Abydos, Alexandrie, Babilon, and Memphis, at this daie called Damiate,
alias Chairas or Alkair, and the seate of the Soldan, a citie of notable
largenesse. In Aegipt as Plato affirmeth, it was neuer sene rain. But Nilus
suppliyng that defaulte, yerely about saincte Barnabies tide, with his
ouerflowynges maketh the soile fertile. It is nombred of the moste parte of
writers, emong the Islandes: For that Nilus so parteth hymself aboute it,
that he facioneth it triangle wise.

The Aegiptians firste of all other, deuised the names of the twelue Goddes,
builte vp Altares, and Images, erected Chappelles and Temples, and graued
in stone the similitude of many sondrie beastes. All whiche their doynges,
dooe manifestly make, that thei came of the Aethiopes, who (as Diodore the
Sicilian saieth) ware the firste inuentours of all these. Their women in
old tyme, had all the trade of occupiyng, and brokage [Footnote: To _broke_
i.e. to deal, or transact business particularly of an amorous character.
(See Fansh. Lusiad, ix., 44; and Daniel, Queen's Arcadia, iii., 3.)]
abrode, and reuelled at the Tauerne, and kepte lustie chiere: And the men
satte at home spinnyng, and woorkyng of Lace, and suche other thynges as
women are wonte. The men bare their burdeins on the heade, the women on the
shulder. In the easemente of vrine, the men rowked [Footnote: To bend.]
doune, the women stoode vprighte. The easemente of ordure thei vsed at
home, but commonly feasted abrode in the stretes. No woman tooke ordres,
either of God or Goddesse. Their maner of ordres, is not to make seuerally
for euery Goddesse and God, a seuerall priest, but al at a shuffe, in
generall for all. Emong the whiche, one is an heade, whose sonne enheriteth
his roume by succession. The men children, euen of a custome of that
people, did with good wil kepe their fathers and mothers, but the women
children (yf they refused it) ware compelled. The moste part of men in
solempne burialles, shaue their heades, and let theyr beardes growe, but
Thegiptians shaued their beardes and let their heades grow. They wrought