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yeerely, there remarne heapcs able to lade nine or ten shippes, and there are heaps of two yeeres gathering, some of three and some of nine or tenne yeeres making, to the value of a great summe of golde, and where the ships do lade, they never take it the measure, but when they come at Venice they measure it. This salt as it lyeth in the pit is like so much ice, and it is sixe inches thicke: they digge it with axes, and cause their slaves to eary it to the heapes. This night at midnight we rode to Famagusta, which is eight leagues from Salina, which is 24 English miles. The 29 about two honres before day, we alighted at Famagusta, and after we were refreshed we went to see the towne. This is a very faire streng holde, and the strongest and greatest in the Hand. The walles are faire and new, and strongly rampired with foure principali bulwarkes, and betweene them turrions, responding one to another, these walles did the Venetians make. They have also on the haven side of it a Castle, and the haven is chained, the citie hath onely two gates, to say, one for the lande and another for the sea, they have in the towne continually, he it peace or warres, 800 souldiers, and fortie and sixe gunners, besides captaines, petie captaines, Govcrnour and Generali. The lande gate hath alwayes tìftie souldiers, pikes and gunners with their liâmes, watching there at night and day. At the sea gate five & twenty, upon the walles every night doe watch fifteene men in watch houses, for every watch house five men, antl in the market place 30 souldiers con-tinually. There may no soldier serve there above 5 yeres, neither will they without friendship suffer them to depart afore 5 yeres be expired, and there may serve of all nations except Greeks. They have eveiy pay, which is 45 da yes, 15 Mozenigos, which is 15 shillings sterling. Their horsemen have onely sixe soldes Venetian a day, and provender for their horses, but they have also certaine lande therewith to plow and sowe for the maintenance of their horses, but trnely i marvell how they live being so hardly fed, for all the sommer they feed e onely upon chopt straw and barley for hey they have none, and yet they be faire, fat and serviceable. The Venetians send every two yeeres new rulers, which they call Castellani. The towne hath allowed it also two gallics continually armed and furnished. The 30 in the morning we ridde to a chapell, where they say Saint Katherin was borne. This chappell is in old Famagusta, the which was destroyed by Englishmen, and is cleane overthrowne to the ground, to this day desolate and not inhabited by any person, it was of a great circuit, and there be to this day mountaines of faire, great and strong, buildings, and not onely there, but also in many places of the Hand. Moreover when they digge, plowe, or trench they finde sometimes olde an tient coines, some of golde some of stiver, and some of copper, yea and many tombes aud vantes with sepnlchers in them. This olde Famagusta is from the other fonre miles and standeth on a hill, but the new towne on a plaine. Thence we returned to new Famagusta againe to dinner, and toward evening we went about the towne, and in the great church we sa>we the tombe of king Jacques, which was the last king of Cyprus, and was buried in the yere of Christ one thousand foure hundred seventic & three, and had to wife one of the daughters of Venice of the house of Comari, the which family at this day hath great revenues in this Island, and by means of that mariage the Venetians chalenge the kingdom of Cyprus. The first of October in the morning, we went to see the reliefe of the watches. That done, we went to one of the Greekes Churches to see a pot or jarre of stone, which is sayd to bee one of the seven jarres of water, tho which the Lord God at the mariage converted into wine. It is a pot of earth veiy faire, white enamelled, and fairely wrought upon with drawen worke, and hath on either side of it, instead of handles, eares made in fourme as the painters make angels wings, it was abont an ell high, and small at the bottome, with a long necke 70 EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

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