'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.' [‎192] (213/448)

Ipl
Mount Taurus,
that TaHrm tnons omnium eft maximxs- And that ^
Taurm ell And Dion. Mex. that tctmOrhts _ Tmrm
TUTJL Tauri elato capite incedit, &c. fays another Author. For which reafon farth Eh.
Zh f,re,eres omma grindU & rohuJlaTaurcsvoca And as another good Author ob-
irves Twu ahimdim, m aheo jifira ma cccafm
felficLnr. So that upon the whole I may fitly apply what hath done to one much
inferiour, the Adenine ;
Nu l] 0 quocjj vcrtice Tellus than which no earthly fart more high doth rife,
Aldus intuitur, propi6rve accedit Olyrapo. Or whofe approach comes nearer to the Skies.
So hi2h as the labour we endured was very great in the afcending. For albeit our
travel in and over this Mountain was fometimes through narrow inhofpitable ftraits,
other-whiles it was over extraordinary Hills; fuch Hills, as after two days winding and
gainful climbing (for 1 may fo call it, feeing that oft-times we durft not ride,) we got
fo high that we could clearly fee the clouds hanging a great way below us, and obfcu-
rine the Earth, the higheft vapours feldom rifing above 50 miles from the Earth, if we
credit the learned Eratoflhenes and by the fenfible alteration of the air might well per
ceive we were mounted a good way up into the middle Region: fo different was it from
the weather we found below; and to our fad remembrance no lefs different in operation,
than rationally could not otherwife be expeded, afcending from a hot and defcending
into a hotter Countrey: For a Gentleman of our Company and of our Country died
foon after •, and my felf not minding to alter my thin habit, by the like cold I took
upon the Mountain and in our defcent into a very hot foil, fell into fb violent a dyfen-
tery, as in eleven days gave me a thoufand ftools, molt of blood. But whether it had
any influence upon thofe honoured Perfons Sir Dodmore Gotten and Sir Robert Sherley, I
cannot judge *, albeit they both were in good health when we palfed thofe Hills, and left
this World for a better within a month after. Tint arch writes concerning Lucullm, that
purfuing Tigranes the Armenian King he had the like experience of the air here •, differ
ing fo much froin the air of the Countrey more remote, as put the Annie into a di-
Itemper. But more efpecially this gives me occafion to call to mind what Acopa the
Spaniard reports concerning thofe high Peruvian Mountains called Peria~Cac<e ; which
in palling over put him into a diftemper he could not better refemble than to a
Sea-iicknefs, vomiting fo much that he thought he fhould have died; caufed through the
fubtilty of the air and the fublimity of thofe Hills, which he fays furpafs the Alps and
Pyrene Mountains no lefs than lofty Towers do ordinary Cottages.
Now the afcending this Mountain Taurm was not more troublefom I thought than the
defcending: for in fome places we had the path fo uneven and fo unskilfully cut, that
we were in danger of tumbling down a deep and dreadful precipice^ at the bottom of
which we could hear what we could not fee, a hollow murmuring Water. But one part of
that Mountain was a more frightful palfage than the reft ^ agreeable to thatin Ovid, Per
compendia Montis pracipita via ; this for the fpace of three miles being cut or forced through
the fide of a perpendicular Hill, the top and bottom of which was undifcernable, the
wideft part not being much above a yard*, infomuchasif twoHorfe-men fhould chance
to meet, 1 faw not how they could fafely pafs by one another unlefs they madelikeihift
the two Goats mentioned in Pliny did *, who accidentally meeting in fuch a place, had no
way to preferve themfelves, but by the couching of the one whiles the other paft over.
That paffage at Pen-mm-maur 'twixt Aber-Conway and Bew marris in little refembles this*,
but for danger is not comparable. A very wretched pafs, and good caufe have I to
remember it: For, whiles I was fometimes through a needlefs curiofity looking up,
wondring at the great height above, and anon darting my fight down, no lefs marvel
ling at the depth below, unawares a Rock that jetted ill-favouredly out of order, unex
pectedly ftruck me fuch a blow that 1 was fowewhat aitonied,and happily delivered from
a fall into that abyfs. A Rock I may fay that demands an uncivil tribute of heedlefs Paf-
fengers. Howbeit, out of that formidable path of death we got at length to the top of
that imperious Mountain which by its evennefs for full fifty miles (fiich was its breadth
from Omoal to Damoan) and incomparable profped it afforded, made Ibme amends for
the danger we had lately paifed: For from thence we raifed our proiped fo well as the
interpofing mifts -would fuffer, not onely over the breadth of Hyrcania, but far into
the Cajpian Sea as we apprehended, (certain we could not be, feeing it was above a 100
miles diftanf,) f or the reflex of the Sun's rays which are better combined in a plain
fuperficies than where the profped is over Hills and Dales, and the air near the Sea,
by