A Brief Description of the Whole World, Part 9
Of Greece, Thracia, and the Countries neere adjoining.
ON the South side of Hungary, and South-East, lieth a Country of Europe, calledScitu…tion of Dacia Transylvania, Walachia Moldavia, Servia. in old time Dacia, which is large and wide, comprehending in it Transylvania, Walachia, Moldavia, & Servia. Of which little is famous, save that the men are warlike, and can hardly bee brought to obedience. They have lately been under the K of Hungary. These Countries of Transylvania, Walachia, and Moldavia, have certaine Monarchs of their owne, whom they call by the name of V…gnode, which do rule their Countries with indifferent mediocrity, while they have the sway in their own hands, but confining upon the Turke, they are many times oppressed and overcome by him, so that often they are his Tributaries: yet by the wildnesse of the country, and uncertaine disposition of the Rulers and their people, he never hath any hand long over them, but sometimes they maintain warre against him, and have slain down some of his Bassaes, comming with a great Army against them; by which occasion it falleth out, that he is glad now and then to enter confederacy with them: so doubtfull a kind of regiment is that, which now adaies is in those Countries.
The River Danubius doth divide this Dacia from Mysia, commonly called Bulgaria and Russia, which lyeth on the South from Danubius, and is severed from Graecia, by the Mountaine Haemus.The mountain Hamus
This Mountain is that, whereof they reported in times past, though but falsly, that who so stood on the top thereof, might see the sea four severall waies, to wit, East, West, North and South: under pretence of trying which conclusion (not Philip Alexanders Father, but a latter Philip King of Macedonia) did go up to that Hill, when in truth his meaning was secretly to meet with others there, with whom he might joine himself against the Romans, which was shortly the overthrow of that Kingdome. It should seem, that about this mountaine it is very cold, by reason of that jest which Athenaeus reported Stratonieus to have uttered concerning that Hill, when he said, that for eight months in the yeare it was very cold, and for the other foure it was winter.
From Haemus toward the South,Grecia bounded. lieth Grecia, bounded on the West by the Ad iaticke sea, on the East … Thracian… sea, and Ma…e A…geum, on the South by the main Mediterranean sea. This contained an old time four speciall parts, Peloponnesus, Achaia, Macedonia, and Epirus.
Adjoining whereunto was Illyricum, Peleponnesus, which is now called Moreah, in the south part ofMoreah. Grecia, being Peninsula, or almost an Iland, for that it is joined by a little strait called Ist…es, unto the rest of Graecia. Herein stood Sparta, Sparts.and the ancient state of Lacedemon; the lawes thereof were made by Lycurgus; by the due observation of which, Tullie could say in his time, that the title of Sparta in Lacedemon, had continued in the same means and behaviour, for the space of 700. yeares.
This Sparta was it which so often made warre against the Athenians, and this and Athens were called the two edges of Grecia.
Neare the Isthmos, or Straits, stood t…e famous City of Corinth, Corinth.which was in old time called the Key of Greece, and whether St. Paul wrote two of his Epistles.
Aereus Sylvius in his Cosmograph call Treatise, De Europa, cap. 21 saith, that the straits which divide Moreah from the rest of Grecia, are in bredth but five miles; and that divers Kings and Princes did go about to dig away the earth, that they might make it to be an Iland. He nameth King Demetrius, Julius Caesar, Caius Caligula, & Domitius Nero; of all whom he doth note, that they not onelyonly failed of their purpose: but that they came to violent and unnaturall deaths.
From the Isthmos, which is the end of Pelopennesus or Moreah, beginneth Achaia, and spreadeth itAchaia. self Northwards but a little way, unto the Hill Othris, which is the bounds between Achaia and Macedonia: but East and West▪ much more largely, as Eastward even unto the Island Eu…oea. with a greatEuboea. Promontory, and Westward bounding unto Epirus.
The inhabitants of this place, were they which properly are called Achivi; which word is so oft used by Virgil. Here towards the East part stood Beotia, and upon the Sea-coast,Beotia. looking South-ward towards Moreah, was Athens, which was famousAthens. for the lawes of Solon, for the warres against Sparta, and many other Cities of Grecia; and for an University of learned men, which long continued there.
In this part of Greece, stood Pernassus Pernassus & Helicou.and Helicon, so much talked of by Poets, and Phocis, and Thebes, and briefly all the Cities whereof Livie speaking, doth term by the name of Achai, or … Archaeorum.
The third Province of Graeci…, Epirus.c…lled Epirus, lyeth Westward from Achala, and ex…en s it self for a good space that …av; but toward the North and South it is but narrow, lying along the sea-coast, and looking Sou…hward on the Islands of Conegra and Cephalonia. This was be Coun…ry wherein Olympias wife unto Philip of Maced…nia, and Mother unto Alexander the g…ea, was born. This also was the Kingdome of that noble Pyrrhus, which made such great warres against the Romans; and in our l…tter age it was made re…owned by the valiant Scand rberg, who was so great a scou…ge unto the Turke, whose life is so excellently written by Martinus Partesius. From the East part o… Epiru… Northward, lyeth a Country, which was never noted by an… famous name; but as it should seen was sometime under Epirus, from which it lieth Northward: some imes under Macedonia, from which it lyeth Westward; and sometime… under Illyris, or Dalmatia, from which it lyeth Southward; and i may be that there was in old time divers free Cities there. Illyricum Illyricum▪which confineth upon Graecia to…ard the North and West, near un …o the top of the Adriatick sea, and not far from Venice, is for a good part of it at this day under the Vene i…s.
The so…rth and greatest part o… Macedonia.…ld Grecia, was Maced…nia, which is fa…sty by the Maps of the R…man Emp…re, placed on the West side of G…aecia; for in truth it …yeth on the East side, looking toward Asia the lesser, being bounded on the East side by the Sea called Mare Egeum on the South side by Achaia, and the Hill Othris, and part of Epirus: and on the West side, by certaine great mountains: but on the North by the Hill Haemus.
This was the Kingdome so famous in times past for Philip and Alexander his son, who conquered the whole world, and caused the name of the third Empire to be attributed unto this place. Here stood the hill Athos, whereof part was digged down by the army of Xerxes the great King of Persia, who warred against the Grecians. Here was the Hill Olymp…s, the City of Philipai, … he e the Philippians dwelt, to whom Sr. Paul wrote. Here was Ampollonia, Amphipolis, Ed…ssa, Pella, Thessalonica and B…rea; yea, and the whole Cou…try of Thessalia, lay on the South side of this part o… Greece.
In this Country of Grecia, were in ancient times many Kingdomes and States, as at this day there are in Italy: as the Maced…nians, the Kingdome of Epirus, the State of Athens, the government of Sparta …he City of Thebes, and very many other places; insomuch that almost every Town had a peculiar government: But now it is all under one… Monarchy.
From Grecia (in old time) didMany fam…us things from Greece almost all famous things come. These were they that made the wa… against Troy; that resisted Xerxes the mighty King of Persia, that had the famous Law-makers, as Solon Famcus Laws.in Athens, and Lycurgus of Lacedemon; that took away the Monarchy from the Persians, that brought forth the… famous Captaines, asFamous Captaines. Themistceles, Mil…iades, Alexander, and many others that were the Authours of civility unto the Western Nations, and to some in the East; as Asia the lesse: that gave to Italy and to the Romans, the first light of learning: because from themThe firstPoets. arose the first Poets, as … Hesiodus, Sophocles, and divers others. The great Ph…losophers, Socrates, Pla…o, Aristotle, and all the Sects of the Academicks, Stoicks, Peripateticks, Epicure…ns, and almost all theirThe great Oratours. Scholars. The great Oratours, Demosthenes, and Aeschines, and in one word (the Mathematicks excepted, which came rather from the Chaldeans and the Egyp…ians) the wh…le flowers of Arts and good Learning. On the North-East part of Graecia standeth Thracia, which tho… Thracia.here…ofore it hath been distinguished, yet now is accounted as the chiefe part of Greece. Here on the edge of the sea-coast very near unto Asia, st…deth the City called Bizantium, but since Constantinople, be cause Constantine the Great did new build it, and made it an ImperiallConstantinople. City. This was the chiefe residence of the Emperour of Graecia, sometimes called New Rome, and the glory of the East; where the generall Council was once assembled; and one of the seas of the Patriarks, who was called the Patriark of Constantinople. But by the great discord of the Christians, all Graecia, and this City are fallen into the hands of the Turk, who now maketh it his place of imperiall aboad. It was won … the time of Constantine the last Emperor; so that by Constantine it obtained his honour, and by Constantine it lost it. In this City lyeth resident with the Turk, an Ambassadour or Agent for the King of England.
The Christians that do now live in Grecia, are in miserable servitude unto the Turke. They disagree in many things from the doctrine of the Church of Rome.