were kindled, and we heard Phifes and the noise and sound of Cimbals and Drummes, and besides infinite shou••s; so that wee were ex∣ceedingly afraid, and our Diuiners commanded vs to abandon the Iland: then swiftly sailing from thence, we passed by a Countrie smelling of Spices: from which some fierie Riuers fall into [ 50] the Sea, and the land is so hot that men are not able to goe in it; therefore being some what af∣frighted we suddenly hoised out our sailes, and running along in the maine the space of foure daies, we saw by night the Country full of flames, and in the middest an exceeding high fire, greater then all the rest, which seemed to reach vnto the Starres: but wee saw this after in the day time, which was a very loftie Mountaine, called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that is, the Chariot of the Gods. But hauing sailed three daies by fierie Riuers, we arriued in a Gulfe called Notuceras, that is, the South horne: in the inner part thereof there was a little Iland like vnto the first, which had a Lake in it, and in that there was another Iland full of Sauage men, but the women were more; they had their bodies all ouer hairie, and of our Interpreters they were called Gorgones: we pursued the [ 60] men but could take none, for they fled into precipices and defended themselues with stones; but we tooke three of the women, which did nothing but bite and scratch those that led them, and would not follow them. Therefore they killed them and flead them, and brought their skins to Carthage: and because victuals failed vs, we sailed no further.

IT appeares that Hannos wisdome for discouerie in that infancie of Nauigation * 1.2 about 2000 yeeres since, thought small Vessels fittest by which he might keepe neere the shoare, the edging whereof caused him to saile East or West, as the Land trended. The Carthaginians being of Phae∣nician originall from Tyrus, and Lybian habitation and Empire, called their Cities Lybiphaenician: of which Thymiaterium seemes to the Portugall Pilot in Ramusio, to be Azamor in 32. and a halfe, where runneth a spacious Plaine to Morocco. The Promontory Soloente seemeth Cape Cantin in 32. degrees. After which the coast runneth in much Eastward, and the abundance of Riuers cause the great Fenne mentioned; beyond which they built those Cities, the same, or neere to those now in the Kingdome of Morocco, Azafi, Goz, Aman, Mogador, Testhua, &c. After they passe [ 10] the Cape Ger, and encounter the Riuer Lixus, where the Poets fables place Hercules his Antaeus and the Hesperides Gardens. The Pilot thought it the Riuer of Sus, which runnes into the Sea at Messa in 29. degr. 30. min. Beyond that begins Mount Atlas the lesse, which runneth East∣ward quite thorow Barbary, and to which the Romans came, the sands prohibiting their approach to the greater Atlas. After this Hanno commeth to Cape Non, Cape Boiador and Cape Blanke; and then turning to the East, comes to the Ile Argin, which hee called Cerne: and thought to be as farre from the Straits in the course of their sailing, as it was betwixt those Straits and Car∣thage. For as for the height, it is plaine that they neither vsed compasse, nor obserued degrees. And for Ptolemeis degrees, they are almost euery where false or vncertaine, rather from his con∣iecture, then the Mariners calculation, and in transcribing made worse in so many barbarous and [ 20] ignorant ages: his places are of more vse in shewing their bearing East or West, North or South, short, or beyond, or wide, then for exact gradations.

The Ilands of Cape Verd in 13. are Hannos Hesperides (the Canaries or Fortunate Ilands he could not see, creeping neere the shore) and for Riuer Horses and Crocodiles, they are no rarities in Africke. From Cape Verd the race of the Sea might seeme terrible to their small Vessels, where the Riuer of Saint Mary and Rio Grande in 15. degrees, hath troubled waters. Such fires as hee mentioneth are seene to this day of those which saile on the coast of Senega and Guinea, because the Negros eate little in the day time for heate, but at night haue their fires without doores and there refresh themselues: many of which a farre off present such lights at Sea;* 1.3 the merry Negros to fray away wilde Beasts and to expresse their mirth, making such musicke with shouts and cries. [ 30] Sierra Leona is that chariot of the Gods in 8. degrees, the continuall thunders and lightnings at some times of the yeere presenting such a fierie spectacle as Hanno reporteth: yet augmented for greater wonder, as also are his fiery Riuers, that whereas the world talked of a fiery Zone, not habitable through heate, he might lye a little to saue his credit from imputation of a greater lier, if he had reported the temperature neere the line. The like humour of inclining to vulgar fancies appeareth in his tales of the Gorgones. And for the monstrous womens hairy skins, they might be of the Baboones or Pongos of those parts, some of which as Iobson and Battell our Countrimen which trauelled those parts will tell you, are greater then women, & the Pongos nothing in man∣ner differing from their shape. These were, as is probable within foure degrees of the line. The I∣land is thought to be that of Fernando Poo: but my learned friend Master Hoelstin a German, which [ 40] is now preparing a learned treasury of Geographicall antiquities to the Presse, supposeth that hee passed not the Cape Tres puntas or that de Palmas.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Thymiaterium.
• * 1.2

  Some make Hanno at l••ast as auncient as Philip ••e Fa∣ther of Alexan∣der: Vossius thinkes him to be that Cap∣taine which was sent a∣gai••st Agatho∣cles, mentioned by Trogus (or his shadow Iu∣stine) l. 22. Liuy men••ions ano∣ther, and Pliny l. 8. c. 16. s••ith of another Hanno that he was exiled for ta∣ming Lyons.
• * 1.3

  See Iobsons voyage and larger no••es. Inf. l. 7.