1586. neere eighteene foote upright higher then his accustomed manner, and so the banke being cut, as it were a sluce, about thirty miles from Alexandria, at a towne called Rossetto, it doth so come to the saide Citie, with such aboundance, that barkes of twelve tunne doe come upon the same water, which water doth fill all the vauts, cesternes, and wels in the said Citie, with very good water, and doth so continue good, till the next yeere following for they have there very litle raine or none at all, yet have they exceeding great dewes. Also they have very good corne, and very plentifull: all the Countrey is very hot, especially in the moneths of August, September, and October. Also within the saide Citie there is a pillar of Marble, called by the Turkes, King Pharaoes needle, & it is foure square, every square is twelve foote, and it is in height 90 foote. Also there is without the wals of the said Citie, about twentie score paces, another marble pillar, being round, called Pompey his pillar this pillar standeth upon a great square stone, every square is fifteene foote, and the same stone is fifteene foote high, and the compasse of the pillar is 37 foote, and the heigth of it is 101 feete, which is a wonder to thinke how ever it was possible to set the said pillar upon the said square stone. The port of the said Citie is strongly fortified with two strong Castles, and one other Castle within the citie, being all very well planted with munition: and there is to the Eastward of this Cayro. Citie, about three dayes journey the citie of Grand Cayro, otherwise called Memphis: it hath in it by report of the registers bookes which we did see, to the number of 2400 Churches, and is wonderfully populous, and is one dayes journey about the wals, which was journeyed by one of our Marriners for triall thereof. Also neere to the saide citie there is a place called the Pyramides, being, as I may well terme it, one of the nine wonders of the world: that is, seven severall places of flint and marble stone, foure square, the wals thereof are seven yards thicke in those places that we did see: the squarenes is in length 1586. about twentie score every square, being built as it were a pointed diamond, broad at the foote, and small or narrow at the toppe: the heigth of them, to our judgement, doth surmount twise the heigth of Paules steeple: within the saide Pyramides, no man doth know what there is, for that they have no entrance but in the one of them, there is a hole where the wall is broken, and so we went in there, having torch-light with us, for that it hath no light to it, and within the same, is as it were a great hall, in the which there is a costly tombe, which tombe they say, was made for king Pharao in his life time, but he was not buried there, being drowned in the red sea: also there are certaine vauts or dungeons, which goe downe verie deepe under those Pyramides with faire staires, but no man dare venter to goe downe into them, by reason that they can cary no light with them, for the dampe of the earth doth put out the light: the red sea is but three daies journey from this place, and Jerusalem about seven dayes journey from thence: but to returne to Cayro. There is a Castle wherin is the house that Pharaoes wives were kept in, and in the Pallace or Court thereof stande 55 marble pillars, in such order, as our Exchange standeth in London: the said pillars are in heigth 60 foote, and in compasse 14 foote: also in the [II. i. 282.] said Citie is the castle were Joseph was in prison, where to this day they put in rich men, when the king would have any summe of money of them: there are seven gates to the sayd prison, and it goeth neere fiftie yardes downe right: also, the water that serveth this castle, commeth out of the foresaide river of Nilus, upon a wall made with arches, five miles long, and it is twelve foote thicke. Also there are in old Cayro two Monasteries, the one called S. Georges, the other S. Maries: & in the Courts where the Churches be, was the house of king Pharao. In this Citie is great store of marchandize, especially pepper, and nutmegs, which come thither by land, out of the East India: and it is very plentifull of all maner of victuals, especially of bread, rootes, and 1586. hearbes to the Eastwards of Cayro, there is a Well, five miles off, called Matria, and as they say, when the Virgin Marie fled from Bethleem, and came into Ægypt, and being there, had neither water, nor any other thing to sustaine them, by the providence of God, an Angell came from heaven, and strake the ground with his wings, where presently issued out a fountaine of water: and the wall did open where the Israelites did hide themselves, which fountaine or well is walled foure square till this day. Also we were at an old Citie, all ruinated and destroyed, Carthage. called in olde time, the great Citie of Carthage where Hannibal and Queene Dido dwelt: this Citie was but narrow, but was very long: for there was, and is yet to bee seene, one streete three mile long, to which Citie fresh water was brought upon arches (as afore) above 25 miles, of which arches some are standing to this day. Also we were at divers other places on the coast, as we came from Cayro, but of other antiquities we saw but Argier. few. The towne of Argier which was our first and last port, within the streights standeth upon the side of an hill, close upon the sea shore: it is very strong both by sea and land, and it is very well victualed with all manner of fruites, bread and fish good store, and very cheape. It is inhabited with Turkes, Moores, and Jewes, and so are Alexandria and Cayro. In this towne are a great number of Christian captives, wherof there are of Englishmen onely fifteene, from which port we set sayle towardes England, the seventh of Januarie, Anno 1587, and the 30 day of the sayd moneth, we arrived at Dartmouth on the coast of England. L The second voyage of M. Laurence Aldersey, to Embarked my selfe at Bristoll, in the Hercules, a good ship of London, and set saile the 21 day of Februarie, about ten of the clocke in the morning, having a merry winde: but the 23 day, there arose a very great storme, and in the mids of it we descried a small boate of the burden of ten tunnes, with foure men in her, in very great danger, who called a maine for our helpe. Whereupon our Master made towardes them, and tooke them into our ship, and let the boate, which was laden with timber, and appertained to Chepstow, to runne a drift. The same night about midnight arose another great storme, but the winde was large with us, untill the 27 of the same moneth, which then grew somewhat contrary: yet notwithstanding we held on our course, and the tenth day of March, we descried a saile about Cape Sprat, which is a litle on this side the streight of Gibraltare, but we spake not with her. The next day we descried twelve sayle more, with whom we thought to have spoken, to have learned what they were, but they made very fast away, and we gave them over. Thursday the 16 of March, we had sight of the streights, and of the coast of Barbary. The 18 day we passed them, and sailed towards Patras. Upon the 23 of March, we met with the Centurion of London which came from Genoa, by whom we sent letters to England, and the foure men also which we tooke in, upon the coast of England, beforementioned. The 29 of March we came to Goleta a small Iland, Goleta. and had sight of two shippes, which we judged to be of England. Tuesday the fourth of Aprill, we were before Malta, Malta. 1586. Zante. Patras. and being there becalmed, our Maister caused the two ship boates to be had out, and they towed the ship, till we were out of sight of the Castle of Malta. The 9 day of Aprill we came to Zante, and being before the towne, William Aldridge, servant to Master Thomas Cordall of London, came aboord us, with whom our Master and twelve more of our company, thought to have gone on shoare, but they could not be permitted: so we all came aboord againe, and went to Patras, where we arrived upon good Friday, and lay there with good entertainement at the English house, where was the Consull Master Grimes, Ralph Ashley, and John Doddington, who very kindly went with us, and shewed us the pleasures of the towne. They brought us to the house of the Cady, who was [II. i. 283.] made then to understand of the 20 Turks that wee had aboord, which were to goe to Constantinople, being redeemed out of captivitie, by sir Francis Drake in the West Indies, and brought with him into England, and by order of the Queenes Majestie sent now into their Countrey. Whereupon the Cady commaunded them to be brought before him, that he might see them: and when he had talked with them, and understood howe strangely they were delivered, hee marveiled much, and admired the Queenes Majestie of England, who being but a woman, is notwithstanding of such power and renowne amongst all the princes of Christendome, with many other honourable wordes of commending her Majestie. So he tooke the names of those 20. Turkes, and recorded them in their great bookes, to remaine in perpetuall memory. After this, our foresaid countreymen brought mee to the Chappel of S. Andrew where his tombe or sepulchre is, and the boord upon which he was beheaded, which boord is now so rotten, that if any man offer to cut it, it falleth to powder, yet I brought some of it away with me. Upon Tuesday in Easter weeke, wee set out towards Zante againe, and the 24. of April with much adoe, wee |