Travels to Tana and Persia : $b A narrative of Italian travels in Persia, in the 15th and 16th centuriesBarbaro, Giosofat
History
Travels to Tana and Persia : $b A narrative of Italian travels in Persia, in the 15th and 16th centuries
Barbaro, Giosofat
Iran -- Description and travel; Voyages and travels
The morowe aftre, I came to hym againe, and calling me neere, he said
vnto me, Thoʷ shalt haue a litle more passetime. And so deliuered me
a camewe[82] of the breadeth of a grote, wherein was a womans heade
graven; her heare backwarde, and a garlande about her heade. He badde me
looke, is not this Mary? I answered, no. Why, who is it than (qᵈ he)?
I answered, it was the figure of some of thauncient goddesses that the
BURPARES[83] woʳshipped, that is, to witt, the Idolaters. He asked me
howe I knewe it? I tolde him I knewe it; for these kinde of woʳkes were
made before the com̄yng of Jesu Christ. He shaked his heade a litle, and
saied no more. Than he shewed me three poincted diamants, one of xxx
carretts, very clene both aboue and benethe; and the other betwene x and
xij carretts, askeng me wheather there were any such jewells wᵗʰ vs. I
tolde him no; wherevpon he tooke vp a masse of perles of xl threades,
vpon every one whereof were xxx perles of betwene v and vj carretts a
peece: halfe of them rounde, and the rest not unfitt to be iewelled.[84]
Than he caused to be putt into a sylver basen about xl perles, like vnto
peares and gourdes, of betwene viij and xij carretts a peece, vnbored
through and of very faire coloʳ, saieng to me wᵗʰ a smyleng cheere: I
coulde shewe the an hoʳse loade of these. This was doon at a bankett by
night aftre their maner, at the circumcision of his twoo sonnes.
The daye folowing I repaired to him into a great feelde wᵗhin the towne,
wheare wheate had been sowen, the grasse whereof was mowed to make place
for the tryomphe and the owners of the grounde satisfied for it. In this
place were many pavilions pight,[85] and as sone as he ꝑceaued me he
com̄aunded certein of his to go wᵗʰ me, and to shewe me those pavilions,
being in nombre about an cᵗʰ, of the which I ꝑvsed xl of the fairest.
They all had their chambres wᵗhinfooʳthe, and the roofes all cutt of
divers coloʳˢ, the grounde being covered wᵗʰ most beautiful carpetts,
betwene which carpetts and those of CAIRO and of Borsa[86] (in my
iudgement), there is as much difference as betweene the clothes made of
Englishe woolles and those of Saint Mathewes. Aftrewardes they caused me
to entre into twoo pavylions, which were full of sylke apparaill aftre
their fac̃on, and of other sortes of clothes laied on a great heape: on
thone side of the which I ꝑceaved to the nombre of xl sadles, trymed wᵗʰ
sylver. All which apparaile and sadells they tolde me shulde be given
awaie by the king at the tryomphe. They also shewed me twoo great doores
of the woodde of SANDALI, of vj foote high, a peece sett wᵗʰ golde and
moother of perle aftre the woʳke of THARSIA.[87] Than I retoʳned to the
king, and took my leafe for that tyme.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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