After this humiliating confession of the power of the Turk, Favolius tells us how they sailed across the Gulf of Venice and landed at Ragusa. After a short rest the party travelled over the mountains to Sophia, and thence to Constantinople. In returning Veltwick made the journey to Vienna by land, taking, no doubt, the same route as was afterwards traversed by Busbecq, while Hugo Favolius and some of the younger members of the party obtained leave to go back to Venice by sea. It seems strange that in a piece of this kind the writer should so frankly admit the superiority of the Turkish power; it would appear to be but an ill compliment to the sovereigns from whom Favolius must have looked for advancement. In order, however, to gauge the real amount of terror which the Turks inspired it is necessary to take the account of P. Rubigal, the Hungarian, who was attached to an embassy sent shortly after the death of John Zapolya[296] by the leading nobles of his party to convey their tribute to Solyman. Rubigal’s itinerary may be considered to furnish us with an idea of the position of a Hungarian in the middle of the sixteenth century. His description is ludicrous, no doubt, but it is no less horrible. He begins thus:— Tempore concedens quo rex in fata Joannes Liquerat Hungaricæ regia sceptra domus, Inque patris titulos natus successerat infans Et dubia imperii forma recentis erat, Turca ferox, Medo qui cinctus acinace gaudet, Ad proceres regni plurima scripta dedit, Pannoniæque petens perfricta fronte tributum, Terruit innumeris tristia corda minis. Quid facerent? ratio sic temporis ipsa ferebat, Quamlibet inviti ut pacta tributa darent. Nec mora, magnatum venerando ex ordine lectos Verbetium mittunt Essetiumque pium; Hosque jubent regni Turcis offerre tributa, Flectere et immitis pectora dura Getæ. The party started from Szegedin, on the river Theiss, going by boat to Belgrade, and thence by land to Constantinople. They were entertained at a banquet by Solyman, and were much disgusted at two things: first, he gave them sherbet instead of wine; and secondly, at the conclusion of the banquet he caused the ghastly heads of men who had been recently executed to be set before them. The grim pleasantry could not be misunderstood. The heads, no doubt, were those of Hungarians, whom Solyman was pleased to regard in the light of rebels. Whilst at Constantinople Rubigal had an opportunity of seeing the Turkish fleet, which was then commanded by the famous Barbarossa. The Hungarian was evidently horribly frightened at the formidable preparations of the Turks, for immediately afterwards he gives his readers plainly to understand that his tastes are of a domestic turn, and that he has no hankering after— the perils which environ The man who meddles with cold iron.