From Babylon I departed for Basora, shipping my selfe in one of the barks that vse to go in the riuer Tigris from Babylon to Basora, and from Basora to Babylon:  which barks are made after the maner of Fusts or Galliots with a Speron and a couered poope:  they haue no pumpe in them because of the great abundance of pitch which they haue to pitch them with all:  which pitch they haue in abundance two dayes iourney from Babylon.  Nere vnto the riuer Euphrates, there is a city called Heit, nere vnto which city there is a great plaine full of pitch, very maruellous to beholde, a thing almost incredible, that out of a hole [Footnote:  This hole where out commeth this pitch is most true, and the water and pitch runneth into the valley or Iland where the pitch resteth, and the water runneth into the riuer Euphrates, and it maketh all the riuer to be as it were brackish with the smell of pitch and brimstone.] in the earth, which continually throweth out pitch into the aire with continuall smoake, this pitch is throwen with such force, that being hot it falleth like as it were sprinckled ouer all the plaine, in such abundance that the plaine is alwayes full of pitch:  the Mores and Arabians of that place say, that that hole is the mouth of hell:  and in trueth, it is a thing very notable to be marked:  and by this pitch the whole people haue great benefit to pitch their barks, which barks they call Daneck and Saffin.  When the riuer of Tygris is well replenished with water, you may passe from Babylon to Basora in eight or nine dayes, and sometimes more and sometimes lesse:  we were halfe so much more which is 14 or 15 daies, because the waters were low:  they may saile day and night, and there are some places in this way where you pay so many medins on a baile:  if the waters be lowe, it is 18 dayes iourney.

Basora.

[Sidenote:  Zizarij an ancient people.] Basora is a city of the Arabians, which of olde time was gouerned by those Arabians called Zizarij, but now it is gouerned by the great Turke where he keepeth an army to his great charges.

The Arabians called Zizarij haue the possession of a great countrey, and cannot be ouercome by the Turke, because that the sea hath deuided their countrey into an Iland by channels with the ebbing and flowing of the sea, and for that cause the Turke cannot bring an army against them, neither by sea nor by land, and another reason is, the inhabitants of that Iland are very strong and warlike men. [Sidenote:  At the castle of Corna the riuer Euphrates and Tygris do meet.] A dayes iourney before you come to Basora, you shall haue a little castle or fort, which is set on that point of the land where the riuers of Euphrates and Tygris meet together, and the castle is called Corna:  at this point, the two riuers make a monstrous great riuer, that runneth into the sea, which is called the gulfe of Persia, which is towards the South:  Basora is distant from the sea fifteene miles, and it is a city of great trade of spices and drugges which