The nauigations, peregrinations and voyages, made into Turkie by Nicholas Nicholay Daulphinois, Lord of Arfeuile, chamberlaine and geographer ordinarie to the King of Fraunce conteining sundry singularities which the author hath there seene and obserued: deuided into foure bookes, with threescore figures, naturally set forth as well of men as women, according to the diuersitie of nations, their port, intreatie, apparrell, lawes, religion and maner of liuing, aswel in time of warre as peace: with diuers faire and memorable histories, happened in our time. Translated out of the French by T. Washington the younger.

Of the place called Bezestan and o∣ther publike markets.

Chap. 23.

HAuing already sufficiently spoken of the Mosquees, A ma∣rathes and bathes which are in Constantinople, I will not forget to describe vnto you the place called Bezestan, beyng a house, great, fouresquare & high, made after the maner of a hall couered, hauing 4. gates, and as many streetes within it, beeing round about set with shops, furnished with al sorts of rare mar∣chaundises & of high prises, as ringes, precious stones, furres of martirs, Zebelins, Sables, Wolues, Buckes, Foxes, & other fine skins of good prises,* 1.1 in respect & comparison of this countrey: for oftētimes it happeneth that he shall haue the whole furring of a long gowne, al of fine martirs, for fourescore or a 100. duc∣cats, where here you shal not haue thē for 3. or 4. times somuch. Al sorts of cloth of gold, of siluer, of silke, chamblets, and fine Mockados, bowes of Turkie, Targets and Bucklers, and other merchandises very rich and necessary. And there are also to be solde vnto them that doe bidde and offer most for them,* 1.2 an in∣finite number of christian slaues of al ages and nations, in such order as we doe vse to sel horses, for such as doe cheapen them and are desirous to buy any of them, do view their eyes, teeth, and throughout the whole partes of the body, yea cause them too bee stripped starke naked, and see them goe, to the intent they might the better know the defaultes, whiche of nature myght bee in them, or imperfection of their persons, a thing most pitifull & lamentable to behold: I haue there seen strip∣ped and 3. times visited in lesse then an houre, on one of the sides of the Bezestan, an Hongariā mayden, being of thirteene or fourteene yeeres of age, and of beautie indifferent, whiche in the ende was solde and deliuered vntoo an olde marchant a Turke for foure and thirtie ducates, I hope with God his help in my second volume to treate more particularly of the payne, calamity & miserable seruitude wherwith these poore christiā

slaues are intreated by the hands of these cruell Barbariās. The Bezestan standeth euery day open vntill the after noon, except vpon the Friday which is the festiual day of the Turkes,* 1.3 as the Sunday is vnto vs, and the saterday vnto the Iewes. There are besides this diuers other publike places to sel vpon the market dayes: one for old apparrel and other things, as Saint. Thomas Apostle is in London, and the lowsie mart in Antwerpe: and the other for al sorts of gold works, and of silke wrought wyth the needle, and in the Sadlers hall are sold many faire furnitures for horses, vessels of gold and other fine things, faire painted after the Damaskin fashion, or after the Iamesque sort, fayrer then in any place in Turkie. But the aforesaid Bezestan is the place where the most costly things are sold.

[illustration]

A Woman Turke going through the Citie.

[illustration]

A Woman Turke leading her children.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Good cheap•• Pelt••rie.
• * 1.2

  Slaues sold as horses are in markets.
• * 1.3

  The Friday is vnto the Turkes as the Sunday to the Christians, & the Saterday to the Iewes.