_How he levieth an Army; their Arms and Provision; how he divideth the
Spoil, and his Service to the Great Turk._
{MN} When he intends any Wars, he must first have leave of the Great
_Turk,_ whom he is bound to assist when he commandeth, receiving daily for
himself and chief of his Nobility, Pensions from the _Turk,_ that holds
all Kings but Slaves, that pay Tribute, or are subject to any: signifying
his intent to all his Subjects, within a Month commonly he raiseth his
Army, and every Man is to furnish himself for three Months Victuals, which
is parched Millet, or ground to Meal, which they ordinarily mingle with
Water (as is said) hard Cheese or Curds dried, and beaten to powder, a
little will make much Water like Milk, and dried Flesh, this they put also
up in Sacks; The Chan and his Nobles have some Bread and _Aquavitae,_ and
quick Cattel to kill when they please, wherewith very sparingly they are
contented. Being provided with expert Guides, and got into the Country he
intends to Invade, he sends forth his Scouts to bring in what Prisoners
they can, from whom he will wrest the utmost of their Knowledge fit for
his purpose; having advised with his Council, what is most fit to be done,
the Nobility, according to their Antiquity, doth march; then moves he with
his whole Army: if he find there is no Enemy to oppose him, he adviseth
how far they shall Invade, commanding every Man (upon pain of his Life) to
kill all the obvious Rusticks; but not to hurt any Women, or Children.
* * * * *
{MN} _How he levieth an Army._
{MN} Ten, or fifteen thousand, he commonly placeth, where he findeth most
convenient for his standing Camp; the rest of his Army he divides in
several Troops, bearing ten or twelve Miles square before them, and ever
within three or four days return to their Camp, putting all to Fire and
Sword, but that they carry with them back to their Camp; and in this
scattering manner he will invade a Country, and be gone with his Prey,
with an incredible Expedition. But if he understand of an Enemy, he will
either fight in Ambuscado, or flie; for he will never fight any Battel if
he can chuse, but upon treble advantage; yet by his innumerable flights of
Arrows, I have seen flie from his flying Troops, we could not well judge,
whether his fighting or flying was most dangerous, so good is his Horse,
and so expert his Bow-men; but if they be so intangled they must fight,
there is none can be more hardy, or resolute in their defences.
* * * * *
{MN} _The manner of his Wars._
{MN} Regaining his own Borders, he takes the tenth of the principal
Captives, Man, Woman, Child, or Beast (but his Captains that take them,
will accept of some particular Person they best like for themselves) the
rest are divided amongst the whole Army, according to every Mans Desert
and Quality; that they keep them, or sell them to who will give most; but
they will not forget to use all the means they can, to know their Estates,
Friends, and Quality, and the better they find you, the worse they will
use you, till you do agree to pay such a Ransom, as they will impose upon
you; therefore many great Persons have endured much misery to conceal
themselves, because their Ransoms are so intolerable: their best hope is
of some Christian Agent, that many times cometh to redeem Slaves, either
with Money, or Man for Man; those Agents knowing so well the extream
covetousness of the _Tartars,_ do use to bribe some Jew or Merchant, that
feigning they will sell them again to some other Nation, are oft redeemed
for a very small Ransom.
* * * * *
{MN} _How he divideth the spoil._
{MN} But to this _Tartarian_ Army, when the _Turk,_ commands, he goeth
with some small Artillery; and the _Nagayans, Precopens, Crims, Osovens,_
and _Circassians,_ are his Tributaries; but the _Perigorves, Oczaconians,
Bialogordens,_ and _Dobrucen Tartars,_ the _Turk_ by Covenant commands to
follow him, so that from all those _Tartars_ he hath had an Army of an
hundred and twenty thousand excellent, swift, stomackfull _Tartarian_
Horse for foot they have none. Now the Chan, his Sultans and Nobility, use
_Turkiso, Caramanian, Arabian, Parthian,_ and other strange _Tartarian_
Horses; the swiftest they esteem the best; seldom they feed any more at
home, than they have present use for; but upon their Plains is a short
Wood-like Heath, in some Countries like Gail, full of Berries, much better
than any Grass.
* * * * *
{MN} _How the Chan doth serve the Great_ Turk.
{MN} Their Arms are such, as they have surprised or got from the
_Christians_ or _Persians,_ both Brest-plates, Swords, Scimitars, and
Helmets; Bows and Arrows they make most themselves, also their Bridles and
Saddles are indifferent, but the Nobility are very handsome, and well
armed like the _Turks,_ in whom consisteth their greatest Glory; the
ordinary sort have little Armour, some a plain young Pole unshaven, headed
with a piece of Iron for a Lance; some an old _Christian_ Pike, or a
_Turks_ Cavarine, yet those Tattertimallions will have two or three
Horses, some four or five, as well for service, as for to eat; which makes
their Armies seem thrice so many as there are Soldiers. The Chan himself
hath about his Person, Ten thousand chosen _Tartars_ and _Janizaries,_
some small Ordnance, and a white Mares Tail, with a piece of green Taffity
on a great Pike, is carried before him for a Standard; because they hold
no Beast so precious as a white Mare, whose Milk is only for the King and
Nobility, and to Sacrifice to their Idols; but the rest have Ensigns of
divers Colours.
* * * * *
{MN} _Their Arms._
For all this miserable Knowledge, Furniture, and Equipage, the mischief
they do in _Christendom_ is wonderful, by reason of their hardness of Life
and Constitution, Obedience, Agility, and their Emperours Bounty, Honours,
Grace, and Dignities he ever bestoweth upon those, that have done him any
memorable Service in the face of his Enemies.
{MN} The Caspian Sea, most Men agree that have passed it, to be in length
about 200 Leagues, and in breadth an hundred and fifty, environed to the
East, with the great Desarts of the _Tartars_ of _Turkomania;_ to the
West, by the _Circasses,_ and the Mountain _Caucasus;_ to the North, by
the River _Volga,_ and the Land of _Nagay;_ and to the South, by _Media,_
and _Persia:_ This Sea is fresh Water in many places, in others as salt as
the great Ocean; it hath many great Rivers which fall into it, as the
mighty River of _Volga,_ which is like a Sea, running near Two thousand
Miles, through many great and large Countries, that send into it many
other great Rivers; also out of _Saberia, Yaick,_ and _Yem,_ out of the
great Mountain _Caucasus,_ the River _Sirus, Arash,_ and divers others,
yet no Sea nearer it than the black Sea, which is at least an hundred
Leagues distant: In which Country live the _Georgians,_ now part
_Armenians,_ part _Nestorians;_ it is neither found to increase or
diminish, or empty it self any way, except it be under Ground, and in some
places they can find no Ground at Two hundred fathom.
* * * * *
{MN} _A Description of the_ Caspian _Sea._
Many other most strange and wonderful things are in the Land of _Cathay,_
towards the North-east, and China towards the South-east, where are many
of the most famous Kingdoms in the World, where most Arts, Plenty, and
Curiosities are in such abundance, as might seem incredible, which
hereafter I will relate, as I have briefly gathered from such Authors as
have lived there.
* * * * *