Early voyages and travels in the Levant

by John Covel; Thomas Dallam

Now, you must understand, all these coaches are made in the fashion exactly of waggons, onely they use cover’d over head, and hang’d by slings so close as the body have no room to swing, but jolts as hard as if it were fixt upon the axletrees.

After the Rebuil[364] evíl moon was ended, there were every day at Kindi (the 9th houre) sports at the Mosaïf’s house (which was in the city), and they lasted till midnight sometimes. They began the 14th of June, when they first saw the new moon, though it was a day old, it being by our account two dayes old then; they ended the 28th day. There was a very large square yard; at one end was a fair apartment of two chambers, where the Mosaïf and his friends continually were spectators; at the other end was a large, high, single room, to which oftentimes resorted the G. Sr., young prince, and many other favourites. After his sposa (as is said, the 23d day) was brought home, there was another square room in another corner with lattice-windows (gelosie), through which she and the Q. mother and others of the Ladyes saw all, being unseen themselves. The door was kept very strickt, that no Janizaryes or Turkes of fashion might enter, yet all strangers might go in without any difficulty in the world. I was there many times, of which some account by and by.

First, of the sports. We had every day the very same dancing as before; the same shewes at interludes. There were monkeyes, and dull Arab dancing, to entertain the people; for on one side were pitched tents in which the people stood, and the duller sports were before them. We (Franks) had liberty to go up and down as near the G. Sr. or Mosaïf as we pleased, and to stand and stare upon them as long as we pleased. They, in like manner, went to their devotions at Kindi (9th hour) and Ackshám (the 12 hour), and yet immediately in their sports they should applaud the same beastlinesse. 20 or 30 couple of wrestlers every day with their skins oyled all over; they alwayes touch the ground first with their hands, then put them to their head, then shake hands, or rather take their hands flat wayes one between the other, then kisse their own hands, and so begin; they say it is to call Heaven and Earth to witnesse that they meet good friends, and if any mischief happens it is beyond their intention.

There were tame bears played their tricks; once I saw a little boy stark naked wrestle with one (taught on purpose), which pleased mightily, and was shewn severall times to the G. Sr. there. By the by, my Ld. caryed to Adrianople a large English mastife, which had fought in private with the biggest bear, and worsted her in single combat; he made a present of him, which the G. Sr. took mightily kindly. They call our mastifes Samsons, and the G. Sr. nourishes severall, and hath here hard by our house a sommering-house for them; but this dog was half as high again as any of those which he had (which I have seen severall times), and that made him more acceptable. There were the same tumbling, stilts, and the Bostanjé with his stone Bottels, and the rest; but the best entertainment was rope-dancing, whereof there was but little in the other place; but here every day as good, and in some things better than all that ever I beheld in my life.

I shall now conclude with something that I am sure is not ordinary (if ever it was done) in England. From the top of Sultan Selim’s Mineret or steeple (which, as I measured it, is about 84 yards high, but the place I now shall speake of was 70 yards and 1 foot high) was stretcht a rope right over the houses down into this yard; there were two men came sliding down with pulleyes, one tyed to the hair of one of them, the other fasten’d the pulley to his ancle, and holding by it with his hands, sometimes slid soe part of the way, sometimes hanging at his length with his head down. The first time they tryed, the rope yeilded so much as if some men had not stood on purpose to catch them they had been beaten to peices upon the tops of the houses and trees that stood about that end of the Mosaïf’s yard, which was under the Rope; they then lengthened the rope and stretcht it very tight farther into the yard. This Rope was 460 yards long at first; they lengthen’d it to 480. Every day somebody or other slided down thus, or upon their breasts. One day a lusty fellow would needs slide down with a boy at his back, with a drum and a stick and switch to beat it; just as they came half way the rope broke, and down they fell upon a poor Armenian who was standing in the garden amongst others to view the sight. All thre were prety hurt and bruised, but it pleased God all thre recover’d. The G. Sr. paid for their cure, and offered the Armenian a pension of 20 aspers per diem as long as he lived; but he, thanking him, sent him word that he desired nothing else but that he might have 12 purses of money paid him which a great Basha had owed him a long time; but if he dyed he bequeathed it freely to the G. Sr. The G. Sr. gave orders that it should be done forthwith. He had only his shoulder put out of joynt and his body bruised; but I have seen him since well recovered. The other two were rewarded too; the man with a pension of 40 aspers per diem, the boy was taken into the Seraglio. Upon the 27 day (which was the last day that they could use this rope) two men walkt up this rope to the minaret; one came foot by foot back again down into the yard, and the other stay’d at the top of the mineret.

Now if any one in England had a mind to break his neck dexterously and secundum artem, I have told you how (if he have not very good luck) he may do it effectually. Every night there were fireworkes here of the same nature with the forementioned. There were here two Elephants and Castles encounter’d, with all sorts of wild fire, very curiously; but there were no great rockets or fire that would mount, for fear of firing the City. Here were several sorts likewise of your lamp work. Still we found the greatest civility imaginable, and were severall times treated with sherbert of lemmons (once with coffee and sweet meats in a low room; the Aga who carryed us in telling us that it would be a shame for us to come to the wedding of the G. Sr.’s daughter, and neither eat nor drink). We were commonly carryed into the Ring, and seated by ourselves, and many times had a Cherbigée or a Janizary to keep the crowd from coming near us. I suppose it was more out of ostentation than any great love to us; and dayly came Sackáls or budget men with a budget of sherbert, and cups into which he fil’d it out, and gave to us constantly, amongst the rest of the people of any fashion.

I (as is said) was severall times as near the G. Sr. as I pleased, and saw the manner of his state. He commonly sat upon a rich wrought or embroyder’d silk quilt, and sometimes the Prince was here with him (but we could not tell what here they sat on, they being so high above us); and about him were 8 or 10 handsome young men continually fanning him by couples. He never here appear’d in any rich or gaudy apparell, seldome smil’d; few courtiers near him in publick, and those but a very little, little time. Once the Vizier sat and talk’t with him in view about a quarter of an houre. The Mosaïf had continually company with him—the Testerdare, Kaimacham, sometimes the Vizier. He is a black man, sharp, descreet (or streight) nose, yet sadled a little between his eyes, some what beetle browed, broad flat faced, Russe-fashioned, but onely his hair is black, whereas their’s is red, white, or fair colour’d; his eyes pinking and smaller then proportion, and they are something hollow.

About Kindi come up severall of the G. Sr.’s Fakoners, with their Spaniells and severall most excellent hawkes; as certainly the whole world have not better. They seldome keep a Hawke above one season, but turne her out loose, and every year have new birds taken in plenty. They fist their hawk on the right fist; they serve their hawke with the lower joynt of the legge (instead of the head, after our manner), and therefore not a Phesant is to be bought in the mercate (unlesse it was caught some other way) with two legges. For you must understand in Asia side are many men keep hawks to get a livelyhood; and they furnish our Mercates. There are such every where, but onely they are not suffer’d near his court least they should spoyl his game.

One of our Merchants and I were walking out one night by the river side, and the Vizier’s Aga came by with 3 casts of Hawks and spaniels, and at least 16 or 20 men. I had chanc’t to kill a snipe crosse the river, and I had an old dog of my Ld. Harvey’s, which I sent for it. He was the most pleased with the sight that could be; we walkt on, but as we return’d we found him setting in the shade under a tree. We would have avoyded him, but he sent one of his men to call us; we obey’d. He had now sent home his dogs and hawkes, and most of his company; and he had gotten from a little town hard by a great bottle of wine of at least 5 or 6 quarts. He made us set downe, and there we drank out every drop of his wine; onely we three setting down. His servants, which there were not above 5, stood round us. He made two of them pipe to us all the time, which I swear was so sweet, as I never heard the like in Turkey. Their pipes were the true Tibiae; being made of the shank bone of a Bustard (as we guest at his description of it). He courted me extreamely for my dog; but I told him he was old and now worth nothing, and besides, it was the remembrance of an excellent friend; with which he was hardly satisfied. After he had gotten his Keéf, or Keph (his heart and head merry), we parted with all the civility in the world. There I learn’d a great deal of Falconry; which made me here bring the story in.