Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	find_v	great_a	king_n	3,579	5	3.5272	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30685	The four epistles of A.G. Busbequius concerning his embassy into Turkey being remarks upon the religion, customs, riches, strength and government of that people : as also a description of their chief cities, and places of trade and commerce : to which is added, his advice how to manage war against the Turks / done into English.; Legationis Turcicae epistolae quatuor. English	Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de, 1522-1592.; Tate, Nahum, 1652-1715.	1694 (1694)	Wing B6219; ESTC R14352	216,533	438

shunned to meet him in the Field The Bassa as being offended thus replyed How durst thou challenge thy Fellow Soldier to a Duel What was there never a Christian to fight with Do both of you eat your Emperours Bread and yet forsooth you must go about to take away one another's Lives What Precedent had you for this Don't you know that whoever of the twain had dyed the Emperour had lost a Subject Whereupon by their Command he was haled to Prison where he lay pining many Months● and was at last with Difficulty released yet with the loss of his Reputation 'T is quite otherwise with us Christians ours do many Times draw their Swords against one another before ever they come in sight of a publick Enemy the more 's the Pity and count it forsooth a brave and honourable Thing What shall a Man do in such a case when Vice Usurps the Seat of Vertue and that which is worthy of Punishment is counted Noble and Glorious But to return I know you are inquisitive and therefore give me leave to acquaint you with the Publick Entrance which the King of Cholcos made into this City His Kingdom is by the River Phasis in a Creek or Bay of the Euxine-Sea not far from Mount Caucasus his Name is Dadianus a Man of a tall Stature and promising Countenance but of a rough-hewen Disposition as some say He came with a great Train but very Thread-bare and sorrily garbed The Italians at this Day call the Colchians Mingrelians They are some of that People inhabiting between the Caspian Gates called by the Turks Demit capi i.e. IronGates and the Portic and Haircanian Seat They are at this Day called Georgians whether from that sort of Christian Religion which they profess or whether that be their ancient Name which seems most probable is not fully determined The Albanians and Iberians are reckoned a part of them The Cause of his coming is uncertain some say he was sent for by the Turk for when he makes Wars upon the Persian if the Colchians and the People of that Tract join with him they may give him notable Assistance But the vulgar and more credible Opinion was That he came to desire the Assistance of some Gallies against his Neighbour the Iberian who had slain his Father which if he could obtain then he would become Tributary to the Sultan For you must know that there is an old and inveterate Hatred between the Colchians and the Iberians Once there were some Overtures of Accommodatio● between them and a Conference was had thereupon between great Numbers of both Nations at this Meeting they began first to try who should be the greatest Drinkers in which Contest the Colchians were overcome and fell fast asleep The treacherous Iberians made use of this Opportunity and hurried away honest Dadianus as yet Snoring into a Chariot and shut him up Prisoner in an high Tower as if he had been lawful Prize taken in War To revenge this Injury and to recover their King the Colchians levied an Army of 30000 Men who were commanded by the VVife of the Captive King a Woman of great Spirit and not unskill'd in Horsemanship nor handling of Arms. The Commanders in this Army wore huge and intractable Coats of Male and were also armed with Swords and Spears pointed with Iron They had also amongst them a Party of Musketeers a strange Sight in that Country As for the common Soldiery they had no other Arms but Arrows or Stakes burnt at one end or great VVooden Clubs Thus they rode on Horseback without Saddle or other Furniture This rude and discomposed Multitude drew near to the Place where their King was in Custody but were soon terrified with the Discharge of a few Guns from the Castle and run back a full Mile but then taking Heart on they came again but were repulsed with the like Noise as before Dadianus perceiving help so near did cut his Bed-cloths into a kind of Ropes and so let himself down by Night through his VVindow and fled to his own People which Stratagem of their King and the successful Issue thereof is highly praised by that People even to this very day The Country of Colchis abounds with all sorts of Fruits growing almost naturally except Bread-Corn VVheat and Barly and these Grains would grow there also if due Tillage were used about them but the People are very idle they only sow Millet at random which yields such an Encrease that one Crop serves them for two Years their chief Subsistence is thereon neither desire they any other Corn. Their Vines grow at the foot of high Trees and mounting up to their Boughs yield them much VVine and pretty good These Vines last for many Years Their Bees●● like themselves live in their Woods and supply them with Wax and Hony all the Pains they take is to find them out The same Woods yield them plenty of Venison as for Phesants and Partridges they abound all over the Country A great proof of the Fertility of their Land are their Melons which besides their extraordinary sweetness do oft grow three Foot long As for Coin'd Silver they have little or none and of Gold less few of them know what it is So that they may seem a very happy People who are without so great a Temptation to Mischief And yet I think few of us do envy them this Happiness because none can grow rich among them yet they have that value for Silver that when they receive any in Traffick with Foreigners as some of them must needs do they transfer it all to the use of their Temples for making Crucifixes Chalices and such like Ornaments which sometimes their King on pretence of publick necessity doth seize upon and hurry all to his own use Their only way of Commerce among themselves is by Exchange of Wares if one have over-much of a Commodity he brings it into the Market and receives what he wants in-Exchange so that there is no need of Money their Commerce is by Bartering or Commodity They pay also their Tribute to their King in the Products of the Earth they supply him with all Necessaries largly both for Meat and Drink and Apparel for maintaining of his Houshold and for rewarding the Deserving And indeed he hath an unexhausted Revenue not only from Tythes and other Regalia but from those Gifts which are daily bestowed upon him and yet he is as liberal in bestowing them as he is ready to receive them His Palace is as a publick Granary stored with all manner of Provisions which are disposed to all that need out of his Royal Bounty especially if that Years Harvest hath disappointed the Husbandman The Custom is that if any Merchant come with his Ship thither he makes a Present to the King either small or great nothing is refused and the King bestows a Banquet on them a Shore The manner 's thus There is a large Building on both sides of which are the King's

Folks being thus provoked return Jeer for Jeer from Words they came to Blows the Italians assisting my Men the cause of the Scuffle was that one of the Ianizaries lost the Linen Covering off his Head which was thrown I know not whither Hereupon the Ianizaries hye to their General complaining of their Wrongs and loss received by my Servants for they watch'd them and found them return'd to my House Their General presently sent for my Interpreter who was present at the Conflict He was seiz'd upon sitting at my Door and they were pulling of him away I beheld it from a Gallery above and was much concern'd that any of my Family should be taken forcibly from me without my Consent to be carried to the Bastinado for I understood something of the Matter before for I could not imagine he would be return'd to me without being well beaten he being one of the Turk's Subjects Whereupon I ran down and laid hold on him commanding him to let him go they did so grumblingly but hasted presently with far more grievous Complaints to their General who commanded more of their Company to go and seize those Italians who of Christians are said to become Turks yet he charged them to offer no Violence to me at the House where I lodged They came back presently and with a great Noise and many Threats demanded those Italians but they foreseeing what would come to pass had sailed back to Constantinople Much Clamour there was on both sides at last my Chiaux which at that time was an old decrepid Man out of jeer thrust some Pistols into their Hands unknown to me to buy a new Bonnet in the room of that which was lost and thus the Dispute ended I have been the more punctual in relating this Story because on this occasion I understood from Rustan's own Mouth what Opinion the Sultan had of the Ianizaries For he hearing of this Scuffle sent a Messenger to me to desire me to cut off all occasion of Dispute with the Ianizaries as the worst of Men You know said he 't is a time of War wherein they may be said to reign rather than the Sultan who stands in fear of them himself This he spake as being well acquainted with the Sentiments of Solyman who always susp●cted some Men of their own to lye in wait against their Militia which would break forth when he had no Opportunities to prevent it And the truth is though there may be some use of a standing Guard and Mil●tia yet there are also many Inconveniences attending it of which this is the chief their Emperor is very fearful of them lest having the Sword in their Hands they should alter the Government as they pleas'd of which there had been many Presidents yet there are ways also wereby this may be prevented While I was in their Camp there came Albertus de Vbiis a worthy and learned Person as I think born at Amsterdam as an Envoy from my Master Caesar He brought with him some Presents for their Sultan as some Goblets gilt with Gold with a Clock neatly made and carried like a Tower on an Elephants Back as also some Mony to be distributed amongst the Bassa's Solyman would have me deliver these Presents in the Camp that the Amity betwixt Him and my Master might be more publickly known and so no Danger at all to be feared from the Christian Arms. But to return to Bajazet after the Fight at Iconium who retired to his Government of Amasia pretending to live quietly there if his Father would permit him so to do For why He had sown his wild Oats and for the future seem'd plyable to obey his Fathers Will and for this he employed sundry Persons to carry submissive Letters to his Father begging his Pardon Neither did Solyman pretend that he was averse from Reconciliation with his Son and therefore he admitted his Messengers into his Presence he read his Letters and answered them mildly So that the Report was spread over all the Army what an Agreement was like to be between Father and Son what he had done amiss was to be imputed to the hot Blood of his Youthful Age provided he would shew himself Obsequious the residue of his Life This Solyman did by the Advice of his Bassa's for the cunning old Man would not declare himself till he had brought Bajazet into the Nooz of his own Power He was terribly afraid lest out of Desperation he should march furiously into Persia his only Place of Refuge with so great Post-haste that all his Sanziacks should not be able to prevent them To prevent which Mistakes he sent many Letters to all the Governours upon the Borders to watch Bajazet and not to suffer him to escape if he attempted it In the mean time he put all those of Bajazet's Party that he could light upon to the Rack and when he had got out of them what he could he put them privately to death amongst which were some that Bajazet had sent to be his Companions to his Father The Kingdom of Persia at that time contained all the Countries between the Caspian Sea and the Seas of Persia with some part of Armenia the Greater though Solyman by taking of Babylon Mesopotamia and part of Media had abridged their Empire very much and other far Countries even to the Empire of the Homaium Patisach as the Turks call him and over that last part of Land Sagathmas was King The Father had been formerly over-thrown by Selymus in a great Fight in the Field of Chalderon and from that time the Persian Affairs began to decline for Solyman a fierce Enginier press'd upon the very Face and Thamas being much inferiour to his Father's Courage made but a weak Defence For he was wholly given to Sloth and Idleness and would sit in his Palace amongst a Croud of Harlots amorously pleasing his Humour and sometimes consulting Magicians concerning future Events He had little Care of Administring publick Justice to his People This Neglect of his opened the Door to all Injustice and Oppression in every part of his Empire For the Strong oppressed the Weaker and Innocence could find no Justice or Defence in his Court. Notwithstanding this malevolous Instruction yet the Persians have so sacred an Opinion of their Prince that they believe him happy that can but kiss the Door of his Palace and the Water wherein he washes his Hands they use in order to the Cure of several Diseases He hath many Children but the most promising is Ismael like his Grandfather both in Name and Nature a beautiful Prince and a Capital Enemy to the Race of the Ottomans 'T is reported that he was brought forth into the World with his Fist all bloody whence 't was vulgarly said That he would be a Warlike Person and when he was but young he confirmed that Report by obtaining a great Victory over the Turks But when his Father made Peace with Solyman 't was agreed betwixt them that Ismael should

Sea-Horses Prodigious Cockles a round yellow Fish like an Orange no ordinary Fish there but Thornback and a certain Fork-Fish with a terrible Prickle I remember we took one of them who making at us run her self through When tempestuous Weather hindered me to see the Sea then I delighted my self to find out strange and unusual Plants at Land I would sometimes go afoot all over the Island having a young Franciscan Monk in my Company a Jolly Fellow but very Fat and not used to travel on Foot I took him out of a Monastry of Pera to be my Partner in my Walks he was so corpulent and pursy that when I went on pace to catch my self an Heat he would follow me at a distance panting and blowing with these Words in his Mouth What need all this haste Whom do we run from or whom do we pursue What are we Carriers or Posts that must make speed to deliver some important Letters Thus he mutter'd till the very Sweat pierced through all his Cloaths In fine when we came back to our Lodging he threw himself upon his Bed wofully complaining and crying out he was undone What Injury have I done said he that you thus go about to destroy me And in this fretting Posture we had much ado to perswade him to eat a bit for his Dinner Now and then some Friends visited me from Constantinople and from Pera yea and some Germans also of Haly's own Family of whom when I asked whether the Plague was abated Mightily said they How many then die in a day Almost Five Hundred said they Good God quoth I call you that to abate when then doth it rage They replied when about a Thousand or Twelve Hundred die in a Day The Turks entertain this Opinion concerning the Pestilence that every Man's Destiny is writ by God in his Forehead so that 't is a foolish thing in them to think to decline or avoid it This Opinion makes them fearless of the Plague but not secure from it So that as soon as ever any Man dies of the Pestilence they will take off his Cloaths yet sweaty and Linnen and rub their Faces with them If it be the Will of God say they that I shall dye this way it will most certainly come to pass if not it will not hurt me Thus a large Field is open for Infection so that whole Families are sometimes swept away by that Disease Whilst I abode in these Islands I got acquaintance with one Metrophanes a Metropolitan who presided over a Monastry in Chalcis one of those Islands he was a Learned and a Vertuous Man very desirous of agreement between the Latine and the Greek Churches so that he differed from the Humour of the rest of the Grecians who esteem the Latins as Men of an impure and profane Sect so much doth every Man abound in his own Sense When I had lived about two Months in those Islands some of the Bassa's began to suspect my long Absence and told Haly that perhaps I might make my escape for I had Ships ready at my command and other Conveniencies might easily be procured and therefore it was more advisable I should return into the City He answered them He had that Confidence in my Word that he believed I designed no such thing Nevertheless he sent a Chiaux to me to advertise me thereof The Chiaux very cunningly pried about to see if he could discover the least Preparation for an Escape but finding none after I had presented him he returned to his Master with his Message from me That he might rest secure for I never intended to break my Word Thus I continued three Months in my Retirement and returned of my own accord into the City without any Compulsion Form that time forward I had a great Familiarity with Haly and our Discourse was still of Peace He is a Dalmatian by Birth and the only Courteous Man I found in that Barbarous Country His Nature Mild and Gentle his Person of easie Access he is of a deep Understanding capable of managing the greatest Affairs having much Skill in Military as well as Political Matters for he is an old Man and hath passed through the greatest Offices of that Common-wealth His Stature is Tall and his Countenance filled with a lovely Gravity He hath a mighty Love for his Master and consults by all means imaginable his Repose in his Old and Sickly Age. What Rustan thought to do by Austerity Severeness and Minatory Expressions that Haly endeavours to compass by Mildness Moderation and Friendship Rustan was always Severe Fierce Self-will'd his Word must pass for a Law 'T is true he knew well enough his own Circumstances and what the Times did exact of him and what the Old Age of his Prince required but he was afraid that if he carried himself complyingly either in Word or Deed the Vogue would be he did it out of Covetousness of which he was vulgarly suspected And therefore though he was desirous of a Peace yet he would abate nothing of his wonted Stiffness but if Propositions were offered to him not pleasing to his Fancy he would almost thrust a Man out of Doors so that I scarce ever parted from him but in an angry Mood One time when I was treating with him of Peace if I had nothing else to say he bid me ●e gone I presently rose up and went my way only telling him That I could propose no other Conditions than what my Master allowed me to do Which words I pronouncing with more Fervour and Passion than I was wont to do he called back my Interpreter and asked him Whether I were Angry He answered No. What said he if I should obtain what he desires of the Sultan dost thou think he will perform his Word to me in presenting me with the Sum he promised me No question said the Drugger-man but he will be as good as his Word to a Tittle Then says Rustan go home and ask him I had then 5000 Ducats which make 6000 Crowns lying by me for any sudden Emergency I loaded my Interpreter with them and bid him carry that to Rustan and tell him That this Sum was but the Earnest of what I had promised him but the rest would follow if my Negotiation were brought to an Happy Issue for by no means would I be worse than my Word He seem'd to be pleased with the sight of the Mony but returned it again to me bidding my Drugger-man to tell me That he no ways doubted of my Faithfulness but the Matter of the Peace stood yet on Ambiguous Terms neither could he certainly promise a good Issue for he did not fully know his Master's Mind But let the Embassador said he keep it for me as my Treasurer till he sees the Event Thus was the Mony brought me back again and Rustan died a while after Here give me leave to acquaint you with the Bounty of my Master the best of Emperors for that Mony lying dead by