'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.' [‎352] (375/448)

Jurea Cherfonefus.
Terra and the Aurea Cherfonefas is not fo well agreed upon: For Jofephns by Aurea Terra
intends Ophyr, and by that general confequently comprehends all thole Regions that verge
Eafterly from the River Indus) feeing all that Oriental part of the World even from
Indus to Polifanga (if fuch a River be not feigned) and molt Iflands from the Maldim
Inftila to Japan more or lefs have Gold: India abmdat Auro, Plin. lib. 6. Which if fo, I
do not know by what Authority Varrerim confines that metal to Vegu and Sumatra^ main
taining That no other place in the Eafi-Indies produces Gold on either fide the River
Ganges: His words are thele, Citra & ultra Gangem nulla pars IndU fit qua Aurumgignat
prxter Veguam & Sumatram. An Hypothefis found miftaken by fuch as drive a Trade for
Gold in thofe maritime parts that verge towards Cochin-china: Upon which confideration
it is (as I fuppofe) that Mercator ftretches Aurea Cherfonefm from Sumatra to Japan^ both
in reference to the Ifles and Coaft Maritimate; too great a fpace donbtlefs and diiagree-
ing with a Pen-infule: therefore upon better grounds it may be reduced to a lefs, as of
late fome have confined it to Mallabary albeit Ptolomy and Niger place it about Malacca,
Joor and parts thereabouts. But Solinus converting the fpecies calls it Argyra, which
Pompon. Mela lib. 3. cap. 8- feems to reconcile. Ad Tamum enim India promontorium eji In
sula Chryfa ad Gangem Argyra, &c. by that Promontory meaning either Gape Comryn or
that other which ihoots into the Sea and becomes an equal boundary to the two Straits
of Sunda and Malacca. And by Pliny lib.6. c. 21. Extra Ojiium Indi Chryfa & Argyra fer-
tilis met alii s *, fed quod aliqui tradunt Aurum & Argentum cum eis folum effe, baud facile credide-
rim. By which that Author places it nearer Indus than Ganges. But that Ophyr was at and a-
bout Malacca-, at leaft in fome contiguous maritime part of Baft-India , and that Joktan
with all, or moft of his Sons planted in the Eafl-Indies rather than in Arabia,and that their
Colonies though difperfed for better accommodation were in the voicinage of one ano
ther, will appear by the continuation of the Names of the principal Planters as may be
imagined, yea proved by what is this day extant notwithftanding the alteration of Names
and change of Language that unavoidably hath hapned.
And firlt concerning Mejha and Mount Sepher: That their ftation was thereabout, has
been the conftant opinion of moll ^ until of late a modern Writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. finding Mejha the Son
of Aram Son of Shem in Mefopotamia, thence imagines thofe places are to be underllood
to be in that Countrey: but that Gountrey being neither Eaft from Shinaar nor the Ara
bian Defert, that conjecture is not forcible. Another finds it in Arabia Felix upon that
old miftake in not diftinguilhing the Plantation of Havilah the defcendant of Cham from
that other of Havilah who defcended from Shem: which errour alfo mif-led the Septua-
gint, by the River Gihon (a branch of Euphrates) underftanding Ganges. But Ptolomy
with better confideration finds it in Eaft-India, calls it Mons Mauus, and places it under
36 degr. Nefas mons eft India, Plin. /. 20. notwithftanding all that large trad the fame Geo
grapher extends from the Promontory Manancomum to Sabanna being above 100 leagues
is by Strabo termed Terra Muficani or Mefhicani as fome write it.
Nor is Sepher that noted Mountain in the Eaft at this day utterly forgotten*, feeing
fome there be who find Sopha there-, as alfo Syba and Sypha, which differ but little from
the ancient Name it bore, or from the latitude allowed Mons Mateus or Nifaus, where
India begins and gives Paropa-Nyfa its Name as fome call it, but more truly Paropa-Mifa,
from Mount and out of which (it is fuppofed) Ganges fprings: albeit in the
Eafterly part of Aria another Sypha is known of late to the Eaft of Maz.eus v whole di*
ftance may be lalved by that of Caucafus which keeps its Name a vaft diftance and through
leveral Pvegions: but helps that fuppofition^, for he takes the great Mountain
Bellagate (which in that Dialed fignifies a high Mountain) to be Sepher, albeit Bellagau
branches from Imaus, and in a continued ledge of fpiring Hills pierces through the heart
of Induftan, Decan and the Narfingan Countreys in the middle betwixt the Gulph of Ben-
gala and the Indian Ocean uninterruptedly as far as Cape Comryn, not unlike the Appen-
nine, which in a chain of Hills cuts quite through Italy. And concerning it Saint Jerome
vouches That Saphyra^ ( as he calls Sepher J Mons eft Orientis in India, juxta quem, fllii JoBan
habitaverunt, Sepher is a Mountain in the Eaft-Indies, near which, the Sons of Joktan in
habited. Quos a Cophene ftuyio & Regione India ufq', ad ipfam Seriam occupaffent, (faith Jo-
fephus) By which the Seres is underftood, and in which was Mons Sepher: Arrhian calls
itPyrrhm, Ptolomy Bepirrhm, and Mercator Sepirrhut. But this Cophene or Sophene muft be
chitinguirned from that Sophena which is in Cilicia upon the Armenian Confines that Eu
phrates waters. Sub Bafilifewa, inter Antitaurum & Mafium montes, jacetSophena, inquadam
convalle, cujus Metropolis eft Carcathiocerta: an error that has mifguided fome Writers-,
for, Cophen Regie & fluvius eft India, faith Mela i.lib.q. &c. and Pliny l. 6. r. 23 .So that
tis very ftrange, any would have Sepher to be the Andes in America, as I lately mentioned.
> Concerniiig
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