EVROPA.

THe countries of Europe, as we now call them are Spaine, France, Ger­manie, Italie, Slauonia, Graece, Hungarie, Polonia, Lituauia, Moscouie, or more significatly the countrie of Sarmatia, and the Peninsula in which is Norwey, Swethen, and Gothland. Among the Iles, Albion, conteyning England & Scotland is the chiefest, next vnto it haue ye Ireland, then more northerly is Island, Frisland, & lastly Groonland, all in the Ocean sea. In the Mediteraneum sea it hath Sicilia, Sardinia, Corsica, Candie, Maiorica, Minorica, Corphum, Nigropont, and others of lesse fame, whose seueral names, and situations do appeere in the Mappe.

This our Europe (besides for the Romaine Empier) honorable throughout all the world hath aboue 28 Christian Kingdoms, yf you adde the 14 which some recon only in Spaine. It is passing fertil, naturally temperate, and of a milde aier. And inferior to no other parte in plentie of all kinde of fruit, wyne, and plants, but to be compared with the most exellent, beeing made pleasant with most faire Citties, Villages and Throughfares. And although it be in compas lesser then the other, yet for the woorthinesse of the people it is preferred be­fore all other partes of the world, & euer hath bin by all auncient writers, ha­uing both for the Empier of the Macedonians and mightynesse of the Romai­nes bin moste renowmed.

ASIA.

ASIA being the second parte of the world, hath on the west syde to deuyde it from Europe, the riuer Tanais, from the head whereof the deuision is made (as it vvere by a lyne) & extended vnto Sinus granduicus. It is moreouer denyded by Mare Magiore, & a pece of the Mediteraneum sea. On the south syde it hath the sea of India. On the east the Ocean called Eous, otherwise, the east sea, And on the north the icy sea of Sithia.

Asia by estimation seemeth as great as Europe and Affrica, yet is it not taken to bee so populus as Europe having many wonderfull great deserts, huge mountaines, & spatious sandy regions, & the mount Taurus stretcheth it self very farr & through the middest thereof.

Some haue deuyded this parte of the earth into fyue portions, The first is that which ioy neth vnto Europe, & obeyeth vnto the great Duke of Muscouy. The second that which is vnder the great Cham Emperor of the Tartars. The third that which is occupied by the race of the Ottomans, vnder the fowrth is comprehended the king­dome of Persia, gouerned by the Sophie. And the fift & last parte is that which as of old so yet at this present it retayneth the name of India, beeing denyded vnder the comaund of many pety Kinges, whereof diuers are tributaries to the great Cham. And in this parte is also conteyned the great & mighty kingdome of China. This parte of the earth is not only famous among prophane authors, for the first monarchies of the world, as of the Assyrians, Persians, Babilonians, & Medes, but it is more illustred aboue other partes in sacred scripture, wherein not only appeereth that in the same mankynde was first created, by Almighty God, but our Lord & sauiour Iesus Christ coming into this world for the redemption of man, did choose to make herein his birth place. It is also to bee considered that the most pretious thinges that the world doth yeild are fonnd in this noble parte thereof, as besydes great varietie & diuers kyndes of beastes, & birds, excelent sortes of spices, frutes, medicinall herbes, rootes, & other thinges, As also the moste pretious metalles, pretious stones, and pearles.

AFRICA.

THis third parte of the vvorld, the auncient writers haue diuersty deuided, But as Ioannes Leo vvitnesseth it is now deuyded into fowre partes, to vvitt Barbaria, Numedia, Libia, and the country of the Negroes or moores. The first of these beeing Barbarie is the best and moste frutefull, enclosed with the Atlantike, and Mediterraneum seas, the mount Atlas, and the region called Barcha, which confyneth on Egipt. Nu­media which yeildeth dates & is of the Arabies called the date countrie, is other­wise called Biledulgerid, this beeing the second parte bordereth on the Atlantike sea in the west, and the mount Atlas in the north, in the east it reatcheth vnto the citie Eloacat, and southward vnto the sandie deserts of Libia.

Libia the third parte is in the Arabeck tongue called Sa [...]ra, which signifieth wilder­nesse, it beginneth at the riuer Nilus and reatcheth to the Atlantyke sea, having on the south the Negroes or Moores, and on the north Numedia.

The fourth and last parte is that which is called the country of the Negroes or Moo­res (for that they are black people) it hath Libia on the north. The AEthiopian sea towardes the south, the Gualates towardes the west and on the east syde the kingdome of Goaga.

It is further to be considered that all Africa is enuyroned with the Mediteraneum, Atlantyke and Aethiophian seas and the riuer Nilus.

Some haue accompted Aegipt and Aethivpia to bee of Asia, but with more reason all moderne Cosmographers do recon them to belong to Africa.

The south parte or coaste of Africa was vndiscouered vnto the yeare of our Lord 1497 that Vasca de Gama passed the promontorie or cape de Bona speranza, and sailing round about all the south coast of this parte of the world arryued at Calecut in the east Indies.

Africa hath great and dry deserts wherein many strange beastes and serpents are nowrished, and in some partes there of (as about the riuer Nilus sundry new creatures or monsters are often produced.

AMERICA.

THis fowrth parte of the world for the exceeding largenesse thereof is called the new-world altogether vnknowne vnto all Consmographers vntil the yeare of our Lord 1492, in which it was discouered by Christopher Columba of Genua, who for that discouery was employed by Ferdinand King of Castille & Queene Isabel his wyf. It seemeth moste strange that so great a parte of the world should so long remaine vnknowne, considering the dilligent search of Geographers to describe the whole earthe, the oportunitie to search out countries, & the insatiable desyre that man hath of gold & siluer, wherewith this America aboundeth, & yet could neuer before bee found out. Some think it was decyphered by Plato vnder the name of Atlas, others affirme a pece of coyne to bee found there having on it the Image of Augustus the Emperor, about the which there are diuers opinions and disputes.

This parte of the world hath bene all sailed about except on the north syde, which coast is yet vndiscouered. It seemeth to forme it selfinto two peninsulaes, whereof the one which is northerly conteyneth new Spaine, the prouince of Mexico, the landes of Florida, & Terra noua, etc. That which is southward called Terra firma conteyneth the regions of Peru, Bresilia, and others.

America had not in tymes past either wheat or wyne, kyne, shepe, gotes, asses or dogges, but it hath since the discouery there of bene enriched from Europe with all these and sundry other comodities.

ENGLAND.

THe whole Ile of Albion called also Britannie beeing the greatest Ile of this parte of the world, is at this day by two seueral names called England and Scotland, because it contayneth those two kingdomes. The Meridional greatest & best parte thereof is called England, of Englishmen (somtyme a people of Germaine) whose ofspring doth stil possesse the same vnder their owne King. It contayneth together with the country of wales, 52 Shyres, 29 Cities and 25 Bishoprykes. On the east syde it hath the Germaine Ocean, On the west the Irish sea. On the south the narrow seas which deuyde it from France. And on the north it is seperated from Scotland by the riuer of Tvvede & the Cheuiot hilles.

It aboundeth chiefly in cattel, for which cause the inhabitants are more giuen to grafing then to tillage of the ground, desyring rather pasture then corne land. This region is very temperate, and without great extremitie of cold. The soile is exceeding frutefull, howbeit it yeildeth not wyne. There are many hilles, which beeing without trees do yeild a kynde of shorte and sweete gras for the best nowrishing of sheepe, which are heere in all aboundance, and whose fyne fleeces do excel those of other countries, which is caused either by the temperature of the ayre, or the goodnes of the pasture. This fyne english wooll, may wel be calleth the Golden fleece, for that thereby so great plenty of gold & siluer from so many & so remote regions of the world is brought into this Realme. Here are also great store of mynes of Tinne, Lead, & Iron, as also of Copper, neither are the mynes voyd of Gold and Siluer. In brief En­gland aboundeth with plenty of all sortes of victuals, & is furnished with all store of thinges necessary for the vse of man.

SCOTLAND.

THe realme of Scotland hath England on the south syde therof & on all other sydes els, it is enuyroned with the maine Ocean, on the north syde it hath the Iles called the Orcades & on the west the Hibrides, all subiect vnto Scotland. And albeit it bee not so frute full as England, yet is the land aboundantly furnished with cattel, & the sea with fish, & in it are many thinges very strange & wounderfull.

In Glasco is a lake, one parte whereof frieseth in winter but the other parte doth neuer frise. In Carik are Oxen whose far is neuer hard, but alwayes soft & oily.

In the prouince of Coyl or Kyle about ten myles from the towne of Aer here is a stone 12 foote in height & 30 in length called the deaf stone, for albeit neuer so great noise bee made on the one syde, on the other syde it cannot bee heard, vnlesse a man stand farr of, for so may it bee descerned, or els not.

In Lennox is a lake called Lowmond beeing about 24 myles in length & 8 in bredth having in it thirty Iles, in this lake are three thinges woorthy of note. There are finlesse fishes, & of a good taste. There are fleeting Iles that with thee wynde are moued & driuen to & fro, And somtymes no wynde blowing, the water becometh so rough that the passengers are in great danger to bee drowned yf they cannot speedely get to land. In Argadia (as is reported) groweth a stone which beeing put to straw or stubble wil kindle & set the same on fyre.

In Burquham is a cane wherein water falling it turneth into whyte stones, & in this prouince no rattes are found. In the sea at the mouth of the riuer of Forth is a high rock out of the top whereof issueth a fountaine of fresh water. About 10 myles from Edenbourgh is a fountaine, on the water whereof drops of oyle are found, the which oile is medicinable. In Clidisdale is a myne of Gold, & another of azure, and in the muscles and shelfish on the shore of Scotland pearles are found.

IRELAND.

IReland is a soile vneuen & hilly and the highest hilles haue standing lakes on the tops, It hath also many bogges and quagmyres & is generally watry woodie, & moorish, yet hath it notwithstanding in diuers places moste faire plaines, which yet are but few in respect of the woodes. It is a fat soile, & apt to bring foorth corne. The hilles abound with cattel, and the woodes with wyld beastes. This Ile is more plentiful of pasture then of corne, of gras then of graine yea the wheat-corne is small & withered, and not easy to bee wy­noed with a fan. In tyme of haruest the raine scarsly permitteth the corne to bee gotten into the barne, somuch is this Ile subiect vnto raine. It is plentifull of milk & hony. Solinus and Isidorus affirme it to haue no bees, but they might more truly haue written the contrary. No toade, adder, spider or ve­nemous beast is nowrished in this countrie, nor can liue therein beeing brought thether from any other place.

TERCERA.

THis Ile is called Tercera, because that of the Iles called Acores, it is the third as the ly in order, to such as come out of Spaine to saile westward. It is plentifull of corne and frute, and not without wyne.

Madder which diers vse for the dying of cloth red; doth yeild great comoditie to the inhabitants of this Ile, for that it groweth heere aboundantly.

The Oxen of this Ile excede in fairnesse & largenesse all others in Europe. Ceder groweth here in such aboundance that it serueth for fuel.

The chief towne of this Ile is called Angra which hath a promontorie whereon lieth a strong forte called Brazil.

The Spagniards do also call this Ile Isola del buen Iesu. The ships coming from the west Indies are accustomed heere to take harbor in their retourne to Spaine.

Of these Iles of Acores there are seauen in number, to wit Tercera, S. Mighel, S. Marie, S. George, Gratiosa, Pico, and Fayal but the chiefest of name is Tercera.

SPAINE.

SPaine beeing greater then France, & lesser then Germanie, is enuironed with the great Ocean and the Mediteraneum sea, except on the north-east syde, for there it is continent with France, from the which it is deuyded by the mountaines called the Pirenes, It is now one entire monarchie but in former tyme hath bene deuyded into fourteene King­domes. By authors thus recounted vid. The old and new Castilia, Leon, Arragon, Catalonia, Nauarre, Asturia, Granada, Valentia, Toledo, Galicia, Murcia, Cordoua, Portugal, & Algarbe.

Spaine albeit it bee not in all places manured because of the stonynesse of sundry partes thereof, yet is it far more fertil then Africa, & in very many places it yeildeth aboundantly whatsoeuer is necessary for the vse of man, As very faire VVheat, Rice, VVyne, Oyle, Hony, Saffran, Suger, Limons, Capers, Citrons, Orenges, Pomgranades, & other fruytes. Rosmary groweth there in the fieldes in such plenty that it serueth for fuel. It hath also great store of beastes both wild & tame, & yeildeth horses of such swiftnes that it was said of them in old tyme (as a prouerb) that they were engendred of the wynde.

It hath also diuers mynes, as of Gold, Siluer, Copper, Tin, Iron, and Lead, & gold is not only found in mynes, but euen in sand on the sydes of the riuer Tayo. In sundry maritime places it yeildeth great store of Salt. The ayre is pure and helthfull, it is litle subiect vnto tempestes, & is free from foule & contagious mistes. According to a vulgar saying three thinges in Spaine are for the rarety of them very memorable, to wit, A bridge ouer the which water runneth, which vsually runneth vnder bridges, entending thereby the aquaduct of Segouia. A towne enuyroned with fyre, meaning Madrid, the walles whereof are of flint. And a bridge whereon ten thowsand beastes are con­tinualy pastured, which is vnderstood by the riuer Guadiana, which running into the earth hydeth it self the length of seauen leagues, & then coming foorth againe holdeth his course as before.

PORTVGAL.

THis country of Portugal is enuyroned about with other countreys of Spaine, except on the west syde, for their it bordereth vpon the great westerne Ocean.

It is in Latin called Lusitania, taking this name (as is said) from Lusus sonne vnto the nynteenth King of Spaine. Sundry faire riuers do take their courses through this region, of which the riuer Tagus now called T [...]lo is the principal, & was of old tyme more famous, for that his sandes along by the banck sydes were mingled with gold.

The whole country is wel inhabited, and albeit Portugal hath litle or no wyne yet Algarbe which is ioyned & reconed with it, yeildeth very good wynes. Mountanous it is not, neither reported to haue mynes.

This kingdome began about the yeare of our Lord 1100, in this sorte. Henry an Earle of Loraine coming into Spaine, shewed himself very valiant, & had many victo­ries against the Saracins, for the which Alfonsus the sixt King of Castilia gaue him his base daughter Tyresia in mariage, & bestowed with her this country vpon him.

Of these twaine came Alfonsus the first King of Portugal, the first that gat out of the handes of the Saracins the citie of Lisboa. He also ouercame in one battaile fyue Kinges, in memorie whereof he bore in his armes fyue shieldes, as in the armes of Portugal do yet appere. This kingdome albeit but litle yet hath it enlarged it self in glory & fame euen to the farthest boundes of the world, & by the great trade of spices & other pretious wares from the east Indies hath bin moste mightely enriched. This trade began in the raigne of King Iohn he second, and hath continued with exceeding comodite, & the augmentation of sundry tytles of other crownes & kingdomes. This realme of Portugal after the death of Henry first Cardinal & lastly King (who succeeded Sebastian that was slaine in Africa) became with whatsoeuer belonged vnto it, to bee vnder the obeysance of Philip the second King of Spaine, & so remaineth ioyned with the other kingdomes of Spaine, in one entyre monarchie.

ANDALVZIA.

THis countrie hath on the east syde Granada, on the west Algarbe, on the north the prouince called Magistratus S. Iacobi, & on the south the straight & begining of the Mediteraneum sea, comonly called the straight of Gibraltar.

On either syde this straight are two moste high mountaines, to wit, Gibraltar in Andaluzia whereof that straight taketh name, and Abyla in Mauritania. These two mountaines are of many called the columnes of Hercules, yet there are that affirme the columnes of Hercules to haue bin two pillers of brasse in the tem­ple of Hercules, which was in the Ile of Gades, now called Cadiz or Cales in which they say was grauen the charges which the building of the said temple did coste, howbeit the certainty is altogether vncertaine, whether the two pillers of Hercules were these two mountaines, or two artificial pillers of brasse.

This countrie of Andazulia is the moste fertil parte of all Spaine, for aboun­dance of all sortes of fruits, & great plenty of other necessary thinges.

The inhabitants are courteous & ciuil, & very opulent. It is replenished with almoste 200 syne townes, but the great & ritch citie of Siuil is the Chiefest citie of all this prouince.

The name it hath of Andazulia is growne but by corruption, for the right name is Vandazulia, of the Vandules, that heere made there habitation, when by the Gothes they were chased out of other partes.

VALENCIA.

THe Kingdome of Valencia bordereth on the east syde vpon the Mediterraneum sea, & is on all other sydes enuyroned with other countries of Spaine. The chief citie of this realme is also called Valencia, & of this citie the whole country taketh name. Some authors do witnes it receaued the name of a Kingdome in the yeare of our Lord 162. There are two principal mountaines in this country, the one called Mariola, the other Penna G [...]lofa, which do produce many sortes of medicinal herbes, for which cause diuers phisitions & apothecaries repaire the­ther for simples. There is in this country at a place called in the spanish tongue [...]uriol, a myne of siluer. And in a place called Aioder there are stones found stryped with golden vaines. At the promontorie of Finistrat are certaine mynes of Iron, though of no aboundance. About Segorbia is a quarry out of which marble in tymes past was taken & sent to Rome. In Piacent Alablaster is found, & in sundry places great store of Allum, Red-Oker, Lyme & Chalk. This country yeildeth fyne wool, which (as is said) cometh of the race of cotsold sheepe transported out of England into Spaine by licence of King Edvvard the fowrth in the fift yeare of his raigne. There is great comoditie made in this country by the making of certaine earthen vessels which the Spagniards call Procellana.

This country was long inhabited of the Moores, vntil at last King Iames after a long siege constrayned them to leaue the citie of Valencia, out of the which there departed at once more then fyfty thowsand in number, who caried with them all their riches, & left the citie voyd, both of people and welth. There is not (as is thought) any corner of the world so replenished with goodly gardens, aboun­ding with such rare & excellent flowres & herbes, as is this countrie of Valencia.

GADES.

THe Spagniards call at this present this Ile Cadiz & corruptly it is called Caliz. It is as deuyded into two partes, & so seemeth two Iles. In the lesser is now the Citie of Cales, & in the greater was Iulia Gaditana Augusta, which as Strabo saith, was called Naples. The Citie of Cales is now a Bishops sea. By moste auncient authors it appeereth that this Ile was found out by the Phenitians, & others hold that after them the Geryons inhabited heere, whose cattel was taken away by Hercules. In this Ile was a temple of this Hercules, which for the founder & for Antiquitie, religion, & riches, was very famous. This Church saith Mela is become holy because the bones of Hercules are here buried. In the Temple of Hercules Ceasar did behold the picture of Alexander the great, as Sueton telleth vs. There was a well which at ful sea yeilded salt water, and at the ebbe fresh. Sundry temples the pagans buylded in this Ile, as a temple of Iupiter, a temple of Iuno, a temple of Saturne, a temple of old age, & a temple of death. In these temples alters were erected to the Gods of the yeare, to monethly Gods, & to Arte & pouertie.

The inhabitants of this prouince did in tymes past excel in nauigation, & they do not now degenerate from their anceters. Their chief comodities rise of salt, & fish. This was the last Ile knowne in the world, as antiquitie belieued. And there (they said) the Sunne beeing weeried with running his dayly race descended into the Ocean sea, & tooke rest, & therefore this Ile is of Statius called the Sunnes bed.

FRANCE.

THe realme of France (as now it is limitted) hath on the north syde the nar­row seas that deuyde it from England, westward it hath the west Ocean, in the southwest it ioyneth to Spaine, & directly south it bordereth vpon the Medi­terraneum sea. On the Eastsyde to begin from the south downward vnto the north, it bordereth first vpon Sauoy, then on the Countie of Burgundie otherwise called La Franche Countè, & so along by Lorraine, vpon Luxembourg, Heualt, & Årtois.

This goodly kingdome is aboundant in corne and wyne & al sortes of frutes, hauing plenty of cattel and foule & wanteth not all other necessarie thinges, mynes it is not renowmed to haue, yet is it moste ritch & opulent, beeing situate in the middest of the chief countries of Europe, & hauing trafike on all sydes.

It shal not be needful to shew the three parts wherein Ceasar recounteth it to haue bene deuyded of oldtyme, seeing both the limitts and inhabitants are since altered. At this present it is deuyded into eight prouinces, which are vnder eight continual courtes of Parlament. The first is the prouince of France otherwise called the Ile of France, wherein the citie of Paris is situate, In which citie the first courte of parlament resideth.

The second prouince is Languedoc, the parlament whereof is in Tholouse. The third Guienne, whose parlament is in Bourdeaux. The fowrth is Normandie, whose parlament is in Roan. The fist is Burgundie, whose parlament is Dijeon. The sixt is Dauphinè, whose parlament is in Grenoble. The seauenth is Prouence, whose parlament is in Aix. The eight is Britannie, whose parlament is in Renes, and vnder these eight prouinces all France is conteyned, & limitted for recours of iustice vnto these parlaments.

GASCONIE.

THis prouince of Gasconie is situate on the southwest syde of France reatching on thesaid syde vnto the Pireney mountaines by the which France & Spaine are deuyded. On the east syde it hath Languedoc and on the north Guienne and Arminac.

The people are valiant & warlyk. The country is very plentiful of all thinges, but it chiefly aboundeth in wyne, where with it not only serueth it self, but sundry other countryes in Europe besydes.

In the tyme of Carolus Magnus it was called the kingdome of Gascony. In this country thesaid Charles the great marching against the Saracins of Spaine did lose in a battaile forty thowsand men, in which battaile his noble nephew the Earle Roland was slaine. This country was first subdued vnto France by Dagobert the first of that name. In the yeare of our lord 1155 both it and all Aquitaine came to bee subiect vnto the crowne of England, through the mariage of King Henry the second of that name, with Elinor daughter and heyr vnto VVilliam Duke of Aquitaine. And it was lost in the yeare of our lord 1453. in the 31 yeare of the raigne of King Henry the sixt, so as it remayned vnder the obeisan [...]e of England about 300 yeares.

POICTOV.

THis prouince of Poitou, called in Latin Pictauia is detryded into two partes, to wit the Superior & Inferior. The vpper Poitou is that which stretcheth east-ward towards the countries of Towrs & Berry, the nether Poitou is that parte which westward extendeth it self to the Ocean sea.

It is a country frutefull in Corne & Cattel rich in wynes & furnished with great store of fish, And the great aboundance of wyld beastes & fowle, doth cause the delightfull sportes of hunting & hauking to bee here much vsed.

The chief citie of this prouince is called Poitiers, having a notable vni­uersitie chiefly for study of the Ciuil law, this citie is of great antiquitie as appeereth by the Theatre, Aquaduct, & monuments, which are there yet remaining.

BRITANNIE.

BRitannie (called in tyme past Armorica) bordereth eastward vpon the country of Maine and a parte of Aniou, towards the north it hath the narrow sea & a parte of the country of Constantin, towards the west the maine Ocean, & towards the south the country of Poitou. It is reconed in two partes, to wit the higher & the lower Britany. There are in it nyne Bishoprykes which are deuided into three distinckt quarters. Three of these which are, Cornuaille, S. Paul & Treguiers, do speake the British tongue, & the inhabitants are called Cornubians, Other three, to wit, those of Dol, Renes & S. Malo, do speake the French tongue. The third beeing those of Nantes, Vannes and S. Brieu, do speak both French and British.

The principall townes in Britannie are Nantes and Renes, but in Renes resydeth the courte of Parlament for the whole prouince. The chief hauen of all Britany is that of Brest. It is not to bee omitted that the hauen of S. Malo is garded with mastiues, which beeing thereto trayned do there kepe diligent night▪ watch.

It is generally a pleasant & fertile country, the earable land beeing as good as can be desyred, hauing also plenty of wood & pasture, & exceeding great store of medow ground. There are in it mynes of Iron & lead, & in some places siluer▪ fyne salt is there boyled through the heat of the Sun. And the country through the many comodities thereof, & the sea trafike, is very welthy.

NORMANDIE.

NOrmandie hath on the north syde thereof the narrow seas, that seperate England & France, & on all sydes els ir is enuyrond with seuerall countries & prouinces of France.

From whence this Duchie taketh name, the name it self of Normandie doth declare, to wit, North-mandie, that is the dwelling or region of the men of the North, for from Norvvay othewise North-vvay, came Rolo (afterward called Robert) with his Northmen, and of Charles the simple King of France hee and his people obtayned heere there habitation, about the yeare of our Lord. 9 12.

This prouince of Normandie is a moste pleasant & fertil soile, so wel furnished of all necessaries as sildome any place better. It hath great store of flesh and fish, of corne, and vvood, much wyne it hath not there growing, but is furnished with great store by the riuer of Scine, which coming through Paris passeth by Roan the chief citie of this prouince. All the corne feilds, as also the high wayes & passages, are set & planted about with frute-trees, espitially aples & peares, which yeildeth great aboundance of tider & perry, The riuer of Seine (as a foresaid) passing by Roan falleth into the sea at Haure de grace, or nevvhauen, where ships arryuing do come vp the riuer to Roan, which maketh the citie of great trade & trafique of marchandise.

ANIOV.

THe Dukedome of Aniou lieth (northward) in the west parte of France ioyning vpon Britannie. It is not great, howbeit very good, for that there is not any country in France that exceedeth it in fertillitie of soile. It hath plenty of wyne, store of corne, and aboundeth in kyne, & sheepe, & hath great store of fish through the many fishpondes therein, & aboue 36 riuers, whereof the Loyre and the Mayne are the principal. It is beautified with pleasant medo­wes, woods, forests & mountaines, & in the mountaines are quarries of freestone, marble & slate.

The principall towne of this Duchie is Angiers, situate on either syde of the riuer of Mayne. It is of great antiquitie, which is witnessed by the ruynes of a Theatre not farr from it. It hath a very faire bridge ouer the riuer of Mayne all buylt of free stone, It hath also a famous vniuersitie which was founded in the yeare of our Lord 1387.

BERRY, OR THE COVNTRY OF BOVRGES.

BErry, otherwise called the country of Bourges, so taking name of this the chief citie thereof, lieth in the middest of the realme of France.

The inhabitants of this country were in tymes past a free people, but in proces of tyme became with other lyke prouinces to bee vnder the Kinges of France.

Bourges (as is aforesaid) is here the chief citie, in old tyme very famous, and by Ceasar called Auaricum, & it is by few cities in France exceeded in greatnes.

In this citie is a famous vniuersitie, wherein the liberal sciences are taught, which vniuersitie was erected in tyme past by a Duke of this duchie, who greatly fauoured good letters.

It hath in many places marrish ground & chiefly about this citie, by reason of the sundry riuers & brookes, that pas by & about it, neuerthelesse it is very frutefull, & aboundant in all thinges that are generally els where found in other partes of France.

LIMOVSIN.

LImousin called in Latin Lemouicū, lieth in the west parte of France betwene Berry and Xanctoigne, The chief citie of this Vicontie is called Limoges, the inha­bitantes are called Limosins or Limosians a very ancient people, and there name having neuer bene changed they are of some authors called Aborigines. The chief citie (aforesaid) of this prouince is of great antiquitie, it was first spoyled by the Romaines, after that by the Gothes, then by the French, afterward againe by Charles Martel, and lastly by Englishmen.

The soile about this citie is fruteful & the citie is not inferior to any in all Aquitaine, in regard of trafike.

The country is woody & hilly, & therefore lesse fruteful then other prouin­ces of France, Chestunt trees are heere very plentifull, & their frute is a great sustinance for the comon people, & great store therof is sent from hence to other places and prouinces of France.

The riuers that pas through this country are exceedingly stored with fish.

ORANGE.

THis Prince-dome of Orange taketh name of the principal citie thereof, whith is so called, & it is reconed (of some) to bee within the limittes of Prouence.

It is of great antiquitie & of Ptolomey called the Colonie of the Aurasians. It was in tymes past the heritage of the Princes & familie of Chalon, & often allied with the hows of Burgundie.

It is since falne vnto the hows of Nasau throwgh aliance made with the hows of Chalon.

There is seene at the Citie of Orange the ruynes of one of the moste faire Theaters in the world & a wall of squared stone such as is scarsly found in any place and at one of the gates standeth a moste goodly Triumphal-arck.

All which doth argue the great antiquitie of the place.

SAVOY.

THis Dukedome of Sauoy, lieth at the southeast end of France, & betweene France and Italy. In the tyme that Hannibal passed the Alpes it was called the kingdome of Allobroges, so named of their King Allobrox, whose kingdome stretching further then Sauoy now reatcheth comprehended also the prouince of Dauphine.

The chief citie of Sauoy is Chambery, & there is the residence of the courte of Parla­ment for the whole Duchie.

The nature of the soile is very different, for in some places it is fertil of corne & wyne, & in other places very barrain, firre trees it hath very many, & many chestnut trees. Here are to be seene those huge & immeasurable mountaines called the Alpes, & rightly so called after the Latin woord Albus, that betokeneth whyte, for the higher tops of them beeing alwayes whyte of the snow where with they are couered; it see meth there a continuall winter.

Many wyld beastes are harboured in these mountaines, as beares, & wolues & ce, there is also a kynde of gote which clambring & skipping vpon the rocks doth ofte help himself from falling by his hornes, where with he catcheth hold, they beeing croked & bending forward, lyke vnto hookes. Here are also certaine beastes called the myce of the Alpes, beeing ordinarily as great as conies, but having long tailes lyke vnto rattes, heie are hares, that are whyte in the winter & broune in somer.

This country is moste barreyn toward mount Senis, where there are no medowes in the valey, nor scarsly anything growing of woorth, but passing ouer thesaid huge mountaine & coming downe on the other syde, it seemeth a new world, for then beginneth the euen plaine & pleasant country of Piemont, so called for lying at the foot of these mountaines, and though it bee not of Sauoy, yet is it a Prince-dome belonging vnto the Duke of Sanoy.

PROVENCE.

PRouence lieth on the furthest syde of France southward. On the southsyde it hath the Mediteraneum sea. On the eastsyde, some parte of the Alpes, & on the other sydes it is confyned with sundry other prouinces of France.

This region beeing warmer then the other partes of that realme, doth yeild frutes accordingly, for besydes vvheat which it yeildeth in all aboundance, it is full of Odoriferant trees, as of Oranges, Citrons, Oliues, Pomgranades & Figges, & full of meruelous faire Vineyards, the hedges are not of thorne or brambles but of Pomgranades & other frut-bearing trees, to the end the very hedges should yeild profit as wel as what is enclosed within them, the vnlaboured & waste groundes of this countrie do yeild meruelous plenty of Rosmarie, Mirtle, Gineper and Sage. Palme-trees are also growing here, which beare as good frutes as in Africa, here groweth also Suger, Saffron, & Rice. And here the pure ayre yeildeth the gentle purgatiue called Manna.

Among the cities of name of this countrie Marseiles is not the least, for hauing the best hauen of all France, on the midland sea. Here is also the citie of Arles, heretofore much renowned, as also the citie of Aix. wherein the court of par­lament for that parte of France is holden. In this prouince lieth Auignion, which belongeth vnto the Churche, & where sundry Popes for aboue 70 yeares together haue made their residences. This citie of Auignion among other rareties hath seauen thinges of note, & seauen againe of each of them, to wit, seauen Pallaces seauen Parishes, seauen Hospitales, seauen Monasteries of women, seauen Colleges, seauen Couents, & seauen Gates.

THE COVNTIE OF BVRGVNDY.

THe countie, of Burgundy, the frenchmen call La franche Conté, that is to say a free earldome, the limits of this earldome northward are Lorraine & Ger­many, southward Sauoy, westward the Duchy of Burgundy, & eastward Svvitserland.

Besançon & Dole are the two chief cities of this country. The former of these beeing very auncient is the principall of all. It hath as good & pleasant a situation as any citie els, beeing enuyroned with ritch mountaines, plentiful vineyards & forests of goodly Oakes, & the riuer of Doux which passeth through the middest thereof doth yeild vnto it very good fish.

Dole standeth also vpon the same riuer, and hath a flourishing vniuersitie in all faculties of learning. In a parte of this country there are salt pittes which do yeild moste excellent pure whyte salt.

In that parte called Arbois groweth the excellent wyne called vin d'Arbois. The whole country (although but litle) is both fruteful & wel inhabited, albeit it bee said of Orgelet (a place where very industrious people dwel, that liue by clothmaking) that by reason of the rocks & mountaynes, the fields are without gras, the riuers without fish, & the hilles without wood.

THE DVCHIE OF BVRGVNDIE.

THis second or lower Burgundie now a Dukedome was in former ages a kingdome, the kinges where of did for the moste parte make their residences in the citie of Arles, so as the boundes of this kingdome stretched much farther then this Duchie now doth, the which paleth with Campaigne on the north syde, with Niuernois & Bourbonnoys on the west, with the country of Lions on the south, & the countie of Burgundie on the east. Of this Duchie Dijeon is the chief citie, it lieth vpon the riuer of Ouche, & here is held the tribunall or courte of Parlament for Burgundie, &c. The riuer whereon this citie standeth is full of fish. The country is very frutefuul & yeildeth very good wyne.

The Dukes of Burgundie haue heretofore bene very famous, & of great power & opulence, and the people valiant.

The country taketh name (as Saniulianus saith) of a Burg or castle in the vally of Ogue, & therefore called Burgogue.

It hath besydes Dijeon, diuers fair cities, as Beaunle, Chalon, Mascon, & sundry others, among which, Autun sheweth it self to bee of great antiquitie, where the ruynes of a great Theatre are yet to bee seene.

The cronicles of Aemylius do shew, how about the yeare 1044, the whole country of Burgundie was deuyded into two partes, to wit, into a Dukedome, and an Earldome.

LORRAINE.

THis Dukedome (accompted to bee of Germanie,) hath on the east syde the country of Alsatia, in the south the countie of Burgundy, in the west Cham­paigne, & on the north the forest of Arden. It was heretofore a kingdome, and called Austrasia, but then extending it self much farther then it now doth. It tooke the name of Lorraine of Lotbarius nephew vnto Charles the great, & was annexed vnto the Empyre vnder Otho the first.

The country is hilly, but wanteth nothing necessary for mannes vse, It is furnished with cattel, & hath very good medowes & pasture groundes, it yeildeth corne & wyne. It hath mynes of Siluer, Tin, Copper, Iron & Lead. Pearles are found in some waters in the valley of vaguy. The pretious stone called the Calcedony, with sundry other stones of woorth are here fomid, as also azure. More-ouer here is exceeding pure whyte salt, which is said to yeild yearly vnto the Duke (all charges borne) 100000 Franckes.

There is a lake about 14 leagues in compas wherein (amonge other sortes of fish) are carpes of exceeding sweet taste, comonly of three foote long & one foote large this Lake beeing fished euery three yeares doth yeild somuch that it maketh in yearly value vnto the Duke 16000 Franks.

Lorraine hath many fyne riuers, & the holesome warm bath of Plombiers. The chief citie is Nancy, & there the Duke moste comonly resydeth.

CALIS and BVLLEN.

OF all partes of the maine continent, this only parte is in the view of England, & England thereof is viewed. These two townes with their terri­tories, are paled on the east syde with west Flaunders, on the west syde with the English or narrow seas, northward with the Germaine Ocean, & southward with Artois & Picardie. The country aboute Bullen is good & pleasant, & inward into the land are hilles, & some woods, which are accompted portions or partes of the great forest of Arden, which the french call Boys de morman. The country about Calis is vnpleasant, low & warrish. Calis of sundry authors is called Iccius Portus, but others atribute that name vnto Bullen. At Bullen is yet beheld a strong tower built by Iulius Ceasar, & of Englishmen called the old man.

The towne & territory of Calis was subiect to the crowne of England, from the yeare 1346 (what tyme through force of armes it was by Edvvard the third taken from the french) vnto the yeare 1557, when (the Lord vventvvorth beeing gouer­nour thereof for Queene Marie) it was taken againe by the French, so that it remayned in the possession of the English 210 yeares, and the towne of Calis became famous through the Staple of wool by them there holden.

In tymes past the towne of Calis belonged vnto Flaunders, after vnto France, then to England, & so to France agame, as hath bin said, & in the yeare 1596 It was taken from the French through force, by the Archduke & then Cardinal, Albertus of Austria, gouernour of the Netherlands at that tyme, for the King of Spaine, & in the yeare 1598 vpon a peace concluded betwene France & Spaine it was rendred againe to the French.

VERMANDOIS.

VErmandois is almost enuyroned with Picardy, saue that on the one syde thereof it ioyneth vpon Artois and Cambresy. It is a litle prouince, but the name is of antiquitie, & the people thereof were of old called Veromandui.

The chief towne hereof is called S. Quintins, which was long since called Augusta Veromanduorum howbeit one author saith that thesaid Augusta was two myles from the towne of S. Quintines, and was since called the Abbey of Vermond.

This was wont to bee a Bishopryke, but S. Medard the fourteenth Bishop of Vermandois translated that seat vnto Noyon, in the yeare 524 when the Vandales came into France.

Phillip the second King of Spaine tooke this towne by force of armes, in the yeare 1557 with great discomfiture & losse of the French men.

In this country of Vermandois two notable riuers haue there begining & the one not far from the other. The one is the riuer of Somme, which passing through Picardie falleth into the sea at S. Valeries. The other is the riuer of Skeld, which passing through Cambressi & Tournay, into Flannders, cometh vnto Antwerp, & so downe into Zealand, is there receaued into the sea.

PICARDIE.

PIcardie accompted of old a parte of Galia Belgica, hath on the east syde Verman­dois, on the west Normandie, & a parte of the narrow sea, on the north it hath Artois and on the south Champagne.

The riuer of Somme which of Ptolomey seemeth to bee called Phrudis, watreth this country & maketh it frutefull, and the townes to bee furnished with all necessary prouision. The soile yeildeth great aboundance of corne, & albeit it hath no wyne, it is rather thought to procede of the negligence of the inhabi­tants in not planting vineyards, then through the vnfitnes of the soile to nourish them.

The principall citie of this country is Amiens, which is a Bishops sea, ancient, & very famous, and aswel fortified as any citie in France.

Next vnto this is Abbeuile, then haue ye Peronne, as also the towne of Guyse, whereof the hows & family of Guyse taketh name.

From whence the name of Picardie is deryued there are diuers opinions. Some think that the Begardi should be changed into Picardos, which Caenalis wil not affirme of certainty.

Others do say that these people haue the name of Picardes (& consequently their country the name of Picardie) for hauing in warr first taken vp the vse of pykes.

GERMANIA.

THis great & spatious country, hath on the northsyde thereof the Germaine & Baltish sea, southward it confyneth with Italy, westward it reatcheth vnto France, eastward northerly it ioyneth on Polonia & southerly vpon Hungaria, & within it lieth the Kingdome of Bohemia. It is a country mightely replenished with goodly cities townes and villages, & exceeding populus, hauing therein many goodly riuers, whereof the Rhene, the Danubie, & the Elbe, are the chief. It is deuyded into sundry Dukdomes, Earldomes, & other gouernments, yet all in some sorte depending on the Empyre for here in Germany the Emperor hath his seat & residence for whose election Pope Gregory the fyft (beeing of the hows of Saxony) ordayned seauen Princes electors, to wit, three spiritual & 4 temporal, the spiritual are the Bishops of Magunce, Cullin & Treuers. The 4 temporal are the Dukes of Saxon, and Bohemia (for Bohemia now a kingdome, was then a dukdome) The Palsgraue of the Rhene, & the Marquis of Brandenbourg.

The earth & ayre, as also the people of Germanie seeme much altered since the tyme of C. Tacitus, who described the soyle to be barren, the ayre not very good, the country woodie & watrish, & the people very rude, & vnciuil, for now wee fynde the ayre to be helthsome & good, the country fruteful, & the inhabitants courteous & ciuil. It hath now good wyne growing in it, & such aboundance of corne in the east partes thereof that it sustayneth sundry other countryes, neither is it vnfurnished of all other necessaries. It hath also mynes of Gold, Siluer, Copper, Iron & other metalles. The people are warlyke, very indu­strious, & many rare inuentions haue bene by them found out.

INFERIOR GERMANIE.

INferior Germany, conteyning the seauenteene prouinces which the Emperor Charles the fift left vnto his sonne King Philip the second of Spaine, Is corruptly of some strangers called Flaunders, & the inhabitants Flemings, whereas Flaunders is but one of these prouinces, & the inhabitants thereof properly Flemings.

The names of the prouinces are these. The Dukedomes of Brabant, Geldres, Limbourg, and Lutzembourg. The Earldomes of Flanders, Artois, Henalt, Holland, Zeland, Namure, and Zutphen. The Marquesat of the holy Empire. The Signories of Friseland, Macklin, Vtreck, Ouerysel, and Grooning. The prouinces, are generally by the inhabitants called by the name of Nederlant which in English is Netherland, and the people generally call themselues Netherlanders.

There are in it (as Levvis Guicciardyne affirmeth) the number of 226 walled townes, diched about, and more then 6300 villages each village hauing a parish Church, then are there Castles, fortresses, & noble mennes howses a great number. Some parte of this country is very euen & flat lyke vnto Lombardy, other partes are more high & hilly. It is very frutefull, having plenty of corne, of flesh, and fish, some of which comodities are in some prouin­ces more or lesse abounding then the others, according to the nature & situation of the place.

The people are maruelous industrious, and do excell in all artes and sciences, whereby, as also by their great trade of marchandise, this country may wel bee said to bee one of the moste pecuniary countryes of the world.

LIEGE.

THis Bishopryk ioyneth on the north & west syde unto Brabant, on the east on the duchie of Limbourg & southward it extendeth vnto Lutzembourg & partly vnto France. The ayre is sweet, the country exceding frutefull in corne and other graine, it hath wyne albeit but smalle, it hath store of beastes, both wyld & tame. It hath exceeding good Iron, it hath lead, & also gold. Alablaster & very faire marble is digged out of the hilles, & with great labor and arte of vndermyning Stone-coles are digged out of deepe pittes, which kynde of cole was first discouered to be there in the yeare 1198, whereof (besydes those there spent) there is transported yearely to other prouinces to the value of more then 100000 ducates. S ^r Iohn Mandeuill knight & doctor of phisick, beeing borne in England; & having trauailed so farr, & through somany countries & kingdomes, did not fynde a place that for the sweetnes of the ayre, the frutefulnes of the earth, accompagned with a very great freedome: that better pleased him then did this country of Liege, where he chose to end the rest of his dayes, & there died in the yeare 1272. The citie of Liege is the chief of all the townes in this country, wherein are 8 collegiat Churches, with ritch Canonries.

Tungres for the antiquitie thereof is reconed next vnto Liege, & the ruynes without and within the towne do (aswel as old bookes) declare the oldnes of this citie, there apeereth yet the paued high way that reatched from thence vnto Paris. Some thinke the fountaines to bee about Tungres whose vertues Pliny somuch comendeth, but experience sheweth them to bee at the Spaw.

LVTZEMBOVRG.

THis Duchie is bordered on the northsyde with the Bishopryk of Liege & the Earldome of Namure, on the south Lorraine, on the east the Mosel & the Bishopryk of Treuers, & westward partly with the Mose & partly with the forest of Arden.

The country is altogether hilly & woody, & much of the wood of late yeares is turned to corne land. The chief cirie is of the same name that the whole Duchie beareth, but was by Ptolomey called Augusta Romanduorum: It lieth parte on a hil & parte on low ground.

The inhabitants do speake the high duitsch for the more parte, except those which dwel on the syde towards France, for they vse the french tongue.

By reason of the situation of this country beeing frontyred with so many seueral iurisdictions it hath bene often subiect to the spoile of enemyes, & many of the inhabitants haue abandoned it & gon to liue in other countries.

Lutzembourg was wont to bee an earldome, til Henry the seauenth Emperor & Earle of Lutzemburg (as saith Levvis Guicciardin) erected it into a Duchie.

HENALT.

THe earldome of Henalt hath on the north parte of Brabant & parte of Flanders, on the south it hath parte of Champagne & parte of Picardie, on the east it hath the earldome of Namure & a pece of the country of Liege, & on the west it hath the riuer of Skeld, & a pece of walsh-Flanders.

This prouince is very fertil, aboundant▪ in corne & cattel, with great store of Orchardes, & many fish pondes. It hath mynes of Iron and lead, & hilles wherein are quarreys of marble. Stone-coles corruptly called in english seacole are here found, though not so good as in the country of liege. Mouns is the chief citie & so ordayned to bee by Carolus▪ Magnus. The next vnto this is Valeneyne, called rightly val de cignes that is the valey of Swannes, for the situation of the place is low & the riuers there about haue bin wont to nowrish many swannes.

About a league from Valencyne is the faire Abbey of Vicogne wherein is a library stored with all sortes of rare booke, many other walled cities there are in this country among which is Cimay, the birth▪ place of Iohn Frosard that wrote a french cronicle.

About Barbançon glas for the glasing of windowes is made, as also other glasses.

ARTOIS.

IN this prouince Ceasar placeth the Atrebates, so called of their chief cittie Atrebatum. at this present Arras: which now vnto the whole prouince giueth the name of Artois. It is almost circuited by Flanders & Picardie, having the first of these on the northeast sydes, & the later on the southwest. It hath hereto fore belonged to Flanders, but afterward vnto France, & by S. Levvis King of France it was made an earldome, but in the agreement made in the yeare 1529 betwene the Emperor Charles the fift, & Francis King of France, the first, it came to be vnder the hows of Austria. The ayre is very temperate, & the earth frutefull, yeilding principally great aboundance of corne.

Arras afore named is the chief citie, next vnto lers S. Omer, which according to the opinion of Ortelius, was that Iccius Portus, where Ceasar embarked himself when hee made his voyage to England, then Britannie, And that the sea hath of old tyme come vnto this towne is aparent by the often fynding of ankers in digging in the meddowes & other places there abouts.

Not far from S. Omer is a lake wherein are certaine litle Iles, that with acord or the wynde, are made to pas vp & downe from the one syde to the other.

NAMVRE.

THis earldome is enclosed betwene Brabant, Henalt and the country of Liege.

It is but a litle countie, very hillie, but a fyne and pleasant region. It aboundeth in mynes of Iron, it yeildeth a black or browne marble, as also a veyned marble of different colours, and here are Stone▪ coles also found as in the country of Liege.

There are in it fowre fortified or strongly walled townes. The first is the citie of Namure, which is principal, & a Hishops sea, and situate where the riuer of Sambre runneth into the Mase.

The second is Bo [...]in [...]s, the third Charlemont, & the fowrth VValcourt.

The citie of Namur taketh name (as some say) of an Idol called Nanus, which was placed on the top of the hil where now the castle standeth, where to the demaunders of thinges to come he gaue answere, vntil the coming of Christe, by whose coming this fals God (as all the others which the Pagans honored) became dumme.

BRABANT.

THe Duchie of Brabant is limitted eastward with Geldres, westward with Flanders, northward with Holland, and southward with the country of Liege. In it is conteyned the Marquisat of the holy Empyre, whereof Antvverp is the chief towne. The country is very pleasant & fruteful, but moste towards the south. It beareth all kynde of grayne, & about Louayn it hath vineyards, but they yeild a small kynde of wyne.

Campinia or Kempenland is the most barren parte of all this country by reason of the sandy heathes, howbeit it nowrisheth kyne & sheep, & the soile is much bettered through the labor of the people. It hath fiue woods, whereof that of Sonien which beginneth neere vnto Bruxels & conteyneth about 7 Brabant myles in circuit, is the chief. There are in it 26 walled townes, whereof the moste fayre & famous citie of Antvverp lying on the riuer of Skeld is the principal in trafike & opulence, not only of this country of Brabant, but of all the netherland­prouinces, & inferior to no citie in Christendom. In one day a man may pas from Antvverp to Macklyn (which albeit it bee a prouince a parte yet lieth it within the limitts of Brabant) from Macklyn to Bruxels, & from Bruxels, to Louaine, & ryde an easy pace, taking his repast by the way. The first of these hath the trafike of marchandise, the second the highest court of Law, the third the court of the Prince, & the fourth the vniuersitie. The people of Brabant haue many great & strong priueleges, graunted vnto them by their former Dukes & Princes.

FLANDERS.

FLanders the best & fairest earldome in Europe hath lying next vnto it on the east syde Brabant, on the west the Germaine Ocean, on the north it hath Zealand, but separated by some smal parts of the sea, & on the south it hath Artois.

VVhence this country took name it is diuersly reported, the lykelyest is to bee of the lady Flandria for whose husband (the earle of Harlebeke) his great seruice to Charles the great, the said Charles did of espetial fauor giue vnto the whole prouince her name. In old tyme it was as a wildernisse, & therefore the gouernour was alwayes called Forestier de Flandres. The whole earldome is deuyded into 3 partes, to wit, Flemish Flanders, vvalsb Flanders, & Emperial Flandres.

Gant is the chief citie of all the country, beeing 7 Italian myles in compas, it is very ancient & was before the tyme of Iulius Ceasar called Odueum.

Bruges is the next & conteyneth in circuit 4 Italian myles. Then followeth Ipers, Lyle, Tornay, Dovvay, & sundry other. In brief there are accompted in Flanders 35 cities or townes almoste all walled, & such as are vnwalled haue the priuileges of walled townes. Of thorps or villages there are 1174 to wit such as haue their seueral parish churches.

The country is very fruteful & easely cultiued, faire horses are bred therein, & the yeowes do ordinarily bring 2 lambes at a tyme, and very often 3. Twelue riuers take their passages through this prouince, the principal whereof is the Skeld, certaine Iles adiacent do belong vnto Flanders as Cadsant Osburg and Biervliet, in the later of these lieth buried VVilliam Beuckelens, who died in the yeare 1397 & was the first man that found out the manner of salting & barrelling vp of hering.

GELDRES.

GEldres extendeth in the northwest vnto the Zuder-sea, & south west it con­fyneth with Brabant, eastward it hath the Duchie of Cleue, & westward the Signory of Vtreck.

It is deuyded into 4. seueral quarters, whereof the 4 principall cities are, Nimmegen, Ruremond, Zutphen & Arnhem.

The country is very frutefull, hauing, come & wood, but it moste exceedeth in medow & pasture ground, by reason of the riuers of Rhene, VVale & Mase, which do all take their passage through this country. Leane oxen are sent from other partes to bee here fatned, & in the yeare 1570 an Ox was brought from hence to Antvverp, that weyed 3200 pound.

The people of all the inhabitants of the Netherland prouinces haue alwayes bene reputed the moste warlyke, & the country by warre hath bin moste wasted. They were of old tyme called Sicambri, as Henricus Aquilius in his compendious Cronicle plainly proueth, who also sheweth how it afterward took the name of Geldres. It was somtyme an Earldome, but Reynold the second for his great valour whereby the made himself both feared & honored, being withal a great iusticer, & hauing don great & faithful seruice to the Romaine Empyre, was in an assembly or diet holden at Frankford in the yeare 1329 by Levvis the Emperor, honored with the tytle of Duke, in the presence (as is said) of the Kings of France & England, & of all the Princes electors.

ZELAND.

VNder the name of Zeland are comprised all the Iles lying betweene Flanders, Brabant, Holland and the sea. VVhereof 7 are esteemed the principall, to wit VValkere, Southbeuerland, Northbeuerland, VVolferdyk, Skovv, Doueland, and Tole. These 7 with certaine other of lesse accompt do altogether make an earldome, which hath in all 8 walled townes with some other that are vnwalled and 102 thorps, or villages.

The chief citie of Zeland is Midlebourg situate in the Ile of VValkere, where the staple of wyne is kept, & in this Ile is Flushing, Campheere & Armuy. And Midlebourg lying in the middest, taketh there of that name.

VVel may this country be called Zealand or Sealand; beeing so low that the sea is at euery high water higher then the land, & men standing in the meddowes may see in looking vpward the very keeles of the ships as they saile along, & were it not for the sand-bancks or downes on the one syde; & the banckes of earth & fagots made on the othersyde▪ the sea would soone ouer-runne it.

It is said for a prouerb, that none of the 4. elements are good in Zealand or Holland, the ayre is strong, the earth vnfirme (by reason of the marishnes) the fyre stincking (because it is made of turf) & the vvater salt & brackish.

Zeland notwithstanding bringeth foorth faire corne, & the meddowes do nowrish cattel.

HOLLAND.

THe earldome of Holland, lieth al along on the west syde vpon the Germaine, Ocean, with the creeks whereof it is almost enuyroned, hauing a great number of waters & riuers euery way passing through it. It is said to haue the name of Holland by reason that the earth through the vnfirmnes thereof seemeth hollow, others affirme it to haue taken the name of Holland of the Danes or Normans that inuaded it in Anno 837 (hauing before bene called Batauia) for that they called it Oland after an Ile so named in their northern region.

The country of Holland is lyke vnto Zealand, very low, the earth soft & weak, much of it beeing by the waters ouerflowen. All along the maine Ocean it hath through the mercie of nature the downes or sand-hilles that defend it from the inundation of the sea, & in these downes are woonderful store of conies.

The medow groundes for the feeding of cattel are so exceeding good; as the great aboundance of butter and cheefe transported from Holland into so many countryes doth declare. The inhabitants do also reap great comoditie by their wyld ducks & waterfoule, but espetially by their sea-fishing, & principally by there hering-fang. Litle or no corne groweth in Holland, but they haue it from the east countries of Germany. VVood they haue not, their fuel for the moste parte is turf, their wood beth for howsing & shipping is brought from Norvvay & other places. The chief citie is Amsterdam the howses whereof are built vpon pyles of wood, which are driuen into the watrish ground. The court of Holand is kept at the Hage, which is no walled towne, howbeit the fairest village in all Europe, & situate in the moste pleasant parte of all the countrie. The people are exceeding industrious, & the country ful of townes & cities.

FRIESLAND.

BOth east & west Friesland hath all along on the northsyde the Germaine Ocean, & on the southsyde VVestphalia &ce.

Tacitus in his description of the manners of the old Germaines parteth Friesland in Maiores and Minores, that is the greater & the lesser freslanders▪ according to their power and habitation. The country is now deuyded into east and west Friesland.

Generally it is very low, & the Somer beeing past it is not to bee vsed: it hath litle corne ground, but very notable meddowes, & yeildeth very fat oxen, as also faire & great horses.

The chief citie in VVest friesland is Grooning, and in East-friesland Embden▪ Groening, with the territory thereof is accompted one of the seauenteene Netherland prouinces, but Embden belongeth vnto the earle of the same place.

The Frizons or Frieslanders are an ancient and warlyk people, beeing in old tyme gouerned by a king of their owne. Plinie saith that an herb groweth in this country (which he calleth Herba Britannica) which herb is good for the fastning of loose teeth, & for the weaknes of the legges & knees, & espetial good for the disease called the Scorruie, which disease is scarsly knowne but in these low-landes, & the remedy in lyk forte espetialy here to bee found.

VVESTPHALIA.

THat VVestphalia should take that name of the Goddesse Vesta is very fabulous, for the name is aptly significant in the self countrie language. It ioyneth on the northwest syde with Friesland & on the northeast with the dioces of Breme, on the southeast syde it hath the country of Padelborne, & on the southwest the dioces of Cullen & parte of the duchie of Cleue.

It was according to the opinion of Sebastian Munster the ancient habitation of the Saxons. It hath in it diuers earldomes, & Signories.

The people of this country are strong & faire, & good soldiers the country is moste woody & pasture ground, & very good for the nowrishing of cattel. Dainty meates & delicacies are not he ere found with bacon beef & browne bread the people do liue very long & helthfully, and here is the best Bacon, & the greatest store.

The chief citie of westphalia is Munster, which in Anno 1535. the Anabaptists hauing gotten into possession erected there a new comon welth, vnder their king Iohn of Leyden, who before had bin a tayler, & hauing endured the moste extremitie of a hard siege, were at the last by the Bishop & true lord of that citie subdued punished and according to their demerits.

DITMERS.

DItmers called in latin Thietmarsia or rather Teutomarss lying at the mouth of the riuer of Elbe, & where Cimbrica Chersonesus taketh begining, hath on the northsyde the riuer Eyder, on the east the dukdome of Holsteyn, on the south the riuer Elbe and St [...]rmarsia, & on the west the Germaine sea.

All the country is ful of brooks & marish groundes, for which cause the frutefulnes of the soile is the lesse praise woorthy, & the name of Ditmers betokeneth the nature of the place, for mers or meyrish with them, is the same that marish is in English.

These people were of old accompted amongst the Saxons, but they are now subiect vnto the king of Denmarck, and were subdued by force, in the yeare of our lord 1559. by Aduphus the sonne of Frederik king of Denmarck, since which tyme it alwayes remayneth vnto the king of Denmarckes eldest sonne.

DENMARCK.

THis kingdome is by the sea denyded into sundry portions, the first is eastward & called Scandia, which hath on the west the kingdome of Svveeden, the ayre thereof is good, and the country fruteful, hauing great store of corne, flesh, & fish, it hath also mynes of Gold, siluer, copper & lead 7. The west portion of Denmarck is Iutia, called of Ptolomey Cimbrica Chersonesus, which stretcheth it self out betwene 2 seas, not much vnlyke, though much lesse, then Italy, hauing on the east syde the Germaine Ocean, & on the west the Baltishsea. There are also belonging to Denmarck diuers Iles, whereof the chiefest is Seland.

Iutland was in oldyme in habited by the Saxens, who afterward by the Danes were chased thence. Munsterus saith that Denmarck was a kingdome long before the birth of Christe, & that of the first king thereof called Dan the country took the name which it yet retayneth, but yf Iunius bee to bee belieued, then hath Denmarck taken appellation of the firrtres other wise called den trees which do grow in the country in all aboundance.

The inhabitants of this kingdome haue in former ages borne their armes through out Europe, & established their power in the moste noble regions thereof: for from hence came both the Gothes & the Gothes & the Longobardes.

SAXONIE.

THe name of Saxonie heretofore comon to diuers protinces now remaineth vnto two, to wit, the higher & the lower Saxonie, high Saxonie hath the dignitie of the prince elector, & the principall cities thereof are VVittenberg & Torga. Nether Saxonie hath the cities of Flamburg & Breme, and in the middest lieth the citie of Brunsvvik. It ioyneth eastward vnto the marquesdome of Brandenbourg, westward vpon VVestphalia, southward on Thuringia, & northward it extendeth to the Germanie sea.

Besydes sundry necessary thinges for the vse of man where-with Saxonie is wel furnished, it hath diuers mynes as of Siluer, Copper, and Lead.

There is taken out of pits a certaine kynde of stone called in their tongue Schyffer, for it lightly shelfereth or shiuereth, it is black of colour & it is mixed with copper & brimstone, & the copper by fyre is gotten out of it. VVhen this stone is shelfered in peces there are seene in it diuers veynes of a golden colour, & which is a most wonderful woork of Nature, there apeereth the pictures of diuers sortes of beastes, fishes, foules, & serpens, as perfectly as yf they were drawne thereon by the arte of a painter.

The inhabitants of Saxonie are strong & hardy people, which is held to proceede of there diet, which is nothing dainty or curious: they feed yong children with chewed flesh, rather then with pap or milk.

VVyne groweth not in Saxonie, but their ordinary drinck is beere.

BRANDENBOVRG.

IN tyme fore-past all the countrey beyond the riuer Albis, vulgarly Elbe whereof this Marquisdome of Brandenbourg was a parcel, was inhabited by the Vandales. This prouince confyneth eastward with Polonia westward with Saxonie, Northward with Meckelburg & Pomerania, and southward with Mifnia and Silesia.

The chief citie is called Brandenbourg, & therof the whole Marquisdome taketh name, & the citie it self took name of Brandus, a prince of the Franckes.

Henry the Emperor surnamed the faukner besieged this citie in winter, when the waters about it were frosen, & his soldiers passing ouer the yse took it by assault, he placed here a Marckgraue, & thus began the greatnes of this Prince who aftward be came (& so remaineth) one of the Princes electors.

The countrey is very fruteful, espetially in come, it hath many fish-pondes & meddowes, It hath moreouer vineyardes, which were first planted by the Marck-graue Albertus.

At Francford vpon the riuer Oder, which is in this marquisdome, is an vniuersitie, founded by the Marck-graue Ioachim, in the yeare 1506. neere to this citie from the vyne-hilles runneth a small brook which is length of tyme conuerteth wood & other thinges throwne into it, into stone.

POMERANIA.

POmery, whereof the Latin name Pomerania cometh signifieth in the vanda­lish language a country lying neere the sea euen as this country (so named) doth, which al along the northsyde lyeth on the Baltish sea, on the east it ioyneth to Prusia, southward it hath the Marquisdome of Brandenbourg, & westward the Dukedome of Mekelbourg.

In this country of Pomerania and the confyning places the Vandales inhabited, the people yet dwelling there beeing of that race, who after they were brought from paganisme to the Christian faith began to frame both their language & customes neerer vnto their neighbours the Saxons.

The country hath many riuers & meynes or litle lakes. The meddowes are very good, on the higher groundes there are woods. Beastes both wyld & tame it hath great store of, & great plentie of corne, fish, butter, hony & wax, and wanteth no necessary comoditie.

Amber is here gotten out of the sea, albeit not in such aboundance as in Prusia.

The chief citie of this prouince (although there be other cities of more anti­quitie) is called Stetin beeing very pleasantly situated vpon the syde of the riuer of Oder.

SILESIA.

SIlesia lieth eastward confyning on Polonia, southward vpon Morauia, VVesterly vpon Bohemia, & northwest vpon Lusatia.

This country hath heretofore bene many yeares vnder the dominion of the King of Polonia, & afterward it came to belong vnto the crowne of Bohemia.

The chief citie is Preslavv, which is built with a very great vniformitie. The inhabitants of the greater parte of Silesia to speake the Germaine tongue, the rest the polonian language.

The country is hilly, yet hath it many woods, & from the mountaines of Bohemia many riuers & brooks descending do take diuers passages through this prouince, and increase the fertillitie thereof.

The gentlemen of this country are giuen to husbandry, which is not vsuall with the gentlemen of other parts of Germany, and yet are they not-with­standing wel trayned & exercysed in feates of armes.

AVSTRIA.

AVstria, heretofore called the higher Panonia, hath on the east parte the kingdome of Hungarie, on the west it hath Bouaria, towards the south the mountaines of Stiria, & on the north Morauia.

It is very fruteful, hauing many riuers and they for the moste parte do fall into the riuer Danubius, which taketh his course through this country. It hath such good store of wyne that it therewith furnisheth sundry other prouinces of Germany. The chief citie is Vienna the walles whereof are said to haue bene buylded with the ransome that Leopold the duke did take of Richard the first, King of England.

A litle beneath the citie of Greim there is in the riuer of Danubius a very dange­rous place for such botes & vessels as there do pas, the water whirling about so very switftly: some haue sought by lyne and plomet to haue measured the depth of this place, which hetherto none hath bene able to do, it is so exceeding deep.

Polibius sheweth diuers reasons that through the heapes of sand scowred downe the riuers of Danubius Borystenes & others, the sea called Pontus Euxinus (whereinto they fall) would be made innauigable, which experience the best reason-teacher doth shew to bee otherwise, & that sea no whit lesse nauigable now, then in Polibius tyme.

Austria was first gouerned by Marck-graues, afterward by Dukes, & now lastly by Arch-dukes.

BOHEMIA.

THis kingdome lying in Germany, is compassed about with hilles & woods, it hath on the north syde Silesia, on the west Franconia, on the south Austria & Bauaria, & on the east Morania.

The ancient inhabitants where the Boy, whereof the country tooke the name of Bohemia, but by a people of Sclauonia they were vanquished. The lan­guage of this country is not the Germaine, but the Sclauonian tongue.

Prage is the chief citie of this realme, now the more famous for the court and residence of the Emperor. The riuer Multania vulgarly Vltania runneth through this citie, & entreth afterward into the riuer Albis, or Elbe. In wheat & barley the country is very fruteful, beastes both wyld & tame it nowrisheth in great aboundance, among the wyld beastes are store of Beares, Reddeere, & Ouroxen, this beast called the Ourox in the Germaine tongue, & in the Bohemian Lomi hath growing vnder the neck as it were a bag, with water, & beeing hunted; he casteth foorth thesaid water vpon the houndes, who therby become as scortched or scalded. The country is ritch in mynes, which yeild gold, siluer, quicksiluer, Iron, & sulpher. Stones of price & pearles are here also found, wyne it hath reasonable store, & beere is here also vsed.

This kingdome was in former tymes a dukedome, vntil the yeare 1086, at what tyme, as Munsterus saith, the Emperor Henry the fourth made Vratislaus King of Bohemia, howbeit some authors say that Vladislaus was the first King, & aduanced to that dignity by the Emperor Frederik.

THE DIOCES OF SALISBVRG.

THis Dioces is in Bauaria, & the chiefest Bishopryke of the whole country, it lieth on the Southsyde of thesaid Duchy, & taketh name of the citie so called, which is situated on the riuer of Saltza, the which coming from the Alpes passeth by this citie, & hereof some think the citie it self to haue taken name, though others hold it to come of the salt pits out of which salt is digged.

Iulius Ceasar did here buyld a fortresse calling it Iunania, which the Germaines in their tongue called Helfenberg, that is, the hill of help, aluding therin vnto the Latin name Iunania.

This place in the tyme & tiranny of Attila suffred great detriment.

S. Rupertus Bishop of wormes having conuerted Theodon Duke of Bauaria to the faith of Christ in the yeare 540, was the cause of the reparation of this citie, and became thereof the first Bishop, & there erected churches & monasteries.

This Bishopryke hath mynes of gold, siluer, copper, and Iron. Brimstone, allum, and antimonie is here also found, & quarreys of marble stone.

The store of wyld beastes & foule do heere yeild much delight & exercise of hunting & hauking. Among the Bishops of this Dioces, Bishop Ernestus (by birth palsgraue of Rhene & Duke of Bauaria & a very learned man) is renowmed, for that he would trauaile abrode (yea into other countries vnknowne & as a meane person) to do woorkes of charitie & pietie.

BAVARIA.

IN all Germanie is not any prouince found where more & fairer cities are then in Bauaria. The country is deuyded into 2 partes, to witt, the higher & the lower Bauaria, It hath on the northsyde Franconia, on the west Svvenia, the Alpes of Italy in the south, & Bobemia and Austria on the east.

The higher Bauaria which lieth southward hath diuers forests, lakes, & riuers, & many wild beastes, as beares, wyld-swyne, & thowsands of stagges. The cities of this parte of the country are Monaco, where the duke moste resydeth, Ingelstat which hath an vniuersitie, Frising hauing a Bishops sea, & sundry others.

The lower parte is of both best inhabited, & through it passeth the famous riuer Danubius, the cities thereof are Regensburg, Passavv, Straubing & Lantsbut &c.

The country is frutefull in wyne, corne, cattel, & foule, but of all beastes it moste aboundeth in Swyne, whereof it furnisheth diuers other prouinces of Germanie.

If Strabe (who esteemed all Bauaria to bee a wildernesse) were now aliue, he might see it mightely changed: for that there are in it 34 cities, besydes 46 faire marcket townes, 72 monasteries, & infinite thorps, castles, & lordes & gentlemens howses.

Bauaria was somtyme a kingdome, vnto the tyme of the Emperor Arnulphus, for then began it to be gouerned by dukes.

NORTGOIA.

THis prouince of Northgovv beeing accompted a parte of Bauaria, lieth on the westsyde, next adioyning vnto the forest of Bohemia. The chief citie of this countrie is Nuremberg, the castle whereof lying on a high place was somtyme called Castrum Noricum. The cittie is very strongly walled, having on the walles 182 towers, it standeth in a barten and sandy foile, but yet is very ritch, & hath great trade & trasike through the great industry of the people, whose Iron & copper woorcks are caried from thence almost to all countries of Europe.

Some authors say that by the Emperor Conrade in the yeare 913 a Burgh-graue was placed in this cittie, howbeit some apoint the tyme to haue bene in the yeare 1140 by Henry then Emperor, but the burgers or cittizens of Nuremberg for a somme of mony giuen by them to Frederic their fourth Burgh graue obtayned the gouernment of the cittie to themselues, & left him to gouerne in the country thereabouts.

In this prouince the Emperor Charles the great caused a ditch to bee begonne, which should haue bene in length 2000 paces, & in bredth 300, whereby through the help of the riuers Regnits and Altmul, he ment to haue made a passage for botes from the Danubius into the riuer of Rhene, which begonne woork was hindred by continual raynes, and the marishnes of the ground.

FRANCONIA.

FRanconia, in the Germaine tongue vulgarly called Franckenland hath on the southsyde Bauaria, on the west the riuer of Rhene, Bohemia on the east, & Hassia & Thuringia on the north.

Out of this prouince according to the opinion of many very good authors came▪ Faramond, with his Francks or Franc-men (so called because they were a free people, & thereof since called French-men) into Galia, which therevpon came to lose that ancient name, & to be called France, & of some authors Francia Occidentalis, or vvest-france, because this country of Franconia is called Francia Orientalis, that is, East-france. Adriauns Iunius notwithstanding holdeth a paradox that the Franckes that went out of Germanie to inhabite Galia did dwel much lower vpon the east syde of the Rhene. The most famous citie of Franconia is Franckford, where 2 very famous faires or martes are holden euery yeare, the one about midlent, the other in the middest of September. The Emperor Charles the fowrth ordained Franckford for the place of the Emperors election.

All Skirm-masters, to wit, masters of defense; through all Germany, must come to this citie, & bee here allowed so to bee, yf by the burgers (which are notable fensers) they are found to deserue tht name.

The Bishop of VVirtsberg is duke of Franconia. The country is pleasant & fruteful, hauing store of vineyardes.

About the citie of Bamberg groweth so great aboundance of Licoris that it is transported thence with cartloades.

VVIRTENBERG.

THe dukedome of VVirtenberg in tyme past an earldome doth ioyne westward vpon the marquisdome of Baden, northward vpon the territories of the Paisgraue of the Rhene, & east & southward vpon Svveuia.

It is very fertile & hath many faire townes & thorpes, the principall cittie is called Stutgard, & there the Duke keepeth his court. There are such fruteful vineyards about this cittie that the people haue a prouerb that yf the grapes of Stutgard were not gathered, the cittie would bee drowned in wyne.

Next vnto this is the cittie of Tubing, which hath an vniuersitie, the which was founded by the Earle Euerard in the yeare 1147. At the townes of VViltbad & Zil, there are hotte bathes, and at Gipping there is a fountaine which yeildeth water of a fyne tartish sauor which the inhabitants in their tongue do call Saurbrun, which is in english, sower-bourne, or sower-water, and beeing dronck it serueth for a remedy against diuers diseases.

The castle of VVirtenberg whereof the country taketh name is situate vpon the pleasant riuer of Neccar on the sydes whereof groweth a very good kynde of wyne wel knowne in Germaine by the name of Neccar-vvyne.

TIROL.

THis earldome of Tirol conteyneth a parte of the Alpes that deuyde Germany & Italy, hauing on the northerne syde Bauaria, & on the southern syde Italy.

The chief cities hereof are Inspruck, Bolzan, Tirol, Trent, Brixia, Bruneck and Schvvatz.

This country is very ritch in mynes, and notwithstanding the hillynesse thereof yet hath it sufficient of all thinges for humaine sustenance.

About three Germaine myles from the cittie of Trent lieth a mountaine called Nausberg, which is in length 12 Germaine myles and 3 in bredth.

Rodulph, the sonne of Albert Duke of Austria annexed by mariage this earldome vnto his other possessions, the same beeing also confirmed by the last wil & restament of the fore-going heyre & possessor thereof.

SVITZERLAND.

SVitzerland called in Latin Heluetia, hath on the southsyde Lombardy, on the west syde Sauoy, on the north the county of Burgundy & on the east the county of Tyrol.

This people hauing taken all gouernment from the Nobillitie, & deuyded the country into 13 partes or Cantons, the magistrates of each chief towne of these cantons do gouerne the whole canton there vnto belonging.

The 13 cantons are these, Zurick, Berne, Lucerne, Vri, Suits, Vndervvalden, Zug, Glaris, Basel, Fribourg, Soleurre, Shafhouse, and Appenzel, & besydes these they are confederate with certaine other iurisdictions. This country of Suitzerland is held to bee the highest land in all Christendome, & very probably, for the exceeding high mountaines thereof, from whence the riuers of Rhene, Danubius, Po, Sone, & Rhosue, descending; do seek their passages through lower regions, & hold their courses diuers wayes, as the Danubie eastward, the Rhene northward, the Po southeast, & the Sone & Rhosue westward, which z riuers lastly ioyning in one do turne southerly & fall into the sea at Marcels. It hath many great lakes, one of them beeing vpon a high hil is not knowne to haue any issue foorth, nor by any chanels coming to it to bee augmented.

There groweth very good corne & wyne, & such store of cattel is there nowrished that oxen are sent thence to serue other prouinces, both of Italy & Germany.

ITALIE.

ITalie beginning in the northwest at the foot of the Alpes, which deuydeit from Germany and France extendeth it felf betwene the Mediteraneum and the Adriatyk sea toward the foutheast, in the forme of a mannes arme. This famous countryes praise would rather requyre a large volume then so brief a description as a page of paper wil admit. The sweetnes of the ayre, the goodnes of the earth, the fruteful vynes & olyue trees, the plenty of cattel, the sweete riuers, lakes, & fountaines, & the sea & hauens about it, what praise deserue they not.

There are in Italy very many faire & ancient citties, amongst the which the chiefest is the maiestical cittie of Rome, whose glory both antiquitie & power hath highly renowmed ouer all the world.

The principall citties of Italie are comonly thus praised, Rome for holynesse, Naples for noblenesse, Florence for fairenesse, Bononia for fatnesse of the soile, Rauenna for oldnesse, Venice for ritchnesse, Milan for greatnesse, and Genua for statelynesse. &c.

The people of Italy are generally very ingenious excelling in all excellent artes & sciences.

FRIVLI.

FRiuli called in latin Forum Iulij, lieth at the vpper end of the Adriatyksea or gulf of Venice, and not farr from the cittie of Venice, on the east syde it hath Istria, on the north the hilles called Lapides, westward a parte of the Alpes, & on the south the aforesaid sea.

This country hath serued for the dore & entrance of sorrow & affliction to it self & the adioyning countries, for that the Batbarians in tymes past did here make their aryuall. It is on the one syde plaine & euen, but afterward it riseth higher & higher, & groweth steep vp vnto the high neyghbouring mountaines, it hath notwithstanding fruteful feilds, & faire vineyards, much wood both for fuel and maintenance of chase.

In the mountaines are mynes of all mettals, as namely, Iron, Lead, Tin, Quicksiluer, Siluer, & Gold. There is also passing faire whyte marble taken our of the quarreyes, & moreouer Christal, Beril, & other stones of price are there found.

This country was subiect vnto the Romans so long as their gratnes endured: afterward it was subdued by the Longobards, & gouerned by dukes, and now lastly it belongeth vnto the Venetians, who accompt them-selues the ancient owners.

The chief citie is Aquilea, somtyme ritch & famous, but since obscured through the greatnes & neerenesse of the cittie of Venice.

ISTRIA.

IStria is almoste a peninsula, it is situate on the vpper end of the gulf of Venice or the Adriatik sea, hauing the said sea on all sydes saue on the north, for there it is ioyned with the continent of Croatia, & with the high mountaines thereof it is limitted. In this prouince are sundry cities, the chief whereof are Ca [...]od'istria, otherwise called Instinopolis, Parenzo, and Pola, the later beeing famous both for the antiquitie thereof & the comodiousnes of the hauen. It is said to haue bene builded by those of Colebe, from whence the inhabitants of this country wil seeme to bee descended, the great antiquitie in deed appee­reth by certaine Arckes and Towers yet remayning. By Attila King of the Hunnes, this cittie (as many other) was sore spoyled.

About Cauod'istria the country is very fruteful, it bringeth foorth wyne & oyle, & hath good meddowes for the nouriture of cattel, & it hath also good salt.

The high hil called Monte Maggior (which to the shipmen at sea doth giue the first shew of this country) is frequented by the apothecaries & seekers of simples for the excellent herbes here growing, whereof some bee very rare, as els where scarsly or not at all to bee found.

ZARA and ZEBENICO.

THe territorie of Zara and Zebenico lying on the northeast syde of the Adriatyk sea (otherwise called the gulf of Venice) is almost an Ile but by ioyning with the continent on the northsyde, it is a peninsula.

Zara was somtyme called Iadera, it was a citie where soldiers resided, strong & foreseene of all necessary thinges, which was the cause of their often resisting the venetians, & in fyne their owne subduing: In this citie among other anti­quities, there lieth the body of S. Simeon, which as saith Peeter Martyr of Angleria doth yet remaine whole & intyre, and that hee wondred that a dead body should so long remaine whole & vncorrupted, which neither with Mirrhe or any ointment hath bene conserued.

The citie of Zebenico was of old tyme called Sic, it is not of that greatnesse or fame that Zara is of, which is a faire & wel built citie & wel situated for the comoditie of the sea.

THE DVKEDOME OF MILAN.

THis moste pleasant parte of goodly Lombardy confyneth eastward with the territories of Parma and Cremona, westward with Piemont, Southward with the mountaines of Svvitzerland.

The citie of Milan is the chief of all the citties of this duchie, & hath bene euen the balle of fortune to bee tossed & transposed to & from somany com­maunders. This cittie is very great, the buildings high & beautifull, & the citizens excelling in all artes and sciences.

The Demo or great churche is maruelous faire, beeing within & without adorned with goodly imagery of whyte marble. The castle of Milan is held to bee the chiefest place of strength of all christendome. Many other notable cities are in this duchie, & scarsly is their any one towne or cittie to bee found, where the memorie of warr either at it or neere about it doth not yet remaine.

The countrie is very euen, hauing euery where fyne brooks of cleere water passing through it, as also some principall riuers, whereof the Po is the chief, which beginning at mount Vesulus endeth in the Adriatyk sea.

The soile is exceeding fruteful, & aboundant in all thinges, as corne, wyne, flesh, fish, & all sortes of excellent frutes.

PIEMONT.

THis countrie is wholy on the west syde & partly on the north & south sydes ioyned vnto the Alpes, and is the first plaine & euen ground that beginneth at the foote of those mountaines, & therefore rightly hath the name of Piemont: westward it ioyneth vnto the state of Milan, & is accompted as a parte of Lombardy.

It is a very pleasant & fruteful soyle; yeilding good corne & wyne, & aboundance of other necessary thinges, for humaine sustenance.

The chief cittie is called Turin, called heretofore Augusta Taurinorum, it is very faire & beautifyed with goodly buyldings, conteyning both the court of the Prince (who also is duke of Sauoy) the court of Parlament, and the vniuer­sitie. There are besydes this cittie sundry other fyne townes, strong castles, & many villages. About a quarter of an Italian myle from the cittie of Turin runneth the famous riuer of Po. which in tymes past was called Padus Eridonus.

THE TERRITORIE of ROOME.

THis territorie of Roome long tyme since called Latium, is by diuers authors diuersly limitted, but Leander beginneth it on the east syde with the riuer Liris, westward with the Tiber & Anien, & noorthward with the Appenynes. This prouince hath bin the beginning of the greatnes of Italy, & the place that hath brought foorth and fostered the greatest princes of the world.

The region is fruteful & watered with sundry riuers, diuers citties it hath, but the cittie of Roome not only of this territorie but of all the citties of the world hath atchieued the greatest reputation. It was first builded by Romulus in the yeare before the birth of Christe 751. It hath conteyned within it 7 hilles, and the circuit thereof as saith Plinie was 20 myles, & the cittie & suburbes had 24 gates. There were also 734 towres about it, & in them were the garrisons loged.

Now in our tyme is the ciruit of the cittie only 13 myles & it hath some 365 towres.

Through the diuers destructions of this cittie it hath bin mightely altered, & the very forme & fassion thereof wholy changed as also the number of hilles which in tyme of the heathen Emperors were named & reconed to bee in old Roome, yet the riuer of Tiber (as of old) doth stil hold his course through this cittie.

There are now to bee seene many moste goodly Pallaces, faire Churches, & old ruynes, the which ruynes do yet carry in them a certaine maiesticall shew of that glorie which in tymes past hath bene in this place. The residence of the Pope is in this cittie & his chief Pallace aioyneth vnto the great Church of S. Peeter. Besydes all the Churches, & monasteries in Rome, ther are more hospitalles & places where all sortes of sick & diseased persons, are relieued then in any other cittie in all christendome.

THE TERRITORIE of SIENA.

THis territore is accompted within the limits of Tuscane, howbeit lying at the east end thereof, & hauing on the southsyde the Mediteraneum sea.

The soile is pleasant & fertile, yeilding corne, wyne, oyle, & other frutes, The places towards the sea coast comonly called Maremma are not held so good, by reason of the ilnes of the ayre, & are therefore the lesse inhabited.

The cittie of Siena whereof the territory taketh name is very ancient, and vnto Plinie, Tacitus, & Ptolomey, was not vnknowne. Not only the gentlemen but the gentlewomen also of this cittie are very studious (more then ordinarily they are in other partes of Italy) and in their owne tongue delighted in the reading of books of philosophy.

In tymes past this territory was of larger boundes, & the inhabitants main­tained great warr against the florentines, but at this present it is subiect vnto the Duke of Florence.

THE TERRITORIE of PERVGIA.

THis territorie is confyned in the north west with that of Elorence, southwest with that of Oruieto, northeast with that of Vrbine, & southwest, with the citie & country about it of Assisie.

It seemeth a farr of to be but a barren soile, but it is both fertil & pleasant, full of townes & villages, & the ayre very good. Through the middest of this region runneth the riuer of Tiber, & not farr from this riuer (vpon a hill) is the cittie of Perugia, whereof the whose territorie taketh name: it is a strong cittie, & beautified with many faire edificies; as well citizeus howses as churches: & in this cittie was borne the great & learned lawyer Baldus.

The Lake of Perugia of the ancients called Lacus Trasymenus, is a very pleasane lake, it is large & round in compas, not hauing any issue foorth of it, and it yeildeth aboundance of good fish, but the taking fish thereout from Easter vnto the first of Nouember is prohibited, to the end the encrease of the same bee stil maintayned: about this lake are many Castles & villages, & one among the rest of the villages is called Ossaia, where somtyme the Romans were by Hanibal ouerthrowne, and this place seemeth to haue the name of Ossaia by reason of the bones of the there-killed Romanes.

The lake conteyneth in circuit about 27 Italian myles, & in it are three Ilands two whereof are inhabited, with fishermen. There groweth about the Lake very good wyne & great store of hemp & flax.

THE TERRITORIE of ORIVETO.

EAstward from the territorie of Siena lieth this of Oriueto.

The ayre naturally is good, but is corrupted through the hemp which at certaine seasons▪ is laid to steep in the riuer of Pagia, where it yeildeth so il a sent that it maketh the very ayre noysome vnto the inhabitants.

The towne of Oriueto (which giueth appellation to the whole territorie) is fituate vpon a high rocky mountaine, it is vnwalled, but yet fortified by nature through the strength of the place whereon it is buylt. It hath a very faire Church, the stone of the windowes thereof beeing transparent so as the sonne is seene through them.

There is among other imagery within the said Church the creation of Eue of a rib of the syde of Adam, which is held for so rare a pece of woorck that no hand of man may amend it, The riuer Pagia runneth close by the rock of Oriueto, & afterward entreth into the Tiber. Neere vnto Oriueto lieth the mounte Pelio, which Leander weeneth to haue taken name of the Pelij, which from the mount Pelione in Thessalie came here to inhabite.

THE MARCA of ANCONA.

THe Longobardes after their many victories in Italy appointed six rulers, whereof fowre were dukes, namly, of Benevento, Spoleto, Turino and Friuli, the two other were Marck-graues, the one of Ancona, the other of Treuigi: and hereof it cometh that this prouince somtyme called Picenum is now named Marca de Ancona, for Marck in duitsh betokeneth a limited prouince, & this on the east syde is limited by the riuer Tronto, on the south by the high Apenynes, on the north by the Adriatyk sea, & by Romagna in the west.

The cittie of Ancona whereof the territorie taketh name lieth on the sea aforesaid, hauing a very good hauen. The whole countrie is very fruteful, it is stored with Orange & oliue trees, & faire vineyards, & for the woorthynes of the soile it is to bee accompted among the best partes of Italy.

Betwene the towne of Reccanato & the sea somwhat on a hilly place is the famous church of our lady of Laureto, & in this church standeth the hows (as Leander writeth) wherein the blessed virgin dwelt when she receaued the salu­tation of the Angel Gabriel. This church is wonderfully enriched through the gifts of many princes & other people that from diuers places do come thether on Pilgrimage.

In the Appenyne hilles (which in this prouince are higher then in the other prouinces of Italy where they extend) there is a grotte or depe caue where it is said one of the Sibillaes had somtyme her habitation. This Marca of Ancona came to bee of the territories of the Church in the tyme of Pope Clement the seauenth.

THE LAKE of COMO.

VVithin the boundes of Lombardy and on the north syde thereof is the famous lake of Como, called in latin Larius Lacus. This lake according to the accompt of Strabo is 38 myles in length, and 4 in bredth, it lieth north & south, and at the south end thereof is the cittie of Como situated. About the middest of this lake it extendeth as it were an arme towards the east. The riuer of Adda passeth through it, & as it were swimming ouer the owne water of the lake.

There lieth within it an Iland called Comacina, which in former tyme hath had a strong fortresse, wherein the Kings of Lombardy were wont to kepe their treasure & iewels, as in a place of good securitie.

Many townes castles & villages are placed about this lake, among the which the cittie of Como is the moste both of welth & of fame, Out of this cittie two lights haue risen, whose glistering brightnes hath illustred their names through the world, these I meane are the two Plinies, whose learning & eloquence hath merited their stil during memorie.

THE TERRITORIE of PADVA.

THis territorie is closed on the south syde with the riuer Ladesse, on the north with the smalle brook called Muson, with the gulf of Venice on the east, & the Euganish mountaynes on the west.

Seauen walled townes are belonging to Padua, & six villages, among the villa­ges Arquato Montanare is of fame, for hauing in the churche thereof the sepulchre of the renowmed orator & poet Petrarcha, and thereon is his epitaphe of his owne making.

The cittie of Padua whereof the territorie taketh name; hath of former tyme bene very famous, & one of the principall places of Italy: where vnto the ruynes which are seene in diuers places about it do giue testimony, and among these ruynes is the sepulchre of Antenor who is said first to haue sounded it.

This cittie & countrie belonging to it after the many & different rulers it hath had is lastly come to bee vnder the commaund of the Venetians, who haue repa­red the walles & strengthened them against the force of warre: so as now the mother resteth vnder the fortnuate shadow of her daughter for that Venice tooke first ofspring from Padua.

VVithin this cittie, the phisisians haue a maruelous faire garden, where in are many rare herbes brought from farr countries. Padua was the birth-place of the right renowmed Titius Liuius, as also of sundry other excellent persons.

The countrie about it is very pleasant, it yeildeth great aboundance of corne, which maketh the purest whyte bread of all Italie: In lyke manner the wyne which groweth here is very much esteemed, for the singular goodnes thereof.

THE IVRISDICTION of BRESCIA.

THis region whereof Brescia is the chief cittie, is bordered on the north with the earldome of Tirol, on the south with the territorie of Cremona, on the east it hath the Laga di Garda. & westward the country of Bergamo.

It is aboundant in corne, wyne, oyle, & pleasant frutes. It hath also mynes of Gold, siluer, copper & allum: quarreyes of marble & much other good stone. The hilles, valleyes, & plaine groundes are so wel inhabited, that hardly is any prouince in all Italy better.

The cittie of Brescia comonly called the bryde of Venice, is both in old & new bookes registred: & hauing passed many tumultuous changes; it now resteth vnder the tranquilitie of the venetians.

There are in this country three lakes, to wit, Laga di Garda, Lago Idro, & Lago D'Iseo. Lago di Garda doth far exceed the two others both in same & greatnes, & is by old authors called Lacus Benacus, it is by tempests so moued that it rather seemeth a sea then a lake, so high do the waues & billowes thereof arise. The riuer Sarca coming out of the mountaines of Trent doth fall into this lake.

At such tyme as the venetians had warre with Phillip Vesconte, Duke of Milan, they found meanes to haue their Gallies & other ships caried ouer hard & steep hilles, & so put into this lake, which was doubtlesse a wonderful woork, & but that the veritie is sufficiently knowne, might rather seeme a fable then a truthe.

THE TERRITORIE of VERONA.

THe towne & territorie of Verona beeing in Lombardy: is paled on the northsyde with the Alpes of Germany, on the west parte it hath the lake of Garda, on the south the state of Mantua, & on the east the territorie of Vecentino.

Verona whereof the countrie about it taketh name is accompted one of the chief citties of Italy, & it is very ancient, hauing so faire a Theatre that in all Europe none is seene to haue better withstood the force of deuouring tyme then this.

After the decay of the Romane Empyre the Signorie of this cittie hath bene vnder diuers different comaunders & it was 127 yeares gouerned by princes of the noble family of the Scaligers. At this present it is vnder the rule of the Venetians, & the strength thereof is much by them encreased.

There is in this territoriea high hil called Monte Baldo which yeildeth great varietie of good & madicinable herbes which from thence are brought into diuers regions.

Here are many pure & holsome brookes & smale riuers: one fountaine among other is not to bee omitted, to wit, that in the valey of Policella by Negarino, where in a hard stone is carued the two brestes of a woman; out of the nipples whereof there issueth continually certaine drops of cleere water, which hath so great vertue that a mother whose milk is dried vp coming thether, & washing her brestes with thesaid water obtayneth againe plenty of milk.

The riuer Athesus, now called Ladice hauing but a smalle beginning in the moun­taines of Trent, runneth afterward so swiftly to Verona that through the great swiftnes it is not nauig able yet running from thence in a more calmer cours it beateth vessels, and entring into the gulf of Venice it maketh there a very good hauen.

THE TERRITORIE of CREMONA.

THis territorie lying in Lombardy is ioyned northward vnto that of Brescia, eastward with Mantua, south ward with Panna & Placenza, & westward with Crema. The country is plaine & euen, & very fruteful, but abounding chiefly in corne & wyne.

The principal cittie is Cremona, & the name-giuer to the countrie about it, rightly of the Poet Virgil it was called Miserable Cremona, in regard of the many miseries which it hath sustayned, hauing bene sundry tymes sacked & giuen to the spoile of soldiers, the howses & pallaces burnt, & the cittie left waste and desolate. Afterward about the yeare 1248 it was againe renewed, & then was the high faire steeple builded that may bee reconed among the moste accompted of in all Europe, howbeit after all this, this vnfortunate cittie came againe to feele a new smarte, through the wicked warres of the Gelphes & Gibellines.

Lastly; after many disastrous changes it came to bee vnder the gouernment of the duke of Milan, & consequently now to belong vnto the King of Spaine.

It was first founded as saith Tacitus in the tyme that Ti. Sempronius and P. Cornelius were consuls, against the approching force of Hanibal, and the Gaules that in­habited beyond the Po, vpon which notable riuer this cittie is situated.

THE IVRISDICTION of CREMA.

THis iurisdiction is vnder the venetians, it lieth in Lombardy, & hath con­fyning vnto it from the east vnto the west vpon the south syde, the state of Milan: on the northwest syde it ioyneth vnto the countrie of Bergamo, & northeast vnto the iurisdiction of Brescia.

The chief towne is called Crema, the venetians haue sought to haue it made a cittie (according to the right accompt of citties) but the townesmen for some reasons haue refused it, it is strong & beautified with faire buyldinges & the in­habitants are very welthy, the country round about it is full of villages & of many faire vineyardes, many fyne & cleere brookes do pas through it: which do yeild vnto the inhabitants very good fish.

The moste memorable thing of this citie is of the long besieging thereof by Fredericus Barbarossa, who in the end obtayned & destroyed it, but after the destruction of Cremona, this towne of Crema was againe builded vp.

TVSCANE.

TVscane in old tyme called Hetruria, & esteemed equal to the best partes of all Italy lieth al along from the south vnto the west on the Mediteraneum sea, on the northsyde it hath Lombardy, and eastward a parte of Latium.

VVithin the limits of Tuscane are diuers goodly citties, as Florence, Siena, Pisa, Perugia, Viterbo, Luca, & others. Faire Florence is the first & chief of all; where the duke of Florence who almoste comaundeth all Tuscane, hath his principal residence. It is moste pleasantly seated vpon the riuer Arno, and by thesaid riuer seperated. The countty round about flourisheth with fruteful & beautiful trees, & yeildeth ahoundance of excellent comodities: within this cittie are moste goodly edifices, among which is the moste sumptuous Church of S. Maria Florida all of faire marble, there is also an old round temple of Mars the gates whereof are of caste copper. There is the stately Pallace of the Duke before the which is a moste goodly fountaine with statuaes of whyte marble.

The famile of Medices hath with sundry fortunes ruled this cittie, & the rule thereof is stil continued in that famile. The territories of Siena & Perugia are in this epitome perticularly described.

The cittie of Luca albeit within the boundes of Tuscane is a free cittie & state by it self. Viterbo lieth not farr from monte Fiascone, which yeildeth the moste excellent wyne of all Italy. Pisa is situated somwhat neere the sea, & not far from the hauen of Linorno.

THE KINGDOME of NAPLES.

AT the farthest & southeast end of Italy lieth this kingdome of Naples, the limits whereof are in the west the riuer Tr [...]nt [...], in the north the Adritatyk sea, the sea of Sicilia in the south, and the Ionish sea in the east. And herein are enclosed besydes a parte of Latium, 8 of the goodliest regions of Italy, as namely Terra di Lauora, Basilicata, Calabria inferiore, Calabria superiore, Terra d Otranto, Terra de Barri, Puglia Piana and Abrazzo.

The country generally is mountanous yet are there also plaine & euen fieldes & faire riuers, it is very fruteful, yeilding aboundance of all necessaries, it hath also faire hauens, as Gaeta, Taranto, Naples and Brindiso.

If we look into the histories of former ages wee shal not see any knowne kingdome in the world, that hath seemed more vnforunate then this, hauing bene as it were the very butte whereat fortune hath shot her sharpest-hedded arrowes, heer haue the Romanes, the Gothes, the Lougebards, the Greekes, the Saracius, the Normannes, the Frenchmen & Spagniards, at seuerall tymes, had their seueral dominations.

It is at this present vnder the comaund of Philip the 3. King of Spaine, who hath there his vice-roy for the gouerning thereof.

The noble cittie of Naples which lendeth that name to the whole kingdome is situate on the sea syde, at the foote of pleasant hilles, it is great & spatious & inhabited with the nobilitie of the whole realme, who haue herein their goodly palaces & gardens, & so pleasant it is without the cittie by reason of the fyne walkes & odori­ferous trees that it seemeth an imitation of Paradise.

Eight miles from this cittie lieth the mount Somma of old called Veseuium, accompted (though now it hath left burning) among the burning mountaines of the world, & heere Plinie the curious searcher of natural causes, shewed himself too curius, when of the fyre he was consumed.

ABRVZZO.

THis territorie lieth on the north east syde vpon the gulf of Venice, other wise the Adriatyk sea, and the other sydes are limitted with the riuers Tronto Salino, & the Apenyne hilles. From whence the name Abruzzo cometh is vncertaine through the difference of opinions thereof.

This prouince is somwhat colder then the others of Italy, it yeildeth much saffron (though not so good as that of England) & nowrisheth great store of cattel.

It hath sundry high & steepe mountaines, & that which is called Mounte Maiella is alwayes couered with snow Monte de la Virgine is very famous for the faire Church of the B. Virgin which is builded vpon the highest parte thereof.

The chief cittie is Aquila, but of no antiquitie, Beneuento is very old, & was first called Malenentum, as both Plinie & Liuius do witnes, because the wynd was there so forceible that a man fitting on horseback was thereby throwne to the ground. Ortano is a place exceeding ancient, and there the ships out of Epirus & Dalmatia do arryue with comodities for the faire or mart of Lanciano, which lieth 4 myles from the sea, & is a towne of trafike. Sulmo is wel knowne through the famous poet Ouid, who heere was borne, as himself doth tel vs.

Ascoli is by Leander accompted among the chief townes of Abruzzo, & was the birth-place of Ventidius Bassus, who of poore yea contemptible race (himself beeing but a mule-keeper) was by the Romaines made Consul, & a comaunder of the world: of whose rising from so low estate to such greatnes the poet Iuuenal maketh memorie. Aquino where. S. Thomas the great diuine & philosopher was borne is also in this territorie, & sundry other townes & citties of name.

SICILIA.

THis Iland & kingdome lieth in the Mediteraneum sea, & at the northeast end thereof it is neere vnto the southeast end of Italy.

It is of diuers authors holden to haue bin continent with Italy, & that the force of the sea hath broken through & deuyded it. It is a fertile country, but moste of all abounding incorne, where with sundry partes of Italy from thence are serued.

The whole Ile is deuyded in 3 partes, the first is called Valle di Demona, herein is the cittie of Catania, more famous heretofore then at this present. In this valley lieth Mount Aetna, knowne through the world for the flaming syte thereof, it was in opinion confirmed that the stuf or matter where through this fyre was caused was wholy consumed, & that therefore the fyre was ceassed, but in the yeare 1536 the flame againe burst foorth to the great terror and annoyance of the inhabitants there abouts. The cittie of Messino is also in this parte, hauing a comodibus hauen & neere thereunto is the dangerous Caribdis, as much feared by sea as Aetna by land, but the danger is now farr lesse then of old, by reason that the hollow places on the land syde beeing stopped the sea yeildeth not such violence: & smalle botes may pas ouer there as ouer a calme riuer.

The second parte of the Ile is Valle di Mazzara and in it is the cittie of Palermo & therein the vice-Roy for the King of Spaine with moste of the Nobilitie resideth there is a plaine or spatious place, where Constanza Normanna was deliuered of Frederyk the second, vnder a pauilion, & vvould so bee deliuered & not in any hovvs because it should not so be said that her chyld-bearing vvas vncertaine, or by stelth, & this she did for that she vvas past the ordinary yeares of conception. The third parte is Valle di Noto, & heerin lieth the ancient cittie of Syracusa, famous heretofore through the infamous tyrants thereof. It is at this present much decayed.

SARDINIA.

THis Ile lieth in the Midland or Mediterraneum sea, hauing Tunes in Africa ouer against it; on the south syde, & the Ile of Corsica on the north. The ayre of this country is not held very pleasing, & espetialy in somer.

That syde which lieth towards Corsica is hilly, but that which is towards Africa is more plaine & euen. It yeildeth much corne, & good wyne, Oliue trees it hath great store, but no oyle is there made. Many horses are there bred, & there are also wyld horses, which are lesse then the other, & of lesse accompt. Heer moreouer is bred a certaine heast called Musions, which in other places is not found, the skin & heare thereof is lyke vnto that of the hert, the hornes wreathing & turned lyke vnto the hornes of a ram, & it is lesse in bignes then a hert it feedeth & liueth vpon high mountaines, and the flesh of it is very good meat.

In this Ile groweth the herb which in latin is called Ranunculus, the qualitie whereof is such, that whoso eateth of it dieth laughing.

Among the townes or citties of name of this Ile is Calaris, now called Caglire, situate vpon a hil vpon the seasyde towards Africa, hauing a very good hauen, & in this citie the Vice Roy hath his residence.

CORSICA.

THis Iland lieth in the Mediteraneum sea hauing Sardinia ouer-against it on the south syde, & the state of Genna ouer-against it on the north.

It is nor easy to bee manured by reason of the stonynesse of the soyle, & by reason of the hilles that are in it, as wryteth Strabo, who addeth withall that the inhabitants (in his tyme) were of rude behauior: Howbeit they haue long since receaued the ciuilitie of Italy, & they are esteemed good soldiers.

It now bringeth foorth very good wyne, there are bred in it faire horses, & houndes of extraordinary greatnes; which serue for the chase of wyld beastes. The Signorie or domination hath somtyme belonged to the Tirbenes, after that to those of Carthage and lastly to the Romanes, as Titus Liuius reporteth; and vnder the Romanes it remained vntil such tyme as the Saracins stretched ouer it their powre-ful hands, but these beeing ouercome by those of Genua, to Genua was then the rule of this place transferred who kept thereof the gouernment vntil such tyme as those of Pisa gat it from the Geneuoises, from whome the Geneuoyses, did in fyne recouer it againe. It hath moreouer bene belonging vnto the Churche, but vnder those of Genua it now remaineth.

ISCHIA.

DIuers authors are of opinion this Ile now called Ischia & situate in the Mediteraneum sea hath heretofore bin firme land with Italy, & the lykelyhood hereof appeereth by the rockes on the sea syde towards Italy, where through the hollownes of them it is seene how the sea hath in length of tyme eaten out the earth from among them, & also that the very soile & kynd of earth is euen the same that is in Italy; on the syde that is neerest vnto this Ile. It is so circuyted with stony rocks that there is hard coming to it & it also hath a very strong fortresse; wherein Fernandino the sonne of Alphonso the second; King of Arragon, retyred himself, at such tyme as Charles the 8 King of France was receaued into Naples.

It the yeare 1301 in the tyme of Charles the second King of Sicilia; certaine vaynes of sulphure (whereof this Ile is ful) beeing kindled; the fyre extended diuers wayes, and burnt a great parte of the cittie of Ischia now called Geronda, & through this fyre which continued the space of 2 moneths; much people & cattel were destroyed, & numbers of the inhabitants forced to flee into the kingdome of Naples.

This Ile conteyneth 18 myles in compasse, it yeildeth good wyne, & in it are diuers bathes of hot water.

MALTA

SOuth from Cicilia lieth this Ile of Malta (in the Mediteraneum sea) it was of old called Melita: It is afaire Ile & wel inhabited, on the sea towards the southsyde thereof are highrocks▪ but towards the east & the north it is very euen & fruteful. It hath a good hauen where the knightes of S. Iohnes otherwise called the knightes of Malta haue builded a very strong towne.

They of this order were called the knights of the Rhodes, but since the losse of the Rhodes their residence hath bin here.

There is mention made in the scriptures of this Ile by the name of Melita to wit how S. Paule (in his iorney from Ierusalem to Roome) hauing suffred shipwrack, came here on shore, & beeing bitten on the hand by a viper was not hurt thereby: since which tyme as diuers authors do reporte, no viper or venemous thing doth liue heere.

The fame of this Ile hath in our age bene reuyued through the valour of those woorthy knights who to their vndying glorie haue so wel defended it against the attempts of the Turck.

CORFV.

THis Iland of Corfu was heretofore called Coreyra, It lieth at the mouth of the gulf of Venice or Adriatyke sea, where the said sea conioyneth with the Mid­land or Mediteraneum sea.

It is vnder the Venetians, who haue in it a very strong fortified towne called by the name of the Ile. This place by the forces of Soliman the Turck was besieged, at which tyme two venetian gouernours for the Signorie of Venice were within it, and were of necessitie constrayned to put the vnnecessarie people foorth of it sin the night season) who remaining close without the walles, betwene their mortal enemyes & their vnhelpful freindes, their arose so great a tempest & such continuall raine that almoste all the yong children died vpon the laps of their mothers.

In fyne Soliman beeing aduertised by his Captaines Barbarossa and Aiax that the place was inuincible, & that they were in despaire euer to obtayne it, & fynding it to bee so in truthe; hee leuyed his siege, & retyred away his forces.

During the beeing in this Ile of these miscreants they sent & caried away with them into bondage and slauery (as wryteth Paulus Ionius) about 16000 christian soules.

CANDIE.

THis Iland of Candie of old called Creta, lieth in the Mediteraneum sea & is of great & ancient fame: the name it now hath of Candia is of the chief cittie thereof so called.

The country is ful of hilles & valleys, many woods there bee, & moste of them of Cypres trees; which ouer the whole Ile do yeild a sweet sauor. Sirabo & Plinie do write that in Creta (in english Creet) there are no damageable beastes nor serpents. gotes there are great store, but no deere except about Cydon.

The aboundant vineyards of this Ile do yeild excellent malmesey which is thence transported into far countries & here also groweth sugar.

Heere only as Plinie faith groweth the herb Dictamum where with the gotes (by instinct of nature) know to cure themselues beeing wounded by the arrowes of the hunter. The 100 faire townes or citties that were of old reconed to bee in this countrie are now come vnto three, to wit, Candia, Canea, and Rhetimo, but in Candia the Potestate (that there administreth iustice in behalf of the venetians) hath his residence.

The first inhabitants were rude & vnciuil til Rhadamantus the sonne of Iupiter did first bring them to oder and ciuilitie, after him came King Minos who amended & amplyfied their lawes.

Pordoneus saith that on the northsyde of the Ile is a certaine caue in the earth; made by the handes of men; beeing 40 cubits in length & 4 in bredth which to this day is called the graue of Iupiter, & there is his epitaph yet to bee seene.

CYPRVS.

THis Iland of Cyprus is one of the greatest of the Mediteraneum sea betwene Sicilia & Syria, and it is the farthest Ile eastward of all the Midland sea, & some think that it hath bene firme or continent land in tymes past with Syria, & by tempests & force of the sea cut of & seperated. It was of old tyme called Macaria, by reason of the pleasantnes thereof. The chiefest comoditie that it yeildeth is silk, which from thence in great quantitie is yearely brought vnto venice. It hath also very good wyne & lyke vnto the malmesey of Creete, & salt is there also found.

It is said for a spetial comendation of this Ile that ships can therein be buylt & wholy furnished with the owne comodities of this country as not needing to haue ought vnto them belonging to be brought from other partes: for heere are great & high trees both for buylding them & for their mastes, & here is also pitch & flax, for failes & ropes.

Not far from the towne of Lymise is a place which is so full of wormes & such lyke creeping vermin that no people can inhabite there. There is some distance from this place a monasterie wherein is kept many cattes which are let out into the fieldes to diminish this vermin, & so taught, that by the sound of a bel they are called home againe vnto the monasterie.

There are in this Ile two famous citties, namely Famagosta and Nicosia, in Nicosia the kinges of Cyprus were wont to make their, dwelling but whyle the venetians had the rule the Gouernour & garrisons their for them remayned in Famagosta, vntil such tyme as by Selym the Turkish emperor it was taken from them. This Ile hath bene in tymss past deuyded into 9 kingdomes, but came afterward to bee all reduced vnto one.

GREECE.

THis famous countrie of Greece was somtyme called Hellas. It hath on the west syde the Midland & Adriatyk sea, on the east syde the sea called Archipelago, on the south it hath the Peninsula Morea & northward it is aioyned vnto the maine continent. The moste famous Republykes hereof of old tyme were two, to wit, that of Athens & that of Lacedemonia.

Sundry strange woundres haue bin said to bee in this countrie, as that the riuer Melas made whyte sheep to become black & that the riuer Cephis made the black sheep whyte, with sundry other thinges found to bee no lesse fabulous: & moreouer that the sea called Euripus did in 24 howers 7 tymes ebbe & flow▪ so that Aristotle not wise enough to vnderstand this secret of nature, for shame & anger cast himself into the said sea, whereof it was said, that because Aristotle could not comprehend Euripus, Euripus had comprehended Aristotle.

Sundry moste pleasant places were renowmed in Greece of old tyme, as Helicon & Parnassus, where Apollo with the nyne muses had there residence. Hymeirus euer greene, Olympus, Pindus & Tempe, places exceeding delightful. Delphos, where the Oracle was of Apollo, which was in this manner. In a rock was a deep hole; out of the which issued a cold spirit lyke vnto a vapour or wynde; which possessing the sences of the southsaiers they became as frantyke, & in their frantiknes they ga [...]e their ambiguous answers to the demaunders, & foretold thinges that were to come.

This noble countrie of Greece after all her flowrishing▪ lyeth now vnder the subiection and stanery of the Turck.

ILLYRICVM.

BEtwene the Adriatyke sea & the kingdome of Hungarie were in old tyme two famous regions, the one Illyricum, the other Dalmatia, but Illyricum beeing now deuyded into many sundry prouinces, as Schlauonia, Croatia, Carnia, or Carinthia, Istria, Bosnia, &c. maketh that the confynes of this country (through diuersiue of the opinions of authors) are not easy to bee set downe.

Strabo saith that this country hath good hauens, the soile is very fat, deuyded into vineyards & Oliue trees, exceptin certaine stony places.

Among the country people some are found to haue great bagges growing vnder their chinnes, which is said to proceede of their drincking of snow water, which falleth from the hilles. The famous citties were Flamone, Segne, Iadere, Scardone, Spalare & Epidaure, which beeing destroyed by the Gothes, the cittie of Ragusia is growne great through their ruynes, beeing now a cittie of great trasyke, but of litle territorie, and accompted the least comon weith or republyke in the world, & is now vnder the protection of the Turck for the which they pay a tribute of 12000 ducats by yeare.

In Carinthia is a cittie called Clagen, where they obserue an old custome albeit very rigorous, for yf a thief bee taken with the fact hee is foorthwith hanged, without more a doo: & they hang those also which are vpon great presumptious thought culpable of theft, & 3 dayes after iudgement is giuen on the case, & yf the iudges then fynde the party guylty is hee left hanging on the gallowes til hee fall thence, but yf hee be vnguilty hee is taken downe, & honestly buryed, to make him amends.

HVNGARIE.

THis kingdome beginneth on the south at the riuer Era, & on the north it extendeth vnto Polonia & VValachia, westward it ioyneth to Austria, & eastward vnto Maesia. The people are strong & valiant, And scarsly is any country found whereof the soile is more fertile, & the ayre more sweet & temperate, or that hath greater aboundance of cattel & greater store of mynes then this, and wanting neither corne, wyne nor great choise of excellent frutes &c: in somuch as diuers authors affirme yf it were not so afficted through continual warre; but were wholy in the quiet possession of Christians it might rather be preferred before all the prouinces of the world, then after any one of them.

Buda is the chief cittie of All Hungarie, which King Sigismond beautified with a faire Pallace & other sumptuous edifices, Agria is also a comodious cittie Cassouie is more ancient & so called after one Cassio a Roman. At Alba regalis the ancient kinges of Hungarie are buryed. But to the grief of all good myndes, the chief citties & best partes of this country are now in the possession of the Maho­meticall Tyrant.

The famous riuer danubie passeth through this countrie, & in diuers places is so large that in it are sundry Iles hauing rownes & villages in them.

The Emperor beareth at this present the tytle of King of Hungarie & hath a good parte of the countrie and some good citties also in possession.

OZVVICZIN and ZATOR.

ON the south vvest syde of Polonia bordering vpon Silesia are these tvvo dukedomes of Ozwiczin and Zator.

In former tyme they belonged not vnto the kingdome of Polonia, but vvere brought vnto it by Casimire the third, and Sigismond the first. The cittie of Ozwiczin lieth neere the riuer Sola, vvhich cometh out of the confyning hilles of Morauia, & not farr from this to vvne falleth into the riuer Vistula; vulgarly called VVixel, The iurisdiction of the cittie the Germanes call Auschwitz, vvhich King Casimire obtayned by svvord-right in the yeare 1454.

The tovvne of Zator is situate on the riuer Skauda, vvhich falleth also into VVixel, & vvas gotten through force by King Sigismond the first, & so annexed vnto Polonia.

TRANSSILVANIA.

THis country called in latin Transsiluania; is of the Germaines called Seuen­bergher-Lant, that is, the Seuen-hily country, of seauen principall hilles where with (among other that bee lesser) this country is enuyroned, It confy­neth on the west syde with Hungary, & hath Moldauia & VValachia ioyning to it on the northeast & southeast.

The country albeit mountainous is very good, yeilding both corne wyne & cattel very aboundantly. There are in it wyld oxen which haue beardes vnder their chinnes, and wyld horses whose manes do hang downe to the ground. Mynes there are also both of gold & siluer.

The chief cittie is called Hermenstat, but Alba-Iulia is the oldest.

The people are very valiant, & haue bene very victorious against their cruel easterne neighbours the Turcks, from whose inuasions they are much defended through the mountaines that enuiron the whole countrie euen as a cittie is enuyroned with a walle. The Ceculiernes are esteemed moste valiant, these haue among them no difference betwene gentlemen & boores, but liue all in an ordinary state, Parte of the Transsiluanians do speak the Germaine tongue, but these the Hungarian.

The Prince of this country is called the Vayuode & these vayuodes were wont to bee placed there by the kinges of Hungara.

PRVSSIA.

THis country bordereth eastward on Lituania, southward with Polonia, northward with Liuonia, & westward with Pomerania.

The Knights of the Teutonic or Duitsche order haue here borne great anthoritie, the which at last by the King of Polonia was abridged. Albert Marck-graue of Brandenbeurg was the last great-master, who by an agreement with k. Sigismond of Polonia left his habit & held this country in see of the King, and so became duke thereof. It is now denyded into 2 partes, the one belonging vnto the King of Polonia, the other vnto the duke of Prusia: who keepeth his residence in the cittie of Coningsperg. The sea shore of this country doth yeild the fairest sorte of amber, the which is aswel drawne vp out of the sea with nets; as gathered on the sea syde.

The country is maruelous aboundant in corne & cattel, & wel furnished with fish, it hath great store of woods & wildernesses. There are many Beares, stagges, wyld swyne, & wyld horses, & a greater kynd of buffulaes then are in Italy or other partes, the wyld horses are neuer tamed beeing found not ser­uiceable through their weaknes of back.

The beast Alces is heerfound, who resembleth the horse in proportion, & the hert in hornes, sauing that the hornes bee more broder, & are yearly cast; & new grow againe. In the woodes & wildernesses are great store of bees, which yeild aboundance of hony & wax.

POLONIA.

VVestward is this kingdome aioyning vnto Germany, northward vnto the Baltish sea & Prusia, eastward vnto Lituania, & southward vnto Hungarie.

It is deuyded into 2 partes, the greater & the lesser, the greater lieth toward the north, the lesser towardes the south. Cracouia is the chief citie, & there the King keepeth his court▪ it is also an vniuersitie. Danske which lieth on the Baltish sea is a cittieof great trafike of marchandise espetialy of corne the other citties are but meanly builded & of no great same.

The whole country is plaine & vnhilly & therefore of the inhabitants called Pole, which in their tongue signifieth plat or plaine. The people of Polania, Lituania, Samogithia, Masouia, Volhini, Podolia, Russia & Moldauia, are those which of old authors were called Sarmates. Lituania is great, but not greatly inhabited, a beast is there found called Rosomacka, of the ordinarie bignes of a dog, hauing a face lyk a cat, & a taile lyk a fox, it feedeth on carren, & beeing ful it forceth it felf to pas betwene the narrownes of 2 trees & thereby voydeth all that it hath eaten, & then goeth to eat againe & returneth to voyd it as before, & continueth so long as▪ the carren (that it feedes vpon) lasteth. Samogithia ioyneth to Lituania, the country is cold, & the people are strong & helthful, & do fare hard. Massonia yeildeth much hony, & the inhabitants mak their drinck therewith. Volhinia is very fertile & full of townes & vilages. Podolia is of corne & gras so aboundant that the lyk is not knowne. Russia aboundeth in horses, oxen & sheep. In this countrie in somer are certaine woormes called Ephimere, which beeing newly bred, do in the morning run vpon the water, at none they haue winges & fly aboue the water, & they die before the Son setting: of these woormes Aristotle speaketh in his first book of beastes. Moldauia is a parte of walachia, the chief cittie is Sotschen, the people are good soldiers, is it said that the regents of this country do cause their yong children to be marcked with hot irons, that thereby their descent may the more certainly bee knowne.

LIVONIA.

LIuonia called in the Germaine tongue Lysland lieth on the eastsyde on Russia, on the westsyde on the Baltish sea, northward an arme of the sea seperateth it from Eniland, & southward it bordereth vpon Prussia.

The chief cittie of this country is Riga, which is a place of great trafike, as are the other principall places of Reuel, & Narua.

The country is somwhat sandie, & not mountanous. Great woods there are, & store of wyld beastes, as foxes, Martres, Sables, Ermynes & hares. It yeildeth▪ wax, hony, wheat rie and furres. The people are not greatly industrious nor wholy ciuil. The faith of Christ was preached vnto them about the yeare 1270, & diuers of the rude people are yet heathenish nor letting to pray vnto the Sun, & to the Moone, or to some great tree, or to one thing or other, according as their blynd folly leades them. VVhen one of them is dead they put with him into his graue an ax, bread, wyne & meat, & some peece of mony, & bid him go his wayes into the other woorld▪ where he shall raigne ouer the Duitschmen as they haue raigned ouer him in this. They are subiect vnto a certaine order of Germane knights, that do rule & gouerne them. The great master of which order keepeth his court & residence at VVenden a towne situate in the middest of the country.

THE NORTHERNE REGIONS.

THe Septentrional regions of Europe that hetherto are knowne, are first that which is called the Ile of Scandia, which conteyneth the kingdomes of Sweden, Norwey & a parte of Denmarck: then the famous Ile of Albion, conteyning England, Scotland, & VVales, & then are there the Iles of Ireland, Friesland, Island Groeneland, Grecland, &c. & the rest yet vndiscouered. Of all which regions the realme of England is the prin­cipal & best parte, by reason of the goodnes of the soile, and myldnes of the ayre, in that it lieth more to the south then any of the other.

Sweden is a country very mountanous, ful of lakes & riuers, & aboundant in cattel & fish, hauing also mynes of siluer, copper lead & Iron. The chief cittie thereof is Stokholme, builded vpon pyles of wood, on the sea shore. Norwey extending in length north & south hath the Deucalidon Ocean on the west syde, & Sweden on the east, beeing from thesame seperated by high mountaines.

This country is full of rocks, howbeit the goodliest oakes of the world do grow there, & thereof the wainscots & clabords are made. The chief citie is called Berghe.

The Ile called Frisland is not wel knowne yet seemeth is about the bignes of Ireland.

Island is famous through the great store of dried fish which is fetched thence, & the burning hil Hecla. Groeneland is a very great Ile, & the people by reason of the coldnes of the country are faine to make their dwellinges in the earth.

The further partes are yet vndiscouered, & so is the Ile which Mercator calleth Grecland, & sundry other lesser Iles of these farthest northerne regions.

RVSSIA or rather MVSCOVIA.

ON the north syde this country hath the Icysea, on the east syde it hath Tartarie, on the south a parte of Polonia & a parte of Turkie, & on the west Liuonia & the kingdome of Svveden.

The country is very great, it is for the moste parte euen, & hath many med­dowes, & in the Somer many standing waters; caused through the melting of the snow. The black forest of Germany extendeth it self into this country, & passeth through it from the south to the north: in it are great store of wyld beastes, as Elends, beares, black wolues &c. VVyne or oyle groweth not heer, but wheat rie & other graine. Great store of wax, & hony it yeildeth, the which is not made in hines, but in hollow trees. Mynes they haue not, nor pretious stones that there are found, but costly & faire furres good store, & also flax.

The chief cittie where the great Duke or Emperor keepeth his court is very great and called Musko, lying on the riuer Musk [...]a: the howses are built all of wood, not high but large, euety hows hauing a yeard or garden plot belonging vnto it. They are Christians, but of the Greek Church, & their date they vse not from the tyme of Christe but from the beginning of the world.

Their lawes are very plaine according to an ancient simplicitie, no aduocates are admitted, but euery man to tel his owne tale for himself.

TARTARIE.

AS there is a Sarmathia in Europe, so is this parte of Asia (where the Tartarians inhabite) also so called. It hath on the northsyde the Scythian sea, on the east the Eoish or east sea, on the south it hath India, & on the west the Caspium sea & Muscouie.

The country is wonderful great & spatious, hauing in it maruelous great deserts, the people liue not in townes or vilages but in tents; and remoue their dwellinges according to the seasons of the yeare, they eat sheep, kyen & horses, their drink is water, milk & beer brewed with barley.

Sigismond Baron of Herbestein in Germany, recouneth to haue vnderstood of Demetrius Daniel a man of much reputation among all the muscouites, that in the countrie betwene the riuers of VVolga & Laick a certaine feed (much lyke vnto the seed of a melon) beeing cast into the ground groweth foorth about 2 foot high, & beareth a moste strange frute lyke vnto the shape of a lamb, which of the people there abouts is called Bonarets, the stalk goeth from the nauel into the earth & there hath his root: it hath head, eares mouth, eyes & legges & semeth to haue blood within it, but not flesh, for the substance is lyke vnto the meat of a creuis, it is couered with a thin skin it consumeth the gras or herbes growing about it, & endureth so long as they last, the woules & other raneuous beastes belight much to feed on this beast plant, & yf this be true (as it is for a truth reported) it is one of the moste wonderful miracles of nature. The royal pallace of the great Cham who is Emperor of Tartarie is in the cittie of Cambalu in Cathay, which cittie is buylt fouresquare & in compas said to conteyne 24 Germaine myles. The country is in sundry places so very euen & plaine that wagons hauing sailes lyke vnto ships are driuen forward by the wynde.

CHINA.

THis great country of China lieth in the furthest easterne syde of East India, ouer against the Iland of Iaponia, on the northsyde of it lieth Tartarie, on the southsyde Canchinchina, on the west the Brackmani, & on the east the Oriental sea.

The country except on the sea syde is with a wal & mountaine compassed about, & is exceeding good & fruteful, & the people wonderful industrious. It hath plentiful mynes of Gold, & store of Rheubarb. The fieldes & hilles are ful of beastes both wild & tame, the sea & inland riuers very fish-ritch, & numbers of familes dwel on the riuers in botes, & do nowrish exceeding store of ducks. The drie groundes they sow with wheat & barley, the moist & low grounds with rice & that 4 tymes in the yeare. no parte of the country lieth vnused to some profit, the very hedges are of roses, & some of flax. They haue great store of mulbery trees to the maintenance of their silk wormes. The inhabitants do sildom trauel into other countryes, & other nations come not into theirs, but by espetial licence. They eat not setting on the ground as other people of Asia are wont, but at tables.

They are heathens in religion & beleeue that al thinges haue bene created. They pray to the Sun, Moon & Starres, & also to the Diuel to do them no hurt: their priestes marry not, but other men haue as many wyues as they wil, yet must keep hows only with one. They call their King the lord of the world & the sonne of the Sun who when he goeth to the field against the great Cham of Tartarie, his army conteyneth 300000 foote & 200000 horse. Some say they haue long since had artillery & printing, but that they had artillery before it was knowne in Europe is doubtful, printing they haue had, but not such as may bee compared with the excelencie of ours, theirs beeing no other then carractered stamps or formes of wood, & those thrust downe (on their sorte of paper) as wee vse to seal our letters or set a marck or stamp.

INDIA.

ALl authors do hold East-India for the noblest & greatest country couteyned vnder one name. Tartarie only excepted.

It taketh name of the riuer Indus, & of Strabo & Plinie, India is limitted by the riuer Indus in the west, with the mounts Tauri in the north, with the Eoish sea in the east, & with the Indian sea in the south. It is a land moste faire & holesome, yet the tem­perature somwhat different in sundry prouinces, by reason of the greatnes thereof. It yeildeth frute twice in the yeare, freeing thereby the inhabitants from hunger & pouertie, vast & steril places there are also in India, but they serue for the habitation of sundry sortes of wyld beastes.

And albeit no great store of corne groweth heere; yet hath is barley & rice & the Indians by rice, cheese milk, flesh, fish & delicate frutes, are nowrished, & besydes their store of frutebearing trees, they haue great reedes or canes whereout whyte hony lyke vnto gum is pressed. Silk is heer in great aboundance, beastes both wyld & tame are in infynit numbers, & greater then in other places of the world, as Kyen, Camels, Lions, Dogges, Elephants, there are also dragons & serpents, whyte apes, & camelions that liue by the ayre: & all sortes of the best kynde of foule.

The spyces of India are knowne to all the world, Heben wood groweth heer & the trees that yeild frankensence: the shores or sydes of the riuers do deliuer gold, & the sea faire pearles. Diamonds, Rubies, Saphires, Amatistes, Agates & sundry other sortes of pretious stones are found in this noble country.

The inhabitants of India are of different languages, different in apparel & of dif­ferent religions, some beeing Christians, some Mahometaines, some Iewes & some Pagans, The people are generally talle of stature, strong, & of a tawny or browne colour, & many do liue to 130 yeares or thereabouts.

PERSIA.

THe name of Persia is very ancient, but the country was in tymes heretofore far lesse then it now is. It hath on the eastsyde of it parte of Tartarie & parte of East India, on the south syde, Sinus Persicus & parte of the Indian sea, on the west syde it confyneth with the dominions which the Turk now occupieth in Asia, & on the north it hath the Caspium sea &c.

The beginning of the greatnes of this kingdome was in the yeare 1269, when a noble persian of the cittie Ardenelim named Sophi (being also a Mahometain) reuolted from the Turk & beganby war to conquer countries, and his successors haue since both augmented their possessions & continued the great quarrel; about the right successor of Mahomet.

The Persians are a more humane people then the Turkes, not beeing so rigo­rous against the Christians which liue among them, & hauing among them noble & gentlemen which the Turkes haue not. The countrie is very fruteful, except in the mountanous & desert partes.

It yeildeth aboundance of fyne silke, & the best Iron for armour, & steele for armes, of the whole world; is here found.

It hath also ritch mynes, pretious stones & pearles, and the fertillitie thereof in many places may bee compared vnto that of the neighbouring India.

TVRKIE.

THe Turkish Empyre, conteyneth the foutheast parte of Europe the northeast of Africa, & the southwest of Asia: so as it lieth where these 3 partes of the world do meet, & taketh a parte of each of them: howbeit the fargreater parte is in Asia, which far exceedeth the partes both in Africa & Europe.

At Constantinople (which is in Europe) the great Turk keepeth his residence. This cittie was taken by force of Mahomet the eight Turkish Emperor, vpon the last day of May in the yeare 1453. after it had bene besieged 54 dayes: & after sundry other victories this Mahomet died on the first day of May in the yeare: 481, & was buried in the said cittie of Constantinople.

In Europe is subiect vnto the Turk the greater parte of Hungarie, all Bulgarie, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Morea, & sundry other prouinces.

In Africa, Barcha & Egipt, besydes the kinges & kingdomes there tributarie vnto him. In Asia hee hath Natolia, & the two Arabiaes: & to the great grief of Christians the countrie of Palestyne, where Christ our sauiour liued & died, & many other prouinces to long heer to describe.

Both Christians & jewes are suffred to liue in this Turkish Empyre vnder tribute, & albeit the Turkes do carry somwhat a better opinion of Christians then of jewes, yet are the Christian inhabitants subiect to very great inconue­niences. The Turkes according to the law of their great reputed prophet Mahomet, are circumsised, they are forbidden to drink wyne, & to eat swynes flesh, & allowed to haue many wyues.

PALESTYNE.

THe old pagan authors called this country Palestyne, the Iewes called it The land of prontis, & Christians haue termed it the Holyland.

It hath al along on the west syde the Mediteraneum sea, on the east syde Arabia, northward it hath Mount Libanus, & southward it reatcheth downe towards Egipt & the Red sea.

This countrie was denyded among the 12 trybes of Israel, but after the tyme of King Salomon it was denyded into a kingdomes. In this moste noble country liued the holy prophets. And the Sonne of God did heer receaue humaine flesh.

It was in former tymes so excellent aboue other countries that it was called the land that flowed with milk & hony, but it is now greatly altered, the sinnes of the inha­bitants hauing deserued no better. Burcardus saith that it yet excelleth in yeilding aboundance of pure wheat, & that with litle laboring of the ground. Roses, Sage, fenel & other flowers & herbes do without the industrie of man grow in the feilds.

The riuer of Iordan hauing his issue vnder Libanus runneth through the lake of Genazareth into the dead sea: the country half a dayes iorney euery way from this sea is barren: by reason of the euil vapors & sauouis thereof. It seemeth to haue the name of Mare Mortuum because there is in it no liuing thing.

The ancient & famous cittie of Ierusalem is situate in a hilly place, Mount Syon lieth on the southsyde & Mount Gyon on the west. By the encreased greatnes of this cittie the holy sepulchre wherein Christ was buried (hauing a church built ouer it) is now within the walles. The mount of Caluarie whereon our Lord was crucified is 108 foot from the graue, & there is a pauement to pas from the Chruch to the place where the crosse did stand, which riseth in height to 28 foote, & on the same rock the clifts & rentings do yet appeere which hapened at the death of our deere lord and sauiour.

NATOLIA.

NAtolia extendeth it self from Asia (where vnto on the eastsyde it is aioyned) and lieth in length westward towards Europe, hauing on the northsyde Mare Maggiore, and on the south the Midland sea, and at the west end the sea called Archipelago. The Turkes who now possesse it do call it Litle Asia. It conteyneth Phrygia, Galathia, Bithinia, Pontus, Lydia, Caria, Paphlagonia, Lycia, Magnisia, Capadocia and Comagena: all goodly countries & ancient renowmed prouinces, some of them Kingdomes, yea a perticular Empyre of Trehizonde; whereof Nicomedia heretofore a moste noble cittie, appeereth now but in the ruynes thereof. Nyce is also here to bee seene where the famous great Councel heertofore was holden. Amasia is the chief cittie of Capadocia, & was the birth-place of Strabo the wel-knowne Cosmographer. And the renowmed martyr and Patron of England S. George, was also of this country of Capadocia.

In Natolia are gotes which haue that fyne heare or rather wolle whereof the thamlets are made. There are also sheep whose tailes are of incredible greatnes, & conteyne 5 or 6, yea 8 or 9 pound of flesh. A certaine beast there is which is called Hyena, which draweth dead bodies out of the graues vnto his den and their feedeth on them, it is about the bignes of a wolf, & the people of the country are of opinion that these beastes do vnderstand their speech, espetialy when they go about to catche them. These people are generally held to be very crafty fals & deceatful.

EGIPT.

THis ritch & ancient kingdome hath on the north syde thereof the Midland sea, on the east the desert of Sues & the northerne end of the Red sea, on the south the countrie of Nubia, & on the west the land of Barcha.

In this country of Egipt it raineth not, but the riuer of Nyle ouerflowing it at sundry tymes doth make it of great fertilitie, & in the said riuer is a piller of marble whereon are made certaine markes of the height that the water doth arise vnto when the yeare wil prooue plentiful. The riuer is deep, & great ships may pas on it, the great serpent called the Crocodile liueth heere; and eateth both men & horse & the fish of the riuer. The greatest cittie is called Cairo or Alcaire, & it is meruelous great & of great welth. Not far from hence are the moste wonder­ful Pyramides, vpon the greatest whereof as Plinie writerh 2060 men did conti­nually woork for the space of 20 yeares, they are buylded foure square, & from the foot vnto the top do stil grow sloping lesse & lesse: a man standing on the top (for there is some space to stand or go) & shooting a bolt out of a crosbow, the bolt in falling downe wil light on the same Pyramide, which argueth the greatenes of the space it carieth beneath at the foot, which greatnes also apeereth in that it neuer yeildeth any shadow from it. These Pyramides haue bene buylt by the ancient kinges of Egipt, to serue for their sepulchres & these sepulchres the Egip­tians vsed for the conseruation of their dead bodies, which euen at this present are found vnrotten, & the flesh of them is called Mummia, & caried thence into other countries to bee vsed in medicyne.

The 2 principall sea-hauens of Egipt; are Alexandria & Damiata.

THE porte of CARTHAGE.

THe countrie enuyroning the gulf of Golette otherwise called Sinus Cartha ginensis; hauing at the south end thereof the cittie of Tunis is now after the name of that cittie called the kingdome of Tunis.

It lieth on the northsyde on the Midland sea, & almost directly ouer against Sardinia, on the west it extendeth to Algiers, & eastward to Mesurata, & all along on the southsyde it hath the mountaines that seperate Barbarie from Biledulgerid.

This kingdome conteyneth 5 prouinces, to wit, Bugia, Constantine, the iuris­diction of the cittie of Tunis, Tripoli and Ezzab.

On the west syde of thesaid Gulf are the ruynes of an aquaduct of the Ancient cittie of Carthage, whereof but some sew ruynes els are left behynde to testify that once so famous a cittie hath flowrished in that place, some number of howses village-lyke to that it hath bin, & about 25 shops of marchants are now there to bee found.

This cittie of Carthage is a true glasse wherein the incertitude of this vaine world may bee seene, & that no glorie on earth can haue euerlasting durance.

ABISSINE or the EMPYRE of PRESTER-IOHN.

THe great King & comannder of all Aethiopia & sundry other kingdomes & coun­tries is called of Christians Proster Iohn, of the moores Arictabassi, & of his owne people Acegue, that is; Emperor.

His dominions are limited on the southsyde with the Mountaines Lamae, on the west with the kingdome of Congo & the riuer Nyger, &c. on the north with Nubia & Bugia, that confyne vpon Egipt, & on the east with the Red sea & Synus Barbaricus.

The country generaly is very fruteful, & albeit there bee litle corne yet is there other grayne & other good frutes not found in Europe, vineyards they haue, but no olyue trees, yet make they oyle of an herbe called Gena. Of hony and wax they haue meruelous great store. They haue al sortes of great beastes as Elephants, Lions, Camels, horses, red-deere, kyen gotes &c. & they are much endamaged by great multitudes of grashopers. Good mynes of metals they haue, but not theskil to make vse of them. They haue 2 somers & 2 winters, which are not greatly denyded by heat or cold, but by rainy & faire wheather. The people are of a kynde of tawny colour, vnseene in notable scyences, & without knowlege of Phisick. They haue no coyned mony, but vse peces or wedges of gold by waight. They are Christians, but hold many grosse errors, both men and women are circumsised, & they are Christened at 40 dayes old. They haue a book which is deuyded in 8 partes: which they beleeue the Apostles to haue written before their departure from Ierusalem. Mōnasteries they haue many, both of men & women, wherein they do liue stricktly, but it is lawfull for lay men to haue 2 or 3 wyues at once & deuorcements are also allowed. The Emperor affirmeth him self to be descended from the lyne of King Dauid, he hath no one setled place of residence, but remoueth from one prouince to another & dwelleth in tents.

It is said hee is not of the colour of his people, but of a whyter & fairer skin. He may surely bee accompted one of the greatest princes of the world & is esteemed able to bring to the feld a million of men, 500 elephants & a great nomber of horses & camels.

BARBARIE.

ON the northsyde of Africa all along by the Mediteraneum sea & oueragainst the south partes of Spaine France & Italy, lieth this country of Barbarie. & al along on the southsyde thereof are certaine woodie mountaines that deuyde it from Biledulgerid, & in these hilles are great store of wyld beastes.

This country of Barbarie is held the best & moste fruteful parte of Africa & conteyneth 4. kingdomes or rather in deed prouinces to wit Maroco, Fez, Telesine and Tunis.

The inhabitants are of a duscish colour & are called Barbarians of the woord Barbara which in the Arabee tongue signifieth grumbling; because their speech soundeth in the eares of the Arabians as no perfect or cleere pronunced speech, but as a kynde of grumbling, they were first Idolaters, & afterward conuerted to the faith of Christ, yet at the length they came to Mahometisme wherein they yet continew, & are for the most parte subiects or tributaries to the Turck except some few places which are in the possession of the King of Spaine.

FESSE and MAROCCO.

AT the west end of Barbarie are thease 2 kingdomes of Fesse & Marocco: that of fesse lieth of the twaine more toward the north & the Mediteraneum sea, that of Marrocco more inward & toward the south. The realme of Fesse taketh name of the chief cittie thereof, which is so called, & it is the greatest cittie of all Barbarie hauing in it 500 Moschees, to wit churches, wherein their Mahometical seruice is said, for the inhabitants are Mahometaines as those of Marocco also are, they are vncourteous & vnciuil, espetialy toward strangers: they are of a pale-tauny collour, & often subiect vnto agues by reason of the vnhole somnes of the ayre.

The cittie of Marocco whereof that kingdome also taketh appellation is not as it was of old, hauing lost the third parte of the wonted greatnes thereof; as the yet remayning ruynes do testify, & where were wont to bee goodly edifices there are now gardens & groues of palme trees. That which doth now retaine any beauty therin; is the royal pallace which the King Mansor caused to bee buylded.

LIMAGNE.

THis region conteyneth the best parte of the countrie of Auuergne: It is most pleasant & delectable, with goodly forests, pure fointaines, hot bathes, mi­nes of siluer and many sortes of good frutes & in it is a certaine water that turneth thinges cast into it into stone. Here in is the chief cittie of all Auuergne called Cler­ment, the which francis Belforest affirmeth, to haue bene of old tyme that much re­nowmed cittie Gergonie; where Vercingetorix King of Auuergne was wont to kepe his residence. In this cittie in the yeare of our lord 1095 was hild the great coun­sel by meanes of Pope Vrban the fifth about the solicitation of Christian Princes to vndertake war against the infidels for the winning of the Holy land, & more Christian Princes & nobillitie were here then met together, then scarsly can bee remembred to haue bene at one tyme & place in one assembly.

Here was also holden in the yeare 1374 a generall meeting of the states of France, vnder King Charles the fifth, about the expelling of the Englishmen out of such strong places as they then possessed in Auuergne.

CHAMPAGNE.

THe name of this prouince is not ancient, the first knowne author that nameth it Champaigne is Aimon, & as it seemeth it taketh this appellation because it is a champaine & vnhillie countrie.

It is frontyred on the east syde with Lorraine, on the south with the Duchie of Burgundie, on the west with Brie, & on the north it hath Retelois.

It is very plentiful of wyne & corne, & in it are sundry principal citties & townes whereof Trois & Rbemes are the chief. The first beeing a ritch cittie of marchandise & where great store of paper is made, the other an vniuersitie & the staple for wynes of those partes: whereof the countrie people haue among them an old prouerb, that hee that hath the purs of Troys & the seller of Rhemes, is able to make war against the King.

The cittie of Rbemes is very ancient as apeereth by Ceasars comentaries, and in this cittie the kinges of France are wont to bee anioynted.

TOVRAINE.

THis countrie of Touraine (beeing not great) hath on the west syde Anion, on the south Poictou, on the east the territorie of Blois, & on the north the countrie of Maine & parte of Veudome.

The chief cittie is called Towers, which may be reconed among the richest citties of France, aswel for the fertillitie of the countrie about it, seeming rather gardens then feildes, as also for the industry of the inhabitants, both in their trasike of marchan­dise and in their skil in the woorking & weauing of silk, as fyne & wel as yf it came out of Italy.

VVestward from Towers downe the riuer of Loyre is the cittie of Amboise, situate in a healthful ayre & moste pleasant territorie.

Vpon the riuer of Indre (which falleth in fyne into the Loire) standeth the towne of Laches, which hath a faire castle the which through the situation of the place is held impregnable, for that it standeth on a rock.

In this castle was discouered a passage through an Iron gate into a deep caue or dongeon, & therein was found sitting a Giant; resting his elbow vpon the syde of the place where he sat & his head vpon his hand; as yf he had slept, but beeing touched his flesh fel to duste, & the bones only remayned: besydes him stood a cofer which beeing opened their was found in it whyte linen folded together, but in the opening of it it brake in peces. How this Gigant came to bee here so set seeing no records do shew its it is left vnto sundry supposals.

Diuers othergood townes there are in this territorie, as Pa [...]tr [...]y, Chastillion Cormery, Beaulieu & others.

THE TERRITORIE of BLOIS.

VPon the riuer of Loyre & about the midway betwene Orleans & Amboys lieth the cittie of Blois, whereof the territorie about it is accordingly named.

The soile is very fruteful, espetially in corne, and & the ayre so holesome that sundry noblemen beeing sickly; haue bene by their phisitians aduysed to go & liue for the recouery of their health in this cittie or territorie: for which cause of holesomnes of the ayre diuers kinges of france haue not only here much resy­ded, but haue made it the nercery or place for the bringing vp of their children.

The cittie of Blois is very ancient, & at a place called Orcbeze which is about two leagues from it; was sometyme Ceasars Magasin, or the place of prouision of graine for his soldiers; in those partes.

In this territorie was by a gentleman of the cittie discouered (in our tyme) the very lyke earth both in cooler & kynde which is found in the Ile of Lemnos, the which phisitians do call Terram Lemniam, & of the Turk is so greatly esteemed that it is not permitted for any man to take thereof; but licence of those that haue farmed it.

MAINE.

THe countrie of Mans or Maine hath on the south syde Aniovv, on the west Britannie, on the north Normandie & on the east Vendome.

It is a countrie hauing therein many woodes & forests, & therefore more apt for chase & nouris hing of beastes then for corne or pasturage: yet is it not vnfurnished of corne feildes & faire vineyardes.

The cittie of Mans is the chief of all the townes of this duchie. It is faire & popu­lous, & seated pleasantly, the soile about it beeing made the more fertile through the riuers of Haygne, Orne and Satre: which ioyning together neere this cittie: do all in one enter afterward into the riuer of Loire.

In the chief churche of this cittie of Mans was christened in the yeare of our lord 1133. Henry sonne vnto Geoffrey suruamed the faire; earle of Anion and of Maine, the which Henrie as heyre vnto Maude his mother daughter vnto Henry the first King of England, came after to enioy thesaid kingdome by the name of K. Henry the second.

LANGVEDOC.

BY this Map is described the maritime parte of the countrie of Languedoc, as also a parte of the maritime syde of Prouence.

The prouince of Languedoc is in that parte of France that of old tyme was called Galia Narbonensis. It hath on the east syde thereof the riuer of Rhone, on the west syde Gasconie, on the south the mountaines that denyde it from Arragon, & a parte of the midland sea, & on the north the countrie of Quercie.

In fertillitie it aprocheth vnto that of Prouence, according to the neernesse of the place, lying on the west syde thereof & beeing seperated from it by the riuer of Rhone.

Tholouse is the chief cittie of all this countrie, & therin is kept the parlamental court which is accompted the second of all France & consequently the next after that of Paris.

Montpellier is also of fame for the renowmed vniuersitie, espetially in the study of phisick.

There is also the citties of Nimes, Narbone & sundry others both of impor­tance & antiquitie, as the ruynes or remainder of diuers moste ancient edifices do declare.

THE ILE of FRANCE.

THe french do properly call this the Ile of France: wherein the citrie of Paris & the towne of S. Denis &c. are situate. It is not properly an Ile, but somwhat compassed about with the riuers of Marne, Se [...]ne and Oyse.

It taketh the name of France (as Andrew Thenet telleth vs) because the Frankes (or Franch­men) that came out of Germany (when France had the name of Galia & the inhabitants were called Gaulos) did here make their first setled abode, & their chiefs did heer begin to take vpon them the tytles of kinges.

The countrie is aboundant in graine, & yeildeth exceeding store of poultrie & other comodities. About the cittie of Paris espetialy towards Mount martyr that kynde of morter for building; called plaster of Paris is found.

This exceeding great & moste famous cittie (also called Lutetia) took the name of Paris after Paris a King of the Celtes, though some haue fabulously affirmed it to come of Paris the Troyan. It is deuyded into; partes, Cittie, Towne & Vniuer­sitie, the cittie is in an Ile of the riuer of Seine, & people do pas by bridge to the towne on the one syde, & to the vniuersitie on the other.

This vniuersitie was erected by Charles the great, at the solicitation of Alcuinus, who was scholer vnto Venerable Bede, and afterward preceptor vnto this Emperor, and with other learned men came out of England vnto Paris; and there in the streetes demaunded yf any would buy wisdome, offring to sel it them for the giuing of them a place wherein to vtter it. This cittie is the chief seat & residence of the kinges of France & the court of Parlament. About 2 leagues from hence is the towne of S. Denis, where in a goodly monasterie the sepulchres and monuments of the ancient kinges of France are to bee seene.

DAVPHINEY.

THis prouince long since a parte of the kingdome of the Allobroges, hath on the northsyde thereof the territorie of Lions; on which syde lieth the base or low parte of Dauphiney, whereof the cittie of Vienna is the chief, on the west syde it is bordered with the Rhosne, on the east it ioyneth to Sauoy, & on the south vnto Prouence: & this parte is called high Dauphiney, & the metropolitane cittie thereof is Embrun: howbeit Grenoble is the parlamental & capitall cittie of the whole countrie. It is said that neere vnto this cittie is a fountaine out of the which their issueth both fyre & water the which is a moste wonderful woork of nature, & incomprehensible to all philosophers. In the Mountaines not far from this aforesaid cittie is the great & chief hows of the Carthusians who take their name of those cold & snowie mountaines of Carthusia. The people of Dauphiney beeing annexed vnto the crowne of France, not by war or conquest; but by amitie; haue obtayned to accept no gouernour but of the blood royal of that realme.

The country in some places is very fertil yeilding store of corne & wyne, & the moste infertil places do yeild great aboundance of chest-nuts with the which both cattel & people are nourished, & so aboundant they are in cattel that they are able to furnish therewith other aioyning prouinces.

THE SIGNIORIE of FLORENCE.

THis Signiorie of Florence the chief parte of Tuscane is in the hart of Italy, & in the middest▪ thereof is the ritche & beautiful cittie of Florence. In this cittie in the yeare 1464 died Cosmo de Medicis a woorshipful citizen thereof, from whome the Duke that now possesseth both the cittie & countrie and his predecessors are descended.

This Cosmo for his great wisdome welth & credit was such; that it may be thought there was neuer any priuate man (to wit without some tytle of honor) to be vnto him compared. The cittie of Florence by the goodly edifices which therin he erected hath bin greatly beautified. The moste faire & sumptuous Church of S. Laurence he there builded, as also the Church of S. Mark, & the monasterie of S. Verdiana. He built for himself so faire a dwelling hows that the best masters in Architecture do admyre it. In the Fesulian hilles hee built the monasterie of S. Hierome; and another called the Abbadia.

In Mugelo he built a monasterie of S. Francis. In Fresoli Carregi Cafayolo & Tribio (places in the country there abouts) he built 4 magnifical palaces, and in Ierusalem he built an hospital for pilgrims. He endued the monasteries which he founded with competent landes & renenues, & the churches with vessels of gold & siluor, faire hanginges, goodly paintinges & ornaments &c. His sonne after his death perusing his bookes of accompts did fynd that there was scarsly found any one citizen that was not one way or other in his debt And notwithstanding his great opulence he did not in his porte or apparel beare himself otherwise then the other citizens, neither maried hee his children or kin folks but among his neighbours & fellow citizens.

Thus much I thought good to ad in this place by occasion of this faire cittie of Florence which is so ancient that the name thereof was not vnknowne to Tacitus Procopius Agathias & other ancient authors. Touching the soile & countrie becauseit is alredy spoken of in this epitome (in the description of Tuscane) it is heer omitted,

APVLIA.

APulia otherwise called Terra di Otranto, is the furthest east end of Italy & enuyroned with the sea saue where it ioyneth vnto Terra di Barri, & apro­cheth vnto Calabria. It seemeth one of the moste temperate partes of the world. Corne, frute, & all sortes of pot-herbes & medicinal herbes are heer most ex­cellent. The oates may bee compard vnto barley, & the barley vnto wheat of other countries. But the countrie with thease extraordinarie good comodities is not exempt from incomodities as extraordinarie euil, for the foile doth heer bring foorth the serpent Tarantola; whose venim is cured by instrumental music. Here are also certaine water-serpents and gras-wormes that poison and destroy the thinges which they touch.

Tarentum in tymes past was a towne of this prouince, situated betwene 2 armes of the sea, & thought impregnable. Calliopolis standeth vpon a promontorie stretching out into the sea; with so narrow a passage vnto it in some places that 2 cartes cannot pas together in front. Hydruntum which hath a good hauen; is thought to haue bin in tymes past the Metropolitaine cittie of all this Peninsula. Brindezi is also a good & comodious hauen-towne the hauen whereof is chained vp euery night with 2 chaynes of Iron, fastened vnto the rockes that are on either syde.

ISLAND.

IN the north sea south from Groneland lieth the Ile of Iseland, so called because im­mediately beyond it the Icie sea is accompted to begin.

In this Ile in somer when the Sun is in the Tropyk of Cancer there is no night: & con­trariwise in winter no day. The countrie is all ful of high hilles & stony iockes, & the people do make themselues dwellinges in the rock sydes, & some do buyld themselues cabins of the bones of whales & other fishes. Townes & villages are scarse among them, & not a tree is to bee found in the country; neither haue they corne growing there, but the valeys are so aboundant in grasse that they are faine to keep vp their cattel from ouermuch eating; thinking they would els die of to great fatnesse.

They haue wonderful aboundance of fish; & much of it they do dry & so make it stockfish. The Ile is deuyded into fowre partes & those according to the foure quarters of the world, east west north & south.

They are subiect vnto the King of Denmark, who yearly sendeth them a gouernor. There Bishop (who is of the Lutheran religion) they haue in great reuerence.

They delight exceedingly in songes of the valiant actes of their fore fathers, and euery where in the stony rockes the doughty deedes of their predecessors are grauen & carued. Sundry of their hilles are so high that they are alwayes couered with snow, yea somtymes the snow may bee seene on the top of the hil when the foot of it bur­neth in flame; of these the hil Hecla is the chief & it lieth on the west syde of the Ile. There are also 2 other burning hilles, the one is called Crosberg, & the other Helga and neer vnto mount Hecla are heard diuers hideous and strange noises.

IAPPONIA.

BEyond the furthest continent eastward of all Asia & ouer against China; lierh the Ile of Iapponia or Iapan, it conteyneth in length about 400 english myles, & in bredth in some places but 20, & where it is largest not aboue 60.

It is deuyded into 3 partes, the first whereof conteyneth 2 kingdomes, to wit, of Miace & Amaguco. In the second part are also 2 kingdomes whereof Bungi the princi­pal of al; is one, & Figen is another. The third parte is deuyded into fowre prouin­ces & lieth betwene the other two partes: and in the kingdomes aforesaid are many seuerall gouernments. The Ile is hilly & somwhat cold; & rather vnfruteful then fruteful in diuers places. Howbeit in some places they gather in their graine in the moneth of May, and their rice in the moneth of September, they make no bread of their corne; but a kynde of potage.

They haue neither eyle not butter, beastes they haue both wyld & tame, but they eat the flesh of the wyld rather then of the tame: they haue a kynde of auersion from much seeding on flesh & therefore their greatest sustenance is ryce & herbes, fish they also eat, & the fat of fish serueth them in steed of oyle or butter.

Two mountaines in this Ile exceed all the other, the one in wonderful heigth, reatching aboue the cloudes the other in casting foorth flaming fyre.

Many of these people haue of late yeares (through the preaching of the Iesuits) receaued the Christian faith, howbeit not al for fome do yet continew in paganisme, & haue a custome diuers tymes to kil their new borne children, thereby to auoyd the trouble & charge of bringing them vp.

ROMANIA.

THe region which now is named Romania, the ancients called Thrace. It is the furthest southeast parte of Europe, and hath on the east syde the sea now called Mare Magiore, of old Pontus Fuxinus: On the southsyde it hath the sea called Ar­chipelago, on the west it hath Bulgaria &c. & on the north Syrfia & vvalachia &c.

In this region lieth the ancient & famous cittie of Constantinople, of old called Byzantium, & of the Turks that now possesse it corruptly called Stambol: the countrie lying about this cittie the Turks do call Galatie, & neere vnto this said cittie is a litle towne called Galata, but more modernly Pera & of old tyme Cornu-Byzantium. This countrie of Thrace or Romania is neither of good soile, nor good ayre, but cold and barren, except towards the sea syde.

The principall citties thereof are, Abdera, Apollonia, Phinopolis, Philippopolis, Nicopolis, Hadrianopolis, Selybria, Debeltus, Heraclea, Lysmachia. & the chief of all the aforesaid cittie of Constantinople, called Byzantium of Byza the founder thereof, & afterward Constantinople after Constantyne the Emperor, of whome it also receaued new honor & new augmentation.