A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 87 – Subpart 90
The City of Fesse Described.
The City of Fesse is both great, and strong: the soil about it, is diversified with little Hills, and pretty vallies, which make it very pleasant: The River neer it disperseth it self into many channels, and when it enters into the City, it divideth it self into two arms, and these again are subdivided into variety of water-courses, passing through every street, and by pipes under ground is carried into every Temple, Colledge, Inne, Hospital, and almost into every private house, whereby it carrieth away all the silth that might annoy either the sight or sent. The buildings are of Mosaick-work, with fine bricks, and stones framed after a most curious manner, lovely for delight, and stately for admiration. The roofes of the houses are adorned with Gold, Azure, and other excellent colours: on the top they are flat for the Inhabitants use and pleasure: within they are richly furnished, every Chamber having in it a Presse curiously painted, and varnished. The Portals, Pillars, Cisterns, and other Ornaments of the City are very exquisitly framed: There are of Temples in it about seven hundred, whereof fifty are very great, and fair, adorned with Marble Pillars, and other Ornaments, the Chapiters whereof are wrought with Mosaick and carved works: each of them hath his Fountain of Marble, and other costly stones: the floores are covered with Mats closely joyned; the walls also for a mans height are lined with the same; every Temple hath its Steeple after the Mahometan manner, whereon their Priests call the People to prayer at the appointed hours. The principal Temple is that of Caruven, so great, that it contains in circuit a mile, and a half. It hath thirty one Gates great and high: the Roof is one hundred and fifty Tuscan yards long, and neer fourscore broad. Its supported with thirty eight Arches in length, and twenty in breadth: Round about it are Porches on the East, West, and North, every one in length forty yards, and in breadth thirty, under which are store-houses, wherein are kept Lamps Oyle, Mats, and other necessaries: every night are lighted nine hundred Lamps, for every Arch hath his Lamp, especially that row which extends through the midst of the Quire, which alone hath one hundred and fifty Lamps: amongst which are some great lights made of Brasse, every of which hath sockets for one thousand five hundred Lamps: The Steeple is exceeding high. Not far from the City are twenty Lime-kills, and as many brick-kills, serving for the reparation of the Temple, and houses that belong to it. The revenues of this Temple are two hundred Duckets a day.
In the City there are two Principal, and most stately Colledges, adorned with Mosaick, and carved works, paved with Marble, and stones of Majorca; in each of them are many Chambers: One of them containing above one hundred Chambers, is adorned with a goodly Fountain of Marble, and a continuall running stream: about it are three Cloisters, or Galleries of incredible beauty, supported with eight square Pillars of diverse colours: the Arches adorned with Mosaick of Gold, and Azure: the roof of carved work. The Gates of the Colledge are of Brass finely wrought, and the Chamber doors are well carved. In the great hall where they say their Prayers, is a Pulpit, ascended by nine stairs, all of Ivory, and Ebony.
There are many Hospitals in Fesse not inferior to the Colledges for building: there are also a hundred Bath-stoves well built, each of them having four Halls, and certain Galleries without; in which they put off their cloaths, most of them pertaining to the Temples, and Colledges, and yeilding them a great rent.
Their Inns are almost two hundred, built three stories high, each of them having one hundred and twenty Chambers in them, with Galleries before all the doors: but yeilding neither beds, nor food for strangers. There are also a thousand Mills, the revenues whereof belong to the Temples, and Colledges. Each trade in Fesse hath a peculiar place allotted thereto. There are six hundred fountains walled about, which supply the Temples, and other places with water, because the River is sometimes dry.
In the territories of Fesse is the City of Sella, where the buildings are of Mosaick work, supported with Marble Pillars. The shops are under fair, and large Porches: in which, there are Arches to part the several Occupations: it hath in it fair and beautiful Temples: hither the English, Genowayes, Flemings, and Venetians use to trade.
Morocco described.
Morocco is divided into seven Provinces, in all which the chief City is Morocco, once the Metropolis of Barbary, containing one hundred thousand Families, but now inferior to Fess for voluptuousnesse, spaciousnesse, and beauty: yet there is a large Church in it bigger than that of Fesse, though not so beautifull, having a Tower on it so high, that from thence may bee seen the hills of Azasi at one hundred and thirty miles distance. There is also a large and stately Castle, on whose Tower there stand three Globes made of pure Gold, weighing one hundred and thirty thousand Barbary Duckets, some Kings have been about to take them down, but have always been hindred by some disasters, which makes the common people judge, that they are kept by spirits.
Numidia, and Lybia described.
Betwixt Barbary, and these, is the Mountain Atlas, so high that the top of it cannot bee seen: It was so called from one Atlas a King, that dwelt at the bottome of it.
Numidia hath on the East Egypt: on the West the Atlantick Ocean: on the North Atlas: and on the South Lybia: The Inhabitants live like the Nomades, not in houses, but in Waggons, and Carts, whence Lucan speaking of them, said,
They dwell in Waines, not houses, and do stray
Through fields, and with them lead their gods each way.
Heilin.
They spend their time in hunting, staying but three or four dayes in a place, whilst the grasse will sustain their Camels; so that there are few Towns in this Country, and those far remote one from another. Teffet is their greatest City, which yet consists not of above four hundred housholds, and hath no other Town within three hundred miles of it. In this Country are abundance of Dates, whence its called Dactylorum regio. This fruit is most of …heir food, and with the stones of them they feed their Goats, which makes them fat, and causeth them to give store of milk. The air hath this property, that it presently cures all that have the French disease, and come into it. The chief Cities are Stafilet, Dausen, Dara, Lapsa, and Teffet.
Lybia hath on the East Nilus; on the VVest the Atlantick Ocean; On the North Numidia; and on the South the Land of Negroes. In this Country Arius, the Heretick was born, who denyed the perpetual divinity of Christ. It is now called Sarra, i. e. a Desart, because the whole Country is full of sandy Desarts, through which Merchants use to travel eight dayes together, without the sight of either River, Lake, Bush, or Tree. The chief Cities are Huadan, Guargata, and Toherraum. They have neither King nor Lawes, but are governed by the chief man in every Tribe: They are most Gentiles, they have some Mahometans amongst them.
The Land of Negroes described.
The Land of Negroes hath on the East Aethiopia superior: On the West the Atlantick Ocean: On the North Lybia; and on the South the Kingdome of Manicongo: The people are very ignorant and bruitish: most of them Gentiles, yet are there some Mahometans and Christians amongst them: They took the Portugal ships when they first saw them, for great birds with white wings: their guns for the work of the Devil, and bag-pipes for living Creatures. The Nobles in the presence of the King, never look him in the face, but sit on their buttocks with their elbows on their knees, and their hands on their faces; they anoint their hair with fat of fishes, which makes them stink abominably. They have abundance of gold and silver, very pure, and fine. Its watered with the River Niger, which from the fifteenth of June overflows its banks for the space of forty dayes, and is so many more before it returns into its channel, which makes the fields very fruitful: In one place Niger hides it self for six miles under ground: The second River is Senega, upon whose Northern bank, the people are cole black; but on the South only tawny.
The Chief Kingdomes are
1 Gualata, where they have no Laws.
2 Guinie, where there is neither Town nor Castle, except Mina built by the Portugals.
3 Tombutum, where the Inhabitants spend all their time in singing, and dancing. The King hereof is the richest of all the Princes in those parts of Africa, keeping a royal Palace, and hath for his guard three thousand horsemen, and footmen sance number.
4 Melli, which is three hundred miles long, the Inhabitants are rich, civil, and industrious.
5 Cana, where are Plenty of Lemons, and Pomegranats.
6 Gialo…ie, where the people are so nimble, that they will leap upon a horse when hee gallops, and stand upright when hee runs, turn themselves about, and suddenly sit down; mount, and dismount in a trice.
7 Benin, where the people rase their skins with three lines drawn to the Navel, without which they think they cannot bee saved; Both men and women go naked till they bee married, and then they wear a cloath from the wast to the knees.
8 Nubia, where there is a poison so exceeding strong, that the tenth part of a grain will kill a man in a quarter of an hour: Its sold for one hundred Duckats the ounce.
9 Bornum, where the people have neither wives, nor children that they call their own, nor names, but are only distinguished by some external accident.
10 Goaga, where the King hath no revenues, but what hee winnes from his enemies.
11 Ganaga, where the King hath nothing, but what his Nobles please daily to allow him.