The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427Schiltberger, Johannes
History
The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427
Schiltberger, Johannes
Timur, 1336-1405 -- Early works to 1800; Turkey -- History -- Bayezid I, 1389-1403; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
When Zegra was defeated, as is already related, I came over to a lord
named Manstzusch; he had been a councillor of Zegra. He was obliged to
fly, and he went to a city called Kaffa, where there are Christians; it
is a strong city in which there are [people of] six kinds of religion.
There he remained five months, and then crossed an arm of the Black
Sea, and came to a country called Zerckchas; there he remained half a
year. When the Tartar king became aware of this, he sent to the lord of
the country, and asked that he should not allow the lord Mantzuch to
remain in his territory, and he would do him a great favour. Mantzuch
went into another country called Magrill; and, as we now came into the
country of Magrill, we, five Christians, agreed, that we should go to
our native country from the land of the Infidels, as we were not more
than three days’ journey from the Black Sea; and when it appeared to
us opportune and right to get away, all five of us escaped from the
said lord, and came to the chief town of the country, which was called
Bothan, on the Black Sea shore, and begged that we should be taken
across [the sea], but it was not granted to us. Then we left the city,
and rode along the sea-shore, and got to a mountainous country. There
we rode until the fourth day, and came to a mountain from which we
saw a kocken on the sea, at about eight Italian miles from the coast.
We remained on the mountain until night, and made a fire, and when
the captain saw the fire, he sent some men in a skiff that they might
see who we were near the fire on the mountain, and when they came
towards us, we made ourselves known. They asked what sort of people
we were? We said we were Christians, and were made prisoners when the
king of Ungern was defeated at Nicopolis, and had come so far with
the help of God; therefore, might we not go over the sea, as we had
dependance and hope in God, that we should yet return to our homes
and to Christianity. They would not believe us, and asked if we could
repeat the Pater Noster, the Ave Maria, and the Belief? We said, “Yes”,
and repeated them. They then asked how many of us there were? We said,
“Five”. They told us to wait on the mountain, and went to their master
and told him how we had spoken to them. He ordered that we should be
brought, and they came with the skiff, and took us to the kocken. On
the third day that we were on board the kocken, pirates came in three
galleys, and would gladly have done us harm, because they were Turks.
They chased us three days and two nights, but could do us no harm. We
got to the city of Sant Masicia;(1) there we remained until the fourth
day, then the Turks went their own way. After that, we went to sea. We
wanted to go to Constantinoppoli; but when we got out to sea, so that
we could see nothing but sky and water, there came a wind which threw
back the kocken about eight hundred Italian miles, to a city called
Synopp. There we remained eight days, and after that we went further,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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