Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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Promising All Things That The
Inhabitants Will Require:
But being once possessed of the place, they vse
all maner of hostilitie, and crueltie.
This they doe vpon a rule they haue,
viz, that iustice is to bee practised but towards their owne. They
encounter not lightly, but they haue some ambush, whereunto (hauing once
shewed themselues, and made some short conflict) they retire as repulsed
for feare, and so draw the enemie into it if they can. But the Russe beeing
well acquainted with their practise is more warie of them. When they come a
rouing with some small number, they set on horsebacke counterfaite shapes
of men, that their number may seeme greater.
When they make any onset, their maner is to make a great shoute, crying out
altogether Olla Billa, Olla Billa, God helpe vs, God help vs. They contemne
death so much, as that they chuse rather to die, then to yeeld to their
enemie, and are seene when they are slain to bite the very weapon, when
they are past striking or helping of themselues. Wherein appeareth how
different the Tartar is in his desperate courage from the Russe and Turke.
For the Russe souldier, if he begin once to retire, putteth all his safetie
in his speedy flight. And if once he be taken by his enemy, he neither
defendeth himselfe, nor intreateth for his life, as reckoning straight to
die. The Turk commonly, when he is past hope of escaping, falleth to
intreatie, and casteth away his weapon, offereth both his hands, and
holdeth them, as it were to be tied: hoping to saue his life by offering
himselfe bondslaue.
The chiefe bootie the Tartars seeke for in all their warres is to get store
of captiues; specially young boyes, and girles, whome they sell to the
Turkes, or other their neighbours. To this purpose they take with them
great baskets make like bakers panniers, to carry them tenderly, and if any
of them happen to tire, or to be sicke by the way, they dash him against
the ground, or some tree, and so leaue him dead. The Souldiers are not
troubled with keeping the captiues and the other bootie, for hindering the
execution of their warres, but they haue certaine bandes that intend
nothing else, appoynted of purpose to receiue and keepe the captiues and
the other praye.
[Sidenote: The Tartar religion.] The Russe borderers (being vsed to their
inuasions lightly euery yeere in the Sommer) keepe fewe other cattell on
the border partes, saue swine onely which the Tartar will not touch, nor
driue away with him: for that he is of the Turkish religion, and will eate
no swines flesh. Of Christ our Sauiour they confesse as much as doeth the
Turke in his Alkaron, viz. that he came of the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin
Marie, that he was a great Prophet, and shall be the Iudge of the worlde at
the last day. In other matter likewise, they are much ordered after the
manner and direction of the Turke:
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