Of the cyties and namely of Amauro • te

AS for their Cyties, he that knoweth one of them knoweth them all: they be all so lyke one to an other, as ferfurth as the nature of the place permytteth. I wyll descrybe therfore to yowe one or other of them, for it skylleth not greatly whych, but which rather then Amaurote? Of them all this is the worthiest and of moste dignitie. For the resydwe knowledge it for the head Cytie, because there is the councell house. Nor to me any of them al is better beloued, as wherin I lyued fyue hole yeares together. The cytie of Amaurote standeth vpon the syde of a low hill in fashiō almoste four square. For the bredeth of it begynneth a litle benethe the toppe of the hyll, and styll contyneweth by y• space of twoo miles vntyll it cum to the ryuer of A[…]yder. The lenghte of it whiche lyeth by the ryuers syde is sumwhat more. The […]yuere of A[…]yder rysethe.xxiiij. myles aboue Amanrote owte of a lytle sprynge. But beynge increasede by other small […]oodes and bro[…]kes that runne into yt, and amonge othere.ij. sumwhat bygge ons, before the cytye yt ys halfe a myle brode, and farther broder. And.lx. myles beyonde the citye yt falleth into the Ocean sea. By al that space that lyethe betwene the sea and the cytye, and a good sorte of myles also aboue the Cytye the water ebbethe and flowethe.vi. houres togethere wyth a swyfte tyde. Whan the sea flowethe in for the lenghte of xxx. myles yt fyllethe all the A[…]yder wyth salte water, and dryuethe backe the fresshe water of the ryuer. And sumwhat furthere yt chaungethe the swetenes of the freshe water wyth saltnes. But a letell beyonde that the ryuer waxeth swet, and runneth forby the city fresh and pleisaunt. And when the sea ebbeth, and goyth backe agayn the freshe water followeth yt almoste euen to the verye falle in to the sea. There goeth a brydge ouer the ryuer made not of pyles or of tymber, but of stonewarke with gorgious and substanciall arche[…]s at that parte of the cytye that is farthest from the sea[…] to the intent that shyppes maye goo alonge forbie all the syde of the cytie without lette. They haue also an other ryuere whiche in dede is not very great. But it runneth gentelly and pleasauntlye. For it ryseth euen out of the same hyll that the cytie standeth vpon, and runneth downe a slope through the myddes of the citie into A[…]yder. And bicause it ryseth a lytle without the citie, the Ama[…]rotians haue inclosed the head sprynge of it with stronge fences and bulwarkes, and so haue ioyned it to the cytie. Thys is done to the intente that the water should not be stopped, nor turned a waye, or poysoned, if their enemyes should chaunce to come vpon them. From thence the water is deryued and brought downe in cannellis of brycke dyuers wayes into the lower partes of the cytie. Where that cannot be done by reason that the place wyll not suffer it, there they gather the rayne water in greate cisternes, which doth them as good seruice. The cytie is compassed aboute wyth a highe and thycke walle full of turrettes and bulwarkes. A deye dyche▪ but deape and brode and ouergrowen with busshes briers and thornes, goeth about.iij. sydes or quarters of the cytie. To the fowrth syde the […]yue[…] it selfe serueth for a dytche. The stretes be appoynted and set forth verye commodious and handsome bothe for carriage and also agaynst the wyndes. The houses be of fayre and gorgious buyldyng, and in the streete syde they stonde ioyned to gether in a longe rowe throughe the h[…]e streate without anye partition or separacion. The stretes be twent[…] fo[…]e brode. On the backe syde of the houses through the hole lengthe of the st[…]ete lye large ga[…]deynes whyche be[…]closed in […]ound[…] about with▪ the backe parte of the stretes. […]uery house hath two doores, one into the strete and a posternne doore on the backsyde into the gardyne. Thyes doores, be made with two leaues neuer locked nor bolted so easye to be opened that they wil followe the least drawing of a fynger and shutte agayne by themselfes. Euerye man that wyll maye goo yn, for there is nothynge wythin the howses that ys pryuate, or annye mannes owne. And euerye.x. yeare they chaunge their howses by lotte. They sett great stoore be theyr gardeins. In them they haue vyneyardes, all manner of frute, herbes and flowres, so pleisaunte, so well furnished, and so fynelye kepte, that I neuer sawe thynge more fr[…]tefull, nor better trymmed in anny place. Their studye and delygence herin […]ummeth not only of pleasure, but also of a certeyne stryffe and conte[…]tyon that is betwene strete and strete concernynge the try[…]mynge husbanding and furnyshyng if their gardeyns: euery man for hys omne part. And verily yow shall not lyghtly fynde in all the citye annye thynge, that is more commodyous, other for the proffyte of the citizins, or for pleasure. And therfore it may seme that the first fownder of the c[…]y mynded nothynge so muche, as h[…] dyd thies gardeyns. For they say that kyng Vtopus himself euen at the first begenning appointed, and drew furth the platte fourme of y• city into this fasion & figure that it hath nowe, but the gallaunt garnishing, & the bewtiful setting f[…]rth of it, whervnto he sawe that one mās age wold not suffice: yt he left to his posterity. For their Cronicles, which they kepe writtē with al deligēt circūspection, conteining the history of M.vijC.lx. years, euen from the fyrste conquest of the Iland, recorde and witnesse that the howses in the begi[…]ning were verye lowe, and lyke homelye cot[…]ges or poore shepparde howses, made at all aduentures of euerye rude pyece of woode that came fyrste to hā des, wyth mudde walles and rydged rooffes thatched ouer with straw. But nowe y• houses be curiously builded after a gorgiouse and gallaunt sort, wt.iij. storries one ouer another. The owte sydes of the walles be made other of harde Fly[…]te or of plauster orelles of […]rycke, and the ynner sydes be well strengthened with tymber woorke▪ The rooffes be playne and flatte, couered with a certayne kinde of plaster that is of no coste, and yet so tempered that no fyre can hurte or perythe it, and withstandeth the violence of the weether better then anye leade▪ They kepe the wynde out of their windowes with glasse, for it is there much vsed, and sumwhere also with fyne lynnen clothe dipped in oyle or ambre, and that for twoo commodities. For by thys meanes more lyght cummeth in, and the wynde is better kept out.