Of the red sea

This isle I take to be Babel-mandel

The red sea called by others the Arabian gulfe, and the streight of Mecha, containing in length twelue hundred miles, and in bredth but one hundred, is deuided into three partitions or chanels; the middlemost whereof being called The large or deepe sea, is without danger nauigable both day and night, because it hath from fiue and twentie to fiftie fathomes water, especially from the isle of Camaran euen to Suez stãding at the very bottome of the gulfe: the other two partitions, which are the easterne and westerne extremities, are incumbred with so manie little isles and rocks, as it is impossible to saile ouer them but onely by day-light, and with most expert pilots, which are to be hired at a small island lying ouerthwart the very to be Babel mouth or entrance of the red sea; which the ancient kings of Egypt (if the report of Strabo be true) barred with a chaine, from the African, to the Arabian side. This sea is very skarce of fish; perhaps because there fall no riuers thereinto, which with their fresh and sweete waters doe much delight and nourish the fish; and the strand or shore thereof is destitute of all greene grasse, herbes, or weedes. The portes and hauens of this sea are for the most part very dangerous and difficult to enter, by reason of the manifold windings and turnings, which must be made, to auoide the rockes.