ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



'595- 



Turkes the yeere before the overthrowe given them 

 at Lepanto by Don John tooke Cyprus. These mighty 

 Nimrods fled some into holes & some into mountaines 

 to hide themselves ; whereupon the Turkes made 

 generall proclamation, that if they would all come in 

 and yeeld themselves, they would restore them to their 

 former revenues and dignities : who not mistrusting the 

 mischievous pretense of the Turkes, assembled together 

 to make themselves knowen ; whom after the Turkes 

 had in possession, they (as the Lords executioners) put 

 them with their wives and children all to the sword, 

 pretending thereby to cut of all future rebellion, so 

 that at this day is not one of the noble race knowen 

 alive in the Iland, onely two or three remaine in 

 Venice but of litle wealth, which in the time of the 

 warres escaped. After we had stayed in this Iland some 

 thirty dayes, we set saile in the foresayd shippe being 

 about the burthen of 900 tunnes, having in her pas- 

 sengers of divers nations, as Tartars, Persians, Jewes, 

 and sundry Christians. Amongst all which I had often 

 conference with a Jew, who by reason of his many 

 yeeres education at Safet a place in Judea neere Jeru- 

 salem, where they study the Rabbines with some other 

 arts as they thinke good, as also for his travels into 

 Persia and Ormus, he seemed to be of good experience 

 in matters abroad, who related unto me such conference 

 [ILL 310.] as he had with a Baniane at Ormus, being one of the 

 Indians inhabiting the countrey of Cambaia. This 

 Baniane being a Gentile had skill in Astronomie, as 

 many of that nation have, who by his books written in 

 his owne tongue and Characters, could tell the time 

 of Eclipses both of Sunne and Moone, with the Change 

 and Full, and by judgement in Astrologie gave answere 

 to any question demanded. Being asked concerning his 

 opinion in religion, what he thought of God ? He 

 made answere, that they held no other god but the sun, 

 (to which planet they pray both at the rising and set- 

 ting) as I have seene sundry doe in Aleppo : his reason 



no 



Indians skil- 

 ful/ in 

 Astronomy. 



