"رحلات في مناطق مختلفة من أفريقيا وآسيا العظمى لبضع سنوات. وصف إمبراطوريات بلاد فارس وهندوستان خاصةً: بالتداخل مع بعض الأحداث الهامة كما دارت في تلك المناطق أثناء تلك العصور اللاحقة. كذلك الأمر بالنسبة إلى الممالك الشهيرة الغنية الأخرى في الهند الشرقية والجزر المجاورة. والربط بين ديانة ولغة وعادات وأعراف كل منها على حدة: بالإضافة إلى ذكر ملاحظات صحيحة عن كل منها." [‎١‎٨‎٧] (٤٤٨/٢٠٨)

an abfurdity to imagin; As if any Cavern fhould be fo vaft and comprehenfible a< in
upwards of 5000 Years continual pouring in fo much Water as thofe many sreat Ri
vers abundantly furmfh, could be capable of holding more Water. How can it then
rationally be otherwife imagined but that this hath fome fecret meam or inter
courfe with lome Sea; either by forae unknown channel under ground, or River that
ciandeftinety iffiies thereout. But that it hath a mixture with the rather than
with the Perpm Gulph or Scythtque Seas, may be gathered from its nearer voifinage to
the Eiixine by many hundred miles than any other Sea. It is nevertelefsobfervable what
an ancient Author writes, Plmarchm, Dionyfrnfr erumtere
traduntunde Strabo, Patrocltim nohilem Script or em in ea fuijfe fententia fcrihit, ut ex India
ad Hyrcmos mvigari pofe crediderit: meaning ( as 1 apprehend ) that either by the River
Oxm or Jaxartes there^s a paflage into the Caftian Sea from that part of India which is
about Lahore. But thofe great Rivers emptying themfelves into the Mare Cafbium, sive
it an mcreafe or charge, but no difcharge, which is our fcrutiny. And albeit the paf
fage or Vent be but conjedural, yet will it the fooner be believed by paralleling it with
the like fubterranean palfages obferved infeveral famous Rivers, of which I fhall in-
ftance a few particulars, viz.. Such is Eridanm or Fo in Italy y Erafinm in Araolica the
Rhine in Germany, Tigris through Arethnfa, Hyyanis in Scythia, Ana in Spain, which run
ning fifteen miles under ground is a Bridge whereon icooolheep grafe daily as the Spa-
niard boafteth; Zyoberis in Hyrcania, which after 40 miles courfe under the Earth, re
appears in the River Rhodago, Alexander at Arifiotle's requeft by putting in 2 Oxen, made
good the report Liens in Natalia, our Mole in Surrey*, but more remarkably the River
Atyhem that waters the City Llk in Morea, which after a large race through Achaia, is
fwaliowed up, and in fome profound channel makes way through the Mediterranean Sea
into the River ArethUfa that waters the City Syracttfe in Sicily,
- 1 Alpheutn, fama eft hue Elidis amnem
Occultas egifle vias fub Maria, qui nunc
Ore Arethufa tuo Siculis confunditur undis.
as Virgil lib. 3. *y£neid. Straho lib. 6. Mela alfo, Alpheus dicitur fe non confociare Telago,
fed fubter Maria terrafa deprejfus, hue agere alveum, atq, hie fe rurfm extoilere, &c. Scaliger
likewife in his 37 Exercit. fuppofes the Cafpian to have a recourfe under ground into the
JEuxine. Moreover, that the Cafpian hath fbme paflage under ground and intercourfe
with the Ocean, may be prefumed by its producing thofe kinds of Fifh whofe ordinary
abode is in fait waters, namely Porpice, Conger, Gudgeon,Thornback,Turbut, Cacfcrel,
Skate, Soles, Oyfters, Lobfters, Crabs, Sturgeons, the roe of which makes Caveare
Cabirot tht French call it, and Mullet, the roe of which makes Potargo( with other Sea
fifli I might mention) not delighting in frelh waters. Nor is this a new opinion, feeing
that great Geographer Strabo in his Difcourfe thereof, SinumOceani adBoream ejfe tra-
dunt, &c. and Bafil. that great Scholiaft in his 4. Homil Hex am. faith. Mare mum eft, ut
illi dicunt qui orb em perluftraverant, etiamfi enim Hyrcanum & Cafpium mare per fe perforata
funt, hac tamen duo maria' in Pontum Euxinum fefe infinuant: poflible to him with whom
nothing is impoffible; but in making the Hyrcanian or Cafpian Sea duo maria I know not
his authority, feeing thofe two names make one Sea: Yet probably in that miftake ta
king Arifiotle for his guide, who indeed fo diftinguifhes them: An error obferved
and excufed by Vicomercatw in his Comment, upon Arift. Meteors, In hoc (faithhe) Ari-
floteles eft condonandus, cujm temporibus nec Terra nec Mare plane perluftrata fuerant. And
for the better entercourfe of the Cajpian and Euxine fome Monarchs of old, notwith-
ftanding that vaft diftance of place and furging grounds which interpofe, have attem
pted to cut fuch a fluce or channel as fhould be navigable for Veflels to pafs from each
other. For example Seleuchm Nicamr with incredible labour and expence endeavoured
what Art could effed to make them communicable: but before his work was half done,
he was unhappily flain by Ptolomy Ceramm the ^Egyptian King, as Erafmm relates, where
by his great defign mifcarried. Some of the Perfian Kings alfo, whofe immenfe power
made them think nothing impoflible, attempted the like, untill by fruitlefs endeavours
they were made to underftand their vanity.
Now, to know whether this Cafpian have that property other lalt Seas have, as to,ebb
and flood ^ to fatisfie my curiofity, one day I ftood fome hours upon the ftrand pur-
pofely to obferve its motion; and albeit there was little or no wind ftirring at that
time, yet the water was fomewhat turbulent and rolling elpecially towards the fhore,
and not unlike what we obferve in calm weather in our narrow Seas, and in its waves
Bh 2 refem-