Purchas his pilgrimes. part 3 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.

[ 30] To the Reader.

IN this admirable Voyage of Polo, I confesse, Inopem me copia fecit; the Translation which I had of Master Hakluyts from the corrupted Latine, being lesse then nothing (nimirum damno auctus fui) did me no steed but losse, whiles I would compare it with the Latine, and thought to amend it by the Italian; and was forced at last to reiect both Latine and English, and after much vexation to present thee this, as it is, out of Ramusio. I haue not giuen thee word for word as an exact Translator, but the sense in all things substantiall, with longer Relations then I haue admitted in others, because many which haue read M. Paulus, neuer saw M. Polo, nor know the worth of the worthiest Voyage, that perhaps any one man hath written; a man credible in that which hee saw himselfe, in some things receiued by Relation, rather telling what he heard, then that which I dare beleeue, and specially [ 40] toward the end of his third Booke, which I haue therefore more abridged. Pitie it is that time hath so gnawne and eaten some-where, and some-where deuoured vtterly many his names and Tracts, which new Lords and new (Lawes, the Saracenicall Conquests, especially euer since his time) in those parts haue caused. And farre easier by the Cans greatnesse then, and his employments vnder him, might hee know the World in those times; then in the combustions long since begunne and still continued, in diuersified and quarrelling States is possible: the Saracens quarrelling with Ethnikes, Christians, and other Saracens; the Tartars diuided and sub-diuided into so many quarrelsome Serpentine heads, whereby that hugenesse is broken in pieces; the Chinois and others prohibiting ingresse of strangers, egresse of their owne; that I mention not Ethnike and Moorish Diuisions amongst themselues. In the same time with Polo, liued this following Armenian, of whom Ramusio relateth,* 1.1 and this Discourse intimateth that the Ho∣ly [ 50] Land being quite lost, Pope Clement the Fift minding to recouer it, was giuen to vnderstand of helpes which might be gotten from the Tartars, and withall of this Haiton or Antonie a Kinsman of the King of Armenia, then liuing a Monke or Frier of the Order Premonstratensis in Episcopia in Cy∣prus; who in his young time had beene exercised in the Warres betwixt the Tartars and Egyptian Sol∣dans, by whom he might receiue the best Intelligence of Tartarian Affaires. He therefore (as hee first remoued the Court from Rome to France, where it abode seuentie yeares) caused the said Hayton to be brought from Cyprus to France with all his Memorials and Writings of that subiect, and being comne to Poitiers, caused one Nicolo di Falcon a Frenchman to write in French, which the other dictated in Armenian, which was done Anno 1307. A Copie of this Storie written aboue two hundred yeares since [ 60] came to Ram••sioes hand (whereto I here, that I say not you, are beholden) whence hee tooke that which concerned the Tartars, omitting the rest, or remitting rather his Reader to M. Polo. Betwixt which two some difference may seeme, but so little, that Wisemen need no aduertisement thereof.

One thing is remarkable, that the Author and the next, who in many Geographicall Notes agrees with him, diuide Asia into two parts, one called profound or deepe, the other the greater, and diuided in the

midst by the Caspian Sea,* 1.2 and Caucasus, which our Armenian cals Cocas, which Alexander passed not, nor was euer well knowne to the Ancients, who called all beyond that Hill Scythia, as wee now call the most of it by a generall name Tartaria. Strabo * 1.3 hath made like diuision of Asia into the inner and vtter, Taurus being the Vmpire; which Hill (with diuers Appellations) beginning at Pamphylia runnes Eastwards thorow the midst of Asia to the Indies, that part to the North beeing called Asia within (Taurus) and that to the South Asia without. Some ancient Geographers as Dionysius mentions, extended Europe to the Caspian Sea, which most of the Ancients thought to concurre with the Ocean, as the Mediterranean, Arabian, and Persian doe. Dionysius his Verses are worth obseruation,

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 * 1.4 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. [ 10]

They called it Taurus, as there followes of the Bull-forme, &c.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,

Hereof we are the more curious, to giue to the more curious a reason of our method in this Worke, who in our former Tome haue first encompassed the shoares of Asia from the West to the East: and then in the In-land parts haue in the eight and ninth Bookes principally (as Voyages gaue leaue) viewed Asia without Taurus, and to the South of the Caspian: but this Profound or Inner, more vnknowne part, we suruay here, where we handle the Voyages and Discoueries of those parts of the World, which the Ancients [ 20] knew very little or not at all. And indeed, how little was Mangi, Cataio, or Tartaria knowne, till the Tartars obtruded vpon the World, a terrible knowledge of themselues, in manner as Rubruquius and the former Friers, with these Gentlemen, Polo and Haiton describe? Yea, how were they by ignorance of following times buried againe, till Portugall, English, and other moderne Voyages haue reuiued them, as it were in a resurrection? and that often in new names, as if they had suffered that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, so often here rehearsed, and so much credited in many Religions of those Easterne Asians, whence it comes that they are hardly knowne to be the same. The Reader must pardon me (or go to the Author himselfe) if I haue here omitted some pieces of Haiton, which you haue had in Polo and others before, specially not so pertinent to our present Tartarian subiect. The figures note the Chapters, after the Latine, from which Ramusios Diuision is much diuided, and we therefore from both. [ 30]

Notes

• * 1.1

  See Tom. 1. l. 8. c. 4. §. 3.
• * 1.2

  Haiton and Mandeuils a∣gree in many things.

  The reason of our method in thus ordering our Pilgrimes.
• * 1.3

  Strab. l. 11. ad eum Nat. Ca∣saub.
• * 1.4

  Dionys. Alex. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉▪ vid. & Eustach. com.