The history and description of Africa

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<^.

^^M.^«K0.<rcfi(^3)

l&arfaarti College i-tbrarg

FROM THB FUND OF

OIIAH-LES MINOT

(OUus •( 1S»S).

, Received ( l-f ^A/o>l. /^ "J (= ■

WORKS ISSUED BY

XLhc Ibaftlui^t Societis.

THE

HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA

OF

LEO AFRICANUS.

VOL. III.

No. XCIV.

THE HISTORY

AND

DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA

AND

OF THE NOTABLE THINGS THEREIN CONTAINED,

WRITTEN BY

AL-HASSAN IBN-MOHAMMED AL-WEZAZ AL-FASI,

A MOOR, BAPTISED AS GIOVANNI LEONE, BUT BETTER KNOWN AS

LEO AFRICANUS.

DONE INTO ENGLISH IN THE YEAR 1600,

BV

JOHN PORY,
%Xkt note IBltite^, toitt an inttoltuctton an^ ^otes,

BY

Dr. ROBERT BROWN.

IN THREE VOLUMES.— VOL. IIL

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY,

4, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, W.C.

M.rcccxcvi.

^' yD/y) ,' .-^ yc^/z^ <:^

Lo^^x>N:

PRINTRO AT THE BEDFORD PRESS, 20 AND ai, BKDFORDBURY, W.C.

COUNCIL

THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.

Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., F.R.S., Pres. R.G.S., President.

The Right Hon. The Lord Stanley of Alderley, Vice-President.

Sir a. Wollaston Franks, K.C.B., F.R.S., Vice-President.

O- Raymond Beazley, Esq., M.A.

Miller Christy, Esq.

Colonel G. Earl Church.

The Right Hon. George N. Curzon, M.P.

Albert Gray, Esq.

The Right Hon. Lord Hawkesbury.

Edward He a wood, Esq., M.A.

Admiral Sir Anthony H. Hoskins, K.C.B.

Rear-Admiral Albert H. Markham.

A. P. Maudslay, Esq.

E. Delmar Morgan, Esq.

Captain N.athan, R.E.

Admiral Sir E. Ommanney, C.B., F.R.S.

Cuthbert E. Peek, Esq.

E. G. Ravenstein, Esq.

Coutts Trotter, Esq.

Rear- Admiral W. J. L. Wharton, C.B., R.N.

William Foster, Esq., Honorary Seen fary.

CONTENTS.

VOLUiME III.

PACE

The Fifth Book . . . . .699

Notes to Book V . . . -745

The Sixth Book 773

Notes to Book VI . . .803

The Seventh Book . . . . .819

Notes to Book VII . . .838

The Eighth Book . 855

Notes to Book VIII . . 906

The Ninth Book ..... 927

PoRY's Relation of the Great Princes of Africa . 973

His Discourse of the Religions professed there . looi

And of the Fortresses and Colonies maintained there
BY THE Spaniards and Portuguese . 1064

Index of Places ..... 1073

Index of Persons, etc. . .1106

lOHN LEO HIS

FIFTH BOOKE OF

the Historic of Africa, and
of the fnemorable things
contained therein.

A description of the kingdomes of Bugia and Tunis,

^Hen as in the former part of this my
historie I diuided Barbaria into
certaine parts, I determined to write
of Bugia as of a kingdome by it
selfe: and I found indeed that not
many yeeres ago it was a kingdome.
For Bugia was subiect to the king of
Tunis, and albeit for certaine yeeres the king of Telensin
was Lord thereof, yet was it at length recouered againe by
the king of Tunis, who committed the gouemment of the
city vnto one of his sons, both for the tranquillitieof Bugia,
and also that no discord might happen among his sonnes
after his decease. He left behinde him three sonnes, the
eldest whereof was called Habdulhaziz, and vnto him he
bequeathed the kingdome of Bugia, as is aforesaide : vnto
the second, whose name was Hutmen^ he left the kingdome
of Tunis : and the third called Hanimare^ he made
gouemour of the region of dates. This Hammare began
foorthwith to wage warre against his brother Hutmen, by
whom being at length taken in the towne of Asfacos, &

Y V 2

7CX) THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

depriued of both his eies, he was carried captiue vnto
Tunis, where he liued many yeeres blinde : but his brother
Hiitmen gouerned the kingdome of Tunis full fortie yeeres.
The prince of Bugia being most louing and dutifull to his
brother, raigned for many yeeres with great tranquilities
till at length he was by king Ferdinand of SpRiney and by
the meanes of one Pedro de Nauarra^ cast out of his
kingdome.*

A description of the great citie of Bugia,

THis auncient citie of Bugia built (as some thinke) by
the Romans, vpon the side of an high mountaine,
neere vnto the Mediterran sea, is enuironed with walles of
great height, and most stately in regard of their antiquitie.
The part thereof now peopled containeth aboue eight
thousand families : but if it were all replenished with
buildings, it were capeable of more then fower and twentie
thousand housholds, for it is of a great length. The houses,
temples, and colleges of this citie are most sumptuously
built. Professors of liberall sciences heere are great store,
whereof some teach matters pertaining to the lawe, and
others professe naturall Philosophie. Neither Monasteries,
Innes, nor Hospitals erected after their manner are heere
wanting : and their market place is very large and faire :
their streetes either descend or ascend, which is verie
troublesome to them that haue any busines in the towne. In
that part of the citie next vnto the toppe of the mountaine
standeth a strong castle, most sumptuously and beautifully
walled : and there are such notable letters and pictures
most artificially carued vpon the plaister-worke and timber,
that they are thought to haue cost much more then the
building of the wall it selfe.'^ The citizens were exceeding
rich, and vsed with their warlike gallies continually to
molest the coasts of Spaine ; which was the occasion of
the vtter ouerthrowe of their citie. For Pedro de Nauarra

mSTORIE OF AFRICA. 70I

was sent against them with a fleete of fowerteene sailes

onely. The citizens being addicted whollie to pleasure ThecUieof

Bugia taken by

and ease, and being terrified with the rumour of warre, Pedro de

- . - .11. Nauarra.

Dicause they were neuer exercised therein, were no sooner
aduertised oi Pedro de Nauarra his approch, but al of them
togither with their king betooke themselues to flight, and .
left their citie abounding with all kinde of riches and
wealth, to bee spoiled by the Spaniards, so that it was
easily taken, in the yeere of Mahomet his Hegeira nine
hundred and seuenteene.^ Soone after Pedro de Nauarra
hauing sacked the citie, built a strong forte vpon the sea
shore, and repaired an other which had lien a long time
waste, furnishing them both with soldiers and munition.
And sixe yeeres dSt^r, Barbarossa the Turke being desirous
to winne this citie from the Christians, and hauing leuied
onely a thousand soldiers, tooke the old forte, bicause he
was fauoured by the inhabitants of all the mountaines
adiacent : wherein hauing placed a garrison, he attempted
to winne the other fort also : but at his first encounter he
lost an hundred of his principall Turkes, & fower hundred
of the mountainers that came to aide him ; insomuch that
Barbarossa was enforced to flie vnto the castle of Gegel, as
is aforesaid.

Of the Castle of GegeL

THis ancient castle built by the Africans, vpon an high
rocke by the Mediterran sea, is distant about three-
score miles from Bugia. Families it containeth to the
number of fiue hundred ; and the buildings thereof are
very base. The inhabitants are of a trustie and ingenuous
disposition, and do most of them exercise husbandrie :
howbeit their fieldes are but barren, and apt onely for
barly, flaxe, and hempe. They haue great store of figs
and nuts, which they vse to carrie in certaine barkes vnto
Tunis. They haue in despight of the kings of Bugia

702 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

and Tunis continued alwaies free from tribute : for that
impregnable mountaine can be surprised by no siege nor
encounter of the enimie. At length they yeelded them-
selues vnto Barbarossa, who demaunded none other tribute
of them, but onely the tenths of certaine fruits and come.'*

Of the towne of Mesila,

MEsila founded by the Romans not far from the
Numidian desert, and being distant from Bugia
almost an hundred miles, hath stately wals about it, but
base houses within. The inhabitants being partly artificers
and partly husbandmen, goe very homely apparelled, and
are most greeuously oppressed with the continuall exactions
of the Arabians, and with the daily molestations of the
king of Bugia. My selfe vpon a time trauelling this way,
could not finde so much fodder as was sufficient for twelue
horses onely.^

Of the towne of Stefe,

THis towne also built by the Romans, sixtie miles
southward of Bugia, vpon a certaine beautifull
plaine, is enuironed with strong and stately walles. It was
in times past' exceedingly well stored with inhabitants :
but since the Mahumetans were Lords thereof, it hath so
decaied by the iniuries of the Arabians, who razed to the
ground a great part of the wall, that within the whole
circuit of this great and ancient towne, there are but an
hundred houses at this present remaining.^

Of the towne of Necaus.

THis towne built by the Romans neere vnto Numidia,
and being distant from the Mediterran sea an
hundred and eightie, and from the towne last mentioned
eightie miles, is compassed with a strong and ancient wall.
By this towne runneth a certaine riuer, on both sides

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 703

whereof grow the best wal-nuts and figs that are to be
found in the whole kingdome of Tunis, being vsually
carried to Constantina to be solde, which citie is thence
distant an hundred and eightie miles. The fields of this
towne are exceeding fruitfull, and the inhabitants are very
rich, liberall, and curious in their apparell. Here is an
hospitall maintained at the common charges of the towne,
to entertaine strangers that passe by. Here is a college
also, the students whereof are allowed their diet and
apparell. Neither is this towne destitute of a most stately
and well-furnished temple. Their women are white, hauing
blacke haires and a most delicate skinne, because they
frequent the bath-stoues so often. Most of their houses
are but of one storie high, yet are they very decent, and
haue each one a garden thereto belonging, replenished with
damaske-roses, myrtles, cammomill, and other herbes and
flowers, and being watred with most pleasant fountaines.
In these gardens likewise there are most stately arbours
and bowres, the coolc shadow whereof in summer-time is
most acceptable. And (to be briefe) all things here are so
delightful! to the senses, and so alluring, that any man
would be loth to depart from henceJ

Of the towne of Chollo.

THe great towne of Chollo founded by the Romans,
vpon the Mediterran sea, at the foot of a certaine
high mountaine, is enuironed with no walles at all : for the
walles were razed to the ground by the Goths : neither did
the Mahumetans, when they had got possession, build them
vp againe. Howbeit this towne is notably well gouerned,
and well stored with inhabitants, which are all men of a
liberall and tractable disposition. They haue continually
great traffique with the merchants of Genoa, and doe
gather abundance of waxe and hides. Their fieldes vpon
the mountaine are exceeding fruitfull, and they haue

704 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

alwaies so defended themselues against the princes of
Tunis and Constantina, that vntill this present they remaine
free from tribute. From the iniurie of Constantina they
are easily defended, both in regarde of the difficult moun-
taines lying in the mid-way, and also in respect of the
great distance ; for Constantina standeth almost an hundred
and twentie miles off. Neither is there any citie through-
out the whole kingdome of Tunis, either for wealth, or
strong situation, any way comparable vnto this.^

Of the towne of Sucaicada.

THis ancient citie built by the Romans also vpon the
Mediterran sea, and standing about thirtie fiue
miles from Constantina, was wasted and almost vtterly
destroied by the Goths : howbeit by reason of the hauen
being so famous and so frequented by the merchants of
Genoa, the prince of Constantina caused certaine faire
houses to be built thereabouts, for the said merchants of
Genoa, to repose themselues and their goodes therein : and
vpon a mountaine not farre off he built a strong castle, for
the securitie and defence of the said merchants from all
enemies whatsoeuer. From the said hauen to Constantina
the high way is paued with certaine black stones, such as
are to be seene in some places of Italie, being there called
Le strode Rotnane^ which is a manifest argument, that
Sucaicada was built by the Romans.®

Of the citie of Constantina,

NO man can denie the Romans to haue beene founders
of this citie, that shall consider the great strength,
height, and antiquitie of the walles, and how curiously they
are beset and adorned with blacke stones.^^ This citie
standeth vpon the south side of an exceeding high moun-
taine, and is enuironed with steepe rocks, vnder which
rocks and within the compasse whereof runneth the riuej*

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 705

called Susegmare,^^ so that the said deepe riuer with the
rocks on either side, serueth in stead of a towne-ditch to
Constantina. The north part is compassed with a wall of
great thicknes : and there are two extreme narrow passages
onely, to enter into the citie, one on the east part, and
another on the west. The citie-gates are very large and
stately. The citie it selfe containeth aboue eight thousand
families. Buildings it hath very sumptuous, as namely, the
chiefe temple, two colleges, three or fower monasteries, and
other such like. Here euery trade and occupation hath a
seuerall place assigned : and the inhabitants are right
honest and valiant people. Here is likewise a great
companie of merchants, whereof some sell cloth and wooll,
others send oile and silke into Numidia, and the residue
exchange linnen-cloth and other wares for slaues and dates.
Neither are dates so cheape in any region of all Barbarie
besides. The kings of Tunis vsually commit the gouern-
ment of Constantina vnto their eldest sonnes : and so he
that is now king of Tunis bestowed Constantina vpon his The hard sue-

, , . i-i 1 . .1 cesseofthe

eldest Sonne in like sort: who waging warre against iht king of Tunis
Arabians was slaine in the first battel. Then fel the sonnes.
gouemment of Constantina vnto his second sonne, whose
intemperate life was the cause of his sudden and vntimely
death. After him succeeded the third and yoongest sonne,
who in regarde of his insolent and shamelesse behauiour,
was so hated of all the citizens, that some had determined
to kill him : whereof his father hauing intelligence, sent
for him, and kept him for certaine yeeres prisoner at Tunis.
Afterward he committed the gouernment of Constantina
to a certaine Renegado that of a Christian became a
Mahumetan : this Renegado he trusted as his owne brother,
for he had made former triall of him : who for many yeeres
gouemed the place with great tranquillitie.^^ Vpon the
north part of the citie standeth a certaine strong castle
built at the same time when the citie it selfe was built ;

706 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

which castle was more strongly fortified then before, by-
one Elcated Nabil the kings lieutenant : and this castle
greatly bridled both the citizens, and all the bordering
Arabians, whose great captaine it held as prisoner, and
released him not, till he had left his three sonnes for
hostages. At length the said Elcated grew so hautie, that
he coined money, to the great contempt of his king and
soueraigne, whom notwithstanding he endeuoured by many
giftes and presents to appease. But when men perceiued
Elcated to degenerate from his first forme of gouernment,
they that before loued him, and had him in high regarde,
were presently of another minde, and vtterly forsooke him.
So that laying siege vnto a certaine citie of Numidia called
Pescara, he perceiued some treason to be attempted
against him : and thereupon returning foorthwith to
Constantina, he found the citie-gates shut against him :
from whence he presently tooke his iourney to the king of
Tunis, and was by him cast into prison, and not restored to
libcrtie, till he had paid an hundred thousand duckats.
Afterward by the kings aide he was restored to his former
gouernment : but when he began to tyrannize ouer some of
the chiefe citizens, he againe prouoked the whole citie vnto
armes, who besieged foorthwith the castle whereunto he
fled, which was such a corrasiue vnto Elcated his minde,
that within few daies he died for sorrow.^^ And so the
people after they were reconciled to their king, would from
thencefoorth neuer admit any forren gouemour : wherefore
the king of Tunis was (as is aforesaid) againe constrained
to send his owne sonnes thither. The fields belonging to
this citie are exceeding fertil. And on either side the
riuer which runneth through the plaines, there are most
commodious gardens, if they were well husbanded. Also
without the citie stand many faire and ancient buildings.
About a mile and a halfe from the citie standeth a certaine
triumphall arch, like vnto the triumphall arches at Rome,

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 707

which the grosse common people thinke to haue beene a
castle where innumerable diuels remained, which (they say)
were expelled by the Mahometans, when they came first to
inhabite Constantina." From the citie to the riuer they
descend by certaine staires hewen out of the rocke : and
neere vnto the riuer standeth a little house so artificially
cut out of the maine rocke, that the roofe, pillers, and
walles are all of one continued substance, and here the
women of Constantina wash their linnen. Neere vnto the
citie likewise there is a certaine bath of hot water dispersing Hot baths,
it selfe among the rocks : in this bath are great store of
snailes, which the fond women of the citie call Diuels : and
when any one falleth into a feuer or any other disease, they
suppose the snailes to be the authors thereof ^^ And \i}[i(^ a fond and

senselts super-

onely remedie that they can apply vpon such an occasion stition.
is this : first they kill a white hen, putting her into a platter
with her feathers on, and then verie solemnly with waxe
candles they carry her to the bathe, and there leaue her :
and many good fellowes there are, which so soonc as the
silly women haue set downe their hens at the bath, wil
come secretly thither, and conuey away the hens to their
owne kitchins. Somewhat farther from the citie eastward
there is a fountaine of extreme cold water, and neere vnto
it standeth a certaine building of marble adorned with
sundric Hieroglyphicall pictures or emblemes, such as I
haue seene at Rome, and at many other places of Europe.
But the common people imagine that it was in times past
a Gramar-schoole, & because both the masters and schollcrs
thereof were most vitious, they were transformed (say they)
into marble.^* The inhabitants twise euerie yeere send
great store of wares into Numidia : and because as they
trauell, they are in danger of the Arabian theeues, they
hire certaine Turkish Harquebusiers for great wages to
guard them. The merchants of Constantina trauelling to
Tunis pay no tribute at all, but onely at their departure

708 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

foorth of Constantina for the worth of euerie lOO. ducates
in merchandise, they allow two ducates and a halfe.

T

Of the towne of Mela.

His towne built by the Romans within twelue miles of
Constantina, and enuironed with most strong walles,
containeth almost three thousand families: but at this
present there are but few buildings by reason of the warres
that haue happened. Here are great store of artizans : the
most whereof are such weauers as make couerlets. In the
market place there is a most cleere fountaine. The citizens
are valiant, though they bee of rude behauiour. Here is
abundance, not onely of fruits (whereupon some thinke
the name of the towne to be deriued) but also of cattle knd
corne. Vnto this towne the gouernour of Constantina
sendeth euery yeere a certaine ludge, to decide the
townesmens controuersies, and to receiue the yeerely
tribute: howbeit oftentimes the said ludge is slaine by
the people.^^

Of the ancient towne of Bona.

THis towne built by the Romans vpon the Mcditerran
sea, almost 120. miles more to the west was in
auncient times called Hippo, where the reuerend father
s. Augustine Saint Augustine was once Bishop. It was in processe of
Hshop of time subdued by the Gothes, and was afterward surprised
' and burnt to ashes by Hutmen the third patriarke after

Mahumet And many yeeres after they built a new
towne within two miles of the stones that were brought
from the ruines of Bona : which new towne they called
Beld Elhuneb, that is, the citie of the fruit called Ziziphus
or luiuba, by reason of the great abundance of that fruit :
the which they vse to dry in the sunne, and to keepe till
winter.^® It containeth almost three hundred families, and

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 7O9

all the houses and buildings thereof are verie base, saue

one onely temple which standeth next the sea. The

inhabitants are all of an ingenuous disposition, some of

them being merchants, and the residue artizans. Here is

great store of linnen-cloath wouen, the greatest part

whereof is carried to Numidia. The inhabitants of this

towne hauing vpon a time slaine their gouernours, were

so bold as to threaten the king of Tunis : and they had

without all doubt betrayed the towne vnto the Christians,

had not the king of Tunis taken speciall heed thereunto.^®

In this towne are certaine lewd people and most beggerly

apparelled, which notwithstanding are highly reuerenced

by the citizens. Here are no fountaines, nor yet any water

at all, but rainewater onely which is kept in cesterns.^ On

the east side of the towne standeth a strong castle built

by the king of Tunis, where the gouernour of the towne

appointed by the king hath his aboad. Vnto this towne

adioyneth a most large plaine, containing in length fortie,

and in bredth fiue and twentie miles : verie commodious

for corne, and is inhabited by certaine Arabians called

Merdez : these Arabians haue great store of cattell and

but little money ; and they bring good store of butter

dayly vnto Bona. Vnto this towne the people of Tunis, of

the isle of Gerbi, and of Genoa vse yeerely to resort, and

to buy great abundance of come and butter. Euery friday

they haue neere vnto the towne wals a market, which is

well frequented euen till night. Not farre from hence

there is a certaine place in the sea, abounding with great

store of corall : and because the townesmen know not how Great store of

to fish for the same, the king of Tunis licenced certaine

merchants of Genoa to fish for it : who in regard of the

continuall assaults of pirates, because they could not speed

of their purpose, they obtained leaue also of the king to

build a castle neere vnto the place : but that the townesmen

would in no case permit, saying that the Genoueses in times

710 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

past tooke their towne by such a wile, and that it was
afterward recouered againe by the king of Tunis.^^

Of the towne of Tefas,

THE towne of Tefas founded by the Africans vpon the
side of a mountaine, and standing almost an hundred
and fiftie miles southward of Bona, was in times past verie
populous, and full of braue buildings, but it hath beene
since destroyed by the Arabians. Afterward being re-
planted with new inhabitants, and remaining free from war
for certaine moneths, it was the second time destroyed by
the Arabians. Last of all (because it was a place com-
modious for corne) it was inhabited the third time by
certaine Africans, called Haoara, and that by the ayde of a
certaine prince brother vnto him, which had slaine Enasir
the king of Tunis his sonne : but now all that remained of
this towne was vtterly razed by the king of Tunis.^^

Of the citie of Tebessa,

THis great and strong citie built by the Romans neere
vnto Numidia, and being distant two hundred miles
southward from the Mediterran sea, is compassed with an
high wall made of such stones as are to be seene vpon the
Colosso at Rome : neither saw I, to my remembrance, any
such wals in all Africa or Europe : and yet the houses
and other buildings are verie base. Through part of this
citie runneth a great riuer : and in the market, and diuers
other places stand certaine marble pillers, hauing Epigrams
and sentences with Latin letters engrauen vpon them :
there are also other square pillers of marble couered with
roofs. The plaines adiacent albeit verie drie, yet are they
most fruitfull for corne. Fiue miles from hence grow such
abundance of wall-nut-trees, as you would take them to be
some thicke forrest Neere vnto this towne standeth a
certaine hill full of mighty caues, wherein the common

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 7II

people say, that giants inhabited of olde : but it is most
euident, that those caues were digged by the Romans at
the same time when they built the citie : for certaine it is
that the stones whereof the citie-walles consist, were taken
out of those rockes. The inhabitants are people of a
couetous, inhumane, and beastly disposition ; neither will
they vouchsafe to looke vpon a stranger: insomuch that
Eldabag a famous Poet of the citie of Malaga, in Granada,
hauing in his trauell this way receiued some discourtesie, .
wrote in disgrace of Tebessa certaine satyricall verses,
which my selfe likewise haue thought good here to set
downe in the dispraise thereof

Within this place here^s nought of any worthy
Saue worthies nuts^ which Tebessa affourds.

Softy I mistake^ the marble walks are worth
Your earnest vieWy so are t/ie Chris tall-fourds :

But hence are banisht vertues all diuinCy

The place is helly t/ie people woorse than swine.

This Eldabag was a most learned and elegant Poet in the
Arabian toong, and out of measure satyricall, and bitter in
his inuectiues. But to returne to our former purpose, these
Tebessians haue alwaies rebelled against the king of Tunis,
and haue slaine all the gouernours that he hath sent.
Wherefore the king that now is, trauelling vpon a time
towards Numidia, sent certaine ambassadours into the city,
to know how the citizens stood affected towards him : vnto
whom they (instead of God saue the King) made answere :
God saue our Citie-walles, Whereat the king waxing
wroth, sacked the citie forthwith, beheaded and hanged
diuers of the inhabitants, and made such hauock, that euer
since it hath remained desolate. This was done in the
yeere of the Hegeira 915.^

712 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the towne called Vrbs.

BY the name of this towne it sufficiently appeareth that
the Romans were the first founders thereof. Situate
it is vpon the most beautifull plaine of al Africa, which by
reason of the abundance of fountaines is so wel stored with
corne, that from thence to Tunis (which standeth 190.
miles northward of this place) and to other regions adioyn-
ing, great plentie of corne is transported. In this towne
are to bee scene sundrie monuments of the Romans, as
namely images of marble, and euerie where vpon the walles
are sentences in Latin letters engrauen : the towne-walles
are most artificially and sumptuously built. This towne
the Gothes, being assisted by the Moores, surprised, when
as it contained the chiefe treasure and wealth that the
Romanes enioyed in all Africa. Afterward it remained
for certaine yeeres desolate, being at length notwithstand-
ing inhabited a new, yet so, that it deserueth rather the
name of a village then of a towne. Not far from this
towne runneth a certaine riuer, vpon the which are diuers
water- milles ; and this riuer taketh his beginning from a
little hill but halfe a mile distant from the towne. All the
inhabitants are either weauers or husbandmen, and are
continually molested by the king of Tunis. Howbeit if the
fertilitie of the soyle, the pleasantness of the place, and the
holesome disposition of the aire, were as well knowne to
the king, as they are to my selfe, I thinke verily that he
would leaue Tunis, and goe and dwell in this region. The
Arabians are well acquainted with the place, for from hence
they yeerely transport great store of corne vnto their
deserts. 2*

Of the towne of Beggia.

THis towne built by the Romans vpon a mountaine
almost twentie miles distant from the Mediterran
sea, and about eightie miles westward of Tunis, standeth

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 713

right in the way from Tunis to Constantina. But because
the name of this towne is no Arabian name, it seemeth,
that the first name hath been oftentimes corrupted and
changed. The ancient walles of this towne are as yet
standing, and it is a most defensible place, and well
furnished with all kinde of necessaries. It is inhabited
with great store of weauers and husbandmen, and the fields
thereof are so large and fruitfull for all kindes of graine,
that the people of the same region could not sufficiently
manure them, vnlesse they were assisted by certaine
bordering Arabians : and yet a great part Of their fields
lieth vntilled : howbeit they send continually great store of
corne vnto Tunis. The king of Tunis surchargeth them
with continuall and greeuous exactions, which is the cause
why their estate so mightily decaieth.^

Of the towne called Haiti Sammit.

THis towne was in my time founded by the king of
Tunis, being distant almost thirtie miles from Beggia.
It was built (they say) of purpose, that none of the fields
thereabout might lie vntilled. But it hath since beene
destroied by the Arabians, at the commandement of the
king of Tunis: and now there remaineth a tower and
certaine other buildings onely, whereof some haue roofes
vpon them and others none.**

Of the towne of Casba,

THis towne built by the Romans vpon a large plaine of
twelue miles compasse, is fower and twentie miles
distant from Tunis. The towne-wall remaineth strong as
yet ; but the towne it selfe is destroied by the Arabians,
and the fields lie vntilled, and all by the negligence of the
king of Tunis, and of the inhabitants of the same region.^

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714 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

T

Of the castle of Chores.

His castle founded not many yeeres past by the
Africans vpon the riuer of Magrida, and being about
ten miles distant from Tunis, is enuironed with most
fruitfull fields. Neere vnto this towne groweth a certaine
wood greatly abounding with oliues. At length it was
destroied by certaine Arabians called Beni Heli^ which
make perpetuall warre against the king of Tunis, and Hue
onely vpon theft and robberie.^

T'

Oj the towne of Biserta.

^He ancient towne of Biserta otherwise called Bensart,
founded by the Africans vpon the Mediterran sea,
thirtie fiue miles from Tunis, is but of a small bignes, and
is inhabited with most miserable people. Neere vnto this
towne entreth a certaine creeke or arme of the sea, which
at the first being very narrow increaseth by little and little
into a maruellous bredth. On either side thereof dwell
great store of fishers and husbandmen : and westward of
the said creeke lieth a most large and fruitfull plaine called
Mater, which is greeuously molested by the king of Tunis,
and by the Arabians. In this creeke are taken abundance
of fishes : and after the moneth of October they catch a
The fish called Certaine fish called by the Africans Giarrafa, which I take
Laccia.^ ^ to be the same that is at Rome called Laccia : for then by
reason of the abundance of raine that falleth, the saltwater
of the baye becommeth somewhat fresh, wherewith those
fishes (they say) are much delighted. Very deepe it is,
and afibordeth good fishing till the end of May : but then
the fishes begin to decrease, and to be much drier in taste
then before, like vnto the fishes taken in the riuer of Fez.^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 71$

Of the great citie of Carthage.

THis famous and ancient citie was built at the first by
a certaine people that came out of Syria. But others
say that it was founded by a queene. The African
chronicler Ibnu Rachich is of opinion, that it was built by a
certaine people that came from Barca, being expelled thence
by the king of Egypt : wherefore I cannot in this place
affirme any certaintie as touching the founders thereof:
for besides that the African historiogjraphers disagree about
this matter, there is none that hath left any writing thereof
ancienter then the decay of the Roman empire : when as
all the Romans that were found in Africa were expelled
by the Goths. But afterward Tripolis of Barbaria and
Capis being taken by the Mahumetans, the inhabitants of
them both went vnto Carthage, whither the principall
Romans and Goths had retired themselues, who endeuoured
by all meanes to withstand the Mahumetans : and after
many skirmishes the Romans fled to Bona, and the Goths
left Carthage for a pray vnto the Mahumetans ; so that it
remained desolate many yeeres after, till a certaine
Mahumetan patriarke called Elmahdi brought in new
colonies : howbeit he could scarce furnish the twentieth
part with inhabitants. There are to be scene at this day
certaine ruines of the citie-walles, till you come to a deepe
and large cesterne. And there remaineth as yet also a
certaine conduct which conueieth water to the citie from a
mountaine thirtie miles distant, being like vnto the conduct
of the great palace at Rome. Neere vnto Carthage like-
wise are certaine great and ancient buildings, the description
whereof is out of my remembrance.^ On the west and
south part of this citie are diuers gardens replenished with
all kinde of fruites, which are carried from thence to Tunis
in great abundance. The plaines adioining to this citie are
exceeding fruitfuU, though not very large: for vpon the

ZZ 2

7l6 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

north part thereof lietb a mountaine, the sea, and the gulfe
of Tunis*^ : on the east and south parts it ioyneth to the
1526. plaines of Bensart. But ♦now this citie is fallen into

extreme decay & miserie : merchants shops there are not
aboue twenty or five and twenty at the most : and all the
houses of the towne being scarce fiue hundred, are most
base and beggerly. In my time here was a stately temple
and a faire college also, but no students were therein.^
The townesmen, though very miserable, yet are they
exceeding proud withall, and seeme to pretend a great
shew of religion. And the greater part of them are either
gardiners or husbandmen, and are greeuously oppressed
with the kings daily exactions.

'J^

A description of the mightie citie of Tunis,

His citie is called by the Latines Tune-
tunty and by the Arabians Tunus,
which name they thinke to be corrupt,
because it signifieth nought in their
language : but in olde time it was
called Tarsis, after the name of a citie
in Asia.^ At the first it was a small
towne built by the Africans vpon a certaine lake, about
twelue miles from the Mediterran sea. And vpon the
decay of Carthage Tunis began to increase both in
buildings and inhabitants. For the inhabitants of Carthage
were loth to remaine any longer in their owne towne,
fearing least some armie would haue beene sent out of
Europe : wherefore they repaired vnto Tunis, and greatly
enlarged the buildings thereof. Afterward came thither
one Hucba Vtmen the fourth Mahumetan patriarke, who
perswaded the citizens, that no armie or garrison ought to
Th£ building remaine in any sea-townes : wherefore he built another
or atraoan, ^.^.^ called Cairaoan, being distant from the Mediterran sea
thirtie, and from Tunis almost an hundred miles ; vnto

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 717

which citie the armie marched from Tunis, and in the

roome thereof other people were sent to inhabite.** About

an hundred and fiftie yeeres after, Cairaon being sacked

by the Arabians, the prince thereof was expelled, and

became gouemor of the kingdome of Bugia : howbeit he

left certaine kinsmen of his at Tunis, who gouemed that

citie. And ten yeeres after, Bugia was taken by Joseph the

Sonne of Tesfin^ who seeing the humanitie of the foresaid

prince, would not expel him out of his kingdome : but so

long as it remained to the said prince and his posteritie,

loseph caused it to be free from all molestation. Afterward

Abdul Mumen king of Maroco hauing recouered Mahdia

from the Christians, marched towards Tunis, and got

possession thereof also.^ And so Tunis remained peaceably Tunis suHea

vnder the dominion of the kings of Maroco, so long as the Mumen and

kingdome was gouerned by the said Abduly and his sonne Maroco,

loseph^ and their successors lacob and Mansor. But after

the decease of Mansor^ his sonne Mahumet Ennasir made

war against the king of Spaine, by whom being vanquished,

he fled to Maroco, and there within few yeeres ended his

life. After him succeeded his brother losephy who was

slaine by certaine soldiers of the king of Telensin.^ And

so vpon the death of Mahumet, and of his brother loseph,

the Arabians began to inhabite the territorie of Tunis, and

to make often sieges and assaults against the citie it selfe :

whereupon the gouernour of Tunis adueftised the king

of Maroco, that vnlesse present aide were sent, he must

be constrained to yeeld Tunis vnto the Arabians. The

king therefore sent a certaine valiant captaine, called

Habduluahidif" and borne in Siuill a citie of *Granada, "" Or perhaps

Andaluzia.

with a fleete of twentie sailes vnto Tunis, which he found
halfe destroied by the Arabians : but so great was his
eloquence and wisdome, that he restored all things to their
former estate, and receiued the yeerely tribute. After
fjabduluahidi succeeded his sonne Abu Zachheria^ who

71 8 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

in learning and dexteritie of wit, excelled his father. This
A6u built a castle vpon a certaine high place of the west
part of Tunis, which he adorned with faire buildings and
with a most beautifull temple. Afterward taking his
loumey vnto the kingdome of Tripolis, and returning
home by the southerne regions, he gathered tribute in
all those places : so that after his decease he left great
treasure vnto his sonne. And after A6u succeeded his
sonne,^ who grew so insolent, that he would not be subiect
to the king of Maroco, because he perceiued his kingdome
to decay : at the same time also had the Marin-familie
gotten possession of the kingdome of Fez, and so was the
familie of Bent Zeyen possessed of the kingdomes of
Telensin and Granada. And so while all those regions
were at mutuall dissension, the dominions of Tunis b^an
mightily to increase. Insomuch that the king of Tunis
marched vnto Telensin, and demanded tribute of the
inhabitants. Wherefore the king of Fez, who as then laid
siege against Maroco, craued by his ambassadours the
king of Tunis his friendship, and with great giftes obtained
the same. Then the king of Tunis returning home con-
querour from Telensin, was receiued with great triumph,
and was saluted king of all Africa, because indeed there
was no prince of Africa at the same time comparable vnto
him. Wherefore he began to ordaine a roiall court, and
to choose Secretaries, counsellers, captaines, and other
officers appertaining to a king ; after the very same man-
ner that was vsed in the court of Maroco. And from the
time of this king euen till our times, the kingdome of
Tunis hath so prospered, that now it is accounted the
richest kingdome in all Africa. The said kings sonne
raigning after his fathers death, enlarged the suburbes of
Tunis with most stately buildings. Without the gate
called Bed Suvaica*^he built a streete containing to the
number of three hundred families ; and he built another

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 719

streete at the gate called Bed el Manera*^ consisting
of more than a thousand families. In both of these
streetes dwell great store of artificers, & in the street last
mentioned all the Christians of Tuni^, which are of the
kings garde, haue their aboad. Likewise there is a third
streete built at the gate next vnto the sea, called Beb el
Bahar,** and being but halfe a mile distant from the gulfe
of Tunis. Hither doe the Genoueses, Venetians, and all
other Christian merchants resort, and here they repose
themselues out of the tumult and concourse of the Moores :
and this street is of so great bignes, that it containeth
three hundred families of Christians and Moores, but the
houses are verie low, and of small receit. The families of
the citie, togither with them of the suburbs, amount almost
to the number of ten thousand. This stately and popu-
lous citie hath a peculiar place assigned for each trade
and occupation. Heere dwell great store of linnen-
weauers, and the linnen that they weaue is exceeding
fine, & sold at a great price ouer al Africa.** The women a strange

*-i. 1.11... i- *. kind of spin-

ox this towne vse a strange kinde of spinning : for standing ning.

vpon an high place or on the vpper part of the house

they let downe their spindles at a window, or through

a hole of the plancher into a lower roume, so that the

weight of the spindle makes the thread verie equall and

euen. And here the linnen-drapers haue many shops, and

are accounted the wealthiest citizens in all Tunis: here

are also great store of grocers, apothecaries, taylors, and

of all other trades and occupations : butchers here are

verie many which sell mutton for the most part, especially

in the spring, and in summer: also here are abundance

of all kinde of artificers, euerie of which to describe would

prooue tedious: the apparell of their merchants, priests,

and doctors is verie decent Vpon their heads they weare

a Dulipan, which is couered with a great linnen-cloth : the

courtiers likewise find the souldiers weare all of them

720 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

Dulipans, but not couered with linnen. Rich men here
are but few, by reason of the scarcitie of all kinde of
graine: for a man cannot till a piece of ground, be it
neuer so neere the citie, in regard of the manifold in-
uasions of the Arabians. Corne is brought vnto them
from other regions and cities, as namely from Vrbs, from
Beggia, and from Bona. Some of the citizens of Tunis
haue certaine fields in the suburbs walled round about,
where they sowe some quantitie of barley and of other
come : howbeit the soyle is maruellous dry, and standeth
in need of much watring: for which purpose euery man
hath a pit, whereout with a certaine wheele turned about
by a mule or a camel, and through certaine conueyances
and passages made for the nonce, they water all the vpper
part of their ground : now consider (I pray you) what
great crop of corne can be reaped out of so little a field,
walled round about and watred by such cunning and
Industrie. Bread they make verie .excellent, albeit they
leaue the bran still among the flower, & they bake their
loaues in certaine mortars, such as the Egyptians vse
to beat flaxe in. The merchants and most part of the
citizens vse for food a kinde of homely pulse or pappe
called by them Besis, being made of barley meale in forme
of a dumpling, whereupon they powre oyle or the broth of
Pome- citrons. And there is a certaine place in the citie
where nothing but barley prepared in a readines to make
the said pulse, is to be sold. They vse also another kinde
of foode almost as homely as the former : for seething
a quantitie of meale thoroughly in water, and after braying
it in another vessell with a pestill, they powre oyle or
flesh-pottage thereunto, and so eat it : and this meate
they call Bezin : but the richer sort feed themselues with
more daintie meats.** All their milles (except such as
stand vpon a riuer not far from the citie) are turned
about either by the strength pf mules^ or asses. Iq

inSTORIE OF AFRICA. 721

this citie they haue no fountaines, riuers, nor welles
of fresh water: but they all vse raine-water taken out
of cestems, sauing that there is a fountaine in the
suburbs, from whence certaine porters bring salt water
into the citie to sell, which they thinke to be more
holesome and fit for drinke then raine-water. Other wels
there are that affoorde most excellent water, which is
reserued onely for the king & his courtiers. In this citie
there is one most stately temple, furnished with sufficient
number of priests, and with rich reuenues. Other temples
there be also, but not endowed with so ample reuenues :
here are colledges likewise and monasteries built after
their maner, al of which are maintained vpon the common
beneuolence of the citie. There are certaine people in this
citie whom a man would take to be distraught, which goe
bare-headed and bare-footed, carrying stones about with
them, and these are reuerenced by the common people, for
men of singular holinea Moreouer on the behalfe of one
of these mad fellowes, called Sidi el-Daki; and for the
residue of his fond societie, the king of Tunis built one of
the foresaid monasteries, and endowed the same with most
ample reuenues. All the houses of this citie are indifferently
beautifull, being built of excellent stones, and adorned with
much painting and earning. They have verie artificiall
pargettings or plaister- works, which they beautifie with
orient colours : for wood to carue vpon is verie scarce at
Tunis. The floores of their chambers are paued with
certaine shining and faire stones : and most of their houses
are but of one storie high : and almost euerie house hath
two gates or entrances ; one towards the street, and
another towards the kitchin and other back-roumes :
between which gates they haue a faire court, where they
may walke and conferre with their friends. The bath-
stoues here are far more commodious than those at Fez,
though not so large and sumptuous. In the suburbs are

722 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

many pleasant gardens which yeeld fruit, albeit not in
great abundance, yet verie excellent : pome-citrons, roses,
and other flowers here are great store, especially in that
place which they call Bardo, where the king hath built a
palace amidst those beautiful! and sweete gardens. On
all sides of the citie within fower or fiue miles, there growe
such plentie of oliues, that the oyle thereof sufficeth not
onely the citie, but is carried also in great quantitie into
Egypt. The wood of the oliue-trees which they cut downe
they vse to burne and to make char-coales thereof : neither
do I thinke any place to be more destitute of wood then
this. Pouertie constraineth some of their women to lead
an vnchast life : they are decently apparelled, and going
foorth of the house, they weare vailes or maskes before
their faces, like vnto the women of Fez : for with one
linnen-cloath they couer their foreheads, and ioine thereto
another which they call Setfari: but about their heads
they lap such fardels of linnen, as they seeme comparable
to the heads of Giants. Most part of their substance and
labour they bestow vpon perfumes and other such vanities.
They haue here a compound called Lhasis, whereof
whosoeuer eateth but one ounce falleth a laughing, dis-
porting, and dallying, as if he were halfe drunken ; and is
by the said confection maruellously prouoked unto lust.^

Of the king of Tunis his court y and of the rites and
ceremonies there vsed,

SO soone as the king of Tunis hath by inheritance
attained to his kingdome, all his nobles, doctors,
priestes, and iudges, binde themselues by solemne oth vnto
him. Immediately after any kings death, his sonne and
heire apparent succeedeth in the kingdome : then the
chiefe officer of the court (called the Munafid, because hq
is the kings vice-roy or high deputie) presenteth himselfe
foorthwitb vnto the new king, and giueth vp an account of

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 723

all things which he did while the olde king liued : and then
at the kings appointment euerie of the nobles receiue
offices from the Munafid according to their seuerall places
of dignitie. Another principall officer there is, called the
Mesuare, that is, the great commander and gouernour of
the warlike forces : who hath authoritie to increase or
diminish the number of soldiers, to giue them their pay, to
leuie armies, and to conduct the same whither he thinketh
good* The third officer in dignitie is the Castellan, who
with his soldiers taketh charge of the castle, and looketh
to the sauegarde of the kings owne person : and he allotteth
punishments vnto such prisoners as are brought into the
said castle, as if he were the king himselfe. The fourth
officer is the gouernor of the citie, whose dutie is to
administer iustice in the common wealth, and to punish
malefactors. The fift officer is the kings secretarie, who
hath authoritie to write, and to giue answere in the kings
name : he may open and read any letters whatsoeuer,
except such as are sent vnto the Castellan and gouernour
of the citie. The sixt is the kings chief chamberlaine, who
is to furnish the walles with hangings, to appoint vnto
euery man his place, and by a messenger to assemble the
kings counsellours, and this man hath great familiaritie
with the king, and hath accesse to speak with him, as often
as he pleaseth. The seuenth in dignitie is the kings
treasurer, who receiueth all customes, tributes, and yeerly
reuenues, and paieth them, with the kings consent, vnto the
Munafid. The eight officer is he that receiueth tribute for
merchandize that are brought by land, who taketh custome
also of forren merchants, which are constrained for the
value of euery hundred duckats to pay two duckats and a
halfe : this customer hath many spies and officers, who
hauing intelligence of any merchants arriuall, they bring
him foorthwith before their master, in whose absence they
keepe him so long in their custodie, till their said master

724 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

be present, and till the merchant hath deliuered all such
custome as is due, and being bound with many othes, he is
dismissed. The ninth officer receiueth tribute only of such
wares as are brought by sea, and dwelleth in a house by
the hauens side. The tenth is the steward of the kings
houshold, whois to prouide bread, meate,and other necessarie
victuals, and to apparell all the kings wiues, eunuches, and
the Negro-slaues that attend vpon him. He also taketh
charge of the kings sonnes and of their nurses, and
allotteth busines vnto the Christian captiues. These are
the chiefe officers vnder the king of Tunis : the residue
(least I should seeme tedious to the reader) I haue of
purpose omitted to intreate of. The king of Tunis hath
fifteene hundred most choise soldiers, the greatest part of
whom are Renegadoes or backsliders from the Christian
faith : and these haue liberall. pay allowed them. They
haue a captaine ouer them also, who may increase or
diminish their number as he pleaseth. Also there are an
hundred and fiftie soldiers being Moores, who haue
authoritie to remoue the tents of the kings armie from
place to place. There are likewise a certain number of
crossebowes, which attend vpon the king whithersoeuer he
rideth : but next of all to the kings person is his garde of
Christians, which (as we signified before) dwell in the
suburbs. Before the king marcheth a garde of footemen,
being all of them Turkish archers, and gunners. Imme-
diately before the king goe his lackies or footemen.
One there is that rideth on the one side of the king,
carrying his partizan, another on the other side beareth
his target, and the third comming behind him carrieth his
crossebowe. Others there are also that attend vpon the
king, whom (for breuities sake) we omit here to speak of.
These are the principall rites and ceremonies of the ancient
kings of Tunis, being much different from them which are
vsed by the king that now is, I could here make a large

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 72$

discourse of the kings vices that now raigneth (at whose
hands I confesse my selfe to haue receiued great benefits)
but that is not my purpose at this present : this one
thing I can aflfirme, that he is maruellous cunning to
procure money out of his subiects purses. But he himselfe
liueth sometimes in his palace, and sometimes in gardens,
in the companie of his concubines, musicians, stage-plaiers,
and such like. When he calleth for any musician, he is
brought in blindfold or hoodwinked in manner of a hawke.
The golden coine*^ of Tunis containeth fower and twenty
charats apeece, that is to say, a duckat and one third part
of the coine of Europe : there is a kind of siluer-money
coined also, being fower square in forme, which waieth sixe
charats apeece: and thirtie or two and thirtie of these
peeces are equall in value to one peece of their gold coine,
and they are called Nasari : the Italians call the gold-
coine of Tunis Doble.*® And thus much concerning the ^^^
king of Tunis, and the customes of his court

Of the towne of Neapolis.

THis ancient towne built by the Romans vpon the
Mediterran sea almost twelue miles eastward of
Tunis is inhabited by certaine Moores called Nabell. It
was in times past very populous, but now there dwell but
a few pesants therein, which exercise themselues onely
about sowing and reaping of flaxe.*^

Of the towne of Camtnar.

THis towne is very ancient also and neere vnto
Carthage, standing eight miles northward of Tunis.
The inhabitants being many in number are all of them
gardiners, and vse to bring their herbes and fruits to Tunis
to be solde. Here also growe great store of sugar-canes, Sugar-Cana.
which are brought likewise vnto Tunis : but because they

726 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

haue not the arte of getting out the sugar, they vse onely
after meales to sucke the sweete luice out of the said
canes.^

Of the towne of Marsa.

THis ancient towne standing vpon the Mediterran sea
neere the same place where the hauen of Carthage
was of olde, remained certaine yeeres desolate, but now it
is inhabited by certaine fishers and husbandmen : and here
they vse to white linnen-cloth. Not far from hence are
certaine castles and palaces, where the king of Tunis
ordinarily remaineth in summer-time.^^

Of the towne of Ariana.

MOreouer this ancient towne was built by the Goths
almost eight miles northward of Tunis. It is
enuironed with most pleasant and fruitfull gardens, and it
hath a strong wall, and containeth many husbandmen.
Certaine other little townes there are not far distant from
Carthage, some inhabited, and the residue desolate, the
names whereof I haue quite forgotten.^^

Of the towne of Hammamet,

THis towne built by the Mahumetans of late yeeres,
and enuironed with a wall of great strength, is
distant from Tunis almost fiftie miles. The inhabitants
are miserable people, and oppressed with continuall
exactions, being the greatest part of them either fishers or
colliers.^

Of the town of Heraclia,

THis little and ancient towne was founded by the
Romans vpon a certaine mountaine, and was after-
ward destroied by the Arabians.^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 727

Of the towne of Susa.

THis exceeding great and ancient towne was built by
the Romans vpon the Mediterran sea, being distant
from Tunis about an hundred miles. The plaines
adioyning abound with oliues and figs : their fieldes are
most fruitfull for barlie, if they could be tilled, but the
Arabians often incursions are the cause why they lie
waste. The inhabitants being most liberall and courteous
people, and great friends unto strangers, make voiages
most of them vnto the easterne regions and vnto Turkie ;
and some also frequent the next townes of Sicilia and
Italie. The residue of the inhabitants are either weauers,
or graziers of cattell, or such as turne wooden vessels,
wherewith they furnish the whole kingdome of Tunis.
When the Mahumetans first woon that prouince, this
towne was the seate of the vice-roy, whose palace is as
yet remaining. A most stately towne it is, enuironed with
strong walles, and situate vpon a most beautifuU plaine.
It was in times past well stored with inhabitants, and with
faire buildings whereof some, together with a goodly
temple, are as yet extant. But now it containeth very
few people, and but fiue shops in all, by reason of the
kings continuall exactions. I my selfe was constrained to
stay in this towne for fower daies, in regarde of the danger
of the time.^^

Of the towne of Monaster,

THe ancient towne of Monaster built by the Romans
vpon the Mediterran sea, and distant almost twelue
miles from Susa, is enuironed with most impregnable and
stately walles, and containeth very faire buildings : but the
inhabitants are most miserable and beggerly people, and
weare shooes made of sea-rushes : most of them are either
weauers or fishers : their fare is barlie bread, and a kinde

728 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE.

of foode mingled with oile, which we called before Bezzin,
which is vsed in all the townes thereabout : the soile will
yeeld no other corne but barlie. The territorie adiacent
aboundeth with oranges, peares, figs, pomegranates, and
oliues, sauing that it is continually wasted by the inuasion
of the enemie.^

Of tfie tawne of Tobulba.

THis towne built also by the Romaines vpon the
Mediterran sea, standeth about twelue miles east-
ward of Monaster. For certaine yeeres it was very popu-
lous, and greatly abounded with oliues : but afterwarde it
was so wasted by the Arabians, that now there are but few
houses remaining, which are inhabited by certaine religious
men : these religious men maintaine a faire hospitall for
strangers trauelling that way, where they courteously
entertaine euen the Arabians themselues.*^

Of the towne of El MahdiUy otherwise called Africa,

EL Mahdia founded in our time*® by Mahdi the first
patriarke of Cairaoan vpon the Mediterran sea, and
fortified with strong wals, towers, and gates, hath a most
noble hauen belonging thereto. Mahdi when hee first
entred into this region, fained himselfe in an vnknowne
habite to be descended of the linage of Mahuntety whereby
growing into great fauour of the people, he was by their
assistance made prince of Cairaoan, and was called El
Mahdi Califa: afterward trauelling fortie daies iourney
westwarde into Numidia to receiue tribute due vnto him,
he was taken by the prince of Segelmesse,^ and put in
prison, howbeit the said prince of Segelmese being presently
mooued with compassion toward him, restored him to his
former libertie, and was for his good will not long after
slaine by him: Afterwarde tyrannizing ouer the people,
and perceiuing some to conspire against him, he erected

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 7^9

this towne of Mahdia, to the end he might there finde safe
refuge when neede required. At length one Beiezid^ a
Mahumetan prelate (whom they called the cauallier or
knight of the asse, bicause that riding continually vpon an
asse he conducted an armie of fortie thousand men) came
vnto Cairaoan : but Mahdi fledde vnto his new towne,
where with thirtie saile of ships sent him by a Mahumetan
prince of Cordoua, he so valiantly encountered the enimie,
that Beiezid and his sonne were both slaine in that battaile :
afterward returning to Cairaoan, he grew in league and
amitie with the citizens, and so the gouernment remained
vnto his posteritie for many yeeres. But an hundred and
thirtie yeeres past this *towne was taken by the Christians, *^' Mahdia.
and was afterwards recouered by a certaine Mahumetan
patriarke of Maroco called Abdel Mutnen^^ but nowe it is
subiect vnto the king of Tunis, by whom it is continually
oppressed with most grieuous exactions. The inhabitants
exercise traffike with forraine nations : and they are at so
great dissention with the Arabians, that they are scarce
permitted to til) their grounds. Not many yeeres ago
Pedro de Nauarra assailing this towne onely with nine
ships, was defeated of his purpose, and constrained to
returne with great losse of his men. This hapned in the
ycere of our Lord 1519.®^

Of the towne of Asfachus.

THis towne was built by the Africans vpon the
Mediterran sea, at such time as they waged warre
against the Romaines. It is compassed with most high
and strong wals, and was in times past very populous,
but now it containeth but three or fower hundreth families
at the most, and but a fewe shops. Oppressed it is both
by the Arabians, and by the king of Tunis. All the
inhabitants are either weauers, marriners, or fishermen.
They take great store of fishes called by them Spares,

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which worde signifieth nought in the Arabian and Bar-
barian, much less in the Latine toong. This people Hue
also vpon barly bread and Bezin : their apparell is base,
and some of them traffike in Egypt and Turkie.^

Of the great citie of Cairaoan,

THE famous citie of Cairaoan otherwise called Caroen,^
was founded by HucbUy who was sent generall of an
armie out of the Arabia deserta, by Huttnen the thirde
Mahumetan Califa. From the Mediterran sea this citie
is distant sixe and thirtie, and from Tunis almost an
hundred miles ; neither was it built (they say) for any
other purpose, but onely that the Arabian armie might
securely rest therein with all such spoiles as they woone
from the Barbarians, and the Numidians. He enuironed it
with most impregnable walles, and built therein a
sumptuous temple, supported with stately pillers. The
saide HuQjba after the death of Hutmen was ordained prince
of Muchauia, and gouerned the same till the time of Qtialid
Califa the sonne of Habdul Malicf^ who as then raigned
in Damasco : this Qualid sent a ccrtaine captaine called
Muse the sonne of Nosair^ with an huge armie vnto
Cairaoan : who hauing staled a fewe daies with his armie
not farre from Cairaoan, marched westward, sacking and
spoiling townes and cities, till he came to the Ocean sea
shore, and then he returned towards Cairaoan againe.
From whence he sent as his deputie a certaine captaine
into Mauritania, who there also conquered many regions
and cities. Insomuch that Muse being mooued with a
iealous emulation, commanded him to staie till himselfe
came. His said Deputie therefore called T'-cxwA encamped
himselfe not far from Andaluzia, whither Muse within 4
months came vnto him with an huge armie. From whence
both of them with their armies crossing the seas, arriued
in Granada, and so marched by lande against the Goths.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 73 1

Against whom Theodoricus the king of Goths opposing
himselfe in battaile, was miserablie vanquished. Then the
foresaide two captaines with all good successe proceeded
euen to Castilia, and sacked the citie of Toledo, where
amongst much other treasure, they founde many reliques
of the saints, and the very same table whereat Christ sate
with his blessed Apostles, which being couered with pure
gold and adorned with great store of precious stones, was
esteemed to be woorth halfe a million of ducates, and this
table Muse carrying with him as if it had beene all the
treasure in Spaine, returned with his armie ouer the sea,
and bent his course towarde Cairaoan. And being in the
meane space sent for by the letters of Qualid Califa^ he
sailed into Egypt : but arriuing at Alexandria, it was tolde
him by one Hescian^ brother vnto the saide Calif a^ that the
Call/a his brother was fallen into a most dangerous
disease : wherefore he wished him not to goe presently
unto Damasco, for feare least if the Califa. died in the
meane season, those rich and sumptuous spoiles should
be wasted and dispersed to no ende. But Muse little
regarding this counsell, proceeded on to Damasco, and
presented all his spoiles to the Califa^ who within fiue
daies after deceased. After whom his brother succeeding
CalifUy depriued Muse of his dignitie, and substituted one
lezul into his roome, whose sonne, brother, and nephewes
succeeding, gouerned the citie of Cairaoan,^ till such time
as the familie of Qualid was depriued of that dignitie, and
one Elagleb was appointed lieutenant, who gouerned not
the towne as a Califa : from that time the Mahumetan
Califas leauing Damasco, remooued vnto Bagaded, as we
find recorded in a certaine Chronicle.^ After the decease
of Elagleb^ succeeded his sonne, and the gouernment
remained vnto his posterie for an hundred threescore and
ten yceres, till such time as they were depriued thereof by
one Mahdi Califa,^ But at the same time when Elagleb was

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gouernour, the citie of Cairaoan was so increased both with

inhabitants, and building^s, that a towne called Recheda

was built next vnto it, where the prinee and his nobles

The isle of vscd to remaincJ^ In his time also the Isle of Sicilia was

Sicilu subdued c r^t t i i • i

byihegouem- woonc : for ^/(CZ^/<?^ Sent thither a ccrtainc captaine called
ouroj . ff^i^^^^i^^ ^j^Q built vpon the said Island a towne instead

of a forte, calling it according to his owne name Halcama^
which name is vsed by the Sicilians euen till this presentJ^
Afterward this new towne was beseiged by certaine people
that came to aide the Sicilians. Whereupon one Ased was
sent with an armie, & so the Moores forces being augmented
they conquered the residue of Sicilia, by which meanes the
dominions of Cairaoan began woonderfully to increase.
The citie of Cairaoan standeth vpon a sandie and desert
plaine, which beareth no trees, nor yet any come at all.
Corne is brought thither from Susa, from Monaster, and
from Mahdia, all which townes are within the space of
forty miles. About twelue miles from Cairaoan standeth
a certaine mountaine called Gueslet, where some of the
Romaines buildings are as yet extant: this mountaine
aboundeth with springs of water and carobs, which springs
run downe to Cairaoan, where otherwise they shoulde haue
no water but such as is kept in cesternes.^^ Without the
wals of this citie raine water is to be found in certaine
cesternes onely till the beginning of lune. In sommer
time the Arabians vse to resort vnto the plaines adioining
vpon this towne, who bring great dearth of corne and
water, but exceeding plentie of dates and flesh with them,
and that out of Numidia, which region is almost an hundred
threescore and ten miles distant. In this citie for certaine
yeeres the studie of the Mahumetan lawe mightily flourished,
so that heere were the most famous lawyers in all Africa.
It was at length destroied, and replanted againe with
newe inhabitants, but it coulde neuer attaine vnto the
former estate. At this present it is inhabited by none but

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 733

leather-dressers, who sende their leather vnto the cities of
Numidia, and exchange it also for cloth of Europe. How-
beit they are so continually oppressed by the king of Tunis,
that now they are brought vnto extreme miserie/*

Of the citie of Capes,

THis ancient citie built by the Romaines vpon the
Mediterran sea, was fortified with most high and
stately walles, and with a strong castle.''* lust by it
runneth a certaine riuer of hot and salt water.^^ It hath
continually been so molested by the Arabians, that the
inhabitants abandoning their citie, resorted vnto certaine
plaines replenished with great abundance of dates, which
by a certaine arte are preserued all the yeere long. Heere
is also digged out of the grounde a kinde of fruite about
the bignes of a beane, and in taste resembling an almond.
This fruite being ordinarie ouer all the kingdome of Tunis,
is called by the Arabians Habhaziz.^® The inhabitants The fruit
of the foresaide plaine are blacke people, being all of them ^haziz.
either fishers, or husbandmen.

Of tlu towne called El Hamma,

THis most ancient towne ^^ founded also by the
Romans, and being distant from Capes almost
fifteene miles, is enuironed with most stately and strong
walles : aud vpon certaine marble stones therein are
engrauen diuers monuments of antiquitie. The streets
and buildings of this towne are very base, and the inhabi-
tants miserable, and addicted to robberie. Their fields are
barren and vnprofitable, and will bring foorth nought but
certaine vnsauorie dates. A mile and a halfe to the south
of this towne beginneth a certaine riuer of hot water to a riuer of hot
spring, which being brought thorough the midst of the
citie by certaine chanels is so deepe, that it will reach vp
to a mans nauell : howbeit by reason of the extreme heat

734 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

of the water, there are but few that will enter thereinto.
And yet the inhabitants vse it for drinke, hauing set it a
cooling almost an whole day. At length this riuer not far
from the towne maketh a certaine lake, which is called the
Theiakfof lake of leaocrs : for it is of woonderfull force to heale the

lepers. ^

disease of leprosie, and to cure leprous sores : wherefore
neere vnto it are diuers cottages of lepers, some of whom
are restored to their health. The saide water tasteth in a
manner like brimstone, so that it will nothing at all quench
a mans thirst, whereof I my selfe haue had often triall.

Of the castle of Machres,

THe castle of Machres^® was built by the Africans in
my time vpon the entrance of the gulfe of Capes, to
defend the same region from the inuasion of the enemie.
It is almost fiue hundred miles distant from the isle of
Gerbi. All the inhabitants are either wcauers, shipwrights,
or fishermen, and haue traffike & recourse ouer all the
foresaid isle. They haue al the same language that the
^ people of the isle of Gerbi vse : but because they want
grounds and possessions, al of them, saue the weauers.
Hue only vpon theft & robbery.

Of t/te isle of Gerbi or Zerbiy where lohn Leo the Author

of this Historic was taken by Italian pirates ^ and

carried thence to Rome,

THis islc^® being neere vnto the firme land of Africa,
and consisting of a plaine and sandie ground,
aboundeth exceedingly with dates, vines, oliues, and other
fruits, and containcth about eighteen miles in compasse.
It hath also certaine farmes and granges, which are so
farre distant asunder, that you shall scarce finde two or
three in one village. Their ground is drie and barren,
which though it be neuer so well tilled, will yeeld but a

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 735

little barlie. And here come and flesh is alwaies at an
exceeding rate. At the sea shore standeth a strong castle,,
wherein the gouernour of the whole Island and his retinue
haue their abode. Not farre from hence there is a certaine
village,^ where the Christian, Mauritanian, and Turkish
merchants haue their place of residence ; in which place
there is a great market or faire weekely kept, whither
all the merchants of the Island and many Arabians from
the maine land with great store of cattle and wooll doe
resort The inhabitants of the Isle bring cloth thither to
sell, which they themselues make, and this cloth togither
with great store of raisins they vsually transport vnto
Tunis, and Alexandria to be solde. Scarce fiftie yeeres
sithence this Isle was inuaded and conquered by Chris-
tians : but it was immediately recouered by the king of
Tunis.^ And presently after (new colonies being heere
planted) the foresaide castle was reedified : which the
kings of Tunis afterwarde enioied. But after the death of
king Hutmen the Islanders returned to their former liber-
tie, and presently broke the bridge from the Island to the
maine lande, fearing least they shoulde be inuaded by
some land-armie. Not long after the said Islanders
slaying the king of Tunis his gouemours of the Isle, haue
themselues continued gouemours thereof till this present.
Out of this Island is gathered the summe of fowerscore
thousand Dobles (euery Doble containing an Italian
ducate, and one third part) for yeerely tribute, by reason
of the great concourse and resort of the merchants of
Alexandria, Turkic, and Tunis. But now because they
are at continuall dissension and controuersie, their estate
is much impaired. In my time Don Ferdinando king oiThearmieof
Spaine, sent a great armada ageinst this Island, vnder the nando defeated,
conduct of the duke of Alua, who not knowing the nature
of the same, commanded his soldiers to land a good
distance from thence : but the Moores so valiantly defended

736 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

their Island, that the Spaniards were constrained to giue
backe : and so much the greater was their distresse, in
that they coulde not finde water sufficient to quench their
extreme thirst. Moreouer at the Spaniards arriuall it
was a full tide, but when they would haue returned on
bourd, it was so great an ebbe, that their ships were con-
strained to put to sea, least they shoulde haue beene cast
vpon the sholdes. The shore was drie for almost fower
miles togither, so that the Spanish soldiers were put vnto
great toile, before they coulde come to the waters side.
And the Moores pursued them so eagerly, that they slew
and took prisoners the greatest part of them, and the
residue escaped by shipping into Sicilia. Afterwarde the
GerHmade Empcrour CharUs the fift sent a mightie fleete thither

tributarie vnto

Charles the fift vxiA^x the conduct of a Rhodian knight of the order of

by meancs ^/ ^ f, . ,. . .

knight of the Samt lohfi dc Messina^ who so discreetly behaued himselfe
in that action, that the Moores compounded to pay fiue
thousand Dobles for yeerly tribute, vpon condition of the
Emperours league and goodwill, which yeerely tribute is
payde vntil this present.^^

Of the towne of Zoara.

THis towne built by the Africans vpon the Mediterran
sea, standeth eastward from the Isle of Gerbi
almost fiftie miles. The towne wall is weak and the
inhabitants are poore people, being occupied about nothing
but making of lime and plaistring, which they sell in the
kingdome of Tripoli. Their fields are most barren : and
the inhabitants haue continually beene molested by the
invasions of the Christians, especially since the time that
they woon Tripolis.^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 737

Of the towne of Lepide,

THis ancient towne founded by the Romans, and
enuironed with most high and strong walles, hath
twise been sacked by the Mahumetans, and of the stones
and ruines thereof was Tripolis afterward built.^

Of the aide citie of Tripolis.

OLde Tripolis built also by the Romans, was after
woon by the Goths, and lastly by the Mahumetans,
in the time of Califa Homar the second. Which
Mahumetans hauing besieged the gouernour of Tripoli six
moneths together, compelled him at length to flee vnto
Carthage. The citizens were partly slaine, and partly
carried captiue into Egypt and Arabia, as the most famous
African Historiographer Ibnu Rachith reporteth.^

Of the new citie of Tripolis in Barbarie.

Fter the destruction of old Tripolis,^
there was built another city of that
name : which city being inuironed
with most high and beautifull wals,
but not verie strong, is situate vpon
a sandie plaine, which yeeldeth great PUntieof
store of dates. The houses of this
citie are most stately in respect of the houses of Tunis :
and heere also euerie trade and occupation hath a seuerall
place. Weauers here are many. They haue no wels nor
fountaines ; but all their water is taken out of cesterns.
Come in this citie is at an exceeding rate ; for all the fields
of Tripoli are as sandie and barren as the fields of
Numidia. The reason whereof is, for that the principall
and fattest grounds of this region are ouerflowed with the
sea. The inhabitants of this region aflfirme, that the
greatest part of their fields northward are swallowed vp by

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the Mediterran sea, the like whereof is to be seene in the
territories of Monaster, Mahdia, Asfacos, Capes, the Isle
of Gerbi, and other places more eastward, where the sea for
the space of a mile is so shallow, that it will scarce reach
vnto a mans nauell. Yea, some are of opinion, that the
citie of Tripolis it selfe was situate in times past more to
the north, but by reason of the continuall inundations of
the sea, it was built and remooved little and little south-
ward ; for proofe whereof there stand as yet ruines of
houses drowned in certaine places of the sea.^ In this
citie were many faire temples and colledges built, and an
hospitall also for the maintenance of their owne poore
people, and for the entertainment of strangers. Their fare
is verie base and homely, beeing onely the forenamed
Besis made of barley meale : for that region affoordeth so
small quantitie euen of barley, that he is accounted a
wealthie man that hath a bushell or two of corne in store.
The citizens are most of them merchants ; for Tripolis
standeth neere vnto Numidia and Tunis, neither is there
any citie or towne of account between it and Alexandria :
neither is it far distant from the Isles of Sicilia and Malta :
and vnto the port of Tripolis Venetian ships yeerly resort,
and bring thither great store of merchandize. This citie
hath alwaies been subject unto the king of Tunis : but
when Abulhasen the king of Fez besieged Tunis, the king of
Tunis was constrained with his Arabians to flee into the
deserts. Howbeit when Abulhasen was conquered, the
king of Tunis returned to his kingdome : but his subiects
began to oppose themselues against him : and so that
common-wealth was afterward greuiously turmoyled with
ciuill dissensions and warres. Whereof the king of Fez
hauing intelligence, marched the fifth yeere of the said
cuill warre with an armie against the citie of Tunis, and
hauing vanquished the king thereof, and constrained him
to flee vnto Constantina, he so straitly besieged him, that

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 739

the citizens of Constantina seeing themselues not able to
withstad the king of Fez, opened their citie gates to him
and to all his armie. Whereupon the king of Tunis was
carried captiue vnto Fez, and was afterward kept a while
prisoner in the castle of Septa.^ In the meane season
Tripolis was by a Genouese fleete of twentie sailes surprised J^^Jl^fl^^^
and sacked, and the inhabitants carried away captiue. Genowaies,
Whereof the king of Fez beeing aduertised, gaue the
Genoueses fiftie thousand ducates vpon condition that he
might enioy the towne in peace. But the Genoueses
hauing surrendred the towne, perceiued after their departure,
that most of their ducates were counterfait.® Afterward
the king of Tunis being restored vnto his former liberty by
Abuselim king of Fez, returned home vnto his kingdome,
and so the gouernment thereof remained vnto him and his
posteritie, till Abubar the sonne of Hutmen togither with
his yoong sonne was slaine in the castle of Tripolis by a
nephew of his, who afterward usurped the kingdome : but
he was slaine in a battell which he fought against Habdul
Mumetiy who presently thereupon became Lord of Tripolis.
After him succeeded his sonne ZachariaSy who within a
few moneths dyed of the pestilence. After Zacharias,
Mucamen the sonne of Hesen and cosin to Zacharias was
chosen king ; who beginning to tyrannize ouer the citizens
was by them expelled out of his kingdome : and afterward
a certaine citizen was aduanced vnto the royall throne, who
gouemed verie modestly. But the king which was before
expelled sent an armie of souldiers against Tripolis, who
loosing the field, were all of them put to flight. Afterward
the king that began to raigne so modestly, prooued a verie
tyrant, and being murthered by his kinsman, the people
made choise of a certaine nobleman, leading as then an
Hermites life, and in a manner against his will appointed
him their gouernour : and so the gouernment of the citie
of Tripolis remained vnto him and his posteritie, till such

740 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

time as king Ferdinando sent Don Pedro de Nauarra
^^^db^d ^S^'"^^ *^ • ^^^ ^"^ ^^ sudden encountring this citie,
de Nauarra. carried away many captiues with him. The gouernour of
Tripoh's and his sonne in lawe were sent prisoners vnto
Messina. Where, after certaine yeeres imprisonment, they
were restored by the Emperour Charles the fift vnto their
former libertie, and returned vnto Tripolis, which towne
was afterward destroyed by the Christians. The castle of
Tripolis being enuironed with most strong walles, begin (as
I vnderstand) to be replanted with new inhabitants. And
thus much as concerning the cities of the kingdome of
Tunis.*^

T'

Of the mountaines belonging to t/te state of Bugia,

^He territorie of Bugia is full of ragged, high, and
woodie mountaines : the inhabitants being a noble,
rich, and liberall people, and possessing great store of
goats, oxen, and horses, haue alwaies continued in libertie,
since the time that Bugia was surprised by the Christians.
The people of these mountaines vse to haue a blacke
crosse vpon one of their cheekes, according to the ancient
custome before mentioned. Their bread is made of barly,
and they haue abundance of nuts and figs vpon those
mountaines, especially which are neere vnto Zoaoa : in
jron-mities. somc placcs of thcsc mountaincs are certaine mines of
iron, whereof they make a kinde of coine of halfe a pound
weight. They haue also another sort of siluer coine
weighing fower graines a pecce : these mountaincs yeeld
abundance of wine and hempe ; but their linnen-cloath that
they weaue is exceeding course. And these mountaines
of Bugia extende in length vpon the coast of the Mediterran
sea almost a hundred and fiftie, and in bredth fortie miles :
each mountaine containeth inhabitants of a diuers kinred
and generation from others, whom because they liue all
after one manner, we will passe ouer in silence.^^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 74 1

Of mount Auraz,

THis exceeding high and populous mountaine is in-
habited with most barbarous people, that are wholy
addicted vnto robberie and spoile. From Bugia it is
distant fowerscore, and from Constantina almost three-
score miles. Also being separated from other mountaines
it extendeth about threescore miles in length. Southward
it bordereth vpon the Numidian deserts, and northward
vpon the regions of Mesila, Stefe, Nicaus, and Constantina.
From the very toppe of this mountaine issue diuers
streames of water, which running downe into the next
plaines, increase at length into a lake, the water whereof in
sommer time is salt. The passage vnto this mountaine is
very difficult, in regard of certain cruell Arabians.®^

Of the mountaine of Constantina,

A LI the north and west part of the territorie belonging
to the citie of Constantina is full of high moun-
taines, which beginning at the borders of Bugia, extend
themselues to the Mediterran sea, euen as farre as Bona,
that is to say, almost an hundred and thirtie miles. Their
fields vpon the plaines are replenished with oliues, figges,
and all other kindes of fruites, which are carried in great
quantitie vnto the next townes and cities : all the inhabi-
tants for ciuill demeanour excell the citizens of Bugia, and
do exercise diuers manuarie arts, and weaue great store of
linnen cloth. They are at continuall dissention among
themselues, by reason that their women will so often
change husbands. They are exceeding rich, and free from
all tribute : and yet dare they not till their plaines, both
• for feare of the Arabians, and also of the gouernours of
the next cities. Euerie weeke vpon sundry daies heere is
a market, greatly frequented with merchants of Constan-
tina, & of other places: and whatsocucr merchant hath no

742 THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE

friend nor acquaintace dwelling vpon the mountaines, is in
great hazard to be notablie cozened. Vpon these moun-
taines they haue nether iudges, priests, nor yet any learned
men : so that when any of the inhabitants would write a
letter vnto his friend, he must trudge vp and downe some-
time twclue, and sometime fifteene miles to seek a scribe.
Footemen for the warres they haue almost fortie thousand,
and about fower thousand horsemen. The inhabitants are
men of such valour, that if they agreed among themselues,
they woulde soone be able to conquer all Africa.'^

Of the mountaines of Bona,

THe citie of Bona hath on the north part the Mediter-
ran sea, on the south and west parts certaine
mountaines adioining almost vnto the mountaines of Con-
stantina, and on the east side it hath most fruitfull fieldes
and large plaines, whereupon in times past were diuers
townes and castles, built by the Romains : the mines
whereof are now onely remaining, and the names quite
forgotten. All these regions by reason of the Arabians
crueltie are so desolate, that they are inhabited in but
very fewe places ; and there they are constrained to keepe
out the Arabians by force of armes. The mountaines of
Bona extend in length from east to west almost forescore
miles, and in bredth* about thirtie miles. Heere are great
store of fountaines, from whence certaine riuers issue,
running through the plaines into the Mediterran sea.

Of the mountaines standing neere vnto Tunis.

THe citie of Tunis standing vpon a plaine hath no
mountaines nigh vnto it, but onely on the west
side towards the Mediterran sea, where it hath a moun-
taine like vnto that which enuironeth Carthage. Neere
vnto Tunis standeth another high and colde mountaine
called Zagoan : inhabitants heere are none at all but a

JpBA

' excellent

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 743

fewe that tende the Bee-hiues, and gather some quantitie
of barly. Vpon the toppe of this mountaine the Romaines
built certaine forts, the ruines whereof are yet to be seene,
hauing epitaphes engrauen vpon them in Latine letters.
From this mountaine vnto Carthage, water is conueighed
by certaine passages vnder the ground.^

Of the mountaines of Beni Tefren and Nufusa,

THese high and colde mountaines are distant from the
desert, from Gerbi, and from Asfacus almost thirtie
miles, and yeelde very small store of barly. The inhabi-
tants being valiant, and renouncing the law of Mahumet,
do follow the doctrine of the patriarke of Cairaoan in most
points, neither is there any other nation among the
Arabians that obserue the same doctrine. In Tunis and
other cities these people earne their lining by most base
occupations, neither dare they openly professe their
religion.^

Of mount Garian.

THis high and cold mountaine containing in length
fortie & in bredth fifteene miles, and being
separated from other mountaines by a sandie desert, is
distant from Tripolis almost fiftie miles. It yeeldeth
great plentie of barly and of dates, which vnlcsse they
be spent while they are new, will soon prooue rotten.
Heere are likewise abundance of oliues : Wherefore from
this mountaine unto Alexandria and other cities there
is much oile conueighed. There is not better saffron to Afost excellent

saffron,

be found in any part of the world besides, which in regard
of the goodnesse is solde very deere. For yeerely tribute
there is gathered out of this mountaine threescore thousand
ducates, and as much saffron as fifteene mules can carrie.
They are continually oppressed with the exactions of the
Arabians, and of the king of Tunis. They haue certaine
base villages vpon this mountaine.®^

744 HISTORIE OF AFRICA.

Of mount Bent Guarid,

THis mountaine being almost an hundred miles distant
from Tripolis, is inhabited with most valiant &
stout people, which Hue at their owne libertie, and are
at continual war with the people of the next mountaines,
& of the Numidian desert.^

Of the castle called Casr Acmed.

THis castle builte vpon he Mediterran sea by a
captaine which came with an armie into Africa,
standeth not farre from Tripolis, and was at the last laide
waste by the Arabians.*

O^ the castle of Subeica.

THe castle of Subeica erected about the same time
when the Mahometans came into Africa, was in
times past wel furnished with inhabitants, being afterward
dcstroied by the Arabians, and nowe it harboreth a fewe
fishers onely.^

0/ the castle ccdled Casr Hessin,

THis castle was founded by the Mahumetans vpon
the Mediterran sea, and was afterward destroyed
by the Arabians.^^

Here endeth the fifth booke.

NOTES TO BOOK V.

( I ) Bujaia, Bejaia, the modem Bugia, or Bougie, an ancient kingdom
now part of Algeria, Its history is identical with that of the city of
same name, which was for so long its capital and a seat of the Arabic
learning. One of the most beautifully situated spots in the world, it
seems to have been occupied at a very early date. The Carthaginians
had an emporium here, and a colony was established in this place by
Augustus, under the name of Saldae, or, according to an inscription,
Colonia Julia Augusta Saldantum. For a time it was part of the
suflfragan kingdom of Juba II, and until ruined by the Arab invasion
must have been an important centre. In a.d. 484 Paschasin, its
bishop, took part in the Council of Carthage convoked by Hunerik.
Even after the Vandals captured it, Guraia (mountain), as they
re-named it (and the name is still retained for a hill in the vicinity),
remained their capital until the taking of Carthage. £n-Naser
(A.H. 460, A.D. 1067- 1068), called it (according to Ibn Khaldoun)
after himself, £n-Naceria, after he made it his capital, though all
the world spoke of it as " Bedjaia, the name of a tribe". His
son, El-Mansur, by the help of 1,100 artizans sent here by the Pope,
with whom he was on excellent terms, still further beautified "the
mountain" city. Under the Almohades, Beni-Hafs, Beni-Merini, Beni-
Zeiyan, and again under the Beni-Hafs (who held it until 5th January
1 5 10, when Pedro Navarro captured it). Bougie enjoyed a chequered
prosperity. After the repulse of Charles V at Algiers (1545), the
Algerines, under Saleh Reis, so far took courage as to compel the
Spaniards to surrender (1555). After this Bougie continued in their
hands, gradually decaying, until on the 29th Sept. 1833, *t was easily
occupied by the French. The King of Tunis who recovered Bougie
from the Beni-Zeiyan of Tlemsen was Abu Fares (p. 691), who died
A.H. 837 (A.D. 1414). The division of his empire among three sons is
mentioned by Marmol, copying Leo. These sons were Abu Abd
Allah Abd el- Aziz (" Habdulhaziz") — who, according to El-Kairouini
(Hist, de PAfrique^ trans. Pellissier et R^musat, p. 260), succeeded
him in the government of Tunis, no mention being made of the civil
wars— Othman (" Hutmen"), and Omar (" Hammare"), who was
captured in Sphax (" Asfacos"). It was not Othman, but Abd er-
Rahman, a descendant of that Prince, who had to surrender to Pedro
Navarro in 1 5 10, though in reality his nephew, Abd Allah, who had

3B

746 NOTES TO BOOK V.

been dethroned by his uncle, was the legitimate sovereign. — Pellissier,
"Memoires historiquesetg^graphiques s\xx\Ps\%€x\€^(^ExpLscienHfigue
de PAlgMe^ t. vi, pp. 14, 22, 84) ; Lapene, Vingt-six mots d Bougicy
ou Collection de Mdtnoires sur sa ConquUe^ etc., pp. 4-7 ; Feraud,
" Histoire de Bougie", Rec. de Not. et Mint. Soc, Arch. Consiantinej
1869, pp. 85-408, etc. ; Letter of Ferdinand the Catholic to Count
Don Pedro Navarro, Captain-General in Africa, De la Primaudace,
Hist, de P occupation Espagnole en AJrique (1506- 15 74), p. 14.

(2) This was probably the fort erected by En-Naser and destroyed
by the Spaniards. Its former name was Borj el-Ahmar — " the red
fort'*. At a later date it was re-erected and called Borj bu-laila, that
is, the fort erected in a single night. The ground in the vicinity is
covered with stones and earth of a brownish-red colour, testifying to the
origm of its primitive name. In the Azuagues, whom Marmol speaks
of as the Berbers in the vicinity of Bougie, Feraud recognises the
Bene-Azak (lazaguen), Revue Africainey t ii, 458, t iii, 45, 296.

For "plaster work", mosaics (musaiche) is the proper rendering.
" Stufe", stove rooms (baths), is omitted in the translation.

(3) The date of Pedro Navarro capturing Bougie is given by Leo as
A.H. 917, and Marmol affirms that the town was thirty-five years "in
the power of the Kings of Castile". In reality, both dates are wrong,
for the Spaniards, as we have seen, took Bougie in 15 10, and lost it in
1555.

(4) Jcjel, Jijelly, built on the site of the Roman Colonia Igilgilis.
—Feraud, " Hist, de Gigelli", Rec. de Not. et Mint. Soc. Arch. Const.,
voL xiv, p. I.

(5) M'sila, the Messeelah of Shaw, on the southern skirts of El-
Huthna. It is the El-Mesila of Abu-1-feda, who says that it was "a
modem town built by the Fatimites of Egypt". El-Azzi asserts that
its founder was Kiim-Billa, the Fatemite (a.h. 315), who called it El-
Mohammadiyya. According to him it was a " superb city", plentifully
supplied with water. Hence its name, M^sila, which means " watered
by a stream". El-Bekri is equally lavish in his praise of M'sila,
and speaks of the beauty of the peach, apricot, and other fruit-tree
gardens around it. Though the climate was too cold for dates, cotton
was grown. Ibn Haukel gives Wad Seker as the name of the river
by which it stands, and also notes cotton, wheat and barley among its
crops, adding that horses, cattle, and sheep were very plentiful on the
mountain pastures. The Algerines kept a small garrison here. —
Dureau de la Malle, Province de Constantine; Recueil de Renseigne-
ments pour VexpMtion ou Pdtablissement des Francois dans cette
par tie de PA/rique septentrionale (1837), p. 73.

NOTES TO BOOK V. 747

(6) Setif, the Setifis Colonia of the Romans, and the capital of
Mauritania Setifensis. Recently disinterred inscriptions show that it
was also called Augusta Martialis, and Colonia Nerviana. It was the
seat of a bishop. Though frequently plundered by the Vandals and
Arabs, and in 419 almost ruined by an earthquake, of which St.
Augustine takes notice, El-Bekri described the city of his day as
well populated and flourishing. The present town, which lies 3,573 feet
above sea level, is entirely modem.

(7) Nekaus, Nigaous, Mgaous, Nic-kowse of Shaw, " Ben-cowse
as the Turks call it, where there is a garrison of one Suffrah [a com-
pany of about twenty], a mud-walled rampart, and three pieces of
cannon". Their patron saint was, and is, Sidi Laifan, in that day so
popular that out of the revenues of his sanctuary two hundred Talibs
were supported. The rivulet (Wad Barika) which runs past is so
impregnated with nitrous particles from the soil, as to be unfit for
domestic purposes. A rival to the Rusgunia (p. 698) tale of the
Seven Sleepers is pointed out here in the shape of a ruined city — out
of the pillars of which they build houses— and the actual tombs of the
legendary youths, the Mosque of the Seven Sleepers, is divided
by three lines of columns, two of which bear inscriptions.

Mannert considered the ruins from which these columns were taken
to be those of Ad oculum Marinum. The shade of trees and beautiful
fountains of Nekaus impart to it the materials for an attractive town,
built for the most part of " tob" or sun-dried bricks.

(8) Collo, El-Kollo, the Kollops Magnus (KouXXou or K6XXo-^ A^fya;)
of Ptolemy, the Chulli municipium of the Antonine Itinerary^ the
Colonia Minervia Chullu and Colonia Chullitana of inscriptions
found here. Pliny and Solinus write the name Cullu, and in the
list of bishops the same orthography is used. — Mercelli, Africa
Christiana,

The Arab historians refer to the Mersa el- Collo, the Ancollo of the
older geographers.

The town is now an unimportant native trading place of 2,000-3,000
inhabitants. It was at Collo that Pedro of Aragon landed, on the
28th June 1282 (A.H. 681), nominally to help Abu Bekr Ibn Uizer,
governor of Constantine,in his war against his brother, the King of Tunis
— though actually to mask his own designs against the House of Anjou
^Ei'Katroudniy pp. 249 etseq. Pellissier, MJm, hist, et ^dographiques
sur rAlgMe^ pp. 5-6 ; Zureta, Annates d^Aragon^ 1. iv, etc. Solinus
mentions Culla as a flourishing centre for purple-dyeing, a prosperity
which it maintained in wax and leather to the Middle Ages, when the
Pisans and Genoese did a great traffic with the mountain Berbers and
plain Arabs, who met here on neutral ground. As late as 1684- 168 5,

3 B 2

748 NOTES TO BOOK V.

it was one of the principal posts of the French African Company, but
it never recovered from the rise of Philippeville.

(9) Skidda, the ancient Rusicada, the modem Philippeville. The
ancient city appears to have been dedicated to Venus, and the
name to have been derived from the Phoenician Rus Cicar, or
Rus Saddeh (the Cape of the Plain), from which comes the
Arabic Ras Skidda. Scylax, however, speaks of Tapsus, a Phoenician
town, having preceded the Roman one. In that case the etymology
given above is scarcely acceptable.- Possibly, however, the Saf-saf
River, which falls into the sea at this point, may be a corruption of
Tapsus ? Sucaicada may be Suk el-Ahda — the Sunday market ? —
Playfair, Algeria^ p. 119 ; Piesse, AlgMe^ p. 247. The archaeological
treasures discovered are numerous and of great interest.

(10) Constantine (Cugtin of Marmol) — the Kosantina or Kostantina
of the Arabs, which name it owes to Flavins Constantinus, who, after
the town had been wrecked in a.d. 311 in the war of Maxentius
against Lucius Domitius Alexander, restored and embellished it, is
perhaps to the historian and archaeologist the most interesting town
in Algeria, and has had such full justice done as to make any general
note upon it superfluous.

It was the Kerth of the Massylanean kings, and up to 311 theCerta
Sitianorum, or Cirta Juliana, of the Romans. The "blacke stones"
which Leo described as embedded in the walls of Constantine, and
as paving the road between that city and Philippeville, must have
been slabs of the volcanic rock of the Hamman Meskutin, which
stretches to Constantine. — Shaw, Travels^ p. 127 ; Poiret, Voyage en
Barbarie^ t. i, p. 166 ; De la Malle, Constantine^ p. 46.

(11) The Rummel. The Sufegmare is also called the Sufmare.
Both names are variants of the Arab Sufjim-mar. — De la Malle,
Constantine^ pp. 25, 35, 45 ; Hebenstreit, Nouv. ann. des Voyages^
t. xlvi, p. 64.

Marmol calls the river the Sufegmar or Bumarzoc. There is a
Wad Ramleh, pronounced indifferently Wad Rummel, near Taguira
or Tripoli. It means, according to the Beecheys, " sandy river or sandy
valley". — Proceedings of the Expedition to explore the Northern
Coast of Africa^ p. 41, with Corpus Inscrip, Lat (1881), vol. vii, and
BoxssxQxe^ L^ A IgMe Romaine^ 2 vols. {iZZ^\ passim^ iov the Roman
antiquities of Algeria.

(12) The King of Tunis "that now is" must have been Mulai
Mohammed, who reigned from a.d. 1488 to a.d. 1526. Marmol, who
copies Leo's account of the transactions described, adds in a note
that he was the grandfather of Mulai Hassan. This could not be j

NOTES TO BOOK V. 749

for Mulai Mohammed succeeded his cousin, and Mulai Hassan
succeeded his father Mohammed, whose reign extended over more
than the entire period of which Leo had any personal knowledge.

(13) The "strong castle" strengthened by El-Kaid Nabil was the
old Kasba which dates back to the Romans, and, though rebuilt, is
still the French citadel.

(14) The ruins of this arch were standing at the time Shaw wrote : —
" Among the ruins to the south-west of the bridge, upon the narrow
strip of land just now described, we have the greatest part of a
triumphal arch called The {Cassir Goulah) Castle (as they interpret it)
of the Gianty consisting of three arches, the middlemost of which is the
most spacious. All the Mouldings and Frizes are curiously embellished
with the Figures of Flowers, Battle Axes, and other Ornaments. The
Corinthian Pilasters, erected on each side of the grand Arch, are
panelled, like the side-posts of the Gates of the City, in a Gusto^ as
far as I have observed, peculiar to Certa ; but the Pillars of the same
Order, which supported the Pediment, are broken down and defaced."
— Travels, etc, ist ed., p. 128. The Ksar Gula, or "giant's castle",
was perhaps part of the hippodrome, the remains of which were cleared
away when the railway station was built.

(15) This passage is extremely absurd in Por/s translation. For
the word " tartarughe" (turtles, Clemmys leprosa (Schweigger) the
common little fresh-water species of Barbary) is Englished " snailes",
though Florianus translates " infinita quantitk di tartarughe" as
" testudinum copia". Probably neither Florian nor Pory ever saw a
tortoise or turtle. The turtles are still found in the hot water pools,
though, since most of these have been utilised for baths, no longer as
plentifully as before. Shaw described the " Kabat beer a-haal" — a
" neat transparent fountain" — as " full of tortoises". The superstitions
described were commoner in his day, but are not yet extinct.

(16) This building does not now exist, having apparently, like so many
Roman and Arab works, been destroyed to furnish materials for the
rococo ()alaces of the Turkish beys. — For historical notes, cf, Feraud,
Rec. de Not. et Mint, Sac, Arch, Constantine^ vol. xiii, p. i, etc.

(17) Mila, the Roman colony of Milevum or Milev — "Colonia
Samenis" (from the river Samus close by) " Milevitana". El Bekri
described it as one of the principal towns of the province of Zab, and
in other respects gave much the same information as Leo. Edrisi
also refers to the trees and forests in the Mila gardens. Ibn Khaldoun
mentions it among the towns belonging to the powerful Berber tribe
of Ketama. As the residence of Saint Optat, an eminent father of the
African Church, " Milevin" enjoyed a prominent position during the

750 NOTES TO BOOK V.

early days of Christianity, and within its walls councils were held in
402 and 406. The Roman fountain, bubbling up in the centre of the
town into a square basin, is still one of the sights of the place. The
fruits, especially the pomegranates, are so fine that it is thought the
town derived its name from them. Constantine is still largely supplied
with vegetables and fruit from Mila— now a French city with a Berber
quarter. — Tissot, Giog. Comp. de la Province Romaine d^Afrique^
t. ii, pp. 406, 407.

(18) Annaba, Bona, Hippo Regius, Hippene, hence Bone, the modem
name. A Berber village rose on its ruins, which in the time of El-
Bekri bore the name of Medina Zaui. But the same geographer
refers to it as Bona, and mentions that the place had received the
designation of Bonat el-Jadida (the New Bona). Bled el-Anab, or
Annaba, seems to dale from the sixteenth century. There is some
foundation for the belief that the city was the still more ancient Aphro-
disium, which some Arabic writers call Bouna. Ibn Haukel, writing
in A.D. 970, describes it as having many bazaars, fine gardens, and
abundance of everything, including mines of iron ; so that by attaching
the Berbers to his person, the governor of the town was independent ;
it was not, however, walled until a.d. 1058. Bone was a seat of some
early Berber dynasties, which probably gave it the name of royal —
"et antiquis dilectus regibus Hippo" {Silius Italicus^ iii, v, 259)^
The Vandals do not appear to have ruined it, for Procopius refers
to it in 534 as a strong place. By the time the Byzantine historian
took notice of it, the second word seems to have become part of the
name — *\inrwi^i^i<;, — Temple, Excursions ytXjc,^ vol. i, pp. 64-80.

(19) In 1152-53 a fleet sent by King Roger of Sicily, under the
command of Philip of Mehedia, captured Bone and reduced the
inhabitants to slavery. In A.D. 1249 the town was in the hands of the
Hafsidi Sultan of Tunis, and a century later fell to Abu-1- Hassan, the
Merinide (Beni-Merini). Towards the beginning of the sixteenth
century the Tunisians again recovered it. In 1535 Kheir ed-Din
garrisoned it, but the Turks evacuated the place on the capture of
Tunis by Charles V. A Genoese garrison under Alvar Zagal took their
place. But these free-lances, after having destroyed the fortifications,
retired on the death of their commander, when the Tunisians once
more entered, only in their turn' to give way to the Algerine Turks.
After the French obtained possession of Algiers in 1830, the people of
Bone threw off their allegiance to the Bey of Constantine, and became
subject to France.

Obhman, the third Khalif, completed what the Vandals (Goths) left
undone. Leo only refers to St. Augustine as having been Bishop of
Hippo. But here also he died in 431, during the long siege of the city

NOTES TO BOOK V. 75 1

by the Vandals, and in the Basilica of the city where he had resided
for thirty-five years he was buried. Removed to Cagliari, his remains
lay there for 223 years, until they were transferred to Pavia, where,
with the exception of an arm which was taken to Bone in 1842, they
still lie.

(20) The town is now well supplied with water from the Jebel
Edough, though, as the remains of the cistern and aqueduct show,
the Romans had tapped the same sources.

(21) Coral fishing is one of the most ancient industries of the coast.
La Calle — Borj el-Kala — a short distance from the Tunisian frontier,
was frequented for this purpose as early as a.d. 960 ; and, as Pliny
mentions the rich coral fisheries hereabouts, it was, no doubt, still
earlier a seat of this trade. The Bastion de France was built in a little
bay west of the town for the convenience of the industry, and about as
absolutely unscrupulous a set of scoundrels were engaged in it as can
well be imagined. — Flayfair, A /^eria and Tunis, pp. 126, 127, and The
Scourge of Christendom, pp. 239-241 ; Poiret, Voyage en Barbarie,\. i,
pp. 6-24 ; Du Thiers Lacaze, HisL Nat, du Coraii; organisation,
reproduction, piche en Algdrie et industrie (1864) ; De Cuverville de
Cavalier, " La p^che du coraii sur les cotes de PAlg^rie" {Rev,
Maritime ei Colon., 1875, pp. 404-43 J PP* 657-87), etc. The locality
referred to by Iieo was probably the same — the Mers el-Jun of Edrisi,
the Mers el-kharaz of El-Bekri, noted by both authors as seats of the
coral fishery. The spot is close to Cape Rosa, still, or until very
recently, noted for the beauty and abundance of its coral. — Shaw,
Travels, p. 98 ; De la Malle, Constantine, p. 100.

(22) Tifesh, the Tefacet of the Arabs, the ancient Tipasa referred
to by El-Bekri as a place of great antiquity, containing many ancient
ruins. It resisted the Arab invaders of Africa for a long time, but was
finally ruined and rebuilt later. Musa en-Naser destroyed it a second
time, and after rising from its ashes it fell, a.d. 1057, under the dis-
pleasure of Mulai Nazer, son of the King of Tunis. — Tissot, La
Province Romaine dAfrique, t. ii, pp. 387, 389.

(23) A Roman station at least as early as the reign of Vespasian,
when it was called Theveste (Civitas Thevestinorum). It was one of
the earliest seats of an African bishopric, and here Saints Maxi-
milian and Crispin suffered martyrdom. An Arab tradition says that
Tebessa was taken by Okba in a.h. 45. At present the numerous
Roman remains, scattered in or about the town, are its chief sources
of interest It is watered by a tributary of the Wad Chabroa, the
" great river" of Leo, which in its turn is an affluent of the Wad
Meskiana. The modem town is really contained within the ancient
Byzantine citadel, the walb of which, as described by Leo are still in

752 NOTES TO BOOK V.

tolerable preservation, though Playfair considers — ^justly, no doubt —
built of still older materials. — Playfair, Travels in the Footsteps of
Bruce^ pp. 103, 399 ; S^riziat, " Etudes sur Tebessa et sfes environs*',
Bull, de r Acad. d'Hippone, No. 22 (1887), PP- 27-66.

The chastisement described was inflicted in a.d. 15 10, and therefore
in the reign of Mulai Abu Abd Allah Mohammed of Tunis. It is
not mentioned by El-KairouAni.

(24) Urbs is perhaps a misprint, or a misreading of the editor
for El-Orbes (El-KairouAni, p. 249, etc), the ancient Lares
(ablative Laribus), the Laribus of Procopius {De Bello Vandalico^
11,23).

Edrisi also refers to Arbes, />., Loribus, or Laribus, or Lares, and
Ebn Haukal writes of Obba (the modern Ebba), and Al-Orbos. —
Marmol, LAfrique^ t. ii, 449 ; Mannert, Gdog, Ancienne des Etats
Barbaresques (ed. Marcus et Duesberg), pp. 394, 687, 688 ; Gu^rin,
Voyage Archdologique dans la Rdgence de Tunis^ t. ii, pp. 86, 87 ;
Tissot, La Province Romaine, t. ii, 454, 459.

(25) Beja, El-Beja, the Roman Vacca, or Vaga, was as early as
Sallust's day a busy mercantile centre. It is the Baya of Procopius
(the /3 pronounced as the V in Latin), the Oppidum Vagense of Pliny,
the Colonia Septima Vaga of the inscription on a stone built in the
mosque of Sidina ATssa ("Our Lord Jesus"), formerly a Christian
basilica. Edrisi speaks of it as a great com market, and El-Bekri
declares that it took 1,000 camels and other beasts of burden to carry
off the surplus grain offered for sale in Beja. It was the seat of a
bishop. — Gu^rin, Voyage Archiologique dans la R^gence de Tunis ^
t ii, pp. 38-49 ; Tissot, La Province Romaine, t. ii, pp. 6, 302 ; Playfair,
Travels in the Footsteps of Bruce^ pp. 232-237. Cagnat, Revue
Archiologiquey t. i, pp. 39-46, etc.

(26) Perhaps Ain Samsed — cold spring. Destroyed in Leo's day,
its site cannot now be identified.

(27) Kasba=" the castle".

(28) Destroyed before Leo's day. It cannot now be identified with
any certainty. The name of " Coros" seems to have vanished.

(29) Bizerta, a corruption of the Arabic Benzert, which appears
again to be derived from Hippo Zarytus, or Diarrhytus, its name
during its period as a Roman colony, to distinguish it from Hippo
Regius (p. 750) — " Col. ivliae. Hipp. Diarr.", according to an inscrip-
tion on a stone built into the wall of the Bordj Sidi Bu Hadid or
" Spanish fort". Before this it was a Tyrian colony. The "lake"
(Mazuka of the Arabs, Hipponitus Pallus of the Romans) still teems
with fish, as it did in Leo's day. The exclusive right of fishing here.

NOTES TO BOOK V. 753

at Colette, and at Porto Farina, is let by the Tunisian government for
a large annual rent. In two days Sir Lambert Playfair saw 10,000
dorados, weighing about ten tons, and worth about £^00 in Tunis,
taken from the outer lake, and 5,000 large mullets, worth £100, caught
in the Tinja Channel (Wad Tinja) between the two lakes.

(30) From what Leo says it would seem that four centuries ago
there was still some of Carthage standing. El-Bekri describes the
cisterns, the gymnasium, the aqueduct, the theatre, and the port
as still in existence or easily traceable. Edrisi, a century and
a half later, notices the same monuments of the city's greatness.
But in addition vast ruins everywhere met the eye. For though
Hassan ben el-Numan, a general of the Kalif Abdul Melik, is said to
have entirely destroyed it in a.d. 706 (a.d. 689, or a.d. 694, according
to other versions), that was a figure of speech. It was not in the
f>ower of anyone, far less the Arabs of twelve centuries ago, to have
as completely effaced the Roman Carthage as the Romans razed
the Punic city which preceded it. They simply burnt what would
bum, and gutted temples and private houses. But for generations
subsequently the Arabs pulled down walls and dug out cellars in
search of hidden treasure, of which to this day amazing oriental tales
are told (Davies, Carthage, pp. 38, 41). Indeed, until the crusade in
which St Louis fell in 1270, the ruined town was not abandoned by
Arabs of a higher type than the j)Oor wretches who live and stable
their cattle in the cisterns at Malka. Even in Leo's day there were
500 houses, and about 25 shops, a mosque and a school. Yet down
to a comparatively recent date, the ruins of Carthage formed
an unexhausted mine of wrought marble for the Tunisians, the
Pisans, and the Genoese. They provided, for instance, a store of
materials for Ahmed Bey's palace at Constantine. Scarcely a ship
came to Goletta but it carried off a load of the marble out of which so
much of Carthage had been built. When Bruce visited it in 1765
little remained except " the cisterns, aqueduct, and a magnificent flight
of steps up to the temple of -/Esculapius". At present the two first of
these objects are all that appear above ground, and the many excava-
tions have not of late revealed much more under the surface.

(31) " Lago della Goletta", erroneously translated " Lake of Tunis",
is the ancient Stagnum. The Gulf of Tunis proper is the old Sinus
Carthaginensis. A canal is now cut through the shallow lake (El-
Bahira) from Goletta (Halk el- Wad) to Tunis. Pory has added
" 1 526 " as the date when Leo wrote this brief description of Carthage.
He must, however, have been there some time before 1520: for 1526 is
simply the date of his Italian MS., which was written some years
after he had been in Rome (see Introduction),

754 NOTES TO BOOK V.

(32) Here a characteristic trait of the Barbary sovereigns is omitted
in the translation. For Leo explains that the reason for the Carthage
College having no pupils was that the revenues might go to the
king's court — " dimodoche Tentrata h della Camera del r^". He adds,
in mentioning the exactions of the king on the residents of Carthage —
"che niuno pu6 esser padrone di dieci ducati : la cui ingiuztizia a
tutti h nota". The injustice of the king, and the difficulty of anyone
becoming master of ten ducats, are old tales in Tunis.

(33) This statement, which is also made by Edrisi (ed. Hartmann,
p. 264), is evidently a fable due to the error of some copyist who has
altered "Tounes" into "Tharsis" or Larsio. Such blunders are easily
ipade in Arabic. — Castiglioni, M/m. Giog. et Numismatique sur la
Partie Orientale de la Barbaric^ etc., p. 37.

(34) Kairwan was founded by Okba ben Nafi ben Abdullah ben
Kais el-Fahri, A.D. 675 (a.h. 55). The passage is obviously mistrans-
lated. It is in the original **un Capitano detto Ucba di Utmen
quarto pontefice". Okba was not a khalif, but as the text quite
accurately states, a captain of Othman, the third Khalif.

(35) Yussuf Ibn Tashfin, A.H. 453 (a.d. 1061).

(36) Abd el-Mumen took Mehdia from Roger II of Sicily in A.D.
1 160 (A.H. 555), leaving Ifrikia to the feeble Hassan Ibn Ali, the last
prince of the Beni-MenAd Senhaja, whom he re-established as his
vassal.

(37) These sovereigns were : Abu Yakub Yussuf (Joseph) and Abu
Yussuf Yakub (Jacob). El-Mansur was Jacob. His son was Moham-
med en-Naser (Mahomet Ennasir). The blunder is in Leo's original
Italian, "e i discendenti Giacob e Mansor*'. Yussuf el- Mostansir was
the son, not the brother, of En-Naser.

(38) Abu Mohammed Abd el-Wahed ben Abu Hafs.

(39) Abu Zakaria Yahia (a.d. 1228). He built the Kasba and its
mosque in Tunis.

(40) Abd Allah Mohammed el-Mustamer. His father had in
reality (a.h. 639, A.D. 1242) made himself master of Tlemsen during
the reign of lagnum ben-Zeiyan (El-Kairouini, p. 220).

(41) Bab Suwaika — in original Beb Suvaica — on the north, leading to
Susa and the coast.

(42) Beb el-Manera in the original. It does not now exist, or at
least not under that name.

(43) Bab el-Bahr, on the east —the " sea gate" proper, opening to
the lake—" lago della Goletta", not " Gulf of Tunis" as translated.

NOTES TO BOOK V. 755

The other gates are the Bab el-Hathera, the Bab Abd er-Salem,
and the Bab es-Sajen, the Bab Sidi Abdullah, and the Bab Sidi Alewa,
leading to Zaghuan.

The Bab es-Silsah, near the Kasbah, under which it was death for
a Christian to pass, is now closed.

(44) Textile work is still the chief manufacturing industry of Tunis.
The kind of spinning described may still be occasionally seen in the
old Moorish streets.

(45) Besis, el-Bezin, Zumeita, Mogatta, Dweeda, Fetaat, etc., are
dishes of which the chief ingredient is flour or some other form
of &rina. They are still commonly used among the Arab and
Berber races. The making of Bezin (Bazeen, in Fezzan called
Aseeda) is minutely described by Lyon, Travels in Northern AfricUy
pp. 49-50.

(46) The description given by Leo still applies ; though the occu-
pation of Tunis by the French has naturally altered the city, the
court, and in many respects the habits of the people, etc.

" Lhasis" {ihasis in the original Italian) is " hashish", or Indian
hemp.

(47) " II ducato d'oro."

(48) " Dobble'', dobla — a pistole. For Tunisian weights, measures,
and com, cf. Dusgato, Notice sur les poids^ mesures, et monnaies de
Tunis {iS^2),

(49) Napoli in the original Italian, Nabel, a corruption of the
Arabic Nabel el-Kedima (the old Nabel), the Neapolis (NfctTroX/;)
noticed by Thucydides, Strabo, Scylax, Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, and
Ptolemy ; the Colonia Julia Neapolis of inscriptions. It was captured
by Agathocles in a.d. 309. It seems from the ruins, however, to have
been previously a Carthaginian station. It is now a town of 5,000
people, mostly occupied in making the pottery for which it is famous.
Under the Romans it seems to have been a place of some importance ;
but it early began to decay, for Edrisi notes that in his day it was of
little account.

(50) Kamart, where there are several Arab country houses, amid
olives and gardens, and a ruined palace. Close by is Cape Kamart.

(51) Now a collection of villas and gardens belonging to the
Consuls and other well-to-do residents of Tunis, with a few caffs, etc.
Near this quarter was one of the principal necropoles of ancient
Carthage. Hartmann (Edrisi, Africa^ p. 273) imagines it to be a
city.

(52) At present merely a village, notable for its villas belonging

7S6 NOTES TO BOOK V.

to wealthy Arabs and Europeans connected by business with Tunis,
and for its pretty gardens — Whence the name " Reihan*' (the Sweet-
smelling). The locality in the vicinity of Carthage mentioned by
Procopius (De Bello VandaHco^ I, liv) as Ad Decimum, must,
Mannert considers, have nearly covered the site of Ariana (Mannert,
Giog. Anc., ed. Marcus et Duesberg, p. 685). But Tissot contends
very positively, though not very satisfactorily, that this spot was in
the defile of Sidi Fathallah— the scene of the first victory of Belisarius
over the Vandals.

(53) Arab Hamm&ma. The town does some trade in lemons and
olive oil.

(54) Hergla, Herkla, the Heraclea of the lower Empire : not the
Hadrumetum, as Shaw " conjectured", but the Horrea Caelia, of the
Antonine Itinerary,

(55) Susa or Suse, a former Carthaginian station, the Roman
Hadrumetum. It was destroyed by the Vandals, restored by Justinian,
and ruined a second time by Okba, who used the material for the
construction of Kairwan. The Aghlabites restored the place, which
was attacked by Charles V in 1537 and by Andrea Doria in 1539. It
is now one of the most flourishing towns of Tunisia. Leo wrongly
describes it as built on a plain : its site is a slope, rising to the
plain through which Kairwan is reached.

(56) Monastir, Mistir (the Roman Rushina, the 'Foutnrsya of Ptolemy,
the 'Poutfw/^ov of Strabo) is a pleasant place embosomed amid olive
groves, which impart a dark green shade to the shore. Davis {Ruined
Cities within the Numidian and Carthaginian Territories^ p. 321),
in adopting Castiglione's and Banks's idea that Monastir was built by
Christians, and was a site of one of the monasteries (/iKJvafrij/^/oi'),
which the Arabs transformed into " Mahres" or " rabat", is most likely
in error. El-Bekri attributes the foundation of the part-Roman town
to Harthema ibn Aien (a.h. 180, A.D. 796, 797), and notes that in
his day it was a favourite place of retirement for holy men. Hence
the number of tombs of saints within and without its walls— a circum-
stance which led En-Naser to call Monastir "the best of sepulchres
and the worst of habitations". — Gubematis, Letiere sulla Tunisia^
pp. 191, 192 ; Barth, KUstenldnder des Miitelmeeres^ p. 159 ; Gu^rin,
Voyage ArcMologique^ t. i, pp. 119, 124.

(57) Teboulba, Tbourba, the Thuburbo minus, Thuburbi minus of
the Tabula Peuiingeriana (ed. G. Harini, 1654), Tuburbo minus of the
Antonine Itinerary, The orthography Thuburbo is according to an
inscription. This little Arab town does not occupy more than a small
part of the old site. It was founded towards the close of the fifteenth

NOTES TO BOOK V. 757

century by a colony of expatriated Spanish Moors. — Tissot, La
Province Romaine^ vol. ii, pp. 247, 248 ; Barth, Kiislenldnder des
Mittelmeeres^ p. 349 ; Gu^rin, Voyage ArchSologique^ t. i, p. 129.

(58) Mehediyya (variously spelt Mehdia, Mehedia, Mahdia, Mahadia,
El- Medea) was a Phoenician emporium, as the many tombs to the north
of the town demonstrate. It was founded, according to the current
belief, as his maritime capital, by the founder of the Obeidite empire
— Obeid Allah el-Mahdi (a.h. 300, a.d. 912-913), who gave it his own
title. But the defaced capitals and other pieces of ancient masonry
show that Obeld was really built on a Roman site. This place may have
been Alipota (or Salipota), and not Sullectum, or Salecto, which must
be sought for at Salekta. But either there or at Mehdia was the
Turns Hannibalis, where Hannibal embarked after his flight from
Carthage. Shaw (p. 193), who was the first to make this suggestion,
founded his identification on a passage in Livy (xxxii, xlviii), " postero
die mane inter Achollam [El- A lea] et Thapsum [Henchir ed-Dimas]
ad suam-turrim pervenit".

Davis {Ruined Cities^ etc., p. 302) imagines — " proves", he contends
— that Mehdia was Thapsus.

(59) Sigelmessa (Sijilmassa) was at that period (a. d. 909) the seat
of EMsia, the sovereign of the petty kingdom of the Beni-Medran,
which exercised authority over the Meknasian tribes of the upper
Muluia. — Foumel, Berbers, t ii, pp. 30-98.

(60) Abu Yezid, son of Makled ben Keidad, a Zeneta of the tribe of
Beni-Ifren, a mulatto who had studied under the Mokaddem of the
Abu Ammar at Takius and Tuzer. His revolt in Ifrikia was in
A.D. 942, when El-K^im was Khalif, and not El-Mahdi as the text
implies. But Abu Yezid was finally crushed and slain (a.d. 947) in
the reign of El-Kiim's successor Ismail el-Mansur.

(61) Mehdia was captured by Roger II of Sicily in a.d. 1147, and
recaptured by Abd el-Mimien in 1 160.

(62) In the reign of Richard II (1390), the Duke of Bourbon, who
(as Froissart and Holinshed tell) was accompanied by several English
knights, laid siege to it, but disease breaking out, he returned without
taking "Africa", as Mehdia was often called. In 15 19 Pedro Navarro
also made a fruitless attempt on it ; but in 1 55 1 Charles V, aided by the
Knights of Malta, seized the place. — Stella, De Aphrodisio expugnato
quod vulgo {Aphricam) vocant, Commentarius (1552); Nucula, De bello
Aphrodisiensiy 1552 (the former idea being that Mehdia was the ancient
Aphrodisium) ; Salazar, Historia de la Guerra y presa de Africa,
1 552, etc ; Rerum a Carolo VCcesare Augusto in Africa bello gestarum,
etc; 1155 (several narratives).

758 NOTES TO BOOK V.

A tomb of one of the knights who died here still exists. It is,
however, curious that until lately the Mehdia people buried all their
dead at Monastir. El-Bekri and Edrisi praise the splendours of Mehdia.
The French have much improved the place (both from a sanitary
and a commercial point of view), but of ancient glories there are few
traces.— Gu^rin, Voyage Archiologique^ t. i, pp. 131 - 144 ; Tissot, La
Province Romaine^ t. ii, pp. 176-178 ; Castiglioni, Mimoire sur
Afrikia, pp. 5-29 ; Piesse, AlgMe et Tunisie^ pp. 451, 453.

(63) Sfax, or Sfakes, " the city of cucumbers", the ancient Taphura,
or Taparura, the seat of a bishop — the Episcopus Taprurensis. It is
now a prosperous town of more than 32,000 people, and certainly more
deserving of the praise bestowed upon it by El-Bekri and Edrisi than
in Leo's day. — De Clam, Pastes Chronologiques de la ville de Sfaks
(1890); Lafitte et Servonnet, Golfe de Gabes en 1888, pp. 12-87;
Graham and Ashbee, Travels in Tunisia (1887), pp. 92-95, etc.

(64) Kairwan, Kairawan, Kairouan, Kerouan, "Carvan, named
properly in Arabic Cayraven" (Marmol), was often confounded by the
older writers with Cyrene, a place more than 600 miles to the east,
and occupying a site now called Grenna. The reason is that it was
called Kuren, which is the same word as " Cairoan", pronounced with
the first vowel short, according to the vulgar accent, and with the
guttural sound of qdfy approaching that of g^ before the letter r.
— Castiglioni, Mtfmoire^ etc., p. 30.

Kairwan (to use the English pronunciation) is, however, now a well-
known city, though until the French occupation of it in 1881, iadu to
Jews and Christians, except with a special permit from the Bey ; and
even then the curious visitor had to run the risk of rough treatment in
this holy city of Islam. Now it is possible to visit it without any
difficulty, and even to trundle from Susa over a tramway built for the
use of the military authorities.

Abd er- Rahman Ibn Abd el-Hakem, the oldest historian of the
Arab invasions of Northern Africa, credits Moawiya ibn Hodeij with
having founded the city, and Okba ben Nefa with having enlarged it.
For "here", he exclaimed, "will be our Kairwan!" — or caravan
station. But En-Nuairi and most other chroniclers attribute its
foundation to Okba, A.H. 50 (a.d. 669-70), in the Khalifate of
Moawiya I, in the presence of eighteen "Companions" of the Prophet,
who, St. Patrick-like, ordered all snakes and wild beasts to disappear
from the spot : a mandate indifferently obeyed, since the plain is not
free from either.

In all likelihood, however, the Arabs merely built on a Roman
foundation.

The Vicus Augusii, one of the episcopal cities of Byzacena, must

NOTES TO BOOK V. 759

have been almost on this spot, while Hauch-Sabra, two miles to the
south, has been claimed, and with greater probability, by Berbrugger
and Lapie as the site of that station. Nuairi, indeed, speaks of a
castle built by the Greeks and called Kamunea, being on the site
chosen for Kairwan, thus by no means confirming the Arab legend
about its being all desert. The material of these buildings most
probably served for building Okba's new city — the pillars and the
mosques being evidently Roman or Byzantine. — Temple, ExcursionSy
etc., vol. ii, pp. 92-102 ; Cagnat, Explorations^ t. iii, p. 21 ; Pellissier,
Description dela Rdgencede Tunisie^ p. 279 ; Gudrin, Voyage Archdolo-
giqtUy t. ii, pp. 324-327; Playfair, Travels^ etc., pp. 167-171 ; Broadley,
TuniSy Past and Present^ vol. ii, p. 127 : Rae, The Country of the
MoorSy pp. 215-313, etc. For some anachronisms in Leo and Marmol, cf.
Castiglioni, Mim, Giog. et Numismatique^ pp. 32, 72.

(65) Okba had been deprived of his government of Ifrikia (Muchauia
= Mauretania) by Moawiya I, and Dinar Abu el-Mohijer had been
appointed in his place. He was restored by Yezid I, on the death
of Moawiya in A.D. 680. He retained his position, according to Leo,
until the reign of El-Walid I, son of Abd el-Melik, when he was slain
by the Berbers who had taken Kairwan : but seeing that El-Walid
did not succeed until a.d. 705, and that Okba, by the best accounts,
died in 683, that is, during the reign of Abd el-Malik, there is a
confusion in Leo's chronology,

(66) Musa ben Noseir, who arrived at Kairwan a.d. 705 as governor
of Ifrikia. What follows refers to the conquest of Spain by Musa and
Tarik (governor of Tangier), and the death of Roderic, King of the
Goths, A.D. 7 10- 1 1. For the history of this last, cf. Al-Makkari, Hist,
of Mohammedan Dynasties in SpcUn^ vol. i, pp. 288 et seq,

(67) Musa reached Egypt at the close of a.d. 714, when he received
this warning from Hisbim (" Hescian"). He came to Damascus two
and a half months later, just before the death of El-Walid and the
succession of Sulaiman. This Khalif accusing Musa — no doubt with
good reason — of peculation, had him beaten with rods, fined him 100,000
pieces of gold, and confiscated all his goods, while Musa's son, 'Abd ul-
Aziz (who had been left governor of Spain, and had married Egilone,
widow of King Roderic), was put to death, and his head sent to his
father. Tarik after this disappears from history. Taking warning by
the fate of his colleague and jealous rival, the shrewd Berber seems
to have letired into private life. Mohammed ben Yezid ("lesul")
succeeded Musa as governor of Ifrikia. Leo is too sweeping when
he says that the rest of the Ommcydd governors were related to
each other.

76o NOTES TO BOOK V.

(68) The Abasside general, El-Aghlab (" Elagleb"), took possession
of Kairwdn in the name of the Eastern Khalif. But, as Leo says, " il
quale domin6 a guisa di signore" — he ruled after the fashion of a
prince ("not ... as a Califa") — and founded the dynasty of the
Aghlabites. Abu Jafar el-Mansur founded Baghdad, and made it the
capital of the former Khalifate of Damascus.

(69) Obeid Allah, a.d. 903.

(70) En-Nueiri (pp. 424 et seq.) says that this great castle — not town —
of Rakkada, situated in a very healthy place, four miles from Kairwan,
was built during the government (or reign) of Ibrahim ben Ahmed
(a.d. 875). When the free negioes rebelled and interrupted communi-
cation between Rakkada and Kairwan, they were crucified or put to
death in ways equally horrible (Mercier, Hist, de VAfrique Sept.^ t i.
p. 290). Rakkada occurs frequently in the history of £l-Kairouini,
who wrote about A.D. 1691. But both the name and the building
seem now to have disappeared. It was Ibrahim ben Ahmed who
completed the conquest of Sicily, begun in 827 a.d. by Ziadet
Allah, when the Kadi Ased ("one Ased") was sent with a fleet
and army at the request of Euphemios, or Euthymeos of Syracuse
(who had rebelled against Michael the Stammerer, and was defeated
by an imperial army).

(71) Alcamo, on the post road from Palermo to Calatafimi. Ciullo
d'Alcamo, one of the earliest Sicilian poets, was a native of the town.

(72) "Gueflet" is almost certainly Jebel Ouslet, and the Roman
remains, those of Aqvae Regiae, close at hand ; though little now
remains to justify their identification except Leo's description. — Tissot,
La Province Romaine^ t. ii, pp. 586-588.

(73) The history of Kairwan, subsequent to a.d. i 500, it is unneces-
sary to follow. It varied with the fortunes of the Tunisian dynasties,
until Tunis became a protectorate of France, since when, curiously
enough, the most fanatical city in the Regency has become the only
one in which an infidel can enter a mosque. It has no resources, and
lives by its traditions and the souls of its prophets.

(74) Kabes, Gabes, Kapes, Gabs, the ancient Tacape, Tacapa,
Tacapae, Tacapas. Leo simply 'repeats the description of El-Bekri,
who describes it as a large town surrounded by a high wall of massive
stones of antique construction, with a strong castle, several suburbs,
bazaars, and caravanserais, a great mosque, and many baths, the whole
within a deep ditch, which in case of need could be flooded. Finally,
it had three gates. Edrisi says much the same. Nowadays it consists
of several villages, scattered over a beautiful oasis of date palms and

NOTES TO BOOK V. 76 1

olives. Sidi Bu-1-Baba is perhaps the village which occupies the site
of Tacape ; like most of the other villages (particularly Menzel and
Dhara) it is built of the remains of the Roman town which preceded it.
But with the exception of a few mosaics, capitals of columns, and
other carved stones, little remains to mark the spot where stood a
Carthaginian emporium, a Roman city, and, in the Christian epoch,
the residence of the Episcopus Tacapitanus, Strabo refers to Tacape
as an important entrep6t of the Lesser Syrtes. — Playfair, Travels^ etc.,
p. 269 ; Y^i^'^x^x^ Revue Archiologique^ 1847, p. 395 ; Gu^rin, Voyages
Arch^ologiques^ t. i, p. 196 ; Moulezun, Bull, Arch, du Comitd des
iravaux historiquesy 1885, p. 126; Tissot, La Province Romainey t. ii,
p. 196 ; Shaw, Travels ^ p. 209 ; Temple, Excursions^ vol. ii, pp. 133,
134 ; Lafitte et Servonnet, Le Golfede Gabh en 1888, pp. 216-269.

(75) This is not quite correct, though repeated on p. 334 ; for the
water is both cool and sweet. There is, however, salt and warm water
not fer away (note Tj), The walls have now disappeared.

(76) As far as I can learn, the " habhaziz" (habb ^aziz " the beloved
beny) is the ground or pea-nut. But, apart from its not being dug,
it is difficult to imagine this fruit being beloved by anyone. The
jujube {Zisyphus lotus) grows abundantly in the vicinity.

{77) £1-Hamma or El-Hammat el-Kabes, "the warm fountain of
Kabes" (Gabes), so called to distinguish it from another Hamma near
Tozer, the ancient Aquae Tacapitanae, the Arab name being thus an
exact translation of the ancient one. It is situated in the Hamma
Oasis, exactly eighteen Roman miles from Gabes, which is the distance
given in the Antonine Itinerary.

Shaw, who was the earliest writer to identify the site, mentions that at
the date of his visit the hot baths were frequented by invalids from all
parts of Tunis. The baths were sheltered from the weather by
thatched huts, while in the basins, which are about 12 feet square and
4 feet deep, there were benches of stone for the bathers to sit upon.
One of the baths was called the Bath of the Lepers. Below it the
water stagnates and forms a pool, which seems to be the Lake of Lepers
(lago de' Leprosi) mentioned by Leo. The water supplying the baths
forms a small rivulet, which, after running through various gardens
and the palm groves, and the " Eastern extremity of the Lake of
Marks (Melrir) . . . , loseth itself, at a few Miles Distance, in the
Sand".— 7V^^/^/^, etc., pp. 213, 214.

The ruins of the old town display a few marks of antiquity,
such as carved stones, but the inscriptions noted by Leo had already
disappeared in 1739. Nowadays scarcely a relic remains, the stones

3C

762 NOTES TO BOOK V.

of Aquae Tacapitanae having been utilised for building the modem
villages in the oasis, and the Borj el-Hamma, the fort erected here.
The temperatures of the hot baths vary from 45° C. to 34° C.

Leo's data are, however, not quite accurate, for, instead of the water
" tasting like brimstone", it is perfectly sweet, and when cool is drunk
with avidity. Leo, in fact, seems to have depended too much on his
memory in describing these hot springs. — Playfair, Proc. JR.G.S,
(1890), p. 625 ; Gudrin, Voyage Archdologique^ t. i, pp. 235, 269,
270 ; Tissot, La Province Romcdney t. ii, pp. 654, 699 ; Temple,
Excursions y vol. ii, p. 149.

(78) Mahres, Mahares, Maharess of Shaw, a large fishing village at
the southern point (Pt. Mahares) of the Bay of Sfax. It bears distinct
evidence of having been a much larger place. But Shaw {Travels^
p. 195) is, I believe, wrong in regarding it as the Macomades minores
(" Macodama"), an ancient Roman municipium ; though it is still an
open question whether M. Tissot is much more correct in finding the
latter at Henchir Oghelt el-Khififa. There are ruins there— that is all.
--Revue Africaine^ t. i, pp. 194-196; La Province Romcdney t ii,
pp. 191, 192. The discovery of inscriptions could alone settle the
point.— Lafitte et Servonnet, /> Golfe de Gabh en 1888, pp. 160-163.
There was at one time a Sultan of Mahres. It is not " almost fiue
hundred miles distant from the isle of Gerbi", but about fifty— (circa
a cinquanta miglia). The castle of which Leo speaks is now half
ruined.

(79) Gerbo in the original Italian, the Bracheon of Scylax, the
Meninsc, or Meniks (M^wy^), of Strabo, who used the name then
applied to it by the natives, though Ptolemy makes Menensc only one of
two towns on the " Island of the Lotophagi" (fj Awro0ay«v KJjiJot
Awro0a7/r/f) of Homer, an identification now generally accepted.
Meninx, probably El-Kantara, seems from its ruins to have been a
large city. The island was afterwards called Girba, and Aurelius
Victor notes that two Emperors — Trebonianus Gallus and his son
Voluscanes (a.d. 252-254) — were both raised to the Imperial dignity
here — " creati in insula Meninge quae nunc Girba dicitur" (EpHomCy
etc., chap. xlv). It is the modem Gerba or Jerba (to use the pro-
nunciation of the people of the island, mostly Berbers), and the Gelves
or Xerves of the Spanish historians.

(80) Humt es-Suk is now the trading quarter, and corresponds to this
description. The Kaid, who is responsible for the government, has
his residence at Humt-sedrien near at hand.

NOTES TO BOOK V. 763

(81) Roger de Loria conquered the island in 1284, and received it in
fief from Peter of Aragon. He erected the great fortress called Borj
el-Kebir, which still stands. In 131 5, it was made over by Roger III
(de Loria's descendant) to Frederick of Sicily. In 1333, the island
recovered its independence ; but in 1431 it was subdued by Alfonso V
of Aragon, who had made an attempt on it in 1424. He is said to have
built El-Kantara— not the town, but the causeway from the island to
the mainland and the Borj.Castel. This is perhaps the invasion and
conquering of the island by Christians to which Leo refers : though if
he, and not the Aragoneseof 1284, constructed the works mentioned,
this shows that the recovery of Jerba by the King of Tunis was not
so rapid as the Arab historians whom Leo follows are fond of
imagining : unless, indeed, between the invasion of Alfonso V in 1432,
and that of Ferdinand the Catholic in 15 10, there was an evacuation
and a renewed attempt to gain possession. In any case, the date was
not about fifty years before Leo wrote, but nearer ninety. It also
appears that it is to this date that must be attributed the famous
Borj er-Ru'us (or Tower of Skulls), twenty feet high and ten feet
broad, which up to 1848 stood near the Humt es-Suk. Sir Grenville
Temple saw it in 1832. " No tradition", he tells us, "is preserved
of its origin, except that the skulls are those of Christians. I think it
probable that they are remnants of the Spanish soldiers, who, under
the command of the Duke of Alva, landed at Jerbeh during high
water, were attacked and defeated by the Moors, and obliged to fall
back upon their boats ; but these, unfortunately for them, were now
high and dry, the tide having during the action receded, and the ships
and transports, to avoid the same predicament, had stood out to sea.
The heavily-accoutred Spaniards tried to regain them, but while
floundering in the mud and weeds, were shot or speared by their
exasperated and more lightly-accoutred enemies, who, it is probable,
erected with the dead bodies this tower in commemoration of their
victory and deliverance from foreign invasion. To preserve it, it is
occasionally covered with a coat of mortar ; when I saw it, a great
part of this had fallen down, and exposed to view the ghastly
grinning skulls."— j5';rr«/r^/V7/w, vol. i, pp. 157, 158. This expedition
was in 15 10. The view more generally adopted is that the skulls
were the ghastly memorials of the expedition sent in 15 59- 1560
by Charles V under the command of Juan de la Cerda, Duke of
Medina-Cceli, Viceroy of Sicily, which was massacred by Dragut.
But this is mere speculation. The native historians, like El-
Kairouini, have nothing to say to this effect. On the other hand,
in a curious little account of Jerba written by Mohammed En-
Naser, it is expressly noted that it was in a.h. 835 (a.d. 1432),
in the reign of Abu Fares, that the tower was constructed out

3 C 2

764 NOTES TO BOOK V.

of the bodies of the slaughtered Spaniards. " The Jerbians", he tells
us, " cut off the heads of the Spaniards slain in the combat, and in
constructing a tower employed the arms and legs to intercalate with
the heads. This tower, which still exists [t.e.j at the time he wrote,
A.D. 1797], is situated in the north on the sea-shore, between the
Borj el-Kebir and the place of embarcation : it attains a height
of sixteen cubits, and four in breadth."

In 1848 the representative of Monseigneur Sutter (Vicar- Aposto-
lic of Tunis), Padre Giuseppe de Maria, and the foreign consul
Ahmed Bey, gave orders for the removal of the hideous trophy and
the burial of the bones in the cemetery of Humt es-Suk. This decree
was carried out, though not without furious opposition on the part of
the Jerbians.

(82) The people of Jerba have been frequently in rebellion, not only
against their foreign conquerors but also against their native nilers. In
1 5 10, there was an invasionof Spaniards, nominally under Garcia Alvarez
de Toledo, Duke of Alva, and father of the more celebrated duke of
that name, though actually under Pedro Navarro. It is the one
described by Sir Grenville Temple {u^ sufird). In 1520, Charles V
sent a more successful expedition under Hugo de Moncada (a " Rhodian
Knight of the Order of Saint John de Messina") and Diego de
Vera, who granted peace to the Sheikh of the island on his agreeing
to pay an annual tribute of five thousand golden dinars (two thousand
crowns = twelve thousand francs), and pledging himself to deny asylum
to pirates. As Leo was writing a year or two after this compact, " to
this day " meant little. Actually the Spaniards had scarcely turned
their backs before the treaty was regarded as waste paper, and the
island was used as an arsenal, first by Barbarossa (1524), and a little
later by the redoubtable Dragut. This brought Andrea Doria with
a fleet to Jerba in 1551, when Dragut escaped by cutting a channel
for his ships through the sandbanks into Bu Giara,and capturing several
galleys sent for the reinforcement of Doria's squadron. In 1599,
Felipe II sent Juan de la Cerda on the unfortunate expedition
above mentioned.

After this, Jerba was permitted to remain masterless, so far as any
European power was concerned, until in 1881 it quietly accepted
the French protectorate. The quarrels of the Jerbians, between
the death of Dragut before Valetta in 1565 and the present year,
have been family differences or struggles between Algerines,
Tripolitans, and Tunisians. — Description et histoire de Pile de
DjerbUy traduite du manuscrit^ du Cheikh Mohammed Abou
Rasse Ahmed ertrNaceur, par Eriga dit Kayser, Interpr^te Mili-
taire Auxiliaire de i*^« Classe (Tunis 1884). This valuable brochure.

NOTES TO BOOK V. 765

with a facsimile of the original Arabic, is scarcely known in Europe.
I obtained my copy in Sfax. — Lafitte et Servonnet, Le Golfe de
Gabh en 1888, pp. 270-314; Brulard,ZV^/^^Zy^^a(Besan9on, 1885).
For antiquities, Tissot, Lm Province Romaine, t i, pp. 190-200 ; t. ii,
7%%, 790, 820 ; Galindo y de Vera, Hist. Vicissitudes y folitica
tradicional de Espaha respecto de sus posesiones en las castas de Africa^
pp. 74, 100, 120, etc. The Jerba dialect referred to by Leo is treated
of by Basset in his Notes de Lexicographie Berblre^ 1883 ; while many
curious facts about Jerba and its Christian enemies may be found in
De Mas Latrie's Relations et Commerce de VAfrique Sept, avec les
Nations Chritiennes^ 1866.

(83) Zavia, Soirah, or Soirih, properly Zuagha, or SoAga
(Earth, Wanderungen durch die Kiistenldnder des MittelmeereSy pp. 273,
274, 288, 289). The Zuigha Berbers figure in El-Bekri, and the
Jerba wars are described by En-Naceur. The place is called
Zudghat esh-Sherkiyya, to distinguish it from another Zuagha.
Delia Cella refers to the salt deposits of "Zoara, about four
leagues west of Tripoli" {^Narrative of an Expedition from Tripoli in
Barbary^ etc., Aufr^re's trans., p. 76). It also appears on the Catalan
Portulan as Zoyara. A little north of Zuighat esh-Sherkiyya are the
ruins of a large town which the Arab authors of the middle ages
called Sabra (Et-Tij^i, p. 175). "Not far from Zuigha on the sea
shore, we see the ruins of an ancient city called Sabra (Ibn Haukal,
Joum, AsiatiquCy February 1842, p. 166 ; El-Bekri, p. 44, cf Tissot,
p. 210), which is the ancient Sabrata, Sabaratha, Sabathra, Saratha,
etc. It sometimes appears on old charts as " Tripoli vecchia", or Old
Tripoli, from forming one of three old Byzantine cities called Tripolis
(see the Beecheys* Report of the Expedition to explore the Northern
Coast of Africa from TripoliSj etc., pp. 25 ^/ seq,), Leo refers to it
under that name. The identity of Sabrata with the Abrotonum
(aPpot6vo¥) of Scylax, Strabo, and Pliny, has now been satisfactorily
traced (Barth, Miiller, Vivian Saint-Martin, Tissot), so that the learning
which placed it at Tajuira (Delia Cella) or at Tripoli (Beechey) was
thrown away.

It was at "Soara" that, on the i6th of August 1 551, the Knights of
St John (of Malta) under Leon Strozzi were defeated. This affair,
and the poor success which attended their possession of Tripoli, no
doubt determined the order to refuse Charles the Fifth's offer of
Mehdia, which they had helped to capture. The Knights had no
stomach for more of Africa.

(84) Lepede in original, Lebida, Lebda, or Lepda, the ancient
Leptis (jj Af wTig) Magna. The ruins (extensive, "but all in bad taste :

j66 NOTES TO BOOK V.

chiefly done in the time of Aurelian — indeed very bad " in the opinion
of Bruce) are yearly vanishing, oinng to the fine granite and marble
pillars being exported for the vilest uses, such as the manufacture of
mortars and oil mills.— Playfciir, Mediterranean^ p. 45 ; Rae, The
Country of the Moors ^ pp. 45-48. *

Leo is in this passage labouring under an error. Leptis was
originally a Sidonian settlement (Sallust, Jugurtha^ cap. 80), and
flourished under the rule of Rome, though to the last markedly
Phoenicianised, owing to the marriage and intercourse of the colonists
with the neighbouring Numidians speaking the Berber language.
During the Vandal occupation, Genseric, adopting his usual policy of
destroying the fortifications of African cities, razed those of Leptis,
with the result that the town was so subject to Barbarian inroads, that
many of the inhabitants deserted it. Justinian, therefore, on the
citizens adopting Christianity, rebuilt the walls both of Leptis and the
neighbouring city of Sabrata (Procopius, De Edificiis^ lib. vi,
cap. iv). During the reign of Constans II (a.d. 647-8), the Levatae, a
well-known Berber tribe, from whom in RennelPs opinion the word
Libya was derived, again invested the place. These inroads,
combined with the drifting sands of the desert, made Leptis so
uncomfortable a place of residence that it was gradually abandoned
for Tripolis, built on the site of the ancient Gea. Then the barbarians
poured in, so that when Abd Allah's Arabs arrived, there must have
been comparatively little to destroy, and that little — together with the
ruins of Sabrata— may possibly have been employed in the rebuilding
of the Roman town of Tripoli, the modem Tripoli of Barbary, the
Tarabolus (Trabilis) al-Gharb of the Arabs, (to distinguish it from
Tripoli in Syria). Tarabolis is simply Tripoli Arabised. Leptis is
referred to by Scylax, Strabo, Ptolemy, Pomponius Mela and other
writers, as Neapolis (NtawoX/g), which was, perhaps, as Bartil
suggested, a particular quarter of the city. The fevourable situation
for commerce — far more so than Tripoli— made the citizens so
wealthy, that at the time the city was part of the Carthaginian
territory, they were assessed at a tribute of one talent (more than
£122) a day (Livy, xxxiv, 64). Even after it came under Roman
rule, the Leptis people paid annual taxation amounting to 300,000
pounds of oil, keeping their Punic constitution so far as to be
governed (an inscription shows) by Suffetes as late as the first
century of our era. The last mention of Leptis is in an ecclesiastical
textof A.D. 482.

(85) Tripoli Vecchia— Gld Tripoli, or Sabrata (note 83). Gea,
Sabrata, and Leptis Magna constituted a feudal union, and the
district of the Three Cities governed by a Concilium Annum was called

NOTES TO BOOK V. ^67

Libya Tripolitana. This name has been reserved for Oea, after it was
occupied by Greek-speaking colonists. Oea (Mela and Pliny) 'Ewa
(Ptolemy), Occa (of the Antonine Itinerary)^ Osa (in the Peutinger
Itinerary)^ Ocea in some old geographical treatises by the blunder of
copyists — was founded by the Romans at a date which from lack of
material evidence we cannot yet settle, and peopled partly by
colonists from Sicily and partly by the more civilised Libyans.

(86) By this is meant, not as sometimes supposed Oea, on the
site or out of the ruins of which the present city is built, but («/ supra)
" Tripoli Vecchia", or Sabrata. The walls of Tripoli now standing
are said to have been constructed, with other fortifications, by Dragut,
(the corsair chief, whose Kubba, or tomb, is one of the most venerated
in the city), and, though now decaying, show signs of very solid work-
manship ; not agreeing, therefore, with Leo's description of their being
high and beautiful but " not verie strong''. Leo and Dragut were not
contemporaries — Dragut being the later of the two — so that the present
walls may have been built or strengthened after the former visited
Tripoli. The date-palms are still as plentiful as ever, the sandy plain
of which our traveller speaks being thickly dotted with them. But
nowadays, at least, the houses bear no comparison with those of
Tunis. Tunis, indeed, until the French conquest gave an impetus to
Algiers, was the most civilized of all the Barbary cities. — Borsari,
Geografia etnologica e storica della Tripolitania Cirenaica e Fezzan
(1868), pp. 102-126.

(87) This theory of the inroads of the sea cannot be entirely accepted.
The sea on all this part of the coast is shallow — at ebb-tide it is
possible to wade from Jerba to the mainland by Tank el-Jemel,
" the cameFs way*' — mainly because it is constantly being shoaled
by the drifting into it of the desert sands, which the wind sweeps
seaward, now more than ever since the scantiness of cultivation has
interposed fewer obstacles against the encroachments of the Sahara.
The result of the soil not being bound together by plants, is that the
desert has in places encroached to the very walls of Tripoli, and has
no doubt covered what in former days was cultivated ground. This
portion of the ancient ruins does not quite support the popular view of
the encroachment of the sea, or the sinking of the land.

In Tripoli few memorials of the past have survived the
wreck wrought by the Arab invaders — nomads, and, like
the Saxon invaders of England, haters of towns and town
life, until effeminacy, the love of trade, and the necessity of
possessing strongholds compelled them to build castles and
walled collections of houses, or to reconstruct after their own

768 NOTES TO BOOK V.

taste the ruins of the Roman cities which they had sacked and left to
the jackals. But one, now jammed in among poor houses near the sea
gate (Bab el-Bahr) is sufficiently notable to make some amends for the
absence of others. This is the splendid quadri -frontal white marble
arch which, as an inscription on it records, was reared by the Consul
Scipio itfritus, in the reign of Antoninus Pius, and subsequently
dedicated to Marcus Aurelius and Lucius AureliusVerus, his successors.
This triumphal arch proves (i) that the coast cannot have undergone
much change in level since the seventh century ; and (2) that,
contrary to the notion of Leo and his copyists, the present city of
Tripoli is erected on much the same site as the Roman one. The
latter, no doubt, covered a greater space of ground, and may have
extended, as Leo contends, a little further north ; but it could not have
gone far, even admitting the sinking of the land, for the depth soon
sinks to six or seven fathoms, and a depression to this extent must
have overwhelmed the entire site. Moreover, to the eastward is a
tract of rocky and elevated ground, on which was the ancient Roman
cemetery, where many sepulchral urns have been found. — Beechey,
Proceedings of the Expedition to explore the North Coast of Africa^
etc., pp. 15, 19). The arch is well figured in Bruce's drawings on
Plates xxvii and xxviii of Playfair's Travels^ etc., and in Lyon's
Travels^ etc., p. 18. It is also referred to but not figured in Tull/s
Narrative of a Ten Years' Residence at Tripoli in Africa (pp. 8, 9), a
valuable work, though full of historical inaccuracies.

The scarcity of com is due partly to the limited amount of agricultural
land, and partly to the uncertainty of the rain-fall. In good seasons
Tripoli still exports grain, but in dry ones it does not grow enough for
the use of the people in the Vilayet. At the same time, the sandy
plain to the S.W. is in part occasionally flooded during the prevalence
of strong northerly gales, and there is marshy ground to the
westward of the town between these celebrated places and the
sea.

Captain (afterwards Admiral) Beechey, in commenting on Leo's
assertion about the old com lands being under the sea, remarks : —
" From this account, contrasted with the actual appearance of the
place in question, we must either suppose that the level of the lands
here alluded to, which are those in the immediate neighbourhood of
Tripoly, is higher at the present time than it was in the age of Leo, or
that the sea has retired since that period. For although the soil of
Tripoly still continues to be sandy, there is now no part of it over-
flowed to the southward of the town." This, an examination by the
editor, bears out, and it is possible that, since Leo's day, earthquake
movements may have altered the level of this part of the Barbary
coast.

NOTES TO BOOK V. 769

(88) Abu-1-Hassan went to war against Abu Hafez Omar in A.H. 748
(a.d. 1348), the latter not fleeing to the desert as Leo has it, but,
according to El-Kairouini, to Gabes, where he was slain by the
partisans of Abu-1-Hassan. But the latter, having suffered a great
disaster before Kairwan, had to return to save his Moroccan and
other western dominions, where his son Abu Einan had raised a
rebellion, and various subject cities had revolted. Then Abu el-
Abbis of Tunis recovered the throne of the Beni- Hafez of Tunis.
Abu Einan, in A.D. 758, forced Abu Ishak Ibrahim of Tunis to
evacuate his capital and take refuge in Mehdia, where nearly all
central Maghrebs recognised the conqueror ; but a mutiny of his troops
compelled Abu Einan to repair to Fez without consolidating the
advantages gained. Then Abu Ishak Ibrahim was therefore permitted
to return to Tunis. El-Kairouini says nothing about his being
imprisoned at Ceuta and restored by Abu Selim. On the contrary,
he is said to have died twelve years after his restoration, though the
native historians differ as to the exact date, which El-Kairouini gives
as A.H. 779 (A.D. 1369).

In the original the names of Abu-1-Abbis (" Abulabbis"), King of
Tunis, and Abu Einan ("Abuenan"), King of Fez, are given.
Florianus omits them in his translation, and Pory follows suit.

(89) This seizure of Tripoli was made in 1355 by Philip Doria, Admiral
of the Republic of Genoa, who acted without the authorisation of his
government. The latter being at peace with Tripoli, and fearing the
consequences to their merchants in Tunis and other Barbary ports,
disallowed the act. Yet the filibusters, after remaining four months
in Tripoli, plundering freely, were permitted to return to Genoa
laden with loot, and received only a nominal punishment. A ransom
is said to have been negotiated through Ibn Mekki, the ruler of
Gabes. The date is given in a footnote to El-Kairouini's history as
1342. But as El-Kairouini himself gives it as 1355 (A.H. 756), which
corresponds to that stated by Genoese historians, MM. Pellissier and
R^musat must have made a slip of the pen. — Istorie di Maiteo
Villaniy c. 47, 48, 49, 60; El-Kairouini, pp. 248, 249, Ibn Khal-
doun ; Hist, des Berbires^ t. iii, pp. 49, 51, 52, 164, 173, De Mas-
Latrie ; Traites de paix^ etc., pp. 224 et, seq. ; Wailles, Bibliography in
Bull, de Correspondance Africcdne (1884), pp. 227-237 ; and Playfiair,
Supp. Papers R.G,S, (1889), pp. 559-614, for fuller references and
titles of works briefly cited.

(90) This portion of Leo's history is very confused and inaccurate.
Pedro Navarro captured Tripoli in 15 10. For a long time pre-
viously it had been governed by the Beni-Amer. Abu Fares, King of

770 NOTES TO BOOK V.

Tunis, had conquered the last prince of that dynasty. But at the
time when Navarro attacked it, the city and neighbouring territory
was governed by an independent Sheik, some of whose predecessors
are named by Leo. The place was stubbornly defended, street by
street, house by house. But though it was much knocked about, and
many of the inhabitants and Genoese merchants, impoverished by the
sack — in which enormous booty was obtained— deserted it, Tripoli was
not, as Leo and Marmol declare, " destroyed by the Christians". On
the contrary, Diego de Vera, being appointed governor, made it
stronger than ever. Indeed, Leo, while previously describing the walls
as not very strong, now notes them as " most strong*'. Jayme de
Requesens, for long the successor of de Vera, carried on the
work of the latter ; while Guillem de Moncada, brother of Hugo de
Moncada, Viceroy of Sicily, also continued to repair the damages
committed during Pedro Navarro's assault.

In 1530 Charles V gave Tripoli and Malta to the Knights of
St. John, who had just then lost Rhodes. But in 1551 (according
to Marmol) they were expelled by Sinan Pasha and Dragut. After
this the place continued, with brief intervals, in Turkish hands. The
piracies of the Tripolitans were, however, so notorious that again and
again was the city bombarded by European fleets. The Bashawi also
became independent. After 17 14 Ahmed Pasha Karaminli and his
descendants ruled the city and province as a dynasty, owning allegiance
to the Sultan of Turkey, just as the Beys of Tunis did— that is, in the
most nominal way. But in 1835 the Sultan, taking advantage of one
of the many Arab outbreaks, reasserted his authority, and has ever
since ruled Tripoli as a vilayet of the empire.

(91) The Berber girls have still a habit of tattooing crosses on their
arms and cheeks, though it is only a pious belief that the ornamenta-
tion has anything to do with their pristine veneer of Christianity,
which in the inaccessible retreats affected by them might have long
remained uninfluenced by Islam. It is even possible that some of the
Roman Christians retreated from the ravaging Arabs to the mountain
houses of the race with whom they had formed alliances of friendship,
marriage, and a common faith.

(92) Aures, properly Auragh, the Audon of Ptolemy, one of the most
interesting mountain regions in Algeria. Its inhabitants, the Khawia
or Zenate, a Berber people, who have no doubt Roman blood in
their veins, are the debris of the Vandal and Byzantine colonists
who found a refuge here from religious persecution and the harass-
ment of successive conquerors. Their physiognomy, language, and
customs bear evidence to this. In youth the women are very beautiful,

NOTES TO BOOK V. 77 1

with fine classical features. Latin words occur in the ordinary speech,
and they observe the 25th of December as a feast under the name of
Milid (the Birth), and keep three days' festivals both at springtime
and harvest. They use the solar instead of the Mohammedan lunar
year, and the names of the months are the same as our own.
The interesting remains of Timegrad, the ancient Thamugas, are
in this district, though not noticed by Leo, from which it may be
inferred that he knew personally little of this region " inhabited by
most barbarous people". — Playfair, Travels^ etc., pp. 60-68 ; Boeswill"
wald-Cagnat, Timegad^ une Citd Africaine (1891) ; Masqueray,
^^ Formation des CiUs chez les Populations Sidentaires de PAlgMe
(1886), and De Aurasio monte ab initio secundi p, Ch. sceculi usque ad
Salomones Expeditionem Thesis Facultatis UUerarum in Academia
Parisiensiy etc. (1886) ; Graham, " Remains of the Roman Occupation
of North Africa,'* etc. {Trans. Roy. Inst, Brit. Architects vol. i,
N.S. 1885), etc.

(93) For notes on this and other early accounts of Constantine, see
Dureau de la Maille, Province de Constantine^ pp. 167-197, etc.

(94) Zaghuan, the ancient Zengis, which gave its name to Zengitana
(Africa propria). On a mountain over one of the springs, the ancient
Zucchara Civitas (the village of Ben Saida) now supplying Tunis, as of
old they supplied Carthage, there was in Shaw's day an inscription : —
"Rorisii totivsque Divinae Domvs ejvs civitas Zvccharia fecit et
dedicavit" There are many Roman remains in this district.

(95) Jebel Nefdsa, a name applied by the natives to that part
of the Tripolitan chain which extends between Wazzen (of Tripoli)
and Rejban. The Ater mons of the Romans was perhaps the chain
between Jebel es-S6da and Jebel Nefdsa. — Tissot, La Province
Romatne^ t ii, pp. 698, 708, 715.

(96) Jebel Ghurian, an inhabited volcanic mountain district, 2000 ft
high, due south of Tripoli. Many of the inhabitants, who bear traces
of Jewish ancestry, Hve in subterranean houses. Their saffron (Crocus)
plantations are still famous, though under endless tyrannies and oppres-
sion the population has much decreased. There are many Roman
ruins in this district. — Lyon, Travels in Northern Africa^ p. 25 ;
Earth, Travels in North and Central Africa^ vol. i, pp. 48, 49.

(97) Beni Houarah ? Sir Lambert Playfair suggests to me.

(98) Ksar Ahmed, possibly named after either Ahmed ben Omar,
the Aghlabite general, or Ahmed ben Hassan el-Kelbi, both of whom

JJ2 NOTES TO BOOK V.

would answer to Leo's description. Ksar Ahmed has now disap>
peared, though a place near Mesurata (Ras Bu Sheifa) is still known
by that name and marked by a Marabout's tomb. — Delia Cella^ p. 49.
Not far from this place, on the shores of the Syrtes, lived the robber
tribe of Uled AH, which as late as 181 5 was exterminated by
Mohammed Karaminli, eldest son of the Bashaw of Tripoli, an inci-
dent which may give a clue to the disappearance of tribes before and
since Leo's day.

(99) Sueka, the Sudeyca of Marmol, near — according to him — ^to
Ptolemy's Cape Trieri — the three-pointed.

(100) Ksar Husn — the Ca^ar Hascen of Marmol, built by the army
of Okba after the ruin of Old Tripoli.

lOHN LEO HIS

SIXTH BOOKE OF

the Historic of Africa, and

of the memorable things

contained therein.

Of the village called Gar,

Auing hitherto intreated of the moun-
taines, it now remaineth that we
say somewhat as touching certaine
villages, hamlets, and territories :
and afterward we will describe in
order the cities of Numidia. And
first the village of Gar, situate vpon
the Mediterran sea, and abounding with dates, offereth it
selfe : the fields thereto belonging are drie and barren, and
yet bring they foorth some quantitie of barley for the
sustenance of the inhabitants.^

Of Garell Care.

IT is a certaine little territorie or Grange, containing
caues of a maruellous depth, whence (they say) the
stones were taken wherewith olde Tripolis was built,
because it is not far distant from that citie.^

T

Of the village of Sarman.

His large village standing not farre from old Tripolis,
aboundeth with dates, but no come will grow there.*

774 'THE SIXTH BOOKE OF TttE

Of the village called Zauiat Ben larbuJu

THis village being situate neer vnto the Mediterran sea,
yeeldeth great plentie of dates, but no come at all
and is inhabited by certaine religious persons.*

Of the village of Zanzor,

THis village also standing neere vnto the Mediterran
sea, within twelue miles of Tripolis, is inhabited by
sundrie artificers, and aboundeth with great store of dates,
pomegranats, and peaches. The inhabitants haue beene
verie miserable euer since Tripolis was taken by the
Christians ; and yet they traffique with the citizens of
Tripolis, and carrie dates thither to sell.^

Of the village of Hamrozo,

IT standeth sixe miles from Tripolis, and the gardens
thereof bring forth great plentie of dates, and of all
other kinde of fruits.^

Oftheplaine of Taiora.

THis plaine standing two miles eastward of Tripolis,
containeth many granges exceedingly replenished
with dates and other fruits. The surprise of Tripolis was
verie profitable for this place, for then many principall
citizens fled hither for refuge. The inhabitants being
ignorant and rude people, and altogither addicted to theft
and robberie, build their cottages with the boughes of
palme-trees. Their food is barley bread, and Bezin before
described : all round about are subiect vnto the king of
Tunis and the Arabians, saue those onelythat inhabit vpon
this plaine.7

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 775

Of the Prouince of Mesellata,

THis Prouince standing vpon the Mediterran sea about
fiue and thirtie miles from Tripolis, and being
fraught with rich villages, castles, and inhabitants,
aboundeth also with great plentie of oliues and dates. The
inhabitants being free from all forren authoritie, haue a
Captaine among themselues, which gouemeth their common-
wealth, and fighteth their battles against the Arabians :
and the soldiers of this Prouince are about 5000.®

Of the Prouince of Mesrata.

THis Prouince being situate also vpon the Mediterran
"sea, about an hundreth miles from Tripolis, hath
manie villages both vpon the plaines and mountaines.
The inhabitants are rich and pay no tribute at all, and
exercise traffique with the Venetians resorting to this
Prouince with their galleies, carrying the Venetian wares
to Numidia, and there exchanging the same for slaues,
muske, and ciuet, which is brought thither out of EthiopicU®

Of the desert of Barca.

THis desert b^inningat the vtmost frontire of Mestrata,
and extending eastward as farre as the confines of
Alexandria, containeth in length a thousand and three
hundreth, and in bredth about 200. miles. It is a rough
and vnpleasant place, being almost vtterly destitute of
water and come. Before the Arabians inuaded Africa, this
region was void of inhabitants : but now certaine Arabians
lead here a miserable and hungrie life, being a great way
distant from all places of habitation : neither haue they
any come growing at all. But corne and other necessaries
are brought vnto them by sea from Sicilia, which that
euerie of them may purchase, they are constrained to lay
their sonnes to gage, and then goe rob and rifle trauellers

yyt THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

The Arabians to redeeme them againe. Neuer did you heare of more

of Barca most - ^

crutiiand cruell and bloodie theeues : for after they haue robbed

bloodie themes.

merchants of all their goods and apparell, they powre
warme milke downe their throats, hanging them vp by the
heeles vpon some tree, and forcing them to cast their
gorge, wherein the lewd varlets search diligently for gold,
suspecting that the merchants swallowed vp all their
crownes before they entred that dangerous desert ^^

I

Of the citie of Tesset in Numidia.

N the first booke of this present discourse we said that
Numidia was accounted by the African Cosmographers
the basest part of all Africa, and there we alleaged certaine
persons for the same purpose : we signified also in the
second Booke, writing of the prouince of Hea, that
certaine cities of Numidia stood neere vnto mount Atlas.
' Error. Howbcit *Sus, Guzula, Helchemma, and Capes, are within

the kingdome of Tunis, albeit some would haue them
situate in Numidia.^^ But my selfe following the opinion
of Ptolemey, suppose Tunis to be a part of Barbarie.
Being therefore about to describe all the cities and townes
of Numidia, I will first begin with Tesset : which ancient
towne built by the Numidians neere vnto the Libyan
deserts, and enuironed with walles of sunne-dried bricke,
deserueth scarcely the name of a towne ; and yet con-
taineth fower hundred families. It is compassed round
about with sandie plaines, sauing that neer vnto the towne
grow some store of dates, of mill-seed, and of barley, which
the miserable townesmen vse for food. They are
constrained also to pay large tribute vnto the Arabians
inhabiting the next deserts. They exercise traffique in the
land of Negroes and in Guzula, insomuch that they spend
most of their time in forren regions. They are of a blacke
colour, and destitute of all learning. The women indeed
teach their yoong children the first rudiments of learning

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. ^^^

but before they can attaine to any perfection, they are put
to labour, and to the plough-tayle. The said women are
somewhat whiter then other women : some of them get
their liuing by spinning and carding of wooll, and the
residue spend their time in idlenes. Such as are accounted
richest in this region, possesse but verie few cattell. They
till their ground with an horse and a camell, which kinde
of plowing is obserued throughout all Numidia.^

Of the village of Guaden,

THis village situate vpon the Numidian desert neere
vnto Libya, is inhabited by most miserable and
grosse people. Here groweth nothing but dates : and the
inhabitants are at such enmitie with their neighbours, that
it is dangerous for them to go abroad. Howbeit they giue
themselues to hunting, and take certaine wilde beasts Tfu beast
called Elamth, and ostriches, neither do they eate any other
flesh. All their goates they reserue for milke. And these
people also are blacke of colour.^

Of the castles of If ran,

FOwer castles there are called by this name, built by the
Numidians three miles each from other vpon a
certaine riuer, which in the heat of sommer is destitute of
water. Neere vnto these castles are certaine fields greatly
abounding with dates. The inhabitants are verie rich, for
they haue trafiique with the Portugals at the port of Gart The port of

, — . . rr> \ Gart Guessem.

Guessem, whose wares they carrie to Gualata and Tombuto.
These castles containe great store of inhabitants, which
make certaine brazen vessels to bee solde in the land of
Negros : for they haue copper-mines in sundrie places copper-mines,
thereabout Euery castle hath a weekly market ; but
come and flesh are at an extreme rate there. They goe
decently apparelled, and haue a faire temple to resort vnto,

3i>

778 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

and a iudge also that decideth none but ciuill controversies :
for criminall matters they vse to punish with banishment
onely.^*

Of the castles of Accfta,

THree castles of this name built vpon the Numidian
deserts not far from Lybia were in times past well
stored with inhabitants, but at length by ciuill wars they
were vtterly dispeopled. Afterward (all matters being
pacified) there were, by the meanes of a certaine religious
man, who gouerned the same people, certaine new colonies
planted. Neither haue the poore inhabitants any thing to
do, but onely to gather dates.^^

Of the prouince of Dara,

THis Prouince beginning at mount Atlas extendeth it
selfe southward by the deserts of Lybia almost two
hundred and fiftie miles, and the bredth thereof is verie
narrow. All the inhabitants dwell vpon a certaine riuer
which is called by the name of the Prouince. This riuer
sometime so ouerfloweth, that a man would thinkeitto be
a sea, but in sommer it so diminisheth, that any one may
passe ouer it on foote. If so be it ouerfloweth about the
beginning of Aprill, it bringeth great plentie vnto the whole
region : if not, there followeth great scarcitie of come.
Vpon the banke of this riuer there are sundrie villages and
hamlets, and diuers castles also, which are enuironed with
walles made of sunne-dried bricke and mortar. All their
beames and planchers consist of date-trees, being notwith-
standing vnfit for the purpose ; for the wood of date-trees
is not solid, but flexible and spungie. On either side of
the said riuer for the space of fiue or sixe miles, the fields
abound exceedingly with dates, which with good keeping
will last many yeeres : and as here are diuers kindes of
dates, so they are sold at sundry prices : for a bushell of

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 779

some is woorth a duckat, but others wherewith they feede
their horses and camels, are scarce of a quarter so much
value. Of date-trees some are male and some are female : Ttu strange

propertie of the

the male bring foorth flowers onely, and the female fruit \ paime or date-
but the flowers of the female will not open, vnlesse the
boughes and flowers of the male be joined vnto them : And
if they be not ioined, the [dates will prove starke naught
and containe great stones. The inhabitants of Dara Hue
vpon barlie and other grosse meate : neither may they eate
any bread but onely vpon festiuall daies. Their castles are
inhabited by goldsmithes and other artificers, and so are
all the regions lying in the way from Tombuto to Fez : in
this prouince also there are three or fower proper townes,
frequented by merchants and strangers, and containing
many shops and temples. But the principall towne called
Beni Sabih,^^ and inhabited with most valiant and liberall
people, IS diuided into two parts, either part hauing a
seuerall captaine or gouernour: which gouernours are
oftentimes at great dissension, and especially when they
moisten their arable grounds, by reason that they are so
skanted of water. A merchant they will most courteously
entertaine a whole yeere together, and then friendly
dismissing him, they will require nought at his hands, but
wil accept such liberalitie as he thinkes good to bestow
vpon them. The said gouernours so often as they fall a
skirmishing, hire the next Arabians to aide them, allowing
them daily halfe a duckat for their pay and somtimes
more, and giuing them their allowance euery day. In time
of peace they trim their harquebuzes, handguns, & other
weapons : neither saw I euer (to my remembrance) more
cunning harquebuziers then at this place. In this prouince
groweth great store of Indico being an herbe like vnto indica.
wilde woad, and this herbe they exchange with the
merchants of Fez and Tremisen for other wares. Corne
is very scarce among them, and is brought thither from

3 D 2

78o THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Fez and other regions, neither haue they any great store of
goats or horses, vnto whom instead of prouender they giue
dates, and a kinde of herbe also which groweth in the
kingdome of Naples, and is called by the Neapolitans
Farfa. They feede their goates with the nuts or stones
of their dates beaten to powder, whereby they grow
exceeding fat, & yeeld great quantitie of milke. Their
owne food is the flesh of camels and goates, being vnsauorie
and displeasant in taste. Likewise they kill and eate
Thefteshofthe ostriches, the flesh whereof tasteth not much vnlike to the
flesh of a dunghill-cocke, sauing that it is more tough and
of a stronger smell, especially the ostriches leg, which con-
sisteth of slimie flesh. Their women are faire, fat, and
courteous : and they keepe diuers slaues which are brought
out of the land of Negros.

Of the prouince of Segelmesse,

THis prouince called Segelmesse,^^ according to the
name of the principall citie therein contained,
beginneth not farre from the towne of Gherseluin, and
stretcheth southward by the riuer of Ziz an hundred and
twentie miles, euen to the confines of the Libyan deserts.^*
The said prouince is inhabited by certaine barbarous
people of the families of Zeneta, Zanhagia, and Haoara,
and was in times pastsubiect vnto a certaine prince, which
bare rule ouer the same prouince onely. Afterward it fell
into the possession of king Joseph of the Luntune-family,
and then into the hands of one Muahidin, and not long
after it was enioyed by the king of Fez his sonne. But
since that time, the prince of this region was slaine in a
rebellion, and the citie of Segelmesse was destroied, and
till this day remaineth desolate. Afterward the inhabitants
built certaine castles, whereof some are at libertie, and
others are subiect to the Arabians.

HISTORIE Ob AFRICA. 78 1

0/ the prouince of Cheneg,

THis region^ extending it selfe by the riuer of Ziz
vnto mount Atlas, containeth many castles, and
bringeth forth great abundance of dates, which dates are
but of small value. Their fields are barren and of little
circuit, saue only betvveene the riuer Ziz and the foote of
mount Atlas, where some store of barlie vsed to grow.
The inhabitants are some of them subiect to the Arabians,
others to the citie of Gherseluin, and the residue Hue at
their owne libertie. And vnto these the high way leading
from Segelmesse to Fez is subiect, and they exact great
tribute of the merchants trauelling the same way. Neere
vnto the said high way stand three castles, the first whereof
being situate vpon an exceeding high rocke, seemeth to
touch the cloudes. Vnder this castle there is a certaine
house where a garde of soldiers continually stand, who for
the load of euery camell that passeth by, demand one
fourth part of a duckat The second castle being fifteene
miles distant from the first, standeth not vpon an hill but
on a plaine, and is farre more stately and rich then the
former. The thirde castle called Tammaracroft is situate
vpon the common high way about twenty miles southward
of the second. There are certaine villages also, and other
castles of meaner account. Corne is maruellous scarce
among them : but they haue goates great plentie, which in
winter they keepe in certaine large caues, as in places of
greatest safetie, whereinto they enter by a most narrow
passage. Likewise the entrance into this -region for the
space of fortie miles is so narrow, that two or three armed
men oncly may withstand mighty forces.

782 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the region of Maigara,

THis region*^ beginning southward from the region last
described, containeth many castles built vpon the
riuer of Ziz, the principal! whereof is called Helel, wherein
remaineth the gouemour of the whole region being an
Arabian by birth. The soldiers of this Arabian gouernour
dwell in tents vpon the plaines : and he hath other soldiers
attending vpon his owne person also, who will suffer no
man to passe but vnder safe conduct, without depriuing him
of all his goods. Here are likewise diuers other villages
and castles, which not being woorthy the naming I haue
of purpose omitted.

R

Of the territorie ofRetel.

Etel^ bordering vpon the region last described,
extendeth also fiftie miles southward along the riuer
of Ziz, euen to the confines of Segelmesse, It containeth
many castles, and yeeldeth plentie of dates. The inhabi-
tants are subiect vnto the Arabians, being extremely
courteous, and so faint harted, that an hundred of them
dare scarce oppose themselves against ten Arabians : they
till the Arabians ground also as if they were their slaues.
The east part of Retel bordereth vpon a certaine desolate
mountaine, and the west part vpon a desert and sandie
plaine, whereunto the Arabians returning home from the
wilderness, do resort.

Of the territorie of Segelmesse.

THis territorie extending it selfe along the riuer of Ziz
from north to south almost twenty miles, containeth
about three hundred and fiftie castles, besides villages and
hamlets : three of which castles are more principall than
the rest The first called Tenegent, and consisting of a

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 783

thousand and moe families, standeth neere vnto the citie of
Segelmesse, and is inhabited with great store of artificers.
The second called Tebuhasan, standeth about eight miles
to the south of Tenegent, being furnished also with greater
numbers of inhabitants, and so frequented with merchants,
that there is not in that respect the like place to be found
in all the whole regfion besides. The third called Mamun
is resorted vnto by sundry merchants, both lewes and
Moores. These three castles haue three seuerall gouernours,
who are at great dissension among themselues. They will
oftentimes destroy one anothers chanels, whereby their
fieldes are watered, which cannot without great cost be
repaired againe. They will stow the palme-trees also to
the very stocks : and vnto them a companie of lewd
Arabians associate themselues. They coine both siluer
and gold-money : but their gold is not very speciall. Their
siluer coine weigherh fower graines apeece, eightie of
which peeces are esteemed to be woorth one peece of their
gold-coine. The lewes and Arabians pay excessiue
tribute here. Some of their principall men are exceeding
rich, and vse great traffique vnto the land of Negros:
whither they transport wares of Barbarie, exchanging the
same for gold and slaues. The greatest part of them Hue
vpon dates, except it be in certaine places where some
corne grow. Here are infinite numbers of scorpions, but in/nit num-
no flies at all. In summer-time this region is extremely ^C«f
hot, and then are the riuers so destitute of water, that the
people are constrained to draw salt water out of certaine
pits. The said territorie containeth in circuit about eightie
miles, all which, after the destruction of Segelmesse, the
inhabitants with small cost walled round about, to the ende
they might not be molested by continuall inrodes of horse-
men. While they lined all at vnitie and concord, they
retained their libertie : but since they fell to mutuall
debate, their wall was razed, and each faction inuited the

784 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Arabians to heipe them, vnder whom by h'ttle and little
they were brought in subiection.^

Of the towne or citie of Segelmesse,

SOme are of opinion that this towne was built by a
certaine Romaine captaine, who hauing conducted
his troupes foorth of Mauritania, conquered all Numidia,
and marching westward, built a towne, and called it
Sigillummesse, because it stood vpon the borders of Messa,
and was as it were the seale of his victories, and afterward
by a corrupt worde it began to be called Segelmesse.
The common people togither with one of our African
Cosmographers, called Bicri^ suppose that this towne was
built by Alexander the great, for the reliefe of his sicke and
wounded soldiers. Which opinion seemeth not probable to
me : for I coulde neuer read that Alexander ^<t great came
into any part of these regions. This towne was situate
vpon a plaine neere vnto the riuer of Ziz, and was
enuironed with most stately and high wals, euen as in
many places it is to be seene at this present. When the
Mahumetans came first into Africa, the inhabitants of this
towne were subiect vnto the family of Zeneta; which
family was at length dispossessed of that authority by
king loseph the sonne of Tesfiny of the family of Luntuna.
The towne it selfe \yas very gallantly builte, and the
inhabitants were rich, and had great traffike vnto the land
of Negros. Heere stoode stately temples and colleges
also, and great store of conducts, the water whereof was
drawen out of the riuer by wheeles. The aire in this place
is most temperate and holesome, sauing that in winter it
aboundeth with ouermuch moisture, which breedeth some
diseases. But now since the towne was destroied, the
inhabitarfts began to plant themselues in the next castles
and villages, as we haue before signified. I my selfe

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 78$

aboade in this region almost seuen moneths at the foresaid
castle of Meniun.**

Of the castle of Essuoathila,

THis castle was built by the Arabians in a certaine
desert place, twelue miles southward of the towne
last described ; and here they keepe their wares free from
the danger of their enimies. Neere vnto this castle there
is neither garden nor field, nor any other commoditie, but
onely certaine blacke stones and sand.^

Of the castle of Humeledegi.

THis castle was built also by the Arabians vpon a
desert eighteene miles from Segelmesse, like as was
the former. Neere vnto it lieth a certaine dry plaine, so
replenished with sundrie fruits, that in beholding it a farre
off a man would thinke the ground were strewed with
pome-citrons.*®

Of the castle of Vmmelhesen,

IT is a forlome and base castle, founded by the Arabians
also fiue and twentie miles from Segelmesse vpon a
desert, directly in the way from Segelmesse to Dara. It is
enuironed with blacke wals, and continually garded by the
Arabians. All merchants that passe by, pay one fourth
part of a ducate for euery camels lode. My selfe trauelling
this way vpon a time in the companie of fourteene lewes,
and being demaunded how manie there were of vs, we saide
thirteene, but after I began particularly to reckon, I founde
the fowerteenth and the fifteenth man amongst vs, whom
the Arabians woulde haue kept prisoners, had we not
affirmed them to be Mahumetans : howbeit not crediting
our words, they examined them in the lawe of Mahumet,
which when they perceiued them indeed to vrrderstand,
they permitted them to depart^

786 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the village of Tebelbelt

THis village standing in the Numidian desert, two
hundred miles from Atlas, and an hundred south-
ward of Segelmesse, is situate neere vnto three castles, well
stored with inhabitants, and abounding with dates. Water
and flesh is very scarce amongst them. They vse to hunt
and take Ostriches, and to eate the flesh of them : and
albeit they haue a trade vnto the land of Negros, yet are
they most miserable and beggerly people, and subiect to
the Arabians.^

Of the prouince of Todga.

THis little prouince standing vpon a riuer of the same
name, hath great plentie of dates, peaches, grapes,
and figs. It containeth fower castles and ten villages, the
inhabitants being either husbandmen or lether-dressers.
And it standeth westward of Segelmesse about fortie
miles.^

Of the region of Farcala,

IT standeth also vpon a riuer, and aboundeth with dates
and other fruites, but corne is greatly wanting heere.
Heere are in this region three castles, and fiue villages. It
standeth southward of mount Atlas an hundred, and of
Segelmesse almost threescore miles. The poore inhabi-
tants are subiect to the Arabians.^

Of the region of Teserin,

THis beautifull region situate vpon a riuer, is distant
from Farcala thirtie, and from mount Atlas about
threescore miles. Dates it yeeldeth in abundance, and
containeth villages to the number of fifteene, and sixe
castles, togither with the ruines of two townes, the names
whereof I coulde by no meanes enquire. And the worde
Teserin in the African language signifieth a towne.'^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 787

Of the region called Beni Gumi,

THis region adioining vpon the river of Ghir, aboundeth
greatly with dates. The inhabitants are poore and
miserable, and buie horses at Fez, which they sell after-
warde vnto merchants that trauell to the lande of Negros.
It containeth eight castles, and fifteene villages, and
standeth southeast of Segelmesse about an hundred and
fiftie miles.^

Of the castles of Mazalig and Abuhinan,

THey are situate in the Numidian desert vpon the
riuer of Ghir, almost fiftie miles from Segelmesse.
Inhabited they are by certaine beggerly Arabians : neither
doth the soile adiacent yeeld any corne at all, and but very
fewe dates.^

T

Of the towne of Chasair,
His towne standing vpon the desert of Numidia twentie

miles from Atlas, hath mines of lead and antimonie Mines of Uad
neere vnto it, whereby the inhabitants get their liuing ; for
this place yeeldeth none other commoditie.^

Of the region of Beni Besseri.

THis little region situate at the foote of mount Atlas,
and abounding with all kinde of fruits saue dates,
will beare no corne at all. It containeth three castles and
a certaine iron-mine, which serueth all the prouince oi An iron-mine.
S^elmesse with iron. Villages heere are but fewe, which
are subiect partly to the prince of Dubdu, and partly to the
Arabians ; and all the inhabitants employ themselues about
working in the foresaid iron-mine.^

788 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the region of Guachde.

THis region standing seuentie miles southward of Segel-
messe hath three castles and sundrie villages situate
vpon the riuer of Ghir. Dates it yeeldeth great plentie,
and but very little corne. The inhabitants exercise traffique
in the land of Ncgros ; and are all subiect, and pay tribute
to the Arabians.^

Of the castles of Fighig,

THe three castles of Fighig stand vpon a certaine
desert maruellously abounding with dates. The
women of this place weaue a kinde of cloth in forme of a
carpet, which is so fine, that a man would take it to be
silke, and this cloth they sell at an excessiue rate at Fez,
Telensin, and other places of Barbary. The inhabitants
being men of an excellent wit, do part of them vse traffique
to the land of Negros, and the residue become students at
Fez : and so soone as they haue attained to the degree of a
doctor, they returne to Numidia, where they are made
cither priestes or senatours, and prooue most of them men
of great wealth and reputation. From Segelmesse the said
castles are distant almost an hundred and fiftie miles
eastward.^

Of the region of Tesebit

THe region of Tesebit being situate vpon the Numidian
desert, two hundred and fiftie miles eastward of
Segelmesse, and an hundred miles from mount Atlas, hath
fower castles within the precincts thereof, and many
villages also, which stand vpon the confines of Lybia, neer
vnto the high way that leadeth from Fez and Telensin to
the kingdome of Agadez and to the land of Negros. The
inhabitants are not very rich, for all their wealth consisteth
in dates, and some small quantitie of come. The men of

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 789

this place are black, but the women are somewhat fairer,
and yet they are of a swart and browne hue.^

Of tlie region of Tegorarin,

THis great and large region of the Numidian desert
standing about an hundred and twentie miles east-
ward of Tesebit, containeth fiftie castles, and aboue an
hundred villages, and yeeldeth great plentie of dates. The
inhabitants are rich, and haue ordinarie traffique to the
land of Negros. Their fields are very apt for come, and
yet by reason of their extreme drouth, they stand in neede
of continuall watering and dunging. They allow vnto
strangers houses to dwell in, requiring no money for rent
but onely their dung, which they keepe most charily : yea
they take it in ill part if any stranger easeth himselfe
without the doores. Flesh is very scarce among them : for
their soile is so drie, that it will scarce nourish any cattell
at all : they keepe a few goates indeede for their milks
sake : but the flesh that they eate is of camels, which the
Arabians bring vnto their market to sell : they mingle their
meate with salt tallow, which is brought into this region
from Fez & Tremizen. There were in times past many
rich I ewes in this region, who by the meanes of a certaine
Mahumetan preacher, were at length expelled, and a great
part of them slaine by the seditious people ; and that in
the very same yeere when the lewes were expelled out of
Spaine and Sicily. The inhabitants of this region hauing
one onely gouernour of their owne nation, are notwith-
standing often subiect to ciuill contentions, and yet they do
not molest other nations : howbeit they pay certaine tribute
vnto the next Arabians.^®

790 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the region of Meszab.

THis region being situate vpon the Numidian desert,
300. miles eastward from Tegorarin, and 300. miles
also from the Mediterran sea, containeth sixe castles, and
many villages, the inhabitants being rich, and vsing traffike
to the land of Negros. Likewise the Negro-merchants,
togither with them of Bugia and Ghir make resort vnto
this region. Subiect they are and pay tribute vnto the
Arabians.*^

Of the towne of Techort,

THis ancient towne of Techort was built by the
Numidians vpon a certaine hill, by the foote whereof
runneth a riuer, vpon which riuer standeth a draw-bridge.
The wall of this towne was made of free stone and lime,
but that part which is next vnto the mountaine hath
instead of a wall an impregnable rocke opposite against it :
this towne is distant fiue hundred miles southward from the
Mediterran sea, and about 360. miles from Tegorarim.
Families it containeth to the number of fiue and twentie
hundred : all the houses are built of sunne-dried brickes,
except their temple which is somewhat more stately.
Heere dwell great store both of gentlemen and artificers :
and bicause they haue great abundance of dates, and are
destitute of come, the merchants of Constantina exchange
corne with them for their dates. All strangers they fauour
exceedingly, and friendly dismisse them without paying of
ought. They had rather match their daughters vnto
strangers, then to their owne citizens : and for a dowry
they glue some certaine portion of lande, as it is accustomed
in some places of Europe. So great and surpassing is their
liberalitie, that they will heape many gifts vpon strangers,
albeit they are sure neuer to see them againe. At the
first they were subiect to the king of Maroco, afterward to

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 79I

the king of Telensin, and now to the king of Tunis, vnto
whom they pay fiftie thousand ducats for yeerely tribute,
vpon condition that the king himselfe come personally to
recehie it The king of Tunis that now is, demanded a
second tribute of them. Many castles, and villages, and
some territories there be also, which are all subiect vnto the
prince of this towne : who coUecteth an hundred and thirtie
thousand ducates of yeerely reuenues, and hath alwaies a
mightie garrison of soldiers attending vpon him, vnto whom
he alloweth very large paie. The gouernour at this present
called HabduUa^ is a valiant and liberall yoong prince, and
most curteous vnto strangers, whereof I my selfe conuers-
ing with him for certaine daies, had good experience.*^

Of the citie of Guargala.

1 ^<y3^^#€^ His ancient citie founded by the Nu-
m^^\ ^^^K midians, and enuironed with strong
wals vpon the Numidian desert, is
built very sumptuously, and aboundeth
exceedingly with dates. It hath some
castles and a great number of villages
belonging thereunto. The inhabitants
are rich, bicause they are neere vnto the kingdome of
Agadez. Heere are diuers merchants of Tunis and
Constantina, which transport wares of Barbaric vnto the
lande of Negros. And bicause flesh and corne is very
scarce with them, they Hue vpon the flesh of Ostriches and
camels. They are all of a blacke colour, and haue blacke
slaues, and are people of a courteous and liberall disposi-
tion, and most friendly and bountifull vnto strangers. A
gouernour they haue whom they reuerence as if he were
a king : which gouernour hath about two thousand horse-
men alwaie^ attending vpon him, and collecteth almost
fifteene thousand ducates for yeerely reuenue.*^

792 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the prouince of Zeb.

ZEb a prouince situate also vpon the Numidian desert,
beginneth westward from Mesila, northward from the
mountaines of Bugia, eastward from the region of dates
over against Tunis, and southward it bordereth vpon a
certaine desert, ouer which they trauaile from Guargala to
Techort This region is extremely hot, sandie, and destitute
both of water and corne : which wants are partly supplied
by their abundance of dates. It containeth to the number
of fiue townes and many villages, all which we purpose in
order to describe.**

Of the towne cfPescara,

THis ancient towne built by the Romans while they
were lords of Mauritania, and afterward destroied
by the Mahumetans at their first enterance into Africa;
is now reedified, stored with new inhabitants, and enuironed
with faire and stately wals. And albeit the townesmen
are not rich, yet are they louers of ciuilitie. Their soile
yeeldeth nought but dates. They haue beene gouerned
by diuers princes : for they were awhile subiect vnto the
kings of Tunis, and that to the death of king Hutmen^
after whom succeeded a Mahumetan priest : neither coulde
the kings of Tunis euer since that time recouer the
Deadly dominion of Pescara. Here are great abundance of

scorpions. , , . . 111 « «

scorpions, and it is present death to be stung by them :
wherefore all the townesmen in a manner depart into
the countrey in sommer time, where they remaine till the
moneth of Nouember.**

Of the citie of Borgi,

ANother towne there is also called Borgi, which standeth
about fowerteene miles eastward of Pescara. Heere
are a great many of artificers, but more husbandmen. And

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 793

bicause water is very scarce in this region, and yet their
fieldes stand in neede of continual! watering, euery man
may conueigh water in his field by a certaine sluce, for
the space of an hower or two, according to the bredth or
length of his ground ; and after one hath done watering
his ground, his next nighbour beginneth, which oftentimes
breedeth great contention and bloudshed.*^

Of the towne of Nefta,

NEfta is the name of the towne it selfe, and also of the
territorie adiacent ; which territorie containeth
three castles, the greatest whereof seemeth by the manner
of building to haue beene founded by the Romains. Inhabi-
tants heere are great store, being very rusticall and vnciuill
people. In times past they were exceeding rich, for they
dwell neere vnto Lybia, in the very way to the land of
Negros : howbeit by reason of their perpetuall hostilitie
with the kings of Tunis, the king of Tunis that now is
destroied their towne ; and themselues he partly slue, and
partly put to flight. Likewise he so defaced the wals and
other buildings, that now a man woulde esteeme it to be
but a base village. Not farre from hence runneth a
certaine riuer of hot water, which serueth them both to
drinke, and to water their fields withall.*^

Of the towne of Teolacha,

IT was built by the Numidians, and compassed with
slender wals, and hath a riuer of hot water also
running thereby. The fields adiacent yeeld plentie of
dates, but great scarcitie of come. The miserable inhabi-
tants are oppressed with continual exactions, both by the
Arabians, and also by the king of Tunis. Yet are they
extremely couetous and proud, and disdainfull vnto
strangers.*^

794 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the towne of Deusen,

DEusen a very ancient towne, founded by the Romains
in the same place where the kingdome of Bugia
ioineth to Numidia, was destroied by the Mahometans at
their first entrance into Africa, bicause of a certaine
Romaine captaine, which endured the Saracens siege for a
whole yeere togither ; the towne being at- length taken,
this captaine and all the men of the towne were put to the
sword, but the women and children were carried away
captiue. Howbeit after the towne was sacked, the wall
thereof remained entire, by reason it was built of most
hard stone, and that a woonderfuU thicknes, though in
some places it seemeth to be ruined, which (I thinke)
might be caused by an earthquake. Not farre from this
towne are diuers monuments of antiquitie like vnto
sepulchers, wherein are founde sundrie peeces of siluer
coine, adorned with certaine letters and hieroglyphicall
figures, the interpretation whereof I could neuer finde
out.«

Of the prouince of BiUdulgerio.

FRom the territorie of Pescara this prouince extendetb
it selfe vnto the Isle of Gerbi, and one part thereof,
in which Cafsa and Teusar are situate, is almost three
hundred miles distant from the Mediterran sea. It is an
extreme hot and drie place, bringing foorth no corne at
all, but great plenty of dates, which bicause they are
speciall good, are transported vnto the kingdome of Tunis.
Here are diuers townes and cities, which we will describe
in their due place.*®

Of the towne of Tetisar.

THis ancient towne built by the Romans vpon the
Numidian desert, neere vnto a certaine riuer spring-
ing foorth of the southren mountaines, was enuironed with

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 79S

most stately & impregnable wals, and had an ample
territorie thereunto belonging, but it was since so destroied
by the Mahumetans, that now instead of the woonted
sumptuous palaces thereof it containeth nought but base
cottages. The inhabitants are exceeding rich both in
wares and money, for they haue many faites euerie yeere ;
whereunto resort great numbers of merchants from Numidia
and Barbarie. The foresaid riuer diuideth the towne into
two parts, one whereof being inhabited by the principall
gentlemen and burgo-masters, is called Fatnasa : and in
the other called Merdes dwell certaine Arabians, which
haue remained there euer since the towne was destroyed
by the Mahumetans. They are at continuall ciuill wars
among themselues, and will performe but little obedience
to the king of Tunis : for which cause he dealeth alwaies
most rigorously with them.^

Of the towne of Caphsa,

THe ancient towne of Caphsa built also by the Romans,
had for certaine yeeres a gouernour of their owne :
but afterward being sacked by one Hucba a Captaine of
Huttnen Califa^ the walles thereof were razed to the
ground ; but the castle as yet remaineth, and is of great
force ; for the wall thereof being fiue and twentie cubits
high, and fiue cubits thick, is made of excellent stones, like
vnto the stones of Vespasians Amphitheatre at Rome.
Afterward the towne- walles were reedified, and were
destroyed againe by Mansor^ who hauing slaine the
Gouernour of the towne and all the inhabitants, appointed
a new Gouernour ouer the same place. Now this towne is
verie populous, all the houses thereof, except the temple
and a few other buildings, being verie deformed and base,
and the streets are paued with blacke stones, like vnto the
streets of Naples and Florence. The poore inhabitants are
continually oppressed with the exactions of the king of

3 E 2

796 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Tunis. In the middest of the towne are certaine square,
large, and deepe fountaines walled round about, the water
whereof is hot and vnfit to bee drunke, vnlesse it be set an
hower or two a cooling. The ayre of this place is verie
vnholesome, insomuch that the greatest part of the
inhabitants are continually sicke of feuers. People they
are of a rude and illiberall disposition, and vnkinde vnto
strangers : wherefore they are had in great contempt by
all other Africans. Not far from this towne are fields
abounding with dates, oliues, and pome-citrons : and the
dates and oliues there are the best in all the whole
prouince : here is likewise most excellent oyle. The
inhabitants make themselues shooes of buckes leather.^^

Of the castles of Nefzaoa,

THree castles there are of this name being well stored
with inhabitants, but verie homely built, and oppressed
with the king of Tunis his continuall exactions. And they
are distant from the Mediterran sea, about fiftie miles.**

Of the region of Teorregu.

THis little territory belonging to the kingdome of
Tripolis, & bordering vpon the desert of Barca,
containeth three castles of the same name, which abound
greatly with dates, but haue no come at all. The
inhabitants being farre distant from other townes and cities,
lead a most miserable life.^

Of the territorie of lasliten,

IT lieth vpon the Mediterran sea, and containeth many
villages abounding with dates. The inhabitants
because they dwell so neere the sea, haue great traffique
with the people of Sicilie and Egypt^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA.

797

Of the region of Gademes,

THis large region hauing many castles & villages
therin, standeth southward of the Mediterran sea
almost three hundred miles. The inhabitants being rich in
dates and all other kinde of merchandise, and trafficking
into the land of Negros, pay tribute vnto the Arabians ;
albeit for a certaine time they were subiect vnto the king of
Tunis, and the Prince of Tripolis. Corne and flesh are
maruellous scarce here.^

Of the region of Fezzen,

THis ample region containing great store of castles and
villages, and being inhabited with rich people, and
bordering vpon the kingdome of Agadez, the Libyan
desert, and the land of Egypt, is distant from Cairo almost
threescore dales ioumey : neither is there any village in all
that desert besides Augela, which standeth in the bounds
of Libya. This region of Fezzen hath a peculiar gouemour
within it selfe, who bestoweth the reuenues of the whole
region according to his owne discretion, and payeth some
tribute vnto the next Arabians. Of come and flesh heere
is great scarcitie, so that they are constrained to eat camels
flesh onely.^

A description of the deserts of Libya, and first of

Zanhaga,

JAuing hitherto described all the regions

of Numidia, let vs now proceed vnto

the description of Libya ; which is

diuided into fiue parts, as we signified

in the beginning of this our discourse.

We will therefore begin at the drie and

forlorne desert of Zanhaga, which bor-

deretb westward vpon the Ocean sea, and extendeth

798 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

eastward to the salt-pits of Tegaza, northward it abutteth
vpon Sus, Haccha, and Dara, regions of Numidia; and
southward it stretcheth to the land of Negros, adioyning it
selfe vnto the kingdomes of Gualata and Tombuto. Water
is here to be found scarce in an hundred miles trauell,
being salt and vnsauorie, and drawen out of deepe wels,
especially in the way from Segelmesse to Tombuto. Here
are great store of wilde beasts and creeping things, whereof
we will make mention in place conuenient In this region
there is a barren desert called Azaoad, wherein neither
water nor any habitations are to be found in the space of
an hundred miles; beginning from the well of Araoan,
which is distant from Tombuto about 150. miles. Here
both for lacke of water and extremitie of heat, great
numbers of men and beasts daily perish.*^

Of the desert inhabited by the people called Zuenziga,

THis desert beginneth westward from Tegaza, extending
eastward to the desert of Hair which is inhabited
by the people called Targa : northward it bordereth vpon
the deserts of Segelmesse, Tebelbelt, and Benigorai ; and
southward vpon the desert of Ghir, which loineth vnto the
kingdome of Guber. It is a most barren and comfortlesse
place : and yet merchants trauell that way from Telensirt
to Tombuto : howbeit many are found lying dead vport
the same way in regard of extreme thirst Within this
desert there is included another desert called Gogdem,
where for the space of nine dales ioumey not one drop of
water is to be found, vnlesse perhaps some raine falleth :
wherefore the merchants vse to carrie their water vpon
camels backes.^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 799

Of the desert inhabited by the people called Targa,

THis desert beginneth westward vpon the confines of
Hair, and extendeth eastward to the desert of
Ighidi ; northward it bordereth vpon the deserts of Tuath,
Tegorarin, and Mezab, and is inclosed southward with a
certaine wildemesse neere vnto the kingdome of Agadez.
It is a place much more comfortable and pleasant then the
two deserts last described ; and hath great plentie of water,
also neere vnto Hair. The ayre is maruellous holesome,
and the soyle aboundeth with all kinde of herbes. Not
farre from Agadez there is found great store of Manna, Grecu store of
which the inhabitants gather in certaine little vessels,
carrying it while it is new unto the market of Agadez :
and this Manna being mingled with water they esteeme
very daintie and pretious drinke. They put it also into
th^ir pottage, and being so taken, it hath a maruellous
force of refrigerating or cooling, which is the cause that
here are so few diseases, albeit the ayre of Tombuto and
Agadez be most vnwholesome and corrupt. This desert
stretcheth from north to south almost 300. miles.^®

T

Of the desert inhabited by the people of Lentta.

HE fourth desert beginning at the territorie of Ighidi
_ and extending to another which is inhabited by the
people called Berdoa, bordereth northward vpon the
deserts of Techort, Guarghala, and Gademis, and south-
ward vpon the kingdome of Cano in the land of Negros.
It is exceeding drie, and verie dangerous for merchants
trauelling to Constantina. For the inhabitants chalenge
vnto themselues the signiorie of Guargala : wherefore
making continuall warre against the prince of Guargala,
they oftentimes spoile the merchants of all their goods :
and as many of the people of Guargala as they can catch,
they kill without all pitie and compassion.^

800 THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE

Oftlie desert inhabited by the people called Berdoa,

THE fift desert beginning westward from the desert
last mentioned, and stretching eastward to the
desert of Augela, adioyneth northward vpon the deserts of
Fezzen and Barca, and trendeth southward to the desert
of Borno. This place is extremely drie also, neither haue
any but the Gademites, which are in league with the
people of Berdoa, safe passage through it : for the mer-
chants of Fezzen, so often as they fall into their enimies
hands, are deprived of all their goods. The residue of the
Libyan desert, that is to say, from Augela to the riuer of
Nilus is inhabited by certaine Arabians and Africans com-
monly called Leuata : and this is the extreme easterly
part of the deserts of Libya.®^

Of the region of Nun,

THis region bordering vpon the Ocean sea, containeth
many villages and hamlets, and is inhabited with
most beggerly people. It standeth betweene Numidia and
Libya, but somewhat neerer vnto Libya. Here groweth
neither barley nor any other corne. Some dates here are,
but very vnsauorie. The inhabitants are continually
molested by the Arabians inuasions : and some of them
traffique in the kingdome of Gualata.^

Of the region of Tegaza,

Saltmines, T N this region is great store of salt digged, beeing whiter
1 then any marble. This salt is taken out of certaine
caues or pits, at the entrance wherof stand their cottages
that worke in the salt-mines. And these workmen are all
strangers, who sell the salt which they dig, vnto certaine
merchants that carrie the same vpon camels to the king-
dome of Tombuto, where there would otherwise be extreme
scarcitie of salt. Neither haue the said diggers of salt any

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 8oi

victuals but such as the merchants bring vnto them : for
they are distant from all inhabited places, almost twentie
daies iourney, insomuch that oftentimes they perish for
lacke of foode, whenas the merchants come not in due
time vnto them : Moreouer the southeast winde doth so
often blind them, that they cannot Hue here without great
perill. I my selfe continued three daies amongst them, all
which time I was constrained to drinke salt-water drawen
out of cfertaine welles not far from the salt-pits.^

Of the region of Angela,

AVgela beeing a region of the Libyan desert, and
distant fower hundred and fiftie miles from Nilus,
containeth three castles, and certaine villages. Dates
heere are great plentie, but extreme scarcitie of corne,
vnlesse it be brought hither by merchants out of Egypt.
Through this region lieth the way by the Libyan desert
from Mauritania to Egypt.***

Of the towne of Serte,

SErte an ancient towne built (according to the opinion
of some) by the Egyptians ; of others, by the
Romans ; and (as some others suppose) by the Africans,
was at length destroied by the Mahumetans, albeit Ibnu
Rachich affirmeth the Romans to haue sacked it But
now there is nought remaining but onely a few mines of
the wall.«^

Of the region of Berdeoa,

BErdepa a region situate in the midst of the Libyan
desert, and standing almost fine hundred miles from
Nilus, containeth three castles and fiue or six villages,
abounding with most excellent dates. And the said three
castles were discouered eighteene yeeres agoe by one
Hamar in manner following : the carouan of merchants

802 HISTORIE OF AFRICA.

wandering out of the direct way, had a certaine blinde

man in their companie which was acquainted with all

AwhcUcaro' those regions: this blinde guide riding foremost vpon

nan conducted ^, \ , , ^ , f . ,.

by a blinde his camell, Commanded some sand to be gmen him at

guide who lead

them by sent cuery milcs end, by the smell whereof he declared the

This^fresentthe situation of the place : but when they were come within

MMTocoare foftie miles of this region, the blinde man smelling of the

^tt^iA^a^ sand, affirmed that they were not farre from some places

^^' ^ '^^' inhabited ; which some beleeued not, for they knew that

they were distant from Egypt fower hundred and eightie

miles, so that they tooke themselues to be neerer vnto

Augela. Howbeit within three daies they found the said

three castles, the inhabitants whereof woondering at the

approch of strangers, and being greatly astonied, presently

shut all their gates, and would giue the merchants no

water to quench their extreme thirst But the merchants

by maine force entred, and hauing gotten water sufficient,

betooke themselues againe to their ioumie.^

Of the region of Alguechet

ALguechet also being a region of the Libyan desert, is
from Egypt an hundred and twenty miles distant.
Here are three castles and many villages abounding with
dates. The inhabitants are black, vile, and couetous
people, and yet exceeding rich : for they dwell in the mid
way betweene Egypt and Gaoga. They haue a gouemour
of their owne, notwithstanding they pay tribute vnto the
next Arabians.^^

Here endeth the sixth booke.

NOTES TO BOOK VI.

(i) Gar, "a cavern "—perhaps Gheriah, Garria, or Geria, on the
shores of the Greater Syrtes, but the description is too vague for
so insignificant a place to be accurately identified {Delia Cella, p. 80).
Marmol, who seems to have known it, describes Gar as unfortified,
with a ruined wall and tower, and " what some call the Cistcrne". It
was inhabited by Berbers subject to the Chief of Tajuira (Tachore).

(2) The same remark applies to Gar el-Gare, and though the
quarries ought to afford a clue to the locality, it is not mentioned by
Marmol, Delia Cella, Barth, the Beecheys, or any other writer known
to me. The Gara (or Gaia of Ptolemy) is a small islet off Ain Naga,
close to the shore of the Greater Syrtes (Syrtes Magna). There are
great quarries at the ruins of Ksar Yahilye (which may be " Garell-
gare ") to the west of Tripoli, and the sanctuary of " El-Gar " in the
district of Zenzur is close at hand beside a ruined castle. Caverns
are frequent along the coast.

(3) Sarman is described by Marmol as a large open town, well-
peopled by Hoarsa Berbers, who recognised the Tripoli authorities,
and who had plenty of dates. It is, in all probability, the modem
Aserman, a village scattered among the date palms.

(4) The Zauia, or Sanctuary of Sidi Barhab, near Zenzur, the
Zaort or Zauit ben Giarbu of Marmol.

(5) Zenzur— a poor place, still in the rich, well -watered district of the
same name, which contains four or five thousand people. It is the
Gienzor of Marmol.

(6) Hamron of Marmol, an open village in his day. There is a
market gardeners' village of this name.

(7) Tajiura, Tajuia, Tadschura, the Tachore of Marmol, Taguira
of DeUa Cella and the Beecheys ; a series of scattered villages, sur-
rounded by gardens, date palms and olive groves ; the people are
occupied in agriculture or market gardening, and in making coarse
barracans (the representation of the Morocco jellaba), and mats of the
4ate palm leaves.

804 NOTES TO BOOK VI.

(8) Mecellat of Marmol, the great Plain of Mesellata, still well
populated and prosperous, and celebrated for the industry of its
people. The Castle of Mesellata at the northern end of the village
of Kasabat (" the castle ") was probably erected by the Spaniards, at
the end of the sixteenth century. — Barth, Travels^ etc., vol. i, p. 77.

(9) Mesurata, Msarata, Mezrata, a large plain covered with olives
and date palms, the chief town of which is called Mesurata, about a
mile from the extremity of Cape Mesurata. It occupies the site of
the ancient Thubactis municipium. The Mezurateens, who live in
small detached houses, are mostly agriculturists. But they also
manufacture carpets, and send caravans to Fezzan and the Sudan.
They have played a warlike part in the turmoils of Tripoli.

(10) Barca still bears the name which the Arab invaders adopted
from the Romans, who are said to have taken it, in turn, from an
ancient city called "Barce", which was built by Battus, son of Arcesilas,
King of Egypt, and afterwards destroyed by Amasis. — Herodotus^
lib. iv ; StrabOy lib. xvii ; Ptolemy^ lib. iv, c. 4 ; Pomponius Mela^
lib. i, c. 8. The promontory of Barca, and the modem El-Mergi or
El- Medina, recalls the ancient Barca and its port of Ptolemais, the
modem Tolemeta. This district was the Greek Cyrenaica and the
country Pentapolis—" the Land of the Five Cities. But Leo is too
liberal in comprising under Barca all the country between Mesurata
and Egypt, and in stating, as the natives still do, that the " Desert
of Barca", was uninhabited until the Arabs came to Africa. In reality,
here were flourishing Greek and Roman colonies, with cities to whose
former splendour their ruins attest, and a soil rivalling that of Egypt
in fertility. Much of it is sandy, and tracts once cultivated are
now permitted, either from lack of irrigation or the desert encroach-
ment, to retum to barrenness. But the Barca promontory, instead
of being "a sandy or rocky waste, with a few rare oases", is described
by Sir Lambert Playfair as consisting " of a succession of wooded
hills and smiling prairies, well watered by rain and perennial
springs : the climate is healthy and cool even during the summer
months, and the moist sea breezes blowing over it protect the country
from the devastating wind of the desert". Leo, no doubt, describes
Serte as an ancient city, the builders of which some believed to be the
Egyptians and others the Romans, from which {inter^alia) it is clear
he had not seen the place in question ; otherwise with his Italian
experience he would at once have seen that the Egyptians could have
had nothing to do with the sculptures then more in evidence than now.
He also grossly exaggerates the length and breadth of the region he
takes to be Barca. It is from this erroneous description of Leo's that
the persistent modem impression of "the district and desert of

NOTES TO BOOK VI. 805

Barca " has been derived. Yet had Herodotus been accepted as an
authority, it would be seen that he describes the region as not only
not barren throughout, but in places remarkable for its fertility. The
Beecheys indeed characterise the present inhabitants as a healthy,
good-looking race, though, as their treatment of Rohlfs' expedition
proved, still as treacherous and predatory as Leo described. — Rohlfs,
Reise von Tripoli nach Alexandrien (1871) ; Borsari, Geog, etnol. e
Storica delta Tripolitana, Cyrenaica e Fezzan^ pp. 1 59 et seq, ;
Beechey, Report^ etc., p. 266.

(11) There is some slip of the pen here, for Pory rightly marks
the passage. Sus (p. 248) and Guzula (p. 281) have already been
described in Morocco. Capes {Gabes^ p. 760) is in Tunis, but " Hel-
chemna" (Elchemma) is not so clear : it is not mentioned under that
name in any other part of Leo's narrative.

(12) Tesserit, Tenzert, or Tichert. Perhaps Tizzert and Tizzut
are different places.

(13) For "Elmath", see Edrisi (ed. Hartmann), p. 130. The
addux antelope is, in the language of the Northern Tuaregs, el-
mehd, — Duveyrier, Les Totiaregs du Nord^ p. 225. Marmol describes
Guaden as a large open village, which he visited with the Shereef
Mohanuned. The people of it trafficked with the Portuguese at
Arguin, a statement a little difficult to credit, unless the village lay
much farther south than Leo puts it. The place, if not Wadan
(Ouadan), a short journey from Arguin, may be Wad Nun — Renou,
Expl. Scientifique de PAlgMe^ t. ii, p. 281.

(14) Also called Ofran, Gufran, Gfferan, and under these names
known to the Morocco traders. Marmol calls it Ufaran. The in-
habitants traded in Leo's day with Agadir or Gartguessem (p. 253) the
Carguesse of Marmol. Cochelet enumerates 1 50 houses, the popula-
tion being half Jewish. — Naufrage du brick franqais La Sophie perdus
le 30 mai 1819, sur la cSte occidentale d^Afrique^ etc., t. ii, p. 331.

(15) The Aca of Marmol, the well-known oasis of Akka. Lenz,
Timbuktu^ vol. i, p. 85, vol. ii, p. 6.

(16) Dra, Drah, Draa. In summer this river is almost dry, and the
Debaia, an expansion on its upper course, which has been described
as a " great lake", becomes a Sebka or marsh. Indeed, it is filled with
water for only a short period of the year, and at times can be culti-
vated for quick-growing crops.

(17) The Beni Sbih, an important place in the district of Ktaua
visited by Rohlfs. Ktaua is evidently MarmoPs Quiteoa, while Tan-
zetta is his Tinzeda. He also mentions Taragale, Tinzulin (Rohlfs'

8o6 NOTES TO BOOK VI.

Tunsulin), Tamegrut, Taberaost (perhaps Taberaoust), Afra, and
Timesquit (probably Rohlfs* Mesgeta, or Mezquitta, or Tineskit, the
Berber name for a mosque). Mouette's Lafera, a cavernous mountain
in the vicinity of Zaimby, called by Marmol Taragale, or Taragalelt,
or Tareggilet, is the Jebel Sagora. — Rohlfs, Mein Erster Aufenthalt
in Marokko (Dritte Ausgabe), p. 440 ; De Castries, " Notice sur la
region de Poued Drai," Bull, de Soc, Gdog, Paris, December i88o,
p. 497.

(18) Sigilmdsiyah, Segelmessa, Sigilmassa, Sugulmesse, Sedschel-
mesa, has been always reckoned as practically synonymous with
Tafilet, as indeed it is, the place being spoken of long after it was
destroyed and its successor established in its stead. But, in reality,
though the area of the modem kingdom of Tafilet — the cradle of the
present dynasty of Morocco— is nearly coterminous with that of
Segelmessa, the two towns are quite distinct, as are also the past and
the present divisions of the country. The history of the town of
Segelmessa is much the same as that of the country. It was founded,
according to El-Bekri, not by the Romans, but in A.H. I4o(a.d. 757), at
the period when the Khalifsof Cordova declared themselves independent
of the Khalifs of the East, and caused the ruin of the towns of Terra
(Berah) and Ziz. After being successively under the rule of Yussuf
Ben Tashfin and Abd el-Mumen, the civil wars during the reign of
the Beni-Marini ended in the ruin of the city, the inhabitants
retreating into detached Kusiir (plural of Ksar), which they erected in
different oases. These really constitute the modem Tafilet. Yet
long after the place had lost all its former importance and had even
ceased to exist, Arab and European, writers copying them, spoke of
Segelmessa as only another name for Tafilet Leo does so, and
Marmol, after copying all that Leo says about Tafilet, adds that it is an
ancient Berber town, built on a sandy plain, and of some commercial
importance. Walckenaer {Recherches^ p. 285), D'Avezac {Eludes ,
p. 162), and Cooley {Negrolandy p. 5) actually contended that the two
names were really those of the same city. Graberg de Hemso
{SpecchiOy pp. 63, 64), a most uncritical writer, was in this case more
accurate. But as late as A.H. 1218 (a.d. 1803) Abu-1-K4sim ben Ahmed
Ezziini refers to an army under Dahman Essoueda, Amil of the
Sahara, marching to Segelmessa. Mr. Harris describes the Tafilet
ksars as large and strongly fortified, and possessing each one a gate
at which the stranger is keenly scmtinised by the " boab", or door-
keeper. The ruins of Segelmessa are in the district of Wad Ifii, and
bear evidence to the city having been a large one. Nothing now
remains of its former greatness but cmmbling walls, a mosque and
minaret in tolerable repair, and a broken-down bridge over the Wad
Ziz. "Tabia" seems to have been chiefly used in its constmction,

NOTES TO BOOK VI. 807

and there are few traces of stone buildings. The very name of the
town seems to have disappeared with its greatness ; for, though the
fame of " Segelmessa" is remembered, its ruins are known as
Medinat ul-'^mira — " the Royal Cit/'. The canal made to carry the
water supply from the deep river-bed to the town is of such unusually
good workmanship that the water still flows fast and clear between
its well-formed banks, and several little bridges in good repair cross
the ditch. Yet Segelmessa in its lowly condition is still revered
for what it was ; and twice a year, on the 'Id el-Kebtr and the
'Id es-Saghir, the two great Moslem feasts, a large concourse
of people meet to pray at the Musalli, or "place of prayer*'
near the old mosque, which has been a silent witness of so
many unwritten events in the lurid history of Morocco. Major
Raverty tells us that it is mentioned, among other Arabic documents,
in the Maslik wa Mayndlik^ and about A.D. 950 Ibn Haukal
[Oriental Geog,^ p. 17) refers to it as distant nearly fifty "merhalah"
(or days' journey) from Kairwan. Edrisi mentions " Segelmesa", under
which name it is also referred to by Ibn el-Wardi. Abu-1-feda,
on the authority of Ibn Said, describes " Sedgelmasah" (Sol vet's ed.,
p. 67 ; Reinaud's ed., t. ii, p. 189) as the capital of a considerable
province watered by a river bordered with gardens. It had eight
gates, and by whichever of them the traveller passed out he saw
the river, date palms, and other trees. A wall of forty miles in
circumference surrounded city and gardens alike. The Obaidian
Ismailian, or Fatimite dynasty of Egypt rose to power here (a.d. 909,
A.H. 296) in the person of Obaid Allah al-Mahdi, who on the 8th
of Rabi' ul-Awwal, a.h. 297 (November, A.D. 910), was proclaimed
Khalifa. It is not until early in the sixteenth century that Tafilet is
generally spoken of by the Moorish historians. In 1530 the Shereefs
Ahmed and Mohammed occupied Tafilet and left a garrison there.

Tafilet, Tafilelt, or Tafililt is, however, a comparatively modern
name, and is said, according to a local legend, to be derived from a
Shereef who settled here, or at Faja, and taught the Berbers to
fertilise the dates which had hitherto produced little fruit — a circum-
stance which gave the Shereefs a monopoly of date-planting. In
memory of this public benefactor, Faja, even then a considerable
place, was named Filil, after his birthplace in Arabia, and by Berber
orthography it became Fafilelt and its inhabitants Fil^i — or Fild el-
Filili, as they are called in Algeria. The present Imperial dynasty
is the Filili, its founder having been a Shereef of this still favourite
retreat of his descendants. This legend is perhaps substantially
correct, except in ascribing to the Filil Shereef the fecundation of dates :
for, though he might have introduced some improvement in the culti-
vation of a fruit which is now the almost sole wealth of the oases, and
is sent for the most part to England, he could not have quite done

8o8 NOTES TO BOOK VI.

what the exaggeration of ages attributes to him, since in the neighbour-
ing countries, well known to the Berbers of this region, the Romans
grew dates exactly as their successors do at this moment — Renou,
Exploration Scientifique de PAlgerie^ t. viii, p. 129 ; and in addition to
Mr. Harris's paper {Geog. Journal^ April 1895, vol. v, pp. 317-336) ;
Delbrel, " Notes sur le Tafilet*'; Bull. Soc, G^og. Paris^ t. xv (1894),
pp. 109-227 (with caution) ; De Castries, BulL Soc, Giog, Paris ^
April 1867, p. 337 ; Rohlfs, Reise durch MarokkOy etc. (Vierte
Ausgabe), pp. 60, et seq, ; Caillid, Travels through Central Africay etc.
(Eng. Trans.), vol. ii, pp. 174, et seq. ; " On the Vicissitudes of Segel-
messa", Notices et Extraits^ t. xii, pp. 600, etseq, ; and Raverty, Geog.
foumaly vol. vi (August 1895), p. 189. Major Ravert/s letter contains
a valuable series of notes on " Sigilmasiyah". But it quotes Leo
incorrectly in saying that he refers to " Tafilat" as famous for dates.
Leo does not mention the name.

(19) In Leo's day, the province of Segelmessa extended from Gher-
seluin for nearly 120 miles, according to the boundaries he indicates.

(20) This is a defile "40 miles" long (according to Leo's over-
estimate) between Tamrakescht (Tamaracrost, Tamaroc of Caillid)
and Ksar es-Suk, called Kheneg, a name applied to several canon-
like glens in Southern Morocco. The one under consideration is
noticed by the " Imam el-'Aiachi" in his journey made in a.d. 1662-63
{Expl, Scientifique de VAlgMe^ vol. ix, p. 6). It is also mentioned
in the native itineraries printed by D'Avezac, Etudes de Giog, critique
sur une partie de TAfrique Sept.^ p. 160.

(21) Medrara, Metrara, Mdaara, Mdaghra,or Medgharah (///>?^rar^
of Ahmed el-Melsyuni ; D'Avezac, Etudes de Giog. critique^ etc, p. 60),
a well-known oasis with about forty ksars. — De Foucauld, Recon-
naissance au MaroCy pp. 227, 233, etc.

(22) Reteb, Reseb, or Ertib. It is noticed under that name by
El-'Ai'achi {lib, cit.^ p. 9) as early as 1662, and in D'Avezac's native
itineraries (Etudes de Giog. critique^ p. 160). Marmol calls it Retel,
or Arratane, and remarks that it was inhabited by the " Antgariz "
Berbers, who spoke a corrupt dialect of the Berber language.

(23) In the Tafilet country "castles" or ksars — that is, fortified
villages — are very numerous, as noticed by El-'ATachi more than two
centuries ago — that voyager, however, still describing the country as
Segelmessea (^Expl, Scient. de VAlgirie^ t. ix, pp. xxxi, 9, 10). Tene-
gent (Teneguent), Tebru'acant (Tebuhasan of Leo, Tebuagant of
Marmol), and Mimum, misprinted " Meniun", ut infra (Ksar el-
Mimun), are all known from native itineraries or by actual observation.

NOTES TO BOOK VI. 809

M. Delbrel describes the ksars and dwellings of Tafilet as all "built
by earth mixed with dung" — a kind of " tabia'' or concrete.

(24) There is no proof that the Romans had anything to do with
Segelmessa. But in quoting El-Bekri ("Becri") for the first time
Leo is incorrect, as that historian puts its foundation in a.d. 757.
" The common people " who are fond of attributing works to the
"Two-Homed Isckander" (Alexander), may, however, have enter-
tained the absurdity mentioned ; see note 18.

(25) This is, perhaps, " Zuaihila"; but it is not now known to be in
existence. It is the Suahyla of Marmol {LAfrique^ t. iii, p. 22), who
describes it as close to the River Ziz, which forms a large lake in the
Sahara sands. This "sebka" forms at times (under the name of Daia
et Daura), but is not constant.

(26) (H)umeledgr is not now known to be in existence.

(27) Umelhefet, as the name probably was, is not known to any
traveller, or to any visitor whom I have had an opportunity of
questioning. Marmol, who calls it Vmelhefel, and repeats Leo's
description, mentions that it was garrisoned by the Shereef 's people,
who levied a quarter of an escu (crown) for every camel, and from the
Jews who visited the place the same taxes as they were accustomed
to pay when the Ksar was under an Arab Sheikh. This is, however, a
mere variation of Leo's account.

(28) Tebelbelt is mentioned in the Itinerary of Mohammed, a
Shereef of Feda, as three days' journey from that place, and one from
Tidelkelt, the principal place in the Tuat oasis. Caillid also notes
"Tabelbat" as six days' journey east of Mimsina {Journal (Tun
Voyage^ etc., t. iii, p. 54). — Renou, Expl. Scientifiqtie de rAlgirie^
t. viii, p. 142.

(29) Todgha, or Todga district, and the Wad Todgha, or Todra (as
De Foucauld spells it), are both well known. — Reconnaissance au
Maroc^ p. 223, etc Mr. Harris visited the locality in 1893. — Geog.
Journal^ vol. v, pp. 327, 328.

(30) The modern Ferkla, on the Wad Todgha (Map 16 of De
Foucauld, Reconnaissance au Maroc^ pp. 223, 224, 356, etc.).

(31) Tazarin, on a tributary of the Draa. The district is an oasis,
larger and better peopled than Todgha. Its ksars are inhabited by
Sheila Berbers. There are no Jews in the district, but a ruined
Mellah at AU Abbariul is a proof of their former residence. (De
Foucauld, Reconnaissance^ etc., p. 364.) It is the Tezerin of Marmol,
who adds that here were the ruins of two towns destroyed by the first

3F

8lO NOTES TO BOOK VI.

Arab hordes who entered Africa : but their name was not known.
This, too, is a mere variation on Leo*s account Tezzerin is not an
uncommon name in Barbary.

(32) Beni Gumi, according to Marmol, had eight ksars and fifteen
open villages, the inhabitants of which were poor and sought employ-
ment in Fez, where they filled the humblest offices. No locality
bearing that name is known in the vicinity of the Wad Gir ; and it is
scarcely permissible to accept Quatrem^re's suggestion that the
" Tenhhayimyn" of El-Bekri {Notices et extraits^ etc., p. 173) is really
" Bendjamin", which by another corruption became Beni Gumi. Besides,
the one name is as little known as the other at the present day.
Marmol makes the blunder of putting the distance of. the Beni
Gumi as 50 leagues, instead of 150 miles, to the south-east of Segel-
messa.

(33) These ksars cannot be satisfactorily identified, and, like many
similar wasps*-nests in this region, may very probably have been
destroyed since Leo's day. The Uled Bu Anan country is on the
upper Ghir in the vicinity of El-Bahariat.

(34) Perhaps Ksar, the castle or fortified place (?) The presence of
antimony and lead mines ought to help us to identify the locality.
Antimony (kohl) is commonly sold in Fez, and is described as being
brought from beyond the Atlas. But the exact spot, either through
ignorance, or quite as likely unwillingness to impart information,
could never be ascertained by me.

(35) The situation of Beni-Besseri is still very uncertain, in spite of
its iron mine.

(36) Guachde or Gualde of Marmol cannot now be identified.

(37) The oasis of Figig, or Figiug, is well known ; it is likely
to figure extensively in the political complications of the future as
a point whence a force could advance from Algeria upon Fez. —
VexxoX^ Bull, de Soc, G^og. Paw (October, 1881), p. 273, and map;
/^/V/., January, 1872 ; Castries, Ibid,^ 1882, 2€ trimestre, p, 401 (with
maps).

(38) Tesebit, Tecevin of Marmol, is the Teqdbet of El-'Aiachi.

(39) "Tegorarin" (Tigurdrin) is in El-Aiachi's Itinerary written
Tedjourarin. Tegoririn is the ancient Berber name of Gurira, a
well-known town and district. — Bissuel, Le Sahara Fran^ais {i%()i\
p. 13, et seq, : Carette, Exfil. Scientifique de tAlgMe^ t. ii, pp. 102-3,
etc. M. Carette, and M. Renou following him, affirms that Tegoaren
is the Berber plural of Gurira. In reality the plural is Grain —
Deporter, Extrhne Sud de TAlgMe (1890), p. 105.

NOTES TO BOOK VI. 8ll

In A.H. 989 (a.d. 1581-82), though De Slane translating the same
passage makes the event to have happened in A.H. 998 (a.d. 1588-89).
Abu-1-AbbAs Ahmed el-Mansur (Ahmed Sherif) sent an army under
the Kaids Ahmed ben Barka (Bereka) and Ahmed ben El-Haddid
El-Ghamri El-MaAkili to subdue Tiguririn and Juat— De Slane,
" Conqu^te du Soudan par les Marocains en Pan 998 (i 588-89 de J.C.)*';
Revue Africainey N0.I4, t i, p. 288 ; ILXonh^XyNosketElhddi, pp. 154,
155, 173.

(40) The M'zab country consists of fiw^ oases, and contains about
40,000 people, owning 200,000 date palms. In 1882 the country was
annexed to Algeria. Gurira or Guerara, a prosperous — almost
luxurious — Saharan town, is included in the M'zab (note 39). — Tris-
tram, Tke Great Sahara^ p. 195.

(41) Tuggurt, a prosperous town, built for the most part of sun-
dried bricks, still bears traces of its former connection with Tunis. It
is now part of Algeria, but of the population of 8,000 very few are
Europeans. ' Tuggurt (Tougourt, Tekkert, Ticart, Ticurti, Techor,
Tacort, Teggourt, Ticarte, Tuggart), the capital of the Wad Rir, was
formerly under the family of Yussef Ibn Obeid Allah, and until lately
under that of the Beni-Jellib, who were related to the Beni-Marini.
In A.D. 1341-42, Mohammed Ibn Hakim, the Beni Hafs general,
after putting Biskra under tribute, sacked and, it is believed,
destroyed Tuggurt, the site of which was more than a mile
from the present town. Ha6do tells us that in 1552 Salah Reis
of Algiers took "Ticart", plundered it, and sold 12,000 of the
inhabitants into slavery. Two hundred years later (1789) Sallah,
Bey of Constantine, after a six months* siege, only spared it from
destruction on Sheikh Ferrates payment of a heavy ransom. In 1821,
the Tuggurt people, not paying their tribute regularly, were besieged
by Ahmed el-Mameluk, Bey of Constantine, who was, however,
repulsed. After the capture of Biskra in 1844, Tuggurt recognised the
French authority, and, with the exception of revolts in 1854 and 1870,
" the belly of the desert" has since then remained sulkily faithful to the
masters of Algeria. — Piesse, AlgMe^ p. 322 ; Tristram, The Great
Sahara^ p. 268, et seq, ; Duveyrier, Comptes rendus de la Soc. Gdog.
Paris (1886), No. i, p. 26. The Kasba is built of dressed stone, which is
by some antiquaries taken as a proof of its Roman origin, in fact of
its being the Turaphylum of Ptolemy ; but there is no evidence for
this theory. Leo — probably following the Arab maxim that in the Sahara
" he who is not reaped by the sword sees days without end" — says
nothing about the marshes and salt lakes near Tuggurt, which in April
give rise to a most malignant fever.

(42) Wargla (Ouargla), Guerguela and Guerguelen (Marmol),
Huerguela (Haedo), Ouirkelin (Edrisi), Vareklan (Hartmann), Ouir-

ly 2

8l2 NOTES TO BOOK VI.

quelan (El-Bekri), Wurglah (Shaw), Wargalah (Shales), Wurgelah
(Hodgson), Guargala or Huerguela (Gramaye, according as he copies
Leo or Haedo), Ouergelah (D'Avezac, Etudes de Giog, Critique^ p. 27).
This is an old town ; its citizens, indeed, declare it to be the oldest
in the Sahara. Ibn Khaldoun mentions that Ibn Yezid, the Nekanti,
took refuge here in A.H. 325 (a.d. 957), and in a,d. 1372 the re-
bellious Abu Zeiyan made a stand in Wargla. Abu Zekeria, of
the Beni-Hafsi, was amazed at the prosperity of the town, and reared
in it a mosque which bears the name of its founder, and which,
when El-ATachi visited the town in A.D. 1663, was the most notable
object in it. Many M'zab inhabit the city, but none are found in the
Beni-Braham quarter, all those who lived there having been massacred
in one night (1652). — Colomieu, Tour du Monde (1863), pp. 161-208 ;
Demaeght, Bull, Soc, Giog, Oran^ vol. i, p. 82 ; Rolland, Revue
Scientifique, January 6th, 1883, etc.

(43) Zab, or Zibin, a number of oases, consisting in Ibn Khaldoun's
day of Zab Shergi, Zab Gebli, and Zab Dahriwi{in, respectively
on the East, South, and North. Urbain, "Les Zibans — Oases du
Sahara Algerien", Revue de P Orient^ 1844, t. v, pp. 316-19 ; Rasch,
Nach den Oasen von Seban in der grossen Wiiste Sahara (1866) ;
Piesse, "Voyage aux Zibans", Bull Trim, de Giog, Oran (1885),
pp. 66-78.

Ziban is pi. of Zab, from the Roman Savus, the Wad Jedi, " the
river of the Kid" (of Shaw), flowing from W. to E. from El-Aghut
towards Biskra (Play fair, Bib, of Algeria^ No. 4391). Zab was the
Zebe or Zabe of the ancients, once a part of Mauritania Sitifensis
(Procopius, De Bello Vandalico^ lib. xi, c. 20).

(44) Biskra, Biscara of Shaw, Biskra en-Nokkel (Biskra among
the Palms) of the Arabs, a well-known oasis, becoming rapidly a
favourite watering-place. Biskra was the Ad Piscinam of the
Romans. In Ibn Khaldoun's day it was the capital of the Zab, and
El-Bekri describes it as rich in dates and olives, surrounded by a wall
and ditch, and containing many mosques and baths. Ibn Said,
according to the information communicated to Abu-1-feda, mentions
its trade in dates with Tunis and Bougie. Edrisi also takes note of it
as a central spot, from and to which he reckons the distances of other
places. Scorpions and other venomous animals are by no means
unknown in the oases, but are not so troublesome as in Leo's day ; and
the " Biskris" are celebrated as snake-charmers, though most of the
performers come from El-Faid and Chegga to the south.

(45) Borgi, or Bourg of the " Carte des Rdgences d'Alger et de
Tunis", attached to Macarth/s French translation of Shaw ( Voyage
dans la R^gence d* Alger ^ etc., 1830).

NOTES TO BOOK VI. 813

(46) Nefta, an oasis town of Tunis, with 9,000 inhabitants, occu-
pied in the growth of splendid dates, oranges, figs, and other fruits,
and the weaving of wool into gauzy " sefsars", etc An ancient city
which preceded Nefta, but is now buried under the sands, may be the
Aggar Selnepte, or Aggarsel-Nepte of the Peutinger Table, mentioned
as the Episcopus Neptitanus, or Neptensis. Nefta is sometimes called
Mersat es-Sahira (the Desert Port), and a Kadi of Jerid declared to
M. Tissot in 1853 that towards the close of the last century the
remains of a ship had been found at Ghalt{in esh-Shurafi, the spot
which tradition assigns for the port of Nefta on the Shatt el-Jerid.
The barrage of the Wad Nefta is built of Roman hewn blocks of
stone. Temple regarded Nefta as the Negeta of Ptolemy. — Temple,
Excursions, etc., vol. ii, pp. 172, 173 ; Tissot, La Province Romaine,
t. ii, 685, 686 ; Piesse, AlgMe et Tunisie, p. 448.

(47) This place is mentioned by Edrisi (Dozy and de Goeje's edition,
p. 124) as Louhaca ; by Ibn Haukal as Li{^ha, or Li{ija, and by £1-Bekri
as Tiilka. But the difference is not great in reality, for the letter /,
by which the name is begun by El-Bekri and Leo, is doubtless the
Berber article. It is the Tulgah of Shaw, and the Taolgha of D'Avezac,
who cites "Thoulqah" as El-Bekri's orthography. — Etudes de Giog.
Critique, etc., p. 74.

(48) Dousan of Shaw.

(49) Biledulgerio is a misprint for Biledulgerid, which, again, is a
rude spelling of Bilid el-Jerid —the Dry Country.

(50) Tozer, a Tunisian oasis town embosomed in date-palms,
which form the chief source of the wealth of the 7,000 inhabitants. It
occupies the site of Ptolemy's Tisurus (T/Vouf'df), the Thusurus of the
Peutinger Table, In El-Bekri's day it was a fine town, with many
mosques, bazaars, strong walls, and several gates. In one quarter
Roman remains are often found. Wells, a basilica with several rows of
columns, the base of a minaret, etc., are among the most prominent
remnants of antiquity in a town which Shaw (who never saw it)
declared would dissolve and drop to pieces were it subjected to a
tolerably heavy shower of rain (see Introduction), This is, however,
an exaggeration ; for though mud hovels are plentiful, the town con-
tains some really substantial and even handsome houses. — Temple,
Excursions, etc., vol. ii, p. 272.

(51) Kafsa, Gafsa, the Capsa in which Jugurtha took refuge, and
out of the materials of which ancient town the modem one is largely
built. " Built of clay ... no antiquities" was about all that Bruce
found to say about this town, which lies near the Wad Baiach.
But since then some inscriptions have been found, and from Leo's
description it would seem that in his day the Roman pavement was in

8 14 NOTES TO BOOK VI.

existence. But nothing now remains of the marble porticos described
by El-Bekri {Description de VAfrique^ p. 113). The bad character
which Leo attributes to the citizens is taken from a libellous
rhyming proverb of the Bilid el-Jerid : " Kafsa is miserable — its in-
habitants are weary — its water blood — its air poison — you stay there a
hundred years without making a friend/' The place must, however, have
always been of strategic importance, and from its position commercially
advantageous. Taken by El-Mansur in the war which he carried on
against Ishak el-Mayorki, it was dismantled after having arisen from
the ruin which had more than once previously — notably when
Marius wreaked his vengeance— overtaken it. The walls, then
levelled, have not been rebuilt, but its citadel, one of the most curious
specimens of ancient Arab architecture, still remains. — Tissot, La
Province Romainey t. ii, pp. 664-673 ; Gu^rin, Voyage Archdologiqucy
t i, p. 272 ; Tour du Monde^ 1885, t. ii, p. 415 ; 1886, pp. 193, 195,
197 ; Cagnat, Explorations^ t. iii, p. 66 ; Playfair, Travels in the Foot-
steps ofBrucey p. 267.

(52) A group of little oases — NefeAwa.

(53) Teggery of Lyon {Travels in North Africa^ p. 239), the most
southern town in Fezzan, is the Teg^rri of Barth {Travels^ etc., vol. v,
p. 442) ; a poor place, scarcely more than a village.

(54) Yaslite of Marmol. As early as the seventh century the Ben
Isliten were a Nefziwa tribe of Berbers, who had their home in the
eastern part of Barbary. The Beni Isliten were also a division
of the Ursettif, a great family of western Berbers. Many tribes
mentioned by Ibn Khaldoun are now entirely extinct, or have co-
alesced with others. The lasliten of Leo were likely the first men-
tioned, and lay west of the Nefzdwa country already mentioned.

(55) Ghadames (the Cydamus of Pliny, according to an identifica-
tion of D'Anville and Mannert) is still a great place of trade.
Merchants from Timbuktu and Tuat meet here, and inhabitants of
the town may be found at these places and at Kano, Katsena, and
other centres in the Sudan.

(56) Fezzan, the ancient Phazania or country of the Garamantes,
now a Kdimakdmlik of the Vilayet of Tripoli, but, at the time Leo wrote,
it was an independent state under the dynasty of Uled Mohammed.
The last of the Uled Mohammed Sultans was killed in i8ii by El-
Mukkeni, a lieutenant of Yussuf Pasha, the last sovereign of the
KaramAnli dynasty of Tripoli. After being for twenty years under
El-Mukkeni, Abd el-Jelil usurped the throne and kept the country
in a ferment, until Bakir Bey of Tripoli defeated and slew him, and
annexed Fezzan to the Ottoman empire. Muzuek is the present

NOTES TO BOOK VI. 815

capital of the Kdimakdmlik. There is little trade, though until
recently many slaves passed through the country to be surreptitiously
sold in Tripoli and Tunis, and to reach Egypt through Augila
(Angela). Indeed, only lately there were reports of slaves having
come by way of Fezzan to Bengazi. Dates form the staple food ;
camels are commonly eaten in this region, though too valuable to be
utilised as an article of diet, if cheaper supplies can be obtained.

(57) Gualata is Walita, the position of which puzzled the geo-
graphers of eighty or ninety years ago. The Desert of Zanhaga
is the country of the Zenega or Zanzaga of some early native
itineraries. The desert, which Leo thus divides up after his usual
plan of geographical nomenclature by the tribes inhabiting it,
is, of course, the Sahara ; though, unlike some of his successors, he
was well aware that it was not all sand nor even all desert. All he
could have intended to indicate by the " Desert of Zanhaga '' was that
the section of Berbers so-called extended at the time he wrote over
the region of which the bounds were noted. — Renou, Expl. Scienti-

fique de VAlgirie^ t. ii, pp. 291, 292 ; Barth, Travels^ etc., vol. iv,
pp. 591-594, V, 486.

(58) Gogadem appears in Edrisi (ed. Jaubert, p. 260) as Qocaden in
the Gerewah or Upper Nile. Mr. Cooley considers that the desert
and town may have derived their name from Goghedem in the Atlas.
In reality, the desert described by Leo seems to be the well-known
drifting sands of Igidi, lying in the caravan route from Morocco to
Timbuktu. The desert of Ghir may be Ibn Batuta's Kahir ; in any
case, it is no doubt the desert country south of the Gir river. Guber
is, as we shall see in Book vii, G6ber.

(59) Targa, the now familiar Tuaregs or Tuariks, the roaming
" pirates of the desert*', a Berber race. Targa is the name of their
country, Targi of the inhabitants — fern., Targiyya. Tuireg is the plural
of Targi. So Leo Africanus speaks of these tribes of the 4esert as "Tar-
gha Popolo" — Richardson, Travels in the Great Sahara Desert^ vol. ii,
p. 139. Richardson — who, however, spoke of Agades simply from
hearsay — rightly characterises Leo's account of this part of Africa as
extremely meagre and unsatisfactory. No mention is made of the
Tuiregs of Ghat, and "the story about the abundance of manna
gathered in the districts of Aheer seems to have been inserted to
please the Christian doctors of Rome ; at any rate, nothing of the kind
is now seen or known at Aghadez. But with respect to foreigners who
visit Aheer and Aghadez enjoying good health, I have no doubt the
renegade is correct, for I have not heard of either of these places being
imhealthy, their salubrity arising, we may imagine, from the elevation
at which they are placed" {Ibid.^ vol. ii, p. 146). Leo's description may

8l6 NOTES TO BOOK VI.

nevertheless be approximately correct, the desert whirlwinds not
unfrequently strewing p>ortions of Central Africa with lichen torn from
the mountains ; and it has been suggested that these constitute the
manna which is described as falling in the desert of the Exodus. The
min which exudes from the tamarisk of the Sinai Peninsula, and has
generally been accepted as the manna of the Exodus, is still an article
of commerce. " Fura", or ** Ghusub", water drunk or supped, may be
the " daintie and pretious drinke" described (Barth., Travels^ etc., vol. i,
p. 414). But it is not made with manna, but by water being poured
on Ghusub grain, after the grain — a species of millet {Panicum millia-
ceum) — has been parboiled or otherwise prepared. A milky substance
oozes from the kernels, and makes a very pleasant beverage, greatly
esteemed for its cooling quality in summer. Sometimes a few dates
are pounded with the ghusub. Gusub (Gue^ob) is, however, a sort of
generic name applied by the Arabs to several plants. "Tuath" is
Tuat, the oasis of that name. — Duveyrier, Z^s Touareg du Nord^
p. 207.

(60) The Lemta were in the middle ages a very powerful Berber
race, and from them sprung the Lemtuna tribe, who gained for the
Almoravides the throne of Morocco and much of the rest of North
Africa. The Lemta occupied originally the western part of the
Sahara contiguous to the Atlantic, their country extending from
Morocco to the Niger. Splitting into a number of tribes, the area of
the section bearing their name seems to have shrunk in Leo's days,
though it was still very large. — Carette, ExpL Scientifique de ^AlgMe^
t. iii, chap. v.

(61) Berdoa is generally regarded (as D'Anville and Delisle
suggested) as the same as Burgu or Burku ; as such it appears on
RennelPs map attached to YiormmsLViS Journal of Travels from Cairo
to Mourzouk (1802), p. 158. In reality, it is a little further .east near
the Libyan desert, though the Berdoa (Bardoa, Birdeva, Berdeva)
divide with the Touareg the distinction of being the nomads of the great
African desert. They are of the Tibbu stock, or, as they call them-
selves, Tedd, of which they are the most easterly branch. — Nachtigal,
Sahara und Sudan, vol. ii, pp. 187- 191.

(62) The Wad Nun country on the Atlantic, Leo havmg a habit of
jumping about rather suddenly in the region which he is describing.
Guaden we have tentatively identified as the town of Wad Nun.

(63) Tegazza or Teghiza. Rennell suggested that it might be
Tishit, where there are salt mines. Teghiza is described by
El-Bekri {Not et Ext., p. 436) as being two days from the
Great Desert, over which passes the road from Ghinah, and
twenty from Segelmessa. Though there are many "salines" in

NOTES TO BOOK VI. 817

that country, Cooley considers that Ghaza (at which the Morabite
general, Abu Bekr ben Omar, purchased negro slaves, whom he sent
to Spain in exchange for European slaves to recruit his army), was
merely Teghiza, mutilated by the Spanish writers (Conde, Historia de
la dominacion de los Arabes en Espana, etc., vol. ii, p. 86). When
Ibn Batuta visited it in a.h. 753 (a.d. 1352) he found it a poor place,
with no culture and few resources. The houses and mosque were
built of blocks of salt-stone and roofed with camels' skins. There was
no cultivation around the town ; all was sand, in which lay the salt
mine (Ibn Batuta, ed. Defr^mery et Sanguinette, t. iv, p. 377). It
is generally accepted that the wells called by Caillid {Journal d^un
Voyage^ etc., t. ii, p. 417) Trarzas, or Trasas, mark the site of Teghiza,
though Cooley, with characteristic love of contradiction, inclines to
think that they owe the name to the tribe which dug them. In all this
region, on the caravan road through the desert to Morocco, there are
many ruined towns, deserted owing to the decay of the salt trade.

(64) Augila (Auy/Xa) was known to Herodotus as the centre of a
district in which the Nasamones from the shores of the Great .Syrtis
gathered dates (Herodotus, iv, chap, clxxii). It is curious to find that
when Pacho visited it in 1825, the nomades from the same district
came in autumn to lay in a supply of dates at " Audjelah", just as
their forefathers had done five hundred years B.C., and no doubt a great
deal earlier (Voyages dans la Cyrinaique^ p. 263). Abu-1-feda (ed.
Solvet, p. 29) simply mentions " Audjalah " (spelt with a jim and
a ldm\ as an isle with dates and springs in the midst of the
sands between Maghreb and the Wahat. Edrisi goes further, and
characterises it as a populous little town, most of the inhabitants of
which were merchants doing business with Negroland. Horniman,
who was the first European to visit it in modern times, though he left
but a meagre account, described the place as consisting (in 1798) of
badly-built limestone houses of one story, lighted by the doors, and
generally arranged round a small courtyard. The inhabitants for the
most part follow sedentary occupations, though some travel with the
caravans between Cairo and Murzak, in Fezzan. Round the town the
sandy soil (being well watered) is tolerably fertile. But, as Leo says,
com is so scarce as not to suffice for the people's wants, their supply
being obtained by bartering sheep for it with the Bengazi Arabs. See
also Beaufoy, Proc, African Assoc, chap. v.

(65) This place is mentioned by Edrisi (ed. Hartmann, pp. 135,
294, 295, 296, 304, 305) as Sort, 246 geographical (230 Arabic)
miles from Tripoli, which would place it near either Mahad Hassan
or at Zaffian, or perhaps at Jedid, at all of which places there are
piles of ruins. One of these is evidently Leo's Sert, though his

8l8 NOTES TO BOOK VI.

details do not admit of localising it in a country full of the vestiges
of vanished cities. Abu-1-feda (ed. Solvet, p. 141) also describes
the remains of Sort as east of a gulf called Rodaik, or Rodakiah, the
Zadic Sinus of Edrisi, a bay too loosely indicated to admit of its
identification. El-Bekri {Not. et ExiraitSy^tc^t. xii, p. 45o)also notices it
The term Sort, or Sert, is not now applied by the Arabs to any town,
but is merely used to designate the tract of country which lies between
Suleb and Barca. Within this district are the ruins of Medina, "M^
cit/', which also puts in a claim to be Sert. — Beechey, Proceedings^
etc., 150-154. Barth identifies it with Medinet Sultan, Wanderungen^
etc., pp. 334, 388.

(66) This method of the guides piloting the " akkabaahs" or caravans
across the desert by smelling the earth is described by Pellow
{Adventures^ etc., p. 198) and ]2iQ\ison {Account of MoroccOy p. 295).
And Ibn Batuta, a much greater traveller than any of his successors,
notes how on his journey into the Sudan, the conductor of the caravan
with which he travelled, though more than half blind, never mistook
the road.

(67) The true orthography of " Alguechet" is Al Wehet— or Wahat
— " the oasis". It is difficult to identify it with any of the Egyptian
oases already noticed.

lOHN LEO HIS

SEUENTH BOOKE OF

the Historic of Africa, and

of the memorable things

contained therein.

Wherein lie intreateth of the land of Negros, and of
the confines of Egypt

^y a o Q Q o g oo ^^ Vr ancient Chroniclers of Africa/ to wit,
^'' ^*^^^==^^^^^'*^^ Bichri and Meshudi knew nothing
of the land of Negros but onely the
regions of Guechet and Cano : for
in their time all other places of the
land of Negros were vndiscouered.
But in the yeere of the Hegeira
380, by the meanes of a certaine Mahumetan which came
into Barbarie, the residue of the said land was found out,^
being as then inhabited by great numbers of people, which
liued a brutish and sauage life, without any king, gouer-
nour, common wealth, or knowledge of husbandrie. Clad
they were in skins of beasts, neither had they any peculiar
wiues : in the day time they kept their cattell ; and when
night came they resorted ten or twelue both men and
women into one cottage together, using hairie skins instead
of beds, and each man choosing his leman which he had
most fancy vnto. Warre they wage against no other
nation, ne yet are desirous to trauell out of their owne
countrie. Some of them performe great adoration vnto

820 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

the sunne rising : others, namely the people of Gualata,
worship the fire : and some others, to wit, the inhabitants
of Gaoga, approch (after the Egyptians manner) neerervnto
'^i^t^nto ^^ Christian faith. These Negros were first subiect vnto
^AifriKo^^^^ king loseph the founder of Maroco, and afterward vnto the
fiue nations of Libya; of whom they learned the Ma-
humetan lawe, and diuers needfull handycrafts : a while
after when the merchants of Barbarie began to resort vnto
them with merchandize, they learned the Barbarian lan-
guage also. But the foresaid fiue people or nations of
Libya diuided this land so among themselues, that euery
third part of each nation possessed one region.^ Howbeit
Abuacreiz' xSx^ kj^g of Tombuto that now raigneth, called Abuacre
Izchia^ is a Negro by birth : this Abuacre after the decease
of the former king, who was a Libyan borne, slue all his
sonnes, and so vsurped the kingdome. And hauing by
warres for the space of fifteene yeeres conquered many
large dominions, he then concluded a league with all
nations, and went on pilgrimage to Mecca, in which
iournie he so consumed his treasure, that he was con-
strained to borrow great summes of money of other
princes.* Moreouer the fifteene kingdomes of Negros
knowen to vs, are all situate vpon the riuer of Niger, and
vpon other riuers which fall thereinto. And all the land
of Negros standeth betweene two vast deserts, for on the
one side lieth the maine desert betweene Numidia and it,
which extendeth it selfe vnto this very land : and the south
side thereof ad ioineth vpon another desert, which stretcheth
from thence to the maine Ocean : in which desert are
infinite nations vnknowen to vs, both by reason of the huge
distance of place, and also in regarde of the diuersitie of
languages and religions. They haue no traffique at all
with our people, but we haue heard oftentimes of their
traffique with the inhabitants of the Ocean sea shore.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 821

A description of the kingdome of Gualata.

THis region in regarde of others is very small : for it
containeth onely three great villages, with certaine
granges and fields of dates. From Nun it is distant south-
ward about three hundred, from Tombuto northward fiue
hundred, and from the Ocean sea about two hundred miles.
In this region the people of Libya, while they were lords of
the land of Negros, ordained their chiefe princely seate :
and then great store of Barbarie-merchants frequented
Gualata : but afterward in the raigne of the mighty and
rich prince Heli^ the said merchants leauing Gualata, began
to resort vnto Tombuto and Gago, which was the occasion
that the region of Gualata grew extreme beggerly. The
language of this region is called Sungai, and the inhabi-
tants are blacke people, and most friendly vnto strangers.
In my time this region was conquered by the king of
Tombuto, and the prince thereof fled into the deserts,
whereof the king of Tombuto hauing intelligence, and
fearing least the prince would returne with all the people of
the deserts, graunted him peace, conditionally that he
should pay a great yeerely tribute vnto him, and so the
said prince hath remained tributarie to the king of
Tombuto vntill this present. The people agree in manners
and fashions with the inhabitants of the next desert Here
groweth some quantitie of Mil-seed, and great store of a
round & white kind of pulse, the like whereof I neuer saw t'Aw round

and white pulse

m Europe ; but flesh is extreme scarce among them. Both i^ called Mais
the men & the women do so couer their heads, that al their indies.
countenance is almost hidden. Here is no forme of a
common wealth, nor yet any gouernours or iudges, but the
people lead a most miserable life.*

822 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

T'

A description of the kingdome of Ghinea,

'His kingdome called by the merchants of our nation
Gheneoa, by the natural inhabitants thereof Genni,
and by the Portugals and other people of Europe Ghinea,
standeth in the midst betweene Gualata on the north,
Tombuto on the east, and the kingdome of MelH on the
south. In length it containeth almost fiue hundred miles,
and extendeth two hundred and fiftie miles along the riuer
of Niger, and bordereth vpon the Ocean sea in the same
place, where Niger falleth into the saide sea. This place
^^^uu!of exceedingly aboundeth with barlie, rice, cattell, fishes, and
Ghinea, cotton : and their cotton they sell vnto the merchants of

Barbaric, for cloth of Europe, for brazen vessels, for armour,
and other such commodities. Their coine is of gold with-
out any stampe or inscription at all : they haue certaine
iron-money also, which they vse about matters of small
value, some peeces whereof weigh a pound, some halfe a
pound, and some one quarter of a pound. In all this
kingdome there is no fruite to be found but onely dates,
which are brought hither either out of Gualata or Numidia.
Heere is neither towne nor castle, but a certaine great
village onely, wherein the prince of Ghinea, together with
his priestes, doctors, merchants, and all the principall men
of the region inhabite. The vvalles of their houses are
built of chalke, and the roofes are couered with strawe : the
inhabitants are clad in blacke or blew cotton, wherewith
they couer their heads also : but the priests and doctors of
their law go apparelled in white cotton. This region
during the three moneths of lulie, August, and September,
is yeerely enuironed with the ouerflowings of Niger in
manner of an Island ; all which time the merchants of
Tombuto conueigh their merchandize hither in certaine
Canoas or narrow boats made of one tree, which they
rowe all the day long, but at night they binde them to the

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 823

shore, and lodge themselues vpon the lande. This king-
dome was subiect in times past vnto a certaine people of
Libya, and became afterward tributarie vnto king Soni
Hell, after whom succeeded Soni Heli Izchia^ who kept the
prince of this region prisoner at Gago, where togither with cMne^k^pt^'^
a certaine nobleman, he miserably died. ^Uchia^^^

Of the kingdome of Melli,

THis region extending it selfe almost three hundred
miles along the side of a riuer which falleth into
Niger, bordereth northward vpon the region last described,
southward vpon certaine deserts and drie mountaines,
westward vpon huge woods and forrests stretching to the
Ocean sea shore, and eastward vpon the territorie of Gago.
In this kingdome there is a large and ample village con-
taining to the number of sixe thousand or mo families, and
called Melli, whereof the whole kingdome is so named.
And here the king hath his place of residence. The region
it selfe yeeldeth great abundance of come, flesh, and
cotton. Heere are many artificers and merchants in all
places: and yet the king honourably entertaineth all
strangers. The inhabitants are rich, and haue plentie of
wares. Heere are great store of temples, priests, and pro-
fessours, which professours read their lectures onely in the
temples, bicause they haue no colleges at all. The people
of this region excell all other Negros in witte, ciuilitie, and
industry; and were the first that embraced the law of
Mahumet, at the same time when the vncle of Joseph the
king of Maroco was their prince, and the gouernment re-
mained for a while vnto his posterity: at lenciii lochia The prince 0/

, , , f .^ & Melli subdued

subdued the pnnce of this region, and made him his by luhia.
tributarie, and so oppressed him with greeuous exactions,
that he was scarce able to maintaine his family.®

824 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the kingdome of Tombuto,

coT^JT^ T^His name was in our times (as some thinke) imposed
the king of X vpon this kingdome from the name of a certain

Maroco 1589. *• "

from whence he x,o\^Xi^ SO Called, which (they sav) king Mense Suleiman

hath for yeerly \ J J y t>

tribute mighHe founded in the yeere of the Hegeira 610/ and it is situate

summes of gold. . . i /- ■•.r- it «

withm twelue miles of a certame branch of Niger, all the
houses whereof are now changed into cottages built of
chalke, and couered with thatch. Howbeit there is a most
stately temple to be seene, the wals whereof are made of
stone and lime ; and a princely palace also built by a most
excellent workeman of Granada.® Here are many shops of
artificers, and merchants, and especially of such as weaue
linnen and cotton cloth. And hither do the Barbarie-
merchants bring cloth of Europe. All the women of this
region except maid-seruants go with their faces couered,
and sell all necessarie victuals. The inhabitants, &
especially strangers there residing, are exceeding rich,
*i5a6. insomuch, that the king that* now is, married both his

Thekingof daughters vnto two rich merchants. Here are many wels,

Tombuto his ^ ^ *

daughters mar- con\.dAX\\v\g vciost swcete Water; and so often as the riuer

Tied vnto two __. n y % • 1 1 1 #- 1

richmerchants, Niger ouerfloweth, they conueigh the water thereof by

certaine sluces into the towne. Corne, cattle, milke, and

Great scarcitie butter this region yeeldeth in great abundance: but salt

huu>, which^' IS vcrie scarce heere ; for it is brought hither by land from

might besup- Tegaza, which is fiue hundred miles distant. When I my

^E^giishmer- selfe was here, I saw one camels loade of salt sold for

'vmpe'c^Jbu'' ^o. ducates. The rich king of Tombuto hath many plates

gaine, and sccpters of gold, some whereof weigh 1300. poundes :

and he keepes a magnificent and well furnished court

When he trauelleth any whither he rideth vpon a camell,

which is lead by some of his noblemen ; and so he doth

likewise when hee goeth to warfar, and all his souldiers ride

Reuerence used vpon horses. Whosocuer will speake vnto this king must

of ^ombuto!*^ first fall downe before his feete, & then taking vp earth

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 82$

must sprinkle it vpon his owne head & shoulders : which

custom is ordinarily obserued by them that neuer saluted

the king before, or come as ambassadors from other

princes. He hath alwaies three thousand horsemen, and a

great number of footmen that shoot poysoned arrowes,

attending vpon him. They haue often skirmishes with ^^^^^^^ ^-

those that refuse to pay tribute, and so many as they take,

they sell vnto the merchants of Tombuto. Here are verie

few horses bred, and the merchants and courtiers keepe

certaine little nags which they vse to trauell vpon : but

their best horses are brought out of Barbaric. And the

king so soone as he heareth that any merchants are come

to towne with horses, he commandeth a certaine number to

be brought before him, and chusing the best horse for him-

selfe, he payeth a most liberall price for him.® He so

deadly hateth all lewes, that he will not admit any into his

citie: and whatsoeuer Barbaric merchants he vnder-

standeth haue any dealings with the lewes, he presently

causeth their goods to be confiscate. Here are great store

of doctors, iudges, priests, and other learned men, that are

bountifully maintained at the kings cost and charges.

And hither are brought diuers manuscripts or written

bookes out of Barbaric, which are sold for more money

than any other merchandize.^® The coine of Tombuto is ^f^fi^ vsedfor

^ "Zotne Itke as tn

of gold without any stampe or superscription : but in /A<r kingdoms

of Congo,

matters of smal value they vse certaine shels brought hither
out of the kingdome of Persia, fower hundred of which
shels are worth a ducate : and sixe peeces of their golden
coine with two third parts weigh an ounce. The inhabi-
tants are people of a gentle and chereful disposition, and
spend a great part of the night in singing and dancing
through all the streets of the citie : they keep great
store of men and women-slaues, and their towne is
much in danger of fire : at my second being there halfe
the town almost was burnt in fine howers space. With-

3G

826 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

out the suburbs there are no gardens nor orchards at
all.

Of the towne of Cobra.

THis large towne built without walles in manner of a
village, standeth about twelue miles from Tombuto
vpon the riuer Niger : and here such merchants as trauel
vnto the kingdomes of Ghinea and Melli embarke them-
selues. Neither are the people or buildings of this towne
any whit inferiour to the people and buildings of Tombuto ;
and hither the Negros resort in great numbers by water.
In this towne the king of Tombuto appointeth a judge to
decide all controuersies ; for it were tedious to goe thither
so oft as need should require. I my selfe am acquainted
with Abu Bacr, sirnamed Pargama, the kings brother, who
is blacke in colour, but most beautifull in minde and con-
ditions. Here breed many diseases which exceedingly
diminish the people ; and that, by reason of the fond and
loathsome mixture of their meats ; for they mingle fish,
milke, butter, and flesh altogither. And this is the ordi-
narie food also in Tombuto.^^

Of the towne and kingdofne of Gago,

THE great towne of Gago^* being vn walled also, is
distant southward of Tombuto almost fower hundred
miles, and enclineth somewhat to the southeast. The
houses thereof are but meane, except those wherein the
king and his courtiers remaine. Here are exceeding rich
merchants: and hither continually resort great store of
Negros which buy cloth here brought out of Barbarie and
Europe. This towne aboundeth with corne and flesh, but
is much destitute of wine, trees, and fruits. Howbeit here
is plentie of melons, citrons, and rice : here are many
welles also containing most sweete and holesome water.
Here is likewise a certaine place where slaues are to be
sold, especially vpon such daies as the merchants vse to

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 827

assemble ; and a yoong slaue of fifteene yeeres age is sold

for sixe ducates, and so are children sold also. The king

of this region hath a certaine priuate palace wherein he

maintaineth a great number of concubines and slaues,

which are kept by eunuches : and for the guard of his owne

person he keepeth a sufficient troupe of horsemen and

footmen. Betweene the first gate of the palace and the

inner part thereof, there is a place walled round about

wherein the king himselfe decideth all his subiects con-

trouersies : and albeit the king be in this function most

diligent, and performeth all things thereto appertayning,

yet hath he about him his counsellors & other officers, as

namely his secretaries, treasurers, factors, and auditors. It

is a woonder to see what plentie of Merchandize is dayly

brought hither, and how costly and sumptuous all things

be. Horses bought in Europe for ten ducates, are here

sold againe for fortie and sometimes for fiftie ducates a

piece. There is not any cloth of Europe so course, which ^ich sale for

will not here be sold for fower ducates an elle, and if it be

anything fine they will giue fifteene ducates for an ell :

and an ell of the scarlet of Venice or of Turkie-cloath is

here worth thirtie ducates. A sword is here valued at

three or fower crownes, and so likewise are spurs, bridles,

with other like commodities, and spices also are sold at an

high rate : but of al other commodities salt is most ex-

tremelie deere. The residue of this kingdome containeth

nought but villages and hamlets inhabited by husbandmen

and shepherds, who in winter couer their bodies with beasts

skins ; but in sommer they goe all naked saue their priuie

members : and sometimes they weare vpon their feet

certaine shooes made of camels leather. They are ignorant

and rude people, and you shall scarce finde one learned man

in the space of an hundred miles. They are continually

burthened with grieuous exactions, so that they haue scarce

any thing remaining to Hue vpon.

3G2

828 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the kingdome of Guber,

IT standeth eastward of the kingdome of Gago almost
three hundred miles ; betweene which two kingdomes
lieth a vast desert being much destitute of water, for it is
about fortie miles distant from Niger. The kingdome of
Guber^ is enuironed with high mountaines, and containeth
many villages inhabited by shepherds, and other herdsmen.
Abundance of cattell here are both great and small : but
of a lower stature then the cattell in other places. Heere
are also great store of artificers and linnen weauers : and
heere are such shooes^* made as the ancient Romans were
woont to weare, the greatest part whereof be carried to
Tombuto and Gago. Likewise heere is abundance of rice,
and of certaine other graine and pulse, the like whereof I
neuer saw in Italic. But I thinke it groweth in some
Their maner placcs of Spaine. At the inundation of Niger all the fields

of sowing come

at the inunda- of this rcgion are ouerflowed, and then the inhabitants cast

tion of Niger. , . , . , , ^ • . . « .

their seede mto the water onely. In this region there is a
certaine great village containing almost sixe thousand
families, being inhabited with all kinde of merchants, and
here was in times past the court of a certaine king, who in
^btr^^^u "^^ *^"^^ ^^ slaine by Izchia the king of Tombuto, and
by Izchia. his sonncs were gelt, and accounted among the number of
the kings eunuches. Afterward he sent gouernours hither
who mightily oppressed and impouerished the people that
were before rich : and most part of the inhabitants were
carried captiue and kept for slaues by the said Izchia.

Of the citie and kingdome of Agadez,

THe citie of Agadez^^ standing neere vnto Lybia was
not long since walled round about by a certaine
king. The inhabitants are all whiter then other Negros :
and their houses are stately built after the fashion of
Barbarie. The greatest part of the citizens are forren

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 829

merchants, and the residue be either artificers, or stipen-
daries to the king. Euery merchant hath a great many of
seruants and slaues, who attend vpon them as they trauell
from Cano to Bomo : for in that ioumey they are ex-
ceedingly molested by certaine theeues called Zingani, Zingani.
insomuch that they dare not trauell the same way vnlesse
they be well appointed : in my time they vsed crosse*
bowes for their defence: when the said merchants be
arriued at any towne, they presently employ all their
slaues about some busines, to the end they may not Hue
in idlenes : ten or twelue they keepe to attend vpon them-
selues and their wares. The king of this citie hath alwaies
a notable garde about him, and continueth for the most
part at a certaine palace in the midst of the citie. He
hath greatest regarde vnto his subiects that inhabite in the
deserts and fields : for they will sometime expell their king
and choose another: so that he which pleaseth the in-
habitants of the desert best is sure to be king of Agadez.
The residue of this kingdome lying southward is inhabited
by shepherds and herdsmen, who dwell in certaine cottages
made of boughes, which dottages they carrie about vpon
oxen from place to place. They erect their cottages
alwaies in the same field where they determine to feede
their cattell ; like as the Arabians also doe. Such as
bring merchandize out of other places pay large custome
to the king : and the king of Tombuto receiueth for Agadex tnbu-
yeerely tribute out of this kingdome almost an hundred >b«^^/r<ww-
and fiftie thousand ducats.^^

Of the prouince of Cano.

THe great prouince of Cano^^ stadeth eastward of the
riuer Niger almost fiue hundred miles. The greatest
part of the inhabitants dwelling in villages are some of
them herdsmen and others husbandmen. Heere groweth
abundance of corne, of rice, and of cotton. Also here are

830 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

many deserts and wilde woodie mountaines containing
many springs of water. In these woods growe plentie of
wilde citrons and limons, which differ not much in taste
from the best of all. In the midst of this prouince standeth
a towne called by the same name, the walks and houses
whereof are built for the most part of a kinde of chalke.
The inhabitants are rich merchants and most ciuill people.
Their king was in times past of great puissance, and had
mighty troupes of horsemen at his command ; but he
hath since beene constrained to pay tribute vnto the kings
Th€kin^of of Zegzeg and Casena. Afterwarde Ischia the king of
Casena, and ofTomhwto faining friendship vnto the two foresaid kings

Cano subdued , , , 1 « a 1 « t «

by izchia the trechcrously slew them both. And then he waged warre
buto. against the king of Cano, whom after a long siege he

tooke, and compelled him to marie one of his daughters,
restoring him againe to his kingdome, conditionally that
he should pay vnto him the third part of all his tribute :
and the said king of Tombuto hath some of his courtiers
perpetually residing at Cano for the receit thereof.

Of the kingdome of Casena.

CAsena bordering eastward vpon the kingdome last
described, is full of mountaines, and drie fields,
which yeeld notwithstanding great store of barlie and mill-
seed. The inhabitants are extremely black, hauing great
noses and blabber lips. They dwell in most forlome and
base cottages : neither shall you finde any of their villages
containing aboue three hundred families. And besides
their base estate they are mightily oppressed with famine :
Ischia. a king they had in times past whom the foresaid Ischia

slew, since whose death they haue all beene tributarie vnto
Ischia}^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 83 1

Of the kingdome of Zegzeg,

THe southeast part thereof bordereth vpon Cano, and
It IS distant from Casena almost an hundred and
fiftie miles. The inhabitants are rich and haue great
traffique vnto other nations. Some part of this kingdome
is plaine, and the residue mountainous, but the mountaines
are extremely cold, and the plains intolerably hot^® And
because they can hardly indure the sharpnes of winter,
they kindle great fires in the midst of their houses, laying
the coles thereof vnder their high bedsteads, and so be-
taking themselues to sleepe.^ Their fields abounding with
water, are exceeding fruitful, & their houses are built like
the houses of the kingdom of Casena. They had a king of
their owne in times past, who being slaine by Ischia (as is izchia.
aforesaid) they haue euer since beene subiect vnto the said
Ischid.

Of the region of Zanfara,

THe region of Zanfara bordering eastward vpon Zegzeg
is inhabited by most base and rusticall people.
Their fields abound with rice, mill, and cotton. The in-
habitants are tall in stature and extremely blacke, their
visages are broad, and their dispositions most sauage and "^^^^I ,
brutish. Their king also was slaine by Ischia. and them- h fzchia, and

^ ^ * the people made

selues made tributarie.^* tributaHe.

Of the towne and kingdome of Guangara, '

TYixs kingdome adioineth southeasterly vpon Zanfara,
being very populous, and hauing a king raigning
ouer it, which maintaineth a garison of seuen thousand
archers, and fiue hundred horsemen, and receiueth yeerely
great tributes. In all this kingdome there are none but
base villages, one onely excepted, which exceedeth the rest
both in largenes and faire building. The inhabitants are

832 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

very rich, and haue continuall traffique with the nations
adioining. Southward thereof lieth a r^on greatly

Gold. abounding with gold But now they can haue no traffique

with forren nations, for they are molested on both sides
with most cruell enemies. For westward they are oppressed

ischia. by IschtUy and eastward by the king of Bomo. When I

my selfe was in Bomo, king Abraham hauing leuied an huge
armie, determined to expell the prince of Guangara out of
his kingdome, had he not beene hindred by Hamar the
prince of Gaoga, which began to assaile the kingdome of
Bomo. Wherefore the king of Bomo being drawne home
into his owne countrie, was enforced to giue ouer the
conquest of Guangara. So often as the merchants of
Guangara trauell unto the foresaid region abounding with
gold, because the waies are so rough and difficult that their
camels cannot goe vpon them, they carrie their wares
vpon slaues backes ; who being laden with great burthens
doe vsually trauell ten or twelue miles a day. Yea some
I saw that made two of those iourneies in one day : a
woonder it is to see what heauie burthens these poore
slaues are charged withall ; for besides the merchandize
they carrie victuals also for their masters, and for the
soldiers that goe to garde them.**

Of the kingdome of Bomo.

THe large prouince of Borno bordering westward vpon
the . prouince of Guangara, and from thence ex-
tending eastward fiue hundred miles, is distant from the
fountaine of Niger almost an hundred and fiftie miles, the
south part thereof adioining vnto the desert of Set, and the
north part vnto that desert which lieth towards Barca.
The situation of this kingdome is very vneuen, some part
thereof being mountainous, and the residue plaine. Vpon
the plaines are sundry villages inhabited by rich merchants,
and abounding with corne. The king of this region and

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 833

all his followers dwell in a certaine large village.^ The
mountaines being inhabited by herdesmen and shepherds
doe bring foorth mill and other graine altogether vnknowen
to vs. The inhabitants in summer goe all naked saue
their priuie members which they couer with a peece of
leather: but al winter they are clad in skins, and haue
beds of skins also. They embrace no religion at all, being
neither Christians, Mahumetans, nor lewes, nor of any
other profession, but liuing after a brutish manner, and
hauing wiues and children in common : and (as I vnder-
stood of a certaine merchant that abode a long time
among them) they haue no proper names at all, but euery
one is nicknamed according to his length, his fatnes, or
some other qualitie.** They haue a most puissant prince,
being lineally descended from the Libyan people called
Bardoa. Horsemen he hath in a continuall readines to
the number of three thousand, & an huge number of foot-
men ; for al his subiects are so seruiceable and obedient
vnto him, that whensoeuer he commandeth them, they wil
arme themselues and follow him whither he pleaseth to
conduct them. They paye vnto him none other tribute
but the tithes of all their come : neither hath this king
any reuenues to maintaine his estate, but ouely such
spoiles as he getteth from his next enimes by often in-
uasions and assaults.*^ He is at perpetuall enmitie with a
certaine people inhabiting beyond the desert of Sew f-^ The desert of
who in times past marching with an huge armie of footemen
ouer the said desert, wasted a great part of the kingdome of
Bomo. Whereupon the king of Borno sent for the mer-
chants of Barbary, and willed them to bring him great
store of horses : for in this countrey they vse to exchange
horses for slaues, and to giue fifteene, and sometime twentie Fifteene or

. ^ , A t 1 « • t twentie slaues

slaues for one horse. And by this meanes there \^exe exchanged for
abundance of horses brought : howbeit the merchants were
constrained to stay for their slaues till the king returned

834 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

home conquerour with a great number of captiues, and
satisfied his creditors for their horses. And oftentimes it
falleth out that the merchants must stay three months
togither, before the king retumeth from the warres, but
they are all that while maintained at the kings charges.
Sometimes he bringeth not home slaues enough to satisfie
the merchants: and otherwhiles they are constrained to
awaite there a whole yeere togither ; for the king maketh
inuasions but euery yeere once, & that at one set and
appointed time of the yeere. Yea I my selfe met with
sundrie merchants heere, who despairing of the kings
paiment, bicause they had trusted him an whole yeere,
determined neqer to come thither with horses againe.
And yet the king seemeth to be marueilous rich ; for his
spurres, his bridles, platters, dishes, pots, and other vessels
wherein his meate and drinke are brought to the table, are
all of pure golde : yea, and the chaines of his dogs and
hounds are of golde also. Howbeit this king is extreamely
couetous, for he had much rather pay his debts in slaues
than in gold. In this kingdome are great multitudes of
Negros and of other people, the names of whom (bicause I
tarried heere but one moneth) I could not well note.

Of the kingdome of Gaoga.

GAoga bordering westward vpon the kingdome of
Borno, and extending eastward to the confines of
Nubia, adioineth southward vnto a certaine desert situate >
vpon a crooked and winding part of Nilus, and is enclosed
northward with the frontiers of Egypt It stretcheth from
east to west in length fiue hundred miles, and as much in
bredth. They haue neither humanitie not learning among
them, but are most rusticall and sauage people, and
especially those that inhabite the mountaines, who go all
naked saue their priuities : their houses are made of
boughes & rafts, and are much subiect to burning, and

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 835

they haue great abundance of cattel, whereunto they giue
diligent attendance. For many yeers they remained in
h'bertie, of which libertie they were depriued by a certaine
Negro slane of the same region. This slaue lying vpon a "^^f^^^^^
certaine night with his master that was a ^^^X^x^ siaine his Lord

grew to great

merchant, & considering that he was not far from his might and

authoriiie.

natiue countrey, slue his saide master, possessed his goods,
and returned home : where hauing bought a certaine
number of horses, he began to inuade the people next
adioning, and obtained for the most part the victorie : for
he conducted a troupe of most valiant & warlike horsmen
against his enimies that were but slederly appointed. And
by this means he tooke great numbers of captiues, whom
he exchanged for horses that were brought out of Egypt :
insomuch that at length (the number of his souldiers in-
creasing) he was accounted of by all men as soueraigne
K. of Gaoga. After him succeeded his son, being no whit
inferiour in valour & high courage vnto his father ; who
reigned for the space of fortie yeeres. Next him succeeded
his brother Moses, & after Moses his nephew Honiara,
who beareth rule at this present. This Honiara hath
greatly enlarged his dominions, and hath entred league
with the Soldan of Cairo, by whom he is often
presented with magnificent gifts, which he most bounti-
fully requiteth : also diuers merchants of Egypt, and diuers
inhabitants of Cairo present most pretious and rare things
vnto him, and highly commend his surpassing liberalitie.
This prince greatly honoureth all learned men, and especi-
ally such as are of the linage of Mahumet. I my selfe
being in his court, a certaine noble man of Damiata brought
him very rich and roiall gifts, as namely, a gallant horse, a
Turkish sworde, and a kingly robe, with certaine other
particulars that cost about an hundred and fiftie ducates at
Cairo : in recompence whereof the king gaue him fiue
slaues, fiue camels, fiue hundred ducates of that region, and
an hundred elephants teeth of woonderfull bignes.^

836 THE SEUENTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the kingdome of Nubia,

NVbia bordering westward vpon the kingdome last
described, and stretching from thence vnto Nilus, is
enclosed on the southside with the desert of Goran,*® and
on the north side with the confines of Egypt. Howbeit
they cannot passe by water from this kingdome into
TTuHuerof Egypt : for the riuer of Nilus is in some places no deeper

NUui not

nauigabu be- then a man may wade ouer on foote. The principall towne
and Egypt, of this kingdome called Dangala is exceeding populous,^
and containeth to the number of ten thousand families.
The wals of their houses consist of a kinde of chalkc,^ and
the roofes are couered with strawe. The townesmen are
exceeding rich and ciuill people, and haue great traffike
with the merchants of Cairo & of Egypt : in other parts of
this kingdome you shall finde none but villages and hamlets
situate vpon the riuer of Nilus, all the inhabitants whereof
The rich com- are husbandmen. The kingdome of Nubia is most rich in

modities of

NuHa, come and sugar, which notwithstanding they knowe not

how to vse. Also in the citie of Dangala there is great
plentie of ciuet and Sandall-wood.*^ This region aboundeth
with luory likewise, bicause heere are so many elephants

Most strong taken. Heere is also a most strong and deadly poison, one
graine whereof being diuided amongst ten persons, will kill
them all within lesse then a quarter of an hower : but if one
man taketh a graine, he dieth thereof out of hand. An
ounce of this poison is solde for an hundred ducates ;
neither may it be solde to any but to forraine merchants,
& whosoeuer buieth it is bound by an oath not to vse it in
the kingdome of Nubia. All such as buy of this poison
are constrained to pay as much vnto the king, as to the.
merchant : but if any man selleth poison without the
princes knowledge, he is presently put to death.*^ The
king of Nubia maintaineth continuall warre, partly against
the people of Goran (who being descended of the people

HISTORIE OF AFRICA, 837

called Zingani, inhabite the deserts, and speake a kinde of Zin^ani.
language that no other nation vnderstandeth) and partly
against certaine other people also dwelling vpon the desert
which lieth eastward of Nilus, and stretcheth towards the v'
red sea;* "being not farre from the borders of Suachen.
Their language (as I take it) is mixt, for it hath great
affinity with the Chaldean toong, with the language of
Suachen, and with the language of Ethiopia the higher,
where Prete Gianni is said to beare rule : the people them- prete Gianni.
selues are called Bugiha, and are most base and miserable, Bugiha.
and liue onely vpon milke, camels-flesh and the flesh of
such beasts as are taken in those deserts. Sometimes they
receiue tribute of the gouernour of Suachen, and sometimes
of the gouernours of Dangala. They had once a rich
towne situate vpon the red sea called Zibid, whereunto
belonged a commodious hauen, being opposite vnto the
hauen of Zidem, which is fortie miles distant from Mecca.
But an hundred yeeres since it was destroied by the Soldan,
bicause the inhabitants receiued certaine wares which
should haue beene carried to Mecca, and at the same time
the famous port of Zibid was destroied, from whence
notwithstanding was gathered a great yeerely tribute.
The inhabitants being chased from thence fledde vnto
Dangala and Suachin, and at length being ouercome in
battaile by the gouernour of Suachin, there were in one
day slaine of them aboue fower thousand, and a thousand
were carried captiue vnto Suachin, who were massacred by.
the women and children of the citie.** And thus much
(friendly reader) as concerning the lande of Negros : the
fifteene kingdomes whereof agreeing much in rites and
customes, are subiect vnto fower princes onely. Let vs
now proceed vnto the description of Egypt

here etideth the seuenth booke.

NOTES TO BOOK VII.

(i) Leo takes this account avowedly from Mas'fidi's MurHj uz-
Zahab ("Meadows of Gold"), A.D. 943-44, and El-Bekri's Kitab
ul-mesdlek-w<il-mefndlek (" The Book of Roads and Realms"), A.D.
1067. But he is quite wrong in affirming that nothing was known of
Negroland until the Barbary traders crossed the desert (a.d. 994); for Ibn
Haukal, who began his travels in a.d. 943, gives the distances between
Segelmessa and Audaghort, Ghama, Kuku, Kugha, and " Ulil", where
there were salt mines {MS. in Leyden University Library, p. 34 ;
Walckenaer, /?^r^^nrA^j Giog, sur rintdrieur de TAfrique^ P- i3' It
is not given in Ousele/s imperfect translation of Ibn Haukal —
Oriental Geography y 1800 — "A certaine Mahumetan which came into
Barbarie," etc., is in the Italian version " e la causa fu questa, che
allore Luntuna e tutto il popolo di Libia per causa d'un predicatore
si fece maumettano, e venne ad alitare nella Barberia, e cominci6 a
practicare, e aver cognizione di detti paesi" (Reprint, 1837). That is,
the Land of the Negroes was thus discovered. The family of Luntuna
and all the people of Lybia were through a (Mohammedan) preacher
converted to Mohammedanism. He then came to live in Barbary,
and strove to inform himself and did acquire a knowledge of that
country (Negroland).

(2) The ^vt. nations of Libya here referred to seem to be the
Lemtuna, Lemta, Jedala, Tuireg, and Zenega, collectively known from
wearing the litham or face covering (still seen among the Tuareg) as
the " Moleththemin", or Litham-bearers. The propaganda of Islam
among the desert races was virtually begun by Yahia Ibn Ibrahim,
a Tuireg chief, and founder of the Almohade dynasty. He sought
the help of Wahij Ibn Zelu, a disciple of Abu Amran, a Marabout of
Kairwan, though originally from Fez (A.D. 1035-47). Wahij Ibn
Zelu resided at Malkus, near Marakesh ; but not caring to go on the
mission himself, he sent his disciple, Abd Allah Ibn Yazin of Segel-
messa, who established a " zuia" on an island near the mouth of the
Senegal, where in time his followers became known as El-Mar4bitin,
familiar to us under the corrupt form of Almoravides. They soon
became very powerful, and under the leadership of Yahia Ibn Omar
subdued the neighbouring tribes. They next menaced Morocco ;
and in A.D. 1053 (A.H. 445), Segelmessa was captured and occupied.
Abu Bekr, who succeeded his brother, Yahia Ibn Omar, after making

NOTES TO BOOK VII. 839

himself master of the Wad-Nun country, Sus, Tarudant, and Aghmat,
penetrated in a.d. 1058 (a.h. 450) to Tedla, and destroyed the Ifrenide
princes and the Berghuata who inhabited the littoral of Anfa and
Temesna. Having been struck with paralysis in the desert, Abu Bekr
handed over his authority to his cousin Yussuf Ibn Tashfin, who
thereupon marched against the Sudan races, ninety days' journey
south of the Almoravide countries. — Godard, Le MaroCy p. 310.

(3) Hajj Mohammed ben Abu Bakr Askia (" Abuacre Izchia) was
actually King of Songhai ("Sungai"). His conquests were just
beginning when Leo visited Negroland, so that our traveller must
have obtained most of his information regarding Askia's subsequent
proceedings from Arab merchants who disliked the usurper, owing
to the heavy taxes he levied for the support of his great armed force
— the duties on merchandise interfering seriously with trade. He
founded the homonymous dynasty of the Askia by rising^ against
Sonni Abu Bakr Dau, son of Sonni Ali (" Sonni Heli " of Leo), a power-
ful monarch, who (a.h. 894, A.D. 1488) wrested Timbuktu from the
Tuireg, who had captured it from Meli.

Askia — whom Barth justly characterises as perhaps the greatest
sovereign that ever ruled over Negroland — was a native of the island
of Neni, a little below Zinder on the Niger, and hence (unlike Sonni
Ali, who was of Arab or, more probably, Berber origin) a good speci-
men of what the pure-blooded negro is capable of becoming. Popu-
lar with the rigid Mohammedans — instead of being odious in their
eyes as Sonni Ali was — Askia, at the very period that Almeida and
Albuquerque were doubling the Cape of Storms and founding the
Portuguese Indian Empire, extended his conquests from Hausa to
near the Atlantic, and from Mossi as far as Tuat, everywhere ruling
with equity and vigour.

Askia, or Sikkia, was assumed by him as his royal title (a.d. 1492,
A.H. 898). After a reign of thirty-six and a half years, he was com-
pelled to abdicate by his rebellious son, Askia Musa, and died in
dishonour A.D. 1537 (a.h. 944).— Barth, Travels^ vol. iv, pp. 414,
596-605.

This chapter is not very fully translated. Thus the " former king",
to whom Abu Bekr was "Capitano", is not given as " Soni Heli, King
of Tumbutto and Gago of the family of the Libyan tribes " ; nor is it
correct for Leo to say that Abu Bekr "dopo la morte del detto si
rebell6 contra i figliuoli, i quelli fece morire e tom6 il dominio nei
Negri", since Sonni Abu Bekr Dau fled to Abar (Adar), where he died.
Nor does he correctly translate how Askia by his munificence on the
pilgrimage to Mecca ** spese tutti i suoi tesori, e rimase debitore di
centocinquanta milia ducati" (spent all his wealth and became in
debt 150,000 ducats or mithkals). Nothing is said about getting in

840 NOTES TO BOOK VII.

debt to " other princes", which, all things considered, would have

p'fieen in the highest degree improbable. But, according to the

f chronicle of Ahmed Baba of Timbuktu — of which Barth was allowed

to take hurried extracts — Askia went to Mecca with 1,500 armed men,

/ and 300,000 mithkals to defray his expenses. His official investiture

as Khalifa in Songhai was performed in the Holy City by the Shereef

£l-Abbisi. He also founded a charitable institution in Mecca for

the people Tekrur ; so that a sovereign of such lavish generosity

might well have exceeded his estimated expenditure.

(4) Walata. When Ibn Batuta visited it in a.d. 1352-53 (a.h.
753, 754) Walata was an important commercial centre; but soon after
the conquests of Sonni Ali, as Leo mentions, its trade went over
to Timbuktu and Gago.

Walata is the Arab and Tuireg name, while Biru is the one applied
to it by the Negro Azer, a section of the Aswanek, who are the original
inhabitants of the place. It is at present a town of well-built clay
houses, each with a rough coat of plaster. The region close to the
district of El-Hodh at the foot of the Dahr Walata hills, and in
a well-wooded valley, is considered very unhealthy. But there is
little buisiness, and in Barth's day it was described as a "seat of
poverty and misery*': an unflattering characterisation which does not
agree with the statements of Ca da Mosto in 1 513, or of Alioun Sal in
i860. It is inhabited by a mixed race of whites and blacks — Berbers,
Arabs and Azer — who speak the Azeriyya idiom, and bear an in-
different reputation.

"Mil seed", or millet, is perhaps Pennisetum typhoideumy not
maize, as Pory adds, with superfluous erudition.

(5) Jinni or Jenni, founded in a.d. 1033-34 (a.h. 435), according to
the documents from which Barth (vol. iv, p. 582) compiled his " Chrono-
logical Table of Songhay and the neighbouring Kingdoms". It soon
became wealthy, owing to the trade in salt from Tegh^lza and in gold
from Bitu (Leo's Bito, the Bede of Denham and Clapperton, according
to Cooley, Negrolandof the Arabs ^ p. 129). About a.d. 1203-4 (a.h. 600)
most of the inhabitants, including the king, embraced Islam. Soon
afterwards it became subject to Mari Jatah, King of Meli, on the
Upper Niger ; and as the principal market of the Fulahs, Joloff,
Zenagha, Serracolits, and the inhabitants of Western Tekrur and the
Udaya, attained the zenith of its prosperity (De Barros, Asia^ ed.
Lisboa 1778, lib. i, chap. 8, p. 220). In A.H. 873 (A.D. 1468-9) it was
conquered after great slaughter by Sonni Ali. At that time it enjoyed
a prosperous trade in native cloth (De Barros, lib, M^p. 257 ; Kunst-
mann, AbhandL der K, Baier. Akad. kl. iii, vol. viii).

Leo is our only authority for the fact that Askia kept the King of

NOTES TO BOOK VII. 84 1

Jinni prisoner in his own capital. A more correct translation of the
passage is, however, that Askia, having invaded the country and taken
prisoner the last King of the Libyan (Berber) race who had become
tributary to Sonni Ali, held him captive in Gogo till his death, and
governed the kingdom by a deputy (" Con un suo luogotenante" There
is nothing in the original about a " certaine nobleman".

Leo derived Guinea from Jinni, and most likely correctly. But there
are rival etymologies — Ginahoa, the first negro country visited by the
Portuguese, Ghana, Jenna, a coast town, once of note, etc.— among
which it is idle to choose. Cailli^ was the first European — at least,
in later times — to enter Jinni, though Mungo Park saw it on
his last journey. "Tutte le case di costoro sono fatte a modo
di capanne, ma investite di creta, e coperte di paglia" — is not
quite correctly translated. It should be : The houses are built
in the shape of hamlets, the walls of clay (which Leo usually renders
" creta"), and thatched with straw. In reality, they are built of sun-
dried bricks, and lime is unknown, though Temporal rather freely
translates the passage— "blanches de craye". When Cailli^ visited
it the houses were mostly of a better quality and the town surrounded
by a low, badly-constructed wall. But the inhabitants had evidently
improved by their intercourse with the Moors and other foreign
merchants.

(6) Meli, Melli, Melle, Malli, or Mally was a prosperous kingdom
when Ibn Batuta visited its capital. He describes it as the residence
of the " king of the black men — Mansa Sleiman^', " Mansa" signifying
Sultan. Many merchants seem to have visited it, and cowries {Cyprcea
tnoneta) were, as is still the custom in that region, used in place of
money (Ibn Batuta, ed. Defr^mery et Sanguinetti, t. iv, pp. 397 et seq,^
435, 439). But before that date the kingdom had played a great part
in the Sudan. In about a.d. 1235-60 Mari Jatah, King of Meli,
conquered the Susu, who at that time were masters of Ghamata.
Mansa Kunkur Musa, the greatest of the Meli monarchs, who,
according to Ahmed Baba of Timbuktu (Rohlfs, Zeitsch, Leipzig
Oriental Soc.y vol. ix, p. 530) possessed "an aggressive strength
without measure or limit", extended his dominions by absorbing
Baghena (the remnants of the disrupted kingdoms of Baghena,
Zagha, Timbuktu and Songhai, with its capital Gogo. His wealth
was so great that he made the Mekka pilgrimage with a following
like an army — his route being by way of Walata and Tuat and Gogo
(or Gagho). Mansa Sleiman, who was Sultan at the time of Ibn
Batuta's visit (a.d. 1352-53), in a.d. 1336 again occupied Timbuktu,
which had apparently been left to itself for some years. About
A.D. 1433 the Meli empire began to decline, its power being divided
among a number of semi-independent governors, with the result that

3H

842 NOTES TO BOOK VIL

the Tuireg spread desolation on every side. Yet in i454Alvise di Ca
da Mosto {Prima Navigazione^ c. 13) could still describe it as the
most powerful of the Negroland kingdoms, and the most important for
traffic in gold and slaves. In 1501, Askia made Meli part of his empire
— a fact noted by Leo. Meli was perhaps the town called Zillen or
Zalna by Ahmed Baba, the inhabitants of which were sold into slavery
when Askia took and added this and other important towns to the
Songhai empire, already extending 1,500 miles from east to west and
1,000 miles from north to south. It was Leo who first made the word
Songhai (Sungai) familiar to Europe, De Barros also using it. After
this Meli waned rapidly, its sovereign bearing the title of Ferengh
instead of Mansa. But its final extinction as an empire was due to a
civil war between the sons of Ferengh Mahmud, about the middle of
the seventeenth century, in which all the most powerful tribes in that
part of Africa engaged. The result was that the capital of Meli was
destroyed, and the country divided up among the various participants
in this suicidal struggle. The Baghena lordship was given by Mulai
Ismail of Morocco, under a sort of feudal tenure, to the chief of the
Mebarek tribe.

(7) Tin-Buktu, " the well of Buktu", as it has been fancifully trans-
lated : Timbuctoo, to use the familiar spelling : Timbuktu in more
accurate form — once a city of mystery and fable, is now so familiar that
it is no longer necessary to speculate regarding the exact meaning of
Leo's statements, or what modicum of truth they possess. In the editor's
Africa (vol. i, pp. 26-312 ; vol. iv, p. 298) notes may be found on the
numerous vacillations of opinion regarding this country, and journeys in
search of it ; and in Barlh's Travels (vol. iv, pp. 403, 480, etc) and Lenz's
Timbuktu (vol. ii, p. 114^/ seq^^ the fullest information is embodied on
the history and condition of the city prior to the French occupying it
on the loth January, 1893. Its subsequent fate has been chronicled
by MM. Hubert et Delafosse in TombouctoUy son hisioire^ sa conqudte
(1894) and by Zoudevan in Tijdschrift Netherlandsch Aardrijk-
Genootschap^ vol. ix (1892), pp. 375-400- In the Comptes Rendus of
the Paris Geographical Society, 1894, Nos. 18, 19, and 1895, p. 62,
the information collected by the French military officers is embodied.
I may, however, supplement Leo's description by a few explanatory
remarks. Timbuktu means in the Songhai language a hollow, and
perhaps got the name from being built in the cavity of the sand hills.
It was founded towards the end of the fifth century of the Hegeira
Ca.d. 1087-8) by the Tuireg, who have since used its site as an
occasional camping-place. — Barth, Travels^ vol. iv, p. 584.

(8) Since Leo's day the influence of the Moors has been most
marked ; for, with the exception of some conical mat huts, the houses

NOTES TO BOOK VH. 843

are now well built of day ("chalke"=creta) around courtyards, and
with terraces, not thatched, as described by the viator of four centuries
ago. Pory, copying Florianus, has not quite correctly translated this
passage — " Le cui case sono capanne fatte di pali, coperte di creta [in
the Latin Cujus domus omnes in tuguriola cretace(F\ coi cortivi di
paglia." It should be : The houses here are built like cabins, the walls
are hurdles plastered over with clay, and the houses covered with
reeds (straw). Moore, by his ingenuity in mistranslating " capanne"
(which he mistakes for " campane"), as " bells", still further confuses
Leo's meaning ; though, no doubt, bell-shaped or conical is very
applicable to the usual Nigritic style of architecture.

The statement that almost half of the city was, during Leo's second
visit, burnt down in the course of five hours, and that fires were one of
the perils to which it was peculiarly subject, rather confirms the
description of the inflammable character of the buildings in 1500. —
See M. Jomard's remarks in Cailli^'s Travels (English ed.), vol. ii,

p. 343-

The Great Mosque and the palace were built by Mansa Musa,
King of Meli, ^ as a half-legible inscription over the principal
gate attests. The architect — "un excellente maestro di Granata" —
was Ishak, commonly called Es-Saheli, as if he were a native of
Morocco, not of Granada. But the Sankord mosque is generally
regarded as the oldest in the city.

(9) This description of the magnificence of Askia is no doubt quite
accurate. For his plunder must have been accumulating fast, while
his military forces and the merchants whom they attracted to Timbuktu
must have given employment to a great many people during the
moderately enlightened rule of Askia's brother, Omar, as " Tumbutu-
koy" (Viceroy of Timbuktu), in spite of Sonni Ali having sacked it
thirty years previously (a.d. 1468-9, A.H. 873). Timbuktu has
decayed very greatly during the last four centuries : for at the date of
Lenz*s visit — 1880 — the entire population did not exceed 20,000, with
a few traders and their followers during the caravan season ; and until
the French occupation the place still further approached insignificance
by reason of the anarchy and pillage of the Tuireg, and their rivals,
the Fulahs, added to the competition of the European trading ports on
the Niger. Askia did not, as Leo seemed to have imagined, reside
habitually in Timbuktu, Gogo being his capital. But unless he de-
rived his information regarding Askia's regal state from second-hand
information, the king must at the period of one of Leo's two
visits (probably within an interval of a few months) have been in
the city or its vicinity, as indeed was his custom at that period of his
life. Kabara was also one of his favourite residences, but Gogo was
most frequently Askia's home.

3 H 2

844 NOTES TO BOOK VII.

( 10) " Books and firearms" were the articles which Barth found most
in demand, and to this day the Mogador traders in fitting out caravans
for Timbuktu always include MSS. of the Koran and other
religious works among their regular merchandise. There are
several good libraries in the place, containing many valuable MSS.,
with the contents of which Europe is now likely to become better
acquainted. The exclusion of Jews from Timbuktu continued until
the year 1858, when the late Rabbi Mordokhai Abi Serour, of
Akka, succeeded in gaining permission to reside and trade in the
city ; and since that date several of his relatives and co-religionists
have established themselves there, and it is understood that many
more — now that anarchy is at an end — are likely to become per-
manent citizens. — Beaumier, Bull, de la Soc, Giog, PariSy April- May,
1870.

The Cowrie currency mentioned by Leo is still in use over a wide
extent of the Niger country. To show the approximate value of the
shells — Barth bought in Timbuktu, forty years ago, a piece of good
bleached calico — " shigge", or " sehem hindi" as it is still called, as it
was in Silla more than eight centuries ago (El-Bekri, ed. Slane, 1857,
P- 173) — for i3i5oo shells, and three pieces of unbleached calico for
8,000 each. Three thousand shells were accounted equal to one
Spanish dollar — a much higher rate of exchange than prevailed in
Leo's time.

(11) Kabara, the port of Timbuktu, situated on a cul de sac of the
Niger, five miles from the city — not "twelve", as in the rather
obscure statement of Leo, not improved by his translators — the desert
space between the two being known as Ur-immandes (** He — God —
does not hear") from the fact that people are murdered here without
their cries reaching anyone able to succour them. Ibn Batuta, on his
visit to "Tomboktu" in 1352-53, sailed on the river from Kabara to
Gogo. At one time Kabara was even more important than Timbuktu,
but it is nowadays a somnolent village of some 2,000 people, living in
dome-shaped houses, and in no way distinguished either by wealth or
intelligence. The sanitary condition of the place has not improved
since Leo's visit. — See Caron, De Saint Louis au port de Tombouktou
(1891), pp. 281, et seq, ; Deportes, Extreme Sud de VAlgMe^ Le
Gourara^ Le Touat, In-Sulah^ /> Tidikelt, Le Pays de Touaregs^
rAdrar^ Tin Bouctou, Agades{iS^), pp. 380-413. Askia had many
brothers, whom he entrusted with great power, and who requited
him better than did his mutinous and almost patricidal sons. Ex-
cept for Leo's reference to Abu Bakr, sumamed Pergama, they are
not known in history. — See, also, for some now obsolete criticisms
on certain passages in Leo, Cock, in Adams's apocryphal Narrative,
p. 188.

NOTES TO BOOK VII. 843

(12) Gogo, Gago, Gagho, Gawo, or Gao,^the capital of the Songhai
empire, and during Askia's reign a very important place. Makhled
Ibn Kaidid (better known as Abu Yezid, the Nekarite), who figured
in the revolutions of Northern Africa, was bom here. His father,
however, came from Tozer for trading purposes, which shows the
antiquity of commercial relations between Barbary and the Sudan
(Ibn Khaldoun, Hist des Berb^res, ed. Slane, t. iii, p. 201). Wargla,
by which he travelled, and where his son took refuge in A.H. 325
(A.D. 957), Barth regards as the Bakalitis of Ptolemy (lib. iv, c. vii,
P- 305> ed. Wilberg), and therefore even more ancient than is supposed.
In El-Bekri's time " Gogo" consisted of two towns, one the residence of
the King and the Mohammedans, the other the Pagan quarter, though
already Islam had made such progress that no one but a Moham-
medan could rule. Gogo was at that time the chief market for
salt, which was brought from the Berber town of Tautek, distant
fifteen days' travel About a century later (a.d. 1153) Edrisi
tells us that the people of Gogo dominated over the surrounding
country, and were rich in horses and camels. The great men were
clothed handsomely, and wore the " litham", or face covering ; while
humbler folk dressed in leathern shirts or upper garments. So well
advanced were commercial relations between Negroland and North
Africa (which Leo affirms began about the close of the tenth century
after Christ), that already Gogo did a brisk trade with Augila. About
A.D. 1770, the town and principality hitherto ruled by the "Ruma" or
descendants of the soldiers left as garrison by MulaT Ahmed Abu-1-
.Abbis el-Mansur of Morocco in 1 590, was taken by the Awleimmeden
Tuireg. This spot, from whence the powerful princes whose capital it
was, extended their conquests far and near (and at a time when Timbuktu
was — what indeed it always has been — a mere trading provincial town),
is nowadays a poor place, with few signs of having seen better days.
The great mosque in which the victorious Askia is buried has been
allowed to fall into ruins', and the private dwellings are little better than
hovels. The town seems (as Leo states) never to have been surrounded
by a wall, and to have had in its most flourishing days a circumference
of something like six miles. But nothing now remains of the palace,
which so little impressed Jaudar, the Moorish general, that he wrote
to Mulai Ahmed that the house of the Sheikh el-Haram in Morocco
was much finer than the {)alace of the Askia. Indeed, the architecture
of Gogo seems to have been on a par with that of the rest of the
Niger cities, until they aped that of Barbary, introduced perhaps
after Jaudar's conquests in a.d. 1588-9 (see Introduction). As the
valiant eunuch of Mulai Ahmed wished to accept Ishak Askia's
ransom of 1,000 slaves and 100,000 mithkal of gold— a piece of com-
plaisance which cost Jaudar his command— it is just possible that he
minimised the modest splendour of Gogo. Leo reached it by sailing

846 NOTES TO BOOK VII.

from Kabara, so that it is absurd to argue that he had never been on
the Niger, and was ignorant of its course, simply because he gave its
general direction to the Atlantic as westerly (Cock, in Adams's
Narrative^ p. I90- RennelPs criticism on Leo placing Ghana to the
westward of Timbuktu is based on the supposition that Ghana and
Kano were identical. — Thomson, Mungo Park^ p. 193.

(13) Gober, the most northern of the Haussa states, the home of
the Imim Othman ben-Fodio (Fodiye), by whom the great Fulah
revolution, in progress about the time of Mungo Park's explorations,
was brought about. The Goberawa were at one time masters of Air,
or Arben. Barth doubts Leo's statements about Askia's later pro-
ceedings, being inclined to think that the Moorish traveller had
confounded Askia with Kanta, the ruler of Leka, in the province of
Kebbi.

(14) For shoes read sandals (calzolaj)? Gober was at one time
celebrated, as are still some of the Niger towns, for its leather wares.

(15) Agades, on the right bank of the Wad Tilua, is still a
prosperous town, the citizens of which possess, as in Leo's day,
numbers of male slaves employed on their trading expeditions in
the Sudan. Amid many ruins there are still plenty of substantial
houses betokening wealth and even culture of the African order.
But the palace of the Sultan — "un bel palazzo in me720 della
cittV — where he housed his court and a large garrison, seems
to have disappeared, since the huge ruin in the southern quarter
can scarcely be identified with this building. Of the seventy mosques
which are said to have formerly existed, only ten are still in use.
Leather working, mat-plaiting, and blacksmithing are carried on here.
The iron-work, though barbarous in design, is especially interesting ;
and in most parts of Africa, as in mediaeval Europe, the smith is an
important personage.

(16) Agades was at one time regarded as identical with Audaghost,
or Aoudarast of Edrisi and of EI-Bekri, merely owing to the simi-
larity of the names. But Mr. Cooley {Negroland of the ArabSy
p. 6 et seq.) showed this to be erroneous, with which judgment
most late commentators agree (De Slane, Jiev, Africaine^ t i,
p. 289), though whether Auderas (Wateran of Rennell), between Air
and Agades, is a safer guess, is not worth discussing (Renou, ExpL
Scientifique de PAigMe^ t. ii, p. 327). But Agades, or Egedesh, is a
pure Berber word, of frequent occurrence, particularly among the
Awleimmeden, and in no way connected with Audaghost. Accord-
ding to Barth {Travels^ vol. i, p. 458), the name means "family", and

NOTES TO BOOK VII. 847

is well chosen for a town consisting of mixed elements. Audaghost
was, moreover, in existence at the time that El-Bekri wrote — namely,
in the eleventh century. When Agades was built is not certain ; for
Marmol's statement that it was founded 160 years before the time when
he wrote (that is to say, 1460) must be received with some doubt. Other-
wise, Leo would have been certain to have noted the fact of a place
which he describes with some minuteness being not older than fifty or
sixty years when he visited it. But all that he says is — " Agadez ^ una
cittk murata, edificata dai modemi r^ " — " by a certain King " being
simply a translation of **a quodam Rege", one of the many liberties
with the text which Florianus took. Yet in A.D. 151 5 the great Askia
captured this town, and drove out of it the few Berber tribes who had
settled here, establishing in their place most likely a colony of his own
people ; which explains why, so far from its original centre, a dialect of
Songhai language, mixed with Berber elements, is spoken in Agades.
In Leo's day the place had not yet undergone the change. But even
then he seemed to regard it as a negro town : — " The inhabitants are
all whiter than other Negroes " (E questa cittk h quasi vicina alia cittk
dei Bianchi piu che alcun'altra de' Negri). Yet though he does not men-
tion Askia's expedition against Agades, he takes note of those against
Katsena and Kano, which took place two years earlier, and states that
the King of Agades paid a tribute of 150,000 ducats to " the King of
Tombuto " (Gogo). Indeed, considering that Leo accompanied his
uncle on an official visit to Askia, he seems to have come very little
in contact with the great conqueror, if at all, and to have received his
information about him largely at second hand ; and though the details
regarding Askia's proceedings are generally correct, he is at times
strangely confused. Thus he mentions that Askia having reigned
fifteen (quindici) years, and made peace with his neighbours, went
on the Mecca pilgrimage. Yet this event is not correctly stated ; for
Askia ascended the throne on the 14th Jumad, 898 (A.D. 1493), and
went on the Mecca pilgrimage in Safer, 902 (A.D. 1495), returning to
Gogo in A.H. 903 (August, 1497-8) — consequently in the fifth (Moham-
medan) year of his reign. Yet Leo obtained information, perhaps
from later writers, after his return to Barbary, of Aski.Vs expedition
against Katsena and the adjoining provinces, which was made in a.h.
919 (A.D. 1 5 13). Consequently, Barth was induced to believe that Leo,
in describing Agades, speaks of its condition prior to Askia's exi>edi-
tion of A.D. 1 51 5, a date at which Leo must have completed his Niger-
land travels (see Introduction), But as Leo gives us no exact dates
it is often impossible to say how far he is speaking as an eye-witness,
or how far from more or less trustworthy information picked up among
the trader caravans. Leo also describes the king as a Berber ; and
certainly the unruly, restless character of the Berber population so
unlike the easily-governed Negro, is markedly characteristic of the

848 NOTES TO BOOK VII.

Tuireg population of Agades to this day. The tradition of the
people is that the city was originally peopled from a small town
in the Imallen Valley, of which some vestiges, with two or
three date trees, remnants of a large plantation, remain to the
present day (Barth, Travels^ vol. iv, pp. 462-68). Founded evi-
dently as a trading centre more convenient than Tegidda (famous
in Ibn Batuta, and Ibn Khaldoun's days for copper, and now
for reddish-coloured salt), it speedily attained great prosperity.
It had its own standard weight of gold — the mithkal — which
even yet regulates the circulating medium. Thus while the Tim-
buktu mithkal is in regard to the Spanish dollar as 1} to i, the
Agades one is only as | to i. For wholesale business a greater
weight was used. This was the " karruive", of which the smaller con-
tained 33 mithkals and a third, equal to 2 rottls and a 117th, while the
larger karruive contained 100 mithkals, equal to 6 rottls and a half.
The Sultan is chosen by a compact among the tribes from among a
Sherifian family, and lives, not in Agades, but m a Gobes town : this
ruler being really the chief of the Tuireg tribes, who are almost con-
stantly at war with each other. Now, as in Leo's time, the Sultan's
chief source of revenue is the tax of ten mithkals (four Spanish dollars)
on all merchandise — food excepted — entering the town. ("Riceve
il re gran rendita delle gabelle che pagano le robe de' forestieri, e anco
di quello che nasce nel regno".) At present the population numbers
seven or eight thousand, many of whom are always absent on trading
expeditions, though the commerce is now inconsiderable compared
with what it was in former times. Money, or its representative, either
in cowries or cloth, is rarely in the market, the standard being
millet {Penmsetum typhoideum) durra, or sorghum {Holcus sorghum\
(List of prices in Barth, lib, cit.^ vol. iv, p. 479). Grain is the main
object of speculation by the Tuates, who still form the most numerous
section of the foreign traders, though not indulging in large transac-
tions ; and then in the greater number of cases they are merely the
commission agents or middlemen of the Ghadames capitalist. Hence,
while well-dressed epicures from Tuat are frequent, wealthy ones are
rare. The word " Zingand " is translated by Temporal as Gypsies
(Bomiens ou Egyptiens\ and no doubt correctly. The shepherds'
huts are built to-day in the very manner described by Leo. — Walck-
enaer, Recherches Giographiques^ etc., pp. 316-320, 449 ; Richard-
son, Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa^ vol. ii, p. 57 (mainly a
summary of Barth's account).

(17) Kano, not Ghana or Ghanata of El-Bekri, as at one time
generally supposed, the question having been decided by Cooley
{Negroland of the ArabSy p. 5, et seg.\ Kano is still a large busy town,
much frequented by traders, especially since the occupation of Katsena

NOTES TO BOOK VII. 849

by the Fulahs in 1 807. Barth gives a view of the place in 1 850 ( Travels^
vol. ii, p. 1 10) ; but considers that in his account of its history Leo
confounds Kano with Katsena. In the second half of the sixteenth
century the fortress of Dala, which withstood the Bornuese attack,
must have been the only part of Kano in existence. According to
Clapperton and Banks's estimate, the modem town may contain from
30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants of a very mixed character ; though during
the influx of caravans between January and April the number some-
times rises to 60,000. Cotton cloth of native weaving is the chief
article of sale, though artificers of various fabrics flourish, and in
the bazaar Manchester and Sheffield wares are quite common.

The province itself (in the original Leo calls it "una gran pro-
vincial) comprises a fertile, well- populated district, the inhabitants
being now alternately subject to Bomu and Sokoto, though the
governor is practically independent.

The conquest of Zezeg, Katsena (Casena) and Kano by Askia is
mentioned in such set terms by Leo that it is difficult to accept
Barth's doubt whether the Moorish historian did not confound Askia
with Kanta, the ruler of Kebbi. Leo's information must have been second-
hand — obtained in an exaggerated form from traders ; for Ahmed Baba
makes no allusion to any expedition of Askia's three years after his first.
Indeed, " such an expedition is", Barth affirms, " wholly impossible,
on account of the hostility of Kanta, who made himself independent of
Songhay, the second year after the expedition to Katsena (a.d. 15 14),
and there was no road from Songhay to Kano except through Kebbi".
" Chalk" (creta) should here, as elsewhere, be translated " clay". These
Nigritic kings seem to have had at an early date communication with
the Portuguese, who about A.D. 147 1 sent an embassy to Sonni Ali,
asking permission to establish a factory at Wadan (Hoden), which,
however, being in too barren a spot and too far from the coast,
was soon abandoned. Again, when the Moors took Gogo, they
found in that town " a piece of artillery bearing the Portuguese arms,
a small image of Our Lady, and a metal crucifix". — Jorge de Mendoza
Da Franca, among Papeles Curiosas^ in the Egerton Collection,
Brit. Mus. Additional MSS., No. 10,262, p. 235.

(18) Katsena, or Kashna, Kachene, and Cachenah of the older
writers, one of the Hansa regions, or, as Leo — who evidently did not
know that name— says a kingdom, like Zaria and Kano, speaking
the Gober language. But, in affirming that Wangara (Guangara)
used the same tongue, he falls into an error ; as he does in crediting
Meli with the Songhai : he, as a foreigner, was addressed in it by
traders and " educated" people. In Leo's day there does not seem to
have been any capital in the province of Katsena : nothing but
" piccoli casali fatti a guisa di capanne, e tutti tristi". Yet there are

850 NOTES TO BOOK VII.

lists of Katsena kings dating back to a.h. 600, though perhaps Kat-
sena did not receive the name of the province till it became important
about the middle of the sixteenth century of the Christian era, when a
number of poor villages coalesced into one town. Katsena — capital
and province — is now much decayed. The town fell on evil times with
the rest of Kano, while the province — one of the richest portions of
Negroland— is now much curtailed since the bulk of it passed into the
Fulahs* hands.

(19) The province of Zegzeg under the Governor of Kano.

(20) This custom, which seemed to have tried the faith of some of
Leo's readers, is, on the contrary, quite accurately related. In Senegal
(just as in Western America and other regions), in order to keep off
the mosquitoes, the traveller is compelled to sleep under the lee of
a " green smoke" in order to obtain some respite from these plagues,
or to fill the house with pungent fumes. The late Mr. Joseph
Thomson remarks on this passage as an instance of Leo's accuracy.
** Even when he seems to draw most upon credulity, he is generally
quite accurate : as, for instance, when he describes the people of one
district kindling fires at night under their bedsteads to keep them-
selves warm. To the truth of this statement the writer of these lines
can testify from personal observation ; the precaution being adopted,
however, not to ward off external cold, but that of ague — a disease to
which many places on the Niger are subject at certain times of the
year." — Thomson, Mungo Park and the Niger^ p. 17.

(21) Zanfara,with its capital Zyrmi,is of more importance now than in
Leo's day. It forms part of the Fulah empire, and is better governed
than when Clapperton visited it, and found the place a mere asylum
for vagabonds from neighbouring states. The province is very
ancient, being mentioned by Edrisi when it was much more extensive
than at present, half of it being under the Fulah yoke, while the rest
was struggled for by the Goberawa and other turbulent neighbours.

(22) Wangara, or Ungara. The Wangarawa or Wakore are a
numerous and scattered people, to whom belong the Susa and
Eastern Mandingoes, so called. These Wangarawa are found busily
engaged in trade all over the Niger country and in Katsena. Barth
notes that all the more considerable merchants belong to this
nationality.

When Leo states that Abraham, King of Bomu, meditated driving
the Wangarawa out of his kingdom, his memory perhaps deceived
him. Most probably he refers to Ali ben-Dunama, sumamed for his
conquests El-Gh^i, but better known as Mai Ali Ghazideni (a.h. 877-
909, A.D. 1472-1504). It may have been in this King's reign that Leo

NOTES TO BOOK VII. 85 1

visited Bomu, though his son and successor Idris reigned from
A.H. 910-932 (a.d. 1 504- 1 526). Barth also learnt from various sources
that it was Ali Ghazideni who had to abandon the conquest of Wangara
to repulse an invasion of the Bulala (Gaoga — quite different from
Gogo). But Omar is probably another lapse of memory for Selma
or *Abd el-Jelil, the father of the prince whom Idris («/ supra)
conquered. The name Omar does not occur in the Bulala dynasty.

(23) Until the reign of Mai Ali Ghazideni the Bomu people, as
Leo describes them, lived in temporary encampments in the conquered
country. These famous warriors, however, built Bimi, or Ghasr-
eggomo, the first capital, though Nanigham (" a certaine large village")
had for some time previously served the purpose, being the usual royal
residence. Bimi, on the river Wau, three days west of Kukawa, the
present capital, is now a min six miles in circumference, thickly over-
grown with rank g^ass.

(24) This refers mainly to the Pagan mountaineers, for even in
Leo's day most of the more civilised Kanuri and other races of Bomu
must have been as strict Mohammedans are they are at present.

(25) This "puissant prince" must have been Mai Ali Ghazideni.
The Kanuri language does not now contain any Libyan (Berber)
elements, but the tongue of the conqueror may have been effaced
by that of the conquered, just as the Bulala (Gaogo), who in Leo's
time spake Kanuri, have now entirely forgotten it, adopting the
language of the Kuka tribe, among whom they founded a dynasty.
The Bardoa, a tribe mentioned by Makrizi as Berdoa (between
which names and Bemu or Bomu, Borgu, Berdama, Berauni,
and Berber, Barth thinks there is an "ethnological connection")
are, however, more nearly allied to the Teda or Tibu than
to the Berber or Mazigh. The Sultan Bello expressly traces the
Bomu dynasty to a Berber origin : hence the Hausa people call
every Bomu man "ba-Berbersh" and the Bomu nation "Berbere";
and Makrizi says that it was a common tradition of the kingdom
that they were descended from the Berbers. — Barth, Travels y vol. ii,
p. 269.

(26) Seu, Shawi. See also Cooley, Negroland^ p. 129, and Claudius
Ptolemy and the Nile^ p. 9.

The " fontaine of Niger** (" capo donde nasce il Niger") is evidently
" the Lake of the Desert of Gaoga", in which he places the sources
of that river — Lake Tshad of more modem explorers. The " Desert
of Set" is the easterly portion of the Sahara. Beside millet
{Pennisetum) and durra {Sorghum) in various varieties, Sesamum is
cultivated, and the seeds of a grass {Poa abyssinica ?) referred to by
Denham, are extensively eaten.

852 NOTES TO BOOK VII.

(27) Gaoga or Gaogao is the powerful empire of the Bulala
dynasty, founded by the successors of Jil Shikomeni among the Kuka.
The similarity of the name to Gogo, capital of the Songhai empire,
has caused much confusion and given origin to many superfluous
theories. Leo's statements, though vague in places, leave no doubt
about its being what the Bomu people know as Bulala. It derived the
name Gaogo (Kaoka) from the Kuka tribe, in whose territory the Bulala
of the princely family of Kanem, guided by Jil (sumamed Shikomeni)
(" a certaine Negro slaue"), founded an empire which at one time
stretched from Eastern Bagirmi to the interior of Darfur. Islam is
generally believed not to have been introduced into Gaoga until the
seventeenth century. But Leo speaks of the rulers of the country, who,
like the Kanem princes, were Mohammedans even in Makrizi's time —
that is, a century before Leo wrote.

(28) Goran, Gorham (Marmol), corrupted by Pory, Blome, and
other compilers into Gorham, is Kordofan.

(29) Dongola Aguse, or Old Dongola, the capital of the ancient
kingdom of that name, then independent, now in ruins, has never
recovered from the ravages of the Mamlukes in 1820 and the rise of
New Dongola ; the barracks of which are said to have been built after
a plan by Ehrenberg, the famous German Naturalist, who just then
happened to be visiting the Nile Valley.

(30) " Ma le case sono tutte triste, fabricate con creta e pali" — that is,
the houses are all wretched, built of clay and poles — in short, " wattle
and daub".

(31) " Molto zibetto e legno di sandalo." But the true sandal wood
is not found in Africa. Sanderswood is sometimes called sandalwood.
One of the civets ( Viverra civetta) inhabits North Africa.

(32) This story is apparently one of the legends told by the traders :
for there is no poison known in Africa, much less in Nubia, which
at all conforms to this description.

(33) Leo's account of Nubia is very perfunctory, and to a large
extent suspiciously second-hand. He gives the term a very wide
significance ; for he makes Nubia to march with Bomu on the west-
ward, with Kordofan on the south, and on the north with the Nubian
Desert, which four centuries ago seems to have been recognised as
about the southern boundary of Egypt. Nubia is thus only a geo-
graphical expression, since even at that date it comprised several
independent kingdoms, including Kordofan, Darfur, and Dongola.
Nor, unless Leo considered the Blue or Abyssinian Nile the main
river, is the Nile in any place, even in the driest season, capable of

NOTF.S TO ROOK VII. 853

being waded. The Zingani of whom he has already spoken cannot
be classed with any known people of the region described. From
the Italian "Zingani" (gypsies, vagabonds) being used, they are
doubtless intended to be described as wanderers, they "speake a
kinde of language that no one understandeth". The ethnology of
Nubia is, however, very complicated. But though the origin and
relationship to the three great stocks inhabiting it are doubtful, their
distinctness is clear enough. There are the Arabs, now very mixed,
intruders of a comparatively recent date, the Hamitic Ababdeh, and
Beja or Bisharin, the " Bugia " of Leo (the Begas of Makrizi, the
Bugas of Greek and Axumite inscriptions, perhaps the Buka of
the Egyptian hieroglyphs), and the Negro or Negroid Barabira, the
nearest relatives of the original Nubos, from whom Nubia derived
its name. (Lepsius, Nubische Grammatik^ 1880 ; Reinisch, Die
Nuba-Sprachey 1879.) The tongue is therefore correctly described
as " mixt ", but it is, of course, absurd to regard the Chaldean as akin
to it ; though as the Bejas occupy most of the upland country
between Upper Egypt and Abyssinia, their language may have some
Himyaritic elements in it. The "tribute" they received from the
rulers of Dongola and Suakin must have been blackmail. — Keane,
Ethnology of the Egyptian Sudan (1884) ; Burckhardt, Travels in
Nubia (1822).

Ziden is Jiddah, Juddah, Jeddah, Djiddah, or Djeddah, as it is vari-
ously spelt. But in the translation Leo is made to say that both
Jeddah and " Zibid" were destroyed. In reality it was only the latter,
owing to the Soldan of Egypt (in 1426) being provoked at the Bejas of
the town pillaging caravans bound for Mecca, while the ruler (signor)
and people of Suakin, helped by the Turks armed with bows and
fire-arms, took terrible vengeance on the fugitives who sought refuge in
that town: — " Ma da cSto anni in qua, per cagione, che costoro rubarono
vna carouana che portaua robba & vettouaglia alia Mecca il Soldano
si sdnegno, & maado un' armata pel mar rosso la quale assedio &
disfece la detta cittk, & il porto di Zibid, che daua loro d' entrata du
gen to mila sarafii ; allhora quelli che fuggirono, incominciarono
a girsene a Dangala & Suachin, qualche piccola cosa quadag-
nando. Ma dipoi il Signor di Suachin, col favor di certi turchi armati
di scheoppi & d'archi, gli dett6 vna rotta, perciocchi in vna giomata
ammazzarono di questa canaglia che andaua nuda, piii che quattro
mila persone, e mille ne menarono via a Suachin ; i quali furono
vccissi dalle femmine & da fanciulli " (Ramusio, ed. 1630, p. 80 b). At
the time Suakin wreaked this characteristic vengeance on the Beja —
with whom the inhabitants had many old scores to settle, though the
majority of the people belonged then, as still, to that stock — it was
probably under an independent ruler. Like all places on the coast,
Suakin was almost invariably under foreigners. Thus, when Ibn

8S4 NOTES TO BOOK VII.

Batuta visited the place, he found a son of the Amir of Mecca reigning
over the Beja, by reason of his mother having belonged to that race,
kinship and succession going among these people in the female line.
(Makrizi, Kkitdty vol. i, p. 194 et seq. ; trans, in Burckhardt's Travels
in Nubia^ App. III). Makrfzi says that the chief inhabitants were
nominal Moslems, and were called Hadarib. In 1814 the "Emir of
Hadarib " was still sovereign of the mainland, though Suakin had an
aga appointed by the Turkish pasha of Jiddah. The place was
settled by the Turks on its conquest by Selim I, about a.d. 15 17,
some years subsequent to Leo's visit. The Circassian Mamluk,
El-Ashraf Bursabey, the same who captured Jeddah and laid John III
of Cyprus under tribute, was the Sultan who destroyed Zibid, or
Zaibeth, as it appears on Sanson's maps.

lOHN LEO HIS

EIGHT BOOKE OF

the Historic of Africa, and
of the fnemorable things
contained therein.

Of Egypt,

HE most noble and famous prouince
of Egypt bordering westward vpon
the deserts of Barca, Numidia, and
Libya ; eastward vpon the deserts
lying betweene Egypt it selfe and
the red sea: and northward vpon
the Mediterran sea; is inclosed
southward with the land of the foresaid people called
Bugiha, and with the riuer of Nilus. It stretcheth in length
from the Mediterran sea to the land of the people called
Bugiha about fower hundred and fiftie miles : but in bredth E^t 450
it is very narrow ; so that it containeth nought but a small
distance betweene both the banks of Nilus and the barren
mountaines bordering vpon the foresaid deserts, being
.inhabited onely in that place where Nilus is separate from
the saide mountaines : albeit towards the Mediterran sea it
extendeth it selfe somewhat broader. For Nilus about
fower-score miles from the great citie of Cairo is diuided
into two branches, one whereof running in his chanell
westward, returneth at length into the maine stream from
whence he tooke his originall, and hauing passed about

miles long.

856 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

three-score miles beyond Cairo, diuideth it selfe into two
other branches, whereof the one runneth to Damiata, and
the other to Rosetto. And out of that which trendeth to
Damiata issueth another branch, which discharging it selfe
into a lake passeth through a certaine gullet or streit into
the Mediterran sea, vpon the banke whereof standeth the
most ancient citie of Tenesse^ : and this diuision of Nilus
into so many streames and branches causeth Egypt (as I
haue beforesaid) to be so narrow. All this prouince is
plaine, and is most fruitfull for all kind of graine and pulse.
There are most pleasant and greene medowes, and great
store of geese and other fowles. The countrey people are
of a swart and browne colour : but the citizens are white.
Garments they weare which are streite downe to their
wastes, and broad beneath, and the sleeues likewise are
streight. They couer their heads with a round and high
habite called by the Italians a Dulipan. Their shooes are
made according to the ancient fashion. In sommer they
weare garments of particoloured cotton : but in winter they
vse a certaine garment lined with cotton, which they
call Chebre : but the chiefe citizens and merchants are
apparelled in cloth of Europe. The inhabitants are of an
honest, cheerful, and liberall disposition. For their victuals
they vse a kinde of newe and extreme salt cheeses, and
sowre milke also artificially congealed ; which fare albeit
they account very daintie, yet cannot strangers digest it,
and into everie dish almost they put sower milk.

A diuision of Egypt.

SINCE the Mahumetans were Lords of Egypt, it hath
beene diuided into three parts. For the region from
Cairo to Rosetto is called the shore of Errif : and from
Cairo to the lande of Bugiha it is called Sahid, that is to
say, The firme land : but the region adioining vpon that
branch of Nilus which runneth towardes Damiata and

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 857

Tenesse, they call by the name of Bechria or Maremma.
All Egypt is exceeding fertile : but the prouince of Sahid
excelleth the two other parts for abundance of corne, cattle,
fowles, and flaxe : and Maremma aboundeth with cotton
and sugar.2 Howbeit the inhabitants of Maremma and
Errif are farre more ciuill then the people of Sahid :
bicause those two prouinces lie neerer vnto the sea, and
are more frequented by European, Barbarian, and Assirian
merchants : but the people of Sahid haue no conuersation
with strangers, except it be with a few Ethiopians.

T

Of the ancient pedigree and originall of the Egyptians.
HE Egyptians (as Moses writeth) fetch their originall <^«*- lo- 6.

from ^Mesraim the sonne of ChuSy the sonne o(*Mesraimis

recorded to be

Chaniy the sonne oi Noe ; and the Hebrewes call both the the brother of
countrie and the inhabitants of Egypt by the name o{ sonne of Cham-
Mesraim. The Arabians call Egypt it selfe Mesre, but the
inhabitants Chibith. And Chibith (they say) was the man,
that first took vpon him the gouernment of this region, and
began first to builde houses thereon. Also the inhabitants
call themselues by the same name : neither are there left
any true Egyptians, besides a fewe Christians, which are
at this present remaining. The residue embracing the
Mahumetan religion haue mingled themselues amongst
the Arabians & the Moores.* This kingdome was gouerned
many yeeres by the Egyptians themselues, as namely by
the kings that were called Pharao, (who by their monu-
ments and admirable buildings, seeme to haue beene
mightie princes) and also by the kings called Ptolomcei.
Afterward being subdued vnto the Romaine Empire, this
kingdome since the comming of Christ was conuerted
vnto the Christian religion, vnder the saide Romaine
gouernment : since the decay of which Empire, it fell into
the possession of the Emperours of Constantinople ; who
being very carefull to maintaine this kingdome, were at

31

8s8

THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

The tcavnc of
Pharao. ^

The sepulchre
of Joseph.

length depriued thereof by the Mahumetans, vnder the
conduct of Hamrus the sonne of Hasi^ being appointed
captaine generall ouer the Arabian armie of Hontar the
second Califa or Mahumetan patriarke of that name: who
permitting all men to haue their owne religion required
nought but tribute at their hands. The said captaine built
vpon the banke of Nilus a certaine towne called by the
Arabians Fustato, which word signifieth in their language
tabernacle : for when he first vndertooke this expedition,
he marched through wilde and desert places voide of
inhabitants, so that his armie was constrained to lye in
tents. The common people call this towne Mesre Hatichi,
that is to say, the auncient citie ; which notwithstanding
in comparison of Cairo may not vnfitly be called the New
citie.^ And as concerning the situation of this towne many
excellent men both Christians, lewes, and Mahumetans
haue in these our times beene deceiued. For they thinke
Mesre to be situate in the same place where king Pharao
in the time of Moses, and king Pharao in the time of
Joseph had their aboade : because they suppose the towne
of P/tarao to haue stood in that part of Africa where Nilus
stretcheth out one of his armes westward towards Africa,
and where the Pyramides are as yet to be seene : which
the holy Scripture also seemeth to auouch in the books
of Genesis, where it is said, that the lewes in Moses
time were employed about the building of the town of
Aphthun, which was founded by Pharao : namely in
that place where Nilus trendeth towards Africa, being
about fiftie miles southward of Cairo, and neere vnto the
most westerly arme or branch of Nilus. They alleage also
another probabilitie, that the towne oi P/tarao was built in
the same place, because that at the verie head or confluence
of the branches of Nilus there standeth a building of
maruellous antiquitie, called the sepulchre of losephy
wherein the dead bodie of Joseph lay, till it was by the

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 859

lewes transported vnto the sepulchre of their fathers.® To
be briefe, neither Cairo nor any place neere vnto it, can by
any likelyhood chalenge that they were at any time in-
habited by the ancient Pharaos, But heere it is to be
noted, that the nobilitie of the ancient Egyptians dwelt in
times past in the region of Sahid beyond Cairo, in the
cities of Fium, of Manfichmin, and in other such famous
cities. Howbeit after Egypt was conquered by the
Romans, the Egyptian nobilitie planted themselues in the
region of Errif, vpon the sea shore thereof, namely about
the cities of Alexandria, Rosetto, and other famous townes
retayning as yet the Latine names. Also when the Roman
Empire was translated into Greece, the said nobilitie still
inhabited vpon the sea-shore, the Emperors lieutenant re-
siding at Alexandria : but after the Mahumetans got the
dominion of Egypt, the foresaide nobilitie retired them-
selues into the inland, hoping thereby to reape a double
commoditie : namely first in that they might be a meanes
to pacific the kingdome on both sides of them, and
secondly that they might be free from the inuasions of the
Christians, whereof they should haue beene in danger, had
they remained any longer vpon the sea coast.

Of the qualitie and temperature of the ayre in Egypt,

THe ayre of this countrey is hot and vnholesome : and
it raineth here verie seldome or neuer. And raine
is the cause of many diseases in Egypt : for in rainie
weather some of the Egyptians are subicct vnto dangerous
rheumes and feuers : and others vnto a strange kinde of
swelling in their priuie members : which swelling the
Phisicians impute vnto salt-cheese and beefe, which are the
common diet of the Egyptians. In sommer time this
countrey is most extremely hot, for a remedie of which
heat they build in euerie towne certaine high towers,
hauing one doore aloft, and another beneath, right ouer

3 1 2

860 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

against the houses, through the tops whereof the winde
passing downward, doth somewhat coole and refresh the
ayre : otherwise in regard to the intolerable heat of the
sun it were impossible for any man to Hue there. Some-

fmce^^^^^ time the pestilence is so hot among them, especially
at Cairo, that almost euery day there die twelue thousand

m^^?J^most P^^'sons thereof. But with the French poxe I thinke

ri/e in Egypt, that no Other countrey vnder heauen is so molested, nor
that containeth so many people infected therewith.^ About
the beginning of Aprill they reape their corne, and hauing
reaped it, they presently thrash the same ; neither shall
you see one eare of their corne standing till the twentith
of May. The inundation or overflow of Nilus beginneth

Thf^ increase 0/ ^Qxxt the middest of lune, increasing afterward for the
space of fortie daies, and for the space of other fortie daies
also decreasing : during which time all the cities and
townes of Egypt are like vnto Hands, which none can
come vnto but by boates and barges. At this time also
Nilus is verie fit to be sayled vpon with vessels of burthen ;
some whereof are so big that they will containe sixe
thousand bushels of corne, and an hundreth head-cattell :
and in these vessels they sayle onely downe the streame :
for against the streame it were impossible for them to passe
emptie. The Egyptians according to the increase of Nilus
doe foresee the plentie or dearth of the yeere following : as
we will more at large declare, when we come to speake of
the island of Nilus ouer against the olde citie, where the
inundation of Nilus is measured. Neither is it our pur-
pose in this place particularly to describe all the cities of
Egypt, because our African writers are of diuers opinions
thereabout ; for some would haue Egypt to be a part of
Africa, but others are of a contrarie minde. Diuers there
are that afiirme that part of Egypt adioyning vpon the
deserts of Barbaric, Numidia, and Libya, to belong vnto
Africa. Some others ascribe vnto Africa all those places

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 86 1

that border vpon the principall and maine chanel of Nilus :
but as for other places, as namely Manf, Fium, Semenud,
Damanhore, Berelles, Tenesse, and Damiata, they thinke
them not to be situate in Africa : which opinion I my selfe
also vpon many and great reasons take to be true. Where-
fore my purpose is to describe none other cities but such
as stand neere the maine and principall chanell of Nilus.

Of the citie of Bosiri.

THe ancient citie of Bosiri built by the Egyptians vpon
the Mediterran sea, and standing twenty miles west-
ward from Alexandria, was in times past enuironed with
most strong walles, and adorned with most beautifull and
stately buildings. At this present it is compassed with
many possessions or grounds bearing dates, whereof no
man taketh charge nor reapeth any commoditie : for when
Alexandria was woon by the Christians, the inhabitants
abandoned this citie, and fled towards the lake called
Buchaira.®

Of the great citie of Alexandria in Egypt.

THe great citie of Alexandria in Egypt founded by
Alexander the great, not without the aduise of most
famous and skilfull architects, vpon a beautifull point of
land stretching into the Mediterran sea, and being distant
40. miles westward of Nilus,® was in times past, till it grew
subiect vnto the Mahumetans, most sumptuously and
strongly built, as diuers and sundry authors beare record.
Afterward this citie decaying many yeeres together, was
depriued of the ancient renowme and honour, and remained
in manner desolate, because no merchants of Greece, nor of
any other part of Europe exercised any longer traffique
therein. Howbeit a certaine craftie Mahumetan patriarke
made the rude people beleeue, that by the prophecie of
Mahumet most ample indulgences were granted vnto all

862 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

such as would inhabite the citie or garde it for certaine
daies, and would bestow some almes for a publike benefite :
by which wilie stratagem the citie was in short time filled
with forren people, which from all places resorted there-
unto : by whom were built many houses neere vnto the
citie-walles, and many colleges of students, and diuers
monasteries for the reliefe of pilgrims.^® The citie it selfe
is fower square, and hath fower gates to enter in at : one
standing on the east side towards Nilus,.another on the south
side towards the lake of Buchaira,the third westward towards
the desert of Barca, and the fourth towards the Mediterran
sea, and the hauen ; whereat stand the searchers and
customers, which ransacke strangers euen to their verie
shirts : for they demaund custome not onely for wares and
merchandize, but also some allowance in the hundred for all
kinde of money. Neere vnto the citie-walles there are two
other gates also, being diuided asunder by a faire walke,
and a most impregnable castle, which standeth vpon the
stand or wharfe of the port commonly called Mdrsa el
Bargty that is to say, the port of the castle : in which
port ride the principall and best ships, namely such
as come from Venice, Genoa, Ragusa, with other ships
Ancient tra^ of Eurooe. For hither resort the English, the low Dutch,

fique of the En- *^ r» /

^lishvnto the Biscaines, the Portugals, and men of all other

Alexandria,

nations in Europe for traffiques sake. Howbeit this
port is most vsually frequented by the ships of Appulia,
Sicilia, and of Greece, which are Turkish ships ; all which
resort into this harbour to saue themselues from pirates,
and from tempestuous weather. Another port there is also
called Marsa Esil Sela^ that is to say, the port of the
chaine, wherein the ships of Barbarie, namely those of
Tunis & of the isle of Gerbi harbor themselues.^^ The
Christians are constrained to pay about the lo. part
for all wares that they bring in & carie out, but the
Mahumetans pay but the 20. part : and whatsoeuer wares

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 863

are caried by land to Cairo pay no custom at all. And at this

present that part of the citie which is next vnto Cairo is the

most famous and best furnished with merchandize brought

by merchants from al places of the world. The other parts

of this city are destitute both of ciuilitie & inhabitants :

for except one long street, and that part of the citie next

the hauen which is full of merchants shops, & inhabited

by christians, the residue is void and desolate. Which

desolation happened at that time, when Lewis the fourth

king of France being restored to libertie by the Soldan, the

king of Cyprus with a fleet partly of Venetians & partly of ^^^^^^

Frenchmen suddenly assailed Alexandria, and with great J^^^Ar^>^^

^ ' ^ king fo Cyprus.

slaughter surprized and sacked the same. But the Soldan

comming with an huge armie to rescue Alexandria; so

discouraged the Cyprians, that they burnt downe the houses

thereof and betooke themselues to flight ^^ Whereupon

the Soldan repairing the walles, and building a castle

neere vnto the hauen, the citie grew by little and little into

that estate, wherein it standeth at this present. In the

citie of Alexandria there is acertaine high mount fashioned

vnto the place called Testaccio at Rome, whereon, although

it hath no naturall situation, are found diuers earthen

vessels of great antiquitie. Vpon the top of the said mount

standeth a turret, where a certaine officer is appointed to

watch for such ships as direct their course towards the

citie, who for euery ship that he giueth notice of vnto the

customers, receiveth a certain fee : but if he chanceth to

fall asleep, or be out of the way at the arriuall of any ship,

whereof he certifieth not to the customers, he paieth double

for his negligence into the Soldans exchequer.^' Vnder

each house of this citie there is a great vaulted cesteme The water of

built upon mightie pillers and arches : whereinto the water ^^a^iuce^fnto

of Nilus at euery inundation is conueied vnder the walles ^^^^^^^*^'

of the citie, by a certaine woonderfull and most artificiall

sluce standing without the city it selfe. But these cesternes

864 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

growing sometime corrupt and fowle, are often in summer
the occasion of many diseases and infirmities. This citie
standeth in the midst of a sandie desert, and is destitute of
gardens and vines, neither is the soil round about it apt to
beare corne ; so that their corne is brought them from places
fortie miles distant. Howbeit neere the foresaid sluce,
whereby the water of Nilus is conueied into the citie, are
certaine little gardens, the fruits whereof being growen to
ripenes are so vnholesome, that they breed feuers and other
noisome diseases among the citizens. Sixe miles westward
of Alexandria, among certaine ancient buildings, standeth
a piller^* of a woonderfull height and thicknes, which the
Arabians call Hemadussaoar, that is to say, the piller of
trees. Of this pillbr there is a fable reported, that Ptolemey
one of the kings of Alexandria built it upon an extreme
point of land stretching from the hauen, whereby to the
end he might defend the citie from the inuasion of forren
enemies, and make it inuincible, he placed a certaine steele-
glasse upon the top thereof, by the hidden vertue of which
glasse as many ships as passed by while the glasse was
vncouered should immediately be set on fire ; but the said
glasse being broken by the Mahumetans, the secret vertue
thereof vanished, and the great piller whereon it stood was
remooued out of the place. But this is a most ridiculous
narration, and fit for babes to giue credit vnto. At this
present there are amongst the ancient inhabitants of
Certaine Alexandria many Christians called lacobites, being all of

called Jacob- them artizans & merchants : these lacobites haue a church
of their own to resort vnto, wherein the body of S. Mark
the Euagelist lay in times past interred, which hath since
beene priuily stolne by the Venetians, & carried vnto
Venice. And the said lacobites pay tribute vnto the
gouemour of Cairo.^^ Neither is it to be passed ouer in
silence, that in the midst of the ruinous monuments of
Alexandria there remaineth as yet a certaine little house

ties.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 865

built in forme of a chappell, and containing a sepulchre
much honoured by the" Mahumetans, wherein they affirme
out of the authoritie of their Alcaron, that the bodie of the
high prophet and king (as they terme him) Alexander the
great lieth buried. And thither resort yeerely great multi-
tudes of pilgrimes fromforren nations, to adore and reuerence
the said sepulchre, and oftentimes to bestow large almes
thereupon.^^ Other things woorthie the noting I purposely
passe ouer, least I should seeme too tedious vnto the
reader.

Of tlu citie of Bochin,

THis ancient and small citie situate in times past vpon
the Mediterran sea shore eight miles eastward of
Alexandria, lieth at this time vtterly desolate, nought re-
maining thereof, but certaine mines of the walles. It is
now planted with date-trees, wherewith the poore in-
habitants dwelling in base and solitarie cottages sustaine
themselues. Neere vnto this citie standeth a towre vpon a
certaine dangerous rocke, against which many ships of
Syria being driuen in the night, doe suffer shipwracke,
because they cannot in the darke finde the right course to
Alexandria. Round about this citie there are no fields but
sandie deserts euen to the riuer of Nilus.^^

Of the citie of Rasid called by the Italians Rosetto.

THe citie of Rosetto was built by a slaue of a certaine
Mahumetan patriarke and gouemour of Egypt,^^
vpon the easterne banke of Nilus three miles from the
Mediterran sea, not farre from the place where Nilus dis-
chargeth his streames into the said sea. It containeth
most beautifull houses and palaces built vpon the shore of
Nilus, and a faire market-place, enuironed on all sides
with shops of merchants and artizans, with a stately and
sumptuous temple also, hauing some gates towards the

S66 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

market-place, and others toward Nilus, and certaine com-
modious staires to descend into the same riuer. Neere
vnto the temple there is a certaine harbour for the safetie
of ships and barks of burthen that carrie wares vnto Cairo :
for the citie being unwalled resembleth a village rather
then a citie. About this citie stands diuers cottages,
wherein they vse to thrash rice with certaine wooden
instruments, & to make ready each moneth three thousand
bushels thereof. A little farther from this citie there is a
place like vnto a village, wherein great store of hackney-
mules, and asses are kept for trauellers to ride vpon vnto
Alexandria : neither neede the trauellers to guide the saide
hackneyes, but to let them run their ordinarie course, for
they will goe directly to the same house or inne where they
ought to be left : and their pace is so good, that they will
from sunne-rising to sunne-set carrie a man fortie miles :
they trauell alwaics so neere the sea-shore, that sometimes
the waues thereof beat vpon the hackneyes feete. Neere
vnto this citie are many fields of dates, and grounds which
yeeld aboundance of rice. The inhabitants are of a cheer-
full disposition and courteous to strangers, especially to
such as loue to spend their time in iollitie and disport.
Here is a stately bath-stoue also, hauing fountaines both
of cold and hot water belonging thereunto, the like whereof
for stately and commodious building is not to be found in
foAn Leo was Egypt besides. I my selfe was in this citie when Se/zm the
sametinuwhen great Turkc retumed this way from Alexandna, who with
Turke passed his priuate and familiar friends beholding the said bath-
a way. gtoue, sccmcd to take great delight and contentment
therein.^^

Of the citie called Antkius,

THis citie was built vpon the easteme banke of Nilus
by the Romans, as many Latin inscriptions en-
grauen in marble, and remaining til this present do beare

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 867

sufficient record. It is a beautifull and well-gouerned citie,
and is furnished with men of all kinde of trades and occu-
pations. The fields adiaccnt abound with great plentie of
rice, corne, and dates. The inhabitants are of a cheerefull
and gentle disposition, and gaine much by rice which they
transport vnto Cairo.^

Of the citie of BamabaL

THis citie was founded at the same time when the
Christian religion began to take place in Egypt,
vpon the easteme banke of Nilus, in a most pleasant ^and
fruitfull place. Here is such abundance of rice, that in the
citie there are more then fower hundred houses for the
thrashing and trimming thereof. But they that impose
this task vpon the inhabitants, are men of forren countries,
and especially of Barbarie, which are so lasciuiously and
riotously giuen, that almost all the harlots of Egypt resort
hither vnto them, who shaue ©ff their haires to the very
bones without any cizzers or rasors.*^

Of the citie of Thebe,

BY whom this ancient citie of Thebe^ standing vpon
the westeme banke of Nilus should be built, our
African chroniclers are of sundry opinions. Some affirme
it to be built by the Egyptians, some by the Romans, and
others by the Grecians, because there are as yet to be
seene most ancient monuments, partly in Latine, partly in
Greeke, and partly in Egyptian characters. Howbeit at
this present it containeth but three hundred families in all,
being most of them very stately and sumptuously built.^
It aboundeth with corne, rice, and sugar, and with certaine
fruits of a most excellent taste called Muse.^ It is also ThefruUs
furnished with great store of merchants and artificers : but *'
the most part of the inhabitants are husbandmen : and if
a man walke the streetes in the day-time he shall see none

S6S THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

but trim and beautifull women. The territorie adiacent
aboundeth with date-trees which grow so thicke, that a
man cannot see the citie, till he approcheth nigh vnto the
walles. Here grow likewise store of grapes, figs, and
peaches, which are carried in great plentie vnto Cairo.
Without the citie there are many ancient monuments, as
namely pillers, inscriptions, and walles of a great thicknes
built of excellent stone, and such a number of ruinous
places, that this citie seemeth in times past to haue beene
very large.

T"

Of the citie of Fuoa,

^His citie being distant about 45. miles southward from
Rosetto, was built by the Egyptians on the side of
Nilus next vnto Asia. The streetes thereof are narrow,
being otherwise a well gouerned and populous citie, and
abounding with all necessarie commodities. Heere are
likewise very faire shops of merchants and artificers,
albeit the inhabitants are much addicted vnto their
ease and pleasure. The women of this towne Hue in
so great libertie, that they may go whither they will
all the day-time, returning home at night without any
controlement of their husbands. The fieldes adiacent
abounde greatly with dates, and neere vnto them there is a
certaine plaine which is very apt for sugar and corne :
howbeit the sugar canes there bring not foorth perfect
Sugar. sugar, but in steede thereof a certaine kind of honie like

sope, which they vse throughout all Egypt, because there
is but little other hony in the whole countrey.^^

Of Gezirat Eddeheby that is to sajy, the golden Isle,

OVer against the foresaid city the riuer of Nilus maketh
an Isle, which being situate on an high place,
bringeth forth all kinde of fruitefull trees except OKues,
Vpon this Island are many palaces and beautifull buildings,

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 869

which cannot be scene through the thicke and shadie
woods. The soile of this Island being apt for sugar and
rice, is manured by most of the inhabitants, but the residue
are imploied about carrying of their merchandize vnto
Cairo.^

Of the citie of Medulla,

THis citie builte by the Mahumetans in my time vpon
the easterne shore of Nilus, and enuironed with a
lowe wall, containeth great store of inhabitants, the most
part of whom being either weauers or husbandmen, are
voide of all curtesie and ciuilitie. They bring vp great
store of geese which they sell at Cairo ; and their fields
bring foorth plentie of corne and flaxe.^

Of the citie of Derotte,

WHen Egypt was subiect to the Romaine empire, this
towne was built also vpon the easterne banke of
Nilus : which as it is very populous, so is it adorned with
stately buildings and large streets, hauing merchants shops
on either side of them. They haue a most beautifuU
temple, and the citizens are exceeding rich : for their
grounde yeeldeth such abundance of sugar, that they pay Great abun-
yeerely vnto the Soldan an hundred thousande peeces of ^"^^ ^^^^'
golde, called in their language Saraffi, for their libertie of
making and refining thereof. In this citie standeth a
certaine great house like vnto a castle, wherein are their
presses and caldrons, for the boiling and preparing of their
sugar. Neither did I euer in all my life see so many
workemen emploied about that busines, whose daily wages
(as I vnderstood by a certaine publike officer) amounted to
two hundred Saraffi.^

8/0 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

Of the citie called Mechellat Chats.

THe Mahumetans hauing conquered Egypt, built this
citie vpon an high hill standing by the westerne
banke of Nilus. The fields of this citie being high ground,
are apt for to plant vines vpon, bicause the waters of Nilus
cannot ouerflow them. This towne affoordeth new grapes
vnto Cairo, almost for halfe the yeere long : but the
inhabitants arc vnciuill people, being most of them water-
men and bargemen.^

A description of the huge and admirable citie of Cairo,

CAiro is commonly reputed to be one of the greatest
and most famous cities in al the whole world. But
leauing the common reports & opinions thereof, I will
2^ exactly describe the forme and estate wherin it ♦now

standeth. And that I may begin with the Etymology or
deriuation of the name, Cairo is an Arabian word, corruptly
pronounced by the people of Europe : for the true Arabian
worde is El Chahira, which signifieth an enforcing or im-
perious mistresse.^ This citie built in ancient times by one
Gehoar Cttetib a Dalmatian slaue (as I haue before signified
in the beginning of my discourse) containeth within the
wals not aboue eight thousand families, being inhabited by
noblemen, gentlemen, and merchants that sell wares
brought from all other places.^^ The famous temple of
Cairo commonly called Gemih Hashare, that is to say,
the glorious temple, was built also by the foresaide slaue,
whom we affirmed to be the founder of the citie, and whose
surname was Hashare^ that is to say, famous, being giuen
him by the Mahumetan patriarke that was his prince.^^
This city standeth vpon a most beautifull plaine, neere
vnto a certaine mountaine called Mucatun,^ about two
miles distant from Nilus, and is enuironed with stately
wals, and fortified with iron gates : the principall of which

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 8/1

gates is called Babe Nanfre,^ that is, the gate of victory,
which standeth eastward towards the desert of the red sea ;
and the gate called Beb Zuaila^ being next vnto the old
citie and to Nilus ; and also Bebel Futuh,^ that is to say,
the gate of triumph, standing towards the lake and the
fieldes. And albeit Cairo aboundeth cuerie where with all
kinde of merchants and artificers, yet that is the principall
streete of the whole citie which stretcheth from the gate of
Nanfre to the gate of Zuaila ; for in it are builte most
stately and admirable palaces and colleges, and most
sumptuous temples, among which is the temple of Gemith
Elhechim^ the third schismaticall Califa of Cairo. Other
temples there are of a maruellous bignes, which to describe
in particular, I thinke it superfluous. Heere are many bath-
stoues also very artificially built. Next of all is the streete
called Beinel Casrain,^ containing to the number of three-
score cooks or victualers shops, furnished with vessels of
tinne : there are certaine other shops also, wherein are to
be solde delicate waters or drinkes made of all kinds oi Delicate drinks
fruits, being for noblemen to drinke of, and these waters ^i^a of fruits.
they keepe most charily in fine vessels, partly of glasse,
and partly of tinne : next vnto these are shops where
diuers confections of hony and sugar, vnlike vnto the
confections of Europe, are to be sold : then follow the
fruiterers shops, who bring outlandish fruits out of Syria,
to wit, quinces, pomegranates, and other fruits which grow
not in Egypt : next vnto them are the shops of such as sell
egges, cheese, and pancakes fried with oile. And next of
all there is a streete of the principall artificers shops.
Beyond which streete standeth a college built by the Soldan soidan
called Gliauriy who was slaine in a battaile against Selim ^^''"'^•
the great Turke.^ And next vnto the college are diuers
rankes of drapers shops. In the first ranke there is most
outlandish linnen cloth to be sold, as namely fine cloth of
cotton brought from Balabach,^ and cloth called Mosall

8/2 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

brought from Ninou*^ of a maruellous bredth and finenesse,
whereof noblemen and others of account haue shirts made
them, and scarfTes to weare vpon their Duh'pans. Besides
these there are certaine mercers shops where the rich
stuffes of Italy, namely silke, damaske, veluet, cloth of
golde,*^ and such like are to be bought, vnto which stuflFes
I neuer sawe anie comparable (to my remembrace) in
Italy, where they vse to be made. Next vnto the mercers
are the woollen drapers which bring cloth out of Europe,
as namely from Florence, Venice, Flanders, and other
places. Next of all there are chamblets to be sold : and
from thence the way lieth to the gate of Zuaila, at which
gate dwell great store of artificers. Neere vnto the saide
way standeth the famous Burse called Canel Halili,**
wherin the Persian merchants dwell. It is built very
stately in maner of a kings palace, and is of three stories
high : beneath it are certaine conuenient roomes whither
merchants for the exchange of rich and costly wares do
resort : for heere do the principall and most wealthie
merchants abide ; whose wares are spices, precious stones,
cloth of India, and such like. Next vnto the Burse
standeth a streete of shops where all kinde of perfumes,
namely ciuet, muske, amber, and such like are to be solde :^
which commodities are heere in so great plentie, that if
you aske for twentie pounds of muske they will presently
shewe you an hundred. Next followeth the streete of the
paper merchants where you may buie most excellent and
smooth paper : heere also are to be sold iewels and
precious stones of great value, which the brokers carrie
from one shop to another. Then come you to the gold-
smiths streete being inhabited for the most part by lewes,
who deale for riches of great importance.^ And next vnto
the goldsmiths are certaine streets of vpholsfers or brokers,
who sell the apparell and rich furniture of noblemen and
other citizens at the second hande ; which are not cloakes,

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 8/3

coates, napeiy, or such like, but things of exceeding price

and value : amongst which I my selfe once sawe a beautifuU

pauilion embrodered with needle-worke, and beset with

pearles that weighed fortie pounds, which pearles being

taken out of it were solde for ten thousand Saraffi. In

this citie also there is a most stately hospitall built by A stately hospi-

Piperis the first Soldan of the Mamalucks race*^: the

yearly reuenues whereof amount vnto two hundred thousand

Saraffi. Hither may any impotent or diseased persons

resort, and be well prouided of phisitions, and of all things

necessarie for those that are sicke, who if they chance to

die heere, all their goods are due vnto the hospitall.

Of the suburb called Beb Zuaila.

THis great suburbe belonging vnto Cairo, and containing
about twelue thousand families, beginneth at the gate
of Zuaila, and extendeth westward almost a mile & a halfe ;
southward it bordereth vpon the palace of the Soldan, and
stretcheth northward for the space of a mile vnto the
suburbe called Beb Elloch. Heere dwell as many noble
men and gentlemen almost, as within the city it selfe ; and
the citizens haue shops both heere and in the citie, as
likewise many inhabitants of this suburbe maintaine families
in the citie also. Amongst all the buildings of this suburbe
the principall is that stately college built by Soldan Hesen}^
being of such a woonderfull height and great strength, that
oftentimes the colleges haue presumed to rebell against
the Soldan, and therein to fortifie themselues against the
whole citie, and to discharge ordinance against the Soldans
castle which is but halfe a crosse-bowe shot distant.

Of the suburbe called Gemeh Tailon,

THis huge suburbe confining eastwarde vpon the fore-
said suburbe of Beb Zuaila extendeth westward to
certaine ruinous places neere vnto the olde citie. . Before

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the foundation of Cairo this suburbe was erected by one
Tailoity who was subiect vnto the Califa of Bagdet, and
gouernour of Egypt, and was a most famous and prudent
man/^ This TaUon leauing the old citie, inhabited this
suburbe, and adorned the same with a most admirable
palace, and sumptuous temple. Heere dwell also great
store of merchants, and artificers, especially such as are
Moores of Barbarie.

Of the suburbe called Beb Elloch}^

THis large suburbe being distant from the wals of Cairo
about the space of a mile, and containing almost
three thousand families, is inhabited by merchants, and
artizans of diuers sorts as well as the former. Vpon a
certaine large place of this suburbe standeth a great palace
and a stately college built by a certaine Mammaluck called
lazbachy counseller vnto the Soldan of those times ; and
the place it selfe is called after his name lazbachia.*®
Hither after Mahumetan sermons and deuotions, the com-
mon people of Cairo, togither with the baudes and harlots,
do vsually resort ; and many stage plaiers also, and such as
teach camels, asses, and dogs, to daunce : which dauncing
is a thing very delightfuU to behold, and especially that of
the asse : who hauing frisked and daunced a while, his
master comes vnto him and tels him with a loude voice,
that the Soldan being about to builde some great palace,
must vse all the asses of Cairo to carrie morter, stones, and
These asses are Other ncccssaric prouision. Then the asse falling presently
to Banks his to the grouud, and lying with his heeles vpward, maketh
pia^ his prizes^^^ belly to swell, and closeth his eies as if he were starke
ouer"^^^'*^ dead. In the meane while his master lamenting the mis-
fortune of the asse vnto the standers by, earnestly craueth
their friendly assistance and liberalitie to buie him a newe
asse. And hauing gathered of each one as much money
as he can get ; you are much deceiued my masters (quoth

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 875

he) that thinke mine asse to be dead : for the hungrie iade
knowing his masters necessity hath wrought this sleight,
to the end he might get some money to buie him pro-
uender. Then turning about to the asse, he commandeth
him with all speede to arise: but the asse lyeth starke
still, though he command and beate him neuer so much :
whereupon turning againe to the people, Be it knowen
(quoth he) vnto you all, that the Soldan hath published an
edict or proclamation, that to morrow next all the people
shall go foorth of the citie to beholde a triumph ; and that
all the honourable and beautifull ladies and gentlewomen
shall ride vpon the most comely asses, and shall giue them
otes to eate, and the christall water of Nilus to drinke.
Which words being scarce ended, the asse suddenly
starteth from the ground, prancing & leaping for ioy : then
his master prosecuting still his narration ; but (saith he)
the warden of our streete hath borrowed this goodly asse
of mine for his deformed and olde wife to ride vpon. At
these wordes the asse, as though hee were indued with
humainc reason, coucheth his eares, and limpeth with one
of his legges, as if it were quite out of ioint. Then saith
his master ; What, sir lade, are you so in loue with faire
women ? The asse nodding his head seemeth to say, yea.
Come on therefore sirra (quoth his master) and let us see
among all these prettie damosels, which pleaseth your
fancie best. Whereupon the asse going about the com-
panie, and espying some woman more comely and beautiful
then the fest, walketh directly vnto her and toucheth her
with his head : and then the beholders laugh and crie out
amaine : Lo, the asses paramour, the paramour of the
asse. Whereupon the fellow that shewed all this sport
leaping vpon the backe of his asse rideth to some other
place.^ There is also another kinde of charmers or Soothsaying
iuglers, which keepe certaine little birds in cages made
after the fashion of cupboords, which birds will reach vnto

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any man with their beaks certaine skroules contayning
either his good or euill successe in time to come. And
whosoeuer desireth to know his fortune must giue the bird
an halfepenie : which shee taking in her bill carrieth into
a little boxe, and then comming foorth againe bringeth the
said skroule in her beake. I my selfe had once a skroule
of ill fortune giuen me, which although I little regarded,
yet had I most vnfortunate successe then was contained
therein. Also there are masters of defence playing
at all kinde of weapons, and others that sing songs of
the battels fought betweene the Arabians and Egyptians,
whenas the Arabians conquered Egypt, with diuers others
that sing such toyes and ballads vnto the people."

0/ the suburb called Bulack

THis large and ancient suburb of Cairo standing two
miles distant from the walles of the citie vpon the
banke of Nilus, containeth fower thousand families. Vpon
the way lying betweene the suburb and this citie, stand
diuers houses, and mils turned about by the strength of
beasts. In this suburb dwell many artificers and mer-
chants, especially such as sell corne, oyle, and sugar.
Moreouer it is full of stately temples, palaces, and
colledges : but the fairest buildings thereof stand along the
riuer Nilus, for from thence there is a most beautiful!
prospect vpon the riuer, and thither do the vessels and
barkes of Nilus resort vnto the common stathe of Cairo
being situate in this suburb : at which place you shall see
at some times, and especially in the time of haruest, aboue
1000. barkes. And here the officers appointed to receiue
custome for wares brought from Alexandria and Damiata
haue their aboad : albeit but little tribute be demaunded for
the said wares, because it was payd before at the port of
their arriuall : but those wares that come out of the firme
land of Egypt allow entire custome.^*

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. ZjJ

Of the suburb called Charafa.

THE suburbe of Carafa built in manner of a towne,and
standing from mount Muccatim a stones cast, and
from the walles of the citie about two miles, containeth
almost two thousand housholds. But at this day the
greatest part thereof lyeth waste and destroyed. Here are
many sepulchres built with high and stately vaults and
arches, and adorned on the inner side with diuers emblemes
and colours, which the fond people adore as the sacred
shrines, & monuments of saints, spreading the pauement
with sumptuous and rich carpets. Hither euerie friday
morning resort out of the citie it selfe and the suburbs,
great multitudes of people for deuotions sake, who bestow
liberall and larjge almes.^

Of the old citie called Mifrulhetich.

THis citie being the first that was built in Egypt in the
time of the Mahumetans, was founded by Hamre
captaine generall ouer the forces of Homar the second
Muahmetan patriarke vpon the banke of Nilus, resembling
a suburb because it is vnwalled, and containing to the
number of fiue thousand families.*^ It is adorned^
especially by the riuer Nilus, with diuers palaces and
houses of noblemen, and also with the famous temple of
Hatnre^ being of an huge bignes, and most stately built.
It is also indifferently well prouided of tradesmen and
artificers. And here standeth the famous sepulchre
of a woman reputed most holy by the Mahumetans,
and called by them Saint Nafissa^ which was the Saint Najissar,
daughter of one called Zenulhebidin being the sonne
of Huseiity the son of Heliy who was cousin-german vnto
Mahumet, The said Nafissa seeing all of her family
to be depriued of the Mahumetan patriarkship, left Cufa a
citie of Arabia Felix ^ and came and dwelt in this citie ;

8/8 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

partly because she was of the linage of Mahumet, and
partly for that she liued an innocent and blamelesse life,
the people after her death ascribed diuine honours,
canonizing her for a Saint. Wherefore the schismaticall
patriarks of her kinred hauing got the vpper hand in
Egypt, began to build for Nafissa most beautifull shrine or
sepulchre, which they adorned also with siluer-lamps,
with carpets of silke, and such like precious ornaments.
So great is the renowne of this Nafissa^ that there commeth
no Mahumetan either by sea or land vnto Cairo, but hee
adoreth this sepulchre, and bringeth his offering thereunto,
as likewise doe all the Mahumetans inhabitating there-
about: insomuch that the yeerely oblations and almes
offered at this sepulchre, partly for the reliefe of the poore
kinsfolkes of Mahumet, and partly for the maintenance of
the priests which keep the saide sepulchre, amount vnto
looooo. Saraffi: which priests by fained and counterfeit
miracles do dayly delude the mindes of the simple, to the
ende they may the more inflame thir blinde deuotion, and
may stirre them to greater liberalitie. When Selim the great
Turke woone the citie of Cairo, his lanizaries rifling this
sepulchre, found there the summe of 500000. Saraffi in
readie money, besides the silver-lampes, the chaines, and
carpets : but Selim tooke away a great part of that treasure
from them. Such as write the lines of the Mahumetan
saints, making very honourable mention of this Nafissa^s^.y
that she was descended of the noble family of Heli^ and
that she was most famous for her vertuous and chast life :
but the fonde people and the priest of that excecrable
sepulchre haue deuised many fained and superstitious
miracles.^ In this suburbe also neere vnto the riuer of
Nilus is the customers office for such wares as are brought
out of the Prouince of Sahid. Without the walled citie
stand the magnificent and stately sepulchres of theSoldans,
built with admirable and huge arches.^ But in my time

^^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 879

a certaine Soldan caused a walke to be built between two

high wals from the gate of the citie to the place of the

aforesaid sepulchres, and at the endes of both wals caused

two turrets of an exceeding height to be erected for marks

and directions vnto such merchants as came thither from

the port of mount Sinai.^ About a mile and an halfe from

the saide sepulchres in a certaine place called Amalthria

there is a garden containing the onely balme-tree, (for in The place

whole world besides there is not any other tree that beareth growetk.

true balme) which balme-tree growing in the midst of a

large fountaine, and hauing a short stocke or bodie, beareth

leaues like vnto vine-leaues, but that they are not so long ;

and this tree (they say) would vtterly wither and decay, if

the water of the fountaine should chance to be deminished.

The garden is enuironed with a strong wall, whereinto no

man may enter without the speciall fauour and licence

of the gouemor.^® In the midst of Nilus, ouer against the

old citie, standeth the isle called Michias,®^ that is to say.

The isle of measure, in which isle (according to the

inundation of Nilus) they haue a kinde of deuise inuented

by the ancient Egyptians, whereby they most certainely

foresee the plentie or scarcitie of the yeere following

throughout all the land of Egypt This island is well

inhabited and containeth about 1 500. families ; vpon the

extreme point or ende whereof standeth a most beautifull

palace built in my remembrance by a Soldan, and a large

temple also, which is verie pleasant in regard of the coole

streames of Nilus. Vpon another side of the Island

standeth an house alone by it selfe, in the midst whereof The manner of

there is a fouresquare cestern or chanell of eighteene cubits ^^ea^"ff

deepe, whereinto the water of Nilus is conueied by a'^'^*'^*

certaine sluce vnder the ground. And in the midst of the

cestern there is erected a certaine piller, which is marked Thispiiieris

,,..,,. , . , ' tr called by Plinie

,and dmided mto so many cubits as the cesteme it selfe mioscopium,
containeth in depth. And vpon the seuenteenth of June when

88o THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

Nilus beginneth to overflow, the water thereof conueied by
the said sluce into the chanell, increaseth daily, sometimes
two, and sometimes three fingers, and sometimes halfe a
cubite in height Vnto this place there dayly resort
certaine officers appointed by the Senate, who viewing and
obseruing the increase of Nilus, declare vnto certaine
children how much it hath increased, which children
wearing yellow skarffes vpon their heads, doe publish the
saide increase of Nilus in euerie streete of the citie and the
suburbs, and receiue gifts euerie day of the merchants,
artificers, and women so long as Nilus increaseth. The
foresaid deuise or experiment of the increase of Nilus is
this that followeth. If the water reacheth onely to the
fifteeneth cubit of the foresaide piller, they hope for a
fruitfull yeere following : but if it stayeth betweene the
twelfth cubit and the fifteenth, then the increase of the
yeere will proue but meane : if it resteth betweene the
tenth and twelfth cubits, then it is a signe that come will bee
solde tenne ducates the biishell. But if it ariseth to the
eighteenth cubite, there is a like to follow great scarcitie in
regarde of too much moisture : and if the eighteenth cubite
be surmounted, all Egypt is in danger to be swallowed up
by the inundation of Nilus. The officers therefore declare
unto the children the height of the riuer, and the
children publish the same in all streetes of the citie,
charging the people to feare God, and telling them how
high Nilus is increased. And the people being astonied
at the woonderfull increase of Nilus, wholy exercise them-
selues in praiers, and giuing of almes. And thus Nilus
continueth fortie daies increasing and fortie daies
decreasing ; all which time come is sold very deere,
because while the inundation lasteth, euery man may sell
at his owne pleasure : but when the eightith day is once
past, the clerke of the market appointeth the price of all
victuals, and especially of come, according as he knoweth

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 88 1

by the foresaid experiment, that the high and lowe grounds
of Egypt haue receiued either too little, or too much, or
conuienient moisture : all which customes and ceremonies
being duely performed, there followeth so great a solem-
nitie, and such a thundering noise of drums and trumpets
throughout all Cairo, that a man would suppose the whole
citie to be turned vpside downe. And then euery familie
hath a barge adorned with rich couerings and carpets, and
with torch-light, and furnished with most daintie meates
and confections, wherewith they solace themselves. The
Soldan also with all his nobles and courtiers resorteth
vnto that sluce or conduct, which is called the great
conduct, and is compassed round about with a wall,
who taking an axe in his hand breaketh the said wall,
and so doe his nobles and courtiers likewise: inso-
much that the same part of the wall being cast downe
which stopped the passage of the water, the riuer of
Nilus is so swiftly and forcibly carried through that con-
duct and through all other conducts and sluces in the city
and the suburbes, that Cairo at that time seemeth to be
another Venice ; and then may you rowe ouer all places
of the land of Egypt. Seuen daies and seuen nights
together the foresaide festiuall solemnitie continueth in
Cairo ; during which space the merchants and artificers of
the citie may (according to the custome of the ancient
Egyptians) consume & spend in torches, perfumes, con-
fections, musique, & such like iollities, al their gaines that
they, haue gotten the whole yeere past. Without the citie
of Cairo, neere vnto the suburbe of Ben Zuaila^ standeth
the castle of the Soldan vpon the side of the mountaine
called Mochattan. This castle is enuironed with high and
impregnable walles, and containeth such stately and beau-
tifull palaces, that they can hardly be described. Paued
they are with excellent marble, and on the roofes they are
gilt and curiously painted, their windowes are adorned with

882 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

diuers colours, like to the windowes of some places of
Europe ; and their gates be artificially carued and beauti-
fied with gold and azure. Some of these palaces are for
the Soldan and his familie : others for the familie of his
wife, and the residue for his concubines, his eunuches, and
his garde. Likewise the Soldan had one palace to keepe
publique feastes in ; and another wherein to giue audience
vnto forren ambassadours, and to exalt himselfe with great
pompe and ceremonies : and another also for the gouer-
nours and officials of his court. But all these are at this
present abolished by Selim the great Turke.^

Of the aistomeSy rites ^ and fashions of the citizens of
Cairo,

THe inhabitants of Cairo are people of a merrie,
iocund, and cheerefull disposition, siich as will pro-
mise much, but performe little. They exercise merchan-
dize and mechanicall artes, and yet trauell they not out
of their owne natiue soile. Many students there are of
the lawes, but very few of other liberall artes and sciences.
And albeit their colleges are continually full of students,
yet few of them attaine vnto perfection. The citizens in
winter are clad in garments of cloth lined with cotton :
in summer they weare fine shirts : ouer which shirts some
put on linnen garments curiously wrought with silke, and
others weare garments of chamblet, and vpon their heads
they carrie great turbants couered with cloth of India.
TheatHrtof The women goe costly attired, adorning their foreheads

ihevoomen of

Cairo, and necks with frontlets and chaines of pearle, and on

their heads they weare a sharpe and slender bonet of a
span high, being very pretious and rich. Gownes they
weare of woollen cloth with streite sleeues, being curiously
embrodered with needle-worke, ouer which they cast cer-
taine veiles of most excellent fine cloth of India. They
couer their heads and faces with a kinde of blacke scarfe,

X

V

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 883

through which beholding others they cannot be scene
themselues. Vpon their feet they weare fine shooes and
pantofles, somewhat after the Turkish fashion. These
women are so ambitious & proud, that all of them dis-
daine either to spin or to play the cookes : wherefore their
husbands are constrained to buie victuals ready drest at
the cookes shops : for very few, except such as haue a
great familie, vse to prepare and dresse their victuals in
their owne houses. Also they vouchsafe great libertie vnto The HherHe of

, the women of

their wiues : for the good man bemg gone to the tauerne Cairo,

or victualling-house, his wife tricking vp her selfe in costly

apparell, and being perfumed with sweet and pretious

odours, walketh about the citie to solace her selfe, and

parley with her kinsfolk and friendes. They vse to ride

vpon asses more then horses, which are broken to such a

gentle pace, that they goe easier than any ambling horse.

These asses they couer with most costly furniture, and let

them out vnto women to ride vpon, together with a boy

to lead the asse, and certaine footmen to run by. In this

citie, like as in diuers others, great store of people carrie

about sundrie kindes of victuals to be solde. Many there

are also that sell water, which they carrie vp and downe in

certaine leather bags vpon the backs of camels : for the

citie (as I said before) is two miles distant from Nilus.

Others carrie about a more fine and handsome vessell with

a cocke or spout of brasse upon it, hauing a cup of Myrrhe

or christall in their hands, and these sell water for men to

drinke, and for euery draught they take a farthing. Others

sell yoong chickens and other fowles by measure, which Birds hauked

^ r> J y ^j-f^f, ^ strange

they hatch after a woonderfull and strange manner.^ manner in
They put great numbers of egges into certaine ouens
built upon sundrie loftes, which ouens being moderately
het, will within seuen dales conuert all the said egges into
chickens. Their measures are bottomlesse, which being
put into the basket of the buier, and filled full of chickens,

884 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

they lift it vp, and so let the chickens fall into the
basket®* Likewise such as buie those chickens hauing
kept them a few daies, carry them about to sell againe.
The cookes shops stand open very late : but the
shops of other artificers shut up before ten of the
clocke, who then walke abroad for their solace and recrea-
tion from one suburbe to another. The citizens in their
common talke vse ribald and filthie speeches : and (that I
may passe ouer the rest in silence) it falleth out oftentimes
that the wife will complaine of her husband vnto the iudge,
that he doth not his dutie nor contenteth her sufficiently
in the night season, whereupon (as it is permitted by the
Mahumetan law) the women are diuorced and married vnto
other husbands. Among the artizans whosoeuer is the
MWMtTin'^^ first inuentour of any new and ingenious deuise is clad in a
geniousdeuises, garment of cloth of gold, and carried with a noise of
musitians after him, as it were in triumph from shop to
shop, hauing some money giuen him at euery place. I my
selfe once saw one carried about with solemne musicke
and with great pompe and triumph, because he had bound
a flea in a chaine, which lay before him on a peece of
paper for all men to behold. And if any of them chance
to fall out in the streetes, they presently goe to buffets, and
then a great number of people come flocking about them
to see the conflict, and will not depart thence, till they
haue reconciled them. Their most usual foode is buffles
flesh and great store of pulse : when they goe to dinner
or supper, if their familie be little, they lay a short and
rounde table-cloth : but if their houshold be great, they
spread a large cloth, such as is used in the halles of princes.
Amongst the sundrie sectes of religion in this citie, there is
"" one sect of the Moores called Chenesia®*: and this sect

liueth vpon horse-flesh, so that their butchers when they
can heare of any halting or lame iade, buy him foorthwith,
and set him vp a fatting, and hauing killed him, the said

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 885

sect of Chenesia come and buy vp his flesh handsmoothe.

This sect is rife also among the Turkes, the Mamaluks,and

the people of Asia ; and albeit the Turkes might freely vse

the foode before-mentioned, yet doe they not inure them-

selues thereunto. In Egypt and in the citie of Cairo there

are permitted fower seuerall sectes, differing each ^^^^f^^/^^^^

other both in canon and ciuill lawes : all which sects haue Mahumetan

religion per-

their originall from the religion of Mahunut For there mittedin the

** ^ citie of Cairo,

were in times past fower men of singular learning, who by
subtiltie and sharpnesse of wit, founde out a way to make
particular deductions out of Mahumets generall preceptes.
So that each of them would interpret the opinions of
Mahumet according to their owne fancie, and would euery
man apply them to his owne proper sense ; and therefore
they must needes disagree much betweene themselues :
howbeit growing famous among the common people in
regard to their diuers canons & precepts, they were the
first authors and founders of the saide fower sects : any
one of which whatsoeuer Mahumetan professeth, cannot
renounce the same at his pleasure and embrace another
sect, vnless he be a man of deepe learning, and knoweth
the reasons and allegations of both parts. Also there are
in the citie of Cairo fower principall iudges, who giue
sentence onely vpon matters of great importance : vnder
which fower are substituted other inferiour iudges, in
euerie streete of the citie, which decide petie contentions and
brabbles. And if the parties which are at controuersie
chance to bee of diuers sects, the plaintife may summon
and conuent the defendant before the iudge of his streete :
howbeit the defendant may, if he will, appeale from him
vnto the highest iudge of all, being placed ouer the fower
principall iudges aforesaid, and being gouemour of the
sect called Essasichia^ ; and this high iudge hath authority
to dispense withal or to disanul the decrees of the fower
principal, and of all the other inferiour iudges, according

886 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

as he shall see cause. Whosoeuer attempteth ought
against the canons and precepts of his owne religion, is
seuerely punished by the iudge of the same religion.
Moreouer, albeit the priests of the foresaid sects differ very
much, both in their formes of Liturgie or praier, and also
in many other respects, yet do they not for that diuersitie
of ceremonies hate one another, neither yet do the com-
mon people of sundrie sects fal to mutinie & debate : but
men indeed of singular learning & much reading confer
oftentimes togither, & as in priuate each man affirmeth
his owne sect to be the best, so likewise do they confirm
their opinions by subtile arguments, neither may any man
vnder paine of greeuous punishment reproch any of the
saide fower ancient doctors. And in verie deed they all of
them follow one and the same religion, to wit, that which
is prescribed in the canons of Hashari the principall
doctor of the Mahumetans, which canons go for currant
ouer all Africa, and most part of Asia, except in the
dominions of the great Sophi of Persia^ ; who bicause he
reiecteth the saide canons, is accounted by other Ma-
humetans an heretike, and a schismatike. But how such
varietie of opinions proceeded from the ibwre doctors
aforesaid, it were tedious and troublesome to rehearse : he
that is desirous to knowe more of this matter, let him read
my Commentaries which I haue written concerning the
lawe and religion of Mahumet according to the doctrine of
Malich^ who was a man of profound learning, and was
borne at Medina Talnabi, where the body of Mahumet
lieth buried : which doctrine of Malich is embraced
throughout all Syria, Egypt, and Arabia : wherewith if
any man be delighted, let him peruse my foresaide Com-
mentaries, and they will satisfie him to the full. Vpon
malefactors they inflict most greeuous and horrible punish-
ment, especially vpon such as haue committed any heinous
crime in the court. Theeues they condemne to the halter.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 887

A murther committed trecherously they punish in manner
following : the executioners assistants take the malefactor
one by the head, and another by the feete, and then comes
the chiefe executioner with a two-hand sword, and
cutteth his body in twaine, the one part whereof adioining
to the head is put into a fire full of vnslaked lime : and it
is a most strange and dreadfull thing to consider, ho we f^^^^T^^^^^
the same dismembred and halfe body will remaine aliue in ^<^'
the fire for the space of a quarter of an hower, speaking
and making answer vnto the standers by. But rebels or
seditious persons they flea aliue, stuffing their skins with
bran till they resemble mans shape, which being done,
they Carrie the saide stuffed skins vpon camels backs
through euery streete of the citie, and there publish
the crime of the partie executed : then which punish-
ment I neuer sawe a more dreadfull, by reason that
the condemned partie liueth so long in torment : but if
the tormenter once toucheth his nauel with the knife, he Th^ nauei
presently yeeldeth vp the ghost : which he may not do pr^Ji death,
vntill he be commanded by the magistrate standing by.®®
If any be imprisoned for debt, not hauing wherewithall to
satisfie the same, the gouernour of the prison paieth their
creditors, and sendeth them, poore wretches, bound in
chaines, & accompanied with certaine keepers, daily to
begge almes from streete to streete, all which almes
redoundeth to the gouernor, and he alloweth the saide
prisoners very bare maintenance to Hue upon. Moreouer
there go crying vp and downe this citie certaine aged
women, who (though that which they say in the streetes
cannot be understood) are notwithstanding inioined by their
office to circumcise women according to the prescript of Women dr-
Mahumet : which ceremonie is obserued in Egypt and *^'"^'^ *
Syria.«»

888

THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

lohn Leo was
thrise in

The Mama-
luks.

Of the manner of creating the Soldan, and of the orders y
degrees y and offices in his court,

THe dignitie and power of the Soldan was in times past
exceeding great ; but Selim the great Turke in the
yeere of Christ (if I be notdeceiued) 15 17. vtterly abolished
the saide dignitie, and changed all the customes and lawes
of the Soldan. And bicause it hath beene my hap thrise
to trauell into Egypt since the saide woonderfull alteration
befell, I suppose it will not be much beside my purpose, if
I set downe in this place such particulars as I know to be
most certaine true concerning the court of- the Soldan.
Vnto this high dignitie was woont to be chosen some one
of the most noble Mamaluks. These Mamaluks being all
Christians at the first, and stolne in their childhoode by the
Tartars out of the prouince of Circassian** which bordereth
vpon the Euxin sea, and being solde at CafTa a towne of
Taurica Chersonesus, were brought from thence by certaine
merchants vnto the citie of Cairo, and were there bought
by the Soldan ; who constraining them foorthwith to abiure
and renounce their baptisme, caused them to be instructed
in the Arabian and Turkish languages, and to be trained
vp in militarie discipline, to the end they might ascend from
one degree of honour to another, till at last they were
aduanced vnto the high dignitie of the Soldan. But this
custome whereby it was enacted, that the Soldan should be •
chosen out of the number of such as were Mamaluks and
slaues by their condition, began about 250. yeeres sithens,
whenas the family of the valiant Saladin (whose name was
so terrible vnto Christians) being supported but by a fewe
of the kinred, fell to vtter decay and ruine.^^ At the same
time when the last king of lerusalem was determined to
sacke the citie of Cairo, which also in regard of
the sloth and cowardize of the Mahumeran CViAJ/a: then
raigning ouer it, intended to make it selfe tributarj^ vnto

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 889

the same king, the ludges and lawyers of the citie with the
consent of the Califay sent for a certaine prince of Asia
called Azedudin, of the nation of Curdu, (the people where-
of Hue in tents like the Arabians) which Azedudin togither
with his Sonne Saladttiy came with an armie of fiftie
thousand horsemen. And albeit Saladin was inferiour in
age vnto his father, yet in regard of his redoubted valour,
and singular knowledge in militarie affaires, they created
him generall of the field, and gaue him free libertie to
bestow all the tributes and reuenues of Egypt, as himselfe
shoulde thinke expedient. And so marching at length
against the ' Christians, he got the victorie of them without
any bloudshed, and draue them out of lerusalem and out
of all Syria. Then Saladin returning backe with triumph
vnto Cairo, had an intent to vsurpe the gouernment
thereof: whereupon hauing slaine the Califa his g^ard
(who bare principall swaie ouer the Egyptians) he procured
the death also of the Califa himselfe, being thus bereft of
his guard, with a poisoned cup, and then foorthwith
submitted himselfe vnto the patronage of the Califa of
Bagdet, who was the true & lawful Mahumetan prelate of
Cairo. Thus the iurisdiction of the Califas of Cairo (who
had continued lords of that citie by perpetuall succession
for the space of two hundred and thirty yeeres) surceased,
and returned againe vnto the Califa of Bagdet, who
was the true & lawfull gouernour thereof. And so the
schismaticall Califas and patriarks being suppressed, there
grew a contention between Saladin and the Soldan of
Bagdet, & Saladin made himselfe a soueraigne of Cairo,
bicause the saide Soldan of Bagdet being in times past
prince of the prouinces of Mazandran and Euarizin situate
vpon the riuer Ganges, and being borne in a certaine
countrcy of Asia, laide claime notwithstanding, vnto the
dominion of Cairo, and intending to wage warre against
Saladin^ he was restrained by the Tartars of Corasan, who

3L

890 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

made inuasions and inrodes vpon him. Saladin on the
other side fearing least the Christians in reuenge of the
foresaid iniury would make an expedition into Syria, and
considering that his forces were partly slain in the former
warres, and partly consumed by pestilence, except a few
which remained for the defence and safeguard of his
kingdome, began to employ himselfe about buying of
TheoHginaii slaues that came from Circassia, whom the king of Armenia

of the Mama- , , ,

luks, by those daies tooke and sent vnto Cairo to be sold : which

slaues he caused to abiure the Christian faith and to be
trained vp in feats of warre and in the Turkish language,
as being the proper language of Saladin himselfe : and so
the saide slaues within a while increased so exceedingly
both in valour and number, that they became not onely
valiant souldiers and skilfuU commaunders, but also
gouernours of the whole kingdome. After the decease of
Saladin^ the dominion remained vnto his family 1 50. yeeres,
and all his successours obserued the custome of buying
slaues of Circassia : but the family of Saladin growing at
length to decay, the slaues by a generall consent elected
one Piperis a valiant Mamaluk of their owne companie to
be their soueraigne Lord and Soldan : which custome
they afterward so inuiolably kept, that not the Soldans
owne Sonne nor any other Mamaluk could attaine vnto that
high dignitie, vnless first he had beene a Christian, and had
abiured his faith, and had learned also exactly to speake
the Circassian and Turkish languages. Insomuch that
many Soldans sent their sonnes in their childhood into
Circassia, that by learning the language and fashions of
the countrey they might prooue in processe of time fit to
beare soueraigne authoritie ; but by the dissension of the
Mamalukes they were alwaies defeated of their purpose.
And thus much briefly concerning the gouernment of the
Mamalukes, and of their Princes, called euen till this
present by a word of their owne mother-toong by the

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 89 1

names of Soldans : let vs now speake of the honourable
degrees and dignities inferiour to the Soldanship.

Of the principall Peere next vfider the Soldan called
Eddaguadare,

THis man being in dignitie second vnto the Soldan^
and beeing, as it were, his viceroy or lieutenant, had
authoritie to place or displace any magistrates or officers ;
and maintained a family almost as great as the family of
the Soldan himselfeJ^

Of the Soldans officer called Amir Cabir.

THis man hauing the third place of honour was Lord
generall ouer the Soldans militari forces ; who was
by office bound to leauie armies against the forraine
enemie, especially against the next Arabians, and to fur-
nish the castles & cities with conuenient garisons ; and
also had authority to dispend the Soldans treasure vpon
such necessarie affaires as hee thought goodJ*

Of Nat Bessan,

THE fourth in dignitie after the Soldan called Nai
Bessan, beeing the Soldan his lieutenant in Syria,
and gathering vp all the tributes of Assiria bestowed them
at his owne discretion, & yet the Soldan himselfe was to
place garrisons in the castles and forts of those prouinces.
This Nai Bessan was bound yeerly to pay certaine thou-
sands of Saraffi vnto the Soldan?^

Of the Ostadar,

THe fift magistrate called the Ostadar, was the great
master or steward of the palace ; whose duetie was
to prouide apparell for the Soldan, with victuals and other
necessaries for his whole family. And vnto this dignitie

3 L 2

892 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

the Soldan vsed to aduance some one of his most ancient,
honourable, and vertuous nobles, vnder whose tuition him-
selfe had in times pcist beene trained upj^

Of the Amiri Achor.

THE sixt called the Amiri Achor^ was master of the
horse and camels ; and distributed them vnto each
man in court, according to his degreeJ^

Of the Amiralf

THE seuenth office was performed by certaine princi-
pall Mamalukes, being like vnto the Colonels of
Europe ; euerie of whom was captaine of a thousand
inferiour Mamaluks ; and their office was to conduct the
Soldans forces against the enemie, & to take charge of his
armourJ^

Of the Aminnia.

THE eight degree of honour was allotted vnto certaine
centurions ouer the Mamalukes ; who were conti-
nually to attend vpon the Soldan, either when he road
any whither, or when he exercised himselfe in armes.

Of t/te Chazendare.

THE ninth person was the treasurer, who made an
account vnto the Soldan of all tributes and customes
of his kingdome, disbursing money for the daily and neces-
sarie expenses of the Soldans household, and iaying vp
the rest in the Soldans castle.*^®

Of the Amirsileh,

THE tenth called the Amirsileh had the armour of the
Soldan committed to his charge, which being con-
tained in a great armorie was to be scoured, furbushed,
and renued at his discretion, for which purpose he had
sundrie Mamaluks placed vnder him.^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 893

Of the Testecana,

THe eleuenth called the TestecancP^ was master of the
Soldans wardrobe, and tooke charge of all such
robes and apparell as were deliured vnto him by the
Ostadar or high steward of the household ; which
robes he distributed according to the appointment of the
Soldan ; for whomsoeuer the Soldan promoted vnto any
dignitie, him he apparelled also. All the said garments
were of cloth of gold, of veluet, or of silke : and whither
soeuer the Testecana went, he was attended upon by a
great number of Mamalukes. Certaine other officers there
were also : as namely the Serbedare,®* whose duetie was to
prouide delicate drinke for the Soldan^ and to haue alwaies
in a readines most excellent compound waters tempered
both with sugar and with spices. Moreouer there were
other officers called * Farrasin,^ that is, diuers chamber- * '^^^ ". ^f!*^

' ' an officer in the

laines, who furnished the place of the Soldan with rich ^^«'?^/^»^-

* land called,

hangings and carpets, and made prouision also of torches TheMaistero/
and tapers of waxe mixed with amber, which serued both
to shew light, and to yeeld most fragrant and odoriferous
smels. Others there were also called Sebabathia,^ to wit,
the footemen of the Soldan : and certaine others called
Taburchania,®^ which were the Soldans Halbardiers, who
attended upon his person when he road foorth, or sate in
publique audience. Adauia were those that tooke charge
of the Soldans carriages whithersoeuer he trauelled : out of
which number there was a master-hangman or executioner
chosen ; and so often as any malefactors were to be
punished, all his companions stood by him to leame his
bloodie occupation, namely of flaying and skinning men
aliue, and of putting them to the torture, to make them
confesse their crimes.^ And Esuha were the Soldans
foote-postes that carried letters from Cairo into Syria,
and trauelled on foote threescore miles a day, because that

894 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

betweene Egypt and Syria there is neither mountainous
nor mirie way, but a continuall sandie plaine : howbeit such
as carried letters of serious & weightie matters road vpon
camels.^

Of the Soldans militarie forces,

OF soldiers or martiall men the Soldan had fower
degrees. The first called Caschia were certaine
horsemen, & were most valiant and expert warriours : out
of which number the Soldan chose gouernours ouer his
cities and Ccistles. Some of these were allowed their
stipend in readie money out of the Soldans treasurie, and
others out of the tributes of townes and castles. The
second called Eseifia were a companie of footmen, bearing
no armes but swords only, who likewise had* their pay
allowed them out of the Soldans treasurie. The third
called Charanisa being voluntaries or such as serued gratis,
had no other pay but onely their victuals allowed them :
but when any Mamaluke deceased that was well prouided
for, some one of them supplied his roume. The fourth and
last of al called Galeb, were the yoong and new-come
Mamaluks, being as yet ignorant of the Turkish and
Egyptian languages, and such as had shewed no experi-
ment of their valour.**

Of certaine other great officers and magistrates
in the Soldans common-wealth.

Of the magistrate called the Nad/ieasse,

HE was as it were the Soldans chiefe receiuer ; for all
the tributes and customes of the whole kingdome
came through his hands, and were paid from him vnto the
treasurer. Also he was customer of Cairo, by which office
he gained infinite summes of mony : neither could any

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 895

man attaine vnto this office, vnlesse he first paid vnto the
Soldan an hundred thousand Saraffi, which he recouered
againe within sixe moneths following.®®

Of the Chetebeessere,

THis man being the Soldans secretarie, and writing
letters, and making answere on the Soldans behalfe,
did (besides his secretariship) take notice and account of
all the land-tributes in Egypt, and receiued the particular
summes from the collectors thereof.®®

Of the Muachih,

THis was a secretarie also, but inferiour to the former,
and yet more trustie vnto the Soldan. His office
was to reuiew the letters and briefes penned by the former,
and to examine whether they were agreeable vnto the
Soldans minde, and also in the name of the Soldan to
subscribe vnto them. But the other hath so many cunning
and expert scribes about him, that the Muachih seldome
cancelleth any of his writings.®^

Of the Mutesib,

THis mans office was to set a price vpon corne and all
other victuals ; which price partly according to the
increase of Nilus, and partly also according to the resort of
ships and other vessels out of the prouinces of Errif and
Sahid he either diminished or inhaunsed, and vpon the
offenders imposed such penalties as the Soldan thought
good to appoint. Being at Cairo, I vnderstood that the
said Mutesib got daily by his office about a thousand
Saraffi ; hauing his ministers and substitutes not onely in
Cairo, but in all other cities and places of Egypt.®^

896 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

Of the Amir el Cheggi,

THe oflSce of the Amir el Cheggi®* being of no lesse
charge, then dignitie, was imposed by the Soldan
vpon one of his most sufficient and wealthie Mamaluks :
vnto whom was committed the conduct of the carouan,
which went euery yeere from Cairo to Mecca. Which
dutie he could not performe without great expences of his
owne purse, for being guarded with a companie of Mama-
lukes, he must trauell with maiesticall pompe and costly
diet, expecting no recompence for his exceeding charges
either at the hands of the Soldan, or of the passengers
which he conducted. Other offices and dignities there are,
which I thinke needlesse to rehearse.

T'

Of the citie of Geza,

^He citie of Geza being situate vpon the banke of Nilus,
ouer against the old citie before mentioned, and
being separated therefrom by the foresaide Island of Nilus,
is a very populus and ciuile place, and is adorned with
many sumptuous palaces built by the Mamaluks, whither
they vse to retire themselues out of the throng and multi-
tude of Cairo. Here are likewise great store of artificers
and merchants, especially such as buie cattell brought from
the mountaines of Barca, the drouers of which cattell being
Arabians, do sell their ware in this citie vnto the merchants
and butchers of Cairo, to the end they may auoide the
trouble of passing ouer the riuer. The temple and other
principall buildings of this citie stand vpon the shore of
Nilus. On all sides of the citie there are gardens and
grounds of dates. Such as come hither in the morning
from Cairo to buy and sell, vse not to returne home againe
till the euening. This way they trauell ouer a sandie desert
Thepyramides, ^^^^o the Pyramides, and sepulchers of the ancient Egyptian
^ kings, in which place they affirme the stately citie of

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 897

Memphis to haue stoode in times past. And albeit the TheciHeof

^ ^ Memphis,

way thither be very troublesome in regard of the manifold
lakes and pits made by the inundation of Nilus, yet by the
direction of a trustie and expert guide it may easily be
trauailed.^

Of the towne of Muhallaca.

THis little towne built vpon the banke of Nilus, by the
ancient Egyptians, and standing three miles from
the olde citie, hath a most beautifull temple situate vpon
the shore of Nilus, and diuers other stately buildings
therein. It aboundeth with dates and with certaine fruites
called Egyptian figs ; and the inhabitants vse the very same ^gyfii^^n ngs.
rites and customs that are obserued by the citizens of
Cairo.«^

Of the citie of Chanca,

THe great citie of Chanca^ situate about sixe miles
from Cairo, at the verie entrance of the desert lying
in the way to mount Sinai, is replenished with most stately
houses, temples, and colleges. All the fields betweene
Cairo and this citie abound with great plentie of dates:
but from Chanca to mount Sinai, which is an hundred and
fortie miles, there are no places of habitation at all. The
inhabitants are but of meane wealth : for when any
carouan is to passe into Syria, hither resort a company of
people from Cairo, to prouide things necessarie for their
iourney, bicause the villages adioining yeeld nought but
dates. Through this citie lie two maine roade-waies, the
one leading to Syria, and the other to Arabia. This citie
hath no other water but such as remaineth in certaine
chanels after the inundation of Nilus ; which chanels being
broken, the water runneth foorth into the plaines, and
there maketh a number of small lakes, from whence it is
conueighed backe by certaine sluices into the cesterns of
the citie.

- 898 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

T

Of the citie of Muhaisira.

His little citie built vpon the riucr of Nilus, 30. miles
eastward of Cairo, aboundeth greatly with the graine
store of the or sced Called Sesama, and containeth sundrie milles to

graine calted

Sesama^ grinde oile out of the same seede. • The inhabitants are

most of them husbandmen, except a fewe that exercise
trade of merchandise.®^

Of the towne of Benisuaif

THis towne being situate on the west side of Nilus, is
distant from Cairo 120. miles. The plaines adiacent

Most excellent abound exceedingly with flaxe and hempe, which is so
excellent, that it is carried from thence as farre as Tunis in
Barbarie. And this towne furnisheth all Egypt with flaxe,
whereof they make very fine and strong cloth. The fields
of the same are continually worne & diminished, and
especially at this present, by the inundation of Nilus, for
now their date-groundes are halfe consumed. The inhabi-
tants for the most part are emploied about their flaxe.

Crocodiles, And beyond this towne there are found Crocodiles that will
eate mans flesh, as we will declare in our historie of liuing
creatures.^

Of the citie of Munia,

VPon the same side of Nilus standeth the faire citie of
Munia, which was built in the time of the Mahumetans
by one Chasib a lieutenant and courtier of the Califa of
Bagdet, vpon an high place. Here are most excellent
grapes, and abundance of all kinde of fruite, which albeit
they are carried to Cairo, yet can they not come thither
fresh and newe, by reason that this citie is distant from
Cairo an hundred and fower-score miles. It is adorned
with most stately temples and other buildings : and here
are to be scene at this present sundry ruines of the ancient

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 899

Egyptian buildings. The inhabitants are rich, for they
trauaile for their gaine as farre as Gaoga, a kingdome of
the land of Negros.*^

Of the citie of El Fium,

THis ancient citie was founded by one of the Pharaos
vpon a little branch of Nilus, and on a high ground,
at the same time when the Israelites departed out of Egypt,
whom the said Pharao greatly oppressed with making of
bricke, and with other seruile occupations. In this citie
they say that loseph the sonne of lacob was buried, and ^^j^oseph
that his bones were digged vp by Moses and the Israelites ^oj buned.
when they departed. Fruits heere grow great plentie, and
especially oliues, which are good to eate, but vn profitable
to make oile of. It is a well gouerned and populous citie,
and containeth many artificers especially weauers.^^

Of the citie of Mans Loth,

THis great and ancient citie was built by the Egyp-
tians, destroied by the Romains, and reedified by
the Mahumetans, but not in so stately manner as it was
first built At this present there are found certaine huge
and high pillers and porches, whereon are verses engrauen
in the Egyptian toong. Neere vnto Nilus stand the mines
of a stately building, which seemeth to haue beene a
temple in times past, among which ruines the citizens finde
sometimes coine of siluer, sometimes of gold, and some-
times of lead, hauing on the one side hielygraphick notes,
and on the other side the pictures of ancient kings. The
fields adiacent being very fruitefull, are extremely scorched
by the heate of the sunne, and much haunted with Croco-
diles, which was the occasion (as some thinke) why the
Romaines abandoned this citie. The inhabitants are men
of indifferent wealth, for they exercise traffike in the land
of Negros.^^^

900 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

Of the citie of Azioth,

THis ancient city founded by the Egyptians vpon the
banke of Nilus two hundred and fiftie miles from
Cairo, is most admirable in regard to the hugenes, and
of the varietie of old buildings and of epitaphes engrauen
in Egyptian letters ; although at this present the greatest
part thereof lyeth desolate. When the Mahumetans were
first Lords of this city it was inhabited by honorable per-
sonages, and continueth as yet famous in regard of the
nobilitie and great wealth of the citizens. There are in this
citie almost an hundred families of christians, & three or
fower churches still remaining : and without the citie
standeth a monasterie containing mo then an hundred
monks, who eate neither flesh nor fish, but onely herbes,
bread, and oliues. And yet haue they daintie cates with-
out any fatte among them. This monasterie is very rich,
and giueth three dales entertainment to all strangers that
resort thither, for the welcomming of whom they bring
vp great store of doues, of chickens, and of such like com-
modities.^^

Of the citie of Ichmin,

IChmin being the most ancient city in all Egypt, was
built by Ichmin the son of *Misraimy the sonne of
lSil^Z\hap!of ChuSy which was the son of *Heny vpon the banke of Nilus
versed^ ncxt vnto Asia, and three hundred miles eastwarde from

♦ DuHum. Cairo. This citie the Mahumetans, when they first began
to vsurpe ouer Egypt, so wasted and destroied, for certaine
causes mentioned in histories, that besides the foundations
and rubbish they left nought remaining : for, transporting
the pillers and principall stones vnto the other side of
Nilus, they built thereof the citie called Munsia, euen as
we will now declare.'*^

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 9OI

Of the citie of Munsia.

MVnsia therefore, founded on the other side of
Nilus, by the lieutenant of a certaine Califa,
hath no shew of comelines or beautie, by reason that
all the streetes are so narrow. And in sommer-time
there riseth so much dust from the ground, that a man
can hardly walke the streetes. It aboundeth, notwith-
standing, with come and cattell. It was once subiect
vnto a certaine African prince of Barbarie, whose name was
Haoara^ and whose predecessors were princes and gouer-
nours of Haoara. Which city (they say) was giuen him in
regarde of a singular benefite which hee did vnto the fore-
saide Dalmatian slaue that founded Cairo : howbeit I
cannot be perswaded that the gouernment remained so
long a time vnto that familie. But in our time Soliman
the ninth Turkish emperour depriued them of the same
gouernment^^

Of the monasterie called Georgia,

THis was in times past a famous monasterie of Chris-
tians, called after the name of Saint George, and
being sixe miles distant from Munsia. It was inhabited
by more than two hundred monkes, who enioying large
territories, possessions, and reuenues, shewed themselues
curteous and beneficiall vnto strangers ; and the ouerplus
of their yeerely reuenues was sent vnto the patriarke of
Cairo, who caused the same to be distributed amongst
poore Christians : but about an hundred yeeres ago, all the
monks of this monasterie died of a pestilence, which spred
it selfe ouer all the land of Egypt. Whereupon the prince
of Munsia compassed the saide monasterie with a wall, and
erected diuers houses for artificers and merchants to dwell
in. And being allured by the pleasant gardens situate
amidst the beautifuU hils, he himselfe went thither to

902 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

inhabite : but the patriarke of the lacobites making his
mone vnto the Soldaii, the Soldan caused another monas-
terie to be built in the same place, where in times past the
old citie stoode ; & assigned so much allowance thereunto,
as might maintaine thirty monks.^®^

Of the citie of Chian.

THis little citie of Chian was built in times past neere
unto Nilus by the Mahumetans, which notwithstand-
ing is not nowe inhabited by them, but by the christias
called lacobites, who employ themselues either in hus-
bandrie, or in bringing vp of chickens, geese, and doues.
There remaine as yet certaine monasteries of Christians,
that giue entertainment to strangers. But Mahumetans
(besides the gouernour and his family) there are none
at all.i^

B^

Of the citie of Barbanda,

I Arbanda founded by the Egyptians vpon Nilus, about
fower hundred miles from Cairo, was laide so waste
by the Romaines, that nothing but the ruines thereof
remained, most of which ruines were carried vnto Asna,
whereof we will foorthwith intreate. Amongst the saide
ruines are to be found many peeces of golde and siluer
Emraids, coine, and sundrie fragments of Smaragds or emeralds.^^

Of the citie ofCana.

Antonio Gal- 'T^Hc ancicnt citie of Cana built by the Egyptians vpon
large mention 1 the bankc of Nilus oucr against Barbanda, and
ofttsciHe. enuironed with wals of sunne-dried bricks, is inhabited
with people of base condition, applying themselues vnto
husbandrie, by which meanes the citie aboundeth with
corne. Hither are the merchandise brought against the
streame of Nilus, which are sent from Cairo to Mecca :
for the distance from hence ouer the wildernes vnto the

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 903

Red sea, is at least 120. miles, all which way there is no

water at all to be founde. And at the hauen of Chossir The hauen of

vpon the shore of the red sea are diuers cottages whereinto

the saide merchandises are vnladen. And ouer against

Chossir on the side of Asia lieth lambuh another hauen of

the red sea, whereat traualiers going on pilgrimage to

see the tombe of Mahumet at Medina, must make

their rendezuous or generall meeting. Moreouer Ghana

furnisheth Medina and Mecca with come, in which places

they suffer great and continuall scarcitie.^^

Of the citie of Asna,

ASna in times past was called Siene : which name was
afterward changed by the Arabians, in whose lan-
guage the worde Siene signifieth a filthie or vncleane thing.
Wherefore they called it Asna, that is to say, faire and
beautifull, bicause it standeth in a pleasant situation vpon
the westerne banke of Nilus : which citie though it was
brought almost to desolation by the Romaines, yet was it
so repaired againe in the Mahumetans time, that the
inhabitants grewe exceeding rich, both in corne, cattell,
and money : for they transport their commodities partly
vp the streame of Nilus, and partly ouer the deserts, into
the kingdome of Nubia. Round about this citie there
are to be seene diuers huge buildings, and admirable
sepulchres, togither with sundrie epitaphes engrauen both
in Egyptian and Latine Letters.^®*

Of the citie of Assuan,

THe great, ancient, and populous city of Assuan was
built by the Egyptians vpon the riuer of Nilus,
about fower-score miles eastward from Asna. The soile
adiacent is most apt and fruitefull for corne. And the
citizens are exceedingly addicted vnto the trade of
merchandise, bicause they dwell so neere vnto the kingdome

904 THE EIGHT BOOKE OF THE

of Nubia, vpon the confines whereof standeth their citie :
beyond which citie Nilus dispersing himselfe ouer the
plaines through many small lakes becommcth innauigable.
Also the saide citie standeth neere vnto that desert ouer

Suacken. which they traueil vnto the port of Suachen vpon the red
sea, and it adioineth likewise vpon the frontiers of Ethiopia.
And heere in sommer time the inhabitants are extremely
scorched with the heate of the sunne, being of a swart or
browne colour, and being mingled with the people of
Nubia and Ethiopia. Heere are to be seene also many
buildings of the ancient Egyptians, and most high towers,
which they call in the language of that countrey Barba.
Beyond this place there is neither citie nor habitation of
any account, besides a fewe villages of blacke people,
whose speech is compounded of the Arabian, Egyptian,
and Ethiopian languages. These being subject vnto the

* Bugihaare people Called *Bugiha, Hue in the fields after the Arabian

those which in *■ *'

oide time were manner, being free from the Soldans iurisdiction, for there

called Trogio- ,.,..,..,

dyta. his dommions are limited.

And thus much concerning the principall cities standing
along the maine chanel of Nilus : Some whereof I saw,
others I entered into, and passed by the residue : but I
had most certaine intelligence of them all, either by the
inhabitants themselues, or by the mariners which carried
me by water from Cairo to Assuan, with whom returning
back vnto Ghana, I trauellcd thence ouer the desert vnto
the red sea, ouer which sea I crossed vnto Imbuth, and
Ziddem two hauen-townes of Arabia deserta, of which two
townes, because they belong vnto Asia, I will not here
discourse, least I should seem to transgresse the limits of

The great Africa. But if it shall please god to vouchsafe me longer

trauels of lohn ,.-,_. , .. n* . r k * «.«*

Leo. life, I purpose to describe all the regions of Asia which I

haue trauelled ; to wit Arabia deserta, Arabia felix, Arabia
Petrea, the Asian part of Egypt, Armenia, and some part
of Tartaria ; all which countries I saw and passed through

HISTORIE OK AFRICA. 905

in the time of my youth. Likewise I will set downe my
last voiages from Fez to Constantinople, from Constanti-
nople to Egypt, and from thence into Italic, in which
lourney I saw diuers and sundry Islands. All which
my trauels I meane (by Gods assistance) being returned
forth of Europe into mine owne countrie, particularly to
describe ; decyphering first the regions of Europe and
Asia which I haue seen, and thereunto annexing this
my discourse of Africa ; to the end that I may promote
the endeuours of such as are desirous to know the state
of forren countries.^^^

3M

NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

(i) This lake is Menzaleh, and Tenesse, or Tennes (the ancient
Tenessus), an island on which are remains of Roman baths, tombs,
etc. The wildfowl on the lake and in its vicinity are still as numerous
as ever, and the habits of the people are to-day much what they were
at the time when Leo visited them. The "dulipan" (dolopani) is
equivalent to the turban, and the "chebie" of Leo is evidently the
"jubba".

(2) Modem Egypt is commonly divided into El-Bahari, or Lower
Egypt ; El-Vortani, or Middle Egypt ; and El-Said, or Upper Egypt.
In Ibn Haukal's day, the part of Egypt below Old Cairo (El-
Fost^t) — north-east of the Nile — was called '* HauP and that to the
south (properly west) Rif (Er-Rif, the " riviera", a word more familiar
as applied to the Moroccan region of the same name, p. 635). — Abu-1-
feda, Geographic (ed. Reinaud), t. ii, p. 141. In Ouseley's trans, of
Ibn Haukal (pp. 36, 37), Khou/dind Zeif^iXt, (erroneously, according to
De Sacy) the orthography of these districts. — Abd Allatif, Relation de
TEgypte (ed. De Sacy), pp. 56, 396-398. The divisions mentioned by
Leo are still known among the natives. Bechria is Behriyya, the Lake
Region.

(3) In Hebrew Egypt is Misraim, or Mazor, which in the Prophets
means Lower Egypt proper, as distinguished from Pathros, or Upper
Egypt. Mazor is preserved in the Arab Misr, pronounced Mazr in
the vulgar dialect of Egypt, Mdzar in that of Morocco and other parts
of Barbary. It is now applied to both the country and the capital.

(4) " Amr figliuolo di Asi, capitano d'un escercito arabo di Omar
secondo pontefice" — 'Amr Ibn el- Asi — a.h. 18, A.D. 639.

(5) El-Fostat {ut supra), founded in A.H. 21 (A.D. 641), the seat of
government till A.D. 751. The mosque of 'Amr is well known as one
of the few memorials of the past now standing 'amid the ruins of " Old
Cairo".

(6) The numerous places in Egypt with which the name of Joseph
(Yusuf) is linked have most probably no connection whatever with the
Hebrew patriarch of that name, but, like the Canal, Well, Hall, etc.,
"of Joseph", refer to En-Naser Sal^h ed-Din Yusuf Ibn AyyOb
(Saladin), the famous Kurdish conqueror. Even then the connection
is often purely honorary.

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 907

(7) At one time the plague appeared at regular intervals of six,
eight, and ten years. But it is now more than sixty years since there
has been an outbreak, mainly owing to stricter care regarding the
landing of goods and infected persons from Asia and other quarters,
including Barbary and the HejAz, where, if not endemic, it has
appeared more than once this century. Even in the age of the
Pharaohs, the plague was an Egyptian disease. Cholera is more
dreaded nowadays. — Ray, Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages^
tome ii, p. 95 ; Savary, Letters on Egypt ^ vol. ii, pp. 218-233 ; Abd
AlHitif, Relation de PEgypte^ pp. 4, 9 ; Desgenettes, Relation chirurgi-
cale de Carmde d' Orient^ p. 409, etc. ; Me moires sur PEgypte, t. iv,
p. 238, et seq, ; Zagrel, Du Climat de PEgypte ; Pruner, Topographie
Medicate du Caire ; Patterson, Egypt as a Health Resort (1867) ;
Dalrymple, Medical and Meteorological Observations on the Climate
of Egypt ( 1 860; ; Clot- Bey, Aperqu Gdn^ral sur PEgypte; De la Pes/e,
etc. ; Description de PEgypte, t. xiii.

(8) The ancient Busiris in the Delta, the modem Abusir, a name
also applied to Busiris, the supposed Nilopolis, and to a village near
the Gizeh Pyramids. Lake Bucaira is the modern Mareotis, or
Mariut.

(9) This, as pointed out more than two centuries ago by Ogleby
{Africa, p. 55), is an error of Leo's ; for Alexandria, instead of being
distant from the Nile "verso ponente quaranta miglai", is only
twelve miles from the Canopic mouth, and about twice as far from
the Rosetta or Bolbitine mouth of the river.

(10) Who this "astuto pontefice maumettano" was, is not men-
tioned by any other authority. The Khalif Othman demolished
the fortifications, and in the ninth century Ahmed Ibn TQlQn pulled
down the old walls and erected others more suited to the diminished
size of " Iskandriyya". The discovery in 1497 of the route to
India by way of the Cape of Good Hope, brought about the
temporary ruin of Alexandria, as it did of so many other famous
Mediterranean seaports. This was also aided by the conquest of
Egypt by the Turks, so that the city, which was still a place of some
actual importance, became so utterly insignificant that, when Savary
visited it in 1777, he found it a town of ruins "of small extent and six
thousand inhabitants", instead of the 300,000 free inhabitants and
600,000 slaves it contained in the time of Augustus. But Savary
did not see the place at its worst ; for when in 1692 M. de Maillet,
French Consul at Cairo, landed here, a city with inhabitants
scarcely existed — " Je ne crois pas qu'k bien compter les Chretiens,
les Turcs, and les Arabes qui habitent encore cette Alexandrie prt?-
tendue, on trouvdt une centaine d'hommes parmi les mines qu'elle
renferme." The place was a desert, in which robbers plied their trade

3 M 2

908 NOTES TO BOOK VI IT.

almost with impunity {Description de tEgypte^ etc., ed. by L'Abbe Le
Mascrier (1740), t. i, p. 186). The Sieur Cassar Lambert, who visited
it some sixty years earlier, though he does not allude to it in such
unflattering terms, evidently did not find it much more flourishing
{Trois Relations d^Ej^pte^ etc., p. 44). It is therefore clear that if
Alexandria deserved Leo's description, it had not then begun to feel
the withering effects of Turkish misrule. Indeed, when Leo first saw
it, the Mamluks were still reigning, and what he has to say regarding
Alexandria and other parts of Egypt applies almost exclusively to the
period of these comparatively enlightened sovereigns. It was Moham-
med Ali who restored the commercial prosperity of Alexandria, which
now has a population of over 200,000.

(11) The Mersa el-Bargi — the Eastern or Great Harbour — called
the New Port, is now only frequented by small native vessels. But
until the evacuation of Alexandria by the English, when the privilege
of using the Mersa Essil Sela, the western harbour, now called the
Old Port, was (in common with that of riding on horseback) granted
to all Europeans, the Mersa el-Bargi was allotted to "Christian"
ships, which were only admitted, under stress of weather, into the
exclusive haven.

(12) " Ludovico quarto r^ di Francia" is a mistake. It should be
Louis IV (Saint Louis), who in 1249, at the head of the Eighth
Crusade, captured Damietta, but was taken prisoner at Mansura
by the Sultan Melek es-Saleh, of the Ayyubite dynasty, and released
on the restitution of Damietta and the payment of a million
bezants of gold (about ;£38o,ooo). — .Savary, Letters on Egvpty vol. i,
pp. 337-384, etc. The transaction was, however, effected during
the brief reign of Melek el-Mo'azzam (Tiirdn Shah), Melek es-Saleh
having died on the 21st November, while the French army did not
appear— according to Makrizi, Joinville, and other authorities — before
Mansura until the 19th December 1249. But the ransom of St.
Louis was the work of that sultan's mother, Sheger ed-Durr, who,
after instigating the murder of her predecessor, reigned for three
months and married the Mamluk El-Moi'zz, who in 1250 founded the
Bahri Mamluk dynasty, and was murdered in 1257 by his jealous
spouse (Makrizi, Hist, des Sultans Mamlouks de PEgypte^ ed. Quatre-
mere, t. i, pp. 71-73). As St. Louis made on behalf of the Christian
powers a truce with Islam for ten years, the raid of the Cyprians,
Venetians, and French must have been much later than the words of
Leo seem to indicate ; unless it was that the treaty was indifferently
adhered to. The *' Soldan " referred to is probably Ez-Z^her
Baybers I (a.d. 1260), who fortified Alexandria.

(13) The place which Leo takes to be the Roman Monte Testaccio

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 909

is apparently that which used to be known as the Pharillon, near the
entrance to the New Harbour. It was evidently the work of the
Mohammedan kings, who were unable to re-erect the ancient Pharos.
The modern lighthouse has long ago superseded it. (De Maillet,
Description de PEgypte^ 1740, t. i, p. 164.)

(14) "Pompey's Pillar." The cisterns under the houses to which
Leo refers are among the few remnants of ancient Alexandria still
existing. They are used for storing the water supply furnished by
the Canopic Canal.

(i 5) Copts (Kubti, Gubti), called Jacobites, not, as they pretend, from
James the Apostle, but more likely from Jacobus Baradasus, the Syrian
heresiarch, who propagated the tenets of the Monophysites, Euty-
chians, or Monothelites, condemned by the fourth OEcumenical
Council of Chalcedon. They claim their conversion from paganism
to have been the work of St. Mark, and still pretend to have the body
of that Apostle in the Coptic convent at Alexandria, though, as stated
by Leo, Ddru, and other historians, it was removed by the Venetians
about A.D. 828. The inscriptions on the mosaics of St. Mark at Venice
admit that the relics were stolen by Rustico of Torcello and Buono of
Malanacco, assisted by the monk Staurgius and the priest Theodorus,
who were in charge of the sanctuary at Alexandria. (Gardner Wilkin-
son, Journ. Brit. Arch, Assoc.y vol. vii, p. 258.) The Greeks of
Alexandria pretend, on the other hand, that their convent of St. Saba
contains the original church of St. Mark.

(16) The traditional tomb of Alexander, fabled to exist at various other
places, was thought to have been found by Mr. Stoddart amidst the
mounds of the old city. This building looks like an ordinary sheikh's
tomb, and is near the bath to the west of the road leading from the
Frank Quarter to the Pompey's Pillar Gate. Its position, however, does
not agree with Strabo's description of the " Soma", while the sarco-
phagus, regarded by the Alexandrians as the tomb of "Iskander", is
now in the British Museum. But the hieroglyphics on it prove that it
belonged to one of the Pharaohs. In Murray's usually very accurate
Guide Book^ p. 130, the quotation from Leo is inaccurate. There is
nothing about the small edifice " standing in the midst of the mounds
of Alexandria ". Nor are Pory and Florian any more correct in refer-
ring to the " monument of Alexandria " (in medio Alexandria ruderum).
All that Leo says is that the " piccola casa a modo di chiesetta " was
" nel mezzo della citt^."

(17) "• Bochin" is a misprint for " Bocchir " of the Italian original.
This is again a corruption of Abukir, off which the naval battle of that
name was fought on the ist of August 1798. Savary calls it

9IO NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

"Alboukir*', and mentions that "the place is called Bekier by
Mariners". Leo seems to have considered it an ancient city. Most
likely it is identical with Canopus, the village of Aboukir a little to the
west of it being a modern town, built in part out of the ruins. A small
place now, it seems to have been much smaller four centuries ago. —
See "Map of Ancient Egypt", iii, Egyptian Exploration Fundus
Attas(iS94),

(i8) Rosetta, the Arabic Rashid, which is simply a corruption of
the former. Who built it, is not known. El-Macin mentions that it
was founded during the reign of El-Motawakkil 'ala 'llah (Ja'far) about
A.D. 870. It did not, as Maillet and Alpinus imagine, replace
Canopus, and therefore is of comparatively recent date, though it
possibly occupies the site of Bolbitinum. Rosetta was founded on
account of the silting-up of the Bolbitine branch of the Nile, and
for many ages flourished exceedingly. In Leo^s day it had not attained
the zenith of its prosperity. All the overland trade of India passed
through it ; while the coolness of the umbrageous gardens which
surround it, and the salubrity of the air, attracted thither the residents
of Cairo during the hot season. In Abu-1-feda's day it was "a small
city", and when Belon visited it in 1530 the place was not half the si
of Fua. But, by the close of last century, it was one-half larger
than that town. Its population, now about 14,000, must then have
exceeded 25,000. Even then the "bogaz" or bar of the branch of
the Nile on which it is built, was very troublesome, and for two
months in the year totally prevented the commerce of Alexandria
entering the river. The Nile Delta, which is constantly increasing
and altering without the government making any efforts to
survey the mud banks or to provide against the shoaling, told year
after year against the trade of Rosetta. Then the cutting of the
Mahmudiyya canal by Mehemet Ali diverted the overland trade, and
now Ramleh is the favourite summer resort of the Alexandrians and
Cairenes. The mosques, propped up by red Corinthian columns
from Canopus, like those which form the comer-stones of many
private buildings, have not escaped the general decay which has
overtaken this once flourishing town. It was here that a British
force under General Eraser was defeated by Mehemet Ali in 1807.
It was occupied by the French in 1798 — a strategic operation, one
of the most important results of which was the accidental discovery
of the famous trilingual " Rosetta stone" ; and the Briton to whom
the memories of Rosetta are not entirely pleasant, may feel a
patriotic compensation by remembering that it was from the old
fort on a sand-hill behind the fig-shaded mosque, that Denou, one of
the savants who came with Napoleon to Egypt, saw the destruction
of the French fleet by Nelson in Abukir Bay.

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 9II

(19) This fixes Leo's visit to have been about a.d. 15 17, the date of
the conquest of Egypt by Selim I, the Great— or, as he is better
known in history, " Yawuz Selim" — Selim the Grim.

(20) There is no place in Egypt called " Antius", and it is difficult,
from the data supplied, to determine what town Leo meant. Marmol —
who is, however, no authority — says that it was formerly called Antedon,
a place mentioned by Ptolemy. Antinoe, or Antinoopolis, has been
suggested mainly from a slight similarity of the name. But, as Leo is
describing the Delta, the place he notes as a busy town must be sought
for there, and not in the modern village of Sheikh Abadeh in Middle
Egypt, among the palm groves of which some ancient remains lie
scattered. Arsinoe is still less acceptable : for it was in the Fayum and
not on the Nile. The only conclusion permissible is that Anthius is
some place on the Delta, of which either Leo or his first editor
mistook the name.

Busir may, however, be a Busiris — most likely the one on the Gizeh
Plateau. — Edrisi, Africa^ ed. Hartmann, p. 506, ed. Dozy et de Goeje,
p. 53 ; Golius, Mohammedis filii Ketiri Ferganenis^ qui vulgo Aljra-
l^anus diciiuTy Elemenia Astronomica Arabice et Latine (1699), p. 104 ;
Abu-1-feda, ed. Reinaud, p. 157; SsLvaryy Letters on Egypt ^ vol. i,
p. 454; Bruns., Allgemeine Geog, Epkemeriden {Ai^nXy 1801), p. 317,
where Antinoe is suggested as identical with Anthius.

(21) Probably Berimbal el-Kebir, not a city, but only a large village
on the Menzaleh Canal. This identification has the imprimatur of
Karsten Niebuhr. Most of the rice of the Lower Delta is now
shipped from Damietta, an important town, which, curiously enough,
is not described by Leo, though mentioned by him.

(22) Memphis is mistaken by Leo for Thebes, the form " Thebe "
being adopted from Pliny and Juvenal. This error is, in kind if not
in degree, made by many writers subsequent to Leo's time (Savary,
Letters^ vol. i, pp. 257, 258, 388, 392). If Herodotus is even approxi-
mately correct — and the appearance of the vicinity is in favour of the
story told to him by the priests — Memphis must be as old as Menes —
/>., according to Mariette, 5004 B.C. Its ruins are, at all events,
of immense antiquity.

(23) " . . . . trecento fuochi ; ma ^ omata di belle case.'* These
" three hundred hearths" must have been at the village of Sakkarah,
whose houses, however, it is impossible to describe as " belle case".
Most probably, much was standing four centuries ago which has
now disappeared or been covered with Nile mud. Abd Allatif,
writing at the end of the twelfth century, describes the ruins as
extensive and marvellous ; and Abu-1-feda, 1 50 years later, speaks of

912 NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

Memphis (Menf;, which he believes to be the ancient Misr, as still
very considerable.

(24) Muse, 'SlsLUz—Aft/sa, plantains, bananas.— Sonnini, Voyai^e
dans la haute et basse Egypte^ t. ii, p. i, etc. ; Sionite, De nonnuliis
Orient, urbibus, in G^o^, Nub.y p. 32 ; Abd Allati^ Relation de
rEgypte^ pp. 20, 86, 104, etc.

(25) Fua, Fooah, occupying the site of the ancient Metellis. It is
now a poor place. Leo's account of its prosperity four centuries ago is
confirmed by Belon, who in the sixteenth century described it as second
only to Cairo. The Venetians kept a Consul here, and merchandise
was brought thither up the now no longer navigable Alexandrian
Canal. The foundation and prosperity of Rosetta were, however, the
first blows to the place, which now contains only large ruinous
buildings and squares full of rubbish. In the reign of Menelek Adel
(a.d. 1200), brother of Saladin, the Crusaders, after plundering the
town of much booty, burnt it. Possibly it was affected by the
hereditary licentiousness of the neighbouring Canopus, which was
transmitted from the Egyptians to its later possessors (Savary, Letters^
etc., vol. i, pp. 44, 45, 69). The belief that less than five centuries ago
Fua (now nearly eight miles above it) was at the mouth of the Canopic
branch of the Nile is not confirmed by Leo, though the increase of
the Delta renders this very probable. Modem Damietta is also
supposed to have been a seaport in a.d. 1428 (Shaw, Travels^ ed.
1757 ; Maillet, Description, p. 26 ; Abd Allatif, pp. 2, 8). In reality,
this town was razed in A.D. 1251, as Abu-1-feda and Makrizi tell us, by
Melik El-Mo'izz Aybek, on a report that the French again threatened
Egypt, and the present town erected about four miles further from the
sea. Traces of the old city — a mosque, etc. — can still be seen at the
village of Esba.

The two towns are confounded by many writers, including Alpinus,
Pococke, Karsten Niebuhr, Maillet, Shaw, and others. — Savar}-,
Letters, vol. i, pp. 308-311.

(26) Geziret 6d-Debub.

{27) Mehella. There are several places of that name in the Delta —
Mehallet Malik, Mehallet el-Eben,Mehallet Damaneh, Mehallet Rokh,
Mehallet El-Kebir, etc. The latter was the capital of the lower, or
Garbia, province of the Delta. It is described by Abu-1-feda (ed.
Reinaud, t. ii, p. 160), and was still in Savarys day noted for its cloth
and sal ammoniac manufactures. This is probably the place meant by
Leo, though '*the author of Moshtarelc'\ quoted by Abu-1-fedn,
declares that in his day there were "about a hundred" villages in
Egypt called by the name of Mehella (place, town, quarter).

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 913

(28) Darut is now a pleasant-looking but insignificant village, from
which sugar-making has long disappeared.

(29) There is a Mehallet-Sa (the town of Sa) on the other side of
the Nile from the site of the ancient city of Saiss, which still bears the
name of Sa el-Hagar (Sa of the stone). This is apparently Leo's
'' Mechillat Cais". — Quatrem^re, M^moires g^ographiques et historiques
sur PEgypte^ t. i, p. 292 ; Hartmann, Africa Edrisii^ pp. 498, 499.
See also for a good account of Saiss, Murray's Guide Book^ p. 147.

(30) Masr el-Kihira, named from the planet Mars (Kahir) having
been in the ascendant on the night that Gauhar el-Kaid laid the
foundation. The city was originally named El-Mans(iriyya (the
Victorious), but was changed to El-Kihira by the Khalif El-Mo'izz
on account of the omen mentioned. Mrs. Lane's Englishwoman in
Egypt^ vol. i, p. 124, et seq.^ gives details (partly from Mr. Lane's
notes) of the history of Cairo and other Egyptian capitals under
the Moslems. Leo's etymology — " El Chahera, che tanto dinota
quanto coatric^^ — is altogether incorrect.

(31) Now nearer 400,000 — or about ten times the population at the
beginning of the sixteenth century. — See Lane-Poole's Cairo (1893) ;
Makrizi's Khitat^ etc. (Bulak, 1854).

(32) J^ma el-Azhar, converted into the Moslem "University" of
that name by the Khalif el-Aziz. The number of students under

he Sheikh el-Azhar sometimes amounts to 12,000— a popularity
which has reduced Fez to insignificance.

(33) Jebel Mokatlam.

(34) Bab en-Nasr (Gate of Help to Triumph).

(35) Bab es-Zuweylah, now really in the heart of the city, owing to
its spread towards the south.

(36) J4ma el-Hakem, completed by El-H^kem El-Mansur, third
Katemite Khalif (a. D. 996).

(37) Beyn el-Kasreyn— " Between the Palaces," that is, the Great
and Little Palaces, which were originally, and until El-Fostdt was
burnt, the only buildings within the walls of Gauhar's Cairo.

(38) J^ma el-Ghoriya, built by the Sultan El-Ashraf Kansuh el
Ghori about 1501.

(39) Balabac in the original Italian, Bahlabah in Temporal's
translation, Balabach in Florianus' Latin and Leer's Dutch transla-
tion. It is Baalbec in Syria.

(40) Muslin, from Mosul (after which it is named), on the opposite
bank of ihc Tigris from the ruins of Nineveh.

914 NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

(41) " Panni d' Italia, come sono rasi damaschenis vellute, tafetta,
brocati e altri."

(42) Khan Khalili, built by Gokarkis el-Khalili in A.D. 1292, still a
sort of " auction mart".

(43) The Sok el-'Attdrin, at the end of the Hamzowi, near " the
Burse", is at present the principal place for the sale of spices, per-
fumes, and drugs.

(44) The Sok es-Saigh and the Gohariyya, in the near vicinity are
the jewellers' bazaars. The booksellers, bookbinders, paper-dealers and
others, may be found by the El-Azhar mosque, just as the same class of
shops crowd the vicinity of university buildings all the world over.

(45) ". . . . un grande spedale, ii quale fu edificato da Piperis
primo soldano de Mammalucchi." There is a mistake here. The first
Mamluk Sultan was Melik MoMzz Aybek, the consort of Sheger ed-
Durr, who, however, caused him to be proclaimed Sultan El-Mansur.
["Piperis" may possibly be a corruption of Beybars, the name of
the fourth ruler of this line. — E. D. R.]

(46) Jima es-Sultan Hasan. The literary class have always
strenuously opposed any innovation. Hence the difficulty in introducing
any change in the curriculum of the college. Dor Bey, U Instruction
publique en Egypte, The " Soldan's Castle " (citadel) is immediately
above the mosque of Hasan.

(47) Ahmed Ibn TfilQn (.\.D. 868) was founder of the Tiililnide
dynasty. He built the mosque known by his name (Jima Ibn-TOlun)
in A.D. 879 (A.H. 265).

(48) Bab el-Luk.

(49) Esbekiyya is now one of the most fashionable quarters in Cairo.
Up to 1867 it was a low haunt, practically flooded during " high Niles".
The Jima Ezbek is named after the Emir Ezbek el-YOsufi, a notable
of El-Ashraf Ginbalit (a.d. 1500).

(50) The beauty and vigour of the Egyptian donkeys have won the
admiration of all visitors, and are celebrated by the older writers of
the country. Sonnini, Voyage^ t. ii, p. 353 ; Alpinus, HisL Nat,
Egypt, y part i, pp. 1 21-122; Maillet, Descript, de PEgypt^ t. ii, p.
124. In Abd Allatifs day, a donkey fit for a wealthy Jew or Christian
to ride — infidels not being, until comparatively lately, permitted the
distinction of mounting a horse — brought from seventy to forty pieces of
gold {Relation^ etc., p. 150). N^sir-i-Khusrau affirms that in his time
(eleventh century) 50,000 donkeys, richly caparisoned, stood for hire
in Cairo. " Banks his curtail,*' mentioned by Pory in a note, refers to
ihe trick horse " Marocco", exhibited in 1 595 and subsequent years, by

NOTES TO BOOK Vllt. 91$

a Scotchman named Banks. Shakespeare alludes to it in Lov^s
Labour^ s Losty where Moth, wishing to show how simple is a certain
arithmetical problem, says, " The dancing horse will tell." Notes by
Halliwell to his edition of Shakespeare ; Chambers, Domestic Annals
of Scotland (April, 1596) ; Moroccas Ex-staticas : or Bankes Bay Horse
m a Trance (1595) ; Donc^y Illustrations of Shakespeare^ vol. i, p. 214,
etc. The " Kureyditi " still amuse the humbler order of Cairenes
with performances such as those described ; Lane, Modern Egyptians^
vol. ii, p. 99.

(51) This divination by birds is identical with that practised of late
years in the streets of London and other towns, but was long familiar
to the Italians, who may have introduced it from Egypt, or vice versd.
Street fencing, etc., was almost a frequent sight in the lower quarters
of Cairo.

(52) Bulak, the port of Cairo, best known to strangers as the home
of the famous Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.

(53) Bab el-Karafeh, near the tombs of the Mamluks, and of the
Imdm Shifi at the base of Jebel Mokattam.

(54) El-Fostdt gives its name to "fustian", just as Mosul does to
muslin, Damietta to dimity, etc.

(55) The Mosque of Amr (p. 906).

(56) Nefisa (" the precious one ") was the great-granddaughter of
the ImAm el-Hasan. Her father, the Governor of Medina, was impri-
soned by El-Mansur, and restored to power by Al-Mahdi. She was
married to a son of the Imim JaTar es-Sidik, and after living the
life described by Leo, died in Old Cairo A.H. 218 (a.d. 824). Her
mosque and mausoleum (formerly her house), is still much reverenced
as a " Kardmat ", or miracle-working shrine, though no longer the
attraction it was in Leo's day. It stands — or stood — in the Darb
as-Sabua, which formerly divided Old and New Cairo, and is now
a suburb of the latter.

Makrizi, Arabic MS. in Bibl. Nat.^ No. 682, fol. 335, 360, vide De
Sacys ed. Abd Allatif (pp. 428, 430) more than once refers to the
Mosque of Sitta Nefisa in Cairo.

(57) Not the so-called "Tombs of the Khalifs" or "El-K^it Bey",
but the almost equally ruined " Tombs of the Mamluks " south of
Cairo.

(58) Suez. These landmarks do not now exist.

(59) Matariyya, a village near Heliopolis, once celebrated for its
balsam {Balsamodendron gileadensis and B. opobalsatnum\ brought.

gi6 NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

according to current legend, from Judsea to this spot by Cleopatra, in
spite of the opposition of Herod. But Josephus tells us that the
ground on which the Balsam of Gilead grew, near Jericho and in
Arabia, belonged to Cleopatra, and was farmed for her by Herod.
At all events, the balsam was taken from Matariyya (where it does
not now grow) and cultivated, in the vicinity of Mecca, whence it is
exported under the name of Mecca balsam. But the resin is obtained
from a variety of Terebinthacea;. All the older writers refer to it.
Abd Allatif {Relation de PEgypte, pp. 20-22) describes its growth at
Matariyya. So do Alpinus {Hist. Nat. Egypt.^ part i, chap. 14, p.
26, et seq.\ Vesleng {Ibid.^ pp. 174, 227, etc.), Belon {lib. cit.^ liv, ii,
ch. 39, p. 246, et seq.\ Linnaeus {Attuenitates Academica^ vol. vii,
p. 55, et seq.\ Sionite {De nonnullis Oriental, urbibus^ Geog.
Nubiensis, p. 27), Pellegrino Brocardi {Dissertazione intomo ad
alcuni viaggiatori eruditi Veres, da D.J. Morelli), and a host of
other writers less apocryphal than the compiler of the travels which
pass under the name of Sir John de Mandeville, who affects to have
visited Egypt in the reign of Melee Mandebron [Al-Melik al-
MozafTer Baybers], about the year 1335. Suyuti and Kazwini, two
Arabic writers, whose MS. works in the National Library of Paris
are cited by De Sacy in his edition of Abd Allatif, p. 90, speak of
the well as fountains with which the balsam plants at*' Mataria" were
watered, with the addition that the virtues of the irrigant were due to
the Messiah having bathed in it. The modern Coptic version, also
related by Makrizi (MS. in Bibl. Nat. No. 682, fol. it^vide De Sacy;,
is that the water was salt until the arrival of the Holy Family in Egypt,
its softness being due to ** Our Lady having bathed in it". In reality
the supposed spring is an infiltration from the Nile, while the super-
stitions connected with it go back to the early days of Egypt, when it
was the " Fountam of the Sun."

(60) The island of Raudha (koda),or the isle of the Mekds^ Measurer,
or Nilometer. According to Makrizi, it was first known as "the island",
or the " island of Misr ". Then it was called the Fort Island, Ahmed
Ibn Tiilun (a.d. 861) having built a fort on it, and later still received
the name of Raudha. Here Gureyg the Mukowkis, the traitorous Greek
governor, retired with his forces until he could make terms with the
Moslem conqueror, into whose hands the frontier of Babylon had
fallen. And on Raudha the Khalif Amir biacham-allah reared a plea-
sure house (haudaj) for his Bedouin wife, "and Sdleh Nejim ed-Din
.Ayyub built the fortress called Sdlehiyya". The Bahrite ("river")
Mamluks, who derive their name from being quartered here, further
peopled it, while Ibrihim Pasha laid out the northern part of the gar-
dens. But though no longer resorted to by the Cairenes for a change
of air, the foreign visitor comes to inspect the Nilometer, and the

NOTES TO HOOK VIII. 917

natives respect it as the traditional spot where Pharaoh's daughter
found the infant Moses. (Arabic MS. in Bibl. Nat., No. 682, fol. 376,
7>ide De Sacy in Abd Allatif, p. 388). For the ceremonies attending
the overflowing of the Nile, see Lane, Modem Egyptians (1871),
vol. ii, p. 224, et seq, ; Abd-Allatif (ed. De Sacy), pp. 404, 406,
505, etc.

(61) In this chapter Leo mixes up descriptions of El-Fostat and
Cairo without any warning, except from the context, that he has
suddenly shifted his ground. Thus, he is again at Cairo in describing
the Citadel (El-Kara), near to the Bab ez-Zuweyla. It has been much
altered since Leo's day, some of the oldest and most interesting parts
having been pulled down — among others ,Saladin's palace. But it is
still a little town in itself, and perfectly sodden with the grim chroni-
cles from the twelfth century. Here, as in the days which follow,
Leo describes the Cairo of the Mamluk Sultans. For though he
saw the conquest by Selim — or Selin, as he spells the name— and
visited the country thrice subsequently — but, according to my
calculation, not later than 1 520 — his Egypt is essentially that of the
"old Soldans", whose rule ended in 15 17.

(62) This description of the customs of Cairo might, making
allowance for four centuries having almost elapsed since it was written,
stand ver>' well for those of to-day. The " Sakkas ", or water-sellers,
of Leo's time are exactly those of ours, as sketched in L2in€s Modem
Egyptians, vol. ii, p. 16, et seq.

(63) Artificial egg-hatching, now familiar enough in Europe and
America, where incubators of various kinds are in use, was from a very
early date an Egyptian industry, which excited the interest and even
disgust of prejudiced strangers. Early in the second century the
Emperor Hadrian, in a letter to the Consul Servianus, full of contempt
for the Egyptians, adds that he wished them no other curse than to be
fed on their own chickens, " which are hatched in a way I am ashamed
[/.^., lest his veracity might be doubted] to relate." At one time, the
trade of "manufacturing chickens", as the Arabs call it, was an
oppressive monopoly in the hands of farmers-general, who exercised
their lucrative privileges with so little regard to justice that, accord-
ing to Makrizi, it was suppressed in A.H. 716 (a.d. 13 16) by the
reigning Sultan. At present, the Copts are the chief "chicken
makers". At Gizeh there are many ovens, and at Mansura there used
to be a great industry in it ; the villagers of Berniai bearing the repu-
tation of being supremely skilful at the art, which is only practised
during the first two or three months of spring and early summer, for
reasons given by Abd AUatif (p. 1 54).

A recent report (1891) of the United States Consul-General in Egypt,

91 8 NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

sketches this ancient trade, and the 600 ovens {mammal cl ferdk)
in which the hatching takes place. One which he visited was wholly
constructed of sun-dried bricks, mortar, and earth. It was 70 ft. long,
60 ft. wide, and 16 ft. high, and was provided with twelve com|)art-
ments or incubators, each capable of hatching 7,500 eggs, or altogether
90,000, at one time. The season begins in March and lasts until May,
and three batches of eggs are hatched in this time, each taking an
average of three weeks. The fourth week is given to removing the
chickens, and preparing the incubators for a new batch of eggs. The
number of eggs treated at this establishment in a single season was
therefore 270,000, from which 234,000 chickens are usually obtained.
The percentage of chickens would be greater but that the eggs are in
some instances procured from long distances and in large quantities,
and are therefore liable to damage. The price of eggs is i\d. per
dozen, and the chickens just issued from the shell are sold at 7\d,
per dozen. The loss of chickens after incubation is comparatively
small. The whole staff of the place is a man and a boy, who keep up
the fires to a temperature of not less than 98^ F., arrange the eg-gs,
move them four or five times in the twenty-four hours, look after
the chickens, and hand them over to the buyers, or to the customers,
who generally receive one chicken for every two eggs sent in.
In short, it is carried on to-day in all essential details as Herodotus
saw it practised in Memphis more than 2,300 years ago. The number
of chickens hatched in this manner throughout Egypt is variously
estimated at from 10,000,000 to 75,000,000, and would, under
ordinary circumstances, at the highest figure named, require 1,500,000
mothers.

(64) El Chenefia.

(65) " II giudice della religione chiamata Essifichia^^ the followers
of the Iman Esh-Sh^fi (a.h. 150, A.D. 767-68).

(66) The Sunnites, in opposition to the Shiites. " Hashari " (Asari)
is apparently a misprint or lapsus pennce for Esh-Sh^fi (Asafi), ut
supra. He was of the Koraish tribe, and descended from Abd-ul
Muttalib, the Prophet's grandfather.

(67) Malek ibn Anas (a.d. 95-179, A.D. 713-14—795), the first great
systematiser of Moslem doctrines, and the founder of the Malekite
Rite, as contradistinguished from the Hanefite, the school of Abu
Hanefa an-Noman (a.h. 80, a.d. 699-70). Malek was born in Medina,
or Medinat en-Nebi, "City of the Prophet "—" Medina Talnabi,"
according to Leo's somewhat uncouth transliteration.

(68) Such dreadful punishments, contrary to both the spirit and the

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 919

letter of the Koran, were abandoned about the same time that the
scarcely less hideous ones, equally inimical to the teachings of
Christianity, disappeared from European jurisprudence.

(69) This form of mutilation was prevalent in the time of Strabo
(pp. 711, 824). Lane informs us that it is still universally practised in
every part of Egypt, both by Moslems and Copts, except in Alexandria
and perhaps a few other places on the shores of the Mediterranean
{Modem Egyptians^ vol. i, p. 7^ ; Arabic Dictionary, sub voce
" Hafeda ")• Karsten Niebuhr " heard " that it was in vogue on both
shores of the Persian Gulf and at Bagdad. {Description cPArabie,
p. 70). It is known in Somaliland, and Strabo mentions its preva-
lence not only in Egypt but in Arabia, where it is still carried out.
Indeed, no Arab would accept a bride on whom the operation had not
been performed. Roland {De Religione Mohammedica, ed. 17 17,
p. 75), traces an allusion to it in Galen. See also 'Eh^rs, Egypten und
die Biicher Mosis, vol. i, pp. 278-284, etc., and Burton's edition of The
Arabian Nights , vol. v, p. 279.

(70) This is not quite accurate. Besides the Circassian (Burgi)
Mamluks, there were others of Turkish (Bahri) or Tartar origin, and
several whose names suggest even Arab descent, though they appear
to have been actually Tartars, and many were Greeks. Nor, of
course, did it always follow that their religion had been originally
Christian.

(71) In 1250, when Melek el-Ashraf was deposed by the Bahrite
Mamluk, Melek Mo'izz Aybek. What follows refers to El-'Adid's
vizier Shawer, in his struggles with Darghan for office, calling in the
help of Nur ed-Din, ruler of Aleppo, who sent Kurdish troops under his
son Saldh ed-Din (Saladin). With these allies he quarrelled, and by
the assistance of Amauri, or Amalrik, King of Jerusalem, drove them
out of Egypt. On AmaUri in his turn attempting to capture Cairo,
that city was burnt. The Kurds were again called on, and Sal^h ed-Din
became Vizier, and subsequently king by usurping the throne on the
deathof El-'Adid. Melek es-Sileh (Negm ed-D in Ayyub) originally
imported the Mamluks or white slaves to defend him against the
Crusaders and his own kinsmen.

(72) Also called Niib es-Saltana, or Viceroy, or Melik el-Umara
("King of Nobles"), who Uved in a special palace (Dar en-
Niiba) in the Citadel. Lane- Poole, Art of the Saracens, p. 29.
Leo's title for this functionary may perhaps be deciphered as the
Emir el-Janddr or Jukendar ; Makrizi, Mamlouks, t. i, pp. ir8,
121.

020 NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

i7}) He was originally designated Atabck of the Armies (Atabek
el-asaker) ; but after the middle of the fourteenth century he was
called simply El-Emir el-Kabir ("the chief ruler"). In the D/'
Legatione Badylonica {\^i6), p. 85, of Peter Martyr (Anglcrius) we read
that " Emir-Chebir est Magistratus primus post Soldanum."

(74) This official is not mentioned by Makrizi under that name ; he
always speaks simply of the NAib (Nai), the Viceroy or Governor of
Syria.

(75) The Ostidddr or Major-domo, who by the year 1400, and
during the turbulent reign of En-N^sir, had so encroached on the post
of Grand Vizier as to control not only the Royal Household, but the
finances and Royal domains also. The title Ostid-dir means literally
chief master of the house. Makrizi, Mamlouks^ t. i, pp. 25-27.

(76) Amir-Akhfir, assisted by the Sela-Khari or provider of the
horses' food, and sometimes by a second Amir-Akhor, usually of the
rank of Amirs of the Tabl-kh^na or Decarions, or " Grand Ecuyer",
to use the title of the corresponding French functionary. The as-
sistant Amir-Akhors had the control of the different animals. Hence
there were Amir-Akhors of the foals, of the camel stables, and some-
times of the oxen, the official in that case taking the title of Amir-Akhor
as-Sawiki (" the Amir-Akhor of the machines of irrigation "). Von
Hammer, Des Osmanischcn Reichs Stoats- Verfassung^ vol. ii, p. 409 ;
Makrizi, MamloukSy t. i, pp. 1 19, 120.

{yj) Amir-Alf (commander of a thousand) is apparently the Amir-
Alam or Adjutant -general, who took charge of the Sultan's arms
(" trattar I'arme del soldano").

(78) Amir-mia (commander of a hundred), a functionary not men-
tioned by Makrizi.

(79) Really the GAshenkir, or Taster, an office filled by the founder
of the Mamluk kings to Melik Saleh. — Makrizi, Hist, des Sultans
Mamlouks^ t. i, p. 2.

(80) The Amir-Silih, or chief Armour-bearer (Sildhdir). In some
MSS. of Abu-1-mahasen quoted by De Sacy (Makrizi, t. i, p. 159),
it is mentioned that latterly the Amir-Silih became one of the chief
dignitaries after the Atibek-Amir el-Kebir.

(81) The Tisht-Khina was the room in which the Royal robes,
jewels, etc., were kept. The officials were called Tishtddrs and
RakhtwAnis, and were under the direction of two mihtars or superin-
tendents. Makrizi, Mamlouks^ t. i, p. 162.

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 92 1

(82) The Shardbdirs of the Sharib-Khina were under the control of
one or two mihtars.

(83) The Firdsh-Khina was really the store-room.

(84) " Sebabatia, cio h gli staffieri."

The Sultan's pages were called Ojakis, and were evidently, from a
passage in Makrizi (t. i, p. 108), a set of pampered, mischievous imps.
In the reign of Melik MozafTer Kutuz (a.d. 1260) they attacked the
Christians of Damascus.

(85) Tabarkhdna, or Department of Tabardars (Halberdiers ?), under
the Amir-Tabar. The Tablkhina was the drum department, the Amir
of the Tablkhina being a very high functionary under the Mamluk
Sultans. Many of these offices and customs, like the highly-prized
privilege of keeping a private band, went out when the Turks took
possession of Egypt. — Lane- Poole, Art of the Saracens in Egypt ^
pp. 29-33 J Makrizi, Mamlouks^ t. i, p. 173.

(86) "Addavia" in the 1632 reprint, " Addauia" in the 161 3 and
early editions generally. According to Makrizi, the Amir Gandar, a
high official, introduced great persons to the Royal presence, com-
manded the gandirs or equerries, and the Berd-dars or chamber
attendants, and, besides having charge of the prison (zardkhina),
superintended executions and tortures. He was selected from
the ranks of the Colonels {mukkadam) or Lords of the Drum. — Lane-
Poole, lib. cit,^ p. 30.

(fiy) According to Makrizi, the couriers were called " Beridis".
They travelled between Cairo and Damascus in four days.

(88) The "Ghishia" was a Royal saddle-cloth embroidered with
gold and precious stones. It was an emblem of sovereignty always
carried before the Sultan by one of the great Amirs, whose rank on
that account came to be called Ghishia. It sometimes means a club,
a reunion — "those who habitually surround one man". Burton
renders " Ghashiyah" as literally ** a cover", or, as employed nowa-
days, "a saddle-cover carried by the groom^^ ^Arabian Nights^
vol. iv, p. 131 ; Makrizi, Mamlouks^ t. i, pp. 3-7. The "Escifia"of
Leo appear to be the Khassekis, a grade of Mamluks always in
attendance on the Sultan, and who accompanied the Mahmil to
Mekka. They bore, after the Mamluk fashion, the lofty title of
* Kawdmil al-Koffal" (the perfect administrators). —Makrizi, Mamlouksy

t. ii, pp. 158, 159.

(89) The ** Khazindar" was the Mamluk treasurer.

3 N

922 NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

(90) The Kitim es-Sirr, the private secretary, who shared with the
Dew&dir the conduct of the Sultan's correspondence. — Makrizi,
MamloukSy t ii, p. 115.

(91) There were various other secretaries, such as the Kitib ed-Derej
(Cabinet Secretary), the Kdtib el- 1 nshi (Secretary of the Chancellery),
etc. The Mushidd, a word of similar sound, designated an inspector.

(92) The " Mutesib" (muhUsib) is still a familiar official in all the
Arab- speaking portions of Northern Africa, and even in Persia under
the same name (Quatrem^re, in Makrizi, lib, cii.^ t. i, p. 1 14). The title is,
however, spelt so variously by European travellers that it is sometimes
almost beyond recognition. Thus, it is the " metassoup" of Albert
{Etat de PEgypte^ p. 80), the "metasit" of Sequezzi (Revenus €U
lEgypt^ p. 89), the " metesseb" of Pococke {DescrtpL of the E<ist^
vol i, p. 165), the "moteheseb" of Host {Efterretninger^ p. 260), *'al
motassen" of Ali Bey {Voyages^ t. iii, p. 128, etc). See also De Sacy,
Chrestomathie Arabe^ t. i, p. 468, et seq, ; De Chabrol, Essai sur Us
mceurs de PEgypte^ p. 515 ; Lane, Modem Egyptians^ voL i, pp. 154,
155.

(93) The Amir el-Hajj— " Lord of the Pilgrimage" — still a very
important office, but no longer the costly dignity it was under the
Mamluks.

(94) Gizeh. This favourite summer retreat of the Mamluks is now
a village of wrecked houses and ruined bazaars. Last century there
was a manufactory of sal ammoniac here, and Savary notes the fields
of sallflower {Carihamus tinctorid) in its vicinity.

(95) Probably Helwan or Alban, founded, or at least restored, by the
Arabs under the Khalifateof Abd el-Melik. Abu-1-feda (ed. Reinaud,
t. ii, p. 140) describes it as a "pleasant place" (Quatrem^re, M^moires
Giographiques et historiques^ etc., p. 25). The Egyptian fig is the
Ficus Sycamorus.

(96) El-Khanka, a ruined town, little known except for being one
of the places on the caravan route to Mekka. It and Birket el-Hajj,
the rendezvous of the pilgrims, are frequently mentioned in old narra-
tives. Thus, in the Prefetto of Egypt's journal (1722) from Cairo
to Mount Sinai (Maundrell, A Journey from Aleppo to Jerusa-
lem^ ed. 1810, pp. 222, 224, 272) places "called Chanke", chiefly
inhabited by poor Beda weens and " Ukalt El-bahaar", are noted.

(97) El-Masarah, on the route to the Baths of Helwan, though Leo
does not mention the great quarries. He describes it as " dopo il
Cairo sopra il Nilo". " Sesama" is the s^sdim^ {Sesamum J ndicum

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 923

and S. OrientaU) still extensively grown in Egypt for the oil, which is
used as a cosmetic, and is preferred for cooking purposes to olive oil.

(98) Benisuef. The linen manufacture for which it was famous in
Leo's day was revived by Mehemet Ali in 1826, and it is still
prosperous so far as the weaving of coarse fabrics in demand by the
fellaheen is concerned. When Savary visited the town in 1 777, he found
carpet weaving the only industry, though almost crushed under the
exaction of the Bey, who collected " arbitrary taxes sword in hand".
Benisuef is less than seventy-three miles by railway from Cairo, but the
crocodile is not nowadays found further north than about the twenty-
seventh parallel, which is about 120 miles further south.

(99) Minieh, a prosperous town of about 100,000 people, and the seat
of a considerable sugar manufactory. It was called Minyet beni-1-
Khassib, after Al-Khassib, Controller of the Finances of Egypt
under the Khalifate of Harun ar-Raschid, whose sons received the
government of Upper Egypt during the Khalifate of Al-Mamun.
The family had their residence here ; but, as the remains of Romano-
Grecian architecture show, they were not the founders of the place.

(100) Medinet el-Fayum,or Medinet el- Fares — the capital of Fayum,
and hence generally called Medineh (" the City "). To the north of it
is the site of Arsinoe, or Crocodopolis, Arsinoe being the name by
which the Copts still call Medinet el-Fayum. The legends repeated
by Leo do not rest on any basis more solid than Arab imagination.
Medinet el-Fayum is a comparatively modem town, our author ex-
pressly referring to the ancient city, relics of which, in the shape of
mounds, are found in its vicinity. Abu-1-feda speaks of Al-Fayum as
possessing many artizans, baths, markets and colleges, where the
doctrines of Shifi and Melek were taught. M. Reinaud considers
Fayum an alteration of the Egyptian " Piom", which signifies a great
mass of water. Ed. of Abu-1-feda, t. ii, 1 58 ; Champollion, LEgypte
sous Us PharaonSy t. i, p. 325.

(loi) Manfalut, from the Coptic Manbalut, the remains of which,
Leo writes, no longer exist, but mounds exist in the neighbourhood ;
and though no notice is taken of it by Greek or Roman historians, the
name occurs in Coptic MSS., and means (Quatrem^re, Mdmoires
G^og. et historiquesy t. i, p. 217) "the refuge of the wild asses".
Abu-1-feda (ed. Reinaud, t. ii, p. 1 56) describes Manfalut as a small
town on the western (not the eastern^ as translated by Quatrem6re,
Reiske and Michaelis) bank of the Nile, with a single mosque. But
when Mr. Richard Pococke, afterwards Bishop of Ossory (A Descrip-
tion of the East, I745)i visited the place, it stood, owing to alterations
of the current, nearly a mile from the river. Now the stream has

3 N 2

924 NOTES TO BOOK VIII.

gained ground so rapidly that, unless the encroachments cease, the
town must disappear. The crocodile mummy pits are at Maabdel, on
the Jebel Abufayda. But the crocodiles described by Leo as haunting
"the fields" ("e i coccodrilli fanno dimolti danni") are not now
found so far to the north. In Makrizi's day, the Christians of Man-
falut were so brotherly that they all worshipped at the Monastery
of Benu Kelb. When Pococke made acquaintance with the place there
were 200 Christians, whose church was at Narach.

(102) Asiut is still a place of considerable importance, though not
so wealthy since the decay of its caravan trade with the Sudan.
Except mounds, tombs, and grottoes, there are now few remains
of the ancient city of which Leo speaks. The Patriarch Peter
of Alexandria mentions Meletius, Bishop of 2/ai($ur, who is elsewhere
referred to as MfXsr/o; 6 dirh AjjxS/ riji e>nfiathoi, St. John of
Lycopolis is called St. John of Sio6ut by the Copts. {Illustrium
Christi martyrum lecti triumphi^ p. 20. Quatrem^re, Mimoires^ t i,
p. 275.) The Arabs preserved the Coptic name in the modem desig-
nation of the town, which Abu-1-feda (ed. Reinaud, t. ii, p. 1 54) writes
as Osiuth (Osyouth) or Soyouth.

(103) Ikhmin, or Akhmin, the successor of the Greek Chenunis
(X*>^/g), or Panopolis (llai'owoX/^), the Arabic name being a slight
corruption of the Coptic Shmin, The remains of buildings erected
by, or in honour of, Thothmes III, Ptolemy, son of Auletes, Dio-
cletian, and other sovereigns, fully justify the Arab legends, to which
Leo gives voice, about this being a very ancient city, though its
foundation by Ikhmin, son of Misraim, " The son of Cush, which
was the son [?] of Ham " (" Icmin figliuolo di Misrain, a cui tu padre
Cus figliuolo di En" more correctly in the original Italian), is, as
usual, apocryphal. Herodotus refers to Chemmis, and Strabo to
Panopolis; and it is mentioned by Abu-1-feda, Ibn Haukal, Kaswini,
El-Bekri, Makrizi, and other Moslem historians. From Leo's account
it seems to have suffered so much at the conqueror's hands— albeit,
according to Herodotus, the citizens took more kindly to foreign (to
wit, Greek) customs than the rest of the Egyptians. Dulnuni, who
wrote the -fi'AJ/^.ffr^^^/ (Experiments), was a native of Ikhmin, as was
also Perseus, to whom his descendants ordained festivals here, which
rivalled those to Pan, after whom the city was named. For remains of
serpent worship here see Savary, Letters^ vol. i, p. 465. When Pococke
visited it in 1737, Ikhmin was governed by a Berber Amir. But, like
the Howara and other Moghrebin tribes once extending to Egypt
(Khalil-Dahery in De Sacy, Chrestomathie arabe, t. i, pp. 242, 243,
247 : Quatrem^re, M^moires^ t. ii, p. 200, et seq \ the Berber princes
of Ikhmin have vanished. These Howara rulers were probably those

NOTES TO BOOK VIII. 925

referred to by Leo in his account of Menshiyeh. But in that case
there is a slight obscurity ; for, leaving out of account the fact that
they were in power until at least 1737, there was never any " impera-
dore de* Turchi " called " Sulienian nono " ; what Leo means is pro-
bably that the princes in question were (more or less temporarily)
suppressed— which is extremely likely — by Selim I on his conquest
of Egypt, and that Selim was the ninth Emperor of Turkey, unless,
indeed, Solyman (" the magnificent ")> who was the tenth Sultan, and
reigned from 1520 to 1566, is intended. The " Dalmatian Slave ",
to whom tradition assigned the elevation of the Menshiyeh Berber
chief, was Gowher.

(104) Menshiyeh, the Coptish Psoi, the capital of a Greek Nome of
the same name, though it is improbable that the place, not appa-
rently at any time extensive, occupies the site of Ptolemais Hermii, a
town as large as Thebes.

(105) Girgeh, or St. George's, a considerable town named from the
Coptic convent sacred to the patron saint of Egypt and of England.
When Pococke and Norden visited it the town was a quarter of a
mile from the Nile. Now we learn (Murray, Guide Book^ p. 233)
that by the pressure of the river on the eastern bank, part of the
place has been washed away.

(106) There are many Coptic monasteries in this region. The
one named Chean (Khean) is too loosely located to be identified with
certainty. But both the huge village monastery of (in the Egyptian-
Arabic) Dayr el-abiad, or Amba-Shenudeh, and Dayr el-ahmar, or
Amba Bishoi, correspond in some degree to Leo's description.

(107) Denderah, where, close to a modem village of that name, there
is a Ptolemaic temple to Venus, and other ruins. Tentyres, the vil-
lage of crocodile-hunters, stood here.

(108) Keneh, the site of the ancient Caenopolis or Neapolis. It
still does a great trade with Kosseir (Chossir), Yambo (lambuh,
Emba), and Jiddah. It is actually about eighty miles from the Red
Sea.

(109) Esneh is confounded by Leo with Syene, which was Assuan, a
blunder followed by Sicard {MSm. des Missions^x. ii, p. 183), Vansleb,
and others. Strabo (lib. xvii, p. 817), Ptolemy (lib. iv, cap. 5), and the
Antonine Itinerary (p. 160) mention Lato or Latopolis, and in the
NotiHa dignitatum imperii (ed. Labbe, p. 320) a corps of Egyptian
archers is referred to as stationed at this city. Edrisi and Al-Adfai
(cited by Makrizi) also speak of Esneh ; but if the Ansena of Abu-1-

926 NOTES TO BOOK VTIL

feda was opposite Oshmnnayn (ed. Rdnaod, p. 157) h cookl not have
been Esnefa, but the modern village of Sheikh Abadeh, the site of the
ancient AntinoE, also still caDed Ansena. It was a ** city of magi-
cians", from which, according to the Arabs, Pharaoh brought the
conjurors to compete with Moses in miracle working. Hartmann
{Edrisii Africa^ p. 505) and Qoatrcm^re {Sf^moires^ t i, p. 273) seem
to £amcy Abo-l-feda's Ansena identical with Leo's Asna.

(no) Asoan, Aswan, or Oswan, occupies the site of the ancient
Syene, the Arabic name being, however, a corruption by prefixing
an I of the Coptic Sti€tn or Serum. This town, situated at £sh-
Shellal or the First Cataract of the Nile, 730 miles from the
Mediterranean, ended Leo's voyage, as it has terminated that
of so many less famous tourists. Beyond, he was correctly enough
informed, there were many ruins. But the most extraordinary
circumstance connected with Leo's Nile voyage is that he passed
close to the actual Thebes, evidently without being aware of that
remarkable remnant of the ancient greatness of Egypt. Luxor,
the site of the Greek and Roman Diosp<^s, he must have seen,
but before reaching that point he had become bias/ about infidel
antiquities. At all events, he went up to Asuan and back again
to Keneh, whence he crossed to Kosseir on the Red Sea without
noticing Koptos (Kobt) or Kamak. Otherwise, hb description
is fairly complete. Asuan is still — or was until the Sudan was
partially closed to caravans — a great place of trade with inner
Africa, Suakim and the Red Sea ports, and the population is
about as mixed (as Leo declares) as the language of the races beyond
the First Cataract In those days this region was dominated by the
Bejas, the Egyptian jurisdiction ending, as did latterly the Roman
rule, at Asuan (Strabo, lib. 17).

lOHN LEO HIS

NINTH BOOKE OF

the Historic of Africa, and

of the memorable things

therein contained.

Wherein he entreateth of the principall riuers, and

of the strange liuing creatures, plants, and

minerals of the same countrey.

Oftlie riuer of Tensist

He riuer of *Tensist (that we may * o tchH^.
begin in Barbarie from the westerne
part of Africa) springing foorth of
the mountaines of Atlas which are
next vnto the citie of Hanimmei, to
witte, about the east part of the
territorie of Maroco, and continuing
his course northwarde ouer the plaines, receiueth many
other riuers thereinto, and at Azafi a towne of Duccala
dischargeth hisstreames into the maine Ocean. Into this
mightie riuer of Tensist fall two other great riuers, called
Siffelmel and Niffis ; the one whereof springeth out of
Hanteta a mountaine of Maroco ; and the other issuing
foorth of mount Atlas neere vnto Maroca, and winding
it selfe along the plaines of that region, disemboqueth at
last into the saide mightie riuer. And albeit the riuer
Tensist be for the most part of an exceeding depth, yet

928 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

may it in diuers places be waded ouer, where the water
reacheth vnto the stirrups of an horseman : but a footemen
must strippe himselfe naked to passe ouer the same.
Neerc vnto Maroco there is a bridge of fifteene arches
builte by king Mansor vpon this riuer : which bridge is
accounted one of the most curious buildings in all Africa.
Three of the saide arches were demolished by Abu Dubus
the last king and patriarke of Maroco, to the ende he might
hinder the passage of Jacob the first Fezsan king of the
Marin familie : but this attempt of his was to none effect,
as it sufficiently appeered by the successe thereof.

Of the two riuer s called Teseuhin,

THe two riuers called by this one name, springing each
of them, three miles asunder, out of mount Gugideme,
and running through the plaines of Hascora, exonerate
themselues into the riuer called Lebich. These two riuers
(as I haue said) haue one onely name, being either of them
(according to the African language) called Teseut in the
singular number, and in the plural Teseuhin, which sig^i-
fieth listes or borders.

Of Quadelhabidy that is to say^ the riuer ofseruants.

QVadelhabid taking his original among the high and
chill mountaines of Atlas, and running through
certaine narrow and vneeuen valleis, holdeth on his course
by the confines of Hascora and Tedle, and then stretching
northward ouer a certaine plaine, falleth at length into the
riuer of Ommirabih. In Maie when the snow melteth, this
riuer increaseth to some bignes.

Of the riuer of Ommirabih.

THe mightie riuer of Ommirabih issuing also forth of
the lofty mountaines of Atlas where the prouince of
Tedle bordereth vpon the kingdome of Fez, passeth through

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 929

certain plaines called Adachfun, and being afterward
streitned among the narrow valleis, it runneth vnder a
stately bridge built by Ibulhasen the fourth king of the
Marin family : from thence trending southward it watereth
the plaines situate between the regions of Duccala and
Temesne, and lastly disburdeneth it selfe vnder the wals of
Azamor into the maine Ocean. About the end of Maye
they take great store of fishes in this riuer called by the
Italians Lasche, wherwith all Azamur being sufficiently
stored, they salt the said fishes and send many ships ful of
them into Portugal 1.

Of the riuer of Buregrag,

BVregrag arising out of one of the mountaines of Atlas,
and continuing his course by sundrie vallies, woods,
and hils, proceedeth on ouer a certaine plaine, and neere
vnto the townes of Sala and Rabat, being the vtmost
frontiers of the Fezsan kingdome, it falleth into the Ocean
sea. Neither haue the two foresaid townes any other port
or harbour, but within the mouth of the said riuer onely,
which is so difficult to enter, that vnlesse the pilote be
throughly acquainted with the place, he is in great hazard
of running his ship vpon the shoulds : which shoulds serue
instead of bulwarkes to defend either towne from the fleets
of the Christians.

Of the riuer of Baht,

THis riuer issuing foorth of mount Atlas, stretcheth
northward by the woods and mountaines, and
running among certaine litle hils, disperseth it selfe vpon
the plaines of the prouince of Azgar, and from thence it
falleth into certaine fens, lakes, and moist valleies, where
they take great store of eeles, and of the foresaid fishes
called Lasche. The inhabitants Hue vpon cattell, and
fishing, and by reason of the plentie of milke, fish, and

930 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

butter which they eate, they are much subiect vnto the
disease called in Italian Morphia. This riuer may con-
tinually be waded ouer, except it be much increased by
abundance of raine and melted snowe.

Of the riuer of Subu,

THe riuer of Subu beginneth vpon mount Selilgo,
standing in Cheuz, a prouince of the Fezsan king-
dome. And it springeth out of a great fountaine in the
midst of a vaste and solitarie woode, and runneth by
diuers mountaines and hils : from whence extending vpon
the plaines, it approcheth within sixe miles of Fez, diuideth
in sunder the regions of Habat and Azgar, and at length
about Mahmora, a place not farre from Sala, exonerateth
it selfe into the Ocean sea. Into this river fall diuers others,
two of which, namely Guarga and Aodor, spring out of
the mountaines of Gumera, and the residue from the
mountaines of the terrltorie of Teza. And although Subu
be a large riuer, yet may it in sundry places be waded
ouer, except in winter and the spring, when it cannot be
crossed but in certaine dangerous and small boats. The
same riuer also which runneth through the citie of Fez
called in the language of that country, The riuer of perles,
entereth into the foresaid riuer of Subu. This riuer of
Subu aboundeth exceedingly with fish, and especially with
the foresaid fishes called Lasche, which are there of no
reckoning. The mouth thereof neere vnto the Ocean sea,
being very deepe and broad, is nauigable for ships of great
burthen, as the Portugals and Spaniards haue found by
often experience : and were not the inhabitants so sloth-
full, it might vsually and commodiously be .sailed vport :
yea, if the corne which is carried by the merchants of Fez
ouer land through the region of Azgar, were conueighed by
water vp this riuer, it might be solde at Fez for half the
price.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 93 ^

Of the riuer of Lucus.

LVccus issuing forth of the mountaines of Gumera, and
stretching westward ouer the plaines of Hebat and
Azgar, passeth by the city of Casar Elcabir, and neere vnto
Harais a city of Azgar vpon the borders of Habat, dis-
chargeth it selfe into the main Ocean : in the mouth of this
riuer lyeth the hauen of the foresaid city, being very
difficult to enter.

Of the riuer of MuluUo.

MVluUo arising out of mount Atlas betweene the cities
of Teza, and Dubdu, runneth through the dessert
and barren plaines of Terrest and Tasrata, and at length
exonerateth it selfe into the riuer Muluia.

Of the riuer of Muluna,

THe famous riuer of *Muluna taking his originall from * Or Muluia.
that part of Atlas which is situate in the region of
Cheuz, about fine and twentie miles from the citie of
Gherseluin, and passing ouer dishabited and drie plaines, as
also amidst the deserts of Angad and of Caret, and by
the foote of mount Beni leznaten, falleth not farre from
the towne of Chasasa into the Mediterran sea. This
riuer a man may wade ouer alwaies in sommer, in the
mouth whereof are caught most excellent fishes.

Of the riuer of Za,

THis riuer springing out of mount Atlas runneth through
a certaine plaine of the desert of Angad, whereas
the kingdomes of Fez and of Telensin confine one vpon
an other : which though it be exceeding deepe, yet neuer
did I see the water thereof thicke or muddie. It aboundeth
with fishes, but the inhabitants being destitute of fit
instruments, can not take them, neither indeed be the
waters conuenient to fish vpon, bicause they are so cleere.

932 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the riuer of Tefne.

THe small riuer of Tefne issuing foorth of the moun-
taines bordering vpon Numidia, and continuing a
northerly course ouer the desert of Angad, falleth into the
Mediterran sea, about fifteene miles from Telensin, and it
affourdeth nought but a fewe small fishes.

Of the riuer Mina.

THis riuer flowing out of certaine mountaines neere
vnto Tegdent, passeth through the fieldes of the
citie of Batha, and thence runneth northerly into the
Mediterran sea.

Of the riuer Sele,

THis great river falling from the mountaines of
Guanferis, and descending through barren plaines
to the confines of the kingdomes of Telensin and. Tenez,
separateth Mezagran from Mustuganin, and then entreth
into the Mediterran sea : in the mouth of which riuer are
caught very excellent fishes of diuers kinds.

Of the riuer Sessaia,

THis small riuer beginning from mount Atlas, passeth
ouer the plaine of Mettegia neere vnto Alger, and
not farre from the ancient towne of Temendesust dis-
chargeth it selfe into the Mediterran sea.

Of that which is called The great riuer.

THis riuer ariseth out of the mountaines adioining vpon
the region of Zeb, from whence running along, it
disemboqueth into the Mediterran sea about three miles
from Bugia. It ouerfloweth not but in rainie and snowie
weather : neither vse the people of Bugia to fish therein,
hauing the sea so neere them.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 933

Of the riuer called Susgmare,

IT springeth out of the mountaines bordering vpon
mount Auras, and passeth on through the barren
fields vnto the territorie of the citie Constantina, and
gliding along by the borders thereof, it receiueth a small
riuer ; and so holding a Northerly course it falleth into
the Mediterran sea about the same place where it sepa-
rateth the fields of Chollo from the fieldes of the castle
called legel.

Of the riuer ladog,

THis small riuer issuing foorth of the mountaines neere
Constantina, and stretching by the same mountaines
towards the east, disburdeneth it selfe into the sea not
farre from the citie of Bona.

Of the riuer called Guadilbarbar,

IT prbceedeth out of certaine mountaines adioining vpon
the fieldes of the citie called Vrbs, and gliding by the
hils and mountaines, it runneth in such a crooked chanell,
that such as trauell from Bona to Tunis, must crosse ouer
it without either boates or bridges aboue twentie times.
And so at length it falleth into the sea not farre from the
forsaken port of Tabraca, and about fifteene miles from the
citie of Bege.

Of the riuer of Megerada,

THe mightie riuer of Megerada springing foorth of the
mountaines neere vnto the citie Tebessa, vpon the
borders of the prouince of Zeb, continueth a northerly
course, vntil at a place called Gharel Meleh, fortie miles
distant from Tunis it exonerateth it selfe into the Medi-
terran sea. In rainie weather it so increaseth, that trauellers,
bicause there are neither boates nor bridges, are constrained
to staie two or three daies by the riuers side till it be de-

934 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

creased, especially within sixe miles of Tunis. And
hereby you may see how the Africans of these times de-
generate both in wit and courage from the ancient Africans,
who made the people of Rome to tremble so often at their
valour.

I

Of the riuer of Copts,

T proceedeth from a certaine southerne desert, and
passing through sandie plaines, falleth into the sea by
A riuer of hot a townc of that Very name. The water thereof is salt, and

and salt water.

SO hot, that whosoeuer listeth to drinke of it, must set it a
cooling for the space of an hower. Thus much concern-
ing the principall riuers of Barbarie : let vs nowe proceede
on to describe the Numidian riuers.

Of the riuers of Numidia ; and first of the riuer
called Sus,

T

'He great riuer of Sus flowing out of the mountaines of
Atlas, that separate the two prouinces of Hea and
Sus in sunder, runneth southward among the saide moun-
taines, stretching into the fields of the foresaid region, and
from thence trending westward vnto a place called
* Or Guart- * Gurtucssen, where it dischargeth it selfe into the maine
guessen. Qcean. In winter time it mightily ouerfloweth, but in

sommer it is verie shallow.

Of the riuer of Darba,

THis riuer taking his originall from mount Atlas about
the confines of Hascora, passeth southward to the
prouince called Darha : from whence proceeding through
the deserts, it is dispersed among certaine fieldes and
pastures, where bicause of the abundance of grasse, the
Arabians feede their camels. In sommer it is so dried vp,
that a man shall not wet his shooes in going ouer it : but it
so increaseth in winter, that it cannot be passed ouer in

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 935

boats. And by extreme heate of the sunne the waters
thereof prooue bitter.

Of the riuer of Ziz.

THis riuer springing out of the mountaines of Atlas
inhabited by the people called Zanaga, and running
along by many other mountaines and by the city of Gher-
seluin, holdeth on his course through the fields of Cheneg,
Metgara, and Reteb, and entreth the territorie of the city
Segelmesse: from whence it proceedeth by the desert
castle of Sugaihila, and beyond the said castle falleth into
a lake amidst the sandie deserts, where no inhabitants are
to be found, whither notwithstanding the Arabian hunters
vsually resort, for that they finde great store of game
there.

Of the riuer of Ghir.

THE riuer of Ghir issuing also forth of Mount Atlas,
stretcheth southward by certaine deserts, and then
passing through the region of Benigumi, transformeth it
selfe likewise into a lake in the very midst of the
deserts.

Whereas in the beginning of this my discourse, intreat-
ing of the diuision of Africa, I described the riuer called
by Ptoletney Niger, it would here be superfluous to make
any repetition thereof : wherefore let vs now proceede vnto
the description of Nilus.

Of the mightie riuer of Nilus,

THE course of this riuer is in very deed most admir-
able, and the creatures therein contained are exceed-
ing strange, as namely sea-horses, sea-oxen, crocodiles, and
other such monstrous and cruel beasts, (as we will after-
ward declare) which were not so hurtfull either in the
ancient times of the Egyptians or of the Romaines, as

936 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

they are at this present : but they became more dangerous
euer since the Mahumetans were lords of Egypt. Mesfmdi
in his treatise of the memorable thinges of his time,
reporteth that when Humeth the sonne of Thaulon was
lieutenant of Egypt vnder Gibsare Mutauichil the Califa
of Bagdet, namely in the yeere of the Hegeira 270. there
was a certaine leaden image about the bignes of a croco-
dile found among the ruines of an old Egyptia temple,
which in regard of the Hieroglyphick characters & con-
stellations, engrauen theron, serued instead of an inchant-
met against all crocodiles ; but so soone as the saide
lieutenant caused it to be broken in peeces, the crocodiles
began then to inuade men, and to doe much mischiefe.
Howbeit what the reason should be, why the crocodiles
betweene Cairo and the Mediterran sea are harmelesse,
and those aboue Cairo towards the maine land, should
deuoure and kill so many persons, it goeth beyond my
skill to determine.^ But, to returne vnto the description
of Nilus, it increaseth (as we have saide) for the space of
fortie daies, beginning from the seuenteenth of lune ; and
it continueth iiist so long time in decreasing. For whereas
in the higher Ethiopia it raineth most abundantly about
the beginning of May, the course and inundation of the
water is hindred all the moneth of May, & some part of
lune, before it can attaine vnto the plaine countrey of
Egypt. Concerning the originall fountaine of this riuer,
Sundry opini- there are manifold opinions, and all of them uncertaine.

ons concerning ^ , , . , /v- i . /•

Nilus. Some there are which amrme the same to spring out of

the mountaines, called by themselues, The mountaines of
the moone ; and others say that it beginneth vpon certaine
plaines situate beneath the foote of the saide mountaines,
and issueth out of sundrie fountaines, being a great way
distant one from another. Howbeit the former of these
two auouch, that Nilus with great violence falleth down from
the saide mountaines into certaine deepe caues vnder the

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 937

ground, and commeth foorth againe at the foresaide foun-
taines. Both of which opinions are false : for neuer did
any man as yet see where Nilus taketh his originall. The
Ethiopian merchants which resort for traffike vnto the
citie of Dancala, affirme that Nilus towards the south is
enlarged into such a mightic lake, that no man can perceiue
which way the course thereof trendeth : and that after-
ward being diuided into manifold branches running in
saueral chanels, and stretching themselues east and west,
it hindereth the passage of traueilers, so that they cannot
compasse those intricate windings and turnings. Likewise
diuers Ethiopians inhabiting vpon the plaines in manner
of the Arabians, say that many of them traueiling fiue
hundred miles southward to seeke their camels which were
straied away in the heate of their lust, found Nilus to be
in all places alike, that is to say, dispersed into manifolde
armes and lakes, and that they discouered sundrie desert
and barren mountaines, where the foresaide Meshudi
affirmeth emraulds to be found : which seemeth more pro-
bable then that which the same author affirmeth concern-
ing sauage men, which wander vp and downe like wilde
goates, and feede vpon the grasse of the deserts in manner
of beasts. But if I recorded all the fables which our
writers report concerning Nilus, I shoulde seeme ouer
tedious vnto the Reader.

Of the strange beasts and other lining creatures of
Africa,

MY purpose is not in this discourse to make a coplete
history of the liuing creatures in Africa, but only of
such as are either not to be founde in Europe, or such as
differ in any respect from those that are founde : And
heere I intend to describe in order certaine beasts, fishes,
and foules, omitting many things reported by Plinie, who
was doubtlesse a man of rare and singular learning, not-

30

938 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

withstanding by the default and negh'gence of certaine
authors which wrote before him, he erred a little in some
small matters concerning Africa : howbeit a little blemish
ought not quite to disgrace all the beautie of a fairc and
amiable bodie.

Of the Elephant.

THis wittie beast keepeth in the woods, & is found in
great numbers in the forrests of the land of Negros.
They vse to go many in one copany ; and if they chance
to meet with any man, they either shun him or giue place
vnto him. But if the Elephant intendeth to hurt any man,
he casteth him on the groud with his long snout or trunk,
& neuer ceaseth trampling vpon him till he be dead.
And although it is a mightie and fierce beast, yet are there
great store of them caught by the Ethiopian hunters in
manner following. These hunters being acquainted with
The manner of ^^ y^ooAts^ and thickets whcrc they kecpc, vse to make

taking eU- ^ ^ *

phants in among the trees a rounde hedge of strong boughes and

Ethiopia. /• , . « . , , /.

raftes, leaumg a space open on the one side therof, and
likewise a doore standing vpon the plaine grounde which
may bee lift vp with ropes, wherewith they can easily
stoppe the said open place or passage. The elephant
therefore comming to take his rest vnder the shady
boughes, entreth the hedge or inclosure, where the hunters
by drawing the saide rope and fastening the doore hauing
imprisoned him, descend downe from the trees, and kill
him with their arrowes, to the end they may get his teeth
and make sale of them. But if the elephant chauceth to
breakc through the hedge, he murthereth as many men as
he can finde. In Ethiopia the higher, and India, they
haue other deuises to take the elephant, which least I
should seeme oucr-tedious, I passe ouer in silence.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 939

Of the ieast called Giraffa,

THis beast is so sauage and wilde, that it is a very rare
matter to see any of them : for they hide themselves
among the deserts and woodes, where no other beasts vse
to come ; and so soone as one of them espieth a man, it
flieth foorthwith, though not very swiftly. It is headed
like a camell, eared like an oxe, and footed like a * : * ^^^ *^ ?.

' ' word wanting

neither are any taken by hunters, but while they are very "«J^^ <^»if»-
yoong.

Of the CamelL

CAmels are gentle and domesticall beasts, and are
found in Africa in great numbers, especially in the
deserts of Libya, Numidia, and Barbaria. And these the
Arabians esteeme to be their principall possessions and
riches : so that speaking of the wealth of any of their
princes or gouernors, he hath (say they) so many thousand
camels, and not so manie thousand ducates. Moreouer
the Arabians that possesse camels, Hue like lords and
potentates in great libertie, bicause they can remaine with
their camels in barren deserts, whither no kings nor princes
can bring armies to subdue them. These kindes of beasts
are to be seene in * all parts of the worlde, to wit, in Asia, * /« aii parts

of the world

Africa, and Europe. And they are vsed in Asia by the which the
Tartars, the Curdians, the Dalemians, and the Turcomans, time knew.
In Europe the Turkes vse them to carrie burthens vpon,
as likewise do all the Arabians in Africa, and the inhabi-
tants of the Lybian deserts ; yea kings in their armies vse
camels also, to conueigh their victuals and carriages :
howbeit the African camels farre excell them of Asia ;
for trauailing fortie or fiftie daies togither, without any
prouender at all, they are vnladen in the euening, and The African

,, . , ^,, , ,/., camels are the

turned loose mto the next fieldes, where they feede vpon best,
grasse, brambles, and the boughes of trees ; which hardnes

302

940

THE NINTH BOOKK OF THE

the camels of Asia cannot endure, but when they set foorth
any iourney, they must be well pampered and full of flesh.
Experience hath taught, that our camels hauing trauailed
laden fiftie daies togither without any prouender ; haue so
wasted, first the flesh of their bunches, secondly of their
bellies, and lastly of their hips, that they haue scarce beene
able to Carrie the weight of lOO. pounds. But the mer-
chants of Asia giue their camels prouender, halfe of them
being laden with wares, and the other halfe with prouender,
and so their whole carouan of camels goeth foorth and
returneth home laden : by which meanes they keepe them
in good plight, and reape double gaines by their labour.
Contrariwise the African merchants trauailing with mer-
chandise into Ethiopia, bicause they returne emptie, and
bringe backe with them things of no great weight, so soone
as they arriue with their leanc and galled camels in Ethi-
opia, they sell them halfe for nought vnto the inhabitants
of the deserts. And they that returne into Barbaric or
Numidia, need very fewe camels ; namely for themselues
to ride vpon, for to carrie their victuals, their money, and
other light commodities. Of camels there are three kinds ;
whereof the first being called Hugiun are grosse, and of a
tall stature, and most fit to carrie burthens, but ere fowre
yeeres end they grow vnprofitable : after which time euery
camell but of meane stature will carrie a thousand pounds
of Italian weight. When any of the saide camels is to be
laden, being beaten vpon his knees and necke with a
wande, he kneeleth downe, and when he feeleth his load
sufficient, he riseth vp againe. And the Africans vse to
gelde their camels which they keepe for the burthen,
putting but one male camell among ten femals. The
second kinde of camels called Becheti, and hauing a double
Camels of a bunch, are fit both to carrie burthens, and to ride vpon :
^ftfus!*other' and these are bred onely in Asia. The thirde kinde called
Vromedarus. Raguahill,^ are camels of a slender and low stature, which

Three kinds
ef camels.

HISTOKIE OF AFRICA. 94I

albeit they are vnfit to carry burthens yet do they so
excell the two other kindes in swiftness, that in the space
of one day they will trauell an hundred miles, and will so
continue ouer the deserts for eight or ten daies togither
with very little prouender : and these doe the principal
Arabians of Numidia and the Moores of Libya vsually
ride vpon. When the king of Tombuto is desirous to
sende any message of importance vnto the Numidian
merchants with great celeritie, his post or messenger riding
vpon one of these camels, will runne from Tombuto to
Darha or Segelmesse, being nine hundred miles distant, in
the space of eight daies at the farthest : but such as trauell
must be expert in the way through the deserts, neither will
they demaund lesse than fiue hundred ducates for euery
iourney. The saide camels about the beginning of the
spring inclining to their lust and venerie, do not onely hurt
one another, but also will deadly wound such persons as
haue done them any iniury in times past, not forgetting
light and easie stripes : and whomsoeuer they lay holde on
with their teeth, they lift him vp on high, and cast
him downe againe, trampling vpon him with their feete, and
in this madde moode they continue fortie daies togither.
Neither are they so patient of hunger as of thirst ; for they
will abstaine from drinke, without any inconuenience, for The camels

great absH-

fifteen daies togither : and if their guides water them once nencefrom
in three daies, they doe them great hurt, for they are not
vsually watred but once in fiue or nine daies, or at an
vrgent necessitie, once in fifteene daies. Moreouer the
saide camels are of a gentle disposition, and are indued as
it were with a kinde of humaine reason : for when as
betweene Ethiopia and Barbarie they haue a daies iourney
to trauell more than their woont, their masters cannot
driue them on, being so tired, with whips, but are faine to
sing certaine songs vnto them ; wherewith being exceed-
ingly delighted, they performe their iourney with such

942 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

swiftnes, that their saide masters are scarce able to follow
How ihe them. At my being in Cairo I sawe a camell dance ;
Cairo leame which arte of dancing howe he learned of his master I will

to dance.

heere in fewe words report. They take a yoong camell,
and put him for halfe an hower togither into a place h*ke
a bathstoue prepared for the same purpose, the floore
whereof is het with fire : then play they without vpon a
drum, whereat the camell, not so much in regard of the
noise, as of the hot pauement which oflFendeth his feete,
lifteth vp one legge after another in maner of a dance, and
hauing beene accustomed vnto this exercise for the space
of a yeere or ten moneths, they then present him vnto the
publike view of the people, when as hearing the noise
of a drum, and remembering the time when he trode
vpon the hot floore, he presently falleth a dancing and
leaping : and so, vse being turned into a kind of nature,
he perpetually obserueth the same custome. I could here
report other matters concerning the same beast, which for
breuities sake I omit.

Of the /torse of Barbarie,

THis name is giuen vnto the Barbarie horses through-
out Italy and all Europe, bicause they come foorth
of Barbarie, and are a kinde of horses that are bred in
those regions ; but they which so thinke are deceiued : for
the horses of Barbarie differ not in any respect from other
horses : but horses of the same swiftnes & agilitie are in
the Arabian toong called throughout all Egypt, Syria, Asia,
Arabia Felix, and Deserta, by the name of Arabian horses :
and the historiographers affirme, that this kinde of wilde
horses, ranging vp and downe the Arabian deserts, and
being broken and managed by the Arabians euer since
the time of Isniael, haue so exceedingly multiplied and
increased, that they haue replenished the most part of
Africa : which opinion sauoureth of truth : for euen at this

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 943

present there are g^eat store of wilde horses founde both
in the African and Arabian deserts. And I myselfe sawe
in the Numidian desert a wilde colte of a white colour,
and hauing a curled maine. The most certaine triall of
these horses is when they can ouertake the beast called
Lant or the Ostrich in a race : which if they be able to
performe, they are esteemed woorth a thousand ducats or
an hundred camels. Howbeit very fewe of these horses
are brought vp in Barbarie, but the Arabians that
inhabite the deserts, and the people of Libya bring vp
great numbers of them, vsing them not for trauell or war-
fare, but onely for hunting, neither do they giue them any
other meate but the milke of camels, and that twise euery fformfedde

' Ttnth camels

day and night, to the ende they may keepe them nimble, ^fV*.
liuely, and of spare flesh ; and in the time of grasse they
suffer them to feede in pastures, but then they ride not
vpon them. But those that the princes of Barbarie bring
vp, are not of such swiftnes, but being fedde with pro-
uender, are more beautifuU and comely to the eie ; and
these they vse vpon an vrgent necessitie, when they woulde
escape the danger of their enimies.

Of the wilde horse,

THe wilde horse is one of those beasts that come sel-
dome in sight. The Arabians of the desert take the
wilde horse and eat him, saying that the yoonger the horse
be, the sweeter is his flesh : but he will hardly be taken
either with horses or dogs. In the waters where this beast
keepeth they lay certaine snares, couering them ouer with
sand, wherein his foote being caught he is intangled and
slaine.

Of the beast called Lant or Dant,

THis beast in shape resembleth an oxe, sauing that he
hath smaller legs and comelier horns. His haire is
white, and his hoofs are as blacke as iet, and he is so

944 THE NTNTfl BOOKE OF THE

exceeding swift, that no beast can ouertake him, but onely
the Barbary horse, as is beforesaid. He is easlier caught
in sommer then in winter, because that in regard to the
extreme fretting heat of the sand his hoofs are then strained
and set awry, by which meanes his swiftnes is abated, like
as the swiftnes of stagges & roe-deer. Of the hide of this
Targets made bcast are made shields and targets of great defence, which

of a sktn.

will not be pierced but onely with the forcible shot of a
bullet ; but they are sold at an extreame price.

Of the wilde oxe,

IT resembleth the tame oxe, saue that it is lesse in
stature, being of a gray or ashe-color, and of great
swiftnes. It haunteth either the deserts, or the confines
of the deserts. And the flesh thereof (they say) is ver}'
sauory.

Oftlie wild ass e.

THis beast also being found either in the deserts or
vpon the borders thereof, is of an ash-colour. In
swiftnes they are surpassed onely by the Barbary horses,
and when they see a man, they bray out a loude, kicking
and wincing with their heeles, and standing stone-still, till
one approcheth so near them, that he may touch them
with his hand & then they betake themselues to flight.
By the Arabians of the deserts they are caught with snares,
and other engines. They goe in companies either when they
feede or water themselues. Their flesh is hot and vnsauorie,
and hath a wilde tast : but being set a cooling two dayes
after it is sodden, it becometh very sauory and pleasant.

Of the oxen vpon t/ie mountaines of Africa,

A LI the oxen vpon the mountaines of Africa being tame
cattell are of so meane a stature, that in comparison
of other oxen they seeme to be but heifers of two yeeres

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 945

old : but the mountainers, vsing them to the plough, say
that they are strong and will indure much labour.

Of the beast called Adimmain,

IT is a tame beast, beeing shaped like a ramme, and of
the stature of an asse, and hauing long and dangle
cares. The Libyans vse these beasts instead of kine, and
make of their milke great store of cheese and butter.
They haue some wooU, though it be but short. I my selfe
vpon a time being merily disposed, road a quarter of a mile
vpon the backe of one of these beasts. Very many of them
are in the deserts of Libya, and but few in other places :
and it is a rare matter to see one of them in the Numidian
fields.

Of t lie African Ramme,

THere is no difference betweene these rammes of Africa
and others, saue onely in their tailes, which are of a
great thicknes, being by so much the grosser, but how much
they are more fatte, so that some of their tailes waigh
tenne, and other twentie pounds a peece, and they become
fatte of their owne naturall inclination : but in Egypt there
are diuers that feede them fatte with bran and barly, vntill
their tailes growe so bigge that they cannot remooue them-
selues from place to place : insomuch that those which
take charge of them are faine to binde little carts vnder
their tailes. to the end they may haue strength to walke.
I my selfe sawe at a citie in Egypt called Asiot, and
standing vpon Nilus, about an hundred and fiftie miles from
Cairo, one of the saide rams tailes that weighed fower-
.score pounds, and others affirmed that they had seenc one
of those tailes of an hundred and fiftie pounds weight. All
the fatte therefore of this beast consisteth in his taile ;
neither is there any of them to be founde but onely in
Tunis and in Egypt.

946 THE NINTH BOOKS OF THE

Of the Lyon.

THe Lyon is a most fierce and cruell beast, being
hurtfull vnto all other beasts, and excelling them
both in strength, courage, and crueltie, neither is he onely
a deuourer of beasts, but of men also. In some places one
Lyon will boldly encounter two hundred horsemen. They
range without all feare among the flocks and droues of
cattell, and whatsoeuer beast they can lay holde on, they
cary it into the next woode vnto their whelpes : yea some
Lyons there are (as I haue before said) that will vanquish
and kill fiue or sixe horsemen in one companie. Howbeit
such Lyons as Hue vpon the colde mountaines are not so
outragious and cruell : but the hotter the places be where
they keepe, the more rauenous and bolde are they, as
namely vpon the frontiers of Temesna, and of the kingdome
of Fez, in the desert of Angad neere Telensin, and betweene
the citie of Bona and Tunis, all which are accounted the
most famous and fierce Lyons in all Africa. In the spring,
while they are giuen to lust and venerie, they haue most
fierce and bloudie conflicts one with an other, eight or
twelue Lions following after one Lyonesse. I haue heard
many both men and women report, that if a woman
chanceth to meete with a Lyon, and sheweth him her priuie
parts, he will with crying and roaringe, cast his eies vpon
the grounde and so depart. Beleeue it they that list But
this I am well assured of, that whatsoeuer a Lyon getteth
in his pawes, though it be a camell, he will carrie it away.
I my selfe was twice in great hazard to haue beene deuoured
of Lyons, but by the goodnes of God I escaped them.

Of the Leopard,

THese beasts liuing in the woods of Barbarie, will not
for all their great strength and crueltie hurt any
man, vnlesse it be very seldome, when as they meete with a

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 947

man in a narrow passage, and cannot shun him, or when
they are checked and prouoked vnto furie : for then they
will flie vpon a man, laying holde vpon his visage with
their talents, and plucking oflF so much flesh as they can
catch, insomuch that sometimes they will crush his braines
in peeces. They inuade not any flockes or droues of tame
cattell, but are at deadly feude with dogs, whom they will
kill and deuoure. The mountainers of the region of
Constantina hunt them on horsebacke, stopping all passages
where they might escape. The Leopard ranging vp and
downe, and finding euery place so besette with horsemen
that he cannot get away, windeth and turneth himselfe on
all sides, and so becommeth a fit marke for the hunters to
discharge their darts and arrowes vpon. But if the
Leopard chanceth to escape, that man that lets him passe, is
bounde by an vsuall custome to inuite the residue of the
hunters vnto a banquet.

Of the beast called Dabuh.

THis beast called by the Arabians Dabuh, and by the
Africans lesef, in bignes and shape resembleth a
woolfe, sauing that his legges and feete are like to the legs
and feete of a man. It is not hurtful vnto any other beast,
but will rake the carkeises of men out of their graues, and
will deuour them, being otherwise an abiect and silly
creature. The hunters being acquainted with his denne,
come before it singing and playing vpon a drum, by which
melodie being allured foorth, his legs are intrapped in a
strong rope, and so he is drawne out and slaine.

Of the ciuei-cat,

THese Cattes are naturally wilde, and are found in the
woods of Ethiopia. The merchants taking their
yoong whelps or kittes, feede them with milke, branne, and The manner of
flesh, and keepe them in cages or grates. But their odori- dueiT"

948 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

ferous excrement (which is nought else but their sweat)
they gather twice or thrise euery day in manner following:
first they driue them vp and downe the grate with a wande,
till they sweate, and then they take the saide sweate from
under their flankes, their shoulders, their necks, and their
tailes : which excrement of sweate is commonly called
ciuit

Of the Ape,

OF Apes there are diuers and sundrie kindes, those
which haue tailes, being called in the African toong
Monne, and those which haue none, Babuini. They are
found in the woods of Mauritania, and vpon the mountaines
of Bugia and Constantina. They represent the shape of
man, not onely in their feete and hands, but also in their
visages, and are naturally indued with woonderfull witte
and subtiltie. They Hue vpon grasse and come, and go in
great companies to feede in the corne fieldes, and one of
their companie which standeth centinell or keepeth watch
and ward vpon the borders, when he espieth the husband-
man comming, he crieth out and giueth as it were an
alarme to his fellowes, who euery one of them flee
immediately into the next woods, and betake themselues to
the trees. The shee apes carrie their whelpes vpon their
shoulders, and will leape with them in that sort from one
tree to another. Such of them as are taught, will do
woonderfull feates, but they are angrie and curst, notwith-
standing they will soone be appeased.

Of the Conies of Africa,

THere are great store of wilde Conies in Mauritania,
and vpon the mountaines of Gumera ; which albeit
they are accounted wilde, yet in my opinion they seeme
tame, for their flesh diflereth neither in taste nor colou*'
from the flesh of tame conies.

HISTOKIE OF AFRICA. 949

Of the strange fisJus of Africa ^ and first of the
fish called A mbara,

THe fish called Ambara, being of a monstrous shape
and bignes, is neuer seen but when it is cast vp dead
vpon the sea-shore : and some of these fishes there are
which containe twentie fiue cubites in length. The head of
this fish is as hard as a stone. The inhabitants of the
Ocean sea coast affirme that this fish casteth foorth Amber;
but whether the said Amber be the sperma or the excrement Amb^r,
therof, they cannot well determine. Howsoeuer it be, the
fish may in regard of the hugenes be called a whale.

Of the sea-horse,

THis creature is commonly found in the riuers of Niger
and Nilus. In shape it resembleth an horse, and in
stature an asse, but it is altogether destitute of haire. It
liueth both in the water and vpon the lande, and swimmeth
to the shore in the night season. Barkes and botes laden
with wares and sayling downe the riuer of Niger are greatly
endangered by this sea-horse, for oftentimes he ouer-
whelmeth and sinketh them.

Of the sea-oxe.

THe sea-oxe being couered with an exceeding hard
skinne is shaped in all respects like vnto the land-
oxe ; saue that in bignes it exceedeth not a calfe of sixe
moneths olde. It is found in both the riuers of Niger and
of Nilus, and being taken by fishers, is kept a long time
aliue out of the water. I my selfe sawe one at Cairo led up
and downe by the neck in a chaine, which (they say) was
taken at the city of Asna standing vpon the bank of Nilus,
about foure hundred miles from Cairo.

950 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

Of ttu Tortoise,

THis might be numbred among the land-creatures,
because it liueth for the most part in the deserts. In
the Libyan deserts are found verie many as big as a tunne.
And Bicri the Cosmographer in his booke of the regions
and lourneis of Africa reporteth, that a certaine man being
weary of trauelling, ascended to his thinking, vpon an high
stone lying in the desert, to the end he might free himselfe
from the danger of serpents and venemous beasts ; who
hauing slept soundly thereupon all night found himselfe in
the morning remooued three miles from the place where he
first lay downe, and thereby vnderstood that it was not a
stone but a tortoise wheron he reposed himselfe, which
lying still all the day long creepeth for foode in the night-
season, but so slowly, that her pace can hardly be perceiued.
I my selfe haue seen some of these tortoises, as big as a
barrell, but neuer any so huge as the last before mentioned.
The flesh of a tortoise not aboue seuen yeres old being
A medicine for eaten scucn daics together is said to be a perfect medicine

the leprosie. ° ^

against the leprosie.

T'

Of the Crocodile.

^His cruell and noisome beast commonly frequenteth
the riuers of Niger and Nilus, and containeth in
length twelue cubites and aboue, the taile thereof being as
long as the whole bodie besides, albeit there are but fewe
of so huge a bignes. It goeth vpon fower feete like a
Lizard, neither is it aboue a cubite and a halfe high. The
taile of this beast is full of knots, and the skin thereof is so
exceeding hard, that no crossebowe will enter it. Some
praie vpon fishes onely, but others vpon beasts and men.
The craft or Which lurking about the bankes of the riuer, do craftily

the Crocodile ^ ' -^

in taking both lay waitc for men and beastes that come the same way,

men and beasts.

about whom suddenly winding their tailes, they draw them

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 95 1

into the water, and there deuour them. Howbeit some of
them are not so cruell by nature: for if they were, no
inhabitants coulde Hue neere vnto the riuers of Nilus and
Niger. In eating they mooue the vpper iawe onely, their
neather iawe being ioined vnto their breast-bone. Not
many yeeres sithens, passing vp the riuer of Nilus towards
the citie of Cana, standing in the vpper part of Egypt,
fower hundred miles from Cairo, on a certaine night whilest
wee were in the midst of our iourney, the moone being
ouershadowed with clouds, the marriners and passengers
all fast a sleepe, and the barke vnder sailes, I my selfe
studying by candle-light in my cabben, was called vpon by
a deuout olde man in the barke, who bestowed the same
night in watching and praier, and saide vnto me, call (I
praie you) some of your company, who may helpe me to
draw vppe this peece of woode floting vpon the water,
which will serue to morrow for the dressing of our dinner.
My selfe sir (quoth I) will come and helpe you, rather then
wake any of our company in the dead of the night. Nay
(quoth the old man) I will trie whether I be able to drawe
it vp alone or no. Arid so when the barke was neere vnto
the woode, as he supposed, holding a rope in his hande to
cast into the water, he was sodainly intangled with a
crocodiles long taile, and was in a moment drawen vnder
the water. Whereupon I making a shoute, all the people
in the barke arose, and striking sailes wee staide for the
space of an hower, diuers in the meane time leaping into
the water to seeke the man, but altogither in vaine : and
therefore all of them affirmed that he was caught by a
crocodile. As we sailed farther we sawe great numbers of
crocodiles vpon the bankes of Islands in the midst of Nilus
lie beaking them in the sunne with their iawes wide open,
whereinto certaine little birdes about the bignes of a thrush
entring, came flying foorth againe presently after. The
occasion whereof was tolde me to be this : The crocodiles

952 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

Utile Hrds fly- by rcason of their continuall deuouring of beasts and fishes,

ing into the

crocodiles hauc certaine peeces of flesh sticking fast betweene their
wormesfi-om forked teeth, which flesh being putrified, breedeth a kind
teeth. of wormes wherewith they are cruelly tormented. Where-

fore the saide birds flying about, and seeing the wormes,
enter into the crocodiles iavves, to satisfie their hunger
therewith. But the crocodile perceiuing himselfe freed
from the wormes of his teeth, offereth to shut his mouth,
and to deuour the little birde that did him so good a tume,
but being hindred from his vngratefull attempt by a pricke
which groweth vpon the birds head, he is constrained to
open his iawes and to let her depart. The shee crocodile
laying egges vpon the shore, couereth them with sand ;
and so soone as the yoong crocodiles are hatched, they
crawle into the riuer. Those crocodiles that forsake the
riucr and haunt the deserts become venemous ; but such as
continue in Nilus, are destitute of poison. In Egypt there
are many that eate of the flesh of the crocodile, and affirme
it to be of an excellent taste. His larde or grease is soldc
^ very deere at Cairo, and is saide to be very medicinable for
Th£ manner of q\^^ and Cankered woundes. They take the crocodile in

taking the '

crocodile, manner following ; The fishers binding a strong and large
rope vnto some tree or poste standing for the nonce vpon
the banke of Nilus, fasten vnto the end thereof an iron
hooke of a cubite long, and about the thicknes of a mans
finger, and vpon the hooke they hang a ramme or a goate,
by the bleating noise whereof the crocodile being allured,
commeth foorth of the water, and swalloweth vp both the
baite and the hooke, wherewithal feeling himselfe inwardly
wounded, he strugleth mightily, & beateth the ground, the
fishers in the meane time pulling and slacking the rope, till
the crocodile falleth down vanquished & dead : then they
thrust him in with certaine darts and iauelins vnder the
shoulders and flanks where his skin is most tender, and so
make a quicke dispatch of him. His backe is so harde

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 953

and thicke, that an harquebuse or caliuer will scarce pierce
it. Of these beasts I sawe aboue three hundred heads
placed vpon the wals of Cana, with their lawes wide open,
being of so monstrous and incredible a bignes, that they
were sufficient to haue swallowed vp a whole cowe at once,
and their teeth were great and sharpe. The Egyptian
fishers vse to cut off the heads of crocodiles, and to set
them vpon the wals of their cities, and so doe hunters vse
the heads of wilde beasts.

Of the dragon.

IN the caues of Atlas are founde many huge and
monstrous dragons, which are heauie, and of a slowe
motion, bicause the midst of their body is grosse, but their
necks and tailes are slender. They are most venemous
creatures, insomuch that whosoeuer is bitten or touched by
them, his flesh presently waxeth soft & weake, neither can
he by any meanes escape death.

Of the Hydra.

THis serpent being short in proportion of body, and
hauing a slender taile and necke, liueth in the Libyan
deserts. The poison thereof is most deadly, so that if a
man be bitten by this beast, he hath none other remedie,
but to cut off the wounded part, before the poison disperseth
it selfe into the other members.

Of the creature called Dub.

THis creature lining also in the deserts, resembleth in
shape a Lizzard, sauing that it is somewhat bigger,
and containeth in length a cubite, and in bredth fower
fingers. It drinketh no water at all, and if a man poure
any water into the mouth thereof, it presently dieth. It
laieth egges in manner of a tortoise, and is destitute of
poison. The Arabians take it in the deserts : and I my

3P

954 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

selfe cut the throate of one which I tooke, but it bled a
very little. Being flaied and rested, it tasteth somewhat
like a frogge. In swiftnes it is comparable to a Lizzard,
and being hunted, if it chanceth to thrust the head into an
hole, it can by no force be drawne out, except the hole be
digged wider by the hunters. Hauing beene slaine three
daies togither, and then being put to the fire, it stirreth
it selfe as it were newelie dead.

Of the GuaraL

THis beast is like vnto the former, sauing that it is
somewhat bigger, and hath poison both in the head
and taile, which two parts being cut off, the Arabians will
eate it, notwithstanding it be of a deformed shape and vgly
colour, in which respects I loathed alwaies to eate the flesh
thereof

Of the Camelion,

THe camelion being of the shape and bignes of a lizzard,
is a deformed, crooked, and leane creature, hauing a
long and slender tayle like a mouse, and being of a slowe
pace. It is nourished by the element of ayer, and the sun-
beames, at the rising wherof it gapeth, and tumeth it selfe
vp and downe. It changeth the colour according to the
varietie of places where it commeth, being sometimes black
and sometimes greene, as I my selfe haue seen it It is at
great enmity with venemous serpents, for when it seeth any
How the came- He sleeping vnder a tree, it presently climeth vp the same

lion killeth the ^ ^ > f J f

serpent, tree, and looking downe vpon the serpents head, it voideth

out of the mouth as it were, a long threede of spittle, with
a round drop like a perle hanging at the end, which drop
falling wrong, the camelion changeth his place, till it may
light directly vpon the serpents head, by the vertue wherof
he presently dyeth. Our African writers haue reported
many things concerning the properties and secret qualities
of this beast, which at this present I do not wel remember.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 955

Oftfie Ostrich,

SOmewhat we will here say concerning the strange birdes
and fowles of Africa, and first of the ostriche, which
in shape resembleth a goose, but that the neck and legges
are somewhat longer, so that some of them exceede the
length of two cubites. The body of this birde is large, and
the winges therof are full of great feathers both white and
black, which wings and feathers being vnfitte to fly withall,
do helpe the ostriche, with the motion of her traine, to
runne a swifte pace. This fowle liueth in dry deserts, and
layeth to the number of ten or twelue egges in the sandes,
which being about the bignes of great bullets, waigh fifteene
pounds a piece ; but the ostrich is of so weake a memorie,
that shee presently forgetteth the place where her egges
were laide. And afterward the same, or some other
ostriche-henne finding the said egges by chance, hatcheth
and fostereth them as if they were certainly her owne : the
chickens are no sooner crept out of the shell, but they
prowle vp and downe the deserts for their foode : and
before their fethers be growne, they are so swift, that a man
shall hardly ouertake them. The ostriche is a silly and
deafe creature, feeding vpon any thing which it findeth, be
it as hard and vndigestible as yron. The flesh especially
of their legges, is of a slymie and strong tast ; and yet the
Numidians vse it for foode, for they take yong ostriches
and set them vp a fatting. The ostriches wander vp and
downe the deserts in orderly troupes, so that a far off a
man would take them to bee so many horsemen, which
illusion hath often dismaied whole carouans. Being in
Numidia I my selfe ate of the ostriches flesh, which
seemed to haue not altogether an vnsauory tast.

1^2

95<5 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the Eagle,

OF eagles there arc diuers kindes, according to their
naturall properties, the proportion of their bodies,
or the diuersitie of their colours : and the greatest kinde of
eagles arc called in the Arabian toong Nesir. The Africans
teach their eagles to pray vpon foxes and woolues ; which
in their encounter seaze vpon the heads of the saide beasts
with their bils, and vpon the backes with their talents, to
A strange auoidc the dancfer of biting. But if the beast tume his

narration, " ^

belly vpwarde, the eagle will not forsake him, till she hath
either peckt out his eies, or slaine him. Many of our
African writers affirme, that the male eagle oftentimes
ingendring with a shee woofe, begetteth a dragon, hauing
the beake and wings of a birde, a serpents taile, the feete of
a woolfe, and a skin speckled and partie coloured like the
skin of a serpent. Neither can it open the eie-lids, and it
liueth in caues. This monster albeit my selfe haue not
scene, yet the common report ouer all Africa affirmeth that
there is such an one.

Of the foul e called Nesir,

THis is the greatest foule in all Africa, and exceedeth a
crane in bignes, though the bill, necke, and l^s arc
somewhat shorter. In flying this birde mounteth vp so
high into the aire, that it cannot be discerned ; but at the
sight of a dead carkase it will immediately descend. This
birde liueth a long time, and I my selfe haue scene many
of them vnfeathered by reason of extreme old age : where-
fore hauing cast all their feathers, they retume vnto their
nest, as if they were newly hatched, and are there nourished
by the yoonger birds of the same kinde. The Italians call
it by the name of a Vulture, but I thinke it to be of another
kinde. They nestle vpon high rockes, and vpon the tops
of vvildc and desert mountaines, especially vpon mount

mSTORIE OF AFRICA. 957

Atlas : and they are taken by such as are acquainted with
those places.

Oftlu birde called Bezi^ or the hauke,

THis bird called in Latine Accipiter^ is very common in
Africa. But the best African haukes are white,
being taken vpon certaine mountaines of the Numidian
deserts, and with these haukes they pursue the crane. Of
these haukes there are diuers kinds, some being vsed to flie
at partriges and quailes, and others at the hare.

Of the Bat.

THese vgly.night-birdes are rife all the world ouer : but
in certaine caues of Atlas there are many of them
founde as bigge and bigger then doues, especially in their
winges : which albeit my selfe neuer sawe,yet haue I heard
of them by diuers persons.

Oftheparrat or poppiniay.

THese parrats are commonly founde in the woods of
Ethiopia : but the better sort of them, and such as
will imitate mans voice more perfectly, are the greene ones.
Parrats there are as big as a doue, of diuers colours, some
red, some blacke, and some ash-coloured, which albeit they
cannot so fitly expresse mans speech, yet haue they most
sweete and shrill voices.

Of the locustes.

OF locustes there are sometimes scene such monstrous
swarmes in Africa, that in flying they intercept the
sunne-beames like a thicke cloude. They deuoure trees,
leaues, fruites, and all greene things growing out of the
earth. At their departure they leaue egges behinde them,
whereof other yoong locusts breede, which in the places
where they are left, will eate and consume al things euen to

9S8 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

the very barke of trees, procuring thereby extreme dearth
of come, especially in Mauritania. Howbeit the inhabi-
tants of Arabia deserta, and of Libya, esteeme the comming
of these locusts as a fortunate boading : for seething or
drying them in the sun, they bruise them to powder, and
so eate them.

And nowe let thus much suffice to haue spoken of the
African beastes, foules, fishes, serpents, &c. which are either
not to be found in Europe, or such as differ from creatures
of the same kinde there. Wherefore hauing once briefly
intreated in the chapters following of certaine minerals,
trees, and fruits of Africa, I purpose then to conclude this
my present discourse.

Whereas mine author lohn Leo intreateth but briefly of
these locustes, which God vseth as a most sharp scourge
between times to disciple all the nations of Africa ; I
thought it not vnmeete to adde two other relations or
testimonies of the same argument : the one being
reuerend in regard of the authors antiquitie ; and the
other credible and to be accepted, for that the reporter
himselfe was a most diligent and faithfuU eie-witnes of
the same.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 959

The first testimonie, taken out of the ii. chap.

of the fift booke of Paulus Orosius

contra Paganos.

Of an ftuge and pernicious companie of Locusts in Africa ^

which after they had wasted the countrey, being

drowned in the sea, and cast vp dead on the

s/tore, bred a most woonderfull pestilence

both of man and beast,

N the consulship of Marcus Plautius
HypsceuSy and Marcus Futuius Flaccus^
Africa scarce breathing from bloudie
warres, an horrible and extraordinarie
destruction ensued. For whereas now
throughout all Africa, infinite multi-
tudes of locustcs were gathered
togither, & had not only quite deuoured the corne on the
grounde, and consumed the herbes with part of their
rootes, and the leaues and tender boughes of the trees, but
had gnawne also the bitter barke and drie woode ; being
with a violent and sudden winde hoised aloft in mightie
swarmes, and carried a long time in the aire, they were at
length drowned in the African sea. Whose lothsome and
putrified carcases being by the waues of the sea cast vp in
huge heapes farre and wide along the shore, bred an
incredible stinking & infectious smell : whereupon followed
so general a pestilence of al liuing creatures, that the
corrupt dead bodies of foules, cattell, and wilde beasts
dissolued by the contagion of the aire, augmented the furie
of the plague. But how great and extraordinarie a death
of men there was, I cannot but tremble to report : for in
Numidia, where Micipsa was then king, died fowerscore
thousand persons ; and vpon the sea-coast next adioining

96o THE NFNTH BOOKE OF THE

to Carthage and Vtica, aboue two hundred thousand are
saide to haue perished. Yea in the citie of Vtica it selfe
were by this meanes swept from the face of the earth thirtie
thousand braue soldiers which were appointed to be the
garrison for all Africa. And the destruction was so sudaine
and violent, as they report, that out of one gate of Vtica, in
one and the same day, .were carried aboue fifteene hundred
dead corpes of those lustie yoong gallants. So that by the
grace and fauour of almightie God (through whose mercy,
and in confidence of whom, I doe speake these things) I
may boldly affirme ; that albeit sometime in our daies the
locusts in diuers parts, and vsually, doe some domage
which is tolerable : yet neuer befell there in the time of the
Christians so insupportable a mischiefe, as that this scourge
of locusts, which being aliue are by no means sufferable,
should after their death prooue farre more pernicious : and
which also liuing, the fruits of the earth would haue beene
quite deuoured ; it had beene much better they had neuer
died, to the plague and destruction of all earthly creatures.
Hitherto Pau/us Orosius.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 961

The second testimonie taken out of the 32. and ;i;i.
chapters of the Ethiopian historic of Francis
Aluarez, which for the satisfaction of euerie
Reader, I haue put downe with all parti-
cularities and circumstances.

Of the great multitude of Locusts, and the infinite

damage that t/iey procure in the dominions of

Prete lanni, Otap, 32.

N this quarter and throughout all the
dominion of Prete lanni, there is an
horrible and great plague, to wit an
innumerable companie of Locustes,
which eate and consume the come,
and trees of fruite ; and so great is
the number of these creatures, as it is
not credible, for with the multitude of them the earth is
couered, and the aire so ouerspred, as one may hardlie
discerne the sunne : and further I affirme, that it is a thing
most strange to him who hath not seene it ; and if the
domage they performe were generall through all the
prouinces and kingdomes of Prete lanni, his people wouldc
die with famine, neither coulde men possiblie there inhabite:
But one yeere they destroy one prouince, and the next
yeere another prouince : as if for example, they waste the
kingdome of Portugall or Castile this yeere, an other yeere
they are in the quarters of Lenteio, an other in Estre-
madura, an other in Beira, or betweene the riuer Dorus and
Minius, an other on the mountaines, an other in old
Castilia, Aragon or Andaluzia, and otherwhiles in two or
three of these prouinces at once ; and wheresoeuer they
come, the earth is more wasted and destroied by them, then

962 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

if it had beene all ouer consumed with a fire. These locusts
are as bigge as the greatest grashoppers, hauing yellow
wings. Their comming into the countrie is knowne a day
before : not for that we can see them, but we know it by
the sunne, who is yellow of colour, this being a signe that
they draw neere to the countrie, as also the earth looketh
yellowe, by reason of the light which reflecteth from their
wings : whereupon the people in a manner become
presentlie halfe dead, saying, we are vndone, for the
Ambati, that is to say, the locustes are come. And I can
not forbeare to set downe that which I sawe three sundrie
times, and first in Barua, where we had now befene for the
space of three yeeres, and heere we heard it saide often,
that such a countrey and such a realme was destroied by
the Locusts : and being in this prouince we sawe the sunne
and the vpper part of the earth looke all yellow, the people
being in a manner halfe dead for sorrow: But the day
following it was an incredible thing to see the number of
these creatures that came, which to our iudgement couered
fower and twentie miles of lande, as afterward we were
enformed. When this scourge and plague was come, the
priestes of that place came and sought me out, requesting
me to giue them some remedie for the driuing of them
away, and I answered, that I could tel them nothing, but
only that they shoulde deuoutly pray vnto God, that he
woulde driue them out of the countrie. And so I went to
the Ambassadour, and told him, that it would be very good
to goe on procession, beseeching God that»hee woulde
deliuer the countrie, who peraduenture in his great mercie
might heare vs. This liked the Ambassadour very well :
and the day following we gathered togither the people of
the land, with all the priests, and taking the consecrated
stone, and the crosse, according to their custome, all we
Portugals sung the Letanie, and appointed those of the
land, that they should lift up their voices aloud as we didi

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 963

saying in their language Zio marina Christos, which is as
much to say, as Lord God haue mercy vpon vs : and with
this manner of inuocation we went ouer a peece of grounde,
where there were fieldes of wheate, for the space of a mile,
euen to a little hill : and heere I caused many of these ^ strange

^ ^ exorcisme.

locustes to be taken, pronouncing ouer them a certaine
coniuration, which I had about me in writing, hauing made
it that night, requesting, admonishing, and excommuni-
cating them, enioining them within the space of three
howers to depart towards the sea, or the lande of the
Moores, or the desert mountaines, and to let the Christians
alone: and they not performing this, I summoned and
charged the birdes of heauen, the beasts of the earth, and
all sorts of tempests, to scatter, destroy, and eate vp their
bodies: and to this effect I took a quantitie of locusts,
making this admonition to them present, in the behalfe
likewise of them absent, and so giuing them libertie, I
suffered them to depart. It pleased God to heare vs
sinners, for in our returne home, they came so thicke vpon
our backes, as it seemed that they woulde haue broken our
heads, or shoulders, so hard they strooke against vs, as if
we had beene beaten with stones and cudgels, and in this
sort they went towards the sea: The men, women, and
children remaining at home, were gotten vpon the tops, or
tarrasses of their houses, giuing God thankes that the
locusts were going away, some afore, and others followed.
In the meane while towardes the sea, there arose a great
cloude with thunder, which met them full in the teeth, and
continued for the space of three howers with much raine,
and tempest, that filled all the riuers, and when the raine
ceased, it was a fearefull thing to behold the dead Locustes,
which were more then two * yardes in height vpon the * Orfathomes.
bankes of the riuers, and in some riuers there were mightie
heapes of them, so that the morning following there was
not one of them found alive vpon the earth. The

9^4 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

people of the places adioining hearing this, came in great
numbers to enquire how this matter was effected ; many of
the inhabitants said, these Portugals be holy men, and by
the power of their God, they haue killed and driuen away
the locusts : others saide, especially the priests and friers
of those places neere about, that we were witches, and by
power of enchantments had driuen away the saide creatures,
and that for this cause we feared neither lions, nor any
other wilde beast : Three daies after this effect, there
came vnto vs a Xuum, that is, a captaine of a place called
Coiberia, with men, priests, and friers, to request vs, that
we woulde for the loue of God helpe them, saying that
they were in a manner destroied by the locustes ; and that
place was a daies iourney off towards the sea. They came
to vs about euening, and at the same instant, I and fewer
other Portugals departed awaie with them, we went all
night, and came thither an hower within daie, where we
found, that all those of the count rey, with many of the
other places adioining were assembled togither, for they
were also molested by the locusts. And assoone as we
were come, we went our procession rounde about the land,
which was seated vpon an high hill, from whence we might
discerne manie countries and places all yellow by reason of
the multitude of locusts. Such inuocations and ceremonies
being ended, as we performed in the other place, we went
to dinner, & the men that were borderers, requested vs to
goe with them, promising vs great rewardes : It pleased
God, that as soon as we had dined, we saw all the earth so
cleared that there was not soe much as one locust to be
scene : The people seeing this and not being satisfied with
the fauour and grace receiued, they requested vs to goe and
blesse their possessions, for they were yet afraid least the
locusts would returne ; and so wee departed.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 965

Of the dommage we sawe done in another prouince by

the Locustes, in two sundrie places.

Chap. 33.

AN other time also we sawe the Locustes, being in a
towne called Abuguna : Prete lanni sent vs to this
towne which is in the kingdome of Angote, and distant
from Barua, where we continued, thirtie daies iourney, to
the ende that there we might be furnished with victuals :
Being come thither, I went with the Ambassadour
ZagasabOy who came into Portugal), and fiue Genoueses,
towards a certain towne & a moutaine called Aguoan, &
we trauailed fiue daies through places all desert & destroied,
which places were sowen with Maiz, hauing stalkes as great
as those props which we vse about our vines, and we might
see them all broken and troden vnderfoote, as if there
had beene a tempest, and this had the locusts done. Their
wheate, barley, and Taffo da guza were so eaten, as it
seemed they neuer had beene either tilled or sowne. The
trees were without leaues, and their barkes all gnawne &
eaten, and there was not so much as a spire of grasse, for
they had deuoured every thing ; and if we had not beene
aduised, and foreseene the same (for when we departed, we
laded our mules with victuals) we and our beastes had died
togither for hunger. The countrey was couered all ouer
with winglesse locustes ; and they saide, that those were
the seede of them, which had deuoured all, and that when
they had gotten wings, they would go seeke out the rest,
the number of these was so great, as I am loath to report,
bicause I shoulde not perhaps be credited : but this I may
well affirme, that I sawe men, women, and children, sit as
it were amazed amongst these locusts, and I saide vnto
them, why sit you thus halfe dead, and doe not kill these
creatures, and so reuenge your selues of the wrong, that
their fathers and mothers haue done you, or at least that

966 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

those which you kill may be able to doe you no more
harme ? They answered, that they had not the hart, to
withstand the scourge of God which hee had sent vpon
them for their sins : And all the people of this place de-
parted hence, so that we found the waies full of men and
women on foot, with their children in their armes, and vpon
their heads, going into other countries, where they might
finde victuall, and it was great pittie to behold them. We
being in the saide prouince of Abuguna, in a place called
Aquate, there came such swarmes of locustes as were
innumerable: which one day began to fall vpon the
grounde about nine of the clocke in the morning, and
ceased not while night ; where they lighted, there they
staide, and then the next day in the morning went away :
so that at three of the clocke in the afternoone there was
not one of them to be seene, and in this short time they
left the trees vtterly destitute of leaues. On the same day
and hower there came an other squadron, and these left
neither tree nor bough vngnawen and eaten, and thus did
they for fiue days one after another : they said that those
were yoong ones which went to seeke their fathers, and
they did the like, as those we sawe without wings : the
space that these locustes tooke vp, was nine miles, for
which circuit there remained neither barke nor leaues vpon
the trees, & the countrey looked not as though it had bin
burnt, but as though it had snowed thereupon, and this
was by reason of the whitenes of the trees which were
pilled bare by the Locustes, and the earth was all swept
cleane : It was Gods will that the haruest was alreadie in :
wee coulde not vnderstande which way they afterwards
went, bicause they came from the sea warde, out of the
kingdome of Daucali, which belongeth to the Moores, who
are continually in warre, as also we coulde by no meanes
knowe the ende of their iourney or course. Thus much
out of Francis Aluarez.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 967

Of the minerals : And first of minerall salt,

THe greater part of Africa hath none other salt but such
as is digged out of quarries & mines, after the maner
of marble or free stone, being of a white, red, and graie
colour. Barbaric aboundeth with salt, and Numidia is
indifferently furnished therewith : but the lande of Negros,
and especially the inner part of Ethiopia, is so destitute
thereof, that a pound of salt is there solde for halfe a ducate.
And the people of the saide regions vse not to set salt
vpon their tables ; but holding a crum of salte in hands,
they licke the same at euery morsell of meate which they
put in their mouthes. In certaine lakes of Barbaric all the
sommer time there is faire and white salt congealed or
kerned, as namely in diuers places neere vnto the citic of
Fez.

Of the minerall called Antimonie.

THis minerall growing in many places of Africa in the
lead-mines is separated from the lead by the helpe of
brimstone. Great plentie of this minerall is digged out of
the bottome of mount Atlas, especially where Numidia
bordereth vpon the kingdome of Fez. Brimstone likewise
is digged in great abundance out of other places of Africa.

Of Euphorbium.

EVphorbium is the iuice or gumme of a certaine herbe
growing like the head of a wilde thistle, betweene
the branches wherof grow certain fruits as big in compassc
as a greene cucumber ; after which shape or likenes it
beareth certain little graines or seedes ; and some of the
said fruits are an elle long, and some are longer. They
grow not out of the branches of the herbe but spring out of
the firme ground, and out of one flag you shall see some-
times 20. and sometimes 30. of them issue foorth. The

g6S THE NINTH BCMDKE OF THE

people of the same region, when the said fruits are once
ripe, do prick them with their kniues, and out of the holes
proceedeth a liquor or iuice much like vnto milke, which by
little and little, groweth thick and slimy. And so being
growen thick, they take it off with their kniues, putting it
in bladders & drying it. Arid the plant or herb it selfe is
full of sharp prickles.

0/PiUA.

OF pitch there are two kindes, the one being naturall,
and taken out of certaine stones, which are in
fountaines ; the water wherof retaineth the vnsauorie smell
and tast of the same ; and the other being artificial, and
proceeding out of the iuniper or pine-tree : and this arti-
ficiall pitch I saw made vpon mount Atlas in manner
following. They make a deepe and round furnace with an
hole in the bottome, through which hole the pitch may fall
downe into an hollow place within the ground being made
in form of a little vessel : and putting into the said furnace
the boughes of the foresaid trees broken into small pieces,
they close vp the mouth of the furnace, and make a fire
vnder it, by the heate wherof the pitch distilleth forth of
the wood through the bottome of the furnace into the
foresaide hollow place : and so it is taken vp and put in
bladders or bagges.

0/ tfu fruite called Maus or Alusa,

THis fruite growing vpon a smal tree which beareth
large and broade leaues of a cubite long, hath a most
excellent and delicate taste, and springeth forth about the
bignes of a small cucumber. The Mahumetan doctours
affirme, that this was the fruite which God forbad our first
parents to eat in Paradise, which when they had eaten they
couered their naked nes with leaues of the same fruit, as
being of all other leaues most meete for that purpose.

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 969

They grew in great abundance at Sela a towne of the
kingdome of Fez ; but in farre greater plenty in the land
of Egypt, and especially at Damiata.

Of Cassia.

THe trees bearing Cassia are of great thicknes, hauing
leaues like vnto the mulberie-tree. They bear a
broad and white blossome, and are so laden with fruits,
that they are constrained to gather great store before they
be ripe, least the tree should breake with ouermuch waight.
And this kinde of tree groweth onely in Egypt.

T

Of the fruit called Tetfez,

Erfez is to be called rather by the name of a root then
of a fruit, and is like vnto a mushrom or toad-stoole,
but that it is somewhat bigger. It is enclosed with a white
rinde and groweth in hot and sandy places. Where it
lyeth, it may easilie be perceiued by the swelling and
opening of the ground. Some of them are as bigge as a
walnut, and others as a limon. The phisicians, which call
it Camha, affirme it to be a refrigeratiue or cooling fruit.
It groweth in great plentie vpon the Numidian deserts, and
the Arabians take as great delight in eating of the same as
in eating of sugar. This fruit being stued vpon the coles,
and afterward made cleane, and sodden in fat broath they
esteeme for great dainties. Also the Arabians seeth it in
water and milk, and so eat it. It groweth likewise plenti-
fullie in the sandes neare vnto the towne of Sela. Of the
date or palme-tree, because we haue sufficiently spoken in
our description of Segelmesse in Numidia, we will here in
this place say nothing at all.

3Q

970 THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE

Of the Egyptian figg called by the Egyptians
themselues Giumeis,

THe tree of this figg resembleth other fig-trees both in
outward forme and in leaues, but it is of an exceed-
ing height : neither doth the fruit grow among the leaues,
or vpon the ends of the twigs, but out of the very body of
the tree, where no leaues at all grow. These figs tast like
vnto other figes, but they haue a thicker skin and are of a
tawnie colour.

Of the tree called Ettalche.

IT is an high and a thornie tree, hauing such leaues as
the iuniper hath, and bearing a gum like vnto mastick,
wherwith the African apothecaries vse to mingle and
adulterate their mastick, because it hath the same colour
and yealdeth some smell also. There are found likewise
such trees in the Numidian and Lybian deserts and in the
land of Negros : but the trees of Numidia being cut in the
midst, consist of white wood like vnto the trees before-
named, and the Lybian trees of a brownie or tawnie wood,
but the trees of the land of Negros are extreame black
within. And that black pith or hart of this tree, wherof
musical instruments are made, is called by the Italians
Sangu. That wood which is of the browne or tawnie
colour is vsed by the African phisicians for the curing of
the French poxe, whereupon it is commonly called by the
name of pock-wood.

Of t lie root called Tauzarghente,

THis root growing in the westerne part of Africa vpon the
Ocean sea shore, yeeldeth a fragrant and odoriferous
smel. And the merchants of Mauritania carry the same
into the land of Negros, where the people vse it for a most

HISTORIE OF AFRICA. 971

excellent perfume, and yet they neither burne it nor put
any fire at all thereto : for being kept onely in an house, it
yeeldeth a naturall sent of it selfe. In Mauritania they
sell a bunche of these rootes for halfe a ducate, which being
carried to the land of Negros is sold again for eightie or
one hundred ducates and sometimes for more.

Of the roote called Addad.

THe herbe thereof is bitter, and the roote it selfe is so
venemous, that one drop of the water distilled
therout, will kill a man within the space of an hower, which
is commonly knowen euen to the women of Africa.

Of the root called Sumag,

THis roote growing also vpon the westerne part of
mount Atlas, is said to be verie comfortable and
preseruative vnto the priuie parts of man, & being drunk
in an electuarie, to stir vp venereal lust, &c. Neither must
I here omit that which the inhabitants of rrtount Atlas do
commonly report, that many of those damosels which keepe
cattel vpon the said mountaines haue lost their virginity by
none other occasion, but by making water vpon the said
roote : vnto whom I would in merriment answere, that I
beleeued all which experience had taught concerning the
secret vertue of the same roote. Yea they affirmed more-
ouer, that some of their maidens were so infected with this
roote, that they were not only deflowred of their virginitie,
but had also their whole bodies puffed vp and swolne.

T

Hese are the things memorable and woorthie of know,
ledge, seene and obserued by me lohn Leo^ through-

out al Africa, which countrey I haue in ♦ all places traueiled \'[¥^ f^' "*
quite ouer : wherein whatsoeuer I sawe woorthy the Numidia,

^ ^ Libya, the

obseruation, I presently committed to writing: and thosQ lande of Ne-
things which I sawe not, I procured to be at large declared Egypt.

3Q2

972 HISTORIE OF AFRICA.

vnto me by most credible and substantial! persons, which
were themselues eie-witnesses of the same : and so hauing
gotten a fitte oportunitie, I thought good to reduce these
my trauels and studies into this one volume.

Written at Rome in the ye ere of Christ
1526. and vpon t/ie tenth of March.

Heere endeth the description of Africa written by

John Leo, borne in Granada, and brought

vp in Barbarie.

A briefe relation concerning the

dominions^ reuenues, forces, and maner of

gouernment of sundry the greatest princes either

inhabiting within the bounds of Africa, or

at least possessing some parts thereof

translated^ for the most part^ out of

Italian.

F*ricke hath euer beene the least knowen
and haunted parte in the world,
chiefly by reason of the situation
thereof vnder the torride Zone ;
which the ancients thought to be vn-
habitable. Whose opinion, although
in verie deede it is not true, bicause
we knowe that betweene the two Tropickes there are most
fruitefull countries, as namely Abassia, and the kingdomes
of Angola, & Congo, with all India, new Spaine, and
Brasile ; yet neither is it altogither false : For no part of
the world hath greater deserts, nor vaster wildernes, then
this of Africa. These deserts, which extend themselues
from the Atlanticke Ocean euen vnto the borders of Egypt,
for more then a thousand miles, and runne out sometimes
two hundred, and otherwhiles 300. miles in bredth, diuide
Africke into two parts : whereof the southerly part was
neuer throughly knowne to the people of Europe, as also
Atlas, which diuideth Numidia from Africa the lesse, is
some impediment to the same: And towards the east it
seemeth that nature also ment to conceale the same, by
those deserts that lye bewixt the Red sea and the lande of
Egypt. In the first times after the floud we finde mention

974 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

very often made of the kingdomes of Egypt, and Ethiopia :
and as for Ethiopia the notice we had thereof, was but
obscure and confused : But Egypt, by reason of the com-
modious situation thereof betweene the Mediterran, and
the Red seas, hath alwaies beene renowmed and famous :
yea king Sesostris that Egyptian monarch enlarged his
empire from the Atlantick Ocean, euen to the Euxine sea :
Afterwards the kings of Numidia, & Mauritania, & the
Carthaginians flourished in those prouinces which are
bounded by the Mediterran sea. In our times, wherein all
Africke hath beene and is daily enuironed, there is suffi-
cient knowledge had of the Marine parts thereof, but for the
inland prouinces there is not so much knowne as might be,
rather through want of writers then for default of discouerie
& trade. Now therfore leauing those parts of Africa which
are possessed by the Turke and the king of Spaine, to a
briefe narration in the last place, we haue reduced al the
residue of our relations to three princes : that is, to Prete
lanni, the Monomotopay and the XeriffOy who is king of
Maroco and Fez; for the rest referring you to lohn Leo^
and the discourse prefixed before him : the Xeriffo raigneth
betweene Atlas and the Atlanticke Ocean ; Prete lanni
about the center of Africke : and the Monomotapa hath his
Empire towards the Sinus Barbaricus, or the Barbarian
gulphe.

The Empire of Prete lanni.

THe Empire of Prete lanni answereth not certainly in
effect, (although it be very large) vnto the fame and
opinion which the common sort, and most writers haue of
it : For lateliest of any other Horatio Malugucci in a
certaine discourse of his, touching the greatnes of states at
this day, would needes haue his dominion to be greater
then any other princes, but the king of Spaine. I confesse
indeede, that in times past his state had most ample and

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 975

large confines, as may be iudged by the multitude of
kingdomes, with which he adorneth and setteth foorth his
stile ; for he entitleth himselfe king of Goiame, a kingdome
seated beyond Nilus, and of Vangue, and Damut situate
beyond Zaire : and yet it is at this day euidently knowne,
that his Empire scarcely reacheth vnto Nilus : yea and
lohn Barros writeth, that the Abassins haue little notice of
that riuer, by reason of the mountaines lying betweene
them and it. The hart or center of his state, is the lake
Barcena : for on the east it extendeth from Suaquen, as
farre as the entrance of the Red sea, for the space of an
hundred and two and twentie leagues : howbeit betwixt
the Red sea and it, there thwarteth a long ranke of moun-
taines, inhabited by the Moores, who also commaund the
sea-coast On the west it hath another ridge of moun-
taines along the channell of Nilus, enhabited by the
Gentiles, who pay tribute vnto the Prete, On the north it
confineth with an imaginarie line drawne from Suaquen
to the furthest part of the isle of Meroe, which is an
hundred and fiue and twentie leagues long : From hence it
maketh as it were a bow, but not very crooked, towards
the south, euen to' the kingdome of Adel, (from the moun-
taines whereof springeth that riuer which Ptolomey calleth
Raptus, and placeth to the south of Melinde) for the space
of two hundred and thirtie leagues ; all which distance is
bordered vpon by the Gentiles : from whence it turneth
and endeth eastward at the kingdome of Adel, whose head
citie is Arar, in the northerly latitude of nine degrees : So
that this whole empire, little more or lesse, amounteth to
sixe hundred threescore and twelue leagues in circuite :
The countrie (which is distinguished with ample plaines,
pleasant hils, and high mountaines, most of them manurable,
and well inhabited) bringeth foorth barley and myll (for it
abounded! not greatly with other sortes of graine) and like-
wise Taffo da guza, another good and durable seede : But

976 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

there is mill, and Zaburro (which we call the graine of
India, or Ginnie wheate) great plenty, with al sorts of our
pulse, and some also vnknowen to vs. Some of them weare
clothes of cotton : but the greater part are clad in sheeps
skinnes, and those which are more honourable, in the skins
of Lyons, Tigres, and Ounces. They haue all kindes of
our domesticall creatures, as hennes, geese, and such like,
as also abundance of kine, and wild swine, harts, goats,
hares, but no conies, besides panthers, lyons, Ounces, and
elephants. To conclude, there cannot be a countrie more
apt then this, for the generation and increase of all plants
and creatures. True it is, that it hath little helpe or
furtherance by the industrie of the inhabitants, because
they are of a sloathfuU dul nature, and capacitie. They
haue flaxe, and yet make no cloath, sugar canes, and know
not the arte of getting the sugar thereout ; yron, and haue
no vse thereof, but to take all smithes to be negromancers :
They haue riuers, and waters, and know not how to better
their possessions by them. They conceaue not greatly of
hunting or fishing : whereupon the fieldes are full of birdes
and wild beastes, and the riuers and lakes, of fish. An
other reason of their slacknes and negligence, is the euill
intreatie of the communaltie by those of the mightier sort :
for the poore seeing euery thing taken from them that they
haue, sow no more, then verie necessity vrgeth them vnto.
Their speech also is without any rule or prescription, and
to write a letter, requireth a great assembly of men, and
many dayes to deliberate thereon. The nobles, cittizens,
and peasants Hue distinctly and apart, and any of these
may purchase nobility by some famous, or worthie act
The first borne inherite all things.

There is not in all the countrie a castel, or fortified place,
for they thinke as the Spartanes did, that a country should
be mayntained and defended by force of armes, and not
with rampires of earth or stone. They dwell for the most

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 977

part dispersed in townes and villages. Their trade of
marchandise is performed by exchanging one thing for
another, supplying the ouerplus of their prises with wheat
or salt : pepper, incense, myrrhe, & salt, they sell for the
waight in gold. In their bargaines they vse gold also, but
by waight, siluer is not ordinary among them. Their
greatest city is the Princes court, which is neuer firme and
resident in one place, but remoueth here & there, and
remaineth in the open fieldes vnder tentes. This courte
comprehendeth ten, or more miles in compasse.

His gauemment.

PRete lanni his gouernment is very absolute, for he
holdeth his subiects in most base seruitude, and no
lesse the noble and great, then those of meaner qualitie and
condition, intreating them rather like slaues, then subiects :
and the better to doe this, he maintaineth him selfe
amongst them in the reputation of a sacred and diuine
person. Al men bow at the name of the Prince, and touch
the earth with their hand: they reuerence the tent wherein he
lyeth, and that when he is absent also. The Pretes in times
past were wonte to be scene of the people but onely once
in three yeeres space, and afterwardes they shewed them-
selues thrice in a yeere, that is on Christmas, and Easter
daye, as also on holy Rood day in September. Panusius
who now raigneth, albeit he is growen more familiar then
his predecessors, yet when any commission commeth from
him, the partie to whom it is directed heareth the wordes
thereof naked, from the girdle vpward, neither putteth he
on his apparrell, but when the king permitteth him. The
people though they bind it with an oath, yet do they
seldome speake truth, but when they sweare by the kinges
life, who giueth and taketh away, what great signiorie
it pleaseth him, neither may he, from whom it is taken, so
much as shew him selfe agreeued therewith. Except the

9/8 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

gluing of holy orders and the administration of the sacra-
ments, he disposeth as well of the religious as of the laye
sort, and of their goodes.

On the way he rideth, enuironed with high and long red
curtaynes, which compasse him on euery side. He weareth
vsually vpon his head, a crowne halfe gold, halfe siluer, and
a crosse of siluer in his hand : his face is couered with a
peece of blew taifata, which he lifteth vp, or letteth downe,
more or lesse, according as he fauoreth them that he treateth
withall : and sometimes he only sheweth the end of his
foot, which he putteth forth from under the said curtaines.
They that carrie and returne ambassages, come not to his
curtaine, but with long time, diuers ceremonies, and sundry
obseruations. None hath slaues but himselfe, to whome
euery yeere his subiects come to do homage. This prince
(as the Abassins report) descendeth from a sonne of
Salomon^ & the Queen of Saba, called Meilech: they
receiued the faith vnder Queene Candaces, in whose time
the familie of Caspar began to raigne and flourish in
Ethiopia, and from him after thirteene generations came
John called the holie. This man about the time of Con-
stantinus the Emperor, because he had no children, leauing
the kingdome to his brother Caius eldest sonne, he inuested
Baltasar, and Melchior, younger brothers, one in the king-
dome of Fatigar, and the other in Giomedi : whereupon
the royall blood grew to be deuided into three families,
namely that of Baltasar, that of Caspar, and the third
Melchior, ordayning that the Empire aboue all others
should be giuen by election to some of the foresaid families,
soe it were not to the eldest borne. For these first borne
there were particular kingdomes appointed. And to auoide
scandale aud tumult, hee decreed that the Emperours
^Ofthismoun- brothers with his neerest kindred should be enclosed as in

taine read in ^ a t

the discourse a Strong castell, within * mount Amara ; where he would

before the be- , , , -r^ .1.1

ginningofLeo. also hauc the Empcrours sonnes to be put, who cannot

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 979

succeed in the Empire, nor haue any state at all, for which
cause the Emperour ordinarily marrieth not at all.

His forces both in reuenues and people,

HE hath two kindes of reuenues, for one consisteth in
the fruits of his possessions, which he causeth to be
manured by his slaues, and oxen. These slaues multiplie
continual! ie, for they marrie among themselues and their
sonnes remaine in the condition of their progenitors. An
other great reuenue cOmeth of his tributes, which are
brought vnto him, from all those that hold dominion vnder
him. And of these, some giue horses, some oxen, some
gold, some cotton, and others other thinges. It is thought
he hath great treasure as well of cloaths and iewels, as of
gold, and also that he hath treasuries and large magazins
of the same riches, so that writing once to the king of
Portugal, he offered to giue for the maintenance of war
against the Infidels, an hundred thousand drams of gold,
with infinite store of men and victuall. They say, that he
putteth ordinarilie euerie yeere into the castel of Amara
the value of three millions of ducates. It is true, that
before the dayes of King Alexander they layde not vp so
much golde, because they knew not how to purifie it : but
rather iewels and wedges of gold. Also his commings-in
may be said to bee of three sorts : for some he raiseth as
it were, out of his crowne-landes : another part he leuieth
of the people, that pay him so much for an house, and the
tenth of all those mines that are digged by others then by
himselfe : and a third reuenue he draweth from his tribu-
tarie princes and gouernours: and these giue him the
entire reuenues of one of their cities, so as he choose not
that city wherein they make their residence. But though
his wealth and reuenues be great, yet are his people of
little worth, as well because he holdeth them in the estima-
tion of slaues, by meanes whereof they want that generositie

98o THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

of minde, which maketh men ready to take vp armes, & to
be couragious in dagers : as also it seemeth they haue euer
their handes bound with that awefuU reuerence which they
beare towards their Prince, and the feare they haue of him :
and further, in that they haue no armes of defence but bad
headpeeces, halfe sculles, and coats of maile, carried thither
by the Portugals. Hereunto may be added his want of
fortresses : for neither hauing strong places whither to
retire, nor armes to defend themselues ; they and their
townes remaine as a pray to the enemie ; their offensiue
armes being vnfeathered arrowes, and some darts. They
haue a lent of fiftie daies continuance, which through the
great abstinence, wherein they passe all that time, doth so
weaken and afflict them, that neither for those dales, nor
many other following, they haue the strength to stirre
abroad : whereupon the Moores attend this opportunitie,
and assaile them with great aduantage. Francis Aluares
writeth, that Prete lanni can bring into the field an
hundred thousand men : neuerthelesse in time of neede it
hath beene scene, that he could make nothing so many.
He hath a militarie religion, or order of knighthood, vnder
the protection of Saint AnthoniCy whereunto euerie noble
man must ordaine one of euery three male children, but
not the eldest. And out of these are constituted twelue
thousand knights or gentlemen for the kings guarde. The
ende of this order is, to defend the confines of the empire,
and to make head against the enimies of the faith.

Princes confining vpon the Prete lanni,

THis Prince, as farre as we can certainly vnderstand,
confineth especially with three other mightie princes :
one is the king of Borno ; another the great Turke ; and
the third the king of Adel. The king of Borno ruleth ouer
that countrey which extendeth from Guangara towards the
east, about fiue hundred miles, betweene the deserts of Seu,

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 98 1

and Barca, being of an vneeuen situation, bicause it is
partly mountainous, and partly plaine. In the plaines
there dwelleth a very ciuill people in populous and much
frequented villages, by reason of the abundance of graine,
as also there is some concourse of merchants thither. On
the mountaines. shepheardes of great and smal beasts do
inhabite, and their chiefe sustenance is mill : They lead a
brutish life, without religion, with their wiues and children
in common : They vse no other proper names, but those
which are taken from the qualitie or forme of mens persons :
the lame, the squint eied, the long, the stuttering. This
king of Borno is most mightie in men, vpon whom he laieth
no other imposition but the tenth of their fruits ; their
profession is to robbe and steale from their neighbours, and
to make them slaues : in exchange of whom, they haue of
the merchants of Barbaric, horses. He hath vnder him
many kingdomes, and people, partly white, and partly
blacke. He molesteth the Abassines exceedingly with
theftes, leadeth away their cattell, robbeth their mines, &
maketh their men slaues. They fight on horse-backe after
the Gynnet fashion, they vse lances with two heads, & darts
& arrowes : they assaile a countrey sometimes in one part,
and otherwhiles in another, suddenly: but these may
rather be termed theeues and robbers then right enimies.

The Turke confineth with Abassia on the east ; as like-
wise the king of Adel, who hemmeth it in betweene the
east and the south. They disturbe the Prete exceedingly,
restraining the limites of his Empire, and bringing his
countrey into great miserie : For the Turkes besides the
putting of a great part of Barnagasso to sacke and spoile ;
(vpon which they entred the yeere of our Lord, 1558.)
although they were driuen out againe, haue further taken
all that from the Pr^/^ which he possessed on the sea coast:
especiallie the portes and townes of Suaquen and Ercoco :
In which two places, the mountaines lying betwixt Abassia

982 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

and the red sea, doe open, and make a passage, for conuei-
ance of victual, and trafficke, betweene the Abassins, and
the Arabians : And it is not long, since the Lord Bamagasso
was constrained to accord with the Turke, and to buie the
peace of his countrie with the tribute of a thousand ounces
of gold by the yeere. Also the king of Adel procureth
hym no lesse molestation : This man confineth with the
kingdome of Fatigar, and extendeth his dominion euen to
the Red sea, where he hath Assum, Salir, Meth, Barbora,
Pidar, and Zeila. At Barbora manie shippes of Aden and
Cambaia arriue with their marchandize for exchange;
from whence they receiue much flesh, honie, wax, and
victuals for Aden ; and gold, luorie, and other thinges for
Cambaia. A greater quantitie of victuall is carried from
Zeila, because there is aboundance of waxe, and honie, with
corne and diuers fruites, which are laden for Aden, and for
Arabia, and beastes also, as namely sheepe, with tayles
wayghing more then fiue and twentie poundes, with their
heads and necks all blacke, but the rest of them is white :
as also certaine other all white with tayles a fathome long,
and writhen like a vine branche, hauing thropples vnder
their throtes like bulles. There be also certaine kine with
branched homes like to wild hartes, being blacke in colour
and some others red, with one onely home vpon their fore-
heads of an handfull and an halfe long, turning backward.
The chiefe city of this kingdome is Arar eight and thirtie
leagues from Zeila towards the South east. This king being
a Mahumetan by a perpetuall profession of making war
against the christians of Abassia, who are the subiects of
the PretCy hath obteined of those Barbarians the surname
of Holy : He stayeth his oportunitie while the Abassins be
weakened, and brought downe with that long and hard
fast of fiftie daies, when they can scarcely go about their
domesticall affaires ; and then he entreth into the countrey,
sacketh the townes, leadeth the people away into seruitude,

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 983

and doth a thousand iniuries vnto them. The Abassin
slaues are of great valew out of their owne countrey:
whereupon the bordering, and other Princes both farre and
neere csteeme them much, and many of them by meanes of
their industrie in seruice, of slaues haue become captaines
and great Commanders, in Arabia, Cambaia, Bengala, and
Sumatra: Bicause the Mahumetan princes of the east, being
all tirants ouer kingdomes vsurped from the Gentiles, for
securitie of their state, put no trust in their owne subiects :
but arme themselues with a multitude of strange slaues, to
whom they commit their persons, and the gouemment of
their kingdome. And among all other slaues the Abassines
beare away the bell, aswell for fidelitie, as for sound and
good complexion. And bicause the king of Adel, with the
multitude of these Abassin slaues, which he taketh in the
townes and territories of Prete Iannis filleth all Egypt, and
Arabia (in exchange of whom he hath armour, munition,
and soldiers, both from the Turke, and the Arabian Princes)
in the yeere of our Lord 1550. Claudius king of Abassia,
being after this sort sorely oppressed by Gradaamed king
of Adel, who now for the space of fowerteene yeeres had
with continuall incursions greeuously molested, and dis-
turbed him, enforcing him to leaue his confines, and to
retire into the hart of his empire, demaunded aide of
Steptiano Gama, the Indian Viceroy of lohn the third
king of Portugale, who was then with a good fleete vpon
the red sea. Whereupon he sent him fower hundred
Portugals, with a good quantitie of armes, and small shot,
vnder the gouernment of Christopher da Gama his brother.
With these men by the benefit of shot, he ouerthrew the
enimie in two battailes ; but in the third, the king of Adel
hauing receiued a thousand Turkish harquebuziers from
the gouernour of Zebit, with ten peeces of artillerie, the
Abassins were put to flight, and discomfited, and their
captaine taken prisoner, and put to death. But the king

984 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

of Adel afterwards sending backe the said Turkes, he and
his people were sodainly assailed, neere the riuer of Zeila,
and mount Saual, by king Claudius with threescore
thousand foote, and fiue hundred Abassin horse, togither
with those Portugales, who remained of the former ouer-
throw, one of whom wounded Gradamed dangerously.
But in the moneth of March, the yeere of our Lord 1559.
king Claudius being set vpon againe by the Malacai Mores,
he was slaine in the battaile : and the enimie-king acknow-
ledging so great a victorie from the handes of God,
triumphed vpon an asse.

Adatnas brother vnto king Claudius succeeded him,
against whom (for he was halfe a Mahumetan) the best part
of the Abassine nobilitie rebelled, and he was defeated by
the Barnagasso in the yeere 1 562. who hauing thus for a
while disturbed the affaires of Ethiopia, it seemed that they
were at length asswaged, & reestablished vnder Alexander,
by the aide of the Portugals, who haue carried thither
armes as well of offence, as defence, and stirred vp the
mindes and courages of the Abassines, by their example,
to warre ; For all those that remained of the discomfiture
giuen to Christopher Camay and diuers others which came
thither afterwards, and do daily there arriue and staie, do
marrie wiues, and haue children ; and Alexander permitted
them to elect a iudge, who might execute iustice among
them : so that they haue, and do daily bring into Abassia,
the manner of warfare in Europe, with our vse of armes,
and the manner of fortifying passages and places of im-
portance. Afterwards certaine Florentines went into those
countries, partly vpon pleasure, and partly for affaires of
merchandize. For Francesco di Medici great Duke of
Florence, had some commerce with the Abassines. The
Prete therefore giues entertainment, and maketh much of
the Frankes, (for so do they call the people of Europe) and
hardly giueth them license to depart out of his kingdome.

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 985

Besides these the Prete lanni hath diuers other enimies,
amongst whom is the king of Dancali, to whom the towne
and port of Vela vpon the red sea pertaineth ; he confincth
with Balgada. The Moores also vexe him greatly, which
inhabite the prouince, called Dobas, deuided into fower-
teene Signiories ; for though they be within the confines of
Prete lanni his empire, yet notwithstanding for the most
part they rebell from him : they haue a lawe, that none of
them may marrie, before he first giue testimoniall that he
hath slaine twelue Christians.

Of the Emperour of Monomotapa,

Concerning the state of this mightie Emperour, and of
his neighbour of Mohenemugi, and of the limits of
both their dominions, as likewise of the Amazones and
Giacchi the chiefe strength of their militarie forces, and
other memorable matters ; to auoide tedious repetitions, I
referre the reader to the discourse going before the booke :
saue onely that I will heere annexe a briefe testimony out of
Osorius lib 4 de reb gest. Eman. which may adde some
small light vnto the treatise before mentioned.

But (saith he) in this part of Ethiopia lying beyond the
cape of good hope which is bounded by the south Ocean,
there is a most ample kingdome called Benomotapa, where-
unto before such time as the Portugals discouered those
parts, all the kings vpon that coast were most obedientlie
subiect. It aboundeth with gold beyond all credite : which
is taken euen out of their riuers and lakes. Yea many Benomotapa
kings there are which pay yeerely tribute of gold vnto this gold.
king of Benomotapa. The people worship no Idols, but
acknowledge one God the creatour of heauen and earth.
In habite and apparell they are not much vnlike to other
Ethiopians. They worship their king with woonderfull
superstition. This king in his scutcheon or coate of armes The kings
hath two signes of maiestie. One is a certaine little spade ^^^^'

3 fi

986

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

A discreet
course.

with a handle of iuorie. The other are two small dartes.
By the spade he exhorteth his subjects to husbandrie, that
they may not through sloth and negligence let the earth lie
vntilled, and so for want be constrained to play the theeues.
The one of his darts betokeneth, that he will be a seuere
punisher of malefactors ; & the other, that he will by
valour & force of armes resist all forren inuasions. The
sonnes of his tributarie kings are trained vp in his court ;
both to the end that by this education they may leame
loialtie and loue towards him their soueraigne, and also
that they may remaine as pledges to keepe their fathers in
awe and due obedience. He is continually guarded with a
mightie armie ; notwithstanding he be conioined in most
firme league with all his neighbour-princes. For by this
meanes he supposeth that warre cannot procure him any
danger at all, knowing right well that oftentimes in the
midst of peace it is readie to disturbe the securitie of
Princes. Euery yeere this king sendeth certaine of his
A yeereiy courticrs and seruants to bestow in his name newe fire vpon
custome of dis- all the priuces and kings within his dominions, that from
f^om the king them it may be distributed vnto others also. Which is

to his tributarie , . r ii • t^l l •

princes. donc m manner followmg. The messenger bemg come to

the house of any prince, his fire is immediately quenched.
Then there is a new fire kindled by the messenger : and
foorthwith all the neighbours resort thither to fetch of the
said new fire for their houses. Which whosoeuer refuseth
to performe, is helde as a traiterous rebell, and receiueth
such punishment as is liable to high treason ; yea if need
be, an armie is leuied to apprehend him, to the end that
being taken, he may be put to such torments as are corre-
spondent to his disloialtie. Hitherto Osorius,

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 987

The XeriffOy commonly called The king of Maroco,
SuSy and Fez,

AMong all the princes of Africa, I suppose that there is
not anie one, who in richnes of state, or greatnes of
power, may be preferred before the Zeriffo: In that his
dominion, which comprehendeth all that part of Mauritania,
called by the Romaines Tingitana, extendeth it selfe north
& south from Capo Boiador, euen to Tanger, and east and
west from the Atlanticke Ocean, as farre as the riuer
Muluia, and somewhat further also, in which space is com-
prehended the fairest, fruitful lest, best inhabited, and most
ciuill part of all Africk, and among other the states, the
most famous kingdomes of Maroco and Fez. With the
particular description whereof, and of all the prouinces,
cities, townes, riuers, mountaines, &c. therein contained, the
Reader may satisfie himselfe to the full in the second and
third bookes of the historie o{ lohn Leo before set downe.

These kingdomes besides their natural fertilitie, are very
traffickable ; for though the king of Fez hath no hauen
of importance vpon the Mediterranean sea, neuerthelesse
the English, French, and other nations traffick much to his
ports vpon the Ocean, especially to * Larache, Santa Cruz, *i?^^'^''i^'^^j7f^
Cabo de Guer, and in other places perteining partly to the ^^'^^^ ^"^*^^ ^^^

name of Lha-

kingdome of Fez, and partly to Maroco ; and they bring rais.
thither copper, and brasse, with armes and diuers commo-
dities of Europe, for which among other things they returne
sugar.

But because these kingdomes of Maroco and Fez, and
diuers other Signiories, and Principalities, at first separate
and deuided, were vnited not long sithence vnder one
Prince, who is called * the Xeriffo, it will not be much from * OrMiramo-

nin.

our purpose (because among the accidents of our times, I
think there is not any one, more notable or wonderfull then
this) to set downe here how the matter passed.

3 R 2

988 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

About the yeere of our Lord 1508 a certaine Alchaide

The martyr how ]jorne in Tiffumedet a towne of Dara, whose name was

aspired to the Mahumet BcTtametto, and who caused himselfe to be called

Maroco. Sus, Zcriffo^ being a subtile man, and of a minde no lesse

ambitious, then learned in those sciences, whereunto the

Mahumetans are most addicted, began to grow famous in

the townes of Numidia. This man vaunting himselfe to

be descended of Mahumets progenie, was possessed with

an imagination (trusting in the deuision of the States of

Affricke, wherein then the Portugals bore great sway) of

* Or the king- taking into his owne hands all * Mauritania Tingitana.

domes of Maro- /. i • i /• i • ,

co,andFeM. For performance of this, he first sent his three sonnes,
Abdely Abnet, and Mahumet, in pilgrimage to Mecca and
Medina, there to visit & do reuerence to the sepulchre of
their Seductor Mahunut. The yoong men performed this
voyage with so great fame and reputation of sanctitie and
religion (if these words may be vsed, in declaring of such
an impietie) that in their returne, the people came out to
meete them, kissed their garments, and reuerenced them as
saints. They fayning themselves to be rauished into deepe
contemplation, went vp and downe the streetes sighing,
and crying out in words interrupted with lamentation &
yerning : Ali, Aid ; and they liued of nothing but almes.
Their father hauing taken them home with great mirth and
ioy : but yet not minding to suffer this sudden applause &
credit, which they had obtayned by such a pilgrimage, to
freeze and wax cold ; he sent two of them which were

* Or Abnet. * Afftet and Mahumet to Fez; where being courteously

rcceiued by the king, one of them became a Reader in the
Amodoraccia, a most famous colledge of that citie, and the
yoongest was made tutor to the same kings yoong sonnes.
These two seeing themselues so entirely beloued of the
king, and in so great fauour with the people, being aduised
by their father, and taking occasion vpon the damage
which the Arabians & Moores did to those of their owne

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 989

law and sect, vnder the ensignes of the Portugals, in whose
paie they serued. They demaunded leaue of the king to
display a banner against the Christians, putting him in
hope, (as indeed it fell out) that they would easily draw
those Moores vnto him, who were followers of the crowne
of Portugall, and by this meanes secure the prouinces of
Sus, Hea, Ducala, Maroco, with others molested, & euilly
entreated by the Portugals. This request was contradicted
by Mullet Nazer, brother to the king : for (said he) " if
these men, vnder pretence of holines, and defence of their
law, shall haue some prosperous proceedings with armes in
hand, it will not afterwards be in thy power (O king) to
bridle or bring them downe : for armes make men
couragious, & by victories they prooue insolent, & the
rout of ambitious people are alwaies desirous of innouation."
But the king who had a great opinion of their sanctitie,
making small account of the reasons his brother alleaged
vnto him, gaue them a banner, and drumslade, and twentie
horse to accompanie them, with letters of recommenda-
tion to the Arabians, the princes, and the cities of Barbarie.
With these beginnings many people running headlong
after their fame, they ouercame Ducala, and the countrey
of *Saphia, and went forward euen as farre as Cabo A^* Or Azapu.
Guer (which places then were subiect to the Portugals) and
finding themselues strong, both in retinue and credite, they
demanded of the people (who at that time liued for the
most part freely, and came in to none, but such as they
liked of themselues) that seeing they now tooke vp armes
for the Mahumetane law against the Christians, they should
aide them with their tenthes due vnto God : the which
were presently yeelded vnto them by the people of Dara,
and so they seazed by little and little vpon Tarodant
(where their father was made gouernour) and likewise of
Sus, Hea, Ducala, and other places adioining. They first
planted themselues in Tednest, and then in Tesarote, and

990 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

in a conflict ouerthrew Lopes Barriga, a famous captaine
amongst the Portugals : but so they lost their owne elder
brother therein. And afterwards by fairc words entring
into the citie of Maroco, they poisoned the king, and in his
stead made Amet Zeriffo to be proclaimed king of Maroco.
In the meanewhile the Arabians of Ducala, & Xarquia
came to hand blowes with those of Garbia, each partie
holding themselues in the Xeriffoes fauour ; but the Zeriffos
perceiuing the skirmish to grow hot, and that many both
of the one and of the other party went to wrack, turned
their armes against them both, and enriched themselues
with their spoiles. In former times they vsed to send vnto
the king of Fez the fift of all those booties which they got ;
but after this victory, making no reckoning of their said
custom, they presented him only with six horses, and six
camels, & those but silly ones : wherat being mooued, he
sent to demand of them the fift part of their spoiles, and
the tribute that the king of Maroco paid him, threatning
otherwise warre vpon them. But in the meane while, this
man dying, Amet his sonne, who was scholler to the
yoonger Zeriffo, was not onely content, but further con-
firmed Amet in the Signiorie of Maroco, so that in some
small matter he would acknowledge the kings of Fez for
soueraigne Princes ouer that citie. But on the other side
the Xeriffi, whose reputation and power daily encreased,
when the time of paying tribute came, sent to certifie this
yoong king, that being lawfull successors to Mahumet, they
were not bound to paie tribute to any, and that they had
more right to Afifrica then he : so that if he would haue
them his friends, so it were ; otherwise if he ment to diuert
them from this their warre against the Christians, they
should not want courage nor power to defend themselues.
Wherewith the Fessan king being offended, proclaimed
warre against them, and went himselfe in person to the
siege of Maroco : but at the very first he was driuen to

THE GREAT PRINXES OF AFRICA. 99I

dislodge : and afterwards returning with eighteene thousand

horse, amongst whom were two thousand harquebuziers, or

bowmen, he was vanquished by the Xeriffi, who had no

more but seuen thousand horse, and twelue hundred

harquebuziers which were placed on the way at the passage

of a riuer. By meanes of this victorie the Xeriffi shooke

off the tribute of that countrie, and passing ouer Atlas, they

tooke Tafilete, an important citie : and partly by faire

meanes, partly by force, they brought diuers people of

Numidia to their obedience, as also those of the moun-

taines. In the yeere of our Lord 1 536. the yoonger Xeriffo

who was now called king of Sus, hauing gathered togither

a mightie armie, and much artillerie, taken in part from the

king of Fez, and partly cast by the French Renegados, he ArtuUfiecast

went to the enterprise of Cabo de Guer, a very important Rmegados.

fortification, held then by the Portugals, which was built

and fortified first at the charge of Lopes Sequeira: and

afterward, knowing their opportunitie from the king Don

Emanuel^ there was fought on both sides a most terrible

battell. In the end, fire taking hold on the munition, and

vpon this the souldiers being daunted that defended the

fortresse, the Xeriffo entred thereinto, tooke the towne, and

made the greatest part of the garrison his prisoners. By

this victorie the Zeriffi brought in a manner all Atlas and

the kingdome of Maroco to their obedience, & those

Arabians who serued the crowne of Portugall. Whereupon

klng/oAn the third seeing that his expences farre exceeded

the reuenues which came in, of his owne accord gaue ouer

Safia, Azamor, Arzilla, and Alcazar, holds which he had on

the coast of Mauritania.

This prosperitie was an occasion of grieuous discord
betwixt the Brothers : the issue whereof was, that the
younger hauing in two battels subdued the elder (whereof
the second was in the yeere of our Lord 1554) and taken
him prisoner, he banished him to Tafilet : and afterwards

992 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

turning his armes against the king of Fez, after hauing
taken him once prisoner, and then releasing him, he yet
the second time (because he brake promise) got him into
his handes againe, depriued him of his estate, and in the
end caused both him and his sonnes to be slaine ; and by
meanes of his owne sonnes he also tooke Tremizen.

In the meane while Sal Araes viceroy of Algier fearing
the Xeriffos prosperous successe, gathered together a great
armie, with which he first recoured Tremizen, & afterwards
defeating the Xeriffo, conquered Fez, and gaue the gouem-
ment thereof to Buasson Prince of Veles : but this man
ioyning battaile with the Xeriffo, lost at one instant both
his citie and kingdome. In the ende Mahutnet going to
Tarodant was vpon the way slaine in his pauilion by the
treason of some Turkes, suborned thereunto by the viceroy
of Algier, of whom one Assen was the chiefe : who together
with his companions went into Trodant, and there made
hauocke of the kinges treasures : But in their returne home,
they were all, but fiue, slaine by the people, in the yeere
1559: and Mullet Abdala the Xeriffos sonne, was pro-
claimed and saluted king.

Let thus much suffice to haue bin spoken of the Xeriffo :
whose proceed inges appeare much like to those of Ismael
the Sophie of Persia. Both of them procured followers by
bloud and the cloake of religion : both of them subdued in
short time many countries : both of them grew great by
the ruine of their neighbours both of them receiued
greeuous checkes by the Turkes, and lost a part of their
states : for Selym tooke from Ismaely Cacamit and diuers
other cities of Diarbena : And the viceroy of Algier did
driue the Xeriffo out of Tremizen, and his other quarters :
And euen as Selim won Tauris, the head citie of Persia,
and afterwardes gaue it ouer : so Sal Araes took Fez the
head citie of Mauritania, and then after abandoned the
same

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 993

Tlu Xeriffo his reuenues, or cominges in,

THe Xeriffo is absolute Lord of all his subiects goods,
yea and of their persons also. For though he charge
them with neuer so burdensome tributes, and impositions ;
yet dare they not so much as open their mouthes: He
receiueth from his tributarif vassals, the tenthes, and first
fruits of their corne and cattail. True it is, that for the
first fruits he taketh no more but one for twentie, and the
whole being aboue twentie, he demandeth no more then
two, though it amount to an hundred. For euery dayes
tilth of grounde he hath a ducate and a quarter, and so
much likewise for euerie house ; as also, he hath after the
same rate of euerie person aboue fifteene yeers old, male, or
female ; and when need requireth, a greater sum me : and
to the end that the people may the more cheerefullie pay
that which is imposed vpon them, he alwaies demaundeth
halfe as much more as he is to receiuc. Most true it is,
that on the mountaines there inhabite certaine fierce and
vn tamed people, who by reason of the steep, craggie, and
inexpugnable situation of their count rie cannot be forced
to tributes ; that which is gotten of them, is the tenth of
their come and fruits, onely that they may be permitted to
haue recourse into the plaines. Besides these reuenues, the
king hath the towles and customes of Fez, and of other
cities : For at the entring of their goods, the naturall
citizen payeth two in the hundred, and the stranger ten.

He hath further, the reuenues of milles, and many other
thinges, the summe whereof is very great : for the milles
yeelde him little lesse then halfe a royall of plate, for euerie
Hanega of corne that is ground in Fez, where, (as they say)
there are aboue foure hudred mils. The moschea oiprindpaii

Mahumetan

Caruuen had fourescore thousand ducates of rent: the femp/e in Fez,
colledges and hospitals of Fez had also many thousB,nds, and an ha/%
Al which the king hath at this present. And further he 1^^ //^. 3?"

994 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

is heire to all the Alcaydes, and them that haue pension of
him, and at their deaths he possesseth their horses, armour,
garments, and al their goodes. Howbeit if the deceased
leaue any sonnes apt for the seruice of the warres, he
granteth them their fathers prouision ; but if they be but
young, he bringeth vp the male children to yeeres of seruice,
and the daughters, till they be married. And therefore,
that he may haue some interest in the goods of rich men,
he bestoweth vpon them some gouernment, or charge, with
prouision. Wherefore for feare of confiscation after death,
euery one coueteth to hyde his wealth, or to remoue far
from the court, and the kings sight For which cause the
citie of Fez commeth far short of hir ancient glorie.
Besides, his reuenues haue beene augmented of late yeeres
by mightie sums of gold, which he fetcheth from Tombuto
and Gago in the lande of Negros ; which gold (according
to the report of some) may yeerely amount to three millions
of ducates.

His Forces,

THe Xeriffo hath not any Fortresses of great import-
ance, but only vpon the sea-coast, as Cabo de Guer,
Larache, and Tetuan : for as the Turks and Persians do, so
he placeth the strength of his state in armed men : but
especially in horse. And for this cause he standeth not
much vpon his artillerie ; although hee hath very great
store (which his predecessors tooke from the Portugals and
others) in Fez, Maroco, Tarodant, and in the foresaide
portes ; causing also more to bee cast, when neede
requireth ; for he wanteth not masters of Europe in this
Science. He hath an house of munition in Maroco, where
they make ordinarily six and fortie quintals of powder
euery moneth ; as likewise also caliuers and steele-bowes.
In the yeere of our Lord 1569. a fire tooke hold on these
houses with such furie, that a great part of the citie was

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 995

destroied therewith. But for the Xeriffoes forces, they are

of two sorts : the first is of two thousand seuen hundred

horse, and two thousand harquibuziers, which he hath

partly in Fez, but most in Maroco (where he is resident)

beinjy as it were of his daily guard. The second is of a

roiall squadron of sixe thousand gentlemen, being all of

noble parentage, and of great account These men are

mounted vpon excellent horses, with furniture and armes,

for varietie of colour most beautifull, and for riches of

ornament beyonde measure estimable : for euery thing

about them shineth with gold, siluer, pearle, iewels, and

whatsoeuer else may please the eie, or satisfie the curiositie

of beholders. These men, besides prouision of come, oile,

butter and flesh, for themselues, their wiues, children, and

seruants, receiue further in wages, from seuentie to an

hundred ounces of siluer a man. The third sort of forces

which he hath, consisteth of his ♦ Timariotti : for the Th^se are a

Xeriffo granteth to all his sons, and brothers, and other order, like

persons of account or authoritic among the people ol which hold

Africke, or to the princes of the Arabians, the benefite oi vnderthe ^^

great Lordships & tenures for sustentation of his Cauallarie : ^kni^his service.

and the Alchaides themselues till the fields, and afterwardes

reape rice, oile, barly, butter, sheepe, hens, and monie, and

distribute the same monethly to the souldiers ; according

to the seuerall qualitie of their persons. They also giue

them cloth, linnen, and silke to apparell themselues, armes

of offence, and defence, and horses, with which they serue

in the warres, and if they die or be killed, they allow them

other. A thing which was also vsed in Rome, towards

them that serued on publike horses. Euerie one of these

leaders contendeth to bring his people into the fielde well

ordred, for armes, apparell, and horses : besides this, they

haue betweene fower and twentie and thirtie ounces of

siluer wages euery yeerc. His fourth militarie forces, are

the Arabians, who Hue continually in their Auari, (for so

996 THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

they call their habitations, each one of them consisting of
an hundred, or two hundred pauilions) gouemed by diuers
Alchaides, to the end they may be readie in time of need.
These serue on horse-backe, but they are rather to be
accounted theeues, then true soldiers. His fift kinde of
forces militarie, are somewhat like vnto the trained soldiers
of Christian princes ; and among these, the inhabitants of
cities and villages of the kingdome, and of the mountaines
are enrolled. It is true, that the king makes but little
account of them, & very seldome puts armes into their
hands, for feare of insurrections and rebellions, except in
the warres against the Christians, for then he cannot con-
ueniently forbid them: For it being written in their law, that
if a Moor kil a Christian, or is slaine by him, he goeth
directly into Paradise, (a diabolicall inuention) men, women,
and those of euery age and degree, run to the warres hand
ouer head, that at least they may there be slaine ; and by
this meanes (according to their foolish opinion) gaine
heauen. No lesse zeale, to our confusion, may we perceiue
in the Turks especially for defence of their sect : for one
would thinke they went to a marriage, and not to the warre,
scarcely being able with patience to attend their prefixed
time of going thither. They repute them holy and happie,
that die with armes in hand against their enimies ; as on
the contrarie, those men vnhappie, and of little woorlh,
that die at home, amidst the lamentation of children, and
outcries of women.

By the things aboue set downe, we may easily com-
prehend, what numbers of men the Xeriffo can bring into
the field : but yet we may learne better by experience.
For Mullet Abdala in the yeere 1562. besieged Mazagan
with two hundred thousand men, choaking the ditch with a
mountaine of earth, and beating downe the walles thereof
with his Artillerie : but for all this, he was enforced by the
valour of the Portugals, and the damage which he receiued

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 997

by their mines, to giue ouer his siege. Besides, this Prince
can not continue a great war, aboue two, or three moneths :
and the reason hereof is, because his forces liuing on that
prouision which he hath daylie comming in, as well for
sustenance as for aparrell, and not being able to haue all
this conducted thither, where the war requireth, it followeth
of necessitie, that in short time they must needs returne
home for their maintenance of life : and further it is an
euident thing, that no man can protract a war at length,
except he be rich in treasure. Molucca who ouerthrew
Sebastian king of Portugal, had in pay vnder his ensignes
fortie thousand horse, and eight thousand foote besides
Arabians and aduenturers : But it is thought, he could haue
brought into the field, seuentie thousand horse, and more
foot then he did.

Of the dominions and fortresses which the king of Spaine
hath vpon the Isles and viaine landes of Africa^ and
of the great quantity of treasure and other com-
modities which are brought from thence.

BEsides Oran, Mersalquibir, Melilla and Pennon which
the king of Spaine possesseth within the streights ;
as likewise ^euta, Tanger, and Arzil, which by the title of
Portugal he holdeth very neere the streights of Gibraltar ;
and Mazagan in like sort without the streights mouth,
twentie miles to the southward of Arzil : he hath along the
coast of Affrick, from Cape de Guer, to that of Guardafu,
two sorts of states : for some are immediately vnder him,
and others are as it were his adherents. The Hands of
Madera, Puerta Santo, the Canaries, the Isles of Arguin, of
Cabo Verde, the isle Del Principe, with that of Sant
Thomas, and others neere adioining, are immediately vnder
his dominion. These islands are maintained with their
owne victuall, and prouision, and yet they haue also some
out of Europe, as in like manner they send some thither :

99^ THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

especially sugars and fruits, wherewith the isle of Madera
woonderfuUy aboundeth, as also with wine. And the iland
of Sant Thomas likewise hath great abundance of sugars.
These States haue no incumbrance, but by the English and
*he^r"muct^ French men of warre,* which for all that go not beyond
"^Mr.^^ '^ ^^P^ Verde. At the ilands of Arguin, and at Sant George
de la Mina, the Portugals haue planted factories in forme
of fortresses, by meanes of which, they trade with the
bordering people of Guinie and Libya, and get into their
hands the gold of Mandinga, and other places neere about
Among the adherent Princes, the richest and most honour-
able, is the king of Congo, in that his kingdome is one of
the most flourishing and plentifull countries in all Ethiopia.
The Portugals haue there two Colonies, one in the citie of
S. Saluador, and an other in the island Loanda. They
haue diuers rich commodities from this kingdome, but the
most important is euery yeere about 5000. slaues, which
they transport from thence, and sell them at good round
prizes in all the isles and maine lands of the west Indies :
and for the head of euerie slaue so taken vp, there is a good
taxe paid to the crowne of Portugall. From this kingdome
one might easily go to the countrie of Prete lanni, for it is
not thought to be very farre of: and it doth so abound
with Elephants, victuall, and all other necessarie things, as
would bring singular ease and commodity to such an enter-
prise. Vpon the kingdome of Congo confineth Angola,
with whose prince of late yeeres Paulo Dias a Portugall
captaine made war: and the principall occasion of this
warre are certain mines of siluer, in the mountaines of
Cabambe, no whit inferior to those of Potossi ; but by so
much are they better, as fine siluer goeth beyond that which
is base, and course. And out of doubt, if the Portugals
had esteemed so well of things neere at hand, as they did
of those farther off and remote, and had thither bent their
forces wherewith they passed Capo de bueno esperan^a,

THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA. 999

and went to India, Malaca, and the Malucoes ; they had
more easily, and with lesse charge found greater wealth :
for there are no countries in the world richer in gold and
siluer, then the kingdomes of Mandinga, Ethiopia, Congo,
Angola, Butua, Toroa, Maticuo, Boro, Quiticui, Monomo-
tapa, Cafati, and Mohenemugi. But humane auarice
esteemeth more of an other mans, then his owne, and
things remote appeerc greater then those neere at hand.
Betweene Cabo de buena esperanga, and Cape Guardafu,
the Portugals haue the fortresses of Sena, Cephala, and
Mozambique. And by these they continue masters of the
trade with the bordering nations, all which abound in gold
and iuorie. By these fortresses they haue special commo-
ditie, for their nauigation to the Indies ; bicause their
fleetes sometimes winter, and otherwhiles victuall, and
refresh themselues there. In these parts the king of
Melinde is their greatest friend, and those of Quiloa, and
other neighbour-islands, are their tributaries. The
Portugals want nothing but men. For besides other
islands, which they leaue in a manner abandoned, there is
that of Saint Laurence, one of the greatest in all the world
(being a thousand two hundred miles long, and fower
hundred and fower-score broad) the which, though it be
not well tilled, yet for the goodnes of the soileit is apt and
fit to be manured, nature hauing distinguished it with
riuers, harbours, & most commodious baies. These States
belonging to the crowne of Portugall, feare no other but
such sea-forces, as may be brought thither by the Turkes.
But the daily going to and fro of the Portugall fleetes,
which coast along vp and downe those seas, altogither
secureth them. In the yeere 1589. they tooke neere vnto
Mombaza, fower gallies, and a galliot, belonging to the
Turkes, who were so bold as to come euen thither.

lOOO THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA.

The dominions of the great Turke in Africa,

THe great Turk possesseth in Africa all the sea-coast
from Valez de Gumera, or (as some hold opinion)
from the riuer Muluia, which is the easterne limitie of the
kingdome of Fez, euen to the Arabian gulfe or Red sea,
except some few places (as namely Mersalcabir, Melilla,
Oran, and Pennon) which the king of Spaine holdeth. In
which space before mentioned are situate sundrie of the
most famous cities and kingdomes in all Barbarie ; thaj; is
to say, Tremizen, Alger, Tenez, Bugia, Constantina, Tunis,
Tripolis, and all the countrey of Egypt, from Alexandria
to the citie of Asna, called of old Siene, togither with some
part of Arabia Troglodytica, from the towne of Suez to
that of Suachen. Also in Africa the grand Signor hath
fiue viceroies, called by the names of Beglerbegs or Bassas,
namely at Alger, Tunis, Tripolis, at Missir for all Egypt,
and at Suacher for those places which are chalenged by the
great Turke in the dominions of Prete lanni. Finally, in
this part at Suez in the bottome of the Arabian gulfe, is
one of his fower principall Arsenals, or places for the
building, repairing, docking, and harbouring of his warlike
gallies, which may lie heere vnder couert, to the number of
fiue and twentie bottomes.

A stimmarie discourse of the manifold

Religions professed in Africa :

and first of the Gefttiles.

Frica containeth fower sorts of people
different in religion : that is to say,
Gentiles, lewes, Mahumetans, and
Christians. The Gentiles extend
themselues along the shoare of the
Ocean, in a manner from Cabo
Blanco, or the white Cape, euen to
the northern borders of Congo ; as likewise, from the south-
erly bounds of the same kingdome, euen to Capo de buena
Esperan^a: & from thence, to that of De los Corrientes:
and within the land they spred out from the Ethiopick
Ocean, euen vnto Nilus, and beyond Nilus also from the
Ethiopick, to the Arabian sea. These Gentiles are of
diucrs sorts, for some of them haue no light of God, or
religion, neither are they gouerned by any rule or law.
Wherupon the Arabians call them Cafri, that is to say,
lawlesse, or without law. They haue but fewe habitations,
and they Hue for the most part in caues of mountaines, or
in woods, wherein they finde some harbour from winde and
raine. The ciuilest among them, who haue some vnder-
standing and light of diuinitie and religion, obey the
Monomotapa, whose dominion extendeth with a great
circuite, from the confines of Matama, to the riuer Cuama :
but the noblest part thereof is comprehended betweene the
mightie riuer of Magnice or Spirito Sancto, and that of
Cuama, for the space of sixe hundred leagues. They haue
no idols, and beleeue in one only God, called by them

3S

ICX)2 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

Mozimo. Little differing from these we may esteeme the
subiects of Mohenemugi. But among all the Cafri, the
people called Agag or Giacchi, are reputed most brutish,
inhabiting in woods and dens, and being deuourers of mans
flesh. They dwell vpon the left banke of Nilus, betweene
the first and second lake. The Anzichi also haue a
shambles of mans flesh, as we haue of the flesh of Oxen.
They eate their enimies whom they take in war ; they sell
their slaues to butchers, if they can light on no greater
prise : and they inhabit from the riuer Zaire, euen to the
deserts of Nubia. Some others of them are rather addicted
to witchcraft, then to idolatric : considering that in a man,
the feare of a superior power is so naturall, that though he
adore nothing vnder the name and title of a God, yet doth
he reuerence and feare some superioritie, although he know
not what it is. Such are the Biafresi, and their neighbours,
all of them being addicted in such sort to witchcraft, as that
they vaunt, that by force of enchantment, they can not
onely char me, and make men die, much more molest and
bring them to hard point : but further, raise windes and
raine, and make the skie to thunder and lighten, and that
they can destroy all herbes and plants, and make the
flockes and heards of cattcll to fall downe dead. Where-
upon they reuerence more the diuell then any thing else :
sacrificing vnto him of their beasts and fruits of the earth,
yea their owne bloud also, and their children. Such arc
likewise the priests of Angola, whom they call Ganghe.
These make profession that they haue in their hands dearth
and abundance ; faire weather and foule ; life and death.
For which cause it can not be expressed, in what venera-
tiori they are held among those Barbarians. In the yeere
1587. a Portugall captaine being in a part of Angola with
his souldiers, a Ganga was requested by the people to
refresh the fields, which were drie and withered, with some
quantitie of water. Hee needed no great intreatie, but

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOO3

going forth with diuers little bels, in presence of the
Portugals, he spent halfe an hower in fetching sundry
gambols & skips, & vttering diuers superstitious murmur-
ings : and behold, a cloud arose in the aire, with lightning
and thunder. The Portugals grew amazed ; but all the
Barbarians with great ioy admired and extolled vnto
heauen, their Ganga, who now gaue out intolerable brags,
not knowing what hung ouer his head : For the windes
outragiously blowing, the skie thundring after a dreadfull
manner, in stead of the raine by him promised, there fell a
thunderbolt, which like a sword cut his head cleane from
his shoulders. Some other idolaters not looking much
aloft, worship earthly things : such were the people of
Congo before their conuersion, and are at this day those,
that haue not yet receiued the Gospel 1. For these men
worship certaine dragons with wings, and they foolishly
nourish them in their houses, with the delicatest meates
that they haue. They worship also serpents of horrible
shape, goats, tygers, and other creatures, and the more they
fearc and reuerence them, by how much the more deformed
and monstrous they are. Amongst the number of their
godis also, they reckon bats, owles, owlets, trees, and herbes,
with their figures in wood and stone: and they do not
onely worship these beasts Huing, but euen their very skins
when they are dead, being filled with straw, or some other
matter : and the manner of their idolatrie is, to bow,downe
before the foresaid things, to cast themselues groueling
vpbn the earth, to coucr their faces with dust, and to offer
vnto them of their best substance. Some lifting vp their
mindes a little higher, worship starres, such be the people
of Guinie, and their neighbours, who are enclined to the
worship of the sunne, the greatest part of them : and ihey
hold opinion, that the soules of those dead that liued well,
mount vp into heauen, and there dwell perpetually neere
vnta the sunne. Neither want there amongst these, certaipe

3 S2

I004 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

others so superstitious, as they worship for God the first
thing they meete withall, comming out of their houses.
They also hold their kings in the account & estimation of
Gods, whom they suppose to be descended from heauen, &
their kings to maintaine themselues in such high reputation,
are serued with woonderfull ceremonies, neither will they
be seene but very seldome.

Of the lewes.

THe lewes who haue bene dispersed by god throughout
the whole world, to confirme vs in the holie faith,
entered into Ethiopia in the Queen of Sabas daies, in
companie of a son that Salomon had by her, to the number
(as the Abassins affirme) of twelue thousand, and there
multiplied their generation exceedingly. In that they not
onely filled Abassia, but spred themselues likewise all ouer
the neighbour prouinces. So that at this day also the
Abassins affirme, that vpon Nilus towards the west, there
inhabiteth a most populous nation of the lewish stock,
vnder a mightie K. And some of our modeme Cosmo-
graphers set downe a prouince in those quarters, which they
call The land of the Hebrewes, placed as it were vnder the
equinoctiall, in certaine vnknowne mountaines, betweene
the confines of Abassia, and Congo. And likewise on the
north part of the kingdome of Goiame, and the southerly
quarter of the kingdome of Gorham there are certaine
mountaines, peopled with lewes, who there maintaine
themselues free, and absolute, through the inaccessible
situations of the same. For in truth by this means, the
inhabitants of the mountaines (speaking generally) are the
most ancient, and freest people : in that the strong situation
of their natiue soile secureth them from the incursions of
forraine nations, and the violence of their neighbours.
Such are the Scottes in Britaine, and the Biskaines in
Spaine. But to return againe to our purpose : the Anzichi,

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOO5

who extend from the bankes of the riuer Zaire, cuen to the
confines of Nubia, vse circumcision, as also diuers other
bordering people do, a thing that must necessarilie haue
been brought in by the lewes, & yet remayning stil in vse,
after the annihilation of the Mosaicall law amongst them.
Some also think, that the people called Cafri or Cafates at
this day, who are gentiles, draw their originall from the
lewes, but being enuironed on euery side by Idolaters, they
haue by little and little swarued from the law of Moses :
and so are become, as it were, insensibly, Idolaters. On
the other side, the lewes being woonderfully increased in
Spaine, passed one after an other into Affricke and Mauri-
tania, and dispersed themselues euen to the confines of
Numidia, especiallie by meanes of traffick, and the pro-
fession of goldsmithes, the which being vtterly forbidden
the Mahumetans, is altogether practised amongst them by
the lewes, as are likewise diuers other mechanicall crafts,
but principallie that of black smithes. A thing which
notablie appeareth in mount Sessaua in the kingdome of
Maroco, and in mount Anteta. It is said that Eitdeuet, a
towne in the kingdome of Maroco, was inhabited by the
lewes, of the stock fas they affirme) of Dautdy who not-
withstanding by little and little are growne Mahumetans.
The lewes encreased afterwards in Affirick, when first
Emanuell king of Portugal, put them forth of their
dominions : For then many went ouer into the kingdomes
of Fez and Maroco, and brought in thither the artes and
professions of Europe vnknowne before to those Barbarians.
In Bedis, Teza, Elmedina, Tefsa, and in Segelmesse euery
place is full of them. They passe also by way of traffick
euen to Tombuto, although lohn Leo writeth how that king
was so greatly their enemie, that he confiscated the goods
of those that traded with them. It importeth me not to
speake of Egypt, because it hath euer beene, as well by
reason of the neernes of Palestina, as for the commodity of

I006 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

traffick, whereiinto they are much enclined, as it were, their
second countrie. Here in great number, and in a manner
in all the cities and townes thereof, they exercise mechanic
call arts, and vse traffick and merchandize, as also take
vpon them the receit of taxes and customes : but aboue all
other places, in. Alexandria and Cairo, where they amount
to the number of fiue and twentie thousand, and the ciuiller
sort among them do vsually speake the Castilian toung.

Thus much may suffice to haue bin spoken concerning
the lewes. It now remaineth, that we come to intreat of
the Mahumetans of Africa. Concerning whotfi, before we
make any particular relation, it will not be amisse ; for the
readers more perfect instruction, to speake Somewhat in
generall : as namely of the sinister proceedings of their
first seducer Mahumet ; of the variety and propagation of
their damned sects oUer the east and south parts of the
world ; of the fower principall nations which are the main-
teiners and vpholders of this diabolicall religion ; and of
sundry other particulars most worthie the obseruation.

M-

Of Mahumet^ and of his accursed religion in generalL

Ahmnet his father, was a certaine prophane Idolater
called Abdaldy of the stock of Ismael, and his
* OrEmina mother was one *Hennina a lew, both of them being of
very humble, and poore condition. He was borne in the
yeere of our Lord 562. and was endowed with a graue
countenance and a quick wit. Being growne to mans
estate, the Scenite Arabians, accustomed to rob, and runnie
all ouer the countrie, tooke him prisoner, and sold him to
a Persian merchant, who discerning him to be apt, and
subtile about busines, affected and held him in such account,
that after his death his mistresse remaining a widow,
scorned not to take him for her husband. Being therefore
inriched by this meanes, with goods and credit, he raised
vp his minde to greater matters. The times then answered

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOO7

very fitly for one that woulde disturbe or worke any in-
nouation. For the Arabians vpon some euill entreatie
were nialecontented with the Emperour Heracltus, The
heresies of Arrius .and Nestorius^ had in a miserable sort
shaken and annoied the church of God. The lewes, though
they wanted power, yet amounted they to a great number.
The Saracens preuailed mightily, both in number and
force. And the Romaine Empire was full of slaues
Mahumet therefore taking hold on this opportunitie, framed
a law, wherein all of them should haue some part, or
prerogatiue. In this, two Apostata lewes, and two here-
tikes, assisted him : of which one was /(7A«, beingascholler
of Nestorius schoole ; and the other Sergius^ of the sect
of Arrius, Whereupon the principall intention of this
cursed law was wholie aimed against the diuinitie of our
Sauiour lesus Christ, wickedly oppugned by the lewes and
Arrians. He perswaded this law, first by giuing his wife
to vnderstand, and his neighbours by her meanes, and by
little and little others also, that he conuersed with the
angell Gabriell^ vnto whose brightnes he ascribed the
falling sicknes, which many times prostrated him vpon the
earth : dilating and amplifying the same in like sort, by
permitting all that which was plausible to sense and the
flesh ; as also by offering libertie to all slaues that would
come to him, and receiue his law. Wherefore being pro-
secuted hard by the masters of those fugitiue slaues led
away by him, he fledde to Medina Talnabi, and there
remained some time. From this flight the Mc^humetans
fetch the originall of their Hegeira. But questionlesse
there was nothing that furthered more the enlargement of
the Mahumetan sect, then prosperitie in armes, and the
multitude of victories ; whereby Mahumet ouerthrew the
Persians, became lord of Arabia, and draue the Romaines
out of Syria. And his successors afterwards extended
their empire from Euphrates to the Atlantick Ocean, and

I008 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

from the riuer Niger to the Pirenei mountaines, and beyond.
They occupied Sicilia, assailed Italy, and with continuall
prosperitie, as it were, for three hundred yeeres, either
subdued, or encumbred, both the east & west But to
returne to Mahumet his law, it embraceth circumcision, &
maketh a difference between meats pure, & vnpure, partly
to allure the lewes. It denieth the Diuinitie of Christ, to
reconcile the Arrians, who were then most mightie ; it
foisteth in many friuolous fables, that it might fit the
Gentiles : & looseth the bridle to the flesh, which is a thing
acceptable to the greatest part of men. Whereupon Auicen
(though he were a Mahumetan) writeth thus of such a law:
Lex nostra (saith he) quavi dedit Mahumeth^ &c. that is to
say. Our LaWy which Mahumet gaue vs, regardeth tlu
disposition offelicitie or misery ^ according to the body. But
there is another promise^ ivhich concerneth the minde, or the
soule: whichwise Diuines had a farre greater desire to
apprehend^ then that of the body^ which though it be giuen
vnto them^ yet respect they it not^ nor /told it in any estima-
tion in comparision of that felicitie which is a coniunction
with truth,
Ori/aiy, Mahumet being dead, *AIU^ Abubequer^ Omar^ and

Odoman his kinsemen, each of them pretending to be his
true successor, wrote distinctly euerie one by himselfe.
Vpon which there did arise fower seuerall sects, ^///was
head of the sect Imemia, being followed by the Persians,
Indians, and many Arabians, and Gelbines of Africa.
Abubequer gaue foundation to the sect Melchia, embraced
generally by the Arabians, Saracens and Africans. Omar
was author of the Anesia, which is on foote among the
Turks in Syria, and in that part of Africk which is called
Zahara. Odman left behind him the Banesia,or Xefaia, as
we may terme it, which wanteth not followers among the
foresaid nations. Of these fower sects, in processe of time,
haue growen sixtie eight other verie famous, besides some

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOO9

of lesse renowne and fame. Among the many Mahometan
sects, there are the Morabites, who lead their Hues for the
most part in Hermitages, and make profession of Morall
Philosophie, with certaine principles differing from the
Alcoran. One of these was that Morabite, which certaine
yeeres past, shewing Mahumet his name imprinted in his
brest (being done with Aqua Fortis, as I suppose, or some
such thing) raised vp a great number of Arabians in Africk,
and laide siege to Tripolis ; where being bctraied by his
captaine, he remained the Turkes prisoner, who sent his
skin to the grand Signor. This man being in prison, said
to an Italian slaue, his familiar, who went to visite him ; I
greeue at nothing but you Christians, who haue abandoned
me. In that the knights of Malta onely sent him small
succour, of powder and shot. These Morabites affirme, (to
declare some of their fooleries) that when AlU fought, he
killed ten thousand Christians with one blow of a sworde,
and that this sword was an hundred cubits long. Then
there is the foolish, and brutish sect of Cobtini. One of
these shewed himselfe not many yeeres sithence in the
market places and quarters of Algier, mounted on a reed,
with a bridle and raines of leather, giuing the multitude to
vnderstand, that vpon that horse in one night, he rid an
hundred leagues ; and he was for this greatly honored and
reuerenced.

In tract of time, there grew amongst the Mahumetans,
through the vanitie of their law, and the incredible variety
and difference of opinions, great disorders : For their sect
being not onely wicked, and treacherous (as we haue
declared) but also grosse aud foolish, those that made pro-
fession thereof to defend and maintaine it, were enforced to
make a thousand interpretations and constructions, far
sometimes from reason, and otherwhiles from the expresse
words of Mahumet him selfe. The Califas endeuoured
mightily to reformc this ; but their prouisions of greatest

1010 TllE RELIGIONS Of AFRICA.

importance were two. For first, Moauia (this man
florished about the yeere of our Lord" 770) called an
assembly of learned and iudiciall men, to establish that
which in their sect should be beleeued, and to this end he
caused all the bookes of Mahumet,and his successors, to be
gathered together. But they not agreeing amongst them-
selues, he chose out of them, sixe of the most learned, and
shutting them within an house, with the said writings, he
commaunded them, that euery one should make choise of
that which seemed best vnto him. These men reduced
the Mahumetan doctrine into sixe books, setting downe
the pennaltie of losse of life, to them that should otherwise
speake, or write of the law. But because the Arabians
gaue their mindes to Philosophie, in the vniuersities of
Bagdet, Fez, Maroco, and Cordoua (and being of piercing
and subtile wits) they could not but looke into the fopperies
of their sect. There was added vnto this another prouiso,
which was a statute, that forbad them the studie of Philo-
sophie: by meanes of which statute, their Vniuersities
before most flourishing, haue within these fower hundred
yeeres daily declined. At this day the sects of Mahumetan
impietie are distinguished more through the might and
power of those nations that follow them, then of themselues:
and the principall nations are fower, that is to say, Arabians,
Persians, Tartars, and Turks. The Arabians are most
superstitious, and zealous. The Persians stand more vpon
reason and nature : the Tartars hold much gentilisme and
simplicitie : and the Turkes (especially in Europe) are most
of them Libertines, and Martialistes.

The Arabians, as they that esteeme it for great glorie,
that Mahumet was of their nation, and buried in Mecca (or
as others thinke in Medina Talnabi) haue laboured with all
arte, and yet procure to spread their sect ouer the whole
world. In India they first preuailed with preaching, and
afterwards with armes. Considering that seuen hundred

THE RELIGIONS Of AFRICA. lOU

yeeres sithencc (king Perimal reigning iu Malabar) they
began there to sow this cockle : and to bring the Gentiles
more easily within their net, they tooke (and at this daie
take) their daughters to wife, a matter greatly esteemed
of them, by reason of these mens wealth. By this policie
and the traffike of spices, which yeelded them infinite
profite, they quickly set foote, and fastned it in India.
They built townes, and planted colonies, and the first place,
where they grew to a bodie, was Calicut, which of a small
thing, by their concourse and traffike, became a mightie
citie. They drew king Perwtal to their sect, who at their
perswasion resolued to go and end his daies at Mecca ; and
for that purpose he put himselfe onward on the voiage,
with certaine ships laden with pepper and other precious
comrtiodities : but a terrible tempest met him in the midst
of his course, and drowned him in the sea. They inhabite
in Malabar, where two sorts of Arabians or Moores (as we
may terme them) haue more exceedingly increased and
preuailed, then in any other part of the Indies : one is of
strangers that arriuc there by reason of the traffike of
Arabia, Cambaia, and Persia : and the other be those that
dayly are borne of a Moorish father, and a mother Gentile,
or both of father and mother Moores, and these (who are
called Nateani, and differ from the other people, in person,
customes, and habit) make as it were a fourth part of the
inhabitants of that countrey. From Malabar, they went to
the Maldiue, and Zeilan. Here they began to take vpon
them the managing of the customs and impositions of
cities and townes ; and by making them greater then in
times past, they attained to the grace and fauour of the
Princes and Lords, together with great reputation and
authority, yea preeminence and superiority ouer the
common people : and favouring those who embraced their
sect, daylie preached and diuulged by the Papassi ; but
holding their hands heauie ouer such as shewed themselues

lOI^ THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

repugnant, they incredibly aduanced Mahumetisme. After-
wards perceiuing themselues strong and mightie, both in
richesse, and followers, they seized on the townes and
cities. So that at this day, they commaund a good part of
the Maldiuae, and the ports of the most noble iland of
Zeilan, except that of Columbo where the Portugals haue
a fortresse. By like stratagem are they become masters of
the west part of Sumatra, within little more then these b^o
hundred yeeres, first preuailing by trade, and commerce,
then by marriage and affinitie, and last of all by armes.
From hence going forwarde, they haue taken into their
hands the greatest part of the ports of that large Archi-
pelago of the Lu^ones, Malucos, lauas, &c. They are
Lords of the citie of Sunda, in the greater laua, they enioy
the greatest part of the Hands of Banda, and Maluco;
they raigne in Burneo, & Gilolo. They came once as far
as Lu^on, a most noble Iland, and one of the Philippinas,
& had planted therein three colonies. On the other side,
they conquered vpon the firme land, first the rich kingdome
of Cambaia, & there established their sect, as they did the
like, in all the places adioining ; from hence they went to
Bengala, and became Lords thereof. They cut oflF by little
and little, from the crowne of Siam, the state of Malaca,
(which the Portugals holde at this day) as likewise those of
lor, and Pam ; and more then two hundred leagues along
the coast Finallie they are entred into the most ample
kingdome of China, and haue built Moscheas in the same ;
and if the Portugals in India and the Malucos, and after-
wards the Spaniards in the Philippinas had not met them
on the way, and with the gospell and armes, interrupted
their course, they would at this instant haue possessed
infinite kingdomes of the east : yea in this they are so
industriout and bould, to our confusion, that euen the
Arabian mariners, that go in the Portugall ships will tarrie
behind in the Gentile-townes, there to publish their sect ;

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOI3

and in the yeere 1555. one of these men had passed euen
as far as lapon, for this purpose ; so that if the Portugals
had not remedied it in due time, he would peradventure
haue wrought there some alteration.

The Persian nation, as touching their sect, a little before
our time, haue beene made renowmed among those bar-
barous people, by the valor and armes of Ismael^ called the
Sophi. This man accounting himselfe to be of the race
and blood of Alle, brought his owne sect into credit and
reputation, and waged warre against those borderers, who
would not accept of it. He wore a redde Turbant, with
twelue points or corners, in memoriall of the twelue sonnes
of Ocefiy the sonne of Alle^ willing that all his followers
should weare the like ; and many people came in vnto him,
and in a maner all those nations which inhabite betweene
the riuers Euphrates and Abianus, and between the Caspian
sea & the Persian gulphe. Tammas his sonne sent the
said twelue-comered Turbant to the Mahumetan Princes of
Malabar and Decan, perswading them to receiue it with
his sect, and bestowing the title of a king, on whomesoeuer
would accept of it, but no others receiued it, saue Nizza-
maluco. It is a common voice and opinion, that the
greatest part of the Mahumetans of Syria and the lesser
Asia follow and affect inwardly the sect of All^, and of the
Persians ; the which the Turkes perceiuing in the vproare
of Techelle, made a mightie slaughter of them, carrying the
kinsemen of the slaine, and those suspected, out of Asia
into Europe.

But now let vs passe to the Tartars. These (*as other- g. b. b. Kei.
whiles we declared) descended of the ten tribes of Israel, ^,'deii' Asia.
being transported by the order and commission of Sal-
manazar, king of the Assirians, beyond India, into the land
of Arsareth. Here degenerating into rude and barbarous
customes, and forgetting in a greatc part, or altogether, the
Moysaicall ceremonies, they hardly reteined circumcision.

I0I4 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

They came out of this their banishment, in the yeere of our
Lord 1 200. and in a small time, with the ruine of infinite
nations, made themselues terrible to all the east, and no
lesse to the north. Pope Innocent the fourth, being amazed
at the horrible stormc, that hung ouer the head of Christen-
dome (for they had. spread themselues like locusts euen to
the bankes of Danubius) sent from the councell of Lyons,
Withthis frier Frycr AscelUtio. of the order of Dominicus, with other

Ascelhne was '

seni lohannes Frycrs, to the great C A N in the yeere 1 246. to exhort

dePiofwCar- , . , , , r . , ^ ^, .

pint, whose him to embrace the name and faith of Christ ; or at least

voiageisput i i ^11 . . \ » r>^f\* %

domneinthe to let the Christians alone in peace. Of baptisme he
/AeEnJ}^ accepted not, but promised a league with the Christians,
voia^es. j.^^ p^^ yeeres. Others notwithstanding will needes haue

it, that he was conuerted, and that taking vp armes in
fauour of the Christians, he caused Mustaceno the Califa of
Baldach, to dy with famine, amidst the treasures heaped
vp by him. But afterwards either hee, or his successor,
together with his people, denying their Christianity, became
Mahumetans in religion. And sithence that time, the
Tartarian name and fame growing obscure, that of the
Turkes began to flourish. The Tartars Petegorski not-
withstanding vpon the mountaines of Cumania, remained
firme in the Christian faith, but yet corrupted with the
errors of the Greekes and Moscouites. The Colmugi neere
the Caspian sea, continued in Paganisme, who are termed
Capigliati, because they shaue not off their hayres, as the
other Tartars do. The Kirgessi also be Idolators, as other-
whiles we declared. The other Tartars that are come on
this side of Imaus, haue all, from one to an other, embraced
Mahumetisme. And amongst others the Zagatai, who
through the emulation they haue with the Persians (vpon
whome they border and contend for Empire) as concerning
sect, follow the opinion of the Turkes, as also the Mogores
their descendents, who in these our dayes haue enlarged
their Empire, betweene mount Caucasus and the Ocean,

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOI5

and between Ganges, and Indus. But the Tartars of
Cataya, resident beyond Imaus, and vpon the desert called
Lop, remaine generalliein Idolatry, although their continue
many Christians amongst them, of the sect of Nestorius,
neither want there some Mahumetans.

Now let vs come to the Turkes, who in largenes of
Empire, are superior to the other sects. Of these, part
inhabite in Asia, part in Europe. Those of Asia incline
much to the opinion of the Persians, and especially they
that inhabite in Natolia, and the borders. But those of
Europe are generally lesse superstitious then the Asians,
and by reason of their daily conuersation with Christians,
they haue a deeper opinion and conceit of Christ then the
others, yea, and many of them hold him for God, and
Redeemer. And it is not long sithence there were diuers
put to death in Constantinople with speciall constancie on
their part : and it was thought that many of the grand
Signors court held the same opinion. The Turkes,
especially those of Europe, are of two sorts : for some are
naturall Turkes, others accessorie, or accidentall. Naturall
I terme them, that are borne of Turkish parents : and them
I call accidental, who leauing our sacred faith, or the ,

Moysaicall law, become Mahumetans : the which the
Christians performe by circumcising themselues, and the
lewes by lifting vp a finger. Now the Christians become
Turkes, partly vpon some extreme & violent passion.
Cherseogli (who afterwards was great with Bazateth) turned
Turke to bee reuenged of his father, who tooke from him
his wife, amidst the solemnitie of the marriage. VlucciaHOrOiouchaii,
denied the faith to be reueged of a slauc, his companion in
the gallie, who called him scald pate. Some abiure the
faith to release themselues of torments and cruelties ;
others for hope of honors and temporall greatnes : and of
these two sorts there are a great number in Constantinople,
being thought to be Christians in hart : and yet through

IOl6 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

slothfulnes, or first to gather togither more wealth, or
expecting opportunitie to carrie with them, their wiues and
children, or for feare of being discouered in their departure
and voiage, or else through sensualitie, and for that they
would not be depriued of the licentiousnes and libertie of
the life they lead, resolue not to performe that they are
bound vnto ; deferring thus to moneth to nioneth, & from
yeere to yeere, to leaue this Babylon & sinke of sin. But
the greatest part of Renegados become Mahumetans with-
out perceiuing it. In that the grand Signor sendeth euery
fower yeers, more or lesse, according as need requireth, to
take through his States of Europe, of euerie three christian
male children one, at the discretion of his Commissaries, by
way of tribute, and they take them from the age of ten, to
the yeeres of seuenteene. These being brought to Con-
stantinople, are without other ceremonies circumcised, and
part of them are sent into Natolia and Caramania to learn
the toong, religion and fashions of the Turkes : and part
are emploied about the seruice of the Seraglios, or palaces
of Constantinople, Pera, and Andrinople. Heere Huing
among the Turkes, farre from their parents, separate from
all conuersation with the faithfull, and depriued of all
spirituall aide and helpe, without perceiuing it, they are
made Turkes. The author of this, the most diabolicall
institution that euer was made, was a.certaine Turkish saint,
called AbeuiraSy in the dales of Amurath the second : and
in the beginning the number was but three thousand, and
afterwards they exceeded not twelue thousand, vntill the
time of Amurath the third, who increased them to the
number of fower and twentie thousand. But returning to
their education : after some time they are called home
againe to the Seraglios of the Zamoglans (for so are they
termed, till they be enrolled among the lanissaries) to
lemaine there vnder their heads and gouemours : and in
short time they became lanissaries, or Spahies, and either

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOI7

they go to the warre, or are bestowed in some garrison, or
else are resident in the court of the Turke. They are
called The sonnes of the grand Signor: they Hue with
great license and libertie : they do whatsoeuer pleaseth
themselues : neither can they be iudged by any but the
Agaes : during their Hues they are seldotimes punished,
and yet when it is done, it is with great secrecie : in buying
they make their owne prizes. These snares are strong
enough to procure, that they neuer care for returning any
more to the bosome of the church. But that which is
woorst of all : euery new Prince bestoweth on them a great
larges, and augmenteth their pay, at the Christians charge.
They also kill and robbe whomsoeuer they please, especially
the Christians throughout the whole countrie, or in march-
ing to the warre, and the Christians dare not so much as in
a word finde themselues agreeued : whereupon there
groweth in them such a scornc and contempt of the
Christian name, that they remaine strangers to it. That
which I haue said of yoong male children taken from out
their mothers bosomes, who without perceiuing it become
Mahumetanes, hapneth in like manner vnto them, whom
the pirates by sea, or soldiers by land, make slaues,
presenting them to the grand Signor. Besides the foresaid
deuises, the Turkes further spread abroad their sect with all
kind of vantage and furtherance. For they abase and
bring to extreme miserie the Christians and Moores their
subiects, not permitting them to ride, nor beare any kinde
of armes, nor to exercise any maner of iustice, or gouem-
ment. They make it lawfull to take Christian women that
are not married. If the wife of a Christian turneth Turke,
and marrieth herselfe with a Turke, their law permitteth,
that the Christian husband by turning Turke may take her
againe. They forbid the Christians to repaire their ruinate
Churches, and suffer them in no wise to reedifie them fallen
downe, without great bribes ; and so the Christians through

3T

IOl8 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

pouertie let them come to ruine : by meanes whereof the
publike worship of God faileth, and in progresse of time
also, the very Christian faith and beleefe. In Asia they
will not permit the Greekes the vse of their language, but
onely in sacred administrations, to the end that togither
with their language, they may also loose and forget their
Christian fashions and customes. The Spahi being Lords
for terme of life, of infinite villages, take such young men
into their seruitude, as best pleaseth them ; who in processe
of time, by couersation with their maisters, and the fauours
they hope after, and by the wicked fashions and customes
which they learne, as also through the sinnes and vices,
wherein they are drowned, do become Turkes. And the
Greekes children, after the example of their companions,
being thus fauoured and made much of, incline in such a
sort vnto this euill, that vpon euery light occasion, they
threaten their fathers and mothers to turne Turkes.
Further it is forbidden the Mahumetanes to make restitu-
tion of any place, once taken with armes, and wherein they
haue built a Moschea. To conclude, they vse all manner
of circumstances, by meane of which they may amplifie or
enlarge their dominion and sect.

Of the Mahumetans of Africa in particular.

THe Mahumetan impietie hath spred it selfe throughout
Africa beyond measure : this pestilence entred into
Egypt in the yeere of our Lord 637. by the armes of Omar,
From whence a captaine of Odoman first passed into Africa
in the yeere 650. with fower-score thousand fighting men,
who there defeated Gregorius Patritius. But they per-
petually cast out of Africk the Romaines with the people of
Absimacus, and Leontiiis the emperour, in the yeere 699.
and wholie impatronized themselues of Barbaric. They
pierced into Numidia & Libya in the yeere 710. and ouer-
threw the Azanaghi, and the people of Gualata, Oden, and

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IOI9

Tombuto. The yeere afterwards 973. hauing passed
Gambea, they infected the Negroes, and the first that
drunke of their poison were those of Melli. In the yeere
1067. laiaia the sonne of Abubequer entred into the lower
Ethiopia, and by little and little subuerted those people
which confine vpon the deserts of Libya and Egypt, piercing
euen to Nubia & Guinea. The Arabias haue augmeted
their sect in Africk, first with force of armes, by banishing
of the naturall inhabitants, the which they might well do,
by reason of their infinite multitude : and of them, that
verse of Dauid may well be vnderstood : In circuitu impij
ambulant : secundum altiiudinem iuam, multiplicasti filios
hominum, &c. The wicked walke round about ; according
to thy greatnes, thou hast multiplied the sonnes of men.
Where they could not come, nor giue no blow with armes ;
there they haue ingrafifed themselues, by preaching and
traffike. The heresie of ^rr/z^j furthered their enterprize,
wherewith the Vandales and Gothes being then inhabiters
of Africa were infected. To further their designments they
brought in the Arabicke language and letters. They
founded Vniuersities and Studies, both for riches of
reuenew, and magnificence of building most notable,
especially in Maroco, and Fez. But there is nothing that
hath greatlier furthered the progression of the Mahumetan
sect, then perpetuitie of victorie, & the greatnes of conquests,
first of the Califas in the east, & afterwards of the Miramo-
lines in Affrick : In that the greatest part of men, yea, and
in a manner all, except such as haue fastned their confi-
dence vpon the crosse of Christ, and setled their hope in
eternity, follow that which best agreeth with sense, and
measure the grace of God by worldly prosperitie. And
yet Christ (as lustinus the Philosopher, and glorious martyr
testifieth) promised no earthly reward to good works.
Carnal men therefore perceiuing the empire of the Califas
and Mahumetans continually to cncrease in the east and

3 T 2

I020 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

west, taking^ into their hands both sea and land, (for this
their feJicitie in armes continued three hundred yeeres,
wherein they conquered all that which lieth betwcene the
riuer Abianus and the Atlantike Ocean, and subdued
Spaine, Sicilia, and a part of Italie and France) and iudging
that temporall prosperitie and victories were the effects and
fruits, or at least the arguments and signes of the grace
and fauour of God, they easily fell into Apostasie, where-
unto the impietie oi Arrius and other heretikes opened the
way, who for long tract of time estranging themselues more
and more from the Euangelicall truth, fell in the end into
Atheisme : as we see hath fallen out in the course of some
moderne enormities. But to returne from whence we haue
digressed ; in progresse of time there grew great differences
betweene the Mahumetans : for their sect being no lesse
sottish and foolish, then wicked and perfidious, the main-
teiners of it were driuen to fetch reasons farre off* for defence
of the same. But the Arabians not contented in Africa to
haue subiugated with armes, and with false doctrine to
haue pestered Barbaric, Numidia, Libya, and the countrey
of Negroes, they further on the other side assailed the
lower Ethiopia, both by sea and land. By lande entred
thereinto in the yeere 1067. laiaia the sonne of Abu-
bequer, and by meanes of certaine Alfachi, he dispersed
that pestilence into Nubia, and the neighbour prouinces.
On the other side passing the Red sea, they first tooke
knowledge of the coast of Ethiopia, euen to Cabo de los
corrientes, by their continuall traffike thither: and after-
wards being encouraged by the weakenes of the naturall
inhabitants, they erected the kingdomes of Magadazo,
Melinde, Mombazza, Quiloa, Mozambique, and seazed on
some ports of the island of Saint Laurence : and gathering
force by little and little, they enlarged their empire within
the land, and established therein the kingdomes of Dangali
and Adel. So that on the one side they haue spred their

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. I02I

sect, from the Red sea to the Atlantike Ocean, and from
the Mediterran sea to the riuer Niger, and farther : and on
the other, haue taken into their hands all the easterne coast
of Africk, from Suez to Cape Guardafii, and from this, euen
to that De los corrientes, and the adioining islands. In
which places though the people be not altogither Mahume-
tans, yet haue the Mahumetans the weapons & dominion
in their hands ; the which how much it importeth for the
bringing in of sects, we may easily conceiue. To conclude,
they haue often assailed the Prete lanni ; sometimes the
Turkes, who haue taken from him the ports of the Red sea ;
and otherwhiles the Moores, vnder the conduct of the king
of Adel, who hath, and doth molest them greatly, leading
into captiuitie a great number of Abassins, where they
become for the most part Mahumetans.

Of the Christians of Africa.

NOw that we haue declared the miseries and darknes of
Affrick, it remaineth that we set downe that little
light of true religion which there is ; the which I can not
passe ouer, without exceeding glorie to the Portugall
nation. In that they with inestimable charge, and infinite
trauaile, haue first sought to open the way to Ethiopia, and
to bring the great Negus of Abassia, called by vs Prete
lanniy to the vnion of the christian church of Europe,
performing whatsoeuer, after this, for the conuersion of the
princes of Guinia and Meleghette to the faith, and yet more
happily of the king of Congo and the Princes of Angola ;
and likewise with diuers colonies sent to the ilands of the
Atlantick Ocean, they haue no lesse aduaced the honor of
their owne nation, then the propagating of the christian
faith. And finally, passing beyond Cabo de buena
esperan^a, they haue resisted the Mahumetan sect, which
had now extended it selfe on the backside of Africa, as far
as Cabo de los corrientes.

I022 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

Of tlie Christians in Egypt.

THe Christians of Egypt are partly strangers, partlie
home-borne in the country ; strangers come thither
in regarde of traffick which there flourisheth aboue measure,
especiallie in the cities of Alexandria and Cairo ; by reason
that this kingdome being most commodiously situate
between the Red and Mediterran seas, vniteth the west
parts of the world with the east, by meane of an infinite
traffick ; and therefore is it as it were a ladder, whereby
the wealth of India and of the Eoan Ocean, passeth into
the lesser Asia, into Africke, and Europe. Whereupon
not onely the Venetians, Florentines, and Ragusians come
thither in great numbers ; but also the French, and English.
The naturall Christians of Egypt, remaining after the
spoiles and hauock of the Barbarians and the crueltie of
the Saracens, Mamalucks, and Turkes, exceed not the
number of fiftie thousand persons, and these dwell dispersed
here and there, but principallie in the cities of Cairo, Messia,
Monfalatto, Bucco, and Elchiasa, all placed vpon the bankes
of Nilus. There are also many in the prouince of Minia,
in which quarter appeare diuers monasteries. But among
the monasteries of Egypt those of Saint Anthonie^ Saint
Paul, and Saint Macarius are the principal. The first
lieth in Troglodytica right ouer against Sait vpon a hill,
where Saint AntJwny was said to be beaten by diuels : the
second is seated not far from this, in the middest of a
desert : the third standeth in the wildernes, to the west of
Bulac. This is the monasterie which in some histories is
called Nitria, as I thinke, bicause in that quarter the waters
of Nilus, being thickned by the heate of the sun in low
places, are conuerted into salt and niter. Georgia stood
vpon Nilus, six miles from the city of Munsia, a rich and
magnificent Conuent, so called after the name of Saint
George. There were in the same more then two hundred

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO23

monkes, to the notable benefite and ease of pilgrimes &
strangers, who were there curteously lodged. But they
dying all of the plague, (about some hundred and fiftie
yeeres sithence,) the place was abandoned.

Now to deliuer somewhat concerning the estates of these
Christians : They are called by some *Cofti, and by others, * Or CoptUcc.
Christians from the girdle vpward : for albeit they be
baptized, as we are, yet do they circumcise themselues like
to the lewes : so as a man may say, their Christianitie
comes no lower then the girdle-stead. But that which is
woorse, they haue for these looo.yeers followed the heresie
of Euiiches,v^\)\Qh alloweth but of one nature in Christ : by
which heresie they also separate and dismember them-
selues, from the vnion of the Church of Europe. The
occasion of this separation and schisme, was the Ephesine
councell, assembled by Dioscorus in defence of Eutiches^
who was now condemned in the Calcedon councell by sixe
hundred and thirtie fathers congregated togither, by the
authoritie of Leo the first. For the Cofti fearing, that to
attribute two natures vnto Christ, might be all one, as if
they had assigned him two hypostases or persons, to auoid
the heresie of the Nestorians, they became Eutichians.
They say their diuine seruice in the Chaldean toong, often-
times repeating Alleluia. They read the Gospell first in
Chaldean, and then in Arabick. When the priest saieth
Pax vobisy the yoongest amongst them laieth his hand vpon
all the people that are present. After consecration, they
giae a simple peece of bread to the standers by : a cere-
monie vsed also in Greece. They exercise their function
in the church of Saint Marke amidst the ruines of Alexan-
dria, and in that of Suez, vpon the red sea : they obey the
Patriarke of Alexandria, and affirme themselues to be of
the faith of Prete lantii. In our daies two Popes haue
attempted to reduce them to the vnion of the. Romish
church ; Pius the fourth, and Gregorie the thirteenth.

I024 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

Pius the fourth in the yeere 1563. sent two I esu it-priests
for this purpose to Cairo ; who staied there almost a yeere,
but to no purpose, and with great danger of life : for one
of them was appointed to the fire, from which he escaped
by meanes of a merchant ; who with eight hundred crownes
pacified the Turkes, and caused the priest sodainly to flie
away. But Pope Gregorie entred into this enterprise
with more hope : for Paulo Mariani a famous Christian
merchant, was at the same time in Cairo, who for his
wisdome, magnificence, knowledge of toongs, and long
practise in the afiaires of the world, ioined with woonderfull
eloquence, and presence of bodie, was in great esteeme and
reputation, not onely among the Christians, but also with
the Turkes, who equally loued him for his liberality, and
honored him for his valour. This man had conference
with the Patriarke of Alexandria about the reconciling of
his people to the Romish church : whereunto the Patriarke
not shewing himselfe difficult, or hard to be entreated, was
contented to call by his letters into those parts, two priests
of the same order, who were then with the Maronites in
mount Libanus. In the meane while the Pope, who was
aduertised of al this busines, taking the matter quickly in
hand, wrote vnto the two priests, appointing one of them to
go dircctlie to Cairo ; and the other to returne back to
Rome. Wherefore in the yeere 1582 in the moneth of
October one of the said priests arriuing at Cairo, was
courteouslie receiued by Mariani, and afterwards conducted
to the Patriarke, who also made shew of great ioy and
consolation. One might likewise perceiue a reasonable
disposition in others who had any authority among the
Cofti. He aduertised the Pope of all ; who sent a certaine
other priest, with one breefe to the Patriarke, and an other
to the lesuites, wherein he exhorted them to go forward,
and to bring the vnion, whereof so assured hope was con-
ceiued, to good effect. The Patriarke receiued the breefe

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO25

with great reuerence, he kissed it, and according to their
custome, laid it vpon his head, and afterwards demanded
what it comprehended : the which with great feeling, and
contentment hauing vnderstood, within fewe daies he
instituted a Synod of some bishops, and certaine other
principall persons of the nation. Heere the said priests
hauing declared vnto them vpon how little ground they,
who at the first receiued the faith from Saint Marke^ were
sequestred from the western church by the authoritie of one
heretike, tooke much paines afterward in making them
capable of the difference that is betwecne a nature and an
Hypostasis or person, to their exceeding great admiration,
bicause they were in a manner destitute of all learning.
For the Patriarke euen from his youth had led his life in
the monasterie of Saint Macarius, farre not onely from the
studies of learning, but also from the conuersation of men,
neither appeered there any greater knowledge in the
bishops. They had scarcely any booke of the ancient
fathers, and yet those they had, were all dustie, and eaten
with mothes: That whereof they made chiefest account,
was an old volume, being torne and rent, which they called
The confession of the Fathers, full of diuers dreames and
fables, whereof notwithstanding, and of some other Arabicke
bookes, the priests made speciall good vse, for the conuinc-
ing of them in their errors. Also hauing framed a corn-
pendium of most necessarie doctrine, they caused diuers
copies of the same to be drawne, and gaue them to the
learned of the Cofti, to be considered of, who wondring at
the strangenes of the things propounded vnto them, and
not knowing how to answer the arguments of the priestes,
demaunded time to search their owne writings, and to see
what opinion their predecessors had held as concerning
that point. In the meane while, they came often to the
priests, and inquired of them the doctrine and forme of
speech vsed in the Romish church. Whereupon they

1026 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

shewed them how greatly the same church had euer
detested heresies : and how scuerely it had condemned the
impietie oi Nestor ius, and contrariwise highly esteemed the
authoritie of Cy villus Alexandrinus^ and the decrees of the
first Ephesine Councell. Neither (bicause it confesseth
two natures in Christ, ioined in one person without con-
fusion) doth it therefore inferre two hypostasis or persons.
In that a nature and a person are not the selfe same things.
The which may cleerely be vnderstoode by the deepe
mysterie of the holy Trinitie, wherein we acknowledge one
nature, and three Hypostasis or persons. We auer therfore,
that there are two natures in Christ, one diuine, which he
hath eternally from his Father, the other humane, which
he tooke temporally from the immaculate wombe of his
mother ; both of them ioined in one hypostasis or person.
By these and other like demonstrations, they cleered the
vnderstandings, and confirmed the mindes of the Cofti.
Howbeit, all this notwithstanding, the Synod being againe
assembled (wherein were present, the Patriarke, fiue bishops,
diuers abbots of monasteries, and thirtie other principall
persons) they plainly answered the priests that they had
turned ouer their Annales & writings, & were resolued in
no wise to depart from the doctrine and faith of their pre-
decessors. This vnlooked-for answer, though it greatly
troubled and displeased the priests, yet were they deter-
mined still to continue, and to proceed further in the
enterprise. Whereupon declaring vnto them againe, how
farre they were by Dioscorus meanes estranged from the
doctrine taught in the Nicen, Constantinopolitan, and first
Ephesine councels, grounded on the authoritie of holy
Scripture, and the ancient Fathers : and that to disallow of
two natures in Christ, was no other but to denie that he
was neither true God nor man, (a matter abhominable, not
only to their eares, but euen to their very vnderstadings)
they preuailcd so much, as that the matter was yet deferred

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. 102;

off to an other moneth. Being therefore congregated the
third time, it seemed that God himselfe furthered this
affaire more then vsually : for first with common consent
they abrogated the law of circumcision, and withall after a
disputation of sixe howers continuance, it was decreed, that
as concerning the truth of this point, the priests were to be
beleeued, that there were two natures in Christ, and that
the Cofti though they auoided the name and title of two
natures, yet denied they not, but that Christ was true man,
and true God. Onely they were warie of the two natures,
for feare of falling by litle & litle into two hypostases.
Thus this busines being brought to so good a passe, was by
the ambition and obstinacie of one man vtterly crossed and
hindred. This was the Vicar or Suffragan to the Patriarke,
who aspiring himselfe to the Patriarkship, and seeing that
if he followed this vnion begun with the Romaine church,
he could not attainc to that dignitie, but by the Popes
authoritie, (which he altogither misdoubted) he first made
the decree of two natures to be deferred, commanding
afterwards that none should subscribe thereunto, and finally
caused the Patriarke wholie to giuc ouer this busines, and
to retire himselfe into the wildernes ; whereas he continued
for certaine months. Afterwards the priests vnderstanding
where he was, wrot vnto him a letter, signifying therein,
what a special desire they had to see him, and what domage
the retiring of himselfe would procure to the sillie sheepe
recommended vnto him by God, if he ratified not fully
those things which were decreed vpon in the last assemblie.
He curteously answered, making shew, that he would
returne, when he had visited his dioces, and in the meane
while they should expect him at Cairo. But while he
thought vpon returne, his owne death interrupted him.
The Cofti haue a law, or customc, that betweene the death
of one Patriarke and the creation of an other, there must
be in a maner an whole yecres space, for so long it is

I028 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

requisite, say they, that the church should bewaile the
death of her spouse. Whereupon the priests, not to loose
so much time, determined to go home into Italy, to
acquaint the Pope with the successe of all things, and
afterwards (neede so requiring) to returne. The Cofti
vnderstanding thus much, writ letters to the Pope, wherin
they partly thanked him for the care he had of them ; &
partly lamented, that their recSciliation with the Romish
church was not fully confirmed and finished. While the
priests were about to depart on Saint Mathewes day in the
morning, there came a route of armed Turkes to their
lodging. These layde hands suddenly on two priests, and
another companion of theirs, and on three Fryers of the
order of Saint Francis, lodged in the same house. No man
knew the reason of this hurly burly, but for as much as
could be learned, all this grew through the enuie of a
Frenchman. This man aspiring to the degree of ConsuU
or Gouernor ouer his nation, which Mariani had obtayned,
maliciously gaue the Bassa of Cairo to vnderstad, that
Mariani suborned the people against the grad Signor, &
that he had order from the K. of Spaine to leuie Christian
men. And that to this end he kept in his house certaine
priests, who practised in this behalf with Mariani for the
king. There was nothing that more preiudiced the priests,
then the Cofties letters, which bred a vehement suspition in
the Turkes, that such an vnion might be concluded with
the Roman Church, as might worke some extraordinarie
innouation. They were therefore cast into a filthie and
stinking prison. The Venetian ConsuU assayed first by
word of mouth, and after by suite and supplication, to
asswage the furie and anger of the Bassa ; Howbeit he
receiued such bitter and nipping answeres, that he himselfe
was also afraid. But nothing preuaileth further with the
Turkes then money. For it seemeth that with this onely
their sauage furie is mitigated, and their fiercenes appeased.

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO29

Fiue thousand crownes therefore were disbursed for the
priests libertie, wherein the Cofti shewed themselues verie
friendly, the richest of them offering one after another to
lend money without any interest for the same. But this
matter cost Mariani more then ten thousand crownes ; and
besides that, he was depriued of his degree of Consulship.
The priests being thus freed out of prison, and obseruing
how things went, returned one after another backe to
Rome.

A relation touching the state of

Christian Religion in the dominions of

Prete lanni, taken out of an oration o{ Matthew

Dresserus, professour of the Greeke and

Latine toongs, and of Histories, in the

Vniuersitie of Lipsia.

Who hauing first made a generall exordium to his
auditorie, proceedeth at length to the peculiar hand-
ling of t/ie foresaid argument, in
manner following.

Ondum (saith hee) vnius seculi <jBtas
exacta est, &c. The space of one
hundred yeeres is not as yet fullie
expired, since the fame of the Ethio-
pians religion came first vnto our
eares. Which, because it is in many
points agreeable vntoChristian veritie,
and carrieth an honest shew of pietie therewith, is to be
esteemed as a matter most worthie of our knowledge. Of
this therefore, so far forth as the short time of an oration
will permit, I purpose to intreate ; to the end it may
appeare, both where, and what manner of Christian church
that of Ethiopia is, and what were the first beginnings
thereof
♦ As the church This Ethiopian, not vnfitly called *The southeme church,
hither parts of is situate in Africa far south, namely vnder the Torrid
bcmfcaUcd the Zone, bctweenc the Tropique of Cancer and the Equi-
ThafZ/Gr'^fce noctial ; some part thereof also stretching beyond the
"laL^ie'^ *^' Equinoctial, towards the Tropique of Capricorne. Two
church. summers they haue euery yeere, yea in a manner, one

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO3I

continual summer : so that at the very same time in some
fields they sowe, and in others they reape. Somewhere also
they haue euery moneth ripe, some kinde of earthlie fruits
or other, especiallie pulse. The people are skorched with
the heate of the sun, and they are black, and go naked :
saue onely that some couer their priuites with cloth of
cotton or of silke. The countrie is very great, and con-
taineth well nie twentie kingdomes ; * so that it is almost * iVkatsoeufr

Dresserus

as large as Europe, or as all Christendome in these parts, thinkdk; yet

A « t • • • 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 • 1 diners other

At the beginnmg mdeed it had not aboue two kmgdomes ; authors of good
but in processe of time it was mightily enlarged by th^ dominions 0/
conquest of countries adiacent. For it is enuironed on all benothtnglo '^
sides by vnbeleeuing gentiles and Mahumetans, who are'^'*^^"
most deadlie enimies to the Christian religion ; with whome
the emperour of Ethiopia is at continuall wars, endeuouring
by all possible meanes to reclaime them from their
heathenish Idolatry to the faith of lesus Christ. It is
reported that certaine bordering *Mores beare such im- '^.f^//^^""^^^
placable hatred against these Christians, that none of them ^^^^•
may marry, before he bringeth testimony, that he hath
slaine tuelue of them.

The Emperour of Ethiopia is not called (as some imagine)
Presbiter or priest ; but Pretious lokn. For in the
Ethiopian toung he is termed Belul Gian, and in the
Chaldean, Encoe Gian, both which additions signifie
pretious or high ; so that in a maner he commeth neer vnto
the titles of our princes, who are called Illustres, Excelsi,
Serenissimi, &c. to signifie, that they are exalted and
aduanced aboue other people. And this is a common name
to all the christian kings of Ethiopia ; as Pharao was to
the Egyptian kings, and Augustus^ to the Roman
emperours. Neither is this Pretious lohn a priest by
profession, but a ciuil magistrate ; nor is he armed so
much with religion and lawes, as with military forces.

Howbeit he calleth himselfe The piller of faith ; because

I032 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

he is the maintainer of the Christian faith, not onely
enioining his owne subiects to the obseruation thereof;
but (what in him lyeth) enforcing his enemies also to
embrace it.

In times past Ethiopia was gouerned by Queenes onely.
Whereupon we reade in the history of the old testament,
that the Queene of the south came to King Saloman from
Saba, to heare his admirable wisdome, about the yeere of
the world 2954. The name of this Queen (as the Ethio-
pians report) was Maqueda, who from the head-city of
Ethiopia called Saba (which like an Isle, is enuironed on
all sides by the riuer Nilus) trauelled by Egypt and the
Red sea to lerusalem. And she brought vnto Salomon an
hundred & twenty talents of gold, which amount to 720000.
golden ducates of Hungarie, that is, seuen tunnes of gold,
and 20000 Hungarian ducates besides. This mightie sum
of gold, with other things of great value, she presented
vnto Salomon, who likewise requited her with most princely
giftes. She contended with him also in propounding of
sage questions, & obscure riddles. Amongst other matters
(as it is reported by Cedrentis) she brought before him
certaine damosels, and yoong men in maides attire, asking
the king, how he could discerne one sexe from another.
He answered, that he would finde them out by the washing
of their faces. And foorthwith he commanded all their
faces to be washed, and they which washed themselues
strongly, were found to be males ; but the residue by their
tender washing bewraied themselues to be damosels.

The Ethiopian kings suppose, that they are descended
from the linage of Dauid^ and from the family of Salomon,
And therefore they vse to terme themselues the sonnes of
Dauid, and of Salomon, and of the holy patriarkes also, as
being sprung from their progenie. For Queene Maqueda
(say they) had a sonne by Salomon, whome they named
Metlech. But afterward he was called Dauid. This

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO33

Meilech (as they report) being growen to tvventie yeeres of
age, was sent backe by his mother vnto his father and
instructor Salomon^ that he might learne of him, wisedome
and vnderstanding. Which so soone as the said Meilech
or Dauid had attained : by the permission of Salomon^
taking with him many priests and nobles, out of all the
twelue tribes, he returned to his kingdome of Ethiopia, and
tooke vpon him the gouernment thereof. As likewise he
carried home with him the law of God, and the rite of
circumcision.

These were the beginnings of the lewish religion in
Ethiopia. And it is reported, that euen till this present
none are admitted into any ministry or canonship in the
court, but such as are descended of their race that came
first out of lury. By these therfore the doctrine of God in
Ethiopia was first planted, which afterward tooke such
deepe root, as it hath since remained to all succeeding
ages. For the Ethiopians did both retaine the bookes of
the Prophets, and trauailed also to Jerusalem, that they
might there worship the true God reuealed in the kingdome
of Israel. Which manifestly appeereth out of the Historic Acts oj the
of the Ethiopian Eunuch, whose name was Itidichy which verse'J^.
was a principall gouemour under Queene Candaces,
properly called ludith. For he about the tenth yeere after
the death and resurrection of our blessed Sauiour, trauailed
for the space of two hundred and fortie miles, to lerusalem.
Where hauing performed due worship vnto God, returning
homeward, as he sate in his chariot, he read the prophet
Esatas, And by the commandement of the holy Spirit,
Philip one of Christ his disciples was sent vnto him. And
when they were both come to the citie Bethzur, three
miles distant from lerusalem ; the Eunuch at the foote of
a mountaine espied a certaine water, wherein he was
baptized by Philip. And being returned into Ethiopia,
this Eunuch baptized the Queene, and a great part of her

3U

I034 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

family and people. From which time the Ethiopians
began to be Christians, who since that haue continually
professed the Christian faith.

They beleeue also that Philip sent into Ethiopia a
disciple of his called Lycanon^ who (as they Suppose)
ordained the verie forme of religion which they now holde.

Now these beginnings aswel of the lewish as the
christian religion among the Ethiopians being thus de-
clared : we are next to intreat of the doctrine & religion
it selfe, togither with the rites & ceremonies vsed at this
present in the Ethiopicke church, so far foorth as we can
gather out of the ambassages which haue bin performed
from these parts thither, & backe againe. Besides which
there is no historic nor discourse of any worth to be found,
which entreateth of the religion, maners, and customes of
the Ethiopians. So as it is a matter very strange, that for
so many hundred yeeres togither, Ethiopia was so barred
from our knowledge, that we had not so much as any
report thereof. Vntill about the yeere of our Lord 1440.
certaine ambassadours sent from thence to Pope Eugenius,
returned backe with his letters, and Papall benediction to
their king. Which letters are most charily kept among
the records of this Ethiopian king, and are preserued for
perpetuall monuments.

From which time also, as though Ethiopia had beene
againe quite debarred from the knowledge and conuersa-
tion of our men, there were not any Europeans that went
into Ethiopia, till the yeere of our Lord i486, what time
lohn the second king of Portugall sent Pedro de Couilham,
and Alon^o de Paiua, to search out Ethiopia. This Pedro
was a man very learned, eloquent, skilfull in sundrie
languages, painfull in his endeuors, fortunate in his
attempts, and most desirous to finde out new countries and
people both by sea and land. He therefore in the yeere
aboue mentioned, togither with his companion Alon^o de

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO35

Paiua, (who died in the voiage) trauailed first to Alexandria
and Cairo in Egypt : from whence in the companie of
certaine Mores of Fez and Tremizen, he proceeded on to
El Tor, an hauen towne vpon the Arabian shore of the
Red sea, and thence to Aden, situate without the entrance
of the Arabian gulfe. Where hauing embarqued himselfe
in a ship of Mores, he trauailed to Calicut, Goa, and other
places of the East Indies ; and being fully informed of the
state of the Spiceries, he crossed ouer the maine Ocean to
9ofala, sailed thence to Ormuz, and then returned backe to
Cairo. From whence (hauing dispatched letters vnto his
king) in the company of Rabbi Joseph a lew, he made a
second voiage to Ormuz ; and in his retume he tooke his
lourney towards Ethiopia, the Emperour whereof at that
time, was called Alexander, Vnto whom when he had
deliuered a letter and a mappe of the world sent from king
lohfty he was most kindly entertained, and rewarded with
many rich gifts. And albeit he most earnestly desired to
retume into his owne countrey, yet could he neuer obtaine
leaue ; but had wealth, honour, and a wife of a noble family
bestowed vpon him, to asswage his desire of returning
home. Wherefore in the yeere 1526. which was fortie
yeeres after his departure out of Portugal 1, hee was left, by
Rodrigo deLima the Portugall ambassadour, still remaining
in the court of Prete lannu

In all this meane while sundry Portugals came out of
India to the court of the Prete, not so much to visite and
salute him, as to declare the good will and kinde affection
of their king towards him. Whereupon Queene Helena,
which was then protectresse of the Ethiopian or Abassin
empire, to requite the king of Portugal with like friendship ;
sent vnto him in the company of the foresaid Portugals an
ambassador or messenger of hers, called Matthew, who was
a merchant borne in Armenia, being a man skilfull in
sundry languages and in many other matters. This

3 U 2

1036 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

Matthew the Mattficw shc not onclv furnished with letters requisite for

first ambassa-
dor sent front such an a m bass age ; but enioined him also to declare by

Aethiopia to

Portu^aii. word of mouth vnto the king of Portugal the principall
heads of their doctrine or beleefe, together with their rites
and customes, and the present state of the whole church of
Ethiopia, Moreouer shee presented him with a little crosse
made (as they suppose) of a piece of that very crosse,
whereon our sauiour Christ was crucified ; with many other
tokens and pledges of mutuall christian amity. Thus
Matthew being dismissed, tooke his iourney to the east
Indies ; from whence he was conducted by sea into
Portugal; where arriuing in the yeere iSfS, he did his
message, according to Queene Helenas directions, vnto the
king Don Emanuel.

The king taking wonderfull delight at this message, and
at these guiftes which were sent him from a Christian prince

• This amdas' go far remote, not long after prepared a new *ambassao:e,

sage was at the ' ^ r r &^

first vnd^r- with letters, and presents of exceeding: value: in which

taken by Odo- » r t> >

arrf<7Grt/wa«<;.- ambassage the pietie and vertue of Francis Aluares a

who dying at

the isle of Ca- Portugal priest extraordinarily appeered. For he remaining

maran in the .,, ., « •rr-^**.

Red sea, it was sxyi't ^\io\^ ycercs m the court and countrie of Ethiopia,

Rodrigode ^ tookc there most diligent notice of all matters worthie the

^^^' obseruation. And he had often and familiar conference

not onely with the emperour himselfe, but also with the

patriarke, concerning the whole state of their religion, and

of matters ecclesiasticall ; as also he was a most curious

obseruer of all their rites and ceremonies. Who in the

yeere of Christ 1526. being dismissed by Prete lanni^ was

accompanied into Portugall by another Ethiopian or

Zagatabothe Abassin ambassadour called Zagazabo^ and brought letters

second ambas- i^ r^i

sador sent from also to Popc Clement the seuenth, with a golden crosse of
Portugall. a pound weight. It seemeth likewise that the said ambas-
sadour of Prete lanni was a very honest, vpright, and
godly man, who by reason of their continuall warres was
detained in Portugall till the yeere of our Lord 1539.

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO37

The letters of Prete lanni to the Pope, were by Francis
Aluarez deliuered at Bononia, in the yeere of Christ 1533.
Where in the presence of Charles ^^ Emperour,and before
a mightie assembly of people, they were read and approoued
with great ioy and acclamation. Both which letters, as
well to the Pope as to the king Don Emanuel^ were full of
Christian pietie and loue : wherein first that mightie
Emperour (though therein he was deceiued) with singular
reuerence and dutie, submitted himselfe vnto the Pope of
Rome, as to the head of all the church ; offering by the
said Francis most humble obedience, after the manner of
other Christian princes. As likewise he profered vnto them
botli, the offices of beneuolence, charity, and true friendship,
intending to ioine a firme league of amitie with them, and
signifying that his dominions were free and open to all
Christians, that would by sea or land frequent the same.
Also he plainly seemed to detest the mutuall discords of
Christians, exhorting them to bandy their forces against
the Mahumetans, and promising his roiall assistance, and
most earnest endeuour, for the vanquishing of Christs
cnimies, and their conuersion to the truth. Lastly he
required, that men of learning, and of skill in the holy
Scriptures, as likewise diligent Printers, and all sorts of
artificers might be sent him, to be emploied in the seruice
of his church and common wealth. Signifying that he
would not violently detaine any man in his dominions, but
would dismisse him into his owne countrey, with honour,
and liberall rewards. And that he might testifie his louing
and kind affection to the king of Portugall, by a most
woorthie monument, he sent him the crowne off his owne
head, as the present of a dutifull sonne to his most deere
father.

Wherefore by this most admirable diligence and Industrie
of the Portugals, Ethiopia in these last times hath beene
discouercd and made knowne vnto vs. Neither is there

1038 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

any thing in the Ethiopians religion so hidden and vn-
reuealed, which hath not either beene found out by Francis
Aluarez, or most largely declared by Zagazabo the
Ethiopian ambassadour. Out of the relations therefore of
these two woorthy authors, as out of a fountaine, we will
deriue the whole substance of our speech.

The ground of the Ethiopicke religion is the profession
of one true God, and of his sonne lesus Christ, which of all
Christians is the peculiar and proper marke, whereby onely
they are to be named Christians. Concerning this maine
point the Ethiopians faith stands most firme and entire :
for they togither with vs do confesse and adore one God
and three persons of the deitie, God the father, God the
Sonne begotten of his father from euerlasting, who for vs
men was incarnate, died, and rose againe; and God the
holy Ghost proceeding from the father and the sonne. In
this article they follow the holy creed of the Apostles, and
the Niccne creed. Saue that they hold that Christ
descended into hell for his owne soule, and for the soule of
Adam, which he receiued of the virgine Marie. For this
opinion they do most stedfastly embrace ; saying that it
came by most ancient tradition from Christ himselfe to his
Apostles.

The old testament they so conioine with the new, as they

allow and receiue both lewish & Christian ceremonies.

♦ Whereas the Vpon the eight day after their birth, *they circumcise all

d^ed the males children both male and female. And vnlesse sicknes

*""^'^* vrgeth them to make the more haste, they defer the

baptisme of their male children till they be fortie, and of

their females, til they be eightie daies old. Circumcision

(they say) they receiued from Qucene Maqueda, which

went to heare the wisdome of Salomon : and baptisme from

Saint Philip, and from the Eunuch which Philip baptized.

Yet do they stedfastly hold, that not by circumcision, but

by faith in lesus Christ they attaine vnto true felicitie.

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. 1039

Their baptisme they renue euerie yeere : for vpon the day
of the three Sages, otherwise called Epiphanie, whereon
Christ was baptised in lordan, they meet in great assem-
blies, and enter naked into the water ; where the priest
layeth his hand vpon them, dippeth them thrise, and pro- •
nounceth the words of baptisme, saying, I baptise thee in
the name of the father, the sonne, and the holy ghost ;
adding thereto the signe of the crosse. This custome
receiued from their predecessors they doe n\ost carefully
obserue, not thereby to abase or extenuate their first
baptisme ; but that euerie yeere they may receiue a new
absolution from their sinnes. Also vnto their infants vpon
the verie day of their baptisme, they giue the bodie of our
Lord, vnder a small morsell of bread. But such as are
growen to yeeres of discretion before they come vnto the
Lords holy supper, do make confession and receiue absolu-
tion of all their sinnes from the priest. Then doe they all
betimes in the morning both clergie and laytie receiue the
whole sacrament of the bodie and true blood of lesus
Christ in their churches. Which being receiued, they njay
not vnder paine of grieuous punishment, so much as once
spit, till the going downe of the sunne.

Popish confirmation and vnction, they neither esteeme
for sacraments nor vse them. The Pope of Rome, either
in regard of errour and ignorance, or to win his fauour, they
acknowledge to be head of the church, and doe pretend a
kinde of obedience to the sea of Rome. Albeit that the
Pope, before the Portugals discouerie of the east Indies
could neuer communicate any assistance vnto them, *nor *,-^'^/'%^
yet since that time, by reason of the huge distance almost ^^^^'^ '^ 4-

^ -^ o were sent cer*

of fifteene thousand miles. For so many miles the taine priests

with a new

ambassadour, which was sent out of Portugall to Ethiopia, created PatH^

.11111 M 1 r r • 1 • / . arke, and two

said that he had trauailed. yt ts nolhtng so lon^ a tourney Dishofs: who
through Egypt ^ Troglodytica, and Barnagasso, but that the ing when they
way through those countries is stopped by tlie tyrannie of the aiou/to brin^r

I040 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

in the Romish. Turkcs.'] Howbcit Quecne Helena^ and after her king

religion, and ^ . , , , , t i • j

the supremacie Dautd^ seemc onely to haue sought and desired some
"were crossed by coniunction with the RoiTiish church, and the Christians of
in aiTthHr^ Europc : to the end that with their powers and forces
proceedings, yj^j^gj^ ^^y might assaile and vanquish the Mahumetans,
being most deadly enimies to the Christian name.

Moreouer these Ethiopick Christians do vse to fast vpon
certaine daies of the weeke till sun set : as namely vpon
Wednesdaies, to renue the sadde memorie of the lewes
councell, wherein they decreed to crucifie our Redeemer :
and vpon Fridaies, that they may with thankfull mindes
acknowledge his most bitter passion and death. Likewise
the day of Good Fridaie, whereon our blessed Sauiour was
nailed to the crosse, they celebrate with great deuotion,
especially towards the euening. Vnto these they adde a
Lent of fortie days, wherein they Hue onely by bread and
water. The feasts both of Christ, of the virgine Marie, and
of certaine Saints, they keepe holie : vpon which daies
meeting in their churches three hours after sunne-rising,
they read the bookes of the Prophets, and emploie them-
selues in holy exercises. They sanctifie the Sabaoth in
imitation of the lewes : and keepe holy the Lords day
according to the apostles institution. On both these daies
they worship God by performing things holie, and eschuing
matters prophane. Into their churches they may not come
but barefoote onely ; neither is it there lawfuU for any man
to walke vp and downe, nor to talke of worldly affaires, nor
to spit, nor cough.

The chiefe vse of the law (they say) is to shew vs our
sinnes: neither do they thinke any man liuing able to
performe the same, but onely lesus Christ who fulfilled it
on our behalfe. The Saints they loue indeed and reuerence,
but doe not pray vnto them. Vnto the blessed virgine
Marie the mother of Christ, they ascribe great honour, but
neither do they adore her, nor craue assistance at her

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. I04I

hands. They haue euery day one masse onely, and that a
short one, in stead of a sacrifice : but gaines thereby they
make none at all. Neither do they eleuate or holde vp the
sacrament of the supper, as the masse- priests do : nor
applie the same to redeeme dead mens soules from the
paines of purgatorie. Howbeit, that there is a place of
purgatorie, they do not denie. Wherefore their dead are
buried with crosses and supplications, and especially with
the rehearsall of the beginning of Saint lohns Gospell.
Then the day following they offer aimes for them, and
vpon certaine daies after they adde funerall-banquets ;
supposing that vpon Sabaoths and the Lords daies, they
which died godly, are freed from all torments in Purgatorie,
and at length, hauing receiued the full measure of chastise-
ment for their sinnes, that then they go into eternal rest.
For the effecting whereof, they do not thinke any indul-
gencies of their patriarke, but onely the meere mercy and
grace of God to be auailable.

Mariage is no lesse permitted to their clergie and priests,
then to their laie-people : yet so, that his first wife being
dead, a priest cannot marry another without the Patriarkes
dispensation. Whosoeuer keepeth a concubine is debarred
from all sacred administrations. And whatsoeuer bishop
or clergie-man is found to haue a bastard, he is vtterly
depriued of holy orders, and of all his benefices and
spirituall dignities. Mariages are often solemnized with-
out the church, a bed being placed before the house of the
bride and the bridegroome. Then come three priests,
who going thrise about the bridegromes bed, sing with a
loud voice Halleluiah, and other things. This done, they
cut one locke of haire from the bridegroomes head, and
another from the head of the bride, which they wash in
wine made of hony ; and then putting vpon either of their
heads the others lock, they sprinkle them with a kinde of
holy-water, and so depart. Which being performed the

tCl4^ triE RELIGIONS OP AFRICA.

mariage-feast beginneth, and holdeth on till the night be
far spent. At length the bride and bridegroom are brought
vnto their ovvne house, out of which neither of them may
go forth for the space of an whole moneth after.

In some places they are maried in the church by the
patriarke himselfe. Where the mariage-bed standing in
manner aforesaid, the patriarke with sweet incense and
crosses walketh thrice about it, and then turning himselfe
towards them, he layeth his hand vpon the bridegroomes
head, saying : Do that which god hath commanded in his
gospel, and thinke now that you are not two but one flesk
Hauing spoken these words, he administreth the com-
munion vnto them, and blesseth them. Polygamie, or
many wiues at once, are permitted by the emperour and
ciuill magistrate vnto the Ethiopians : but in their churches
there is no place at all for such as haue more wiues then
one. Neither may any such persons presume to enter into
their churches, but are held as excommunicate, and are not
receiued into the congregation, before hauing put away all
the residue of their wiues, they betake themselues to one
onely.

Diuorcements they vse very commonlie, and often vpon
light occasions except onely the priests, who may by no
meanes depart from their wiues. Whereby it appeareth,
that their priests approue not that inconstancie in a matter
of so great moment. The best remedy which they haue to
preuent this mischiefe, is at the daye of manage to alotte
some great penalty vpon that person which shall first
forsake the other. Amongst them likewise, according to
the law of Moses, brothers vse to marry their brothers
wiues, to raise vp seede vnto them. Howbeit this abuse of
mariage is not practised by all, but onely by the mightier
sort. For the country-people and those of poorer condition,
being euery one contented with his owne wife, do so
painefuUy employ themselues about their labour, and ti.e

Th£ kELtGIOtJS OF At^RtCA. 164^

getting of their Huing, that they are free from those violent
passions of lust.

Infants that die before baptisme they name halfe
christians, because being sanctified onely by the faith of
Christian parents, they are not as yet by baptisme
thoroughly engraffed into the church. From meates,
which the law of Moses accounted vncleane, they also
do abstaine. The heresies of Arrius, Macedonius, and
Nestorius, they reiect and condemne.

The whole church of Ethiopia is gouerned by a patriark
called in the Ethiopick language Abuna^ which signifieth,
A Father. This patriark of theirs is first solemnely created
at Jerusalem by the voices of those monkes which keepe
the sepulchre of our Lord. Afterward hee is confirmed,
and sent into Ethiopia by the patriarke of Alexandria,
The emperour Prete lanni, so often as there is need of a
new patriark, sendeth an ambassage with many gifts to
Jerusalem, and requireth a patriark from thence. Which
patriarke, together with a monke of the order of Saint
Antony the Hermite, being come into Ethiopia, is accord-
ing to an ancient custome, receiued with the generall
consent, congratulation, applause, and reioycing of all
degrees and estates of people. To this high function is
singled out some one man of singular piety, grauity,
learning, and of more ancient yeeres then the rest His
spcciall duties are to giue holy orders, to administer church-
discipline, and to excommunicate contumaces or obstinate
affenders, which are for their stubbornnes famished to
death. But the authoritie of giuing Bishopricks and
spirituall benefices, the Emperour reserueth to himselfe.
In Ethiopia there are infinit numbers of priests, and of
monkes. Francis Aluarez saw at one time ordained by
the Patriarke two thousand three hundred fiftie sixe priests.
And the like manner of ordaining or instalment they haue
euerie yeere twice. It seemeth that those which are chosen

1044 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

into that order, are men destitute of learning and liberall
artes. Vnto their priesthood none is admitted before he be
full thirtie yeeres of age. It falleth out likewise, that
during the vacation of the Patriarkship, the church hath
great want of priests. Which vacation is oftentimes pro-
longed by reason of the continuall wars betweene the
Christians and the bordering Mahumetans, and Gentiles :
whereby all passage from Ethiopia to the monks of
lerusalem is quite cut off. Hence proceedeth great
desolation in that church. But with monks all places in
this Abassin empire do mightily swarme. These do not
onely confine themselues in monasteries, wherof here are
great numbers, but also take vpon them offices in the
court, and intangle themselues in militarie affaires, and in
buying and selling of merchandize. Neither are there
anie kinde of people in those easterne parts more con-
uersant in trade of merchandize then priests and monkes.
So that the old said sawe is most truelie verified :

IV/iat ere the world doih put in vre^
T/te Monke will intenneddle^ sure.

It is likewise to be noted, that the priests, monkes, and
other ministers of the Ethiopian church, are not maintained
by tithes and almes as they are in Europe. They haue
onclie certaine fieldes and gardens, which must be manured
by the monkes and clergie themselues. To beg ought of
the common people they are in no wise permitted, vnlesse
perhaps some man will of his owne accorde bestowe some-
what in their churches for the exequies of the dead, or for
some other sacred vses.

These Ethiopians haue a certaine booke, which they
suppose to haue beene written by all the Apostles when
they were assembled at lerusalem. This booke in their
language they call Manda and Abetilis : and do beleeue
that all thinges therein contained are to be holden for

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO45

gospel. In it, amongst other matters, are contained certaine
penal statutes ; as for example. If a priest be conuicted of
Adultery, Man-slaughter, Robberie, or periurie, he is to
receiue like punishment with other malefactors. Likewise,
that aswell ecclesiasticall, as secular persons, are to abstaine
from comming to church for the space of fower and twentie
howers after carnall copulation. Some lawes also there
are, concerning the purification of women after their
moneths, and their child-birth : which, bicause we can
make but little vse of them, I do heere passe oucr in silence.
One thing there is in this booke very well prouided, namely,
that twice euery yeere there be a Synod assembled in the
church of Christ, for the handling and discussing of all
matters ecclesiasticall.

These are the principall points of the religion, faith, and
ceremonies of the Ethiopicke church vnder Prete lanniy
which hitherto haue come to our knowledge. A good part
whereof is agreeable vnto the scriptures of the old and
new testament. And such in very deed they are, as
represent vnto vs the acknowledgement of one true God,
and the faith and worship of our onely Lord and Sauiour
lesus Christ. But as neuer any church vpon earth was
quite voide of blemish : so neither is this of Ethiopia free
from all staines of errour. Which notwithstanding may
seeme the lesse strange, bicause in Ethiopia there are no
schooles nor Seminaries of liberall artes, saue only, that
the priests themselues (according to their simple skill)
traine vp their sonnes vnto such learning, as may in time
make them capable of priesthood. Neither was there euer
any man yet, that reformed their errors. Francis Aluarez
reporteth, that the Patriarke of this Ethiopick church, in a
certaine priuate conference, did grieuously complaine of all
such errours as were there maintained, and was most
earnestly desirous of a reformation. Which desire of his,
as it is most holy & comendable ; so is it by al christias to

1046 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

be approoued. God almightie grant, that the Ethiopians
may one daie attaine to the accomph'shment of this his
compassionate well-wishing, and may haue a happie
reformation of their church. For this to desire and praie
for, is farre more conuenient and Christian-like, then to
disgrace them with reprochfull words, and to bereaue them
of the name of Christians. Which harde and vnchristian
measure, ^agazabo the Ethiopian ambassadour, reporteth
with griefe, that he found among the Popish priests of
Portugall ; by whom he was quite restrained from the vse
and communion of the holie supper, as if he had beene a
meere Gentile, or Anathema.

It is indeed an errour, or rather a great infirmitie, that
they do as yet retaine and vse some of the Jewish cere-
monies. But we arewholie to impute it to their ignorance
of Christian liberty. And wheras they permit mariage to
their priests, it is neither repugnant to the sacred word of
God, nor to the institution of the Apostles. Wherefore it
ought not to be disallowed of any Christians. Vnlesse
they will preferre the decrees of the Pope before the
commandement of God, established by Christ and his
apostles. Wherby it may plainly appeere how impiously
and sauagely the Priests of Portugall dealt, in that especially
for this cause they so sharpely inueied against the Ethio-
pick ambassadour, and so vnciuilly entreated him.

Their yeerely renewing of baptisme, was at the first
brought in by errour, and since by ancient vse and tradition,
hath growen authenticall. For in very deed so great is tlie
force of antiquitie and custome, that where they once take
roote, they can hardly be remooued. And it is a woonder
that the Ethiopians do so often repeat baptisme, when as
they cannot be circumcised any more then once. But in
regard of all these defects, what can we better deuise to do,
then in our daily praiers to wish them mindes better in-
formed, and the puritie and integritie of faith, which is

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO47

agreeable vnto gods vvorde? The Ethiopians conceiucd
exceeding loy at the first arriuall of the Portugals in their
countrie : hoping that their mutuall acquaintance and
familiaritie, would breed a similitude and coniunction, as
well of their religions, as of their affections and mindes.
But I am verily afraid, least the reprochfull and sterne
carriage of the Popish priests and monkes towards the
Ethiopick ambassadours before mentioned, hath more then
euer in times past estranged the mindes of that nation from
the Christians of Europe.

Howbeit the singular care and industrie of those two
renowmed Princes, lohn the second, and Emanuel^ kings ot
Portugall, is most highly to be extolled and celebrated, who
by infinit charges emploied vpon their nauigations to The
east Indies, and to these parts, haue opened a way for the
European Christians, to the southerne church of Ethiopia ;
and for the Ethiopians to this westerne church of Europe.
Which had not these two woorthie Princes brought to
effect, we should not so much as haue knowne the name of
a Christian church in Ethiopia. For thither by the way
of Arabia and Egypt, in regard of the Arabians and
Mahumetans most deadly enmitie to the Christian faith, it
is so dangerous and difficult to trauell, as it seemeth to be
quite barred and shut vp. Vnlesse therefore ouer the
Atlantike, Ethiopick, and Indian seas the Portugals had
thither found a passage by nauigation ; it had almost beene
impossible for any ambassadours or other persons, to haue
come out of Ethiopia into these westerne parts. Thus
farre Matthew Dresserus,

An ambassage sent from Pope Paule

the fourth to Claudius the Emperour of Abassia

or the higher Ethiopia, for planting of the

religion and ceremonies of the church of

Rome in his dominions; which ambassage

tooke none effect at all,

N the yeere 1555 lohn the third king
of Portugal, determined to leaue no
meanes vnattempted for the absolute
reconciliation of Prete lanni vnto
the church of Rome. For though
Dauids ambassador had performed
obedience to Pope Clement the
seuenth on his emperours behalfe ; yet doubted the king of
Portugal (as true it was) that for want of speedie prosecu-
tion, those forward beginnings would proue but altogether
fruitlesse ; in that for all this, they still embraced the
heresies of Dioscorus and Eutiches, and depended on the
authoritie of the Patriark of Alexandria, receiuing their
Abuna from him, who is the sole arbitrator of all their
matters ecclesiasticall, the administrer of their sacraments,
the giuer of orders ouer all Ethiopia, master of their cere-
monies, and Instructer of their faith. Whereupon he
supposed, that he could not do anything more profitable,
or necessarie, then to send thither a Patriark appointed at
Rome, who might exercise spirituall authority ouer them,
as also with him some priests, of singular integrity and
learning, who with their sermons, disputations, & discourses
both publike and priuate, might reduce those people from
their errors and heresies to the trueth, and might confirme

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO49

and strengthen them in the same. And vnto this, it
seemed a wide gate was already open ; because not many
yeeres before, Claudius the emperour of Ethiopia receiucd
great succours from the Portugals, against Graadamet king
of Zeila, who had brought him to an hard point ; and in a
letter written from him to Stephen Gama, he called
Christopher Ganta his brother, who died in this war, by the
reuerend name of a Martyr. The king of Portugal there-
fore hauing imparted this his resolution, first with Pope
lulius the third, and then with Paul the fourth, it was by
them concluded to send into Ethiopia thirteene priests,
men of principall estimation and account aboue others of
their qualitie. lohn Nunnes Barretto was made Patriark,
and there were ioyned vnto him two assisting Bishops,
Melchior CarnerOy and Andrea Ouiedo, vnder titles of the
Bishops of Nicea, and Hierapolis. King John set forth this
Embassage, not onely with whatsoeuer the voiage it selfe
necessarily required, but further with all royall preparation,
and rich presents for Prete lanni. Neuerthelcsse, the
better to lay open an entrance for the Patriarke, there was
by the kings appointment sent before from the city of Goa
lago Dias, and with him Gonsaluo Rodrigo, into Ethiopia,
to discouer the minde of the Neguz, and the disposition of
his people. These two being admitted to the presence of
that Prince, shewed him the letters of king loliu, wherein
he congratulated with him, on the behalfe of all Christians ;
for that following the example of his grandfather, and
father, he had embraced the Christian faith, and vnion.
Whereat Claudius was amazed, as at a thing neuer before
thought of And it being demaunded, why he had written
to the king of Portugal to that effect, he excused himselfe ^. „

^ ^ ' The Emperour

by the writer, and interpreter of his letter : adding \\iQ.x^. of Ethiopia wu

by no meanes

unto, that though hee esteeemed that king as his very good admit the su-

. , , . /• premacie and

brother, yet was he neuer minded to swerue one lot from religion of the
the faith of his predecessors. Roderigo for all this, was no church.

3X

T050 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

whit daunted, but wrought all meanes to bring Claudius to
his opinion. But the greatest difficultie against this his
busie enterprise, was the ignorance of the emperour and
the princes of Ethiopia in all the generall Councels, and
ancient Histories. Afterwards perceiuing that the Neguz
did not willingly admit him to audience, he wrote and
diuulged a booke in the Chaldean toong ; wherein con-
futing the opinions of the Abassins, he laboured mightily
to aduance the authoritie of the Romaine church. Which
booke raised so great a tumult, that the emperour, to
auoide woorse inconucniences which were likely to ensue,
was faine quickly to suppresse it. lago Diaz perceiuing
that he did but loose time, & the terme of his returne
approching, tooke his leaue of the Neguz. And hauing
made knowne in Goa, how matters stood, it was not
thought requisite that the Patriarke should expose his
owne person, togither with the reputation of the Romaine
church, vnto so great hazard. But rather, not wholy to
abandon the enterprise, they determined to send thither
Andrew Ouiedo, (newe elect bishop of Hierapolis) with two
or three assistants, who with greater authoritie might
debate of that which Roderigo alreadie had so vnfruitfully
treated of. Ouiedo most willingly vndertaking this attempt,
put himselfe on the voiage, with father Emanuel Fernandez^
and some fewe others. When he was come into Abassia
he stood in more need of patience then disputation. For
king Claudius within a fewe moneths after, being vanquished
Adamas a new and slainc, Adamas his brother succeeded, who was a great

Emperour of . , x-i • f i

Ethiopia. encmie to the sea of Rome. This man drew Outedo and
his assistants, to the warres with him, and intreated them
most barbarously, as also those Abassins whom they had
conuerted. He likewise was afterwards ouerthrowne in
battaile by the Turkes, who stripped Ouiedo and his com-
panions of all things that they had. Whereupon they grew
into such pouertie and miserie, as (all helpe failing them)

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IDS I

they were enforced to get their liuing with the plough and
spade, till they all died one after another. This Ethiopian
Christianitie is brought at this day to an hard point, by the
inuasions of the Turkes and Mores, as is before declared.
Notwithstanding their religious men affirme, that they haue
prophesies of the comming of a Christian nation to their
Ports from farre countries, with whom they shall go to the
destruction of the Mores : and these they hold to bee
Portugals. They haue farther, certaine presagements of
Saint Sinoda, who was an Egyptian Her mite, of the ruine
of Meca, the recouerie of the holy sepulcher, and the
taking of Egypt and Cairo, by the Abassins, vnited with
the Latines.

Of the Christians of the Isle of Socotera.

VIcinitie of place and conformitie of customes inuite me
to crosse the sea, and to visite the Christians of
Socotera. This island is sixtie miles long, and fiue and
twentie in bredth. It is situate ouer against the Red sea.
The people thereof receiued the faith from Saint Thomas
the Apostle : for they affirme, that heere he suffered ship-
wracke, and that of the broken and battered ship he built
a church, which is as yet extant. They imitate for the
most part the rites, customes, and fashions of the Abassins,
but with great ignorance and errour : for being separated
from all commerce with the Christians of these parts, they
remaine depriued of that spirituall helpe, which the westerne
church by communication might impart vnto them. They
retaine circumcision, and some other Moisaicall ceremonies.
ALso they pray for the dead, and obserue ordinarie fasts :
hauing prefixed howers for praier, and bearing great
reuerence to their religion, in honour whereof, they build
chappels, wherein assembling togither, with an high and
loude voice, they make supplications and prairs in the
Hebrew toong. But their farre distance (as I said) from

3x2

I052 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

these parts of Christendome, the sterilitie of the island, and
the pouertie of the people, are occasions that the little light
of truth which they have, is in a manner quite eclipsed by
multitudes of errors. Vnto other things may be added the
freyTfArMt ^V^^^^^^ ^^ the king of Fartac a Mahumetan, who subdued
Cf^reonjJ!^^^ about the yeere of our Lord 1482. and partly by

duedtheisUof dominion, partly by affinitie and kinred, and partly also by
conuersation, brought in amongst them the deadly poison of
Mahumet, From this seruitude they were delivered by
Tristan dAcunna, one of the king of Portugals captaines ;
sixe and twentie yeeres after they fell into the same. And
for their better securitie, he repaired the fortresse, leauing
therein a Portugall garrison. But bicause the charges farre
surmounted any benefite that came out of the island, not
long after the said fortresse was ruinated, and the island
abandoned by the Portugals. lohn the third king of
Portugall had a great desire to assist and free them from
the tyrannic of the Turkes : whereunto after the taking of
Aden they were subiect But for feare of prouoking the
great Turke, or giuing him occasion to disturbe and molest
those seas with his fleetes, as also for the dispatching of
other affaires he had in hand, he neuer went about that
enterprise.

Of the Christians of Nubia.

FRancis Aluarez in his Aethiopicke relation, writeth,
that he being at the court of Prete Tanni, there
arriued certaine ambassadors fro Nubia, to make sute vnto
that prince, for some priests, and ministers of the Gospell
and sacraments, by whom they might be instructed in the
Christian faith. But Prete lanni answered them, that he
had not enough for his owne countrey : whereupon they
returned home very discotent, so that hauing no helpe from
the Christians, & on the other side being daily soUicitcd by
the Mahumetans, vpon whom they border on many sides,

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO53

it is thought, that at this present, they remaine in a manner
without any religion at all. Notwithstanding at this day,
there are more then an hundred and fiftie churches standing,
with diuers other notes and signes of Christianitie. Their
language partaketh much with the Egyptian, and no lesse
with the Chaldean and Arabick.

Of the Christians in the kingdome of Congo,

Hitherto we haue described that little, which remaineth
of the ancient Christianity of Africk. It now
resteth, that we giue some notice of that, which hath beene
brought in of late. Congo is a kingdome about the bignes
of France, situate (as is before said) beyond the equinoctiall
betweene Cabo da Catherina, and Bahia das vacas. It was
conuerted to Christian religion, by the meanes ol Don lohn
the second king of Portugal, in manner following. Don
Diego Cano a captaine of that king, by his commission
coasting along Africa, after a great nauigation, arriued at
length in the great riuer of Zaire ; and attempting to sail
vp into it, he discouered along the banks thereof many
townes, where he found much more affability in the inhabi-
tants, then in those of other countries which before he had
discouered. And that he might be able to giue the more
faithfuU aduertisement thereof to his king, his hart moued
him to go to the court of that kingdome. Whither being
come, and courteously brought to the kings presence, he
shewed them the vanity of their Idolatry, & the high
rcucrence of christian faith. And he found in that Prince
so good a disposition, as returning into Portugal, besides
an ambassador he was permitted to carry with him certaine
youths of noble parentage, to the end they might learne
the Christian doctrine, and be well instructed therein ; and
being baptized also, might afterwards be sent back with
Portugall priests to preache the gospel, and to plant the
Christian faith in that kingdome. These youthes remained

I054 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

in Portugall two yeeres, and were there liberally enter-
tained, and with all diligence instructed in matters of
religion, and were at length with great solemnity baptized.
When they came to riper yeeres, king lohn sent them back
againe into their owne countrey, with an honorable ambas-
sage, in whose company went for teachers and instructers
of that nation three Dominick- Fryers, reputed for men of
exquisit learning and holy life. Being arriued in Congo,
they first couerted Mani-Sogno the kings vncle, with one of
his sonnes. After that ensued the baptisme of the king
and Queene ; for which cause in short time, there was a
goodly Church erected, vnder the name and title of Santa
Cruz. And in the meane while there were infinit Idols
burnt. The king was called lohn, the Queene Leonora^
and his eldest sonne Alonso. This Alonso was a singular
good man, who not being satisfied in his owne conuersion,
laboured also with a kind of Apostolicall zeale for the
conuersion of his subiects. But let no man thinke, that
the planting of religion can euer passe without some
labour and trouble. These Dominick-Fryers, besides
the intcmperature of the aire and vnusuall heat, which
I ^^.'^^'^f^'^J'^' consumed them, were also euilly entreated by the *Moci-

hnbitants of * J J

Congo called. Congi. For although they shewed themselues docible, and
tractable enough, while they were instructed onely about
ceremonies, and diuine mysteries, (because they thought,
that the higher those matters were aboue humaine capacity
the more they sorted and were agreable to the maiestie of
God) neuerthelesse when they began to entreate seriously
of Temperance, continence, restitution of other mens goods,
forgiuing of iniuries, and other headcs of Christian pietie,
they found not onely great hinderance and difficultie, but
euen plaine resistance and opposition. The king himselfe,
who had from the beginning shewed notable zeale, was now
somewhat cooled ; who because he was loth to abandon
his soothsaicrs and fortune-tellers, but aboue all, the multi-

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO55

tude of his concubines (this being a generall difficultie

among the Barbarians) would by no meanes glue care vnto

the Preachers. Also the women (who were now reiected

one after another) not enduring so suddenly to be banished

from their husbandes, brought the court and roiall citie of

Saint Saluador into a great vproare. * Paulo Aquiiino*^^^^^^^^^y

second sonne to the king, put tow to this fire, who would ^f ^^^' ^j^^'-

^' ^ ' Eman. But by

by no meanes be baptized ; for which cause there grew ^^'^- Pig<i'

fetta. lib. 2.

great enmity betwixt him and Alonso his elder brother, Cap 2. Mani-

who with all his power furthered the proceedings, and

maintained the grouth of the Christian religion. During

these troubles, the old king died, and the two brothers

fought a battell, which had this successe ; that Alonso the

*true heire, with sixe and thirtie soldiers, calling vpon the * Osoriusde

name of lesus, discomfited the huge armie of his heathenish Eman. m. 3.

brother, who was himselfe also taken aliue, and died

prisoner in this his rebellion. God fauoured Alonso in this

warre, with manifest miracles. For first they affirme, that

being ready to enter into battaile, he saw a light so cleere

and resplendent, that he and his companie which beheld it,

remained for a good while with their eies declined, and

their mindes so full and replenished with ioy and a kind of

tender affection, that cannot easily be expressed. And

then lifting vp their eies vnto heaucn, they sawe fine

shining swords, which the king tooke afterwards for his

armes, and his successors vse the same at this day.

Hauing obteined this victorie, he assembled all his
nobles, and streightly enioined them to bring all the idols
of his countrey to ^n appointed place, and so vpon an high
hill, he caused them all to be burned. This Alonso raigned
prosperously for fiftie yeeres togither, in which space he
exceedingly furthered by authoritie and example, as also
by preaching and doctrine, the new-planted Christianitie.
Neither did Don Emanuell the king of Portugall giue ouer
this enterprise : for he sent from thence to Congo, twclue

1056 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

of those Fryers which the Portugals call Azzurri, of whom
Fryer lohn Mariano was head : with architects and smiths
for the building and seruice of Churches, and with rich
furniture for the same. After king Alonso, succeeded Don
Pedro his sonne : in whose time there was a Bishop
appointed ouer the isle of Saint Thomas, who had also
committed vnto him the administration of Congo. Where,
at the citie of Saint Saluador, was instituted a colledge of
eight and twentie Canons in the Church of Santa Cruz.
The second bishop was of the bloud roiall of Congo, who
trauailed to Rome, and died in his returne homeward.
Don Francisco succeeded Don Pedro, who continued but a
small space : & Don Diego his neere kinsman was after
his decease aduanced to the crowne. In whose time lohn
the third king of Portugall, vnderstanding that neither the
king himselfe cared greatly for religion, and that the
merchants and priests of Europe furthered not, but rather
with their bad life scandalized the people now conuerted,
he sent thither fower Jesuits, to renew and reestablish
matters of religion. These men arriuing first at the isle
of Saint Thomas, and then at Congo, were courteously
receiued by the king: and presently going about the
busines they came for, one of them tooke vpon him to
teach sixe hundred yoong children the principles of
christian religion : and the others dispersed themselues ouer
the whole countrie to preach. But all of them, one after
another, falling into tedious and long diseases, they were
enforced to returne into Europe. At this time there was
appointed ouer Congo a third bishop of the Portugall
nation, who through the contumacie of the Canons and
clergic, found trouble enough. In the meane wlnle Don
Diego dying, there arose great tumults touching the suc-
cession, by meanes whereof, all the Portugals in a manner,
that were in Saint Saluador (except priests) were slaine.
In the end, Henrie brother to Don Diego obteined the

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO57

crowne, and after him (for he quicklie died in the warres of
the Anzichi) Don Aluaro his son in law. This man
reconciled vnto himselfe the Portugall nation, caused all
the religious and lay sort dispersed heere and there,
throughout the kingdome, to be gathered togither, and
wrote for his discharge to the king, and to the Bishop of
Saint Thomas. The bishop hauing perused the letters,
passed himselfe into Congo : and giuing some order for the
discipline of the clergie, he returned to Saint Thomas,
where hee ended his daies. It so fell out, that what for
the absence, and what for the want of Bishoppes, the pro-
egression of relisfion was much hindred. For one Don* Caiudby

^ ** Philippo Piga-

FranciscOy a man for bloud and wealth of no small authoritie,/?//*? Buiia-

. i. , 1 . ... , maiare.

began freely to say, that it was a vame thmg to cleaue to
one wife onely, and afterwardes in the end, he fell altogither
from the faith, and was an occasion that the king grew
woonderfuUy cold. They affirme, that this Francisco dying,
and being buried in the church of Santa Cruz, the diuels
vncouered a part of that churches roofe, and with terrible
noise drew his dead carcase out of the tombe, and carried
it quite away : a matter that made the king exceedingly
amazed : but yet another accident that ensued withall,
strooke him neerer to the hart : For the Giacchi leauing Conceminj^
their owne habitations, entred like Locusts into the king- otherwise
dome of Congo, and comming to battailc against Don^readtfJdfs-
Aluaro the king, put him to flight: who not being secure ^7iJ^^^^„^-
in the head citie, abandoned his kingdome, and togither ^'j/^'^J^^^^'"
with the Portugall priests, and his owne princes, retired ^^^^ ^^'^
himselfe vnto an island of the riuer Zaire, called The isle of
horses. Thus seeing himselfe brought to such extremitie
(for besides the losse of his kingdome, his people died of
famine and miserie, and for maintenance of life sold them-
selues one to another, and to the Portugals also at a base
price) for reparation of his state and religion, he had
recourse to Don Sebastian king of Portugall, and obteined

1058 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

of him sixe hundred soldiers, by whose valour he draue his
enimies out of the kingdome, and within an yeere and an
halfe, reestablished himselfe in his throne. In his time
Antonio di Glioua a Spaniard, was made bishop of Saint
Thomas, who after much molestation procured him by the
captaine of that island, went at length into Congo, with
two friers and fower priests, and ordered matters reason-
ablie well. In the meane while Don Aluaro died, and his
Sonne of the same name succeeded him, who failed not to
sollicite, both Don Sebastian and Don Henrie kings of
Portugall, and the king of Spaine also, that they would
send him some competent number of preachers and eccle-
siastical 1 persons for the augmentation of the Christian
faith in his kingdome : and amidst these determinations he
died, and a sonne of his called also Don Aluaro succeeded
him.

During these tumults, certaine other Portugall Priests
went into Congo, labouring to prune that vine which had
beene long time giuen ouer, and forsaken. These men
haue built them an house in the island of Loanda, where
do rcmaine sixe or seauen of their companie, that are
readie to goe sometimes hither and sometimes thither, as
neede requireth. In the yeere of our Lord 1587. king
Aluaro, (who bicause hee was not borne of lawfull matri-
monie, was but little esteemed by his people) would needes
haue one of these priests about him, by whose meanes and
authoritie he came to reputation and credite. And God
himselfe fauoured his proceedings : for meeting a sister of
his by the fathers side, and one of her brothers, with a great
armie in the fielde, he gaue him battaile, and bore himselfe
therein with such valour, as he did not onely ouerthrow the
forces of his enime but further slew the ring-leader and
generall thereof, and in the place where he was slaine, he
would needs build a church to the honour of Christianitie.
And the more by his owne example to mooue others,

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO59

himselfe was the very first man that put hand to this
worke : and likewise with edicts and fauourable proclama-
tions, he furthered and doth still aduance the preaching of
the Gospell, and the propagation of religion.

Who so is desirous to be more fully instructed concern-
ing the Christianitie of this kingdome, let him read the
third and eight bookes of Osorius de Reb.gest. Eman. & the
second booke of Philippo Pigafetta his story of Congo,
most properly and decently translated by the iudicious
master ABRAHAM Hartwell.

Of tlie Christian religion in the kingdome of A ngola.

THose Portugal priests that remainc in the Hand
Loanda, as aboue we declared, bend themselues
more to the conuersion of Angola, then of Congo. The
reason is (as I suppose) because the enterprise is new, and
more neerely concerneth the Portugals, who there make
war vnder the conduct of Paulo Diaz^ to get possession of
the mountaines of Cabambe which abound with rich mines
of very fine siluer. It seemeth that god hath fauoured the
amplification of his holy name in those parts with some
myraculous victories. For first in the yeere 1582, a fewe
Portugals in an excursion that they made, put to flight an
innumerable companie of the Angolans. And by this
victory, they brought in a manner the halfe of that king-
dome into their handes : and many Princes and nobles of
the land vpon this, were moued to request and make suit
to be baptized. Among whom was Songa prince of Banza,
the kinges Father in law, whose brother and children were
baptized already. Tondella also, the second person of
Angola was conuerted : many Idols were throwne to the
ground, and insteede thereof they erected crosses, and
built some churches. And within ihis little while all the
Prouince of Corimba is in a manner conuerted. Also in
the yeere 1584, an hundred and fiftie Portugals, together

I060 THE RKLIGIONS OF AFRICA.

with such succors as were conducted by Paule Prince of
Angola, who was not long before conuerted ; discomfited
more then a million of Ethiopians. In an other place we
declared the readie meanes and opportunities that the
Princes of Ethiopia and of India haue, to assemble and
bring togither such infinite armies. They say, that certaine
Ethiopians being demaunded by a Portugal, how it came
to passe that so great a multitude turned their backes to
so few men : they answered, that the Portugals strength
did it not, which with a blast they would haue confounded,
but a woman of incomparable beawty, apparelled in shining
light and brightnes, and an old man that kept her company
with a flaming sword in his hand, who went aloft in the
ayre before the Portugals, and ouerthrew the squadrons of
the Angolans, putting them to flight and destruction. In
the yeere 1588, were conuerted Don Paulo Prince of
Mocumba, and with him a thousand persons more.

The Christian religion of Monomotapa,

IN the dominions of the Monomotapa, the light of the
faith being with incredible ease kindled, was also as
suddenly extinguished by the deuises of the Mahumetans.
For some Portugals going to the court of that monarche,
and giuing himselfe, with some of his Princes and vassals,
a taste of the gospel, were an occasion afterwards that
Gonsaluo dc Sylua, a man no lesse famous for the integrity
of his life, then for his bloud and parentage, went ouer
thither from Goa in the yeere 1570. This man arriuing
with a prosperous voiage, in the kingdome of Inambane,
conuerted and baptized the king, his wife, children, and
sister, with his Barons and nobilitie, and the greatest part
of his people. Through whose perswasion Gonsaluo left
his companions, prosecuting his voiage towards the
Monomotapa, onely with sixe Portugals. Thus hauing
passed Moza/nbique, and the mouth of the riuer Mafuta,

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO61

and of Colimane, they came to Mengoaxano king of Quiloa,
where they were courteously receiued & entertained. And
though they had licence in this place to preach the gospell,
yet would not Gonsaluo here stay, iudging that vpon the
couersion of the Monomotapa, that of the neighbor kings
would follow without delaie. Embarking themselues
therefore ypon the riuer Cuama, they sailed along the coast
of Africa eight daies, till they came to Sena^ a very popu-
lous village : where Gonsaluo baptized about fiue hundred
slaues, belonging to the Portugal merchants, and prepared
for the receiuing of the gospel the king of Inamor, one of
the Monomotapaes vassals. In the ende Antonio Caiado a
Portugall gentleman came from the court, to guide
Gonsaluo towards the same place. Whither being in short
time come, he was presently visited on the emperours
behalfe, and bountifullie presented with a great summe of
gold and many oxen. But he returning back these
presents, gaue the Monomotapa to vnderstand, that he
should know of Caiado, what he desired. The emperour
was astonished at this his magnanimity, & receiued him
afterwards with the greatest honor, that could possibly be
deuised. And causing him to sit vpon the same carpet,
whereon also his owne mother sate, he presently demaunded
how many women, how much ground, and how many oxen
(thinges mightily esteemed of in those countries) he would
haue. Gonsaluo answered, that he would haue no other
thing but himselfe. Whereupon the emperour turning to
Caiado (who was their interpreter) said ; that surely it
could not be otherwise, but that he, who made so little
account of thinges so highly valued by others, was no
ordinary man ; and so with much courtesie he sent him
back to his lodging.

Not long time after, the emperour let Gonsaluo to vnder-
stand, that he and his mother were rcsolucd to become
Christians, and that therefore he should come to baptize

Io62 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

them. But he to instruct them better in the faith, deferred
it off for some daies. Finally fiue and twentie daies after
his arriuall, with vnspeakable solemnity and preparation, he
gaue the water of baptisme to the king, and to his mother.
He was called Sebastian^ and shee Maria. And presently
after, about three hundred of the principal! in this emperours
court were baptized. Gonsaluo for his wonderfull absti-
nence, charity, wiscdome, and for many other his singular
vertues was so reuerenced and esteemed by those people,
as if he had come downe from heauen among them. Now
as matters proceeded thus prosperously, and with so
desirable successe, behold, an horrible tempest arose which
drowned the ship. There were in the court fower Ma-
humetans most deere vnto the king. These men finding
out some occasion, suggested vnto him, that Gonsaluo was
a Magician, who by witchcraftes and inchantments could
turne kingdomes topsie turuie : and that he was come to
prie into his estate, and to stir vp his people to rebellion,
and so by this meanes to bring his kingdome vnder
subiection to the Portugals. With these and such like
suggestions they brought the king (who was but a young
man) to determine the death of Gonsaluo. The effect
whereof was, that after long praier, reposing himselfe a
little ; he was by eight of the kings seruants slaine, and his
body throwne into the riuer Mensigine. Neere vnto the
same place, were with like violence put to death fiftie new-
conuerted Christians. This rage and furie being ouer, the
king was aduertised by the Principal! of his kingdome, and
then by the Portugals, of the excesse and outrage he had
therein committed. He excused himselfe the best he
could, causing those Mahumetans to be slaine, who had
seduced him ; and he sought out some others also who lay
hid, to put them to death. Whereupon it seemed that by
the death of father Gonsaluo, the conuersion of this great
king, and of his empire, should haue bin furthered, and no

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO63

whit hindered, if the Portugals would rather haue preuailed
by the word of God, then by force of armes. The which I
say, bicaiise insteed of sending new, preachers into those
countries, to preserue that which was alreadie gotten, and
to make new conuersions, they resolued to reuenge them-
selues by warre. There departed therefore out of Portugal!
a good fleete, with a great number of noble Portugals
therein, conducted by Francisco Barretto, At the fame of
this warre, mooued against him, the Monomotapa full of
feare, sent to demaund peace of Barretto. But he aspiring
to the infinite mines of gold in that kingdome, contemned
all conditions offered him. The effect of this enterprise was,
that this armie which was so terrible to a mightie Monarke,
was in fewe daies consumed by the intemperature of the
aire, which is there insupportable to the people of Europe.

Of the fortresses and colonies main-

tained by the Spaniards and Portugals vpon

the maine of Africa : by meanes whereof the

Christian religion hath there some small

footing. Which albeit in other respects

they haue beene mentioned before, yet

hcere also in this one regard, it

seemeth not from our purpose

briefly to remember them.

O the propagation of Christianity, those
fortresses & colonies woonder fully
^^^\ fS^'Sp helpe, which the Castilians, but much
^ n?i I^J^HS^ more the Portugals, haue planted on
the coast of Africa. For they serue
very fitly either to conuert infidels
vpon diuers occasions, or by getting
an habite of their languages and customes, to make a more
easie way to their conuersion. For those who are not
sufficient to preach, serue for interpreters to the preachers.
And thus God hath oftentimes beene well serued, and with
excellent fruit and effect, by the indeuour of some soldiers.
On the coast of Africa vpon the Mediterran sea, the
Spaniards haue Oran, Mersalchibir, Melilla, &c., and the
Portugals, Tanger, and (^euta, and without the streights of
Gibraltar, Arzilla, and Mazagan ; and in Ethiopia, Saint
George de la mina. They haue also a setled habitation in
the citie of Saint Saluador, the Metropolitan of the king-
dome of Congo, and in Cumbiba, a countrie of Angola
Beyond the cape de Buena esperan^a, they hold the
fortresses, and colonies of Sena, Cefala, and Mozambiche.

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. Io6s

Heere besides their secular clergie, is a conuent of
Dominicans, who indeuour themselues to instruct the
Portugals, and the Pagans also which there inhabite, and
do trafficke thither.

Oft/ie Islands of the Atlanticke OceaUy where the Spaniards
and Portugals haue planted religion,

THe Christian name is also augmented, and doth still
increase in the Atlantick Ocean, by meanes of the
colonies conducted thither, partly by the Spaniards and
partly by the Portugals. The Spaniards vndertooke the
enterprize of the Canaries, in the yeere of our Lord 1405,
vsing therein the assistance of lohn Betancort, a French
gentleman, who subdued Lan^arota & Fuerteuentura.
They were taken againe certaine yeeres after, and were
first subdued by force of armes, & afterwards by the
establishment of religion : so that at this present, all the
inhabitants are Christians. Also the Portugals haue
assaied to inhabite certaine other islands of that Ocean, &
especially Madera, which was discouered in the yeere 1420.
This at the first was all ouer a thicke and mightie wood :
but now it is one of the best manured islands that is knowne.
There is in the same, the citie of Funcial, being the seate
of a bishop. Puerto santo, which is fortie miles distant
from Madera, was found out in the yeere 1428. and this
also began presently to be inhabited. The isles of Arguin,
being sixe or seauen, and all but little ones, came to the
knowledge of the Portugals in the yeere 1443. Heere the
king hath a fortresse for the traffike of those countries.
The islands of Cabo Verde were discouered in the yeere
1440. by Antonio di Nolli a Genoway, or (as others affirme)
in the yeere 1455. by Aloizius Cadamosto. These be nine
in number : the principall of them is Sant lago, being
seuentie miles in length : where the Portugals haue a
towne situate vpon a most pleasant riuer, called Ribera

3 Y

Io66 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

grande, which consisteth at the least of fiue hundred
families. The isle of Saint Thomas being somewhat
greater then Madera, was the last island discouered by the
Portugals, before they doubled the cape De buena Esper-
anga. They haue heere a colonie called Pouasaon, with a
bishop, who is also the bishop of Congo, and it conteineth
seuen hundred families. Vnder the gouernment of Saint
Thomas are the neighbour islands of Fernando#F6, and
that del Principe, which as it were boroughs belonging to
the same. The island Loanda, though it be vnder the
king of Congo, yet is a great part thereof inhabited by the
*anv^The ^^^''tugals. For here is the famous port of *Mazagan,
coast of Bar- whither the ships of Portugall and Brasile do resort Heere
the fleetes are harboured, and the soldiers refreshed, and
heere they haue their hospitall. As also heere the
Portugall priests (who indeuour the conuersion of the
naturall inhabitants) haue a place of residence.

Of the Negros.

MOst of the Islands inhabited by the Portugals,
especially those of Saint Thomas and Madera
besides the Portugals themselues, containe a great multi-
tude of Negro-slaues, brought thither out of Congo and
Angola, who till the earth, water the sugar-canes, and
serue both in the cities, and in the countrie. These are for
the most part gentiles, but they arc daily conuerted rather
through continual conuersation, then any other helpe that
they haue ; and it is a matter likelie, that in processe of
some few yeeres, they will all become Christians. There
is no greater hinderance to their conuersion, then the
auarice of their masters, who to hold them in the more
subiection, are not willing that they should become
Christians,

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO67

Of those poore distressed European Christians in Africa^
who are holden as slaues vnto the Turkes and Mores,

BVt the best and most sincere Christianity in all Africa,
is that of those poore christians, who are fettered by
the feet with chaincs, being slaues to the Arabians &
Turkes. For besides them that haue remained there euer
since the daies of Barbarossa and other Turkish captaines
(which were brought into the mediterran seas by the
French) 'as also since the great losse at Gerbi, and the
battell of Alcazar wherein Don Sebastian the king of
Portugal was ouerthrowne : thei-e passeth not a yeere, but
the rouers and pirates of those parts, without graunting
any league or respite to the North ren shore of the Mediter-
ran sea, take great numbers of Christians from off the
coasts of Spaine, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicilia, yea euen from
the very mouth of Tyber. It is generallie thought, that
the number of slaues, which are in Alger amount to
eighteene thousand. In Tunis, Bona, and Biserta there
are great multitudes : but many more in Fez, and Maroco ;
as likewise in Mequenez and Tarodant, and in diuers other
cities of those kingdomes. The estate surely of these
distressed people is most woorthie of compassion, not so
much for the miserie wherein they lead their h'ues, as for
the danger whereto their soules are subiect. They passe
the day in continuall trauaile, and the greatest part of the
night without repose or quiet, vnder insupportable burdens,
and cruell stripes. Beasts among vs labour not more, nor
are more slauishly intreated. Yea, albeit vnder those
brutish Barbarians, they endure all that toile, which beasts
do heere with vs : yet are they neither so well fed, nor so
carefully looked vnto, as our beasts commonly are. They
weare out the whole day in the sunne, raine, and winde, in
continuall labour, sometimes carrying burdens, sometimes
digging or ploughing the fields, and otherwise in turning of

3y 2

I068 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

hand-milles, feeding of beasts, or in performance of other
labours : being bound to bring in so much euery day to
their masters, and they themselues to Hue of the rest, which
many times is nothing at all, or (if it were possible) lesse
then nothing. They haue alwaies the chaine at their
neckes and feete, being naked winter and sommer, and
therefore are sometimes scorched with heate, and other-
whiles frozen with cold. They must not faile in any iotte
of their duties, and yet though they do not, it can not be
expressed with what cruelties they are tormented. They
vse for the chastizing & torture of their bodies, chaines of
iron, dried sinewes of oxen, but-hoops steeped in water,
boiling oile, melted tallow, & scalding hot lard. The
houses of those Barbarians resound againe, with the blowes
that are giuen these miserable men, on the feete and bellie :
and the prisons are filled with hideous lamentations and
yellings. Their companions haire at this noise standes
an end, and their very blood freezeth within them, by
considering how neere themselues are to the like outrages.
They passe the nights in prisons, or in some caues of the
earth, being hampered and yoaked together like brute
beasts. Heere the vapor and dampe choaketh them, and
the vncleannes and filth of their lodging consumeth them
(as rust doth iron) euen aliue. But though the labours of
their bodies be so grieuous, yet those of their mindes are
much more intolerable, for (besides that they want such as
might feed them with the word of God, & with the sacra-
mentes, and might teach them how to Hue and die well, so
as they remaine like plants without moisture) it can not be
expressed, with what forcible temptations their faith is
continuallie assailed. For not onelie that desire to come
foorth of these vnspeakeable miseries, doth tempt them ;
but the commodities and delights also wherein they see
others to liue, that haue damnablie renounced their
Christianity. The persecutors of the primitiue church, to

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. 1069

induce the Martyrs to denie Christ and to sacrifice to their
idols, tried them first with torments, and then with ease
and deh'ghts, which they propounded vnto them, if they
would become as themselues. For to those, who in the
middest of winter were throwne into frozen lakes, there
were cotrariwise appointed soft and delicate beds, with a
fier kindled hard by, and a thousand other restoratiues and
comforts ; to the end they might be doublie tempted, both
by the rigor of the cold which benummed them, and by the
sweetnes of thinges comfortable and nourishing, which
allured them. The Christian slaues are at this day no
lesse tormented ; for on the one side, they are afflicted with
beggerie, nakednes, hunger, famine, blowes, reproches, and
tortures, without any hope in a manner euer to come out
thereof: and on the other side they see them that haue
reneged our holy faith for Mahumets superstition, to Hue
in all worldly prosperitie and delight, to abound with
wealth, to flourish in honour, to gouerne cities, to conduct
armies, and to enioy most ample libertie. But amidst all
these so great miseries, they haue a double comfort. The
one is of priests, who togither with themselues were taken
captiue. These men sometimes administring the sacra-
ments, & other whiles deliuering the word of God in the
best manner that they can, are some helpe and assistance
to others, being for this greatly reuerenced and respected
amongst them. The other is of the religious in general],
who contend and labour for their freedome. Wherein
Spaine deserueth most high commendation. For there
be two most honorable orders, whose exercise it is,
to mooue and sollicite for the freedome of captiues. The
one is called La orden de la merced, and it flourisheth
most in Aragon ; and the other (which is farre greater) is
named Del Resgate or of raunsome or redemption, the
which although it largely extendeth ouer all France, yet at
this day aboue all other places, it is most rife in Castilia,

I070 THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA.

From whence some of them haue gone into Sicilie, to the
kingdome of Naples, and to Rome : and haue there begun
to lay foundations of their conuents. These two religious
orders gather euery yeere mightie summes of money,
wherewith they make speedie redemption of the forsaid
captiues. They send their Agents to Fez, and to Alger,
who managing this affaire, with no lesse diligence, then
loialtie, redeeme first all the religious, and priests, and
after them those of the yoonger sort, first the king of
Spaines subiects, and then others. They alwaies leaue one
religious man in Alger, and another in Fez, who informe
themselues of the state & qualitie of the slaues, with their
necessitie, to make the better way for their libertie the
yeere following. The king of Spaine (whom it most
concerneth) furthereth this so charitable a worke, with a
bountiful! and liberall hand. For ordinarily he giueth as
much more, as the foresaid orders haue gathered and
collected by way of almes. For this is so good an enter-
prise, that by the ancient canons no other is so much
fauoured and allowed of. Yea S. Ambrose and other holy
men haue pawned, for the deliuerie of Christian captiues,
the chalices and siluer vessels of their churches. And
Saint Paulinus for the same end and purpose, solde his
owne selfe. For all other actions of charitie are some
spirituall, and others corporall, but this in a ver>' eminent
degree is both spirituall and corporall togither. For
among corporall miseries the seruitude of infidels is most
grieuous, & among spirituall calamities the danger of
apostasie is of all others the greatest : but those slaues so
redeemed, are set free both from the one and from the
other. Whereupon there are very few borne in Spain, who
dying, leaue not some almes behinde them, for the
ransoming of slaues. The fathers of redemption haue gone
also many times to Constantinople : where in the yeere
1583. by the order of Pope Gregorie the thirteenth, they

THE RELIGIONS OF AFRICA. IO71

redeemed fiue hundred persons. The brotherhood also of
the Confalone in Rome, labour verie diligently in this
point, who in Sixtus Qnintus time, redeemed a great
number of captiues. Of whom many also, vrged partly by
the hardnes of seruitude, & partly by the sweetenes of
libertie, free themselues, either by that which they gaine
oner & aboue their masters due, or by their good de-
meanour, or else by flight. And they flie awaie, sometimes
by repairing speedily to such fortresses as the king of
Spaine hath in Africke and in Barbarie : and otherwhiles
they seize on some shipping, or on the selfe same galleis
wherein they are chained. Many also retire themselues to
the Princes of Brisch, &c. who willingly receiue and arme
them, vsing their assistance in the warre which they con-
tinually make with the Turkes of Alger.

FINIS

GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX

TO

THE HISTORY OF LEO AFRICANUS.

Dr. Brown left no MS. maps to illustrate his edition of Leo
Africanus, and as a work of this description would hardly have
proved acceptable without maps, the Council of the Hakluyt Society
decided that a suitable set should be specially prepared.

The compiler intended, at first, to accept all identifications put
forward in Dr. Brown's voluminous notes, and to adhere strictly to
the spelling of place and tribal names, as it appears in Por/s trans-
lation. He found, however, that Dr. Brown had omitted, in several
instances, to indicate the geographical position of the places men-
tioned by his author, or had accepted the more than doubtful identi-
fications of preceding commentators. Under these circumstances he
preferred to proceed on independent lines.

First as to the spelling. No attempt has been made to transcribe
the spelling of the Italian version, and the names familiar to students of
historical geography have been retained. The names on the maps
are spelt, as a rule, according to the Italian version, but other modes
of spelling employed by translators, or varieties to be found in the
same edition of the " History^*, have been added within brackets ; as
also, in numerous instances, a correct version of the name, agreeably
to the rules recommended by the Royal Geographical Society. This
last is printed in italics. Thus, in the entry : —

Ain Elcalla (Hain Elchallu, Ain el Kala\ "Ain Elcalla" will be
found in our map, " Hain Elchallu" in Temporal's version, whilst *'^Ain
el Kald^ is a correct version of the name.

Names from Marmol's Africa have been freely introduced.

In most instances in which the compiler of the maps differs from
Dr. Brown's identifications of place-names the authorities upon which
he depends are concisely indicated (as instances, see Goran, Beni
Gumi, Bito, Casair, Guangara, etc.}.

Out of about 620 place and tribal names mentioned by Leo, as
many as 420 could be confidently placed upon the map, as there exist
at the present day and in the localities indicated by our author, places
or sites still bearing the ancient name, or, in a few instances, well-

I074

INDEX.

authenticated ruins. In all these cases the modem name is given
n italics^ but without brackets, thus : —

Catena (Chesena) Katsena.

Numerous other places could be located approximately from the
descriptions given by Leo or by other authors. In many instances,
however, this information is too vague to be of service, or irrecon-
cilable with what we know of the geography of Northern Africa.
This applies more especially to the towns in Hea, which were in ruins
even in the days of Leo, and to the various ranges of the Atlas. We
have, nevertheless, recorded names of this kind upon the maps,
usually with a note of interrogation affixed to them, as such a record
may prove of service to future inquirers.

The routes followed by Leo Africanus are shown in red^ as far as
can be made out from the very fragmentary references given in his
work. Whether Leo really performed those extensive journeys in the
Sudan for which he claims credit (pp. 124, 128) may fairly be doubted.
The information he furnishes is very scanty, and in several instances
quite contrary to fact (see below, under " Niger").

The principal names mentioned in Pory's Introduction and in the
Appendices have been included in the Index, and their geographical
position has been indicated, but they have only in exceptional cases
been inserted upon the maps.

The column headed " Maps" is to be read as follows : —

The Roman numerals, i-vii, indicate the number of the map on
which the name is to be found ; the Arabic numerals give the
latitude and longitude of the place in degrees ; thus : — iv, 32, 3 W.,
is to be read : Map iv, latitude 32° north, longitude 3* west of
Greenwich.

The black figures indicate pages where place-names are dealt with
more fully than elsewhere.

E. G. R.

Abassia, see Abyssinia

Abat, sn Habat

Abdulg^ad, see Beniabdulguad

Abduluad, see Beniabdulgtiad .

Abg^al, mtn., 688, 698

Abid (* slave'), see Quadelabid

Abru, see Hebru

Abuinan, Bu Anan, 787, 810 .

Abukir, 909, see Bocchir

Abulhusein {C/Ied Abu el Husein),

Arabs, 142, 149, 212
Abu said, see Beni Ahuseid
Abyssinia (Alxissia), 30, 54, 1048

\ Iriljc of Deuimansur

Maps.

IV, 3S.OW.

IV, 32, 3 W.

IV, 29, 5 W.
I, 12. 38 K.

INDEX.

1075

of an Arab town in

Acca (Accha, Hacha), Akka, 127, 147, 215, 778, 805

Accha, sef Acca ....

Acdes (Acdesen), 643, is not Agadez, but a misprint for

Adecsen ....

Achmed, see Beni and Casr Acmed
Acmed, see Beni Acmed and Casr Acmed
Adachiiin, 929 ; misprint for Adacsun {see Adecsen)
Addagia, see Haddagia

Addura, see Dahra ....
Adca, Hadia, 30» 3i» 53
Adecchis, see Hadecchis
Adecsen (Edecsen, Adacsun), plain of, Eastern, 558, 559

>» »» M t> Western, 49*, 613

643, 929 . .

Adel, 3r, 51, 975, 982
Aden, 30, 31
Adendum, perhaps identical with ruins

Ben Daitd, 399, 564
Adesan, mtn. , Jehel Saghra t 323
Adimei, 281, misprint for Annimei
Adurha, see Dahra
Aeg:ras:a, see Regraga
Aethiopia. see Ethiopia
Afg^eg;, 142, misprint for Asge

Africa, etymology, 13, 122, 191 ; Pory's description, 12
Agadez, Agadez, 128, 133, 173, 788, 799, 828, 846
Agag or Giacchi,/i^a, title of the Rulers of Kasanje (Capello

and Ivens, from Benguella, I, 320), 60, 71
Agla, 501, 621 .

Agmet, Ahmat in Urika, 272, 359
Aian, Dar Ajan, Somaliland, 51
Ain Elcalla (Hain Elchallu, Ain el Kola), 400, 564
Ain Sammit (Hain Sammit, Ain Samsed), 30 m. from

Beggia, 713, 752
Air (Hair), Air, 127, 198, 798 .
Akka, see Acca
Alcair, 134, see Cairaoan
Alcair, 27, 128, see Cairo
Alcamo (Halcamo), Alcamo, Sicily, 732, 760
Alcosser, see Cossir .
Alemdin, iee Almedin
Alexandria, AUxindria, 861, 907
Alger (Gezeir, Algezer, Algezair), Algiers or El Jezair, 126

143, 149, 682-4, 689, 697, 932
Algezair, see Alger .
Algezer, see Alger .
Alg^echet, see Eloachet

Maps.
IV, 29, 7 W.

- 7, 38 E.
IV, 32, 4 W.

IV, 32, 6 W.
I, 12, 42 E.
I, 9, 45 E.

IV, 32, 6 W.
IV, 31, 5 W.

I, 17, 8 E.

vn, 34, 5 W.
V, 31, 7 W.
— 10, 47 E.
IV, 33, 7 W.

I, 18, 9 E.

I, Zl. 12 E.

II, 31, 29 E.
IV, 36, 3 E.

1076

INDEX.

Almatria, El Matariye, near Heliopolis, 879, 915 .
Almedin (Alemdin, ElAIedine\ in W. of Elmadin of Hascora,

299, 383
Amara, Amhara^ 30, 40, 979 .
Ambea, Dembeay 30 .
Ambran, 145, misprint for Amran
Amhara, see Anuira .
Amir, see Beniamir .

Am Li'snam (Ham Lisnem), Eyun el Esnauy 553
Amr (Hamr), Temple of, Cairo, Gama Amr, 877, 913
Amr (Hamran) Uled Amer, a tribe of Deuihessen Arabs, 142,

147,212 ....

Amrozo, see Hamrozo
Amzichi, see Anzichi
Anchisa (Hanchisa), mtn., 256, 348
Anfa, Dar el Beida or Casablanca^ 396, 562
Angad (Hangad, Anghad), Angad, 149, 215, 396, 562, 931
Angara, see Angera .
Angela, 127, misprint for Augela
Angera (Angara) Anjcra^ 514, 634
Angola, 58, 70, 89, 998, 1059
Angosha, 58, 89 .
Angote, Angot, 30, 39
Annimei (Hanni Mei), town, Demnat^ or ruins to S. of it, 273,

360,927
Annimei, mtn., near preceding, 281, 365.
Antata, see Hantata
Anteta, see Hantata
Antius (Anthius), ancient Antaeopolis, mod. Kau el Kebir^

866 .
Anzichi, Nteke, 76, 30, 1002
Aoara, see Haoara
Aodar, Wad Haddar^ 930
Aphthun, see Aptun .
Aptun (Aphthun), is Pithom, erroneously identified by Leo

with **Pharao*s City" in the Fayyum
Aquelunda, Lake, does not exist, 71
Arais, see Larais
Araoan, Arawan^ 154, 798
Arar, Harar, 31, 983
Aresgol (Haresgol), Rashguly CC6, 694
Argar, 499, misprint for Azgar
Argia, see Hargij

Arguin, 99

Ariana, El Ariana^ 726, 755
Armenia, 890, 904 .
Aros, see Beni Aros .

Maps.
II, 30, 31 E.

V, 32, 6 W.
I, II, 37 E.
I. 12, 37

VI, 33» 4 W.

III, 29, 31 E.

IV, 29, 9 W.

IV, 30, 8 W.
IV, 33. 7 W.
VII, 34, 2 W.

VII, 35. 5 ^^•

— 10 S, 15 E.

— i6S,4oE.
I, 12, 39 E.

V, 31, 6 W.

I, 26, 31 E.
--3S,I5E.

VII, 34, 3 W.

1, 29. 30 E.

I, 18, 2 W.
1,9,42 E.
IV, 35, I W.

I, 20, 16 W.
IV, 36, 10 E.
— 40, 42 E.

INDEX.

I077

Maps.

Arzilla, AzLa, 504, 525-7 .... vii, 33, 6 W.
Asara, see Hasara
Asare, see Gemi £1 Asare

Ascension island, 92 . — 8 S, 14 W
Ascora, see Hascora .

Aseis (Eseis), plain of Sots, 493, 494, 613 . vii, 34, 5 W.

Asfacus (Asfachus), S/aJ^s, 699, 729, 758 . . iv, 34, 10 E.

Aagt, see Azge ..... —
Asifelmel (Asifinual, Sifelmel, Esifhual, Esfinalo), AsifelMal^

226, 256, 258, 259, 261, 278, 325, 921 . . V, 31, 8 W.
Asifinnal, see Asifelmel
Asna, Esmh, 903, 925 .1, 25, 32 E.
Assaid, Egypt, see Said
Assan, se$ Hassan
Assiria (Assyria), 891

Assuan, Aswan ^ 903, 926 . . i, 29, 32 E.

Assum, Aksum, 983 . . i, 14, 38 E.
Assjrria, see Assiria .
Atlas mountains, 15, 123, 168, 169-72, 178, 219, 220, 244-7,

256, 275.83, 305-10* 320-24, etc. . . . I, 32, 5 W.

Angela, Aujila, 127, 791, 801, 815, 817 . i, 29, 20 E.

Aug;u8tian, see Haugustun .... —

Auraz, mtn., see Aurez .... —

Aurez (Auraz), mtxi.y /ede/ Aures, 741, 770 iv, 35, 7 E.

Axum, see Assum . . —

Azafi (Azaphi), Sq/i, 145, 157, 214, 231, 234-88, 367-72, 927 IV, 32, 9 W.

Azafi, prom, of. Cape Caniin, 264 • iv, 32, 9 W.

AzaSTues, see Soara ..... —

Azamor, see Azemor —
Azaoad (Azaohad), Azawad^ 127, 173, 198, 221, 798 .1, 19, 3 W.

Azaohad, ste Azaoad .... —

Azaphi, see Azafi ..... ~
Azemor (Azamor), Azamur, 159, 285, 286, 288, 293, 377-9,

929 . . . . . .IV, S3, 8 W.

Azgfan, mtn., 551, 652 . iv & vi, 33, 4 W.

Azgangan, mtn., 537, 645 . . vii, 35, 2 W.

Azgar (Azgara). 126, 140, 143, 146, 494, 613, 929 . vii, 34, 6 W.

Axgtur Fens, Merja Ras el Dura and other Lagoons, 499 . vii, 34, 6 W.

Azg^ari Camaren, Asra el hamar, 555, 653 . vii, 33, 4 W.
Azg;e (Esgeh, Azgeg, Asge, Uled Azge), a tribe of Rie

Arabs, 142, 145, 212 . . • iv,34,3W.
Aziot, Asyuly 900, 924 . . . .1, 37, 31 E.

Baalbek, see Balabach . . . . —

Baaliganze, Bali and Ganzey in Abyssinia, 30 . i, 8, 39 E.

Bab, seeBeb , . —

Babe Nansre, Cairo, Bad en Nasar^ 870, 871 , . ill, 30, 31 E,

I078

INDEX.

Babel Mandeb, 85 .

Bacchuia, see Buccuja

Baduini, Bedawm^ Le,^ Bedouins, 22

Bagamldri, Begemeder^ 30

Baghdad (Bagdet, Bagadad), Baghdad^ 136, 137, 164, 463,

73», 889
Bahlul, see Beni Balul
Balabach (Balabec), Baalbek, 871, 913
Bali, see Baaliganze .
Balul, see Beni Balul
Banibasil, tribe, 415, 588
Baniguatazi, tribe of Luntuna, in Morocco (omitted in Pory':

translation)
Banig^eriasfhel {Waru^t), division of the Sanagia

Morocco, 132, 207
Bani Teude, 500, 620
Barba, * Tower,' Egypt, 904 .
Barbanda, Dendera, 902, 925
Barbar, Berbers , 129, 199 .
Barbaria (Barberia) Barbary, 125
Barbora, Berbera, 982
Barca, Barka, 715, 775, 804 .
Barcena, Lake (Bahr) Tsanay 30, 31, 975
Bardeoa, see Berdoa

Barnabal, Berimbal el Kebir^ 867, 91 1 .
Bamacaes (Bamagosso), i.e., Bahr Nagash or ** Lord of the

Sea," 30, 37, no
Baronis, Branes, 548, 651 .
Banitto, Beirut, 519

Basora (Basra), Basra, on G. of Persia, 463
Basra, Basra, in Fez, 503, 623
Bat (Bath) river, Wad Bet, 494, 929 .
Bata (Batha, El Balaha) town near R. Mina, probably near

modem Sidi Bel Hasel, 632, 674, 932
Batalisa, tribe, 539 .
Batha, see^^\. .

Batha, see Bata

Bcbcl Futu, Cairo, Bab el Futuh, 871 .
Beb EUoch, gate and suburb, Guro, Bab el Luk, 874, 914
Beb Zuaila, Cairo, Bab ez Zuwele, gate and suburb, Cairo,

870, 873, 913 .
Bechiia, see EI Becria
Bedis, Badis, 517, 636
BeSTSiA, Beja, 712, 752
Besfomeder, see Bagamidri
Beiael Casraim {Bain el Kasrain), street in Cairo, 871, 913
Belbes, see Berelles * • ^ •

Maps.
I, 12, 43 E.

I, 12, 38 E.

— 33, 44 E.
I. 34. 36 E.

VII, 34» 5 ^V.

VII, 34, 5 W.
1, 25, 32 E.

IV.

— 10, 45 E.
1, 32, 22 E.

I, 12, 37 E.

II, 31. 31 E-

I, 14, 38 E.
VII, 34» 3 W.
i» 33» 35 E-

— 30» 47 E.
VII, 34, 5 W.
vn, 34, 6W.

IV, 35, o E.
VII, 38, 2 W.

Ill, 30, 31 E.

III, 30, 31 E.

HI, 30, 31 E.

VII, 35, 4 W.

IV, 36, 9 E.

INDEX.

1079

»654

Zeguer of Marmol),

389

Beld Elhuneb, see Bled Eluneb

Beni Abdulguad (Hahdulguad, Abduluad, Habduload,

Abduluetes of Marmol, Beni Abd el Wahad)^ a division

of the Magrasa, at Telensin, 271, 658, 690
Beni Abusaid, 688 .
Beni Acmed (Achmed), 530, 642
Beniamir (Benihemir, Beniemir, Beni Amer\ a division of the

Hilel Arabs, between Telensin and Oran, 142, 212, 214
Beni Aros (Haros), febel Beni Aros, 513, 633
Beni Balui (Bahlul), Balul, 353
Beni Besseri, mtn. , /ebeJ Beshar, 787
Beni Busibet (Buseibet), 525, 641
Beni Chelid (Beni Quilib of Marmol), 522, 639
Beni Chessen, Beni Hasan, 515, 634
Beniemir, see Beniamir
Beni Essen, near Cunaigel Gherben, 557,
Beni Fensecare (Fenescare, the Beni

512 .
Beni Garir, mtn., 521, 639
Beni Gebara, in Riff, 524, 640
Beni Gebir (Benigeber), S. of Fez, 312,
Benisfomi, see Beni Gumi
Benig^orai, 798, misprint for Benigomi
Beni Gualid, in Erriff, 526, 641
Beni Guamud, 542, 643
Beni Guarid, Beni H^aiid, 744, 771
Beni Guazeuale, mtn., 528, 641
Beni Guedarfeth, /^p^/ Beni Ghorfii, 51
Beni Guerened, near Telensin, 688
Beni Gueriasfhel, mtn., 529 .
Beni Gueriten, E. of Fez, 492, 615
Beni GuertagST^n (Guertenage), 542, 548, 651
Beni Gumi (Beni Gomi, Beni Gorai), Beni Gumi, on Upper

Ghir ; Rohlfs crossed their country in 1862 ; 127, 149,

787, 798, 810, 935
Beni Heli, Arab tribe in Tunis, 717
Benihemir, see Beniamir
Beni lazga, mtn., 549, 551 .
Beni ledir (Jedir) 528, 681 .
Beni lefren (Beni Tefren), the people around Ksar Yefren,

743 .
Beni leg^inesen (Jeginefen), 531, 642
Beni lerso (Jerso), 525. 640 .
Beni lezneten (lesseten), Beni Iznaten, 549, 651, 686, 698,

931 •
Beni Joseph (Beni Giusep), Beni Yusuf, 523, 640.
Beni Mansor, Beni Afansur, 522, 523, 639

,634

Maps.

IV, 36, I E.
VII, 34 4 W.

IV, 35> I W.
VII, 35. 5 W.
vii, 34, 4 W.
IV, 31, 2 W.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 35. 5 W.

VI, 33, 4 W.

VII, 35, 5 W.
VII, 35. 5 W.
VII, 35. 5 W.
VI, 33, 4 W.

VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 34, 4 W.
IV, 31, 14 E.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 34. 5 W.
IV, 34, I W.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 33. 4 W.
VII, 34 3 W.

IV, 30, 2 W.
IV, 36, 10 E.

VI, 33. 4 W.

VII, 35. 4 W.

IV, 32, 12 E.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 35. 5 W.

VII, 34, 2 W.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 35, 5 W.

io8o

INDEX.

Beni Marin (Banimarini), Bent Merini^ Zeneta dynasty in

Morocco, 534, 541, etc.
BeDAsnt^YitXi Jebgl Megker, 287, 295, 381
Beni Merasen, 558, 654
Beni Mesg^alda, 531, 642
Beni Rasid {Beni Raskid), 673, 695
Beni Razin (Beni Hascin of Marniol), 523, 640
Beni Sabi, Beni Sbihy 779, 805
Beni Said (Sahid), Beni Said, 536, 645 .
Benisuaif, Beni sue/, 898, 923
Beni Tefren, a misprint for Beni lefren .
Beni Teuzin, 537, 645
Beni Zaruol, Beni Zeruel, 523, 640
Beni Zeijen {B*ni Ziyan), Magraoa dynasty of Telensin,

659, 690
Benin, 78

Bensart, see Biserta .
Berbers, see Barbar .
Berbun, see Berbus .
Berbus (Berbun, Burbun), Berabishy the ancient Perorsi, a

tribe of Deuihessen Arabs, 142, 146, 147, 212
Berdeoa, see Berdoa .
Berdoa (Bardeoa, Berdeoa, Birdeva), Bardai in Tibesti, but

applied to the N. Tebu generally, 127, 151, 197, 198, 799,

800-801, 816 .
Berelles, Belbes, 861 .. .

Besseri, see Beni Besseri

Biledulgerid, Belad el Jerid, 22, 124, 126, 197, 794, 813
Birdeva, see Berdoa ....
Biro, 128, misprint for Bito
Biacaynes (Vescovi), Biscayans, 676
Biaerta (Bensart), Biurte, 714, 752
Biskra, see Pescara ....
Bito, a gold country, certainly not the country of the Bede^

but a district on the Upper Niger, in or near Bure,

Pacheco (Esmeralcby p. 51) knows a market-town Beetuu,

128, 198
Bled Eluneb (Beld Elhuneb, Bledel Anab\ the site of mod.

Bona, 708
Bocchir, Abukir, 865, 909
Bochin, 865, misprint for Bocchir
Boiador, Cape, 987 .
Bona, Bona, 708, 750, 933 .
Bona, Mountains of, 742
Borgi, see Elborgiu .
Bomo, Bomu, 128, 134, 832, 851, 981
Bosiri (Busiri), Abusir, 861, 907

Maps.

IV, 32, 9 W.

VI, 33» 4 W.

VII, 34, 4 W.
IV, 35, o E.
VII, 34, 4 W.
IV, 29, 5 W.
VII, 35» 3 W.
I, 29, 31 E.

VII, 34, 3 W.
VII, 34, 4 W.

I, 6, 5 E.

I, 17. 7 W.

I, 20, 15 E.

II, 30, 31 E.

IV, 39, 9 E.

IV, 37, 9 E.

I, 12, 9 W.

IV, 36, 7 E.

II, 31, 30 E.

I, 26, 14 W.
IV, 36, 7 E.

I, 13, 12 E.

II, 31, 29 E.

INDEX. IO81

Maps.

Bottom, sec Butoia ... . ^ _ .

Breach (Bresc, Bersac, or Brescar of Marmol), Brashkj 678,

696. . . ... .IV, 36, I E.

Bucaiim, see £1 Buchaira . , . ... —

Buccnja (Bacchuia), Boguym^ 522, 639 .. . . vii, 35, 4 W.

Busfgia, see Bugia . . —

Bug^ (BiM^gia), Buja or Bougie ; kingdom, 699 ; city, 126,

143, 144, 700, 745. 932 •• • ... IV, 36, 5 K.

Bu£^ mountains of, 740 .... —

Bugia (Bugiha, Buge, Buggia), Beja^ 837, 853, 855, 904,

933 • • . . . . I, ^o, 35 E.

Bngiha, see Bugia . ... . —

Bnlac, Bulak, 879, 915 . . in, 30, 31 E.

Bnlahnan, su Bulauan ... —

Bulauan (Bulahuan), Tabulawan^ 291, 376 . . • iv, 32, 7 W.

Bunasar (Bunaser, Bunafre), river between Zelag and Togat,

493. 494. 613 . . VII, 34. 5 W.

Buragrag, see Buregrag —

Bnrbun, see Berbus . —

Buregrag (Buragrag), Wad Bu Ragrag, 394, 403, 406, 407,

. 567,95^ • . VII, 33, 6 W.

Busibet, see Beni Busibet . . . . _

Busiri, see Bosiri . . —

Butoia (Buthoia, Bottoia), Botoya, 533, 538, 644 . • vii, 35, 3 W.

8*0,^211,304,385. .... V, 3i,6W.

CalMunbe, Ca»iAi»i^, 71, 998 . — 9S., 14E.

Cabra, Kabara, 826, 844 . .1, 16, 3 W.

f^flfb*" (Schachin, Esquequin of Marmol), a division of the

Arabs, including the Etheg, Sumait and Said [^. z/.], 142,

150,2x1,215 . . . . . . —

Caesarea, Mauritania Caesariensis or Telensin, q, v, —

Cafates, Gafat in Abyssinia^ 20, 30 . . — 10, 37 E.

Cafena, 128 ; misprint for Casena —

Cafega, su Caphsa . . . _

Caffa, Kafa in the Crimea, 888 • — 45f 35 E.

Cafraria,65 ..... — 29S.,3oE.

Cairaoan (Alcair), Kairwan, 134, 139, 716, 719, 730, 754,

758 . . . . . . IV, 35, 10 E.

Cairo (£1 Chahira, Alcair, Alchair), Most el-Kahira^ 120,

137. 870, 917 ; the Castle {El Kola), 881, 917 . . iii, 30, 31 E.

Calaat Haoara (Chalath Haoara), A'aAw, 673, 695 . iv, 35, o E.

Cambaia, Cambay in India, 982 — 22, 72 E.

Camis Metgara (Cannis Metgara), 415, 587 vii, 33, 5 W.

Cammar, Kamart^ 72$, 755 . . iv, 36, 10 E.

Canca (Chanca), e/ Khankah, 897, 922 . . . 11, 30, 31 E.

Canel Halili, Cairo, Khan el Kkalili, 872, 914 . . in, 30, 31 E.

3Z

io82

INDEX.

Cana, Kenehy 902, 904, 925 .

Canaries, 99

Cano, Kano, 128, 134, 799, Sap, 846

Capes (Capis, Chalbis), Gabes, 127, 715, 733, 760, 934

Cape Verde and islands, 20, 81 » 97

Caphesa, see Caphsa.

Caphsa (Caphesa, Capsa, Cafesa), Gafsa^ 127, 197, 795, 813.

Capis, see Capes

Capsa, see Caphsa .

Carafa (Chara&), suburb of Cairo, Karafa^ 877, 915

Carthage, 135, 7iS 753

Casablanca, see An&

Casair (Chasair), near lead and antimony mines which Rohlfs

passed in 1862, 787, 810
Casar, see Casar Elcabir
Casar Elcabir (Casar), Ksar elJCebir, 496, 504, 511,513, 618,

931 •
Casar Ezzaghir (Casar minor), Ksar es Sagkir^ 508, 514, 629
Casar minor or the Less, see Casar Ezzaghir
Casasa (Chasasa), 534, 644, 931
Casba, Zaghuan^ the anct. Villa magna, 713, 752
Casena (Chesena), Kaisena, 128, 134, 830, 849
Casr Acmed {Ksar Ahmed) ; the ancient Cistemae according

to Marmol, 744, 771
C4isr Hessin (Essin), 744, 772
Caulan (Chaulan), Ain Haluan, 487, 607
Cans (El Cauz, Cheuz), district, 126, 393, 538, 539, 646, 930,

931 •

Centopozzi {MiatHr\ in Caus, 555 ; see also Centumputei
Centiunputei (Cento Pozzi, Miatbir)^ in Duccala, 290, 375
Ceuta, see Septa

Chalath Haoara, see Calaat Haoara
Chalbis, 127 ; misprint for Capis
Charafa, see Carafa .
Chasair, see Casair. .
Chasasa, see Casasa
Chaulan, see Caulan
Chauz, see Caus

Chebib, min,, Jebel Habibt 513, 633
Cheneg, Khemg, 781, 808, 935
Cherith, see Elcherith
Chesena, see Casena
Chessen, ste Beni Chessen
Cheuz, x«f Caus
Chian, see El Chian .
Chinana {Uled Kenana), a tribe of Utmen Arabs, among the

Elcalut, 142, 146, 212 ....

Maps.
I. 25, 32 E.
1,28, IS W.
I, Ji, 8E.
IV, 33, 10 E.
I, 15, 17 W.

IV, 34, 8 E.

III, 30, 31 E.

IV, 36, 10 E.

IV, 32, 2 W.

vii, 34, 5 W.
vii, 35. 5 W.

VII, 35, 2 W.
IV, 36. 10 E.
I, 12, 7 E.

IV, 32, 14 E.
IV, 32, 14 E.
VI, 34, 4 W.

IV, 33, 3 W.
VI, 33, 4 W.

V. 31, 9 W.

VII, 35, 5 W.
IV, 32, 4 W.

VI, 34, 6 W.

INDEX.

1083

Maps.

Chollo» x/^ Collo

Choros, see Coros

Chosir, see Cossir

Chusein, see Deuil Chusein

Chusein (Cusain, Huseiti)^ a division of the Hilel Arabs, 142,

212 ....
Circastta, in the Caucasus, 870
Cithiteb, misprint for Eititib .
Coanza, river, Kuanza, 7i •
CoUo (Chollo), El KoUo, 703, 747, 933 .
Coil^o» River, 73 ; kingdom, 998, 1053 .
Constantine (Cc^tantina), ICsar Tina^ 126, 145, 162, 704,

741, 748, 933 .
Conte (Conta), Cape Cantin, 288, 372
Corasan, Khorasan, 887
Cordians, see Curdu .
Cordova, Spain, 729

Corondel, disused port at head of Red Sea, 27
Coros (Choros), castle on the Megereda, 714, 752
Cossir (Chosir, Alcosser), Koser^ 27,903
Costantina, see Constantine
Cmuna, Zambezi^ 19
Cufa in Arabia Felix (w), but more probably /Cufa^ near the

Euphrates, 877 .
Culeihat, see Culejat

Culejat Elmuridin (Culeihat Elmuridin), 241, 334
Cunaig^el Gherben, Kheneg el Gharby 557, 654
Curdu (Cordians), Kurds^ 479, 606, 889
Cusain, see Chusein .
Cnsdn, see Husein .
Cyrene, Barka^ 23 .

Dahra (Dara, Adurha, Addura), desert, Dahra, 540, 541

Damanhore, Damanhury 861 .

Damasco, Danuucusy 731 .

Damiata, Damyat^ 856, 861, 911

Damut, 30, 61 .

Dancala, see Dangala

Dancali, Dankali^ plur. Danakil, 27

Dangala (Dancala), Old Dongola, 29, 856, 853, 937

Dara desert, see Dahra

Dara (Eddara), Wad Dra, 127, 146, 147, 148. 149, I97i 305,

308, 385» 778. 934
Dart>a, 934 ; misprint for Darha {see Dara)
Darha, 146 ; misprint for Dara
Dauma, Doma (doubtful), 128
Pedes, Dades, 145, 214, 308, 323, 392 .

— 44, 40 E.

— 9S., 13 E.
IV, 37, 6 E.

— 6S.,i3E.

IV, 36, 6 E.
IV, 32, 9 W.

— 34, 55 E-

h 37, 5 W.
I, 27, 33 E.

IV, 36, 10 E.
I, 26, 34 E.

— i8S.,36W.

— 32, 44 E.

V, 31, 9 W.

VI, 33» 4 W.

— 58, 42 E.

I, 32, 22 E.

IV, 33, 2 W.

II, 31, 10 E.

-33.36E.

II, 31, 31 E.

— 10, 37, E.

I, 13, 41 E.

I, 18, 31 E.

IV, 29, 5 W.

I, 8, 8 E.

V, 31, 6 W.

3Z2

1084

INDEX.

Dehemnm, see Emrun

Delgumua, New, see Elgiumua

Delleg:, Uledelffaj\ 142, 143, 211

Dembea, see Ambea

Demenfera, misprint for Demensera

Demensera (Tenzera of Marmol), 246, 339

Derae, Wad Dema, 318, 389 .

Derotte, Derut, 869, 913

Deufen, misprint for Deusen .

Deuihessen (Deviessen), Dui Hassan^ a division of the

Hassan Arabs, including Duleim, Berbus, Vode, Racmen

and Amr, 142, 146, 212 .
Deuil Chusein (Devil Cusein, Uled Husein of Marmol), 557
Deuimansor (Duimansor), a division of the Hassan Arabs,

142, 146, 149, 212
Deuinbaidulla, Dui Obeid Allah^ a division of the Hassan

Arabs, 142, 146, 212
Deusen, Dusen^ 127, 197, 794, 813
Deuvad, Da%*a fVida, a tribe of Rie Arabs, 142, 212
Deyiessen, see Deuihessen
Dnbdn, Deddu, 541, 648, 787, 931
Duccala, Dukkala^ 125, 128, 140, 141, 142, 145, 157, 158,

283, 367
Dulein, Uled Deleim^ a tribe of Deuihessen Arabs, 142, 146,

212 .. .

Echebdeuon, mtn., Kebdana^ 536, 645 .

Eddara, see Dara

Edecsen, see Adecsen

Edesfi, see Hedeg ...

Efza, Fshtela^ according to Marmol, 318, 389, 390

Egypt (Mesre of the Arabs, Chibt, Elchibt, Chibith of the

Turks), Masr^ Gipt, 855, 857, 906, 1022
Eitdeyet in Hea, 239, 241, 333, 1005
Eitiad (Eithiad), Ait Aiad, 319, 391
Eititib (Cithiteb), Ait Ataby 319, 391
Elabat, see Habat .
Elasin, see Elhasin .

El Becria (Bechria), El Bahriye^ Lower Egypt, 857, 906
Elborgiu (Borgi, Elborgh), El Borj Saada, \rj, 197, 792,

812 .
El Buchaiia (Bucaira), Lake, Beheret Abukir {not Bahr

Maryut\ 161, 862 . . .

Elcala (Elcalha), El Kala, a castle near Telensin, 669
Elcalut, (Elculut, Elculoth, Holotes of Marmol, formerly

known as Elmuntafig), Uled Mutafik^ a tribe of Edegi

Arabs in Azgar, 142, 143, 146, 211, 495

Maps,

IV, 33, 3 W.

IV, 36, 3 E.

V. 30, 9 W.
IV, 32, 5 W.
11,31, 30 E.

VI, 33» 4 W.

IV, 30, 4 W.

IV, 34. o
IV. 34, 5 E.

VII, 34, 2 W.
IV, 32, 8 W.
1, 25, 14 W.
VII, 34, 2 W.

IV, 32, 6 W.

I and II

V, 31, 9 W.
IV, 32, 6 W.
IV, 32, 6 W.

ii» 34, 31 E.
IV, 34. 5 E.
ii,3i»3oE.

VII, 34, 6 W,

INDEX.

1085

Maps.

Elcama, see Elchemma

Elduunid, see Elchemma

Elchamid, 127 ; see £1 Hamma

£1 Chauz, see Caus .

Elchemma, see El Hamma

Elcherith, C//e<f el Krid^ a tribe of Rie Arabs, 142, 145, 212

El Chian, ancient Chenoboscion ?, 902, 925

Elcnloth, see Elcalut.

Elcnlnty see Elcalut .

Eldeeb, see Gezirat Eldeeb

El Fiium (Fium, £1 Fium), Medinet el Fayyum^ 859, 861, 899.

923 .
ElgihmnhuA, see Elgiumua
El Giuma (Giumha), in Azgar, 495, 614 .
Elgiumua of Hascora, 303, 384
Elgiumua (Elgihumhua), Eljamay in Marocco, 257, 349
Elgiumua, New (Delgumua nova), Jama Jedidy Marosa ?

259,349 ....

El Hamma (El Cama, £1 Chamid, Helchemma, Elchemma)

• El Hamma near Gabes, 127, 733, 761, 776, 805
Elhasin, (Elasin), El Hasen, a tribe of Utmen «\mbs, 142,

146, 212
El Husein, tribe, 494
Elin, see Helin
EUoch, see Beb EUoch
Elmadifi of Hascora, El MeditUy 298, 383
El Mahdia, Mehediya, 728, 757
Elmedina in Duccala, 16 leagues from Azemor, Algunoi

Documentosy p. 293, 289, 374
Elmoascar (Elmo Hascar), Maskara, 673, 695
El llLxLCB±on^ Jebel el Mokattamy 870, 881
Elmuoitafig, Uled Afutafik, ancient name of the Elcalut,

q.v,.
Eloacat, see Eloachet . . . «

Eloachet (Eloacat, Alguechet, Guechet), Al Wahat, 124,

193, 802, 817, 818 ... .

Emir, see Beniamir .
Emren, see Emrun .
Emnm (Emrem, Hemrun, Dehemrun), Uled Amran^ a tribe

of Deuimansor Arabs, 142, 145, 147, 148, 212.
Enedr, Uled Nader ^ a tribe of Rie Arabs, 142, 148, 212
Ercoco, Arkikoj 27, 30 . . .

Eniff (Rif, Rife), er Rif, 126, 131, 175, 206, 516, 635
Errif (RiflF), er Rif, Lower Egypt, 856, 906
Esaggen, Asigen, 499, 619 .
Eseis, see Aseis ....
Esfiualo, see Asifelmel - . - .

V, 31, 9 W.
I, 26, 32 E.

I, 29, 30 E.

VII, 34» 5 W.
V, 32, 6 W.
v,3i,8W.

V, 31, 8 W.

IV, 33» 9 E.

IV, 29, 9 W.
VII, 24, 6 W.

V, 32, 5 W.
IV, 35, 10 E.

IV, 32, 7 W.
IV, 35, o E.
"I, 30, 31 E-

I, 27, 28 E.

IV, 30, 4 W.

V, 31, 8 W.

VII, 34, 4 W.
II, 30. 30 E.
VII, 34, 5 W.

io86

INDEX.

Maps.

Esgeh, see Azge

Esifnual, see Asifelmel

Esquequin, see Cachin

Essen, see Beni Essen

Essich (Essie), misprint for Eseis

Essuoathila, see Sugaiila

Etegi (Etheg), Uled Hadaji, tribe of Cachin Arabs in

Duccala, 142, 281
Ethesf, see Etegi
Ethiopia (Etiopia), 23, 125
Ethiopia the His/her, Prete lanni's Land, Abyssinia, 125,

195 .
Eusugas^hen, see Ileusugaghen
Evarizin, Khwarizm, 889
Ezzab» see Zab

Fabbriano, Fabriano in Italy, 324

Fanzara, 409, 580 .

Farcala (Fercale), /-erkla, 145, 205, 322, 786

Fatigar, 30

Fenescare, see Beni Fensecare

Fensecare, see Beni Fensecare.

Fercale, see Farcala .

Fernando Po, 96

Fessa, see Fez

Fez (Fessa), Fas, 126, 131, 134, 143, 144, 145, I73» 292

393 ; the city, 416-486, 589-606, 987
Fezzen (Fizzen) Fezzan, 127, 797, 814 .
Fighig, Fighig, 127, 148, 149, 197. 788, 810
Fium, see El Fiium .
Fizzen, see Fezzen .
Fnoa, Fuehy 868, 912
Fustato, Fosiai, see Misruletic
Futu, see Beb el Futu

Gabes, see Capes

Gademes, Ghadames, 127, 797, 814

Gago, GogOy Ga-rhCi the old capital of the Songhays, 128,

I34» 209f 820, 821, 823, 826, 845
Gambia river, 18, 31
Gansiga, see Guanziga
Ganze, see Baaliganze
Ganziga, see Guanziga
Gaoco, see Gaogoa .
Gaogao (Gaoga, Gaogo), Yauo or Oao, the old capital of the

Bulala (Barth, Reise, ii, 316, 331 ; III, 381), 28, 133, 124,

128,134, 193, 820, 834, 852, 899 .

IV, 32, 8 W.
i» ^~
I, I3» 37 E.
— 41, 60 E.

— 43, 12 E.
VII, 34> 3 W.
IV, 31, 4 W.

— 9, 40 E.

-3,8E.

VII, 34, 4 W.
I, 26, 15 E.
IV, 32, I W.

II, 31, 30 E.

I, 30. 9 E.

I, 16, o E.
1,13, IS w.

I, 12, 18 E.

INDEX.

1087

Gar, near Tripolis, 733, 803 .

Gara^ (Gharag, Guarag, Garog, Uled Garrajt)^ a tribe of

Deuiubaidulla Arabs, 142, 149, 159, 212
Garbia, El Gharbiy$^ the West (of Morocco), 990 .
Garel Gaze, quarry near Tripoli, Gargaresh^ 772, 803
Garel Mele, Char el Mdah or Porta Faritta, 933.
Garet, province, ElGharet, 126, 145, 148, 532, 643, 931
Garet, desert of, 538.
Garfa, UUd Gatfa, a tribe of Rie Arabs, scattered, 142

145, 148, 212 .
Gaiian (Garion), mtn.; Gkarian, 127, 743, 771
Garir, see Beni Garir.
Garo^, see Garagi
Garsa, 145, misprint for Gar& .
Garseluin, see Gherseluin
Ganrif (Garsis), 541, 647
Garsis, see Garsif
Gartc^essen, (Gurtguessen, Gurtuessen), Sanla Cruz of the

early Portuguese, Ageuiiry 253, 345, 777, 934, 9^7
Gastrir, 781 (Pory omiu the name)
Gauata (Javata), Gkiaia district (compare Matgara)
Ganri, su Ghauri .
Gcba {O^hha), Jebba, 520, 638
Gebara, see Beni Gebara
Gebel el hadi, /ebel ffadid, 247, 340
Gebifi see Beni Gebir
Gedmeua (Ghedmina), mtn., W. of Imizmizi ; perhaps Jebel

Tisgin; 258, 279, 349, 364
Otgti,/tjeli 7ox»746, 933 •
Gehoan, see Geoan

Geme Tailon, /ami Ibn Tulun, Cairo, 873
Gemi El Asare (Hashare),ya///2 // Azkar2X Cairo, 870, 913
Gemia Elcmen (Gemiha £lchmen),yamf «/ Hamntam? 415,

587 .
Gemiha Elchmen, ^ee Gemia Elcmen .
Gemit EXiit€tamj /ami Hakim^ Cairo, 871, 913 .
Genni (Ghinea, Ghenea),/^^^!, 124, 128, 822, 840
Geoan (Gehoan), Uled/okan, a servile tribe of DeniubaiduUa

Arabs, among the Garagi and Hed^, 142, 150, 212
Georg^, see St. George

Gerbo (Gerbe) island, /<?rAa, 127, 197, 734, 762
Gerseluine, see Gherseluin

Gesira, see Gezira ....
Geuisa, Iviza^ BaUares, 676 .
Gtzai,/ize, 895. 922 ...

Gezair, see Alger ....
Gezira (Gesira), 502, 622

Maps.

IV,

32, 13 K.

IV,

32, I w.

IV,

32, 13 K.

IV,

37, 10 E.

VII

,34,3W.

VII

34, 2 N.

_

IV,

32, 13 K

V, 30, 9 '^'

IV, 32, 4 W.
VII, 34, 3 W.

VII, 35, 4 ^V.

V, 31, 9 W.

V, 31, 8 W.
IV, 36, 5 E.

Ill, 30, 31 E.

III, 30, 31 E.

IV, ZZ, 5 W.

Ill, 30, 31 E.
I, 14, 4 W.

IV, 33, II E.

- 39, I E.
Ill, 30, 31 K.

VII, 35, 6 W.

io88

INDEX.

Gezirat Eldeeb, Geziret .eddekeb, the * golden island* above

Fuoa; ^. z;., 868 . .
Gharag, see Garagi ... . . .

Ghauri (Gauri),/aw/^/ Ghuri, Cairo, 871, 913 .

Ghedmina, see Gedmeua

Ghenea, see Genni

Gherseulin (Gerseluin, Garseluin), Gers, 148, 215, 560, 657,

780,931,935 .......

Ghinea, see Genni

Ghir, river, IVad Ghir^ 935, 788 ...

Ghir, dosert of, said to extend to Guber, 798 (* Ghir * means

* river', and the desert may be near the Niger, or *Nghir ')
Ghomera, see Gumera . . . .

Giacchi, see Agag .....
Gibraltar (Zibeltera), 167, 499, 509 .
Giumha, see El Giuma ....

Giimaibe, see Umen Giunaibe ....
Gosfdem, desert, apparently the same r^on as Ighidi, q. v.y

798, 815 ■ .
Gogideine(Gugideme, Guigidimc of Marmol), mtn., 3x0^ 386,

928 .
Goiame, Gojam^ 30 . ...

Good Hope, Cape of, 19 .
Goran (Goranites, Gorhan), Goran, 28, 109, 128, 173, 199,

221,836,852 . . . . .

Goran is the name by which the Daza or Southern Tubu

( Teda) are known to the Arabs. The Goran extend to
. the northern shore of Lake Tsade, the further shores of

which are, or were, inhabited by the So {see Seu) (Nach

tigal, Saharjt and Sudan, i, 421)
Gorhan, see Goran
Goz, 232, 329

Great River (Wad el Kebir), Wad Sahel, 932
Green Mountain (Monte Verde), Jebel el Akhdar, 295, 681
Guachde (Guacde), Wakda, 788, 810 .
Guadalabid, see Quadelabid
Guaden, Wadan, 116, 127, 147, 215, 777
Guadilbarbar, Wad Barbara, known in its lower course as

Wad el Kebir, ^Zl
Guas:ida, Ujda, 663, 693 . .

Gualato, Walata, 124, 128, 134, 147, 215, 255, 798, 815

820, 821
Gualhasa, 687, 698 .
Gualid, sre Beni Gualid
Gualili, WalUi, 489, 607-10 .
Guamud, see Beni Guamud
Guanferis, 932, misprint for Guanseris .

Maps.
11,31, 30 E.
iir, 30. 31 E.

IV, 32, 4 W.

IV, 29, 2 W.

I, 36, 5 W.

I. 27, 2 W.

V, 31, 6 W.
I, 10, 1% E.

— 34S., 18 E.

I, 15. 13 E.

IV, 31, 9 W.
IV, 36, 4 E.
IV, 36, 4 E.
IV, 31, 2 W.

I, 21, II W.

IV, 36, 7 E.
IV, 34, I W.

I, 18, 5 W.
IV, 35» I W.

VII, 34, 5 W.

INDEX.

1089

Maps.

Guangara (Guangra), Wangara ; the Wangara are the
. Eastern Majidingo, great traders, who go East as ^ as

Bomu. A district IVangara lies on the road from the

Gold Coast to the Niger (Wolf, Mitt, aus Deutsche

Schutsgeb,^ IV, 10), 128, 134, 831, 850
Gttanseris» mtn., IVanseris, 689, 698, 932
Giumzig^a (Ganziga, Guenziga; Guanezeris or Zuenzigas of

Marmol), 127, 151, 198 .
Guarag, se^ Garagi .
Gtiardaii, mtn., 538, 646
Guarga, river, Wargha, 499, 501, 619, 930
Guargala (Guarghela), Wargla, 127, 143, 197, 791, 799, 81
Gtiargfaela, see Guargala
Guarid, see Beni.Guarid
Gliariti, see Beni Guariten
GlUitaziy see Baniguatazi
Guazeuale, see Beni Guazeuale
Guber, Gobety 1^8, 154, 209, 798, 8a8, 846
Gueblen, mtn., 549, 651
Goechet, 819 ; sec Eloachet ,
Ouedarfeth, see Beni Guedarfeth
Guenziga, see Guanziga
Guer, Cabo de, Ras Ghir, 987, 989, 991 .
Guerened, see Beni Guerened .
Gueiiaghel, see Beni Guedaghel
Guertaggen, see Beni Guertaggen
Guerteneage, see Beni Guertaggen
ttHeslet, mtn,, febel Uselet, 732, 760
Gttgideme, see Gc^deme

Guir river at Mansora, 398. * Ghir* merely means * river*
Gtimera (Ghomera), the Berber tribes of the Riff, 130, 131

134, 205-6
Gtunera, mountains of the, 930
Gumi, see Beni Gumi
Guraigura (Guregra, Guruigara), mount, plain, and river, on

W. border of Caus, 494, 539, 559, 613
G|ireg^ra» see Guraigura
Gortguessen, see Gartguessen
Guruigura, see Guraigura
Guzzula (Guzula), JezuUiy 125, 131, 256, 260, aSl, 366, 776

I, 9» I E.

IV, 35» I E.

I. 23,

VH, 35, 3 W,

VII, 34, 5 W.

I, 32. 5 E.

I, I3» 6 E.
IV, 33, 3 W.

IV, 35. 9 E.

IV, 33. 7 W.

VI, 34, 4 W.
ib,

IV, 33. 5 W.

V, 30, 7 W.

Habat (Elabat, Abat, Elhabet), 126, 449, 619, 930, 931 . vii, 35, 5 W.
Habdoload, see Beni Abdulguad . . __

Habid, see Quadelabid —

Habm (Abru), Uled Habra, a tribe of Beniamir Arabs, 142,

144, 212 .... . IV, 35, o W.

Hacari, 130; misprint for Hasari, j^^ Hasara .... —

I090

INDEX.

Haddasfie (Addagia), 540, 647

Hadeccbis (Adecchis), 333, 331

Hain Elchalla, see Ain Elcalla

Hain Sammit, 713, su Ain Sammit

Hair» see hSx

Halcamo, see Alcama

Ham Lisnam, see Am Lisnam

Hamsnamet, Hammamet^ 726, 756

Hamr, Temple of, Cairo, sa Amr

Hamran, su Amr

Hamrozo (Amrozo, Hamron of Marmol), 774, 803

Hanchisa, see Anchisa

Hangad, see Angad .

Hannimei, see Amiimei

Hantata (Hentata, Anteta, Hantera), a tribe of Musmuda

Berbers in Hantata mountains, 207, 208, 280, 364, 927
Haoara (Aoara), Hawara^ a Berber people, between the

Atlantic and Fezzan ; those in Temesna being known,

according to Marmol, as Shawia; 130, 131, 132, 154, 205,

396, 710, 780 . I, 24, 13 E. ; IV, 33, 7 W. ; 36, 3 E.
Harar, see Arar .....
Haresg^ol, see Aresgol ....

Harg^j (Argda, Hergha), a tribe of Musmuda, expelled from

Morocco by the Luntuna, 132, 207 .
Haros, see Beni Aros
Hasara (Asara, Ha&ra, a misprint), 295
Hascora (Ascora) Haskura, 125, 297, 383, 928
Hassan (Assan), Uled HasseHy a division of the Machil Arabs,

including the Deuihessen, Deuimansor and Deuiubaidulla,

142, 212
Haugustiin (Augustian), 527, 641
Hea (Ea) Haha, 125, 131, 145, 214, 225-48
Hechim, see Gemit Elhechim .
Hedeg (£^egi), Uled Hadaji, a tribe of Deuiubaidulla. Aral)s,

142, 149 .

Helchemma, see Elchemma
Held, Sidi Bent HellU of Rohlfs, 782
Hell, see Beni Heli .
Helin (Elin), plain, 145
Hemir, see Emir
Hemrun, see Emrun
Henadussasar, AmttdesSaiwariy popularly known as Pompey':

pillar, 864, 909 .
Hentata, see Hantata
Hentera, see Hantata
Heradea, Hergla, 726, 756
Hergha, see Hargij .

Maps.
VII, 34, 3 W.
V, 31, 8 W.

IV, 36, 10 E.

IV, 32, 13 E.

V, 31.7W.

, and 29, 15 E.

IV, 32, 8 W.
IV, 32, 7 W.

VII, 34, 4 W.
V, 31, 9 W.

VII, 34, 2 W.

IV, 31, 4 W.

V, 31. 9 W.

11,31, 29 E.
IV, 36, 10 E.

INDEX.

IO9I

Maps.
Htstn, Collie of Sultan, Ganui Sultan Hassan, Cairo, 873,

914 . . . . . . Ill, 30, 31 E.

Hilel (Hal), Bent Helaly an Arab people, including the Beni

Amir, Rie, Sufien and Chusain, 142, 144, 150, 212, 213 . I, 34> 3 £^*
Holotes, see Elcalut ....
Hotnar (Omar), Hamar, 504, 624 . vii, 35, 6 W.

Horam, see Oran ....
Howar, 504 ; misprint for Homar
Hubbed (Ubbed) Castle, xx, 486, 607 (x« also Ubbed) . vii, 34, 4 \V.

Hucben, see Ucba ....
Humeledegi, see Umeldegi
Hunein (Unain), Honein, 665, 687, 693 . iv, 35, i W.

Huroa (Uroa), Uled Hurwa, a tribe of Beniamir Arabs, 142,

144,212 ..... IV, 35, oE.

Husein (Usein), UUd Husein, a tribe of Deuimansor Arabs,

142, 148, 212 . . . IV, 32, 4 W.

Husein, see El Husein
Hutmen, see Utmen

ladog (Jadog), Wad Sebus, 953

lasliten (Beni Isliten), 796, 814

lazbachia, Cairo, Esbekiye, 873, 914 •

lazg^a, see Beni lazga

Icmim, Ekkminiy 859, 900, 924

Icuiza (Jeviza), Ivtzza, one of the Baleares, 686

Idevacal, Western Atlas, 244, 339

ledir, see Beni ledir ....

legel, 933 ; misprint for Gegel

legineseiiy see Beni leginesen .

lelles (Jelles), the Velles de Gumera of the Spaniards, 519,

637 .
lerso, su Beni lerso ....
lesseten, see Beni lezneten
lezneteiii see Beni lezneten
Ifran (Ifren), Ofran, 127, 777, 805
Ighidi, desert, Igidi, 147, 799 .
Ighilinsrhighil (Igilingigil), 242, 334
Ilal, j^^ Hilel ....

Ilalem, mtn., Ilalem, 256, 349
Ilda, mtn., 281, 367 .

Ileusugaghen (Eusugaghen of Marmol), 234-6, 332
Imbuth, 904 ; misprint for Jambu
Im^^iagen, south of Elgiumua, cannot be feirly identified

with Jmagheren, which is east of Imizmizi, 257, 349
Imizmizi, Amsmiz, 260, 350 .
Inauen (Inaven), IVad Innauen, 406
Izli, on river /2/1, 662, 693 . . .

IV, 36, 7 E.

IV, 33, 10 E.
Ill, 30, 31 E.

I, 26, 31 E.
- 39, I E.

V, 30, 9 W.

VII, 35» 4 W.

IV, 29, 9 W.
I, 27, 2 W.

V, 31, 8 W.

V, 30, 9 W.
V, 30. 7 W.
V, 31, 8 W.

V, 30, 8 W.
V, 31, 7 W.
VII, 34, 4 W.
IV, 34* 9 W.

1092

INDEX.

Jadog^, see ladog

Jambu, Yambu el Bahr^ 903, 904

Jerusalem, 889

Jedir, see Beni ledir .

Jelles, see lelles

Joseph, see Beni Joseph

Joseph's Sepulchre, 858 {sec Pharao, city of)

KairwAn, see Cairaoan
Kasha, see Casba

Larache, see Larais .
Lands (Arais), El Araish, 495, 614, 931
Lebic, river, the united Tesaut rivers, 928
Lemta, Auelimmiden, 127, 151, 799, 816
Lepede, Lebday yyj, 765
Leuta, 127 ; misprint for Lemta
Leyata, 800
Libya, 13, 22, 124, 127
Loanda, 75» 93» 99^
Loango, 76 . . .

Lttcai, mtn., 528, 641 .

Luccus, river. Wad el Kus^ 495, 931
Luntuna, a division of the Sanagia, in Duccala,
206, 262, 395, 418, 479, 560

etc, 132,

Macarmeda, 486, 606

Machil, Makily an Arah])eople, 142, 145, 150

Machres, Mahares, 734, 762 .

Madag^ascar, 20, 90

Madeira, 107 .

Mader Auvan (Mader Avuam), <o3, 572

Madia, see Mahdia .

Magadazo, Makhdesho, 53 .

Maghilla, Mghilla^ 421, 612 .

Mag^ran, mtn., i.e.^ mtn. inhabited by Magraoa to east of

S^gheme and at head-waters of Ommirabi, 322, 391
Magraoa (Magraua), Maghrawa, a division of the Zeneta

Berbers, 132, 206, 659 iv, 35, o

Magfraua, see Magraoa
Magrida, see Megerada
Mag^a, see Magraoa
Mahdia (Madia), 554 {see also EI Mahdia)
Mahmora, see Mamora

Mamora (Mahmora), Maamura or Mehdia^ 409, 581, 930
Mamun (Memun), 783, 785 .
Maoebbi, see Menebbe

Maps.

I, 24, 37 E.
IV, 31, 35 K-

VII, 35» 6 \V.
IV, 32, 6 W.
I, 25, 8 E.
IV, 32, 14 E.

I, 30, 20 E.

I,—, —
-9S., ISE.
— 4S., 12 E.

VII, 34, 4 W.

VII, 35>6W.

I, 26, 10 W.
vii, 34, 4 W.

IV, 34, 10 E.

— 2oS.,45E.
1, 33. 17 W.
IV, 33. 6 W.

— 2, 45, E.
VII, 34. 5 W.

IV, 32, 5 ^V.

; VI, 32, 4 W.

VI, 33. 4 W.

VII, 34, 6W.
IV, 30, 4 W.

359

port of Alexandria,
Kebir, 66o, 677, 695,

port of Alexandria,

142, 145 .

INDEX.

Manf, see Memphis .

Manfichmin, 859 ; misprint for Manf, I

Manf Lot, Manfalut^ 899, 923

Mansor, see Beni Mansor

Manaora, El Mansuriay 398, 563

Marrakesh, see Marocco city .

Margara, see Matgara of Caus.

Marin, see Beni Marin

Marmaricay 22

Marocco, region, 125, 131, 132, 134, 140, 157, 206, 256, 987

Marocco, city, Marrakesh^ 262-272, 351

Marsa, Marsa near Tunis, 726, 755

Marsa el Borg^ Marsa el Borj, the £.

862 .
Marsa Elcabir (Mersalcabir), Marsa el

997 .
Marsa Essil, Marsa es Silsele, the wesi

862 .
Masila, see Mesila .
Mastar, a division of the Machil Arabs,
Matama, 70
Matar, Mater, 714 .
Matgara, mtn., in Telensin, 687, 698
Matgara, mtn., in Caus, S.W. oiTtiSLy Jehel Ghiata (hut see

Gauata), 546, 651
Matgara (Metgara), Mdaghra, 148, 215
Mauritania, 21
Mazagan, Mazagan, 379
Mazalig, 7^7) 810 .
Mazandran, province on Caspian, 889
Mazua, Massaua, 27, 109
Maziina, 681, 697
Mecca, 896, 903

Mechella, MehallU el Kebir, 869, 912
Mechellat Cais, Mehallet Kessy 870, 913
Mecnasa, a tribe of Zeneta, the founders of Mecnase, 132, 206
Mecnase (Mecnes, Mequinez), Meknasa, 144, 412, 584-7
Mecnes, see Mecnase
Medina (Medina Talnabi, Elmadina), Medinet en Nebiy in

Arabia, 417, 889, 903 .
Medina, see Elmadin and Almedin
Medra, Mandara, 128, 199 .
Mediia, El Medea, 685, 698 .
Mefab, 127 ; misprint for Mesab
Megerada (Magrida), river, Mejerda, 22, 714, 933
Megesa, mtn. and tribe, 547, 651
Meggeo, 535, 645 .

782, 808, 935

1093
Maps.

I, 27, 30 K.
IV, 33, 7 W.

I, 30, 25 E.
V, 31. 7 W.
V, 31, 7 W.
IV, 36, 10 E.

II, 31, 29 E.

IV, 35. o ^'
II, 31, 29 E.

IV, 30, 6 W.

— ioS.,i8E.
IV, 37, 9 E.
IV, 34, I W.

VII, 37, 3 W.
IV, 31, 4 W.

IV, 33, 8 W.
IV, 31, 2 W.

— 36, 52 E.
I, 15, 39 E.
IV, 36, o E.

I, 21, 40 E.

II, 30,31 E.
II, 30, 30 E.

VII, 34, 5 W.

— 24, 34 E.

I, II, 14 E.
IV, 36, 2 E.

IV, 36, 9 E.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 35, 3 W.

I094

INDEX.

Meher, see Beni Megher

Mejes (Meies), mtn., the E«istern extremity of the Atlas, rnay

safely be identified with Ras el Melha and the Akabat el

Kebir^ 123
Mela, Milahy 708, 749
Mele^hete, is Amomum Meleguetta RosCy or A. granum para

disi, which grows on the ** Grain Coast" of Guinea, 87
Melela (Mellela, Melelain) Melilla, 533, 643, 644 .
Meliana, Miliaiuiy 144, 211, 680, 696
Melinde, 31, 55 .

MelleUy see Melela ....
Melli (Melle), kingdom, 125, 128, 133, 134, 201, 823, 841
Melula (Mululo) river, a tributary of the Muluia, Melille^ 532,

540, 931
Memphis (ManO, Manf, 859, 897, 91 1
Memun, see Mamun
Menebbe (Manebbi), Uled Menebba^ a tribe of Deuimansor

Arabs, 145, 212
Meniuniy 785 ; misprint for Memum {see Manum)
Meramer» 297, 381
Meraien, see Beni Merasen
Merdez» a tribe of Zenata, near Bona, 708
Merg^o, Zawiya of Sidi MergOy 500, 621
Merniza, mtn., 527, 641
Meroe, 29, 32
Meraalcabir, see Marsa
Meraalquibir, same as Marsa Elcabir
Mesab (Meszab), Mzab, 127, 790, 811
MesellaU, 127, 775, 804
Mesetazza, mtn., 558, 655 .
Mesgalda, see Beni Mesgalda
Mesila (Masila), Msila, 144, 214, 70a, 746, 792
Mesrata (Mestrata), Masrata, 127, 775, 804 .
Mesre, see Egypt
Mesre atichi, su Misruletic .
Messa, Masay 123, 146, 244, 248-50, 341
Mestrata, see Mesrata
Meszab» see Mesab .
Metg^ara, see Matgara
Meth, Maid or Mehet^ Somalilandy 983
Mettegia, Afetija, 682, 932
Mezag^ran, see Mezzagran
Mezdag:a, 552, 652 .
Mezemme, Mtemmay 520, 638
Mezgana (Beni Mosgana of Marmol), 682
Mezzagran (Mezagran), Mazagrany 677, 695, 932
Michias, el Mikyasy the Nilometer at Cairo, 879, 91 1

Maps.

I, 31 » 25 E.
IV, 36, 6 E.

I, 6, 10 W.
VII, 35, 2 W.
IV, 36, 2 E.
— 35» 40 E.

I. 14, 5 W.

VII, 34, 3 W.

II, 29, 31 E.

IV, 32, 8 W.

IV, 36, 7 E.
VII, 34, 4 W.
VII, 34, 4 \V.
I, 16, 33 E.

IV, 33, 4 E.
IV, 32, 14 E.
IV, 32, 3 W.

IV, 35, 4 E-
IV, 32, 15 E.

V, 30, 9 W.

—

10,

47 E.

IV,

36,

2E.

VII

,33

, 4W

VII

.35

3W

IV,

36,

2E.

IV,

35,

oE.

n,

29,

31 E.

INDEX. I095

Maps.

Mifrulhetich, 877 ; misprint for Misruletic . . —

Mina river, IVad Miruiy 932 . . . . iVt 3S> o E.
Misruletic (Mesre atichi, Fustato), Masr el Attka, or Fostat,

858, 877» 906 . . . Ill, 29, 31 E.

Mogador, 33^. . v, 31, 9 W.
Mohenemngi, Mwene Muji, ** Lord of the villages*', old title

oi i\\t r}j\&[ oi Maravi land, do . . — 155, 34 £.

Mokattam, mt., see £1 Mucatun —

Mombasa, 56, 89 . • — 3» 39 E-

Monaster, Monastir, 727, 756 ... iv, 35, 10 E.

Monfia, yl/a/ia, 89 . . . — 7S.,39E.
Monomota|>a, the Empire of the Mwene Mtapa, to the South

of the Zambezi, 62, 985, 1060 . . . — 18 S., 32 E.

Moon, mountains of the, 16, 106, 936 . . —
Moores, tawny, the ** White Africans" of the original edition,

130 . , . . . . —

Morocco, see Marocco .... —

Mozambique, 58, 89 .... — i4S.,4oE.
Muallaca (Muhallaca), a village three miles S. of Old Cairo,

and therefore if^ /^^/Bwif, 897, 922 . . . 1 1, 29, 31 E.

Mucatun, see El Mucatun . . . . —

Muhaisira, see Munaisira .... —

Muhallaca, see Muallaca . . . . —

Muluia river, Muluya, 931, 393 •• • vi, 34, 3 W,

Mululu river, see Melulo .... —

Muluna, 931 ; misprint for Muluia . —
Munaisira (Muhaisira), 30 m. East (South ?) of Cairo, and

therefore not El Masarah, 898, 922 • l> 29, 31 E.

Munia, Minieky 898, 923 . . i, 28, 30 E.

Munsia, El Menshiyehy^i, 926 . i, 26, 31 E.
Muslim (Mussim), Bern Msellen, a tribe of Beniamir Arabs,

142, 144, 212 . . . . . IV, 35, 4 E.

Musmuda, a Berber people in Maiocco, 130, 131 . iv, 31, 9 W.

Mussim, see Muslim . —

Mustnganim, Aiostaganem, 144, 677, 696, 932 • iv, 35, o E.

Nabel, see Napoli ....

Nafissa, Sepulchre of St., Cairo ; Sitte Nefise, 877, 915

Nanfre, 871, misprint for Nansre i^Nasr), see Babe Nansre

Nansre, see Babe Nansre

Ni^K>li (Neapolis, Nabel), Nabele ; 725, 755

Naranj^ia, 502, 622

Namia, Nami, near Rome, 680

Neapolis, see Napoli .

Necaus, Ngaus, 702, 746

Ned Roma, Nedroma, 644, 693 ,

HI, 30, 31 E.

IV, 36, 10 E.
vii, 34, 5 W.
— 41, 12 E.

IV, 35, 5 E.
IV, 35, I W.

1096

INDEX.

Nefifa, mtn. (Nififa). Leo places these mountains to the west
of the Sesaua river and the Semede mountains, and
they cannot therefore be the mountains' at the head of the
Niffis (Nifisi river, 256. 275, 362

Nefisa, 256, misprint for Nefifa

Ncfreia, 127, misprint for A'.^^/wa

Nefta, Nefta, 127, 197, 793, 813

Ne£aoa, Neftaua, 127, 796, 814

Negroes, Land of, Sudan ; 124, 127, 8z^

Nesreot, 127, misprint for Neftaoa

Nesta, 127, misprint for Nefta

Niffis, river, Wad Nifisy 927 (compare Nefife)

Nififa, 275, sec Nefifa

Niger, 17, 134, 128, 179, 196, 820, 822. Pory's translation
Toi the passage, p. 124, is very inaccurate. Leo says, in
fi(U:t : " The Niger rises from a very large lake in the
desert of the Seu in the east, and flows westward into the
Ocean ; and our Cosmographers assert that it is a branch
of the Nile, which flows underground, and on issuing forms
the Lake referred to. Others assert that this river rises in
some mountains in the West, flows East and forms a
lake. Such however, is not the case, for we navigated it
with the current from Timbuktu to Ghinea and Melli,
which are to the West of Timbuktu." Leo thus evidently
held the view that the Niger was the Upper Senegal, and
did not anticipate Reichard's hypothesis, as suggested by
Dr. Brown (p. 196). His account, moreover, renders his
claim to haying visited Ghinea and Melli very doubtful

Nile, 17, 31. 93S 863 ; delta, 855 ; floods, 860 .

Nilometer, see Michias

Ninou, is Nineveh on the Tigris

Nocor, river, Nkur, jao, 538, 635

Nubia (Nube), Nubia ; 28, 128, 134, 836, 852, 904, 1052

Nuchaila (Nucaila), Nkheila, 398, 563 .

Nufiisa, mtn., Jebel Nefus ; 743, 771 .

Numidia, 22, 124, za6, 131, 139

Nun, region, Wad Nun ; 123, 124, 147, 194, 800, 816

Oea, 767, now Tripolis, q,v. .

Ofran, see Ifran

Omar, see Homar ....

Ommirabi, Umm er RaHa^ 283, 290, 393,' 928 '^

Oran (Horam), Oran, 144, 660, 675, 695

Pearls, river of, flows past Per, 930

Pemba, 89 ... .

Pennon (Pelion), 997, opposite Velles de Gumera, q,v.

Maps.

V, 30, 9 ^V.

IV, 33. 7 E-
IV, 33» 9 E.
I, 15. o

V, 31, 7 W.

I. 16, 3 W.
I, 18,31 E.

-36,43E.
VII, 35. 3 W.
I, 20, 33 E.
IV, 32, 7 W.
IV, 31, 72 E.
I, — —
IV, 29, 10 N.

IV, 32, 7 W.
IV, 35, o W.

VII, 34, 4 W.
-5S.,39E-

INDEX. 1097

Maps.
Ptrztgrtgt 134, sg€ Zegreg . . . . —

Pescara, Bisira, 127, 197, 792, 872 . . iv, 34, 5 E.

Pharao, City of, is identical with Rameses or Pithom, but
Leo places it in the Fayyum^ and near it, Joseph's

Sepulchre (com p. Aptun), 858, 906 . . . i, 29, 30 E.

Pharao*s Palace, Ksar Faraotty near ancient Volubilis ; 490,

610 . . . . . VII, 34, 5 W,

Philippeville, see Sucaicada . . . . —

Picos fragosos, perhaps the Rocks of Pungo Ndonga in An-

gola, 16, 106 . . . . . —
Pidar, town on Somali coast, between Zeila and Berbera, 983 —
Pietra RossAiDar-eZ-I/amra), ruins of Tocolosida,49i,6i2 viii, 34, 5W.
Pipeiis, Hospital of Sultan, Cairo, 873, 914 in. 30, 31 E,
Prete Gianni (Prester John), the Emperor of Higher Ethi-
opia, or AhysHnia^ 30, 41, 125, 195, 974-85, 1021, 1030. 1, ii, 37 E.
Pyramids, Egypt, 858, 896 . .11, 29, 31 E.

Quadela b id (Guadelabid, Habid, Fiume dei Servi, Semam),

Wad el Abidy or Slave River, 130, 283, 297, 928 • iv, 32, 5 \V.

Quadres, vaXxi,,/ebel Wad RaSy 515, 634 . vii, 35, 5 W.

Qiiillimanci, river, Tatta, 51 . . — 2S.,4oE.

Quiloa, Kilwa, 56, 89 . — 9 S., 39 E.

Qniwiniai Kisama, 72 . — 9S., 13E.

Rabat (Rebat), Rabat, 401, 564-8, 929 - • Vil, 34, 9 W.

Racmen, Rehamna, a tribe of Deuihessen Arabs, 142, 147,

212 . . . . . . IV, 29, 7 \V.

Rahona (Raona), mivi,,Jebel Rahona, 512, 633 . . vii, 35, 5 W.

Raona, see Rahona .....—

Rasid, see Rosetta ..... —

Razin, see Beni Razin .... —

Rebat, see Rabat .....—

Recheda, Rakkada, near Cairaoan, 732, 760 iv, 35, lo E.

Red Sea, 24, 85 . . . i, 20, 40 E.

RejH'agaCAegraga), tribe in Hea, 247, 340 . v, 31, 9 W.

Reteb (Retebbe), Reteb, 148, 783, 808, 935 . iv, 31, 4 W.

Retel, misprint for Reteb .... —

Rie (Riech), Riahy a division of the Hilel Arabs, 142, 145, 212, iv, 35. 8 E.
Riff, Egypt, see Erriff . . . . —

Rosetta (Rasid), Er Rashidy 856, 865, 910 . li, 31, 30 E.

Ruche, UUd Rukty a tribe of Mastar Arabs, 142, 145, 212 . iv, 31. 5 \V.

Saba, Sabaim, capital ot Abyssinia, supposed residence of the

Queen of Saba, 30, 978 . . . . —

Sabi, see Beni Sabi . . - -

Sablel Marga (Sahblel Marga), Sahab el Marga, 554, 653 . vi, 33, 4 W.
Saffi, see Azafi .....

4A

1 098

INDEX.

Sahblel, ^^d Sablel .

Sahid, see Said

Sahidim, see Saiditna

Said (Sahid), Uled Said, a division of the Cachin Arabs, 142,

I43»2ii . . . I, 31, 5E.

Said (Assaid, Sahid), Said, Upper Egypt, 856, 857
Siaid, see Beni Said ....
Saidima (Sahidim, Uled Sdima), Shedtna, a tribe of Hilel

Arabs, 145 ....

St. Georg^e (Georgia, Giorgio), a monastery near Girgeh, 901

925 .
St Hdena, 92

St Laurence, Madagascar, 999
St Thomas, 93

San Salvador, capital of Congo, 73
Sais, see Eseis
Sala, see Sela

Salir, port on Somali Gjast, 983
Sanag^ (Sanhagia, Zanaga, Zanega, Zenega, Sanhagi), San

haja, a Berber people in the Western Sahara, 127, 130,

131, 132, 133, 146, 154, 205, 320, 559, 780, 797, 965
Sanhag^ia, see Sanagia.
Sanhaja, see Sanagia
Santa Cruz, 987, see Gartguessen
Sarman, Aserman, 2, 773, 803
Sarra, or Libya, Sahara, 84, 124, 127
Schachin, see Cachin
Sebta, see Septa
Sebu, see Subu

Secsiua (Sesiua), mtn., Seksaua, 278, 363
Seffaja, river (Sessaia, a misprint). Wad Harrask, 932
Sefsaua, see Sesseua

Sefsif, river at Telensin, Wad Safsaj, 669, 694
Seg^elmessa {Sijilmasiyah), Meditrnt ul Amira, the capital of

TafUeU, 126, 127, I45» I97. 728, 759, T^O^T^, 7^4, 806,

807, 935, 991 •
Scg:g:hemc, mtn., 320, 391 •
Sela (Sala), Said, 144, 406, 407, 573-80, 929
Sela, Sheila, 403, 518-72
Sele, 932 ; misprint for Selef .
Selef(Sele), «'W6i4«'fy, 932
Selelg:o (Selilgo), mtn., 530, 651, 930 .
Selilgo, see Selelgo

Selim, Uled Slim, a tribe of Mastar Arabs, 142, 146, 212
Semede (Semmeda), mtn., 276. 362.
Semmeda, see Semede
Semmenud, Samanud, 861

Maps.

IV, 36, 10 E.
I, 27, 30 E.

V, 31, 9 W.

I, 26, 31 E.

— i6S.,4W.

— 2oS.,45E.

— oN.,6E.

— 6S., 15 E.

— II, 48 E.
I, 22, 12 W.

IV, 32, 12 E.

V, 30. 8 W.
IV, 36, 3 E.

IV, 34, I W.

IV, 30, 4 W.
IV, 32, 5 W.
VII, 34, 6 W.
VII, 34, 6 W.

IV, 36, I E.
IV, 33, 4 W.

IV, 29, 6 W.

V, 30, 8 W.

II, 30, 31 E.

INDEX4

1099

V, 31, 8W.

vn, 35» 5 W,

Maps.
Sen, desert oi ; misprint for Seu, q, v, .
SvaajgK^ Senegal, i8, 8i . i, i6, 15 \V.

Septa (Sebta), Ceuta, 504, 509, 629-31 . . vii, 35, 5 W.

Serael, Shershel, 679, 696 . • iv, 36, 2 E.

Serte (Sert), Sort, with Meditut Sultan, 801, 817 . . iv, 31, 17 E.

Senuun, 130; a mistranslation of 'fiume dei Servi% see

Quadelabid
Servi, fiume dei, see Quadelabid
Sesiiia, see Secsiua and Sessaua
Sessaia, 932 ; misprint for Seffaja
Se88etia(Sessera,Seusaua, Sedsaua), river, Skishaua, 257, 276.

277,349
Set, 832 ; apparently a misprint for Seu, and not connected

either with Lake Tsade or the Eastern Sahara
Setif, see Ste^e

Seusaon (Seusaon), mtn., Sheshauen, 524, 640
Seusaua, river, see Sesseua

Seusaua, mtn., at source of Seusaua (Sesseua) river, 277, 362
Seu (Sen, Set and Sin, are misprints), the So or Seu, the old

ruling people in what is now Bomu, to the south and west

of Lake Tsade (Nachtigal, ii, 444 ; Barth, Reise, ii, 333),

17, 124, 173, 192, 221, 832 .. .

SfaZ| see Asfacus .....
Shame, castle of (La Vergogna), 491, 612
Sierre Leone, 16, 80

Sifelmel, see Asifelmel ....

Siffaia, river, 246, 340, is evidently the same as Sesseua,

Shishaua, and perhaps a misprint . . . v, 31, 8 W.

Sin, Sinites, 173, seems to be a misprint for Seu, q. v. . —

Sinai, mount, 897 . . . . i, 28, 34 E.

. Sinai, port of, 7ur not Sutz, 879, 915 . . i, 28, 34 E.

Sinites, j^ Sin . . —

Sisa, Sissa, near Parma, in Italy, 324 — 44, 10 E.

Soara (Azagues of Marmol), Zuara, a Berber tribe, dispersed

throughout Barbary, 161, 218 . . • iv, 35, i E.

Sobair, see Subeir ..... —

Socotera, Sokotra, 86, 1051 . . — 12, 52 E.

Sofala, 58 ..... — 2oS.,34E.

Soforo, xii, is SfrUt to the south of Fez . —

Sofroi, Sfru, 522, 652 ... . VII, 34, 4 W.

Stefe, SeHf, 702, 746 ... . iv, 36, 5 E.

Suachin (Suachen), Suakin, 27, 30, 86, 837, 904 . I, 19, 37 E.

Suaid, UledSaid,& tribe of Rie Arabs, 142, 145, 212 iv, 35, i E.

Subeica, Sueka, Tj^, 772 . . iv, 32, 14 E.

Subeir (Sobair), a tribe of Etegi Arabs, 142, 211 . . iv, 34, i W.

Subeit, 290, 375 ..... iv, 33, 8 W.
Subu (Sebu) river. Wad Sebu, 406, 409, 550, 930 . . . vii, 34, 6 W.

4 A 2

I, II, 13 E.

VII, 34, 5 W.
I, 8, 13 W.

IIOO

.INDEX.

Sucaicada, Skidda, the modern PkilipprvilU, 704, 748
Suez, 25, 29 .

Sufegmare (Sufgmare), river at Constantine, now known as
Runwul, and in its lower course as Wad-el-K^ir^ 705,

933 •
Sufgmare, see Sufegmare
SufietXt a division of the Hilel Arabs, 142, 212
Sugaiila (Essuoaihila), 785, 809, 935 .
Sultan's Sepulchres, Cairo, now known as the Tombs of the

Mamluksy 858, 915
Sumait, ^ division of the Cachin Arabs, 142, 143, 211
Sungai, Songhai, 134, 209, 821
Sus, Sus, 125, 131, 136, 147, 245, 24856, 987
Sus, river of, PVad Sus, 934
Susa, Stisa, 727, 756 .. .

• Suscgmare, misprint for Sufegmare
Syene, Asuan, 903, 925, comp. Asna and Assuan .
Syria, Soria, 889, 891 .. .

Tabraca, Tabarka^ 933 •

Tafilelt, see Segelmessa

Tafrata, desert, Tafrata, 540, 647, 931 .

Taganot, Tagant, 147

Taganost, 147, is a misprint for Taganot, the desert of which,
according to the Italian version, is inhabited by the Amr
or Haniram, who also levy tribute upon the people of
Tagavost .....

Tagauost (Tagavost), not identified. R^nou suggests a
village Tarabust, whilst Pacheco {Esmeraldo, p. 36) states
that Tagavost is within two leagues of Cape Nun, 255,

Maps.
IV, 36, 6 E.
I, 29, 32 E.

IV, 36, 6 E.

IV, 30, 4 W.

III, 30, 31 E.

IV, 32, 13 E.
1, 16, 3.

V, 30, 9 W.
V, 30, 9 W.
IV, 35, 10 E.

I, 24, 32 E.

IV, 36, 83

VII, 34, 2 W.
IV, 29, 9 W.

346
Tagheza, see T^;aza
Tagia (Thagia), 401, 572
Tagiora (Taiora), Tajura, 774, 803
Tagodast, 301, 310, 384
Tagtessa, 238* 333 •
Tailon, see Genu Tailon
Taijeut, see Teijent .
Taiora, su Tagiora .
Tamaracost, Tamrakesht, 781, 808
Tamaracroft, 781, misprint for Tamaracost
Tangera, see Tangia
Tangia (Tangera, Tingis), Tanjay 506, 513, 627
Tang^ers, see Tangia
Tansor, 501, 621

Taolacca (Teolacha), Tolga, 127,793, 813
Targa, see Terga

IV, 29, 9 W. ; or 29, 10 W.

IV, 33, 6 W.

— 11,43 K-

IV, 32, 13 E.

V, 31.9W.

IV, 32, 4 \V.

vn, 35, 5 W.

vn, 34, 5 W.
IV, 34, 5 E.

INDEX.

HOT

Tarodant, Tarudani, 252, 344, 989

Tasrata, 931, misprint for Tafrata

Tazarot (Tesrast), 261, 351, 989

Tebecrit, Takebrit, 664, 693 .

Tebelbdt (Tebelbet), Tabelbalet, 127, 147, 197,786, 813

Tebessa, Ttbesse, 710, 751, 633

Tebuhasan (Tebuasan), 783 .

Tecort (Techort), see Tegort .

Teculet, 232-3, 328 .

Teddeles, Dellys, 686, 698 .

Tedelles, j/rTedle

Tedgear, 149, misprint for Tegdemt

Tcdle(Tedles, Tedelles), Tedla, 125, 142, 149, 215, 292, 297

3". 389 ... .

Tednest, 230-2, 327, 989 .

Tedsi, 30 miles E. of Tarudant, 254, 323, 347

Telas, Tiffesh, 710.

Tcfclfdt, ^tf^/i^/, 418, 584

Tefesra, 15 miles E. of Telensin, 672, 695

Tcfctnc, Tefetne, 243, 337 .

Teffct, 126, 147, misprint for Tesset

Tefne (Tefme), river, Tafna^ 932, 662 .

Tefza, capital of Tedla, 311, 388. It cannot be Kasha

Tedla^ unless we reject Leo's very iletailetl description

Teg:a88a, Tighissa, 520, 638 ...

Tes^aza, salt mine, certainly in the western Sahara, to the

north of the route leading from Arguin to Wadan, and in

all probability the near Sabkha Jjil. Ibn Batuta's Tegaza

(Tekadda) lies to the S.W. of Agadez (J. Rodriguez ap.

Kunstmann, HafuUlsverb, mit TtmbuctUt 187 ; Pacheco,

EsmtraldOy 43; Barth, Reise^ iv, 616), 117, 798, 800,

816, 829 ... .

Tegfdemt, Takdemt, 684 . .

Tesforarin, Guraray 789, 790, 810

Tegort (Tecort, Techort), Tuggurt, 790, 791, 799, 811

Teguat (Tegua, Tuath), Tuat, 127, 299 .

Teijeut in Hea (Marmol's Techevit), 336, 332

Teijeut (Teiyeut), on River Sus, and consequently not Tisuit

250.343 ....

Tdeb (Theleb), Uied Taalba, a tribe of Deuiubaidulla Arabs

142, 149, 212 .
Telensiii (Tremizen, Caesarea) TUmsen, kingdom, 21, 131,
132, 134, 143. I44» 145. I49» 158, 1641 I75» 207-8, 659-
689,691 .

Telensm (Tremizen), TUmsm, 271, 632, dtij-^, 694
Temendesust ; misprint for Temendefust
Temendez, ae Tenueues ....

Maps.
V, 30, 8 W.

V, 31. 8 W.

IV, 34, 9 W-
IV, 34, I W.

»v, 35. 8 K.
IV, 30, 4 VV.

v,3i, 8 W.
IV, 36, 3 E

IV, 32, 6 W.

V, 3i,8W
V, 30, 8 W.

IV, 36, 7 E
VII, 34, 6 \V.

V, 31.9 W.

IV, 35. I W.
IV, 32. 5 W
vn,35.4W.

I, 22, 12 W.
IV, 35, I E.
I, 28, o W.
IV, 33. 6 E.

IV, 17, o E.
VI, 31, 9 W.

V, 30. 9 W.
IV, 35. 3 E.

IV, 35, O.
IV, 34, I W.

II02

INDEX.

Maps.
Temendfust (Temendefust), Bori Trtmendefu^, 686, 698,

932 ■ . . . . . IV, 36, 3 E.

Temeracost, 291, 376 ... . iv, 33, 7 W.

Temesna, Temsna, 126, 131, 162, 206, 394 • . iv, 33, 7 W.

Temian, supposed to be a corruption of Lemlem, or Nyemn-

yem, terms applied to the heathen tribes of the Sudan,

128, 199 . . . . . I, 10, 8 E.

Temnella, see Tenmelle .... —

Tcmzegzct, on Tefne River, 662, 692 . . . iv, 31, i W.

Tenegent, Tanijut, 782, 808 , . iv, 30, 4 W.

Tenesse, ancient Tanis^ 856, 861, 906 . . 11, 30, 31 E.

Tenez, Teties, 126, 144, 680, 697 .. . iv, 36, i E.

Tenezza (Tenessa) 258 . . . v, 31, 8 W.

Tenmelle (Temnella), S. of Imizmizi, 279, 363 . . v, 31, 7 W.

Tensift, Wai Temift, 224, 247, 256, 262, 256, 927 . v, 31, 8 W.

Tenueues (Marmol's Temendez), mtn., 305, 385 . . v, 30, 6 W.

Tenzera, see Demensera . . —

Tenzita (Tensita), Rohlfs' Tansitha on the Dara, 305, 308,

385 • • • • • • IV, 30, 5 W.

Teoirag^a (Teoreggu), Marmol's Taurca, Tauargha^ not

Tegerry, 127, 729, 796,814 . . iv, 32, 15 E.

Teolacha, see Taolacca .... —

Teoreggu, see Teoiragga .... —

Teozar, see Teuser ..... —

Terga in Duccala, 291, 376 . • iv, 32, 7 W.

Terga in Riff, Targai, 516, 636 . • VI I, 35, 5 \V.

Terga (Targa), Tuareg, 127, 151, 198, 216, 798, 815 . 1, 22, 6 E.

Terrest, TkVwifj/.? 931 .... iv, 33, 3 W.

Tesarote, see Tazarot .... —

Tesebit (Tsabit), Tsahit, 127, 197, 788, 789, 810 . . i, 28, o W.

Tesegdelt, 237-8, 241, 332 • • v, 31, 9 W.

Teserin, see Tezerin .... —

Teseuin (Teseuhin), plural of Tesauty viz., Tesaut el Fukia

and Tesaut el Tahtia, 310, 387, 928 . . . v, 31, 6 W.

Teseuon (Marmol's Tescevin), same as Teseuin, but applied to

two mountains, 310, 387, 938 . . . v, 31, 6 W.

Teseut, river Tesaut {see also Teseuin and Teseuon), 281,

387,928 ..... V, 3i,6\V.

Tesme, misprint for Tefne .... —

Tesrat, see Tazarot ..... —

Tessela, 673, 695 . . . . . iv, 35, o W.

Tesset, Tish>t in Aderer and not Tezzut in Algeria, 126, 127,

147, 197, 77^ 805 . . . . I, 19, 8 W.

Tetteguin, Tituan^ 510, 631-3 . . . vii, 35, 5 W.

Tetuan, see Tetteguin . . . . —

Teurerto, Caus, Taurirt . . . vii, 34, 2 W.

Teuser (Teozar, Teusar), Tnzer^ 127, 197, 794, 813 . iv, 33, 8 E.

INDEX.

1 103

Teuzin, see Bcni Teuzin . ,

Teza, Tezay 545, 648-50

Tezarin (Beni Tiziran of Mannol), 525, 640

Tezerghe, Tsaguts or Tagarsui ? 557, 654

Tezerin (Teserin), ToMarin, 786

Tezzota, 534, 645 .

Tfabit, 127 ; misprint for Tsabit {see Tesebit)

Thagia, see Tagia ....

Thebe (Tebe), Thebes, 867/907, 926

Theleb, see Teleb ....

Tig^remahon, Tigre makttnen, title of the Chief of Tigre,

30,39
Tig^umedet, in Dara, 988 .
Ting^, z\, see Tangia
Tit. TU, 288, 373 .
Tobulba, Tebulba, 728, 756 .
Todga (Todgatan), Wad Todqa, 127, 147, 197, 786
Togat, min,, JeM Taghat, 493, 613
Tombutto, Tumbutu and Timbuktu, 124, 128, 133, 134, 146,

I73» 255» 798» 820, 822, 824, 842
Tremizen, see Telensin

Tripolis in Barbary, Tarcdmlus, 126, 134, 139, 737, 767
Tripolis, Old, Kuins, 737, 766
Troglodytica, western coast-land of Red Sea, 26, 27
Tsabit, see Tesebit ....
Tsana, see Barcena

Tuat, see Teguat ....
Tumeglast (Tumelgast), 260, 350
Tuggpirt, 81 1, Jif^ Tegort

Tunis, Tunis, 126, 134, 141, 145, 162, 271, 699, 7x6, 753
Tunis, mountains of, 743
Tunis, 144 ; misprint for Tenes

Maps.

vn, 34, 8 W.
VII, 35» 5 W.
VI, 33» 4 W.
IV, 30, 5 W.
vn, 35, 2 \V.

I, 25, 32 E.

I, 14, 39 E.

V", 35» 5 W.
IV, 33» 8 W.
IV, 35, 10 E.
IV, 3i» 5 W.
VII, 34, 5 W.

I, 16, 3 W.

IV, 32, 13 E.
IV, 32, 12 E.

V, 3i,8W.
IV, 36, 10 E.

Ubbed (Hubbed), El Abbad, near Telensin, 672, 694

Ubbed, near Fez, see Hubbed

Ucba (Hucben), Uled Okba, a tribe of Beniamir Aral)s, 142.

242 ....
Umeldegi (Humeledegi), 785, 809
Umelhesen (Umelhefen), 785, 809
Umen Giunaibe, Umjeniba, 558, 654 .
Unain, see Honein .

Urbs, ruins on Jebel Orbes, 162, 217, 7x2, 752, 933.
Uroa, see Huroa
Usein, see Husein
Utmen (Hutmen, Uled Othanna), a division Oi the Machil

Arabs, including the*£lhasin and Qiinana, 142, 212

IV, 34, I W.

IV, 36, 2 E.
IV, 30, 4 W.
IV, 30, 4 W.
VI, 33. 4 W.

IV, 36, 8 E

II04

INDEX.

Vague (Vangue), Wn^, so . . .

Vela, port at entrance of Red Sea, perhaps Beilul .

Velles de Gumera of the Spaniards, 517, 637, 997, icxx)

Vergogna, La, see Shame, Castle of

Vode (Vodein) Udaya, a tribe of Deuihessen Arabs, 146, 147

212 .....
Volubilis, see Gualili

Wad Nun, see Nun ....
Walata, 798, 815 ; see Gualata
Walili, 607 ; see Gualili
Wargla, 791 ; see Guargala

Mafs.

1, 12, 38 E.
I, 12, 42 E.
viJ, 35» 4 W.

I, 20, 18 W.

Xarquia {Skarkiye)^ Esk-Sharkiye^ the East (of Morocco) as

distinguished from El Gharhiye, the West, 990
Xoa, Shooj 30

Za, river, WadZa, 539, 646, 931

Zab (Zeb, Ezzab), Zab^ plur. Ziban^ 126, Z27, 197, 792, 812,

932, 933
Zagoan, mtn.,y<f^^/Za^A»fl«, 742, 771
Zaire, 19, 73
Zambezi, river, see Cuama
Zanaga, see Sanagia
Zanega, see Sanagia
Zanfara, Zanfara, 128, 831, 850
Zanhaga, desert of, 727 ; see Sanagia
Zanzibar, 54, 89 .
Zanzor, Zenzur^ 774, 803
Zarfa, 405, 572
Zarhon, see Zerhun .
Zaron, see Zerhan .
Zarual, see Beni Zarual
Zauia, ue,y Zawiya^ 487, 607
Zaviat Ben Jariiu, 774, 803
Zeb, see Zab
Zebit, in Arabia, 983
Ztgztg, Zegzeg, 831
Zeijen, see Beni Zeijen
Zeila, 52, 983

Zelag, rci\Xi.,/ebel Zelagk, 489, 607
Zembre, lake, Zambeziy perhaps Nyasa^ I7> 51
Zenega, see Sanagia .
Zeneta, a division of the Berbers, 130, 131, 541, 560, 780
Zerhun (Zarhon, Z»xovi)j Jebel Zerhun y 488, 607
Zeug^tana, Tunis, 122

I, 10, 39 E.

VI, 35» 2 W.

IV, 34, 6 Is.
IV, 36, 10 E.
— 15S., 2E.

I, 12, o E.

-6S.,39E.
IV, 32, 13 E.
IV, 33. 5 W.

VII, 34, 4 W.
IV, 32, 13 E.

I, 14, 43 W.
I, II, 7E.

I, II, 43E-
VII, 34, 4 W.

vii, 34, 5 W.
I, 36, 10 E.

INDEX.

IIOS

Zibid is evidently a misprint, for Zibid {Zebid) is in Arabia
(1, 14, 43 W.) ; Leo's Zibid, opposite Jidda* is undoubtedly
identical with Edrisi's Aidab, the ruins of which have
recently been discovered by Mr. Bent to the north of Ras
Elba, 837 .... .

Zi&tm, Jidda, 837, 853, 904 .

Zin^ani ('gypsies'), a predatory tribe, which Dr. Barth
{Reise, ii, 339) is inclined to identify with the Nghizim,
between Coder and Bomu, 837, 853
Ziz, near Wad Zizy 780-2, 935
Ziz, mountains, at head of River Ziz, 558, 655
Zoaoa, Zuatmy a Berber tribe in modem Kabylia, 740
Zoara in Tripolis, Zuagha el Gharbiye, 736, 765 .
Zuaga (Zuagh), Sheragha, a tribe of Zenata in W. Fez, 415

592 .
Zuagh, see Zuaga ....
ZuaUa, see Bab Zuaila
Zuair (Zuhair), Zaer, Arab tribe, 382
ZuaiT (Zuhair), in plains of Aseis and Adecsen, perhaps same

as the Zuaga, 494, 613
Zuetudgas, see Guanziga
Zuhair, j^^ Zuair ....

Maps.

I, 22, 36 E.
I, 21, 39 E.

I, W. 14 E.
IV, 3^ 4 W.
IV, 32, 4 W.
IV, 36, 4 E.
IV, 32, 12 E.

VI, 34, 5 W.

IV, 33, 6 W.

iio6

INDEX.

INDEX OF PERSONS,

ETC.

'Abd Allah, King of Granada, 409
'Abd Allah (Habdulla), King of

Tremizen, 661
'Abd cl-*Aziz (Habdulhaziz), son of

Abu Fdres, 699
'Abd el-Hakk, Marinide king, 271,

505, 510 (in this place erroneously

called last of the dynasty), 539
'Abd cl-Melik, the Khalif, 730, 759
'Abd el-Mikmen el-MowAhidi, King

of Morocco, 262, 263, 265 ; lays

si^e to Marrakesh, 266 ; 403, 405 ;

captures Tunis, 717 ; captures

Mehdia, 729
'Abd el-WAhed (Abdulguad), 659,

667
Abraham, King of Morocco, sad fate

of, 265 ; expelled from his kingdom,

310; 386
Abu 'Abd Allah Mohammed eth-

Th&biti, see Eth-Thabiti.
Abu Bakr Askia (Izchia), King of

Songhai, 820, 839 ; subdues Meli,

823 ; his brother, see Pergama, slays

KingofGober, 828
**Abu Dubus, last King of Morocco,"

928
Abu Einan (Abu Henan), King of

Fez, 769
Abu F&res (Abu Feres), King of

Tunis, 660, 699 ; his sons, 746
**Abu-Haf," lords of Tunis, 141
Abu-Hafs (Habduluahidi), restores

Tunis, 717
Abu-1-AbbAs, King of Tunis, 769
Abu-1-Hasan, King of Fez ['Ah IV],

409 ; lays siege to Tlemsen, 668 ;

lays siege to Tunis, 738 ; 929
Abuna, name of Abyssinian patriarch,

45

Abu Sa'id (Sahid), King of Fez, 409;

his six sons murdered, 510
Abu Sa'id OthmAn (Hutmen), 660
Abu Selim, King of Fez, 739
Abu TAshfln (Tesfin), King of

Tlemsen, 667
Abu Yalcftb Yftsuf, King of Fez,

slain before Tlemsen, 667, 717
Abu Yczfd (Beiezid), " Knight of

the Ass," defeated by Mahdi, 729
Abu Ytoif Yalcfib, El-Mansfir,

see El-Mans(ir.
Abu ZakaryA Yahia, son of Abu

Hafs, 718
Abu Zeijen, see ZiySn.
Abyssinia (Abassia) description of,
40-44; government, 15 ; products,
46
Abyssmians, oaths of, 47 ; church
ceremonies, 48 ; clergy, 48 ;
monasteries and feast, 49 ; musical
instruments, 50
Acadas, see Ettalche.
Addad, a bitter herb, 971
Adimmain, a Libyan animal, 945
Administration of justice, 444
Africa, Pory's account : general
description, 12 ; etymology of
name, 13 ; astronomical position,
14 ; mountains, 15 ; rivers, 17 ; its
nation, 20 ; Leo's account : etymo-
logy of name, 122 ; borders and
divisions, 123 ; languages, 133 ;
situation of, 167 ; snowy mountains
of, 169; deserts of, 173; climate
of, 175 ; division of the year,
176
African tribes of Libya, 151
Agag, people dwelling on the Nile,
1002

INDEX.

1 107

Ag^la, a lion of, proverbial expression

to denote cowardice, 501
Ag:labite dynasty, 732
Ahmed Ibn TMtai (Tailon),

rebuilds Alexandria, 907 ; adorns

Cairo, 874
Ahmed Sheb&b ed-Dtn, Fezzan

historian, xvi
Ahmed Sherif (Amet Zeriffo), pro-
claimed King of Morocco, 990
'AkAid en-Nasafi, a theological

commentary studied by Leo, xx,

273
AkhwAn, brotherhoods in Morocco,

602
Alchemists, 469
Alexander the Great, 784 ; founder

of Alexandria, 861 ; his tomb,

865, and note 909
Alfonso the Wise, of Castile, 574,

579
'Ali 'Abd ul- Hasan, astronomer, xvi
'Ati Ibn Yftsuf (Hali ben Joseph),

King of Morocco, 262 ; description

of his mosque, 263
Almandali, famous Moorish captain

in wars of Granada, 51 1
Almohades, 207 ; overthrown by the

Beni Marini, 266
Almohades, 539
Almoravides, their origin, 838
Al Petrage, xv
Alphabets in use in Africa, 165 ;

Berber writing, 208
Alpujarras mountains, vii
Alva, Duke of, his unsuccessful attack

on Jerba, 735
Aluares, Don Francisco, 42, 1037
Amazones, 63
Ambara, a huge fish, 949
Amber, theories as to its source, 250
Amir-Akhur, Master of the Horse,

892
Amir-Alf, and Amtr Mia, military

officers of Sultan of Egypt, 892
Amtrel-Hajj, Lord of the Pilgrimage,

896
^Vm{r-SilAh, Armour-bearer, 892

'* Amodoracda", afiEunous college in

Fez, 988
Amphibia, fable concerning the bird
, so called, 189
'Amr Ibn el-'Asi (" Hamrus, sonne

of Hasi"), conquers Egypt, 858
Animal-worship in the Congo

country, 1003
Anise-seed, 563
Antimony, 967
Angjchi, African tribe of cannibals,

1002, 1005
Apes, 948

Aqueduct built by El-Mans{ir, 402
Aquel Amarig:, language of the

Africans, 133
Arabians settle in Africa, 135
Arabic Grammar by Leo, reference

to, 461
Arabic MSS. in Morocco, 598
Arabs of Africa, manners and customs,

156-168
Arga {Argonia Stderoxyion)^ a tree,

226, 246
Arrius, his doctrines help the spread

of Mohammedanism, 1019
Artizans of Fez, 439
Ascellino, Friar, sent to convert

** The Great Can", 1014
Ased, sent to complete conquest of

Sicily, 732
Asper, a coin, 231
Assegai, 44
Ass, wild, 944
Astrology, 177, 460, 600
Attire of the Fezzans, 446
Avenzoher, Jewish philosopher, xv
Ayerrhoite, xv
Ayesha, mother of Boabdil, x

Bagdad sacked by the Tartars, 463

Balsam, 879

Bananas (called Maus or Musa =

Maun)y 968
''Banks his curtail" (a performing

horse), 874 ; and note, 914
Barbarossa, 150; conquers Tremi-

zen,66o; 679,681 ; besieges Bougie,

iio8

INDEX.

683 ; slays governor of Bougie,

684 ; is slain at Tremizen, 684 ; 701 ,

702

Bardo, a beautiful spot in Tunis, yz^

Bardoa, a royal Libyan tribe, 800,

833
Barretto, Frmndaco, 6^
Barth, Dr. Heinrich, Ixxiii
Basket and rope bridge, 551
Baths in Fez, 426

Bats, 957

Beiesid, see Abu Yezid.
Ben GhAzi, author of Erroudh elha-
toun^ etc., a description of Makniisa,

585
Beni-Iasliten, 796
Beni-Marini, wars with the Shereefe,

xii ; succeed to the kingdom of the

Almohades, 266, 534 ; their attacks

on Tlemsen, 690 ; in possession of

Fez, 718
Beni-ZiyAn, 132, 659, 690, 718
Benomotapa, in Ethiopia, peculiar

escutcheon of the king, 985
Berber, meaning of word, 129 ;

language, 133, 218
Berbers, origin of, 202-205
Bemouse, 311, 389
Besis and Bezin, Tunisian dishes,

720
Beyn el-Kasreyn (Beinel Casrain),

a street in Cairo, 871
Biafresi, African tribe, 1002
BiUd el-Jaiid (Biledulgerio), 794
Bileduls^erio, see Bil&d el-Jarfd.
Birds as fortune-tellers, 875
Boabdil, x-xi ; not mentioned by

Leo, xii ; his descendants in Mo-
rocco, xiii
Boni, a Cabalist teacher, 467
Booksellers in Fez, 596; in Mera*

kesh, 264; in 'Morocco, 265
Boij el-Ahmar, or Boij bu-Laila,

746
Boij el-Hasan, high watch-tower

in Rabat, 567
Boij er-Ru'us(The Tower of Skulls)

in Jerba, 763

Bougia, or Bougie, 682 ; description
of, 699 ; taken by Pedro Novarro,
701 ; its mountains, 740, 745

" Bourse" of the Fez merchants, 437

Brick-kilns, 423

Bridge of El-Mansflr over the Ten-
sift, 928

Brimstone, 967

Bulls used in hunting lions, 489

Burial-grounds outside Fez, 473

Cabalists, 461

Cabo de los corrientes, 19; called
also the Cape of San Sebastian, 20

Cachin, a tribe, 211

Cafri = Kafirs, looi

Cairo, its foundation, 858; descrip-
tion, 870 ; city gates, 871

Calcutta (Calicut) founded by Mo-
hammedan colonists, loi I

Calmuks, 1014

Camelion, 954

Camels, how ridden by Negroes,
151 ; used for food, 155 ; killed in
the desert by thirsty merchants,
>73 ; 939 ; three distinct kinds,
940 ; their violence and endurance,
941 ; taught to dance, 942

Cape of Good Hope, 19

Caravan, led by blind guide, 802

Caravansarais, see ** Innes"

Carthage, 715 ; mentioned by El-
Bekri and Edrisi, 753

Casena, King of, slain by Askia,
830

Cassia, a fruit, 969

Cauterization, 229

Cave near Marrakesh, explored for
treasure, 272

Caves in the Atlas, 220

Ceuta (Septa), 507 ; Leo*s historical
description, 509 ; various spellings
and historical notes, 629-630

Ceylon (Zeilan), loi i

Chaghatai (Zagatai), 1014

Charles V restores the King of
Tremizen to his throne, 661 ; 6Sig

INDEX.

1 109

sends fleet against Jerba, 736;
restores Tripoli to its former
governor, 740; see note 770
Ch&teau Renault, Cheralier de,

574

•• Chazendare," erroneously identi-
fied with G^henktr in note on
p. 920 (E. D. R.) = Kh&zindar,
q.v.

**Cheinim/' a Mohammedan apos-
tate, governor of Temesne, 394

Cherries (called at Rome Marette)^
405; 502

Cheny, peculiar species of, 400

Chess-playing:, 600

Christian captives employed in Fez,
442 ; slaves employed for building,
565 ; soldiers in Morocco, 338,
577 ; captives, 511 ; slaves, 1067 ;
guard of King of Tunis, 724

Christians flee to Africa from Italy,
164 ; of Africa, 1 02 1 ; of Angola,
1059; of Congo district, 1053; of
Egypt, 1022; of Monomotapa,
1060; of Nubia, 1052; ofSocotera,
105 1

Circassian (Burgi) Mamluks, 888

Citttiy how the word is employed by
Leo, 588

Ciurmatori, 470

Civet-cat, 947

Claudius, governor of Abassia, 52

Clenard, Nicolas, grammarian,
xviii

Climate of Africa, 175

Cloth, sale of European cloth in
Timbuktu, 827

Coins, 231 ; (golden) of Tunis, called
DobU, 725

Colleg^es at Fez, 423

Combs made of wood, 408

Compilations from Leo's work,
Ixxiv

Conies of Africa, 948

Conjurors, 459

Constantine, 704, see ** Renegado";
taken by Abu-1- Hasan, 739
672 ; defeated before Algiers, 684

Constantinople visited by Leo,

xxxvi
Conversion of Goths to Islam, 417 ;

of Negroes to Mohammedanism,

163
Cooking: in Fez, 433
Copper-mines, 777
Copts, account of the, 1023
Coral-fisheries, 709
Com, a camel-load sold for a pair of

shoes, 398
Cowrie currency in Timbuktu, 825
Crocodiles on the Nile, 936 ; descrip-
tion of, 950-953 ; how captured,

952
Cross, Christians branded with cross

lyr Goths, 678
Crosses tattooed on cheeks and arms,

740, 770
Culeihat Elmuridin, 241
Cuscusu, a Fezzan dish, 227, 325,

447

Dabuh, see Hyena.

Dant, see Lant.

Date-trees, the strange properties of,

779
Decadence of learning in Fez, 424
*' Descrizione dell* Affrica,'* various

editions of, I, lii, et seq.
Diaz, Paulo, governor of Angola,

711,998

Diseases of the Africans, 180, 182 ;
prevalent in Morocco, 222-224

Dobas, name for Moors, 37

Doble* see Oins.

Dom Sebastian, xiv, xvii ; over-
thrown by Molucco, 997

Don Emanuel, meets the Shereefs
in battle, 991

Donkeys in Egypt, 874 ; their per-
formances, 875

Doria, Andrea. 696, 764

Doria, Philip, takes Tripoli, 769

Dragoons in the Atlas, 953 ; how
** ingendered", 956

Dragut, the Corsair, ix, 763, 764,
767

mo

INDEX.

Dniaagt in Fez, 419

Dresaenis, Matthew, extract from

an oration of his on the Pitte lanni,

1030- 1047
Dromedaries, 940
Dub, an animal, 953
Dulipan, sea Turban.
Duties levied on European goods,

576

Eafi^les, 956

** Eddag:uadare"( = Emtr el-Jaudar ?)

Sultan of Egypt's Viceroy, 891
Editions of Leo's Book, English,

Ixv ; Dutch, Ixix ; German, Ixxi ;

French, Ixxiii
Edrisi, geographer, xvii
Edrisite dynasty, 561
Eg^g^s, artificial hatching 01 Eggs in

Egypt, 917, 918
Eg^t, divisions 01, 856, S57 ;

historical survey, 858 ; climate, 859
Egyptians, origin of the, 857
£1-Ag^lab, founds dynasty of Agla-

bites, 731
Elamt (lamt), skin shields, 386
£1-Azhar, mosque and University of

Cairo, 870
El-Bekri, Ixxxi et passim (Bicri),

quoted by Leo, 784 ; 819
**Elchena," family of *• inne-

keepers", 429
Elchise, a garment, 227
"Elcorb",466
Eldabag^, an Arab poet, native of

Malaga, 711
El-Emir el-KabCr (Amir Cabir), 891
Elephants, description of animal, 74 ;

manner of capturing, 938
«* Elfarg:ani", 465
Elhasid, a pudding, 227
El-Kai'd NabCi, his revolt in Con-

stantine, 706
El-KAim, the Khalif (Elcain), accord-
ing to Leo, invades Egypt, 136
El-Kasr El-Kebtr, xiv
El-Ksar, battle of, xvii

El-Mahdi, see Mohammed Ibn Tu-
mart el-Mahdi.

El-Mansiir, Abu YAsuf Ya'kub
(lacob). King of Morocco, xvi, 140,
265 ; extent of his dominions, 270 ;
gives Temesna to certain Arabs,
396 ; his place of burial, 403 ; re-
covers Sallee firom the Spanish, •
407 (in this place he is incorrectly
spoken of as the first of the Mari-
nide dynasty) ; builds New Fez,
475 ; entertained by a fisherman,
496 ; founds El-Kasr el-S^htr, 508 ;
539 ; his death, 567 ; 629, 666 ;
takes Kaisa, 795

'' Elmath", an antelope, 777, 805

El-Morrftkoshi, historian, xvi

El-OufrAni, historian, xvi

'< Eluated", 466

** Eiumha EnormM\ the demon-
stration of light, 467

El-WaUd Ibn 'Abd el -Malik
(Qualid), the Khalif, 509, 730, 759

Emanuel, King of Portugal, 632 ;
banishes Jews to Africa, 1005

Employ^ of the Kairwan mosques,
422

English Edition ot Leo's Book, Ixv
et seq.

Eng^lish commercial relations, 397 ;
as idolaters, 504

En-NAsir, Mohammed III, 271 ;
his death, 358

Esh-ShAfi', the Imam (EssaHchia),
885

Esh-Sherff (Esserif)> a famous citizen
of Fez, 508

^^ Essherauar de Sehrauard^'* ^ 465

" Etdeale", a Moorish writer, 405

Ethiopia, Christianity in, 1030

Eth-Th&biti, Abu 'Abd Allah
Mohammed, 668, 691, 694

Etheq (Etegi = Awiad Hadaj), "the
most noble" Arabian family in
Africa, 142

Ettalche {ei-talha)^ the acacia, 970

Eudoxius, traveller, 12

Euphorbium, 967

INDEX.

nil

Europe compared with Africa, 13
Eutidies, teaching of, followed by

Copts, 1023
Ezzermng^hi, captain, 312-319
EzziAni [Abu-1-Klsem ben Ahmed],

xvii

FarrAsh, ** Master of Revels," 893
Ferdinand, the Catholic, of Spain;
511, 518, 534; takes Oran, 660;
676 ; receives tribute from
Algerians, 683 ; sends Duke of
Alva against Jerba, vii, 735
FestiTal of the bath employ^, 423
Fe« [Fds] (Fessa), Leo a student
there, 273 ; how constructed by
Idris and improved by YOsuf Ibn
Tashftn, 418 ; exact description of,
419 ; hospitals, 425 ; baths, 426 ;
mills, 430 ; occupations in, 431 ;
porters, 432 ; suburbs of, 471 ;
gardens, 474 ; New, 475 ; the king
and his court, 479-485 ; its origin,
589 ; booksellers, 596
Figs, only eaten fresh, 413 ; 970
Filali Shereefs, 807
Fire, superstitious custom of distri-
buting fire from an Ethiopian king
to his tributary princes, 986
Fire-worship in Africa, 163
Fish in Fez {se^ Laccia\ 435
FlorianuSy his carelessness, xxii ;

criticism of his translation, lix
Forgery of coin, 470
Fortune-tellers, 457
Fountains, cold, 16
" French pox" in Egypt, 860
Fritters {Pan tnelatv) sold in Fez,

433
Fuel for baths, 427
Funduks (" fondaks") or hotels, 596

Games at Fez, 454
Ganghe, priests of Angola, 1002
Gardens of Fez, 474
Garfa Esg^, low-class Arabians,
148

GAshia (Caschia), royal saddle-cloth,

894
Gates of Cairo, 871
Gauhar (Gehoar), Arabian general

sent to invade Egypt, 136 ; founds

Cairo, 137; 210, 870
Geber (or Ja'far) the alchemist, 469
Genoese merchants, the most highly

fevoured, 576 ; take Tripoli, 739
Gentiles, looi

Ghamrazen, see Yaghromor^sen.
Ghauri: SultAnEl-Ashraf KAnsfih

el-Ghori, slain by Seltm I, 871
Giovanni de' Medici, i, xlii
Giraffes, 939
Gold used for coinage, 671
Goron, a bitter nut, 174
Goths in Sallee, 407 ; persuade the

English to take Arzila, 504 ; flee

to Granada, 533 ; in Africa, 704
Gout, 180

o

Graberg di Hems5, Ixxvi et passim,
Gradaameth, King of Adel, 52
Granada, Leo's birthplace, ii ; con-
ditions of its capitulation, xi ;
invaded by Moors, 509
Gregory XIII sends mission to the

Copts, 1024
Guaral, a kind of lizard, 954
Guber, a N^ro language, 134
Gui^himo, the Lord of Heaven,
worshipped by certain Negroes, 163
Gypsies, 604

Habdulmumen, see 'Abd el-MOmen.
Habhaziz=habb 'aztz, a fruit, 733
Hakluyt, Richard, Ixvi, induces

Pory to make his translation of

Leo, 3 ; letter of approbation to

Pory, 103 et passim,
Hannimei, the powerful captain of,

274
Hanno, 12
HArto ar-Rashtd, supposed founder

of Fez, 416
Hasan Ibn Mohammed, xxvi
Hasan el-Basri (Elhesen Ibun Abil-

hesen), 462

in2

INDEX.

Hasani dynasty in Morocco, xxvi

Hashish {keef)^ mentioned by Leo,
xiv ; (Lhasis), 722

Hawks, 957

Hegfazzare, a learned man, 240

Helena, Queen of Ethiopia, 1035,
1040

" Hellul", a famous Moorish adven-
turer, 515

Henry the Navigator, 631

Hennit of Batha, 674 ; visited by
Leo, 675

Hippo, Saint Augustine, Bishop of,
708

Hippopotami, trained by Africans,

74
HishAm, brother of the KhaUf El-

Walld, 731
Hisn el-'UkAb, the Castle of the

Eagle, 515. 634
Hogan, Edward, 369
Homar Seyef, a *' pestiferous

preacher", 241, 258
Horses of Barbary, 156, 942 ; wild,

943
Hospitals in Fez, 425
Hot springs at Constantine, 707
Hydras, 953
Hyena (called by the Arabs Dabuh =

dhabii\ 947

Ibn 'Abd el-Melik, quoted by Leo,

271
Ibn AdhArt, historian, xvi
Ibn Batuta, Moroccan traveller, xvi
Ibn er-Rakfk, xix ; quoted by Leo,

139
Ibn Khaldiin, xvi (Ibnu Caldim),

mentioned by Leo, 461
Ibn Madin, Moroccan philosopher,

XV

Ibn Sabin, philosopher, xvi

** Ibnul Farid", 465

IbrAhim Ibn 'Ali, succeeds his

brother Tashfin, 354; flees before

'Abd el-Mflmen, 265
Idris I, founder of the Edrisite

dynasty ; his descent from Moham-

med, 417, 561 ; builds Fez, 418 ;

592, 685
Idris II, 416; his claim to the

Khali&te, 417, 589 ; his death, 623
lesul, see Mohammed ben Yezid.
Ifrikia, 759
Imamia, a sect, 468
Incubation of eggs in Egypt, 883
Indigo, 779
" Innes" in Fez, 428
Inroads of the sea, 738, 767
Inundations of the Nile, 860
loseph, son of Tesfin, see Yiisuf Ibn

Tishfin.
Iron-mines, 399, 535, 550, 672
Iron coins, 740
IshAk Ibn IbrAhim, killed by 'Abd

el-M(imen, 266
Ismael, the Sophi, see Shih Isma'il.
Izchia, see Abu Bakr Askia.

Jacobites in Egypt, 864

JAmi el-Azhar (Gemih Hashare),
see El-Azhar

JAmi el-Hakim (Genith Elhechim),
a mosque. at Cairo, 871

Janissaries, 1016

Japan, reached in 1555 by a Moham-
medan missionary, 1013

Jerba, island of, 734, 762; invaded
by Christians, 735 ; historical note,
763 ; unsuccessful attack of the
Duke of Alva, 736 ; Bibliography,
765

Jews betray Azamor, 294 ; former
position of, in Morocco, 355 ; in
New Fez, 477 ; in Tlemsen, 668 ;
in Africa, 1004

John III of Portugal, 991

Joseph, numerous places in Egypt
bearing his name, 906

Jujuba (Ziziphum) a fruit, 406 ; 413

Julian (Ily&n) governor of Ceuta, 509

Kafirs, 68

KairwAn (Cairaoan) taken by Arabs,
139 ; (Caruoen), principal mosque
in Fez, 421 ; description of, 730

INDEX.

Kartas Sagir^ a history of Morocco,

XV

'* Kaseria*^ common title in Barbary
for market-place, $99

Khair ud-Din (Cairadin), brother of
Barbarossa, succeeds to Algiers,
684, 692, 696

Kh&n KhaHU (Canel Halili), 872

KhAzind&r (Chazendare), the
treasurer, 892

Kintdr = Cantaro (Cantharo), a Bar-
bary measure. 585

Kirgis, 1014

Knig^hts of St. John, 770 ; of Malta,

757
Kor&n, how studied in Fez, 456
Kurds, 606

Laccia, Roman name for a fish
plentifully sold in Fez, 435

Languages of the Negroes, enu-
merated, 134; of the Moroccans,
208

Lant or Dant, an animal, 943

Latin authors mentioned by Leo,
xix ; writers on Africa, 165

Learning in Morocco in Leo's time,
xiv ; of the Arabs, 182- 185

Leeches, 517

Lemta, a Berber race, 801

Leo Africanus, his Arabic name, ii ;
date of his birth, iv-vi ; his great
learning, xix, 5 ; affluence of his
family, xx ; a notary in the Mores-
tan in Fez, xxii ; acts as judge, xxiii ;
his poetical gifts, xxvii ; his capture,
xl ; his life in Rome, xliv ; hi««
linguistic attainments, xlv: his
character, xlviii ; his other writings,
li ; his status as a traveller, Ixxx ;
contrasted with Marmol, Ixxxvii ;
with party of merchants, entertained
by Prince of Zanaga, 1 54- 1 56 ; has
dealings with Sicilians, 161 ; pro-
mises to write a treatise on the
Mohammedan religion, 164 : his
adventures in the snow, 170-172 ;
suffers from thirst in the Libyan

desert, 174 ; apologises for his out-
spokenness regarding the Moors,
188 ; entertained by a ** liberal-
minded priest" in Haddechis, 234;
acts as arbitrator in Ileusugaghen,
235 ; mentions a treatise of his
own on the tenets of Islam, 242 ;
a student at Fez, 273 ; acts as
arbitrator, 276 ; present (aged 10)
at the capture of Saffi, 288 ; watches
an encounter between Portuguese
and Fezzans, 292 ; sent as am-
bassador to Morocco, 297 ; enter-
tained in Elmedin by a Granadian,
299 ; charms a Berber chief with
his verses, 305 ; grieved at the sight
of the ilesolation of Anfa, 397 ;
copies epitaphs at Sella, 403 ;
visits a Saint's tomb at Thagia,
405 ; witnesses a struggle between
the Portuguese and the Moors, 412;
as notary in an asylum in Fez, 426;
at Tabriz, 439 ; serves King of
Fez against Arzila, 506 ; mentions
a property of his father's, 531 ;
puts to test the hermit of Batha,
675 ; witnesses the successes of
Barbarossa, 684 ; stays in Medua,
685 ; in Mesila, 702 ; at Ummel-
hesen in comi)any with fourteen
Jews, 785 ; visits (jovemor of
Tuggurt, 791 ; in Rosetta, 866 ;
says he was thrice in Egypt, 888 ;
descends the Nile, 904; promises
description of further travels, 905 ;
mentions narrow escapes from lions,
946 ; his experience of crocodiles,

951
Leo X, the Pope, see Giovanni de'

Medici
Leopards, 947
Lepers, 223, 472, 604, 734
Leprosy cured by the flesh of

tortoises, 950
" Leshari", a sect, 468
Lex Talionis, 243
Libya, African trilK*s of, 151 ; deserts

of, 797

4B

III4

INDEX.

Lion-hunting:, 489

Lions, miracles against, 405 ; the

fiercest in Africa, 410; tame, 494 ;

946
Lives of Arabian philosophers by

Leo, 470
Locusts, 239, 957 ; quotation from

Orosius, 959-960; quotation from

Francis Aluarez, 961-966
Long^evity of Africans, 1 79
Lopes Sequdra, Portuguese general,

991
Lopez Barrig^, a Portuguese cap-
tain, 990
Louis IV, Saint Louis, assails

Alexandria, 863 ; taken prisoner

at Mansura, 908
Lunatic asylum, 426
Lunatics, 425
Luntuna, family of, founders of

Morocco, 132

Machidin, see Almohades.

Madmen in Tunis, 721

Magistrates in Fez, 444

Mahdi, first ** patriarch" of Kairwan,
728

Mahumet, governor of Dubdu, anec-
dote concerning, 542-544

"Mahumet Benametto'*, founder
oftheShereefs, 988

Majolica ware, 431

Malekites and Hanefites, 886

Mamluks, origin of body-guard and
dynasty, 890

Manna, eaten by the Tuireg, 799

Mansor, see El-Mansflr.

Marble, spotted, brought xrom the
Atlas, 270

Marg^ian, author of Cabalistic Com-
mentary, 461

Mariani, Paulo, pious Christian
merchant, 1024, 1028

Marin, see Beni Marini.

Marinides, see Beni Martni.

Marino, Messer Thomaso di, a
merchant of Genoa, 408; his identi-
fication discussed, 579

Marmol, Ixxxvii et passim,

Marrakesh, xiv

Marriage ceremonies, 448-452

Mas'iidi, quoted, 819, 936

Matthew, first ambassador from
Ethio})ia to Portugal, 1036

Maundeville, Sir John, Ixxxiii

Maus, a fruit, see Banana.

Mausoleum of Kings of Fez, 474

Meals of the Fezzans, 447

Measurement of the Nile's increase,
879

MeknAsa (Mecnase), 412 ; Abu-1-
feda's spelling, 584

Meknes, founders of Meknasa, 584

Melik ShAh (Malicsach), 463

Menageries, 270, 357

Merdez, Arabs dwelling near Bona,
709

Mersa el-Bargi, port of Alexandria,
862

Mersa el-Kabir (Marsa Elcabir),
660 ; taken by Spaniards, 677; 695

Mesuare, chief-commander of Tunis-
ian army, 723

Metgara, 782

Milletor "mil seed", 821

Mills in Fez, 430

Misr ul-'atik, 877

Mistranslations, Ix et seq.

Mistranslations of Pory, 222

Mohammed en-N&ser, son of el-
MansCir, 634^ 717

Mohammed Ibn Tumartel-Mahdi,
founder of Almohade dynasty, 265 ;
his death, 266; 279

Mohammad VI, of El-Wat'as dy-
nasty, besieges Meknasa, 414

Mohammad ben Yezid, succeeds
Musa as governor of Ifrfkia, 731

Mohammed VI, Sultan of Fez, xxv,
xxvi

Mohammed eth-ThAbiti, Sultan of
Tlemsen, protects Boabdil, xi

Mohammed, King of Fez (in Leo's
time), carried prisoner into Portu-
gal, 506 ; attempts recovery of
Tangier, 508

INDEX.

III5

Mohammed, the Prophet, 1006
Mohammedanism, historical sketch

of its rise and progress, 1006- 1016 ;

in Africa, 1018-1021
'* Moleththemln", the /t/^rfw-bearers,

the five nations of Libya, 838
Molucco, overthrows Dom Sebastian

of Portugal, 997
Monasteries in Egypt, 1022
Money, coined by King of Tlemsen,

671

Monomotapa, an African ruler,

lOOI

**Afon/e"f how the word is employed

by Leo, 385
Moors, use of name, 200 ; Moors

expelled from Spain, vii, 20, 130;

various tribes of, 131 -133
Morocco, its condition in Leo's day,

xiii-xxi ; present state of, xcv
Morocco (Maroco), arab. Morrakosh,

or Marrakosh, vulgarly called

Marrakesh. Description of the

town, 262 ; booksellers in the town,

264
" Morphia", name of a disease, 930
Mose Ibnu Chamu, 542
Mo'tazila, a sect, 602
Mozimo, a god, 1002
Mournings for the dead, 453
Muhazzimin^ see Conjurors.
Muhtesib, an official, 895 ; various

spellings of word, 922
Mulai 'Abd Allah, the Shereef, pro-
claimed king, 992 ; besieges Maza-

gan, 996
Mulai' Abu F&res, King of Tunis,

660
Mulai' Ahmad II, xvii
Mulai' Isma'il, xiii, 615
Mulai Mohammed, King of Tunis,

748
Muliu N&ser el-Wat'as, xxv
Mulai NiUer, defeats Portuguese at

Mamora, 583, 989
Mulai Sa'td, King of Fez, xiii
Mulai' Zidan, begs aid of the

English, 574 ; confined in Fez, 586

Munafid, chief official to King of

Tunis, 722
Musa Abu Hammu, 690
Mus-Araba (Must'arab), Arabians

descended from Ismael, 150
Musa ben Nosdfr, 730, 759
" i^/wja" = bananas, 867
Mushrooms, see Terfez.
Mustehg^eme, barbarous Arabs, 150
Muzaffir (Mudaffir), son of El-

Mansiir, 666

"Nai Bessan", Sultan of Egypt's

lieutenant in Syria, 891
Navas de Tolosa, battle of, 358,

634
Necromancy, 459
Nefisa, a Saint, 877 ; a shrine built

in her honour, 878
Niger, ancient theories concerning,

17 ; fifteen kingdoms of ** N^ros"

situate upon the Niger, 820
Nile, 17 ; its inundations, 44 ; S60 ;

measurement of its increase, 879 ;

880
Nilometer, 916
NizAm el-Mulk (Nidam Elmule),

463
Numidia(Metagonitis), 22, 126, 151 ;

manners and customs, 152-156
Nuts, sweet, found near Mamora,

410

Observance of festivals, 452
Occupations and Trades in Fez, 431
Officers of the Fezzan court, 479-484
Okba (Hucba Hibnu Nafich), founds
Kairwan, 135, 209, 730; conquers
Tunis, 716
Olives, 175, 176
*Omar (Hummare), son of Abu

Fdres, 699
Oran (Horam), 660, 665 ; descrip-
tion of 675 ; captured by Ferdinand,
676 ; ^i
OstAddAr(Ostadar), Sultan of Egypt's
Major-domo, 891

Iii6

INDEX.

Ostriches, used for focxl, 155, 780;

description, 955
'Othm&n, the Khalif, sends army

into Africa, 134, 730 ; destroys

Bona, 708
'OthmiUi (Hutman), son of Abu

Fares, 660, 699
Ox, wild, 944

Pan MelaiOj see Fritters.

Parrots, 957

Paul IV (Pope), his embassy to
Claudius, Emperor of Abyssinia,
1048-1051

Pedro Navarro, 506, 637 ; takes
Bougia, 700 ; attacks Mehdia,
729 ; sent against Tripoli, 740 ;
746 et passim

Peele, Georj^e, his drama called
" Battle of the Three Kings" re-
ferred to, xiv

Pers^ama, Abu Bakr, brother of
Aksia, personally known to Leo,
826

Perimal, King of Malabar, 10 11

Persians, 1013

Pharao, founder of a town, 490

Pharoahs of Egypt, 857

Philip II of Spain, xvii, 615

Phihp III, viii

Pig:eons, 454

Pilgrimage to Mekka, whether per-
formed by Leo ? xxi

Pilgrimages to a Saint's tomb at
Thagia, 405

Pillar built outside Alexandria by
Ptolemy, see Pompey's Pillar

Piperis (Beybars ?), 890

Piracy in Morocco, xiv, 574, 579

Pit, a very deep pit, at Centopozzi,

555
Pitch, 968
Pius IV, Pope, sends mission to the

Copts, 1024
Plag^ues in Egypt, 860
Pliny censured, 937
Poetry of the Arabs of Numidia, 156,

158

Poets, African, 455

Pompe/s Pillar, 864, 909

Porters in Fez, 432

Portug^uese destroy Anfa, 397 ;

attack Mamora, 410 ; routed by

Moors, 41 1 ; occupy Tangier, 503,

628 ; at Arzila, 506 ; colonies in

Africa, 1064 et scq,
Pory, John, Ixv et seq.
Preachers in the Mosque at Fez, 422
Prete lanni, description, 30-45 ;

term explained, 1 031 et passim.
Professors in Fez, 424
Propaganda of Islam among the

desert races, 820, 838
I Ptolemy quoted, 12, 15, 18, 21,

etc. ; by Leo, 499
I Ptolemies of Egypt, 857
Pyramids, the, 896

Quinces, 431

*• Rabich,*' a fruit-bearing tree, 405
Rams, of Africa, 945
Ramusio, i ; in praise of Leo, 8
Rashid (Rasid), famous general of

IdrisI, 417
Ravens, 557
Rebat, built on model of Marrakesh

by El MansCir, 401 ; its aqueducts,

402
Religion, of the ancient Africans,

162, 164
Religions professed in Africa, 100 1 ;

in Negro-land, 820
** Renegado", a Christian convert to

Islam, made governor of Constan-

tine, 705
AVM/, a measure, 251
Revenues of the Kairw&n mosque,

423
Rhodian knight, a, sent by Charles V

to seize Jerba, 736
Rif, the river, 131 ; meaning of word,

635
Rivers of Africa, 17
Roderick the Goth, overthrown by

Julian, governor of Ceuta, 509

INDEX.

III7

Roderic (Theodoricus), King of the

Goths, 731
Rog^er II, of Sicily, captures Bona,

750 ; captures Mehdia, 757
Roman inscription on Mohammedan

tomb, 570 ; roads, 704

Saffron, 743

''SahacaiS\ 458

Sahhdrtn, see Conjurors.

Saic, (Mulal Sa'td Sheikh), 505

Sa'id II el-Wat*as, 543

Sa*id (Sahid) wars, 409, 580

Saint in Thagia, with power over

lions, 405
Saint Augustine, 164 ; Bishop of

Hippo, 708, 750
Saint George, patron saint of Egypt,

901
Saint Mark's body removed from

Alexandria to Venice, 864
Saint Philip, mission in Ethiopia,

1033
Saladin, 888 ; leads an army into

Egypt, 889 ; founds the Mamluk

body-guard, 890
Sal Araes, Viceroy of Algiers, 992
Salt-mines, at Tegaza, 800 ; 967
Salt-pctre, 324, 392
** Saraffi", Egyptian coins, 869
Sardines {^^ Sardelli")^ caught in

great quantities, 518
Sarman, 773
Schools in Fez, 456
School-festivals, 456
Sea-horse, 949
Sea-ox, 949
Secretaries of the Sultan of Egypt,

895
Sects, Mohammedan, 462 ; in Cairo,

884-886
Sedded, the son of Had, founder of

Tangier, 506
Selim I, the Great, in Egypt, 888
<*Semsul Meharif', Shams ul-

Ma'drif, 467
Seven Sleepers, 698, 747

Shah Ismail, compared with ilu-

Shereefs, 992, 1013
Sbar&bd&r (Serbedare), cup-bearers,

893

Shebbel fisheries, 377, 567

Sheger ed-Durr, 908

Sheila, mosque there built by El-
MansAr, and selected by him and
his descendants as a place of burial,

403
Shereef (Xeriffo), the King of

Morocco, 987
Shereefs, wars with the Beni-Martni,

xii, xiii ; the rise of, 988-992 ; their

revenues, 993 ; their forces, 994
Sherley, Sir Anthony, 369
Shops in Fez, 439
Sicily subdued by El-Aglab, 732
Sidi Buhaza, xxi, 404
Sidi Bu Medin, Saint buried in

Hubbed, 672
Sidi el-Dahi, head of a society of

*' mad fellows", 721
** Sidi Heli Berrased", 524
** Sidi Jeja" = Vahya, v, xxviii,

xxxi-xxxiii
Silver-mines, 256
" Sirru Lasmei Elchusne" = Sirr

ul AsmA il'Husna, 467
Slaughter-houses (shambles) in Fez,

434
Snails = turtles, considered the cause

of ill-health, 707, 749
Snakes, domesticated, 559; and note

655-657
Snake-charmers, 470
Sneezing in the Mosque. 181
Soap, 532

Socotera, the Christians of, 1051
** Soliman the great Turke", 661
Solomon and Queen of Sheba, 1032
Southern Church, the, 1030
Spanish artists sent to Morocco,

xvii ; Moors in Fez, 440 ; colonies

in Africa, 1064 et seq.
"Sphears", golden, placed in the

mosque of El-Mansftr by his wife,

267

Iii8

INDEX.

Spinnings, mode peculiar to Tunis,

719
Steeple (minaret ?) used as a place of

safety for workmen's tools, 399
Suburbs of Fez, 471
Suez, former names of, 24 ; Turkish

arsenal at, 25
Sugar in Egypt, 869
Sugar-canes brought to Tunis, 725
Sultan Az-z&ghel» uncle of Boabdil,

xiii
Sungai (Songhai) languages, 134,

821
Sunni 'Ali (Sonni Heli), 821, 823
Sun-worship in Africa, 163
Superstitions, 462
Sumag, a medicinal root, 971

TabarkhiLna (Taburchania), 893

Table, the table of the Last Supper
at Toledo, 731

Tabriz (Tauris) \nsited by Leo, 439

" Ta^\ a Berber compound found in
place-names, 385

Tailors in Fez, 436

Talavera, viii

Tangier (Tangia), 21 ; varieties of
spelling, 627

Tanzarghente, a root used for a
perfume, 970

Tarick, a captain of the Goths, 407

T4rik (Tarich), Governor of Tangier,
730 ; conquers Spain, 731 ; 759

Tartars, 1013

TAshfin Ibn 'AU, 265

Tawtl (Ethauil), Arabic metre em-
ployed in incantations, 460

Teculeth destroyed by the Portu-
guese, 233

Tefas destroyed by Musa en-Naser,

751

Temple, Sir Grenville, Ixxxiv

Terfez (? tur/ds), a poisonous mush-
room, 969

7>/, Berber word meaning a
** spring", 632

Text-Books of the University of
Fez, 601

Tigia language, 49

Timariotti, feudal knights of the

Shereefs, 995
Timbuktu (Tombuto), Leo's uncle

sent thither as ambassador, 4 ;

description of, 306 ; meaning of

the name, 842
Tisht-kh&na (Testecana), the Royal

wardrobe, 893
Tlemsen, kingdom of, 659 ; city of,

667 ; siege of city, 668 ; customs

and court of, 670-672 ; derivation

of name and various spellings, 690
Tortoise, its flesh a cure for leprosy,

950
Tower built by El-MansClr in Rabat,

401 ; see Borj el- Hasan.
Translations of Leo's Book, Ivii
Travellers, principal early, in Africa,

12
Treasure-seekers, 468
Tribes, Arab, in Africa, 143, 211-

212
Tripoli, old, 737 ; new, 737 ; early

history of, 738-740 ; subsequent

events, 770
Tripolis taken by the Arabs, 139
Tu&reg, Berber nomads, 815
TMftn, see Ahmed Ibn Tiilfln.
Tunis, governed by Arabs, 141 ;

historical description, 716-718;

manners and trade, 719-722; rites

and ceremonies of the court, 722-

725
Turbans (Dulipan) worn by Jews,

668
Turks, " Turkish Harquebusiers"

employed as escorts by merchants,

707; 1015
Turkish possessions in Africa, rooo
Turtles, see Snails.

Underground river near Marrakesh,
caves explored for treasure, 272

Vasco da Gama discovers Buena

Esperan9aa second time, 19
Venetians at Oran, 665

INDEX.

III9

Vices of the Africans, 185
Volcano, 529 ; and note, 641
Vultures, 956

Water-^dieels in Fez, 478
Weaver, story of the Weaver of

Meggeo, 535
Whale's-rib of huge dimensions, 250
Witches in P'ez, 458

Ximenes, Cardinal, viii, xliii

Yaghmorasan, or Yag^hromorlisen

(Ghamrazen), first of the Ziyanids,
659,690

I Yahya Ibn Ibr&him, founder of the
I Almohade dynasty, 838

Yusuf en-NAser (Joseph Enesir), 515
I Yusuf Ibn TAshfin, first King of

Morocco, expels Arabs from Kair-
' wan, 140 ; founds Morocco, 264 ;

plans subjection of Temesna, 394 ;

overthrows King of Temesna, 395 ;

406 ; unites the two quarters 01
I Fez, 418; 487, 554, 717; "Lord
I of the Negros", 820 ; lays siege to

Tlemsen, 667

Zauiat ben larbuh, 774

Zegzegt King of, slain by Askia,

831
Zibibbo^ a confection of grapes, 526

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