The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Their common practise (being very populous) is to make diuers armies, and
so drawing the Russe to one or two places of the frontiers, to inuade at
some other place, that is left without defence. [Sidenote: The maner of the
Tartars fight and armour.] Their maner of fight, or ordering of their
forces is much after the Russe maner (spoken of before) saue that they are
all horsemen, and carie nothing els but a bowe, a sheafe of arrowes, and a
falcon sword after the Turkish fashion. They are very expert horsemen, and
vse to shoote as readily backward, as forward. Some will haue a horsemans
staff like to a bore speare, besides their other weapons. The common
souldier hath no other armour than his ordinary apparell, viz. a blacke
sheeps skin with the wool side outward in the day time, and inwarde in the
night time, with a cap of the same. But their Morseys or noblemen imitate
the Turk both in apparel and armour. When they are to passe ouer a riuer
with their armie, they tie three or four horses together and taking long
poles or pieces of wood, bind them fast to the tailes of their horse: so
sitting on the poles they driue their horse ouer. At handie strokes, (when
they ioyne battell) they are accounted farre better men then the Russe
people, fierce by nature, but more hardy and bloody by continuall practise
of warre: as men knowing no artes of peace, nor any ciuil practise.
[Sidenote: The subtilitie of the Tartar.] Yet their subtility is more than
may seeme to agree with their barbarous condition. By reason they are
practised to inuade continually, and to robbe their neighbours that border
about them, they are very pregnant, and ready witted to deuise stratagems
vpon the sudden for their better aduantage. As in their warre against Beala
the fourth, king of Hungarie, whome they inuaded with 500000. men, and
obtained against him a great victorie. Where, among other, hauing slaine
his Chancelor called Nicholas Schinick, they found about him the kings
priuy seale. Whereupon they deuised presently to counterfeit letters in the
kings name, to the cities and townes next about the place, where the field
was fought: with charge that in no case they should conuey themselues, and
their goods out of their dwellings, where they might abide safely without
all feare of danger, and not leaue the countrey desolate to the possession
of so vile and barbarous an enemie, as was the Tartar nation, terming
themselues in all reproachful maner. For notwithstanding he had lost his
carriages, with some few straglers that had marched disorderly, yet he
doubted not but to recouer that losse, with the accesse of a notable
victorie, if the sauage Tartar durst abide him in the field. To this
purpose hauing written their letters in the Polish character, by certain
yong men whom they tooke in the field, and signed them with the Kings
seale, they dispatched them forth to all the quarters of Hungaria. that lay
neere about the place. Wherevpon the Vngarians that were now flying away
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