A.D. 



1583- 



Seldome rain. 



Eight y 

 twenty dayes 

 journey more 

 by river, from 

 Babylon to 

 Balsara. 



Cum a Castle. 



Balsara. 



THE ENGLISH V r OYAGES 



skins, and cary them home againe upon their asses by 

 land, to make other voyages downe the river. The 

 building here is most of bricke dried in the Sun, and 

 very litle or no stone is to be found : their houses are 

 all flat-roofed and low. They have no raine for eight 

 moneths together, nor almost any clouds in the skie, 

 night nor day. Their Winter is in November, Decem- 

 ber, January and February, which is as warme as our 

 Summer in England in a maner. This I know by good 

 experience, because my abode at severall times in this 

 city of Babylon hath bene at the least the space of two 

 yeres. As we come to the city, we passe over the river 

 of Tigris on a great bridge made with boats chained 

 together with two mighty chaines of yron. From 

 thence we departed in flat bottomed barks more strong 

 & greater then those of Euphrates, and were eight and 

 twenty dayes also in passing downe this river to Balsara, 

 but we might have done it in eighteene or lesse, if the 

 water had bene higher. Upon the waters side stand by 

 the way divers townes resembling much the names of 

 the olde prophets : the first towne they call Ozeah, & 

 another Zecchiah. Before we come to Balsara by one 

 dayes journey, the two rivers of Tigris and Euphrates 

 meet, and there standeth a castle called Curna, kept by 

 the Turks, where all marchants pay a small custome. 

 Here the two rivers joyned together begin to be eight 

 or nine miles broad : here also it beginneth to ebbe and 

 flow, and the water overflowing maketh the countrey 

 all about very fertile of corne, rice, pulse, and dates. 

 The towne of Balsara is a mile and an halfe in circuit : all 

 the buildings, castle and wals, are made of bricke dried 

 in the Sun. The Turke hath here five hundred Jani- 

 saries, besides other souldiers continually in garison and 

 pay, but his chiefe strength is of gallies which are about 

 five and twenty or thirty very faire and furnished with 

 goodly ordinance. To this port of Balsara come 

 monethly divers ships from Ormuz, laden with all sorts 

 of Indian marchandise, as spices, drugs, Indico and 



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