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Richard Hakluyt - Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation, 10
the Isle of Ceylon, and from Aynam a great Iland on the Southermost coast of China.
Spodium and many other kindes of drugs come from Cambaia.
Now to returne to my voyage; from Ormus I went to Balsara or Basora, and from Basora to Babylon: and
we passed the most part of the way by the strength of men by halling the boat vp the riuer with a long
cord. From Babylon I came by land to Mosul, which standeth nere to Niniue, which is all ruinated and
destroyed: it standeth fast by the riuer of Tigris. From Mosul I went to Merdin, which is in the countrey
of the Armenians; but now there dwell in that place a people which they call Cordies or Curdi. From
Merdin I went to Orfa, which is a very faire towne, and it hath a goodly fountaine full of fish, where the
Moores hold many great ceremonies and opinions concerning Abraham: for they say he did once dwell
there. From thence I went to Bir, and so passed the riuer of Euphrates. From Bir I went to Aleppo, where
I stayed certaine moneths for company; and then I went to Tripolis; where finding English shipping, I
came with a prosperous voyage to London, where by Gods assistance I safely arriued the 29 of April
1591, hauing bene eight yeeres out of my natiue countrey.
* * * * *
The report of Iohn Huighen van Linchoten concerning M. Newberies and M.
Fitches imprisonment, and of their escape, which happened while he was in
Goa.
In the moneth of December, Anno 1583, there arriued in the towne and Iland of Ormus, foure English
men, which came from Aleppo in the countrey of Syria, hauing sailed out of England, and passed thorow
the straights of Gibralter to Tripoli a towne and hauen lying on the coast of Syria, where all the ships
discharge their wares and marchandises, and from thence are caried by land vnto Aleppo, which is nine
dayes iourney. In Aleppo there are resident diuers marchants and factours of all nations, as Italians,
French men, English men, Armenians, Turks and Moores, euery man hauing his religion apart, paying
tribute vnto the great Turke. In that towne there is great traffique, for that from thence euery yeere twise,
there trauell two Caffyls, that is, companies of people and camels, which trauell vnto India, Persia,
Arabia, and all the countreys bordering on the same, and deale in all sorts of marchandise, both to and
from those countreys, as I in another place haue already declared. Three of the sayd English men
aforesayd, were sent by a company of English men that are resident in Aleppo, to see if in Ormus they
might keepe any factours, and so traffique in that place, like as also the Italians do, that is to say, the
Venetians which in Ormus, Goa, and Malacca haue their factours, and traffique there, aswell for stones
and pearles, as for other wares and spices of those countreyes, which from thence are caried ouer land
into Venice. [Iohn Newbery had beene in Ormus before. Anno. 1581.] One of these English men had
bene once before in the sayd towne of Ormus, and there had taken good information of the trade, and
vpon his aduise and aduertisement, the other were as then come thither with him, bringing great store of
marchandises with them, as Clothes, Saffron, all kindes of drinking glasses, and Haberdashers wares, as
looking glasses, kniues, and such like stuffe: and to conclude, brought with them all kinde of small wares
that may be deuised. And although those wares amounted vnto great summes of money, notwithstanding
it was but onely a shadow or colour, thereby to giue no occassion to be mistrusted, or seen into: for that
their principall intent was to buy great quantities of precious stones, as Diamants, Pearles, Rubies, &c. to
the which end they brought with them a great summe of money and golde, and that very secretly, not to
be deceiued or robbed thereof, or to runne into any danger for the same. They being thus arriued in
Ormus, hired a shoppe, and beganne to sell their wares: which the Italians perceiuing, whose factours
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