is called Inde, hath on the east the redde sea, and the sea named
Barbaricum, on the northe it toucheth vpon Egypte, and vpon that Libie that
standeth on the vtter border of Afrike toward the sea. On the west it is
bounded with the other Libie that standeth more into the mayne londe. The
residue that runneth toward the south, ioyneth vpon the netherland Ethiope,
whiche lyeth more southerly, and is muche greater. It is thought that these
Ethiopes toke name of Ethiopus Vulcanes sonne, that (as Plinie saieth) was
gouernour there. Or els of the Greke wordes aythoo and ops, whereof the
former signifieth to broyle, or to bourne vp with heate, and the other, in
the eye or sight. Whiche sheweth in effecte, that the countreie lyeng in
the eye of the Sonne, it must nedes be of heate almost importable. As in
diede it lyeth in the full course of the sonne, and is in continuall heate.
Toward the weast it is hilly, in the middes grauell and sande, and on the
easte waste and deserte. There be in it dyuers peoples of sondry phisonomy
and shape, monstruous and of hugly shewe. They are thought (as I saied) to
haue bene the fyrst of all men, and those whiche of all other maye
truelyest be called an homeborne people. Neuer vnder the bondage of any:
but euer a free nacion. The first wae of worshippyng God (say thei) was
deuised and taught emonge theim: with the maners and ceremonies there to
appertinent. They had two kyndes of letters, one, whiche ware knowen onely
to their priestes for matters of Religion, whiche they called misticall,
and another for the vse of the people hidden from none. Yeat ware not their
Letters facioned to ioyne together in sillables like ours, but Ziphres, and
shapes of men and of beastes, of heades, and of armes, and artificers
tooles, which signified in sondrie wise echone accordyng to his propertie.
As by the picture of an hauke swiftenes and spiede, by the shape of a
crocodile [Transcriber's note: 'crocoiled' in original] displeasure or
misfortune, by the figure of an eye, good watche or regarde, and so forthe
of other. Emong their priestes, loke whome they sawe startle aboute as
haulfe wood, [Footnote: Mad, from the Saxon _wod_. See "Two Gentlemen of