Whan the King Assambei had concluded wᵗʰ the King Pancratio and the forenamed Giurgura, and receaved the xvjᵐ ducates, he determyned to retoʳne vnto Thauris: wherefore, seing he ment nothing lesse than to make warre on Ottomanno, I tooke my leave of hym, entending to retoʳne homewards throwgh Tartarie, and entred into the company of an ambassadoʳ of the foresaid King Assambei, accompanied wᵗʰ many merchaunts of Tartarie. Of whom I learned that, as I haue writen in the beginneng, Hagmeth, sonne of Edelmugh, nephiewe to Thempoʳ of Tartarie, was aftre his fathers death growen great about the foresaid Emperoʳ, which Hagmeth was by his owne father given me as my sonne, wherefore I was the more desyrouse to keepe on that waie, assuring myself to haue founde much curtesye at his hands. But the warres were so great in those p̄ties, that I durst not folowe my ioʳney; and, being constrained to alter my purpose, retoʳned therefore to Thauris in the yere of oʳ Lorde 1478; wheare, at myne arryvall, I founde the King Assambei so sycke, that the night of the Epiphanie folowing he died, leaving iiij sonnes, iij by one mother and one by an other. The same night the iij whole bretherne strangled the iiijᵗʰ halfe brother, being a yonge man of xx yeres, and than departed thastate amongest them. Than did the seconde brother cause theldest to be slayne; and so remayned he king, in such sorte that he raigneth even to this present; wherfore, seeing all things brooyleng, I that by the fathers lief had taken good leave, both of the father and the sonnes, fell into the company of an Armenien that went to Assengan,[137] wheare he dwelled. And I had wᵗʰ me a boye of Sclavonie, which was onely lefte me of all those that I brought into that cuntrey wᵗʰ me. I apparailed myself wᵗʰ such poore and miserable clothes as I had, and rode both continually and speedylie for feare of those alterac̃ons, which aftre the death of such princes most com̄only do happen. The xxixᵗʰ of Aprile I came to Assengan, wheare I taried a mooneth, waiteng for the Carovana that shulde go to Aleppo. Departeng from hense we founde Cymis,[138] Casseg, and Arapchir,[139] which be litell townes. Than came we to a good citie of merchaundise called Malathea, vnder the Soldans domynion; from Assengan to this towne arr many mountaignes and valleys, yll and stonie waie; though, in dede, there be certein houses by the waie and places not much enhabited. Being in this citie, at the custome house, amongest those of the Carouana, wᵗʰ whom I had accompanied myself: the customer there went vp and downe pervsing them that shulde paie. And while I kept myself a loofe looking whan the Carouana shulde departe, one of the same Carouana came vnto me, askeng me: What doest thoʷ? The customer woll haue v ducates of the: bicause it is tolde him thoʷ goest to Coz,[140] which in oʳ tonge signifieth Hierusalem. Wherfor go excuse thyself. I went to hym, and, fyndeng him sitteng on a sacke, asked him what he wolde wᵗʰ me. He badde me go paie v ducates, and notwᵗʰstanding that all they of the Carouana witnessed for me (as I had told them before), that I went to Syo to seeke my sonne, and wolde therewᵗʰ haue excused me, yet wolde he needes that I shulde paie. Syo is a place much spoken of in Persia and in all those p̄ties, and is called Seghex,[141] which signifieth mastike. For there groweth mastike, which in their p̄ties is very much occupied. This, meane while, one that (as I tooke him) was some famyliar of the customers, said, O lett him go; but he p̄severed, saieng, Still thoʷ shalt paie; hangeng his heade towardes the grounde. Wherevpon, the other chopped him wᵗʰ his fyste vnder the nose: saieng, The Devill go wᵗʰ the; that the bloudde sprange out. So that the customer cried, Thou foole, thoʷ wolt ever be a foole, and therevpon ridde me out of the prease,[142] and badde me farewell. I tooke my horse and went wᵗʰ the Carouano, and so travaileng founde divers castells, townes, and faire cuntreys, and being past the ryver of Euphrates arryved in Aleppo. Of the wᶜʰ I shall neede to write nothing, considering it is a place well enough knowen over all; howbeit, it is a notable great citie and very well traded wᵗʰ merchandise. Departing thense our merchaunts deliuered me a Muchario;[143] that is to saie, a guyde, wᵗʰ whom I and my serūnt departed to come towardes the sea costes; that is, to witt, to Baruto.[144] And, being on the sea side forneagainst Tripoli, we founde a great rowte of Mammalucchi a shooteng, and certein of them ꝑceaving my guyde, drewe their horses togither to cutt my waie; but I (ꝑceaving they were disposed to do me displeasʳ) badde my boye go on wᵗʰ the guyde, and I folowed faire and softelie, till I overtooke them, they having passed on twoo boweshootes before me. And whan I came neere I rode a litle besides the waie; wherevpon, one of them called me, howe father herken? I, wᵗʰ a good countenaunce approched, and asked him what he wolde? He again asked me whither I went? I tolde him I went wheare as myne evill fortune ledde me. He asked me what I ment by those words. Mary (qᵈ I), a xij moonthes past, I solde a trusse of sylkes to a merchaunt man, whom I haue sought in Aleppo to haue had my mooney, wheare I haue myssed him. And nowe it is tolde me that he is goon to Baruto, I am faine to go aftre to seeke my povertie: which answere moved him so to pitie me, that he badde me, Go on, poore man, a Godds name. I folowed my waie, and overtooke my guyde: who, as soone as he sawe me, beganne to laughe, saieng, Hay, hay, hay, meaneng that I had handled the matter well to escape out of the Mamalukes hands. For he coulde speake no Turkishe, nor I no Moresco. On this wise, I came to Baruti, wheare a fewe daies aftre arryved a shippe of Candia: on the which, at her retoʳne, I passed into Cyprus; and from thense, by the helpe of Almightie God, came to Venice. And, seing I haue tolde the things belonging to the waies, me thinketh it reasonable to tell also the things app̄teyneng some vnto their superstitions, some to their dissemblings of religion, and some vnto the yll entreatie that the Christians haue in those p̄ties that I haue travailed.

Comeng towardes Samachi, I laie in a litle hospital, wheare was a sepulture vnder an arche of stone, by the which was a man of yeres, wᵗʰ a longe bearde and heares, naked all, saving that a litle before and behinde he was covered wᵗʰ a certein skynne; and he sate on a peece of a matt vpon the grounde. I greeted him and asked what he did? He answered me, that he watched his father. I asked him againe, who was his father? Wherevnto, he answered that he is a father that doth good to his neighboʳ, as this man did that lieth there buried. Addeng, further, that he had kept him company xxx yeres, by his lief tyme, and was so determyned also to do aftre his death. And whan I die (said he), here woll I also be buried. Furthermore, he saied, I haue seene enough of the worlde, and nowe am determyned thus to remaigne till my death.

An other tyme, being in Thauris on Alsowles daie, which in like maner was than celebrated wᵗʰ them, not that it is their ordinarie daye; but that so it happened then: being in the place of buriall and standing somewhat of, I did see one sytt neere vnto a sepulture wᵗʰ many byrdes about hym, specially crowes and chowghes: and believing that it was a dead corps, I asked them that were by what it might be? Wherevnto, they answered, it was a living saint, the like whereof was not in all that cuntrey; saieng further vnto me, See yoʷ those byrdes, every daye they feede there: and whan he calleth one of them, he cometh streight, for he is a saint: praieng me to go neere and see it. We drewe neere, wᵗhin lesse than a stones cast: and there might see that he had certein disshes of meate and other foode, so that these birdes wolde flee even to the face of him to be fedde; but he putt them of wᵗʰ his hands, and some tymes wolde give some of them a litell meate. Of whom they tolde me many myracles aftre their opinions, which, nevertheles, to men of good iudgement may appeare expresse madnesse. An other tyme I did see one of these Drauis that folowed the king and fedde in the Coʳte, whilest the King Assambei was in the great Armenia, nowe called Turcomania, who, as the king was removing to come into Persia, to go vnto the citie of Here against Giansa, then King of Persia and Zagatai, threwe a staffe that he had in his hande amongest the disshes wheare they were eating, and vseng a fewe woordes, brake them all. And this foole was counted a good foole. The king asked what he had saied, and it was answered by them that vnderstoode it, that the king shulde obteigne the victorie; and discompfite his enemye even as he had broken the disshes. Is it true, qd the king? Which being confirmed by them that had spoken it, he com̄aunded him to be well governed till his retoʳne: promiseng to honoʳ him and to make much of him. The king went fooʳthe, discompfited, and slewe his enemye, tooke all Persia, even to Here, and reduced all the cuntrey about vnto his obedience. And aftrewarde, not forgetting his promise, caused this foole to be brought vnto him and to be honorably entreated. Eight moonethes aftre this victorie I was present myself, and did see the maner of his entreatie. This man dayly caused all them to be fedde that came to his house at a dewe howre: howe many so ever they were. Causeng them first to sytt in a cercle: which (rekenyng them one tyme with an other) were never lesse than cc nor aboue vᶜ. And he everie day had both to lyve and to apparaill himself right well. Whan the king shulde ride into the champaigne he was put on a mooyle wᵗʰ a cassacke on his backe and his handes bounde before him vnder his cassacke. For divers tymes he was wonte to plaie peryllouse madde partes; wherefore there were many other of these Drauis that went by him a foote. And being one daie in a pavylion of a Turke, my freende, there came in one of these Drauis, of whom this Turke asked howe this Drauis did? wheather he raged, spake, or wolde eate? To the which, he answered, that as he was accustomed, sometyme he madded aftre[145] the moone, and sometime he wolde not eate in twoo or three daies, and wolde so rage, that they were constrayned to bynde him; and that he spake well, but ferre out of purpose, and that he wolde eate such as was given him. But some tymes he wolde rent his clothes, wᵗʰ other like ꝓtes. And of this felowe, learned I the storie of his throwing the staffe amongest the disshes, who, in dede, tolde it me smylengly. The Turke, my frende, asked him, howe they did for mooney? mainteyneng so great a chardge; wherevnto, he answered that there was a certein sum assigned vnto them, and if they needed more, more they had. So that it is to be concluded madde men arr in good cace amongest them, and that wᵗʰ litle laboʳ and lesse good woʳkes the meyney may attaigne to be taken for saintes.

But retoʳneng to the com̄emoration of the deade, I saie that whan they celebrate that com̄emoration there assemble about the sepultures a great nombre of men and women, oldemen and children, which sytt in plumpes,[146] wᵗʰ their priestes, and candells burneng in their handes. The priests either pray or reade in their language. And having finisshed their reading and praieng, they cause their meate to be brought, even to the very place. So that the streates arr full of folks, going and comyng to and fro that place of buriall. This place is iiij or v myles in circuite. And alongest the waie thither the poore folke lye, asking almes: some of them offering to saie praieres for their benefactoʳˢ. Their sepultures haue certein stones pitched vpright: wᵗʰ l’res declaring the name of the bodie buried; and some haue a litell chappell walled over them. This suffiseth tooʷcheng their superstition. Wherfore, tooʷcheng their dissembling in religion, I shall recite one vnto yoʷ, wissheng to God that amongest vs Christen men, either there were no such dissembling or that it were punisshed as this was that I shall tell yoʷ. The first whereof me seemeth were very good, and the seconde not amysse.

There was a Macomettane saint aftre their maner, who went naked as a beast, preaching and speaking so much of their faith, that he had gotten right good creadite. And having a great recourse of ydeote people that folowed him, he could not be so satisfied, but wolde needes go close himself in a wall, pretending to fast xl daies wᵗhout meate; not doubting but to passe it over in healthe wᵗhout any detryment to his bodie. And being determyned to prove this mastrie,[147] he caused bricke to be brought into a forest. Of the which, wᵗʰ morter and such lyme as they vse in those ꝑties, he made a litle rounde house, into the which he mured himself. And being founde at the xl daies ende alyve and sownde, the people woondred at hym. But one more wylie than the other smelte in that place a certein savoʳ of flesshe, and, causing it to be digged, founde the frawde. This came to the kings eares, who caused the Cadilashcar[148] to be apprehended, and a certein disciple of his also, who, wᵗʰ small torment, confessed that he had broken an hole into the wall: throʷgh the which he putt in a litle cane, and so conveighed brothe and other substanciall things into hym by night; wherefore they both suffred death.

And, as tooʷcheng the yll handling of the Christians that I haue seene there, I shall recite that I learned in the yere 1487, in the mooneth of Decembre, of one Pietro di Guasco, a Genowaie, borne in Capha, who, whilest I was in Persia, came thither, and was there wᵗʰ me about iij moonethes. He being enqⁱred of for newes of those parties, tolde me, that being on a daie in Thauris, an Armenien called Choza[149] Mirech (who was a riche merchaunt in all wares) stoode in a certein goldsmythes shoppe, wheare came vnto him a saint aftre their maner called Azi:[150] willeng him to rynege the faith of Christ, and to make himself a Macomettane: wherevnto he made curteyse answere, praieng him not to trowble him; but thother ꝑsevered, still calleng on him importunately to rynege. He againe shewed him mooney, intending therewᵗʰ to pacifie him; but the saint wolde no money, persevering still that he wolde haue him rynege. Wherevnto, Choza Mirech answered that he wolde not rynege, but ꝓsever in the faith of Jesu Christ, as he had doon hitherto. Wherevpon this rybaulde drewe a swearde out of an other mannes sheathe by, and strake Choza so on the heade that he slewe him, and incontinently fledde. There was a sonne of his in the shoppe of xxx yeres olde, or thereabouts, that beganne to weepe, and departing out of the shoppe, went towards the coʳte, and caused the king to be enformed of it: who, seemyng to be mervailousely offended wᵗhall, com̄aunded the saint shulde be apprehended, sending abroade streight to seeke him. So that he was founde in a citie ij daies ioʳney from Thauris, called Meren, and was broʷght to the kings presence; who called for a knyfe, and wᵗʰ his owne hand slewe him, comaunding his bodie to be throwen into the streate, and there to be lefte, that the dogges might eate him. Askeng wheather this were the waie to encrease the faith of Macomett? But whan the night drewe neere, divers of the people, those that were most ialouse of their religion, went vnto one Daruis Cassum, who had the custodie of the King Assambey, his sepulture, father to the king that now is: being, as who wolde saie, the Prioʳ of thospitall wᵗʰ vs, a man of accompte and reputac̃on, that had been Treasorer to the king before, and besought him to give them leave to take awaie that bodie that the dogges shulde not eate it. He, thinkeng no further, gave them leave, so that the people tooke him and buried him: which whan the king vnderstode, being shortely aftre (for the streate is neere vnto his palaice), he com̄aunded Daruis Cassam to be taken and brought vnto him, to whom he saied: Darrest, thoʷ com̄aunde contrary to my com̄aundement? Well, lett him dye, wherevpon he was incontinently slayne. That doon, he saied further, syns the people hath transgressed my com̄aundemᵗ, the whole towne shall suffer for it, and be putt to sacke. And so his people beganne to sacke the towne to the mervailoᵘse feare and disquieting of all men, which endured for iij or iiij howres, and than com̄aunded he them to staie and to leave sacking. But for all that he taxed a certein some of golde vpon them of the towne; and finally sent for the sonne of this Choza Mirech vnto him, whom he compforted and chearished wᵗʰ verie good and gratiouse woordes; for this Choza Mirech that was slayne was a notable ryche merchaunt man, and of verie good fame. Wherfore this suffise now, both tooʷcheng the evill entreatie of Christen men in those ꝓties, and also to the ending of this seconde parte, and of the whole woʳke described by me wᵗʰ the best order I coulde, considering the great varietie of things, of places, and tymes:[151] to the praise of oʳ Lorde Jesu Christ very God, vnto whom we Christen men, and spetially borne wᵗhin oʳ most excellent citie of Venice, arr much more bounde than arr these barbarouse people, which arr ignoraunt of all good maner and full of evill customes.

THE END OF THE VOYAGES OF M. JOSAFA BARBARO TO TANA AND TO PERSIA.