The next daie I founde him sett amongest xv ꝓsons, the principall whereof had canopies over their heades, and v or vj stoode before the prince, whom he comaunded to go and apparaill such and such by name. They therevpon went to those that were named, and taking them vp, ledde them to the pavilion, wheare the garmentes were, and aftre their degrees apparalled them, and to some they gave sadells, and to some other they gave horses, to the nombre of xl, in my iudgement: but they that were so apparailed were aboue ccl, amongest whom I was one. This doon, there came certein women that beganne to daunce and to synge wᵗʰ certein that plaied. And than was there sett on a carpett an hatt fac̃oned like a sugar looofe, having on the toppe cuttes and tassells aftre the maner of the hattes of Zubiari,[88] and a litle from it stoode one waiteng the kinges comaundement, who poincted him on whose heade he shulde sett that hatt. Wherevpon he took it vp and went to the person appoincted: which arose, and putteng of his rolle, putt the hatt on his heade; being so unseemely as suffised to haue disgraced a right goodly man. But he hauing it on, passed fooʳthe, daunceng before the king, as he knewe the guyse. And the king gave a signe to him that wayted, com̄aunding him to give to the dauncer a peece of Camocato. And he taking this peece threwe it about the heade of the dauncer and of other men and women: and useing certein woordes in praiseng the king, threwe it before the mynstrells. This daunceng and throwing of peeces lasted till an howre before sonnesett: in the which, by my rekenyng, what of damaske woʳkes, lynenclothe, chamletts, and other like, there were given awaie aboue ccc peeces and aboue lᵗⁱᵉ horses. This doon, they fell to wrasteling on this wise. Two naked men, wᵗʰ breeches and hoses of leather downe to the ankleys, presented themselfs before the king, and they clasped not acrosse, but sought to take eche other by the nape of the necke, which either of them did his best to defende. But whan thone had goten holde on thothers necke, than he that was so taken having none other shifte wolde stoowpe as lowe as he might, and take the other by the backe, lifteng him vp and seeking to throwe him flatt on his backe; for otherwise it was reckened no fall, howbeit divers of them wolde suffer himself to be almost so throwen, and whan it came to the point wolde nevertheles shifte the others to the fall, and so wynne the price. At leingth there came one of these naked wrestlers before the king, so huge a man that he seemed a gyaunte, being yonge and well proporc̃oned, of xxx yeres of age or thereaboutes: whom the king com̄aunded to wrastle: willeng him to seeke a companion. But he, kneeling, spake certein woordes againe, which I being desirouse to vnderstande, it was tolde me that he had besought the king he might not plaie, bicause in plaieng before he had killed some wᵗʰ strayneng of them; wherefore the king was contented to spare him. Vnto these wrastelers there were divers horses given, and the plaie, aftre I was goon, endured till it was twoo houres wᵗhin night; so that there were many other things given. In this, meane whele, the towne was well decked, and spetially the shoppes; for every man sett fooʳthe his best stuf. And there was also a price apoincted to the kings footemen, whose coʳse to renne was a myle and an halfe, not wᵗhall their power, but a good trotting pace, they being spoyled, naked, and anoynted over wᵗʰ larde for the preservac̃on of their synowes, wᵗʰ a breeche of leather for everie of them. And beginneng at the one ende of the race, whan they came trotting to thother, they receaued (of such as were appoincted) an arrowe for a witnesse to them that were ferre of, and coulde not discerne wheather they arrived at the marke or not, liek as whan he retoʳned againe to thother ende, he receaued there also an other arrowe; and so from the one ende to the other as longe as his legges wolde serue him; so that he which shuld most tymes trye that race shulde haue the price. These for whom this price was prepared were all of the kings footemen; which go barelegged and in maner naked, not styckeng to trotte sometymes x daies ioʳney togither.

These triomphes fynisshed, the king, wᵗʰ all his trayne, determyned, according to their custome, to go into the champaigne; wherefore he asked me wheather I wolde go wᵗʰ him and travaill or tarie behinde and make meery. I answered that I had rather wayte on him wᵗʰ much sorowe and trouble than to be from him wᵗʰ great rest and pleasʳ, which answer me seemed he tooke verie thankefully, and so incontinently sent me an horse, a tente, and mooney. Being thus departed from the citie, he wᵗʰ all his trayne tooke that waie which they knewe fittest to furnishe them of pasture and water: travailing at the beginneng betwene x and xv myles a daye: and wᵗʰ him there went iij of his sonnes.

He that wolde here note all the things woʳthie to be noted, shulde take a diffuse entreprise vpon him and shulde sometimes treate of things almost incredible. Wherefore I shall declare so much only as I thinke convenient, leaving the rest to those writers that shall vse more diligence in it than I haue doon.

Thus being in the champaigne there came to visit the king a sonne of his that soggioʳned in the ꝑties of Bagdath, that is to saie, Babilone, and his mother wᵗʰ him, who presented his father wᵗʰ xx goodly horses, c camells, and certein peeces of sylke. Than were there also presented vnto the king by the barons attending on his sonne a nombre of camells and horses, which in my sight at the verie instant were distributed and given awaie by the king to such as pleased him and than went to dyner. But not long after being in the champaigne newes came that an other sonne of his, called Orgalu mahumeth had taken Syras, a notable great citie of his father’s domynion; which he had doone vpon wooʳde that was brought him of his father’s death, wherevpon he determyned to have that towne for himself. These newes being hearde, the king forthwᵗʰ aroase, and wᵗʰ all his people tooke his waie towards Syras, which from that place was distant cxx miles, and travailed wᵗʰ so much speede that between mydnight and the evenyng of the next daie they went xl myles, so that in iij daies he might have been there. Who coulde believe that so great a nombre of people, men, women, and children, and some in the cradell, shulde make so great a speedie voiage, carieng wᵗʰ them all their baggaige and so good ordre, wᵗʰ so much dignitie and pompe, never wanteng breade and seldome wyne (which they needed not to lacke weare it not that a great nombre of them drynke none), and than such plentie of fleshe and fruictes, and all other thinges necessarie? I that have seen it do not only believe, but also knowe it; and to thende that they which hereaftre may happen to travaill thither (if any happen at all) may iudge whether I write trewe or not, and that they which never mynde to see it may also believe it if it shall please them, I shall heare make a special declaration of it.

The noble and principall men which be wᵗʰ the king, and that carie wᵗʰ them their wiefs and children, men and women servants, and their goodes, arr wonte to have many camells and mooyles, the nombre whereof I shall rehearse hereaftre. These carie the sucking children in their cradells at the pomell of the sadell, so that the moother or the nurse ryding may give them sucke, which cradells arr some fairer than other, according to the qualities of the owners, wᵗʰ their sylkes over them, wrought wᵗʰ golde or sylke. Wᵗʰ the lyfte hand they holde the cradell and the brydell both, and wᵗʰ the right hande they drive the horse, beating him wᵗʰ a whippe bounde to their litle fynger. The other children arr also caried on horsebacke vpon certein cages, covered on both sides, and wrowght according to their degrees. The women also ryde on horsebacke in company togither wᵗʰ their maydens and seruants before them according to their astate. The hable men attende on the King’s ꝓson, and reckenyng all togither, they arr so many in nombre that it is a good halfe daies ioʳney from the one ende of them to the other. The women ryde their faces covered wᵗʰ muflers made of horse heare[89] to defende them from sonne burneng in the cleere weather. At this tyme were the musters taken as well of the people as of the cattell on this wise. There was a verie great champaigne environned wᵗʰ horses, so ordered that eche of them tooᵘched the other’s heade, and the men vpon them were partely armed and partely vnarmed, comprehending about xxx myles in circuite, wᵗhin which ordre they all stoode from the morneng vntill sonnesett. Than passed one surveieng and making a reckenyng of them, not taking any mannes name or the markes of the horses in writeng as we vse in these ꝓties, but only called for the capⁿᵉˢ names, and considered the nombre wheather it were in order, and than passed on, wherefore I tooke my seruʷnt wᵗʰ me, and passed through them apace, rekenyng wᵗʰ beanes what nombres I founde, vseng for every Lᵗⁱᵉ to lett a beane fall into my pockett. And whan the musters were past, I made my reckenyng, and founde the nombres and qualities of those things to be, aftre thordre that I shall describe vnto yoᵘ:

Of the which there were ijᵐˡ covered wᵗʰ certein armure of yron, made in litle squares and wrought wᵗʰ gold and syluer, tacked togither wᵗʰ small mayle, which hanged downe in maner to the grounde, and vnder the golde it had a frynge. The rest were covered, some wᵗʰ leather aftre oʳ maner, some wᵗʰ silke, and some wᵗʰ quilted woʳke so thicke that an arrowe coulde not haue passed throwgh it. The horsemens armoʳ is of the same sorte before rehearsed. Those armures of yron that I first menc̃oned arr made in Besthene,[90] which in oʳ tonge signifieth the v townes, being of twoo miles compasse, and standeth on an hill wheare no man dwelleth but the craftesmen of that science. And if any straunger be desirouse to lerne it, he is accepted wᵗʰ putting in sureties never to departe thense: but to dwell there wᵗʰ the rest, and to applie that occupation. It is trewe that in other places like woʳks arr made, but no wheare so excellent. Aftre this I nombred ijᵐˡ good mooyles, in heardes of small cattaill xxᵐˡ, and of great ijᵐˡ, leopardes to hunte wᵗʰall an c; fawcons gentle and bastarde, cc, grehounds, iijᵐˡ, houndes, a thousande, goshawkes, Lᵗⁱᵉ, souldeoʳˢ for the swearde, xvᵐˡ sclaves, heardmen, cariers, and other like, with sweardes ij, and archers a mˡ, so that in all there myght be about xxvᵐˡ good horsemen, footemen of villaines and bowes, iijᵐˡ, women of the best and myddell sorte, xᵐˡ, women serūnts, vᵐˡ, children of both kindes, of xij yeres and vnder, vjᵐˡ and other children[91] about that age vᵐˡ. Amongst the horsemen there were about one thowsande speares, targettes vᵐˡ, archers about xᵐˡ. The rest, some wᵗʰ one weapon, and some wᵗʰ an other. Amongst the baggaige arr these things folowing, wᵗʰ their prices and owners. First, tayloʳˢ, showmakers, smythes, sadlers, and fletchers in great nombre, wᵗʰ all things necessarie for the campe. Than arr there victuallers that sell breade, fleshe, fruite, wyne, and other things in exceading good order, which is obserued throwghowtlie, and there be many poticaries also wᵗʰ spices. Their breade costeth litle more than oʳˢ doth in Venice. Their wyne costeth aftre the rate of iiij ducates oʳ hoggesheade, not bicause there is any wante of it in the cuntrey, but bicause for the more parte they vse it not. Fleshe aftre the rate of a peny or three halfe pence the pounde; cheese, 1¼ᵈ; rise, 1¼ᵈ; fruicte of all sortes, 1¼ᵈ; and likewise mellones, of the which some waied betwene xxiiij and xxxˡᵇ a peece.

Horsemeate aftre iijᵈ the daie, and showing aftre xiiᵈ an horse mary;[92] for gyrthers, leather sadells, and other horse harneys, there was great skarsetie. As for horses to be solde, there be none but those nagges that arr woʳthe betwene viij and x ducates a peece, and that come out of Tartarie wᵗʰ the merchauntes (as I have saied before), iiij or v thousande at a clappe:[93] which arr solde for iiij, v, or vj ducates a peece: being litell, and serving onlie for cariaige. Amongst the nombre of camells aboue rehearsed, there be viijᵐˡ, of twoo bunches a peece, which haue their coveringes faire wrought, wᵗʰ belles, dyngles, and beadestones of divers sortes hanging at them. Everie man aftre his degree having some x, some xx, and some xxx, tied one to an others tayle, and be ledde every mannes by themselfs for a pompe, wᵗhout any bodie suffred to ryde vpon them. The other camells, of one bunche, carie the pavylions and their masters apparaill in chests, sackes, and fardelles. In like maner, amongest the mooyles there be about ijᵐˡ that carie nothing, but arr ledde for pompe, trapped wᵗʰ goodly coveringes better wrought than those of the camelles be. And of the same sorte, amongest the horses abouemenc̃oned there be about a thousande thus decked. When they travaill by night wᵗʰ the people those that be of reputac̃on, both men and women, haue lightes borne before them, as we vse, which their men and women serunts do carie. Wheare the Prince rydeth there go before him vᶜ horses and more: which haue also their skowtes before them wᵗʰ certein square enseignes, which, cryeng make roome, make roome! to whom all men give waie. This is one parte of that which I haue seene concerneng the maner, order, dignitie, and pompe that this peeple (whilst they be in the champaigne) vse in attending on their king: being yet much lesse than I coulde saie of them.

At this tyme, bicause I felte myself not well at ease, I departed from the campe, and went out of the waie about halfe a daies ioʳney to Soltania, which in oʳ tonge signifieth Imperiall. This is a citie of the forsaid kinge, which sheweth itself to haue been excellent faire. It is not walled, but it hath a castell walled, though it be decaied, by reason that about iiij years passed it was overthrowen by a lorde called Giusa. The castell is a myle about, and hath wᵗhin it an high churche of iiij iles, and of iiij vaultes high: the great cowpe whereof is bigger than that of San Joanni Paulo in Venice. At thone ende it hath a gate of brasse of iij paces high, wrought letties[94] wise; wᵗhin the which arr divers sepultures of the kings that were in time past. Over against that gate there is an other like vnto it: and on the sides twoo other lesse, one of eche side crosses, so that the great cowpe hath iiij gates, ij great and ij small, the quarters or sydes whereof arr of brasse, iij quarters of a yarde brode and half a yarde thicke, excellently well kerved wᵗʰ leaves and devises aftre their maner; so wrought in wᵗʰ beaten golde and sylver that it is both mervailousle and riche. The letties of those gates haue certein great balles as bigge as loofes, and than certein litell ones like orenges, wᵗʰ branches that knytt loofe to loofe, as I remembre I haue seene it ones graven in woodde in a certein place. The workemanship of the golde and syluer is so excellent that there is no man in oʳ ꝑties that durst take the like in hande wᵗʰout very great tyme. The citie is great enough, conteineng iiij myles in circuite, and is well furnisshed of water. And if it were by none other but by the name only, it appeareth that it hath been very notable. Indede, it is nowe but evill enhabited, having betwene vij and viijᵐˡ people in it; ꝓadventure more.[95]