'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎112] (133/448)

HZ
••
:
1 i ;; i
TheSnghjh Zmbajfadorsla ndinginTerfta, gombroon,
vitation was only to tafte his bread and fait, a complement very •] iic ' ent ' ^ no!: foo! d
t r ar nf ^read and Water, oii'rerved by - in his *y£neid. the Ambaifadors ncver-
rteSftfenSfwSa largercomprehenfion, for they were entertamed with
ayery neat collation of Sweet-meats and Pelo, choice Wine, andmufickbothof
thatCountry and from our Ships', the whole refemblmg another old reception near this
placed which had Lrtm ehumtos & mratos,
and which together with the Sultans often repeating tlie Perfians complement Hojhomody,
hffomrdy, i. e. Welcome,heartily mtcome, allured us either we were welcome indeed, or
thatit was to remove a complaint he feared would otherwife have .been made unto his
Matter the great Duke of 5^ for negledingthat ceremony which/Wm ^
he well knew was due tofucn eminent Perfons and paiieiigers. v r is „ ,
„ , G 6 M B R O W N which Oform lib. calls Hacande by the / e rf an *called
"" ' 1 Bander i. e. the Port-Town (and not unaptly, this being more valuable ^
Kineof Ptr/M hath) is fcituate upon a level ground clofe by the Sea, the pountry almolt
roundabout riling for fomemiles very wtowaiay Mlrfnc*?
North,, which though feeming near is faid to be fifteen miles ear tms
place the Gulph is narroweft, Jrabia the happy oppofing it to the VUft towards ten
leagues, but fo vilible that it feemed to us no more than iW does from Cdtcf. Tms Ci
ty Itands in Carmania and not Gedrofa (as fome have faid)t e crfans e mom^
albeit fome erroneouQy fuppofe it Chufiftan. Some call this place Gamrou^Gomn^
others Gomroon and Cummeroon, for fo 1 find it varioufly pronoanced. And albeit the
Town be but of fmall antiquity, taking its rife front the fall oiOrmm nevertaeicfs one
Newbury an Engliih Merchant reports, that at hisbeing > here about the year 1581. it
was then a Town, though 1 believe a very fmall one : Since which, the Pormgals have
built two Caftellets or Forts, the firft by Alhuqmrq, Anno 15 13. under whoie power
it refted, till the year 1612. at which time by Ally Ree^ tt. was wrefted rrom them to the
Perfian 1 but upon the deftrudion otOrmm which was m the year 1622^ by removal or
moil ot the inhabitants, this Village fo increafed the buildings, that for grandeur it
is now ranked with Towns of belt note in Perfia^ fo as through the accels ot Merchants
from moil parts, namely, English $ Dutch, Dane, P or tuguez., Armenians, Georgia s,
Mufcovites, Turks, Indians, Arabians, Jews and Bannyans, this Gomhrom from almail Viilage
is become a City of great Commerce, by reafon of that notable concourie which in the
Winter feafon ufuaily both by land and fea from the molt remote places of the world re-
lort thither raw Silk, Carpets, Cotton, and other inland commodities being thither
brought by Carravan againit that time; and by Ship, Merchandizes ofalllorts; loas
Trade here during three months appears quick, both to the enriching of the Natives and
Exoticks, in luch adegree, as verifies that Maxim of his Civitas vix fotejt
fuhfiftere fine commercm. Parallel to which is that out off lores Hift- referring to Law-
renw de Medicvs the great Thufcan Duke, Qui dicit, Merc at ur am effe caput, unde^ robur
& nervi manant in Kcmpub. Appearing alio in the Perhan Exchequer, which acKnow
ledges that it has not the like cullome and other advantage from any other City within
that Empire. Now albeit Gombrom be but newly advanced, neverthelefs 1 meet with
an ancient Author that feems to point at it by this expreifion j Baraomati funt populi qui
Jndum verfm accolunt, Gumbroto proximi. Which how applicable to this place, 1 leave to
better judgment than my own contenting my felf with fuch other obfervations as I made
during our fourteen days ftay there.
And firft, concerning the buildingsthey are for the moft part 6f Brick not burnt
with Fire but hardned by the Sun, which makes them fo hard that they appear no lefs
folid and ufeful than thofe the Fire obdures: They are low built, and molt with fmall
Courts and Balconies, tarralfed or flat at top, pargetted with plaifter in hardnefs not
inferiour tothat of Paris *, for indeed fuch is the diftemperature of heat fometimes that
to live there is fcarce tolerable: but when the air becomes more moderate (which is
when the Sun is furtheit) to have more breath they ufe to fleep upon their tarrafles, to
which end they fpread Carpets aloft for their better accommodation. This kind of build
ing is common in all thefe hot places: That the Jews had their building fuch, appears by
what we frequently read in Scripture, as in Deut. 22. 8. Jojh. 2. 6. 1 Sam. 9. 16. Jerem-
19. 13. Att. 10. 9. The Windows are not glafed, but wooden trellized, made to iliut
and open as they fee caufe, to welcome the breez when it murmurs. The mountain
(which they fay is fix leagues thence, but by its height feems not half fo much) by an
ticipating the cool North-winds makes this place much the hotter •, fo hot, as in the
Summer feafon enforces the inhabitants to remove to Larr and other neighbouring Vil
lages, where cool ftreams, rocks and trees givelhade and cool the air that at Gombroon