of crawling snakes, their garments down to the héeles, close girt with a snakie girdle, serpents in the one hand and firebrands in the other, their eyes, face, and téeth portending malice and vengeance. these are the mini∣sters of death, they dwell in darke dennes thereabout, their office is to bring such passengers as trauell that way to a most vnspeakeable horryd denne, out of which procéedes so noysome an exhalation, that birds as they flie ouer the same are poysoned with the very breath and ayze thereof. This is that place which in the old world was called Auernus, round about which, and at the en∣trance of which Caue, Virgill 6. Aenead. placeth a rable∣ment, as woe, vengeance, wrath, sickenes, old age, feare, famine, penury, death, labour, sléepe, warre, discord and such like: in the midst of this Caue, is seated an Imperi∣all Throane, whereon sittes the blacke Prince with a crowne on his head, a Scepter in his hand, and his great dogge Cerberus betwéene his féete, fawning on those that to leaue this way, if thou be wise, take héede of the first insinuating flatterers, leaue their pretended friendship and kéepe on thy way.
In this Country nothing is worthy of praise or com∣mendation, for in all this solitary trauelling, you shall finde no comfort, but the skriching of Owles, croking of Ratiens, and such vncoth and balefull Ecchoes, the best part of your foode will be hearbe Rue, a bitter hearbe to féede on: but after when you haue better looked into your liues and carriages, you wil cal it herb-grace, your drinke is altogether of the water of that Countrey, cal∣led throughout Aqua discontentanea.
After two or thrée daies thus trauelling, you shall come into a faire plaine, called Knaues-borough plaine, wherein Don Purloyningo kéepes his Court; you shall at the first be made very welcome, yet so that they will narrowly spie into your carriage and behauiour: And