JOHN ELDRED a.d. 



1583. 

 of rich marchandises. In the middest of this towne also 

 standeth a goodly castle raised on high, with a garison 

 of foure or five hundred Janisaries. Within foure miles 

 round about are goodly gardens and vineyards and 

 trees, which beare goodly fruit neere unto the rivers 

 side, which is but small ; the walles are about three 

 English miles in compasse, but the suburbs are almost 

 as much more. The towne is greatly peopled. We 

 departed from thence with our camels the last of May 

 with M. John Newbery and his company, and came to 

 Birrah in three dayes, being a small towne situated upon Birrah. 

 the river Euphrates, where it beginneth first to take 

 his name, being here gathered into one chanell, whereas 

 before it commeth downe in manifolde branches, and 

 therefore is called by the people of the countrey by a 

 name which signifieth a thousand heads. Here is plenty 

 of victuals, wherof we all furnished our selves for a 

 long journey downe the aforesayd river. And accord- 

 ing to the maner of those that travell downe by water, 

 we prepared a small barke for the conveyance of our 

 selves and of our goods. These boats are flat bottomed, 

 because the river is shallow in many places : and when Euphrates 

 men travell in the moneth of July, August, and Septem- s a ow ' 

 ber, the water being then at the lowest, they are con- 

 strained to cary with them a spare boat or two to lighten 

 their owne boats, if they chance to fall on the sholds. 

 We were eight and twenty dayes upon the water be- Et S ht & 



tweene Birrah and Felugia, where we disimbarked our wen ^ J es 



o ' journey by 



selves and our goods. Every night after the Sun setteth, r - wer . 

 we tie our barke to a stake, go on land to gather sticks, 

 and set on our pot with rice or brused wheat, and 

 having supped, the marchants lie aboord the barke, and 

 the marmers upon the shores side as nere as they can 

 unto the same. In many places upon the rivers side 

 we met with troops of Arabians, of whom we bought Arabians upon 

 milke, butter, egges, and lambs, and gave them in barter, ^J^J^Jf 

 (for they care not for money) glasses, combes, corall, 

 amber, to hang about their armes and necks, and for 



3 



Euphrates. 



