12

LIFE OF COLON, BY HIS SON.

there is from hence to the Indies, where the fpice is produced, by fea, which I lookupon to be Ihorter than that you take by the coaft of Guinea ; yet you now tell me,that his Highnefs would have me make out and demonftrate it, fo as it may be un-derftood and put in practice. Therefore, though I could better fhew it him with aglobe in my hand, and make him fenfible of the figure of the world ; yet I have re-folved to render it more eafy and intelligible, to (hew this way upon a chart, fuch asare ufed in navigation ; and therefore I fend one to his majefty, made and drawn withmy own hand, wherein is fet down the utmoft bounds of the weft from Ireland , in thenorth, to the fartheft part of Guinea , with all the iflands that lie in the way : oppo-fite to which weftern coaft is defcribed the beginning of the Indies, with the iflandsand places whither you may go, an'd how far you may bend from the north pole to-wards the equino&ial, and for how long a time ; that is, how many leagues you mayfail before you come to thofe places rnoft fruitful in all forts of fpice, jewels, and pre-cious ftones. Do not wonder if I term that country where the fpice grows weft, thatproduct being generally afcribed to the eaft, becaufe thofe who fhall fail weftward,will always find thofe places in the weft; and they that travel by land eaftward, willever find thofe places in the eaft. The ftrait lines that lie lengthways in the chart,{how the diftance there is from weft to eaft, the other crofs them, fhow the diftancefrom north to fouth. I have alfo marked down in the faid chart, feveral places inIndia , where {hips might put in upon any ftorm or contrary winds, or] any otheraccident unforefeen. And moreover, to give you full information of all thofe places,which you are very defirous to know; you muft underhand, that none but traderslive or refide in all thofe iflands, and that there is there as great a number of {hipsand fea-faring people with merchandize, as in any other part of the world, particu-larly in a moft noble part called Zadlon, where there are every year an hundred large{hips of pepper loaded and unloaded, befides many other fhips that take in other fpice.This country is mighty populous, and there are many provinces and kingdoms, andinnumerable cities under the dominion of a Prince called the Great Cham, which namefignifies King of Kings, who for the moft part refides in the province of Cathay . Hispredeceffors were very defirous to have commerce, and be in amity with Chriftians;and two hundred years fince, fent ambafladors to the Pope, defiring him to fend themmany learned men and doctors to teach them our faith ; but by reafon of fomeobftacles the ambaffadors met with, they returned back without coming to Rome .Befides there came an ambaflador to Pope Eugenius IV . who told him the great friend-fhip there was between thofe Princes, their people and Chriftians. I difcourfed withhim a long while upon the feveral matters, of the grandeur of their royal ftru&ure,and of the greatnefs, length and breadth of their rivers, and he told me many wonder-ful things of the multitude of towns and cities founded along the banks of the rivers,and that there were two hundred cities upon one only river, with marble bridges overit of a great length and breadth, and adorned with abundance of pillars. Thiscountry deferves, as well as any other to be difcovered; and there may not only begreat profit made there, and many things of value found, but alfo gold, filver, allforts of precious ftones, and fpices in abundance, which are not brought into ourparts. And it is certain, that many wife men, philofophers, aftrologers, and 6therperfons {killed in all arts, and very ingenious, govern that mighty province, andcommand their armies. From Lilbon direclly weftward, there are in the chart twenty-fix fpaces, each of which contains two hundred and fifty miles, to the moft noble andvaft city of Quifay, which is one hundred miles in compafs, that is thirty-five leagues,in it there are ten marble bridges ; the name fignifies a heavenly city, of which

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