Early voyages and travels in the Levant : $b I.—The diary of Master Thomas Dallam, 1599-1600. II.—Extracts from the diaries of Dr. John Covel, 1670-1679. With some account of the Levant Company of Turkey merchants.Covel, John
History
Early voyages and travels in the Levant : $b I.—The diary of Master Thomas Dallam, 1599-1600. II.—Extracts from the diaries of Dr. John Covel, 1670-1679. With some account of the Levant Company of Turkey merchants.
Covel, John
Company of Merchants of England Trading to the Levant; English diaries; Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- Turkey; Middle East -- Description and travel; Turkey -- Foreign relations -- Great Britain
is better than I have as yeat disarved of. When I had give God thankes
for it, I drank it of, and it was the beste that ever I dranke. Than he
filled me the same boule with whyte Rebola, the which was more pleasante
than the other. When I had muche comended the wyne, and tould Ned Hale
that he was a foule to refuse suche a cup of wyne, than he come neare the
house, and desiered to have som water; so he had the kettle to drinke in.
When this was all done, I was so well pleasede with this entertaynmente,
that I knew not how to thanke this man. I had no mony aboute me but one
halfe Dolor of Spanyshe mony, and that mony is best accepted of in that
countrie. I offered to give that peece of silver to this man, but he
would not by any means take it. Than I remembered that I had tow severall
(Seville?) knyfes in my pocket. I toke one of them and gave it him, and
the blad gilded and graven. When he had taken it oute of the sheathe and
louked upon it, he caled with a loude voyce: Sisto, Sisto! Than another
man Came runninge, unto whom he showed but only the hafte of it, and
than they began to wrastell for the knife; but he that I gave it unto
kepte it, and leape ower the wale to the side whear I was, and, bowinge
him selfe unto me, he toke me by the hande, and led me aboute by the
ende of that house, and so into a litle cloyster, throughe the whyche we
passed into a Chappell, whear we found a preste at mass and wex candls
burninge. He pute me into a pue, whear I satt and saw the behaveour of
the people, for thare weare about 20 men, but not a woman emongste them;
for the wemen weare in a lower chapell by them selves,[58] yeate myghte
they heare and se. Ned Hale cam after, but hauinge loste sighte of me, at
his cominge into the chappell he kneled Downe neare unto the wemen, but
saw them not; but they saw him, and wondred at his behaveour; for, after
I had kneeled Downe, I stode up in my pue to louk for him, and than I saw
tow wemen put oute there heades and laughed at him—as indeed they myghte,
for he behaved him selfe verrie foolishly. Nether he nor I had ever sene
any parte of a mass before, nether weare we thinge the wyser for that.
This chapell was verrie curiusly paynted and garnished round aboute, as
before that time I had never seene the lyke. Sarvis beinge ended, we
Departed out of the chapell; but presently one cam after us, who did seme
verrie kindly to intreat me to goo backe againe, and he leed us throughe
the chappell into the cloyster, wheare we found standing eyghte verrie
fayre wemen, and rychly apparled, som in reed satten, som whyte, and som
in watchell Damaske,[59] there heads verrie finly attiered, cheanes of
pearle and juels in there eares, 7 of them verrie yonge wemen, the eighte
was Anchante (ancient), and all in blacke. I thoughte they hade bene
nones, but presently after I knewe they wear not. Than weare we brought
into that house wheare before I had dranke. Clothe beinge layde, we weare
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