TRAVELS
INTO
_TURKEY_:
Containing the most accurate Account of the
TURKS,
AND
Neighbouring NATIONS,
Their MANNERS, CUSTOMS, RELIGION,
SUPERSTITION, POLICY, RICHES,
COINS, _&c._
The whole being a series of remarkable
observations and events, interspers’d with
great variety of entertaining incidents,
never before printed.
Translated from the Original _Latin_ of the Learned
_A. G. BUSBEQUIUS_.
_With Memoirs of the Life of the Illustrious Author._
_LONDON_:
Printed for J. ROBINSON, at the _Golden-Lyon_ in _Ludgate-Street_;
and W. PAYNE, opposite _Durham Yard_ in the
_Strand_. M.DCC.XLIV.
EXTRACT OF THE LIFE OF The AUTHOR
_From M. BAYLE._
That he was born in _Flanders_, educated at _Paris_, _Lorrain_, _Venice_,
_Bologna_, and _Padua_; made great Progress in his Studies, having
acquir’d a Knowledge in near Ten different Languages; was sometime
in _London_, with the Emperor _Ferdinand_’s Ambassador; returned
to _Flanders_, and from thence to _Vienna_, where he was appointed
Ambassador to _Solyman the Great_, and soon set out for _Constantinople_;
but not finding him there, was obliged to go to _Amasia_, &c. and during
his long Stay in that Country, having a strong Propensity to Learning,
collected many valuable Manuscripts, Coins, _&c._ Took great Delight in
procuring rare Plants, and studying the Nature of Animals; made himself
perfect Master of the _Turkish_ State, Policy, _&c._ That the Account
he composed of his Journey, is a very good Work, and deserves the
Approbation of all good Judges; the Learned _Sadelerius_, in his Edition
of it, Printed at _Mons_, asserts it deserves a Thousand Impressions.
The Celebrated _Thuanus_ owns he transcribed many Things out of it to
insert in his History, and likewise gives a great Character of the Author
and his Work. In short, as we have no good Account of that Country and
People, an _English_ Version, ’tis presum’d, will be agreeable to the
Public.
N. B. _Those who are inclin’d, may see a much larger Account of the
Author in ~Bayle’s~ Dictionary, ~Vol. II.~_
_Busbequius_’s TRAVELS INTO _TURKEY_.
_SIR_,
As I promised you, at parting, to give you a full Account of my Journey
to _Constantinople_, so, I shall now make good my Word; and I hope, with
Advantage too. For, I shall also acquaint you with my Adventures in my
Travel to _Amasia_, as well as That to _Constantinople_, the _former_
being less used, and consequently far less known, than the _latter_. My
Design herein, is, to allow you a Part of the Solace, of what happened
pleasurable to me; for so the ancient Friendship betwixt us obliges me,
to appropriate no Joy to myself, without communicating the same to you;
but, as for what happened incommodious to me, (as, in so long and tedious
a Journey, some Things must needs do) those I take to my self; neither
would I have you concerned in them at all; for, the Danger being now
past, the more grievous they were to suffer, the more pleasant will they
be, even to myself, to remember and commit to Writing.
Upon the Receipt of his Letter, _Ferdinand_ was at a stand; he did
not fully believe, nor yet altogether disbelieve him; he was inclined
to suspect, that the Memory of his _former_ Sufferings, and the Fear
of _future ones_, did deter him from that Employment, rather than the
Danger of his Disease; and yet, on the other side, he did not think it
creditable for himself to employ a Man that had so well deserved of him
and of the Commonwealth, in any Service against his Will. But the Death
of _Malvezius_, which followed a few Months after, did sufficiently
convince him, that his Disease was not pretended, to decline the
Employment, but was really a Mortal one.
Upon this, I was substituted in the Place of _Malvezius_: But, being
unexperienced (as I said before) in the Affairs and Manners of the
_Turks_, King _Ferdinand_ thought it adviseable for me to bestow a Visit
upon _Malvezius_ in his Sickness, that so, by his Directions and Advice,
I might be better cautioned and armed against any Impositions of the
captious _Turks_. Two Days I staid with him, which was as much as the
straitness of my Time would permit; and I husbanded them so well, as to
be informed by him, what I was to act, and what to avoid, in my daily
Convention with the _Turks_.
Whereupon, I posted back to _Vienna_, and began, with great Application
and Diligence, to prepare Necessaries for my Journey. But such was the
Flush of Business, and so little the Time allowed to dispatch it, that,
when the Day fixt for my Departure came, though the King did earnestly
press me forward, and I had been extremely Busy all the Day in equipping
myself, and in causing Bag and Baggage to be pack’d up, even from the
fourth Watch; yet it was the first Watch of the following Night, before
I could be quite ready; but then the Gates of _Vienna_, which at that
time of Night us’d always to be shut, were opened on purpose for me. The
Emperor went abroad a Hunting that Day, but he told his Followers, That
he did not doubt but that I would be upon my Way, before he returned from
his Sport in the Evening, and it fell out accordingly; yet so, that I was
but just gone before he came Home.
At eleven o’Clock at Night, we came to _Ficiminum_, a Town in _Hungary_,
four Miles from _Vienna_; there we Supp’d, for our haste was so great
that we came Supperless out of Town; from thence we travelled towards
_Comora_. The Emperor, among the rest of his Commands, had enjoin’d me
to take along with me to _Buda_, one _Paul Palinai_ from _Comora_, a Man
well acquainted with the Rapins and Depredations of the _Turks_, and
so was best able to assist me in my Expostulations with the Bashaw of
_Buda_, and in my Demands for satisfaction of Injuries received. But he,
not in the least suspecting that my departure would have been so punctual
at the Day appointed, had not yet stirred from his own House, and there
was no Body could tell when he would come; which uncertainty troubled me
very much. I acquainted King _Ferdinand_ therewith by Letter, and all the
next Day stayed at _Comora_ expecting his coming.
But the third Day, I passed over the River _Vaga_, and prosecuted my
Journey towards _Gran_, the first Garrison of the _Turks_ I came to
in _Hungary_. Col. _John Pax_, Governor of _Comora_ had sent sixteen
Horse with me (of those that the _Hungarians_ call _Hussars_) to be my
Guard; and he had given them a Charge not to leave me, till they came in
sight of the _Turkish_ Convoy; for the Governor of _Gran_ had signified
to me, that his Soldiers should meet me half way. We travelled about
three Hours through a vast Plain, when, behold! there appeared afar off
four _Turkish_ Horse; and yet, notwithstanding, my _Hungarian_ Guard
accompanied me still, till I desired them to retire; for I was afraid
that if they should come up to the _Turks_, some troublesome Bickering
would have intervened betwixt them.
As soon as the _Turks_ saw me to draw near, they rode up to me, and
saluted me by my Coach side: thus we passed on a while together,
discoursing interchangeably one with another, (for I had a little Youth
for my Interpreter.) I expected no other Convoy, but when we descended
into a low Valley, I saw my self on a sudden, surrounded with a Party of
about a hundred and fifty Horse. It was a very pleasant Spectacle to a
Man, unaccustomed to see such Sights, for their Bucklers and Spears were
curiously Painted, their Sword-handles bedeck’d with Jewels, their Plumes
of Feathers party-coloured, and the Coverings of their Heads were twisted
with round Windings as white as Snow; their Apparel was Purple-coloured,
or at least a dark Blue; they rode upon stately Praunsers, adorn’d with
most beautiful Trappings. Their Commanders came up to me, and after
friendly Salutation they bid me Welcome; and asked me, How I had fared
on my Journey? I answer’d them as I thought fit; and thus they led me to
_Gran_, for so the Castle is called, situate on an Hill, whose Foot is
washed by the _Danow_, with a Town adjoining, built in a Plain. I retired
into the Town, the Arch-bishop whereof is Primate of _Hungary_, and for
Dignity, Authority and Opulency, is inferior to no Nobleman of that
Kingdom.
Here I was entertained, not after a Courtly, but after a Military manner;
for instead of Beds, they spread abroad course shaggy Rugs of Tapestry
upon hard Boards; there were no Bed-ticks nor Sheets: Here my Family had
the first taste of _Turkish_ Delights (forsooth;) as for my self, I fared
better, for my Bed was carried along with me wheresoever I went.
The Day after my Arrival, the _Sanziac_ of the Place (for so the _Turks_
call a Governor, because a _Sanziac_ (_i. e._) a gilded brass Ball, is
carried before him on the top of a Spear, as a Cornet to a Troop of
Horse) was very earnest to speak with me; and tho’ I had no Letter, nor
any other Command to deliver to him, yet such was his importunity, that
go I must. And when I came, I found he had no Business with me, but only
to see and salute me, and to ask me something of my Errand; and thus,
exhorting me to promote a Peace, he wish’d me a happy Journey. In my
Passage, I admir’d to hear the croaking of Frogs in such a cold Season of
the Year as the Month of _December_; the cause was, the Waters stagnant
in those Places are made warm by sulphureous Exhalations.
Leaving _Gran_, I went towards _Buda_; but to be sure, I took my
Breakfast before-hand, which was likely to be my Dinner also; for there
was no Place to bait at before I came to _Buda_. The _Sanziac_, or
Governor of the Place, with all his Family, together with the Horse which
he Commanded, came out of the Town with me, to bring me on my Way: I
could by no means persuade him to omit this Office of Respect. The Horse,
as soon as they came out of the Gates, began to shew me some sport,
curvetting and discharging one against another; they threw their Bonnets
on the Ground, and Galloping their Horses with full speed, by them, they
took them up by the Points of their Spears; and many such Ludicrous
Pranks did they perform. Amongst the rest of them, there was a _Tartar_,
who had thick Bushy Hair hanging down over his Shoulders; they told me,
that he always went bare Headed, and would never have any other Fence for
his Head, either against the Violence of the Weather, or the Hazard of a
Battle, but his own Hair. The _Sanziac_, after he had accompanied me as
far as he pleased, returned Home, but not before we had taken our Leaves
of one another, and he had left some Guides for my Journey, in my Retinue.
When I drew near to _Buda_, a few _Turkish Chiaux_’s met me on the
Way, (they are in the Nature of Pursuivants, or Serjeants at Arms, to
carry about the Commands of the Grand Seignior, or his Bashaw’s, and
are Officers of great Esteem in that Nation) by them, I was brought
to lodge in the House of a Citizen, who was an _Hungarian_, where my
Baggage, Coach and Horses, was better provided for, than myself; for
the _Turks_ take special Care that Horses, with their Equipage, be well
accommodated; as for the Men, if they have but an House over their
Heads to shelter them from the Weather, they think they may shift well
enough for themselves. The Bashaw of _Buda_ sent one to visit me, and
bid me welcome, his Name was _Tuigon_, (which in _Turkish_, signifies a
Stork) by him he excused himself to me, that he could not admit me into
his Presence for some Days, because of a grievous Disease he laboured
under; but as soon as ever he recovered a little Strength, he said, he
would wait upon me. This Delay was the Occasion, that the aforementioned
Absence of _Palinai_ was less prejudicial to me, than otherwise it would
have been, (to say no more) for he used great Diligence to Post after,
lest he might come too late, and accordingly he overtook me a little
while after.
I was detained at _Buda_ a long Time, by reason of the Sickness of the
Bashaw; ’twas thought his Disease was Grief, which he had conceived
for the Loss of a great Sum of Money, which was stolen from the Place
in which he had hid it, for he was commonly reported to be a Penurious
and Sordid-spirited Man. When he heard, that I had brought the Heer
_William Quacquelben_ with me, a great Philosopher, and an excellent
Physician too, he earnestly intreated me, that he might give him a Visit
to administer some Physick to him, in order to his Cure. I easily granted
his Request, but soon after, was almost ready to repent of my Facility:
For the Bashaw grew worse and worse, and, ’twas thought, he would not
have recovered; so that I was afraid, if he had died, the _Turks_ would
say, my Physician had kill’d him, and by that means, the good Man might
have run a great Hazard, and I myself also might have born Part of the
Infamy, as being accessary thereunto; but it pleased God to free me from
this Anxiety, by restoring the Bashaw to his Health.
’Twas at _Buda_ I got the first Sight of the _Janizaries_, so the
_Turks_ call the Prætorian Foot; their Number, when it is fullest, is
twelve Thousand, and their Prince disperses them all over his Dominions,
either to Garrison his Forts against an Enemy, or to be a Safeguard to
_Christians_ and _Jews_, against the injurious Rage of the Multitude; for
there is no well Inhabited Village, Town, or City, wherein there are not
some or other of these _Janizarias_, to protect _Christians_, _Jews_,
and other helpless Persons, from the Fury of the Rabble. The Castle of
_Buda_ is always Garrison’d by them; their Habit is a long Garment down
to their Ankles, upon their Heads they wear the Sleeve of a Coat, or
Cloak (for from thence, as they say, the Pattern was drawn) their Head
is put into part of it, and part of it hangs down behind, flapping upon
their Shoulders; in the Front, or Fore-part of it, there ariseth a
Silver-Cone, somewhat long, gilt over with Gold, and wrought with Jewels,
but they were of an ordinary Sort. These _Janizaries_ usually came to
me by Couples; when they were admitted into my Dining-Room, they bowed
down their Heads and made Obeisance, and presently they ran hastily to
me, and touched either my Garment, or my Hand, as if they would have
kissed it; and then forced upon me a Bundle, or Nosegay of _Hyacinths_ or
_Narcissus_’s, and presently they retired backward, with equal Speed, to
the Door, that so they might not turn their Backs upon me, (for that is
accounted undecent, by the Rules of their Order) when they came to the
Door, there they stood, with a great deal of Modesty and Silence, with
their Hands upon their Breasts, and fixing their Eyes upon the Ground,
so that they seemed more like _our_ Monks, than _their_ Soldiers. But
when I had given them some Cash (which was the only Thing they aimed at)
they bowed their Heads again, and giving me Thanks with a loud Voice,
they wished me all happiness, and departed. The Truth is, unless I had
been told before, they were _Janizaries_, I should have thought them to
have been a kind of _Turkish_ Monks, or Fellows of some College or other
amongst them. Yet these are the _Janizaries_ that carry such a Terror
with them wheresoever they come.
Some _Turks_ supp’d with me often at _Buda_, and were mightily taken
with the delicious sweetness of my Wine: It is a Liquor that they have
but little of in _Turkey_, and therefore, they more greedily desire
it, and drink it more profusely, when once they come where it is. They
continued Carousing till late at Night, but afterwards I grew weary of
the Sport, and therefore rose from Table, and went to my Chamber; but
as for Them, they went away sad, because they had not their full Swing
at the Goblet, but were able to stand upon their Feet. As soon as I was
gone, they sent a Youth after me, desiring me to let them have their
Fill of Wine, and that I would lend them my Silver Cups to drink it
in; for they were willing, by my Leave, to sit at it all Night in some
Corner or other of the House. I granted their Request, and ordered so
much Wine to be given them, as they desired, with Bowls to drink it in.
Being thus accommodated, they tippled it out so long, till they were even
Dead-drunk, and tumbling down, lay fast asleep upon the Ground. You must
know, that it is a great Crime in _Turkey_ to drink Wine, especially for
those who are well stricken in Years; as for the Younger Sort, they think
the Offence to be more Venial, and therefore more excusable in them. But
seeing they expect no less Punishment, after Death, for drinking a little
Wine, than if they drank ever so much, when once they have tasted of that
Liquor, they go on to drink more and more; for having once incurr’d the
Penalty of their Law, now, they think, they may Sin _gratis_, and account
Drunkenness as a Matter of Gain. This Opinion, and others more absurd
than This, do the _Turks_ hold concerning Wine, of which, I will give
you a remarkable Instance: I saw an Old Man at _Constantinople_, who,
after he had taken a Cup of Wine in his Hand to Drink, us’d first to make
a hideous Noise; I asked his Friends, Why he did so? They answered me,
that, by this Outcry, he did, as it were, warn his Soul to retire into
some secret Corner of his Body, or else, wholly to Emigrate, and pass out
of it, that she might not be guilty of that Sin which he was about to
commit, nor be defiled with the Wine that he was to guzzle down.
But to return to _Buda_.
’Twould be too tedious for me to give you a large Description of this
Place, and it were a Task fitter for one that writes a Book, than a
Letter; yet not to be wholly silent, _Buda_ lies in a pleasant Place, and
in a very fruitful Country, it is extended all along the Brow of an Hill,
so that on one Side it borders on a rising Ground, abounding with choice
Vineyards, and on the other Side, it is water’d by the River _Danow_,
running by it, and beyond the _Danow_, there is the Town of _Pest_, and a
large Campain adjoining, both which Prospects are in View of _Buda_, so
that this Place seems naturally designed for the Metropolis of _Hungary_.
It was antiently adorned with many stately Palaces, belonging to the
Nobles of _Hungary_; but those goodly Piles are now either quite fallen
to the Ground, or else have many Props to support them from tumbling
down; they are Inhabited mostly by the _Turkish_ Soldiers, whose daily
Pay being but enough to support them, they have no over-plus to lay out
in Tyling, or Repairing, such large Structures; and therefore they do not
much regard, whether it Rains through the Roof, or whether the Walls be
full of Clefts, provided they have a dry Place to set their Horses, and
their own Beds in; the upper Part they think concerns them not, so that
they make a great Part of the upper Stories to be Inhabited by Weazels
and Mice.
Besides, ’tis a Piece of Religion in _Turkey_, not to covet magnificent
Buildings; for (say they) ’tis a Sign of a Proud, Lofty, and aspiring
Mind, to covet Sumptuous Houses, as if so frail a Creature as Man, did
promise a kind of Immortality, and an everlasting Habitation to himself
in this Life; when alas! we are but Pilgrims here, and therefore, ought
to use our Dwellings, as Travellers do their Inns, wherein if they
are secured from Thieves, Cold, Heat, and Rain, they seek not for any
other Conveniences. So that all over _Turkey_ you will hardly find a
stately House, tho’ the Owner of it be never so Great, or Rich a Man;
the Commonalty of them live in Huts and Cottages; the Nobles are for
handsome Orchards, Gardens and Baths; but as for their Houses, tho’ the
numerousness of their Families require large Ones, yet they have no
handsome Gate-houses, or Porches belonging to them; nor Court-yards, nor
any thing else Magnificent, or worthy of any Admiration. Herein they
resemble the _Hungarians_, for except _Buda_, and (perhaps) _Presburgh_,
there is scarce any City in _Hungary_, that you can call well Built. This
Custom I suppose, they derived from their Ancestors, for they being a
People given to Camp-discipline and therein trained, did not care a rush
for Building great Houses, but looked upon their Towns only as temporary
Habitations, which they were about to leave.
Moreover, whilst I was at _Buda_, I was very much taken with the sight
of a strange kind of Fountain that is without the Gate of the Town, in
the way leading to _Constantinople_, the Water whereof at top was boiling
hot, and yet in the bottom there were Fishes playing up and down; so that
you would think, they must needs be throughly boiled, before you could
take them out.
’Twas the 7th, of _December_, before the Bashaw was so well recovered
as to admit me to his Presence; and then, after I had sweetned him with
some Presents, I made my Complaint to him of the Insolency and Ravagings
of the _Turkish_ Soldiers; and demanded Restitution of what they had
wrongfully taken away, contrary to the express of the Truce made,
and which he himself, in his Letter to _Ferdinand_, had promised him
satisfaction for, if he pleased to send an Envoy to _Buda_. But he, like
a cunning Gamester, made as many Complaints of the Injuries and Losses
They had sustained by Our Soldiers: And as for his Promise to restore
the Places they had wrongfully seized and taken away from the Emperor;
he eluded it, by sheltring himself under this Dilemma: _Either I made a
Promise, or I did not_; if I made no Promise, then you can demand nothing
of me: If I did make a Promise, I know Sir, you are a Person of that
Understanding as not to conceive, that I can, or will perform it; for I
am sent hither by my Master to Enlarge, not to diminish the Bounds of his
Empire; so that I must by no means make his Condition worse than it was:
’tis my Master’s Business (Sir) not Mine; what you have to say on this
Head, pray propound it to him when you come to _Constantinople_. To be
short Sir, you know I am but newly Recovered, and therefore am not in a
Condition to maintain any further Discourse. When this course Compliment
was put upon me, I thought ’twas time to be gone, neither could I get any
thing else from him, only a Truce, till the Grand Seignior’s Mind was
known.
I observed, that when I was introduced to the Bashaw, they observed the
old _Roman_ Custom of crying aloud, _Welcome, Welcome_: and so wishing an
happy Issue to my Negotiation. I observed also, that the _Turks_ count
the left Hand to be most Honourable in some particular Cases; the Reason
they give is, because the Sword is worn on that side, and he that is on
the right Hand has, as it were, the Command of the Sword of him that is
at his Left, whereas his Own is free.
Matters being thus composed at _Buda_, as well as we could, my Companion
_Paliani_ returned to the Emperor; but I for my part, shipp’d my Horses,
Coaches, and all my Family on some Vessels, prepared for me on the
_Danow_, and so passed down the Stream to _Belgrade_; this was a shorter
cut, and also more secure; for my Journey by Land to _Belgrade_, would at
that Time have cost me at least twelve Days, especially, having such a
deal of heavy Baggage with me; and besides, we had been in danger to be
Robb’d by the _Heyduc_’s, so the _Hungarians_ call a sort of plundering
Thieves and Robbers; but upon the Water there was no fear at all of them;
and besides, we compassed our Journey in five Days. The Vessel in which I
was, was drawn along by a lesser Pinnace, in which there were twenty-four
Oars; the other Vessels had but two large Oars a-piece. The Mariners
rowed Night and Day without any Intermission, excepting only a few Hours
that the poor Souls borrow’d to Sleep and Eat in. In my Passage down the
River, I could not but observe the venturousness, not to say temerity of
the _Turks_, who were not afraid to Sail on in the mistiest Weather and
darkest Night, and when the Wind blew very hard too; and besides, there
were many Water-mills, with several Trunks and Boughs of Trees hanging
over the Banks, which made our Passage very Dangerous; so that some times
our Vessel, by the boisterousness of the Wind, was driven to the Bank,
and there dash’d against old stumps of Trees hanging over, so that it
was like to split; this is certain, that she lost some Planks out of
her Hulk, which made a terrible crack and noise when they were loosed
therefrom. This noise awak’d me; leaping out of my Bed, I advis’d the
Mariners to be more cautious: they lift up their Voices, and gave me no
other Answer than _Alaure_, i. e. _God will help_, and so I might go to
Bed again, if I would.
Tho’ we speed pretty well, yet I am apt to believe, that at one Time or
other, such Dangerous Sailing will be fatal to some Passengers. In our
Passage, I saw _Tolna_, a handsome Town in _Hungary_; I cannot forbear
to mention it, because there we had very good White-wine, and, besides
the Inhabitants were very Courteous to us. Moreover, we passed in sight
of the Castle of _Walpot_, seated on an Hill, and of other Castles and
Towns besides; we saw also, where the River _Drave_, on the one side,
and the _Tibiscus_, or _Taise_, on the other, made their Influx into
the _Danow_. As for _Belgrade_ itself, it is seated at the confluence
of the _Save_ and the _Danow_; the old City is built in the extreme
Angel of the Promontory, the Building is old, it is fortified with many
Towers, and a double Wall: Two parts of it are wash’d by the _Save_, and
the _Danow_, but on that part where it is joined to the Land, it hath
a very strong Castle on high Ground, consisting of many loftly Turrets
made of square Stone; before you come into the City, there is a vast
Number of Buildings, and very large Suburbs, wherein several Nations
inhabit, _viz._ _Turks_, _Greeks_, _Jews_, _Hungarians_, _Dalmatians_,
and many others. For you must know that ordinarily over all the _Turkish_
Dominions, the Suburbs are larger than the Towns, but take them both
together, they give the resemblance of large Cities: ’Twas at this Town,
that I first met with some ancient Coins, wherein, as you know, I take
a great delight, and my Physician aforesaid, Dr. _Quackquelben_, fitted
me to an Hair, as we say, for he was as much addicted to those Studies
as myself. I found a great many Pieces, which on one side represented a
_Roman_ Soldier, placed between a Bull and a Horse, (for ’tis known,
that the Legions of upper _Mæsia_ did anciently encamp hereabouts)
with this Inscription, _Taurunum_. This City, in the memory of our
Grandfathers, was twice violently assaulted by the _Turks_, first,
under _Almurath_; next under _Mahomet_, who took _Constantinople_; but
the _Hungarians_, under the Banner of the Cross, made such a vigorous
Defence, that the _Barbarians_ were beaten off with a great deal of
Loss. But at last, in the Year 1520. _Solomon_, in the beginning of his
Reign, came before it with a vast Army, and finding it, either by the
neglect of young King _Ludovicus_, or by the Discords of the factious
_Hungarian_ Nobles, destitute of a Garrison able to defend it, he took
that opportunity to assault it, and so easily became Master thereof. And
that Door being once opened, an _Iliad_ of Miseries broke in upon poor
_Hungary_, of which she is sadly Sensible to this Day; for this Pass
being gained, there followed the Slaughter of King _Lewis Ludovicus_,
the taking of _Buda_, the inslaving of _Transilvania_, and a flourishing
Kingdom, hereby brought under the Yoke, not without a Terror struck
into the Neighbouring Nations, least they also should partake of the
same Calamities; by which Example, Christian Princes may take warning,
never to think their Frontier Towns and Castles to be strong enough, nor
sufficiently provided against so potent an Enemy as the _Turk_. For the
Truth is, the _Ottomans_ are herein not unlike to great Rivers, whose
Swelling Waves, if they break down any part of the Bank or Jitty, that
keeps them in, spread far and near, and do abundance of Mischief; so
the _Turks_, but far more perniciously, having once broke through the
Obstacles that stopt them, make a vast spoil where-ever they come. But
to return to _Belgrade_, that I may prosecute the rest of my Journey to
_Constantinople_.
After I had provided myself in that City of all Things necessary for a
Land Journey, I left _Semandria_, heretofore a Town or Castle, of the
despots of _Servia_, on the left side of the _Danow_; from whence we
Journied towards _Nissa_. In our way thither, the _Turks_ shewed us,
from the higher Grounds, the Mountains of _Transilvania_, with Snowey
Tops, but at a great Distance from us, and moreover, they pointed with
their Fingers, were the Ruins of _Trajans_ Bridge were: After we had past
the River called _Morava_, we came to a Town of the _Servians_, named
_Jagodna_; there I observed the Funeral Rites of that Country, which
differ very much from ours, as you may find by this Relation following.
The dead Body was placed in a Temple, with the Face uncovered; near it
were laid Victuals, as Bread, Flesh, and a Flagon of Wine: The Wife and
Daughter of the Deceased stood by, in their best Apparel; the Daughter’s
Hat was made of Peacocks Feathers. The last Boon that the Wife bestowed
on her dead Husband, was a Purple Bonnet, such as noble Virgins us’d
to wear in that Country. Then we heard their Funeral Plaints, Mourning
and Lamentations, wherein, they asked the dead Corps, How they came to
deserve so ill at his Hands? Wherein had they been wanting in their Duty
and Observance, that he had left them in such a lonesome and disconsolate
Condition? And such like Stuff. The Priests that ministred in this
Service, were of the _Greek_ Church. In the Church-Yard, there were
erected on Poles, or long Staves, several Pictures of Stags, Hinds, and
such Kind of Creatures, cut in Wood; when I asked them the Reason of
this strange Custom, they told us, That their Husbands, or Fathers, did
thereby signify the Celerity and Diligence of their Wives or Daughters,
in managing their Houshold Affairs. Moreover, by some Sepulchres, there
hung Bushes of Hair, which Women, or Maidens, had placed in Testimony
of their Grief for the Loss of their Relations. We were also informed,
that it was the Custom of that Country, after Friends on both Sides had
accorded about the Marriage of a young Couple, for the Bridegroom to
snatch away his Bride, as it were by Force; for they do not think it
handsome, that a Maid should consent to her own Devirgination, or first
Nights Lodging with her Husband.
At a small Distance from _Jagodna_, we met with a little River which
the Neighbouring Inhabitants called _Nissus_, and we kept it on our
right Hand almost all the Way till we came to _Nissa_; yea, and beyond
the Town, upon the Bank thereof (were there were some Remains of an old
_Roman_ Way) we saw a small Marble Pillar, yet standing, wherein there
were some _Latin_ Letters inscribed; but they were so defaced, that they
could not be read: As for the Town of _Nissa_, for that Country, it is a
decent one, and full of Inhabitants.
’Tis Time now to acquaint you with the Entertainment we met with at our
Inns, for I believe you long to know. When I came to _Nissa_, I lodged
in a public Inn; the _Turks_ call them _Caravarsarai_, of which there
are a great many in that Country; the Form of them is thus, it is a
large Edifice, that has more of Length than Breadth; in the midst of it,
there is a kind of Yard for the placing of Carriages, Camels, Mules and
Waggons. This Yard is compassed about with a Wall about three Foot high,
which joins, and is, as it were, built in the outward Wall that incloses
the whole Building; the Top of this inner Wall is plain and level, and
is about four Foot broad. Here the _Turks_ lodge, here they sup, and
here is all the Kitchen which they have (for in the ambient Wall before
spoken of, there are ever and anon some Hearths built) and here are no
Partitions between Camels, Horses, with other Cattel, and Men, but the
Space of that inner Wall; and yet at the Foot of that Wall, they so tye
their Horses, that their Heads and Necks are above it, or at least may
lean over it; and thus, when their Masters are warming themselves at the
Fire, or else are at Supper, they stand near them as Servants us’d to do;
and sometimes they will take a Piece of Bread or Apple, or whatsoever
else is offered them, out of their Masters Hand. Upon the same Wall, the
_Turks_ make their Beds, after this Manner, first of all they spread a
broad Piece of Tapestry, which is fitted as a Saddle-cloth by Day, for
their Horses; upon that they put their Cloaks, their Saddles serve for a
Pillow, and with the long Vests they wear at Day, they cover themselves
at Night. And thus they take their rest, never provoking Sleep by any
other Allurement. There is nothing done in secret, there all is open,
and every Body may see what another does, unless the Darkness of the
Night hinder him. For my Part, I greatly abhored this Sort of Lodging,
because the Eyes of all the _Turks_ were continually upon us, staring and
wondering at our Carriage, according to the Customs of our Country. And
therefore, I always endeavoured to lodge at the mean House of some poor
Christian! but alas! their Cottages were so small, that many Times I had
not room enough in them for placing my Bed; so that sometimes I slept in
my Tent, sometimes in my Coach, and sometimes again I turned into the
_Turkish_ Hospitals; which, to give them their due, are very convenient,
and not unhandsomely built, for they have several distinct Apartments
for Lodgings in them. There is no Man forbid the Use of them, either
_Christian_ or _Jew_, Rich or Poor, they are open equally to all. Even
the _Bashaw_’s and _Sanziacs_, when they travel, make use of them. In
these I thought myself lodg’d as well as in the Palace of a Prince.
The Custom of these Inns, like Hospitals, is this: They allow Victuals to
every particular Man, that comes in as a Guest: So that when Supper-time
came, there was a Servant that brought in a great wooden Dish almost as
big as a Table; in the middle of it was a Platter full of Barley boiled
to a Jelley, with a little Piece of Flesh, and about the Platter were
some small Loaves, and here and there a Piece of an Honey-comb. When
I saw this, at first, out of Modesty, I refused it, saying, that my
Servants were preparing my own Supper for me, and therefore, advised
them to give it to the Poor: He took it amiss, and prest it upon me, and
alledging, that I should not scorn their slender Provision, that the
Bashaw’s themselves us’d to eat it; it was the Custom of their Country
so to do; they had enough left to give to the Poor, and if I would not
eat it my self, I should give it my Servants; hereupon, I was enforced
to take it, that I might not be counted uncivil by them; and after I
had tasted a little of it, I gave him Thanks. The Relish of it pleased
me well, for that kind of Gruel, as it is commended by _Galen_, so it
is very wholesome, and not unpleasing to the Taste. Travellers may be
entertained with that kind of Diet for three Days; but when that Time is
expired, they must pack up and be gone. Here (as I told you) I was well
entertained; but I met not always with such good Quarters. Sometimes,
when I could not light upon an House, I lodged in a Stable; my People
enquired after a large and capacious one, in one part whereof was an
Hearth and a Chimney, and the other part was design’d for the Herds of
Cattle; for that is the Make of the _Turkish_ Stables, that the Herd and
the Herdsman lodge under the same Roof. I divided that part where the
Fire was from the rest, by the sides of my Tent, and then I put my Table
and my Bed by the Fire-side, and liv’d like an Emperor: As for my Family,
they wallowed in a great deal of clean Straw, in the other part of the
Stable: But some of them fell a Sleep by the Fire-side in the adjoining
Orchard or Meadow where a Supper was preparing; the heat of the Fire was
their guard against the coldness of the Night, and they had as great a
care not to let it go out, as the _Vestal Virgins_ had of old at _Rome_.
I suppose, you will ask me, how my Family relieved themselves against the
inconvenience of their bad Lodging; especially seeing they could have
little Wine in the middle of _Turkey_, which might have been some Remedy
for their ill Lodging at Night. For the truth is, there is little Wine to
be had in several of their Villages, especially, if no _Christians_ dwell
among them: For I must tell you, that the _Christians_ being wearied
out with the Pride and Insolency of the _Turks_, do many times withdraw
themselves from the common Road into desert Places; which tho’ they are
less fruitful, yet are more secure; and so leave their better Possessions
to the domineering _Turks_. And whenever we drew near to any such Places,
where there was no Wine, the _Turks_ would very fairly tell us of it
before-hand; so that I sent my Steward the Day before, with a _Turk_ to
guide him, to procure some from the next Villages of the _Christians_.
And by this means it was, that the Distresses of my Family were something
alleviated; ’tis true, I could not get any soft Feather-beds or Pillows
for them, or other Blandishments for Sleep; the Wine was instead of all:
As for myself, I had some Flagons of choice Wine in my Chariot, so that I
wanted none; thus I and my Family were provided for, as to Wine.
But, there was one Inconvenience, which troubled us more than the
Scarcity of Wine, and that was, our Sleep was miserably interrupted; for
we being to rise betimes in the Morning, and sometimes before Day, that
we might come the sooner to our Inns at Night; our _Turkish_ Guides being
deceived by the Light of the Moon, would sometimes call us up at, or
about Midnight, with a great deal of Noise and Clamour. For the _Turks_
have no Clocks to distinguish Hours, nor Miles to shew the Distance
of Places: Only they have a sort of Ecclesiasticks, which they call
_Talismans_; this sort of People use a kind of Admeasurement by Water,
and when they perceive thereby, that ’tis Morning, then they cry aloud
from an high Tower, built on purpose, exhorting them to arise and worship
God. They make the same Noise in the middle between Sun-rise and Noon,
and likewise, between Noon and Sun-set; and, last of all, when the Sun
is set, they cry out with a very shrill Voice, which hath no unpleasant
Modulation, and which is heard farther than any Body would think. Thus
the _Turks_ divide the Day into four Spaces, longer or shorter, according
to the Season of the Year: But for the Night-time, they have no certain
Rule at all.
So our _Turkish_ Guides being deceived by the exceeding Brightness of
the Night they called us up before Sun-rising, and we started out of our
Beds in great Haste, that so they might not impute any unlucky Accident,
upon the Way, to our Slothfulness; in the Morning, we pack’d up our
Baggage, and put my Bed and Tent in our Waggons, harnessed our Horses,
and were ready for our Journey, only expected the Word of Command. But
our _Turks_, when they found their Mistake, fairly went into their Nests
again, and after we had waited for them a great while, I sent to them, to
tell them, we were all ready; and now the Delay was on _their_ Side, my
Messengers brought me Word, from them, that the Moon-light had deceived
them, and therefore, they were gone to sleep again, for it would be a
great while before it would be Time to go; and they persuaded us to try
to sleep again too. And thus, we must either unpack all our Things again,
to our no small Trouble, or else, we must endure a great Part of the
Coldness of the Night in the open Air.
To prevent this Inconvenience for the future, I charged the _Turks_
not to be so troublesome any more, as to rouze me out of my Sleep, for
if they would but tell me over Night, at what Time they would rise in
the Morning, I would be sure to be ready at the Time appointed; for
I had Watches by me, that I intended to make Use of, which would not
fail to acquaint me with the precise Hour of the Morning; and if they
over-slept themselves, they should lay it to my Charge, so that they
need not scruple to trust me with the Hour of their rising. They seemed
to be somewhat satisfied herewith, and yet did not lay aside all their
Solicitude neither; for in the Morning betimes, they awakened my _Valet
de Chambre_, desiring him to go to me, and to see how the Index of my
Watches did pointed; he so, and returned Answer to them, as well as he
could, That ’twas very near Sun-rising, according as he found it. When
they had thus tried him once or twice, and found that he hit the Time
right, they trusted me for the future, and admired the Structure of our
Watches, that could so faithfully declare the Time; so that ever after,
we slept out our Sleep, without any Disturbances from them.
From _Nissa_ we came to _S. Sophia_; the Journey thither, and the
Weather, for that Time of the Year, was very tolerable. _Sophia_ is a
Town big enough, and well inhabited both by Citizens and Strangers: It
was heretofore the Royal Seat of the King of _Bulgaria_; and afterwards,
if I mistake not, of the _Despots_ of _Servia_, whilst that House stood,
before it was overthrown by the _Turkish_ Arms.
Afterwards, we continued our Journey, for many Days, through the
pleasant, and not unfruitful, Valley of _Bulgaria_; all the Time we were
in that Country, we had little other Bread, but only Cakes bak’d under
Ashes upon the Hearth, which they call _Togatch_. The Women and Maids
sell them, for they have no Bakers in those Parts; and when they perceive
any Guests a-coming, that are likely to pay for what they have, presently
they knead a little Dough, with Water, without any Leaven, and lay it
upon Tiles, under the Ashes, and so bring it out piping hot, and sell
them for a very small Matter; other Victuals is also very cheap there, a
good Weather-sheep may be bought for thirty-five Aspers; a Chicken and
a Hen for an Asper, a sort of Coin with them, of which fifty make but a
Crown.
I must not omit to acquaint you with the Habit of these _Bulgarian_
Women. They commonly wear nothing but a Smock or Shift, made of no finer
Linnen-thread, than that we make Sacks of. And yet, these course Garments
are wrought by them, with several sorts of strip’d Needle-work, after a
homely Fashion: With this lose party-coloured Habit they mightily pleased
themselves, so that when they saw our Shifts, made of the finest Linnen,
yet they wondered at our Modesty, that we could be contented to wear them
without various Works of divers Colours wrought in them.
But that which I most of all admired in them, was the Tower, which they
wore on their Heads, for such was the Form of their Hats. They were made
of Straw, braided with Webs over them. The Figure of them differs from
the Hats Women wear in our Country, for ours hang down on the Shoulders,
and the lowest Part of it is the broadest, and so it rises as it were
into a Pyramid at top; but theirs is narrowest below, and so rises up
like a top, almost nine Inches above the Head; but that Part of it that
looks upwards, towards the Sky, is both very capacious, and also very
open, so that it seems made to take in Rain, as ours are to shelter us
against them; but in that Space, interjacent between their upper and
lower Part, their hang Pieces of Coin, little Pictures or Images, small
Parcels of painted Glass, or whatever is resplendent, though never so
mean, which are accounted very ornamental among them.
Those kind of Hats makes them look taller, and also more Matron-like,
though they are easily blown off their Heads, by a blast of Wind, or by
any light Motion they fall off themselves.
When they appeared to us in this Dress, I thought they resembled
_Clytemnestra_, or some _Hecuba_ or other, in the flourishing Time of
_Troy_, coming upon the Stage. This Sight suggested to me some pious
Meditations, _viz._ How frail and mutable a Thing that which is called
_Nobleness of Birth_, _is_; for when I asked of some of these Lasses,
they that seemed to be the handsomest among them, concerning their Stock
and Lineage, they told me, They were descended from the Chief Nobles of
that Country; and some of them were of a Royal Progeny, though now it
was their Fate, to marry Herdsmen or Shepherds: For Nobility is very
little esteemed in the _Turkish_ Dominions. For, I my self did afterwards
see at _Constantinople_, and other Places, some Descendants from the
Imperial Families of the _Catacuzeni_, and the _Palæologi_, living more
contemptuously among the _Turks_, than ever _Dionysius_ did of old at
_Corinth_; nay, the _Turks_ esteem no Men for their Birth, but only for
their own perform’d Accomplishments, excepting only the _Ottoman Family_;
for that they have a high Veneration, upon Account of its Original.
It is thought that these _Bulgarians_ had their Original from _Seythia_,
near the River _Volga_, and that they changed their Habitations and
came into these Parts, when other Nations, either compelled by Force,
or prompted by Choice, changed theirs; and that they were called
_Bulgarians_, i. e. _Volgarians_, from the River _Volga_, aforesaid.
Upon this Transmigration, they fix’d their Habitation upon those Parts
of Mount _Hæmus_, that lie between _Sophia_ and _Philippopolis_, which
are Places naturally strong; where they, for a long Time, baffled all the
Power of the _Grecian_ Emperors, and killed _Baldwin_ the Elder, Earl of
_Flanders_, then Emperor of _Constantinople_, after they had taken him
in an hot Skirmish. Yet, for all this, they were not able to resist the
Power of the _Turks_, but were overcome and miserably enslaved by them.
They use the _Illyrian_, or _Slavonian_ Tongue, as the _Servians_ and
_Rascians_ also do.
Before a Man descends into that Plain that lies over against
_Philippopolis_, he must go through a Forest and a craggy Mountain,
which the _Turks_ call _Carpi Dervent_, i. e. _The Gate of the strait or
narrow Passage_; but in the Plain before-mentioned, we met with the River
_Hebrus_, having its Original from the adjoining Mountain _Rhodope_.
Before we could pass the said Straits, we saw the Top of Mount _Rhodope_
all cover’d over with deep Snow. The Inhabitants, as I remember, call it
_Rulla_. From hence flows the River _Hebrus_, as _Pliny_ says, and _Ovid_
also affirms the same in this Distick.
_Qua patet umbrosum Rhodope glacialis ad Hœmum,_
_Et sacer amissas exigit Hebrus aquas._
_Where Icy ~Rhodope~ ope’s to shady ~Hœme~,_
_And sacred ~Hebrus~ wants part of her Stream._
In which Verses, the Poet seems to intimate the Shallowness of that
River for want of Water. For though it is a great and famous River,
yet, in most Places it is fordable: For, I remember, in my return from
_Constantinople_, we forded over it near _Philippopolis_, to an Island on
the other Side, where we lay in Tents all Night; but it happened, that
the Waters swelled that Night by reason of Rain, that next Morning we
could not repass the River, to come into the Road, without a great deal
of Trouble.
The City of _Philippopolis_ is situate on one of the three little Hills,
disjoyned, and, as it were, rent from the rest of the Mountains, and is,
as the Grace of those little Hillocks. While we were at _Philippopolis_,
we saw Rice growing like Wheat, in the watry and marshy Grounds. The
whole Plain, about the Town, is full of little round Hills of Earth,
which the _Turks_ say, were raised on Purpose, as Monuments of the
frequent Battles fought in those Fields, and the Graves such as were
slain there. From hence, leaving the River _Hebrus_ something on the
Right, and Mount _Hæmus_, which runs forth into _Pontus_, on the left, at
last we passed over the _Hebrus_ on a famous Bridge, made by _Mustapha_,
and so came to _Hadrianople_, which the _Turks_ call _Endrene_.
This City was formerly called _Orestia_, before the Emperor _Hadrian_
inlarged it, and called it by his own Name. It is seated at the
confluence of the River _Mariza_ or _Hebrus_, and the two small Currents
of _Thinsa_ and _Harda_, which there meeting in a joint Stream run into
the _Egean Sea_. This City is not very large within the Walls; but, if
you take in the Suburbs, and the Buildings which the _Turks_ have added
without, it is very capacious.