there. So, after we had staid there a month, there was a caravan of Persian merchants taking their

him about the time a caravan was to depart from Persia, and, proceeds Sir Anthony, "When I came there, he brought me to a Vittorin, of whom he had already hired horses, camels, and mules for me; and I found a tent pitched by his servants: and then opening his gown, he delivered me a bag of chickeens, with these very words: The God of Heaven bless you, and your whole company, and your enterprize, which I will no farther desire to know, than in my hope, which persuadeth me, that it is good; myself am going to China, whence, if I return, I shall little need the repayment of this courtesy, which I have done you with a most free heart; if I die by the way, I shall less need it: but if it please God so to direct both our safeties with good providence, that we may meet again, I assure myself, that you will remember me to be your friend; which is enough, for all that I can say to a man of your sort.' And almost, without giving me leisure to yield him condign thanks (if any thanks could be condign,) for so great and so noble a benefit, he departed from me; and as I heard afterwards from him by letters from Ormus, he received much trouble after my departure, through his honorable desire to perfect the kindness which he had begun. For imagining, that by the continual spies which clave to my house, that my flight could not be secret, he had no sooner left me in the caravan, but that he changed his lodging to mine, saying, that I had done the like to his; and went to the Cady, telling him, that I was sick; desiring his physician to visit me, knowing well enough that the Cady had none, but only to give colour to my not appearing in the town: the Cady answered, he was sorry for my sickness, and would send to the Bassa for his physician, which Signior Victorio Spiciera (for so this honorable Florentine was called) would by no means; hoping, as he said, that my sickness would not be so great as would require the trouble of his high

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journey towards Persia, who were very glad of our company. For you must understand that the merchants do travel in those parts exceeding strong, to the number of two thousand, sometimes more; because there are many thieves who lie in the way very strong; and the company of merchants is called by the name of a caravan.

But, concerning our usage in Babylon, among the citizens, it was far better than in other places; for there we did pass very quietly up and down, without any disturbance; but were very kindly used of all men, the viceroy excepted: so in the end we did take our leave of Babylon, and being departed not above five or six miles, this Armenian,

ness." By this means, five days passed before Sir Anthony was missed; the Janisaries, who were out after him, thinking that the caravan had passed, returned; and the noble minded Florentine was forced to pay five hundred crowns, to make his peace with the Bassa.

"The precise sum," says Sherley, "which I received of the Florentine, I set not down, to prevent the scandals of divers, who, measuring every man's mind by the straightness of theirs, will believe no act which doth not symbolize with themselves; but so much it was, that being thirty days upon the way to the confines, then fifteen from the confines to Casbin, where we attended one month the king's arrival, it was not only sufficient to give us abundant means for that time, but to clothe us all in rich apparel, fit to present ourselves before the presence of any prince, and to spend extraordinarily in gifts."

that shewed Sir Anthony such kindness, sent him a very gallant Arabian horse, with a velvet saddle. I cannot express that great love which he shewed unto us; but mark the event; for when we had travelled some days' journey or more from Babylon, there came a post from the Great Turk to the Bashaw, which was that he should send us with all speed to Constantinople. When he had this intelligence, he commanded presently two hundred horse to be sent after us this Armenian hearing of it, came to the captain that had the commanding of these horse, and gave him a hundred ducats to lead his troop of horse another way, and see to miss us, which he did—yet one night, as we had intelligence, he quartered within less than three miles of us; but the next morning he returned, and for his welcome to Babylon, lost his head; but the Armenian did escape that danger, and lives still in the Bashaw's favour, and was highly commended of him, that he did stand so firmly to them of his own faith. So we held on our journey, and came in a few days to a place called by the Turks Samara; but as we were told by the Jews, that still accompanied us, it was Samaria: it is an ancient place, but much ruinated, the walls stand firm to this hour, and in the middle of the old city, the Turks and Arabians have built a little town, walled about with a mud wall, of an infinite height, that

a man cannot see so much as a steeple in the town. There standeth also, by the old city, a tower about the height of Paul's steeple, made in the form of the tower of Babylon; the going up is so broad, as three carts may easily go, one by another. Mr. Robert Sherley and myself did go to the top of it; but before we could get thither, with the extreme heat of the sun, we were almost spent; but when we were at the top, it was far colder than it was below; there are also, about the city-gates, stags as big as oxen. There lieth buried one of their saints, to which they go on pilgrimage every year, both Persians and Turks. From thence we passed along the desert, some five or six days, until we came to a wilderness, so called, which was very thick of wood: it had a small river running through it:-there we pitched our tents, in regard of the water, for we had not any water to drink two days before: and about two miles from us were quartered some ten thousand Turks, which were marching the country, from those quarters to Hungary, as we were told. Their general, hearing of our being there, came to

us; then were we greatly in

doubt of our lives; but he, bearing the mind of a soldier, let us pass quietly, without any hurt. From thence, after we had rested ourselves one day and a night, we held on our journey, and came by a castle of the Turks, called Tartange. There being always in

that castle two hundred soldiers, very well fortified with ordnance, we had no determination to stay there; but when they saw us pass by, they commanded us with two pieces of ordnance; so to avoid other danger, we stayed, and pitched our tents under the castle. The governor was very inquisitive what we were; commanding us to deliver unto him our pieces, with our shot and powder; but we told him we were merchants, travelling to Ormus; but he would hardly believe us, but commanded his soldiers to seize upon us; but they were not very forward, seeing us to stand upon our guard with our pieces charged, more willing to die, than to yield ourselves subject to such uncivil pagans; so after some words' parley, they were contented to take a small bribe of us, giving us leave to stay there all night, letting us have such commodities as they had for our money; the next morning, very early, we departed; and, in a few days after, we came to Curdia, a very thievish and brutish country. They have no houses, but live in tents and caves: they till their corn twice a year, and remove from place to place with their tents; they ride commonly upon cows and bulls, and keep their abiding, for the most part, by a little river called Hadno; their apparel is very coarse, for they wear only a shirt, and over that a rough felt coat, and on their heads a clout tied they would come into our company some