Cap. 7.—Our Passage to Smyrna.
Nov. 17. At noon we weigh’d Anchor, and with the wind at S.S.E. and S.E. we turn’d out between Cerigo and C. St. Angelo. Next day being entered the Arches,[226] we staid for the Levant Merchant, and dined there.
Nov. 19, Saturday. We had very much rain all the day, and all the following night. The wind to E. to S.E., we got nothing of our way, but with much ado we kept our own. This ill weather continued for the most part till Nov. 21 about noon. That Evening we saw 4 sail in Argentiera[227] bay, one with a flag at the Topmast head. We could not tell who they were; if friends, we had no reason to fear them; if foes, they certainly feared us. We past between Milo and Antimilo; between Serfon and Sifanto[228]; between Tino and Micono; between Scio and Ipsera.[229] And Nov. 23, in the morning, we got past C. Calaberro (or, as our seamen call it, C. Tobbernose), from the true Turkish word Caraburnes[230] (black nose or black snout), where mill stones were cut out, so call’d, I suppose, from the black rock out of which they were taken. And if there be yet such a black quarry there, I should conclude that the Turkes also nam’d it black Nose from thence. We went on with a fair gale at W.N.W., but the Admiral and the Speedwell running more in to the shore, was becalm’d and left a stern. At 2 afternoon we came up to the Castle, where lay without the port of Smyrna two Holland men of war. We saluted the Admiral with thre guns, and he return’d us thre. Our English Merchants came on board us, and at five o’clock we came to Anchor at Smyrna, and saluted the Port with seven guns. I went on shore, and lay at Mr. James Adderley and Mr. Nath. Thurston and Mr. Jon. Prideaux their house, where I was most courteously and nobly entertained. The Assurance staid without the Castle, and the Speedwell came not in till the next day. None of our men of war must go into any of the Turkish Ports so far as to be commanded by any of their Castles. It seems that the Turks formerly have been very insolent, and have laid an Imbargo or Arest upon some of our men of war which were in Port, and, as I have been told, have made use of them in the last Candia Warre; to prevent which inconvenience for the future, our men of war alwayes lye without the Castles. And several French men of war in my time came up to Constantinople, and lay at Anchor there sometime, and great embroil was like to have happened thereupon about a Knight of Malta who escaped, of which more elsewhere.
Capt. 8.—What happened whilst our Ships staid at Smyrna, and our Journey to Ephesus.
Rambling about the Town, one of our passengers, who had lived at Smyrna before, caryed me to a rich Turkes house, who was one of his old acquaintance. I think they call’d him Eusine Chabbey, a very courteous man, and friendly to all our Nation. They told me that he once invited them all at the cutting or circumcision of one of his sons, and treated them very generously. We found him at Supper, and he very earnestly prest us to sit down, which we did, Taylor like, crosse leg’d, for we saw neither chair nor stool, nor anything else but the floor cover’d with carpets. We tasted of his cheer, which was good, plain, wholesome food. All things being so quite different from our own way of living did very much surprise me with wonder and delight. But of Turkish entertainments and other customes I shall give a large account more conveniently elsewhere.
Novemb. 26. Our Consul, the worthy Sir Paul Ricaut,[231] treated us at his country house, which was six or seven miles out of Town, in a village called Sedjagui; I was told the right Turkish name is Seghiahkioi, as much as Strangeham. It seems the word Kioi in Turkish signifies a Hamlet or Village, and therefore it is made the termination of country villages very frequently, as our ham is in English names, and it is pronounced something near the work qui, so in Bailgradqui, Hosqui, Ortaqui, and infinite more everywhere. Several of our nation have likewise houses of retirement there, as also the Dutch Consul, Jaques von Dam, and others of that nation then had. It is a very pleasant and convenient place for divertisement, especially in summer. I took much notice of an old Coffe man there, who was an Afionjè (or Ophiunjè), a great eater of Opium. He seem’d much above 60 yeares old, and told us that in a morning till he had taken a little dose, as much as a half nut or more, he had no strength to get up, or to raise or turne himself in his bed; but after it, he had vigour, briskness enough to do anything. He was very lean, the flesh, or rather the skin of his cheeks, hanging like Spanish leather; and he had very oft (almost every minute) a strange kind of spasme in the muscles of his breast, or a jerking motion like those who have a strong Hickock.
Nov. 30. Some of this generous Factory designing to accompany several gentlemen, their friends (which now came from England), to Ephesus, were pleased to admit me into their caravan, and my very kind friends where I lodged accoutred me and furnisht me out with their own Janisary and everything necessary for that Journey. We were, in all, about two or three and twenty, all very well provided with horses and armes. That night we lay at a country town, call’d by our Europeans Jamovasy, but I am told its true Turkish name was Jaman bakgia, or bachi, that is, terrible garden; it is about four miles beyond Sedjaqui. It is a pretty large town with several Moscheas in it, which are all shaded with tall Cypruses and some pines, whose verdure at some distance seems very stately and very pleasant. From thence we went through a plain for six or eight miles somewhat wet or moorish (which, I suppose, might happen from the rains falling on either side from the mountains, and staying there, where it was but narrow). It was spread with Agnus castus in great plenty, which I have often observed to love such a moist soil; there was nothing then on the boughs but their seed, which was very good, and of a stronger smell then that with us. Next we came to firme sandy ground, fill’d with Oakes (without any underwood), like some of our parks. They were all short, snoggy trees, much loaded with boughs; I saw not one good piece of Timber amongst them. Then we ascended a rocky mountain, not continued smooth at top, but broken into many and deep dales, for the most part cover’d with several sorts of middle-sized trees, with shrubs amongst them; the way both going up and going down was filled with loose stones, being very difficult, yet our horses had been used to such places, and caryed us very safely on. This road is very dangerous by reason of Thieves, who lurk in the thickets and dens that are upon it. Many people lay buryed here and there who had been murdered and slain, and many bones of men lay scattered above ground. We often saw several people at a distance peeping at us, and one came and joyn’d himself with us for a mile or two, and then stole away from us; we thought it was for no good end, but we were too numerous and strong for them to venture on us. This mountain is now called Aliman, and all our former Travaylers take it for the Antient Mimas, and my good friend Dr. Pickering[232] would needs have the very word Aliman jumbled from Almiman.
[Dr. Covel here gives a long and technical account of all he saw at Ephesus—of little value now, since the light of recent excavations.]
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