CHAP. XIII. Of the Isle of Andra, and of our Ships running a ground.

TƲesday, the Sixtenth of November, the wind being a little abated, we put out about eight of the clock at night, hoping to find the wind fair at Sea; but Wednesday morning the seventeenth of November, it blew so strong a North Wind, that we were obliged to bear away to Isle of Andra,* where we came to an Anchor, at two in the afternoon. We found five Venetian ships there; who so soon as they understood from us, that there was some suspition of a Plague in Malta; they discharged us from having any communication with them or those of the Island: Though this prohibition hindred me from getting any knowledge of this Isle by my own means, yet I shall here relate what I learnt of it from those who have been upon it, as also from a manuscript Relation that hath come into my hands since. The Isle of Andra, in ancient time Andros, is threescore miles from Zia, it is fourscore miles in circuit, and is reckoned the most fertile Island of all the Archipelago, as indeed, it is so in all things, especially in Silk, wherein the Inhabitants, who are about six thou∣sand souls, Trade at Chio, and other Places; with Backs, that are made in Andra, and make forty thousand Piastres profit of it a year. It hath a Town near the Sea, which contains not above two hundred Houses; the Port of it is pretty good, and the South Wind blows a thwart it; there is an uninhabited Castle still to be seen, upon a little Rock in the Sea, hard by it. There are besides sixty Villages, scattered here and there in several places of the Island, of which the most considerable are Arni and Amolacos,* that are inhabited by the Arnantes or Albanians, to the number of twelve hundred souls, all of the Greek Church, and differing in Language and Customs; a rude sort of Peo∣ple, Page  16 any without discipline. Near to these Villages, there is a Monastry of an hundred Monks, called Tagia, built in form of a Fort; with a Church, very well adorned, though small, and served by these Monks, who live in extreme ignorance. They entertain Travellers all the while they stay there; and, when they depart, they give them Provisions to carry them home to their own Countrey; for they have great Revenues. There are besides, six other little Monasteries, with a few Religious in them. There is a great number of Greek Churches in the Island, which are all under the government and discipline of a Greek Bishop. The Latins have also a Bishop there, who, on Corpus Christi-day, carries the Holy Sacrament in Procession all over the Town; at which there is a great concourse of People, both Greeks and Latins; and, when the Bishop passes along the streets, all the people prostrate themselves, spread Carpets, Flowers, Herbs, and other odoriferous things; and lye so thick upon the ground, that the Bishop cannot pass without treading upon them: The Cathedral of the Bishop of the Latin Church, is dedicated to the Apostle St. Andrew; it is pretty neat, but hath no great Revenue. There are six Churches besides in the Town, of which there is one dedicated to St. Bernard, and held by the Capucines; who ease the Bishop very much, by their Preaching, hearing Confessions, and by their School, to which all the Greek Children come; nay, some are sent thither from Athens to learn. The Turks have the disposal of the Temporal Affairs, and there are several Families of them upon the Island, who are very uneasie Neighbours to the Greeks and Latins. There is a very pleasant Valley in this Island, called by the Inhabitants Menites, with plenty of fresh Springs and Fruit-trees in it; besides about forty Mills, that grind Corn for the People of the Town and circumjacent Villages, which is very commodious: The Water which drives these Mills, comes from a Spring in a Church, called Madonna del cumulo; and this Water runs in Brooks, through the Valley; and under Trees, fallen of themselves, so that they seem to have been bent so artificially; and, indeed, a Painter cannot represent a more lovely and pleasant Valley in Landskip. In the Plain, at the end of this Valley, the Jesuites have a Garden, full of Fruit-trees of all sorts, which render them a considerable Revenue yearly: There they have their House, and their Church, called St. Veneranda. This Island might be called very lovely, if the Houses of it were better built, and the Air good, but it is very bad, and so is the Water of the Town. The Inhabitants of the Isle of Andra are civil, and their Language is more literal than the Language of the other Greeks; their Women are Chast, and speak well, but their Aparrel is very unbecoming. The Inhabitants of the Town are not very laborious, love good chear and di∣versions, but the Peasants are more industrious; they make very white wicker Baskets, which are used all over the Archipelago: As to their Food, they eat some∣times Goats flesh, though in the Woods and Hills they have good Venison and wild Fowl, as Hares, Coneys, Partridges, and the like; but they have neither Huntsmen nor Fowling-pieces: Their Sea affords no Fish, and is, as to that, worse than the Sea of Genoa. They have neither Physician nor Chyrurgeon, but, when they fall sick, betake themselves to the Mercy of God. This Isle belonged heretofore to the Family of the Sanuti,* who had it in Dowry from the Family of Zen, of which were the Dukes of Naxia in those times. It was into this Island that Themistocles was sent from Athens, to raise money; who, having entered into conference with those of the Island, told them, Gentlemen of Andra's, I bring you two Gods, the One of Perswasion, and the Other of Force; chuse you which of the two you please: To which they answered, And we will pre∣sent you with two Goddesses, the One Poverty, and the Other Impossibility; take which of the two you please: Which was the cause that the Athenians besieged and took it. We lay at an anchor before Andra, from Wednesday the Seventh, till Fri∣day the Nineteenth of November, when the last Quarter of the Moon began, which made us hope that the Wind would change: It being then a Calm, about Moon-rising we weighed, betwixt, Ten and Eleven a clock at night, and found a good South-west Wind. When we were got out to Sea, we bore away to the starboard, and pass'd betwixt Andra and Negropont, with a Wind in Poop.*Saturday, the Twentieth, before noon, we made Sciro, shortly after Ispicera, and then Chio: About evening, the Wind turned East South-east, Page  17 but we still continued our course with good enough success, until next morning, November the One and Twentieth, when about Three or four a clock, we made Land, but knew not whether or not it was Tenedo; and about break of day we tacked, and then found that we were pass'd it; for we were before Troy,* and very near Land. Our Ship stuck a ground, with the noise of which, our Cap∣tain awoke; and thinking the Ship to be lost, he presently sent to view the Pump, to see if she had made much water; but they found none at all: At the same time, he launched the Boat, and going into it, viewed the Snip all round, and found that she had received no damage, her head having only struck upon the sand: He thereupon ordered all the Sails to be furled, and the Ship beginning to float again, he caused an Anchor to be heaved out a stern, by means whereof, in a short time, we weighed off of the sand. We had certainly the particular assistance of God Almighty at that time, for it blowing so fresh, and we having all our Sails abroad, the Ship in all probability should have stranded; and nevertheless, in an hours time, we were got off, without springing the least leak: But if the ground had been very Rocky, as it was but a kind of Oaze, the Ship had certainly been lost. Whilst the Seamen were busie in clearing the Ship, seeing my self out of danger of shipwreck, I consi∣dered the Ruins of that ancient and famous City of Troy, which are still very remarkable, and of great extent. Being at length got clear, we stood a little more off to the larboard, and betwixt Nine and Ten of the clock,* we passed the Mouths, and entered the Chanel of the Hellespont. It was at this place, where the Turks first passed from Asia into Europe. At One a clock, the Wind calming, we came to an Anchor. Monday, the two and twentieth of Novem∣ber, a South Wind blowing, much about the same hour in the Afternoon, we weighed Anchor, and soon after pass'd betwixt the Castles of the Dardanels (which we saluted with three Petrera's) and about Three in the Afternoon, we came to an Anchor.