'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.' [‎170] (191/448)

170 Sdh Defar
fpitable landy Defart which was ten miles broad, and in length ( as they told us) little
lefs than a hundred: where here and there we beheld the ground covered with a loof
and flying fand, which by the fury of the Winter-weather is accumulated into fuch heam
as upon any great wind the trad is loft, and paffengers (too oft) overwhelmed and It"
fled by that impetuous Tyrant*, yea Camels, Horfes, Mules and other Beafts, thoueh
ftrong, fwift and fteady in their going, yet fometimes are not able to fhift for them 1
felves but perifli without recovery: thofe rowling fands when agitated by the wind mov'
and remove more like Sea than Land, and render the way very dreadful to paiTenser 6
Howbeit, which was fome amends, the drinefs of thefe parts caufed through the in'
fluence of fome Conftellations, give lefs advantage to the Sun by exhalation to occaiio"
winds, than in hotter places and near the Sea is obferved* Indeed, in this place ^
thought that curfe fulfilled which is mentioned in Deut. 28. 24. where the Lord by m
fes threatens in ftead of rain to give them Ihowers of duft: For, albeit the King ( to do
as much as may be for prevention of harm and prefervation of paffengers) has raifed ar
every three miles end a wall or Caftle} yet by the unliable foundation, in March and
September in defpight of their belt props it is piece-meal torn afunder, that little or no
remains appear of their late ftanding. This our laft nights travel was thirty miles.
Next night we rode one and twenty miles to Suffedaw, an old weather-beaten Carra
vans-raw j well agreeing with the fcituation, being placed in an unfociable defart Our
next nights lodging was at Syacow, ten farfangs or thirty Englifo miles ^ a place that-
made amends for the lail ^ tnis being notable in her Carravans-raw which is built from
the ground of good free-ftone, white and well-polilhed •, yea to the bell of my remem
brance, unlefs at Tanghe-Dolon y this was the firlt building of that material I faw in eiehi-
hundred miles riding •, moft of the building as we paft being of brick well hardned in
the Sun, as is common in thefe hotter parts of Afia. A word of our laft nights iour
ney. The moft part of the night we rode upon a paved cawfey broad enough for ten
Horfes to go a breaft, built by extraordinary labour and expence over a part of a sreJt
defart *, which is fo even as that it affords a large Horifon: Howbeit, being of bo^v
loofe ground, upon the furface it is covered with white Salt in fome places a yard deen •
a miferable pallage! for if either the wind drive; the loofe Salt abroad which is like S'
or that by accident Horfe or Camel forfake the cawfey,the bogg is not ftrong enough tn
uphold them, but fuffers them to fink paft ail recovery. This caufey has lome refem
blance with thofe ancient Fu militares whofe foundations were laid with huge niles or
ftakes pitched into a bogg, and faftned together with branches or withes of wood nn
on which rubbi/h was |read, and gravel or ftones afterwards laid,to make the ground
more firm andfolid That of Trajans was notable^ but a dreadful paflage this was-
and the more to be feared becauft fome forlorn hopes of highway-men many times pTl"
lage paifengers: God be blefled, we efcaped this,but not another which was little kfs
formidablefor we had no fooner paffed the Salt defart but of neceffitv we wire con
ftrained to climb over and about the Hills called Cartand* of old, fo high werp fh™
Sa^" nS '' ^ ^ the e:,fier afCentf0rmed 38 if 0lymfm had been
From Syacw we rode next night two and twenty miles: moft part of the wav w.-k
over another fait Defart, wherem (as we were told) thoufands have unhappily perrflied •
and would yet run like hazard did not a like large and well-made cawfey torfthS'
u xt e [ e r 6 P 11 , ,: old Ttrmmm in this place limiting from reaching fur"
ther North: From whofe high tops look we back and memorize her that was one? for'
midable to the Komm Emperors, and Miftrefsofthegreateft part of Ma. In theia
^tongue Ihe figmfies an Exile or Stranger, as in his 41. Book, the
D.adem was once garmfted with two and twenty Ringdoms, comprehending the sreateft
which magnificence Ihe fell: yet after a long eclipfe, by vertue of
the Sophuvftem recovered a great partof her former brightnefl 'Tis row called W
Zl' ^k em y t 0 diftinguifh it from that including toold Proving
were Rhag*a,Jpamea, (not that near Selewia in jiffyria) Tatira Choam* 4r*r ■ 0 I irices
we overtook fome of thofe Greats or waXngHerdf men oldArhnrcf' th,S . plaC ^
med