Being
A Man Of Great Property, He Fitted Out A Ship With This View, At His Own
Expence, In 1380, And Sailed Through The Straits Of Gibraltar To The
Northwards, Intending To Visit England And Flanders.
By a storm, which
lasted many days, his ship was cast away on the coast of Frislanda[1].
The vessel was entirely lost, but the crew got safe on shore, and part of
the cargo was saved. Zeno and his people were soon attacked by the natives,
attracted by the hopes of a rich plunder, against whom they were hardly
able, in their weary and weather-beaten state, to defend themselves; but,
fortunately for them, Zichmni, or Sinclair, the reigning prince or lord
of Porlanda[2], who happened to be then in Frislanda, and heard of
their shipwreck, came in all haste to their relief, of which they stood in
great need. After discoursing with them for some time in Latin, he took
them under his protection; and finding Nicolo Zeno very expert, both in
naval and military affairs, he gave him, after some time, the post of
admiral of his fleet, which Nicolo for some time refused, but at length
accepted.
Not long afterwards, Nicola wrote an account of these circumstances to his
brother Antonio, inviting him to come to Frislanda; who accordingly soon
arrived there, and lived four years along with Nicolo in that country; and
remained ten years in the service of Zichmni, or Sinclair, the prince of
that country, after the death of his brother Nicolo.
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