The fifth Booke of 



Mow^wlien thefe Catara£^s and downcfals of the river are once paftjnavigable it is againfejand G 

 forcie miles frofn that place ftandeth Samofata the head cittie of all Comagenc.Now,hath Ar. 

 labia befides the townsaforefaidjEdeflfa/ometime called AntiocheajCallirhoe takingname ot 

 the foiintaine : and Carr^ fo famous and renowned for the defeature there oiCrajfm and his ac* 

 niie. Hereunto joineth the government and territorie of Mefopotamia, which dfo taketh.tHe-: 

 firft beginning from the Aflyrians, in which ftand the townes Ahthemufa and Nicephoriumr ? 

 Having palled this countreyjftreight waies yee enter upon the Arabians called Rhetavi, whofe ■ 

 capitall cittie is Singara . Now to returne to Samofatae, from itin the coaft of Syria^ the rivec;^ 

 Marlyas runneth into Euphrates. As Ginglalimitteth Comagene/o the land ofthe Meri begin- 

 neth there. The townes Epiphania andAntiOchia have the river running clofe to them, and 

 hereupon they have this addition in their names^Standing upon Euphrates. Zenyma likewife 

 72 miles from Samofatas is ennobled for the paflfage over Euphrates : for joined it is to Apamia 

 right againft,by a bridge^ which Seleucm the founder of both^caufed to bee made. The people 

 that jome hard to Mefopotamiajbee called Rhoali. As for the townes oi Syria which bee upon 

 this riverjareEuropum^Thapfacum in times paftjatthisprefentAmphipolis; and laftof all the " 

 Arabian SciEnita^.Thus palTeth Euphratesjas farre as to the land Vra, where, turning his courfe 

 to the Eaft he Icaveth behind him the dcfarts of Palmyra in Syria^which reach to the cittie Pe- 

 tr a and the countrey of Arabia called Happie. 



C HAP, XXV, , 



^ Palmyra, ■ , | 



THe noble cicie Palmyra is paffing well featedjas well for the riches of thefoile^ as for that 

 it hath water at commaundementawhichembelilh and fet out the countrey on every fide. 

 As rich and long as it is^ the territorie all about is environned and enclofed with barres of 

 fands. And asif Natuiehadadefire to exempt it from all other lands to live apart in peace^ 

 llieehath fetit juftinthemiddeftand confines betweene two puilTant and mightieEmpires^to 

 wit, the Romanes and theParthians. For there is not fofoone any warre proclaimed betweene 

 thofctwo Statesand Monarchies^but at firft they have on both fides a regard ofit as a neutre. 

 It is from Seleucia of the ParthianSjUamely that upon Tigris, 5 37 miles : and from the nexcporc 

 or coafl of Syria 2 5 2 : and from Damafco327 neerer. 



^ • K 



Chap, xxvt 



^ HierafoUs, 



BEneath the defarts and wilderneffe of Palmyra, lieih the countrey Stelendena , wherein 

 are the citties named at this day Hierapolis, Beroea and Chalcis. Beyond Palmyra alfo, 

 Hemefa taketh up fomepart of rhofefaid defarts; and likewife Elutiumpeerer toPetra by 

 the one halfe than is Damakus. And next to Afura ftandeth Philifcum.a towne of the Parthi- 

 ansjupon Euphrates . From which by water it is a journey of tenne daies to Seleucia,and from 

 thence as many likewife to Babylon. For Euphrates, fourefcore and three mylesfromZeug- 

 ma,abQut the village Maflfice, devidethitfelfeintotwoarmes : on the left fide heepalTeth into 

 Mefopotamia, even through Seleucia, and aboutit entreth into the river Tygris thatrunneth I, 

 hard by : but on the right hand,he carrieth a currentin his channell toward Babylon, the cheefe 

 cittiefometimeof Chald^eaiandpafifingthroughthemiddeft thereof,asalfoof anotherwhich 

 they call Orris, hcepartethafunder into fundrie Lakes and Meeres. And there an end of Eu- 

 phrates. Hee rifeth andfalleth at certaine times after the order of Nilus jyetfome little diffe- 

 rence there is betweene them in the manner,for he overfloweth Mefopotamia, when the Sunne 

 is the 20 degree o^Cancer, and beginneth againe to diminifb and flakCj when the Sunne is paft 

 Leo^m^is newly entred into Virgodo as in the 2^ degree of Virgo^z is downe againe, and come 

 to his ordinarie courfe, 



Chap, xxvil. 



. -^Ctlkia^andthenatmsndioimng^towit^^^^^ ^ 

 Famfhylia:themeuntmneTaurus^<in(iLycia» 



BVt time it is to returne now to the coafts of Syriajand to Cilicia that confronteth it.Whcre 

 in the firft place we meet with the river Diaphanes, the mountaine Crocodilus, the ftreights 



and 



