Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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[Sidenote: The Tartar Nobilitie.] Vnder The Emperour They Haue Certaine
Dukes, Whome They Call Morseis Or Diuoymorseis, That Rule Ouer A Certaine
Number Of 10000, 20000, Or 40000, A Piece, Which They Call Hoords.
When the
Emperour hath any vse of them to serue in his warres, they are bound to
come, and
To bring with them in their Souldiers to a certain number, euery
man with his two horse at the least, the one to ride on, the other to kill,
when it commmeth to his turne to haue his horse eaten. [Sidenote: The
tartar diet.] For their chiefe vitaile is horse flesh, which they eate
without bread, or any other thing with it. So that if a Tartar be taken by
a Russe, he shall he sure lightly to finde a horse-legge, or some other
part of him at his saddle bowe.
[Sidenote: 1588.] This last yeere when I was at the Mosco, came in one
Kiriach Morsey, nephew to the Emperour of the Crims that nowe is (whose
father was Emperour before) accompanied with 300. Tartars, and his two
wiues, whereof one was his brothers widow. Where being intertained in very
good sort after the Russe maner, hee had sent vnto his lodging for his
welcome, to bee made ready for his supper and his companies, two very large
and fat horses, ready flayed in a shed. They prefer it before other flesh,
because the meate is stronger (as they say) then Beefe, Mutton, and such
like. And yet (which is marueile) though they serue all as horsemen in the
warres, and eate all of horse flesh, there are brought yeerely to the Mosco
to bee exchanged for other commodities 30. or 40. thousand Tartar horse,
which they call Cones. They keepe also great heards of kine, and flocks of
blacke sheepe, rather for the skins and milke (which they carie with them
in great bottels) then for the vse of the flesh, though sometimes they eate
of it. Some vse they haue of ryse, figs, and other fruits. They drinke
milke or warme blood, and for the most part card them both together. They
vse sometime as they trauel by the way to let their horse blood in a vaine,
and to drinke it warme, as it commeth from his bodie.
[Sidenote: The Tartars dwelling.] Townes they plant none, nor other
standing buildings, but haue walking houses, which the latines call Veij,
built vpon wheeles like a shepheards cottage. These they drawe with them
whithersoeuer they goe, driuing their cattell with them. And when they come
to their stage, or standing place, they plant their carte houses verie
orderly in a ranke: and so make the forme of streetes, and of a large
towne. And this is the manner of the Emperor himselfe, who hath no other
seat of Empire but an Agora, or towne of wood, that moueth with him
whithersoeuer he goeth. As for the fixed and standing buildings vsed in
other countreyes, they say they are vnwholesome and unpleasant.
They begin to mooue their houses and cattell in the Spring time from the
South part of their countrey towards the North partes. And so driuing on
till they haue grased all vp to the first farthest part Northward, they
returne backe againe towards their South countrey (where they continue all
the Winter) by 10. or 12. miles a stage: in the meane while the grasse
being sprung vp againe, to serue for their cattell as they returne. From
the border of the Shelcan towards the Caspian sea, to the Russe frontiers,
they haue a goodly Countrey, specially on the South and Southeast parts,
but lost for lack of tillage.
Of money they haue no vse at all, and therefore prefer brasse and steele
before other metals, specially bullate, which they vse for swordes, kniues,
and other necessaries. As for golde and siluer they neglect it of very
purpose, (as they doe all tillage of their ground) to bee more free for
their wandering kinde of life, and to keepe their Countrey lesse subiect to
inuasions. Which giueth them great aduantage against all their neighbors,
euer inuading and neuer being inuaded. Such as haue taken vpon them to
inuade their Countrey (as of olde time Cyrus and Darius Hystaspis, on the
East and Southeast side) haue done it with very ill successe: as wee finde
in the stories written of those times. For their manner is when any will
inuade them, to allure and drawe them on by flying and reculing (as if they
were afraide) till they haue drawen them some good way within their
countrey. Then when they begin to want victuall and other necessaries (as
needes they must where nothing is to be had) to stoppe vp the passages, and
inclose them with multitudes. By which stratagem (as we reade in Laonicus
Chalcacondylas in his Turkish storie) they had welnigh surprised the great
and huge armie of Tamerlan, but that hee retired with all speede hee could
towardes the riuer Tanais or Don, not without great losse of his men, and
cariages.
[Sidenote: Pachymerius.] In the storie of Pachymerius the Greek (which he
wrote of the the elder) I remember he telleth to the same purpose of one
Nogas a Tartarian captaine vnder Cazan the Emperor of the East Tartars (of
whom the citie and kingdome of Cazan may seeme to Emperors of
Constantinople from the beginning of the reigne of Michael Palaeologus to
the time of Andronicus haue taken the denomination) who refused a present
of Pearle and other iewels sent vnto him from Michael Palaeologus: asking
withall, for what vse they serued, and whether they were good to keepe away
sicknesse, death, or other misfortunes of this life, or no. So that it
seemeth they haue euer, or long time bene of that minde to value things no
further, then by the vse and necessitie for which they serue.
For person and complexion they haue broade and flatte visages, of a tanned
colour into yellowe and blacke, fierce and cruell lookes, thinne haired
vpon the upper lippe, and pitte of the chinne, light and nimble bodied,
with short legges, as if they were made naturally for horsemen:
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