y«^^r^ *>/ ^ jS t. It '. X in .< '^5 A, jt r .vi^ C.WIIN6ER RARE BOOKS WTTSIUE. Pi DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY The Glenn Negley Collection of Utopian Literature I T H E ADVENTURES O F Slgnor Gaudentio di Lucca. BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF HIS EXAMINATION BEFORE THE FATHERS OF THE INQUISITION, AT BOLOGNA, IN ITALY. GIVING AN ACCOUNT QF AN UNKNOWN COUNTRY a-N THE MIDST OF THE DESARTS OF AFRICA, COPIED FROM THE Original Manuscript In St, Mark^s Library^ at Venice* WITH CaiTiCAL NOTES BY THE LEARNED SIGNOR RHEDI, Translated from the Italian. WILMINGTON, Printed and fold by BONSAL ^ NILES* i8ooi \^ => ', < ^ . RISK Ct"^'^ ' INTRODUCTION. B^WPrC ^\ ,. grew in prodigious reqaeft. They faid he had a fweetnefs and eafe in converfation, that was ahnoit bewitching. This unaccountable fondnefs of the ladies gave us the firit fufpici- , on^ left he fhould inftil fome ill notions into that fex, fo credu- lous where they are fond, and fo incredulous where they dif^ like. He profefled hinifelf a Roman Catholic ; feemed to .have a competent knowledge, and even veneration, confider- . jng he was a phyfician, for our holy myfteries : fo we had ^ nothing againft him on that account. We could not find that he wanted for money, though he lived rather genteelly . than magnificently : we found on feveral occafions, that mo- ney, the idol of other people, was the leaft of his care ; and . that he had fome fecret fprings we could not fathom. His houfc was but decently, though compleatly, furnifhed for one of his rank ; he kept two fervants in livery and a valet de chambre ; who, being of this town, knew no more of him tlian we did. There was an elderly lady we thought had been his wife, but it proved (he was not ; a foreigner, for whom we feemed to have a great rerpevheH fi:e fell dircifllv into a fwoon. Her govcrnante hav- ing things proper for fuch occafions, revived and comforted her as well as fl-.e could. But when we were going to take tke gentleman along with us. tlie elderly lady, to whom we fuppofed he had told his misfortunes, inftead of falling- into fits, flew at us like atigrcfs, wiih a fury I never faw in any human creature in my life ; tearii^.g at us with l:cr nails and teeth, as if (lie had been in the moft raging madnefs. W9, notaccuftomed to rcfiflance, confidering our character nn^ cloth, and flie a woman, were almoft mctionlefs, when the fervants at tlie noife came up. We commanded them, in the name of the Inqnifition, to feize her ; the gentlemen ig- terpofed in our favour, faying fome words to lier in an un- known language, which he alTured us, wcie to beg her to be pacified, as (he tendered his lU'c as well a? her own ; then the violei'cc of l-.er palTion turned another way, and threw lier into the flrongell convuKinns I ever faw. By this time t'le other two officers were i ome up, wondering at our de- lay, and to fr.id refii'lance agajnd the officers of the Inquifi- tion. The gentleman, wiih a becoming fubmiffion, rather than fear, yielded hinjfelf apt ifoner, and begged us to par- don the fudden tranfports tfa perfon unacquainted with our cuQoms, whufe life in fome manner depended on his. That Ihe was a Perfian lady of quality, brought into this country by great misfortunes, who had once faved his life, as he h^d been afterwards inOrumental in faving her's. 1 hat flie was (iifpofed to turn Clniflian, with intention, after Jbmc th:ie| INTRODUCTION. xv t6 end her days in a convent. That for his own partj relying on his innocence, he readily fubmitted to our authority, and offered himfelf to be carried wherever we pleafed ; he ut-^ tered all this with an air of conftancy that was fiirprizing.— We immediately took him into the coach, leaving two of the officers with the elderly lady, and commanding them and the gentleman's fervants not to (lir out of the room till further orders. As foon as we arrived at the Inquifition, we lodged him in a jiandfome firong room ; not fo much like a criminal, as like a perfon for whom we had fame refpecfl. There we left him to his own thouglits, and returned to his houfe to feize the elderly lady and his papers, having dif- miiTedthe young lady and her govemante before. 1 forgot to tell you, that Signor Gaudentio, by our permifTion, liad fpoke to the elderly lady coming out of her fits in Italian, (for we would not let himfpeak to her in the unknown lan- guage, for fear of a combination) and wi:h much pains he made her underfland, that he begged her by all that was clear, to fubmit to whatever we Ihould enjoin her; affuring "her by that means all would be well for her fafety and his own : which laft words fee in ed to give fome calm to her tem- pefluous fpirits. You may believe, Sir, we were much fur- prized at the novelty of the thing, and the account he gave of her quality; Bi.it as we often meet with falfe ftories in our emplfe)yment, that did not hinder us from doing our du- ty. So I took her by the hand with a great deal of refpedt, and put her into the coach between myfelf and my compani- on ; not without apprehenfions of fome extravagant follies, confidering the violence of her temper; but Hie continued pretty fcdate, only feemed to be overwhelmed with grief.-— We ferouglit her to the Inquifi Ion, and lodged her in a very handfome apartment feparate from the convent, on account ofherfex; with two waiting-women to attend her with all refpedl, till we were better apprized of the truth of her cua- lity. This obliged me lo take another journey to Signor Gaudentio's houfe, to fecure his papers, with whatever elfe might contribute to further our difcovery. I found all thii^gs in theTame order I left them ; but being extiemely fatigued, I fat down to the elegant collation that was left, and after a fmall repaft went to bed in his houfe, to have the morning be- fore us for fecuringhiseffed\s, I fealed up all the papers 1 >vl INTRODUCTION. could find, t'» eynmine them at more leifure ; took :\n in- ventory of all il)e moveable?, that they might be reftored to him ill cafe he was found innocent ; and fent for a proper of- ficer to remain in th.c houfe, who was tob« refponfible for e- vfry thing. There were two lictle cabinets of curious work- man!! ip; one of them, as it appeared, belonged to him, the other to the ilrange lady ; but being full of intricate draw- ers or tills, we tor k them both along with us. Thefe and the papers we delivered to the head Ir.quifitors, not being wUling to jroceed in either of their examinations, till wc had got all the light we could, to find out the truth, for that was all cur aim; then we could tell what courfe to take with tlum. We placed two cunning lay-brothers, in the nature of fervants, for Signer Gaudentio, wiio were to infi- nuate themfelves into his favour by their kind offices, com- pafTionating l/is misfortunes, andadviling him to difcover the whole truth, in the account of his life, quality, profeifion, opi- r/ions, at d, in whatever articles he was to be interrogated on, toconfcfs ingenuoufly what he knew : that that was the on- ly way to find favour at the hands of the InquifitorS ; that they pardoned ahnofi; all faults on a fincere confefliofi, and an afTurance of amcndinent. I vitlted hifH my (elf feveral times before his examination, and gave him the fame advice artd aCTiirance ; he promifed me faithfully he vrould, and- feemed fo Aeady and confirmed in his own innocence, with fuch an agreeable, yetfir.ccie wa)- in hisdifcourfe, as really furprized me, and cauied me already to be prejudiced in liia favour ; adding with a fmile, that the hiftory of his life would adminiller mere caufe of wonder than indignation. Not to Le too particular, the chief of the Inquilition, with myfelf along with them, fet to the fcrutiny of his papers : we ex- amined them with all the care imaginable, but could find nothing to ground any material accufation, except fome im- perfect memoirs of the cuftoms of a cnunti7 and people un- heard of to us, and I believe to all the world befide, with fome odd charaQers, or words, wh'ch had no affinity with any language or charadcrs we ever faw. Wc difcovcred he had a grc-at knowledge in natural philofophy, with fome re- marks that were very curious. I'here was a rough draught of a ma]5 of a country, with tov/ns, rivers, lakes, &c. but no climate marked down. In fliort, all his papers contained no-- INTRODUCTION. xni thing but fome fmall Sketches of philofophy and pfeyfick, with fome pieces of poetry of an uncommon tafle. Neither could we find any footReps of judici;iry aftrology, or calcu- lations of nativities, of which we had the greateft fufpicion ; only a pair of globes, a fet of mathematical inflruments, charts of navigation, forms of unknown trees and plants, an'd fuch like things, as all gentlemen who delight in travelling are curious to have. There were indeed fome lines, circles, fegments of circles, which we fuppofed the informing ladv , meant ;but looked like an attempt to find out the longitude, rather than any magical fchemes, His baoks were of the fame nature ; nothing of herefy that we could fee, but fuch as belonged to a man of learning. There were feveral com- mon books of devotion, fuch as are approved of by our church, and Teemed pretty well ufed ; by which we judged him to be really a Catholic, and a perfon of no bad morals. But as nothing lo:ks fo like an honeft man as a knave^ this did not take away all our fufpicion* When we came to o- pen the cabinets, in the fiifl; of them, which belonged to him, we found in one of the drawers about four hundred and fifty Roman crowns, with other fm:\ll money, and fome foreign coin along with it, as Turkifli fequins, and fome we knew no- thing of. I'he fum not being very extraordinary, we couli conclude nothing fr0m thence* In another draper we found feveral precious ftones, fotne fet, fome unfet, of a very great value, fo far from being counterfeit, that we never faw any fo brilliant. Be fides, feveral pieces of native gold, of fuch finenefs, as nothing with us can come up to it. In a third, we found a fmall heap of medals moft ofgold, butcf an un- known ftamp and antiquity. There were outlandifh ftones of odd figures enough, which to others might look like talif- mansjbut we took them for fome out-of-the-way cuiiofities. In a private drawer in the centre of the cabinet, there was fomething wrapt up in a piece of green filk of wonderful fmenefs, all embroidered with hearts and hands joined toge- ther, wrought in gold with prodigious art, and intermixed with different floweis, unknown in our part of the world ;— in the midfl of it vvas an azure Hone, as large as the palm of one's hand, fet round with rubies of very great value, oti which wasLuioft artfully painted in miniature, a woman at length, holding a little boy in her left hand, the molt beauti- ^.\\\ INTRODUCTION". ful creature that ever eyes beheld , clad likewife in green i'llk ipanglcd with golden funs: their complexion was lonie- ihinp darker than thai of our luilian ladies ; but the fea- tv'.res, erpeciallv the womanV, lo uiicommonlv bejiutii'ul as if fl.t had been of anolher fpccics. Undtrneath was engraved Asith a diamond in a iTiodtrn hand — ^ ^uejlo folo,' You inav be lure, Sir, this railed our ideas of the man : at firft, we tkought he had the fecret of the Phllofopher's flone ; bnt in all his inventory we could fir.d no implements of that ait. 'i'hen we thought he nnift have been feme famcus pirate, or one ^vho had robbed the cabinet of fjme great prince, and was come to live at Bologna in that private manner, under tl:e difeuire of a phyficinr.. But haviig been three years in the town, if it had been any l^uropean piince, the world would have had an aceoinit of jt before now ; fo Me conclud- ed that eii her what he fa id of that unkn>)wu country was tiaie, «r that he h?d robbed fome of the Eaflern princes, and gf»t off ckar with his prize. But the pidlure of the woman mnde us incline to think he had mariied fome out-landifli CjUftn, ar.d on her death liad retired with his efTtfts. 'I'he V5.il of the drawers were full of natural curiofities of foreign plants, roots, bones of animals, birds, ii.fecfls, &c. from v^lience very likely he took hisphyfical ferrets. Theoth.er cabinet, which belonged to the eldeily lady, was very rich, hut nothipg equal to the firQ ; there were a great manyfmall jewels, and fomc very fme pearls, with bracelets, pendants, and oth.cr cviiious ornaments belonging to women; and a lit- tle pid\L:rc of a very handfome man about tliirty, nothing like our gentleman, ill a warlike drefs, with a 'luikini fcy- jiiitar by his fide, who by his mein fecmed to be a man of note. But wc could find nothing that could give us any knowledge what they were ; fo that we wei-e at a lo!s with viUour fiigacity what to think of the matter, or to find any jufl caufe to keep tb.em in tie liiquifition : for though we do not difcov( r ovir motives to other people, we never pro* teed againft any one but on very ftrong fufpicions. On v.'hich account we were refolved to make his confinement as rafy as pclTible, till we could fee furthcrinto tl.e affair. Wo had thoughts of examining the woman firQ, to get what we could from her to interrogate him upon ; but fheiOiot under* itisudi"g Italian e»ou9h, we fent to Venice with otir Rccuf* INTRODUCTION. jrfx tomed privacy, for fome of your pe-ple, that tilade to the Levant, to be our Interpreters. In the mean time we were refolved to try what we could get out of him by his own con- felTion ; fo we fent for him before us. He came Into the room with a modefl unconcernednefs, that rather argued wonder than fear: we had the cabJHet and jewels all before us, fliewed them to him all together,. with the inventory of his goods, aflurin^ him they fiiould be fordi-comlng, in cafe we were apprized of his innocence ; but withal advlfing him, as well as commanding him to confefs the truth, and then not a hair of his head fhould be touched. But if ever we caught him In a falfe ftory, all (liould be confifcated, and he never fee fun or moon more. He affured us with great refpedl, he would own the truth to every thifig we fliould in- terrogate hlai about, in an accent that would have peiluaded any one of his fincerity, humbly defiring to know vfhat ac- Gufatlops we had agalnft him. Wc anfvvered, that was not the metliodof the Inquilitlon ; but that he fhould anfwerdi- rcdly to our interrogatoilcs. As the holy office chiefly con- cerns Itfelf about religion, we afked him firft, what religion he was of. The reafon of this was, becaufe, thougli he pro- ftlTed himfelf a Catholic, we were to keep up the forms :— - neither did we know butthat he miglit be fome Tew or Turklfli fpy in maiquerade : then his name, place of his birth, where he was educated, how he came by thofe jewels, what was the occafjon of his fettling at Bologna ; who that elderly lady was; In fine, every thing in general and parti-- cular we could think of at firft, the better to compare ins an- fwers afterwards, He told us he was a Catholic bred and borM ; aU'ays profefTed himfelf fuch; and in that faith would live and diec let what would happen to kim. He explained himfelf on the chief heads, to fhew that he was v.-ell inflrucft- ed In his religion ; h.e appealed to all the enquiries we could make, wiiether he had not behaved as a Catholic on all oc- cafions, naming a Capuchin in the town, who was his father confelTor ; to whom, he faid, he gave leave to declare all he knew on that head. As to his name, he faid, his true nariie was Gaudentio dl Lucca, though born at RaguHi. Tliat his father was a merchant trading to the Levant ; whicli em- ployment he defigned to follow himfelf ; but in his fuft voyage was taken by an Algerine pirate, who carried him a snc INTRODUCTION. flaveto Grand Cairo, and fold him to a merchant, of what country nobody knew ; which merchant took him along witli him, through the vail defarts of Africa, by a way he would dclcribc to us if we required it, till he came to a country, j)erhap5 the moft civiliaed and polite in the whole univerfe. In that country he lived near five and twenty years, till on the death of his wife, and his only furviving fon, whofe pic- tures were in that cabinet, the melancholy difaller made him induce his father-in law, who was the merchant that had fiift bought him, to take another journey to Grand Cairo, from whence he might be able to return to his native country.— 'i'his the merchant, (for he paffed for fuch, though he was a great ruler in his own country) complied with : but happen- ing to come thither when the plague raged in the city, his father-in-law and fevcral of his attendants died with it ; leav- ing him heir to moflof his tfFedls, a«d part of the jewels we faw before us. 'I'h at being now entirely at liberty, he re- turned in a French fliip trading from Marieilles to the Le- vant, the mafter's name Francois Xavier Godart, who by a- greement was to land him at Venice ; but touching at Can- dy, they accidentally favedthe life of that elderly lady, and brought her off along with them, for which they were pur- fued by two I'urkiHi vefTels, and carried plifoners to Con- flantinople, but releafed by the ordej- of the fultanefs mo- ther. That Monfieur Godart was well known at Venice ; particularly by Signer Coriidani, an eminent merchant tlicre^ who could affure us of the trutii of what he faid. That, i:i fine, having Raid fome time at Venice, to fee the curiofi- ties and t!ie carnival, an affair relating to the young lady we faw with him, when he was feized, and the love he had for learning, Bologna being a famous univeifity, induced him to fettle there, where he prcfumed we had been 'very well intormed of his behaviour ever fmce. *■ 'I'his,' faid he, ' is * tlie mofl fuccin(fl account I can give to your Reverences, * on tlie interrogatories you have propofed to me ; thoiiglr * n^y life has been chequered with fuch a variety of inti- * dents, as would take a great deal of time to defcend to * jiarticulars.' We looked at one anoilier with fome iur- prize at this ftrai-ge account, which he delivered with fucli an air of lleadineis, as fcarce left any room to doubt of the truth of it. However, cuv fupciior turning to him, faid—. INTRODUCTION. xxt Signor Gaudentlo, we neither believe, nor difbelieve, what you tell us ; as we condemn no man without a full convic- tion of his crime, fo we are not to be impofed upon, by the accounts people may give of tliemfelves. What is here before us, fliews there is fomething extraordinary in the cafe. If we find you to be an impoftor, you flrall fuf- fer as fuch ; in the mean time, till we can be better in- formed, we enjoin you to give in your whole life, with all occurrences, except your private fins, if you have any, in writing; which you fliall read to us, and be crofs-examin- ed, as we think proper. It will concern you therefore to be very exa£l ; for nothing will pafs here but innocence, *^or a fincere repentance.* This, Sir, is the manufcriot I fend you, given in by hIm-< felf as ordered ; with the Inquifitors interrogatories as we examined it, article by article. Which interrogatories I have inferted as they were propofed, with a fuither account at the end, for the better clearing the whole. We beg you to inform yourfelf of the fafts, which his memoirs fay hap- pened to him at Venice, particularly about Monficur God* art. Befides, Sir, you that can trace all the branches of an- cient hiftory to the fountain head, are able to form a better judgment of the probability of his relation. He is ftill in the Inquifitien, and offers himfelf to condudl fome of our miffionaries, to preach the Gofpel tothofe unknown people. The length of this only gives me leave to alTure you, that 1 am with the greateft elleem imaginable. Sir, &c. BoLOGNTA, July 29, 1721. F. ALISIO DE ST. IVO^IO.. ^m^mi^0.^0%^0:^^^i^^ . . >'S>'iI'00<.^<^<><>c.;i<^iOr:;i«e- rio bred liim up as the fon of a friend of his who v/as killed in the wars. That famous battle, in which the Chriftians and Venerio got io great renown againll the Turks, inftead of railing my great grandfather^s fortune, was the occafion of his retiring from the wars, and turning merchant. The realon was this : Venerio the Venetian admiral had caufeda Spanifli captain to be hung up at the yard-arm for mutiny f ; • This partof tlie nccountis certa.inly true : there was fuch a captain in the lifl of the ofticers in that famous battle. fit is likewife true, that tiiere was fuch a quarrel between Don John of Audi ia, the gencralilTiino, and Venerio, admi- ral of the Venetian gullies ; which had like to have put the •whole Chridliiii fleet at variance together, before the battle, and mined the hopes of all Chriflendoni. The occafion was, as he relates it ; Don John, as generaHfllino, viewing the >vhole ileet before the figiit, and lindlng the Venetian gal- lies too thinly manned, ordered four thonfai.d Spaniards to be put on board the faid gullies. But one Mutio Tortona, a Span- iih captain, proving mutinous, after a great many injurious words, came to blows with the captain of the Venetian galle/ CAUDEISTTIO E>I LUCCA. 2^ '-which fevere difcipliiie fo difpleafed Don John of Audria, generalitrimo of the whole fleet, that after the battle, the Venetians, to appeafe Don John, and not to be deprived of the luccours of the Spaniards againll the Turks, were forced to facrifice Venerio's honour to the refentment of the Spaniards, and put him out ofcommiihon*. After this difgrace, Venerio retir- ed ,• and my great grandfather, whofe fortune (depend- ed on his having been bred up to the lea, turned mer- chant, or rather privateer againft the Moors ; and, ■with the Knights of Malta, not only did great fervice againft them, but made a confiderable fortune in the world. where he was; upon which the whole fleet fell to i*. Venerio, hearing the wproar, fent his own captain torfee whiit was the matter ; but the proud Spaniards treated him no better than they did the reft ; fo that Venerio himfelf was forced to come to appeafe them ; but feeing the Spani(l) captain perftft in hit matinous temper, and the affront he had put upon his captain, who was reported to be his Ton, ordered Tortona and his en- ■fign to be hung at the yard-arm. At this all the Spaniards in the flaet were up in arms, and threatened to cut the Ve- netians to pieces ; but, by the uiterpofition of the other gene- rals, the matter was made up till after the fight j when Vene- rio, who had behaved with incomparable valour, and, accord- ing to Don John's own confeflion, was the chief occafion of the vidlorr, to appeafe the haughty Spaniard, had his com- miffion taken from him, and was recalled by the fenate. • It was Fufcairni, who was made general of the Venetians in Venerio's (lead. Every one who is the leaft acquainted withhlftory, knows that the battle of Lepanto was the greateft fea-fight that ever was fought between the Chriftians and Turks ; and the viflory on the Chriftians fide the moft fignal. I'he Spanilh gallies were commanded by Don John ot Auftria, gene- ralilTimo : the Pope's gallies by the famous Golonna : the Genoefe by old Doria, who had gained fo much renown sgainft the 7 urks and French, under Charles V. the Venc- C %6 GAUDtNTIO DI LUCCA. But, t9 return to myfclf : my father having a.pien* tiful fortune, took particular care of tlic etlucation'of Jiis children. He had only two fons, of whom I was tlieyoungelt ; ana a daughur, who died young. Find- ing I had a great inchnation to learning, he promoted it, hy providing me wiUi the hell mailers, till I was fit to go to the univerlity. '11^^: knowledge of lan- guages heing of great ui\i as well as ornament to young gentlemen, he himfclf, by way of recreation, taught me that mixed language called Lingua Franca, fo ne- .ccflary in cHllern countries. It is made up of Italian, Tui kifli, Perfmn, and Arabian, or rather a jargon bf all languages togctlier. He icarce everl'poke tous but in that language, faying, we might learn Latin from our mailers, and our mother tongue from our play-fellows. The lame real'on induced him to fend me to the famous uniNerfily of Paris, to learn French atthefame time with my other ftudies. I lived in the CoHege des ()]iatre Nations, and maintained my thefes of univerlal jjhilolophy under the celeorated MonfieurDuHamel, who wag one of the firft in the i:ni\'erfity who decried Ariflotle's philofophy, and leaned towards the opinions of Defcartes. [^.S'ecrctary. Here the inQ[uifitors muttered a little, fearing he was inclined to the Copernican fyllem, which has been condemned at Rome. But, linccit tiansby the great Venerio, one of the biavcfl foldiers. of liig time. Flaly the 'lurk, grtrac bafla ol the f<;a, was flaiw, and klinclt ill! the 'iiiikilii comnjimdiiig oiHcers killed or taken. i\TOong(t the prifoners, were Haiy's two Ions nephews to tlic Grand Signicr. Of the common folditrs of the 'l\uks, werfc fhin tv\(3-aHd-th.i-ty thoufaiid : alunidred and forty-one of the enemies gidlits were tak^n, forty fimk or burnt ;of gaJ- Jiots and other Imail vclTelt were taken about fixty. Fide th6 Twrkilh hillorv, and other accounts of this famous battle, and the whole affaii as is tlierc related. The battle was fought •» tli« ;?tk of Ot^ber 1 571, CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. ^7 regarde d philofophlcal matters only, they pafled it over.] J was entering into my nineteenth year, and had feme thoughts of taking to the church, when my bro- ther wrote me the melancholy account of my father and mother's death, and the unfortunate occafion o£ it ; which in fliort was, that having loft his richeft (hip, with all his efFe6ls, by pirates, and his chief fac- tor at Smyrna being gone off, his other correlpon- dents came upon him thick ; and not being in a con- • dition to anfwer their calls, it threw him and my mo- ther into a deep melancholy, which fliortened their days, both dying in thre»^ weeks of one another. My brother told me he was not able to maintain me lon- ger at the univerfity, as before; but acquainted me, he had made ailiift to fit out a fmall velTsl, wherein he had put his ail ; and invited me to join the fmall por- tion that fell to my fliare along with him, with which, he faid, we could make a pretty good bottom ; and fo retrieve the ihattered fortune of our family. Not to be too' prolix, I followed his advice : he lold his houfe and gardens to pay his father's creditors, and put what was left, together with my little (lock, into that unfortunate bottom, We fet fail from Ragufa the third of March, yf -mo Doifir. 1688, very inaufpicioully for my dear brother, as will appear by the fequel. We touched at Smyrna, to i>ee if we could hear any thing of my father's fa£lor : and were told, that he was turned Turk, and gone off, very magnificently * dreffed up in borrowed feathers, to fettle at Conftan- tinople J however, we picked up fomething of fome lioneil Chriltian merchants, with whom lie had lodged apart of his cfFe^ls. This encouraged us to proceed to Cyprus and Alexandria ; but, as we were purfu- ing our voyage one morning, in a prodigious fog, as if the fea was fatal to our family, wc fpied on afudden two Algerine rovers bearing down upon us, one on each fide. We had fcarce time to clear our little 28 CAUDEKTIO DI LUCCA. vefTcl, when they fired upon us, and called to uster ftrikc, or we were dcnd men. My brother and I, confidcring that our all wns at (lake, and that we had better die honourably than be made flavcs by thofe unbelieving mifcrcants, called up our men who were but twenty-three in all, of whom five were young gen- tlemen wlio had engaged to try their fortune along with us. Vv'e were armed only with fwords, and pi 1- tols under our girdles. After a fliort confultaiion, it was i:greed to light it out to the laft man ; and we turned bntk to back to make head againflboth fides, my brother in ihe middle of one rank, and myfelf in the otlicr. The enemy boarded us in great num.- hers, looking on us as madmen to pretend to make any refilhincc ; but tlicy were Toon made to leap back. It lead all that were able ; for being clofe up with them, and they crowded together, we fired our pif- tcls fo luckily, tliat fcarce one mifled doing executi- on. Seeing thifm in this confufion, we made a pudi at them on each fide, dill keeping ourranks, 8^ drove tiie T emaindcr headlong off the deck. Tiiis we did'twico ber^re any of our men dropt. We were grappled To tiofe, they had no ufc of their cannon or mufKets, and Itarce thought of firing their pillols at us, expeAing we (houhl )itrld immediaiely, or to }ia\-e borne ii3 down with their weii^lit . i am more particular in def- tribing this petty fight, fmco there are butfewex- ;im])les where a handful of men made fuch along re» filtance. The arch-pirate, who was a llout well-built, young man, raged like a lion, calling his men a thou* IJind cowards, lb loud, that his voice was heard nbovo all the ciies of the foldiers. The ecige of their fury was a little abated after the dropping of lb many, men ; and they began to fire at fome diltance ; which did us more harm tlian their moft furious attacks. My brother, feeing his men begin to drop in their turn^ ordered me t ) face the one (hip, while he with his rank leaped in amongft. the em^mies in the other. H« GAUDENTIO Dl LUCCA. I9 did it with fuch a noble intrepidity, that he made a gap among the thickeil of them immediately. But their numbers clofing together, their very weight drove him back in fpite of all he could do, and he loll feveral of his men before he could recover his poft. The enemy would neither board us, nor leave us ; but firing at us continually, flill killed fome of our men. There were now only eleven of us left ; and no hopes of vi6lory, or of quarter after fucn obllinate refiRance. They durft not come to a clofe engagment with us for all this ; when my brother, to die as honourably as he could, once more leaped into the pirate's (hip, and feeing their captain in the midft of them, made at him with all his might, calling on the few he had left to fecond him. He foon cut his way through ; but juftas he was coming up to him, a cowardly Turk clapt apiftoljuft below his two flioulder blades, and, I believe, fliot him quite through the heart. For he dropped down dead on the fpot. The Turk that Qiot him was run through the body by one of our men, and he himfelf, with the others that were left being quite overpowered, were all cut in pieces. I had yet four men left on my fide againfl the lefier fliip, and had till then kept off the enemy from boarding, but the pirates giving a great fliout at my brother's fall, the captain of the (hip I was engaged with, who was the arch-pirate's brother, cried out to his crew, that it was a fliame to (land all day firing at fit e men : and leaping on my deck, made at me like a man of honour, with his piftol ffeadily poifed in his hand. I met him with equal refolution. He came boldly up within fword's length, and fired his prflol dirc6lly at my face ; he aimed his (hot i'o well, that one of the balls went' through my hair, and other grazed the fide of my neck. But before he could fecond his fliot, I gave him fuch a firoke with my broad fword, between the temple and the lefc-ear, that it cut through partoE yD GAUDENTIO Dl LUCCA. lus fkull. Ills check -bone, and going crofshis mout^, almofl fevered the lower part of his face from the up- per. I had jufl the fatisfaclion to fee him fall, when amufket ball went through the brawny part of my right-arm, and at the fame time,. a Turk hit me jull in the nape of the neck wit!', the butt end of his mulk' et, that I fell down flat en my face, on the body of mj (bin enemy. My companions, all but one, who died of his wounds foon after, fell honourably by my fide. The Tu^ks pcurcd in from both fliips like wolves upon their prey. After their barbarous Ihouls and yelling for the vi(^ory, they fell to ftripping the dead bodies, and threw them into the fea without any further ceremony. All our crew belide myfclf, were flain, orgafping, with threefcore and fifteen of \he enemy. The.reafon why we fought- fo defpe- rately was, that we knew very well, having killed fo many at the full attacks, we were to expect no quar- ter ; fo we were refolved to fell our lives as dear as we could. When they came to ftrip me like the reft» Iwasjuft come to myielf, being only ilunned by tlie (Irokeof the muikct. They found by ray cloaths, that I was one of the moil confiderable perfons of the crew. I had got upon my knee^, endeavouring to rife, and reaching f<.;r fword to defend myl'elfto the laft gafp ; 1 found I could not bold it in my hand, by reafon of the wound in my arm, though if 1 could, it had been needlefjs ; for three of them fell down upon me, and preflcd.me to the deck, while others brought cords S: tied my hands, to cany me to the captain. He was drefiing a llight wound he I'.ad in his legwitha piftol ihot ; and four women in Perfian habits were landing by; three of whom leemed to be attendants to the fourth, wlio was a perion r>f tlie largell fize, about five or fix-and twenty, a moft exquiiite beauty, ex- cept that {be had an Amazonian kind of Bercenefs in ber looks. When I was brought thus bound to the «(i.a]^nain, thc^ aifured liioi I was the man that had OAUDENTIO DI LUCC.t. ^^t flain bis brother, and dsne the mofl: harm of any. Up- on which, ftarting up in the greateft fury a barbariart Was capable of, and calling for a new fcymitar he liad in his cabin, he laid — 'Let me cleave, if I can, tho ' head of this ChriiHan dog, as he did my poorbro- * ther's : and then do you chop him into a thoufand * pieces. With that he drew the fcymitar, and was going to ftrike, when, to the aClonilliment of the very Barbarians, the ftrange lady cried out— ' O fave the ' brave young man 1' and immediately falling down on her knees by me, catched' me in her arms, and clafping me clofe to herbofom, covered my body with hers, and cried out — ' Strike, cruel man, but ftrike ' through me, for otherwife a hair of his head Iball not 'be hurt.' The Barbarians that ftood round us were ftruck dumb with amazem.ent ; and. the pirate himfelf lifting up his eyes towards heaven, faid, with a groan enough to break his heart — ' How, * cruel woman 1 (liall this ftranger in a moment obtain * more than I can with all myfighs and tears ! Is this * your paramour that robs me of what I have fought ' for wkti the danger of life? No, this chriftian dog ' fliall be no longer my curfed rival 1' and lifting up his hand, was again going to llrike, when, covering me more clofely with her delicate body, (he cried out again — ' Hold, Hamet ! this is no rival ; I never faw ' his face before nor ever will again, if you will but * fpare his life : grant me this, and you fliall obtain ' more from me, than all your fervices could ever do.' Here he began to paufe a little. For my part, I v/as a.s much in amaze as- he was. After a little paufe — * Cruel woman,' laid he, 'what is the meaning of this V Says fli6 — ' There is fomething in this young man,' (for I was but turned of nineteen) * that he muft not ' die. But, if 3''ou will engage and fwcar by the mod: ' holy Alcoran, that you will do him no harm, I not * only promile to be your wife, but, to take off all * umbrage of jealoufy, I give you leave to fell bin 32 GAUDENTIO DT LUCCA. ' to fome honourable perfon for a Have ; and v/lllnc- ' ver fee him more' Nor would flic part from me, till he had iworn in that ^folcmn manner, never to do mc any hurt dirc(^ly or indirc:TI0 di lucca, thcfe anf\Ters : xvc law he Mas a very noble prc- fcncc ; and mull have bcru extremcl / hnnJfome in his youth: therefore no woiider a liarbarian wo- man ihouid fall in love with hi.Ti,aiid m iSce ufe of that turn to lave hij li£e. However, i'o: the pre- fent, wo remanded him back to his apartment. — Sovac days after he was called again to profecute liis ilory.] • While 1 was under dsck m confinement with the pirates, feveral of tliem were tolerably civil to me ; knowing the aicendant die hitXy had over their cap- tain, and being witnelles how ilic hud fared ray life. But yet flie would not confent to marry hij}i, till Ihe wjis aiTurcd I was fafe out of his ii^.nds . The arch- pirate never came to fee me himiclf, not being willing to trufthis paflion ; or elfe to watch all favourable opportunities of waiting; on his miftrefs. One day, being indifpofed for want of air, I begged to be carri- ed upon deck to breathe a little; when 1 came up, I faw the ladv, with her women, (binding at the other end of the Ihip on the lame account. I made her a very refpcging to the Turks, but nuich frequented by Arabian merchants, both by land and fea.,One point of Cur- diftan is not far. from this port. \ This infurredion he fpeaks of might be the feeds, or the firU plotting of the grand rebellion of Merowits, which began about the date of this account, and caufed fi*ch a terrible revolution in the Perfian empire ; which no one who under- ftands any thing can be ignorant of. ^ The Arabian horfes are the belt in the world, though not very large. The horfemen are very dextrous in the Eaftern way of fighting. On which account one cannot wonder if the King of Perfia, and his rebellious fubjeds, made it their jntereft: to procure as many auxiliaries as ihcy could. It is very likely the little parties would always be on watch, to lurprize one another when they coulu find an opportunity^ 3^ OAUDtXTIO Dr LUCCA. went there with a very handfome eqiiipapje^ and to o^ his beautiful wife aloivj; with him. ^Our captain, continued he, * haj'pcncd to be there at the fame time * to fell his prizes, and liad not only iold f^veral things ' of great value to the Curditli lord and lady, but had ' contraded a particular friendlliip with him, thougli, ' as we found fince, it was more on account of his fair * wife than any tiling clfe. Nothinii in the world * could be ni'jre obfequious than our captain. H3 at- ' tended them, and ofi'ored his fervice on alloccafions ; *you fee he is a very handfome man, and daring by ' his profelRon. We could not imagine for a long ' while, v/hy he made fuch a Hay at that town, contra- ' ry to his cuftom ; living at a very high rate, as men 'of our calling generally do. At length the Curdilh *-lord having executed his commillion, was, upon the 'return, when wp perceived our captain to grow ex- ' tremely penfive and melancholy, but could not tell ' what was the caufe of it. He called his brother, * who loft his life by yourhsind, and me to him, and » told us in private, he had obfcrved fome of the Ara- 'bian flrangers muttering together, as if they were * hatching fome plot or other, whether againll hinilelf, * or the Curd, he could not tell ; but bid us be fure * to attend him well armed wherever he went. The ' event proved he had reafon for his fuf])icions ; for ',one evening, as the Curd and his wife were taking ' the air, with our captain who was always one of *-the party, palling through a little grove about a 'league out of town, fix Arabian horfcmen, exceed- ' ingiy well mounted, came lull gallop up to us ; and * without faying a word, two of them fired their pif- ' tols direfdy at the Curdilh lord, wlio was the fore- * moft, but by good fortune miffed us all. The Curd, 'as all that nation are naturally brave, drew his And this petty Gurdian prince being zealous far tbc fervice ot his king, might be taken off by the rebels that way. GAUDF.NTIO DI LUCCA. 37 fcymetar, and rudiing in among them, cut oW, the foremolt man's head, as clean as if it had been a poppy ; but advancing too far, unarmed as he was, one of them turned fliort, and Ihothim in the flank, that he dropped down dead immediately. Our cap- tain feeing him fall, ru (lied in like lightning, his bro- ther and myfelf falling on them at the fame time : but the aflalEns, as if they wanted nothing but tlie death of the Curd, or fawby our countenances their flaying would cofl them dear, immediately turn- ed their horfes, and fleJ fo fvviftly on their jen- nets, that they were out of fight in an inRant. We , condu£led the poor difconfoiate lady and her dead hufband back to the town, where thofe people made no more of it (beingaccuftomed tofuch things) than if it had been a common accident. When her grief was a little abated, our captain told the lady, that it was not fafe for her to return home the fame way file came ; that in all probability, thofe who killed her hulband were in confederacy with the difaffet^b- ed party, and would way-lay her, either for his pa- pers, or her goods. I'hat he had two fiiips well jpanned at her fervice, and would condu6l her fafe by fea to fome part of the Perfian empire, from whence flie miglit get into her own country. She confented at lall, having feen liovv'- gallantly my mal- ter had behaved in her defence. So Qie came aboard with her attendants and effeds, in order to be tranf- ported into her own country. Our captain, you may be fure, was in no hade to carry her home, be- ing fallen mod defperately in love with her: io that inltead of carrying her to any of '^^e Perfian domi- nions, he dire^^ed liis courfe for Algiers, hearing his father was dead ; but meeting with you, it has made him alter his meafures for the prelent. He has tri- ed all ways to gain her love, but Ihe would not give him the lead encouragement, till this late accident, D 3B CAUDE>JTIO DI LUCCA. *bv which (lie favcd your life.' Wlien lie hnd end- cfl'his relp.lion, I rcflcaea on it n good while, and con- fdcring the nature of thofe pirates, I ihoui^ht I taw a i)icfc of treachery in the aflair, much more black than what he dcfcribed, an\ aked from a real dream ; and making a moil profound reverence — * My lord,* faidl/ or railier my father *and deliverer, I am yours by all the liesof i^ralitude * a human heart is capable of ; I refign myfclf-to yoiir • conduci, and will follow you to the end of llie world.* This I faid with fuch emotion of fpirit, that I believe lie law into my very foul, for embracing mc once more with a moft ine.spreflible tenderncls — ^I adopt ' you,' laid he, * for my Ton ; and thefe are your bro- ' thers,' pojnlinp; to liis two young companions ; 'all 'I require of you is, that you live as luch.' Here, reverend Fathers, I mud confeis one of the greatell faults I ever did in my life. I never confidered whether thefe men were Chrirtians or Heathens: I engaged myfelf with a peo[)lc \\ here I could never have the exerciie of my religion, although I always prefcrNed it in my heart. But, what could be ex- pe(^Ld from a daring ) oung man, jull in the heat of liis youth, who had loll all his fortune, and had fuch fi glorious ]irofpc they have therefore the ideas of juftice and equity imprinted in their minds, however obfcured by thiir wicked livci. adly, 46 CAVDEN'TIO or LUCCA^ little noife with his ftafT, at which two of his attend-*'] anis came in ; he artced them if my cfl'c<5ls were come* from the pirate. Being anlwcred they were, he or- dered them to be brought in, and examined them ve- jy nicely. There were among them fomc piftures of my own drawing, a repeating watch, two compafs boxes, one of them very curioufly wrought in ivory and gold, which had been my great grandfather's, giv- en him by V^encrio; a fet of mathematical inllru- menis, draught? of llatuary and artich«.«^\ure by the* bertinafters; with all which he feemed extremely pleai'ed. After he had examined them witii a great deal of admiration, he ordered one cf his attendants' to reach him a cabinet fall of gold ; he opened it to mc, and faid — ' Young man, 1 not only rcllore all your ' effeds here prefcnt, having no right to any thing that Let them read t]:e celebrated IVifliop of Meaux's Univerfal Hiftory, pt. ill. of die moralh and ecji/ity of ihcanrient Kgyp* liiuis under tlicir great king Sefoflrls, or about that time. 3dlv^ Not only the lives and maxims of il.e fiift Heatbtn pbibfophers, affoid us ver^' juft lulcs of mci alley, but there are alfo fragHients of ancient Iil(l'.ry,fr6m tl^e earhcft times, ofwkole Heathen nations, whofe lives would make Chiillians blulh at thtir own immoralities ; if they were not hartlencd in them. The people of Colchos, Avhom tlie great Boch.. in, In his Phaleg, proves to have been a colony ot ancient Kgyptians, as 'v^lil be Icen in the fequel cf tliefe memolis,or the ancient inhabitants of I'ontus, who cooiefrom them, were uccoidlrg to Homer, the moft jud of men. Milk-eaters the mofljnfl of men. Hom. II. K. Chcerllus In Xerxls Dlab.ifi apud Buchart, fpeaklug of the Scythians on tiie Knxlne fca,('a) s — 'they were a colony of the Nomadas, a jnO j)eople.* Strabo favs. that AnacharPis and Abarls, both Sc> tliians, were cfleemcd by tlic ancient Greeks lor il.eir peculiar and national afiablllty, probity ,and juftlce : — * And Nicholiuis Da- mafcenus, of the Galactophagi — ^* they are the moil juft of men.' Vide BjtHAST; lib. iil. GAUDENTTO DI LUCCA 47 t' belongs to another man ; but once more ofFer you . * your liberty, and as much of this gold as you think . * lufficient to carry you home, and make you live eafy . ' all your life.' I was a little out of countenance, : imagining what 1 faid of the ill morals of Chridians had made him afraid to take me along with him. I told him, I valued nothing now fo much as his com- pany, and begged him not only to let me go along witli him, but that he would bepleafed to accept whatever he faw of mine there before him ; adding, that I ef- teemed itthegrcateft happinefs, to be able to make fome fmall recompence for the obligations I owed him. ' I do accept of it,' faid he, ' and take you fo- * lemnly into my care ; go along with thefe young ' men, and enjoy your liberty in effed, which I have ' hitherto only given you in words.' Here fome of his elder companions coming in, as if they were to confult about bufmefs, the young men and myfelf went to walk the town for our diverfion. Your Rev- ^ erences may be lure I obferved all the a£lions of thefe .new people, with the greateft attention my age was .capable of. They.feemed not only to have a horror of the barbarous manners and vices of the Turlvs, but even a contempt of all the pleafures and diverfionsof .the country. Their whole bufmefs was to inform themfelves of what they thought might be an im- provement in their own country, particularly in arts and trades, and whatever cuiiofities Vv^cre brought from foreign parts ; fetting down tiieir obiervations of every thing of moment. They had mailers of the country at fet hours to teach them the Turkifli and Perfian languages, in which I endeavoured to perfec't myfelf along with them. Though they feemcd to be the moll: moral men in the world, I could obferve no figns of religion in them, till a certain occafioa that happened to us in our voyage, of wliich 1 fhall ipeak to your Reverences in it's proper place. This was the only point they were fliy in ; they gave me 4^ OAUOENTIO DI LUCCA. the reafons for il nftcrwpjds ; but their behaviour was the moft caJiJid aiid I'mcerc in other matters that can be inuigincd. We Hvcd thus in the inoft perfcft union all the linic >ve ftnid at Grnnd Cairo ; and-I en- joyed the fan-.e liberty tliat I could have had [n Italy : all J remarked in them was on imcaiincfs they expref- fedtobc fo long; out ©f their own counirv ; but they comforted themfelves with the thought it w*>uidnot belong. I cannot omit one obrervation I mndc of thefe yonng men's conduft while we ftuid in Egypt. They were nil about my own age, ftrongand vigorou?, and the hai^dlbmell race of people, perhaps, the world €ver produced ; we were in the moft voluptuous and lewd town in the whole eaflcrn empire; the young women leemcd ready to devour us as we went along thcftrcets. Yet I never could perceive in the young men the Icafl propcnfitv of lewdnefs. I imputed it fit flrfl to the apj)rehcnrion of mv being in their com- pany, and a ft ranger ; but 1 foon found they a£\ed by principle. As young men are a[)t to encourage, or i-ather corru})t one another, I own I could not for- bear expreiPiFig my wonder tit it. They feemed fur- prized at the thought ; but che reafons they ga\»e were as much out of our commoii way of thinking, as their behaviour. They told me, for the full reaion, that all the women they faw were either married ; or particular men's daughters ; or common. As to married women, they laid, it was luch an heinous piece of injulllce to violate the marriage-bed, that c« very man living would look upon it as the grcateft in- jury done to himfelf ; how could they therefore in rculbn do it to another ? If they were daughters of particular men, bred up with lomuch care andfolicU tude of their parents, what a terrible {ifil)(flion muft it be to them, or to ourfelves, to fee our daughters or fif- ters violated and corrupted, after all our care to the contrary ; and this too, perhaps, by thofe we had che* nfhed in our ownbofoms ? If common lU-uKvpets, what GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 49 rational man could look on them otherwife than brute beads, to prollitute themlelves to every ftranger for b/ire ? Befides, their abandoned lewdneis generally defeats the great delign of nature to propagate the fpecies ; or by th'jir impure embraces, fuch diforders may be contracted, as to make us hereafter, at beft, .but fathers of a weak and fickly offspring. And if we fliould have children by them, what would become of our father's grand-children ? But Vvdiat man v/ho had theleall fenfe of the dignity of his own birth, would {lain his race, and give birth to fuch a wretch- ed breed, and then leave them expofed to want and infamy ? This they faid chiefly with reference to the vafl ideas they had of their own nation, valuing them- felves above all other people j though the confidera- tion holds good with all men. I own I was mute at thefe reafons, and could not fay but they were very juft, though the warmth of my jouth had hindered ms from refleding on them before. Thefe reflci^ions ap- peared fo extraordinary in young men, and even Hea- thens, that I ihall never forget them. Some time after, I found by their diligence in fettling their af- fairs, and the chearfulnefs of their cou'Henances, thac they expe£led to leave Egypt very foon ; they feemed to wait for nothing but orders from their governor. In the mean time there happened an accident to me, fcarce fit indeed for your Reverences to bear; nor fliould I ever have thought of relating it, had you not laid your commands on me to give an exa6l ac- count of my whole life. Befides, that it is interwo- ven with fome of the chief occurrences of my life in the latter part of it. Our governor, whom tjiey cal- led Pophar, which in their language fignifies Father or his people, and by which name 1 fliall always call him hereafter, looking at his ephemeris, which he did very frequently, found by computation, that he had Hill fome time left to ftay in the countn', and refolved E 5© GAUDFNTIO DI LUCCA. to go clown once more to Alexanclria, to fee if he could meet with anymore European curiofities, bro't by the merchant Hups tliatare perj)etUc;lly coming at that fcafon into the port, lie took only two of the young men and me along with him, to fliew mc, as he laid, that I was entirely at my liberty, hnce I might eafily find fome fl»ip or other to carry me into my own country ; and I, on the other hand, to convince him of the linceriiy of my intentions, generally kept in his company. The affair I am going to ipcak of, foon gave him full proof of my fmcerity. "While we were walking in the public places to view the fevcral goods and curiofitics, that were brought from different parts of the world, it happen- ed that the bafia of Grand Cairo, with all his family, was come to Alcxamlria on the lame account, ns well as to buy fome young female IJaves. His wife and daughter were then both with him. The wife wns one of the Grand Signior*s fillers, feem.ingly about thirty, and a wonderful fine woman. The daughter was about fixtcen, of fuch exquifue beauty, apd love- ly features, as were fufficicnt to charm the grcatefl; prince in t]:e world"^. AVhtn he perceived them, the rophar, who naturally abhorred the Turks kept of^, as in»e were treiaing privately \\'ith fome mer- chants. But I, being young and inconHderate. ftood gaiiing, though at a relpe^Tlful diftance, at tl)e ballads beautiful daughter, from no other motive but mere curioiiiy. She had her eyes fixed on my compani- ons and me at the fame time, and, as I iuppofcd, on the fame account, her drefs was fo magnificent, • K. B, Tl:e b:i(Ta of Giand Cairo isone of the greateft officers in the Tuikiflj empire, and the moft indepePidentof anv fubjcft in TiMky. It is cuRGmary for the iulians to give their dnuglitcrsin niarri.tj?,e to lutli jjerfons; but they are of- ten didiked by Uieir huibunds, on account of their imperious J)ehaYiour« GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 5I and her perfon {'o charming, that I thought her th(? inoft beautiful creature I had ever leen in my life. If I could have forefeen the troubles which that fliort interview was to coft both the Pophar and myfelf, I iiiould have cholen rather to have looked on the mofl: hideous^ mdnfler. 1 obferved that the young lady, with a particular lort 6f emotion, \\/hirpered fome- thing to an elderly woman that attended her, and that this iafl: did the fame to a page, vvho immediately went to two natives of tlie place, whom the Pophar utcd to hire to carry his th.ings ; this was to enquire of them who we were. They, as appeared by the event, told them, that I was a young flave lately bought by the Pophar. After a while, the bafla with his train went away, and J, for my part, tiiought no more of the matter. The next day, as the Po- phar and we were walking in ons of the public gar- dens, a little elderly man, like an eunuch, with a mod beautiful youth along with him, having dogged us to a private part of the w'alks, came up to us andad- dreflTing themfelves to the Pophar, afkcd liim what he would take for his young (lave, pointing at me, be- Caufe the baffa delired to buy him. The. Pophar feemed to be more iurprized at this unexpefled quef* tion, than I ever obferved him at any thing before, whieh confirmed me more and more in the opinion of the kindncfs he liad for me. But foon coming to himfelf, as he was a man of great prefenceofmind, he faid very calmly, that I was no ila\'e ; nor a perfon to be fold for any price, fmce I was as free as he was. Taking this for a pretext to enhance the price, they produced fome orieiital pearls with other jev/cls of immenfe value ; and bid him name what he would have, and it (houldbe paid immediately, adding, that I was to be the companion of the baflVs fon, where I might make my fortune for ever, if I would go along with them. The Pophar perfiftcd in his firftanfwcr, »nd faid he had no power over me : they alledged, I 52 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. h:\dbeen bought as a Cave, but a little before, in the Ginncl Signior's dominions, and they would have me. Here I intcipolcd, and ani'wered briikly, that though I had been taken prifoner by the chance of war^ I was no Have, nor would I part with my libertv but at the price of my life. The bafla's fon, for fo he nowdtclarcdhimlclf tobe,in{Uad of being angry at my refolutc anfwer, replied with a moft agreeable fmile^ that I ftjould be as free as he was ; making at the fame time the mofi: i'olcmn protcftations by his holy Alcoran, that our lives and deaths ihould be infepara- ble. Though there was fomething in his words the moll perfuahve I ever felt, yet confidering the obli- gations J had to the Pophar, I was refolvednot to go ; but anfwercd with a mod refpeififul bow, that tbiough 1 was free by nature, I had indifpenfablc ob« ligations not to go with him, and hoped he would take it for a determinate anfwer. 1 pronounced this xvith fuch a refolute air, as made him fee there was no hopes. Whether his dcfire was more enflamcd by my denial, or whether they took us f^r perfons of greater note than we appeared to be, I cannot tell ; but 1 obfervcd he* put on a very languidiing air, with tears Healing down his cheeks, which moved me to a degree I cannot exprcl's. I was fcaice capable of ipeaking, but caft down my eyes, and Rood as immove- able as a ftatue. This feemcd to revive his hopes ; and recovering himfelf a little, with a trembling voice he replied — ' Suppofe it be the balTa's daughter, you * law yeilerday, that defires to have you for her at- ' tendaut, what will you lay then^' 1 ftartedat this, and calling my eyes on him more attentively, I faw him iwimiuing in tears, with a tendernefs enough to pierce the hardeit heart. I looked at the Pophar, who 1 law was trembling for me j and feared it was the daughter hcrfelf that afked me the queflion. 1 was foon put out of doubt ; for flie, finding flie had gone too far to go back, difccvered herfelf, and fuid, I GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. S3 inuft go along with her, or one of us muft die*. — I hope your Reverences willexcufe this account Igivc of myfelf, whlcli nothing fhoiild have drawn from rae, though it is literally true, but your exprefs commands to tell the whole hillory of my life. — The perplexky I was in cannot be imagined ; I confidered {he was a Turk, and I a Chriftian ; that my death muft cer- tainly be the confequcnce of fuch a raili affair, were * Love' adventures are not the defign of thefe memoirs, as will appear by the reft of bislife : otherwife, this account of the baffa's daughter had like to have made me lay down my pen, without troubhng myfelf to write any further re-< marks. But, when I confidered, the man is no fool, let him be what he will, nor could defjgn to embelHQi his hiftory by this extraordinary adventure, fo like the former, and jufl: up- on the back of it, I am inclined to believe he wrote the mat- ter of fa(fljuftasit happened. More unaccountable acci- dents than this have happened to fome men» ■ The amorous temper of the Turkilh ladies, efpecially afe Grand Cniro, where the women are the mod voluptuous in the world, and the furprizing beauty of this young man, who^ the fecretary fays, has theuoblelt prefence he everfaw, even 'at tliat age, might eafily charm a wanton giddy girl at the fnft figlit. Befides, flie was informed he was a ilave, and might think flie could have pnrchafed him for her private gallant ; or might be encouraged in it by the luftful elderly Avoman that attended her. Such things have been done be- fore now ; but when flie came nearer to the tempting objefl, and found him to be fomething more noble than fhc expelled, her paflion might thereby grow to tke highefl pitch. Extraordinary beauty, in either fex, is oftentimes a great misfortune ; fince it frequently leads them into very great follies, and even difallers. What will notheedlefs youth do, when fired with flattery or charms ? ' Tis no new thing for v;omen to fall in love at firft fight, as well as men, and on as unequal terms ; in fpite of all reafons and confiderations to the contrary. I believe there may be men in the world, as charming in the eyes of >Yomen, as ever the fair Helen ap* 54 CAUDIKTIO DI LUCCA. I to engage in it : that whether (lie concealed me In her father's court, or attempted to go ofTwithme, it ^vas ten thoufand to one, we fliould both be facrific- cd : neither could the violence of fuch a fudden paflion ever be concealed from the baffa's fpies. In a word, I was refolvcd not to go ; but iiow to get ofl'was the difliculty. I faw the moil beautiful creature in the world all in tears before me, after a declaration of love, that exceeded the moll romantic talcs ; youth, love, and beauty, and even an inclination on my fide, pleaded her caufe. But at length the confidcration of the endlcfs miferics I wasliUely to draw on the young peared to the men. The almort incredible catanrophics,cuaf- cd by her beauty arc fo far fioni being fabulous, that, be- fides the account Homer gives of her, there i-i extant an ora- tion of the famous Ifocrates De laudibus Iltlenx, before Alexander the Great's time, whicli gives a more amazing account of the efieds of her beauty, than Homer does. He fays, ftie was ravithed for her beauty, by the great and wile Thefeus, when flie was a but girl. She was afterwards courted by all the Grecian princes ; and, after her marriage, was cairied from Europe into Afiaby the beautiful Paris ; which kindltd the firll war, that is recorded in hiftory to have been made in th.ofe parts of t'.ie world. Yet not\vitl>n.'\nding that lalfe and fatal Rep. her beauty recoiKiled her to her huf- band. The fight of fome men may have as violent etfeds on women. It is pofiible the young lady would have been very angry with any one, who (liould have perfuadcd Signer Gandentio to do ns he did ; yet in efte«fl it was tlie greateft kindnefs : for this very lady, fomc tini« after, became midrefs of the whole Ottoman empiie. Whereas if flie had run away with' him, as the violence of her paflion fuggefled, they had both of them been inevitably mil'erable. Notwitlillanding all thele reafons, I fliould not have believed this Oory, if 1 had not examined fome other fac\s, which, he faid, happened to jiim, at Venice, as incredible as thi>,and found tkem to be leally true. CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. ^ ^- laJy, fliould I comply with what (he defired, prevailed above all other. I was refolved to refufe, for her fake more than my own, and was juft going to tell her fo on my knees, with all the arguments my reafon could lugged to appeafe her ; when an attendant came running in hafle to the other perfon, who wasalfo a wo- man, and told her tlie bafia was coming that way. She was rouied out of her lethargy at this. The other woman immediately fnatched her away, as the Popbar did me ; and flie had only time to call out with a threat - — 'Think better on it, or die.' I was no fooneroutof her light but I found a thouland reafons for what I did, more than I could think of before, while the enchant- ing obje^l was before my eyes. I law the madnefs of that padion which forced the moft charming perfon of the Ottoman empire, capable by her beauty to con- quer the Grand Signior himfelf, to make a dtclara'tion of love, fo contrary to the nature andmodefty of her fex, as well as her quality and dignity, and ready to facrifice her reputation, the duty flie owed her pa- rents, her liberty, perhaps her life, for an unknown perfon, who had been a Have but fome time before. I law, on the other hand, that liad I complied with the fair charmer's propofal, I muft have run the rifque of lofmgmy religion, orlife, orratherboth, witliadreadful chain of hidden misfortunes, likely to accompany fuch arafli adventure. Wi:iile 1 was taken up with thefe thoughts, the wife Pophar, after rcfle£ling a little up- on what had happened, told me, this unfortunate af- fair would not end fo, but that it might cod us both our lives, and fomething elfe that was more dear to him. He feared fo violent a paflion would draw on other extremes ; e-fpecially confidering the wicked- nefs of the people, and the brutal tvranny of their go- vernment: however he was refolved not to give me up but with his life*, if I would but ftand to it myfelf: add- ing, tluit wc muft make off as fafl; as we could ; antl, lijiving fo many fpies upon us ufe policy as well as ex- 56 GAUDEN^TIO DI LUCCA. pedition. Accordingly lie went do\vii dire«niy to the port, and hired a fliip in tlic mod public manner to go for Cyprus, p:iid the whole freight on the fpot, and told them they mull necedarily fail that evening. We fh()ulda(f\ually have done fo, liad not our companions and effc^ls obliged us to return to Grand Cairo, but inftcad of embarking for Cyprus, he called afide the mailer of the vcfiel, who was of his acquaintance, and for a good round fum, privately agreed with him to fail out of the port, as if we were really on bo.ud, while the Pophar hired a boat for us at the other end of the town, in which we went that night dirctfllyfor Grand Cairo. As foonas wcwere arrived there, we enquired how long it would be before the balTa re- turned to that city. 'I'hey told us it would be about a fortnight at foonefl: ; this gave the Pophar time to pay off his houie, pack up his effe(ils,and get all things ready for his great voyage ; but he iVill had greatet apprehenfions in his looks than ever I remarked in him. However, he told us, he hoj^ed the afVair would end well. In five days time all things were in readi- nefs for our departure. Wc fet out a little before fun- fet, as is cuftomary in thole countries, and marched but a flow pace wb.illl we were near the town, to avoid any lufpicion of flight. After we had travelled thus about a league up by the fide of the river Nile, the Pophar leading the van, and the rell following in a pretty long firing after him, we met five or fix men coming down the river fide on horfeback, whofe fiile turbans and habits ihewed they were pages, or atten- dants of fume great perfon. The Pophar turned off from the river, as if it were to give them way ; and they pafled on very civilly without fecming to take any furllicr notice of us. 1 was the hindmoll but one of our train, having (laid to give our dromedaries fomc water. Soon after thefc, came two ladies rid- ing on little Arabian jennets with prodigious rich furniture, by which I gueffcd them to be pcrfons of GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 57 quality, and the others gone before to be then' atten- dants. They were not quite over againil where I was, when the jennet of the younger of the two la- dies began to Inort and ftart at our dromedaries, and became fo unruly, that I apprehended (he could fcarce fit him. At that inftant, one of the led dromedaries coming pretty near, that, and the ruftling of it's load- ing, fo' frighted the jennet, that he gave a bound all cn a fudden, and being en the infide of us towards the river, he ran full fpeed towards the edge of the bank, where not being able to flop his eareei', he flew di- reftly off the precipice into the river, with the lady ilill fitting him, but the violence of the leap threw her off two or three yards into the water. It hap- pened very luckily that there was a little ifland juft by where (lie fell,^ and her cloaths keeping her up for fome minutes, the ftream carried her againft fome ftakes that ftoodjuft above tha water, which catched hold of her cloaths, and held her there. The ihrieks of the other lady brought the nigheft attendants up to us ; but thofe fearful wretches durft not venture in- to the riv'er to her ailiftance. I jumped off my drome- dary with indignation, and throwing off my loofe gar- ment and fandais, fwam to her, and with much diffi- culty getting hold of her hand, and loofing her gar* ments from the llakes, I made a fliift to draw her arofs the ftream, till I brought her to land. She was quite fenfelels for fome time ; held down her head, which I had not yet looked at, to make her difgorge the water (lie had fwallowed ; but 1 was foon itruck "with a double furprize, when I looked at her face, to find it was the baila's daughter, and to fee her in that place, whom I thought I had left at Alexandria. Af' ter fome time, flie came to herfelf, and looking fix- ed on me a good while, her fenfes not being entire re- covered, at laft flie cried out — * O Mahomet, muff I ' owe my life to this man 1' and fainted away. The Other lady, who was her confidant, with a great deal j% CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. of pains brought her to herlelf again ; we raifed her up, and endeavoured to comfort her as well as we could. * No/ lays flie, * throw me into the river * once more j let mc net be obliged to a barbarian * for whom I have done too much uh-eady.' I told licr in the moft refpcdful terms I could think of, that Pro- vidence liad ordered it fo, that I mlglit make fome rccompenfc for the undeferved obligations Oie had laid on me ; that I had too great value tor her merit ever to make her milerable, by loving a Have, fucii as I was, a ftranger, a Chriftian, and one who had indifpenfable obligations toa6l as I did. She (lartled a little at what 1 faid ; but after a Ihort recoUedlion anfwered — ' Whether you are a fiave, infidel, or ' what you pleal'c, you are one of the moft generous * men in the worKl. I fuppofe your obligations are * on account of fome more happy woman than myfelf ; ' but fince I owe my life to you, I am refolved not to * make you unhappy, iiuy more than you do me. I not ' cnly pardon you, but am convinced my preienfions ' are both unjuft and againft my own honour.' She faid this with an air becoming her quality: ilie was nvjch mor« at eafe when I aflured her I was engaged to no woman in the woild ; but that her memory fliould be ever dear to me, and imprinted rnmy heart till my laft bi-eaih. Here ten or a dozen armed Turks came upon us full Ipeed from the town j and ieeing the Popharand his companions, th.cy cried out — ^ Slop, villains ! we arrtft you in the name of th.c balVa.' At this we ftarted up to fee what was the matter, wh.en the lady, who knew them, bid m«* not be afraid ; that flie had ordered theftt men to purfuc me, when flie left Alexandria. That hearing we w^ere fled off by lea, flie pretended licknels, and alk- ed leave of her father to return to Cairo, there to bemoan her misfortune with her confidant; and was in thole melancholy fentiments, when the late acci- dent happened to lier. That flie fuppofcd thefe men GAUDE'NTIO DI LUCCA. Cg had difcovered the trickwe had played them in not go- ing by lea, and on better information had purfued us this way. So flie diliniffed them immediately. I was all this while in one of the greateft agonies that can be exprefled, both for fear of my own refolutions and her's ; fo I begged her to retire, left her wet cloaths fliould endanger her health. I fliould not -have been able to pronomice thefe words, if the Po- phar had not call a look at me, which pierced me •through, and made me fee the danger I was in by my delay. Her refolutions now feemed to be itron^-er than mine. She pulled aff this jewel your Reve- rences fee on my finger, and juftfaid, with tears -ti ickling down her beautiful cheeks — 'Take this * and adieu I' She then pulled her companion away, and never looked at me more. I flood amazed, almoil without life or motion in me, and cannot tell how 4ong I might have continued fo, if the Pophar had not come and congratulated me for my deliverance. I •told him, 1 did not know what he meant by deliver- ance, for I did not know whether I was alive or -dead, and that I was afraid he would repent his buy- ing of me, if I procured liim any more of thw^fe adv©-n- tures ? * If we meet with no worfe than thefe,' fays he, * we are well enough ; no vi£lory can be gained /* without fomelofs.' So he awakened ma out of my lethargy, and commanded us to make the bell of our way. Though the Popliarwas uneafy to be out of the .reach of the fair lady and herfaithlefs Turks, yet he was not in any great hafle in the main, the prefent time for his great voyage not being yet come. There appeared a gaiety in his countenance, that feemed to promife us a profpcrous journey. For my own part, though I'was glad I hadefcaped my dangerous enchan- trefs, there was a heavinefs lay on my fpirits, which I could give no account of; but the thoughts of fuch •un unknown voyage, and variety of places, diffipated it 6o CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. by de^ees. A\'e were eleven in number, five elder- ly men, and five young ones, myfclt" being a i'u|>er- numerary pcifon. AVe were all mounted upon dro- medaiies, which were very fine for that fort of crea- ture ; they are fomething like camels, but lefs, and jnuch fwitter; they live a great while witliout water, as the camels do, vhich was the reafon tliey made life of them, for the barren fands they were to pais over ; though they have the fineil horfes that can be feen in their own country. They had five fpare ones to carry provifions, or to change, in cafe any one of their own fliould tire by thG way. It was upon one of thefefive that I rode : we went up the Nile, leav- ing it on our left-hand all the way, iteering our courfe dire(^ly for the Upper Kgypt. I prefume your Rev- erences know, that the pivcr Nile divides Kgypt into two parts lengthways, defcending from Ab) Ihnia with fuch an immenfe courfe, that the Ethiopians faid it had no licad ; and running through the Iliiher Ethi- opia, pours doyvn U])on Egypt, as llie Rliine does through the Spanifli Netherlands, making it one of the jicheft countries in the univcifc, AVc vifitetl all the towns on tliat famous river upwttrds, under pretence of merchajidiaing ; but the true reaion of our delay was, bccaufcTjittPophai's critical time for his jrreat voyi;ge was not yet come. Helooktd at his cpheme** ris and notes almoll every hour, the red of them at- tending his nod in tlie mofl minute circuraftances. — r As we approached the upper parts of Egypt, as nigh as I could gucfs, o\er againft tiie defirts of 13arca, they began to bay proviiions proper for their puipote but particidarly rice, dried fruits, and a fort of dried palle that icrvcd us for breiid. They bought their provifions at different places, to avoid fufpicion; and lobferved they laid up a confiderable quantity, both for their dromedaries and their ielves : by which I found we had a long journey to make. When v/e came over agaioil the middle coall of the vali deiai'I GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, 6l of Barca, we met with a delicate clear rivulet, break- ing out of a riling part of the funds, and making to- wards the Nile. Here we alighted, drank ourfelves, and gave our dromedaries to drink as much as they would : then we filled all our velfels, made on pur- pole for carriage, and took in a much greater propor- tion of water than we had done proviiions. I forgot to tell your Reverences, that at leveral places as we paffed, they difmounted and kilTed the ground with a very fuperllitious devotion, and fcraped foma of the dull, which they put mto go Idcfi urnsy which they had brought with them on purpole, letting ms do what I pleafed all the while. This fort of devotion I then only gueffed, but found to be true afterwards, was the chief occafioii of their coming into thefe parts ; though carried on under the pretence of m.erchandiz- ing. They did the fame in this place ; and when all were ready, the Pophar looking on his papers and nee- dle, cried — ' Gaulo Bcnim^ which 1 was informed was as much as to fay — ' Now, children, for our lives ;' and immediately, as he had fleered fouth all al0ng before, he turned fliort on his right hand due well, crofs the vaft defart of Barca, as fait as his dro- medary could well go. We had nothing but lands and llcy before us, and in a few hours were almod out of danger of any one's attempting to follow us. Being thus embarked, if I may fay fo, on this vaft ocean of fand, athouland perplexing thoughts came into my mind, which 1 did not reded on before. Be- hold me in the midll of the inhofpitable defarts of Af- rica, where whole armies^' had often perillied. The • Ancient hifloiies give us feveral inftances of a great number of perfons, and even whole armies, who have been loll in the funds of Africa. Herodotus in Thalia, fays that Cambyfes the ion of Cyrus the Great, in his expedition a- gainll the Kdiiouians, was brought to iucii llraits in tholW Cl CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. fiirllicrwe advanced, the more our thitMj^er cncreftfed. I was with iiicn, who were not only flrangcrs to my- I'clf, but to all the world bcTide : ten againil one ; but this was not all ; I was perfunded now they Avere Heathens and Idolators ; tor belide their i'uperftitions kifling the earth in fcveral places, 1 obferved they looked up towards the Sun, and feemcd to addrel's llieir oraifons to tliat planet, glorious indeed, but a planet and a creature ncverthelefs. 'i'hen I refleifted on what the Pophar faid when he bought mc, that I \vasnot likely to return. 'It is poflible,' thought I, * I am deftincd for a human facrifice, to feme Heathen * god in the midft of this vail dcfart.' But not feeing any arms they had, either ofitnfive or defenfive, ex- cept their fliort goads to p.rick on their dromedaries, I was a lilllc eafy : I had pri\alel)- juovided myfelf with two pocket-piftols, and was reiolved to defend myfelf till thelall gafp. But when I confidered that unparalleled judice and humanity I had experienced in their treatment of mc, I was a little comforted. — As for the difficulty of pafflrig the defarts, I reflecled that their own lives were as much in danger as mine ; that they mull have fome unknown ways of palling them over, otherwifc they would never expofc them- fclves to liicii evident, danger. I fliould have told your Reverences, that we fct out a little before fun-fet, to avoid the heats, June vaft def:irt?, that tliey were fdrretl to eat evrr) tenth man be- fore tlicy could get back again, 'llie otiici army, w! ich lia fent to deftroy the temple of Jupiter Hammon, wasentirrly overwhelmed and loH in the fands: Hi:RODoT, 'J'h\l»/. Tiie Idolaters Imputed it as a punilhment for hii impiety ngalnfl Jupiter,but it was for want of krowing tlie danger. I iiippofc YCry few arc ignorant of the contrivance of Marias the Uo- man general, to get over the fnnds to Capfa, to fcize Jugwr- tba's tieafure, wl.ich he thought fecure. Sallust. de biL^ 1.0 JuGURTMi:*. GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 6$ the pth, 1688 ; the moon was about the firft quarter, and carried on the light till nigh dawn of day ; the glittering of the fands, or rather pebbly gravel, in which there were abundance of fliining ftones like jewels or cryftal, encreafed the light, that '^v^ could fee to iteer our courfe by the needle very welt. We went on at a vafi: rate, the dromedaries being vely fwift creatures ; their pace is more running than gal- loping, much like that of a mule ; that I verily be- lieve from fix o'clock in the evening till about ten the next day, we ran almoft an hundred and twenty Itali- an miles: we had neither fhop nor let, but fteered our courfe in a dired line, like a fliip under fail. The heats were- not nigh fo unfufferable as I expelled ; for though we faw nothing we could call a mountain in thofe immenfe Bares, yet the fands, or at leaft the way we fteered, was very high ground : that as foon as we were out of the breath of the habitable coun- tries, we had a perpetual breeze blowing full in our faces ; yet fo uniform, that it fcarce raifed any dull : partly becaufe, where we palTed, the fands were not of that fmall dufty kind, as in fome parts of Africa, which fly in clouds with the wind, overwhelming all before it, but of a more gravelly kind ; and partly from an imperceptible dew, which, though not fo thick as fog, moiitened the furface of the ground pret- ty much. A little arter nine next morning, we came to fome clumps of Ihrubby trees, with a little mofson the ground inllead of grafs ; here the wind fell, and the heats became very violent. The Pophar ordered us to alight and pitcii our tents, to Oiclter both our- felves and tlie dromedaries from the heats. Their tents were made of the finell fort of oiled cloth I e- ver faw, prodigious light and portable, yet capable of keeping out both rahi and fun. Here we refrefhed ourfclves and beafts till a little after fix ; when we fet out again, (leering iVill direiflly weft as nigh as I could gucfs. Wq wctit on thus for three days and nights 64 CAVDEXTIO Dr LUCCA. without any confulerable accident, only I obfervcd the i;rounil rcemcd to rife infcnfjbly higher, and the breezes not only Hrongcr, but the air itiVlf much cool- er. About ten the third day, wc faw fome more I lumps nftrccp on our right- hand,which looked green- er nnd thicker th.an tlic iormer, as if ihey were the beginning of Ibme habitable vale, os in effed they were. The I'ophar ordered us to turn that way, which was the only turning out of our way we had yet made. — J)y the chearfulnefs of their countenances, I thought this might be the beginning of their country; but I wr.s very much inillaken ; we had a far longer and more dangcrrr.s way to go, than what we had paficd liiiherto. However, this was a very remarkable fla- tion for our voyage, as your Reverences will find by the iequel. As wc advanced, we fuund it to open and defcend gradually ; till at length we law a moll beau- tiful vale, full of palms, dates, oranges, and other fruit* trees, entirely unknown in tl\cfe ])aris, with iiich a refreliiing fmcll from the odoriferous flnubs, as filled the whole air with perfumes ;^ we rode into the thickeflof it as fall as we could to enjoy the invitinjr Hiade. AVc eafed our dromedaries, and took the firlk care of them ; for on them all our lafeties depended. After we had rcfrcdied ourfelves, the Pophar ordered every one to go to lleep as foon as he could, lincc we were like to have but little the three following days. I fliould have told your Reverences, that as loon as they alighted, tliey fell down flat on their faces and killed the erirlh, with a great deal of Iceming joy and ardour, which 1 took to be a congratulation for their Iiappy arrival at lb hofpitable a place, but it was on a • The prodigious iertility of Africa, in the vales between the dtiarts and tlie fkirts of it, for a great breadth towards the two leas, is recorded by the bell hidoriar.s ; though the ritlge of it, over which our author was conducUd, and oth^ particular trads, are all covered withfands- GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 6^ quite different account. I was the firft who awoke after our refrefliment j my thoughts and fears, though much cahner than they had been, would not fufFer me to be fo fedatc as the red. Finding the hour for de- parting was not yet come, I got up, and walked in that delicious grove, which was fo much the more de- lightful, as the defarts we had puffed were dreadful and horrid : I pafled on, delcending towards the cen- tre of the vale, not doubting but by the greennefs and fragancy of the place, I lliould find a fpring of wa- ter. I had not gone far, but I faw a mod delicate rill, bubbling out from under a rock, forming a little natural bafon, from whence it ran gliding down the centre of the vale, encreafing as it went, till in all appearance it might form a confiderable rivulet, un- leis it were fwallowed up again in the fands. At that place the vale ran upon a pretty deep defcent, lo that I could fee over the trees and flirubs below me, almoft as far as my eyes could reach ; encreafmg or decreafing in breadth as the hills of fands, for now they appeared to be hills, would give it leave. Here I had the moil delightful profpedl that the mod live- ly imagination can form to itfelf; the fun-burnt hills of fandon each fide, made the greens look ftill more charming ; but the finging of innumerable unknown birds, with the different fruits and perfumes exhaling from the aromatic flirubs, rendered the place delicious beyond expreffion. After I had drank my fill, and delighted my fclf with thofe native rarities, I faw a large lion come out of the grove, about two hundred paces below me, going very quietly to the fpring to lap : when lie had drank, he v/hi{ked his tail two or three times, and began to tumble on the green grafs. I took the oportunity to flip away back to my compa- nions, very glad I had efcaped 1" o j they were all a- wake v/hcn I came up, and had been in great concern for my abfencc. The Pophar feemcd more difulcafed V 2, ^^ CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA that I liad left him, than ever I faw liim ; be milJIy chidmc for cxpofingmyfelf to be devoured by wiltl beafts ; but when I told them of the water and the lion,they wero in a greater furprize, looking at ons an- other with a fort of fear in th.eir looks, wliich I inter- preted to be for the danger! hadefcaped; but it was oji another account. After fomc words in their own language, tlie J*ophar fpoke aloud in Lingua Franca ; * I thir.k,' lays lie, * we ma) let this young man fee all *" our ceremonies, efpecially fince he will foon be out 'of danger of difcoveringtlicm, if he (liould have a * mind to do it.' At this they pulled out their ftores, iomeof their choicefl: fruits, a cruife of rich wine» fome bread, a burning glafs, a thurible,"'^' perfumes, and other inllruments commonly ufcd in the 1 leather jUcrifices. I looked aghaft at this llrange fight, w:hich was fuch as I had never obferved in them be- fore, and began to apprehend that I was now really dcfigned for a human facrifice f to fome infernal god or other ; but when I compared the Pophar's late words with what 1 faw, I fcarce doubted of it, and was con- lri\ing with nnlclf tofell mvlife as dear as 1 could, 'i'he Poj)harorcUrcd us to bring the dromedaries, and every thing along ^\'ith us, for fear, as he faki, they Ihould be devoured by ^ild beafls. AVe dcfcendcd towards the' centre of the vale, where I faw the foun* • An innrument to hold incenfe. t Our autbor'g fears uere not vain, conficlering tliC pre- paiativts lie law, and other circuniAunces. Befidcs, it is well known, the ar.cient Africans, pnrlkularly tlie Gcuiliins and Lybians, and even the Carthaginians, made ufc of human fa- crificcs to appeafe their deities, liochart, in the fecond part cf his Grographia Sacra, proves beyond nuellion, that the Car- thaginians were jxirt of the people of Canaan driven out by ]ofhua, >vho ufed to fucrince their children to Moloch, &c, Evti^ in Hannibal's li.r.e, w hen they were grown more polite, they feat j^rivately children IQ Tyre, for a faciifice to Ilcr" ^ules* GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA 67 tain. They went on a great way lower into tiie vale, till it began to be very fteep ; but we found a I narrow way made by art, and not feeming to have ' been very long unfrequented, which was more fur- prizing, becaufe I took the place to be uninhabited, and even inacceflible to all but thefe people. We were forced to defcend one by one, leading our dro- medaries in our hands : I took particular care to be the hindmoft, keeping at a little diftance from the reft, for fear of a furprize. They marched down in a mournful kind of proceffion, obferving a mod profound filence all the while. At length we came into the fineft natural amphitheatre that it is poflible to de- fcribe. There was nothing but odiferous greens and Iky tobe fcen ; except downwards riglu. before us, where we had a moO delicious proipe^l over that glo- rious vale, winding a little to the right, till it was in- tercepted by the collateral hills. At the upper part of theampliitheatre, where the break of the hill made that agreeable efplanade, there flood an ancient py- ramid" juft after the manner of thofe in Egypt, but nothinp- near fo bi? as the lead of them. In the front of it that faced the vale, tlie ileps were cut out in the form of an altar, on which was ere6led aftntiie of a venerable old man, done to the life, of the fmeft po- lIHied marble, or rather fome unknown done of infi- nite more value. Here, I had not the lead doubt, but that I was to be facrificed to this idol. The Pophar feeinfrme at a didance, called to me to come and fee their ceremonies. Then I thought it was time to i'pcak or never. ' Father,' faid I, 'fmce you give me * leave to call you fo, 1 am willing to perform all your * commands, where the honour of the fupreme God * is not called in quedion ; but I am ready to die a * thoufa^ deaths rather than give his honour to ano- * ther. I am a Chridian, and believe in one only God, * the fupreme Being of all beings, and Lord of the u- * Jiiverie ; for which reafoa x ctinnot joia with you 6S CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. ' in vour idolatrous worfliip. If you are rcfolved to 'put me to dcaili on that account, I here offer my ' life freely. If I am to be made a part of your in- *ftinal facrificcs, TU defend myfelf to tlic laftdropof ' mv blood, before I will fubmitto it.* lie anfwered me with a fmile, rather than with any indignation, and told nie, when 1 came to be better acquainted with them, 1 {hould fmd they were TiOt fo inhuman as to put people to death, bccauie they were of a different opinion from tiieirown. Tliat this was only a reli- gious ceremonv they performed to their dcceafed an- cellors,^' and if 1 had not a mind to affill at it, 1 might fit down at what dillance I pleafed. [S\'creior\. The inquilitors were extremely ])leaied with the firil part of his difcourfe, wherein he Uiew- cd fuch courage in defence of his religion, and re- iblution to die rather than join in their idolatrous worlbip ; but all had liked to have been dallied again by the lecond part, which made one of the incpiifitors interrupt his narration, and a(k him the following quelVion, Jnauisitor. 1 hope you do not think it unlawful to perfecute, or even to put to death, obltinate Here- ticks who would deilroy the religion of our fore- fathers, find lead others into the fame damnation with themi'elves. If treafon againll one^s prince may bepunldied with death, why may not treafoii againil the King of heaven be punilhed with the • 'iheeavlicft accouHts of Egypt, from whence thefc people c^mcjiell us that they had a great veneration for their deccaf- ed anccRors. See the third part of the Bilhop of Meaux'a Univcrfdl Hifiory, quoted above. — Diodorus Siculus, who lived in the beginning of Auguflus's reign, fays of the Kg)p- tians, they were particularly diligent about tlicir fepulchres, or in the worlhip of their dead. The fame fupcrftitlfc reigns fiill among the Chincfe, whom I (hall fliew afterwards to have been a colony of Egyptians, notwithftanding that China and Egypt iue fo far dillant from each other. CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 69 like penalty ? Have a care you do not cad refle(5li- ons on the holy inquilkion, Gaudentio^ Reverend fathers ! I only relate bare matter of fa6l, as it was fpoke by the mouth of a Heathen, ignorant of our holy myfleries ; I have all tlie reafon in the world to extol the juftice of the holy Inquifition : nor do I think, but in luch cafes mentioned by your Reverences, it may be lawful to ufe the utmoll: feverities to prevent greater evils. But it argued a wonderful moderation in the Popliar, which I found to be his real fenti* ments, not unbecoming a Chriftian in fuch circum- ftances, where it did not tend to the deftrudion of the whole. — But in this, as in all other matters, I fubmit to your decifions. Secretary, 1 interpofed in his favour, and put the inquiiitors in mind, that there was nothing but wliat was jull in his anfvvers : and we ourfelves only ufe J thofe rigours in the. laft extremity, to prevent greater mifchief ; fo they bid him read on.] AVhen the Pophar had faid this, he and the reft of them fell down on their faces and killed the earth : then with the buming-glafs they kindled fome odori- ferous woods ; put the coals in the thurible with the incenfe, and incenfed the idol or flatue : that done, they poured tlie wine on the altar ; fet bread on tlie one fide, and fruits on the other ; and having light- ed two little pyramids of molt delicious perfume at each end of the great pyramid, they fat them dov*^n round the fountain, which Ifuppofc was conveyed by art under the pyramid f, and ilfued out in the rnid- tThe ancient Egyptians bad a ftrange fondnefs for building pyramids ; vHiether they were for the fame end as the tower of Rab|L that is, to malce themfelves a name, or for other ends, we cannot tell. — iThe great pyramid is more ancient than all the red, infomuch that the beft authors do not know when to fix it'g date, lome fjyir»g it was built by Moeris their /O GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. die of the amphitheatre. There they rcfrtflied thcm- fclvcs, and gailicred the fruits ^hich hung round us ill the grove, eating of il^.cm vcr)' heartily, and invit- ing me to do the like. I made fomedilliculty at firl>, fearing it mi,j;htbc pait of the faci-ilicc ; hut ilu-y af- furing me all was but a civil ceremony, 1 joined them, and did as they did. The Pophar turned to me, and * faid — ^My fon, we worfliip one moll liigh God as * )ou do : what wedidjull now, was not that we be- * lieve any deity in that ftatue, or adored it as a * God ; butorjl)' rcipe£l it as a memorial, and in re- * membrance of our great ancellor, Mho heretofore * condu6led our fore-fathers to this place, and was * buried in this pyramid-'*". The reft of our fore-fa- ' thers, who died before ihey were forced to leave * this valley, arc buried all around us ; that is the * rcafon we killed tlie ground, not thinking it lawful * to ilir the bones of the dead. We did the lame in * Eg)'pt, becaul'e we were originally of that land: * our pariicular anceftors lived in that pnrt, which ' was afterwards called Thebes 'f. The time will * not permit me to acquaint you at prefent, how we ' were driven out of our native country to this place, * and afterwards from Uds pUce to the land we are * now going to, but you lliall know all hereafter. firfl king, others by Cecrops LecVor. But if the account the Pophar gives of their origin, at the next flation, be true, it >vas huih before there was any king in tgvpt. The river Ijiile was conveyed by art under the great pyramid. • One of the ends of building the pyramids, was certain- ly for burying places forfome great ujen. + Thebes, once the naoQ famous city of Egypt, having a hundred gates, &c. vfi'S tiie No Anion, or Diafpo^s of the ancients, Bochart. Fhalcg, Lib. iv. Ta^tus fa^ that in the time of GcrmaniciT^, there was remaining an infcription in the Egyptian language, fignifying, Ilab'ttajfc quondam (Thcbis) fe^t'in^cnta inillia Hom'mum (State militaru CAUBF.NTIO DI LUCCA. 7I * The bread, fruits, and wine, we laid on tlie altar J, * as they are tlie chief fupport of our being ; fo we * leave them there as a teilimony, that the venerable * old man, whofe itatue you fee, was under God, the ' author and father of our nation.' This laid, he told us it was time to make the beft of our way ; lb they all got up, and having kifl'ed the ground once more, the five elderly men fcraped a little of the earth, and put it in fme golden velTels, with a great deal of care and refpeft. After refrcfliing ourfelves again, we made our proviiion of fruits and water, and leading our dromedaries up the way we came down, mounted and fet out for the remainder of our journey. We were now paft the tropic of Ca'ncer^,as I found by our Qiadows going fouthward ; and went on thus a little, bending towards the weft again, ahnoft parallel to the tropick, the breezes increaling rather itronger than before, fo that about midnight it was really cold. We gave our dromedaries water aboiit fun-rifing, and refreflied ourfelves a little ; then fet out with new vigour at a prodigious rate : ftill the breezes fell between nine and ten ; however we made ftiift to go on, becaufe they c»me again about noon ; between three and four was the hotteft time of all. Belidcs, going now parallel to the tropic, we tra- That there were once feven hundred tlioufand inhabitants in Thebes fit to bear arms. TaCit. lib. 2. Annal. \ This is certainly rank Idolatry, notwithflandlng tlie Po« phar calls it but a civil ceremony. Thus the worlhip the Chinefe pay to their dead, and allowed by the Jefnits, was faid by them to be but a pious civil ceremony, tliongh it was like this, or rather more fuperfticious. See the condem- nation of it by Po0 Clement XI. (^ * When perfons are beyond that tropic, at mid-day the (badows of things arc towards the fouth, becaufe the fun is then north of usj 72 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. veiled on the hot faiids, a very little Jcfccnding ; JwliereQs when \vc pointed iouthwards towards the line, we found the ground to be inlenlibly riling upon us II ; but as wc went on thcle almoll itats, it'it had not been that wc were almoll on the ridge of Africa, "which made it cooler than one can well believe, it had been impoflible to bear the heats. When wc reded, we not only pitched our tents for ourfelves and dromedaries, but the fands wer* fo hot, that we were forced to lay things under our feet to prefcn'c them from burning. Thus wc travelled through thole dilinal defarts for four days, without fight of •any living creature but ourfelves. Sands and (ky were all that prefented i'.lelf to our view. The fatigue was the greateft: I ever underwent in my li^'c. .The fourth day, about eight in the morning, by good fortune for us, orelfc by the prudent forccall of the Pophar, who knew all his ftaiions, we f:iw another vale towards the right-hand, with fome llraggling 4rees here and there, but not leeming uigh foplea- :mt as tlie firll: : we made to it wilh all ourrj)eed, and ^liad mudi ado to bear the heats till we came to it. . AVe alighted immediately, and led our dromedaries • MiranturciHc umbras trjujlrcfmi/iras. They might have palfcdthe tropic before, finer it runs over part of the dcfart of Barca, not iniich fouthward of Egypt j but it feems they l\etred wi^lhvard for fon^.e time. II His obfervations are juQ, fmce all the new philofophers allow the earth fpheroidal and gibbous towards the etjuutor. Whoever therefore goes by land, either from the north or fcuth towards the equator, mufl afcend. This ftfcms to be a very natural reafoi, why thofe immenfe B.uci aie not fo Ca- celTive hot. The higheQ mountains are confiderably nigher the fun than the low lands, yet Aceflive cold in the hottefl climates; in vale^he rays of the ri|| are cooped in, audi doubled and treb!«i by refrav^ion and refieclion, &c. Thai fame air put in a turbulent motion will be hot, and in a di* re^ one cold. GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 7J down the gentle defcent till we could find a thicker part of it. The firft trees were thin and old, as if they had juft moifture enough to keep them alive ; the ground was but juft covered over with a little fun- burnt mofs, without any fign of water, but our ftock was not yet gone. At length, as we defcended, the grove encreafed every way, the trees were large, with fome dates here and there, but not fo good as in the other. We refted a little, and then continued to descend for fome time, till we came into a very cool and thick fliade. Here, the Pophar told us, we muft ftay two or three days, perhaps longer, till he favv his ufual figns for proceeding on his journey ; and bid us be fparing of our water, for fear of acci- dents. We fettled our dromedaries as before ; — for ourfelves, we could fcarce take any thing, we were fo fatigued, wanting reft more than meat and drink. The Pophar, ordering us fome cordial wines they had along with them for that purpofe, told us, we might lleep as long as v/e would ; only bid us,be fiire to cover ourfelves well ; for the nights were long, and even cold about midnight. We v/ere all foon afleep, and did not wake till four the next morn- ing. The Pophar, folicitous for all our lafeties as well as his own, (for this was th<^critical time of our journey) was awake the firft of us. When we were up, and had refreflied ourfelves, which we did Vv^ith a very good appetite, he told us we muft go up on tlie fands again to obferve the figns. We took our dro- medaries along with us, for fear of wild beafts, though we favv none, walking gently up the fands, till we came to a very high ground. We had but a dreary profpe^l, as far as our eyes could carry us, of fun-burnt plains, without grafs, ftick, or fhrub,^xcept.when we turned our backs to look at the vale where we had lain all night, which we fawipreadand extended itfclfa vaft way. Heaf- C 74 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, furcd us, tlie notes left for rules by his anceflors, mentioned a Tpring in thut vale below us, Avhich run- ning lower became a rivulet ; but tliat, either by aa earthquake, or iomc flood of land, it was quite choak- ed up, running under ground, without any one's knowing whether it broke out again, or was entirely i'wallowed up*. He laid alfo, that by the mort anticrit accounts of his forefathers, the fands were not in their times i^o dangerous ta pafs as they are now, or of fuch vafl: extent f, but had iriiitfijl vales much nc ai er cnc an other than at prefent. He added, that he Vv'ilhed earneltly to fee the figns he wanted for proceeding en our way ; fince there was no (lining till they appeared ; ard that according to h.is ephcm- cris and notes, they iliould appear about tiiis time, unlefs fonitthing vtry extraordinary haj pcned. This was about eight in the morning, tlie ninth day after we fet out for the dcfarts. He was every now ai^.d then l(K)kirg fouihward, or fouth-wcft, with great folicitude in his looks, as if he wondered he faw nothing. At lengtli, he cried out, with great emoti- ons of joy — * It is coming I — Look yonder,' fitys he, * towards the fouih weft, as far as your eyes can • Gcograpbtrs agree, tliat rivers, and even great hike^ in Africa Ui.k inidcr grwui^l^ and are quite \ol\ witlii ut any vifiblc cutlets, 'lie vail tlcpih of tlie Hrata of far.d fcems more proj^er to f« allow them up tlieic, than in other parts of the woild. t '1 here feems to be a natural rcafon for vrl'at lie fays ; for thofc vaft fands or hills i»f g,ravel, were undrnibtccily left by the general dfluge, as probably all the Iclfer llrata or beds of gravel were. Yet pait of thim muft have been cc- \eied with {lime, or mud, for ffvcral years after the deluge, fome thinner, feme thicker, and confequenily nnore moill and productive accordlHgly. Nevcrthelels, the violent ra-vs of the fun fiill render them more dry rod barren, and, ill a'l probability, thefe defarts will er.creafe wore and more, v«herc tl.e country is net cultivated. CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 7J * carry you, and fee what )rOU can difcover.' We ' told him, we faw nothing butfome clouds offand, * carried round here and there like whirlwinds. That ' is the fign I want,' continued he ; ' but mark well * which way it drives.' We faid itdrove dire£lly eaft- ward, as nigh as we could guefs. ' It does,' fays he ; then turning his face weftvvards, with a little point of the fouth — ' All thofe vaft defarts,' fays ' he, ' are now in fuch a commotion of ftorms and * whirlwinds that man and beaft will foon be over- * whelmed in the rolling waves of fands.' He had fcarce faid this, but we faw, at a vaft diftance, ten thoufind little whirlfpouts of fand, rifing and falling with a prodigious tumult and velocity* eaftvvard, with vail thick clouds of fand and duft following them. — ' Come,' fays he, ' let us return to our refting- ' place, for there we muft ftay, till we fee further * how matters go.' As this appeared newer tome than any of the reft:, and being pofteffed with a great i- dea of the man, Imade bold to afk him,what was the caufe of this fudden phaenomenon: he told me that about that full-moon there always tell prodigious rainsf, coming • Though in the vaft ocean between the tr opics,where pro- moHtorles do not intervene, tl\e wiiids are general Jy eaOerly, yet there is a prepetunl weft wind blows luto Gjhiea. There are vafx rains at the foinices between the tropics, as the ac- counts of ihofe parts declare ; though at that time of the year, more beyond the line than on this fide of it. It is not to be queflioned but in fuch violent changes, particularly before thofe rains, there muft be furious hurricanes of wind and fand, enough to overwhelm whole armies and countries. The moft incredible part of this narration, is kow they could travel at all under the tropic, in the fummer folftice; only as he fays the ground being very high and open, itraud draw air. t Natural ifts agree, that beyond the line there are great rains at that feafon. It is poflible they may begin on this fide, being driven by the perpetual weft winds into Guinea, 76 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, from the weftern part of Africa, on tliis fide thf equator, and driving a little fouth-weft for feme time at firft, but, afterwards turning almoft fouth, and erod- ing tjie line till they came to the fource of the Nile ; in which parts they fell for three weeks or a month together ; which was the occaiion of the over-flowing of thai ri\er X : but that on this lide the ec[uator, it only rair.ed about fifteen days, preceded by thofe whirlwir.Js and clouds of fand, which rendered all that traYorfljip that was in the world. 'Ihe grc»t benefits all nature receives i\:>m his influence ; the glorious brlghtnels of his rays ; the variety, yet conllant tenor of his motions, might induce ig- norant people to believe him to be of a i'upcrior natur* to ether creatures, though it is evidently certain, he is lin)ited in his prefeflions, and confequently no God, It is true, the ancient Egyptians, from whom thefe people fpning, as will be feen afterwards, worfljiped the fun in the moll early times. 1'hcre was a prieft of the fun in the patriarch Jofcph's time. And the Egyptians were fome of the fu ft alhonomtrs in the woilol, coiuending for antiquity with the (Chaldeans. Though both the Ciialdeans and Egyptians had their knowledge from the defcendants of Shem, or his fatlier Noali, who by the ad. mirable ftrudure of the ark, appears to have been mafter of •very great tUcncef. 1 fay the Egyptians being lb much addiil- ed to aftror.omy, it is probable tlut glorious luminary was the chief »bje(f\ of their worlliip. They did not worfhip idol* and VeaQs till long alttrwards. See the Icarr.ed Bocuabt's 1'ha^ XS.9* IM Mj&SAJM. CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, J^ * tkat draws it up, as indeed he is the preferver of ' all our beings, we think ourlelves obliged to return ' our thanks to him.' Here he flopped, as if he had a mind to hear what I could fay for myfelf. I was not willing to enter into difputes, well knowing that religious quarrels are the moll provoking of any ;yet I thought myielf obliged to make profeiiion of my belief in the fupreme God, now I was culled upon to the profeffed worfliip of a falfe deity, lanfwered with the moft modtift refpe£l I was capable of, that that glorious planet was one of the phyfical caufes of the prefervation of our beings, and of the producti- on of all things ; but that he was produced hiinfelf by the moft high God, the firft caufe and author of all things in heaven and earth ; the fun only moving, by his order, as an inanimate being, incapable of hear- ing our prayers, and only operating by his diredlion. However, I offered to join with him in returning my beft thanks to the moft high God, for creating the fun, capable by his heat to raife that cloud for the faving our lives. Thus I adapted my anfwer, as nigh to his difcourfc as I c©uld, yet not foas to deny my faith. For I could not entirely tell what to make of tlieiu as yet j fince 1 oblerved, they were more myfterious in their religious ceremonies, than in any thing elfe* y or rather, tliis was the only thing they were relerv- ed in. He pondered a good while on what I faid, but at length he added — 'You are not much out of * This agrees with all ancient accounts of the firft people of Egypt ; wltnefs their emblems, hieroglyphieks, &c. Moft of the ancient fables, under wliich fo many myderies were couched, did not firl\ fpring from the Greeks, though im- proved by them; but from the Egyptians and Ghakleans, '>vho at firft held a communication of fciences with one ano- ther, but grew to eraulofity afterwards. The wonderful thir.gs the Egyptian Magi did, in imitation of the miracles frought by Mofesp ftiew tliey were great ^rtidsr 80 CAUDEKTIO DI LUCCA. * the way ; you and I will talk this mntter over ano- * ther time ;' io turned oflf the dilcourfc ; I fuppoC- cdit tobebecaufe of the young men ftanding by us, Nvlio he had not a mind (hould receive anv other no- lions of religion, but what they bad been taught. It was fun-fctbv the time we came down to the :jrove. We had fomc fmall flights of land, caufcdby an odd commotion in thcair, ntlcnded with liule whirlwinds, which put us in fomc apprchcnfions of aiand-lliowcr j but he bid us take courage, fmce he could not find in all his accounts that the hurricanes or rains ever came, in any great quantity as far as we were, the na- ture of them being to drive more parallel to the equa- tor : but he was-Viire we lliould have fome ; and or- dered us-to pitch our tents as firm as we could, and draw out all our water vcllcls to catci\ th;i rain againit all accidents. When this was done,and we luid rat our fuppcrs, wc recreated ourfelves in the grove, wander- ing about here and tlierc, and dilcourilng of the nature of thefe pha:nomena. We did not cnre to go to reft fo foon, having repofcd ourfelves fo well that day, and having all the following night and the next day to flay in that place. The gr»jvc grew much pleafanter as wc advanced into it ; there were a great many dates and other fruits, the natural produce of Africa ; but not (juite fo rich as in the firll grove. 1 made bold to afk the Pophar, how far that grove extended, or whether there were any inhabitants, lie told me, he could not tell any thing of either. That ic was polliblc the grove might enlarge itlelf different %vays, among the winding hills, fince iiis accounts told him, there had been a rivulet of water, though now fwallowed up; but he believed there were no inha- bitants, fmce there was no mention made of them it% his papers. Nor did he believe any other people ia the world, bcfide themfelvcs knew the way, or would venture fo f;^r into thofc horrid iiihofpi table defarw* GAUDE'nTIO DI LUCCA. 8i Having a mind to learn whether he had any certain knowledge of the longitude, which creats fuch dif- ficulties to the Europeans, I afked how lie was fure that was the place,or by what rule he could know how far he was come, or where he was to turn to right or left. He flopped a little at my queftion ; then, with- out any apparent helitation — ' Why,' fays he,- ' we ' know by the needle how far we vary from the north ' or fouth. point, at lead till we come to the tropic]' ' if not, we can take the meridian and heisiht of the ' fun, and knowing the time of the year, we can tell ' how near we approach to, or are off the equator.' — ' Yes,' faid I, ' but as there are different meridians* ' every flepyyu take, how can you tell how far you * go eaft or weft, when you run either way in parallel * linesj to the tropic or the equator?' Here he flop- ped again, and either could not make any certain dif- covery, or had not? a mind to let me into the fecret. The firft was moll likely ; however he anfwered rea- dily enough, and faid — ' You pleafe me with your * curious quellions, fmce I find you are fenfible of the t ExjT.erimental philofophy tells us, that the needle is of little ufe in navigation, when under the Hue ; but lies fluc- tuating without .turning to any point of itfelf, becaufe, as feme fuppofe, the current of the magnetic e/fluvia, flying from pole to pole, has there its longeft axis, as the diameter of the equator is longrr than the axis of the world. Hut vfliether this has the fame eifeft on the needle by land, >*hich is the cafe, as it has by fea, we mjflhave more certain experiments to know, though it is probable it may. \ Wlierever we fland, we are on the funimit of the globe with refpedl to us. Whoever therefore thinks to go due wefl, parallel to the equator, or eafl, wilLnotdo fo, but will cut the line at long-run, becaufe he makes a greater circle. Thefe men therefore, when thsy thought they went due well, were approaching to the line, more than they were aware of, and . fuppofing the flru£lure of the earth to be fpheroidical, went Hp hill all the way, bating fome fmall inequalities. il CAUDtNTIO DI LUCCA. * difiicuhy. Why,* continued lie, * all the method * \vc have is, to obfcrvc exa<^ly how far our drome- ' darics go in an hour, or any other fiKice of time : yod * fee we go much about the fame pace ; we have ro •flops in our way, but what we know of, to refrefli * ourfelves or fo, for which we generally allow fo much ' time.* When we fct out from Kgypt, we went due * weft; our beafts gain fo many miles an hour ', wc ' know by that how far we are more weft than wc * were.f If wc decline to the north or the fouth, * we knowllkewife, how many miles we have advnn- * cedin fo nv.iny hours, and computo how much the * "dc-rlination takes off from our going due weft. And * though we cannot tell to a demonftrativce.\a(5lncfs,we * can tell pretty nigh.' This was all I could get out of him at that lime, v^hich did not fatisfy the difTicul- ty. I aft^ 1 »rnrds afkcd him, liow they came to find out this way, or to venture to feck out a habitation unknown to all the world befide. He anfsvered— * For r.uertv, and the prefervation of our laws.' I was afraid of afking any farther, feeing he gave fuch geneial anfw»;r.'^. By this tiuie, it was prodigious dark, though full moon.t 'W'e had iome little gufts • TUis muff be underffood according to tlie foregoing re- mark. t At fir(f figlit, it fecms to be eafier to find cut tlie lon- gitude by lai.d dian by ff:i, bccaufe we may be more certain how far wc advance At fe;t there are currents, and tides, and fettings in of the fea, which make tlic Diip to go aflant more or Lfs i:i!'cn!ibly. As yet tUeic has been no certain rwlc found to ttll us, bow far we advance due e.t(>or due wcff. The elevation of the pole, or the height of the fun, fliows us, how far we decline to the north or fouth j but we have no certain rule fur tjjc eaf\ or weft. \ The full moon about the fummer fol{\ice generaUy brings rain, and the overflowing of the Nile is now known to be caufed by the vail rain* in tVie regions near the equator. GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 8j of wind that ftartled us a little ; and it lightened at fuch a rate as I never faw in my life. And althpugh it was towards the horizon, and drove fidc'Ways of us, yet it was really terrible to fee ; the flaQies were fo thick that the fky was almofl: in a light fire. We made up to our tents as fall as we could ; and though we had only the ikirts of the clouds over us, it rained fo very hard, that we had our veiTels foon fupplied with water, and got fafe into our (helter. The thun- der was at a vaft di[l:ance, but juft audible, and, for our comfort, drove Hill to the eaitward. I do not know in what dilpoiitions the elderly men miglit be, being accuflomed to the nature of it ; but T am fure I was in fome apprehenfion, fully perfuaded, if it had come di- rectly over us,nothing could withftand it's impetuofity, 1 had very little inclination to reli:, whatever my com* panions had ; but pondering with myfelf, both the na- ture of the thing, and the prodigious (kill thefe men muft have in the laws of the univerfe, I ftaid with impatience waiting the event. I was mufmg with myfelf on what I had heard and Icen, not being able yet to guefs with any fatisfa£li- on, what tliefe people were, when an unexpedled ac- cident v/as the caufe of a difcovery, which made me fee they were not greater ftrangers to me, than I waa to myfelf. The weather was Itifiing hot, fo that we had thrown off our garments to our iliirts, and bared our breads for coolnefs fake ; when there came a prodii^ious flalli, or rather blaze of lightning, which Itruck fullagainll the brcaft of one of the young men oppofit*;; tome, and difcovered a bright gold medal hanging down from his neck, with tiie figure of the fun engraved on it, furrounded with unknown cha- ra£lers; the very fame in all appearance I had feen my deceafed mother always wear about her neck, ,and fince her death I carried with me for her fake. I afked the meaning of that medal, fmce I had one a- .bout me, as iiappeared, of the very lame make. If ^4 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. the Pophar had been flruck with lightning, he could not have been in a greater furprize than he was at thefe words. — 'You one of thole medals,' faid he; * how, in the name of wonder, did you come by it ?' I told him my mother wore it about her neck from a little child; and with that pulled it out of my pock- et. He Inatched it out of my hands with a prodigi- ous eagernefs, and held it againll the lightning perpe- tually Hafhing in upon us. As foon as he faw it was the fame with the other, he cried out — ' Great Sun, '^what can tliis mean r' Thcnafived me a^rain, where I had it ? how my motlicr came by it? who my mother was ? what age flie w,as, when (lie died ? As foon as tlie violence of his extacy would give me leave, I told him my mother had it ever fiijce flie was a little child : that fl)e was the adopted daughter of a noble merchant in Corfica, who had given her all his effedls •when my father married lier : that (he was married at thirteen ; and I being nineteen, and tliC lecond Ion, I guclled file was towards forty when (he died. — 'Jt 'mull be Jfiphenu 1' cried he, with the utmod extacy, '. itJTiuftbe flie.' Then he caught me in his arms, ard feid — ' You are now really one of us, being the grand- ' fon of my father's daughter, my dear filler Ifiphena.' The remembrance of whom made the tears rundown the eld man's cheek very plentifully. — 'She was loft * at Grand (^airo about the time you mention, toge- * ther with a tvvin-iillcr, who I fear is never to be '.hcaidof.' Then I rcile«5led 1 had heard my mother fay, Ihe had been informed, the gentleman who a- dopted her for his daughter Ind boiiglit her when flie was a little girl of a 'i urkifli wonuiu of that place; that being charmed with the early Ii^M)s of beauty in lier, and having no children, he adopted her for his own. 'Yes,' laid the Pophar, 'itmuft be flie; but 'what has become of the other After ? For,' faid he., * my dear fifter brought two at one unrorttwatebirthj ' which cofl: her her life.' I told hm jftever heard I GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 85 ^ny thing of the other. Then he acquainted me that his filler's huihand was the perfon who condueled the reft to vifit the tombs of their ancsftors, as he did now : that the laft voyage, he took his wife with him, who out of her great fondnefs had teazed him and importun- ed him fo much to go along with him, that, though it was contrary to their laws, he contrived to carry her difguiicd in man's cloathes, Hke one of the youn^'^ men he chofe to accompany him in the expedition : that ftaying at Grand Cairo till the next feafon for his return, (lie proved with child of twins; and to his unfpeakable grief died in child-bed. That when they carried her up to Thebes to be interred with her an- cellors, of which I fliould have a more exa6l informa- tion by and by, they were obliged to leave the chil- dren with a nurie of the country, with fome Egypti- an fervants to take care of the houie and effects ; but before they came back, the nurfe, with her accompli- ces, ran away with the children, and, as was fuopofed murdered them, rifled the houie of all the jewels and other valuable things, and were never heard of after- wards. But it feems they thought it more for their advantage to fell the children, as we find they did by your mother; but what part of the world the other lifter is in, or whether (he be at all, is known only to the great author of our being. 'However,' continued he, ' we rejoice in finding tliefe hopeful remains of ' your dear grand-mother, whofe refeinblance you ' carry along with you. It was that gave me fucli a * kindnefsfor your perfon the firit time I faw you * methought, perceiving fomething I had never ob- ' ferved in any other race of people. But,' faid he, ' I deprive my companions ond children here of the ^ happinefs of embracing their own fielh and blood ' fince we all fprung from one common fatlier, the ' the author of our natioii, with whom you are go- * ing to be incorporated 4ince more.' Here we em- ^ H S6 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, braced one anotlier with a joy that is inexpreiTiblc Now all my former fears -were entirely \amlhed : though I had loil the country where I was born, I found another, of which I could no waysbe afliamed, where tlie people were the moll: humane and civilized I ever iavv, and the foil the fined, as 1 had rcaion to hope, in the world. '1 he only check to my happi- ncfs was that they were infidels. Howc\'er, I was refolved not to let any confideration blot out of my mind that I was a Chrillian. On which account, when the Pophar would have tied the medal about my neck, as a badge of n}y race, I had fome dilliculty in that point, for fear it liiould be an emblem of idol- atry, feeing them to be extremely fuperftitious. So I alked him, wliat was the meaning of the figure of the fun, with thofe imknown charatitcrs round about it. He told me the characters Weije to be pronounced Omabivi^ i. e. The sun is the author of our benign or more litcrall}^ T he Siui h our Father. Ovi or 0«, fignifies the ^m\, [This will be explained in anotljer place.] Jb fignifies Father^ Im or Mira Us. This made me remember, they had told me in Egypt, that they were children of the Sun ; and gave me fome un- eafinefs at their idolatrous notions. I therefore told him, I would keep it as a cognizance of my country ; but could not acknovv'ledge any but God to be the fu- preme Author of my being. ^ As to the fupreme ' Author,' faid he, * your opinion is little different * from ours.'* * But let us leave thefe religious matters till ano- * then time : we'll dole this happy day with thankf- ' givirig to the Supreme Being for this difcovery : to- ' morrow^ morning, fince you are now really one of * us, I will acquaint you with your origin, and bow ♦Tbcfe people are fcmethiiig like the Chinefe, who wor- finp ti;ie Jiia:er:ui heaven or fKy, \vhich fome miffionaries couM think compatible with Chrifiianlty. *^ GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. B7 ' we came to hide ourfelves in thefe inhof[Ditable de- * flirts.' [Tbe reader is desired not to censure or disbelieve the folb'iuing account of the origin and transmigration of these people^ till he has perused the learned re^ marks of Signor Rhedi.] 'The next morning the Pophar calling me to him; ' Son,' faid he, ' to fulfil my promlle which T made * you lall night, and that you may not be like the red * of the ignorant world, wlio know not who their ' forefathers and anceilors were ;* whether they ' fprung from brutes or Barbarians is all alike to them, ' provided they can but grovel on the earth as they do. You mud know therefore, as I fuppofe you re- member v/hat I told you at our firil ilation, that we came originally from Egypt. When you afked ' me, how we came to venture through thjfe inhoi- ' pitable defarts, I told you, it was for liberty, and * the prefervation of our laws : but as you are now * It would certainly be a great fatisfaflion to niofl nations to know fron=) what race of people, country, or family, they fprung originally. I'his ignorance is owing chielly to the Barbari Trarnontani ^; and otJier Northern nations, who have from time to time overrun the face of Europe ; leaving a mixture of their fpawn in allpr.rts of it ; fo ih-At n^ on« knows whether he come originally from Scythia or Afia, from a civlhzed nation, or fro-^i thegreateflbiu-es ; and iliti'j^h wars and invafions have defiroyed or interchanged tlie inhabitants of nioft countries, yet this man's o'ofervation is a juft cenfure of the negledl of moft people, with Vcfpedl to th^ir genealogy and knowledge of their anceltors, where tliey have bepn fet- tled in a country for feveral ages. But there are matters of greater moment in this man's relation, true or falfe, which lead us into fonie curious remains of ancient hiftory. ^ Signor Rhedi being an Italian, one cannot wordcr he fpeaks fo contemptibly of the Northern people} the Italians call Uiem all Baibiiri. S8 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. * found to be one of us, I defign to give you a moFc * particular account of your origin. Our ancellors * did originally come from Eg\pt, once the happieft * place in the world : though the name of Egypt, * and Egyptians has been given to that country, long ' fmce wtr caine out of it ; the original name of it * was Mezzoraim,-]- from the firfl man that peopled it, ' the father of our nation ; and we call ourlVlves * Mtzzoranians from him. Wc have a tradition de- * livered down to us from our fufk anceltors, that ' when the earth nrft roui out of the water^J lix pcr- * foiis, three men and three women rofe along with * it J either fent by the Supreme Deity to inhabit it,. t The original name of Egypt was MIfraim ; from Mlfialm, Kltforaim, or Metforainij as the learned Bocliart explains it , lib. iv.of Gecgraph. Sacra in MiiVaim, Mr. Dii Pin's Hillovy of the Old Telt. c. vi. and others. All ancient auihors agree, tliat it wits orxe tlie lichell and haj)pien country in the world ; flourilhir-g with plenty, and even learning, before the patri- arch Abral^am's time. There is a very remarkable frag- ment of Eupolemus, an ancient Heathen writer, taken from the Bibylonian monuments, preierved by Eulcbius, lib. ix. Pracparat. Evan. 'i'he whole fragment, in our mother tongue, fignifies, tliat according to the Babylo- nians, the firrt was Belus, the lame with Kronos or Saturn ; froin him come Plam or Cham, the father of Chanaan, brother to MeiVaim, father of tlie Egyptians. :|Tliis is an obfcure notion of Noah's flood, known to all rations, at leart the Eaftern,as appears by the oldcfl: remains, cf which fee Bochait on that article. lil». i. 'The* earth < rofe out of the water, or the waters funk from the earth. Thefe people might midake fomething of that un^>ubted and ancient tradition. But MilVaim could not be ignorant of the flood, his father Ham having been in the arkf whether ignorance or other motives made his poflerity vary in the ac- count ; but it is evident the ancients had a uotion ot the ge- neral deluge, as may eafdy by proved by the remains of Heathen authors bearing teftimony to the Scripture account of it. GAITDENTIO DI LUCCA. 89 * or prodatedby the Sun.*" That Mezzoraim, our ' firft founder was one of thofe fix ; who increafing ' in number made choice of the country now calkd ' t'-gypt,'!' for thif place of liis habitation, where he *■ fettled with fixty, of his children and grand-chil- ' dren, all whom he brought along with him, govern- * ing them as a real father, and inftrucling them to live ' with one another as brothers of one and. the fame ' family .J He was a peaceable man, abhorring the ' fliedding of blood, |] which he faid would be punifti- • The ancient Egyptians thoirght men, as well as infe(f!l3, vere prodaced out of the flime of the Nile, by the heat of the fun, and called themfelves Aborigines, as feveral other nations did. Though this wife man is inclined to think they ■were created Vy God, as it is evident and certain they were ; for fince we fee one fingle infect cannot he produced without a canfp, it is nonfenfe, as well as in^poifible, to imagine an infmite fcries of men and animals could be produced without a feparate caufe : on which account Atheifm is one of the mofl fooling and abfurd notions in the world. t Herodotus tells us, the Egyptians pretended to be the firft inhabitants of the earth; though the Ethiopians contend- ed with them for antiquity. I .muft quote the words iti Latj:i, out of Laurenzo Vallo's tranflation, becaufe I have him not in Greek *0m«iw7« Homimim prior es fe extit\ff& * arbitrabantur* — They efieemed themfelves,' fays he, 'to * have been the Hrft of all men*' Hekodot. lib. ii, Eu- TEHPE. :f It is certain from Rochart, and other learned authors, that the Egyptian government, as well as that of moft na- tions, -was at (irfl patriarchal : till Nimrod founded the firft kingdom or empire in the world j whole example others fol- lowed, according to their power. However, the patriarchal government was foq^i broke in upon in Egypt, fmce they had- kingiin Abraham andlfaac's time, as we learn from the Old Te {lament. See Bocbart's Gsograph'ia Sacra. I! Tiie celebrated Bifliop of Mtaux, in Part iii. of hia Univerfal Hillory, gives us a v/oaderful defcription of tlii: "H 2 90 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. ' ed by tlie Supreme Ruler of the world; extremely * given to tlie fearth of fciences, and contemplation ' of the heavens.^ It was be who was the firft in- * vcntorot all our arts, and whatever is ufeful for the ' government of life fprung from him. Though his ' grandfon Thaothf rather excelled him, particular- juflicc* and pi»!ty of the firft Egyptians, ■who imd fuch a hor- ror of ihedding man's blood, that they puniflud their crinji- iidls 'after they were dead ; ^vhich was as much In tcrorem^ confidering their fuperfliii.TJus reverence fir their dcceaftd friends and parents, as if they had been punilbed when alive. The rt^afon why the ancient moral Heathens abhorred t!i« fliedding of blood might be, thn Noah's Tons having lived before the deluge, knew that the wickednefs of the world vas tlie caufe of tliat dic;-.dful judgment ; and fl.edding of blood being tlie full crime puniflied by God, they might lake ^valni^g by fuch terrible examples, though the impiety of fomc n'utlons Toon obfcured this innate light of nature, par- ticularly the defcendants of Ham ; all but this Mifraim ; who, with his family, by all accounts, firfl people Egvpt; and they "were noted for juflice and knowledge. It will be made evi- dent in the fubfequent remarks that thefe Hickfoes were the- defendants of wicked Chanaan, or Cufli, who deflroyed the peaceable ftute of the fird Egyptians, and introoluccd idolatry among tl.em ; wliich made great nuu'hers of them fly into other parts of the world to fave themftlves. • The fame learned Bifhop of Meaux, and otiier hiflori- ans, alTure us, as it is a thing well kn»wn to all the learned^ that arts and fcienccs were brought to very great perfedion ^n the carlicft times in Egypt. Mofes was inflru^Sled in the J'ciences of the Egyptians. Triptolemus, the founder of ariiculture, came out oi Egypt. Ricchus, tlie inventor of vvii e, according to the ancients, came out of Egypt, or L/ihya, wliich borders upon it ; though it was full learned from Noalu Pythagoras, and other learned men, wenT into Egy])t t» be inllriKfted^by ilic priefts- &c. Herodotus fays the fame of liimfelf, t This Toaoth, tV,e famous philofopher of the Egyptians, •was before Mercury, or Trifmegiftus, ; though fome take him to be the fumct AH allow him to U extremely ancient. OAUDENTIO DI LUCGA. 9I ' ly in the mor^lublime fciences. Thus our ancel- ' tors lived four hundred years, encreafing and Ipread- ' ing over all the land of Egypt, and abounding with ' thebleffings of peace and knovt, ■\sliicli Bocbart fptaks of, have been made by the great ^e- miraniis, ^^ife to Nir.us, the fon of Niinrod ? It isnnfwer- ed, in the fiift jjhce, becaufe Jcfcphus calls the fir ft invad- ers of Fj^ypt, Ling J1:cjfberdsy which cannot agree with the great heroine Scmirajnis. adly, Becaufe it is not credible, rotwlihllundin;* the contrary opinion of moll iiiftorians, that Ninus, tlie liuHjand of Semirnmis, could be fo early as they make him to be, i. e. the fon of Nlmrotl, but Ionic other Ninus, long after him. For though Semiramis conquered Egypt, and afterwards lod her army againft the ^uhiopians, this could not be fo fuon alter the fioi^d ; becaufe hlllorians defcribe that army to confill of three hundred thoufand men jnftrui^ed in difcipline after a military manner, armed with warlike chariots, &c. as were tlie yEihiepians agijnfl her, and even fuperior to her. I fay, it is n(;t credible fiich great armies could be raifed fo foon after tlie flood, if (he was daughter-in-law to Nimrod the great hunter, who was \\^ ion of Cu(h, and great grandfon to Noah. • i. e. The Euxuie Sea. GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 9^ < more of them. The other part, who were much * the greater number, went down the Lcfler Sea^, ' having built their fliips on that fea ; >they never ' flopped or touched on either fide, till they came to ' a narrow part of itf , which led them into the vaft < ocean, there they turned off to the left into the Eart- -< ern SeaJ. But whether they were Iwallowed up in • I. e. The Red Sea. There were feveral other revolu- tions in Egypt, as, by the -Sthopians, after Semiramis Avas •conquered; who were expelled again, either by the great Sefolhns, of whom Herodotus relates fuch famous exploit? ; or a little before by his predecefibr. The Chanaanites alfo, who were driven out of Paleftine by Jofluia, con- quered part of it. as we fhall fee afterwards. Long after that, it was fubdued by Nabacodonofor, who deflroyed the renowned city of 'I'hebes, with her hundred gates. Bocbart in Ninwe, Then the Perfians, under Ganibyfes, the fon of Cyru3 the Great. In fine, the Romans made a province of -it in AugufiiHs's time. Strabo fays of that famous city of Thebes—" At prefent it is but a poor village." Atque 'vetus Tbehe centum jacet ohtnita tioriis* Juven. Sat. 15. t This mufl be the Strcights of Babelmandel, which let them into the vaf; Eaftern Ocean. \ It is likely that colony was carried to Qiina ; for, let what will come of this man's relations, there are very ftron^^ reafons to believe, that the Ghinefe, notwithflanding the vaft dlllance from Egypt, came urigiiially from thnt country, about the time of the invafion of the king JJjepbcrdsy which was before Jacob and his fons went into the land of Egypt. For whoever compares the account given by the learned Bi- fiiop of Meaux, in the third part of his Univerfal Hiltorv, of the lives and maimers of the firft Egyptians, whith thole of the Ghinefe, will find them to agree in a great many points. As I ft, their boafted antiquity : 2dly, their fo early knowledge of arts and fciences : ^dly, their veneration for learned men, who have the preference before others : 4thly, ^8 CAUDEKTIO DI LUCCA. * the n'icixilcfs abyfs, or carried into Ibmc unknown ' regions, we cannot tell, for they were never heard * of more. Only of late years, wc have hcaid talk ' at (»rand (i:iiro, of a very r.umerous aiid civilized ' nation in the caftern parts of the world, uholelaws * and cufboms have feme refemblance to ours ; but * who, and what they are, wc cannot tcll,nnce we * have never met witli any of them. * The father of our nation, fmcc, we feparatcd cur- * felves from the reft of the world, who was ipviciX of their policy : 5tbly, their unaccountable fiipcrnition for their deceafcd parents: 6thly, thtir annii..! viHting tlie family of their ancfftors : ytlilv, tlicir peaceable difpofidor.s : Sthly, their religious worfliip. As for this laft, it is well known the fiift Egypiians worlbippcd ihefiin, long beToic tlie gods Apis and Ifis, and Anv.bis, were introduced ainong them, by their idolatrous invaders. And the Chinereto this day, wcr- 1})ip lite vuiterial heaven^ as is feen in the coiidcnM^ation cf the Jefults by Clem. XI. Lalily, the ufe of Pyramids in £gypl, which were like ancient idols among the Chinefe. See the account of them* in Moreri-j-. llie only dliliculty is to know how they got from Egypt to China, which is not fo infupportable as' people may imagine, it is certain, the Eo-vptians, as has been remarked, had a very early know- ledge of navigation. It is certain, alfe, that in thcfe bar- barous invafions, the invaders of kirgdoms almcft ceflroyed all before them, '^ince we find therefore in the moR ancient liiliories, that there was a mott terrible revolution in Egypt, abeut that time made by the people, wliofe cuftoms the Egyptian? had in al oniinaiic-n, the Chinefe might feek their fortune by fca, and might be canied beyond the Perfian Gnli)h, till they came to Cochin China, from MJ-.ence they jiii^ht get into the main continent, and fo people that vaft empire ; preferving their ancient laws and cuf.^cms inviola- ble. So that, whatever becomes of tliis man's relation, it is extremely probable the Chinefe came firlt from Eg; pt, • i. e. Pyramids. + Editio Glerici. CAUDENTIO DT LUCCA. 99' the Sun at No-om*, (called afterwards by thofe miicreants No-Ammonf , becaufe of the temple of Hammon) was not alle'ep in this general conftenia- tion ; but did not as yet think they would come up To high into the land. However, he thouglit pro- per to look out for a place to fecure himielf and family in cafe of need. He was the defcendant, in a dirc£l line, from the great Tha-oth ; and was per* * No-om, or No-on, fignifies In the old Mezzoranian, or old Egyptian language, the Houie of the Sun. Their words are made up of monofyllahles put together like the Chlnefe, wliich is another reafon wliy the Chinefe ought to be looked upon as a colony of ^Egyptians. Vide the remarks of the foregoing part of tliis relation. fhe patriarch Jofeph married the daughter of the prieit of On ; which ieveral learned men fay, is the fame with Heiiopolis, or the City of the Sun. From No comes the Egyptian Nomcs, of divifions of the country, which the great Bochart, in his Pha- leg. fays is an Egyptian, not a Grei^k word, though Dynajiy is Greek. Bochart. lib. iv. c. 24. Hence very likely came the Nomades or Fumidae, from their wandering, and frequently changing their liabitatioti, or names ; the firft and molt ancient of all nations li^ed thus. t That is the houfe or temple of Ham, or Flammon ; or Charnoon or Chum, as Bochait varies it. This Ham was the Tyrian Jupiter, and in tliis place was afterwards lituated the great city of Thebes, as has been before obferved, called by the Greeks Diofpolis, or the city of Jupiter. Cadmus, ■who was oF Thebes in Paleftine, being driven out from thence by Jofhua, built it ; but was driven out from it, and forced to retire to Tyre, from whence he conduced a colony ©f Tyiians, or banlflied Chanaanitss, intoBceotia, were he built Thebes aUb, or rather the citadel of Thebes, called Cadmeia. Vide Bochart, in Cadmus and Hermione. Which laft, the fame author fays, came originally from Mount Hermon in Paleltine ; and as that word in the Chananean language fig- nifies -a Serpent, from hence arofe the fable of the ferpent's teeth turning into men. The temple of Jupiter- Amman, or Hammon, in Africa, was built by the Chinani, who fpread thcmfelves irom Egypt into Libya. 100 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA^ fcctly vcrfccl in all the learned fciences of his an-' ceftors. He gucdcd there niuft certainly be Ibme habitable country beyond thole dreadful lands thatr furroundcd him, if he could but find a way to it, A'here lie might fccure himfcif and family ; at leafl, till thofe troubles were over : for he did not at that time think of leaving his native country lor good and all. But like a true father of his people, whiclr the name of Pophar implies, he was relblvcd to ven- tui^ his own life, rather than expoie his whole fa- mily to be loll in thole difmal deiarts. He had hvc fons and five daughters married to as many Ions and daugliters of his deceafed brother^. His two eldeil fons had even grand- children, but his two youngeft fons as then liad no children. He left the govern- ment anj care of all to his eldeft fon, in cafe lie him- felf fliould mil'carry ; and took his two youngeft fons^ who might beftbe Ipared, along with him. Having j)rovkled themfclves with water for ten days, with bread and dried fruits, juft enough to fublift on, he was relolved to try five days journey endways tlirough thefe lands, and if he law no hopes of mak- ing a difqovery in that time, to return again before liis provifions wei'e fpent, and then try the fame mdhixl towards another quarter. In fliort, he fat out with all ilcrccy, and pointing his courfc dire«ftly. • wellvvard the better to guide himfelf, he came to * liie firft grove that we arrived at, in a little mora • It is certain tliat the Jincicnls, more particularly the Eallcrn nations, married their nigh relations, as well as the Jews, to keep up their names or tril)es ; l)ut we don't find 111 liiilory tliat tlicy married their own fillers, till the Perfian king?, who w«re condemned for it by the Greeks. The Egyptians under the Ptolomics followed tiiat barbarous cnf- tom, though they begun with Ptolomy Lagus, one of tlie cap- tains of Alexander ; the Yncas in America did the fame, not- to prophane their blood, as they faid, with other mixtures. GAUDENTrO Df LUCCA. lOI time than we took up in coming thither. Having now time enough before him, and ieeing there was water and fruits in abundance, he examined the extent of that delicious vale j he found it was large en6ugh to fubfift a great many thoufands, in cafe they Ihould increafe and be forced to ftay there fome generations, as in efFe£l they did. After this, he laid in proviiions as before, with dates and fruits of the natural produce of thf earth, finer than ever were feen in Egypt, to encourage them in their tranfmigration, and fo fet out again for his native country. The time prefixed for his return waa elapfed by his [lay in viewing the countt-y ; fo that his people had entirely given him for lolt. But the joy for his unexpected return, with the promifing hopes of fuch a lafe and happy retreat, made tliem unanimoutly refolve to follow him. Wlierefore, on the firft news of the Hickfoes being in motion again, they packed up all their efFedls and provifions as privately as they could ; but particularly all the monuments of arts and fcisnces left by their ancef- tors', with notes and obfervations of every part q£ iheir dear country, which they were going to leave, but hoped to fee again when the ftorm was over. They arrived without any confiderable difafter, and refolved only to live in tents till they could re- turn to their native homes. As they encreafed in number, they defcended further into the vale, which there began to fpread itfelf different ways,and fupplied them with all the neceflaries and convenien- cies of life ; fo that they lived in the happieft baniQi- ment they could wifli ; never ftirring out of the vale for feveral years, for fear of being diicovered. The Pophar finding himfelf grow old, (having attained almoft two hundred years of age*) though he was * The regular lives of the firft Egyptians, and of thofe people delcended from tiiem ; together with the cliiJQ^itej X a 102 6AUDENTI0 DI LUCCA liale and ftrong for liis years, refolved to vifit his native country once more before he died, and get * what intelligence he could for the common interelh * Accordingly, he and two more difguifed themfelves, and rtpafl'cd the dc farts again. They juft ventured at fir (I into the borders of the country; but alas I when became there, he foutiditall over-run by the barbarous Hickfoes. All the poor remains of the Mczzoranians vi^ere made flavcs ; and thofe barba- rians, had began to build habitations, and eftablilli ' thcmfelves, as if they defigned never more to de- * part the country. 'I'hey had made No-om one of ' their chief towns|, where they erected a temple to * their Ram-GodJ, callhig it No-IIammon (|, with * fuch inhumiin laws and cruelties, as drew a flood of* their diet of fruits and liquors, their exemption from violent pillions, without being corrupted by the Ipurious fpawn of* other nations, and the like, niight contribute very much to tlie length of their lives, and (trength propovtionably. The M'.tcrobii, or Long-livers, a people of j£thiopla, and a colony- of the ancient Egyptians, lived to a vail age, and were called- Macrobii, from their long lives. See Herodotus of the Ethiopians ; and what he fays of their (Irength in tlie bow ;. c^ic of which they fent to Gauibyfes, when hr had denounced war againfl them ; faying, that when he could bend that bowi, he might m:ike war againfl them ; which bow only Smerdis^ Camb) fes's brother, could bend, and for that reafon was af- terwards put to death by his brother out of envy. t It feems Thebes, though afterwards fuch a prodlgloiii ticy^ was then kut the head of the name of that man's fami- 4 Jupiter Hammon, whom Bockart proves to have been Ham or Cham, the fon of Noah, was reprefented with a XA\Y\'s head, which was held in fuch abomination by the firfl Ep^vptians, from whence they called, thofe firft invaders JHickfoes*. I Xo-Haf\}nioii3 tiic houfe of the Ram-Gcd.. GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. lOJ * tears from his aged eyes^. However, being a man ' of great prudence and ?orefight,he eafily iraagined,by ' their tyrannical way of living, they could not con- * tinue long in that ftate without fome new revolution. ' After making what obfervations he could, and vilit- ' ing the tombs of his fore-fathers, he returned to t the vale, and died in that place where you faw the < pyran\id built to his memory. Not many generali- ' i ons after, according as he had forefeen, the natives, * made defperate by the tyrannical oppreflions of the ' i Hickfoes, were forced to break in upon their pri-^ ' mitive laws, which forbade them to flied blood; ' made a general infurreclion ; and, calling in their"" * neighbours around them, fell upon theHickfoes when ' * they leail expe£led it, and drove them out of the" * country. They were headed by a brave man of the ^ * mixt race, his mother being a beautiful Mezzorani- * an, and his father a Sabsean."^" After the young con- ' queror had driven out the Htckloea, he eflablifhed' * a new form of government, making himfelf king o-' * ver his brethren, (but not after the tyrannical man^- ' ner of the Hickfoes) and grew very powerful.— \ It is likely he means Bufiridis Aras, fo infamous in anti- quity ; or the cruel Bufiiis, whofacriHeed his guefts, Thougli^ hiflorians don't agree about the time when Bufiiis lived^ Avhich (hews he was very ancient, yet all agiee, he was a monfler of cruelty, and became a proverb on that account*. This was a very natural reafon for the Egyptians todifperfe themfelves into fo many colonies as they did, to avoid fuch cruelties. * Thefe Sabasans were the dcfcendants of fome of tlie fons of Ghufh, or Ghufs, a very tall race of men, great ne- gociators, and more polite than the othfr Arabians. Bo- chart, in Seba filio Cluis, where he quotes a paiTage out ol Agatharcides of the handfomenefs of the Sabacans— — * Tiie bodies of the inhabitants [the Sabaans] are more juajellic thaii other men,' I04 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. Our anceflors fent perfons from time to time to in- form thcmfclvcs how matters went. They found the kingdom in a flourifliing condition, indeed, un- der the conquering Sofs,f for fo he was called. — He and his kicccnois made it one ot the raoft ^o\v- erful kingdoms of the earth ; but the laws were dif- ferent from what they had been in the time of our anccilors, or even from thofe the gr,eat oofs had ef- tablidicd. Some of his iuceffors began to be very tyrannical ; they made flaves of tlieir brothers, and invented a new religion ; fome adoring the fun, fome the gods of tlie Hickfoes ; io that ouranccftors, as they could not think of altering their laws, though they might have returned again, chofe rather to continue Hill unknown in that vale, under their pa- triarchical government. Neverthelefs, in procefs of time, they increafcd fo much, that the country was not capable of maintaining ihem ; fo that they had been obliged to return, liad not another revolu- tion in Egypt forced them to feek out a new habita- tion. This change was made by a race of people called ChanimJ,as wicked and barbarous in efTedjbuL f This muflbe the great Sefoflrls or Sefofis, of wliomthe learned Bifhop of Meaux, as alio Herodotus, fays fuch glo- rious tilings. Though authors do not fay preciiely when he lived, all acknowledge him to have flourilhcd in the earlieft times. He extended iiis conquefts over the grcateft part of the Eafl, and almoft over the known world, as fome fay. Where his enemies were cowards, and made noreRUanee, he let up flatues of them refembling women. Herodot. Lib. ii, i'uterpe. Monf, de Menux. Par. ill. Hill. Univ. This great conqueror's name is very much varied by authors. \ 1 liefe in all appearance were the wicked Chananeans, ■who being to be deftroyed, and being driven outof Ghanaan by Jofliua, difperfed themfelves, and invaded the greateft part of the countries round about tbem. Bochait in Cha- naan, proves almof\ dcmonftrably, that they difperfed them- felves over all the iflauds and fea-ports of Europe, Afia, and CAXJDENTIO DI LUCCA. lOjT * more politic, than the Hickfoes j though fome faid * they were originally the fame people,w]io being driv- ' en out of tlieir own country by others more powerful ' than themfelves, came pouring in, not only over all ' the land of Mezzoraim, but all along the coafts of ' both feas, deftroying all before them, with greater ' abominations than the Hickfoes had ever been guil- ' ty of : in fliort, a faithlefs and moft perfidious race * of men, that corrupted the innocent manners^ of *> the whole earth. Our forefathers were in the moil *> dreadful confternation imaginable. There was now ' ' noprofpe6l of ever retm-ning into their ancient ^ country. They were furrounded with defarts on ^ all fides. The place they were in began to be too ' narrow for fo many thouiands as they were increaf- Africa. In his preface he quotes a mod curious paffage out of Procopius De Bello Vandelico, of a pillar that was found in Africa, with a Plienlcian or Chananean infcriptioH, which fignlfies ■ I- " We are thofe who fled from the face of Jefus, or Jo» fbua the robber, the fonofNave." Eufebius, in Chronico, has much the fame ; and St. Auflin, in his City of God, fays, that the ancient country people about Hippo in Africa, who- were the remains of the ancient Carthaginians, if you afked them who they were, would anfvver— —- ." We are origin- ally Chanani, or Chananeans." • The celebrated Bochart, fo often quoted, proves that the Phoenicians or Carthaginians, whom he alfo proves to have been Chananeans, were the pcrfons who fpread idola- try, with all the tribe of the Heathen gods, and their abo- minable rites, over the whole world. Bochart in Ghana'' an. The fame author fays, the Phoenicians, or Chanani, invaded Egypt about that very time. This he proves di- re(flly : and that they had their Caflia about Memphis ; as alfo that Cadmus and Phenix, wh(im he makes contempo- raries with Jolhua, having fled before him, came out of Egypt afterwards, and built Thebes in Boeotia. See alfo Herodotus in Eutrepe, Io6 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. cd to : nay, they did not know but the wicked Clia- nim, wliowere at tlie fame time the boldeft and mod tnterprizini; nation under the fun.f might find them out lumc time or other. Being in this dillrefs, they rcfolved to feck out a new habitation ; and, to that end, compared all the notes and obicrvations on the heavens, the couri'e of the fun, the feufons and nature of the climate, and whatever clfc might di- I'iitl them what courfe to fteer. They did not doubt but that tliere might be fome habitable countries' in the midll of the vaft delarts, perhaps as delicious as tliC vale they lived in, if they could but come nt them. Several perfons were fentout to make dif- coverics, but without fuccefs. ' The lands were too vaft to travel over without water, and they could find no fprings nor rivers. At length the moft fa- gacious ot them began to reflecfl, that the annual overflowing ot the great river Nile, whofe head could never be found out, mult proceed from lome prodigious rains which fell fouthwardof themabotit that time of the year ; which rains if they could but luckily time and meet with, might not only iupply them with water, but alio render the coun- try fertile where they fell. " Accordingly, the chief Pophar, aililled by fome of the wifed men, generouf- ly rcfolved to run all rifques to lave liis people. — They computed the precife time when the Nile o- verAowed, and allowed for the time the waters mull + Herodotus fays, that they failed (even in tliofc early diys) froin the Red Sea, round Africa, and came back to "Egypt, through the Streights, and up the Mediterranean. tJi^rodot. Melpomene, and Bochart. That Hano the elder, by order of t'-ie fenate of Carthage, failed round the greateft part of the world, and after his return delivered to them an account of his voyage, whicli is called the Peiiplus of Han- no. He affedcd to be honoured as a god for it, and lived before boloajoii's time, Bochart iJi Qianaau. Lib. i. c. 37» GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. IG7 take in defc^nding fo far as Egypt. They thought therefore, if they could but carry water enough to fupply them till they met with thefe rains, they would help them to go on further. At length five of them fetout, with ten dromedaries, carrying as much water and provifions as might ferve them for fifteen days, to bring them back again in cafe there was no hopes. < They fleered their courfe as we .did, though not - quite fo exa£l the firfl: time, till they came to the place, where we are now. Finding here, as their notes tell us J, a little rivulet, which is fmce fwaU lowed up by the fands, they filled their veffels, and went up to take an obfervation, as we did ; but fee- ing the figns of the great hurricanes, which was- our greatell encouragement, it had like to have dri- ven them into defpair ; for the Pophar, knowing the danger of being overwhelmed in the fands, thought of nothing but flying back as faft as he could, fearing to be fwallowed up in thofe ilifling whirlpools. This apprelienfion made him layafide '^ al^ thoughts of fucceeding towards that climate ; and L-jiow his chief care was how to get back again with fafety for himfelf and his people. But find- ing all continue tolerably ferene where they were, they made a halt in order to make lome farther ob- fervations. In the mean time, they refle(iled that 'thofe hurricanes mud be fore-runners of tempeft and rain. Then they recolle6led that no rain, or what was very inconfiderable, ever fell in Egypt*, or \ Thofe ^vl^e Ancients kept records of every thing that ^vas memorable and ufcful for their people. If this had been the pra£lice of the Europeans, wc ihould not have loft fo many lecrets of nature as we have. * This is well known by all the defcriptlons of tliat coun- try, the inundation of the Nile fupplying the want of it, and making it one of the moil fertile kingdoms in the world, j 108 OAUDtNTiO Dr LUCCA. for a gi'eat way fouth of it, till tliey came wiihiit the tropicks ; and thence concluded, that the rain^ muft run parallel with the equator, both under it, and for fome breadth on both fides, till they met the rife of the river Nile, and there caufed thole vaft inundations fo hard to be accounted for by other people. That, in fine, thofe rains muft laft a confulcrable while, and probably, though beginning with tcmpefts, might continue in fettled rain, capa- ble of being palled through. Then he at firft re- folved to venture back again to the lirft vale : but being a man of great prudence, he preiently con- iidcred, that as he could not proceed on his way without rains, fo he could not come back again but by the fame help, which coming only at one feafon, muft take up a v^'hole year before he could return. However he was rcfolved to venture on, not doubt- ing but if he could find a habitable country, he fliould aUofind fruits enough to i'ubfift on till the next fea- fon. "^1 herefore he ordered two of his companions to return the fame way they came, to tell his peo- ple not to expt(5l him till the next year, if Providence fliould bring him back [it all ; but if he did not re- turn by the time of the overflowing of the Nile, or thereabouts they might give him over for loft, and mutt never attempt that way any more. 'I'hey took their leaves of one ar.otheras if it were the laft adieu, and fet out at the fame time j two of them for their C-very one knows it was orKe the granary of the Roman em- pire. However, fome fmall rain falls fometimes : nor is there any more higher up in the coinitry. 'i he ovrrHov/mg of the Nile is known to be cauied by vafl rains falling under the line, or about that climate ; and fince thofe don't take Egypt and tlic Jic^joining part of Africa in their way, they niuit by confecjuence run parallel with tl:e line; whick was a very iiatuvid and philofcphical obfcrvation of thcfe wil'c GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. IO9 homes in the firft vale, and the other three for thoi'e unknown regions ; being dcftitute of all other helps but thofe of a courageous mind. The three came back to this place, where it thundered and lightened as it does now ; but the Pophar obferved it ilill tended fide-ways, and guefled, when the firft violence was over, the rains might be more fettled. The next day it fell out as heforefaw; whereupon, recommending himielf to the great Author of our being, he launched boldly out into that vafl: ocean of fands and rain, fteering his courfe fouth-weft, ra- ther inclining towards the fouth. They went as far as the heavy fands and rains would let them, till their dromedaries could hardly go any farther. Then they pitched their tents andrefrellied them- felves juft enough to undergo new labour, well know- ing all their lives depended on their expedition. They obferved the fands to be of a different kind from what they had feen hitherto, fo fine, that any gult of wind muft overwhelm man and beaif, only the rains had clogged and laid them. ' Not to prolong your expectation too much : they wjnt on thus for ten days, till the rains began to abate ; then they faw their lives or deaths would foon be detsrmined. The eleventh day the ground began to grow harder in patches, with here and therrt a little raofs on the furface, and now and then a fmall withered (lirub. This revived their hopes, that they (liould find good land in a fhort time, and in effecl the foil changed for the better every Hep they took ; and now they began to fee little hills co- vered with grafs, and the valleys fink down as if there might be brooks and rivers. Tlie twelfth and thirteenth day cleared all their doubts, and brou^^ht them into a country, which though not very fer- tile had both water and fruits, with a hopeful prof- K ,1X0 CAUDLNT'O DI LUCC^. pc*n further on of hills and dales, all habilablc ftn^ flourUhing. Here they fell proQrate on the earth, adorhig the Cireator of all things, who had conju^i- eJ them lafc through fo many dangers, and kiffing the ground, wliich was to be the common nurle for ihera, and, as ihcy hoped, for all their poflerity : wheji they had repofcd tlicmfelves for fome days, they proceeded further into the country, \vl»ich tlicy found to mend upon them the more they advanced into it. Not intending to return till next year, they fiHight the propercft place for their habitation ; and felling up marks at every moderate diftance not to lofe their way back again, they made for the high- c(\ hills they could fee, from whence they ptrceiy- ed an immenfe and delicious country every way; but, to their greater iatisfacflion, no inhabitants. 1 hey wandered thus at pleafurr through thole na- tural gardens where there was a perpetual fpring in fome kinds cf the produc* ot the earih, andtiie rij:enefs of autumn with the moU ex(iuifite fruits in others. They kept the mod exaft obfervalicns pofllble. Which ever way they went, there were not only fprings and fountains in abundance, but, as they giiefTtd (for they kept the higher ground) the lu^adsofgreat rivers 8^^ lakes, fome ofwhiciitheyjcould pcrcei'.e ; fothat they were falisfied there was room enough for ^^ hole nations, without any danger, as thev could find, cf being difturbed. By their ob- f(i.r\ation of the fun, they were nigher the etpiator than they had imagined^', fo that they there pafled * Tbcpg!) \\c inay imagine a ItfTcr circle p'.uallel to tl.c tropics ard the equator, \vhich is called iMaxnnus Vaiallelo- lum; vet \v!)Ofver travels eilh.cr by laad or fca, parallel as he tbinks, to the equator, Joc-s nr-t fo, but will approach to it ; nay, aid crof* it at lafl, (unlrrfs lie goes fpirally ) and miike irdentures as he goes along : the reafop is, btcaufc v»l.trc\'er we are, we are on tiie fumiDit of the globe witi GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. Ill" the middle fpace batvveen the tropic and the line. Be- ing come back to their firft ftation, they there wait* ' ed the proper feafon for their return. The rains came Ibmethihg fooner than the year before, be- * caufe they were further weft'.vard. Thehurricanes ' were nothing like what they were in the vaft fands. As loon as they began to fix in fettled rains, they fet out again as before, and in twenty days time from their lalt fetting out, happily arrived at the place where they left their dear friends and relations, whofejoy for their fafe and happy arrival was greater ' than I can pretend to defcribe. Thus this immor- tal hero accompliihed his great undertaking, fo mucli ' more glorious than all the victories of the greateil •• conquerors, as it was projected, formed, and exe- ' cuted by is own wifdom and courage ; not by ex- * pofing and facrificing the lives of thoulands of his ' lubje^ls, perhaps greater men than himfelf, but by ' expofmg his own life for the fafety of thofe that ' depended on him. * It were too tedious to recount to you all the dif- ' Acuities and troubles they had, both in refclving to * undertake fuch a hazardous tranfmigration, as well ' as ihofe of tranfporting fuch a multitude, v/itll ' their wives and children, and all their moll: preci- ' ous efte<9:s, over thofe raercilefs fands, which they ' could only pafs atone leafon of the year. 13ut the ' voyage being at length refolved on, and the good ' Pophar wifely confidering the difficulties ; and ne- ' ceility the mother of invention, urging )iim, at the * fame time, to gain as much time as he could, fmc6 * the vale where they were at prcfent was fufficient * to maintain them till the rains came ; got all his ' people hither in the mean time, to be ready for the refpedl to us, and our feet make a perpendicular to tlie cen- tre ; fo that if we go round the globe, we fi lall make a great circle, and by confequence cut the equator. 112 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, * feafon. The new-born children were left ulth * motijers, aiul pcoj^lc to take care of them, till they * were able to bear the fatigue. Tlius in i^cvtn years * time, going backwards and forwards every feafon, ' they all arri\ ed lafc, where we ourfelves hope to * be in ten or twelve \hcu llic waters came to their hlghel} pitch, and began to lubfide, the floncs and g: a- velwould fink fooner than lighter things, and fo be Uh >K moll in n body in tlu It; flrata they appear in. This n:ig!yt be illuftratfd n)uch furti.er, if thee were occalion. 'i lie vaft numbers of petrified Ihclls and liallops, which are f. uud in all parts of the world, on the higher grounds, could never be a mere lufus natures^ as fome too curious philofophers imagine, but muH be accounted for by fuch a flood ; and thcfe apjjearing in all parts of the univcrfe, the flood mult liave been unlverfal. The fudden change of foils in cvciy region, with the exceeding rlchnefiof fome m.ore than otheis, and that too fometimes all at once, is to be accounted for from the fame caufe ; for tie fame violence of waters wafli- ing the earth from the Hones, mnf\ naturally make an un- equal accumulation of both. As for Africa, ail the a'xieiiti GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. XtJ our view f . The rains were come to their period » only it looked a little foggy at a great diilance before us, which was partly from the exhalations oi the country after the rains {, partly from the trees and hills (lopping the clouds, by which we found that the weather did not clear up in the habitable countries fo foon as in the barren defarts. The Pophar told me, tliat if it were not for the hazineis of the air, he would fhew me the moL\ beautiful profpecH; that ever my eyes beheld. 1 was ieniibly convinced of it by the per- fumes of the fpicy fhrubs and fiowers, which ftruck our fenfes with fuch a reviving fragrancy, as made us almoll forget our paft fatigue, eCpecially me, who had not felt the like even in the firll vale : neither do I believe all the ordours of the Happy Arabia could ever come up to it. I was juft as if I had rifen out of the moll delicous repofe. Here the Pophar ordered us to fhop for refrefiiment, and added, that we muft flay there till next day. We pitcVied our tents on the liiftdefcent of thofe imraenfe Bares, by the fide of a little rill that iiTued out of the iinall break of the downs, exne^^ins: further orders. , The caufe of our (lay here, where we were out of clanger, was not only for our companions we had left behind us, but on a ceremonious account, as your Reverences will fee by and by : they were alfo to change their habits,that they might appear in the co- lours of their refpedlive tribe or Nome, which were fpeakof the incredible fertility of it in fome places, and the extreme banennefs of the deOirts in others. t The prodigious height of the fands in Africa, in thefe parts which lie between the tropics, miy not only be the caufe of the fands or gravel finking in greater quantities at the decreafe of the flood ; but the mod extenfive vales may have had their rife from very fmall gullets at firll. \ It is very natural to think, that thofe barren fun-burflt deltirts fend up but few exhalations. nS CAUDIXTIO DI LUCCA. five, according to the number of the fons of ilie fird Pophar, who hrought them out of Egypt, whofc flatue we faw at the Pyrair.'kl. Bv their laws, all tJie tribes are to be diftinguillietl by their colours ; that wherever they go, they may be known what Nome they belong to ; with particular marks of iWw ports and dignities ; as I ftiall dcicribeto your Reverences afterwards. The grand Pophar*s colour, who was deicendcd from the eldcft fon of tl-.e nncici't Pophar, was a flame colour, or approacliing r.igli the rays of the fun, becaufe he was chief priefk of ti^.e Sun. Our new regent's colour was green, fpanglcd with funs of gold, ■ as your Reverences faw in the pit5\urc ; the green re- presenting the fpring, which is the chief fealon with them. The third colour is a fiery red, for the fum- mer. 7'he fourth is yellow, for autumn ; and the fifth purple, reprefenting the gloominefs of winter; for thefe people, acknowledging the fun for the im- mediate governor of the univcrle, mimic the nature of liis iniiuence as nii^li as thev can. The women cbfer% e the colours of their re1"pe6live tribes, but have moons of filvcr intermixed with the funs, to fliew that they are influenced in a great mealure by that varia- ble planet. The young virgins have the new moon ; in the Orength ot their age the full moon ; as they grow old, the moon is in the decreafe proportionably. The widows have the moon exprelfed jult as it is in the change; the defceiidants of the daughters of the iirftPopliar were incorporated with the reft. Thoie of the eldeft daughter took the cldeft fon's colour, with a mark of dillin<^ion, to lliew they were never tofucceed to the Popharfliip, or regency, till there Ihould be no male iifue of the otliers at age to govern. This right oftlderfliip, as thefe people underltand it, is a little intricate, but 1 Iliall explain it to your Rev- erences more at large, when I come to fpeak more particularly of their government. When they are lent out into foreign countries, they take what habit CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 1 19 -of colour they pleafe, and generally go all alike, to be ■ known to each other ; but they mull: not appear ia their own<:ountry but in their proper coleurs, it being criminal to do otlierwife. They carry marks alio otf their families, that in cafe any mifdemeanor fliould be committed, they may know whereto trace it out; for which reafon, now they drew near their own country, they were to appear in the colours of their refpe6live Nomes ; all but myfeif^ wlio had the fame garment I wore at Grand Cairo, to fliew I was a ftrangcr, though I wore the Pophar"'s colour afterwards, as being his relation, and incorporated in his family. When they were all arrayed in their hlken robes of different co- lours, fpan^led with funs of gold, with white fillets round their temples, ftudded with precious ftones^ tiiey made a very delightful Aiew, being the handfom- eft race of people this day in the univerfe, and all re- fcmbling each other, as having no mixture of other nations in their blood. The fun had now broke through the clouds, and difcovered to us the profpe^t of the country, but fuch a one as I am not able to defcribe ; it looked ra- tiicrlike an immenfe garden than a country: at that diilance I could fee nothing but trees anj groves; whether i looked towards the hills or vales, all feem- cd to be one continued wood, though with tome feem*. ingly regular intervals of Iquares and plains, with the ghitering of gulden globes or funs through the tops of the trees, that it looked like a green mantle fpang- led with gold. I afkcd the Pophar, if they lived all in woods, or whether the country was only one con- tinued immenfe forelL He fmiled, and faid — ' When ' we come thither, you (hall fee fomething elfe be- ' fries woods ;' and then bid me look back, and com- pare the dreary fands we had lately paffed, with that glorious profped we faw before us ; I did fo, aiid found the dihnal barrennefs of the one enhanced the beautiful dcli;^h!: of the other. ' The reafon,' lays I20 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. he, * why it looks like a wood is, ilmt befides innU- * mcrablc kinds of fruits, all our towns, fquarcs, and * llrcels, ns well as fields and gardens, are planted ' wiih trees, both for dcliglu and convcnicncy, though * you will find fpare ground enough for tlie ])roduce ' of all things fulEcicnt to make the life of man eafy * and happy. The glittering of gold through the tops ' of the trees, arc golden funs on the tops of the tcm- * pies and buildings : we build our houles flat nnd * low on account of hurricanes, with gnrdcns of per- * fumed cver-greens on i4.c tops of tfiem ; wliich is ' the reafonyou fee nothing but groves.' A\'e defcended gradually from off the delart tluough the fcattercd fluubs, and were faluted eveiy now and then with a gale of perfumes (juite tiifferent from M hat are brought to the Europeans from foreign parts. The freili air of the morning, together witli their be- ing eximled. from the living ll<)cks,gave them fuch a fragancy as cannot be exprclled. At length we came to a fpacious plain a litth Ihelving, and covered with a greenifli coat, between mols and grafs, which was the utmoll border of the delart ; and beyond it a fmall liver, collected from the hills, as it were, weeping out of the funds indifferent places; which river was the bouixlaiy of the kingdom that way. Halting tliere, wc dilcovered a fmull company of ten perfons, the fame nuuiber, excluding me, with ours, advancing gravely towards us: they were in the proper colours of the Nomes, with ipangled funs of gold, as my com- panions wore, only the tops of their heads were ij)rinkled with dull, in token of mourning. As loon as they came at a due diltance, they fell flat on their faces before the Pophar, without laying a word, and received the golden Urns w'tli the Garth -which wc brought along with us. Then they turned, and march- ed diredly before us, holding the \Jn\s in their hands as high as they could, but all in a deep and mournful iilence. Thefe were deputies of the five Noniesfent GM.UDENTIO DI LUCCA. 121 to meat the Urns. We advanced in this filent mari- ner, witliout faying one word, till we came to the ri- ver, over which was a (lately bridge with a triumphal ^rch on the top of it, beautified with funs of gold, mofl magnificent to behold. Beyond the brid-^^e, we immediately paffed through a kind of circular grove, which led us into a mod delightful plain, like an am- phitheatre, with five avenues or ilreets leading to it : . at the entrance of each avenue ftood an innumerable multitude of people reprcfenting the five Nomes, or governments of thofe immenfe kingdoms, all in llieir different colours, fpangled with funs of gold, which made the moll glorious fliow in the world. As loon as we entered the amphitheatre, our filence WHS broke with fliouts of joy that rended the very flvies ; then tlie whole multitude falling ^.at on their faces, adoring the Urns, and thrice repeating their (liouts, and adorations, there advanced ten triumphant cliaiiois, according to the colours of the Nomes with funs as before ; nine of the chariots were drav/n with fix horfes each, and the tenth v/ith eight for the Po- phar regent. The five deputies, who were the chief of each Nome, with the Urns and companions, mounted five of the chariots ; the other five were for us, two in a chariot ; only being a fupernumerar}', I was placed backwards in the Pophar's chariot, which he told me was the only mark of humiliation and in- equality I would receive. We were conda^led with five fquadrons of horfe, of fifty men each, in their pro- per colours, with dreamers of the fame, havin^^ the iun in the centre, through the oppofite avenue; till we came into another amphitheatre ofavaft extent where we faw an infinite number of tents of filk of the colour of the Nomes, all of them fpangled with golden funs : here we were to reft and refrelh our- iclves. The Pophar's tent was in the centre of hia own colour, which was green, the fecond Nome in JL 122 CAUDENTrO DI LUCCA dignity, in whofe tlumiuions aud government we now were, I have been longer in this defcription bccaufc it was more a religious ceremony than any thing clfe, I iiefc people being extremely myflerious in all they tie.-'' I {1k;11 cNjjlain the meaning to your Reveren- ces as briefly as 1 can. Tlie (lopping before we came to the bt idgc on the borders of thole inhofpitable dc- farts, and walking in that mournful filent manner, not ofily expreficd their mourning for their deceaiied an- celiors, but alfo fignificd the various calamities and labours incident to man in this life, where he is not onlv looked upon to he, but really is, in a Hate of ba- nlHimcnt and mourning ; wandering in fun-burnt dc- ferts, and l()!l with iJorms of innumerable lawlels de- fires,. Pill figliing after a better counirj-. The paiTage over the bridge, thcv would have to betoken man's entrance into reil by doath ; their fliouts of joy, when the iacrcd Urns arrived in that glorious country, not only fignificd the happinefs of the next life, (forthcie jieoplc univerlally believe in the immortality of the lbul,and think none but brutes can be ignorant of it) but alio that ilicir anceilcrs, whofe burial duft they • Tl^e arcient Kgvptians were 'io myptrlcus, partirulntly iji their religions ciTtrmonlcs, and arcana of govf rnmt- r.r, tlrat in all pmbability, the ancient fa'uics, which very few yet undf I Ilatid rightly, iiad tlieir rife from thcin ; lUrugh the Itarncd Bcch'dtt,in his I'halcg. derives them chiefly from the Cajia;inite?, vvho dilixrfu g tleniielves all over tl:e woild, 1^ hen they Hcd from Jolhua, impofed upoii the eredulor.s Giecks by the difilrent fignifications of the fame Avoids in their language. Jt is obfcrvable, by tl)eby,that the in oft of the ancient lai;giiages, as the Hebrew, Nsith its dire dcfcribe the immenfe riches, fertility, and beauties of the country, iliis relation, wliich is deiigncd as a real account of a place wherein 1 lived fo many years, would rather look like a romance than a true relation. I fliail only tell your Reverences at prefent, that after having taken a mofl magnificent repaft, confifting c>f all the heart of man can conceive delicious, both of fruits and wiues, while we {laid in thole rcfrefliing tubernacles, we palled cnby an cafy evening'*s jour- ney, to one of their towns, always condu£led and lodg- ed in the fame triumphant manner, till we came to the liCad of that Nome, which I told your Reverences was the Green Nome, belonging to the Pophar re- gent, fecond in dignity of the whole empire. Here the Urn of dud belonging to that Nome was repofited in a kind of golden tabernacle fet with precious ftones of immenfe value, in the centre of a fpacious tem- ple, which I ihall defcribe afterwards. After a "vveak's feafling and rejoicing, both for the reception of the dull and the lafe return- of the Pophar and his^ companions, together with hh exaltation to the re- gency, we let out in the fame manner for the other Nomcs, to repofite all the Urns in their rcipciTuve temples. Thefc are five, as I informed your Rever- ences before. The couiitry is fomething mountain- ous, particularly under the line, and not very uni- form, though every thing elfe is ; containiii"- vallies, or rather whole regions running out between the de- I'arts; befides vaft ridges of mountains in the heart of the country which intlofe immenle riches in their bowels. The chief town is fituated as nigh as pollible in the middle of the N©mes, and about the centre of t Jofephiis againft Apion, dilhnguifhes two languages of the ancient Egyptians, the one facred, the otiier common. Their facred language was full of myfteries, perhaps like the' Cabala of the Jews. CAUDENTIO DI LUCGA. 1 15 the country, bating thole Irregularities I mentioned. The four inferior Nomes were like the four corners, with the flame-co'oured Nome, where the grand Po- phar or regent pro tempore refided, in the centre of the fquare. Their method was to go to the four in- ferior Nomes firft, andrepolite the Urns, and then to conipleat all at the chief town of the firft Nome.-*^ Thefe Nomes were each about eight days very eafy journey over. Thus we went the round of all, which I think, as I then remarked, was a kind of political viiitation at the fame time. At length we came to the great city of Phor, or No-om, there to repofite the laft Urn, and for all the people to pay their re- fpe<^s to the grand Pophar if in being^^ior elfe to the regent. ' By that time, what with thole who accom- panied the-proceffion of the Urns, and the inhabi- tants of that immenfe town, more people were ga- thered together than one would have almoft thought had been in the v/hole world ; but in fuch order and decency, diftinguifhed in their ranks^ tribes, and co- lours, as is not eafy to be comprehended. The glit- tering tents fpread themfelves over the face of the earth. ■ I iliall here give your Reverences a defcription of the town, becaufe all other great towns or heads of the Nomes are built after that model, as indeed the lefTer towns come as nigh it as they can, except, as I laid, places for arts or trades, which are generally built on rivers or brooks, for conveniency j fuch is the nature of the people, that ihey effeft an exa£l uni- formity and equality in all they do, as being brothers of the fame flock. The town of Phor, that is, the Glory, or No-om, which fignifies the lioufe of the Sun, is built circular, in imitation of the fun audits rays. It is fituated in the largeft plain of all the kingdom, and upon the largcH river, which is about a§ big a* gur Pqj riling 126 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. from a ridge of mountains under the line, and running: towards the north, where it forms a great lake, almoS like a fea, whofe waters are cxh-.led by the heat of the fun, having no outlet, or fink under ground in the lands of the vail delarts encompalling it- This river is cut into a moft ma2:nirKcnt canal, run- ningdireclly through the middle of the town. Before it enters the town, to prevent inundations, and for other conveniencies, there are prodigious bafons, and locks, and fluices, to divert and let out the water, if need be. The middle ftrcam forms the grand canal, which runs through the town, till it comes to the grand place; then there it forms another lock and lluice, which dividing it into two femicircles or wings, c^nd carrying it round the grand place, forms anifland ■with the temple of the fun in the centre, and meeting again oppofite to where it divided, lb goes on in a canal again. There are twelve bridges with one f^reat arch over each, ten over the circular canals, and two where they divide and meet again. There p.re alfo bridges over the (Iraight canals, at proper cVulances. Before the river enters the town, it is divided by the firft great lock into two prodigious fcmicirclcs encompalling the whole town. All the canals are planted with double rows of cedars, and walks the moil delightful that can be imagined. Th« grand place is in tlic centre of the town, a prodigioui round, or immcnie theatre, encompallcd with the branches of the canal, and, in the centre of that, the terfiple of the Sun. This temple confifts of three hundred and fixty-five double marble pillars, accord- ing to the number of the days of the year^, repeated • Ojr iiuihor ftems to be a little out in this place ; for It is certain, tiie ancient Egyptians did nt^t make their year to confiflof fo many da) s, unlefs you'll fay,tViat thefe people, Veing very greut alh-onomers, were more €jia<^ in their ob- irn'ation^t GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. llf With three ftories one above another, and on t]i>j top a cupola open to the Iky for the fun to be feen through. The pillars are all of the Corintl-w'^a orderf , of marble as white as fnow, and fluted^ The edges of the flutes, with the capitals corniOied, are' all gilt. The inner roofs of the vaft galleries on thefe pillars, are painted with the fun, moon and Ibars, expreffing their different motions,v/ith hieroglyphicks, known only to fome few of the chief elders or rulers. The outfides of all are doubly gilt, as is the dome or grand concave on the top, open in the middle to the fky. In the middle of this concave is a golden fiin, hanging in the vo/d^ and fupported by golden lines or rods from the edges of the dome. The artificial lun looks down as if it were fliining on a globe of" earth, ere^ledona pedeftal altar -wife, oppofite to the lun, according to the fituation of their climate to that ' glorious planet ; in which globe of earth are enclofed the urns of their deceafed anceftors. -' On tlie infide of the pillars are the feats of the grandees or elders, to hold their councils, which are all public. Oppolite to the twelve great ftreets, are fo many entrances into the temple, with as many magnificent ftair-cafes f It is generally fnppofed, that the difiTerent orders of pil- lars, as the Doric, the Ionic, Corinthian, &c. came firft fronr the Greeks, as their appellations, being Greek, would make us believe; but the famous aod ancient palace of Pcrfepolis, notwithflanding its Greek name, where there were hierogly- phicks and infcriptions in cljaradlers none could unJerfland, befides other realons, fliew that the invention came from- Egypt, or from the ancient Chaldeans, or ratiier froni Seth,, I^oah, and the ancient Hebrews. It islikewife very obferv- able, that the invention of arts and fciences came from ths eaft, and can be traced no higher than Noah's flood ; unlefs you will allow the fables of Scth, alledged by the learned Jofephus in his antiquities, quoted above. All which is a very natural confirmation of the account given by Mofe?, againft oiir modern fce^tics* 128 CAUDTNTIO DI LUCCA, between the entrances, to go into the galleries or places where they keep the regiflers of their laws, &c. with gih baluftrades looking down into the tem- ple. On tlie pcdcftals of all the pillars were engrav- en hieroglyphicks andcharaeO. of ten thoufuad different garJt^ns meeting your fight wherever you turn ; intb- much» that I believe the whole world befides cannot aiford fuch a profpe^l. There arc a gt^at many other beauties and conveniencies,accortling to the genius of the people ; which, were I to mention, would make up a whole volume. { only f;iy, timt the nches of the country are immenfe, wliich in fome meafure are all in common, as I l^iall flievv when I come to the nature of their government.; the people are the moll ingenious and induftrious in the world ; the goveiTiors aiming at nothing but the grandeur and goud of the public, having all the affluence the heart of jnan caa defire, in a place where there has been no war for near three thoufand years ; there being indeed no enemies but the inhofpitable lands aj'ound them, and they all confider theraielves as brothers ot the fame ftock, living under one common fathtr; fo that it is notib much to be wondered at, il thty are arrived to liich grandeur and magnificence as perfons iu our world can Icarce believe or conceive. When the ceremonies for the reception of the Urns were over, religious ceremonies with thefe people al- ways taking place of the civil'j', they proceeded to the loving woods, and not being permitted to go OMt of tlie pa- lace, had tliofe artificial gardens made to divert her. t i he mofl polite nuti ns cf antiquity, even among tl>e Heathens, gave the preference to religion, before all other confiderations : as for the Chrirtian religion, though of late perfons of fome wit, little judgment, and no morals, call it in queftion, it is well tnown, men become more men as they become ChriHians. The light of faith brought in learning, politenefs, humanity, juftice, and equity, inllead cf that ig' rCAU-DENTIQ DI LUCCA. I':;! •.inauguration of the Pophar regent, which was per- formed with no other ceremony, for reafon I fliall tell your Reverences afterwards,but placing him in a chair of ftate, with his face: towards the eaft, on the top , CI the highcllhill in the Nome, to fliew that he was to infpect or over- look all, looking towards the tem- ple of the Sun, which flood direi'tly eaftward of him, to put him in mind that he was to take care of the religion of his anceftors in the firft; place. When he w^as thus placed,three hundred & fixty-five of the chief ,of the Nome, as reprefentatives of all the reft, came up to him, and making a refpe6lful bow, fa id — ' Eli' Pophar,' which is as much as to fay. ' Hail, father of our nation;' and he embracing them as a father does .his children, anfwered them with ' Cali Be- > nim,' that is,. ' My dear children.' As many of the woman did the fame. This was all the homage they paid him, which was efteemed lb facred, as never to "be violated. All the diftin£lion of his habit was one great fun on his breaft, much bigger than that of any "of the reft. The precious ftones alfo, which were fet in the wliite fillet binding his forehead, were larger than ordinarv, as were thofe of the crofs circles over his head, terminated on the fummit with a larger tuft ,of gold, and a thin. plate of gold in the ftiape of the fun, faftenedto the top of it horizontally : all of them, both men and woman, wore thofe iillct-crowns with tufts .of gold, but no fun on the top, except the Pophar, As ibon as the ceremonies and rejoicings were over, which were performed in tents at the public expencc, he was condu6led, with the chearful acclamations of the people, and the found of mulical inftruments, to rorance, and a brutal barbarity, that overfprcad the face of the earth ; and the want of it, will Ijsad us in time into the fame enormities which religion has tnught us to forfake : on vhich pxcouiit it is the part of all. wife governments to couii* teuauce and preferve religion. l-fi^l CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. a magnificent tent in the front of the %vli»>le camp^ facing the eafl, vvl.ich is looked up on as the mofl ho- nourable, as in ft feeing the riling kin ; and fo on, by eafy journeys, till he* came tothe chief town of that Nome, The reafon why ihefe ceremonies were per. formed in the different Nomes, was to fliew that they all depended on him, and b( caufe the empire was lo very populous, it v»'as impoffible they could meet at one place. I can't exprtl's the carefles I received from thcm,efpecially when they found I was defcend- cd from the lame race by the mother's fide, and fo nearly related to the Pophar. When I came lirll: into their company, they all embraced me, men and. women, with the mcil; endearing ttndcrnefs ; the youiig beautiful women did the fame, calling me Brother, and catcliing me in their ari-tts with fuch an innocent aflurance, as if 1 had been their real brother lofl and found agLiin. 1 can't fay but fome of them ex- prefied a iondnefs fgr me that feemed to be of another fort, and which afterwards gave me a great deal of trouble J but I imputed it to the nature of the lex, who are unaccountably more fond of itrangers, whom they know nothing of, than of perfons of much greater ; merit, who converie with tlicm every day. W/ hether it proceeds from the want of a fufhcient lolidity in llieirjudgmentjor from a levity and ficklenefs in their nature, or from the Ipirit of contradiiftion, which makes ihcm fond of what they mollly fliould avoid ; or thinking that ftrangers are not acquainted with their dcfe«l\s, or in fine, are more likely to keep their counfel ; be that as it will, their mutual jealoufies gave me much uneafmefs afterwards. But to lay a word or two more of the nature ©fthe people, before I pro- teed in my relation : as.l told your Htjverences, they .are the handforaeft race of people 1 believe nature ever produced, with this only difference, v. hi ch fome may think a defeat, that they are all too much like one another; but if it be u defe(St, it proceeds from a vqyj CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA,; I3J laudable caiife ; that is, from their fpringing from one famity, without any mixture of different nations in their blood*; they have neither wars, nor traffic with other people, to adulterate their race, for which reafon they know nothing of the vices fuch a com- merce often brings along with it. Their eyes ar^ iomething too imall, but not lo little as thofe of the Chinefe ; their hair is generally black, and inclined to be a little cropped or frizzled f , and their complexion brown, but thtiir features are the raoil: exad and regu- lar imaginable ; and in the mountainous parts, towards the line, where the air is cooler, tliey are rather fairer than our Italians^; the men ate univerfally well fliap- ed, tall, and {lender, except through Ibme accidental deformity, which is very rare ; but the women, who * Tacitus fays much the fame of the Germans, * Ipfs eo<* mm of>iniQnibus accedoy qui German'KS populos nullis aliarum natlonum conniLbiis tnfeSlos propriam ^ fiiice' ram ^ tanqiiam fuifunileni gentem extittJD'e arbitrantur* Tacitus de Moribus Germanoruvn, * I agree,' fays he, * with their opinion, who think tke people of Germany fo peculiarly like one another, becaufe they have not been corrupted by marriages with other nati- ons.* They were noted in Auguflus's time to havebhie eyes, i\s moft of the native Germans have to this day. I remem- ber I faw a reviexv of a German regiment in the city of Mi- lan, where almoft every one of tlie common foldiers had blue eyes. No wonder, therefore, if thefe Africans our author Ipeakfi of, Ihoi Id be fo like one another. t The ancient Egyptians, according to Herodotus and Bochart, were fo. :j: Though our Italians are fomething more fwarthy th:m tlie northern Tramontani ; yet our ladies keeping much ia the houfe from their childhood, have very fine jlkins, and ex-* eel all others for delicacy of features. |j y I fancy Sigaor Rhedi never faw our Englldi beauties, M ,t-34 GAUfcENTiO DI LUCCA. keep thcmfelvffs nu.ch wiOiin c^oors, arc the moftbeaii* liiul creatiiiTs, hfkI the finefl: ihajKcl in the world, except, as I laid, being too much alike. There n fuch an innocent iweetnefs in their beauty, and fuch a native moe reil of the country, ju^dbv fupplyingthe plains with innu- 3nera])le rivers running both norlli and fouth, but chitflv towards tlie north*. Thefe hills, and the great woods they are generally covered with, arc the occafi- • It is remjirkable, that moft fjmiigs rife from tiie north f de of the liill<;, and more rivers run rortliward than foiiih- ward, at leaf! on this fide of the line, though the obfcrvation does not always hold good ; the realon may be, for that there are more mlils ai^.d dews lia'-'ging on the north-fiJe, becaufe the fun dries up the moiOure on the iouth fide of the iiioun- tains more than on the north ; though perhaps all fprings don't ri.e from rain and mills, tec, yet moll do. GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. ij^ on of the country's being fubjeklug Uils >v.ay of emplftyingjt, he aUer<;d it cpite fioin I^S eAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. abhorrence of idolatry in words as well as the Chinefc > but are idolatorsin cfl'ct only give usthcjul>cil n oiiuns wc could poiubly lia\e, but confirmed the truth of what he laid, by d'uch figtis and wonders, as none but one lent from God could ptrforPii, Jfwuhiior Go on.] When I faid, they addrefs all lli^ii' [)iayei5, and mod of the trxlernal adions ot" their worlliip, lo lIic Tun, it is on account of their l>elicvit>j^him to be the phy- fictl caufc cf tlic pj oduolion of all thbij^s by his natural influence; v/hich, tho' the wiier ibrt of lhciii,>vhcn you come to rciilon more t loftly ,will grant tobc derived from t^e Ki, andlomctii ihem-wiil own liim to be a meremr.- tcrial being. moved by a prior caufc, yet tlu: generality of thtm don't rcflce- Itis as to the moral cfieey allow to be ^)ro- perly the duty of rational creatures, and of much "Teater confequence than the phyfical ])art of the -world : this 1 la)-, \.\\q\ all refer to the iuprtme Be- ing, whole will it is they fliould be mercifid, good, jull, ami equitable to all, agreeable to the juft noti- ons of the all-wife Author of their exiilcncc, ■whofe iuprcme reafon being incapable ofanyii regu- lar bias, ought to be the rule of his creatui-es that de- pend on li-im, and are inicmie meafure i>artai;er« of his ]^.crfeclions. They confirm this notion by a very proper comparifon } as for example, to a6t contraiy tt> the laws of nature in phyfical produdions, is to produce monllrous births, l^vc. io to a<^ conUary to the ideas of the fuprcnie reafon in moral cafes mult be a great deformity in his fight. I own I was charmed with this natural way of rea- foning, and afkedthem iuxther, whetl>er they believ- ed the fupremc Being troubled himfelf about the mo- ral part of the work! or the free actions of men ? 'I'bey Icemcd furprized at the queftion, and ^Ikcdme, )\lic- GAUDEN-TIO Dl LtTCCA^ I4T tiler I thought it was poffible he fhoulcl leave the noblefl: part out of his care, when he took the pains (^that was their expreffion) to create tlie lead infect •according: to the moft exadl rules of art and know- ledge, be)'ond all that the art of man can come up to ? I a(ked them again, what were the rules, which it was his will that free agents, luch as man for in- ftance, flioiikt follow in the diredion of their lives ? They toll me, ' reafon, juilice, and equity, in imitati- ' on of the fupreme rccdonin him — For,' faid they, ' ' can you think the fupreme Being can approve of the ' enormous actions committed by men ; or that any ' vile pracftices can be according to the jull ideas of his ' ' reafon ; if not, they muft be contrary to the I eil: light * of reafon not only in God but^man, and therefore lia- * ble to be puniflied by the juft Governor of all,' I fubmit thefe notions to vour Reverences better" judgment ; but I thought them very extraordinary for pcrfons who had nothing but the light of nature to dire£l them : it is a pity but they had been as right in their more remote inferences as they were in thefe principles. The fum therefore of the theoretical part of their religion, is — Firft, That the El is the fupreme intelle^lual, ra-- tional, and moft noble of all beings ; that it is the du- ty of all intellectual beings to imitate the juft laws of reafon in him, othcrwife they depart from the fupreme rule of all their adlions, fmce what is contrary to the moft perfect reafon in God, muft be contrary to our own, and by confequence of a deformity hljT;]ily blame- able in his fight ; all their prayers, and whatever they alk of this fupreme Being is, that they maybe juft and good as he is. Secondly, That the fun is the ciiief, at leaft inftru- mental caufe of their bodies, and aft other phyhcal effe<^s. Your Reverences know better than I can inform you, that this is wrong ; to him they addrels 14^ CAUDiNTIO DI LUCCA. thtir pra}*«rs for the prelervation of their lives, tlit' fruitsof the earth, ike. 'ihirclly, l"liat their parents arc the more imme- diate inUrumtniul caule of tlicir iKUunJ being, wlxich tliey derive partly from tltt: El, and partly fromthe fun; find ihey reverence tl. cm tlie niort on this account, as being the vicegerents ot'both, ami believe tiiem to be immortul, as to the fpi ritual or intelleclufil part, and tonfcf|ucntly able and ready to anill them according toilit relj)c6l they Ihcw them by revcreTicing iheir tombirand honouring their memories. Though, upon a nicer examination, I found that the fuperiliiious wor- ii^ip they pay to their deceafed anceiiors was as mucii a politic as a religious iniHiution ; bccaufe th<:ir g©- vemment beingpatriarchal, this invioJablis refp^j^lthey fliew to ihcir parents make* them obey tlicir eldera or governors, not only wiili lire moil dutiful obiervancc, • but even withftiiiiai lo\t and alacrity. There are fome otlier points of lefs confequence, - and reducible to thefe three heuds, which your lle- verenccs will obferve in the couri'e of my relation. A* for ih« immortality of the foul, rewards and jui- nilhmtius in another life, the) beli<,vc both, tho' they have an odd way of explaining them.- They fuppoie, U'ithout any helitation, that titc foul is a ^being inde- pendent of matter, ns toil's ellcncu, having faculties of tiiinking, willing, and chuting, whicli mere matter, let it be Ipnn ev*er io line, and aduated by ihe quickeit & the moifc fubtk- motion, can ever be capable of ; but their notion, of their pre-exiftence with theEl, before tiiey were lent into bodies, is very confwfed. The re- wards and i^uTiiibments in the next life, they believe will iliicflyconiiit in this; that in jiroporiicn as their ac- tions have been conformable to the jult ideas of the fii- preme Being in this life, partaking Itill more and more of his infinite wifdom, fo their fouls will approach Hill nearer to tl\e beautiful intelligence of their divine niodtlin the next. But if their actions in this life have GAUDENTIO Di LUCCA. 1^^ "'been incvonfiftcnt with the lupreme reafon in God, they fliall be permitted to go on for ever in that inconfift- ency and diragreement, till.they become Ibmonftrouf. }y wicked and enormous, as to become abominable, even to thcmfelves. ,OF THEIR OPINION CONCERNIJ^G THE TRANSMI- GRATION or SOULS, AND THE SCIENCE OF PHY- SIOGNOMY. I found the wifeft of them held the Metempfychofis^ or the tranfmigration of fouls^, not as a punifliment ia the next life, as forae of the ancient Heathen philoio- phers did, but as apuniihment in this ; the chief punifli- tnent in the next was explained above. This transmigra- tion oflouls is quite different from the received notion of the Vv'orld. Inftead of believing, as the ancients did, that the fouls of wicked 8i voluptuous men, after their .deaths, tranfmigratedintobcaftsaccordingtothefimili- tude of thoir vicious inclinations, till, pafhng :hro' one animal into another, they were permitted to com- mence men again ; I fay, theft? people, initead of be- lieving this, hold a Metemprychofis ol: a quite diffe- rent nature ;notthattheloulsof men enter into brutes, but that the fouls of brutes enter into the bodies of men even in this life. They fay, for example, that tb.e bodies of men and women are iuch delicate ha- bitations, that the fouls of brutes are perpetuaL ly envying them, and contriving to get into them ; that unlcfs the divine light of reafon be perpetually attended to, thefe biTital fouls fteal in upon them, and • This notion of the tranfmigration of the fouls of brutes into men and women in this life, particularly into the latter, xvas not miknown to the ancients, though explained fomer* thing after a cliiTercnt way : witnefs a remaining fragment «f SiiDonides, a very ancient Greek poet, to that efled^ 144 GAUDENTIO Dl LUOCA» chain up'lhe rational foul, fo that it fliall not be 'able to govern the body, unlefs it be to carry on the de- figns of the brutal I'oul, or at bed only make fome feint (rfforls to get out of it'e ilavcry. I took it at firft, that this fyileni was merely allcgarical, to fliew the Similitude between the palfions ol mun when not di- rected by reafon, and thofi; of brutes. But upon exa- mination, I found it was their o|)iuion, -that this tJ*anl- migration did really happen ; infonuicli, that in my laft journey with the Poj)har into Egypt, when he faw the Turks, or other ilrange nations, nay, feve- ral Armenian and European ChriiHans, he would fay to me in liis own language. There goes a hog, there goes a lion, a wolf, a tox, a dog, itnd the like; ; that is, xhey believe the body of a voluptuous man is pofTelfed by the foul of a hog, of a lullful man by that of a goar, ja treacherous man by that of a {ox, a tyrannical man by that of a wolf, and fo of the reft. This belief is 'inililled into thtm fo early, and with fo much care, that it is of very great benefit to keep them within the bounds of reafon. If a young man finds himlllf inclined to any of thefe paftions, he addrcfles himfelf immediately to iome pcrfon whom he thinks of fupe- rior v/ifdom, who aifares him that the foul of fojne ,certain brule is endeavouring to furprize and ca4)ti- vate his rational foul, and take poffeOion of it*s i)lace. This makes tlicm always watchful, and upon their guard aguinll tlieir own palfions not to be furprized by iuch a mercilefs eneniy. Their immediate remedy is, to look ftedfaftly at the divine light that fliines with- in them, and compare it with it's original, till by i\iQ force of it's rays they drive away thofe brutal fouls, which as foon as fully difcovered in their treacherous attacks(for they come on, fay they by Health, not dar- ing to attack that divine light di redly) are eafily re- puifed, before they have obtained polil-ihon, though itcoftsagreat deal of pains to diHodge them when once they are got in. The fear of being abandoned GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, I45 to the flavery of thefe brutal fouls is fo deeply im- printed in them from their infancy, that they look •upon the temperance and regularity of thtir lives to be in a great meafure owing to this do6lrine. The rfame notions hold with their women ; into whom : their mothers and governeires infliil them, as the wife -men do to the men ; only they believe the brutal fouls that enter into women are of a different fpecies front thofe that enter into men. They fay, for inftance, that of acameleon makes them falfe and inconilant ; ■that of a peacock, coquettiQi and vain ; that of a ti- grefs, cruel and ill natured ; and fo of the reft. They .add another difference between men and women, that e of tb.e voice, make and turn of the face, nofc, cars, &c, but particularly tliey obfen*^ the Rru«riure and glances of the eye, with hinumerftble figns proceeding from it, bv wliich they prtttnd to dii'co\er thofc paiTiuns, 3 lay, tlicy pretend to know by thel'c whnt brutJU ibul lays ficge to the rational foul, orwhctlier it has iilrcadv taken poflbflion of its poft. If they are rtrai>- gers, tlK'V prudently take oare to avoid their compa- ny, or at Itall are on their guard not to have any deal- ings with ihcra in matters obnoxious to tlic brutal foulthcy think them podelfed by. But if the perfon attacked by thefe brutal fouls be of their own nation, they immediately forewarn fuch to be on his guard, by which, and the dread they have entertained from their youth of thefe brutal enemies, they are kept in fuch order, that, as I faid, I never faw fuch moral people in my life. The vvorft is, they are extremely inchned to be proud, and have too great a value for tlicmfelves, deipiling in their hearts all ether nations, as if they were notbiag but brutes in human Ihape*. However, their wife men take as much care as poffi- bie to correct, this fault, as far as the ignorance of the law of grace will allow ; by putting them often in mind of the miferies and infirmities of human life, which being real evils, muft be in puniiliment of fome fault; that the moil perfe(ftare liable to death, which makes no dillinilion between them and the red of the workb Be fides, humiiit)', and a commlferation for the defe^ls of others, is one of the rays of the Divine light that is to guide them. I'roai I'ucli doc-u-ujents • 'Hie Chinefe, whom I hasre proved to be defcended from the fiifl Egyptians, are liibjtcl to the lii;e pride and contempt of oihcr people, laying tliat all oihcr nations bave but one eye, whereas nature has .given tl tern two : Hgnify- ing thereby, how much wifcr tliey thiiil; themfelves thaji other men. GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. v 14^ find Inftrudions of the wifcr fort, thoiigli they do not care to have any correfpondence with other people* feeing them fo poflelTed with thofe brutal fouls, yet they are a moft courteous and compaffionate people in all their behaviour* OF THEIR LAWS AND CUSTOMS, Over and above what hns been faid already of the nature and cuftom of thefe people, I fliall here ob- iicrve that their laws are very few in number ; but then they are prodigiously exa6l in the obfervancc of them. I have oftcni heard the Pophar, contrary to his cullom, make very fevere refieclions on the law- yers of other countries, who make laws upon ' laws, and add precepts upon precejHs, till the endleis num- ber of them makes the fundamental part to belorgot- ten ; leaving nothing but a confufed heap of explana- tions ; which may caufe ignorant people to doubt, v/"hether there is really any thing meant by the lawsi, or not. ' If I forbid my fon,' fays he, '' to do any wron^ * to any one, what need is there of reckoning up all ' the particulars by which a perfon may be wronged? ' Shew but the facl on both tides, any man of fenfe * and equity can tell^ if there be any wrong done.— * For It* you multiply an infinity of circumllances, it ' will be much more difficult to decide what is right, ' or what is wrong, than if you prqcifely and abfolute- ' ly forbid all injury whatibcver.' It is alraoft in- credible, with what nicety and equity, and how foon, their judges determine the fewdifputes they have a- mong them. To weigh the merits of the caufe by the weight of the purfe, would be counted by them one^of the greatefl enormities. There are no courts fordifputes of this nature; all is done by laying the cafe before their public affemblies, or before any one or two prudent and juft men ; and the affair is finally decided at once. All the law for Mcum and Tuuiii 14^ GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, among them is — * Thou flialt do no wrong to rtTjy, * one,' williout entering into any further niceties.* ' Sucli explanatory iuppofitions,' lay they, ' oftener * fliew people how th'jy may ingenuoufly contrive to * do an injui y, than liow to avoid it.' Their laws therefore are notliing but the firfl prin- ciples of natural juftice, explained and applied by the ciders, in the public hearing of all who have a mind 10 come in when the fufls are brought into difpute. The worfliip of the Deity, and tiiat exceflive and e- ven fuj)er(litious reverence they pay to their parents, both alive and dead, is fo carefully inculcated to them from their infancy, that there is no need of atiy writ- ten law^ to enforce it. 'I'hcy look on a man to be pof- I'eJTcd with fome brutal foul, who fliould pretend to call in queftion or neglevho they ■will, or not be nt all, 1 cannot but obferve how inexcufabie the witkednefs of men was frowi the beginning, without bLm.ing God, as fome libertines do, for leating them in ig- norance. The wicked Ham, or Claam, was in the ark widi Noah, and lived many years before the dflugc, (the truth of wliich is attefled by ancient hiflory, as wdl as by facrcd Scripture) and law the dreadful puni'hmcnt inflic\ed on the world for fm ; could not he have learnt godlinefs, and the reward for it, of his father Noah ? Gould not Ham have taught his own children, they theirs ; and fo on? But they corrupted their own ways, and thereby (kcwed the ncceflity of a re- yelation. GAUDKNTIO DI LUCCA. I49 afppears that a perfon has really murdered another, ^ thing the) think aimoft impoffible, the peribn c-onvi6led is fhut up from all commerce of men, with provifion to keen him alive as Ions; as nature allows. After hi death, the fa6l is proclaimed, as it was when they fliit him up, over all the Nomes. His name is blotted ont of their genealogies ; then his dead body is mangled juft in tlie lame manner as he killed the innocent, and afterwards burnt to aflies, which arem when their numbers were net fo great, at the firlt bcginnii>g^ of their eiUbiifhment. The Pophar, then, having diftinguifhed the hourkls of eveinr'Nomo, I mean in their firfi tranimigration, eacli ion took pofTefiion of it for himl<;lf and pollerity. While each lon^s cfiildren were unmarried, they con- tinued under thi go-vernment of their father, who made ufe of as much land as was iufficienl for the con- A'^niencics and pleailires, as well as tiie neceflaries of life. But as foon as any fon was married, or at leail: when he could be called a father of a family, the fa- ther, with confent of the Pophar, allotted him like- wife a fufficient quantity for the fame end : fo they fpread and enlarged themfelves as it were from the centre to a farther extent, much in the lame manner as they build their towns, till they had occupied the •whole Nome. Here you will lay, theic people muH in proc^fs of time increafe ad infinitum^ without lands fufficient to maintain them. This was really the tale in the firft plantation, which was fo entirely oc- cupied by them, that if the famous Pophar, who brought them into the vaft continent they now enjoy, had not made that glorious difcovery with the danger of liis life, they muft have returned into Kgypt, or eat up one another ; but where they are at preicnit, they have room enough, notvvithftnnding their numbers, for feveral ages. However, I often reprefented to^ the Pophar, that it muft come to that at lalt ; tlic thought made him uneafy at firft, and at length put him on a further diicovery, as your Reverences will fee in the fequel. But fuch vaft numbers of them be- taking themfelves to arts aiid manufa<^ures, and- the country l^in^ fo prodi^iottfly fertile, there "cIqcs m% GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 153 Appear art y grcat'difficulty in that refpe^. Of all arts, they look upon agriculture as the firftiii dignity, next to the liberal fciences, fince that nouriflies all the reft ; but it comes fo eafily, and tlie fruits and legumes are fo rich and delicibus, that they have little more trou- ble thai\ to gather them : befides, having two fummers and two fprings,, each different feafon produces its peculiar fruits. But to return to the idea of their government, each father of a family governs all his " defcendants^ married or unmarried, as long as he lives. ' If his fons are fathers, they have a fubordinate power under him ; if he dies before he comes to fuch an ase. ' the eldeft fon, or the eldeft uncle, takes care of them, till they are fufficienttofet up a family of themlelves. • The father, on extraordinary occafions, is liable to be infpecled by five of the moft prudent heads of that dif- trid; thefe by five of the five adjacent diftri«£ls chofen by comaion confent ; thefe laft, by the heads of the five Nome?, and all the Nomes by the Grand Popha'r affifted with three hundred and fixty-five elders or fenators, chofen out of every Nome. What is moft particular in this government is, that they are all ab- Iblute in fome manner, and independent, as looking on themfelves as all equal in birth 5 yet in an entire de- pendency of natural fubordination or elderfliip, which runs through the whole oeconomy, as your Reverences will fee when I come to the fucceifion. • They are in the fame manner lords and proprietors of their own pofTefiions, yet the Pophar and governors can allot and difpofe of all for the public emolument becaufe they look on him to be as much the father of all, as the im- mediate natural father is of his proper children, and - even in fome fenfe their natural father by right of el- derfliip, becaufe they fprung originally from one man, • whom the Grand Pophar reprcfents. To this, that natural, or politic, or even fuperftitious refped they fliew to their parents, contributes fo much that they never difpute, but, on the contrary, revere the regu- " rf^J^ GADDENTIO DI LUCCA. lutions made by their fiiperiors ; being fati-fied that they ai'e not only juft and good, but thrit it is their own adl, fmce it is done by virtue of a Tubordination to wliich tlicy all belong. ThiC l\jcrtllion of eldcrfliip -has fomething very particular, and even intrkate in it. To cxf>reis at the fame time the lupcriority of the elder fon, and theequality of independence, I fliail endeavour to ex- plain to your Reverences, as well as I can, the right thereof. The eldctl fonof the firil Pojihar is always Grand Pophar, when ho is of age to govern, wiiich, as J faidyis at ft "ty at fooneft ; but if the dire^Tt line fails, rot the uncle's {on, nor any one in that Nbme, but the right heir of the next Nome; and fo of all the five Nomcs. If they ihouid fail in all the Nomes, the ri^ht heir of thefecond fon of th® firtl Nome, and fo of ail the rcit. This, thty fay, has happened fevfcral times fince iheir firllcltablilliment, which is not much to be v/ondcred at, if they are i"o ancient as they pre- tend. Thus, though the Grand Pophirlhip be confin- ed to the eldell: in foinefenfe, in eifec^ it belongs ta tlicmaU; but if the next heir be a minor, as he is always judged to be till he is fifty years of age, the elduit of that age, of the fccond Ion of the next Nome, isiregent till the heir be out of his minority, and lb o!i; infomuch that, in order to divide the fuperiority among them as equally as poilVble, he who has the nenct right to the Grand Pophar, is never to be re- gemt. All other public ot^icers, teachers of arts and" Iciences, overfecrs of all the public employ^^cnts, &c. arc conllituted by the Grand Pophar and Sanhedrim, withallociates of every Nome. MORE PARTICULARS OF TIlBIR PUBLIC / ECONOiNlY. Though, as I faid, the Pophar is in fome fenle the proprietor of the whole country, as head of tlie go- ^AUDEWrrO DT LUCGA. 1 55 ;V€ni!ti<;nt -and chief patriarch ; yet the paradox of ,this government confifh^ in this, that they are joint lords, acknowledging no inequality, but merely elder- ihip, and the refpe^l due to dignitaries, which they efteem as their own, or redounding to themfelves, becaufe they all give their conient to their ele6lion ■for the |xiblic good. In a word, the whole countiy is only one great family governed by the laws of nature, with proper officers, conftituted by the whole, for order and common prefervation. Ev-ery indivi- fwered, that the women were come to fuch a pafs, that their abufes of liber- ty fhewed they were fcarce capable of making a proper ufe of it. However, a medium betwixt both carried it for that time. The injuries of the marriage ftate, and the corruption of youth, which was the occafion of it, were judged to be of fuch confequence to the commonwealth, that, refolved to put a flop to it at any rate, all the wife men and governors confulted together, and refolved unani- moufly to put the laws I mentioned againft adultery and whoredom in execution, caufing proclamations to be made for that intent throughout the whole empire. All corrupters of youth of both fexes were fhut up immediately, with the regulations I re- lated above, of having grave perfons always in the company of young people, whether men or women. They married off all that were of age for it, as faft as they could; but quickly found the number of in. habitants did not increafc as ufual, their native vi- gour being exhaufted or debilitated by their unna- tural abuies— '-^^ .164 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. [Some paragraphs seem 'wanting in this part of Gau- dcntio'^s narrative^ ivbicb doubtlcfs vjtre very cii" riousJ] There is one peculiar mclliod allowed by th^m, ia which they differ from all otlier nations; for whereas ihcfc lall endeavour to preferve their young people from love, lell: they fliould throw tliemfclvcs away, or make dii'advantageous matclies ; the former, haviwg 110 interefted views in that refped, encourage a gene- rous and honourable love, and make it their care to fix them in the lhicti:ll bonds they can, as foon as they judge, by their age and conllitution, of their inclinati- ons ; this they do fometimes by applauding their choice, but moitlyby raifingvail; difllcuhics, contriv- ed on purpofe both to try and enhance llieir conllan- cy. They have hiftories and ftories of heroic exam- ples of fidelity and conftancy in both fexes : but par- ticularly for the young women, by which they are tauglit rather to fuffcr ten thoufand deaths than vio- late their plighted faith. One may ia\- they are a na- tion of faithful lovers: the longer they live together, the more their fricncUhip increafes, and infidelity in either fex is looked upon as a capital crime. Add to this, that being all of the fame rank and quality, ex- cei)t the regard paid to elderdup and public employ- ments, nothing but perfonal merit, and a liking of eacli other, determines the choice ; tliere muft be fig- nal proofs produced, that the woman prefers the mail before all others, as his fervice mull be dilVmguiihed in the fame manner. AN'here this is approved of by the governors or elders, if the woman iniills on her de- mands, it is an inviolable law that that man mull be herhulband. Their hands are firfl: joined together , in public, then they clafp each other in the clofelt embrace, in which pollure the elder of the place, to fliew that this union is never t© be diflolved, takes a circle of the fineil tempered Heel, woven with flowers, and firit lays it over their necks, as they are thus . GAUDENTIO tyi tUttAi l6s claiplng each other, then round their waifts, and laft of all round their breafts, or hearts, to fignify that the ardency of their iove muft terminate in an indiffolu- ble friendfliip ; whieh is followed by infinite accla- mations and congratulations of the whole alTenibly. I believe the world cannot furnilh fuch examples of conjugal chaftity as are preierved between them by theie means. Widowers and widows never marrv fingle perfons, andbut rarely at all, except left young ; when they are lo gain each other as before. By fuch prudent precautions, infinite diforders and mil- fortunes to the commonwealth are prevented, pro- ceeding not only from difproportionate and forced marriages, but from the licentioufnefs of idle perfons, who either marry for money, or live on the fpoil of other people, till they can get an advantageous match. This is a (liort flcetch of their government and cui- toms, which I thought would not be unacceptable to* your Reverences, though a great many other cuftoms oflefs moment will occur in the fequel of my life, to which 1 now return. The Pophar regent made choice of me for one oi. his attending companions, with the other young meri who came home with us : he had a great many other attendants and oflicers, deputed by common confent, to wait his orders as regent ; thefe were changed every five years, as were thofe attending the govern* ors of the other Nomes, on account of improvement; for, being all of equal quality, they endeavour to give them as equal an education as poifible, changing their employments, and waiting on one another in their turns, by the appointment of their refpedlive govern- ors, except thofe whofe genius or choice determines them to arts and fciences, according to their ceconomy defcribed before, I muft only add, that having fuch a high value of their race, no one thinks it a difgrace to perform the meaneft offices, being all to be attended in like manner themfelvcs when it comes to their i66 caurentio di lucca. turns, each looking upon the lionours done to even* branch of the government as their own. Hence all tl)cir public ranks and ceremonits urc the moft mag- nificeni that can be imagined ; llicre is i'carce any thing done, even in entertainments l>etwcen the pri- vate tribes, but there are proper oiliccrs deputed for it, and all expences paid out of the common ftock, with deputies and uverfcers for every thing, 'i'hcir houfes are all open to one another,with a long gallery, which runs from one end of the range of buildings to the other. The women's apartments join toge- ther; with the men of each family joining to their own women, that is, their wives, iifters and daugh- ters. The women have their fubaltern officers like the men. 7'hc firft apartment of ever\' break of a ftreet belongs to the men, then the women's belong, ing to them J then the women's of tlie next family joining to theiH, and Liieir men beyond them, and io on, with large public halls at proper dillances for public aflemblies ; fo that every thing they do is a lort oF paradox to us, for they are the freeit and yet ftrKftefi peoj)le in the world; the whole nation, as I obferved before, being more like on« univerfal regu- lar college or com.munit)', than any thing elfe. The women are pcrpetuaily em[)loyed as well as the men ; it is their bufjnefs to work all the fme gi;rments for themfelves and the men, which being much the fame, except devices rnd flowers for their friends amllov- firs, are made with lefs diHlculty ; the chief dillerence is in the wearing thein. liut the chief dillinilion of iexes, is in the orny.ments of their necks and hair. Crowns and fillets arc worn by all, jull after the jnodel of the little picture your Reverences faw in the cabinet ; all their tapellry, cmbroidei*y, and the like, with infinite other curiolities, are the works of their women, fo that the chief qualifications of their women, or ladies, for they are all fuch, is to excel at the loom, needle or diftuff. Since 1 came there, by . GAU£)ENTIO DI LUCCA. iS'J tl'ie Pophar's clefire, they have added that of painting, in which, I believe, the vivacity of their genius wJll make them excel all the re II of the world. Not teaching; for hire, I thought it no difgrace in me to inftru-fl fuch amiable fcholars in an art no man ought to be afliamed of. It is a thing unknown wit]-\ thefe people for young ladies oFany degree, or even young men, to have nothing elfe to mind or to think of but vifits and drefs. When I gave them an account of the lives of our quality and gentry, they cried out — ' What barbarians! Can any thing become beauty ' more than knowledge and ingenuity V They feemed" to have fuch a contempt and even horror . for a life of that nature, that the young ladies afked , me with great concern, if our ladies had any lovers ? as if it were impoffible to love a woman who had no- . thing to recommend her but what nature gave her. . In fine, by the, defcriptjon I gave of the idle life of our ladies, they judged them to le no rn ore than . beautiful brutes. They afked me alfo, if I did not think myfelf fortunate by my captivity, where I met .with ladies who thought the ornaments of the mind more defirable than thofe of the body ; and told me, they imputed what they faw in me to my go©d for- tune of being born of their race by the mother's fide; nay, could fcarce believe but my fatlier hada mixture of their blood fome way or other. I aOurcd them, I cfteemed myfelf very happy to be in the midft of fo many charms of body and mind ; and added, that 'though ihey had the ineilimable hnppinefs of being born all of one race, vvithout any mixture of foreign vices, yet in effe^l all the world were origii-i,ally bro- thers and fillers, as fpringing from one pair, fmce men and women did not rife out of the ground like muflirooms. This I faid to give them a little hint of natural and revealed religion, which are infeparably linked together. But to return to myfelf: the Po- phar being my nearelt relation, took me into his own -j6^ CAUDtNTIO DI LUCCA. family, as his conllant companion and attendant, when lie was not on the public concerns ; where I hkcwife accompanied him Ibmctimes, and received moll dif* tinguirtiing marks of liis favour. He would ©ften confer with me, and inllni«^ me in their ways and culloms, and the policv of their government, enquir- ing frequently into the particulars of our govern- ments, both civil and religious. He never endea- voured to perfuade me to conform to their religious ceremonies, and my own good fenfe told me it was ])rudence not to meddle with them. I rather thought he Icemcd inclined to have more favourable fentiments of our religion, as fuch, than l.is own, though he was prodigioully bigotted to their civil culloms ; faying, it was impolTible ever to preferve a common wealtii, when they did not live up to their laws ; which Ihould be as few and as limplc as polhble: for when once people break in upon fundiMnentals, all fubfequent laws would not have half the Ilrcngth as primary .ones. To thefc he added many other rcfledions, 'that uiewed him a man of confummatc wildom, and worthy the high poft he bore. He had had two fons, both dead, and two daughters living; the one was about ten years old when I arrived there, (it is .flie your Reverences faw in that ])id"ture) the other .born the year before the Pophar let out for Grand (^airo. I lis lady, much younger than himfelf, Oiewtd .luch frelli rcmiiins of beauty, as demonflrated thd.t ,nothing but what I'prung from hcrfelf could equal her: both the Pophar and his coniort looked on ,mc as their own fon, nor could I e.xpe£l greater fa- vour had I reiilly been fo. I took all the care ima^ giuiible not to render myfelf unworthy of it, and both revered and loved them beyond what I am able to exprefs ; though indeed, as 1 obl'ervea, tlie whole race of them was nothing but a kingdom of brothers •and friends, no man having the lead fufpicion or fear fii another. They were ib habituated to the obferv* eAUDENTIO DI ItJCCA. XG^ ^nce of their laws, by their natural difpofitions and the never ceafing vigilancy of their governors, that •they feemed to have a greater horror for the breach Kjf their laws, than the punifliments attending it ; fay- ing that infinite diiorders might be committed by the malicious inventions of men, if there were no- thing but fear to keep them in their duty. Such force has education and the light of nature rightly culti- vated ; for mylelf, I was left to follow what liberal employment I Jhad a mind to. Pliilofophy, mufic and paintings had been the chief part of my ftudy and diverfion, till my unhappy captivity and the lofs of my brother ; but as I was fallen among a nation of philofophers, that noble fcience, the miftrefs of all others, made up the moft ferious part of my employ- ment ; though at fome times, by the Pophar regent's eameft defire, I applied myfelf to the other two, par- ticularly painting. I'hey had a great many old- fafliioned mufical inftruraents, and an infinite number of performers in their way, who attended their feafts nnd public rejoicings : but their mufic, both vocal and inftrumental, was not near fo perfe<^ as one might expe£l from fo polite a people, and did not come up to the elevated genius of our Italians. Their philo- fophy chiefly turned on the more ufeful part of it ; that is, the mathematics and direction of nature : in the moral part of it they have a fyftem, or rather no- tion, of which I forgot to acquaint your Reverences before ; it is a too high and exalted notion of Provi- •denee, if that expreflion may be allowed, by which they imagine all things to be fo governed in this world, that whatever injury a man does to another, it will be returned upon him or his pofterity, even in this world, in the lame manner, or even in a greater degree, than what he did to others, [Inquisitor, You'll be pleafed to explain your own ientiments in this particular, iince we hope you ^IJO CAUDFNTTO.DI LUCCA. don't deny that funJamenial law of nature and religion, viz. That the divine Providence prefides over all things; and as for fuhlunary things, wo prefume you believe that Providence does not only fliew itlclfin the wonderful proda^flion and harmo- ny confpicuoiis in all natural caules and effetfls, beyond all the wit and art of men ; but alio over the moral part, tliat is, the free afiions of men, by fuitable rewards and puniOiments in this world or the next, to make an equal and juft compenlatj- on for all the good and evil of this life, as God is the juft and equal father of all. So pray explain yourieUVthat v/e may know your real fentiments on that head. Gaudentio, I hcpe, reverend Fathers, I fliall con- vince you, my lentiments are really orthodox in this point ; no npail has more reaibn to magnify Providence thnu myfelf; but heathenilh pe.>ple may carry a jull belief to fuperfliition. 'Jliat there is a Pro\idence over the phyfical part of the world, ■no man who has any juft knowledge in nature caa be ignorant, fmce he may beeonvincedby the lenll infed'b, every thing being adapted to its 'peculiar ends, witli fuch art and knowledge in the Author of it, that all the art and knowledge of men can't do the like ; a!»d by confequencc not being able to makeitfclf, it muitbe produced by a caufe infinitely )cnowing and foreieeing. Then, as to /he moral part of the world, the lame reaibn fliew's, that fince the great Cireator del'cends io low as to take care of the lead inftiTi, it is incredible to think that tha roblcH: part of the world, that is, the free aflion* of men, (hould be wjtiiout his care, liut as he has given them, the glorious endowments of free will, the fame Providence knows how to adapt the di- re(flion of them by ways and means fuitable to their beings ; that is, by letting them know his will, and propolin^ fuitubltt rewards and puniQimeuts for J GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. I7I their good and bad anions ; which rewards and pu- nitliments, it is evident, are not always feen in this life, fince the wicked often proiper, and the good '. fuffcr, but by confequence muft be relerved for another ftate/' But theie people not having a juft notion of the next life, though they believe a future ftate, carry mat- ters fo far, that they think every injury done to a- nothei' will be iome way or other retaliated upon . • the aggrcfTor, or his poflerity, in this life : only they fay, the punifliment always falls the heavier the longer it is deferred. In this manner do they account for all the revolutions of the earth, that one wicked a6lioh is punifhed by another ; that the defcendants of the greateO: monarchs have b'v^en loft in beggary for almoft endleis generations, and theperfons that difpoffeifed them treated after tht; farne manner by fome of the defcendants of the ■ former ; and fo on : which notion, in my opinion 'is not juft, fince a fincere repentance may wipe -oft* the moft grievous offences. Butas perfons, gene- ■ rally fpeaking, are more fenfibly touched with the ■ puniQlTnents of this life, it is not to be doubted but there are often moft fignal marks of avenging pro- ' videncp in this life, in ordtr to deter the wicked. Inquisitor, Go on.] - Finding the Pophar had a prodigious fancy for painting, by fome indifferent pieces he hid picked up, I applied myfelf with extraordinary diligence to that art, ])articularly fince he would have me teach his daughter, whole unparalleled charms, thougli but in the bud, made me inlenfible to all otliers. By fre- quent drawing, I not only pleafed him and others, hut alfo myfelf ; every one there, men and women* vvtrc to follow fome art or fcience : the Pophar defired me to impart my art to fome of the young people of both fexcs ; faying, there were very great cncou- ragen>entaforthe inventors of any new arts, which I' 172 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. might juftly claim a title to. I did fo ; and before I left il.c place, I had the plcaiure to ice iomc of thera ecual, or even excel their mailer.. Thefe were the chief employments of my Itifure hours ; though I was forced to leave them for confi- derahle intervals to attend the regent in the private vifitations of his charge, which he did frequently from time to time, fometimes to one Nome, fomctimes to another, having an eye over all, both officers and. people. Thefe vifitation&were rather prclervations againfl, than remedies for, any difordcrs. Pleufedto fay, tliat the commonwealth was like a great ma- chiiie' with different movements, which if frequently vifited by the artift, the leaft flaw being taken notice of in time, was not onlj loon remedied,, but was a- jTieaiiS of preferving all the reft in a conftant and regu-- lar motion ; but if ncgle6led, would foon diforder the motions of the other parts, and either coft a great deal to repair, or bring the whole machine to delhuc- tion. Unlefs on public folemnities, which were al- ways very magnificent, the Pophar (not to burden his- people) went about without any great train, accom- panied by only an afliiting elder or two, the young Po- phar, andmyfolf : he had frequent convcrlauons with the iubalterns, and even with tlie meaneft artifans, calling them his children ; and they having recoui fe to him as their common father. P'or the fcril five years of his regenc)', the only difiiculty we had of a^ ny moment to determine was an affair of the moft de- licate nature 1 ever heard : though it does not con- cern myiclf, I. fliall relate it to your Reverences for the peculiar circumilances of it, being a caie entirely new, as well as unprovided for by the laws of their conftitution. The cafe was this: two twin brothers had falicu in love with the fame woman, and Ihe with them.-« The men and the woman lived in different parts, of the fame Nome, and mct.accideutally at one of their. CAUDF.NTIO DI LUCCA. . IJ^ great folemnities; it was at the feafl: of the Sun, which is kept twice a year, becaufe, as I informed your Reverences, their kingdom lies between thetro" pics, but more on this fide the line than the other.-— This fitucttion is the occalion that they have two fprings aiid two fummers. At the beginning of each fpring, there are great feafts in every Nome, in ho- nor, of the Sun ; they are held in the open fields, ia teftimony of his being the immediate caule (in their opinion) of the produdlion of all things. All the facrifice they offer to him are five little pyramids of incfenfe, according to the number of their Nomes, placed on the altar in plates of gold till they take fire of themfelves. Five young men, and as many women, are deputed by the governors to perform the ofHce of placing the pyramid? of incenle on the altar : they are clad in their fpangled robes of the colour of the Nome, with crowns on their heads, marching up two by two, a man and a wom<^i, be- tween two rows of young men and women, placed theatre-wife one above another ; and make the moft beautiful fliow that eyes can behold. It happened that one of the twin brothers was deputed, with the yvoung lady I am fpeakingof, to make the firll couple • for placing the incenfe upon the altar. They march- ed up on different fides till they came up to the altar ; when they have placed the iiKenfe, they falute eacli other, and crofs down^ the men by the ranks of the women, and the women by the men, which they do with wonderful grace becoming fuch an augufl: alfem- bly. The defignor this is to encourage a decorum in the carnage of the young people, and to give them a ^ight of each other in their greatefl luftre. When the five couple, h:\ve performed their ceremony, the other ranks come two by two to the altar, faluting each other, and crofling as before, by which means . Jhe youn^ people have an opportunity of feeing everj^ 174 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCAV- man and woman of the whole company, though the placing of them is clone by lot. If they have not any engagement before, they generally take the firft liking to one another at fuch interviews, and the wo- man's love and choice being what determines the mar- riage, without any view of intereft, being, as I faid, all equal in quality, tlie young gallants make it their bufinci's to gain the afFeftion of the perfon they like by their future fervices. To prevent inconvenience of rivalfliip at the beginning, if the man be the perfon the woman likes, he prefents her with a flower juft in the bud, which (lie takes and puts in her brealK If flic is engaged before, lUc Ihews him one, to fignify her en- gagement J wJiich if in the bud only, flicws the court- Ihipisgoneno further, than tlie tirfl propofal and liking ; if half blown, or the like, it is an emblem of furrl>cr progrefs ; if full bloNvn, it fignilies that her choice is determined, from wlienc^e they can never recel.o ; that is, fhe can cludlenge the man that pre- fents it, but he cannot challei>ge her till Ihe has worn^ it publicly. If any dillike fhould happen after that, they are to be ftmt up, never to have any hulband,— - If fhe has no engagement, but does not approve of the perfon, Ihe m*kes him a low couvtefy, with her eyes fhut till he is gone away. The women, it is true, for all this, have fome little coquettitli arts, diflembling their affee had loft, re- ceived it with a look that fhewedhe had made a great- er progrefs in her affeftions than what- that flower exprelfed ; the laws not permitting any further con- veriation at that junAure, , they retired to their re- fpedive habitations. Some time after, the brother who had the luck to prefent^the firfl: flower, whom for diftin6lion I fhall call the younger brother, as he really was, found.away to make heravifit by flealth, at a grated window, which, as I obferved,' was publicly prohibited by the wife governors, but privately con- nived at to enhance their love. He came to her, and after fome amorous- converfation, makes bold to pre- fent her the more advanced mark of his afFe^bion, . which fhe accepted of,, and gave him in return a fcarf, worked with hearts feparated by little bram- bles, to fliew there were fome difficulties for him to overcome yet ; however, they gave one another mu- tual aflurances of love, and he was permitted to pro- fefs himfelf her lover, without declaring lier name, for fome private reafbns flie had. Not long after, Uie elder brother came^.and procured an opportunity 176 CAUDEKTIO DI LUCCA. of meeting her at the fame window. The night was very dark, lb that he could not fee the lecond flower which flic had in her bofom, onlv fhe received him with greater figns of joy and freedom than he expell- ed ; but refie<^ing on the figns he had remarked in her countenance, and after her illnefs by a fort of natural vanity for his own merits, flattered himlelf that her pallion was ratlier greater than liis, excufed himfelf for being fo long without feeing her, and ad- ded, that if he were to be guided by the height of his flame, he would fee her every night. Siie reflc(fling how lately flie had feen him, thought his diligence was very extraordinaiy, but imputed it to the ardour of his paflion ; in fuie, (lie gave him fuch allured figns of love, thathe-thouglil in himfeifhe might pafs the middle ceremony, and prefent her with the full-blown flower, to make fure of her. S!ie took it, but told him Ihe would not wear it for fome time, till flie had pafl'ed iomc forms, and had furtherproof of his con- llancy ; but for his confirmation of her affecflion, Qie put out her hand asr far as the grate would pemiit, which hekiliod witli all the -ardours of nn cnflamed lover, giving her a thoufandaifu ranees of his fidelity, and flic in return gave him a ribband with two heart>s interwoven wilhlierown hair, fcparated only with ti little hedge of pomegranates almoU ripe, to Ihew that the time of gathering the fruit was nigli at hand.-i- Thus were the three lovers in tlie greatcft degree of happiutis imaginable; the brothers wore her favours on all public occafions, congratulating each otlu-r for the fuccefs in their amours ; but as lovers aflecl aic- crecyin all they do, never telling one another who were the objeiVs of their afledion. The next great feaft drew on, when the younger brother thought it was time to prefent the lalf mark of his afl'e6\ion, in order to demand her in marriage, whicli was ufually performed in thofe public folemnities. He told her lie hoped it wa« *iiOW lime, tp reward liis lliime,. bj CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. I'Jf wearing the open flower, as a full fign of her confent, and gave her a full-blown artificial carnation, with gold flames and little hearts on the leaves, interwo- ven with y/onderful art and ingenuity. She thinking it had been a repetition of the ardour of his affe^ion, took it, and put it in her bofom with all the marks of tenderHel's, by which the fair fex in all countries know how to reward all the pains of their lovers in a mo- ment. Upon this he refolved to afk her of her pa- rents, which was the only thing neceflary on his fide, the woman having; a rij^ht to demand anv man's fon in the kingdom, if he hadbut prefcnted her with the lad mark of his affedion. The elder brother having giv-- en in his fome time before, thought the parents ap* probation was the only thing wanting on his lide, and refolves the fame day on the fame thing. They were ftrangely furprized to meet one another ; but feeing the different favours., they did not know what ta- make of it. When the father came, they declared- the caufe of their coming, in terms which fully ex- pr^fled the agony of their minds: the father was in as great concern as they were, aifuring them that he had but one daughter, who he was confident would never give fuch encouragement to two lovers at the • fame time, contrary to their laws ; but feeing their extreme likencfs, he guelTcd there muil be fome mif- take. Upon this the daughter was fent for, who be- ing informed it was to declare her confent in the choice of her lover, iTie came down with four flowers in her bofom, not thinking but the two full-blown had belonged to the fame perlon, fmce (he had received two before file had worn the firfl. The defcription the poets give of the goddefs of Venus riling out of the fea, could not be more beautiful than the bloom that appeared in her checks. when flie came into the room. 1 happened to be there prefent, being f«nt before by tiic Pophar, to let the father know of the regent's intended vifit i that being a coniiderable of» lyS CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. ficcr, lie miglit order liis concerns accordingly. As foon as the young huly licard the cauie of their com- ing, and faw them iiidiftinguiftiably like each other, with the public fignsofher favours wrought with her own hand, which they brouglit along with them, fiie fcrcamed out — ' I am* betrayed I' and immediately fell in a fwoon, flat on the floor, almoft between her two lovers. The father, in a condition very little "better, fell down by his daughter, and bathing her with his tears, calied to her to open her eyes, or he mufl: die alonn: with her. The voun» men ftood like ilatues, with rage and dcfpair in thc-ir looks at the fame time. I being the only indilVerent pedbn in the room, though cxtremclv furpri?,cd at the event, cal- led her mother and women to come to her afliflance ; who carried her into another room, undrefled her, jihd l>y proper remedies brouglit her at lall to herlelf. The firfl word flie faid was — ^ Oh, Berilla I what have ' you done?' Ail the reft was nothing but fobs and fighs, enough to melt the hardeft heart. When fhxj "was in a condition to explain herielf, flie declared, file liked the perfon of the man who went up with her to the altar; that fome time after, the fame per- fon, as Ihe thov'ght, had prefented her with the flrft inarks of his aflV form to any laws or any religion, if I would but let him fee a habitable country again. I ftared at the man, ,and began to think there was fomc truth in -tlie Po- phar's fcience. However I told him^ if he would but .behave like a rational creature, he fhould go along with us : but he mufl- fuiTer himfelf to be blindfolded till he came to the place. He ftarted a little, and feemed to be prodigious fufpicious, left we fiiould de- ceive him. But on my affuring him on the faith of .a man, that he ftiould come ,to i?o harm, h e confent* .ed. After we had refrefned ourfelves, being both glad and concerned for the information we had received .of the nature of the country, which was the intent of our journey, in order to guard againil all inconve- niences, we covered his eyes very clofe, and carried rhim back with us, fometimes on foot fometimes- on one of the fpare dromedaries, till we arrived fafe from wliere wefetout. Then we let him fee where he was^ iind what a glorious country he was come into. We f:loathed him like ourfelves, that is, in our travelling ^refs, to fliew he was not an entire ftranger to our race. He feemed loft in admiration of what he faw^ and embraced me with all the figns of gratitude ima* finable. He readily conformed to all our cuftoms, and made no fcruple ofafTiiling at all their idolatrous ceremonies, as if he had been as good a heathen aa the beft of them. Which I feeing, v(^ithout declaring myfelf to be a chriftian, told him 1 had been informed, the people of the country, where he was educated^ were chriftians » and wondered to fee him join in ador* S ±o6 .CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. ing the lun. — ' Pugh I' fays he, ' fome bigotted * people make alcruple ; but moil: of oiir men of fenfe • think one religion is as good as another.' By this I perceived cur lavage was of a new let of people^ which I had heard of before I left Italy, called Poli- tici*, wlio are afort of atheirtsin mafquerade. The Pophar, out of his great ikill in phyfiognomy, would liave no converfation with him, and commanded me to have a llri«^ eye over him. However, the infor- mation he had given us of the poffibility of invading the kingdom the way he came, anfwered the intent oi our voyage, and my former conjeftures ; about which there was a grand council held, and oniers given to fecure the foot of our outermoft mountain Southwards, which ran a great v/av into the defart ; fo that it wag fuffitient.to guard agaiiiftany of thofe barbarous inva- ders of the continent. But to return to our European lavage, for he may be juftly called fo, b^ing more dan- gerous in a commonwealth than tlie very Hickfoes themfelves ; though he was a perfon v/ho had had a iolerable civilized education, bating the want of all i'enfe of religion, which was owing to his perpetual converiation with libertines. He had a fmattering of moft kinds of polite learning, but without a bottom jn any refpeft. After he had been with us fome time, his principles began to flicw themfelves in his pratlice. Firit, he began to be rude with our women ; married crfingle, it was all alike to him, and by an unaccoun- table fpirit of novelty or contrail! £lion, our women feemed to be inclined to be very fond of hirfl ; fo that we were at our wits ends about him. Then he be- gan to find fault with our government, defpifmg and condemning all our ceremonies and regulations : but • Tl'.efe Politlci >vcre fore-runnors of our modern free- tliinkers, whofe principles tepd to the dellriK^ion of all hu- man fociety, as our author flicws incoitiparably well by antj by.' ■ ^ GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA." 20'J his groat aim Was, to pervert our youth, enticing thera into all manner of liberties, and endeavouring to make them believe, that there was no fuch thing as moral evil in nature ; that there was no harm in the greateft crimes, if they could but evade the laws and punidi- ments attending them. As I had endeavoured to create a confidence in him, he came to me one day, andfaid, that fnice I wa? an European as well as him- lelf, we might make ourfelves men for ever, if I would join with him : ' You fee,' fays he, ' thefe men can- * not fight : nay, will rather be killed tliemfelves, than *' kill any one elfe ; can\ yoii fliew me the way out of ' this country, where we will get a troop of ftout fel- * lows well armed, and come and plund^^r all the coun- * try ? We fliall get immenfe riches, and make our-' ' felves lords andmafters of all.' I heard him with a^ great deal of attention, and anfwered him, that^I tliought the projedl might eafily take, only. for th-;j Horrid wickedneis of the fa6l ; efpecially foifustwo who had received fuch favours from tKe Popliar and hiss' people : he, in his being delivered from the greateii: mifery ; and myfelf, in having been freed f m flave- ry, and made one of the chief men of the kingdom':' that the a^ion would deferve tobe branded with eter- nal infamy, and the blacked ingratitude : befide the" infinite villainies, injuftices, crimes, and deaths of in- nocent perfons, who muft periOx in the attempt ; which woukl always ftare us in the face, and torment us with jiever-ceafmg ftings of confcience till o^r death. 'Confcience 1' fays he, ' that's ajeft; a mere * engine of prieftcraft : all right is founded in p6wer ; ' let us once get that, and who will difpute <^ur right ?' * As for the injuftice of it, that's a mere notion : dif- * tin£lion of crimes, mere bigotry, and the effegs were now so. good a« ready ; the Pophar and myfelV had other deigns than uiual, and were in I'omt? paia to tlijnkof leaving that once i'o hoppy country. Though, a&I iaid, all things tliat could make me happy, werti buried with my dear li'yphena. The Pophar had fomc ierioiM thought* about luruing Chriilian: tlK» eriden- CCK of our reiigiw^ were i'ooii perceived by a perfort «f hU doep peric^nition ; though {>erfuns of I'rttlci Jeamj^ng, and great vices, precend they do not lee tkem. But, like a wile man, he was rcfolved to ex- •naint inta it, in the place where it was eicercKi'cd m tlitt groatc'lt IplendoF. We provided a good (juantu ly of jewels, and as much gold as we could well carry, for oiir prclent cxpences at Grand Cairo, and elic* \rh«i-«, m future exigencies, I went to my LK.*iIl iii hh grotto, and threw hrm as much gold and jewelsi »s were iujlicient to glut his avarice, and make him- happy in hia brutal way of thinking, l^t I wo«lvQ^ over iivi deibiTB. Tins cap >v^9 madp GAlTDENTIO DI LUCCA. 211 Tike a head-piece, with breathing-places for his mouth and noie, as well as to take in nouriihment, openingj at the back part, and clalping with a Ipring behind, that being once locked, he could not open it himlelf. He put it on his head two or three times, before ha. durit venture to dole it. At length he clafped it, and he was as blind as a beetle. We went to hiuT and tied his liands, wliich he let us do quietly enough ; but iUU begged us that we would not be- tray him to the favages. I bid him thiiik once more, that now hii own interior ienfe told him that to be- tray him would be a crime,- by confequenoe theref v/as fuch a thing as evil.^ All things being in readinefs, we mounted out* dro- medaries. The Pophar and all the rell kiffed the ground as ufual : I did th * fame ; out of rgfpe£l to the- place which contained the remains of ray never too- much lamented Ifypliena, the afl>es of whole heart are in the hollow of the ilone, whereon is her pic- ture. Not to mention the ceremonitis of our taking leave, we were conducted in a mournful manner ovei* the bridge, and launched once more into the oeean of- funds and defarts which were before us.- Our lavage' was on a dromedary which would follow the relt, but- led by a cord faftened to one of them for fecurity.- Itftumbled with him twice or thrice, and threw him ofFonce., but without any great hurt. But the fear of breaking his neck put him in great agony, and though he was as bold as a lion on other occafions, he was prodigioully ilnrtled at the tl>oughts of death* We arrived at Grand Cairo at the ulual [>€riod of time without any particular difafter. As loon as we were f, mother to the prcfent fuUuD, uud regent not being able to find a worfe hand than his own.- The Pophar,- good man 1 bore thefe misfortunes with wonderful patience, though he afliired me, bis greatell grief was,* to fee human nature fo far corrupted^ as it was in tliat impious wretch, who could think the raoft horrid^ crimes were not worth the notice of the fupremfe Go-" vemor of the univerfe. ' But we fee,' fays he, * that * Providence can make the wicked themfelves th^ ^14 CAUDENTIO DI LUCCA.' * inn-rumentof Its juft vengeance : for can any tliinj; ' be lb great a blot upon human nature, as to be its * own deftroyer, when tlic very brutes will flruggle ' for life till the laft gafp V However, he was uneaiy till he had left that hateful place. Bcfides, there were fome figns of the plague breaking out; fo we went down to Alexandria as faft as we could : and to encourage Monfieur Godart, he made him a prcfcnt beforehand of a diamond of a conliderable value. — We fet- fail for Gandy, where Monfieur Godart was to touch, the 1 6th day of Aiiguft, Anno 17 12. But, . alas! whether thefe troubles, or not being ufed to j the fea, or fome infe6lion of the plague he had caught \ at Grand Cairo, or all together, is uncertain ; but that great good man fell fo dangcroully ill, that we thought we Ihould fcarce get him to Candy. He af- fured me by the knowledge he had of himfeU and na- ture, that his time was come. We put in at the firft creek, where the lai.d ?tir a little refrcihcd him ; but it was a fallacious crifis, for in a few days all of us • perceived his end draw near. Then he tohl me he was refolved to be baptiijed, and die in the Cliriftlan faith. I g-othim inllru6led by a reverend prieil be-- longing to Monfieur Godart ; his name was Monfieur' Le Grelle, whom Ihad formerly known when he was' a fludent in the college lor foreign millions ; and, what- was the only comfort I had now left, 1 law him bap-- tized, and yield up the gholt with a courage becom-- ing the greateft hero, and the belt of men. This was- the greateft afiii ,der my fafti, for my defence on fliip-board; I faw •there was no time to deliberate, fo I fired direflly at •them, for they were three, and had the good luck to drop one of them. But Hamets, as I found afterwards, minding nothing but his revenge on the woman, fired again, and mifli^o the lady a iccond time, fliot her maid througli tl.e arm, and was drawing his fcymitar te cleave lier down, when 1 Ilept in before the lady, but (hooting with too much precipitancy, the bullets pafied under his arm, and lodged in the body of his lecond ; he darted back at the fire fo near him, which gave me time to draw my fcymitar. Being now up- x>n equal terms, he retired two or three paces, and cried — ' Who art thou that ventured thy life fo * boldly for this wicked woman?* I knew his voice perfe' * whom we fecured at the fame time we did you > ' but would not let you know it, till we could pro" ' cure intelligence from Venice, and a perfon who ' could fpeak the Perfian language. We own we ' find her in the fame ftory with you, and nothing * material ag^infl: you from Venice. Upon the * examining her effc£\s, we found this medal of the f fame make with yours, by which you knew who * your mother was. She fays it was about herneck, * when Oic was fold to the Perfian merchant, But ' fmce we fliall give you both your liberties in a ' fhort time, (he fliall be brought unto you, and we ' give you leave to fay what you will to her, with ' ^ the interpreter by.' Upon this the lady was intro- duced, v/ith her maid and the interpreter. As foon as fhe faw our examinate in good health, andieem- ingly at liberty, a joyful ferenity fprcad itfelfover her countenance, fuch as we had not feen before. • Our examinate afked her, to be pleafed to give afi - account of her life, as far as flie thought proper, > and how flie came by that medal. Lady. ' All I knowofmyfelf,' faid (he, ' is, that the no'. ■ * ble Curd, who bought me of a Perfian merchant " ' for a companion for his only daughter, about my * own age, whom he thought I refembled very much, • ' often declared to me, that the merchant bought ' me of a Turkilh woman, wlio left that medal ' about my neck, fuppofing it to be fome charm or * prefervative againlldiftempers, orbeccuife a lifter * of mine' had the fame fallened about her neck, ' with a gold chain, which could not be taken off ' without breaking ; but who, or where the filler * was, I never knew. The noble Curdifh lord, • * who bought me, grew prodigious fond of me, and * bred me up as another daughter ; and not only * fo, but having an only fon, fomething older than ' * myle^lf, he connived at a growing love he perrceiv^'' C^UDENTIO Dl LUCC^, ^^y 'Cd between his fon and myfelf ; which, after fome difficulties on both {iles, at length came to a mar- riage ; thoLitjh it cofi: my generous benefa<^or and father-in-law his life. For another young lord of Curdiftan, falling in love with me, often challeng- ed Prince Cali (that was my dear hufband's name) to decide their pretenfions by the fword, wfiich I had always forbid him to do ; faying, that man fliould never be my hufband who expofed my i:e- putation by adiiel ; fince the world would never believe, that any man would expofe his life for a woman, unlefs there had been fome encourage- ment given on both fides ; whereas I never gave theleaitto any but Prince Cali. IJowever, the other met him one day, and attacked him fo fu- rioufly, that Prince Cali was forced to kill him in his own defence, making a thoufand protcfta- tionc, that he had almoft fuffered himfelf to be killed rather than to difobey my orders. But the father of the prince who was ilain, with a com- pany ofaflliffins,laidan ambufcade for Prince Cali and his father, in which this latter was killed, and moft of his train. But by the valour of his fon, and two of his companions, the chief affaflins were laid dead on the fpot, and the reft put to flight. But Prince Cali, after the death of hi^ father, fearing further treachery of that nature, prefently after we were married, removed to another part of the kingdom, from whence being fent on a commifTion by his king, he was inhu- manly mardered by the barbarous Hamets. This is the fum of my unfortunate life, till 1 had the good fortune to fa ve yours.' S^ecretary. We permitted the nephew and the aunt (for fo they were found to be by the medal) to embrace one another ; Signor Gaudentio affuring iier, that by all appearance he was the fon of her ^fter and the mother's filler that was loft, and both l-^2S GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. of them preferved to {"iwq each other's life. The lady then declared, flie would turn Chriftian, fince her misfortunes were come to that perio,cf; and that fhe was refolved to leave the world, and retire into fome of ourmonafterits. We put her among the nuns of our order, where (he promifes to be a jignal example of virtue and piety. The Inquifi- tors ordered the cxawiinate to give them the re- maining part of his life, which, in all aj)pearance, if they found his Itory to agree with their informa- tions, might purchafe him liis liberty. Upon which Gaudentio proceeded as foUows.J I was telling your Reverences, that at length we fet fail from the Port, and ftceredour courfe dire(^ly for Venice, where we happily arrived, without any confiderable accident, the icth of ]3ecember 1712. I do not queftion but your Reverences are already informed, that fuch perl'ons did arrive at Venice about that time. MonfieurGodart is well known to feve- ral merchantSj^and fome of tlic fenators of that famous city, whom he informed of what he fawwith his own eyes. But there were fome particular paflTages, un- known to your Reverences, wherein I had like to have made a fliipwreckofmylife, after fo many dangers; as I did here of my liberty ; though I do not complain, but only rtprefent my hard fortune to your Rever- ences confideration. It happened to be the carnival time during our flay at Venice. Curiofity led m8, as well as a great many other Grangers of the firil: rank, to Ice the nature of it. I put on my Mezoranian ha' bit, fpangled with funs of gold, and the fillet-crown on my head, adorned with feveral jewels of very great value, which I believe was the moll remarkable and magnificent drefs of any there. 1 went unmafqued, being afTured my face and perfon were unknown to ail that world. Every one's eyes were upon me.— Several of the mafqaeraders came up to me, and talk- > cd to me, particularly the ladies. They fpoketo mc 6AUDENTI0 DI LUCCA, £29 111 fcveral languages, as Latin, French, Italian,, Span •• irii, Hi^h Dutch, &c. I anfvvered them all in the Mezoranian language, which leemed as flrange to them as my drefs. Some of them' fpoke to me in th©- Turkifh and Perlian languages, in Lingua Franca, and fome in an Indian language I really did not underftand, 1 anfwered them ftill in Mezoranian, of which nobody. ^ knew one word. 'Two ladies particularly, very rich- ly dre (Ted, followed me wherever I went, 'The one, as it proved afterwards, was Favilla, the celebrated cotirte^an, in the richeft drefs of all tlie Company j the other was the, lady who was with me When I was ta- ken up, and who was the occafion of ray .-fettling at Bologna; i mean the true occafion, for I will con- ceU nothing from your Reverences. Notwithftand- ing their diligence, I got away unknown at that time. The next time I came, I appeared in the fame drefs, but with richer jewels. T had more eyes upon me now than before. 'The courtezan purmed me again in a different, but richer drefs than the former. At length {|ie gotme by myfelf, and pulling ofFhermafqucj fhewedniea wonder^ pretty face, only there was too fierce an afTurance in it. ' 'She cried in Italian — - * O Signor, you are not fo ignorant df our language, ' as you would feem td be ! you can f peak Italian and ^ French too ; though we do not know who you are, .^^ we have learnt you are a man 6f honour. ' If yon ]^, would not underiland bur "Words, 'you may under- r* fland a face, which very great peribnages have beei^ * glad to look at;' and with that put on one of the moil ehfnaring au's I ever faw. "I do not doubt but . your Reverences have heard of that famous court6- zan, and how the greateft man in Venice was once her flave. I was juft going to anlwer her, when the other lady came up, and pulling off her mafque alfo, faid aimoft the fame things, but with a modelty more graceful than her beauty, which Wii5 »Qit exquifite, ¥ ijO , eAUDLNTTO DI LUCCA^" arjd the likeft the incomparable Ilyphena I ever faw. I made them both a moll refpeftful bow, and told thern that it had b'jen much fafer for me if I had kept my- felf ftill unknown, and never feen fuch dangerous charms. I pronounced thefe words with an air that fhewed that I was more pleafed with the modefty of the laft lady than the commanding afliirance of the firft. The courtezan, though a little nettled at the preference (he thought I gave the other, put on sL more ferious air, and faid flie had been informed there was fomething very extraordinary in my chara£ler, and fhould be glad to hear more of it by herl'elf i that her name was Favilla, and that flie lived in fuch a ftreet, where I fhould find her houfe remarkable e- nough. The Bclognian lady, whom your Reveren- ces knew very well, and who was then at Venice on account of the death of her uncle, one of the fenators, ivho had left her all his effects, faid modeftly,if, were I to fa\our her with a vifit, as flie had been informed that I was a learned man and a virtuofo, being in- clined that way herfelf, flie fliouldbe glad of an hour's- conyerfation with me on that fubje<^, telling me her name and where fhe lived ; adding, if I would inform mvfelf of her chara^er, I need not beafliaraed of hei* acquaintance. ' Nor, I hope of mine, Madam,* fays the other, thinkingfhe had been rcfleded on by that word. It was Monfieur Godart, who, with a levity ■peculiar to his nation, had made the diicovery who I was, though he knew nothing of me but what paffed fmce I came from Grand Cairo. I Was going to re- lAy to the ladies, when company came up and broke off the diicourfe ; I was refolved to fee neither of them, and would go no more to the affenibly, though, almofl unavoidably, I faw both afterwards. I enquir- ed into Favilla's character, though I fcJirce doubted ot it by what IfaW and heard, and was informed that Ibe was an iinperious couttezaTi,' Whfo hid enflarv^ed ieveral perfons gf the firft rank, of diflferpt naUpns, GAUPE NTIO DI LUCCA. ^^l and enriched herfelf by their fpoils ; this determined me not to fee her : but, as Monfieur Godart and my- felf were walking to fee the town, he brought me, either induftrioufiy or accidentally, by her door ; flie was fitting at the window of one of the mod magni- ficent palaces in Venice, (fuch fpoils had Ihe reaped from her bewitched lovers.) As foon as (he efpied me, (he fent a fervant to tell me that the lady would fpeak with me. I made forae difficulty, but Mon- fieur Godart, told me, a man of honour could not re; fufe fuch a favour as that : fo I went in, and Mon- fieur Godart with me. The lady received me with a moft charming agreeable air, much different from her former aflurance, and eondu6led me into a moft mag- nificent apartment, leaving Monfieur Godart enter* taining a very pretty lady, her companion. Not to detain your Reverences too long, when I would not underftand what (lie meant, (lie offered me marriage, with the inheritance of all her effe^s. I was put up to the laft nonplus J I affured her with a moft pro- found bow, that though I was not worthy of fuch 9, happinefsj I had an indiipenfible obligation never to marry. All the blood immediately came into her face : I did tiot know what (he was going to do, but finding her in that diforder, I made another bow, fay* ing I would conlider further on her ])ropofal ; and walked dire£lly out of the houfe, defigning to leave Venice as foon as my affairs would give me leave. — Some time after Monfieur Godart came to me, and told me he was forced to do as I did ; that the lady was in fuch an outrageous fury, he did not know what might be the confequence. Three nights after, as Monfieur Godart and a young kinfman of his, and myfelf, were going towards the Rialto, in the du{k of the evening, four ruffians attacked us unawares : two of them fet upon me, the other two attacked Mon- fieur Godart and his kinfman ; the .poor young gen- tleman was run through the body the firft pulh ; J 232 CAUDENTrO DF LUCCA.' made flilft to didible one of my adveriaiics, but in doing it, the other run me through tlie ribs ; but the fword took only part of my body, and milhug my en- trails, the point went out on the fide of my back.— Monlieur Godart, who, to give him his due, behaved! with a great deal of courage and bravery, had killed one of his men, and wounded the other ; and the ruf- fians feeing us now two to two, thought fit to march off as well as they could. I was forced to be led to my lodging, not doubting but the wound was mortal, though it proved otherwife. The affair made a great .noife about town : we very ra-tionally fuppofed it \yas Favilla, whohad fet the affaffins on ; but we knew her to be fo povverfql with the fenators, that there was no hopes of jufticc. While! was recovering, 1 was told there was a lady with two waiting wonien, defued to fee me on very earneft bufmefs, if it would not be incommodious to me. (Monfieur Godart would not ftir from my l:ed-fidc, for fear of accidents.) Who . ihould this be but Favilla, who came all in mourning for my misfortune ! I pretended to be a dying man, arid took the liberty of telling lier of her way of li\- ing, to what a difmal pafs her paffions had brought j lier ; in fipie, I faidfo much, and begged her, by all that was dear to her, to'cbnflder her ftate, that, burft- Ing in'to'a flood of tears, ihe promiTed me, if I died, 'file would become a penitent nun. I effecled ih much by" letters afterwards, that, though I recovered, ihe performed her promife. ' The Bolognian lady had heard of. my misfortune ; and, by a goodnefs peculiar to the tender fex, particu- larly with regard to U rangers, the lent often to know how I did, with preicnts of the iichefl cordials that could be got In Venice. Finding my illnefs continued longer than was ex p^£led, file fent me word, that though it was not fo decent for her to make the firft vifit, flie had heard io much of my adventures, as very much railed her curiofity to hear them from my l5AtTDENTI0 DI LUCCA. ^3^ Own mouth, when I was capable oF converfation "Vv.ithout doing me any prejudice. I had informed myfelf of her character from very good hands ; fo that I was very curious to converie mth a perfon of thofe incomparable talents I heard llie was miftrefs of. She wa^ the only woman next to Ifyphena, and the great BaflTa's daughter, I ever much liked in my life. To fum up all in Ihort, (he came feveral times to fee me, infomuch that we contracted the moft virtuous friend- Ihip, by our mutual inclinations to learning and the fym'pathy of our tempers, that ever fubiiftod between two perlons of different fexes. . It was on her account I refolved to fettle at Bologna ; and having fome knowledge in nature and phyhc, 1 took on me that character, to bie the oftenfer in her company without fcandal. ^ We were neither of us inclined to marry. As (lie is one of the moft virtuous women living, and I am pretty much advanced in years, being both en- tirely mafters of ourfelves, we thought our innocent friendfhip could be offenfive to no one. What has pafledfmcel cam^ to tbi? tp.vvn;^ I^do not doubt but your Reverences are apprized of. This is a true and full account of my life hitherto. Whatever is blameable in it, I hope your Reverences will pardon, as I fubmic it entirely to )'Our judge- ment. [Secretary, As I had the honour to inform you be- fore, we enquired into all thefe fadls, which he faid happened to him in the company of Monfieur Go- dart ; which finding to be true, we judged the reft might be fo. We afkcd him if he. would conduA \ fome of our milfionaries to that ftrange country he mentioned ; he told us he would. But not willing to truft him entirely, as not knowing what he might do with them when he had them in unknown coun- ^34 GAUDENT^O^ pi LVqCAy, tries, we thought fit to give him his liberty firll to go where h« would, e\^en put of Itply, with ajOfuranr ces, if he came back of his own accord, we would fend millionarie? ulong with him. He went to Ve- nice and Genoa about his concerns^ and is now come back, and is v»^ith us ; fo that we believe the <: iman to be what he really profeffe? himfelf to be. F I N I S. Date Due ■ t itO^*3Vl ^•e^Af P\\\[^?/^P'r\' f/