rowled very thin, and laid together like unto a letter, fo that they are about four inches broad, fix long, and two thick; they are of an afhen colour. The inhabitants call it ftill at this day by it's ancient Arabian name Dora, whereof Rhafis maketh mention. He that will may read more of it in authors.

Our voyage went on very well; wherefore the Merchants began feveral paftimes, fome did play at a play called the Eighteenth, and others played atChefs, in which two games they were very well verfed; others spent their time in reading and finging. Among the reft there was a Merchant from Baljara, that fung out of his Koran (which was put into rhymes in the common Arabick) feveral times with a loud and delicate voice; fo that I took great delight in hearing him. Yet they were not fo hot in their gaming or jefting, that they fhould therefore forget the hour of their prayers, chiefly their divines that were in orders, which used to call them out with a loud voice, at the ufual hour, either in the fhip, or without in the defarts, if they could have covenient time and opportunity. But among the Perfians I found a greater zeal and earneftnefs, than among the Turks or Moors, all which nations have notwithstanding the fame ceremonies in their prayers. For as they have chiefly five hours of praying, whereof three are in the day-time; viz. the first about noon, the fecond about three, and the third when the fun begins to fet; the two others in the night, one in the morning an hour and half before the fun rifeth, and the second after fun fet when the firnament begins to look white and the stars to appear So the Perfians would not be hindered, by the darkness of the night, danger of the place, inconveniency of the time, to go out, when the others were afleep, on the ground in the island where we were landed, and fay their prayers with fuch an earnestness and devotion, as I have often feen it, that the tears run out of their eyes I muft alfo needs fay that they keep clofer and ftricter to their laws than almost any other nation, which forbid them to drink wine, and command them to live in poverty, and to watch and pray continually.

:

The eighteenth day of October we came early to Hadidt, a pretty large, yet anciently built, town, belonging to

the

the King of Arabia, which is alfo divided into two towns by the river Euphrates, like unto Ana, whereof the greater part lieth on this fide of the river. Here the mafter payed for his hip two Sayet (one whereof is about three pence in our country) to the cuftomers, and fo fet fail again, to try whether he could reach that night to Juppe And he did oftner than ever before, fpeak to his men to pull on (chiefly where the river in it's breadth and depth was almoft like unto the fea) fo that at night pretty late we arrived at fuppe, a pleafant and well built town belonging to the Turks, and it is alfo divided into two parts, whereof one lieth in the middle of the river cn a high ground, at the top whereof is a fortrefs, fo that the town is pretty well defended: The other (which is rather bigger) licth on the left in Mefopotamia, wherein are many fine orchards belonging to the houfes, full of high date-trees, &c. wherefore the Merchants fpent half a day there to buy dates, almonds, and figs to carry with them into the inns; the fame they did at Idt another great town of the Turks, on the right-hand of the Euphrates fituate on a high ground, where we arrived on the 20th of October at night in very good time, and gave them instead thereof foap-balls, knives, and paper, &c. After which goods they have often enquired of us ; and we have given them sometimes fome fheets of white paper, which they received with great joy, and returned us many thanks for them.

After our Merchants had fufficiently ftored themselves with thefe goods, and our mafter had pay'd the duty for his two hips, he put off about noon on the 21st of October and went away. About the evening we faw at this fide of the river a mill, and alfo the next day another, whereby were feveral old walls doors and arches, &c. whereby I conjecture that formerly there stood a town. These two mills, as I was informed, were two powdermills that make gun-powder for the Turkish Emperor, and send it to him in caravans, together with other merchandizes through the dominions of the King of Arabia, wherefore he muft as well as other Merchants, pay duty (for that liberty) and toll or cuftom. The gun-powder is not made from falt- peter, as our is, but out of another juice, which they take from a tree that is reckon❜d

to be a kind of willow; known to the Perfians by the name of Fer, and to the Arabians by Garb, as I have mentioned above. Befides this they take the small twigs of thefe trees together with the leaves, and burn them to powder, which they put into water to separate the falt from it, and fo make gun-powder thereof, yet this is nothing near fo ftrong as ours. Pliny chiefly teftifieth this in his 31ft book and 10th chapter, where he faith that in former days they have made Niter of oak-trees, (which certainly he hath taken thefe to be, for they are pretty like oaks) but that it hath been given over long before now. Which is very probable, chiefly because the consumption thereof was not fo great, before they found out guns, as it is now fince they have been found

out.

Further on the water-fide, on the high banks, I faw an innumerable many coloquints grow and hang down, which at a distance I could not well know, until they called them by their ancient Arabick name Handbel, whereby they still to this day are known to the inhabitants. After we had navigated a great way feveral days one after another, through even grounds, and in a good road, we arrived at length on the 24th day of October, at night, near to Feluge or Elugo, a little village called fo, and with it the whole province.

CHAP

CHAP VII.

Of cld Babylon the metropolis ef Chaldee, and it's fituation, and how it is ftill to this day, after it's terrible defolation to be feen, with the tower or turret, and the old ruined walls, lying in the duft.

TH

'H E village Elugo lyeth on the place where formerly old Babylon, the metropolis of Chaldee, did ftand; the harbour lyeth a quarter of a league off, whereinto those use to go, that intend to travel by land, to the famous trading city of Bagdet, (which is fituated farther to the east on the river Tygris, at a day and a half's distance). At this harbour is the place where the old town of Babylon did ftand, but at this time there is not a house to be seen, whereinto we could go with our goods and stay till our departure. We were alfo forced to unload our merchandises into an open place, as if we had been in the midst of the defarts, and to pay toll under the open sky, which belongeth to the Turks. This country is fo dry and barren, that it cannot be tilled, and fo bare, that I should have doubted very much, whether this potent and powerful city (which once was the most ftately and famous one of the world, fituated in the pleasant and fruitful country of Sinar) did ftand there if I fhould not have known it by it's fituation, and feveral ancient and delicate antiquities that still are standing hereabouts in great defolation. First by the old bridge, which was laid over the Euphrates (which alfo is called Sud by the prophet Baruch in his first chapter) whereof there are some pieces and arches ftill remaining, and to be feen at this very day a little above where we landed. Thefe arches are built of burnt brick, and fo strong, that it is admirable; and that so much the more, because all along the river as we came from Bir, where the river

is a great deal fmaller, we faw never a bridge, wherefore I fay it is admirable which way they could build a bridge here, where the river is at least half a league broad, and very deep befides. Near the bridge are feveral heaps of Babylonian pitch, to pitch fhips withal, which is in fome places grown fo hard, that you may walk over it, but in others that which hath been lately brought thither is fo foft, that you may fee every ftep you make in it. Something farther; just before the village Elugs, is the hill whereon the caftle did ftand in a plain, whereon you may ftill fee fome ruins of the fortification, which is quite demolished and uninhabited : Behind it pretty near to it,did ftand the tower of Babylon, which the children of Noah (who firft inhabited thefe countrics after the deluge) began to build up unto heaven; this we see ftill, and it is half a league in diameter, but it is fo mightily ruined, and low, and fo full of vermin that hath bored holes throught it, that one may not come near it within half a mile, but only in two months in the winter, when they come not out of their holes. Among thefe Infects, there are chiefly fome, in the Perfian language called Eglo by the inhabitants, that are very poisonous; they are (as others told me) bigger than our lizards, and have three heads, and on their back feveral fpots of feveral colours, which have not only taken poffeffion of the tower, but also of the caftle (which is not very high) and the fpring-well, that is just underneath it, fo that they cannot live upon the hill, nor dare not drink of the water (which is whole, fome for the lambs.) This is Romance.

From this tower, at two leagues diftance eastward, lieth the ftrong town Traxt, which was formerly call'd Apamia, mention'd by Pliny in book VI. chap. 26, 27, between the Tygris and Euphrates, thofe two great rivers of Paradife, whereof is made mention inthe second chapter of Genefis; which two rivers not far below it meet together, and are there united. The town Traxt is furrounded

Rauwolf was here too credulous and facil to fuffer himfelf to be abufed and impofed upon by these relaters; for that there neither are nor ever were any animals with more heads than one naturally, I do confidently affirm.