Before Us Was Laid A
Greasy Skin, On Which They Served Us With Bread, Radishes, Some Flesh, And
Other Execrable Articles With Which I Was Not Acquainted.
They continually
offered me wine in large goblets, to fill me drunk, according to their
abominable customs, as they
Are as foolish and beastly as the Mingrelians.
Finding that I would not join them in deep drinking, they held me in great
contempt, insomuch that I found it extremely difficult to get leave to
retire and to continue my journey. But at length they brought me a guide
to conduct me to the king of Georgia.
I left Cotachis on the 12th of July; and, after travelling the whole day
through woods and mountains, we rested for the night in a meadow at the
foot of a mountain, near a castle named _Scandes_[4], in which king
_Pangrates_[5] resides. My guide here left me on purpose to inform the
king of my arrival; promising to return immediately with another guide to
serve me during the rest of the journey. We had accordingly to pass the
whole night in the wood, starving of hunger, and full of anxiety. The
guide came back early in the morning, accompanied by two of the kings
secretaries, who informed me that the king was gone to Cotachis, and had
ordered them to make an inventory of all our baggage, and of every thing
we had about us; after which we should be provided with a passport, to
travel free from payment of any duties through the whole country. They
proceeded accordingly in their examination and inventory with the most
rigorous exactness, even noting down the very shirts we then wore. After
this they ordered me to mount my horse, and to go along with them to the
king, leaving all my people behind. I used my best endeavours to be
excused from this; but, instead of listening to me, they loaded me with
insolence; and the only favour I could obtain, and that with the utmost
difficulty, was permission to take my interpreter along with me. We
accordingly resumed our journey, without meat or drink, and arrived much
fatigued at Cotachis towards night; where my interpreter and me were left
all night to our repose under a tree, where, indeed, they sent us some
bread and fish.
The remainder of my people were taken to a miserable village, where they
were left in charge of the priest; and our mutual anxiety may be easily
guessed.
Next morning I was carried before the king, whom I found sitting on the
ground in a hut, surrounded by several of his nobles. After paying my
respects, he asked me a great number of questions, and among the rest, how
many kings there were in the world? It came into my fancy to answer that
there were twelve. On which he signified that I was right, and that he was
one of the number; and that he was much surprised that I should come into
his dominions without bringing him a letter from my sovereign. To this I
answered, that when I left my own country, I did not expect to travel
through his dominions, otherwise my sovereign would assuredly have given
me letters in charge for his majesty; and with this answer he seemed
satisfied. He asked many other extraordinary questions, from which I
conjectured that my guide had maliciously represented me as carrying many
valuable things; and it is probable, if this had been the case, that I had
never been allowed to escape out of their hands. The royal secretaries
endeavoured to persuade me that I ought to make the king a present of any
article that might strike his fancy among my small baggage; but I got off
without making any present, except compliments, and requesting him to
appoint some one to conduct me through his dominions. This he was pleased
to promise, as likewise to give me a free passport, without paying any
duties, as I carried no merchandize. Accordingly, I took my leave of the
king on the 14th of July, returning to the tree I formerly mentioned as my
lodging, where the secretary brought me the promised passport and a guide.
I then returned to my people at the village where they were kept in my
absence, and was received with much joy, as the priest had represented the
king as the cruellest tyrant in the world. My people could not contain
themselves for excess of joy at my safe return, and even the miserable
priest was so touched at the scene, that he provided us with something to
eat, and we slept there that night as well as we could.
Next day, being the 15th of July, we provided ourselves with some bread
and wine, to comfort ourselves on the way, and resumed our journey through
thick forests and terrible mountains, which continued for two days. In the
evening of the 16th, we stopt near a spring, where we remained during the
night in the open air, being obliged to light a fire on account of the
coldness of the weather, though in the middle of summer. On the 17th of
the same month we arrived at _Goride_[6], which belongs to the king of
Georgia. This city is built on a plain, watered by a large river, and is
defended by a citadel which is built upon a rock. Our guide notified our
arrival to the commandant, who ordered us a house for our lodgings,
apparently for the purpose of extorting a present; for shortly afterwards
he informed me that he had letters from the king, by which he was ordered
to receive twenty-six ducats from me for himself, and that I should pay
six to my guide. I endeavoured to evade this demand, by saying that the
king had received me favourably, to whom I had already given seventy
ducats, and could not give any thing more, and urged my free passport.
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