_Their Feasts, common Diet, Princes Estate, Buildings, Tributes, Laws,
Slaves, Entertainment of Ambassadors._
{MN} For their Feasts, they have all sorts of Beasts, Birds, Fish, Fruits,
and Herbs they can get, but the more variety of wild ones is the best; to
which they have excellent Drink made of Rice, Millet, and Honey, like
Wine; they have also Wine, but in Summer they drink most Cossmos, that
standeth ready always at the entrance of the door, and by it a Fidler;
when the Master of the House beginneth to drink, they all cry, ha, ha, and
the Fidler plays, then they all clap their Hands and dance, the Men before
their Masters, the Women before their Mistresses; and ever when he drinks,
they cry as before; then the Fidler stayeth till they drink all round;
sometimes they will drink for the Victory; and to provoke one to drink,
they will pull him by the Ears, and lug and draw him, to stretch and beat
him, clapping their Hands, stamping with their Feet, and dancing before
the Champions, offering them Cups, then draw them back again to increase
their Appetite; and thus continue till they be drunk, or their drink done,
which they hold an honour, and no Infirmity.
* * * * *
{MN} _Their Feasts._
{MN} Though the Ground be fertile, they sow little Corn, yet the Gentlemen
have Bread and Honey-wine; Grapes they have plenty, and Wine privately,
and good Flesh and Fish; but the common sort stamped Millet, mingled with
Milk and Water. They call Cassa for Meat, and drink any thing; also any
Beast unprofitable for service they kill, when they are like to die, or
however they die, they will eat them, Guts, Liver and all; but the most
fleshy parts they cut in thin slices, and hang it up in the Sun and Wind
without salting, where it will dry so hard, it will not putrifie in a long
time. A Ramm they esteem a great Feast among forty or fifty, which they
cut in pieces boiled or roasted, puts it in a great Bowl, with Salt and
Water, for other Sawce they have none; the Master of the Feast giveth
every one a piece, which he eateth by himself, or carrieth away with him.
{MN-2} Thus their hard fare makes them so infinite in Cattel, and their
great number of Captive Women to breed upon, makes them so populous. But
near the Christian Frontiers, the baser sort make little Cottages of Wood,
called _Vlusi,_ daubed over with dirt, and Beasts dung covered with sedge;
yet in Summer they leave them, beginning their Progress in _April,_ with
their Wives, Children, and Slaves, in their Carted Houses, scarce
convenient for four or five Persons; driving their Flocks towards
_Precopia,_ and sometimes into _Taurica,_ or _Osow,_ a Town upon the River
_Tanais,_ which is great and swift, where the _Turk_ hath a Garrison; and
in _October_ return again to their Cottages. Their Clothes are the Skins
of Dogs, Goats, and Sheep, lined with Cotton Cloath, made of their finest
Wooll, for of their worst they make their Felt, which they use in
abundance, as well for Shooes and Caps, as Houses, Beds, and Idols; also
of the coarse Wooll mingled with Horse hair, they make all their Cordage.
{MN-3} Notwithstanding this wandring life, their Princes sit in great
State upon Beds, or Carpets, and with great reverence are attended both by
Men and Women, and richly served in Plates and great Silver Cups,
delivered upon the Knee, attired in rich Furrs, lined with Plush, or
Taffity, or Robes of Tissue. These _Tartars_ possess many large and goodly
Plains, wherein feed innumerable Herds of Horse and Cattel, as well wild
as tame; which are Elkes, Bisons, Horses, Deer, Sheep, Goats, Swine,
Bears, and divers others.
* * * * *
{MN-1} _Their common diet._
{MN-2} _How they become populous._
{MN-3} _Their Princes State._
{MN-1} In those Countries are the Ruins of many fair Monasteries, Castles,
and Cities, as _Bacasaray, Salutium, Almassary, Precopia, Cremum, Sedacom,
Capha,_ and divers others by the Sea, but all kept with strong Garrisons
for the Great _Turk,_ {MN-2} who yearly by Trade or Traffick, receiveth
the chief Commodities those fertile Countries afford, as Bezoar, Rice,
Furs, Hides, Butter, Salt, Cattel, and Slaves, yet by the spoils they get
from the secure and idle Christians, they maintain themselves in this
Pomp. Also their Wives, of whom they have as many as they will, very
costly, yet in a constant custom with decency.
* * * * *
{MN-1} _Ancient Buildings._
{MN-2} _Commodities for tribute to the_ Turk.
{MN} They are _Mahometans,_ as are the _Turks,_ from whom they also have
their Laws, but no Lawyers, nor Attornies, only Judges, and Justices in
every Village, or Hordia; but Capital Criminals, or matters of moment,
before the Chan himself, or Privy Councils, of whom they are always heard,
and speedily discharged; for any may have access at any time to them,
before whom they appear with great Reverence, adoring their Princes as
Gods, and their Spiritual Judges as Saints; for Justice is with such
integrity and Expedition Executed, without Covetousness, Bribery,
Partiality, and Brawling, that in six Months they have sometimes scarce
six Causes to hear. About the Princes Court, none but his Guard wear any
Weapon, but abroad they go very strong, because there are many Bandittos,
and Thieves.
* * * * *
{MN} _Good Laws, yet no Lawyers._
{MN} They use the _Hungarians, Russians, Wallachians,_ and _Moldavian_
Slaves (whereof they have plenty) as Beasts to every work; and those
_Tartars_ that serve the Chan, or Noblemen, have only Victuals and
Apparel, the rest are generally nastly, and idle, naturally miserable, and
in their Wars better Thieves than Soldiers.
* * * * *
{MN} _Their Slaves._
{MN} This Chan hath yearly a Donative from the King of _Poland,_ the Dukes
of _Lithuania, Moldavia,_ and _Nagayon Tartars;_ their Messengers commonly
he useth bountifully, and very nobly, but sometimes most cruelly; when any
of them do bring their Presents, by his Houshold Officers, they are
entertained in a plain Field, with a moderate proportion of Flesh, Bread
and Wine, for once; but when they come before him, the _Sultans, Tuians,
Vlans, Marhies,_ his chief Officers and Councellors attend, one Man only
bringeth the Ambassadour to the Court Gate, but to the Chan he is led
between two Councellors; where saluting him upon their bended knees,
declaring their message, are admitted to eat with him, and presented with
a great Silver Cup full of Mead from his own hand, but they drink it upon
their Knees: when they are dispatched, he invites them again, the Feast
ended, they go back a little from the Palace door, and rewarded with Silk
Vestures, wrought with Gold down to their Anckles, with an Horse or two,
and sometimes a Slave of their own Nation; in them Robes presently they
come to him again, to give him thanks, take their leave, and so depart.
* * * * *
{MN} _His Entertainment of Ambassadours._
* * * * *