Text, scholarly version, translated from the 1570 Latin (ABC), 1571 Latin, 1573 Latin (AB), 1574 Latin, 1575 Latin, 1579 Latin (AB), 1580/1589 German, 1584 Latin, 1588 Spanish, 1592 Latin, 1595 Latin, 1601 Latin, 1602 German, 1602 Spanish, 1603 Latin, 1606 English, 1608/1612 Italian, 1609/1612 Latin, 1609/1612/1641 Spanish editions:
167.1. {1570L(AC){The kingdom of PERSIA,
Or
The empire of the SOPHIES.
167.2. As the empire of the Persians has in former days always been most famous, so it is [still] very renowned, and it contains many large provinces; for the entire region of Asia encompassed between the great river Tigris, the Persian gulf, the Indian ocean (which by ancient writers was called mare Rubrum, the Red Sea), the rivers Indus and Iaxartes (they now call it Chesel), and the Caspian sea, is nowadays in the possession of the Sophies, the kings of Persia {1608/1612I only{and this country is now in bitter war with the Ottomans}1608/1612I only}.
167.3. {1573L(A){All of this region is assigned by Plinius in the 27th chapter of his 6th book {1606E only{on the history of Nature}1606E only}, in the view of Agrippa, to the Medes, Parthians and Persians. But Ammianus Marcellinus, who lived in the time of Iulianus, the Apostata emperor of Rome, assigns all of it to Persia. For in his 23rd {1606E has instead{24th}1606E} book he lists the following {1573L(A), not in 1580/1589G & 1608/1612I{eighteen}1573L(A), not in 1580/1589G & 1608/1612I} areas in this order {1603L{as parts of Persia}1603L}: Assyria, Susiana, Media, Persis, Parthia, Carmania the Greater, Hyrcania, Margiana, the Bactriani, the Sogdiani, the Sacæ, Scythia beyond mount Emodus, {1606E only{(a part of mount Taurus, the Jews call it Iethra, others Moghali, others [again] Beresith, as Thevetus reports,)}1606E only} Serica, Aria, the Paropamisadæ, Drangiana, Arachosia and Gedrosia.
167.4. All these countries, even at this day, are subject to the jurisdiction of the kings of Persia, (for all I can learn either from the books of recent writers, or from the tales of travellers into those parts), yet the names seem to have been altered and changed much}1573L(A)} {1606E only{by comparing the modern maps and charts with the descriptions of ancient Geographers}1606E only}.
167.5. About the origins of the SOPHIES, the following details have been translated by Cælius Secundus Curio in his Saracen history from the Decades of Asia, written by Ioannis Barrius. In the year of Christ 1369 there was a certain petty king among the Persians called Sophi, who held the city of Ardenelim in his possession. This man bragged that he was directly descended via his ancestors from Musa Cazino, nephew of Alij Muhammed.
167.6. He, after the chalif of Babylon had died & since the opposing party, maintained by the Turks, was oppressed by the Tartars, began [ever] more boldly and freely to advance his views about religion; and because Hocemus, the son [of] Alij, from whom he drew his pedigree, had twelve sons, and intending to set some mark on his sect and its disciples whereby they might be recognised and be distinguishable from others, he ordained that they that would follow him and be of his religion, should wear a turban under a veil, like all Turks wind around their head, (they call it Tulibant), that should be of a purple colour, and should hang from the middle of the Tulibant twelve hands wide.
167.7. After his death his son, called Guines succeeded in his place. This man acquired such a reputation of learning religion and holiness throughout all the Eastern countries of the world, that Tamerlanes, that worthy and famous emperor of the Parthians {1608/1612I has instead{Tartars}1608/1612I instead}, (who overcame Bayazet, the great Turk, {1606E only{defeated all his forces and took him captive),}1606E only} while travelling through Persia, decided to visit him as a most holy and religious saint.
167.8. Tamerlanes freely donated to Guines thirty thousand captives whom he had brought there with him. These were by Guines instructed about his religion. And their services were particularly used by Secaidar, his son, in war. Because, after his father Guines had died, he waged war with the Georgians, his neighbours bordering on his kingdom and provinces, a kind of people from Scythia, but of Christian faith, and with the help of these Musselmans grievously vexed them [the Georgians] in many kinds of ways &c. Let this satisfy you here as what should be said about the origins of the Sophies.
167.9. These wage continual war with the Turks about the Mohammedan religion, because the Sophies adhere to one interpretation of the {1606E only{Alkora'n and}1606E only} Mohammedan religion, and the Turks to another, about which there is much dissent from one to the other among interpreters, so that the Sophians are by the Turks considered as mere heretics, and in their turn the Turks are considered in the same way by the Sophians. It is by nature a civilised and honourable nation, very civil and courteous, in love with learning and liberal sciences, and highly esteeming nobility and noblemen. In this respect they are clearly the opposite of the Turks, who do not acknowledge or hold in regard any difference in lineage or descent from famous ancestors and great houses.
167.10. You may read about the situation of these countries, [and] the manners, customs and behaviour of its people in Aloysius Ioannes Venetus, Iosaphat Barbarus, Ambrosius Contarenus, Iohannes Maria Angiolellus and a certain merchant's travels whose name I forgot, bound together with their books. Have a look also in the Jesuit Epistles, and the Persian Commentaries by Nicolai {1573L(A) and later instead{Caterini}1573L(A) and later instead} Geni, a senator's son of Venice about Persian matters}1570L(ABC), 1571L, 1573L(AB), 1574L, 1575L end here}.{1579L(A){Polybius in his fifth book most excellently describes the middle country}1579L(AB), 1580/1589G, 1584L, 1588S, 1602G end here}.
167.11. {1588S{Moreover Petrus Bizarrus, {1592L, not in 1602S & 1609/1612/1641S{my singularly good friend}1592L, not in 1602S & 1609/1612/1641S}, has recently published a history of Persia}1588S, 1592L ends here}. {1595L{and [even] more recently Thomas Minadoius has done the same, but in the Italian tongue}1595L, 1601L, 1602S, 1603L, 1606E, 1609/1612L & 1609/1612/1641S end here}. {1608/1612I only{And we have Medico from Aleppo, who has visited many countries in Asia and who has published a book in Italian about the war between Amurat, ruler of the Turks, against the Sophies}1608/1612I only, which ends here}.
Text, vernacular version, translated from the 1571/1573 Dutch, 1572/1573 German, 1572/1574 French, 1581 French, 1587 French, 1598 French and the 1598/1610/1613 Dutch editions:
167.12. {1571/1573D{The land of the Sophi or the kingdom of the Persians.
167.13. The kingdom of the Persians, in our times ruled by the Sophi, formerly had a great reputation, which it still retains. It comprises many countries and provinces under them, and it extends far and wide, as we said before when discussing Asia.
167.14. About its origin or beginnings of this well known Sophi family, Ian de Barros in his Asia relates the following: There was in the year 1369 {1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F have instead{1360}1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F instead} a nobleman among the Persians called Sophi, who ruled over the city of Ardevil. This man pretended to be someone who was related to Mahomet through his nephew Musa Cazin, who belonged to the family of Alli, a brother-in-law of Mahomet. This Sophi, (after the chalif of Babylon had died & since the opposing party, maintained by the Turks, was oppressed by the Tartars), began [ever] more publicly to advance his views about religion; and intending to set some mark on his sect whereby they might be distinguishable from others, he ordained that they that would be of his religion, should wear a turban, (like all Turks wind around their head like a hat), and its end should hang from the middle in twelve strings from top to bottom. This was done in memory of the twelve sons of Hocen, who was the son of Ali).
167.15. After the death of the Sophi, Guine, his only son, succeeded him. This man acquired such a reputation of learning religion and holiness throughout all the Eastern countries of the world, that Tamberlanes, emperor of the Parthians, (who captured Bayazetes, the Turkish emperor), while travelling through Persia, decided to visit him as a most holy man.
Tamberlanes donated to Guines thirty thousand captives whom he had brought there with him. These were by Guines instructed about his religion. And their help was particularly used by Secaidar, his son (who ruled after him), because he waged war with the Georgians (who are Christians), and the Scytes, his neighbours, and vexed them [the Georgians & Scythes] in many kinds of ways &c. This is the origin of the ruling of the Sophi, because his descendents kept that name.
167.16. These wage continual war with the Turks about the religion of Mahomet, because the Turks adhere to one interpreter of the Alcoran (that is Mahomets religious book), and the Persians to a different one. These two interpretations do not agree with each other, so that the Turks are by the Persians considered as heretics, and in their turn the Persians are considered in the same way by the Turks. The Persians are by nature a civilised people, courteous, in love with learning and liberal sciences, and highly esteeming nobility and noblemen. In this respect they are the opposite of the Turks, who acknowledge a farmer and a nobleman (as regards descent) as being equal.
167.17. On this map you also find the island of Ormus which is a kingdom of its own, and it rules over almost all sea coasts of Sinus [gulf] Persicus {1572/1573G only{and all islands around it}1572/1573G only}. This island of Ormus has a dry and barren soil, where nothing grows which can serve man, yet, there is a city with the same name on it, with all kinds of things in such abundance that it is a marvel to believe it. It is the largest merchant city situated at that sea, and it is such a splendid and pleasant city, that its inhabitants have a saying If the world were a ring, then Ormus ought to be its precious stone}1571/1573D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F, 1598/1610/1613D end here}.