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
Howbeit, their spials in the meane time discrying from the top of an highe
mountaine the Duke of Austria, the king of Bohemia, the Patriarch of
Aquileia, the Duke of Carinthia, and (as some report) the Earle of Baden,
with a mightie power, and in battell aray, approching towards them, that
accursed crew immediately vanished, and all those Tartarian vagabonds
retired themselues into the distressed and vanquished land of Hungarie who
as they came suddenly, so they departed also on the sudden which their
celeritie caused all men to stand in horrour and astonishment of them. But
of the sayd fugitiues the prince of Dalmatia tooke eight, one of which
number the Duke of Austria knew to be an English man, who was perpetually
banished out of the Realme of England, in regard of certaine notorious
crimes by him committed. This fellow, on the behalfe of the most
tyrannicall king of the Tartars, had bene twise, as a messenger and
interpreter, with the king of Hungarie, menacing and plainely foretelling
those mischiefes which afterward happened, vnlesse he would submit himselfe
and his kingdome vnto the Tartars yoke. Well, being allured by our Princes
to confesse the trueth, he made such oathes and protestations, as (I
thinke) the deuill himselfe would haue beene trusted for. First therefore
he reported of himselfe, that presently after the time of his banishment,
namely about the 30. yere of his age, hauing lost all that he had in the
citie of Acon at Dice, euen in the midst of Winter, being compelled by
ignominious hunger, wearing nothing about him but a shirt of sacke, a paire
of shooes, and a haire cappe onely, being shauen like a foole, and vttering
an vncoth noise as if he had bene dumbe, he tooke his iourney, and and so
traueiling many countreyes, and finding in diuers places friendly
entertainment, he prolonged his life in this maner for a season, albeit
euery day by rashnesse of speech, and inconstancie of heart, he endangered
himselfe to the deuill. At length, by reason of extreame trauaile, and
continuall change of aire and of meats in Caldea, he fell into a greuious
sicknesse, insomuch that he was wearie of his life. Not being able
therefore to go forward or backeward, and staying there a while to refreshe
himselfe, he began (being somewhat learned) to commend to writing those
wordes which hee heard spoken, and within a short space, so aptly to
pronounce, and to vtter them himselfe, that he was reputed for a natiue
member of that countrey: and by the same dexteritie he attained to manie
languages. This man the Tartars hauing intelligence of by their spies, drew
him perforce into their societie and being admonished by an oracle or
vision, to challenge dominion ouer the whole earth, they allured him by
many rewards to their faithfull seruice, by reason that they wanted
interpreters. But concerning their maners and superstitions, of the
disposition and stature of their bodies, of their countrey and maner of
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