548 The Dtfcovery, Settlement, and Commerce 
Book I. 
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there all Sorts of Men in all manner of Habits of the 
whole World, appear before the King and Queen. 
Lions alfo, and Bears, Leopards and wild A lies, are 
brought forth into the Place where thefe Spectacles are 
to be feen, that they may fight together, and Birds 
alfo after the fame manner : And my Opinion is that in 
no Country of the World fuch Princely Sports are to 
be feen. / 
st But this King Emanuel, bthcits that Palace left him by 
his Anceftors, hath built him another upon the Sea 
Shore, which they call Bilberna, the Pillars and Walls 
whereof he hath overlaid with beaten Gold and Silver, 
whereon he hath engraved all the Wars made by him 
and his Anceftors •, and he hath prepared a Throne 
there for himfelf of Gold and precious Stones, and 
hath adorned it with a golden Crown hanging on high 
by Gold Chains *, the Compofure whereof is equal with 
the Throne itfelf, fo enrich’d with precious Stones and 
Pearls, that the Price whereof no Man is able to value 
of fo great a Luftre, that without the Affiftance of 
Light they ftiine, and may be feen in the Night. 
44 Moreover there are fuch valuable Things in the fame 
Place, as were incredible if told ; and Tributes are 
yearly brought into that Palace, wherewith the Towers 
are filled with fear let and purple Garments, and Gold j 
fo that the like Example of building and Riches, can 
no where elfe be found in the World. And, it is af- 
firmed , that the Revenue only of this City itfelf, ga- 
thered from the Markets, Haven, and Tribute of Mer- 
chants, amounted to Twenty Thoufand Crowns a Day. 
Furthermore, the Grecians themfelves. Inhabitants of 
the Country, are exceeding rich in Gold, and have 
abundance of precious Stones, and are dreffed in moll 
fumptuous Apparel, their Garments being made of 
Crimfon intermingled with Gold, or embroidered with 
Needle-work, and are all carried upon Horfes, as if 
they were the Children of Kings. The Country itfelf 
being very large, abounds with all Sorts of Fruits, and 
hath great Plenty of Corn, Flefh, and Wine ; nor is 
there a finer Spot in the whole World to be found. They 
are alfo learned, and fkilful in the Difcipline of the Gre- 
cians but giving themfelves wholly to Pleafure, they 
eat and drink every one under his own Vine and under 
his own Fig-tree. Of all the Nations which they call 
Barbarians , they have Soldiers to fight with the Soldan 
King of the Children of Thogarma , who are commonly 
called Turks , becaufe they themfelves, through Idlenefs 
and Luxury, are become quite unfit for the Wars, and 
feem unto me more like Women than Men, through 
their exceffive Love of Pleafure *. 
“ But no Jews dwell within the City, for they are ex- 
cluded from thence by an Arm of the Sea of Sophia j 
they are not fo much as permitted to come into the 
City but by Boats, and that for the fake of Commerce *, 
and here are about two thoufand Jews Rabbanites , be- 
sides five hundred Karaites on the other Side. There 
is a Wall to feparate them from the Rabbanites , that 
are the Difciples of wife Men : And among whom Ab- 
talion the Great, and R. Abdias , and Aaron Cufpus , and' 
Jofeph Starginus , and Eliakim the Governor, have the 
chief Authority. Amongft thefe fome are Artificers of 
filken Garments •, but thefe are many Merchants, and 
thofe too very rich. No Jew is there permitted to be 
carried on Horfe-back, except Solomon the Egyptian , 
the King’s Phyfician, through whofe Intereft the Jews 
are comforted and eafed in their Captivity, which they 
feel to be grievous *, for all the Jews are very much 
hated by the Grecians , without making any Diffe- 
rence between the good and evil : But they are worff ufed 
44 by the Tanners, who, while they drefs their Skins, 
44 pour out the filthy Water into the Streets before their 
44 Doors. They are in general oppreffed with a grievous 
44 Yoke, and are infuked and beaten in the Streets, en- 
44 during from every Hand abundance of Injuries. But 
44 among the Jews themfelves, fome are rich, as I have 
44 laid, and good Men, and merciful, and obferve the 
44 Commandments, who patiently endure the Mifery of 
44 Captivity. The Place wherein they dwell is called 
44 PeraP 
5. Our Author continued his Journey from Conjlanti - 
nople to the City of Tyre , from thence to Jerufalem , and 
from thence through the Holy Land , of which he gives 
a very particular Defcription, to the City of Damafcus j 
and from thence to Balback , which is in the Neighbour- 
hood of the ancient Palmyra , which he calls by its old 
Name of Tadmor , andaffures us, that there were in it, when 
he paffed through, two thoufand Jews . He gives us next a 
copious Account of the City of Bagdat , of the Court of the 
Khaliff, and of the Condition of the Jews in that City. 
Then he carries iSs into the Country of Thema , where he 
places a whole Nation of Jews , about which there have 
been great Difputes ; and fome would have us believe, 
that the whole is a Forgery. However that Matter be, 
as it it no way relates to my Subject, I did not think it re- 
quilite to trouble the Reader therewith, efpecially as there 
are Stories enough of the fame kind in the reft of the 
Book. In his fifteenth Chapter, he acquaints us, that 
he proceeded to Botzra on the River Tigris, which is 
plaily Balfora , or Bajfora, a Place frequently mentioned in 
the preceding Part of this Work ; and from thence he 
continued his Journey through Perfia , as I fhall acquaint 
the Reader in his own Words k . 
44 6. The River Samoura is efteemed the Limits of the 
44 Kingdom of Perfia , and near it ftands a City of the 
44 fame Name, wherein dwell fifteen hundred Jews . 
44 There is the Sepulchre of Efdras the Scribe and Prieft, 
44 who died at this Place in his Return from Jerufalem to 
44 the Court of Art ate ernes. Our People have built before 
this Sepulchre a great Synagogue ; and on the other 
Side the IJhmaelites , i. e. the Arabians , or Mohamme- 
dans, have built a Mofque ; fo great is their Efteem 
for Efdras, and their Refpeft for the Ifraelites It is 
on this Score alfo, that the IJhmaelites refort hither to 
pray. 
44 It is four Miles from hence to Cbuzejlhan, which is 
44 the fame with Elam, that great City of old ; but it is 
now in fome meafure ruined and uninhabited. At one 
End, but in the midft of Ruins, is Sufa, a Caftle, 
and formerly the Palace of Ahafuerus j fome Remains 
44 of which are yet ftanding. There are here feven thou- 
44 fand Jews and fourteen Synogogues, before one of 
44 which ftands the Tomb of Daniel. The River ,Ti- 
gris 1 runs through the City, over which there is a 
Bridge. All the Jews that live on one Side are very 
rich, have Shops extremely well filled, and carry on a 
great Commerce. Thofe on the other Side the River 
44 are all poor, having neither Market, Shops, Gardens, 
44 nor Orchards. The Senfe of their Condition threw 
44 them once into an Infurredtion, from a Notion that all 
44 the Glory and Riches of thofe on the other Side the Ri- 
44 ver, fprung from no other Caufe than their having the' 
44 Sepulchre of the Prophet Daniel on their Side. 
44 They demanded therefore that his Tomb fhould be 
44 transferred to their Side ; but the others vehemently op- 
44 pofing this, a War began, of which both Sides growing 
44 weary, it was agreed, that the Coffin of Daniel fhould 
44 remain one Year on one Side the River, and the next 
44 Year on the other. This Treaty was obferved till fuch 
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* However lharp or fevere this Char-after of the People at Cmjlantinople may feem, yet it is beyond all queftion very juft and well founded, Tully 
upon this Subjeft in the fixteenih Seftion, and is at once a Mark of Veracity m thefe Travels, arid of the Author s 
Remarks ne cellar v to explain them, would, if delivered entire take up a great many Sheets; 
k ^ kSp Ac Subjeft as much within Bounds as poiiible, that we take this Method of acquainting the Reader With the Contents of 
kS ‘ Our Author is ? little out herein his Geography, for the River Ttgris does not come near tbj>(£ fome 
Eul&us, and in the modem Maps we find it described under the Name of Cor on. It is, in al Pr y, Town called 
Criticks will have to be a River of our Author’s making ; but the Truth of the considerable. 
Samira^ from whence he anight hear it called the River of Samira,<md fuch an Error, eonfidermg t ’ « dme 
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