great caravan to Aleppo, but because they took the ftraighteft way through great and fandy defarts, which lafted for fifty days journey or thereabouts, where we had but two places to pay cuftom in, where we could buy provifion, as water and other neceffaries, I refolved within myfelf to go by more fruitful places, and famous towns (although I went about) where I might fee and learn fomething more; fo I did ftay in the great Camp longer until I met with fome companions. In the mean time, while I ftayed there, I made my self acquainted with an eminent Merchant, that lived in Aleppo, and had been feveral times in the Indies; who told me, that the Jefuits had begun to fet up a very fevere inquifition in the Indies; chiefly in Goa, where they obferved diligently thofe that did not take off their hats to the images (which were fet up in feveral streets of the town) that they might put them into prison, which he did very much dislike, believing it to be very great idolatry.

After he had faid this, he began to talk farther to me concerning religion, and chiefly of the articles of our Christian faith; and made me immediately (when he began to be fenfible that I was of the fame) fo fine a confeffion of his Chriftian faith, fo plainly and with fuch grounds of fcripture, that I was aftonifhed, for I could never have believed I could have met with the fellow of him in these countries. So he began to have a great love for me, and defired me to go along with him, and to stay with him in his houfe, until I had an opportunity to go farther, or that I might make him a companion in his voyage into the Indies, that during thofe travels he would fhew me all kindneffes he could; nay, be as careful of me, as if I were his own fon. And after he understood that I was a Phyfician, he proferred of his own accord to recommend, me to the Bafhaw, who was then fick, and his very good friend, to be his Phyfician. But I having understood before, that others that had done the fame, had been but very ill rewarded for the pains and care they had taken, and chiefly by thofe they did cure; I would not undertake it, fearing I fhould have the fame measure, and instead of a reward have my liberty taken away from me, wherefore I thanked him for his kind

nefs.

nefs. Had it not been for this, Ifhould have accepted of it, notwithstanding that they have no Apothecaries fhops that are any thing provided, but I muft have bought the ingredients from one fhop-keeper or other and fo collected them from feveral places, for I could. hardly find any thing by them, faving fome ftrange fort of turpentine nuts, whereof they have abundance, and they are as good, as Pistachios; wherefore the inhabitants keep them by them, and eat them as we eat small nuts in our country. I have eaten feveral of them, and found them of a faltish taste and of a drying quality. These are called by the Arabians, Botn, and by the Perfians, Terbaick. I have chiefly feen two kinds of them, the greater and the lefs, and fo the Arabians diftinguifh them into Botnquibir and Sougier. The bigger is in shape pretty like unto the pistach nut, only it is a little rounder and fhorter; the leffer is with it's hard fhell of the bigness of a pea, and are fhaped like unto an hatt, or the Dora, that is, the Indian-Hart. A great many of them grow in Agemia, Perfia, Mefopotamia and Armenia, &c. and grow together in clusters like Grapes as the Pistachios do, or rather the Berries of our Turpentine-Trees, for which they ought to be taken; chiefly, becaufe the trees whereon they grow, are in their long leaves pretty like unto the Turpentine-Tree whereby they are cafily diftinguifhed from the PistachioTree which hath roundifh ones. This being fo, I take the little one for the Bell, and the great one for the Fael of Serapio, Avicenna and Rhafts, which (as authors fay) grow chiefly in the Indies: And this the rather, because authors attribute the fame virtue and operation to them. So may according to this, chiefly the great nuts Fael be taken for the fruit of the Indian Turpentine-Tree, whereof Theophraftus in his fourth book and chapter five, maketh mention; all which would be too tedious to be related here at large. Befides thefe nuts, the beforementioned authors (chiefly Serapio in his 251ft chaper) makes ftill mention of another fort of fruit, called by him Sel, and by Avicenna, Scal, which are not in hard fhells, but as I faw them, quite bare, of the bigness of a Pistachio-nut, and of the colour of the kernel of our Wall-nut; they have a pretty betterish tafte, and fenfibly

fenfibly sharp. I did fine none of them in these parts by the fhop-keepers, but had it only after that in the monastery of the Minorites in Jerufalem, of one of their order, who told me also that they did grow in these countries. Of coloquints, of white gourd apples, ftill known to the people by the old name Handhal, there grow fo many hereabout, that they send them to Aleppo, and from thence into our countries; and alfo the delicate round Cyperus root, by the inhabitants called Soëdt, whereof one may find great quantities growing in moffy and wet grounds. I did alfo find by the fhop-keepers, the white feed of Machaleb, which are in hard fhells, which are long and pointed, and covered without with a tender skin, like unto the Pistachio-nut. A great quantity of them are carried from thence into Syria, and ufed to perfume foap-balls. The trees whereon they grow I did not fee, yet, as I am informed, they grow hereabouts, but chiefly on the mountains that are by the way to Perfia. They are still to this day by the inhabitants, as by Serapio, call'd Nahandt. But although there are several forts of them, yet they all boil them (after they have been steep'd for fome hours in water, to get off the thin fhells, as we do with Almonds) in milk or wine into a pap, and put fugar or honey to it, chiefly to the white ones to take away their bitterness. I found farther a strange gum in great pieces, fomewhat like unto Frankincenfe, or Ammoniacum, which the inhabitants chew all day long instead of Maftich, and they attribute the fame virtues to it. Wherefore great quantities thereof are brought thither (chiefly from Perfia) which they call Taxa, as I am informed from the Tree Tax, which are very like unto Cypreffes in fhew and bignefs, only their roots are not fo long, wherefore they are the easier over-turned by the wind. According to this, I remember of the Trees Thuja, whereof Theophraf tus maketh mention in book v. chap, 5. and of Thya of Pliny. I alfo faw without the Batzars or Exchanges, very high and big Caper-trees; and here and there in the fields a peculiar fort of red-grafs, like unto that of Babylon, according to the description of Diofcorides, and hath ftill retained it's ancient Arabian name Negil anong the inhabitants. This hath long fibrous and

yello wish

yellowish roots, with many joynts, and puts out by them yearly feveral buds, which grow into hard leaves, which are long and pointed, and at each fide very sharp and cutting, like unto them of the red-grafs; between them come out small stalks or holms, each whereof hath a peculiar ear at the top coming out of it's grafs fheath, which is long, thin, and it's feeds grow in two rows, between small leaves, like unto the wild Galengal. This doth not only grow hereabouts, but also in feveral other places and provinces, where the ground is fandy, as Sufiana, Perfia, &c. in great quantity, and because it is by reafon of it's fharpnefs and cutting, very pernicious to beafts, as to bullocks, horfes, &c. fo that they die of it, therefore they have or keep the fewer of them, but instead thereof they keep buffles (which can feed upon it easier than other beafts) to eat this grafs, which maketh the buffle very cheap in these countries, for I have seen one buy three of them for eight ducats (which is in our money about 48 Shillings) that was bigger than an Hungarian bullock. Thus much I had to relate of Bagdat, it's fituation, trade, and strange plants, fo much as I could find and fee at that improper time.

Being that I expected daily company to go with me, to Aleppo again, by the way of feveral towns, and not ftraight through the fandy wilderneffes, a Perfian that I got acquainted withal in the mean while did inform me, that the Sophi, King of Perfia, had feveral unicorns at Samarcand, which he kept there; and alfo in two iflands Ale and Tylos, which lay from Samarcand nine days journey farther towards the caft, near Spaam, fome Griffins (by them called Alera) which were fent him out of Africa from Prefter-John. They are a great deal bigger and higher, have a red coloured head, a bearded bill, and a neck over-grown with feathers, a thick body, black wings like unto an eagle, and a long tail like a lion, and feet like a dragon, they are very eager for flesh; while they are yet young, the King taketh them along with him, and goeth often thither for fport and pleasures fake; but as they grow up and ftrong, he hath them chained about their necks very ftrongly,

ftrongly. I did believe this the fooner, because he could alfo tell me what trees and fruit grow there, and chiefly those whereof Theophraftus maketh mention, and out of him Pliny. He alfo gave me an account befides these of others that grow out of Perfia in feveral places, as of the tree Palla, which Theophraftus and Pliny mention, which the wife men did eat in the eastern countries, and of the Mufa of the Arabians, whereof the former bear delicate fweet-tafted, and very wholefome fruit, by them called Wac, which are round, reddifh, and as big as the Indian Melons. But whether this be the noble fruit Mangas, (whereof Clufius maketh mention in his Hiftory of Indian Plants, which for goodness fake is carried over fea into Perfia) I leave to the learned to decide. But the Mufa (which is as aforefaid, alfo common in Syria) beareth a great deal fmaller fruit, which is fmooth, yellowifh, and bende almoft like unto citruls in fhape. Thefe are alfo of fweetish taste, and therefore the pleasanter to eat; bu are very unwholesome, fo that Alexander the Greatt was forced to forbid his foldiers to eat of them. The fame Perfian, did alfo inform me of the poisonous fruit Perfea, which is ftill known to them by the name of Sepha; which they efteem very little; and alfo the Peaches (called Het) which are not fo poifonous (as fone fay) as the above-mentioned; for they efteem the kernels thereof to be good, wholefome phyfic. But yet that they are not efteemed by them, the chief reason is, that they perfwade themselves, that Nimrod (who was a great Magician or Necromancer) poifoned them by his black-art, and that fince that time, they could not be eaten; wherefore they have not been esteemed ever fince: This I thought convenient to mention, rather

for

a'

*Too foon, for that there are no fuch creatures in the world as either Unicorn or Griffin, I am as fure as I can be of a Negative. Nay, Dr. Brown hath well demonftrated, that there cannot be fuch a creature as the common pictures of him repre fent the Unicorn. I cannot again but wonder at the credulity. of fo curious and inquifitive a man as Rauwolff, in believing the idle ftories of fuch a vain and lying fellow.