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 Sacquas carriers of water, being also Pilgrims of Mecqua.

Chap. 22.

IT is founde in the Alcoram that Mahomet prophet of the Turks,* 1.1 doth forbid al his ••ectators Mahometistes to drinke wine. For that he did esteeme it a true nourishment of all euils and sinnes: and also as diuers haue written, to keepe the Arabi∣ans with such seuere prohibitiō in greater sobriety, who for the naturall heat which is in them, taking the wine in too aboun∣dantly, would not so easily suffer themselues to be tamed nor brought vnder subiection: by reason of these defences, are tho∣rowout whole Turky, Graecia, and other prouinces vnder the o∣beisance of the great Turke, a great nūber of Turkes & Moores called Sacquaz, which dayly goe by the streetes, places and as∣semblies of the cities, townes, and suburbes of the said prouin∣ces, with a scrippe of leather ful of fountaine or cestarne water, hoūg on their side, & couered aboue with a faire cloth embro∣dered with leaues about it or els plaine: & in one hand, a cup of fine Corinthian latten guilded and damaskined out of the which of great charity they doe offer and giue to drink, al them that will: but yet for to make the water seem more faire & de∣lectable to drinke, they put within the cuppe many and diuers stones of Calcedonie, Iaspe and lapis Azuli, bearing in the same hand a lookingglasse which they hold before the eyes of those to whom they giue to drink, exhorting and admonishing them with words demonstratiue to think on death: for doing the of∣fice of this gentlenes, they wil aske no paiment nor recompēce; but if through honest liberality some peece of monie be giuen vnto them, they wil most gladly receiue it, and in manner of thankes and congratulation, they pull out of a budget or poke which hangeth at their girdle a vyollfull of sweet smelling wa∣ter, which they cast on the face and beard of him that hath gi∣uen them money. I haue in a morning at Constantinople seene fifty of these Sacquas in a companye, all furnished with theyr scrips, large girdles, cups, glasses & al other their instrumēts, whi¦che thus apparelled went through the city demāding their new

yeres gifts of al those they met withal, whether they were Turks Christians, or Iewes in the honour of one of their saints, whose feast they celebrated that day. And the more to prouoke men to giue vnto them, presented to the one an apple, to the other an orange, or as I haue said, did cast sweet water in their faces, for you must vnderstand that the liberality of the Turkes and Moores is so great that they will hazard to giue the value of a Mangor, which is the 8. part of an Aspre, to haue two or three Aspres again for it. The same day in the afternoone these woor∣shipful Sacquas with their ornature came vnto me to the house of my Lord the Ambassador, where then I was lodged, he being then in Andrinopole, to see as they said, the picture which the day before I had made of one of their companions, whiche brought them thither. But the end was, that they would not de∣part without hauing of me some present, alleadging by their reasons that they had done me great honour, in comming to vi∣sit me with the best of their stuffe and apparrel, so as for to ridd my self of them I gaue them about 20. Aspres, and so being very well contented, they returned to the place from whence they came. Now to returne vnto my first purpose, some of these Sac∣quas, do this office of charitie through deuotion, whiche they haue receiued at Mecqua, but the others doe it for hope of a gaine, which they pretend to get therby, for besides that which is giuen vnto them of almes, they are waged either publikely, or of som in particular. Ther are moreouer diuers other which in that order do keep before their houses great vessels of mar∣ber full of water, couered, & vnder locke and key, & about the bottō therof is a cock of brasse to draw water out of, with a cup of latten damasked, fastened vnto it, with a small yron chaine, to the intent that euery on may drink therof at his pleasure or going to the Mosquee, likewise wash his hands. So as this cha∣rity is in such recommendation amongst the Turks, that there are no artificers keeping shops, which haue not cōmonly great vessels or artificiall fountaines ful of water standing vpon their stalle••, for the common commoditie as before I haue amplye declared.

[illustration]

Sacquas, of nation a Moore, a bearer of wa∣ter, and a Pilgrim of Mecqua.

Notes

• * 1.1

  VVine forbid∣den by Mah••∣met and why.