Travels into Turkey: Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c.Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
History
Travels into Turkey: Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c.
Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
Turkey -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
buttoning my Doublet, which I put on too strait. Towards the Evening,
according to custom, I sent two of my Servants to watch with him, and
while they were putting on him a clean Shirt, he himself espied a Purple
Spot in his Breast, which they told him was but a Flea-bite; and by and
by he discovered more Spots and larger ones. No, said he, there are not
Flea-bites, but Tokens of near approaching Death; and therefore us spend
this Night in Prayer and holy Conference preparatory to my latter end;
which he did, and in the Morning, with full assurance of God’s Mercy, he
departed this Life.
Thus was I bereaved of my dearest and most useful Friend, and the
Common-wealth of Learning had also a great Loss of him; for he had made
many curious Observations in his Travels which he intended to publish,
and would have been very useful to the World, if Death had not prevented
his laudable Designs. His Skill and Faithfulness was so much prized by
me, that, if the Times had differed me to return, I knew none fitter to
leave in my place at _Constantinople_ than himself, had he out-lived me.
After his Death, my Cares seemed to be doubled; nay, if I should have
left him behind, I had returned but half myself, as it were. Well! his
Soul is at Rest, and I erected a Monument, as a due testimony to his
Vertue. But to return to our Island.
I lived there very pleasantly for three Months. It was a private Place,
without any Crowd or Noise. There were only a few _Greeks_, with whom I
diverted myself; but never a _Turk_ to interrupt my Mirth. As for the
_Turks_ of my Houshold, they created no trouble to me; I might go whither
I would, and pass from one of these Islands to another at my pleasure,
without any molestation from them. There grew several sorts of Plants, as
_French_ Lavender, sharp-pointed Myrtle, Cotton-weed, and abundance more.
The Sea is full of divers sorts of Fishes, which I took sometimes with
Net, sometimes with Hook and Line. Several _Grecian_ Fishers with their
Boats attended me, and where we had hopes of the greatest sport, thither
we sailed and cast our Nets. Sometimes we played above board, and when we
saw a Crab or a Lobster at the bottom, where the Sea was very clear, we
ran him through with a Fish-spear, and so halled him up into a Vessel.
But our best and most profitable sport, was with a drag-Net; where we
thought most Fish were, there we cast it in a round; it took up a great
compass, with the long Ropes tied to the ends of it, which were to draw
it to Land. To those Ropes the Seamen tied green Boughs very thick, so
that the Fish might be frightned, and not seek to escape. Thus we brought
great Sholes of trembling Fishes near the Shore. And yet in this danger
they were naturally instigated how to save themselves; some would leap
over the Net, others would cover themselves in the Sand, that they might
not be taken; others strove to bite the Meashes of the Net, though made
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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