and Ierusalem about seuen dayes iourney from thence:
but to returne to Cayro. There is a Castle wherein
is the house that Pharaoes wiues were kept in, and
in the Pallace or Court thereof stande 55 marble pillars,
in such order, as our Exchange standeth in London:
the said pillars are in beigth 60 foote: and
in compasse 14 foote: also in the said Citie is
the castle were Joseph was in prison, where to this
day they put in rich men, when the king would haue
any summe of money of them: there are seuen gates
to the sayd prison, and it goeth neere fiftie yardes
downe right: also, the water that serueth this
castle, commeth out of the foresaide riuer of Nilus,
vpon a wall made with arches, fiue miles long, and
it is twelue foote thicke. Also there are in
old Cayro two Monasteries, the one called S. Georges,
the other S. Maries: and in the Courts where
the Churches be, was the house of king Pharao.
In this Citie is great store of marchandize, especially
pepper, and nutmegs, which come thither by land, out
of the East India: and it is very plentifull
of all maner of victuals, especially of bread, rootes,
and hearbes: to the Eastwards of Cayro, there
is a Well, fiue miles off called Matria, and as they
say, when the Virgin Marie fled from Bethleem, and
came into AEgypt, and being there, had neither water,
nor any other thing to sustaine them, by the prouidence
of God, an Angell came from heauen, and strake the
ground with his wings, where presently issued out a
fountaine of water: and the wall did open where
the Israelites did hide themselues, which fountains
or well is walled foure square till this day. [Sidenote:
Carthage.] Also we were at an old Citie, all ruinated
and destroyed, called in olde time, the great Citie
of Carthage where Hannibal and Queene Dido dwelt:
this Citie was but narrow, but was very long:
for there was, and is yet to bee seene, one streete
three mile long, to which Citie fresh water was brought
vpon arches (as afore) aboue 25 miles, of which arches
some are standing to this day. [Sidenote: Argier.]
Also we were at diuers other places on the coast,
as we came from Cayro, but of other antiquities we
saw but few. The towne of Argier which was our
first and last part, within the streights standeth
vpon the side of an hill, close vpon the sea shore:
it is very strong both by sea and land, and it is
very well victualed with all manner of fruites bread
and fish good store, and very cheape. It is inhabited
with Turkes, Moores, and Iewes, and so are Alexandria
and Cayro. In this towne are a great number of
Christian captiues, whereof there are of Englishmen
onely fifteene, from which port we set sayle towardes
England, the seuenth of Ianuarie, Anno 1587, and the
30 day of the sayd moneth, we arriued at Dartmouth
on the coast of England.
* * * * *
The second voyage of M. Laurence Aldersey, to the
Cities of Alexandria, and
Cayro in Aegypt. Anno 1586.


