Whan thay be disposed to travaile, specially any longe ioʳneys, they go in the wynter, for than is it frozen over all: and by reason thereof good travaileng, saving that it is colde, and than do they carie what they lyst with great ease vpon those sani which serue them as cartes serue vs and oʳ parties, we call them Tranoli. But in the som̄er they darr not in maner go fooʳthe of their doores, for the vnreasonable mooyre and moltitude of stingeng flies which com̄e fooʳthe of so many great woodes as they haue about them: the greatest parte whereof is vnhabitable. They haue no grapes, but make them wyne of honye, and some make ale of miglio, in thone and other whereof they putt hoppes, which giveth a taste that maketh a man as doonye[22] or dronken as the wyne.
Furthermore, me seemeth it not convenient to forgett the provisions that their foresaid duke made to brydle such dronkardes, as throʷgh their dronkenesse neglected the woʳking and doing of many things which shulde haue been proffitable for them. He made a crye that they shulde make neither ale nor wyne of honye, nor use hoppes in any thinge, and by this meane hath reduced them to good lyving, which hath contynued nowe for the space of xxvᵗⁱᵉ yeres. In tyme passed[23] the Rossians paied trybute to Themꝓoʳ of Tartarie, but nowe they haue subdued a towne called Cassan (which, in oʳ tonge, signifieth a cawldron[24]), that standeth on the ryver Ledil, on the lefte hande as yoʷ go towards the Sea of Bachu, v ioʳneys from Musco. This is a towne of great merchaundise. From whense cometh the most parte of the furres that are caried to Musco and into Polonia, Prusia, and Flandres, which furres come out of the Northe and Northeast, from the regions of Zagatai and Moxia, northerne cuntreys enhabited by Tartariens, that for the most parte arr idolatrers; and so also be the Moxii. And bicause I haue had some experience of the things of the Moxii, therefore I entende to speake somewhat of their faith and maners, as I haue learned.
At a certein tyme of the yere they vse to take a horse: which they laie alonge on the plaine. His iiij feete bounden to iiij stakes, and his heade to an other. This doon, cometh one wᵗʰ bowe and arrowes; and, standing a convenient distance of, shooteth towardes the hert so often, till he haue killed him. And whan the horse is thus deade they flaye him and make a bottell of his hide, vsing with the fleshe certein ceremonies: which, nevertheles, they eate at leingth. Than they stufe the hyde so full of strawe, that it seemeth hole again; and in every of his legges putt a pece of woodde; and so sett him afoote againe, as though he were on lyve. Finally, they go to a great tree and thereof cutt such a boowe as they thinke best, and thereof make a skaffolde whereon they sett this horse standing, and so woʳship him. Offering sables, armelynes,[25] menyver,[26] martrons, and foxes, which they hange on the same tree, even as we offer up candells. By reason whereof the trees there are full of such furres. This people, for the more parte, lyve of fleshe, and the greatest parte thereof wilde fleshe: and fishe they haue also in those ryvers. Nowe that I haue spoken of the Moxij I haue no more to saie of the Tartariens, saving that those which be Idolatrers worship Images that they carie on their cartes, though some there be that vse daylie to woʳship that beast that they happen first to meete whan they go fooʳthe of their doores. The duke also hath subdued Novgroth, which in oʳ tonge signifieth ix[27] castells, and is a verie great towne, eight ioʳneys distāt from Musco, northweast: which before tyme, was governed by the people; being men wᵗhout reason and full of heresies. Nevertheles, by litle and litle they arr nowe brought to the Catholike faith. For some belieue in dede, and some belieue not; but they lyve nowe wᵗʰ reason and haue justice mynistred amongst them.
Mostacchi is the berde of the vpper lyppe.
Departing from Musco yoʷ haue xxij daies ioʳney into Polonia, the first place whereof is a castell called Trochi:[28] the comyng wherevnto from Musco is through woodes and litle hilles which be in maner deserte. It is true that travaileng from place to place, whereas[29] other haue lodged before yoʷ shall finde wheare fyre hath been made, and there the way faring ꝓsons may rest and make fyre if they woll: and sometimes a litle out of the waie yoʷ shall finde some small villaige: but that is seldome. Likewise, departing from Trochi, yoʷ finde woodes and hilles, but sometimes houses amonge. And at thende of ix ioʳneys from Trochi yoʷ finde a walled towne called Lonici, and than do yoʷ enter the region of Littuania, wheare there is a towne called Varsovich,[30] apꝓteyneng to certein gentlemen, subiects of Cazimir, King of Polonia. The cuntrey is fertile and hath many townes and villaiges, but not of any great accompte. From Trocchi into Polonia arr vij ioʳneys, and the region is good and faire, and than finde yoʷ Mersaga, a verie good citie, wheare Polonia endeth: of whose townes and castells, bicause I knowe them not, I woll saie no more. But that the king, wᵗʰ his children and all his famylie, arr very Christian; and that his eldest sonne is nowe King of Boemia. Being departed out of Polonia wᵗhin iiij ioʳneys, we finde Frankforth, a citie of the Marquis of Brandenburgh, and so we enter into Allemaigne: whereof I neede not to speake, bicause it is a cuntrey in maner at home and knowen well enough. So that nowe there resteth somewhat to be saied of Giorgiana, which is forneagainst the place, here before spoken, and confyneth wᵗʰ Mengrelia. The king of this province is called Pancratio, who hath a faire cuntrey, plentyfull of breade, wyne, fleshe, graine, and many other fruictes; the most parte of which wynes growe on trees, as that doth in Trabisonda, and the men arr faire and bigge, but they have very fylthie apparill and most vile customes. They go with their heades rounded and shaven, leaving only a litle heare, aftre the maner of our abbotts, that haue great revenewes, and they suffer their mostacchi to growe a quarter of a yarde longer than their beardes.[31] On their heades they were a litell cappe, of divers coloʳˢ, wᵗʰ a creste on the toppe. On their backes they were certein garments[32] meetely lenge, but they be straite and open behinde downe to the buttocks; for, otherwise they coulde not gett to horsebacke; wherein I do not blame them, for I see the Frenchmen vse the like. On their feete and leggs they were bootes or busgynes, made wᵗʰ their soles of such a sorte, that whan they stande, the heele and the too tooʷche the grounde, but the plante of the foote standeth so high that yoʷ may easelie thrust yoʳ fyst vndernethe wᵗhout hurting of it, whereof it foloweth that whan they go afoote they go wᵗʰ paine. I wolde in this parte blame them, if it were not that I knowe the Persians vse the same. In their feeding (as I haue seene thexperience in the house of one of the principall of them) they vse this maner. They haue certein square tables of halfe a yarde brode, wᵗʰ a ledge rounde about: in the myddest whereof they putt a quantitie of panico sodden, wᵗhout salte or other fatt; and this they vse in steade of podaige. On an other like table they putt the fleshe of a wilde bore, so little brooyled that whan they cutt it the bloudde cōmeth out, which they eate very willingely. I coulde not awaie[33] wᵗhall, and therefore drave fooʳthe the tyme wᵗʰ that podaige. Wyne we had plentie, and that trugged[34] about lustilie: but other kinde of vittailes we had none.
There be in this province great mountaignes and many woodes. It hath a citie called Zifilis,[35] by the which passeth the ryver Tigris, and that is a good towne, well inhabited. There is also a towne called Gori, which confineth wᵗʰ the Sea Maggiore, and this is as much as I haue to saie toocheng my voyage vnto Tana and those regions, togither wᵗʰ the things woʳthie of memorie in those ꝑties. And nowe it behoveth me, taking an other beginneng, to describe the seconde parte: wherein I shall declare the things apꝓtaigneng to my voiage into Persia.
[Here beginneth the Seconde Parte which concerneth the voiage that I, Josaphat Barbaro, made, as Ambassadoʳ into Persia.]
Signoria signifieth the Venetian astate.
During the warres between our most excellent Signoria and Ottomano, the yere 1471, I, being a man, vsed to travaile, and of experience amongst barbarouse people, and willing also to serue oʳ foresaid most excellent Signoria, was sent awaie wᵗʰ thambassadoʳ of Assambei, King of Persia: who was come to Venice to compfort the Signoria to folowe the warres against the said Ottomanno.