AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1563-81. 



much trouble, and it will be forty or fifty dayes journey 

 downe, because that when the barks strike on the stones 

 that be in the river, then they must unlade them, which 

 is great trouble, and then lade them againe when they 

 have mended them : therefore it is not necessary, neither 

 doe the marchants go with one boat alone, but with 

 two or three, that if one boat split and be lost with 

 striking on the sholdes, they may have another ready 

 to take in their goods, untill such time as they have 

 mended the broken boat, and if they draw the broken 

 boat on land to mend her, it is hard to defend her in 

 the night from the great multitude of Arabians that 

 will come downe there to robbe you : and in the rivers 

 every night, when you make fast your boat to the 

 banckeside, you must keepe good watch against the 



The Arabian Arabians which are theeves in number like to ants, yet 



theeves are in ^j^^^^ ^j^ ^^^^ ^^ robbe, they will not kill, but steale 



fiHniber Itke to 



jjjf^^ & run away. Harquebuzes are very good weapons 



against them, for that they stand greatly in feare of 

 the shot. And as you passe the river Euphrates from 

 Bir to Feluchia, there are certein places which you must 

 passe by, where you pay custome certaine medines upon 

 a bale, which custome is belonging to the sonne of 

 Aborise king of the Arabians and of the desert, who 

 hath certaine cities and villages on the river Euphrates. 



Feluchia and Babylon. 



Eluchia is a village where they that come from Bir 



doe unbarke themselves and unlade their goods, and 



The olde it is distant from Babylon a dayes journey and an halfe 



Babylon hath by land : Babylon is no great city, but it is very popu- 



gre^at trade Jqus, and of great trade of strangers because it is a 



/////. great thorowfare for Persia, Turkia, and Arabia : and 



very often times there goe out from thence Carovans 



into divers countreys : and the city is very copious of 



victuals, which comme out of Armenia downe the river 



of Tygris, on certaine Zattares or RafFes made of blowen 



hides or skinnes called Utrii. This river Tygris doeth 



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