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 apparrell, custome and ma∣ner of liuing of the auncient Peicz or lackies of the Emperors of Turkie.

Chap. 9.

IN times past, and in the dayes of other Emperors of Turkie, the Peicz, whom we call lackies, haue varyed much in their apparrell, custome, and maners, from those which are nowe a∣dayes, for as some haue written, they following the example and antiquitie of the Grecians and Asians, trauailed and ranne barefooted without any shoes, or any other thing on their feet sauing that the soles of their feete were shod like vnto horses, the skin vnder the plant of their feet being so hard that easily they could forbeare the nailes & irons being but light▪ being a matter so hard that at the first I coulde scarcely beleeue it, for that amongest al the Peicz, I had not seene one after that sort, but hauing curiously enquired of the very same partie by whom the liuely figure before set out was made, hee did assure me the same to bee very true, yea and that there were as yet some of his companions (then absent from the gate and court of the Turke) which caused themselues to bee shod, wheerin to giue me a more faithfull testimonie, he caused me to see one in Andrinople, whose soale of his foote was so harde, that with a bodkin how sharp soeuer it were, ye could not easily pea••••e it. And being thus shod the better to counterfait the horses, did wear in their mouth a bal of siluer, perced & made with holes in diuers places, like vnto the bit of a bridle, & is for to keepe their mouth fresh & the longer to sustain their breath. Round about their girdle, which was very large & very wel wrought of leather, they hung diuers cymbals or belles, which by mouing & shaking in their running made a very plesant and delectable noyce, obseruing that manner as I beleeue of the Tartares, as Marc Paule Venetian hath written, saying, that the foot postes or messengers of the greate Cham Cublay Emperour of the Tartares dyd likewyse in runnyng weare a Gyrdle houng full of Belles, lyke as the Peichz nowe a dayes doe and in one hande carryed an Anagiach, which is as muche as to say a litle

hatchet damaskined, and in the other hand a cruese or viall ful of sweete and smelling water to besprinkle suche as they doe meete in their way for to haue of them some peece of money. Their cappes, whiche they called Meulai were not of siluer as nowe adayes they are, but onely couered with veluet or some light cloth of gold, vpon the tops whereof they fastned certain common plumets of Eastrige seathers, or of other birdes. And these iollie lackies haue such an opinion of thēselues that they do not thinke in the whole world to be any other persons that can runne with like force and swiftnesse, whereat is not to bee maruailed, for truly they do run so swiftly, that the best horse in Turkie could not do the like: so as beeing so required they trauel frō Cōstātinople to Andrinople & back again in 2. daies & 2. nights, as by som I haue been credibly informed, which is as much as a good horse keeping his ordinarie pase, could doe in foure dayes, beeing distant from the one citie too the other fiue daies iourney of the Turkish iourneies, being three or four daies trauell in England: and the reason wherefore theyr iour∣neies are longer then ours, is that they doe not goe or ryde frō the morning to the euening as we doe, but frō the morning to high noone. And being arriued at the place of their baite, whe∣ther it be in town or village, they take vp their lodging in a Car∣uasseras, which is like vnto a barne or greate stable insteed of an Inn, for that ther are none throughout the whole coūtrey of Le¦uant. And if it happē that the bayt be too long, they stay at half way or neere vnto the baite in some faire medow, neere vnto some riuer or fountain, there alighting do let goe their horse to pasture, & set down themselues vnder the shadow of some tree or hedge vpon a carpet, if they haue one, or els vppon the fayre green grasse, refreshing themselues with such victualles as they haue brought with them in their satchel, but doe drink of such drinke as their horses doe, to wit, faire and cleane water, and so being gotten on horseback againe, they proceed on their iour∣ney. Now to returne to our auncient Peicz, the figure following setteth forth vnto you, the manner of their going, and forme of their apparrel.

[illustration]

The apparrel and auncient forme of the Peicz or Lackies of the great Turke.

Notes

• The ancient Peiz wer shod like horse••
• Peichz weare a bal in their mouthes like horses
• There are no ••nnes through∣out al Leuant.