6z% The FOT AGES and T R A FE L S Book I 
and faithfully keep any thing committed to their Cuftody, 
or as Brokers fell or bartar Merchandize for others. They 
are known by a Cotton- thread, which they wear over the 
Shoulders, tied under the Arm eroding the Bread:. They 
have but one Wife, are great Aftrologers, of great Abfti- 
nence, and long Life ; obferve their own Shadow in the 
Sun, when they are to buy, and thence conjedture accord- 
ing to the Rules of their Art. They conftantly chew a cer- 
tain Herb, which makes their Teeth good, and helps Di- 
geftion. There are fome religious among them, called 
Tangui, who go altogether naked, live aufterely, worlhip 
Cows, of which they have little brafs Images on their Fore- 
head, and of the Ox Bone’s Afhes make an Ointment, 
wherewith they anoint their Bodies in divers Places with 
great Reverence. They neither kill or eat any live Crea- 
ture, nor Herb green, or Root before it is dried, efteem- 
ing every Thing to have a Soul. They ufe no Dilhes, 
but lay their Vidluals on dry Leaves of Apples of Para- 
dife. They eafe themfelves in the Sands, and then dif- 
perfe it hither and thither, left it fhould breed Worms, 
which muft die for want of Food. Some of them live to 
one hundred and fifty Years, and their Bodies, after 
Death, are burned. 
In Zeilan I had forgot to mention a high Mountain, 
which none can afeend but by Iron Chains, as I was told, 
in the Top whereof the Saracens fay is Adam' s Sepulchre ; 
the Idolaters fay it is the Body of Sogomon Barchan, the firft 
Idol Founder, Son to the King of that Ifland, who be- 
took himfelf to a folitary Life on the Top of this Hill, 
from whence no Pleafures nor Perfuafions could draw 
him, his Father made an Image after his Death to repre- 
fent him, all of Gold, adorned with Garments, and com- 
manded all the Handers to worlhip it : And hence, as 
they fay, began Idolatry. Hither they come from remote 
Places in Pilgrimage, and there his fore Teeth, and 
a Dilh of his are referved, and as holy Relicks folemnly 
fhewed. The Saracens , fay they, are of Adam , which 
Report caufed the Khan, A. D. 1281, to fend Embaffa- 
dors thither, who obtained two Teeth and a Dilh, and 
fome of his Hairs, by Grant, from the King of Zeilan , 
which he caufed to be received by the whole People of 
Cambalu without the City, and brought to his Prefence 
with great Honour. 
Cael is a great City, governed by After, one of the four 
Brethren, who is very rich, alfo very kind to Merchants 5 
he hath three hundred Concubines. All the People have a 
Cuftom to be continually chewing in their Mouths a Leaf 
called Tembul , with Spices and Lime. Coulam is five hun- 
dred Miles South-weft from Malabar , they are Idolaters. 
There are alfo Chriftians and Jews , who have a Speech by 
themfelves. They have Pepper, Brafil, Indico, Lions all 
black, Parrots of divers Sorts, all white as Snow, others 
azure, others red, and lome fmall Peacocks and Peahens, 
very different from ours, and larger, as are their Fruits ; 
they are leacherous, and marry their Sifters and near Kin- 
dred : There are many Aftrologers and Phyficians. In 
Camari are Apes fo large, that they feem to be Men : 
And here we had a Sight of the North-ftar. Delai hath a 
King, and the Inhabitants have their own Language : The 
People are Idolaters, and have Plenty of Spices ; the Ships 
of Mangi come thither. Malabar is a Kingdom in the 
Weft, in which, and in Guzerat, are many Pirates, who 
fometimes put to Sea with above an hundred Sail, and 
rob Merchants. They bring with them their Wives and 
Children, and there remain all Summer. In Guzzerat is 
abundance of Cotton, the Trees fix Fathoms high, and 
laft twenty Years ; the Cotton of thefe Trees is not fit 
to fpin, after they are above twelve Years old, but for 
Quilts : There are many Rhinoceros’s. In Canhau is 
Store of 'Frankincenfe. It is a great City, where is great 
Trade for Horfes. In Cambaia is much Indico, Buckram, 
and Cotton. Semenath is a Kingdom of a peculiar Lan- 
guage, they are Idolaters, Merchants, and a good People. 
Refmacoran is a great Kingdom of Idolaters and Saracens. 
The laft Province of the Greater India , towards the North- 
weft is five hundred Miles, near which are faid to be two 
Hands, one of Men and the other of Women, thofe com- 
ing to thefe, and there ftay in March , Aprils and May* 
The Women keep their Sons till twelve Tears, and then 
fend them to their Fathers. It feems the Air of that 
Country admits no other Courfe : They are Chiftians, and 
have their Bilhop, fubjeff to the Bilhop of Socotora ; they 
are good Filhermen, and have Store of Amber. Socotora 
hath an Arlhbilhop, not fubjeff to the Pope, but to one 
Zatulin, who refides at Baldach , who choofeth him. The 
Socotorans are Inchanters, as great as any in the World, 
though excommunicated therefore by their Prelate, and 
raile Winds to bring back fuch Ships as have wronged 
them, till they obtain Satisfaftion. S 
26. A thoufand Males thence Southward, is IMagafter , 
one of the greateft and richeft Ifies in the World, three 
thoufand Miles in Circuit, inhabited by Saracens , governed 
by four old Men ; the People live by Merchandize, and 
fell vaft Quantities of Elephants Teeth. The Currents in 
thefe Parts are of exceeding Force. They report ftrange 
Stories of Fowls, called Ruch, like an Eagle, but of in- 
comparable Bignefs. Zenfibar alfo is faid to be of great 
Length, &c. There are Elephants, Giraffas, and Sheep, very 
unlike to ours ; the Men and Women very deformed. I 
have heard Mariners and fkilful Pilots of thofe Parts re- 
port, and have feen in their Writings, which have com- 
paffed the Sea of India , that there are in it twelve thour 
fand and feven hundred Hands inhabited and defart. In 
India Major , which is from Malabar to Chefmacoran , are 
thirteen Kingdoms. 
# India-Minor is from Ziambi to Murfili , in which are 
eight Kingdoms, befides many Hands. The fecond, or 
middle India , is called Abafcia , the chief King a Chris- 
tian. There are fix other Kings, three Chriftians, and 
three Saracens, fubjeft' to him; there are alfo jews. St. 
Thomas having preached in Nubia , came to Abafcia , and 
there did the like, and went afterwards to Malabar. They 
are very valiant Soldiers, always in Arms againft the Sol- 
dan of Aden , and the People of Nubia. I heard that 
A. D. 1288, the Great Emperor of the Abiffines would 
have vifited Jerufalem, but being difuaded by reafon of the 
Saracen Kingdoms in the Way, he fent a Bilhop of holy 
Life to perform his Devotions, who in his Return was ta- 
ken by the Soldan of Aden , and circumcifed by Force ; 
whereupon the Abiftine Monarch raifed an Army, dilcomfit- 
ed the Soldan, with two other Mohammedan Kings, took 
and fpoiled Aden. Abafcia is rich in Gold, Efcier is fub- 
jedt to Aden,, forty Miles diftant South-Eaft, where is 
plenty of white Frankincenfe, very good, which drops 
from fmall Trees by Incifion of the Bark, a rich Mer- 
chandize, if c. Some in that Country, for want of Corn, 
make Bilcuit of Fifh, of which they have great Plenty : 
They alfo feed their Beafts with Filh. They take them 
in March, April, and May. 
27. After having fpoken of the Provinces on the Coaft, 
I will now return to fome Provinces more to the North, 
where many Tartars dwell, which have a King called Cai- 
du, of the Race of Zingis-Khan, but fubjebt to none. 
Thefe obferve the Cuftoms of their Anceftors, dwell not 
in Cities, Caftles, or Fortreffes, but dwell with their 
King in the Fields, Plains, Vallies and Forefts, and are 
efteemed true Tartars. They have no fort of Corn, but 
live on Flefti and Milk, in great Peace. They have multi- 
tudes of Horfes, Kine, Sheep, and other Beafts, There are 
found great white Bears, twenty Palms long, black Foxes, 
very large, wild Affes, and little Beafts called Rondes, 
which bear the Sable-Furs, and Yariarcolini, and thofe 
which are called Pharaoh's Rats, which the Tartars are 
fkilful in taking. The great Lakes which are frozen, ex- 
cept in a few Months in the Year, are the Caufe, that in 
the Summer it is fcarce to be travelled for Mire, and 
therefore the Merchants in going to buy their Furrs, for 
fourteen Days Journey through the Defart, have fet up 
for each Day a Houfe of Wood, where they barter with 
the Inhabitants, and in Winter they ufe Sledges with- 
out Wheels, and plain on the Bottom, riling with a 
Semicircle at the Top, or End, which are drawn on 
the Ice, by Beafts like great Dogs, by Couples, the 
Sledge-Man only with his Merchant and Furrs fitting 
therein. 
At the Extremity of the Region of thefe Tartars , is 
a Country reaching to the fartheft North, called theobfeure 
Land, becaufe the moft Part of the Winter Months the 
Sun appears not, and the Air is thick and darkilh, as be- 
times in the Morning with, us. The Men there are pale 
and 
