ers vnto his god. He weareth vpon his finger
also a stone of a span long which seemeth to be a flame of fire, and
therefore when he weareth it, no man dare once approch vnto him: and they
say that there is not any stone in the whole world of more value then it.
Neither could at any time the great Tartarian Emperour of Katay either by
force, money, or policie obtaine it at his hands: notwithstanding that he
hath done the vtmost of his indeuour for this purpose.

Of the Island of Sylan: and of the mountaine where Adam mourned for his
sonne Abel.

I passed also by another island called Sylan, which conteineth in compasse
aboue ii. M. miles: wherein are an infinit number of serpents, and great
store of lions, beares, and al kinds of rauening and wild beasts, and
especially of elephants. In the said country there is an huge mountaine,
whereupon the inhabitants of that region do report that Adam mourned for
his son Abel the space of 500. yeres. In the midst of this mountain there
is a most beautiful plain, wherin is a litle lake conteining great plenty
of water, which water the inhabitants report to haue proceeded from the
teares of Adam and Eue: howbeit I proued that to be false, because I saw
the water flow in the lake. This water is ful of hors-leeches, and
blood-suckers, and of precious stones also: which precious stones the king
taketh not vnto his owne vse, but once or twise euery yere he permitteth
certaine poore people to diue vnder the water for the said stones, and al
that they can get he bestoweth vpon them, to the end they may pray for his
soule. But that they may with lesse danger diue vnder the water, they take
limons which they pil, anointing themselues throughly with the iuice
therof, and so they may diue naked vnder the water, the hors-leeches not
being able to hurt them. From this lake the water runneth euen vnto the
sea, and at a low ebbe the inhabitants dig rubies, diamonds, pearls, and
other pretious stones out of the shore: wherupon it is thought, that the
king of this island hath greater abundance of pretious stones, then any
other monarch in the whole earth besides. In the said country there be al
kinds of beasts and foules: and the people told me, that those beasts would
not inuade nor hurt any stranger, but only the natural inhabitants. I saw
in this island fouls as big as our countrey geese, hauing two heads, and
other miraculous things, which I will not here write off. Traueling on
further towa