Chapter I: Part 1

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.

We staid but one Day at _Hadrianople_, and then went forward on the last Stage of our Journey towards _Constantinople_. In my Way thither there grew abundance of _Narcissus’s Hyacinth’s_, and (as the _Turks_ call them) _Tulips_, which we beheld, not without Admiration, that in the midst of Winter, which is not favourable to such Flowers in other Countries, the Ground should be so garnished by them. As for _Narcissus’s_, and _Hyacinths_, all _Greece_ abound with them; and they are so odoriferous, that, by reason of their Multitude, they are offensive to those Heads that are unaccustomed to such Kind of Smells. But the _Tulip_, hath little or no Smell, but its gaudiness and party-colouredness is its greatest Commendation. The _Turks_ are great Admirers of Flowers, so that, though they are Parsimonious enough in other Cases, yet for a stately Flower, they will not scruple to give some _Aspers_. And the Truth is, these kind of Flowers, though they were presented to me as a Gift, yet they cost me a great deal of Money; for some _Aspers_ were always expelled in requital. Neither is there any other way of treating with a _Turk_, but by opening the Purse-strings, as soon as any _Christian_ comes among them; neither must he think to shut them again, till he go out of their Country: While he is there, he must scatter his Coin, and if he get no other Advantage by it, yet it makes them more tractable. For the _Turks_ are so ill-natured, and such under-valuers of all Nations but their own, that without this Open-handedness, there were no more living among them, for Strangers, than in the most desolate and uninhabited Places, by reason of the excessiveness either of Cold or Heat; but with the Bait of Liberality, you may catch a _Turk_ at any Time.