The Greatness of Cities [23]
both in greatness. Chinchew, although it be of the meaner sort, the Fathers of the Order of St. Augustine who saw it do judge that city to contain threescore and ten thousand houses. These things I here deliver ought to be not thought by any man to be incredible. For (besides that Marco Polo in his relations affirmeth far greater things) these things I speak are in these days approved to be most true by the intelligences we do receive continually both of secular and religious persons, as also by all the nation of the Portuguese. So as he that will deny it shall show himself a fool. But for the satisfaction of the reader I will not spare to search out the very reasons how it comes to pass that China is so populous and full of such admirable cities. Let us then suppose that either by the goodness of the heavens or by the secret influence of the stars to us unknown, or for some other reasons else whatsoever they be, that part of the world that is oriental unto us hath more virtue, I know not what, in the producing of things than the West. Hereof it proceedeth that a number of excellent things grow in these happy counties of which others are utterly destitute and void, as cinnamon, nutmegs, cloves, pepper, camphor, sandalwood, incense, aloes, the Indian nuts, and such other like. Moreover the things that are common unto both, to the East, I say, and the West, they are generally much more perfect in the East than the West; as for proof thereof, the pearls of the West in comparison of the East are as it were lead to silver. And likewise the bezoar that is brought from the Indies is a great deal better far than the bezoar that comes from Peru. Now China comes the nearest to the East of any part of the world, and therefore doth she enjoy all those perfections that are attributed to the East. And first the air (which of all things importeth to the life of man so much as nothing more) is very temperate; whereunto the nearness of the sea addeth a great help, which embraceth, as it were, with arms cast abroad a great part thereof, and looks it in the face with a cheerful aspect, and with a thousand creeks and gulfs penetrateth far within the very province. Next, that the country is for the most part very plain and of nature very apt to produce not only things necessary for the use and sustenance of the life of man but also all sorts of dainty thing for man's delight and pleasure. The hills and mountains are perpetually arrayed with trees of all sorts, some wild and some fruitful; the plains manured, tilled and sown with rice, barley, wheat, peas and beans; the gardens, besides our common sorts of fruits, do yield most sweet melons, most delicate plums, most excellent figs, pomecitrons and oranges of divers forms and excellent taste. They have also an herb out of which they press a delicate juice which serves them for drink instead of wine. It also preserves their health and frees them from all those evils that the immoderate use of wine doth breed unto us. They also abound in cattle, in sheep, in fowl, in deer, in wool, in rich skins, cotton, linen, and in infinite store of silk. There are mines of gold and silver and of excellent iron. There are most precious pearls. There is abundance of sugar, honey, rhubarb, camphor, red lead, woad, musk and aloes, and the porcelain earth is known nowhere but there. More than this, the rivers and the waters of all sorts run gallantly through all those counties with an unspeakable profit and commodity for navigation and tillage. And the waters are as plentiful of fish as the land is of fruits, for the rivers and the seas yield thereof an infinite abundance. Unto this so great a fertility and yield both of the land and water there is joined an incredible culture of both these elements. And that proceedeth out of two causes, whereof the one dependeth upon the inestimable multitude of the inhabitants (for it is thought that China doth contain more than threescore millions of souls) and the other consisteth in the extreme diligence and pains that is taken as well of private