therefore when he weareth it, no man dare approach unto him: and they say that there is not any stone in the whole world of more value than it. Neither could at any time the great Tartarian Emperour of Katay either by force, money, or policie obtain it at his hands, notwithstanding that he hath done the utmost of his indeavour for this purpose. [Footnote 1: Large and fine pearls.] _Of the Island of Sylan: and of the mountaine where Adam mourned for his sonne Abel._ I PASSED by also another island called Sylan,[1] which conteineth in compasse aboue ii M miles, wherin are an infinit number of serpents, & great store of lions, beares, & al kinds of ravening & wild beasts, and especially of elephants. In the said countrey there is an huge mountaine, whereupon the inhabitants of that region do report that Adam mourned for his son Abel y^e space of 500 yeres. In the midst of this mountaine there is a most beautiful plain, wherin is a litle lake conteining great plenty of water, which water y^e inhabitants report to haue proceeded from the teares of Adam & Eve: howbeit I proved that to be false, because I saw the water flow in the lake. This water is ful of hors-leeches, & blood suckers, & of precious stones also, which precious stones the king taketh not unto his owne use, but once or twise euery yere he permitteth certaine poore people to diue under water for ye said stones & al that they may get he bestoweth upon them, to the end that they may pray for his soule. But y^t they may with less danger dive under water, they take limons[2] which they pil,[3] anointing themselves with the juice thereof, & so they may diue naked under y^e water, the hors-leeches not being able to hurt them. From this lake the water runneth even unto the sea, and at a low ebbe the inhabitants dig rubies, diamonds & perles, and other precious stones out of the shore: wherupon it is thought, that ye king of this island hath greater abundance of pretious stones, then any other monarch in the whole earth besides. In the said countrey there be all kinds of beastes and foules: & the people told me, that those beasts would not invade nor hurt any stranger but only the natural inhabitants.