The beauty and greatnes of Fez.The two Hills on both sides the planur’d Citty, East, and West, are over-cled with streetes and Houses of two stories high, beeing beautified also with delicate Gardens, and on their extreame devalling parts, with numbers of Mosquees and Watch-towers: On which heights, and round about the Towne, there stand some three hundred Wind-mils; most part whereof pertayne to the Mosques, and the two magnifick Colledges erected for education of Children, in the Mahometanicall Law.
One of which Accademies, cost the King Habahennor in building of it, foure hundred and three score thousand Duckets. Jacob sonne to Abdulach the first King of the Families of Meennons, divided Fez in three parts, and with three severall Walles, though now invironed with onely one, and that broken downe in sundry parts.
The chiefest Mosque in it, is called Mammo-Currarad, signifying the glory of Mahomet, being an Italian mile in Compasse, and beautified with seventeene high ground Steeples, besides Turrets and Towers: having thirty foure [VIII. 368.]entring Doores; beeing supported within, and by the The modell of the great City of Fez.length, with forty eight pillars, and some twenty three Ranges of pillars in breadth, besides many Iles, Quires, and circulary Rotundoes: Every Pillar having a Lampe of Oyle burning thereat; where there, and through the [VIII. 369.]whole Mosque, there are every night nine hundred Lamps lighted; and to maintaine them, and a hundred Totsecks and preaching Talsumans, the rent of it extendeth to two hundred Duccats a day: Neverthelesse there are in the City besides it, more then foure hundred and threescore The magnifick Mosque of Fez.Mosquees; fifty whereof are well benefited and superbiously decored within and without, with glorious and extraordinary workmanship, whose rooffes within are all Mosaick worke, and curiously indented with Gold, and the walles and pillars being of grey Marble, interlarded with white Alabaster, and so is the chiefe Mosque too in which Monsieur Chatteline and I had three sundry recourses accompanied with our Moorish hoste, who from their Priests had procured that licence for us. This City aboundeth in all manner of provision fit for man or beast, & is the goodliest place of all North Affrick, contayning a hundred and twenty thousand fire-houses, and in them a million of soules: Truely this is a world for a City, and may rather second Grand Caire, than subjoyne it selfe to Constantinople, being farre superior in greatnesse with Aleppo: For these are the foure greatest Cities, that ever I saw in the world, either at home or abroad.
The Cittizens here are very modest and zealous at their divine services, but great dauncers and revellers on their solemne festivall dayes, wherein they have Bull-beating, Maskerats, singing of rimes, and processions of Priests. The Moores in times past of Fez and Morocco, had divers excellent personages, well learned, and very civill; for amongst the Kings Mahometan one can not praise too much the Kings Almansor, Maunon, and Hucceph, being most excellent men in their superstition.
[VIII. 370.]In whose times flourished the most famous medicines, and Philosophers that were among the Pagans, as A Vicenne, Rasis, Albumazar, Averroes, &c. with other great numbers maintained by the Kings of Morocco, that then were Masters of all Barbary and Spaine: As in Spaine may be seene yet, (though now fallen in decay) a great number of their Colledges, shewing they were great lovers of their Religion and Doctrine, and are so to this day, save onely in their drinking of Wine forbidden by their Alcoran. They were great devisers too of gallant sportings, exercises, turnaments, and Bull-beating, which Spayne retaineth to this time; yea, and the Romanes did learne, and follow many of them.
Here in Fez there be a great number of Poets, that make Songs on divers subjects, especially of Love, and Lovers, whom they openly name in their rimes, without Poets among Barbarians in great request.rebuke or shame: All which Poets once every yeare, agane Mahomets birth-day, make rimes to his praise; meanewhile in the after noone of that festivall day, the whole Poets assembling in the market place, there is a Dasked chayre prepared for them, whereon they mount one after another to recite their verses in audience of all the people; and who by them is judged to be best, is esteemed all that yeare above the rest, having this Epithite the Prince of Poets, and is by the Vicegerent and Towne rewarded; But in the time of the Maennon Kings, the Prince on that day in his owne Pallace did conveine the whole Cittizens, in whose presence he made a solemne feast to all the best Poets; causing every one of them to recite the praise of Mahomet before his face, standing on a high scaffold: And to him that was thought to excell the rest, the King gave him 100. Sultans of gold, an horse, a woman slave, [VIII. 371.]& the long Robe that was about him for the time: And to each one of the rest he caused give fifty Sultans, so that every one should have some recompense for their paines: Indeed a worthy observance; and would to God it were now the custome of our Europian Princes to doe the like, and especially of this Ile, then would bravest wits, and quickest braines, studdy and strive to show the exquisit ingeniosity of their best styles, and pregnant invention, which now is ecclipsed, and smotherd downe, because now a dayes, there is neither regard nor reward for such excellent Pen-men. Fez was aunciently named Sylda, whose Kingdome hath Atlas to the South, the River of Burdraga to the East, and Tremizen: Morocco to the West: And the confynes of Guargula, and a part of the Sea to the North: Having spent in Fez 17. dayes, in all which time, we daily conversed with some Christian Abasines, Heragens or Ethiopian Negroes.Heragenes, or Æthiopian Nigroes, some whereof were Merchands, and some religious; and Monsieur Chattelines businesse not effected, seeking Diamonds and precious stones to buy; was seriously advised by them, to goe for Arracon, a great Towne on the Frontiers of the Northerne Æthiopia: where he would finde abundance of such at an easie rate, giving him a perfit direction for his passage hither being 30. daies journey: he concluded with their counsell his resolution, and perswading me to the same intention, I yeeld, being over-mastred with the greedy desire of more sights.
Meanewhile for our conduct, we hire a Dragoman Moore that spoke Italiens to be our Interpreter, and with him a Tent, and two Moorish drudges to guide, guard, & serve us by the way of fifty eight Sultans for gold, eighteene pounds foure shillings English: having sixe of their Kinsmen fast bound to a Sanzak or Justice, for our lives, liberties, and moneyes.
[VIII. 372.]Hereupon having provided our selves, with all necessary things, and a Mule to carry our Victuals, Water and Baggage, we discharged our conscionable Hostage, at twenty Aspers a day the man, being thirty foure shillings to each of us; and were brought on our way, by the aforesayd Christian Heragenes some foure Leagues. Where having left them with dutifull thankes, wee set forward in our journey, and for seaven dayes together wee were not violently molested by any thing, save intollerable heate, finding tented people and scattered Villages all the way.
The eight day, the way being fastidious and Rockey, Chatteline the French Lapidator taken sicke.and Chatteline on foot, he succumb’d, and could not subsist, not beeing used to pedestriall travayle; and for our better speed and his reliefe, wee mounted him aloft on the top of our baggage. At last arriving at Ahetzo (where we reposed) being the furthest and South-most Towne of the Kingdome of Fez, composed of a thousand fire-houses, well fortified with Walles, and a Garrison of Moores in it, subject to the Emperour of Morocco: the French-man long or day, fell sicke of a burning Feaver: Whereuppon wee stayed five dayes expecting his health, which growing worse and worse, and hee mindfull to returne, which I would not: I left him in safe custody, and one of our Drudges to attend him till Fez. And bearing the charges of the other two, according to the former condition: I set forward for my purpose, which ere long turned to sad Repentance.
Leaving Ahetzo behind us, and entring the Countrey of the Agaroes, we found the best inhabitants halfe cled, the Vulgars naked, the Countrey voyd of Villages, Rivers, or Cultivage: but the soyle rich in Bestiall, abounding in [VIII. 373.]Sheep, Goates, Camels, Dromidores, and passing good horses: Having an Emeere of their owne, being subject to none, but to his owne passions, and them to the disposition of his scelerate nature; yet hee, and they had a bastard show of Mahometanicall Religion: Their Bestiall are watered with sources, and the pastorable fields, with the nightly Serene, and themselves with the Watrish concavity of the earth. In our sixe dayes toyle, traversing this Countrey, we had many troubles and snarlings from these Savages, who sometimes over-laboured us with Bastinadoes, and were still inquirous what I was, and whether I went; yea, and enough for the Dragoman to save my life and liberty.