'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.' [‎173] (194/448)

Hyrcania. Cjheer. Aliavarr. ~J\(eca^
Auro pulfa fides,auro venalia Jura,
Aurum lex f£quitur 3 tnox fine lege pudor
G old forfeits Faith, perverts the poor Mans right ^
Gold makes the Law a Slave where Jhame wants fight.
Verifying what another merry Poet fings,
Mmera crede mihi placant Hominefa Deofa
Placatur doftis Jupiter ipfe datis.
After two days repofe in Perifcm we continued our travel, the Court then beint? I if
tie more than a hundred miles diftant from us. Our firft nights iournev fmm p r
to Cheer was four and twenty long miles, and tedious in the pfiTagi; forfomeparTwTs
over rugged hills other part through whiltling dales i in both which we were fo wea
ther-beaten with a ftorm of Wind and Hail bred and forced oveT the cIS
Sea, (which from hence, if the feafon had permitted, we mighthave feen,) asfor fome
time not only took away our fight and hearing, but threatned our brains; for in de-
fpigk of our belt skill to keep together, we loft one another ; infomuchas we had hard
ly recovered our company, had not the unmelodious noife of the braying Mules, and
jinghngof the Camels Bells (being to wind-wafd) brought us together, and helped us
SMrfrfHenH? rr 0r Z'%'">»Straits-, through which, when neither Sun, Moon, nor
Star befriends,.whofoever hereafter travel, let them be fure to borrow Thefew his thread
or be content to wander rnfome kind of Labyrinth. From we rode next night four
and twenty miles, to a Imall Village whofe name I have forgot •, but remember verv well
thatthe Frogs (the Bu 1-bulls or philomels of this marifh place) aflembled in fuch num
bers, and chirped fuch loathfome tunes, that we wilhed Homer would have given them a-
nother King: For as one writes, 5 UIcm
The prat ling Frog (thinking his Language good)
Croaks fruitfully in his beloved Mud/
Gaitula liraofis Rana coaxat aquis
Thefe mthe Sprmgmgender of theflimethatfroaths from their own bodies, and in
lhallow plafhes croak and ride one another outragioufly; but towards Winter refolve
Svl !- u mat , t , er ' ' T !. s ? r r nge what lbme re I )0rt ' that if their Heart and Liver be
pull d out, they will neverthelefs skip up and down: and no lefs certain it is that Frogs
are of great vertue, if phyfically ufed i for there is no part of them but what is medici-
naoie, it Aldrovandm in his report be rightly informed.
To Aliavarr, one and twenty miles from the Town of Frogs, we rode next night: a ve-
ryplealant place for earth, water, and wood: and where we found flore of Phefants;
a Bird abounding in thefe Hyrcanian Towns, but near the River ?hafis in Memrellia
Cemptying it felf into the Fuxin near Trepizond) originally breeding. And it is note-wor
my, I hat this River Phafis in fome part of the Hiftory writ by Quints Curtim is miftaken
lor 7 tgrts)tromPhaft,or Pafi-Tigris.No wonder then if Alexander at the firft fight of the Ca~
Jpian thought that Sea was the Fens of Meottis \ and that he was perfwaded from the River
Indus he might fail into the without interruption, Strabo 1 15 geogr. Phifon, (which is a
branch otTigris) apudGracosIndus,apudBarbaros Ganges,vacatur.Epiphan.lib.de n.gemmis,
taKmg Ptjon tor Ganges, fo they miftook Gihon for Nilm, which made their Extent of the
garden or Edenio over large z\to Artemidortis makes ^wfpring from the Median
1 ^KKMn-mledfote Tigris near Zeilan : Thefe 1 inftance to note the little know
ledge they had in thofe times of Geography •, which abfurdities are fince by Navigation and
Commerce well cor reded. Jafon and his Argonauts firft made thefe known to Greece,
when thence he forced their Sheep bearing Fleeces of Gold, or Gold-meriting Fleeces.
Next night we got to Necaw, five and twenty miles from Alliavar 5 obfervable only in the
Kings Houfe, and for that their common Manfionsand Churches differ not from ours of
ordinary fort in England. Here (as in fome other parts of Hyrcania, it being Sum-
mer tme) we were exceedingly peftered with Flies and Gnats whofe vexatious Stings
made fome of us, when wearofe, look' as if we had the Meazles. And when we
came near the Sea we were no lefs troubled with Snakes^ for if fo be we left the Road,
and nd through the green paftures, then they would wind about our horfes legs with
out other harm than affrighting, and ferving to -perfwade us into the common path a-
g^in. This is not ft range, feeing that Pompey (after he had lubdued Tigranes the Ar~
meman) marching into this Countrey was conftrained to retreat, by reafon of the infi
nite number of Snakes and Serpents that offended the Army, as Pint. Vita Pomp, writeth.
And