Text, translated from the 1570 Latin, 1571 Latin, 1571/1573 Dutch, 1572/1573 German, 1572/1574 French, 1573 Latin, 1574 Latin, 1575 Latin, 1579 Latin, 1580 German and the 1581 French edition. The translation of the 1570L, 1571L, 1573L, 1575L, 1579L & 1580G editions comes first. Note that the 1573L, 1574L, 1575L, 1579L and 1580G editions only discuss Creta.
148.1.{1570L{CYPRVS.
148.2. Cyprus manifests itself among the larger islands of the Mediterranean sea. As regards the shape of the entire island, one is longer than the other. Its Metropolis and seat of its King is Nicosia. This city, as well as Famagosta, is the market place of the whole island, its harbour and it is rich through tolls. It is inferior to no other island, abounds with wine and olive oil, and has corn in abundance. It also has copper, as well as vitriol and copper rust. which is used for medicinal purposes.
148.3. Sugar cane grows here, from which they distill sugar. {1571L{Its wine, which may be compared with that of Crete, is potent}1571L}. They also make camlets out of goat hair, in our present days called Zambelloto. It exports many products to other regions, by which the inhabitants make a considerable profit. It does not need much from others, and has a very pleasant temperature. The entire island has delicious things to offer: the women here are very lascivious.
148.4. The island is according to Bordonius 427 miles in circumference, and is about two hundred miles long. The Venetians possess it by hereditary right, and their Praetor rules it. Ancient writers celebrate it in their writings, such as Strabo, Mela and other geographers. From the recent writers we have Benedictus Bordonius in his work on the Islands of the world, Vadianus, Pope Pius II, Dominicus Niger, {1571L{and particularly Iacobus Zieglerus}1571L}. This Cyprus was always so exceedingly fertile that it was called Macaria, that is, the heavenly one, and it was so much given to luxury that it was credited with the name of the Goddess of Venus.
148.5. {1573L, 1574L, 1575L, 1579L, 1580G & 1581F start here{CANDIA, once called CRETA.
148.6. Creta, nowadays called Candia, is larger than Cyprus but of all islands in the Mediterranean only smaller than Sicilia and Sardinia, and it is inferior to none in nobility and fertility. Ancient writers inform us that it had once one hundred cities, but in the time of Plinius no more than forty, and nowadays, according to Bellonius, there are only three of any significance left, namely Candia of the Venetians, from which the island derives its name, and further Canea and Rhetimo.
148.7. The circumference of this island is 520 miles. It is everywhere mountainous, and for this reason its inhabitants are much addicted to hunting. {not in 1571L{It has no navigable rivers}not in 1571L}. It has no obnoxious animals. This island is famous and well known all over the world for its excellent wine, which the inhabitants call Maluasia, which is exported all over the world. {1573L{The ancients called this wine Pramnium, according to Bellonius. Volaterranus thinks that it is called Aruisia, where I call it Maluisia, changing one letter, and he adds that it was introduced here from Aruisia, a cape near Chius, hence once called Aruisium}1573L}. There is a great abundance here of cypress trees, used for building ships. {1573L{And they grow so tall, as Dominicus Niger says, that there is nothing better for a human being to behold.
148.7a. On this island there was in former times a labyrinth, reports Plinius, built by Dędalus after an Egyptian model. Georgius Alexander, who was a digintary on this island, is reported by Volaterranus to have said that there are still some remnants of this labyrinth left. He says that it is in an excavated mountain, only accessible via a narrow path, with the help of an experienced guide, going as the first one with a candle, familiar with all the dark detours. But Petrus Bellonius, a diligent commentator of all kinds of old things, who has in our own time travelled across this island says that in ancient times there was no labyrinth, as it was called by the local inhabitants, but rather a stone quarry.
148.7b. This seems more credible, since Plinius writes that in his time he found no remnants at all of a labyrinth. I will here add the description given by Bellonius. It is a place between Gnossos and Cortina which used to be very profitable because in order to obtain stone here, the inhabitants there built a stone quarry and dug stone from it daily. After some time, there were so many tunnels in this mountain, and curved paths, that one could lose the way. This mountain, incorrectly called labyrinth is not far from the river Letho. And when one enters it, one must be accompanied by some farmers from a neighbouring village, who go in with torches and candles.
148.7c. There are many bats inside which may fly at you, and if you do not watch out, they will extinguish the candles. In the middle of this quarry is a large heap of bat dung, and their young ones hang above it. When the old ones stop flying, they do not sit on the wall, or on their feet, but they hang from rafters like they do in our regions, hanging from the splits and crevices in wood. So far for Bellonius.
148.7d. I think that I have personally experienced such a story about bats as Bellonius describes. On a pleasurable journey from Rome to Ostia, I passed Port Traiana at the sea coast, where I saw an ancient ruin. In order to inspect it better, I asked my guide to go in front with a burning torch, guiding me through the subterranean entrance. Since this building was by the ancients dedicated to the pagan God Jupiter, they thought that this God had grown up and had been buried here. Bordonius reports that on this part of the island, on the South {1573L, 1574L, 1575L, 1579L & 1581F only have instead{North}1573, 1574L, 1575L, 1579L & 1581F only} side, a cave had been made by humans, extending for forty ells in length, but only four ells wide, and this was called Iove's burial chamber, which by way of proof still showed an inscription stating the same.
148.7e. Strabo writes that the inhabitants of this island were very experienced in dealing with the sea, since they are surrounded by it. This may also be why they have a saying Cretensis mare nescit, the Cretians do not understand the sea. The vanity, fraudulence and mendacity, and other shortcomings of these people have been noted by the ancients in many [other] sayings, such as Cretiza cum Cretensi, behave towards a Cretian as if you were a Cretian {1581F has instead{howl with the wolves}1581F instead}, {not in 1581F{suggesting that you may lie to a liar, since lying was very common among Cretians. Also Cretensis Cretensem, that is One liar gives shit to the other. Also Cretensis cum Aegineta. Creta raptus, that is He is born to lie or predestined to lie}not in 1581F}.
148.7f. This is also why Saint Paul {1581F only{Tit.1,12}1581F only} has many bad things to say about them. But I am worried that what is said by many in a negative way about the Cretians, may also be said about other peoples, although not about all of them. Lucius Cęcilius Metellus Creticus has with force brought them under Roman rule in the year 685 after the foundation of Rome. Then, it was subdued by the Emperors of Constantinople. Subsequently, they were under the rule of Bonifacius Montisferratensus, who sold them off to the Venetians in the year of Christ 1194}1573L}.
148.8. {1570L{Nowadays, Creta is obedient to the Venetians. {not in 1573L, 1574L, 1575L, 1579L, 1580G & 1581F{Iupiter was once worshipped here, because it was believed in antiquity that he was born here}not in 1573L, 1574L, 1575L, 1579L, 1580G & 1581F}. Among the ancients, Strabo has diligently described it. Of the modern writers, [so did] Dominicus Niger, Volaterranus, Vadianus, {1571L{Zieglerus}1571L} & Benedictus Bordonius. But in our times, the best description can be found in {1573L{Iodocus ą Ghistele in his Itinerary to Jerusalem and}1573L} Bellonius' Observations, where he has described it most accurately}1570L}{1579L only{Iodocus ą Meggen also has some relevant information in this respect, in his Peregrination to Jerusalem}1579L only}.
[Since the 1571D/1573D, 1572/1573G & 1572/1574F editions have a text which is somewhat different, I give their translation below separately].
148.9. {1571D/1573D{Cypers.
148.10. Cypers has been a famous Island from ancient times onwards. It is situated in the Mediterranean Sea and belongs to Asia. It is almost twice as long as it is wide. Its circumference, (as B. Bordonius says), is 427 Italian miles, and its length 200. Its capital, where once the Kings kept their court, is Nicosia. In the year we are writing this, namely 1570, it was occupied forcibly by Zelimus, the second with that name among the Turkish Emperor. Young and Old were pitifully murdered (nor did they spare the Clergy or Nobility). The City was sacked, and all riches they found were abducted to Constantinople. The next city is Famagusta, a beautiful Harbour and a rich Merchant city, bringing great profits to the Venetians (who possess the Island).
148.11. It is an Island very fertile for Corn, Olive Oil and Wine which is so excellent here that it is like Maluesy. They also make many camlets of goat hair. In short, it has so much that it does not need much from elsewhere. This is why it used to be called Macaria, that is, Heavenly. It was also devoted to the Goddess of Venus in former times, since the women there by nature feel very attached to this Goddess.
148.12. Candia.
148.13. This Island is larger than Cypers, but smaller than Sicily (as some think), next to which it is the best one of the entire Mediterranean sea. It belongs to the Venetians. The ancient writers say that there used to be a hundred Cities here. Plinius (who lived in the time of Vespasianus) says that in his time there were about forty. But nowadays, (as Bellonius writes who has visited it and described it diligently) there are supposed to be left only three cities of any significance, still to be seen, namely Candia which gave its name to the Island, Canea and Rhetimo. This Island has a circumference of 520 Italian miles. It is very mountainous and therefore has much game.
148.14. This Island has become well-known and famous for its wine, called Maluesey, which we here in Antwerp (since it belongs to the Venetians) call Venetian Maluesey, and which is the most costly of all wines; for we have to pay 18 to 20 stuivers [= one guilder] per jar for it.
Its mountains are so full of Cypress trees that it is a marvel; therefore, they export all kinds of crates and chests made of this wood, which you can find all over Europe.
148.15. This Island was in Pagan times consacrated to the God of Jupiter because it was supposed that he was born and raised here. They also nowadays point out his grave (as Bordonius writes in his Book on all the Islands of the World). He says that on the North side of the Island there is a cave, dug by hand, which is 40 cubits long, and 4 wide, still called the Grave of Jupiter; and on one side you still see an Epitaph of Jupiter}1571/1573D} © Marcel van den Broecke ©.