When our Treaty of Peace had proceeded on fairly a long time, and I was in good Hopes of a happy Conclusion, an unlucky Accident happened, which might have embarrassed the whole Affair: A certain Greek Despote, by the help of Cæsar’s Soldiers which guarded the Frontiers of Hungary, had broke into Moldavia, and driven out the Vaivode thereof, possessing it for himself. This Business gave a great Alarm to the Turks, as not knowing but such Beginnings might end in greater Mischief; and indeed the Danger was considerable, though the Turks thought it Prudence to dissemble their Forces. Haly intended to speak with me about it, as I understood by one of his Domesticks; and accordingly he sent for me a few Hours after. I confess I was somewhat startled at the Message; I was afraid, that, my Negotiation being in a promising way to a good Issue, this Matter would spoil all. When I came, he entertain’d me with his usual Courtesy, and after much Discourse tending to a conclusion of the Peace, he shew’d no sign of Discontent at all in his Words or Looks, till I was just going to take my leave of him, and then he bid me sit down again, for something was come to his Memory which he had forgot: Don’t you hear, said he, that your Germans have made an Inroad into Moldavia? No, said I, neither do I believe it; for how should the Germans come to a Place so very remote from them as Moldavia? ’Tis most certainly true, said he; I have it by several Expresses, and I will send one of your own Countrymen to convince you. This Onset gave me occasion to tell him, that, if any of this were true, I was sure it was not done by the command or consent of my Master Cæsar. The Germans, said I, are a free People, and used to serve other Nations in their War; and perhaps some of them had taken Pay under Foreigners: But, in my Judgment, the cause of these Commotions arises from the Hungarian Nobles of that Neighbourhood, who being provoked by the daily Injuries of the Turks, resolve to be even with them. And, to speak the Truth, I think they are not much to be blamed, if upon so great Provocations, they labour to revenge themselves. Do not your Soldiers take the same Liberties on the Borders of Hungary? What Plunderings and Devastations have they not made in the Emperor’s Territories there! Here we talk of Peace; there is nothing but War and Bloodshed: And, for my own part, I am held as a Prisoner, neither do my Friends know whether I am alive or dead? And truly they that have long suffered so much Damage from you, are worthy rather of Praise than Blame, if they take any opportunity of Revenge. Let them retaliate, said Haly, provided it be within Hungary, and the Borders of it; but ’tis intolerable they should range as far as Moldavia, which is but ten day’s Journey from Adrianople. To which I replied, Men of the Sword do not much study points of the Law or Civility, but use to take the first Opportunity to revenge themselves where-ever it was offered. Thus I departed from him, neither did he seem at all to be angry, nor was a jot more morose in my After-addresses to him.

During these Transactions with the Vizier, the French Ambassador did me a great Favour; there were thirteen young Gentlemen (some of whom were Germans, and some Hollanders) in prison at Constantinople upon this remarkable occasion. They took Ship at Venice, in a Vessel every Year carried Pilgrims to Jerusalem, under Protection; some of them travelled on the account of Religion, others to see foreign Countries: but they all met with an unlucky Omen; for just at the time they landed in Syria, the Knights of Malta had landed some Soldiers, and plunder’d the Sea-Coast of Phœnicia, carrying away some of the Inhabitants Prisoners: Whereupon those Syrians who had lost Parents, Children and Friends, having no other visible way of Satisfaction, seiz’d on these Gentlemen in the Venetian Vessel, pretending they were some of the Pyrates; and if they did not procure their Friends to be released, they should be kept in Slavery themselves: And though they were shewed the Privilege from the Government of Venice, and were put in mind of the Public Faith, and the League betwixt them, yet all was one, away they must be sent Prisoners to Constantinople: And their Youth was a great Prejudice to them, for the Bashaws thought such young Striplings would never undertake so long a Voyage on the account of Religion, for the Turks never begin their Pilgrimage till they are well in Years.

When I heard of this Disaster, I did what I could to release them, but all to no purpose. The Bailo of Venice was applied to, because under the Protection of that Republick they fell into this Danger: He granted there was all the reason in the World they should be released; But what Justice, said he, can we obtain among such an inhuman and barbarous People? In the mean time I applied all the Relief I was able, to their distressed Condition: But one day, far beyond my Expectation, they all came to my House, and told me, they were sent as a Present to me by the French Ambassador, who had obtained their Liberty. I was mighty glad of their Releasement, and sent great Thanks to the Ambassador, whose Name was La Vigne. The manner was thus; when he was about to take his leave of the Sultan, and to kiss his Hand, as the Custom is, he thrust a piece of Paper into it, wherein he desired that the Gentlemen might be released in favour to his Prince, because their Voyage was occasioned upon the account of a Pilgrimage for Religion. Solyman granted his Request, and released them presently: Whereupon I supplied them with Accommodations for their Voyage, and sent them first to Vienna, and then home into their own Country.

This La Vigne at first was very strict and vexatious to me, and used all his Arts to bring me into the Bashaws Dislike without any Fault of mine: He told them, I was a Subject to the King of Spain, born in the Low-Countries, and that I served the Spaniard more than the Emperor; that I acquainted him with every thing that was done at Constantinople, and had Emissaries in Pay, who related to me the very Secrets of that Empire, amongst whom was Ebrahim the chief Druggerman of Turkey. This he did, before the Peace was made between Spain and France; but, when those two Princes were agreed, he took the first opportunity to retract what he had spoken.

La Vigne was a Man of a prodigious Liberty of Speech; he would tell all he knew, let it be taken how it would. This made Rustan himself to avoid his Company; whilst at the same time others were backward to converse with Rustan, because of the sourness of his Humour. He sent once to Rustan to desire Audience: He told the Messengers, his Interpreters, that he might send his Errand by them, for his Business might be as well done in his Absence as in his Presence. Yet La Vigne would needs come himself, where he spoke that which grated Rustan’s Ears. What do you think, says he, that you have got Buda, Gran, Alba Regalis, and other HungarianTowns, from the Christians by Force? No, I deny it utterly; ’tis our Dissention that gave you Opportunity to take them: If there had not been continual Wars between the Kings of France and Spain, you would have been so far from possessing those Towns, that Charles V. would hardly have suffered you to live quiet at Constantinople it self. At which Speech Rustan was so provoked, that he told him, What dost thou tell me of the Kings of Spain and France? If all the Christian Princes join their Arms together against my Master, he cares not a Rush; he will easily conquer them all. And thereupon he withdrew himself into his Bed-chamber, and bid the Ambassador be gone. I must needs acquaint you, in this place, with the Relations I have heard concerning that People which inhabit the Tauric Chersonese, who are reported to have been originally Germans, as their Speech, Manners and Countenances seem to declare. I had a great desire to meet with any body of that Nation, from whom I might procure some Tracts written in that Language, but I could not obtain it; yet at last I met with an Accident which in part satisfied my Desires. There came two Envoys from that Nation to the Sultan, to make some Complaint or other; and my Interpreters lighting upon them, did (as I had desired them, if ever they had Opportunity) invite them to Dinner to my House. One was a tall Man, carrying an ingenuous Simplicity in his Countenance, so that he seemed either a Flemming or a Batavian: The other was shorter, of a well-set Body, and browner Colour, a Greek by Birth, but by frequent Commerce with that People, he had got much of their Language, and seemed to forget his own. Being asked concerning the Nature and Manners of that People, he answered very pertinently, that they were a warlike Nation, that inhabited many Towns thereabouts, from whence the Cham of Tartary, when he pleased, used to draw forth 800 Musketeers, the chief Prop of his Army. Their chief Cities were two, one called Mancup the other Scivarin. He added much more concerning the Tartars and their Barbarity; yet he confessed that there was some very ingenious Men amongst them. If you asked of the highest Affairs, they would answer briefly, yet very much to the purpose. Insomuch, that the Turks said frequently and justly of them, that other Nations had their Learning in their Books, but the Tartars had eaten their Books, and had their Wisdom in their Breasts, from whence they could draw it out as they had occasion, as Divine Oracles.

They are slovenly in their Deportment; for, if you set any Soop before them, they eat it not with a Spoon, but with the hollow of their Hands. Their Meat is Horse-flesh; not roasted, but heated under the Saddles of their Horses, to which Hunger was their best Sauce.

Their Prince is served in Silver, his first and last Dish being a Horse’s Head, as Butter is served up first and last with us. He repeated many German Words, amongst others, which were unintelligible to us; perhaps his Memory fail’d him, so that he mix’d home-bred and foreign Words together; to every Word he added the Article Tho or The. The Words which were ours, or little different from them, were these:

Knauen Tag was Good-day with him; Knauen was Good; and several such Words he used, not well agreeing with ours, as,