The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Also the cytee of Methone [Footnote: Mecca.] where Machomet lythe, is of
the grete desertes of Arabye. And there lithe the body of hym fulle
honourabely in here temple, that the Sarazines clepen Muskethe. And it is
fro Babyloyne the lesse, where the Soudan duellethe, onto Methon aboveseyd,
in to a 32 journeyes. And wytethe wel, that the rewme of Arabye is a fulle
gret contree: but there in is over moche dysert. And no man may dwelle
there in that desert, for defaute of watre. For that lond is alle gravelly
and fulle of sond. And it is drye and nothing fructuous; because that it
hathe no moysture: and therefore is there so meche desart. And ziff it
hadde ryveres and welles, and the lond also were, as it is in other
parties, it scholde ben als fulle of peple and als fulle enhabyted with
folk, as in other places. For there is fulle gret multitude of peple, where
as the lond is enhabyted. Arabye durethe fro the endes of the reme of
Caldee, unto the laste ende of Affryk, and marchethe to the lond of Ydumee,
toward the ende of Botron. And in Caldee, the chief cytee is Baldak.
[Footnote: Bagdad.] And of Affryk, the chief cytee is Cartage, that Dydo,
that was Eneas wyf, founded. The whiche Eneas was of the cytee of Troye,
and aftre was Kyng of Itaylle. Mesopotamye strecchethe also unto the
Desertes of Arabye; and it is a gret contree. In this contree is the cytee
of Araym, where Abrahames fadree duelled, and from whens Abraham departed,
be commandement of the aungelle. And of that cytee was Effraym, that was a
gret clerk and a gret doctour. And Theophylus was of that cytee also, that
oure ladye savede from oure enemye. And Mesopotame durethe fro the ryvere
of Eufrates, unto the ryvere of Tygris. For it is betwene tho 2 ryveres.
And bezonde the ryvere of Tygre, is Caldee, that is a fulle gret kyngdom.
In that Rewyme, at Baldac aboveseyd, was wont to duelle the Calyffeez, that
was wont to ben bothe as Emperour and Pope of the Arabyenez; so that he was
lord spirituelle and temporelle. And he was successour to Machomete, and of
his generatioun; That cytee of Baldak was wont to ben cleped Sutis:
[Footnote: Susa.] and Nabugodonozor founded it. And there duelled the holy
prophete Daniel; and there he saughe vissiones of Hevene; and there he made
the expositioun of dremes. And in old tyme, there were ['wene' in source
text--KTH] wont to be 3 Calyffez; and thei dwelleden in the cytee of Baldak
aboveseyd.
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