A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 70 – Subpart 73
Africa described in General.
Africa is divided on the North from Europe, by the Mediterranean Sea: On the South it runs on a point to the Cape of Good Hope, and is bounded with the vast Ocean, called there the Aethiopick Sea: On the East with the Red-Sea; and on the VVest with the Atlantick Ocean, called Mare del Nort, so that her longitude and latitude contains about four thousand and two hundred English miles. Its much lesse than Asia, and far bigger than Europe.
In most parts its very barren, and therefore hath no great plenty of Inhabitants. Its full of sandy desarts▪ which lying open to the winds, and storms, are often moved like to the waves of the Sea, by which means Cambysis with his Army was much hazarded. Its full of venemous Serpents, which much endanger the Inhabitants; besides other ravenous beasts, which ranging about, possesse themselves of a great part of this Country, and make it a VVildernesse of Lions, Leopards, Elephants, and in some places Crocodiles, Hyena's, Basilisks, and Monsters without number, and name: for when, for want of water, Creatures of all kinds, at sometimes of the year come to those few rivolets that bee, to quench their thirst; the Males promiscuously forcing the Females of every species that comes next him, produceth this variety of forms. Salust reports that there dye more of the people by beasts, than by diseases: And in the tracts of Barbary, the Inhabitants every tenth, fifteenth, or five and twentieth year, are visited with a Plague, and with the French disease in such violence, that few recover, except they remove into Numidia, or the land of Negros, the very air whereof is an excellent Antidote against those diseases.
Their commodities are Elephants, Camels, Barbary-ho…ses, Rams with great tails weighing above twenty pound, &c.
Africa is divided into seven parts. Barbary, or Mauritania: Numidia, Lybia, The land of Blacks: Aethiopia superior: Aethiopia inferior: and Egypt, besides the Islands.
Barbary hath on the North the Mediterranean Sea: on the VVest the Atlantick: on the South the mountain Atlas, and on the East Egypt. The Inhabitants are crafty, covetous, ambitious, jealous of their VVives: their Country yeelds Orenges, Dates, Olives, Figs, and a kinde of Goat; whose hair makes a stuff as fine as Silk. It contains in it the Kingdomes of Tunnis, Algier, Fess, and Morocho.
Tunnis is famous for the chief City of the same name, five miles in compasse; and Carthage, two and twenty miles in circuit, that contended so long with Rome for the Monarchy of the world; and Utica memorable for Catoes death there.
Algier contains in it a strong harbor for Turkish Pirates: before the chief Town whereof the Emperor Charles the fifth received a mighty losse of ships, Horses, Ordinance, and men.
Fess hath in it a City with seven hundred Churches, one of which is a mile and an half in compasse.
Morocho, where the chief City of the same name hath a Church larger than that of Fess, and thereon a Tower so high, that from thence may bee discerned the to… of the Mountains Azaci which are at one hundred and thirty miles distance.
Here is also a Castle famous for Globes of pure gold that stand on the top of it, weighing one hundred and thirty thousand Barbary Ducke….
Numidia, the second part of Africa hath on the East Egypt: on the VVest the Atlantick Ocean: on the North the Mountain Atlas, and on the South the desarts of Lybia: Its called also the Region of Dates from the abundance that grows there. The Inhabitants are very wicked: stay in a place but till they have eaten down the grasse: Hence there are but few Cities, and those in some places three hundred miles distant.
Lybia on the East is bounded with Nilus, on the West with the Atlantick: on the North with Numidia; and on the South with the Country of the Blacks: Its so dry, that a traveller can scarce meet with any water in seven dayes journey; the Inhabitants live without any Law, almost so much as that of nature.
The Land of Blacks, or Negroes, hath on the West the Atlantick; on the East Aethiopia superior; on the North Lybia; and on the South the Kingdome of Manicongo. The River Niger runs through it, almost as famous as Nilus for her overflowing: It yeelds store of gold, silver, Ivory, and other commodities. It hath in it four Kingdomes: Tombu…o, infinitly rich. Bornaum, where the people have no names proper; no wives peculiar; all therefore no children which they call their own. Gonga, the King whereof hath no estate but from his subjects as hee spends it. And Gualatum, a very poor Country.
Of this Land of Negroes one makes these verses.
The Land of Negroes is not far from thence,
neerer extended to th' Atlantick main,
Wherein the Black Prince keeps his residence,
attended by his Jetty-coloured train;
Who in their native beauty most delight,
And in contempt do paint the Devil white.
Aethiopia superior; or the Kingdome of the Abyssines. Is bounded on the North with Egypt; on the South with the Mountains of the Moon; on the East with the Red-Sea, and on the VVest with the Country of the Blacks. The King hereof is called Prete Janny, or Presbyter John: they are mungril Christians: The King hath under him seventy petty Kings, which have their several laws, and customes: The Country yeelds Orenges, Lemmons, Citrons, Barley, Sugar, Honey, &c.
Aethiopia inferior is on every side begirt with the Sea, except on the North, which is bounded with the Mountains of the Moon. It consists of five Kingdomes; 1 Aiana which abounds with Gold, Ivory, Honey, Wax, Corn, large sheep, &c. 2 Zanguabar in which is Mosambique. 3 Monomopata, wherein are plenty of Gold Mines. The King is served with great pomp, and hath a guard of two hundred Mastiffs. 4 Cafraria, in which is the cape of Good hope: alwayes stormy to the Spaniards; whence one was very angry with God, for suffering the English Hereticks to passe by it so easily, and not giving his good Catholicks the like speed. 5 Manicongo, where in many parts the Inhabitants are men-eaters, selling such flesh in their Shambles.
Egypt hath on the East the Red-Sea, on the VVest Barbary: on the North the Mediterranean and Aethiopia superior on the South. It was called the Granary of the VVorld: for though it hath rain but seldome, yet Nilus overflowing makes it very fruitful: the chief Cities; are Grand Cairo, and Alexandria: see afterward a more full discription of it.
The Islands belonging to Africa Described.
The Atlantick Islands are 1. that of Saint Thomas, lying directly under the Aequinoctiall line, inhabited by the Portugalls, and yeilding plenty of Sugar. 2. Prince Island, lying between the Aequator and Tropick of Capricorn: a fertile place. 3. The Gorgades being nine in number, lying neer to Cape Virde: they abound in Goats, and the chief of them is called St. James. 4. The Canaries, for their fruitfulnesse called, The fortunate Islands: they are seven in number, the cheif is called the Grand Canary, they yeild excellent wines. 5. The Hesperides, not far from the Gorgades, where the soil is very fruitful; the weather continually fair, and the air very temperate.
The Aethiopick Islands are
1. The Island of Saint Laurence, or Madagascar; which is four thousand miles in compasse, and longer than Italy, rich in all commodities for mans use: The people are very barbarous, and most of them black, yet there is some white amongst them, supposed to bee transplanted out of China.
2. Socatrina, or Socotera, which lyes at the mouth of the Red-sea, and is sixty miles in length, and twenty five in breadth: Its very dry and barren, yet hath diverse good drugs in it. From thence cometh our Aloes Socotrina.
The Principal Countries in Africa more largely Described.
Africa is usually divided into 1 Egypt. 2 Barbary. 3 Numidia. 4 Lybia. 5 The land of Negro's. 6 Aethiopia interior. 7 Aethiopia exterior. 8 And the Islands, as was aforesaid.
A more full Description of Egypt.
This Country of Egypt containeth in length from Siene to the Mediterranean Sea, five hundred sixty and two miles, and in breadth from Rosetta to Damietta above one hundred and forty miles: yet in some places its not above thirty seven miles broad: The Inhabitants are tawny, and brown. From its fruitfulnesse it was called Horreum Populi Romani: The Roman Granary, where Lucan saith.
The Earth content with its own wealth, doth crave
No forreign Marts: nor Jove himself: they have
There hopes alone in Nilus fruitful wave.
Dr. Heilen.
This Nilus is divided towards the Sea, into seven Channels. It swelleth above its banks by the space of forty days, beginning upon the 15th day of June, and is forty days more decreasing, and returning into its banks. During this inundation, the Cattle live on hills, and in the Towns, unto which they are aforehand driven, and foddered till the return of the water into its Channel. The Towns, and Villages stand all upon tops of hills, and in the time of the flood appear like so many Islands: and the people by boats have free intercourse all the while. In the mud left upon the fields, are many creatures ingendred by the heat of the Sun: Whence Ovid,
And when the seven mouth'd Nile the fields forsakes,
And to his ancient Channel him betakes:
The tillers of the ground live creatures find
Of sundry shapes, inth' mud that's left behind.
Dr. Heilen.
This River is almost three thousand miles long, and being the only River of Egypt, affords the only drink to the Egyptians, and indeed its very good water. The Paper made of Sedges, called Papiri growing by this River, afforded Ptolemy Philadelphus materials for Books in that brave Library of Alexandria: but understanding that Attalus, King of Pergamus, used this Egyptian Paper, for to exceed him in another Library, hee prohibited the carrying of it out of Egypt, whereupon Attalus invented Parchment, called from his City Pergamena: and before these inventions, they wrote either on the inside of the bark of a tree called Liber, whence wee call our Books Libri, Or on Tables made of wood, called Caudex, whence came our Codex. Or on Tables covered over with wax: whence Tabellarius is a letter Carryer: and the pin which they wrote with, was called Stylus, which was afterwards used for that peculiar phrase used by any: as Negligens Stylus: exercitatus Stylus. Sometimes they wrote in leaves, as the Sybils did their Prophesies, called Sybillae folia: whence we call it a leaf of paper.
Pharos is a little Island over against Alexandria, in which Ptolemaeus Philadelphus built a watch-tower for the benefit of Saylors: the chief workman was Sostratus of Gnidos. It was all of white Marble, of a wonderfull height, ascended by degrees, and in the top were many Lanthorns with lights in the night, to direct those that travelled by Sea; for the admirable structure, it was counted one of the wonders of the world.