In
this place there are stately palaces, now destitute of inhabitants, yet it
hath abundance of provisions. Travelling from thence through many
countries, I came at length into the land of Job, named Us[9], which
borders on the north of Chaldea. This land is full of all kinds of
provisions, and manna is here found in great abundance. Four partridges are
sold here for less than an Italian groat; and the mountains have excellent
pastures for cattle. In this country the men card and spin, and not the
women; and the old men are very comely.
[1] Perhaps the sea of Marmora; or it may indicate the Euxine or Black
Sea. - E.
[2] The holy traveller ought rather to have said, that the springs or
rivulet near Azaron flowed into the Euphrates. Azaron is obviously
Erzerum, on or near one of the higher branches of the Frat or
Euphrates. - E.
[3] Tebriz in Persia. - E.
[4] Sultania or Sultanie. - E.
[5] The Caspian; so called in this place, from Baku or Baccou, a city on
its banks, in the province of Shirvan. - E.
[6] Oderic must have made a mistake here, as Casbin is not above seventy or
eighty miles from Sultanie, and the journey of the caravans between
these cities, could not have exceeded four or five days. - E.
[7] Yezd, about 500 miles east from Ispahan. - E.
[8] This is obviously the city of Kom or Koom, above 400 miles to the
north-west of Yezd, and much nearer Sultanie. Our traveller,
therefore, must either have strangely forgotten his route or he came
back again from Yezd, instead of journeying forwards. - E.
[9] Khus or Khosistan, the south-western province of Persia. - E.
SECTION II
Of the Manners of the Chaldeans, and concerning India.
From thence I travelled into Chaldea, which is a great kingdom, having a
language peculiar to itself, and I passed beside the Tower of Babel. The
men of this country have their hair nicely braided and trimmed, like the
women of Italy, wearing turbans richly ornamented with gold and pearls, and
are a fine looking people: but the women are ugly and deformed, and are
clad in coarse shifts, only reaching to their knees, with long sleeves
hanging down to the ground, and breeches or trowsers which likewise reach
the ground, but their feet are bare. They wear no head-dresses, and their
hair hangs neglected and dishevelled about their ears. There are many other
strange things to be seen in this country.
From thence I travelled into the lower India, which was overrun and laid
waste by the Tartars[1]. In this country the people subsist chiefly on
dates, forty-two pound weight of which may be purchased for less than a
Venetian groat.
