The voyage passed by sea into Aegypt, by John Evesham
Gentleman. Anno 1586.
THE 5 of December 1586 we departed from Gravesend
in
the Tiger of London, wherein was Master under God for
the voyage Robert Rickman, and the 21. day at night we
came to the
Isle of Wight: departing from thence in the
morning following we had a faire winde, so that on the
27 day wee came in sight of the rocke of Lisbone, and
so sayling along we came in sight of the
South Cape,
the 29 of the same, and on the morrowe with a Westerly
winde we entred the straights: and the second of January
being as high as
Cape de Gate, we departed from our
fleete towards Argier. And the 4 day we arrived at the
port of Argier aforesaid, where we staled till the first of
March. At which time we set saile towardes a place
called Tunis
, to the Eastward of Argier 100 leagues,
where we arrived the 8 of the same. This Tunis
is a
small citie up 12 miles from the sea, and at the port or
rode where shipping doe ride, is a castle or fort called
Goletta
, sometimes in the handes of the Christians, but
now of the Turkes : at which place we remained till the
third of Aprill: at which time wee set saile towardes
Alexandria, and having sometime faire windes, sometime
contrary, we passed on the 12 day betweene Sicilia
and
Malta
(where neere adjoyning hath beene the fort and
holde of the knights of the Rhodes) and so the 19 day
we fell with the
Isle of Candy, and from thence to
Alexandria, where we arrived the 27 of April, and there
continued till the 5 of October.
The said citie of Alexandria is an old thing decayed or
ruinated, having bene a faire and great citie neere two
miles in length, being all vauted underneath for provision
of fresh water, which water commeth thither but once
every yeere, out of one of the foure rivers of paradise
(as it is termed) called Nilus, which in September floweth
neere eighteene foote upright higher then his accustomed
manner, and so the banke being cut, as it were a sluce,
about thirty miles from Alexandria, at a towne called
Rossetto, it doth so come to the saide Citie, with such
aboundance, that barkes of twelve tunne doe come upon
the same water, which water doth fill all the vauts,
cesternes, and wels in the said Citie, with very good
water, and doth so continue good, till the next yeere
following: for they have there very litle raine or none
at all, yet have they exceeding great dewes. Also they
have very good corne, and very plentifull: all the
Countrey is very hot, especially in the moneths of August,
September, and October. Also within the saide Citie
there is a pillar of Marble, called by the Turkes, King
Pharaoes needle, & it is foure square, every square is
twelve foote, and it is in height 90 foote. Also there is
without the wals of the said Citie, about twentie score
paces, another marble pillar, being round, called Pompey
his pillar: this pillar standeth upon a great square stone,
every square is fifteene foote, and the same stone is
fifteene foote high, and the compasse of the pillar is 37
foote, and the heigth of it is 101 feete, which is a wonder
to thinke how ever it was possible to set the said pillar
upon the said square stone. The port of the said Citie
is strongly fortified with two strong Castles, and one
other Castle within the citie, being all very well planted
with munition: and there is to the Eastward of this
Citie, about three dayes journey the citie of Grand Cayro,
otherwise called Memphis
: it hath in it by report of the
registers bookes which we did see, to the number of
2400 Churches, and is wonderfully populous, and is one
dayes journey about the wals, which was journeyed by
one of our Marriners for triall thereof. Also neere to the
saide citie there is a place called the Pyramides, being, as
I may well terme it, one of the nine wonders of the
world: that is, seven severall places of flint and marble
stone, foure square, the wals thereof are seven yards
thicke in those places that we did see: the squarenes is in
length about twentie score every square, being built as
it were a pointed diamond, broad at the foote, and small
or narrow at the toppe : the heigth of them, to our judgement, doth surmount twise the heigth of Paules steeple:
within the saide Pyramides, no man doth know what
there is, for that they have no entrance but in the one
of them, there is a hole where the wall is broken, and so
we went in there, having torch-light with us, for that it
hath no light to it, and within the same, is as it were
a great hall, in the which there is a costly tombe, which
tombe they say, was made for king Pharao in his life
time, but he was not buried there, being drowned in the
red sea: also there are certaine vauts or dungeons, which
goe downe verie deepe under those Pyramides with faire
staires, but no man dare venter to goe downe into them,
by reason that they can cary no light with them, for the
dampe of the earth doth put out the light: the
red sea
is but three daies journey from this place, and Jerusalem
about seven dayes journey from thence: but to returne
to Cayro. There is a Castle wherin is the house that
Pharaoes wives were kept in, and in the Pallace or Court
thereof stande 55 marble pillars, in such order, as our
Exchange standeth in London: the said pillars are in
heigth 60 foote, and in compasse 14 foote: also in the
said Citie is the castle where Joseph was in prison, where
to this day they put in rich men, when the king would
have any summe of money of them: there are seven
gates to the sayd prison, and it goeth neere fiftie yardes
downe right: also, the water that serveth this castle,
commeth out of the foresaide river of Nilus, upon a wall
made with arches, five miles long, and it is twelve foote
thicke. Also there are in old Cayro two Monasteries,
the one called S. Georges, the other S. Maries: & in the
Courts where the Churches be, was the house of king
Pharao. In this Citie is great store of marchandize,
especially pepper, and nutmegs, which come thither by
land, out of the East India: and it is very plentifull of
all maner of victuals, especially of bread, rootes, and
hearbes: to the Eastwards of Cayro, there is a Well, five
miles off, called Matria, and as they say, when the Virgin
Marie fled from Bethleem
, and came into Ægypt, and
being there, had neither water, nor any other thing to
sustaine them, by the providence of God, an Angell came
from heaven, and strake the ground with his wings, where
presently issued out a fountaine of water: and the wall
did open where the Israelites did hide themselves, which
fountaine or well is walled foure square till this day.
Also we were at an old Citie, all ruinated and destroyed,
called in olde time, the great Citie of Carthage where
Hannibal and Queene Dido dwelt: this Citie was but
narrow, but was very long: for there was, and is yet to
bee seene, one streete three mile long, to which Citie
fresh water was brought upon arches (as afore) above 25
miles, of which arches some are standing to this day.
Also we were at divers other places on the coast, as we
came from Cayro, but of other antiquities we saw but
few. The towne of Argier which was our first and last
port, within the streights standeth upon the side of an
hill, close upon the sea shore: it is very strong both by
sea and land, and it is very well victualed with all manner
of fruites, bread and fish good store, and very cheape.
It is inhabited with Turkes, Moores, and Jewes, and so
are Alexandria and Cayro. In this towne are a great
number of Christian captives, wherof there are of
Englishmen onely fifteene, from which port we set sayle
towardes England, the seventh of Januarie, Anno 1587,
and the 30 day of the sayd moneth, we arrived at Dartmouth
on the coast of England.
