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
verba quæ apud Corrensam dixeramus.
The same in English.
How they were receiued at the court of Corrensa. Chap. 21.
[Sidenote: The maner of saluting the Tartarian princes.] Being come
therefore vnto his court, hee caused our tent to be placed farre from him,
and sent his agents to demaund of vs with what we would incline vnto him,
that is to say, what giftes we would offer, in doing our obeisance vnto
him. Vnto whome wee answered, that our lord the Pope had not sent any
giftes at all, because he was not certaine that wee should euer bee able to
come at them: for we passed through most dangerous places. Notwithstanding,
to our abilitie, we will honour him with some part of those things which
haue bene, by the goodnes of God and the fauour of the Pope, bestowed vpon
vs for our sustenance. Hauing receiued our gifts, they conducted vs vnto
the Orda or tent of the duke, and we were instructed to bow thrise with our
left knee before the doore of the tente, and in any case to beware, lest
wee set our foote vpon the threshold of the sayd doore. And that after we
were entred, wee should rehearse before the duke and all his nobles, the
same wordes which wee had before sayd, kneeling vpon our knees. Then
presented wee the letters of our lord the Pope: but our interpreter whome
we had hired and brought with vs from Kiow was not sufficiently able to
interpret them, neither was there any other esteemed to bee meete for the
same purpose. Here certaine poste horses and three Tartars were appoynted
for vs to conduct vs from hence with al speede vnto duke Bathy. [Sidenote:
Duke Bathy and his power] This Bathy is the mightiest prince among them
except the Emperour, and they are bound to obey him before all other
princes. We began our iourney towards his court the first tuesday in Lent,
and riding as fast as our horses could trot (for we had fresh horses almost
thrise or foure times a day) we posted from morning till night, yea very
often in the night season also, and yet could we not come at him before
Maundie thursday. All this iourney we went through the land of Comania,
which is al plaine ground, and hath foure mighty riuers running through it:
[Marginal note: Boristhenes] Neper, on the side whereof towards Russia,
duke Corrensa and Montij marched vp and downe, which Montij on the other
side vpon the plaines is greater then he. The second is called [Marginal
note: Tanais.] Don, vpon the banke whereof marcheth a certain prince hauing
in marriage the sister of Bathy, his name is Tirbon. The third is called
[Marginal note: Rha.] Volga, which is an exceeding great riuer, vpon the
bankes whereof duke Bathy marcheth. The fourth is called [Marginal note:
Rhymnus.] Iaec, vpon which two Millenaries doe march, on each side of the
riuer one. All these, in the winter time, descend down to the sea, and in
summer ascend backe by the bankes of the said riuers vp to the mountains.
The sea last named is the [Marginal note: Pontes Euxima. He is deceiued,
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