After all things were readie we beganne to cutt and digge on the plaine of this greater hill, which is the beginneng of the little hill, entending to make a large waie to enter into the botome: but the earthe was so harde frozen that neither wᵗʰ mattockes nor yet wᵗʰ pickaxes we coulde well break it. Nevertheles, after that we were a little entred we founde thearthe softer, so that we wrought meetely well that daie. But whan we retoʳned the next morneng we founde thearthe so harde frozen that we were constraigned to forgoo our enterprise, and to retoʳne vnto Tana; determyneng nevertheles to com̄e thither again an other tyme.
About thende of Marche we retoʳned thither by boates and litle vessells wᵗʰ cl men, which beganne to digge of newe. So that in xxij daies we made a waie of lx paces longe, viij paces brode, and x paces high. Nowe shall yoᵘ hear wonders and things almost incredyble.
Miglio is a graine almost as small as mustard seed.
We founde all things as it had been tolde us before, which putt vs in the more compforte of the rest. So that the hope of finding of this treasure made vs that had hyred the laborers to carie the barowes better than they: and I myself was master of making of the barowes. The great wonder was that first next vnto the grasse thearthe was blacke. Than next vnto that all was coles, but this is possible, for having willowes enough there by, they might easilie make fyre on the hill. Vnder this were asshes a spanne deep—and this is also possible; for having reades there by which they might burne, it was no great matter to make asshes. Then were there rynds of Miglio an other spanne deepe, and bicause it may be said that that they of the cuntrey lyved wᵗʰ bread made of Miglio, and saved the ryndes to bestowe in this place, I wolde faine knowe what proportion of miglio wolde furnishe that quantitie to cover such an hill of so great a breadth wᵗʰ the onlie ryndes thereof for a spanne deepe? Under this an other spanne deepe were skales of fishe as of carpes and such other. And bicause it may be saied that in the ryver there are carpes and other fishe enough whose skales wolde suffise to cover such an hill, I referre it vnto the reader’s iudgment wheather this thinge either be possible or like to be trewe: and yet do I tell it for trewe. And do consider besides that he which caused this sepulture to be made being named Indiabu, mynding to vse all these ceremonies which ꝑchaunce were used in those daies, did thinke on it longe before: and made all these things to be gathered and laied togither by some processe of tyme.[2]
Thus having cutt in and finding hitherto no treasʳᵉ, we determyned to make ij trenches into the great hill of iiij paces in breadeth and height. This doon we founde a white harde earthe into the which we made steppes to carie up the barrowes by. And so being entred v. paces deeper we founde in the botome certein vessels of stone, some of them wᵗʰ asshes, some wᵗʰ coles, some emptie and some full of fishe back bones. We founde also v or vi beadestones as bigge as oranges made of bricke and covered wᵗʰ glasse such as in the marke of Ancona they used to plaie wᵗʰall. We founde also halfe the handle of a little ewer of sylver, made with an adders hedde on the toppe. Finally in the passion week theast winde beganne to blowe so vehemently that it raysed thearthe wᵗʰ the stoanes and cloddes that had been digged and threwe them so in the workemens faces that the blowdde folowed. Wherfore we determined to leave of and to prove no further; which we did on the Easter Monday after.
The Tartares call in maner all nations of Europe franchi.
This place was before called the caves of Gulbedin, but after our digging there it hathe beene called the cave of the Franchi, and is so called vnto this daie. For the worke that we did in those few daies is so great, that it seemeth a m men coulde skarsalie have done it in so shorte a tyme. And yet we had no certaintie of this treasure, but (as we coulde learne), if there be any treasʳᵉ the cause why it shulde be hidde there was that Indiabu Lorde of the Alani hearing that Themꝓoʳ of the Tartares came against hym; for hydeng of his treasure feigned to make his sepulture after their custome, and so conveigheng thither secretlie that which seemed him good, he afterwardes caused this litell hill to be made upon it. The faith of Macomett beganne to take place amonge the Tartariens about an Cᵗʰ yeres past. In dede some of them were Macomettanes before, but everie man was at his libertie to believe what hym best liked; so that some worshipped ymags of woode, and of ragges, which they carried on their carts about with them. The beginneng of Macometts faith was in the tyme of Hedighi capitaigne of the people of Sidahameth Can Emperoʳ of Tartarie. This Hedighi was father vnto Naurus, of whom we shall speake at this present.
There reigned in the champaignes of Tartarie the yere 1438 an emperoʳ called Vlumahumeth Can, that is to saie, the great Macomett emperoʳ, who, having alreadie reigned certein yeres, and being in the champaignes towards Russia wᵗʰ his Lordo[3] (that is to saie, his people), had this Naurus as his capitaigne, sonne vnto Hedighi before named, by whose meanes Tartarie was constreigned to receave the faith of Macomett. Betwene this Naurus and Thempoʳ, there happened such a discorde, that Naurus wᵗʰ such people as wolde folowe him left him, and went towards the river Ledil vnto Chezimameth, that is to say Litle macomett, one of the bloudde of thother emperor, and there agreed wᵗʰ both their forces to go against Vlumahumeth. Wherevpon they tooke their waie by Citerchan into the champaignes of Tumen, and coming about by Circassia they went towards the ryver Tana, and towards the golfe of the sea called Tabacche, which, with the ryver of Tana, were both frozen. And bicause their people was great and their beasts innumerable, therefore it behoved them to go the more at large to thentent they that went before shulde not destroie the grasse, and other such thinges as served for the refresshing of them that came aftre. So that the formost of this people and cattaill were at a place called Palastra whan the hindermost were at a place called Bosagaz (which signifieth grayye woodde), on the river of Tana, the distance between which two places is cxx myles, which space of grounde this foresaid people occupied, though in dede they were not all apt to travaile.