When we came to Sophia, where the Way parts, one to Rhagusa, the other to Belgrade, Leyva and Requesne desired me to part Company, and go to Rhagusa, that so they might more easily pass to Venice and Italy, and procure those Gifts which they promised to lend to the Bashaws, and repay the Money they had borrowed at Constantinople; and that they would send Letters of Thanks by me to Cæsar, to give him due Acknowledgments for their Release: Which Service they would willingly have performed in Person, if their other Occasions had not hindered. I easily consented to their Requests, and was the better pleased, because Requesne, being a very old Man, died before he came to Rhagusa: If I had denied their Request, it might have been thought my Refusal had contributed to his Disease.
De Sande and my self passed the rest of our Journey without any great Inconvenience; for the Truth is, he is a very facetious Man, and, if he is troubled with Grief, he knows how to cover it, and to pretend Mirth outwardly. In our way, many diverting Things offered themselves; sometimes we would alight, and try which of us could run fastest; I, being lean, could easily out-run him, who was fat and pursy, and just come out of Prison. When we came near to a Village, Ebrahim would ride up to us (for he with his Turks followed gravely on Horseback) and beseeched us, by all that was dear to us, not to be seen on foot by the Villagers, for it would be accounted a Disgrace to us among the Turks. His Advice made us sometimes get into our Chariot again, but the Pleasure of walking afoot still got the better.
One of de Sande’s many facetious Sayings, I must give you. When we came from Constantinople, the Weather was very hot, and it continued so sultry all the Way, that it palled my Appetite, and a very little Food served my Turn; but de Sande, being a robust healthy Person, eat like a Horse, and would ever now and then tell me, that I must follow his Example and eat like a Man of Mettle. Yet, all his Advice was to no Purpose, till about the Beginning of October, I drew near to the Borders of Austria; and there, partly from the Country, and partly from the Season of the Year, I began to be more healthy, and to take a larger proportion of Food.
When de Sande observed that I had a better Stomach than formerly, he began to triumph over me exceedingly, boasting that ’twas by his Advice and Example, that I had learned to eat Meat, and that I, who was so many Years older, had need of a Monitor to advise me to take due Sustenance for my Body; so that if he were obliged to me for his Release, I was as much beholding to him for teaching me to recover my Appetite. In these ludicrous Repartees we came to Tulna, where we met with some Trouble. De Sande used to lye in the same House, if it were large enough to hold us both; if not, he took his Lodgings at some Neighbouring House, that he might not incommode me. He was willing to do so at Tulna, and therefore, desired the Janizaries whom I brought with me from Constantinople to Buda, to be my Harbingers on the Way, and to find out a convenient Lodging for him. One of my Servants a Doctor of Physic, and a Spaniard, whom de Sande had released at Constantinople at his own Charge, went along with the Janizaries. They happened to go to the House of another Janizary hard by, who was appointed as Governor of the Place to guard Passengers; for the Turks use to appoint one or two Janizaries in every noted Town to protect Christian Passengers from Violence; by which Office they get no small Profit: But this Man, for some Offence or other, had been put out of his Office, and therefore, was of a very surly Temper. My People viewed his House, and not finding it for their Turn, were going away; the Janizary first, my Servant next, and the Physician last. In the Interim, the Janizary, Master of the House, walking in his Garden, was told, that some Christian Passengers were seeking for a Lodging at his House: Whereupon, he came in a great Rage, with a Club like Hercules’s, in his Hand, and without speaking a Word, strikes the Physician a great Blow on the Shoulders, as hard as he was able; the Physician, to avoid a second Blow, ran out of the House. My Servant, looking back, saw him lift up his Club to strike him also; but he, having a Thing like a Hatchet in his Hand, held it cross-ways over his Head, and so kept off many a lusty Blow, till at last the Handle of the Hatchet, by his often stricking, began to break. Then my Servant was forced to close in with the Janizary, and was about to cleave his Skull with his Weapon: Whereupon, the Janizary fled, and my Servant not being able to overtake him, threw the Hatchet after him, which cut him in the Hams, and fell’d him to the Ground; by which Accident, my People escaped: But the Physician cryed out, that he was a dead Man, and that all his Bones were broken in Pieces. De Sande heard his Complaint; yet, though he was vext, could not choose but smile, as thinking that the Doctor was more afraid than hurt: But, that which most tormented him, was, lest on this Occasion he should be carried back to Constantinople: He was of Opinion that the Bashaws had not dealt sincerely in his Case, but had made only a Pretence of releasing him to gratify me, and really sought an Occasion to drag him back again, to rot in Prison. For the same Cause, he was much offended with my Servant who had wounded the Janizary, especially for saying, That he was very sorry that he had not killed him upon the Spot. His Words to him were these; Honest Henry, Prithee be not so Passionate; ’tis no Time nor Place to shew thy Valour here; we must bear Affronts patiently, without any just Imputation of Cowardice, whether we will or no; we are in their Power: This unreasonable Passion may bring great Mischief to us; perhaps it may occasion us to be brought back to Constantinople, and there our whole Negotiation may be reversed, or at least become very dubious. I beseech thee, therefore, for my Sake among the rest, govern thy Passion.
But Henry was deaf to all his Persuasions; he being an obstinate Fellow, and when angry, would not hearken to Reason. What care I, replied he, if I had killed him? Did he not design to kill me? If one of his many Blows had gone home, he had knock’d me down like an Ox. Were I to be blamed, if I slew him who would have slain me first? I am sorry with all my Heart, I did not give him his Death’s Wound: But, for the future (take my Word for it) I’ll spare never a Turk of them all; for, if he assaults me, I’ll give him as good as he brings, though it cost me my Life.
De Sande did not like this surly Answer; but the Janizary who had received the Wound, made the worst of it; upon whose Complaint, two Jews, who could speak Spanish, came to me, and told me, that he was dangerously hurt, and if he did not give him Satisfaction, the Matter would not so soon be passed over, but would create great Trouble to me. I answered them as I thought fit; but, because I knew the malicious Natures of the Turks, I thought it best speedily to guard against them; and, therefore, sent presently one of the Youths to Ebrahim, desiring him to let one of his Servants be a Guide to one of mine to Constantinople, a sudden Emergency had made this Journey necessary. Ebrahim wondered what the Matter was, and came presently to me to know. I told him, I desired a better Convoy from Hali Bassa, otherwise I was out of Hopes ever to reach Home, for my two Servants were like to be killed; and then I told him the whole Story, with all its Circumstances. Ebrahim soon perceived how much his own Interest was concerned, and therefore desired me to have a little Patience till he had spoken with the Janizary; to whom he presently went, and found him in Bed. He chid him very warmly for being so abusive to us, and told him I had made Peace with the Port, and was in great Favour with Solyman, and all the Bashaws; that they had denied none of my Requests, but had granted me several Concessions for my own Sake, and that he was sent back to convoy me safe into my own Country, and to take Care that I might be honourably treated by the Way: That he was the first Man that offered me the least Affront; and that I was sending back one to Constantinople to complain thereof; and if I did, it might cost him his Head. This took down my Janizary’s Crest, and put him into a terrible Panick besides.
The next Day we continued our Journey to Buda; and the Physician, notwithstanding his Bruises, was as well able to travel as any of us. When we came in Sight of Buda, the Bashaw thereof sent some of his own Family, with several Chiauxes to meet us; and among the rest, there was a Troop of young Men on Horseback, which drew our Eyes after them in respect of the Novelty of their Garb; their Heads were uncovered, and their Crowns shav’d; there was a long Line cut with a Knife, and in the Wound they stuck Feathers of several Sorts; and, though Drops of Blood distilled down from their Wounds, yet they dissembled their Pain, and rode merrily on, as if they ailed nothing at all. Just before me, there walked some Footmen; one of them had his naked Arms a-kembow, and both had a Knife, (such as we call Pragensian) run through them above the Elbow; another was naked, all the upper Parts, to his Navel, the Skin of his Loyns being so cut in two Places, both above and below, that a Club being run through them, hung down from thence as from a Girdle; another had a Horshoe nail’d to the Crown of his Head, and it was so old, that the Shoe and the Skin grew together.
In this Pomp we entered Buda, and were introduced to the Bashaw, with whom, in the Presence of de Sande, I had a long Discourse concerning the Validity of the Truce I had made. In the Passage to him there stood those hardy Youngsters who were regardless of their Pain; casting my Eye upon them, the Bashaw demanded, what I thought of them? I think, said I, that they are hardy Fellows; only they do that to their Skins, which I would not do to my Cloaths, for I had rather have them whole than slash’d. Whereupon, the Bashaw laughed, and dismissed us.
The Day after we came to Gran; from thence to Comara, the Frontier Garrison of the Empire, situate on the River Wage; on both sides its Banks the Garrison of the Place, with the Seamen, called their Nassadists, waited for us. Before I passed over the River, de Sande came to me, and embracing me in his Arms, gave me Thanks for completing his Liberty: He told me plainly, he thought the Turks had but dissembled with him, and therefore, he was in continual Fear, lest he should be haled back to Constantinople to die in Prison; but now, being in the Emperor’s Territories, he acknowleged himself to be eternally obliged to me.
A few Days more brought us to Vienna. Ferdinand the Emperor, was then at the Imperial Diet, with his Son Maximilian, about Inaugurating him King of the Romans. I acquainted Cæsar with my Return, and with Ebrahim’s coming, and desired to receive his Commands concerning him; for he had a great Desire to wait upon the Emperor at Francfort. His Highness’s first Answer was, That ’twere best for the Turks to stay at Vienna till his Return, it being not adviseable to carry an Enemy thro’ the very Heart of the Country, so long a Way as from Vienna to Francfort. And, on the other side, Delays were dangerous, and might create Suspicion in the Turks of some unfair Dealing. As for Ebrahim, and his Retinue, there was no danger in suffering them to pass through the most flourishing Part of the Empire; it was, indeed, desirable rather, that thereby they might take an Estimate of the Strength and Greatness of it, especially having now so fair an Opportunity of observing at Francfort, with how great Unanimity Prince Maximilian was chosen and designed Successor to the Emperor his Father. When I wrote back to the Emperor according to the Purport aforesaid, he consented that Ebrahim and his Retinue should come to Francfort. We began our Journey thither by the Way of Prague, Bamberg, and Wirtzburg.