As soone as the Lorde is lodged, incontinently they vnlade their baggaige, leaving large waies betweene their lodgings. If it be in the wynter the beastes are so many that they make wondrefull mooyre: and if it be in som̄er spreading much dust. Incontinently, aftre they haue untrussed their baggaige they make their ovens roste and booyle their fleshe: and dresse it wᵗʰ mylke, butter, and cheese, and most com̄only they are not wᵗhout some venyson, or wilde fleshe, specially redde deere. In this armie are many artisanes, as clothiers, smythes, armorers, and of all other craftes and things that they neede. And if it shulde be demaunded wheather they go, like the Egiptians oʳ no?[8] I answer, no. For (saving that they are not walled about) they seeme verie great and faire cities. And to this purpose, as I retoʳned on a tyme to Tana, on the gate whereof was a very faire towre, I saied vnto a Tartarien marchānt that was in my companie: who earnestly behelde this towre, howe thinkest thoᵘ, is not this a faire thinge? But he, smiling, againe answered, he that is afearde buyldeth towres: wherein me seemeth he said trewly.
Carauana is a company of merchauntes with their merchandise, assembled to go strongely togithers.
And because I have spoken of merchaunt men, retoʳneng to my purpose of the armie, I saie there be alwaies merchauntes which carie their wares divers waies though they passe wᵗʰ the Lordo, entending to go otherwheare. These Tartariens are good fawkeners, have many jerfaulcones, and their flight is much to the Cammeleons, which is not vsed wᵗʰ vs.[9] They hunte the harte and other great beastes also. These hawkes they carie on their fistes, and in the other hande they haue a crowche:[10] which, whan they be weerie, they leane their hande vpon. For one of these hawkes is twise as bigge as an egle. Sometimes there passeth over the armie a flocke of gheese, to the which some of the campe shoote certein croked arrowes vnfeathered, which, in the ascending, hurle abowt breaking all that is in their waie, neckes, leggs, and whinges: and sometyme there passe so many that it seemeth the ayre is full of them: and than do the people showte and crie wᵗʰ so extreame a noyse, that the gheese astonied wᵗhall do fall downe. And bicause I am entered into talking of byrdes, I shall here rehearse one thinge that I thinke notable. Rideng through this Lordo, on the banke of a litle ryver, I founde a man that seemed of reputacōn talking wᵗʰ his serūnt, who called me vnto him and made me alight, demaunding of me wheareabouts I went. I answered as the case required, wherevpon, looking aside, I ꝑceaued beside him iiij or v tesells:[11] on the which were certein lynettes; he furthew cōmaunded one of his serūnts to take one of those lynetts: who tooke two threades of his horsetayle, made a snare which he putt on the tasells, and streight waie tooke a lynett, which he brought to his master, who furthwᵗʰ did bidde hym dresse it: so that the serūnt tooke him, quickely pulled him, made a broche of woode, rosted him and retoʳned wᵗhall vnto his mʳ, who tooke it in his hande, and beholding me, said: I am not nowe, whereas I may shewe the that honoʳ and courtesie that thoᵘ mearitest, but of such as I haue that God hath sent me we wolde make mearie; and so tooke the linett in his hande, brake it in three partes, gave me one, eate an other himself: and the iijᵈᵉ, which was verie litle, he gave vnto him that tooke it. What shall I saie of the great and innumerable moltitude of beastes that are in this Lordo? Shall I be believed? But, be as it be may, I haue determyned to tell it. And, beginneng at the horses, I saie there be many horsecorsers which take horses out of the Lordo and carie them into divers places: for there was one Carauana that came into Persia er I deꝑted thense, which brought iiij thousand of them; whereof ye neede not to mervaile, for if yoᵘ were disposed in one daie to bie a thousande or ijᵐˡ horses yoᵘ shulde finde them to sell in this Lordo, for they go in heardes like sheepe, and as they go, if you saie to the owner I woll haue an cᵗʰ of these horses he hath a staffe wᵗʰ a coller on thende of it, and is so connyng in that feate that it is no sooner spoken, but he hath streight cast the coller about the horse necke, and drawen him out of the hearde: and so by one and one which he lyst, and as many as yoʷ bidde him. I have divers tymes mett these horsecorsers on the waie wᵗʰ such a nombre of horses as haue covered the champaigne, that it seemed a wonder. The countrey breedeth not verie good horses, for they be litell, haue great bealies, and eate no provander: and whan thei be brought into Persia the greatest praise yoᵘ can give them is, that they woll eate provander: wᵗhout the which they woll not endure any laboʳ to the purpose. The seconde sorte of their beastes is oxen, which are verie faire and great, and such a nombre wᵗʰall, that they serve the shambles of Italie, being sent by the waie of Polonia, and some throwgh Valacchia into Transilvania, and so into Allemaigne, from whense they are brought into Italie. The thirde sorte of beasts that they have are camells of twoo bonches, great and rowghe, which they carie into Persia, and there sell them for xxv ducats a peece: whereas they of theast haue but one bonche, are litle, and be solde for x ducats a peece. Their iiijᵗʰ kinde of beasts are sheepe, which be unreasonable great, longe legged, longe woll, and great tayles, that waie about xijˡ a peece. And some such I haue seene as haue drawen a wheele aftre them, their tailes being holden vp. Whan for a pleasʳᵉ they haue been put to it, with the fatt of which tayles they dresse all their meates and serueth them in steede of butter, for it is not clammye in the mowthe.
I wote not who wolde verifie this, that I shall saie nowe[12] if he haue not seene it. For it may well be demaunded whereof shulde so great a nombre of people lyve travaileng thus every daie! wheare is the coʳne they eate? wheare do they gett it? To the which, I that haue seene it, do answere on this wise. About the mooneth of Februarie they make proclamac̃ons throughout the Lordo, that he which woll sowe shall prepare his things necessarie against the mooneth of Marche, to sowe in such a place. And such a daie of that mooneth they must take their waie thitherwards. This doon, they that are mynded to sowe prepare themselfs, and being agreed togither, lading their seede on cartes[13] wᵗʰ such cattaill as their busynes require, togither wᵗʰ their wiefs and children or parte of them they go to the place appointed, which most cōmonly passeth not ij ioʳneys from the place of the Lordo wheare the crie is made. And there do they eare, sowe, and tarie, till they haue furnisshed that they came for, which doon they retoʳne to their Lordo.
Thempoʳ, wᵗʰ the Lordo, doth this meane while, as the mother is wonte to do wᵗʰ her children. For whan she letteth them go plaie she ever keepeth her eye on them, and so doth he never departe from these plowemen iiij ioʳneys, but compasseth about them nowe here, nowe there, till the corne be rype, and yet when it is ripe he goeth not thither wᵗʰ his Lordo, but sendeth those that sowed it and those that mynded to bye of it wᵗʰ their cartes, oxen, and camells, and those other things that they need; even as they do at their village.
Zattere arr polles so tied one to an other, that thei can not synke.
Rialto is the merchauntes assembling place in Venice.
Lordes ouer the night is an office of great auctoritie in Venice.
Thearthe is fertile, and bringeth fooʳthe lᵗⁱᵉ busshells wheate for one of seede: and their busshell is as great as the Padouane. And of Miglio they haue an c for one; and sometimes thei haue so great plentie that they leaue no small quantitie in the feelde. To this purpose I shall tell yoᵘ, There was a sonnes sonne of Vlumahumeth, who, having ruled certein years, fearing his cousyn Cormayn that dwelled on the other side of the ryver of Ledil, to thentent he wolde not loose such a parte of his people as must haue goon to this tyllaige, which they coulde not haue doon wᵗhout their manifest perill, he wolde not suffer them to sowe in the space of xj yeres. All which tyme they lyved of fleshe, mylke, and other things. Nevertheles, they had alwaies in their tavernes a little meale and panico: but that was verie deere. And whan I asked them howe they did, they wolde answer that they had fleshe; and yet, for all that, he at leingth was driven awaie by his said cousin. Finallie, Vlumahumeth, of whom we spoke afore, whan Zimahumeth was arryved neere vnto his confines, seeing himself unhable to resist, lefte his Lordo and fledde wᵗʰ his children and others, by reason whereof Zimahumeth became emperoʳ of all the people: and went to wards the ryver of Tana in the mooneth of June, and passed the same about ij daies ioʳney above Tana wᵗʰ all that nombre of people, their cartes, and cattaill: a mervailouse thinge to believe, but more wonderfull to beholde. For they passed all wᵗhout any rumoʳ, and as saufe as if they had goon by lande. Their maner of passaige is this. They that are of the most substanciall sende of their folkes afore, who make certein zattere[14] of drie woode, whereof there is plentie alonge the ryver. They also make certein bondells of softe reades, which they putt vnder their zattere and vnder their cartes, and so tye the same to their horses, who swymeng over the ryver (guyded by certein naked men) passe the hole companie aftre this maner. About a mooneth aftre, rowing vp the water towarde a certein fissheng place, I mett wᵗʰ so many zatteres and bondells comyng downe the water (which this people had lett go), that we coulde skarselie passe, and besids that I did see so many zatteres and bondells on the banks, that it made me to wonder. And whan we arrived at the fissheng place we founde that these had doon much woʳse there than those that I haue writen of before. And bicause I woll not forget my freends yoᵘ shall vnderstande that Edelmulgh, the empoʳˢ brother in lawe before named, came unto Tana, and his sonne wᵗʰ him, and soddainelie embraced me, saieng, here I haue brought the my sonne, and incontinently tooke a cassacke from his sonnes backe and putt it vpon me, wherewᵗʰ he gave me also viij sklaves of the nation of Rossia, saieng, this is parte of the praye that I haue taken in Rossia. In recompence whereof I presented him wᵗʰ convenient things again, and so he taried wᵗʰ me ij daies. Some there be that, departing from others, thinking never to meete again, do easylie forgett their amitie, and so vse not those curtesies that they ought to vse: wherein, by that litle experience that I haue had, me seemeth they do not well. For, as the saieng is, mountaignes shall never meate, but men may. In my retoʳneng out of Persia wᵗʰ the Ambassadoʳ of Assambei,[15] willing to passe through Tartarie, and so through Polonia to cōme to Venice (though at that time I went not through that waie), it chaunced me to be in companie of divers Tartarien merchaunts of whom I enquired for this Edelmulg, and learned by signes of the phisonomie, and by the name, that he which was given me by the father, as those Tartariens than telled me, was great wᵗʰ thempoʳ. So that if we had goon further we must needes haue fallen into his handes. In which cace I am assured I shulde haue had no lesse good cheere of him, than as I haue made both to him and his father, but who wolde haue belieued that xxxvᵗⁱᵉ yeres aftre in so ferre distant cuntreys a Tartarien shulde haue mett wᵗʰ a Venetian? An other thinge I woll rehearse even to the same purpose. The yere 1455, being in a vinteners seller in the Rialto, as I ꝑvsed the seller in thone end of the same, I ꝑceaued twoo men tyed in chaynes, which, by their countenaunce, me thought shulde be Tartariens. I asked who they were, and they answered that they had been sklaves of the Catelaines, and that, fleing awaie, in a litle bote, they were taken by this vyntener, wherevpon I went incontinently to the Signori di Notte, and declared this matter, who by and by sent officers thither, brought them to the coʳte, and in the vinteners presence delivered them, putteng him to his fyne. Thus I gate them loosed, and had them home to my house, and askeng them what they were and of what cuntrey; thone of them answered, he was of Tana, and had been serunt to Cazadahuch, whom I had knowen well, for he was thempoʳˢ customer over all things that came vnto Tana; so that, regarding him more advisedly, me seemed to remembre his face, for he had been many tymes in my house. I asked him what was his name. He answered, Chebechzi, which signifieth a bulter of meale. And whan I had well behelde him, I saied vnto him, doest thoᵘ knowe me? He answered, no. But, as soone as I mentioned Tana and Jusuph (for so they called me there), he fell to thearthe, and wolde haue kissed my feete: saieng vnto me, thoʷ hast saved my lief twies, and this is thone of them, for being a sklave I rekened myself deade, and thother was whan Tana was on fyre, thoʷ madest an hole in the wall, through the which so many creatures escaped, amongest whom was I and my mʳ both. And it is true, for whan Tana was sett on fyre, I made an hole in the wall forneagaint a certein grounde wheare many persons were assembled: through the which there issued aboue xl, and amongest them this felowe and Cazadahuch. I kept these twoo Tartariens in my house about twoo moonethes, and when the shippes departed towardes Tana I sent them home. Wherefore, I saie that departeng one from an other, wᵗʰ opinion never to retoʳne into those ꝑties againe, no man ought to forgett his amitie as though they shuld never meete, for there may happen a thousande things that, if they chaunce to meete againe, he that is most hable shall haue neede of his succoʳ that can do least. Nowe, to retoʳne vnto the things of Tana. I woll describe it by the west and northwest, costing the sea of Tabacche to the going fooʳthe on the lefte hande, and aftre some parte of the sea called Maggiore, even to the Province named Mengleria. Departing than from Tana about the foresaid coste of the sea, iij joʳneys wᵗhin lande, I founde a region called Chremuch, the lorde whereof is named Biberdi, which signifieth given to God; he was sonne vnto Chertibei, that signifieth twelve Lorde. He hath many villaiges vnder him, which at a neede woll make a thousand horses, faire champaignes, many good woodes, and ryvers plentie. The principall men of this region lyve by robbing on those plaines and speciallie on the roberie of the carouanes that go from place to place. They are well horsed, valiaunt men, and subtill witted, but not verie gryme of visaige. They haue corne enough, fleshe, and honye, but no wyne. Beyonde these are cuntreys of divers languages, though not much different one from an other; that is to witt, Elipehe, Tatarcosia, Sobai, Cheuerthei,[16] As Alani, of whom I haue spoken here before. And these renne alongest even vnto Mengleria[17] for the space of xij ioʳneys. Mengleria confyneth wᵗʰ Caitacchi, which are neere the mountaigne Caspio, and wᵗʰ parte of Giorgiana, and wᵗʰ the sea Maggiore, and wᵗʰ the mountaigne that passeth through Circassia, and hath on thone side a ryver called Phaso that compasseth it and falleth into the sea Maggiore. The Lorde of this province, named Bendian, hath two walled townes on the foresaid sea, one called Vathi and an other Seuastopoli, and besides that divers other piles and stronge houses. The cuntrey is all stonie and barayn, wᵗhout any kinde of grayne, saving panico. Salte is brought vnto them out of Capha. They make a litle cloth, but it is both course and naught: and they arr beastly people. For proof whereof, being in Vathi (where one Azolin Squarciafigo, a Genowaie, arryved in companie of a Paranderia of Turks that went thither wᵗʰ us from Constantinople), there was a yonge woman stode in her doore vnto whom this Genowaie saied Surina patro ni cocon? which is, mistres is the good man wᵗhin? meaneng her husbande. She answered, Archilimisi, that is to witt, he woll cōme anon. Whereupon he swapped her on the lippes and shewed her vnto me, saieng, beholde what faire teethe she hath: and so shewed me her breast and toouched her teates, which she suffered wᵗhout moving. Afterwardes, we entred into her house, and sate us downe, and this Azolin fayneng to haue vermyn about him beckened on her to searche him: which she did verie diligentlie and chastely. This, meane while, the good man came in, and my companion put his hande in his purse, and saied Patron tetari sica, which is as much to saie as, mʳ, hast thoʷ any mooney? Wherevnto he made a countenaunce that he had none about him: and so he tooke him a fewe aspres, wᵗʰ the wᶜh he went streight to bye some vittaills. Within a while after, we went through the towne to sporte vs, and this Genowaie did every wheare after the maner of that cuntrey what pleased him wᵗhout reproche of any man, whereby it may appeare weather they be beastly people or no, and therefore the Genowaies that practise in those ꝑties vse for a proverbe to saie, Thoʷ art a Mongrello, whan they arr disposed to saie thoᵘ art a foole. And nowe, bicause I haue saied that Tartari signifieth mooney, I haue thought good to declare that Tetari properlie signifieth white, and by this they understande syluer mooney, which is white, for the Greeks also call it aspri, wᶜh signifieth white, the Turkes Akcia, which signifieth white and in Venice in tyme past, and yet to this present we haue mooney called Bianchi, in Spaigne also they haue mooney called Bianche. Whereby it may appeare howe many nacōns agree in their languaige to call one thinge by one maner of name.
Chersonesus.