mended them: therefore it is not necessary, neither doe the
marchants go with one boat alone, but with two or three, that if one boat
split and be lost with striking on the sholdes, they may haue another ready
to take in their goods, vntil such time as they haue mended the broken
boat, and if they draw the broken boat on land to mend her, it is hard to
defend her in the night from the great multitude of Arabians that will come
downe there to robbe you: [Sidenote: The Arabian theeues are in number like
to Ants.] and in the riuers euery night, when you make fast your boat to
the banckeside, you must keepe good watch against the Arabians which are
theeues in number like to ants, yet when they come to robbe, they will not
kill, but steale and run away. Harquebuzes are very good weapons against
them, for that they stand greatly in feare of the shot. And as you passe
the riuer Euphrates from Bir to Feluchia, there are certein places which
you must passe by, where you pay custome certaine medines vpon a bale,
which custome is belonging to the sonne of Aborise king of the Arabians and
of the desert, who hath certaine cities and villages on the riuer
Euphrates.

Feluchia and Babylon.

[Sidenote: The olde Babylon hath great trade with marchants still.]
Feluchia is a village where they that come from Bir doe vnbarke themselues
and vnlade their goods, and it is distant from Babylon a dayes iourney and
an halfe by land: Babylon is no great city but it is very populous, and of
great trade of strangers because it is a great thorowfare for Persia,
Turkia, and Arabia: and very often times there goe out from thence Carouans
into diuers countreys: and the city is very copious of victuals, which
comme out of Armenia downe the riuer of Tygris, on certaine Zattares or
Raffes made of blowen hides or skinnes called Vtrij. This riuer Tygris
doeth wash the walles of the city. These Raffes are bound fast together,
and then they lay boards on the aforesayd blowen skinnes, and on the boards
they lade the commodities, and so come they to Babylon, where they vnlade
them, and being vnladen, they let out the winde out of the skinnes, and
lade them on cammels to make another voyage. This city of Babylon is
situate in the kingdome of Persia, but now gouerned by the Turks. On the
other side of the riuer towards Arabia, ouer against the city, there is a
faire place or towne, and in it a faire Bazarro for marchants, with very
many lodgings, where the grea