GASCONIA. Gascony

Gasconia was called by another name, Novem populana Land of the nine peoples. Among its remaining cities, Burdegala Bordeaux and Tolosa Toulouse easily hold the primary place. Burdegala is an ancient and remarkable city, situated in the marshes which the overflowing Garonne creates; it is adorned with a distinguished Academy, in which professors of all arts and sciences instruct the youth, so that it can truly be called the home of the Muses, or rather, a cornucopia of all honors. For there is nothing in other cities worthy of recommendation that this one does not possess in abundance: whether you look at the cheapness of grain, the glory of arms, or the frequency of business and trade, and especially the study of letters. Famous monuments of antiquity still exist there; among which is the palace of the Tutela, which Belleforest thinks was once dedicated to the Genius of the city and the Tutelary Gods. Another is seen outside the city, which they call the palace of Galienus; it was undoubtedly an amphitheater constructed in an oval figure. Some hand down that Toulouse was built many years before the Trojan war; others wish for it to have been founded in the times of Deborah, that prudent Jewish woman. However that may be, many traces of Roman antiquity survive there. The suburban field is rich and fertile, abounding in all things necessary for human sustenance. This city is noble for the Gymnasium University which it has, which is the most famous in all Europe; and for its supreme Senate, which they call the Parliament, and also the Court of the Seneschal.

GASCONIA.

A copperplate engraved map of Gascony (Description of Gascony) showing the region's river systems (Garonne, Tarn, Lot) and major cities. The map is oriented with North to the top, West to the left, East to the right, and "Part of Spain" and the Pyrenees mountains at the bottom. Key locations marked include Bordeaux, Toulouse, Agen, Alby, and Bayonne. The map includes a scale bar at the top right.