The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 02Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 02
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
those things vpon his lord or no? Which saying made me to tremble, and
grieued me full sore. Howbeit, dissembling our griefe as well as we could,
we shaped him this answer: Sir, our humble request is, that our Lorde your
master would vouchsafe to accept our bread, wine, and fruits, not as a
present, because it is too meane, but as a benediction, least we should
come with an emptie hand before him. And he shall see the letters of my
souereigne Lord the king, and by them he shall vnderstand for what cause we
are come vnto him and then both our selues, and all that we haue, shall
stand to his curtesie: for our vestiments be holy, and it is vnlawfull for
any but Priests to touch them. Then he commaunded vs to inuest our selues
in the said garments, that we might goe before his Lord: and wee did so.
Then I my selfe putting on our most precious ornaments, tooke in mine armes
a very faire cushion, and the Bible which your Maiesty gaue me, and a most
beautifull Psalter, which the Queenes Grace bestowed vpon me, wherein there
were goodly pictures. Mine associate tooke a missal and a crosse: and the
clearke hauing put on his surplesse, tooke a censer in his hand. And so we
came vnto the presence of his Lord and they lifted vp the felt hanging
before his doore, that he might behold vs. Then they caused the clearke and
the interpreter thrise to bow the knee: but of vs they required no such
submission. And they diligently admonished vs to take heed, that in going
in, and in comming out, we touched not the threshold of the house, and
requested vs to sing a benediction for him. Then we entred in, singing
_Salue Regina_. And within the entrance of the doore, stood a bench with
cosmos, and drinking cups thereupon. And all his wiues were there
assembled. Also the Moals or rich Tartars thrusting in with vs pressed vs
sore. Then Coiat caried vnto his Lord the censer with incense, which he
beheld very diligently, holding it in his hand. Afterward hee caried the
Psalter vnto him, which he looked earnestly vpon, and his wife also that
sate beside him. After that he caried the Bible: then Sartach asked if the
Gospel were contained therein? Yea (said I) and all the holy scriptures
besides. He tooke the crosse also in his hand, and demanded concerning the
image, whether it were the image of Christ or no? I said it was. The
Nestorians and the Armenians do neuer make the figure of Christ vpon their
crosses. [Sidenote: No good consequence.] Wherefore either they seem not to
think wel of his passion, or els they are ashamed of it. Then he caused
them that stood about vs, to stand aside, that he might more fully behold
our ornaments. Afterward I deliuered vnto him your Maiesties letters, with
translation therof into the Arabike, and Syriake languages. For I caused
them to be translated at Acon into the character, and dialect of both the
saide tongues. And there were certain Armenian Priests, which had skil in
the Turkish and Arabian languages.
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