Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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Whereto
They Practise Themselues From Their Childhood, Seldome Going Afoot About
Anie Businesse.
Their speech is verie sudden and loude, speaking as it were
out of a deepe hollowe throate.
When they sing you would thinke a kowe
lowed, or some great bandogge howled. Their greatest exercise is shooting,
wherein they traine vp their children from their verie infancie, not
suffering them to eate till they haue shot neere the marke within a
certaine scantling. They are the very same that sometimes were called
Scythae Nomades, or the Scythian shepheards, by the Greekes and Latines.
Some thinke that the Turks took their beginning from the nation of the Crim
Tartars. [Sidenote: Laonicus Calcocondylas.] Of which opinion is Laonicus
Calcocondylas the Greek Historiographer, in his first booke of his Turkish
storie. Wherein hee followeth diuers verie probable coniectures. [Sidenote:
1.] The first taken from the verie name it selfe, for that the worde Turke
signifieth a Shepheard or one that followeth a vagrant and wilde kinde of
life. By which name these Scythian Tartars haue euer beene noted, being
called by the Greekes [Greek: skythai nomades] or the Scythian shepheards.
[Sidenote: 2.] His second reason because the Turkes (in his time) that
dwelt in Asia the lesse, to wit, in Lydia, Caria, Phrygia and Cappadocia,
spake the very same language that these Tartars did, that dwelt betwixt the
riuer Tanais or Don, and the countrey of Sarmatia, which (as is knowen) are
these Tartars called Crims. At this time also the whole nation of the
Turkes differ not much in their common speech from the Tartar language.
[Sidenote: 3.] Thirdly because the Turke and the Crim Tartar agree so well
together, as well in religion, as in matter of Traffique neuer inuading, or
iniurying one another: saue that the Turke (since Laonicus his time) hath
encroached vpon some Townes vpon the Euxin Sea, that before perteined to
the Crim Tartar. [Sidenote: 4.] Fourthly, because Ortogules sonne to
Oguzalpes, and father to Ottoman the first of name of the Turkish nation
made his first roads out of those pans of Asia, vpon the next borderers,
till hee came towardes the countreys about the hill Taurus where he
ouercame the Greekes that inhabited there: and so enlarged the name and
territorie of the Turkish nation, till hee came to Eubaea and Attica and
other partes of Greece. [Sidenote: 1400.] This is the opinion of Laonicus,
who liued among the Turkes in the time of Amurat the sixt Turkish Emperour,
about the yeere 1400. when the memorie of their originall was more fresh:
and therefore the likelier hee was to hit the trueth.
[Sidenote: The Nagay Tartar the cruellest, The Chircase the ciuillest
Tartar.] There are diuers other Tartars that border vpon Russia, as the
Nayages, the Cheremissens, the Mordwites, the Chircasses, and the Shalcans,
which all differ in name more then in regiment, or other condition, from
the Crim Tartar, except the Chircasses that border Southwest, towardes
Lituania, and are farre more ciuill than the rest of the Tartars, of a
comely person, and of a stately behauiour, as applying themselues to the
fashion of the Polonian. Some of them haue subiected themselues to the
Kings of Poland, and professe Christianitie. The Nagay lieth Eastwarde, and
is reckoned for the best man of warre among all the Tartars, but verie
sauage, and cruell aboue all the rest. [Sidenote: The Cheremissen Tartar of
two sorts: the Lugauoy and the Nagornay.] The Cheremessen Tartar, that
lieth betwixt the Russe and the Nagay, are of two sorts, the Lugauoy (that
is of the valley) and the Nagornay, or of the hilly countrey. These haue
much troubled the Emperours of Russia. And therefore they are content now
to buy peace of them, vnder pretence of giuing a yeerely pension of Russe
commodities to their Morseys, or Diuoymorseis, that are chiefe of their
tribes. For which also they are bound to serue them in their wars, vnder
certaine conditions. They are said to be iust and true in their dealings:
and for that cause they hate the Russe people, whom they account to be
double, and false in al their dealing. And therefore the common sort are
very vnwilling to keepe agreement with them, but that they are kept in by
their pensions sake.
[Sidenote: The Mordwit Tartar the most barbarous of the rest.] The most
rude and barbarous is counted the Mordwit Tartar, that hath many selfe-
fashions and strange kinds of behauiour, differing from the rest. For his
religion, though he acknowledge one God, yet his manor is to worship for
God, that liuing thing that he first meeteth in the morning; and to sweare
by, it all that whole day, whether it be horse, dog, cat, or whatsoeuer els
it bee. When his friend dieth, he killeth his best horse, and hauing flayed
off the skinne hee carieth it on high vpon a long pole before the corpes to
the place of buriall. This hee doeth (as the Russe saieth) that his friend
may haue a good horse to carie him to heauen: but it is likelier to declare
his loue towards his dead friend, in that he will haue to die with him the
best thing that he hath.
Next to the kingdome of Astracan, that is the farthest part Southeastward
of the Russe dominion, lyeth the Shulcan, and the countrey of Media:
whither the Russe marchants trade for rawe silkes, syndon, saphion,
skinnes, and other commodities. The chiefe Townes of Media where the Russe
tradeth, are Derbent (built by Alexander the great, as the inhabitants say)
and Zamachi where the staple is kept for rawe silkes. [Sidenote: The
reuiuing of silkwormes.] Their maner is in the Spring time to reuiue the
silke-wormes (that lie dead all the Winter) by laying them in the warme
sunne, and (to hasten their quickening that they may the sooner goe to
worke) to put them into bags, and so to hang them vnder their childrens
armes.
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