William Lithgow

“ Being disappointed going with the caravan to Babylon in the autumn, as has been already related, our traveller returned to Aleppo, where he staid till the spring, when he joined a caravan of Armenians and Turks, well guarded, bound to Jerusalem, hiring a mule from a Turk to carry his victuals. Their number was about 600 Armenians, Christian pilgrims, men and women, 600 Turks trafficing for their own business, 100 soldiers, three chiauxes, and six janizaries. ”

“ Near his lodgings, four officers and five galley soldiers ran to sieze him, when the English and French drawing their swords, desperately wounded two of the officers. Meantime a reinforcement coming from the gallies, Smith leaving the rest engaged, ran with Lithgow to the monastery. At length, the officers of the garrison relieved their own soldiers, and drove back the others to the gallies. Soon after, the general of the gallies came to the monastery, and examining our traveller concerning the fugitive, he made such a defence that nothing could be proved against him. ”

“ Accordingly Lithgow invited the keeper to the tavern, where, with deep draughts of Leatic, he intoxicated this Argus, and left him asleep. Then disburdening his friend of his irons, he clothed him in a female habit, and sent him out of the town, conducted by the Greek woman, and when past the guard and gate, our traveller followed him with his clothes, and interchanging, directed him ever the mountains to a Greek convent, where he might be entertained till the Maltese gallies or men of War should touch there, on their way to the Levant. ”

“ A compassionate female having privately made him signs that his death was concerted, he stole away from them in the night, and lay till morning in a cave by the sea-side, hungry and thirsty, and his heart fainting in him. ”

“ This our traveller happily accomplished, and embarked him for Venice. Lithgow staid in Canea near a month, before he could procure a passage for the Archipelago, and at last left the monastery (he says) with regret, as the four friars his hosts, gave him frequent and large draughts of malmsey, though often against his will. Every night too, they forced him to dance with them; but their music was drunkenness, and these beastly swine were every night so drunken, that they had not power to go to their beds, but where they fell, they lay till next morning. ”

“ This moved the Italian to compassion, and he earnestly intreated the others to save our traveller’s life. At length, they restored to him, his pilgrim’s clothes and letters, but kept his blue gown and byzantinos, and as a passport gave him a stamped piece of clay, to shew to any of their companions, if he met them, the band consisting cf twenty; travelling that day thirty-seven miles, he reached at night the miserable village of Pickehorno, where he could find neither meat, drink, lodging, nor any refreshment. ”

“ On the ninth day they arrived at Damascus, and were lodged three days in a great khan, at the grand Signior’s expence; a privilege allowed to all strangers who come with a caravan.
On Palm Sunday, in the morning, 1612, the caravan entered Jerusalem, and at the gate they were all searched for arms and ammunition. The Armenians were obliged to deliver up their weapons, and Lithgow's name was written in the clerk’s book, that his tribute for the gate, and for seeing the sepulchre, might, before his departure, be paid together. ”

“ From thence he went to Mecano, anciently Delos, the chief of the fifty-four Cyclades, where the custom still continues of never suffering men to die, or children to be born in it; but when the men are sick, and the women big bellied, they are sent to Rhena, two miles distant. ”

“ Credat Judaeus! They were shown also the ruins of King Priam’s palace, and where old Achilles dwelt. On a piece of a high wall at the N E. corner of Troy, our author found three pieces of rusted money; two of which he afterwards gave to the younger brothers of the duke of Florence, then studying at Pratolina; the third and fairest, with a large picture on one side, he bestowed, at Aix, in Provence, on his countryman Mr Strachan, then mathematician to the Duke of Guise, who had presented it to his Lord. ”

“ Thence sailing by the isles Briani, the ruins of Pola, the isles Sangego, Osero, &c on the 8th day they arrived at Zara, where our traveller got a passage into a Greek carmoesalo for Lesina, the largest island in the Adriatic. He afterwards sailed successively to Ragusa and the island of Corfu. Near the island of St Maure the vessel was attacked by a Turkish galley of Biserta, from which, after a long and doubtful fight, they escaped by favour of a storm, and took shelter in Cephalonia, (formerly Ithaca,) having seven of the crew killed, and eleven wounded ”