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
Leaving _Gran_, I went towards _Buda_; but to be sure, I took my
Breakfast before-hand, which was likely to be my Dinner also; for there
was no Place to bait at before I came to _Buda_. The _Sanziac_, or
Governor of the Place, with all his Family, together with the Horse which
he Commanded, came out of the Town with me, to bring me on my Way: I
could by no means persuade him to omit this Office of Respect. The Horse,
as soon as they came out of the Gates, began to shew me some sport,
curvetting and discharging one against another; they threw their Bonnets
on the Ground, and Galloping their Horses with full speed, by them, they
took them up by the Points of their Spears; and many such Ludicrous
Pranks did they perform. Amongst the rest of them, there was a _Tartar_,
who had thick Bushy Hair hanging down over his Shoulders; they told me,
that he always went bare Headed, and would never have any other Fence for
his Head, either against the Violence of the Weather, or the Hazard of a
Battle, but his own Hair. The _Sanziac_, after he had accompanied me as
far as he pleased, returned Home, but not before we had taken our Leaves
of one another, and he had left some Guides for my Journey, in my Retinue.
When I drew near to _Buda_, a few _Turkish Chiaux_’s met me on the
Way, (they are in the Nature of Pursuivants, or Serjeants at Arms, to
carry about the Commands of the Grand Seignior, or his Bashaw’s, and
are Officers of great Esteem in that Nation) by them, I was brought
to lodge in the House of a Citizen, who was an _Hungarian_, where my
Baggage, Coach and Horses, was better provided for, than myself; for
the _Turks_ take special Care that Horses, with their Equipage, be well
accommodated; as for the Men, if they have but an House over their
Heads to shelter them from the Weather, they think they may shift well
enough for themselves. The Bashaw of _Buda_ sent one to visit me, and
bid me welcome, his Name was _Tuigon_, (which in _Turkish_, signifies a
Stork) by him he excused himself to me, that he could not admit me into
his Presence for some Days, because of a grievous Disease he laboured
under; but as soon as ever he recovered a little Strength, he said, he
would wait upon me. This Delay was the Occasion, that the aforementioned
Absence of _Palinai_ was less prejudicial to me, than otherwise it would
have been, (to say no more) for he used great Diligence to Post after,
lest he might come too late, and accordingly he overtook me a little
while after.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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