Part 10

After I had staid a good while in _Aleppo_, and had seen and understood the trade and merchandizes of the inhabitants, together with that of all the other nations, _viz._ _Grecians_, _Armenians_, _Georgians_, _Arabians_, _Persians_, and _Indians_, which come and go daily with their caravans, and very well observed and understood their manners and customs, and had also collected a fine parcel of foreign and undescribed plants; I resolved to go farther eastward into _Mesopotamia_, _Assyria_, _Babylonia_, &c. as the ancientest and most fruitful countries that ever were, where the ancientest people, and the most potent monarchs did inhabit. But these countries lying far off, and the way that leadeth thither, passing through vast desarts and wildernesses, and therefore the voyage being so much the more difficult and dangerous to attempt and accomplish; I first look’d out for a trusty companion, to take as my assistant, and met presently with an experienced _Dutchman_ that had lived a great while in _Aleppo_, who granted my request (being as desirous to go this voyage as myself) to go along with me. We agreed presently, and began to consider which was our best way to take. But that we being strangers, might not be taken to be vagabonds or spies (they being very suspicious) from whence they might presently take occasion (as the _Turks_ use to do) to lay great _Avarias_, or unjust taxes, upon us, which the Christians that deal to these parts have often to their great loss and damage experienced; we did consider, and found, that the trading here was very great, so that they did not only deal from hence into _Armenia_, _Egypt_ and _Constantinople_, (for from thence come the caravans thro’ _Natolia_ in about a months time) but also very much into _Persia_ and _India_: Wherefore we thought best to profess ourselves Merchants, that so we might travel the more safely with other Merchants in order thereto, to buy some merchandizes that would sell in those places, and to carry them along with us. That we might put this in execution, my formerly mentioned friend _Hans Ulrich Raft_, from _Ulm_, took great pains to furnish me at my desire and request, with several fit commodities for those places upon account of my patron Mr _Melchior Manlich_, which I got pack’d up immediately to go with them to the famous city _Bagdet_, situated upon the _Tygris_, where is a great staple and deposition of merchandizes that are to go farther for _Persia_ and _India_. But seeing that seldom any Merchants go from _Aleppo_ farther into these countries, so that our habits are very rarely seen there; we cloathed ourselves as is usual, in the common _Turkish_ habit (that every body might not presently look upon us as strangers); first, we had long blue _Cabans_, which are button’d before quite down, and cut out about the neck, not unlike to those of the _Armenians_; and white _Drawers_ made of cotton that hung down to our ankles, and were drawn in and tied about our bodies, and also shirts after the same fashion and without collars. We also fitted ourselves with white turbants with a blue brim, such as _Christians_ usually wear, and put on yellow shoes which were painted, before guarded with nails, and with horse-shoes behind. Besides this we put on a kind of a frock, made of a certain course stuff called _Meska_ in their language, which is common among the _Moors_. They are generally made of goats and asses hair, pretty narrow, without sleeves and short, reaching only to our knees. But these stuffs being not all alike, the finest thereof (chiefly that which is striped white and black) is taken for cloaths; and the coarser for tents and portmantles, wherein they carry their provision through the desarts, and also keep their camels and mules meat, hanging it about their necks. This puts me in mind of the plain cloathing which the ancient inhabitants of these countries, chiefly the _Israelites_, when they mourned for their deceased relations, or when they repented of their committed iniquities, and turned from them, and prayed God to forgive them their accumulated transgressions, used to put on, as we read in the 37th chapter of _Genesis_, where _Jacob_ lamented the death of his son _Joseph_; and in the book of the Prophet _Jonas_ of the _Ninevites_, who believing the Prophet’s words, denouncing their destruction within forty days, and repenting of their sins, put on sackcloth and prayed to God for forgiveness. The like we read of the King and Prophet _David_, after he had numbred his people. _Item_, in the 10th chapter of St _Luk_ and other places, that they put on sackcloth and did repent in ashes. It is therefore very probable that those were very like unto them that are still in use.

When we had thus accoutred ourselves for the voyage, and provided us with all necessaries, _viz._ cloths, merchandizes, provision of biskets and drink, and did stay only for some fellow-travellers, we were still doubtful whether it were more convenient for us to go by land with _caravans_, which go from hence and _Damascus_ very strong to _Bagdet_, through great sands and desarts in fifty days, more or less, according as the weather proveth: Or, whether we should go by water, either upon the _Tygris_ or the _Euphrates_, there being good opportunity to go in company with others. But it happening that we met with some _Armenian_ Merchants servants that did live at _Aleppo_, who were also provided with goods, and had a mind to go into the same countries, we did readily embrace this opportunity, partly because they understood the _Turkish_ and _Arabian_ languages, which two are chiefly spoken in _Syria_, and partly because some of them had been four times already in the _Indies_; wherefore we put our goods to theirs, and loaded a great many camels together, to deliver them to us at _Bir_, to ship them there upon the _Euphrates_. And that we might pass every where in the _Turkish_ dominions, we took a pass from the _Bashaw_ and _Cadi_, and so we began our travels to _Bir_, distant three days journey, the 13th of _August_, _Anno 1574_. By the way we were so strange to one another, that in our new fashioned cloaths we did hardly know one another among them all. After we had the first day a rough road, and travelled through many desarts and uninhabited places, we reached at night a little village, where we encamped and pitched our tents. We put all our packs in a circle round about us, and without them our beasts (as it is usual in great _caravans_) to defend us from the assaults of the _Moors_ in the night. A little after midnight we heard a great _caravan_ of many camels and asses to go by, very near to us, which after it was passed, we broke also up and followed them; when the day-light appeared, we saw several plow’d fields more than the day before, and also here and there in some pleasant places many tents of the _Arabians_, which were fixed together as it were in a camp; ranged very orderly in streets. After we had that morning travelled very hard, so that our beasts under their heavy loads began to be tired in the great heat, we rested behind a little chappel to refresh ourselves and to feed our camels; in the mean time some poor women came down from the high-lands to us to gather the dung of our camels to burn it instead of wood, whereof they were in great want. When the great heat was over, and we had staid there for two hours, we went on again, and came before it was night to a little village lying in a valley, near which upon the height, the _Arabians_ had formed a great camp; we went up to them, and pitched our tents in the plain by them, and kept as abovesaid a good watch. They came quickly to us, spoke kindly to us, and their wives brought us water and good milk; but after we saw that they were very naked and hungry, and in their shape like to our _Gypsies_, we did not trust them at all, but kept a very good watch all that night. These are vagabond people, that are used to idleness from their infancy, and will rather endure hunger, heat and cold, than get any thing by their handy-work, or till the fields, or plant garden-herbs for their maintenance, although they might do it in several fruitful places in their own possession. So you find here a great number of them by the sides of these sandy desarts, that have no where any habitation, but live in their tents like as the beasts do in caves, and go like unto the _Gypsies_ from place to place, until they light on one, where they may live a great while with their cattle, and when all is eat up, want driveth them from thence to look out for another.

On the 15th early before break of day, we were up in the cool of the day, with an intention to reach to _Bir_ that night, but our camels were grown so faint by reason of the excessive heat and the great burthens, that they fell down several times, wherefore we looked out for a convenient place where we might stay all night, and found at last a village near which we pitched our tents, eat some gourds and biskets, and so went to rest.

Two hours before break of the day, we began our journey again, and came early in the morning to the great river called _Euphrates_, we went over with our goods and chattel, and fixed our tents before the town near the river on the other side, to stay for a barge that was to come from _Armenia_, to go from thence to _Babylon_, which is now called _Felugo_. By the way I saw no herbs of any worth, except the _Galega_, in our language called goats-rue, which grew plentifully on the dry heaths; and near to the road, the first sort of _Apocynum_, by us called dogs-bane, very like unto the great Celandine in it’s leaves and pods: I also saw whole acres of _Turkish_ corn called _Sesamo_, and others sown all with cotton, and also a kind of _Esula_, very full of milk, wherewith the fallow grounds were so filled up, that at a distance, you would have taken it for good corn. Seeing that the _Scammony_ that uses to be brought to _Aleppo_, is wont sometime to be very sharp, therefore it may very well be, that they adulterate it with this _Esula_. Near the town grew abundance of _Acacia_, called _Schack_ and _Schamuck_, as is above-mentioned, which are here in stem and fruit, greater and larger than ever I saw any where. The town _Bir_ is situated on the other side of the great river _Euphrates_ in _Mesopotamia_, near the high hill _Taurus_, just like _Tripolis_ near the _Libanus_, or our _Losanna_ on our _Alps_: It is neither big nor strong, but pretty well defended by a castle that lyeth on a high rock above the river, not easily to be taken. There is a very pleasant country round about it, and very fruitful, which (chiefly on this side the river where it is plain) is very well tilled and sown with corn, which they did just thrash out when we came, with little waggons drawn by oxen, and here and there are very good villages. But beyond the river it is more hilly, which kind of ground extends it self a great way towards the east, and divideth _Armenia_ from _Mesopotamia_. It is at the top very rough and bare; nothing but bushes and herbs to be seen there; wherefore abundance of beasts, chiefly lambs and goats, are daily brought down, which are carried over the _Euphrates_, and so driven to _Aleppo_ and other adjacent places. This river where it runs by the town is about a mile broad, and so deep that it is not easy to make a bridge over it: Yet because it hath not a swift current in that place, it is not very dangerous to sail on it, except where it enlargeth it self, as it doth in great desarts, or else where it divideth it self into several branches, so that the water-men do not know which is the best way for them to take; wherefore the Merchants that have a mind to come quicker and with less pains to _Bagdet_ with their merchandizes, carry them by land to _Orpha_, to the famous town of _Carahmet_, which lyeth six days farther towards the east, on the borders of _Assyria_ and _Media_, upon the rapid river _Tygris_, where is a great deposition of merchandizes, that are sent from thence to _Ormutz_ and the _Indies_. The _Euphrates_ is continually muddy, and therefore almost not fit to be drunk except you let it stand two or three hours, until the sand and mud is sunk down to the bottom, which sometimes is of the thickness of an inch: So that in every house where they have no wells, all along the river in towns and villages, they have several great pots which they fill out of the river, and let them stand until it be settled, but if they have occasion to drink of it before, they drink through their towels.

During the time of our staying there they brought us several sorts of fishes they had caught in the river to sell, and among the rest one sort called _Geirigi_, which in their shape and scales were very like unto _Carps_, only they were not so thick in the belly, but a great deal longer and bigger, so that sometimes one of them did weigh three _Rotula_’s of their weight, which is about seventeen or eighteen of our pounds. They are very delicate and good to eat, and so cheap, that we could buy one for one _Medin_, in our money worth about three-pence. To catch these, our ship’s crew flung out oftentimes some pellets made up with _Cocculus Indic._; which fruit is named by them _Doam Samec_ and presently after some of the fish flung themselves up at the top of the water, whereupon they jumped out of the ship to catch them, and to carry them a-shoar. I saw also a peculiar sort of vultures, which were so tame that they did not only sit very thick upon the houses, but they sat down in the street before all the people without any fear; they are more of an ashen colour than ours, but for bigness, height and the rest, exactly like unto them. Besides these there was another sort of them, that were something bigger, and of a lighter colour than the former, and had some black at the ends of their wings like unto our _Storks_. They eat also carrion, and meat, and are somewhat wilder, wherefore they may be affirmed to be the very same that _Rhasis_ called _Gyuni_, and _Avicenna_, _Rachame_. During the time that we staid there, a _Bashaw_ was sent hither by the _Turkish Sultan_, with some hundred _Spahi_’s, pretty well armed, for his master did intend to make war with the _Trusci_ that so he might defend the confines of _Syria_, _Mesopotamia_, and _Armenia_, &c. from being assaulted by them, and to keep every thing secure. The _Trusci_ live on the mountain of _Libanus_, and pretend to be the off-spring of those people, that under _Godfrey de Bouillon_ did possess themselves again of the land of promise. They are since so much encreased, that they are able to bring into the field sixty thousand, most of which are very good gunners, which if occasion be, they can bring together in a short time. The _Grand Signor_, seeing that they encreased daily, so that he did fear they would be in time too great for him, to prevent this, as then the common discourse went, and to subdue them, and bring them under his yoke, did summon some _Bashaws_ and _Sangiacks_, chiefly him of _Damascus_ to bring together a great army, to fall upon them. But which way he did beat them, and how he encroached upon them, I shall (because I did for this time, during my travels, hear no more of it) relate more largely after my return. The _Spahi_’s which came with the _Bashaw_, took, because they would not be idle, their diversion in running, shooting with arrows, and in fencing, or cudgel-playing, and sometimes the country people came in with them, and played with them, but not in so many sorts of arms as the fencing-masters do in our country, _viz._ with daggers, swords or halbarts, for these are not in fashion in those countries. They take instead thereof only cudgels, with them they approach towards one another three times, yet not with such flourishes and neatness as our fencers do before they begin, for their long cloaths hinder them. In their left hand they have a buckler which is about a foot diameter round, covered with leather, and stuffed out with hair; in their right hand they have a cudgel, wherewith they strike strait at one another in the first bout, as the boys do in our country, but in the second and third bout, they strike cross-ways, chiefly in the third which is the last, which they take off cleaverly with their bucklers; and sometime they strike at one another legs, but never to hurt one another; when this is done, they turn back and march off. This manner of fencing is very common in these countries.

At length after we had staid a great while, several ships did arrive from above, and ours, for which we did stay, among them. So our patron began to load, and to fit himself for our departure: And so did two more that had a mind to go in company with us. One among them belonging to a _Turk_ which was laden only with corn, to carry during the scarcity, which was occasioned by the great heat, and for want of rain to _Bagdet_. We also bought several sorts of fruits, _viz._ _Cibebs_, _Anguria_’s, Garlick and Onions, _&c._ and took also along with us some ground corn, as is usual to do in such voyages, which with Rice flower is fit to make puddings, or to bake bread of; honey and other things to serve as provision for our ship; for we were to travel a great way through many desarts and places not inhabited where nothing was to be had. For there are no inns upon this river, as upon the _Rhine_ or _Danube_, where they dress victuals for travellers against they come. And that we might have sometimes something hot to eat, we provided ourselves with several cooking vessels, as is usual in these cases, to dress our meat in. But the master of our ship still wanting both men and merchandices to load his ship withal, we were forced to stay somewhat longer, for other Merchants which came in a little time from _Aleppo_ whereof some were _Armenians_, some _Persians_, others from _Bagdet_ and _Balsora_, to us; with these also came into the ship four souldiers that were listed by the _Turks_ to go to _Bagdet_, to reinforce the confines of _Persia_: Our master also took in some of their _Jews_, which are worse than ours, and so we were warned to have a care of them. Besides all these we were forced to take in some of their religious men, which had long before begged thereabout, for they commonly live by begging, and desire you to give them something _Alla hitsi_, that is, for God’s sake, and yet if they find an opportunity they will fall upon you and rob you. They are very ill-favoured, idle and yet very hardy men, that run about all countries and often do a great deal of hurt; wherefore one must have a special care of them, chiefly upon the road. Yet for all this they have in these countries very great privileges; they pretend to great holiness and devotion, and pray often, and perswade the vulgar sort of people, that God doth hear their prayers before any others, and grants their desires, but people do not believe them so readily now, as their ancestors have done formerly wherefore they do not remain long in one place, that their roguery may not so much appear.

CHAP. II.

_Which way we went into the ship, and sailed to ~Racka~; and how the son of the King of ~Arabia~ with his retinue came to our ship to demand his customs. What else we saw by the way, and what we did suffer from the ~Arabians~ and their mendicants._

After our ship as well as the others was sufficiently loaden, and with all necessaries provided, we went aboard, and began our voyage in the name of God, the 30th day of _August_, _Anno 1574_ (having stay’d there and lost seventeen days), in the evening, with an intention to go that night three leagues farther. But two of our ships got into a branch of the river, whereof there are several in the very beginning: Our watermen took great pains to bring them into the right way again and stayed for them; which retarded us so long, that we were forced to stay all night at a market town called _Caffra_, which lieth a good league below, on the top of a hill, where we landed.