Purchas his pilgrimes. part 2 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.

§. I.

A Relation of the Kings of Ormuz, and of the foundation of the Citie of Ormuz, taken out of a Chronicle which a King of the same Kingdome composed, called Pachaturunxa, [ 20] written in Arabicke.

KIng Mahomet raigning in Aman, which is within Arabia felix: in the beginning * 1.1 of his re••gne, desiring to amplifie his Kingdome and fame, assembled all the great men of his Kingdome, and said vnto them, how the Countries of the coast of Per∣sia had beene his predecessours, and by negligence of some of them they were lost, disinhabited, and vnprofitable: that hee determined with the principall of his Kingdome that would follow him to goe thither in person, and with some of the common sort for to build some Cities and Townes in that Countrie, and that it might be cul∣tiuated, seeing it was a good Countrie. And so would his Kingdome and his fame be augmen∣ted, [ 30] and that he would leaue for the gouernment of Arabia his Sonne, which was a man able to rule well. All condescending that his determination seemed them well, he commanded present∣ly to prepare much people, many of the principals following him; and departing from Aman, * 1.2 they came to Calciate, which is neere the Sea in the same Arabia. Hee thought good, and his also to build in that port a Citie, because it was a place disposed for them of the Countrie to traffique with the Ships that should passe that way: for the which his Sonne remained there with much people, putting in effect the determination of his Father and of his Counsell; and the Citie in time did so prosper, that at this day in the ruines it showeth to haue beene a very great and no∣ble Citie. After that King Mahomet had ordained the matters of Arabia and of Calciate, he embarked with the people he had for his company diuided in many ships, which hee caused [ 40] to be made ready, and passed to the side of the coast of Persia, and arriued at the Cape of Iasques, * 1.3 that is where Ormuz doth now stand, thirty leagues without the straight. And seeing that Coun∣try, and the disposition of it not conuenient to settle himselfe, iournying along the coast, hee arriued at a Countrie which then was called Harmuz, which is neere to that which now is cal∣led * 1.4 Magostan, and Braami, which now at this day they call Costeca, it stands right against that which now is called Harmuz, in the coast of Persia. And the King with his contenting themselues with the Countrie, determined to settle themselues in it and to inhabit, and so they tooke in hand presently to build houses, and to husband the ground.

And because this King was very liberall, and fauoured much the poore people of the Country, and the husbandmen, and receiued strangers louingly, hee was well beloued generally of all that * 1.5 [ 50] had notice of him. And the fame of his vertues speading abroad, and his noblenesse through all the place round about, many people came vnto him to dwell vnder his defence and gouernment. This was the cause whereby this new Citie was much enobled. The fame of his vertues and goodnesse was spread abroad among all the Kings of that straight, as well of Persia as of other parts of Ar••bia, all of them sent to visit him with great presents, shewing the great contentment they had with his good neighbourhood. When this King saw himselfe prosper, and fauoured of all about him, and with many people, to purchase more the loue of all men, he commanded money to be coined, for there was none in the Countrey, which increased greatly the loue of all men to∣ward him, and iointly the prosperity of his Country. For this benefit which hee did to all that Countrie in the inuenting mony for them, they called him generally Deranqun, which is to say, [ 60] seale of money. After the Citie of Ormuz built in the coast of Persia, and prosperous with many people and riches, the King commanded his great men to goe through the Countries of Mago∣stan, and euery one should take that which best liked him, for to cultiuate, inhabite, and build in it

diuers Townes. They did so, and euery one tooke the countrie that liked him best, and inhabited and husbanded it, and euery one gaue his owne name to the Countrie he tooke, of whom those Countries are nominated to this day. And because the Kings that succeeded Mahomet were migh∣ty and good in their gouernment, they held the Countrie in their successions, increasing alwaies in people and noblenesse. And their children that descended of them were such continually, that the Fathers in their life time gaue them the gouernment of the Kingdome, and they rested in their old age.

It was the custome among these Kings, because the memory of their forefathers might not pe∣rish, when they came to the tenth generation, they began their denominations anew, the tenne [ 10] * 1.6 following tooke the names of the ten before. In sort that the first of the number of the ten was to take the name of the founder; and so in order till the number of ten were ended. This order continued some yeeres, the reigne going by a direct line. Afterward this order and custome pe∣rished, because that one for couetousnesse of reigning did kill the other, and many were made blinde by others that would haue the gouernment of the Kingdome. But there is one great and notable thing in this Kingdome, that although there were many that reigned tyrannously, mur∣thering the lawfull Kings, yet vnto this day there neuer reigned any that was not of the bloud Royall. Onely Hormuz, being in the side of Persia, one that then reigned being dead, and hauing none of the bloud royall in the Countrie, the Goazill (which is the Gouernour of the Kingdome) * 1.7 did make himselfe King. At this time a Sonne in law of the King deceased which was his Ne∣phew, was with a great Armie of men of warre, by commandement of his Vncle, against the I∣land and Citie of Cays. Newes were brought him how his Vncle was dead, and how the Goazil [ 20] * 1.8 had made himselfe King; wherefore hee raised presently the siege from against Cays, and came with all the men he had to Ormuz: and assoone as he came he was receiued of all with great con∣tentments and feasts, for they were very sorry to haue for their King a man that was not of the bloud royall, wherefore with great feasts they tooke the Kings Nephew for their King. Which commanded presently to behead the Goazill which had made himselfe King, and all his associates and allies.

After that the direct line was broken in the succession of the Kingdome, there was no such good gouernment in the Kingdome, neither did the things thereof prosper, but went rather to decay and diminution, whereby there was not already so much resistance against their aduersaries, the [ 30] warres of the neighbour Kings increasing, the King of Chreman chanced to come, which is with∣in * 1.9 the land of Persia, with a great armie, and very puissant against Hormuz, for to destroy it. The King Cabadim which reigned at that time in Hormuz, not daring to abide the encounter and power of the King of Chreman, embarked himselfe with all the people hee could, and the Countrey forsaken, withdrew himselfe to the Iland that is called Quexome, which is neere the * 1.10 Iland of Ormuz. And being in it a few daies, and thinking he was not safe in it, being somewhat too bigge, and in it he could not well defend himselfe, he passed then with his people to the I∣land which now is called Hormuz, because it was closer, holding that in it he might defend him∣selfe from whatsoeuer enemies. This Iland was before desert, and had no more but a few poore * 1.11 Fishermen, and they called it Iarum, which is to say a Wood. For as the Iland is almost all of Salt, and the grounds almost all sal••ish, because some Riuers that run through it, which come [ 40] from a Mountaine that is in the middest of it, are of the salt water, and by the sides of the wa∣ter lieth the Salt white as Snow, and hee that is to passe the Riuer must step ouer the Salt. And the stones of the hill in some places are salt, which the shippes doe carrie for balast vnto India. Notwithstanding about the Iland there grow some very thin Woods and Trees like Apple trees of Anafega, which beare a Fruite that the Portugals doe call small Apples, like the Apples of Anafega, which doe not eate well, for they are sustained and liue by the raine water. So * 1.12 that because the Iland is barren, and beareth nothing but that which I said: because it is so salt, they call it Iarum. Also because it was not inhabited, it was in times past smaller and closer then now it is, as euen to this day the Inhabitants doe shew the places where the Sea did reach. The [ 50] King Cabad〈…〉〈…〉 landing now in this Iland, and determining to settle him selfe in it, began to build houses for himselfe and his to inhabit. They remedied themselues with that which they went to seeke in the Countries round about. And also because the King of Creman returned to his owne Countrey, they went from thence to maintaine the places which before they did possesse, cultiua∣ting them. And because the Citie built in the Iland of Iarum prospered, they made it the head of their Kingdome. Those which succeeded them named it Hormuz, which remaineth to this day, * 1.13 which was the name of the principall Citie which they had on the firme land, that the King of Geman destroyed and arruinated.

It is to be noted that this straight of Harmuz, some Ieagues within from Ormuz, is an Iland cal∣led * 1.14 Cays; in the which was built in times past a very rich and noble Citie, whereof at this day [ 60] there is a remembrance among them of the Country, and now the Iland is desert, in the which ap∣peare the memory of the old buildings that were in it. This Iland and Citie was very rich, po∣pulous, and very prosperous, because of the great resort of Ships that resorted from all parts of India, with great riches and great store of goods, and for the great concourse of people that from

Persia and Arabia come to it to seeke such goods as came thither from India, bringing also very rich merchandise, in change of the which or for mony which they made of them they bought those that from India came thither. In sort that all the riches which now Hormuz hath, & all the * 1.15 traffick then the Iland of Cays had, that which now is called Hormuz, being as I haue said vnhabited.

The King of Hormuz seeing the euils that had befallen to him by meanes of the Goazil of Cays (which had prouoked the King of Xiras against him) he went against him with a great Armie, and besieging him some daies, and not being able to subdue him, he returned to Hormuz, because winter came on: and the next yeere he went against it, and tooke and sacked it, and left in it a Goazill made with his owne hand, with great store of people. The Goazill ouercome had meanes to escape, and he fled in a Terrada to the Iland of Baren: and made him strong againe in Baren, with the fauour of the Goazill of Baren, and returned againe against Cays, and craftily comming [ 10] to a parley with the Goazil which the King of Hormuz had lefe there for safegard of the Citie, he tooke him and pulled out both his eyes, and possest him againe of the Citie.

But Pacaturunxa succeeding in the Kingdome of Hormuz (which was the Author of this Chro∣nicle, * 1.16 and reigned about 300. yeeres agoe, little more or lesse) brought it vnder his subiection, and from thence forward it remained subiect to the Kingdome of Hormuz. And presently this Pa∣chaturunxa subdued the Iland of Baren, in punishment for the fauour that hee gaue to the Goazil of Cays: and so the Kings of Hormuz were prosperous, so that they subdued all the Ilands that were in all the straight and all the Countrie along the coast of Arabia vnto Lassa and Catiffa, and others also on the side of Persia, whereby it was made a very great Kingdome and a rich and very prosperous: chiefly that all the traffick of Cays was passed to the Iland, which now is called Hor∣muz: [ 20] whereby Cays was vtterly lost, as well in her buildings as in her riches, and now it is alto∣gether * 1.17 destroyed and vnhabited, hauing beene the principall Iland in all those parts. And Hormuz being a barren and vnhabited Iland, and a Mountaine of Salt, is among the richest Countries of the India one of the richest, for the many and great merchandize that come to it from all places of India, and from all Arabia, and from all Persia, euen of the Mogores, and from Russia and Europe I saw Merchants in it, and from Venice. And so the Inhabiters of Hormuz doe say, that all the world is a ring, and Hormuz is the stone of it. Whereby it is commonly said, that the Custome-house of Hormuz is a channell of Siluer which alwaies runneth. The last yeere that I was in Hor∣muz, hauing continued there three yeeres, the Officers affirmed to mee that the Custome-house did yeeld 150000. Pardaos to the King of Portugall, besides that which is presumed the Moores [ 30] and the Goazill did steale, which are Officers of the Custome-house. And although this Iland yeeldeth no fruit, neither hath water nor victualls, yet it hath great abundance of flesh, bread, rice, and great store of fish, and many and good fruits, whereof it is prouided from many places, especially from Persia, &c.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Aman.
• * 1.2

  Calciat••▪
• * 1.3

  Iasques.
• * 1.4

  Harmnz▪ Magostan: Braami. Costeca.
• * 1.5

  First Ormuz built in Costec••▪
• * 1.6

  Custome of succession. Genealogies.
• * 1.7

  The Goazill.
• * 1.8

  Cays.
• * 1.9

  Crema•• or Cherman.
• * 1.10

  L. Quexome, or Kishme.
• * 1.11

  I. Ormus before called Iarum, described.
• * 1.12

  A place and fruit so called.
• * 1.13

  Why Iarum was called Or∣muz.
• * 1.14

  C••ys.
• * 1.15

  The Author here relateth the wars be∣twixt the King of Xiras, in behalfe of Cays against Ormuz; which I haue omitted. Iland Baren.
• * 1.16

  Pachaturunxa King & author.
• * 1.17

  Obseruations of the Domini∣can Translator Riches of Or∣mus. The World a ring, and Or∣mus the ge〈…〉〈…〉. Custome house a siluer chanel.