University of Virginia Library

Chapter XVI.

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7

How he levieth an Armie; their Armes and Provision;
how he divideth the spoile; and his service to the
Great Turke.

WHEN he intends any warres, he must first have leave of the
Great Turke, whom hee is bound to assist when hee commandeth,
receiving daily for himselfe and chiefe of his Nobilitie,
pensions from the Turke, that holds all Kings but slaves, that pay
tribute or are subject to any: signifying his intent to all his subjects,
within a monethcommonly he raiseth his Armie, and everie man is
to furnish himselfe for three moneths victuals, which is parched
Millit, or grownd to meale, which they ordinarily mingle with water
(as is said) hard cheese or cruds

dried, and beaten to powder, a little
will make much water like milke, and dried flesh, this they put also
up in sackes: The Chan and his Nobles have some bread and Aquavitæ,
and quicke cattell to kill when they please, wherewith verie
sparingly they are contented. Being provided with expert Guides,
and got into the Countrey he intends to invade, he sends forth his
Scouts to bring in what prisoners they can, from whom he will wrest
the utmost of their knowledge fit for his purpose: having advised
with his Councell, what is most fit to be done, the Nobilitie, according
to their antiquitie, doth march; then moves he with his whole
Armie: if hee finde there is no enemie to oppose him, he adviseth
how farre they shall invade, commanding everie man (upon paine
of his life) to kill all the obvious Rusticks; but not to hurt any
women, or children.

Ten, or fifteene thousand, he commonly placeth, where hee
findeth most convenient for his standing Campe; the rest of his Armie
hee di- ∥ vides in severall troops, bearing ten or twelve miles square
before them,

and ever within three or foure dayes returne to their
Campe, putting all to fire and sword, but that they carrie with them
backe to their Campe; and in this scattering manner he will invade
a Countrey, and be gone with his prey, with an incredible expedition.
But if he understand of an enemie, he will either fight in Ambuscado,
or flie; for he will never fight any battell if he can chuse, but upon
treble advantage; yet by his innumerable flights of arrowes, I have
seene flie from his flying troopes, we could not well judge, whether
his fighting or flying was most dangerous, so good is his horse, and so
expert his bowmen; but if they be so intangled they must fight, there
is none can bee more hardy, or resolute in their defences.

Regaining his owne borders, he takes the tenth of the principall
captives, man, woman, childe, or beast (but his captaines that take
them, will accept of some particular person they best like for themselves)

the rest are divided amongst the whole Armie, according to
every mans desert, and quality; that they keepe them, or sell them to
who will give most; but they will not forget to use all the meanes they
can, to know their estates, friends, and quality, and the better they
finde you, the worse they will use you, till you doe agree to pay such
a ransome, as they will impose upon you; therefore many great
persons have endured much misery to conceale themselves, because
their ransomes are so intolerable: their best hope is of some Christian
Agent, that many times commeth to redeeme slaves, either with
mony, or man for man; those Agents knowing so well the extreme
covetousnesse of the Tartars, doe use to bribe some Jew or Merchant,
that feigning they will sell them againe to some other nation, are oft
redeemed for a very small ransome.

But to this Tartarian Armie, when the Turke commands, he
goeth with some small artillery; and the Nagagians,

Perecopens,
Crimes, Osovens, and Cersessians, are his tributaries; but the Petigorves,
Oczaconians, Byalogordens, and Dobrucen Tartars, the
Turke by covenant commands to follow him, so that from all those
Tartars he hathhad an Army of an hundred and twenty thousand
excellent, swift, stomackfull Tartarian horse, for foot they have
none. Now the Chan, his Sultaines and nobility, use Turkish, Caramanian,
Arabian, Parthian, and other strange Tartarian horses;
the swiftest they esteeme the best; seldome they feede any more at
home, than they have present use for; but upon their plaines is a
short wodde like heath, in some countries like gaile, full of berries,
farre much better than any grasse.

Their Armes are such as they have surprised or got from the
Christians or Persians, both brest-plates, swords, semiteres, and helmets;
bowes and arrowes they make most themselves, also their
bridles and saddles are indifferent, but the nobility are very handsome,
and well armed like the Turkes, in whom consisteth their
greatest glory; the ordinary sort have little armor, some a plaine
young pole unshaven, headed with a peece of iron for a lance; some
an old Christian pike, or a Turks cavarine;

yet those tattertimallions
will have two or three horses, some ∥ foure or five, as well for service,
as for to eat; which makes their Armies seem thrice so many as there
are souldiers. The Chan himselfe hathabout his person ten thousand
chosen Tartars and Janizaries, some small Ordnance, and a white
mares taile, with a peece of greene taffity on a great Pike, is carried
before him for a standard; because they hold no beast so precious as
a white mare, whose milke is onely for the King and nobility, and to
sacrifice to their Idolls; but the rest have ensignes of divers colours.

For all this miserable knowledge,

furniture, and equipage, the
mischiefe they doe in Christendome is wonderfull, by reason of their
hardnesse of life and constitution, obedience, agilitie, and their Emperours
bountie, honours, grace, and dignities he ever bestoweth
upon those, that have done him any memorable service in the face of
his enemies.

The Caspian Sea,

most men agree that have passed it, to be in
length about 200. leagues, and in breadth an hundred and fifty,
environed to the East, with the great desarts of the Tartars of Turkamane;
to the West, by the Circasses, and the mountaine Caucasus;
to the North, by the river Volga, and the land of Nagay; and to the
South, by Media, and Persia: this sea is fresh water in many places,
in others as salt as the great Ocean; it hathmany great rivers which
fall into it, as the mighty river of Volga, which is like a sea, running
neere two thousand miles, through many great and large Countries,
that send into it many other great rivers; also out of Saberya, Yaick,
and Yem, out of the great mountaine Caucasus, the river Sirus,
Arash, and divers others, yet no Sea neerer it than the blacke Sea,
which is at least an hundred leagues distant: in which Country live
the Georgians, now part Armenians, part Nestorians; it is neither
found to increase or diminish, or empty it selfe any way, except it be
under ground, and in some places they can finde no ground at two
hundred fadome.

Many other most strange and wonderfull things are in the land
of Cathay towards the North-east,

and Chyna towards the South-east,
where are many of the most famous Kingdomes in the world;
where most arts, plenty, and curiosities are in such abundance, as
might seeme incredible, which hereafter I will relate, as I have briefly
gathered from such authors as have lived there.