d tolde that he could not want a
liuing in the towne, as also that the Iesuites could not keepe him there
without he were willing to stay, so they could not accuse him of any thing,
he tolde them flatly that he had no desire to stay within the Cloister. And
although they vsed all the meanes they could to keepe him there, yet he
would not stay, but hired an house without the Cloister, and opened shoppe,
where he had good store of worke: and in the end married a Mestizos
daughter of the towne, so that he made his account to stay there while he
liued. By this English man I was instructed of all the wayes, trades, and
voyages of the countrey, betweene Aleppo and Ormus, and of all the
ordinances and common customes which they vsually holde during their voyage
ouer the land, as also of the places and townes where they passed. And
since those English mens departures from Goa, there neuer arriued any
strangers, either English or others, by land, in the sayd countreys, but
onely Italians which dayly traffique ouer land, and vse continuall trade
going and comming that way.

* * * * *

The voyage of M. Iohn Eldred to Trypolis in Syria by sea, and from thence
by land and riuer to Babylon and Balsara. 1583.

I departed out of London in the ship called the Tiger, in the company of M.
Iohn Newbery, M. Ralph Fitch, and sixe or seuen other honest marchants vpon
Shroue munday 1583, and arriued in Tripolis of Syria the first day of May
next insuing: at our landing we went on Maying vpon S. Georges Iland, a
place where Christians dying aboord the ships, are woont to be buried. In
this city our English marchants haue a Consull, and our nation abide
together in one house with him, called Fondeghi Ingles, builded of stone,
square, in maner like a Cloister, and euery man hath his seuerall chamber,
as it is the vse of all other Christians of seuerall nations. [Sidenote:
the description of Tripolis in Syria.] This towne standeth vnder a part of
the mountaine of Libanus two English miles distant from the port: on the
side of which port, trending in forme of an halfe Moone, stand fiue blocke
houses or small forts, wherein is some very good artillery, and the forts
are kept with about an hundred Ianisaries. Right before this towne from the
seaward is a banke of mouing sand, which gathereth and increaseth with the
Western winds, in such sort, that, according to an olde prophesie among
them, this banke is like to swa