M O G 
fo f;ir on thefe two Tides the authority of its monarchs is 
laid to prevail; though on the weft, and part of the north- 
weft, it is confined by that of Monoemugi. 
The climate of Mocaranga is temperate, notwithftand- 
in°- the greater part of it lies within the fouthern tropic; 
the air is clear and healthy, the foil fertile, and fo well wa¬ 
tered, as to abound with pafture-grounds, on which are 
bred vaft multitudes of cattle, el'pecially or the larger 
fort, which the inhabitants fet a higher value on than 
on their gold. The ground produces plenty of rice, mil¬ 
let, and other grain, though no wheat. They have great 
variety of excellent fruit-trees, and abundance of fugar- 
canes, which grow here without any culture. Their fo- 
refts l'warm with wild beafts, and various kinds of game; 
their river9, of which they have a great number, abound 
not only with filh, but with gold alfo, which they fweep 
away from the mines through which they run; yet, in 
fpite of all this abundance, the country is for the molt 
part but thinly inhabited. Except thole lands which are 
watered by the Cuamo and Spiritu Sanfito, and a number 
of others which How into them, the reft of the inland 
parts are Tandy, dry, or barren : infomuch that the few 
inhabitants that live in them are forced to go a great way 
for water to walh their gold dull, whenever their cifterns 
fail them for want of rain. They have neither ho ides nor 
any other beafts of burthen ; but vaft herds of elephants, 
mollly wild, of which theydeftroy many thoufands yearly, 
as may be eafily judged by the vaft quantity of ivory 
which is brought out of it, and fold to the Portuguefe. 
They have a kind of flag called aljinge, of an extraordi¬ 
nary fize and fwiftnefs; and oftriches of a large fize, whole 
greafe or oil, either outwardly applied or taken inwardly, 
is reckoned a l'overeign remedy againft pains and aches, 
fprains and lliffnefs of the limbs. The natives are all 
black, with woolly hair, notwitliftanding their diftance 
from the equinoxial line, and the l'nows which fall in 
fuch vaft quantities upon the mountains. In other re- 
fpedts, they are well lhaped, robuft, and healthy, and more 
fprightly and docile than thofe of Quiloa, Mombal'o, and 
Melinda. They delight in war, which they prefer to the 
dull and low way of living by traffic. As for the lower 
clafs, they are commonly brought up to diving; and are 
fo dexterous in it, that their chief bulinefs is to fetch fand 
or mud from the buttom of the rivers, ponds, and lakes, 
and to feparate the gold that is mixed with it, which they 
afterwards exchange with the Portuguefe for cotton 
cloths, and variety of other merchandifes and trinkets, 
which they bring thither from India and Europe. They 
feed on the flefli of oxen and elephants, falted and dried 
filh, and a great variety of fruits. Their bread is made 
of rice or millet, baked in thin cakes; and their drink four 
milk, and oil of fefame or Turkey wheat. The richer 
fort have Tome ftrong kinds of liquor, made of honey, 
millet, and rice. They have, among others, the palm- 
wine, which is eftemed a royal liquor, and drank much 
at court. The Mocaranguans go naked almoft as low as 
the girdle, but from thence downwards are covered with 
a piece of cloth of various colours, and drels more orlefs 
richly according to their rank or circumftances ; that of 
the common people is of dyed cotton ; but perfons of qua¬ 
lity wear India iilks, or cotton embroidered with gold, 
over which they commonly have a lion’s or fome other 
wild beaft’s Ikin, with the tail hanging behind, trailing 
on the ground. The men are allowed to marry as many 
wives as they can maintain; but the firft is looked upon 
as the chief and miftrefs, and her children as the father’s 
heirs, whilft the reft are only deemed as fervants. The 
king or emperor is faid to have above 1000 wives, all of 
the daughters of fome of his vaffal princes ; but the firft 
alone hath the titles and honour of a queen. Pie never 
alters his drefs, but goes attired like his anceftors; he 
neither allows himfelf, or any of his wives or family, 
to wear any clothes that are manufactured out of his do¬ 
minions, for fear they Ihould have fome poifon or charm 
concealed in them. 
Vol. XV. No. 1069. 
M O C 601 
The metropolis of this empire is called Benematapa, or 
Bamiwtxpa; and by Le Blanc and others, Medrogan. It 
is a fpacious city, lituated about fix days’ journey from 
an ancient palace, named Simbaces, and about twenty 
miles weft of Sofala. The houfes are neat, and more or 
lefs high and lofty, according to the rank of the owners. 
They are moftly wiiite-wafhed within and without, and 
adorned with beautiful cloths of cotton, finely wrought 
or dyed, which make the moft conliderable part of their 
furniture. But the greateft ornament of the city is the 
imperial palace, a large fpacious fabric, though of wood, 
well flanked with towers, and with four avenues or llately 
gates, continually kept by a numerous guard. 
MOCAUMPOU'R,atownof Alia,and capital ofacoun- 
try of the fame name, lituated to the north of the coun¬ 
try of Bengal : no miles north of Patna, and forty fouth- 
fouth-eaft of Catmandu. Lat. 27. 35. N. Ion. 85. 37. E. 
MOCEFU', a town of Peru, in the diocefe of Truxillo: 
ten miles fouth-eaft of Lambayeque. 
MO'CHA, or Mockha, a town of Arabia, in the pro¬ 
vince of Yemen. This city Hands in a very dry and bar¬ 
ren fituation. Its fortifications are the walls which fur- 
round it; fome towers on the way to Mufa, which are 
dignified with the name of caftles ; and two other caftles 
of the fame fort, upon the two arms of the harbour. The 
greateft of thefe two caftles is called Kalla Tejar, and the 
linalleft Kalla Abdurrah, .front the names of two faints 
buried in thefe two places. They are provided with fome 
few pieces of cannon. The houfes in the city are built 
of ltone, and fome are handfome. However, there are 
others, both within and without the walls, no better than 
the huts common through all the Tehama. In the envi¬ 
rons of this city are abundance of date-trees, and many 
agreeable gardens. 
Mocha is not an ancient city, being built about four 
centuries fince; and, like many other cities in the Te¬ 
hama, owes its origin to a faint, the celebrated Iheik 
Schaxleli. This faint was in fuch reputation, that amul- 
titude of perfons from the moft diftant countries reforted 
hither to receive his inftruitions. His hermitage flood 
on the fea-fide, and many huts were built around it for 
the accommodation of his followers : thefe formed a vil¬ 
lage, which by degrees was enlarged into a city. Some 
other circumftances contributed to give celebrity to its 
eftablilhment. A fhip bound from India to Jidda call 
anchor, about four hundred years ago, in this latitude. 
Some of the crew, perceiving huts in the defert, had the 
curiofity to vifit them. The ftrangers were holpitably 
received by the Iheik, and regaled with coifee, to which 
he afcribed Angular virtues. The Indians wdio were 
unacquainted with the ufe of.coffee, thought that it 
might be a feafonable remedy to the mailer of the lliip, 
who was ill. Schaedeli affured them, that he Ihould 
not only be cured by the efficacy of his prayers and of 
the coffee, but that, if they would land their cargo there, 
they might difpofe of it to conliderable advantage. Af- 
fuming at the fame time the air and the tone of a pro¬ 
phet, he told them that a city Ihould one day be built 
upon that fpot, which would become an eminent mart of 
the Indian trade. The mailer of the veffel vifited the 
prophet, drank the coffee, and was reftored to health. 
Many Arabs flocked to hear the preaching of the faint, 
and among them were leveral merchants, who purchafed 
the whole cargo. The Indians returned home, related 
their adventure, and induced many of their countrymen 
to relort to this place. An elegant mofque was raifed 
upon the tomb of the prophet, which Hands without the 
walls of the city. The well that fupplies the inhabitants 
with water, and one of the city-gates, bear his name. His 
defcendants are held in honour, and enjoy the title of 
Jheik ; the people fwear by him; and his name will be 
remembered as long as Mocha ftands. He is not only 
the patron of Mocha; butall the Muffulmans who drink 
coffee mention him every morning in their prayers, el- 
teeming him as their patron ; thanking God that through 
7 O his 
