the greatness of cities-第11章

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is　there　kept。　All　matters　of　importance　have　recourse　to　that　place；　all　princes　and　all　persons　of　account；　ambassadors　of　princes　and　of　commonwealths；　and　all　agents　of　cities　that　are　subject　make　their　repair　thither；　all　such　as　aspire　and　thirst　after　offices　and　honours　run　thither　amain　with　emulation　and　disdain　at　others。　Thither　are　the　revenues　brought　that　pertain　unto　the　state；　and　there　are　they　disposed　out　again。　By　all　which　means　cities　must　needs　increase　apace　it　may　easily　be　conceived　by　the　examples；　in　a　matter；　of　all　the　cities　of　importance　and　of　name。　　　　　The　ancientest　kingdom　was　that　of　Egypt；　whose　princes　kept　their　court　partly　in　Thebes　and　partly　in　Memphis；　by　means　whereof　those　two　cities　grew　to　mighty　greatness　and　to　beautiful　and　sumptuous　buildings。　Forasmuch　as　Thebes　（which　Homer　calls　poetically　the　City　of　a　Hundred　Gates）　was　in　circuit　（as　Diodorus　writeth）　seventeen　miles　about；　and　was　beautiful　with　proud　and　stately　buildings　both　public　and　private；　and　also　full　of　people。　And　Memphis　was　but　little　less。　　　　　In　after　ages；　other　kings　succeeding　（which　were　called　Ptolemies）　they　kept　their　court　in　Alexandria；　which　did　by　that　means　mightily　increase　in　buildings；　in　people；　in　reverent　reputation　taken　of　it；　and　in　inestimable　wealth　and　riches；　and　the　other　two　cities　aforesaid；　that　by　the　ruin　of　that　kingdom　falling　first　under　the　Chaldeans　and　afterward　under　the　Persians　were　exceedingly　decayed；　are　now　utterly　defaced。　　　　　The　Sultans　after　that　forsaking　Alexandria　drew　themselves　to　Cairo　which；　even　for　this　very　cause　became　（within　a　little　time　to　speak　of）　a　city　so　populous　as　it　hath　gotten；　not　without　good　cause；　the　name　of　the　Great　Cairo。　But　the　Sultans；　because　they　thought　themselves　not　to　be　secure　in　respect　of　the　innumerable　multitude；　if　so　great　a　people　should　perchance　rise　up　in　arms　against　them；　divided　it　with　large　and　many　ditches　filled　full　of　water；　so　that　it　might　appear　not　one　city　alone　but　many　little　towns　united　and　joined　together。　At　this　day　it　is　divided　into　three　towns　a　little　mile　distant　one　from　another；　whose　names　are　these：　Bulak；　old　Cairo　and　new　Cairo。　It　is　said　there　are　sixteen　thousand　or　（as　Ariosto　writeth）　eighteen　thousand　great　streets　in　it；　that　are　every　night　shut　up　with　iron　gates。　It　may　be　eight　miles　about；　within　which　compass；　for　that　these　people　dwell　not　so　at　large　nor　so　commodiously　for　ease　as　we　do；　but　for　the　most　part　within　the　ground；　stowed　up　as　it　were；　and　crowded　and　thrust　together；　there　is　such　an　infinite　multitude　of　them　as　they　cannot　be　numbered。　　　　　The　plague；　in　a　matter；　never　leaveth　them；　but　every　seventh　year　they　feel　it　most　exceedingly。　And　if　it　dispatch　not　out　of　the　way　above　three　hundred　thousand；　they　count　it　but　a　flea…bite。　In　the　time　of　the　Sultans　that　city　was　accounted　to　stand　to　health　when　as　there　died　not　in　it　above　a　thousand　persons　in　a　day。　And　let　this　suffice　that　I　have　said　of　Cairo；　which　is　of　so　great　a　fame　in　the　world　at　this　day。　　　　　In　Assyria；　the　kings　made　their　residence　in　Nineveh；　whose　circuit　was　four　hundred　and　eighty　furlongs　about；　which　comes　to　threescore　miles。　And　in　length　it　was　（as　Diodorus　writeth）　one　hundred　and　fifty　furlongs。　The　suburbs　thereof　no　doubt　must　needs　besides　that　be　very　large。　For　the　Scripture　affirmeth　that　Nineveh　was　great；　three　days　journey　to　pass　it　over。　Diodorus　writeth；　there　was　never　any　city　after　that　set　up　of　so　great　a　circuit　and　of　so　huge　a　greatness。　For　the　height　of　the　walls　was　an　hundred　foot；　the　breadth　able　to　contain　three　carts　abreast　together；　towers　in　the　walls　a　thousand　and　five　hundred；　in　height　an　hundred　foot；　as　Vives　saith。　　　　　The　residence　of　the　kings　of　Chaldea　was　in　Babylon。　This　city　was　in　compass　four　hundred　and　fourscore　furlongs；　so　writes　Herodotus。　Her　walls　were　wide　fifty　cubits；　high　two　hundred　and　more。　Aristotle　maketh　it　much　greater；　for　he　writes　that　it　was　said　in　his　time　that　when　Babylon　was　taken　it　was　three　days　ere　one　part　took　knowledge　of　the　conquest。　The　people　thereof　were　such　a　number　as　they　durst　offer　battle　unto　Cyrus；　the　greatest　and　the　mightiest　king　for　power　that　ever　was　of　Persia。　Semiramis　did　build　it；　but　Nebuchadnezzar　did　mightily　increase　it。　When　it　was　ruinated　afterward　at　the　coming　in　of　the　Scythians　and　other　people　in　those　countries；　it　was　re…edified　by　one　Bugiasar　Emperor　of　the　Saracens　who　spent　upon　it　eighteen　millions　of　gold。　Jovius　writeth　that　even　at　this　day　it　is　greater　than　Rome；　if　you　respect　the　compass　of　the　ancient　walls；　but　there　are　not　only　woods　to　hunt　in　and　fields　for　tillage；　but　also　orchards　and　large　gardens　in　it。　　　　　The　kings　of　Media　made　their　residence　in　Ecbatana；　the　kings　of　Persia　in　Persepolis；　of　whose　greatness　there　is　no　other　argument　than　conjecture。　In　our　time　the　kings　of　Persia　have　made　their　residence　in　Tauris；　and　as　their　empire　is　not　so　great　as　it　hath　been；　so　also　neither　is　their　city　of　the　greatest。　It　is　in　compass；　for　all　that；　about　sixteen　miles；　yea；　some　say　more。　It　is　also　very　long；　and　hath　many　gardens　in　it；　but　it　is　without　any　wall；　a　thing　common；　in　a　matter；　to　all　the　cities　in　Persia。　　　　　In　Tartary　and　in　the　Oriental　Asia；　through　the　power　of　those　great　princes；　are　far　greater　cities　than　in　any　parts　else　in　the　world。　The　Tartars　have　at　this　day　two　great　empires；　whereof　the　one　is　of　the　Mongolian　Tartars；　the　other　of　the　Cathayans。　The　Mongolian　Tartars　have　in　our　time　incredibly　enlarged　their　dominion；　for　Mahommed　their　prince；　not　contented　with　his　ancient　confines；　subdued　not　many　years　since；　in　a　matter；　all　that　ever　lieth　between　Ganges　and　Indus。　The　chief　city　of　Mogora　is　Samarkand；　which　was　incredibly　enriched　by　the　great　Tamburlane　with　the　spoils　of　all　Asia；　where　like　an　horrible　tempest　or　deadly　raging　flood　he　threw　down　to　the　ground　the　most　ancient　and　worthiest　cities；　and　carried　from　thence　their　wealth　and　riches。　And　to　speak　of　none　other；　he　only　took　from　Damascus　eight　thousand　camels　laden　with　rich　spoils　and　choicest　movable　goods。　This　city　hath　been　of　such　greatness　and　power　that　in　some　ancient　reports　we　read　it　made　out　forty　thousand　horse。　But　at　this　day　it　is　not　of　such　magnificency　and　greatness；　through　the　dominion　of　the　empire。　For　as　after　the　death　of　the　great　Tamburlane　it　was　suddenly　divided　into　many　parts　by　his　four　sons；　so　is　it　likewise　in　our　time　divided　amongst　the　sons　of　Mahommed；　who　hath　last　of　all　subdued　Cambay。　　　　　And　forasmuch　as　I　have　made　mention　of　Cambay　I　must　tell　you　there　are　in　that　kingdom　two　memorable　cities：　the　one　is　Cambay　and　the　other　is　called　Chitor。　Cambay　is　of　such　greatness　that　it　hath　gotten　the　name　of　a　province。　Some　write　that　it　doth　contain　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　houses；　to　the　which　allow；　as　commonly　the　matter　is；　to　every　house　five　persons　and　it　will　then　come　to　little　less　than　eight　hundred　thousand　inhabitants。　But　some　make　it　to　be　much　less。　Howbeit；　in　any　sort　howsoever　it　is　a　most　famous　city；　the　chiefest　of　a　most　rich　kingdom；　and　the　seat　of　a　most　mighty　king；　that　brought　to　the　enterprise　against　Mahommed　King　of　the　Mongols　five　hundred　thousand　footmen　and　a　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　horsemen；　whereof　thirty　thousand　were　armed　after　the　matter　of　our　men…at…arms。　Chitor　is　twelve　miles　about；　and　is　a　city　so　magnificent　of　buildings；　so　beautiful　for　goodly　streets　and　so　full　of　delights　and　pleasures　that　few　other　cities　do　come　near　it；　and　it　is　for　that　cause　called　by　the　people　that　inhabit　there；　the　Shadow　of　the　Heavens。　It　hath　been　in　our　time　the　city　of　residency　of　the　Queen　Crementina；　who；　because　she　rebelled　from　the　said　king　of　Cambay；　was　with　main　force　deprived　thereof　in　the　year　1536。　　　　　The　emperor　of　the　Cathayan　Tartars　（commonly　called　the　Great　Cham）　deriveth　himself　from　the　great　Genghis；　who　was　the　first　that　three　years　agone　came　out　of　Scythia　Asiatica　with　a　valiant　expedition　and　power　of　arms；　and　made　the　name　of　the　Tartars　famous。　For　he　subdued　China　and　made　a　great