The voyage of M. John Eldred to Trypolis in Syria 

 by sea, and from thence by land and river to 

 Babylon and Balsara. 1583. 



Departed out of London in the ship 

 called the Tiger, in the company of M. 

 John Newbery, M. Ralph Fitch, and sixe 

 or seven other honest marchants upon 

 Shrove munday 1583, and arrived in 

 Tripolis of Syria the first day of May 

 next insuing : at our landing we went 



on Maying upon S. Georges Hand, a place where 



Christians dying aboord the ships, are woont to be buried. 



In this city our English marchants have a Consull, and 



our nation abide together in one house with him, called 



Fondeghi Ingles, builded of stone, square, in maner like 



a Cloister, & every man hath his severall chamber, as it 



is the use of all other Christians of severall nations. This The descrip- 



towne standeth under a part of the mountaine of Libanus tl 1 on . * o ?? 

 -r^ ,. , ., .. r r , . . . lis in byria. 



two English miles distant from the port : on the side 



of which port, trending in forme of an halfe Moone, 



stand five blocke houses or small forts, wherein is some 



very good artillery, and the forts are kept with about 



an hundred Janisaries. Right before this towne from 



the seaward is a banke of moving sand, which gathereth 



and increaseth with the Westerne winds, in such sort, 



that, according to an olde prophesie among them, this 



banke is like to swallow up & overwhelme the towne : 



for every yere it increaseth and eateth up many gardens, 



although they use all policy to diminish the same, and 



to make it firme ground. The city is about the bignesse 



VI 



