ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1558. 



To speake of the said countrey of Cathay, and of 

 such newes as I have heard thereof, I have thought it 

 best to reserve it to our meeting. I having made my 

 solace at Boghar in the Winter time, and having learned 

 by much inquisition, the trade thereof, as also of all 

 the other countries thereto adjoyning, and the time of the 

 yeere being come, for all Caravans to depart, and also the 

 king being gone to the warres, and newes come that he 

 was fled, and I advertised by the Metropolitan himselfe, 

 that I should depart, because the towne was like to bee 

 besieged : I thought it good and meete, to take my 

 journey some way, and determined to have gone from 

 thence into Persia, and to have seene the trade of that 

 countrey, although I had enformed my selfe sufficiently 

 thereof, as well at Astracan, as at Boghar : and per- 

 ceived well the trades not to be much unlike the trades 

 of Tartaria : but when I should have taken my journey 

 that way, it was let by divers occasions : the one was, 

 the great wars that did newly begin betwixt the Sophie, 

 and the kings of Tartaria, whereby the waies were 

 destroyed : and there was a Caravan destroied with 

 rovers & theeves, which came out of India and Persia, 

 by safe conduct : and about ten daies journey from 

 Boghar, they were robbed, and a great part slaine. Also 

 the Metropolitan of Boghar, who is greater then the 

 king, tooke the Emperors letters of Russia from me, 

 without which I should have bene taken slave in every 

 place : also all such wares as I had received in barter 

 for cloth, and as I tooke perforce of the king, & other 

 his Nobles, in paiment of money due unto me, were 

 not vendible in Persia : for which causes, and divers 

 others, I was constrained to come backe againe to Mare 

 He retumeth Caspium, the same way I went : so that the eight of 

 the eight of March 1559, we departed out of the said Citie of Bog- 

 x ^' narj being a Caravan of 600 Camels : and if we had 

 not departed when we did, I and my company had 

 bene in danger to have lost life and goods. For ten 

 daies after our departure, the king of Samarcand came 



474 



