vpon the hyll indifferent stronge. And at this place the lorde thereof vnderstode what I was, and seemed to see me gladly; insomuch that I deliuered him my l’res, which he caused to be well conveighed. Of this towne I can saie no more, bicause it was defaced, for the lorde himself dwelled there but fearefully. After this, we came to the foote of one hyll that stoode vpon another hyll, and hath a citie called Merdin, wherevnto there is but one waie being a staier enforced the grises[64] whereof arr of free stone of iiij paces brode a peece and so endureth a myle longe. At the toppe of this staier is a gate, and wᵗhin that a waie that leadeth to the towne, and within the towne is an other hill, in maner hewen rounde about, on the which standeth a castell of l paces high, to whose entrey is made such an other staier as the first. This towne hath none other walles but those of the houses, and is of leingth the iijᵈᵉ parte of a myle, conteyneng about ccc houses wᵗhin it, well peopled. They make very many silkes and fustians, and it belongeth also to the King ASSAMBEI. The Turkes and Moores arr wont to saie that it is so high that they which dwell in it do never see birdes flee over them. Here I was lodged in an hospitall founded by Ziangirbei, brother of the King Assambei, in the which they that reasorte thither arr fedde, and if they seeme ꝑsons of any estimac̃on they haue carpetts layed vnder their feete better woʳthe than an hundreth ducates a peece. In which place there happened me a straunge cace: and verie rare in oʳ ꝓties. Sitteng one daye alone in the hospitall, there came vnto me a Carandolo; that is to saie, a naked man shaven, wᵗʰ a goate skynne about him, browne, about xxx yeres of age, and sate downe by me, takeng out of his sachell a litle booke, whereon he beganne to reade devowtely, wᵗʰ good maner, as we use to saie oʳ praiers: wᵗhin a while aftre he ytched neere me, and asked what I was: wherevnto answering him that I was a straungier, he saied, and I also am a straungier to this worlde, and so be we all: wherefore I haue lefte it and entende to folowe this trade[65] vnto myne ende: wᵗʰ so many good and eloquent wordes, that to lyve well and modestly he wondrefully compforted me to despise the world: saieng, thoʷ seest howe I go naked through the worlde, whereof I haue seene parte[66] and yet haue founde nothing that pleaseth me: and therefore haue determyned vtterly to habandon it. Being departed from MERDINO, we rode sixe ioʳneys, and came to a towne of the King Assambeis called ASANCHEPH. On the right hande whereof before ye come to it in the syde of a litle hill, there be a nombre of habitations digged out of the verie hill, and on the lyfte hande is anoʳ hyll whereon the towne is buylded, vnder the foote of which hyll arr many caves enhabited, those caves on thone side of the hill being innumerable and all high enough from thearthe, wᵗʰ their streates or waies that leade to those habitations, whereof