Václav Vratislav z Mitrovic

“ When he approached Constantinople the sad and sorrowful news was broken to him that his bride was already disposed of; at which he was exceedingly heart-stricken, and with great weeping bewailed his treacherous misfortune, above all things lamenting that she had married a Turk, accepted the Mahometan faith, and lost her soul. On his return to the city of Galata, her father and mother made known to him with tears what had become of her, and how it had happened, and proved by witnesses that they had been constrained to do as they had done, and compelled to give her to the chiaous. ”

“ England, from whose Wycliffe came the enlightenment that, by God’s grace, enabled Hus and Jerome to give their bodies to be burned at Constance? The little fame which arose, in 1781, out of the long and cruelly smothered embers of the torch thus transmitted from England to Bohemia, is now becoming larger and larger, and brighter and brighter, and promises to burst into a sunbright splendour of religious enlightenment, if not neglected by those who ought to interest themselves in it. ”

“ Have compassion on them for the recompence of the prophet Mahomet! Nay, we shall never enjoy any prosperity so long as we torture and torment with imprisonment these guiltless persons. Look on these unfortunates! See! they are nothing but shadows, and these are stronger than any of the rest.”
Ibrahim replied:—“Dear aga, thou knowest that I am not grand vizier, but am only his lieutenant for the time. Since the mighty Synan Pasha commanded them to be put in prison, God forbid that I should undertake anything counter to him! ”

“ When the Turkish commissaries took their departure, my lord began to lament bitterly, reproached the secretary with tears, and asked him how he should answer for it to God and our Emperor, saying, “I care not for my own neck; I am quite content to die, if only it were not for you young people; for you will be obliged to become Mahometans to save your lives, and thus you will come to perish everlastingly owing to my heedless secretary’s gaming. For, when what that unhappy renegade took out of the cupboard is brought to Synan Pasha, it is impossible for you to escape a terrible death.” ”

“ He had six most exquisitely beautiful horses, so that nothing could be more beautiful, and everything upon them was of gold and precious stones; and he was so swift that no one could get the better of him in a race, for he sprang down from his horse as though he flew, and taking up his wand, got into the saddle, as though he had never been on the ground, chasing the rest just like a bird, and darting away from them again, so that no one could catch him: besides, he was so quick in seizing the wands, and changing them from one hand to the other, that his agility is scarcely credible ”

“ No one who has not experienced it will believe, and it is impossible to believe, how great is the misery of Turkish captives, whom the Turks value less than dogs. As long as a captive lives, so long must he work, and when he cannot work his head is cut off; truly, more fortunate is the man who desires to die in war, rather than fall into such cruel misery, as he must endure both day and night. ”

“ About that time Sultan Mehemet marched with great pomp from Constantinople, with all his court and his principal warriors, and having had tents pitched before the city, rested there several days according to custom, waiting for more soldiers. For several pashas from Egypt, Palestine, Cairo, and other lands beyond sea, were still marching up with their armies, and they were waiting for them. Verily, we might gaze and wonder at the beautiful order which the Turks kept while pitching the tents, the camp being so extensive that no one could see to the end of it. ”

“ For a few days before some Turks, disguised in women's clothes, had sailed in a boat to the very skirts of the fortress, had seized and bound two fishermen and a woman, and had carried them off to Buda. Thus the people at Towaschow imagined that some more Turks were coming on a plundering expedition, and had disguised themselves like captives, in order the more easily to delude the Christians. Moreover, seeing the janissary and dragoman on the other bank of the Danube, they determined to allow us to approach the fortress within point-blank range of their cannon. ”

“ When we came to our companions, and told them that we could not negotiate the loan of the money anywhere, there was great weeping and lamentation. And now that we had angered the aga, who had been our very good friend, and had no one any more to manage our affairs, all hope departed that anything should come of our liberation, and we returned, with a downcast heart, to our trade of knitting gloves and stockings, and longed every hour to die, and be once for all freed from these miseries. ”

“ And if our Emperor wished to send any of us to the Turkish emperor to negotiate such a peace, we were not to fear aught, but boldly and willingly to make ourselves useful in the matter, he swearing by the beard of the Sultan, his lord, that no harm should happen to us, but that we should be presented with distinguished gifts, handsome clothes and horses, and dismissed in safety to our own country. ”

“ When such a boat sails through the Dardanelles, out of the narrow into the broad sea, iron bracelets, or rings, are immediately passed over the hands of each captive, that they may not be able to resist and defend themselves against the Turks. And thus fettered hand and foot the captive must row day and night, unless there is a gale, till the skin on the body is scorched like that of a singed hog, and cracks from the heat. ”

“ Our old aga came amongst us and informed us of his death, with tears streaming from his eyes, and said: “It is news good for you, but mournful for us, that the most experienced soldier and pillar of the Turkish dominions, Synan Pasha, is dead, who served our imperial house faithfully, and often troubled the giaours, and before whom no fortress could stand, which he did but undertake to capture. ’Tis a pity, ’tis a pity, that that experienced man is gone! ”

“ The sweat flows into the eyes and steeps the whole body, whence arises excessive agony, especially to silken hands unaccustomed to work, on which blisters are formed from the oars, and yet give way with the oar one must; for when the superintendent of the boat sees anyone taking breath, and resting, he immediately beats him, naked as he is, either with the usual galley-slave scourge, or with a wet rope dipped in the sea, till he makes abundance of bloody weals over his whole body. ”

“ On approaching the great iron gates, which were opened to us, we saw a square with a gallery round it reaching to the tower itself, which was entered by an iron door. The captain of our boat handed to Mehemet, the aga, or governor, of the Black Tower, a letter from the chief pasha, on perusing which the aga said with a loud voice:—“What am I to do with these poor prisoners? They have not deserved so severe a prison. Is there no less severe prison to be found for them? It is not just to punish guiltless people thus.” ”

“ But, though the Christian Greek women are dressed in the same manner as the Turkish women, yet they do not shroud their faces, but only wear a thin kerchief over the head, and everybody can look them in the face.
Well, this beautiful and unfortunate bride, going with the rest to the bath, and not dreaming of any approaching misfortune, not only did not veil her face, but, like a young girl, stared in all directions. ”

“ Every living soul, therefore, ran down to the sea, and took their seats in boats and barges, for greater convenience in looking on. When they brought us to the shore, they thrust us almost head-over-heels into a boat, in which camels and mules, with all manner of mercantile burdens, are ferried over from Europe to Asia, cursing at us, meanwhile, vehemently, and pushing us in such a manner that the poor wretches pulled each other down by their chains. ”

“ Hence it is manifest that in Turkey, as well as with us, knaves cheat the people out of their money by idle tricks. In this open space, as long as peace lasted between our Emperor and the Sultan, every Friday, which the Turks hallow as a Sunday, provided it was fine weather, there met about 800 or 900 young men, Turks belonging to the court, each dressed as handsomely as possible, wearing a long velvet or scarlet dress, and long trousers, drawn together at the ancles, with handsome sabres, bridles, and saddles, and, above all, exceedingly beautiful horses. ”

“ For, when all hope failed, all succour came to nought, and it seemed impossible to all men, both Turks and Christians, that we should return to our own country out of a prison so grievous, and, in all human judgment, so beyond the possibility of liberation. ”

“ The vessel was tolerably large, and in it five prisoners sat on a bench, pulling together at a single oar. It is incredible how great the misery of rowing in the galleys is; no work in the world can be harder: for they chain each prisoner by one foot under his seat, leaving him so far free to move that he can get on the bench and pull the oar. When they are rowing, it is impossible, on account of the great heat, to pull otherwise than naked, without any upper clothing, and with nothing on the whole body but a pair of linen trousers. ”

“ They have the glorious past of their country, and all the best feelings of nationality on their side. They can say,—Our country always flourished among the first in Europe, so long as it kept the Pope and his crew at arm’s length; when once Popery and its hordes came in, the sun of Bohemia set in blood, and a death-trance succeeded the life and energy which had defied and successfully resisted the whole might of Roman Catholic Europe. ”

“ Meanwhile the Tatars lighted large fires in the village, roasted oxen and sheep whole, cut off the cooked flesh, and ate like dogs. When we quitted the church, and began to feed our horses, the Tatars got intelligence of us, and immediately crowded to us, to the number of about 200, and, surrounding us, asked us who and what we were. We and the janissary made them a low Turkish obeisance, answered that we were going to Buda by order of the Sultan, and exhibited the Sultan’s letters. ”

“ At the entrance there are two shields to be seen; on the one is painted an angel with the cup, as though inviting people to taste it; on the other is a portrait of the blind old Ziska, formerly the most distinguished leader of the Taborites; for, though they detest the images of saints, yet his image is everywhere held in the greatest honour. There are no regular streets in the town, but where each man first casually pitched his tent, there he afterwards built a house of wood or mud. In the public market-place a number of military engines are placed, to terrify their neighbours. ”

“ Intelligence was again brought that our men had gained a glorious victory over the Turks in Hungary, whence great sorrow and lamentation arose on all sides; and the clerk of the prisoners, Alfonso di Strada, a Spaniard, who had gained his liberty by work and service, came to us early in the morning, and sorrowfully informed us that the Turks were violently enraged with us, and, in short, were on the point of putting us in the Black Tower, but that he did not in any wise wish us such a prison. ”

“ The bridegroom rides with his male friends and those of the bride in front, the bride in the midst, and the women in a line behind her, with great joy and triumph, and making their horses curvet merrily to the bridegroom’s house. ”

“ When, therefore, my lord the ambassador had been provided for, we, the rest of the company, prepared our night’s lodging on rugs and carpets in the carriages, under the carriages, and wherever we could. Sometimes, however, we spent the night in Turkish hospitals, which are handsomely built, covered with a lead roof, and very comfortable for travellers, because a number of empty rooms are found in them, which are shut to no one; but, be he Christian or be he Jew, be he rich or be he a beggar, they are open for the convenience of all alike. ”

“ Then they stopped and asked us again whether we were willing to become Turks, saying that it was now our last hour, as they were about to drown us all by Synan Pasha’s orders; that we should, therefore, have compassion on our youth, and that they were willing to make imperial gentlemen-in-waiting, spahis, and janissaries of us, and give us fine clothes and horses. But we constantly prayed to God, and, committing ourselves to Him, persevered in saying that whatever pleased His gracious Goodness should be our fate, acknowledging that we had deserved all this misery by our sins. ”

“ There are, however, a good many rich people among them, and household furniture is everywhere handsome and even magnificent. Formerly there was no separate property among the Taborites; the booty taken from the enemy was collected and applied by the brethren in common, and one supplied what another wanted. Now, however, each lives for himself; love towards the neighbour has waxed cold; one is in luxury, while another dies of hunger. ”

“ The Turks certainly laughed at our singing and praying, but they offered us no hindrance therein, and when the time of their own devotions came they observed it also. We poor prisoners, seeing that it could not be helped, comforted each other, and having no other hope, unless it should come to a peace, committed ourselves in all respects to God, and patiently endured darkness, hunger, stench, and filth in abundance; for there was no other place for us to go to for easement except a large gutter, to which we were all obliged to go without exception, and wash away the filth with water. ”

“ When they saw us chained in fetters, and, moreover, with our feet in the blocks, they had compassion on us, and spoke to the aga not to treat us so harshly. For, just as with us no sensible people insult the Jews, but the mob, when they meet one, give him a fillip, or a kick, or knock his hat off his head, so also no respectable Turks insult the Christians much, but only the worthless mob, who will not be subject to any order or law. ”