534 
The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce 
We have alfo heard it reported, that Ambergreece has 
been found in the Sea of Syria , which feems hard to be- 
lieve, and was unknown to former times. If this be as is 
faid, it is impoffible that Amber fhouid have been thrown 
up in the Sea of Syria , but by the Sea of Aden , and of 
Koizumi which has Communication with the Seas where 
Amber is found : And beeaufe God has put a Separation 
between tfcefe Seas, if this Story be true, it muft neceffa- 
rijy have been, that this Amber was driven firft from the 
Indian-Sca into the others, and fo from the one to the other, 
it at iaft came into the Sea of Syria ra . 
44. We wili now begin to fpeak of the Province of 
Zap-age , which is oppobte to China , and diftant from 
thence a full Month’s' Sail by Sea, or lefs, if the Wind 
be fair. The King of this Country is ftiled Mehrage , 
and they fay his Dominions are nine hundred Leagues 
in Circumference, and that this King is Matter of many 
Inlands which lie round about. Thus altogether this King- 
dom is above a thousand Leagues in Extent ; among thofe 
Iflands there is one called Serbeza , which is faid to be four 
hundred Leagues in Circuit •, and another called Rahmi , 
which is eight hundred Leagues in Compafs, and produces 
Redwood, Camphire, and many other Commodities. In 
this fame Kingdom is the Eland of Cala, which is the mid 
Pattage between China and the Country of the Arabs. 
This Ifland, they fay, is fourfcore Leagues in Circum- 
ference ; and hither they bring all forts of Merchandize, 
Wood-Aloes, of feveral forts, Camphire, Sandal Wood, 
Ivory, the Wood called Cabahi, Ebony, Redwood, all 
forts of Spice, and many other things too tedious to enume- 
rate. At prefent the Commerce is carried on between this 
Ifland and that of Oman. The Mehrage is the Sovereign 
over all thefe Elands ; and that in which he makes his 
Abode is extremely fertile, and fo very populous, that the 
Towns aim oft croud one upon another. A Perfon of great 
Probity relates, that when the Cocks crow at their accuf- 
tomed Hours, juft as with us when at rooft, upon Trees, 
they anfwer each other a hundred Leagues round, and 
more, beeaufe of the Proximity of the Villages which 
almoft touch each other *, and he adds, that no part of it 
is uninhabited, nor any of its Land uncultivated. Thofe 
who travel in this Country may flop at every Step, and 
find Shelter from the Beams of the Noon-day Sun ; and if 
they are tired, they may repofe themlelves every Day at 
Noon, go which way they will. 
45. Yet what follows from the Teftimony of feveral 
Perfons is, the moft remarkable Particular we have heard 
concerning the Ifland of Zapage. There was formerly a 
King, or, as he is there called, Mehrage: His Palace is ftill to 
be feen on a River as broad as the Tygris at Bagdad , or at 
BaJJora. The Sea intercepts the Courfe of its Waters, and 
drives them back again with the Flood ; and during the 
Ebb, it dreams out frefti Water a good way into the Sea. 
This River is let into a fmall Pond clofe to the King’s 
Palace, and every Morning the Officer, who has Charge 
of his Houffiold, brings an Ingot of Gold wrought in a 
particular manner, which is thrown into the Pond in the 
Prefence of the King. The Tide rifing, covers it with the 
reft, and quite conceals them from Sight. But low Water 
difeovers them, and they appear plain by the Beams of the 
Sun. The King comes to view them as often as he repairs 
to an Apartment of State, which looks upon this Pond. 
This Cuftom is very fcrupuloufly obferved ; and thus they 
every Day throw an Ingot of Gold into this Pond as long 
as the King lives, not touching them upon any Account, 
but regarding this as a facred Treafure. 
When the King dies, his Succeffor caufes them all to 
be taken out, and not one of them is ever miffing. They 
count them, and melt them down , and this done, the 
Sums arifing out of this great Quantity of Gold are diftri- 
buted to thofe of the Royal Houffiold, Men, Women, and 
Children, to the fuperior and inferior Officers, each in pro- 
Book I. 
portion to the Rank he bears % and the Surplus is given 
away to the poor and infirm. Then they reckon up the 
Number of Ingots, and what they weigh, and fay fuch a 
Miehrage reigned fo many Years 1 for he left fo many Ingots 
of Gold in the Pond of the Kings, and they were diftribu- 
ted after his Death to the People It is accounted a Feli- 
city with them to have reigned a long while, and to have 
thus multiplied the Number of thofe Ingots given away at 
their Death. 
46. Their ancient Hiftory relates, that one of the Kings 
of Komar would have waged War with him in this Ifland. 
This Country of Komar is the fame from whence they bring 
the Wood- Aloes called Hud al Komari, nor is there any 
Kingdom more populous in proportion than that of Komar . 
The Inhabitants are all very couragious, and the boundleis 
Commerce with Women, and the Ufe of Wine are for- 
bidden among them ; nor have they any Wine in their 
Cpuntry. This Kingdom was at Peace with that of Zapage^ 
where reigned the Mehrage. They are divided from each 
other by a Paffage of ten or twenty Days Sail, with a very 
eafy Gale. They fay, that in former Days there was a 
very young and high- fpirited Prince in this liiand of Komar . 
This King was one Day in his Palace, which looks upon a 
River much like the Euphrates at the Entrance, and but a 
Day’s Journey from the Sea *, his prime Minifters were 
with him, and in the Difcourfe they had together, notice 
was taken of the Kingdom of the Mehrage , and its Glory, 
how well it was peopled and cultivated, and the Croud o£ 
Elands which depended thereupon. 
Then faid the King of Komar to his Minifter, I am 
feized with a Defire which I earneftly wiffi to fee accom- 
pliffied. The Minifter, who was a wife and a prudent 
Man, and no Stranger to the Levity of his Matter, an- 
fwered. My Lord, what is your Deftre ? I could wiffi* 
replied the King, to fee in a Diffi the Head of the Mehrage 
of Zapage. The Minifter, well aware it was Jealoufy that 
infpired him with this impetuous Fury, rejoined. My Lord, 
I wifh you would not difturb your Mind with fuch Thoughts, 
fince nothing ever fell out between thofe People and us. ”, tq 
furniffi Matter of Complaint, they never offended us by 
Word or Deed, or ever did us the leaft Injury ; beffdes, 
they are divided from us, and have no manner of Com- 
munication with our Country j nor do they difeover any 
Inclination of making a Conqueft of this Kingdom. Na : 
one therefore ought to hearken to fuch Difcourie, or make 
a Word of Anfwer upon this Plead. The King was en- 
raged at this Reply, and faid not a Word thereto ; but 
without any Regard had to the good Advice of his firft: 
Minifter, he opened the fame thing to the principal Officers 
of State, and to fuch of his Courtiers as he thought proper. 
47. This Matter being rumoured about, at length- 
reached the Ears of the Mehrage. He, who then reigned, 
was a wife and an a&ive Prince, of confummate Experi- 
ence, and in the Flower of his Age. Lie called for his 
firft Minifter, and having acquainted him with what he 
had heard, faid to him, it is by no means proper to publiffi 
the Behaviour of this giddy Prince, or to betray how little 
we efteemhim, beeaufe of his Youth and (lender Experiences 
nor is it expedient to divulge what he faid againft me ; for 
fuch Speeches cannot but be prejudicial to the Dignity of 
a King. Having thus enjoined his Minifter to conceal ! 
what had patted between them, he commanded him to \ 
prepare a thoufand Ships of no extraordinary Size, and to i 
equip them with all things neceffary, Arms and Ammuni- ■ 
tion, and to man them with as many of his bed Forces as 3 
they could tranfport. Then he gave out, that he would I 
make a Voyage through the neighbouring Elands under his i 
Dominion, to divert himfelf. He wrote alfo to all the tribu- - 
tary Princes of thofe Elands to acquaint them, that he 1 
defigned them a Vifit ; and this being a publick Talk* 4 
each of thofe Kings prepared for the Reception of t h? ; 
Mehrage , 
» It is moll evident from our Author’s wav of reafoning, that be had no Notion of any Pa!Iage by the Cap, of Good Hop , for if he had, he wot* f 
: taken this Opportunity of mfmuating it. At the fame time, however, I leave it to the Reader s ConMerarton, whether tins Vef- 
. tr , o fh ic wav mi-n tlip Me/htirrnnean. more orobab v than hv the iNorui-ibait i: 
moft certainly have taken this Opportunity ot rnlinuating it. /it uic nunc ~ w C" ~ V'"’ - 
”, vertcumj iiav uwv CC j mio-’nt not have come this wav into the Mediterranean, more probably than by the North-iart . 
piirtl 1 kew5i: StS, .ha, the JL, knew no more of 7^, which they called^ than they , 
Earned from th. cLf " Ee by the Teftimony of tte <*M Of •« M** <* ** “ * Foot *"* 10 *• Year of tbe ***“ T ' 
£ Bo 844* When 1 
4 
