My last letter to you was from Zobah, as it is called by the prophet Samuel, B. II. ch. viii. v. 3. now named Aleppo, the principal emporium of all Syria, or rather of the eastern world; which was, I think, about fifteen months ago.  I returned from Jerusalem to Aleppo, where I remained three months afterwards, and then departed in a caravan bound for Persia.  Passing the river Euphrates, the chiefest of the rivers which irrigated the terrestrial paradise, when about four days journey from Aleppo, I entered into Mesopotamia, or Chaldea.  Hence, in two days journey, I reached Ur of the Chaldees, where Abraham was born, a very delicate and pleasant city.[246] I remained here four days; and in other four days journey reached the Tigris, which I also passed, at a place where it was so shallow that it only reached to the calf of my leg, so that I waded over a-foot.  I then entered into the greater Armenia; and thence into lower Media, and resided six days in its metropolis, formerly called Ecbatana, the summer residence of Cyrus the Great, now called Tauris.  More woeful ruins of a city I never beheld, excepting those of Troy and of Cyzicum in Natolia.

[Footnote 246:  Probably Orfa in Diarbekir is here meant.—­E.]

From that place I went to Cashbin, called by Strabo, Arsacia, in higher Media, once the residence of the Tartar prince; four days journey from the Caspian Sea.  From Cashbin, I went in twenty-three days to Ispahan in Parthia, the residence of the king of Persia; but while I was there, he was in Gurgistan, [Georgia,] ransacking the poor Christians of that country with fire and sword.  I remained two months at Ispahan, whence I travelled with a caravan to the eastern India, passing four months and several days in travelling from that city, through part of Persia proper, and a large extent of the noble and renowned India, to the goodly city of Lahore.  This is one of the largest cities in the world, being, at the least, sixteen miles in circuit, and larger even than Constantinople.  Twelve days before coming to Lahore, I passed over the famous river Indus, which is as broad again as our Thames at London, having its original from the mountain of Caucassus, so ennobled by ancient poets and historians, both Greek and Latin.

When about midway between Ispahan and Lahore, just about the frontiers between Persia and India, I met Sir Robert Shirley and his lady, travelling from the court of the Mogul to that of Persia.  They were gallantly furnished for their journey, and shewed me, to my great satisfaction, both my books, very neatly kept, and promised to shew them, especially my itinerary, to the king of Persia, and to interpret some of the principal contents to him in Turkish, that I may have the more gracious access to him at my return.  Besides other rarities which they carried with them, they had two elephants and eight antelopes, being the first of either I had ever seen.  But afterwards,