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
[Sidenote: 1588.] This last yeere when I was at the Mosco, came in one
Kiriach Morsey, nephew to the Emperour of the Crims that nowe is (whose
father was Emperour before) accompanied with 300. Tartars, and his two
wiues, whereof one was his brothers widow. Where being intertained in very
good sort after the Russe maner, hee had sent vnto his lodging for his
welcome, to bee made ready for his supper and his companies, two very large
and fat horses, ready flayed in a shed. They prefer it before other flesh,
because the meate is stronger (as they say) then Beefe, Mutton, and such
like. And yet (which is marueile) though they serue all as horsemen in the
warres, and eate all of horse flesh, there are brought yeerely to the Mosco
to bee exchanged for other commodities 30. or 40. thousand Tartar horse,
which they call Cones. They keepe also great heards of kine, and flocks of
blacke sheepe, rather for the skins and milke (which they carie with them
in great bottels) then for the vse of the flesh, though sometimes they eate
of it. Some vse they haue of ryse, figs, and other fruits. They drinke
milke or warme blood, and for the most part card them both together. They
vse sometime as they trauel by the way to let their horse blood in a vaine,
and to drinke it warme, as it commeth from his bodie.
[Sidenote: The Tartars dwelling.] Townes they plant none, nor other
standing buildings, but haue walking houses, which the latines call Veij,
built vpon wheeles like a shepheards cottage. These they drawe with them
whithersoeuer they goe, driuing their cattell with them. And when they come
to their stage, or standing place, they plant their carte houses verie
orderly in a ranke: and so make the forme of streetes, and of a large
towne. And this is the manner of the Emperor himselfe, who hath no other
seat of Empire but an Agora, or towne of wood, that moueth with him
whithersoeuer he goeth. As for the fixed and standing buildings vsed in
other countreyes, they say they are vnwholesome and unpleasant.
They begin to mooue their houses and cattell in the Spring time from the
South part of their countrey towards the North partes. And so driuing on
till they haue grased all vp to the first farthest part Northward, they
returne backe againe towards their South countrey (where they continue all
the Winter) by 10. or 12. miles a stage: in the meane while the grasse
being sprung vp againe, to serue for their cattell as they returne. From
the border of the Shelcan towards the Caspian sea, to the Russe frontiers,
they haue a goodly Countrey, specially on the South and Southeast parts,
but lost for lack of tillage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account