I must not forget to acquaint you, that the same Day, a Messenger came to me with an Express from Cæsar, my Master. There happened an Earthquake at Adrianople, from which he took an occasion to tell me, that he perceived the same (so he judged it) at Nissa, S. Sophia and other Places through which he Travelled, so that the Air, included in the Bowels of the Earth, did seem to have kept Pace with him, by some subterraneous Passages or Caverns, and to have travelled as far in a Day under Ground, as he himself had done on the Surface of it. This Conjecture afterward seemed to be confirmed, upon the Relation we received of an Earthquake that happened in Constantinople four Days after, which seemed to be the same imprisoned Air, that had made its Way, under Ground, even to that City also.
I leave the Matter to your Judgment; but this is certain, that Earthquakes are very frequent at Constantinople; for once, when I was there, about Mid-Night, my Lodgings did so shake, that it was almost ready to fall. This Accident awakened me, though fast asleep, and, having a Watch-Light burning by me all Night, when I saw here a Cup, there a Book, a Table, Board and Stone all tumbled in a Heap together, I was at first astonished at the Novelty of the Spectacle, till I had recollected myself; and judging it to be the Effects of an Earthquake, I then retired to that part of the House which I thought most secure from falling. The same Commotion of the Earth continued some Days, but not with like Violence. Yea, over all that great City, and especially in my Lodgings, and in the Temple of S. Sophia, you might see the Walls, though very thick, to crack and gape by reason of the Clefts made by such Earthquakes.
Well; I staid about three Months at Adrianople, made a Truce there for Seven Months, and in March was attended back again to Constantinople. When I came thither, I was quite weary of being mew’d up in my old Lodging, it was so close, and therefore I dealt with my Chiaux, (a sort of Officers among the Turks, which serve for divers Employments, of which Attendance on Ambassadors is one) that I might have Liberty, as other Ambassadors had before me, to hire an House at my own Charge, where I may have the Benefits of Gardens, Orchards, and a free Air to breath in. The Chiaux was not averse to my Proposal, for he saw that the Grand Seignior’s Interest was concerned therein, who was wont to hire Houses for Ambassadors, at the yearly Rent of 400 Ducats; and now all that Expence would be saved: Hereupon I went to a House, or Island rather, hired with my own Money, where there was a broad Field adjoyning, which I resolved to turn into a Garden, and to relieve my wearisom Embassy, in managing and planting it: But, see the Spight of it! When the Chiaux found, by Experience, that he could not have so strict an Eye over me in an open House that had many Ways to it, with a large space of Ground near it, as he had in a Caravansera (which Word you know the meaning of, by my former Letters) because this latter was fenced with Cross-barr’d Windows, and, besides, had but one Passage into it, he began to change his Mind, and thereupon made his Address to the Bashaws, who by this Time were returned from Adrianople, that I might retire from my former Lodging: And I was to look upon this as a great Courtesy too; for some of the Bashaws, in a Debate betwixt them, concerning the Disposal of me, were of Opinion, that, now I was alone, a less House would serve my turn, and so some Charge might be saved; But the more moderate Party carried it, that I should return to my old Quarters.
If you desire a Description of the House I lodged in, take it thus. It is situate on a Rising Ground, in the most celebrated part of Constantinople; in the Back-side of it there is a pleasant, but somewhat distant, Prospect to the Sea, which yet is not so remote from it, but that you may easily discern the Dolphins skipping and playing therein: And also at a vast distance a Man may see Mount Olympus in Asia, which wears a snowy-white Cap all the Year; it lies open to the Wind from every Quarter, which by ventilating the Air, makes it more wholsom and healthy. But the Turks are so envious to their Christian Tenants, that they would cut them off from as many Conveniencies as they can, and therefore they do not only set Iron Grates before their Windows, but also add Iron Boards and Planks to hinder the Prospect, and the free Passage of their Air; and by this means they stop the Mouths of Neighbouring Turks, who are apt to complain, that they can do nothing in their Houses but the Christians must overlook them. The House is built in a Quadrangular Form, with a large Square in the midst, wherein there is a Well.
The upper part of the House, which is all of it that is inhabited, is divided into Galleries, which go round it, and into Lodging Chambers. The Galleries look down into the Quadrangle within, and without are the Lodgings, which have all a Passage into them; there are a great many of them, but they are small and uniform, as the Cells or Chambers of Monks are with us. The Front stands over against the High Way leading to the Seraglio; and the Grand Seignior, every Friday (which is their Sabbath, as the Lord’s Day is with us) passes by it to his Devotions, so that Ambassadors may easily see him out of their Windows. And the Family, together with the Chiaux and the Janizaries, do obeysance to him in the Porch, or do re-salute him rather; for the Fashion of the Turks is, that the Greater doth first of all salute the Less, and therefore the Grand Seignior as he passes, first salutes the People with a Nod of his Head; and then they very officiously pay their Court to him, with Acclamations and Shouts.
The lower Part of the House is designed for the Stabling of Horses; and, to preserve it from Fire within, it is all built with Vaults or arched Roofs, and without it is covered with Lead. ’Tis true, such kind of Building hath some Advantages; and it hath as many Inconveniencies to ballance them: For all things are made therein for necessary Use, but nothing for Delight and Pleasure. There is nothing of Beauty or Novelty that can entertain your Fancy; no Garden belonging to it, to give a Man the Pleasure of a Walk; there is neither Tree, Shrub nor green Herb, to delight your Eye; you have only many wild Beasts as your troublesome Inmates and Companions. Snakes you have in abundance, store of Weesels, Lizards and Scorpions; so that sometimes when you would fetch your Hat in the Morning, from the Place you left it in the Night before, you find it surrounded with a Snake, as with a terrible Hat-Band; And yet these Animals afforded me some kind of Diversion in my Solitude, (for you must give me leave to tell you all my Entertainments). I once saw a Weesel fiercely combating with a Snake, and though the whole Family look’d upon her, yet she was not terrified therewith; but though her Adversary struggled, and made what Defence he could, yet she victoriously haled him into her Hole. Another Time I saw a Weesel carrying her young Weesling from one part of the House to another; and, as she was so doing, she leap’d down upon the middle of the Table, where I and some of my Guests were sitting after Dinner, having the young one in her Mouth, which she very fairly left among us on the Table, and skip’d no farther than the Door, as if she had waited what Event would betide her Youngling. When we had satisfied ourselves with the Sight of that (yet sharpless) Animal, we laid it down upon the Ground, and then the Dam ran hastily, and snatching it up, carried it to her desired Place. Another time I saw either a Snake, or a Dragon, or a Serpent, trod to pieces by the Horse’s Feet, in the Stable; her Belly was very big, and, after I had caused it to be opened, I found three huge Mice therein. ’Twas a wonder to me, how such a slow and creeping Animal could catch so swift and so running a one; and, after he had catch’d him, how he could swallow him down, by reason of the narrowness of his Throat and Jaws. But my Wonderment was soon abated, when I beheld another Snake seize upon a mighty Toad; and, after he had him in his Mouth, he began at the hinder Part, and had devoured a great deal of it; and yet the Toad was still alive, and did what he could with his Fore-Feet to deliver himself from his Enemy. ’Twas in this very Posture, when I saw it first; which made me admire, and to be almost of the Opinion, that I saw a Monster, an Animal with two Feet, and a Tail as long as a Serpent; but when I drew nearer, and perceived what it was, I hit the Snake with my Staff, to make him let go his Prey, which at last he endeavoured to do, that he might creep the nimbler away; but, whether he would or no, the Toad stuck in his Throat; yet, at last, when with much-a-do, he had shaken him out, he could not shut his Mouth, but continued gaping, in an ugly Posture, till we killed him. Such a Staff, if we may believe Pliny, hath a kind of magical Virtue to help Child-bearing Women in the Time of their Labour.
But, for my Part, I was not content with the Native Animals of that Country, but fill’d my House with Outlandish ones too; and my Family busied themselves, by my Order, to our mutual Contents, in feeding them, that we might the better bear the Absence from our own Country: For seeing we were debarred of human Society, what better Conversation could we have to drive Grief out of our Minds, than among wild Beasts? Otherwise, Stones, Walls and Solitudes had been but lamentable Amusements for us.
Amongst these, Apes led the Van, which making us good Sport, occasioned great Laughter amongst us, and therefore you should seldom see them without a whole Ring of my People about them, delighting to observe their antick Tricks and Gestures. I also bred up some Wolves, some Bears, some broad-horned Stags (vulgarly miscalled, Bucks) and common Deers; also Hinds, Lynx’s, Ichneumons or Indian Rats, Weesels of that sort which you call Ferrets and Fairies: And, if you would know all, I kept also a Hog, whose noisome Smell was wholsome for my Horses, as my Grooms persuaded me: So that, in my Nomenclature of other Creatures, ’tis not fit I should omit my Hog, which made my House to be mightily frequented by the Asiaticks. They came thick and three-fold to see that Creature, which is counted unclean by them, and by the Books of their Religion they are forbid to eat it, so that, it being a prohibited Animal among them, they never saw one before. Yea, all Turks are as much afraid to touch a Hog, as Christians are to come near to those who are infected with the Plague. This Humour of theirs being known, we put a pretty Trick upon them; when any body had a mind to send me a secret Message, which he would not have my Chiaux know of, he put it into a little Bag, together with a Roasting-Pig, and send it by a Youth: When my Chiaux met him, he would ask, what he had there? Then the Boy, being instructed before, whisper’d him in the Ear, and say, that a Friend of mine had sent me a Roasting-Pig, for a Present: The Chiaux, thereupon, would punch the Bag with his Stick, to see whether the Boy spake Truth or no; and when he heard the Pig grunt, he would run back as far as ever he could, saying, Get thee in, with the nasty Present! Then, spitting on the Ground, and turning to his Fellows, he would say; ’Tis strange to see how these Christians do dote on this filthy impure Beast; they cannot forbear eating of it, though their Lives lay at stake. Thus he was handsomely choused, and the Boy brought me what secret Message was sent me. I kept also a great many sorts of Birds, as Eagles, Jack-daws, Muscovy Ducks, Balearick Cranes, and Partridges; yea, my House is so full of them, that, if a Painter were to draw it, he may take from thence the Copy of Noah’s Ark. Besides the Delight that I and my Family take in these Creatures, to counterpoise our long Absence from our own Country, I got also this Advantage by them, that now I know, by Experience, what I could hardly believe when I read it in Books. You know a great many Books are full of strange Stories, what ardent Love some wild Beasts have to Mankind: I could never give Credit to such Relations, but looked upon them as Romances, till I saw with my Eyes, a Lynx, which I got out of Assyria, so passionately affected towards one of my Servants, though known to him but a little while before, that for my part I could not think but she was in Love with him: For, whenever he was present, she would mightily fawn upon him, and in a manner embrace him, and almost kiss him. Whenever she was about to go away from him, she would gently lay her Claws on his Cloaths, as labouring to retain him; and, when he was gone, she would eye him; and whensoever he was in Sight, would hardly ever remove her Eye from that Quarter. During the Time of his Absence, she was very sad, but upon his Return she would skip and be jocund; she could not endure he should be at any Time absent; for one Time, when he went with me beyond Sea, to the Turkish Camp, the Lynx pined away by degrees, would not eat a bit, but at length died.
I was troubled for his Loss, for I had designed him, with another choice Ichneumon (which I had) as a Present for my Master Cæsar; and the rather, because of the exceeding Beauty of his Skin, which made him look quite different from other Lynxes: The best of the kind are bred in Assyria, from whence this came, and their Skins are sold here for fifteen or sixteen Crowns of Gold apiece. I question not, but these were the Babilonian Pells or Skins, so much famed and valued amongst the Ancients, of which mention is made in Law-Books; in the Title of Publicans.