Part 7
When the _Turks_ have taken a strong town, or a whole country by the sword, that they may keep them the easier in subjection without a great garrison, pains, or danger, they demolish the places that are not very strong, and send away the nobility and chief persons, which otherwise might do them a great deal of mischief; and in the room of these they bring in _Sangiacks_, with their souldiers, to keep the strong places, and to take care of the Emperor’s revenue. So that in these places there is no nobility, that come from any ancient races, and have their own estates hereditary and descending from heir to heir: Which one may also suppose when he considereth that the law of _Mahomet_ alloweth to those that adhere to it, to have four wives at a time, besides concubines or slaves as many as they please: I will say nothing of the liberty they have to divorce them upon any small occasion, and to take others in their room; from whence flow such disorders and uncertainties, that very few children know who are their parents, and so there is but little love shewn between them as one may easily suppose. And this is no disgrace to them, but rather reputed to be an honour, because they conclude from thence that those that keep many wives, behave themselves diligently according to their laws: Wherefore they sooner trust them, prefer them before others, in places and salaries, and esteem them to be true _Tschelebiis_, that is, noblemen. Although these and other _Turks_ have several wives, that are not all equal in their birth and extraction, yet they all have in family affairs their equal share and power, and they all are equally provided for with meat, drink, cloaths, _&c._ and they have also their work and business equally among them: And that because they bring their husband no portion, but he must rather buy them from their Parents, sometimes for a considerable sum of ready money, and give them cloaths and other necessaries to boot: wherefore the matrimonial tye (which they call _Chebia_) is more in the power of the husband than the wife, so that he may marry one three times and reject her again; but farther he must not go, except he will be accounted a scandalous base fellow: As you may perceive by the words of the _Turkish_ Emperour _Bajazet_, which he did send to _Temyry_, who is also called _Tamerlane_, saying, that he had better to take a wife again after he was three times divorced from her, than to go to war with him; which scornful language he might well have forborn; for _Tamerlane_ did not only beat him in a cruel and bloody battle, but took him prisoner, and carried him about in an iron cage like a wild beast of the forest.
But that I may return from whence I digressed, the marriages of the _Turks_ are never look’d upon to be ratified before they are married by one of their priests. Their wives must agree together, and live peaceably and amicably, and must not resist their husbands, except he maketh inequality among them: If any should appear (which happens very often) they do not forbear to complain of their husband to the _Cadi_ or Judge. So that daily very strange transactions (which are not strange to him) come before him: If so be that the husband is convicted, and the wife absolved, they are divorced immediately in the same hour.
The _Turkish_ women are pretty handsom, and well shaped, very civil in their discourses, and other behaviour. When any of them is married, and carried to her bridegroom’s house, their relations go along with her, that are invited to the wedding, and begin to make a noise immediately in the streets, and extol their voices more and more as they go along, that you may hear them a great way off.
The _Turks_ that are of some condition, and rich and able men, have at their weddings several diverting shews; in the day-time they have dancing, running, actings, singing, jumping, and leaping, and dancing on the ropes, _&c._ After sun-set, and at night, they let off rockets, and fire-works of several sorts, made artificially. These are let off in publick and open places, that every one may see them, and they last often till break of day. The rope-dancers have three ropes one above the other, whereof the uppermost is the longest; upon every one of them they have their peculiar lessons, which they perform exactly and dexterously, with dancing, jumping, running, gesticulating, going upon stilts, _&c._, which is pleasant to look upon. Their children when they are married, soon forget their parents, they dare not see them again in a great while, nor do they desire to do it.
When they have children born, they do not justly circumcise them on the eighth day, but let them be 8, 9, or 10 Years old, until they can make their confession: There are some, chiefly among the _Arabians_, that imitate their patriarch _Ishmael_, who was not circumcised until the thirteenth year of his age. It is commonly performed in the house of their parents. If rich mens sons are circumcised, they make a feast, and roast a whole entire bullock, into his belly they put a wether, and into his belly a pullet, into the pullet’s belly an egg, and so they roast them all together, what remaineth they give to the poor. When the children grow up, and begin to go, they cloath them in loose flying coats of fine stuff, woven of several colours, which are pleasant to look upon; and they put upon the heads of those that are not yet circumcised, coloured caps, which are wrought with flowers, and very common to be sold in their _Batzars_. After they are circumcised, they begin to wear white turbants, which are made of cotton, and rolled about their caps after a peculiar manner, and are commonly twenty yards long.
They have still another strange custom, which young and old, men and women, use in these Countries, _viz._ They make a thin paste of galls and calcined copperas, (to beautify themselves, and to keep their eyes from rheum) with it they blacken their lips, and make a ring round about their eyes, in the same manner as our ring-doves have about their necks. These paintings they have had anciently, and some of them they have prepared of _Stibium_ or Antimony: Of these paintings of the eye we read in several places, chiefly (that I may not mention others) in the _23d._ Chap. of _Ezekiel_, the _40th_ verse, where the Lord says by the prophet, _And lo, they came, for whom thou didst wash thy self, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thy self with ornaments_.
Concerning the education of their youth: They only learn in schools to read, and to write the _Arabian_ Alphabet, the characters or letters whereof are common both to the _Turks_ and _Arabians_, although their languages are very differing: Besides these, there are other schools, wherein the young men are instructed in the Emperor’s laws, and those that go on in their learning, and take it well, are soon called to high offices, as _Cadi_’s and _Cadileschiers_. But in liberal arts and sciences, such as we teach in our countries, they are not instructed, for they have not only none of these learned men, but esteem learning of these sciences a superfluity, and loss of time; they rather love old rhimes and ballads that speak of and commend the mighty deeds of their ancient Emperors, and other Champions; or other fancies that make foreign nations, or any of their enemies, ridiculous: And such things they put either themselves into rhimes, or else hear those that have been put into rhimes by others already, which they say daily with peculiar actions, out of town in pleasant greens, (where also other divertisements are performed with singing, dancing, leaping, _&c._) So that they are rather pleased with the reading of these frivolous silly writings, than to learn arts and sciences: Which you may evidently see, in that they do not esteem, nor will admit of that Noble Art of Printing Books, that might inform them in any thing: Which the clerks, whereof there is a great number up and down in the cities, like very well, because they daily take a great deal of money for the writing of their prophet _Mahomet_ and others, which maketh them generally very rich, and wear greater turbants than the rest, that they may be distinguished from others. Their paper is generally smoothed and glazed, and they comprehend their letters in very few words: When they will make them up, they fold them up until they come to be no broader than an inch, the outward crevise of the paper they fill all along with wax within, and so glue it as it were to the other, or else they take any other paste made for that purpose, and so imprint their name upon it with their seal that is done over with ink, so that nothing remaineth white but the letters: These seals are generally made at _Damasco_, where the best artists live that cut in steel, and they put nothing more in it but their name. They do not make any use of paper that is writ on, although they have great quantity thereof, neither to put things up in, nor for any other use, and yet if they find any of it in the street, they do not let it lie, but take it up carefully, fold it together, and put it into the next crevise they meet with, for they are afraid that the name God may be written on it: Instead thereof the Grocers make use of great leaves of _Colocasia_, whereof they have great store.
CHAP. VIII.
_Of the great trading and dealing of the city of ~Aleppo~; as also of several sorts of their Meats and Drinks, of their Ceremonies, and their peculiar way of sitting down at Meals._
Having heretofore treated of the buildings and situation of that excellent town of _Aleppo_; and of the customs, manners, and offices of the _Turks_, as much as I could apprehend of it, I cannot but speak, before I leave it, of the dealings and merchandizing that are daily exercised there, which are admirably great. For great caravans of pack-horses and asses, but more camels arrive there daily, from all foreign countries, _viz._ from _Natolia_, _Armenia_, _Ægypt_, and _India_, _&c._ with convoys, so that the streets are so crouded, that it is hard to pass by one another. Each of these nations have their peculiar _Champ_ to themselves, commonly named after their master that built it, _viz._ _Champ Agemi_, _Champ Waywoda_, _Champ Abrac_, _Sibeli_, _Mahomet_’s _Bashaw_, and which are kept for them, that they may make them their inns, and live in them, and to keep or sell their merchandizes according to their pleasure. So among the rest of the nations there are _French-men_ and _Italians_, &c. which have also there their peculiar buildings (which, as is before said, are called _Fundiques_) wherein some live together, and others (chiefly the _Italians_ that are married) live without in lodgings; they have very small habitations, and live sparingly like the _Turks_. In these _Champs_ you may meet with several sorts of strange merchandizes, before all in _Champ Agemi_, where you have all sorts of cotton-works, _viz._ handkerchiefs, long fillets, girdles, which they roll about their loins and heads, and other sorts, by the _Arabians_ called _Mossellini_ (after the country _Mussoli_, from whence they are brought, which is situated in _Mesopotamia_) by us _Muslin_; with these do the _Turkish_ gentlemen cloath themselves in summer. There is delicate tapestry, artificially wrought with all manner of colours, such as are sometimes brought over by us. From _Persia_ they bring great quantity of an unknown _Manna_ in skins, by the name of _Trunschibil_, which is gathered from a prickly shrub, called by the _Arabians_, _Agul_ and _Albagi_, which is the reason that it is mixt with small thorns and reddish chaff. This _Manna_ hath grains something bigger than our _Coriander_-seeds, so that, to all appearance, it is very like unto our _Manna_, which we gather from the _Larix_. It might also very well be taken to be the same that the _Israelites_ did eat, had not God the Almighty fed his people and maintained them miraculously and supernaturally. But that it falls upon thorns, is also attested by _Serapio_ and _Avicen._ in those chapters where they treat of _Manna_, which they call _Theceriabin_ and _Trangibin_, and that very learned and experienced Botanist _Carolus Clusius_ saith the same in his Epitome of _Indian_ plants. I found some of these shrubs that grew about _Aleppo_, which were about a cubit high, which shout out into several roundish stalks, and divide and spread themselves from the stem into several sprigs like unto a flower (part whereof were quite over-grown with _Epithymum_, as _Thymus_ used to be) and had abundance of long thin and soft prickles, from whence grew out flesh-coloured reddish flowers, that bore small red cods, very like, and of the same shape with the cods of our _Scorpioides_ (whereof I have found many at _Montpelier_) wherein are seeds of the same colour. The root thereof is pretty long, of a brown colour, it’s leaves long, like unto those of _Polygonum_, of an ash colour; those that grow at the bottom of the thorns are of a warm and dry quality. The people use the herb for a purge, they take a handful thereof and boil it in water. Besides this they have another _Manna_ like unto that, that cometh to us from _Calabria_ by the way of _Venice_, _and is the concreted Saccarine Exudation of the ~Ornus~._
Among the rest they also shew costly stones, by the _Arabians_ called _Bazaor_, which are oblong and roundish, and smooth without, and of a dark green colour. The _Persians_ take these from a peculiar sort of bucks, and use the powder against mortal and poisonous distempers. There are some that are very like unto these in form and figure, but not to be compared for goodness: Wherefore a man must have great care that he be not cheated. But there are some proofs to know whether they are good or no, which a Merchant communicated to me as infallible. Take quicklime and mixt it in powder with a little of this stone, and with water make them up into a past, when that is dry grind it, if it then remaineth white it is esteemed false, but if it turns yellow it is good, and brought from _Persia_. They also bring hither _Turkey_ stones, that grow almost only in their country, and their King, the _Sophy_, has an incredible treasure of them together: Lately so many of them were brought to us that the prices fell very much; but when the King heard of this, he immediately forbid that any should be exported in seven years time, that so they might come to their former price again, which seven years as I am informed are now expired. There are also put to sale many chains of delicate oriental pearls, which are for the greatest part taken or found in the _Persian_ seas, near to the island called _Babare_, situated not far from that great trading city of the _Turkish Batzora_, or _Balsara_.
From _India_ they bring hither many delicate spices, _Cinnamon_, _Spikenard_, _Long Pepper_, _Turbith_, _Cardamoms_, _Nutmegs_, _Mace_, and _China Roots_, which the _Arabians_ make more use of than of _Guaiacum_, and delicate _China_ cups and dishes, _Indico_: and in very great quantity they bring that noble root called _Rhubarb_. And moreover, they sell several sorts of precious stones, _viz._ _Garnets_, _Rubies_, _Balasios_, _Saphires_, _Diamonds_, and the best sincerest _Musk_ in little cods. These precious stones are hid by the Merchants in the great caravans that come from _India_, and they bring them secretly, because they dare not pay custom for them, that the _Bashaws_, _Sangiacks_ and others, may not rob them of them on the high-ways, for they use to do so if they find any. I will cease to discourse any longer of these and other drugs, and several merchandises, which the Merchants convey thither from foreign places daily, and from thence to other places again, because it is none of my business to deal in them. With the spices are sometimes by the Merchants brought from the _Indies_ delicate canes, which are very long, solid, or full within, flexible and bright without, of a yellowish colour; they are almost every-where alike thick, only a little tapering; but few joints, far distant from one another, and are hardly seen in them. There are two sorts of them, great and small ones; the great and stronger ones are used by old and lame people instead of crutches to walk with, but the lesser (which are very like the former) are made into arrows and darts, for which they are very fit, the _Turks_ wind them about with silk of many sorts of colours, which they are very proud of when they make their entries. You find also in the shops another sort of canes to be sold, which are small and hollow within, and smooth without, a brownish red colour, wherewith _Turks_, _Moors_, and the _Eastern_ people write, for to write with goose quills is not in use with them; wherefore these may be esteemed to be the true _Syringas_ or _Fistularis_ of _Dioscor._ Besides these there is another bigger sort of canes, almost of the same colour, but full of joints; the Pilgrims that go to see their _Mahomet_ bring these with them from _Meccha_, and the people of that country carry them along with them on horseback instead of short pikes, chiefly the _Arabians_, for they are long, strong, and light, and yet solid or full within; with these they come running on upon their enemies, or else they (lifting it up above the middle in one of their hands) fling it at them, with such force, that they penetrate deeper with their sharp iron (wherewith they are tipt before and behind) then their arrows. _Theophrastus_ maketh peculiar mention of them in his fourth book and, the _11th_ chapter, and _Pliny_ in his sixteenth book and the _36th_ chapter.
We see very few of these in our country, for the Christians are forbidden under great penalties to carry any of them (the same it is with any other arms that they make use of in their wars) out of the country, if any doth and is found out, he exposes himself to infinite troubles and dangers, as did happen to one in my time, who after a scimiter was found about him, was very highly accused, and fined seventy ducats to be paid in two days time, and if he had not paid it, they would certainly have circumcised him, and made him a _Turk_.
Besides these above-mentioned _Champs_, there are a great many more without and within the city, where also all sorts of merchandizes are sold, _viz._ _Quibir_ the great, _Sougier_ the little, _Gidith_ the new, _Atich_ old, _&c._ And besides all these they have a great exchange called _Batzar_ by the inhabitants, which is in the middle of the town, and is bigger then _Friberg_ in _Bavaria_, in it there is many alleys, and each of them divided for several wares and handycraft trades; first the grocers and mercers, then those that sell tapestry and other soft woollen cloaths, and also _Turkish Machyer_, _Camlet_, _Taffety_, and other silks and cottons delicately wrought. There are also good _Cardavon_, delicate furrs of _Martins_, and chiefly _Wild Cats_, whereof abundance run about in these countries.
There are also jewellers that sell all manner of jewels, precious stones, pearls, _&c._ All sorts of handy-craft tradesmen, as shoe-makers, taylors, sadlers, needle and pin-makers, painters, goldsmiths, brasiers, locksmiths, _&c._ that have their shops in the _Batzars_ where they work, but their work is chiefly that of the goldsmiths, painters and locksmiths, is so silly, that it is by no means to be compared with ours. There are also turners, fletchers that make arrows and darts, and bow makers, that have besides their shops small butts, that any body that goes by may exercise himself, or try his bow before he buyeth it. These bows are sometimes plain work, and some inlaid with ivory, buflers horns, _&c._ which maketh them of a different price. The archers wear a ring upon their right thumbs as our merchants wear their seals wherewith they draw the string on when they are going to shoot, these are made of wood, horn, or silver, and some are set with precious stones. Besides these you find in great _Batzars_ some barbar-surgeons, which, (when they have no body to trim) use to go about the streets with their instruments and a flask of leather to look out for Work; if they find any that will be trimmed they do not come back to their shops, but go to work in the streets, or in the next _Champ_ if any be near, and there begin to lather him, and shave all the hair off his head; save only one long lock which he leaves to hang down his back. There are also places where they sell slaves of both sexes, old and young, which are sold dearer or cheaper, according to their strength or handsomeness, _&c._ But in all these countries I saw neither wheel-wright nor cart-wright, because neither waggons nor carts are in use with them: Neither could I find (for all it is so great a city) a gunsmith that understood how to mend the least fault in a gun-lock. Because there is a great trade daily driven in these _Batzars_, you shall find there at all times of the day a great number of people of several nations walking up and down, which makes a crowd as if it were a fair. Amongst them you will often see drunken _Turks_ which use to push people that do not give them the way immediately, chiefly if they be Christians; but the Christians are not afraid of them for all that, but prepare themselves (when they perceive some of them to approach among the people) and stand upon their guard to be even with them, and when the _Turks_ come and push them, they make them rebound again to one side, or to one of the shop-boards. Sometimes also the _Turks_ will lean themselves backwards against the shops, and when they see a Christian go by they let him fall over their legs, and so laugh at them, but then the Christians again when they perceive this, they kick up the other leg of the _Turk_ whereon he rests and so make him fall down himself. For it is usual with the _Turks_ to try the Christians what metal they are made of, whether they have courage or no, wherefore they oftentimes before they are aware of them, assault the Christians with rough words, and if they find them to be afraid they laugh at them to boot, but if they resist them, they give over immediately, as soon as they find them in earnest (just like some dogs that sooner bark than bite) and esteem them afterwards the more for it, and call them brave people that are fit for the war.