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.

CHAP. VII. [ 10] The Voyage of NICOLO di CONTI a Venetian, to the Indies, Mangi, Cambalu and Quinsai, with some Obseruations of those places.

* 1.1NIcolo di Conti a Venetian, hauing trauelled quite thorow India, after fiue and twentie yeeres returned home; and because to saue his life he had made denyall of his Faith, hee went to the Pope (then Eugenius the Fourth, An. 1444.) being at Florence to obtayne absolution; who enioyned him in way of penance, truly to make Narration of his Voy∣age, and whole Peregrination to his Secretarie Poggius, who writ it in the Latine tongue. [ 20] Ramusio sought for it in Venice and other Cities of Italie in vaine, and at last heard that it was translated into Portugall by the care of King Emanuel, An. 1500. a Copy whereof he pro∣cured from Lisbon, but so corrupt, that he doubted to publish it, which yet for want of better he did; and we out of him these Obseruations.

Nicolo di Conti a Venetian being a young man, then at Damasco, and hauing learned the A∣rabike Language, went with his merchandise in a Carauan of six hundred Merchants, with whom he trauelled into Arabia Petraea, and thence into Chaldaea, till he came to Eufrates. In the Desarts of Arabia,* 1.2 once about midnight they heard a great noyse, which they thought were the wilde Arabs comming to rob them, but saw a great multitude passe by neere their Tents with∣out hurting them, which some of the Merchants said were Deuils which hanted these Desarts. [ 30]

* 1.3From Baldac is eight dayes iourney to Balsera, and thence foure dayes to the Persian Gulfe, where the Sea ebbeth and floweth. After fiue dayes sayling therein, he came to Calcum, and af∣ter to Ormuz;* 1.4 thence to Calatia a Port of Persia of great traffick, where he remayned to learne the Persian tongue. Afterwards clothed in the habit of the Countrey (which hee vsed to doe in all his iourney) he went with certaine Moores and Persians, hauing sworne to be faithfull to each other, and sayled to Cambaia, and after to Pacamuria and Dely, where store of Ginger growes. Thence they went farre into Sea,* 1.5 and came to Bisinagar sixtie miles about, at the foot of a high Mountayne; in which are one hundred thousand men fit for armes; they marry as many wiues as they will, which are burned with them when they die. The King is the mightiest King in India, and hath twelue thousand Women, foure thousand of which attend him on foot whither [ 40] soeuer he goeth, and are busied in the seruice of his Kitchin; foure thousand others ride on Hor∣ses, or are carried in Litters; two thousand are to burne with him, which is holden a great ho∣nor.* 1.6 Pelagonga is subiect to him, eight dayes iourney thence and ten miles in circuit: from whence in twentie dayes by Land hee came to Pudifetania (leauing in the way Odeschiria, and Cenderghisia, where red Sanders grow) and thence went to Malepur where Saint Thomas is bu∣ried in a great and faire Church.* 1.7 The Inhabitants are Nestorians, which are Christians dispersed thorow all India, as Iewes amongst vs. And all this Prouince is called Malabar.

At the end of that Country is Zeilam a famous Iland, two thousand miles about, where are Rubies, Saphires, Cats-eye stones; and store of good Cinamon; the Tree like a Willow but thicker, the boughs growing more in breadth then height, the leaues like those of the Bay Tree, [ 50] but greater: the Barke of the boughs is best, that of the Trunke is not good: the fruit like Bay∣berries of which they make good Oile to anoint them. There is a Lake in which is a Citie of three miles circuit, gouerned by Bramines, which spend their liues in the studies of Philosophie, and are much giuen to Astrologie.

After that is a great Iland called Sumatra, which the Ancients called Taprobana, where hee stayed a yeere. There growes the best Pepper, the Tree like to Iay. In a part of the Iland, cal∣led Batech, they eate mans flesh. Thence he sayled to Ternassari: and thence to the mouth of Ganges▪ and vp the streame (which is very great) to Cernouem, and to Maarazia; whence cros∣sing ouer Land he came to Racha,* 1.8 and thence in seuenteene dayes to Aua fifteene miles about, where they are much giuen to spend the Time in drinking and fellowship both Men and Wo∣men. [ 60] There are certaine old women which get their liuing by selling Bels of gold, siluer, brasse, of the bignesse of Nuts,* 1.9 which they put in mens yards betwixt the skin and flesh, when they are of age to vse Women, and in short time cure the place; and the men much please themselues to heare the sound of them as they goe. Here the Copy is defectiue.

Mangi is full of Elephants of which the King nourisheth ten thousand: they serue him in the warre, and carrie Castles in which stand eight, ten, or twelue men with Lances,* 1.10 Bowes and Slings. They take them with a tame female Elephant, vsed to feed in a place encompassed with a wall with two gates to goe in and out; into which in the coupling season the male enters at one gate, and shee flees out at the other, many men attending with deuices to take him, both gates being shut; and with fasting, and accustoming other tame Elephants to him, tame him in few dayes.

The men of this Countrey haue but one wife, and all both men and women paint or embroi∣der their skinnes with Iron pennes, putting indelible tinctures thereunto. They worship Idols, [ 10] yet when they rise in the morning, they turne to the East, and with hands ioyned, say, God in Trinitie keepe vs in his Law. This Countrey produceth Serpents as grosse as a man, sixe cubits long, without feet, which they eate for great dainties; as they doe also certaine red Ants. There is a beast headed like a Swine, tayled like an Oxe, with a horne in the forehead like an Vnicorne a cubit long, of the colour and stature of an Elephant; with whom hee continually fighteth. The horne is much esteemed against poyson. In the furthest parts of this Countrey towards Cataio, are white and blacke Kine, some haired and tayled like Horses, some with haires like feathers of which they make Fannes.

Beyond Mangi is the greatest Prouince in the World, called Cataio,* 1.11 the Lord whereof is cal∣led the great Can which signifieth Emperour: and the chiefe Citie is called Cambalu, which is [ 20] foure square and hath eight and twenty miles in circuit. In the midst thereof is a Fortresse, and in it a Palace for the King; and at euery of those foure corners is a Castle, each foure miles about, in which are Armouries of diuers sorts, and Engines for battery. From the Palace is a way on the wall to all those Castles, that if the people rebell he might betake himselfe thither.* 1.12 Beyond this Citie fifteene dayes iourney is Quinsai another great Citie, which within this little while hath beene new made by this King. It hath thirty miles compasse, and is more peopled then the former. In these two Cities it was told him that the Houses and Palaces are after the manner of Italie, and the men richer and wiser then in other places.

After he was gone from Aua, alongst the Riuer to the Sea in seuenteene dayes he arriued at Zaiton, a great Port, where he tooke Sea, and in ten dayes came to a great and populous Citie,* 1.13 [ 30] called Pauconia, which is of twelue miles compasse where he stayed foure moneths. There are a few Vines, which runne vpon Trees, and they make no Wine of them. There grow Abre∣cockes, white Sanders, and Camphire, &c.

I am loth to returne into India with this Author, whose defects and corruptions haue made him so little seruiceable, together with the changed names of places since his time.* 1.14 It is remarkable that hee sayth that the Indian Mariners sayled by the Starres Antartike, and not by the compasse; vsing certaine measures and rules in that Starre-obseruation. Hee also relateth the huge greatnesse and treble shea∣thing of their Ships. But of India, whereof all his Relations are, wee haue already giuen you better, that is more punctuall, methodicall, and credible Authors. Yet before we leaue him, let vs obserue what Aeneas Syluius, or Pope Pius Secundus hath, cited out of him. Hee sayth, that hee sayled the Indian [ 40] Sea a moneth beyond Ganges, and then came to the Riuer Ratha, which being sayled in sixe dayes,* 1.15 hee found a Citie called by the same name. And thence after seuenteene dayes passing desart Hills he came into champaine Countries; which hauing passed in a fortnight with great labour, hee found a Riuer greater then Ganges, called Daua: and hauing sayled therein a moneth, came to a famous Citie fif∣teene miles in circuit, named Dua, where the women are exceedingly libidinous, the men contented with one wife, The Prouince is called Macin, full of Elephants,* 1.16 ten thousand of which the King keepes for his warres, and is himselfe carried on a white Elephant, wearing a golden Chayne distinguished with gemmes, and hanging to his feet. The men and women rase themselues, &c. (as before) but of the Kine, he sayth, that the same Kine haue tayles long and hairy to the feet, the haires subtile like Feathers, of much esteeme, and vsed on the tops of Lances as Ensignes. These things hath this Nicholas (sayth Sil∣uius) [ 50] of Macin, noting without doubt, the Region Serica. For our age placeth the Easterne Scythians in Cathay. That * 1.17 of Dua greater then Ganges, and that of ten thousand Elephants nourished by a King not knowne by fame, are hard to be beleeued: but longinquitie cannot easily be confuted.

TO THE READER.

REader, I here present thee a piece of a Historie, so much as abuts on Tartaria, and China. Alhacen, a learned Mahumetan was the Authour; whether an exact Historian, euery where literally to be vnderstood; or whether in some part he be parabolicall, and presents a Tamerlane like Xenophons [ 60] Cyrus, (in some things rather what he should haue beene, and what the Authour could say, then what he was) I vndertake not to determine. The Abbat of Mortimer takes it for a iust Storie, and so doth Master Knolls in his Turkish Historie. If it be an Historie partly parabolicall, yet doth the decorum exact of the Authour a verisimilitude euery where of actions and places (sufficient to procure our par∣don, if not thankes) the veritie of a great part being euident in other Stories. It is true that some things

seeme false for want of truth in our intelligence, rather then in themselues. And so hath it fared with all (the subiect of this Booke) Tartarian and Chinesian affaires: of which we had as little knowledge as of Tame••lan, f••rther then terrors of Tartarian Armes and some mens speciall occasions and tra∣uels haue giuen vs light. Euen the Sunne riseth in those parts whiles it is not day-breake with vs, and hath attayned almost his Noon-point before we see him: and worthy wee are still to abide in a blacke night of ignorance, if we welcome not what light we can get (if we cannot get what wee would) from so remote an East. Once; Tartarian affaires (as it happens in Conquests) were changeable, and their New Moone was quickly at the full; diuers chances and changes succeeding after Poles dayes to these; such wealth whetting the Tartars to get and hold, and no lesse the Chinois to recouer, the China State be∣ing vnquiet so long as the Tartar greatnesse continued, and freed (for the most part) with their dimini∣shing, and diuision into diuers Estates. As for these times of Tamerlan (if this Story be exact) it is like [ 10] the Can held the North parts of China from Quinsay forward, with Cataio; and the King of China the rest; then Nanquin being the Seat Royall, as since the expulsion of the Tartars Paquin. Or per∣haps the Quinsay heere mentioned, is that which Conti hath in the former Page told vs, was lately built by the Can: and not that which Polo speakes of; in Catay and not in China: which cleareth this doubt of the Cans residence and rule in China. To reconcile all doubts is for mee too hard a taske, because Cataio and China are euen still bemysted, and leaue their Surueyers perplexed, bounding the search of the most curious in searching their iust bounds, how farre they are the same or differing; where∣in our Iesuites will more amuse and amaze vs (where wee will cleare our selues as well as we can) when wee come to them. I haue premised Conti, though Tamerlane be a little Elder for his Religions sake, [ 20] and to recreate with a little Relation, before this longer Storie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  This is taken out of Ramu∣sios discourse of this voyage.
• * 1.2

  Desart-deuills.
• * 1.3

  Baldac.
• * 1.4

  Ormus. Calatia.
• * 1.5

  Bisnagar.
• * 1.6

  Pelagonga.
• * 1.7

  Nestorians di∣spersed thorow India. Malabar. Cinamon.
• * 1.8

  Aua.
• * 1.9

  This Bell or Ball fashion is there still in v••e.
• * 1.10

  Either this sto∣ry is not true, or this Mangi is not China but Polos Mi••n, or some other place.
• * 1.11

  Cataio.
• * 1.12

  Note.
• * 1.13

  Zaiton. Pauconia, per∣haps Paquin.
• * 1.14

  No compasse; which yet in the next age was there in vse.
• * 1.15

  Aen. Syl. de 2. Asiae parte c. 10.
• * 1.16

  Macinum: here∣by appeares his Macin is about Siam or Pegu, &c.
• * 1.17

  And yet how many things more incredi∣ble are now found true?