John Covel

“ In proportion to the exigencies of the Turk and his want of money, the system of capitulations has increased in strength. Encroachments have occurred; fresh clauses have had to be introduced to meet the subtleties of the Turk; the so-called avanias, of which we shall hear more in Dr. Covel’s diary, had to be combated; but, nevertheless, the progress has been continuous, and no Company has contributed [v] more to the success of the foreigner on Turkish soil than the “Turkey Merchants” of England. ”

“ Orta-cui is a very populous town, built thre quarters round a very steep hill, like an Amphitheater reinverst or imbost. There are about 1,500 familyes in it, all Greekes. There crept in some few Turkes, but all the town setting against them, and playing them scurvy tricks, made them soon weary, and they have not of late had any, though it is a very paradise to live in. All the hills are cover’d with vineyards, which make a pleasant red wine, which we might buy anywhere for 5 aspers per Ook, [391] that is, about 3 pints. The valleyes grow either very good corne or pasture. ”

“ Because the road was everywhere full of the plague, we every night lay in our Tents, which were caryed before us, and pitcht ready at every conáck, and all our waggons and coaches were drawn round us, and a great fire being made. There were men watch’t by turnes every night, for the road was very full of thieves. ”

“ The rescuing of slaves from corsairs, the liberation of oppressed Christians, whether they happened [xli] to be English, Greeks, or Armenians, will be for ever one of the noblest and proudest of our actions. Without the influence of the Levant Company, Greece would probably have never succeeded in establishing her independence, and the Mussulmans would have effectually eradicated the Christian populations of the East ”

“ When the Turks took Constantinople they did little to interfere with the existing order of things: the Genoese and Venetians got their capitulations renewed; the right to have disputes with their fellow-countrymen decided by their own authorities; the right to have questions between them and Ottoman subjects decided only in presence of a Venetian interpreter; exemption from the tax imposed on Christians in lieu of military service; and the right to appoint their own magistrates in Constantinople. ”

“ You must understand that when any great man’s son is to be circumcised, a day or two before he shall be cut he is caryed upon a horse up and down the town in triumph, richly clad, but accompanied with severall other poor youths or children, but finely drest, who count it an honour to be circumcised at such a time. There goe a great multitude with them, singing, dancing, shouting, and Turkish Musick playes all the way before him. ”

“ Yet I have met above 20 in a morning, going from our tents to Mr. North’s house; and there is more danger in passing by the clothes of the living then in touching the body of the dead. All slaves and poor people, so soon as they are dead, are wrapt in some pittiful covering (perhaps nothing but an old mat) , and so laid upon a Hamál’s or porter’s back, and caryed away to his grave, without any more adoe. Infinites of Turkes came out of the Town and lived in Tents, as well as we; yet many Turkes came or sent out their women to their countrey houses there. ”

“ It runs with a small but very strong stream, so that at the mouth, where it empties itself into the sea, our boates from Stambol enter with great difficulty, as likewise it is very deep and very strong under the great Arch of the bridge, where, though the water continually sets out, yet the water in the lake tastes brackish. Up this fresh river, about 5 or 6 mile, is on the right hand a very high and steep mountain, with a most famous cave, which runs 10 or 12 mile underground, and is hewn in many places that two or three men may walk abreast at their full height. ”

“ Turkes, Jewes, Greekes, Armenians, all have their amulets and Telismes (talismans) and φυλακτὴρια about themselves, but especially about their children, their horses, their houses. Nightingales are very commonly kept in cages and let out to sing by so much per diem, but you shall not see one but shall have a deal of this trumpery about the cage. The Turkes have commonly their Telismes engraved on silver or gold ”

“ Queen Elizabeth was just entering into her vital contest with Philip II of Spain, and to secure the alliance and co-operation of the Sultan was one of her favourite schemes at this critical juncture. Until the reign of Amurath III the English had been altogether strangers to Turkey; but in 1579 three merchants were sent to Constantinople—William Harebone, Edward Ellis, and Richard Staple—to spy out the land, as it were, and, if possible, obtain for English merchants the [viii] same social and commercial privileges that other nations enjoyed. ”

“ Dudley North became treasurer of the Levant Company in Constantinople, did excellent work in the survey of the city, and eventually concluded his successful career by being appointed ambassador for the Company to the Porte. He was a man of strong business capacity, and “his first care”, says his son, “on setting up for himself, was to get a fire-tight room to secure his goods from fire, and a sofa-room in which to entertain the Turks.” ”

“ The Turkes (who are very spruce and chary of their fine vests) run from these people as from the Divel, who upon occasion will strike them with their tooloones, which will break no bones, but onely daub them; they have leather caps with bells all down the side. There were about 200 of these Raga-muffins, and their two Bashas, or capes (heads) , on horse back commanding them. In the furniture and ornaments of men and horse that day Diamonds, rubyes, emeralds, gold, silver, embroyder’d work, etc., were common things. The slaves employ’d in the Naculs before said had all their liberty. ”

“ In 1586 a charter was granted to fifty-three individuals, with power to trade in the Levant; and though, of course, the ambassador resided at Constantinople, in those days the principal mart of English trade was Aleppo, where Michael Locke was at that time consul, whose account of the condition of affairs in that city is quaint and interesting. He also speaks of the trade of Chios being great some years before, and alludes to it as “the great store of sundry commodities”, and further states that in 1593 tin was the principal article of export from England. ”

“ A little further under the hill, next towards Meritch, [374] is a little pit of a blewish sort of clay; here a company of old gossips at the 15th of Aug., which is the Assumption of the B. V., bring water from the river and mix it and the clay together into a perfect pudding or stodge; and on that daye infinites of people, Turkes, Jewes, and Christians, resort thither and goe in, and tumble in the mire, which they believe will cure any sort of infirmity; and without doubt it often happens so. ”

“ To the glorious amongst the great Princes of Jesus, and reverenc’t amongst the high potentates of the people of the Messiah, sole director of the great affaires of the Nazarene nation, Lord of the limits of respect and honour, of greatnesse and of fame, Charles the 2d, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, our friend, whose end we wish may be happy.
Our sublime, high, and Imperiall signet arriving, you will understand how that the most respected amongst the nobles of the peoples of the Messiah, your Ambassador Sir Dan. ”

“ We were all served alike in costly (lordly) dishes, which are used every where at court, and I saw them at the Vizier’s and Mosaïf’s houses. They come from India, and are all in use in Persia, for the G. Sr. nor any great Turkes can use silver dishes by their law. ”

“ Ponte grande is cal’d by the Turkes Buyoók-checmedje (or great-chest, abusing the word checkmése for a wooden bridge, as both these and the other bridges at Ponte piccolo at first were of wood) , in Greek μεγάλο χωριὸ, or great town. The inhabitants are most Turkes, some Jewes and Armenians, but more Greekes mixt with them. The road and the sea makes this Town, as well as Ponte piccolo, flourish. This is bigger then it; there is likewise good store of excellent fresh-water fish, as likewise of sea fish. ”

“ What people might be suffer’d to live amongst Turkes? Answr.: None but Jewes and Christians; all other are to be put to death. This toleration is given, because the Jewes had and yet have a true law, but most imperfect Christians have a true and perfecter law; but the onely perfect law is Mahomet’s, which all now are bound to believe and follow; if they doe not, though they live never so well, they cannot be saved. ”

“ The high mountaines, quite above, are now cal’d Θεοβουνὸ, or God’s hill. I guesse not but these ridges of mountaines are the true Rhodope, [393] for the great road from Adrianople to Salonica lyes over there, and all travaylers assure me that on the other side are no other hills at all till they come to Hemus, which they still call ἁμομὸντε. [394] There is but little earth and few trees upon these mountaines that I ever saw. The stone, where it is naked, lyes many times Horizontal, but oftener declining. ”

“ By this, he said, he could make friends with any one; love in a woman; in fine, preserve himself and us from all evil.
We set out from that little town, and were overtaken in a most dreadful tempest of Thunder and lightning; just getting up a steep bank a flash of lightning discharged a sheet of fire, which fell on the ground and rested there a good while, within lesse then two yards of me and Dr. Pickering (we two being foremost) , and huft [404] my hat and vest like a mighty gust of wind; our horses trembled and stood as half dead, but presently we got forward. ”

“ China is not half so dear here; your little sherbert cups and coffee dishes are made often times of the same earth; they ring like a bell; the earth is darkish, but the outside glazed colour is greenish. The last dish being taken from table, we all rose up together; the Grandees washt, and then my Ld. and me with him were caryed into the gallery, and there he sat on a long bench. Presently we were vested with Caphtans, which we wore all the time we were afterwards in the Seraglio ”

“ One night we met a young lad, who askt us the way to the Vizier. Being a country boy, we askt him what he would with him. He told us his brother turn’d Turk, and he would goe find him, and be cut, too; and two dayes after he was as good as his word. It is very dangerous meddling in these cases here. There were at least 200 proselytes made in these 13 days. It is our shame, for I believe all Europe have not gained so many Turkes to us these 200 yeares ”

“ On the west side the town lyes a great Lake which hath communication with the sea, and seemes to have been an arme of it antiently, but now cut of from it except in 4 places which we passe by bridges, now of late yeares made of stone, but there remain ruines of wood, which show them to have been of old of timber upon stone cheekes, [287] to draw up and down and move into the Lake, we passing them to the right hand. ”

“ Then care is to be taken that the trunkes be kept from force, and they will endure to eternity. Beneath this dry grasse to the North are many vinyards, fig trees, etc. There have been within this 20 yeares here in town above 400 Greek familyes, now they are shrank to near upon 100; yet they are forc’t to pay the same Harátch (pol money) and other dutyes (for the G. Signor’s lead cannot sink; he will lose nothing of what once is settled to him) , which comes to 1,000 dollrs. per annum, just as they did before; which makes the poor creatures yearly break and run away. ”

“ There are no people who continually live there, but they come from the continent to till the ground, which lyes on the edges of the mountain round by the Sea, and had good corn then growing on it; they likewise bring sheep and other cattel sometimes from the main land to feed here. ”

“ We made shift that night, and my Ld., sending to the Vizier, had another immediately, which proved very convenient; for here upon these occasions the G. Signor turnes out whome he please (of Jewes or Christians) out of their house, so that it is troublesome and dangerous to them for to have a good house, and in that end of the town there is none, being all Jewes, crowded two or three familyes into a house that hath not more roomes. ”

“ Now for the dances and sports. You must understand that from all parts of the Empire were summon’d all (his subjects) , Jewes, Greekes, Arabs, Armenians, Turkes, etc., that were any wayes excellent for any sports or entertainments of delight, and truly I do not believe these Eastern Countryes can afford any thing more in that kind then what I have seen here. First, your dancers were for the most part young youths, very handsome generally; most Greekes, yet some more Turkes, Armenians, and a few Jewes. ”

“ There was amongst the rubbish much Alabaster, Marble of all sorts (white, Black, Red, streaked red and white, white and black, and the like) , a sort of red stone, porish, but much harder then brick. We observed not one Flint, no sort of Free-stone, very little brick, onely in one side going up to Cape Carthage all was brick, and nothing else, but not one whole one nor half one was to be found. The earth at a distance shews red with the crumbled and scatter’d pieces. ”