At The End
Of Fifty-Five Days, The Sultan Sent For Me Into His Presence; So I Was
Placed On
The back of a camel with my shackles, and at the end of eight
days journey I was brought to
The city of _Rhada_, where the sultan then
resided, and where he had assembled an army of 30,000 men to make war
upon the sultan of _Sanaa_, a fair and populous city about three days
journey from _Rhada_, situated partly on the slope of a hill and partly
in a plain. When I was brought before the sultan, he asked me what I
was: on which I answered that I was a Roman, and had professed myself a
Mahometan and Mameluke at Babylon in Egypt, or Cairo. That from motives
of religion, and in discharge of a vow, I had made the pilgrimage to
_Medinathalhabi_, to see the body of the _Nabi_ or holy prophet, which
was said to be buried there; and that having heard in all the countries
and cities through which I passed, of the greatness, wisdom, and virtue
of the sultan of Rhada, I had continued my travels to his dominions from
an anxious desire to see his face, and I now gave thanks to God and his
prophet that I had attained my wish, trusting that his wisdom and
justice would see that I was no Christian spy, but a true Mahometan, and
his devoted slave. The sultan then commanded me to say _Leila illala
Mahumet resullah_, which words I could never well pronounce, either that
it so pleased God, or because I durst not, from some fear or scruple of
conscience. Wherefore, seeing me silent, the sultan committed me again
to prison, commanding that I should be carefully watched by sixteen men
of the city, every day four in their turns. After this, for the space of
three months, I never enjoyed the sight of the heavens, being every day
allowed a loaf of millet bread, so very small that seven of them would
hardly have satisfied my hunger for one day, yet I would have thought
myself happy if I could have had my fill of water.
[Footnote 49: According to the monk Picade, Christians are found in all
regions except Arabia and Egypt, where they are most hated. - _Eden_.]
Three days after I was committed to prison, the sultan marched with his
army to besiege the city of _Sanaa_, having, as I said before, 30,000
footmen, besides 3000 horsemen, born of Christian parents, who were
black like the Ethiopians, and had been brought while young from the
kingdom of _Prester John_, called in Latin _Presbyter Johannes_, or
rather _Preciosus Johannes_. These Christian Ethiopians are also called
Abyssinians, and are brought up in the discipline of war like the
Mamelukes and Janisaries of the Turks, and are held in high estimation
by this sultan for the guard of his own person. They have high pay, and
are in number four-score thousand[50]. Their only dress is a _sindon_ or
cloak, out of which they put forth one arm. In war they use round
targets of buffaloe hide, strengthened with some light bars of iron,
having a wooden handle, and short broad-swords. At other times they use
vestures of linen of divers colours, also of _gossampine_ or _xylon_,
otherwise named _bomasine_[51]. In war every man carries a sling, whence
he casts stones, after having whirled them frequently round his head.
When they come to forty or fifty years of age, they wreath their hair
into the form of horns like those of goats. When the army proceeds to
the wars, it is followed by 5000 camels, all laden with ropes of
bombasine[52].
[Footnote 50: This is a ridiculous exaggeration, or blunder in
transcription, and may more readily be limited to four thousand. - E.]
[Footnote 51: These terms unquestionably refer to cotton cloth. Perhaps
we ought to read gossamopine _of_ Xylon, meaning cotton cloth from
Ceylon. - E.]
[Footnote 52: The use of this enormous quantity of cotton ropes is
unintelligible. Perhaps the author only meant to express that the packs
or bales on the camels were secured by such ropes. - E.]
Hard by the prison to which I was committed, there was a long court or
entry in the manner of a cloister, where sometimes I and other prisoners
were permitted to walk, and which was overlooked by a part of the
sultan's palace. It happened that one of the sultan's wives remained in
the palace, having twelve young maidens to wait upon her, who were all
very comely, though inclining to black. By their favour I was much
aided, after the following manner: There were two other men confined
alone with me in the same prison, and it was agreed among us that one of
us should counterfeit madness, by which we might derive some advantage.
Accordingly it fell to my lot to assume the appearance of madness, which
made greatly for my purpose, as they consider mad men to be holy, and
they therefore allowed me to go much more at large than before, until
such time as the hermits might determine whether I were _holy mad_, or
raging mad, as shall be shewn hereafter. But the first three days of my
assumed madness wearied me so much, that I was never so tired with
labour, or grieved with pain; for the boys and vile people used to run
after me, sometimes to the number of forty or fifty, calling me a mad
man, and throwing stones at me, which usage I sometimes repaid in their
own coin. To give the better colour to my madness, I always carried some
stones in the lap of my shirt, as I had no other clothing whatever. The
queen hearing of my madness, used oftentimes to look from her windows to
see me, more instigated by a secret love for my person than the pleasure
she derived from my mad pranks, as afterwards appeared.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 31 of 226
Words from 30643 to 31646
of 230997
