Samarkand, 'the head of Tartary' on the maps
Editorial contextDescribing the Mogores (Mughals), who he says now rule Sind and have made many wars on Cambay, Cruz says the head of their kingdom is 'the great Samarkand', which the maps of his day label 'the head of Tartary'. He then uses Josephus to make these people Scythians descended from Japheth, son of Noah, through Magog. This is book learning, not observation: it shows 'Tartary' working as a map label in the 1560s.
The head of their kingdom is called the great Samarkand, which on the maps is called the head of Tartary. These are counted among the Scythians, as Josephus testifies in the first book of the Antiquities, who according to him descend from Japheth son of Noah through Magog.
Working translation
Original wording
Ha cabeça de seu reyno se chama ho grã Samarcam, q̃ nos Mappas se chama cabeça de Tartaria: estes sam cõtados antre os Scythas, como testefica Josepho no liuro primeiro das antiguidades, os quaes segũdo elle descendem de Japha filho de Noe por Magog.
About Mogores (Mughals), counted by Cruz among the Scythians
Keep in mind
Cruz is repeating maps and Josephus; he never went near Samarkand.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed.
Tartar prisoners in Canton, called 'Tatos'
Editorial contextHere Cruz speaks as an eyewitness: in Canton he saw many Tartar captives whose only 'captivity' was serving as soldiers far from home. They wore red caps as a badge but otherwise dressed like the Chinese, and received a fixed royal pay. The Chinese, he says, call them 'Tatos' because they cannot pronounce the letter R. Chinese Dada (Tatar) is real; the missing-R explanation is his.
In the city of Canton I saw many Tartar captives, whose only captivity is to serve as men-at-arms in other parts far from Tartary. They wear red caps as a badge; otherwise they wear the dress of the Chinese among whom they live … The Chinese call these people Tatos, because they cannot pronounce this letter r.
Working translation
Original wording
Na cidade de Cantam vi eu muitos tartaros catiuos, os quaes nã tem mais catiueiro q̃ seruirẽ por homẽs darmas noutras partes longe de tartaria, e trazẽ por diuisa barretes bermelhos, no demais trazem ho trajo dos chinas com quẽ viuẽ … Chamam os chinas a estes Tatos, porque nam podem pronunciar esta letra. r.
About Tartar (Mongol) captives serving the Ming as soldiers
Keep in mind
The explanation of the name is Cruz's own.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed.
Mogores, named after Magog
Editorial contextCruz says these peoples trade as far as Hormuz, border the Caspian and have the Tartars at their side. The Greeks called them Scythians, but across Asia they are called Mogores, a name he believes they kept from their ancestor Magog. It is a learned folk etymology linking the Mughals (from 'Mongol') to the biblical Magog.
Many of them come with goods to Hormuz; they border on the Caspian Sea, and at their side are the Tartars. And although the Greeks call these people Scythians, throughout Asia the greater and the lesser they are called Mogores, keeping the first name they took from their father Magog, from whom they descend and take their name.
Working translation
Original wording
Vem muitos delles cõ fazendas a Ormuz, confinẽ cõ ho mar Caspio, e ao lado com os Tartaros: e inda q̃ os gregos a estes chamẽ Scythas: por toda Asia mayor e menor sam chamados Mogores perseuerãdo nelles ha primeira denominaçam q̃ tomaram do pay Magog dõde decẽdem e se denominarã.
About Mogores (Mughals and related Central Asian peoples) living beside the Tartars
Keep in mind
The Magog derivation is Cruz's own guess; 'Mogor' actually comes from 'Mongol'.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed.
Bearded 'Alimenes' guarding the Tartar passes
Editorial contextCruz reports that the king of China keeps salaried soldiers to guard the weak passes and walls facing the Tartars: big, bearded men in cut breeches and caps, with curved swords. A Portuguese captive heard the Chinese call them 'Alimenes', which Cruz takes to mean Germans (Alemanes), concluding that China must border Upper Germany. He tells the same story on an earlier page (n25). The identification is his own leap.
the Chinese say that the King of China has many salaried men-at-arms who guard for him the weak passes and the walls on the side of the Tartars; they say they are big, heavily bearded men who wear cut breeches, caps and curved swords; and a Portuguese who had been taken captive inland told me that he had heard the Chinese call these people Alimenes.
Working translation
Original wording
dizem os chinas que tẽ el Rey da China muita gente darmas salariada, que lhe guarda os passos fracos e os muros da bãda dos tartaras: dizẽ q̃ sam homẽs grãdes e barbaçudos, e q̃ trazẽ calças cortadas e gorras e espadas rõbas, e disse me hũ portugues q̃ pola terra dentro fora leuado catiuo, q̃ ouuira dizer aos chinas q̃ lhe chamauã a estes Alimenes
About Hired guards on the Tartar frontier, called 'Alimenes' by the Chinese
Keep in mind
Third-hand report; the leap from 'Alimenes' to Germans is Cruz's guess.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed.
Scythians who will march for the Antichrist
Editorial contextRight after the Magog passage, Cruz cites a treatise on the Antichrist by one Pedraza, who says these Scythians live beyond the Caspian, are a huge multitude, and will come to help the Antichrist at the end of time. Cruz offers it as support for his own view. It is the old Gog and Magog end-of-the-world legend, repeated from a book.
Of these Pedraza says, in the treatise he made on the Antichrist, that they are Scythians and live beyond the Caspian Sea, and that they are a great multitude, which is to come to the aid of the Antichrist; I mention this to show that it agrees with what I have said.
Working translation
Original wording
Destes diz Pedraza no tractado q̃ fez do Antichristo q̃ sam Scythas e viuẽ alem do mar Caspio, e q̃ he muita gente, ha qual ha de vir em ajuda do Antichristo, ho que refiro pera mostrar que cõforma com ho que tenho dito.
About Scythians beyond the Caspian (the same peoples as the Mogores)
Keep in mind
Apocalyptic legend quoted from another author; not a report about real people.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed.
Painted giants who guard the passes of Tartary
Editorial contextDescribing officials' houses in Canton, Cruz notes huge gates painted with two giants holding staves. He saw four such figures in a temple, said to be portraits from life of men the king keeps to guard the weakest passes of Tartary, big-limbed and twelve or thirteen palms tall. What he saw were painted door gods; the frontier story is what he was told.
on the front they have some very large doors, like the gates of a city, with two giants painted on them holding staves in their hands. I saw four in a pagoda (which is a temple of idols), portrayed from life of some whom they say the King keeps to guard for him the passes [that are weakest in Tartary; they are very big-limbed, perhaps twelve or thirteen palms tall].
Working translation
Original wording
tẽ na frõtaria hũas portas muy grandes como portas de hũa cidade, com dous gigantes pintados cõ hũs bastões nas mãos: eu vi quatro em hũ pagode (que he tẽplo de idolos) tirados polo natural dalgũs q̃ dizẽ ter el Rey q̃ lhe guardã os passos
About Door-guardian figures in Canton, said to portray the king's frontier guards
Keep in mind
He saw paintings; the story that they depict real giant frontier guards is hearsay.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed; the sentence ends on the next page (n44): 'mais fracos da Tartaria, sam muy mẽbrudos, poderã ser de doze ou treze palmos dalto', given in brackets in the translation.