Plioies Natural! Hiftorie. 



A Tautus, and on the South the Perfian Tea .- lying out in length 800 miles, and in breadth 3 ^o. 

 Now to returneuntoCharaXj the inmoft towne within the Perfian gulfe, fi-om which Arabia ^ 

 ealled Euda;mon_,/.happiejbegins and runneth forth in length -3 fituate it is upon amount artifi- 

 cially reared by mans hands betweene the confluents of Tygris on the right hand , and EtikiTs 

 on the left : and yet notwithftanding it carrieth a pourprife or precincl: of three miles compafle. 

 Founded firft it was by x^kicmder the great: who having drawne Coloners to inhabite it out of 

 the kings citieDurine (which then was ruinate) and leaving there behind him thofe fouldiours 

 which were not fit for ferviccj nor able to follow in the i^arch^ ordained, that this towne fhould 

 be called Alexandria : and the territorie about itPelkumjOf that town where himfelfe was born; 

 and withall appointed^that if fllduld be peopled onely withMacedomans.But this towne of his 



B by him founded,wSs overthrown and defttoied by the two rivers aforefaid, Afterwards king 

 tiochm the fift rebuilt it againej and nattjied it of himfelfe, Antiochia. But when ic was decaied a 

 fecond time by tlKfeHversiJ^p^j^m fo held Arabia,bordering neere by 



as an abfolute'kitl|i^and not(as luba reportcth)as a diike or governour under {^Uxandcr^x^ikd 

 great wharfes, and oppofed mightiedammes and cauf^iesagainft thofe rivers, and fo reedified 

 the towne a third time. Which done^he called it after his owne name Charax of Spafines : and 

 verily he fortified thus the fite and foundation thereof, three miles in length, and little lefTe in 

 breadth. Ac the bcginningi&ftood upon the fea coaft, andfrom the water fide not above ten fta- 

 dia,and even from thenc'e 'it hath certaine falfe baftard galleries : b ut by the report of luki in his 

 timcj^o miles. Howbelt^at this day both the Arabian EmbafradoTS3& alfo our merchants that 



C come from thence, fay it is from the fea fbore 1 2 5 miles. In fiich fort^that it cannot be found in 

 any placcof the world again,where the earth hatii gained more^ nor in fo fhort a time,of the wa- 

 ter,by reafon of the ftore of mud brought down with rivers. And the more marvel! it is^that con^ 

 fidering the fea flowcth, and the tide rifeth farre beyond this towne,yet thofe niade grounds are 

 not beaten backe, and carried away againe. In this very towne I am not ignorant^that Dmjfms 

 the lateft of our moderne Geographers^was borne : whom K^ugafim the Emperor fent of pur- 

 pofe beforehand into theEaft countries to difcoverthofe parts, and record faithfully in wriring 

 whatfoe ver hee there found/or thebetter advertifement of his elder fon, who was upon his voi- 

 ^ge and expedition of Armenia, tovvarreagainfttheParthiansand Arabians. Neither have I 

 forgotten,that in my firft entrance into this worke in hand, I made fome proteftation to follow 



P thofe who had written of their owne countries, as'men lightly inoft diligent and of beft intelli- 

 gences in that behalfe.Hdwbeitjin this place Ichufe rather to follow our martiaii captaines that 

 have warred there,and report me alfo toking Jiiba^ who hath written certains bookes to C £d^Ar 

 C^%///43as touching theoccurrences in the Arabian voiage. ■ 



Chap, xxviii. 

 ^rahia^ ?ismad(s^ ■'^ibat<&i^mdO mani :7^los and Ogjris two J finds, 



ARabia commeth behind no countrey in'th^f world, for largencfTc and grearneficefDecial- 

 ly, reaching out in length a mightic way. Foritbeginnctli at the fall and defcent of the- 

 E mountaine AmanusovcragainftCilicia andComagenCjaswehave bcforefa id : where k 



is peopled with many nations brought from thciice thither Tfgranes the great.toinhabit that 

 quarter,and in old time defcended naturally, and reached as farre as to our fea and the .Egyptian 

 coaft,as we have iliewed : yea, and extendeth into the midland parts of Syria unto the mountain 

 Libanus,where the hils reach up to the very clouds : upon which bound thcRamifians, then the 

 Taraneans,and after them the Patami. As for Arabia it felfe/beinglike a demie laand/unneth 

 out betweene two feas, the red and ihePerfian, by a certaine artificiall workmanfliip of Nature, 

 framed according to Italic in likenefle of forme and bigneife : yea, and lieth along the fea confts 

 in manner of Italic. And more than that,itregardcth the fame quarter and line of heavcn,witl> 

 out any difference at all.This trad thereof;f or the rich feat it hath,is named /-^^//^^ji.Happie.The 

 F nations therein dwelling, from our fea coafts unto the deferts of Palmy reum,we have treated of 

 alreadie. Therefore overpaifing them,wee will difcourfe of the reft forward. Now then,the No- 

 mades and thofe robbers thac'fo lie upon the Chald^eans and trouble them, the people called 

 Scenit3:,as we have beforefaid,doe confine upon. And even they alfo make no certaine place of 

 abode and habitatioupbuc are called Seenitae',of their tabernacles and booths which they make^ 



of 



