Part 8

You find also in this crowd several that are in orders, called _Sacquatz_, (which commonly are pilgrims that have been at _Meccha_) that go about with skins full of water, and for charity give to any, nay, even to the Christians that desire it: (because the _Mahometans_ are forbid to drink Wine in their _Koran_.) Wherefore you see many in their peculiar habits (moved thereunto by devotion) that go all day long among the people to exercise a work of love and charity to those that are thirsty. They have in one hand a fine gilded cup whereinto they pour the water out of their skins, wherein they have commonly laid chalcedonicks, jaspirs, _&c._ Sometimes also delicate tasted fruit, to keep the water fresh, and to recreate the people. When they give you to drink out of it they reach you also a looking-glass with this admonition, That you shall look your self in it, and remember that you are mortal and must die. For this service they desire nothing of you, but if you give them any thing they take it and thank you, and spirt into your face and beard to shew their thankfulness some fragrant water which they have in glasses, in a great pouch tip’d with many brass clasps. The _Turks_ and _Arabians_ also esteem it to be a great charity and love, if they let their marble troughs or great pots that stand every where about their doors be filled up with fresh water every day, that travellers or any that are dry may quench thirst as they pass by; in it hang little kettles to drink out of: If one goes to it, others that see him go also, and drink rather for company’s sake than to quench their thirst: So you find often a whole multitude about a pot. If you have a mind to eat something or to drink other liquors, there is commonly an open shop near it, where you sit down upon the ground or carpets and drink together. Among the rest they have a very good drink, by them called _Chaube_ (Coffee) that is almost as black as ink, and very good in illness, chiefly that of the stomach; of this they drink in the morning early in open places before every body, without any fear or regard out of _China_ cups, as hot as they can, they put it often to their lips but drink but little at a time, and let it go round as they sit. In this same water they take a fruit called _Bunru_, which in it’s bigness, shape, and colour, is almost like unto a bay-berry, with two thin shells surrounded, which, as they informed me, are brought from the _Indies_; but as these in themselves are, and have within them, two yellowish grains in two distinct cells, and besides, being they agree in their virtue, figure, looks, and name, with the _Buncho_ of _Avicenna_, and _Bancha_ of _Rasis ad Almans._ exactly; therefore I take them to be the same, until I am better informed by the learned. This liquor is very common among them, wherefore there are a great many of them that sell it, and others that sell the berries, every where in their _Batzars_: They esteem it as highly as we do in our Country wormwood wine, or that that is prepared with several herbs and drugs: Yet they love wine better if their law would allow them to drink it, as we have seen in the reign of the Emperor _Selymus_, when he gave them leave to drink it, that they met together daily in drinking-houses, and drunk to one another, not only two or three glasses of strong wine not mixed with water but four or five of such as came from _Venice_ to them so quickly one after another with such eagerness, as I have often seen it that they would not allow themselves to eat a morcel or two between it; and so as you may easily guess, they become to be sordid presently, and so hoggish, that they excel all other nations in it. But after _Selymus_ was dead, and his son _Amurah_ succeeded him in his right, he immediately forbad them to drink wine in the very beginning of his reign, and looked after it with such severity, that any body that did but smell of wine was imprisoned immediately, put out of his place, and a great fine put upon him according to his capacity, or for want of it, punished severely with many blows under his soals. During this prohibition it happened, that when the _Bashaw_ of _Aleppo_ had a mind to go abroad and met in the court-yard one of his men that was drunk, and perceived it by his staggering, he drew his scymeter and cut off his head, and so left him dead upon the place. But yet notwithstanding all this severity, and be it never so peremptorily forbid, they do not only not mind such prohibition, chiefly the Renegadoes, being very much used to it, but long and linger the sooner after it with that eagerness, that in the summer time they use to carry in privately, just like the ants, great quantities of wine, and lay up good stores that they may meet at night and drink together until they have their bellies full, and so rest after it all night that they might not smell of wine the next day. In that time when they were prohibited to drink wine, we Christians fared very well and bought our wine very cheap, until afterwards they had leave to drink it again: Their wines are generally red, very good and pleasant, they keep it in skins; they are brought to _Aleppo_ from several places, but chiefly from a famous town called _Nisis_, which lieth two days journey distant from it upon the borders of _Armenia_: The use of skins is still very great with them as it was in former ages, as we may see by the similitude of Christ, when in St. _Matthew_ Chap. ix. verse. 17. he says, _No man put new wine into_, &c. Seeing that the Christians have leave to drink wine, therefore they sell and buy most of it, they also plant it, and have whole villages in their possessions, with abundance of vineyards. But the _Turks_ not being allowed to drink wine by their laws do not keep or cultivate many vineyards, and if they do they press the grapes after several ways, for some they make into _Cibebs_, chiefly these people that live in and about _Damascus_, where indeed the best groweth; others boyl the juice of the grapes up to the consistence of honey, which they call _Pachmatz_, chiefly those that live at _Andeb_, a town between _Bir_ and _Nisib_. They have two sorts of this rob, one very thick, and the other somewhat thinner, the former is the best, wherefore they put it up into little barrels to send into other countries, the latter they use themselves, mix it sometimes with water and give it to drink (instead of a julep) to their servants, sometimes they put it into little cups, to dip their bread in it, as if it were honey, and so eat it. Besides these they have other sweet drinks which they prepare out of red berries called _Jujubes_, or of _Cibebs_, which, when boiled in water with a little honey, the inhabitants call _Hassap_, and others call’d still by the old name of _Berberis_, of which they bring great quantities down from mount _Libanus_. Among other liquors they have a special one called _Tscherbeth_, which boiled of honey tasteth like unto our mead; they have another made of barley or wheat, by the ancients called _Zychus_ and _Curmi_: These two last make the _Turks_ so merry and elevated, that, as our clowns do when they drink beer, they sing and play on their hautboys, cornets, and kettle-drums, which their musicians make use of every morning when the guards are relieved: All these liquors are sold in their great _Batzars_, where they have baskets full of ice and snow all the summer long, whereof they put so much into the drink that it maketh their teeth chatter and quake again. Thus much I thought convenient to mention of their liquors or drinks.

Concerning their food: Their bread is nourishing and good, and so white, chiefly at _Aleppo_, that none is like it in all _Turky_: They have several sorts of it, of several shapes and mixtures, whereof some are done with yolks of eggs; some mix’d with several sorts of seeds, as of Sesanum, _Romish_ Coriander, and wild Garden Saffron, which is also strewed upon it. Meat is cheap with them and very good, by reason of the precious herbs that grow thereabouts, chiefly upon mount _Tauri_, which extendeth itself very far eastwards, from whence they have abundance of cattel, as rams, weathers, and sheep with broad and fat tails, whereof one weigheth several pounds. They have also great store of goats, which they drive daily in great numbers through that city to sell their milk, which every one that hath a mind to it drinks warm in the open streets; among them there are some that are not very big, but have ears two foot long, so that they hang down to the ground, and hinder them from feeding; when one of them is cut off, which is commonly done, they turn themselves always upon that side that the other ear may not hinder them from feeding. They have no want of beefs and buffles, for they are very common there, and the butchers kill the beasts in the fields without town, where they have their slaughter-houses; thereabouts are a great many dogs that live of the offels, and have their young ones in holes and cliffs, where they bring them up, and these become so ravenous and wild, that they run about in the night after their prey, as I am inform’d, like wolves in our country; and this may very well be, for the _Turks_ do not only not kill any dogs, but rather carry them home when they are young, and there feed them till they are grown up, and able to shift for themselves; and they believe that they do a deed of charity that is very acceptable to God Almighty; like unto the divines in the _Indies_, call’d _Banians_, which serve the birds in the same manner as these do dogs and cats. These wolves are more like to our dogs, both in shape and bigness; and so says _Pliny_, that the wolves in _Egypt_ are less and lazier than these towards the north. Being there are no inns in _Turkey_, where, as with us, travellers may lodge and have their diet, therefore there is a great many cake-shops kept in the _Batzars_, where all manner of victuals are cleanly dressed, _viz._ butchers meat, fouls, and all sorts of sauces, and broths, and soups, where every body buys what he hath a mind to, according to the capacity of his purse. Among the rest nothing is so common as rice, which they boil up to such a stifness that it crumbleth. A great many other sorts you shall see in copper basons upon their shop-boards, prepared after the same way; amongst the rest peculiarly a very common one, call’d _Bnuhourt_, made of barley and wheat, which were first broke in a mill, and perhaps dry’d, and so boil’d with or without milk, into a thick pap. _Dioscorides_, in the eighty third chapter of his second book, maketh mention of this by the name of _Crimnon_; and also _Avicen._ and _Rhasis ad Almans. in Synonymis_, calleth it _Sanguick_ and _Savick_. The _Turks_ provide themselves with good store of this, chiefly in war-time, by water and by land, that when they want provision, they may make use of it instead of bread. Besides these, they have more dishes amongst them; I remember one call’d _Trachan_, when it is dress’d it is so tough, that you may draw it out like glue; this they make up into little pieces, which being dry’d, will keep a good while, and is very good and pleasant food after it is boil’d; wherefore they lay up great stores of this in their strong fortifications as we do of corn, that in case of necessity they may eat instead of biskets, or other food. That such sorts of foods, by the Latinists call’d _Puls_, have been very well known to the ancients, and that in case of necessity they use to make a shift with it, _Pliny_ testifieth in his eighteenth book, and the eighth chapter.

They have also all manner of poultry in great plenty, _viz._ pullen, snipes, partridges with red bills, woodcocks, _&c._ but very few fishes, because they have only a small rivulet, which is full of turtles, so that at _Aleppo_ they are very scarce; neither do they esteem them much, because most of them drink water instead of wine, which is prohibited by their law, wherefore there are but few brought thither from foreign places, as _Antiochia_, and the great river _Euphrates_, _&c._ distant from thence two or three miles. Besides this they have little by-dishes, as keal, colliflowers, carrots, turneps, french-beans, besides trees and codded fruits, and many more; but yet they are not so well skill’d in the dressing of them, as we are in our country.

_Lastly_, They put also up with their Cheese, Cibebs, Almonds, dry’d Cicers, Pistacho’s, and crack’d Hasel-nuts, which, altho’ they are carry’d thither from our country, are better tasted and pleasanter than ours. They have many sorts of preserves, very well done with sugar and honey, very artificially, chiefly those they carry about to sell upon plates very well garnish’d, made up and set out with several colours and shapes, very beautiful to behold. For the rest they live very sparingly, and bring the year round with small and little expences, for they do not make so great feasts, nor have so many dishes, nor bestow so great cost as we do in our country.

In these eastern countries they eat upon the plain ground, and when it is dinner-time they spread a round piece of leather, and lay about it tapestry; and sometimes cushions, whereupon they sit cross-leg’d before they begin to eat, they say grace first, then they eat and drink hastily, and every one taketh what he has a mind to, and do not talk much. The rich have fine cotton-linnen about their necks, hanging downwards, or else hanging at their silk girdles, which they use instead of napkins; their wives or women do not eat with them, but keep themselves in their peculiar apartments. After they have done, they rise altogether with a jerk, swinging themselves about, which our countrymen cannot easily imitate, till after they have been there a long while, for the limbs are numbed in sitting cross-legg’d, so that one hath a great deal to do to bring them to themselves again. At last they take up the leathern table with bread and all, which serveth them also instead of a table-cloth and bread-basket, they draw it together with a string like a purse, and hang it up in the next corner.

CHAP. IX.

_A short and plain relation of plants, which I gather’d during my stay at ~Aleppo~, in and round about it, not without great danger and trouble, which I glued upon paper very carefully._

Being I undertook this long journey, chiefly on purpose to see myself those fine outlandish plants, whereof authors so often make mention, growing in their native soil, and to gain a more clear and perfect knowledge of them. I was very glad to have an opportunity to stay longer than I intended, that I might the ofner go out with my friends and comrades into the fields, among the _Turks_ and _Moors_, not without great pain and danger of being knock’d on the head, to fetch in more and greater variety of plants; wherein my comrade _Hans Ulrich Krafft_, who came into these parts along with me, very often hath faithfully and honestly assisted me. But having heretofore made mention of the garden herbs and fruits, I will only in this place write of them which grow abroad without the gardens, and that with all possible shortness; and begin with the Poplar-tree, as the commonest of all, which the inhabitants still call by the ancient _Arabian_ name _Haur_; they grow very high in these countries, and abundance of them grow about the rivulet near _Aleppo_, which make very shady walks underneath in the heat of the summer. There is also a peculiar sort of Willow-trees, call’d _Safcaf_, _&c._ these are not all alike in bigness and height, and in their stems and twigs they are not very unlike unto Birch-trees, which are long, thin, weak, and of a pale yellow colour; they have soft ash-coulour’d leaves, or rather like unto the leaves of the Poplar-tree, and on their twigs here and there are shoots of a span long, like unto those of the _Cypriotish_ wild Fig-trees, which put forth in the spring tender and woolly flowers, like unto the blossoms of the Poplar-tree, only they are of a more drying quality, of a pale colour, and a fragrant smell. The inhabitants pull of these, because they bear no fruit, great quantities, and distill a very precious and sweet water out of them, very comfortable and corroborating to the heart. The _Arabians_ call these trees _Zacneb_ and _Zacnabum_; _Rhasis_ in his 353d and _Avicen._ in his 749th chapter; and after the same manner maketh _Serapio_ mention of them in his 261st chapter, by the common name of _Zucumbeth_; and _Theophrastus_ in his fourth book, and eleventh chapter, where he treats of _Elæagnus_ which this is very like unto, and may be taken for the same, although they differ in bigness, which often and easily happens according to the soil and place where they grow. Hereabouts are other small trees, which I rather take to be thorny shrubs; they are very like in leaves unto the others, and are call’d by the _Moors_, _Scisesun_. They love to grow in moist places and in hedges; from the root shoot several stems, cloathed with a smooth brown-colour’d bark; they bear at the top pretty long and strong twigs, which here and there are beset with a few prickles, whereon grow small flowers, white without and yellow within, whereof three and three sprout out between the leaves. I did not see any of their fruit, but yet I do believe that they are like unto the Olives of the _Bohemian_ Olive-tree, to which this plant is very like, which is very naturally delineated in the herbal of the learned _Matthiolus_. These trees cast forth such an odour in the spring, that any body that goes by must needs be sensible of it presently; wherefore the _Turks_ and _Moors_ cut many of their branches, and stick them up in their shops.

On the banks of the above-mention’d rivulet, chiefly about the stone bridge, as you travel to _Tripoli_, grow many _Agnus Castus_’s, of the lesser sort, and on the other side in the fields, many _Pistacho_ nut-trees.

Within and without the city grow also many sorts of trees, _viz._ that which _Avicen._ calleth _Azederack_, but _Rhasis_, _Astergio_; white Mulberry-trees, Date-trees, and Cypresses, by the natives call’d _Sacub_, which hereabouts grow very big and high, Turpentine-trees, _&c._

About the fences and hedges you will find wild Pomegranat-trees, with fine double flowers, wild Almond-trees, the fruit whereof the _Moors_ carry about in great plenty to sell to the poor; and near it in old decay’d brick-walls and stony places, you shall see Caper-bushes: among the rest there groweth a very strange bush, by the inhabitants call’d _Morgsani_, which is very green and thick, hath a long woody coat, whereout sprout several stalks, with round leaves, like unto Caper-leaves, only with this difference, that four of them stand together all opposite to one another like unto our beans; between them there appear small flowers, red within and white without, whereout grow long pods, like unto those of the _Sesamum_. This plant hath a very unpleasant scent, wherefore the inhabitants use it frequently to destroy worms; but what the ancients formerly call’d it, I know not, but really am of this opinion, it must be according to the description the _Ardifrigi_ of _Avicen._ and _Aadiccan_ of _Rhasis_; he that pleaseth may read more thereof in the quoted places. In these places are also found the thorny _Acacia_, by the inhabitants call’d _Shack_, and by the _Arabians_, _Shamuth_, which are very small and low, chiefly those that stand in the fields, which give as much trouble to the plowmen as the ferns and rest-harrow do here; the twigs are of an ashen colour, crooked, full of prickles, like unto those of the Rose-bush, and have very small feather’d leaves, like unto _Tragacantha_, which are almost divided like unto our female fern, the flowers of them I have not seen, but the cods that grow out of them are without brownish, in their shape thicker and rounder than our beans, spongy within, and containing two or three reddish seeds.

I have, besides these, seen in shops pods of a chestnut-brown colour, sold under the name of _Cardem_, which have two or three little distinct cells or baggs, in each whereof is a reddish seed, in the figure of our male Balsam; these are brought from _Egypt_, and by some thought to be the true _Acacia Diosc._ whether it be so or no I cannot well tell, because I never saw the plant. Very near it, in untill’d places, groweth _Galega_; _Sisynrichium Theophrasti_, which is very curiously delineated in the book of _Rempert. Dodon. de herbis & floribus coron._

There is also found another fine plant, by the inhabitants call’d _Tharasalis_, which hath seven or eight waved leaves, which stand about a round stalk, almost as it is to be seen in _Sisynrichium_, only they are a great deal broader, and not so long, when the stalk thereof, which is not above a cubit long, is grown, through and above them; it gets at top a white flower, not very unlike unto the low blue Flower de Luce which blow early in the spring; it has a roundish root, like unto that of _Narcissus_, and also has many long white fibres. Not far from thence, when you get upon the hill, there groweth in the rough places others, _viz._ _Bistorta_, still by the inhabitants call’d _Zuph_, a fine sort of _Verbacum_; _Scorzonera_ with purple flowers, Saffron with small little leaves, and a delicate yellow flower; also _Arisarum_, _Homaid._ and _Arum_, call’d by them _Carsaami_, whereof there are four sorts, among the rest a strange one, with long ears, wherefore they call it in their language _Ouidae_.

There also are about the rivers some _Anemones_ of several sorts and colours, very beautiful, as red, purple colour, yellow, _&c._ all which they call with a common name _Sakaick_, and give an additional name according to the colour of it, _viz._ _Schakaick achmar_, _Sakaik assar_, _Aserack_, &c. that is to say, red-yellow, of a violet colour, _&c._ which would be too long and tedious to describe all here; chiefly if I should at length relate the common ones, as, wild Rue, _Asphodelus albus_; _Rheseda Plin._ _Flos solis foliis minoribus serpilli_, wild Onions, and other innumerable more. As you come down by another way back again, nearer to the corn-fields, you find other fine herbs, as the wild new _Harmala_, a delicate sort of _Astragalus foliis hedysari minoris_, and by it another which is very like unto _Astragalus_ of _Dioscor._ so that I really believe it to be the same. There appear a great many of them upon the height; it is a low herb, with a long brownish root, as big and long as the root of horse-raddish, which puts out at the sides some strong fibres, which are almost blacker and harder to cut than the root itself; some of them go downwards, and others the greater part upwards, and bended like unto horns. These contain, together with their sweetness, also a driness; they shoot out at the top into several branches of the same colour, yet not above the length of a finger, which incline towards the earth, whereout grow nine or ten small leaves, like Lentil-leaves, not very unlike to those of _Orobus_, and distributed after the same manner. Between them sprout out purple-brown flowers, after them come long and thick and full bladders, whereof some are as big as those of the _Colutea_.

All these and several other herbs have I preserved and glued to some paper, with great and peculiar care, so that they are to be seen in their natural colours so exact, as if they were green.