illumine the worlde, remaineth in Germanie, Italy, Fraunce, Spaine,
Englande, Scotland, Ireland, Denmarke, Liuon, Pruse, Pole, Hungarie, and
the Isles of Rhodes, Sicilie, Corsica, Sardinia, with a fewe other. This
bytter enemie of mankinde hauyng thus with his subtilties, inueiled our
mindes, and disseuered the christian vnion, by diuersitie of maners and
facions of belief, hath brought to passe thorough this damnable wyckednes
of Sacrifices, and Rites, that whilest euery people (vndoubtedly with
religious entent) endeuour theim selues to the worshippe of God, and
echeone taketh vpon him to be the true and best worshipper of him, and
whilest echone thinke theim selues to treade the streight pathe of
euerlastyng blessednes, and contendeth with eigre mode and bitter dispute,
that all other erre and be ledde farre a wrie: and whilest euery man
strugglethe and striueth to spread and enlarge his owne secte, and to
ouerthrowe others, thei doe so hate and enuie, so persecute and annoy
echone an other, that at this daie a man cannot safely trauaill from one
countrie to another: yea, thei that would aduenture saufely or vnsaufely,
be almost euery where holden out. Wherof me thinkes I see it is like to
come to passe, that whilest one people scant knoweth the name of another,
(and yet almost neighbours) all that shall this daie be written or reported
of theim, shalbe compted and refused as lyes. And yeat this maner of
knowledge and experience, is of it self so pleasant, so profitable and so
praise worthy, that sundrie (as it is well knowen) for the onely loue and
desire thereof, leauing their natiue countrie, their father, their mother,
their wiues and their children, yea, throwyng at their heles their sauftie
and welfare, haue with greate troubles, vexations, and turmoilynges taken
vpon theim for experience sake, to cutte through the wallowying seas, and
many thousande miles, to estraunge theimselues fro their home, yea, and
those men not in this age alone, but euen from the firste hatchyng of the
worlde haue been reputed and founde of moste wisedome, authoritie, and good
facion, sonest chosen with all mennes consent, bothe in peace and warre, to
administre the commune wealth as maisters and counsaillours, Iudges and
Capitaines. Suche ware thancient sages of Grece and of Italy, Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle, Antisthenes, Aristippus, Zeno, and Pythagoras, who
through their wisedomes and estimacion for trauailes wan them greate
nombres of folowers, and brought furthe in ordre the sectes named
Socratici, Academici, Peripateci, Cynici, Cyrenaici, Stoici, and
Pythagorici, echone chosyng name to glorie in his maister. Suche ware the
prudente lawemakers of famous memorie, Minois and Rhadamanthus emong the
Cretenses, Orpheus emong the Thraciens, Draco and Solon emong the
Athenienses, Licurgus emong the Lacedemonians, Moses emong the Iewes, and
Zamolxis emong the Scythians, and many other in other stedes whiche dreamed
not their knowledge in the benchehole at home, but learned of the men in
the worlde moste wise, the Chaldeies, the Brachmanni, the Gymnosophites and
the priestes of Egipte, with whom thei had for a space bene conuersant.
Like glorie, by like trauaill happened to the worthies of the worlde, as to
Iupiter of Crete (reported fiue times to haue surueied the whole worlde)
and to his twoo sonnes Dionisius (otherwise called Bacchus) and Hercules
the mightie. Likewise to Theseus and Iason, and the rest of that voiage. To
the vnlucky sailer Vlisses, and to the banished Eneas, to Cyrus, Xerxes,
and Alexander the Greate, to Hanniballe and Mithridate, kyng of Pontus,
reported able to speake fiftie sondrie languages, to Antiochus, the greate
and innumerable Princes of Roome, bothe of the Scipioes, Marii, and
Lentuli. To Pompeius the greate, to Iulius Cesar, Octauian, and Augustus,
to the Constantines, Charles, Conrades, Henrickes, and Frederickes. Whiche
all by their exploictes vpon straunge nacions, haue gotten their immortall
and euerlastyng renoume. Wherefore, seyng there is in the knowledge of
peoples, and of their maners and facions, so greate pleasure and profite,
and euery man cannot, yea, fewe men will, go traueile the countries
themselues: me thinkes gentill reader, thou oughtest with muche thanke to
receyue at my hande these bookes of the maners and facions of peoples most
notable and famous, togyther with the places whiche thei enhabite: And with
no lesse cherefulnes to embrase theim, then if beyng ledde on my hande from
countrey to countrey, I should poynct the at eye, how euery people liueth,
and where they haue dwelte, and at this daye doe. Let it not moue the, let
it not withdrawe the, if any cankered reprehendour of other mens doynges
shall saie vnto the: It is a thyng hath bene written of, many yeares agone,
and that by a thousand sondry menne, and yet he but borowyng their woordes,
bryngeth it foorthe for a mayden booke, and naimeth it his owne. For if
thou well considre my trade, thou shalt fynd, that I haue not only brought
thee other mennes olde store, but opened thee also the treasury of myne
owne witte and bokes, not euery where to be found, and like a liberall
feaster haue set before thee much of myne owne, and many thynges newe.
Farewell and thankefully take that, that with labour is brought thee.
The Fardle of Facions, conteining the aunciente maners, customes and lawes,
of the peoples enhabiting the two partes of the earth, called Affricke
and Asie.
Affrike.
¶ The first Chapiter.
¶ The true opinion of the deuine, concernyng the beginnyng of man.
When God had in V. daies made perfecte the heauens and the earth, and the
furniture of bothe: whiche the Latines for the goodlinesse and beautie
thereof, call Mundus, and we (I knowe not for what reason) haue named the
worlde: the sixth daie, to the entent there mighte be one to enioye, and be
Lorde ooer all, he made the moste notable creature Man. One that of all
earthly creatures alone, is endowed with a mynde, and spirit from aboue.
And he gaue him to name, Adam; accordyng to the colour of the molde he was
made of. Then drawing out of his side the woman, whilest he slept, to
thende he should not be alone, knitte her vnto hym, as an vnseparable
compaignion, and therwith placed them in the moste pleasaunt plot of the
earth, fostered to flourishe with the moisture of floudes on euery parte.
The place for the fresshe grienesse and merie shewe, the Greques name
Paradisos. There lyued they a whyle a moste blessed life without bleamishe
of wo, the earth of the own accorde bringing forth all thing. But when they
ones had transgressed the precepte, they ware banysshed that enhabitaunce
of pleasure and driuen to shift the world. And fro thenceforth the
graciousnes of the earth was also abated, and the francke fertilitie therof
so withdrawen, that labour and swette, now wan [Footnote: _Wan_ and won
were used indifferently. Thus in Drayton's _Polyolbion_, xi., p. 864 we
find--"These with the Saxons went, and fortunately _wan_,
Whose Captain Hengist first a Kingdom here began."
And in the same page:
"As mighty Hengist here, by force of arms had done,
So Ella coming in, soon from the Romans won
The counties neighb'ring Kent."]
lesse a great deale, then ydle lokyng on before tyme had done. Shortly
crepte in sickenes, and diseases, and the broyling heate and the nipping
cold began to assaile their bodyes. Their first sonne was Cayin, and the
seconde Abell, and then many other. And as the world grewe into yeares, and
the earth began to waxe thicke peopled, loke as the nombre did encreace, so
vices grew on, and their lyuing decaied euer into woors. For giltelesse
dealyng, wrong came in place, for deuoutnesse, contempte of the Goddes, and
so farre outraged their wickednes, that God skarcely fyndyng one iuste Noha
on the earth (whom he saued, with his housholde, to repayre the losse of
mankind and replenysshe the worlde) sente a floude vniuersall, which
couering all vnder water, killed all fleshe that bare lyfe vppon earth,
excepte a fewe beastes, birdes, and wormes that ware preserued in the
misticall arke. In the ende of fiue Monethes aftre the floude began, the
Arque touched on the mounteines of Armenia. And within foure Monethes
aftre, Noas and all his beyng restored to the earth, with Goddes
furtheraunce in shorte space repeopled the worlde. And to thende the same
myghte euery wheare again be enhabited, he dispersed his yssue and
kyndredes into sondrie coastes. After Berosus opynion he sent Cham
otherwyse, named Cameses and Chamesenuus with his ofspring, into Egipte.
Into Lybia and Cirene, Triton. And into the whole residewe of Affrike the
ancient Iapetus called Attalus Priscus, Ganges he sent into Easte Asia with
certeine of the sonnes of Comerus Gallus. And into Arabia the fertile, one
Sabus, sirnamed Thurifer. Ouer Arabia the Waste he made Arabus gouernour,
and Petreius ouer Petrea. He gaue vnto Canaan, all that lyeth from Damasco
to the outemost bordre of Palestine. In Europe he made Tuisco king of
Sarmatia, from the floude of Tanais vnto the Rhene. And there were ioyned
vnto him all the sonnes of Istrus, and Mesa, with their brethren, fro the
mounteyne of Adula to Mesemberia pontica. Archadius and Emathius gouerned
the Tirianes, Comerus Gallus, had Italie and Fraunce, Samothes, Briteigne
and Normandie, and Inbal, Spayne. That spiedie and vnripe puttyng forthe of
the children from their progenitours, before they had throughly learned and
enured them selues with their facions and maners, was the cause of all the
diuersitie that after ensued. For Cham, by the reason of his naughty
demeanour towarde his father, beyng constrayned to departe with his wyfe
and hys chyldren, planted him selfe in that parte of Arabia, that after was
called by his name. And lefte no trade of religion to his posteritie,
because he none had learned of his father. Whereof it came to passe, that
when in processe of tyme they ware encreased to to many for that londe:
beyng sent out as it ware, swarme aftre swarme into other habitations and
skatered at length into sondrie partes of the worlde (for this banysshed
progeny grewe aboue measure) some fel into errours wherout thei could neuer
vnsnarle [Footnote: _To snarle_, to entangle; hence, _to unsnarle_--to
disentangle. "And from her head ofte rente her snarled heare." _Spencer_,
_Faerie Queene_, iii., xii., 17. "You snarle yourself into so many and
heynouse absurdities, as you shall never be able to wynde yourself
oute."--_Cranmer's Answer to Bp. Gardiner_, p. 168. "Supposed to be formed
from _snare_." [Nares].] themselues. The tongue gan to altre and the
knowledge of the true God and all godlie worsshippe vanished out of mind.
Inso muche that some liued so wildely (as aftre thou shalt here) that it
ware harde to discerne a difference betwixte them and the beastes of the
felde. Thei that flieted into Egipt, wonderyng at the beautie and course of
the Sonne, and the Moone, as though there had been in them a power diuine,
began to worship them as Goddes: callyng the lesse, Isis and the bigger
Osiris. To Iupiter also thei Sacrificed, and did honour as to the
principall of life. To Vulcan for fire, to Pallas, as Lady of the skie, to
Ceres as gouerneresse of the arth, and to sondry other for other sondry
considerations. Neyther staied that darkenesse of iniquitie in Egipte
alone, but where so euer the progeny of Cham stepte in from the begynnyng,
there fell true godlines, all oute of minde and abondage to the deuell
entred his place. And there neuer was countrie, mother of moe swarmes of
people, then that part of Arabia, that he, and his, chase to be theirs. So
greate a mischief did the vntymely banishemente of one manne, bring to the
whole. Contrarily the progenie of Iapheth, and Sem, brought vp to full
yeres vndre their elders, and rightly enstructed: contentyng them selues
with a litle circuite, straied not so wide as this brother had doen.
Whereby it chaunced that the zeale of the truthe, (I meane of good liuyng
and true worshippe of one onely God) remained as hidden in one onely
people, vntill the tyme of Messias.
¶ The seconde Chapitre.
¶ The false opinion of the Philosophre concernyng the begynnyng of man.
But the aunciente Philosophers, whiche without knowledge of God, and his
truthe, many yeres ago, wrate vpon the natures of thinges, and thistories
of times had another opinion of the originall of man. For certain of them,
belieued the worlde euer to haue been, and that euer it should be, and man
together with it to haue had no beginnyng. Certaine did holde that it had a
beginnyng, and an ende it should haue, and a time to haue been, when man
was not. For saie thei, the begynner of thynges visible, wrapped vp bothe
heauen and earth at one instant, togither in one paterne, and so a
distinction growing on betwixte these meynte bodies, the worlde to haue
begon in suche ordre as we see. The aire by nature to be continually
mouyng, and the moste firie parte of thesame, for the lightenesse thereof,
moste highe to haue climbed. So that sonne and Moone, and the planetes all,
participatyng of the nature of that lighter substaunce: moue so muche the
faster, in how muche thei are of the more subtile parte. But that whiche
was mixed with waterie moisture, to haue rested in the place, for the
heauinesse thereof, and of the watery partes, the sea to haue comen: and
the matier more compacte to haue passed into a clamminesse firste, and so
into earth. This earth then brought by the heate of the sonne into a more
fastenesse. And after by the same power puffed and swollen in the
vppermoste parte, there gathered manye humours in sondry places, which
drawing to ripenesse enclosed them selues in slymes and in filmes, as in
the maresses of Egipt, and other stondynge waters we often se happen. And
seynge the heate of thaier sokynly warmeth the cold ground and heate meint
[Footnote: Mingled.--A word of Chaucer's time. "And in one vessel both
together meint." _Fletcher's Purple Island_, iv., st. 21.] with moisture is
apt to engendre: it came to passe by the gentle moisture of the night aire,
and the comforting heate of the daie sonne, that those humours so riped,
drawyng vp to the rinde of thearth, as though their tyme of childbirthe
ware come, brake out of their filmes, and deliuered vpon the earth all
maner of liuing thinges. Emong whiche those that had in them moste heate,
became foules into the aire: those that ware of nature more earthie, became
wormes and beastes of sondrie kindes: and where water surmounted, thei
drewe to the elemente of their kinde, and had to name fishes. But
afterwarde the earth beyng more parched by the heate of the Sonne, and the
drouthe of the windes, ceased to bring furthe any mo greate beastes: and
those that ware already brought furthe, (saie thei) mainteined, and
encreased by mutualle engendrure, the varietie, and nombre. And they are of
opinion that in the same wise, men ware engendred in the beginning. And as
nature putte them forth emong other beastes, so liued they at the first an
vnknowen lyfe wyldely emong them, vpon the fruictes, and the herbes of the
fieldes. But the beastes aftre a while waxing noysome vnto them, they ware
forced in commune for eche others sauftie to drawe into companies to
resiste their anoyaunce, one helping another, and to sieke places to make
their abiding in. And where at the firste their speache was confuse, by
litle and litle they sayed it drewe to a distinctenesse, and perfeigthe
difference: in sorte that they ware able to gyue name to all thinges. But
for that they ware diuersely sparckled in diuers partes of the worlde, they
holde also that their speache was as diuers and different. And herof to
haue aftreward risen the diuersitie of lettres. And as they firste
assembled into bandes, so euery bande to haue broughte forthe his nation.
But these men at the firste voide of all helpe and experience of liuyng,
ware bittrely pinched with hongre and colde, before thei could learne to
reserue the superfluous plenty of the Somer, to supply the lacke of Winters
barreinesse, whose bitter blastes, and hongrie pinynges, consumed many of
them. Whiche thing when by experience dere bought, thei had learned: thei
soughte bothe for Caues to defende them fro colde, and began to hourde
fruictes. Then happe found out fire, and reason gaue rule of profite, and
disprofite, and necessitie toke in hand to sette witte to schoole. Who
gatheryng knowledge, and perceiuyng hymself to haue a helpe of his sences,
more skilful then he thought, set hande a woorke, and practised connyng, to
supplie all defaultes, whiche tongue and lettres did enlarge and distribute
abrode.
Thei that had this opinion of the originall of manne, and ascribed not the
same to the prouidence of God, affirmed the Etopiens to haue bene the
firste of all menne. For thei coniectured that the ground of that countrie
lyng nierest the heates of the Sonne must needes first of all other waxe
warme. And the earth at that tyme beyng but clammie and softe, through the
attemperaunce of that moysture and heate, man there first to haue bene
fourmed, and there to haue gladlier enhabited (as natiue and naturall vnto
him) then in any other place, when all places ware as yet straunge, and
vnknowen, whiche aftre men soughte. Beginnyng therfore at them, after I
haue shewed how the worlde is deuided into thre partes (as also this
treatise of myne) and haue spoken a litle of Aphrique, I wyll shewe the
situacion of Aethiope, and the maners of that people, and so forthe of al
other regions and peoples, with suche diligence as we can.
¶ The thirde Chapitre.
¶ The deuision and limites of the Earthe.
Those that haue bene before our daies, (as Orosius writeth) are of opinion,
that the circuite of the earth, bordered about with the Occean Sea:
disroundyng hym self, shooteth out thre corner wise, and is also deuided
into thre seuerall partes, Afrike, Asie, and Europe. Afrike is parted from
Asie with the floude of Nilus, whiche comyng fro the Southe, ronneth
through Ethiope into Egipte, where gently sheadyng hymself ouer his
bancques, he leaueth in the countrie a marueilous fertilitie, and passeth
into the middle earth sea, with seuen armes. From Europe it is separate
with the middle earth sea, whiche beginnyng fro the Occean aforesaied: at
the Islande of Gades, and the pileurs of Hercules, passeth not tenne miles
ouer. But further entryng in, semeth to haue shooued of the maigne lande on
bothe sides, and so to haue won a more largenesse. Asie is deuided from
Europe, with Tanais the floude, whiche comyng fro the North, ronneth into
the marshe of Meotis almoste midwaie, and there sincking himself, leaueth
the marshe and Pontus Euxinus, for the rest of the bounde. And to retourne
to Afrike again, the same hauyng Nilus as I saied on the Easte, and on all
other partes, bounded with the sea, is shorter then Europe, but broader
towarde the Occean, where it riseth into mounteigne. And shoryng towarde
the Weste, by litle and litle waxeth more streighte, and cometh at thende
to a narowe poincte. Asmuche as is enhabited therof, is a plentuous soile,
but the great parte of it lieth waste, voide of enhabitauntes, either to
whote [Footnote: Too hot.] for menne to abide, or full of noisome and
venemous vermine, and beastes, or elles so whelmed in sande and grauell,
that there is nothing but mere barreinesse. The sea that lieth on the
Northe parte, is called Libicum, that on the Southe Aethiopicum, and the
other on the West Atlanticum.
At the first the whole was possest by fower sondrie peoples. Of the whiche,
twaine (as Herodotus writeth) ware founde there, tyme out of minde, and the
other twaine ware alienes and incommes. The two of continuance, ware the
Poeni, and Ethiopes, whiche dwelte, the one at the Northe of the lande, the
other at the South. The Alienes, the Phoenices, the Grekes, the old
Ethiopians, and the Aegipcienes, if it be true that thei report of
themselues. At the beginnyng thei were sterne, and vnruly, and bruteshely
liued, with herbes and with fleshe of wilde beastes, without lawe or rule,
or facion of life, roilyng and rowmyng vpon heade, heather and thether
without place of abode, where night came vpon them, there laiyng their
bodies to reste. Afterwarde (as thei saie) Hercules passyng the seas out of
Spaine, into Libie (a countrie on the Northe shore of Afrike) and bringyng
an ouerplus of people thence with hym, somewhat bettre facioned and manered
then thei, trained them to muche more humanitie. And of the troughes
[Footnote: Ships.] thei came ouer in, made themselues cotages, and began to
plante in plompes [Footnote: Clumps, bodies.] one by another. But of these
thinges we shall speake here aftre more at large.
Afrike is not euery place a like enhabited. For toward the Southe it lieth
for the moste part waste, and vnpeopled, for the broilyng heate of that
quatre. But the part that lieth ouer against Europe, is verie well
enhabited. The frutefulnesse of the soile is excedyng, and to muche
merueillous: as in some places bringyng the siede with a hundred folde
encrease. It is straunge to beleue, that is saied of the goodnesse of the
soile of the Moores. The stocke of their vines to be more then two menne
can fadome, and their clousters of Grapes to be a cubite long. The
coronettes of their Pasnepes, and Gardein Thistles (whiche we calle
Hortichokes) as also of their Fenelle, to be twelue Cubites compasse. Their
haue Cannes like vnto those of India, whiche may contein in the compasse of
the knot, or iointe, the measure of ij. bushelles. Ther be sene also
Sparagi, of no lesse notable bigguenesse. Toward the mounte Atlas trees bee
founde of a wondrefull heigth, smothe, and without knaggue or knotte, vp to
the hard toppe, hauyng leaues like the Cypres, but of all other the moste
noble Citrus, wherof the Romaines made great deintie. Affrike hath also
many sondrie beastes, and Dragones that lye in awaite for the beastes, and
when thei se time, so bewrappe and wreathe them aboute, that takyng fro
theim the vse of their ioynctes, thei wearie them and kille theim. There
are Elephantes, Lyons, Bugles, Pardales, Roes, and Apes, in some places
beyonde nombre. There are also Chamelopardales and Rhizes, like vnto
Bulles. Herodote writeth, that there be founde Asses with hornes, Hienas
Porpentines, wilde Rambes, a beast engendered of the Hiene and the Woulfe
named Thoas, Pantheres, Storckes, Oistruthes, and many kindes of serpentes,
as Cerastes, and Aspides, against whom nature hath matched the Ichneumon (a
verie little beast) as a mortall enemie.
¶ The. iiij. Chapitre.
¶ Of Ethiope, and the auncient maners of that nation.