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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	call_v	great_a	time_n	9,883	5	3.3059	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14850	The rare and most vvonderfull things vvhich Edvv. VVebbe an Englishman borne, hath seene and passed in his troublesome trauailes in the cities of Ierusalem, Damasko, Bethlehem and Galely and in the landes of Iewrie, Egypt, Gracia, Russia, and Prester Iohn, vvherein is set forth his extreame slauery sustained many yeeres together in the gallies and warres of the great Turke, against the lands of Persia, Tartaria, Spaine, and Portugale.; Rare and most wonderfull things which Edward Webbe hath seene and passed.	Webbe, Edward, b. 1553 or 4.	1590 (1590)	STC 25152; ESTC S101834	15,304	30

commeth for the countrey is wonderfull cold and subiect to frosts there is a great hole made in the Ise ouer some great riuer and then the partie principall is first put in and after him his wife his children and all other his kinsfolkes and so leaue none of his posteritie to possesse his landes or goods but the same are bestowed vpon others at the Emperors pleasure There I stayed thrée yeares attendant on my Maister in which time the crym Tartarians otherwise named the new Christians made warre vpon the sayd citie of Musko which soone after was betrayed and spéedely burned the people in great aboundance massacred and the Tartarian souldiers had wonderfull rich spoyles in the same there was I at that time with seuen other Englishmen taken prisoners and for slaues were altogether conuayed to Caffa where the king of the Tartarians abideth and kéepeth a stately Court being conueyed thether we were set to wipe the féete of the kinges horses and to become ordinary slaues in the sayd Court to fetch water cleaue wood and to doe such other drudgerie There were we beaten thrée times a wéeke with a Bulls pissell or a horse tayle And in this sort and miserable seruitude wee stayed there fiue yeares then were we raunsomed from thence by our friends where we payde euery man thrée hundred crownes which is seuen shillings sixe pence a péece of currant English money Among that people called the Tartarians I noted specially this one thing that their children being new borne do neuer open their eyes vntill they be nine dayes and nine nights old Thus beeing ransomed as is aforesayd I returned home into England where hauing staied some small time I went againe into Russia in the Hart of maister Kings at Ratcliffe with thirtie sayle of ships more in our company at which ●a●e her Maiesties shippe cassed the Willoughby was our Admirall and the Harry appertayning to the company of the Marchantes was our vize-Admirall Master William Burrow then being our Captaine and master In which our voyage we met with fiue Rouers or men of warre whom we set vpon burnt their Admirall and brought those shippes into Narre and there the men were massacred in this manner by the Russians first great stakes stroken into the ground and they spitted vpon powles as a man would put a pigge vpon the spitte and so seuen score were handled in that manner in a very tyrannous sort We vnladed our burthen at Narre and tooke in other lading for our commodities but the ship wherein I was which was called the Hart hauing sayled but twelue miles from thence stroke vpon a rocke whereby the shippe and goods were lost the residew of the fléete had no harme and all the men in our ship saued their liues by taking them into the boate of the sayde shippe By meanes of which shippe so cast away I lost all that I had and then came againe into England and gathered a new stocke and in the Henrie of London I went to Leuanta alias Legorne This shippe called the Henrie had béene solde before to Doctor Hector and other Italian Marchants which was vnknowen vnto vs so that at our cōming to Legorne the ship was seased on by the factors of those that were the owners thereof and by them laden with marchandice to Alexandria in which shipp my selfe was master gunner Thus as I said before I remained sixe yeares in this miserable estate wonderfully beaten misused euery day there haue I séene of my fellowes when they haue béene so weake as they could not rowe by reason of sickenes and faintnes where the Turkes would laie vpon them as vpon Horses and beate them in such sort as oft times they died and then threw them into the Sea Thus séeing my selfe still to continue in this miserable state I was constrained for want of victuals to discouer my selfe and to shew them that I had good skill in Gunners Art which I thought would haue béen greatly well estéemed at the Turkes handes but then for the same I was more narrowly looked vnto yet somewhat better estéemed of then I was before Not long after the Turke made warres against the Persians and gathered 700. thousand men togither and these were conducted by his chiefe Bassaes into Persia. At which time for that had skill in Artillery I was chosen forth of the Gallies to goe with the Armye into Persia and there to doo the Turke seruice in the field with whom I traueiled on foote but in our going thither there died of our Armye by meanes of great sicknes disdiet and want of victuals about the number of 300. thousand so that when we came into Percia we were 400. thousand strong in the field there wée rested vs one moneth by which time wée hauing hartened our selues gaue a fierce assault vpon the Persians where the Turkes side got the worst and lost 60. thousand men Then the Generall ouer the Turkes Army whose name was Sannon Basha sent vs so many souldiers more as made vs 500. thousand strong there wée staied a long time making warres against the Persians and the great Citie of Damasko where the Turke litle preuailed for if the Turke were as polliticke as he is strong of power the Persians were not able to resist him Thus leauing the Turkes Army in Persia we came through Damasko to our Citie called the great Caier which Citie is thréescore miles in compasse and is the greatest Citie in the worlde it standeth vpon the Riuer of Nilo and in the saide Citie there are twelue thousād churches which they terme Muskots This Citie at all times kéepeth fortie thousand men continually in Souldiers pay and are readie at one houres warning to serue vnder the great Turke there we staied to sée the cutting or parting of the Riuer of Nilo which is done once euery yeare vpon the 25. day of August This Citie standeth in the land of Egypt and is vnder the gouernment of the great Turke And there is a king ouer the said Citie who is called the king of the great Caer and is the Uize Roy or Liefetenant to the great Turke and he is then present at the cutting of this riuer of Nilo at which time there is great triumph and euery Towne and Countrie round about to the valew of a thousand mile send gifts and presents to the King of the great Caer in consideration of the water which commeth to them from that Riuer of Nilo by meanes of the cutting of it which is but once euery yéere It is therefore to be knowne that in the land of Egypt it raineth not at all and all the grounde throughout the land of Egypt is continually watred by the water which vpon the 25. day of August is turned into the countries round about by meanes of the wonderfull growing and swelling of the water vpright without any staie at all on one side thereof to the height of a huge mountaine which beginneth to encrease the 15. day of August

and by the 25. of August is at the highest on which day it is cut by diuiding of two pillers in a straunge sort néer to the citie of the great Caer and so turned of as from a great mountaine into the lande of Egypt by meanes whereof the Turke holdes all the lande of Egypt in subiection to himselfe and might if hée woulde dismisse them cleane from hauing anie water at all From thence I went with the Turkes power and vnder his conduction to the land of Iewry and from thence to the citie of Ierusalem where part of the olde Temple is yet standing and many Monuments of great antiquitie as herein after shall be shewed In the land of Siria there is a Riuer that no Iew can get or catch any fish in it at all and yet in the same Riuer there is great store of fish like vnto Samon Troutes But let a Christian or a Turke come thither and fish for them either of them shall catch them in great abundance if they doo but put their hand into the water with a litle bread and an hundreth will be about his hand Thus hauing séene a number of rare and most wonderfull things we went to the citie of Agowa which is the head and chiefe Citie in all the East Indies there we gaue battell against the Christians that kéep the said citie which are Portingalles for that the Towne apperteineth to the King of Portingal There we gaue battel lost thrée score thousand of the great Turkes men and yet could not obtaine it neuertheles the great Turkes Lieftenant or Generall with his power tooke a place called Armous where they had great store of treasure and Sowes of siluer Thus béeing chiefe maister Gunner in these Turkish warres I was sent for againe by commandement of the Turke to Damasko where I staied all that winter with twentie thousand men And from thence made prouision to make warres against the land of prester Iohn who is by profession a Christian. In this land of prester Iohn when it doth raine it continueth at the least one whole moneth And in the gran Caer there is a plague once in euerie seuenth yéere which commeth with such a fiercenes that the most part of all the people there doo die of the saide plague and people in great numbers lose their eye sight with the vapours and great heat which commeth from the ground I remember one battaile which the Admirall of the great Turke named Ally Basha made with thrée score Gallies and seazed vpon a Town where the said Ally Basha was borne himselfe named Trybusas which is in the Confines of Calabria and vnder the gouernement of the King of Spaine at which Towne he landed his Army an houre before day thinking to haue taken it by treason and thereupon in great fury scaled the wals with Lathers but the watch bewrayed vs and on a sodaine cried Arme arme which was soone done for euery man tooke him to his tooles and weapons of defence But it is worthy of memory to sée how the women of that Towne did ply themselues with their weapons making a great Massacre vpon our men and murthered 500. of them in such spéedie and furious sort as is wonderfull wée néeded not to haue feared their men at all had not the women bin our greatest ouerthrow at which time I my self was maister Gunner of the Admirals Gally yet chained gréeuously and beaten naked with a Turkish swoord flatling for not shooting where they would haue me and where I could not shoote It is but a few yéeres since that in the citie of Constantinople there happened a great plague where there dyed in sixe moneths space seuen hundreth thousand persons at which time Maister Harbarne Ambassadour for the Turkey company was there and lost sundry of his seruants From Damasko we went into the land of prester Iohn who is a Christian and is called Christien de Sentour that is the Christian of the Gerdell against this Prester Iohn I went with the Turkes power and was then their maister Gunner in the field the number of Turkish Souldiers sent thither was fiue hundreth thousand men who went thither by land and pitched themselues in battaile ray at Saran néere to the place where the sonne of Prester Iohn kéepeth his Court. There Prester Iohn with his power slew of the Turkes to the number of sixtie thousand onely by pollicy of drawe Bridges to let foorth water made as secrete Slewses for that purpose in which water so many Turkes perished The next day following the Turkes power did incompasse Prester Iohns sonne and tooke him prisoner and sent him for a Present to the great Turkes court then being at Constantinople but soone after Prester Iohn him selfe made an agréement betwéene the great Turke and his sonne that the one should not demaund tribute of the other and so his sonne was released and sent home againe It is to be vnderstood that the great Turke paide tribute vnto Prester Iohn before the time of these warres and the Turke did demaund a tribute of Prester Iohns sonne which had béene paide vnto him many yeares before whereupon Prester Iohn when his sonne was taken prisoner gaue consent to forgiue the one tribute for the other and thereby they were set at libertie the one from the other This Prester Iohn of whom I spake before is a king of great power and kéepeth a very bountifull Court after the fashion of that countrie and hath euery day to serue him at his table 60. kinges wearing leaden crownes on their heades and these serue in the meate vnto Prester Iohns table and continually the first dish of meate set vpon his table is a dead mans skull cleane picked and laide in blacke earth putting him in minde that he is but earth and must dye These 60. kings are all his Uize Royes in seuerall places and they haue their deputies to supply their roomes and these kinges liue continually in Prester Iohns Court and goe no further then they may be still attendant vpon him without leaue from their Emperour Prester Iohn In the court of Prester Iohn there is a wilde man and another in the high stréete at Constantinople whose allowance is euery day a quarter of raw mutton and when any man dyeth for some notorious offence then are they allowed euery day a quarter of mans flesh These wilde men are chained fast to a post euery day the one in Prester Iohns court and the other in the high stréet of Constantinople each of them hauing a Mantell cast about their shoulders and all ouer their bodies they haue wonderfull long haire they are chained fast by the necke and will spéedely deuour any man that commeth in their reach There is a beast in the court of Prester Iohn called Arians hauing foure heades they are in shape like a wilde Cat and are of the heigth of a Mastie Curre In his court also there is Fowles called Pharoes fowles whose fethers are verie

of my troublesome trauel One thing did greatly comfort me which I saw long since in Sicilia in the citie of Palerms a thing worthie of memorie where the right honourable the Earle of Oxenford a famous man for Chiualrie at what time he trauailed into forraine countries being then personally present made there a challeng against all manner of persons whatsoeuer and at all manner of weapons as Turniments Barriors with horse and armour to fight and combat with any whatsoeuer in the defence of his Prince and countrie for which he was very highly commended and yet no man durst be so hardie to encounter with him so that all Italy ouer he is acknowledged euer since for the same the onely Chiuallier and Noble man of England This title they giue vnto him as worthely deserued Moreouer in the land of Egypt néere to the Riuer of Nilo within sixe miles of the gran Caer. There are seuen Mountaines builded on the out side like vnto the point of a Diamond which mountaines were builded in King Pharaos time to kéepe corne in and they are mountaines of great strength It is said that they were builded about that time when Ioseph did lade home his brethrens Asses with corne in the time of the great dearth mentioned in the scripture At which time all their corne lay in those mountaines In the riuer of Nilo there is long fishes of tenne or twelue foot long which swimmeth néere the shore they are called the fishes of King Pharao they are like vnto a Dolphin These fishes are so subtil that swimming néere the shore side they will pull men or women suddenly into the riuer and deuoure them In the citie of the gran Caer the houses are of a verie olde building all of lime and stone and in most of the houses the roofes are couered with fine golde in a very workmanly sort In Egypt there is small store of water because it neuer raineth in that countrie so that their water is very daungerous to drinke They haue no springs at all in that countrie and yet there falleth such a dew euery night as doth refresh and kéepe their hearbes and plants in due sort and makes them spring very fruitfully The people of those countries before mentioned are for the most part of a reasonable stature yet of a brounish and swart complexion their women goe muffled and generally in the land of Iewry they weare hye stéepled hats much like vnto the forme of a suger loafe The citie of Damasco is very fruitfull and greatly replenished with all maner of fruites whatsoeuer as Pombgranades Oringes Limons Apples Peares Plumbes Grapes and all other like fruites The Turkes are a people that at some time they will attempt to doe wonderfull thinges as going vpon Ropes and thrusting their swords into their naked flesh and sticke their swordes in their flesh like vnto a Scabbard and many other thinges of great daunger In Turkey no man may strike the gran Cadie that is their chiefest iudge if any man doo strike him he loseth his right arme for his labour without redemption At my comming ouer into England from Rome I was fame to steale away being then reteined in yéerly fée to the King of Spaine to be one of his chéefest Gunners And if the Ship wherein I came ouer had béen taken both they and I my selfe had died for that offence The old Citie of Ierusalem is a verie desolate place nothing to be séene but a litle of the olde walles which is yet remaining and all the rest is grasse mosse and wéedes like to a péece of ranke or moist ground They haue no tillage in those parts The Citie of Ierusalem where the Temple standeth is almost a mile from the olde walles of Ierusalem it is of a very old building and there standeth all the olde relikes preserued and kept as monuments of great treasure Now to returne where I left of and declare vnto you wherin I employed my selfe since my comming into England here I visited my friendes from May till Nouember and then departed into Fraunce where I had entertainment at the handes of the renowmed king and captaine of this age Henry of Burbon king of France and Nauarre who receiued me into pay and appointed me his maister Gunner in the field It is to be remembred that at this great battaile I made one shot of such an accustomed mixture that did slay the Kinges enimies in great aboundance whereat the enimies greatly wondered considering they could neither find bullet chaineshot nor could sée any other thing more then plaine pouder and yet the people straungely slaine out right and lay dead in great aboundance At my departure forth of Fraunce the Kinges Secretary gaue me certaine letters of cōmendation to beare with me to the States of England wherein was declared my good seruice and how willing he was still to haue employed me in his warres and would haue giuen mee sufficient rewardes if with him I would haue remained but being sent for to come againe into my natiue countrie to the intent to be employed in her Maiesties affaires I could doe no lesse but make hast towardes England to take in hand any seruice which I were able to performe At which time I being in the French Kinges Court and ready to depart towards England there came certain newes to the King from Roane that Monsieur de Lego Captaine of the Castle in the saide towne of Roane with sundry other Protestants being gentlemen and gentlewomen of good account had conspired against the traitorous Leagers that doe there rebelliously withstand the King and had yéelded vp the Castle with the keyes vnto a Captaine of great courage to the vse of the French King whereupon all the power this Captaine could make was not able to kéepe it aboue halfe a day for the Kings power lay farre from the same yet vpon the suddaine they made towards Roane so fast as they might But all they did was in vaine for before the Kings force could get within sixe myles of the saide towne the enimy had wonne it againe by force of cannon shot and tooke sundry persons as prisoners which they found in the said Castle and apprehended sundry other in the town which consented thereunto Among whom was a Lady and her thrée waiting gentlewomen who were by the leager and traitours to the King taken and imprisoned The Captaine of the saide Castle perceiving that the enimie would haue grieuously tormented him stoode vpon battelments of the said castle and fought very valiantly and would not yéeld nor suffer him selfe to be taken by no meanes but after he had slaine with his owne handes about fourtéene or fiftéene seuerail persons he séeing the enimie come in great aboundance vpon him thereby entending to take him suddenly flung his weapons at them and without any regarde of sauing his life wilfully flung him selfe headlong ouer the castle wall and thereby broake his necke The rest were grieuously tormented and put to death for consenting thereunto But it gréeueth me to reporte the extreame tyranny which those Traitorous Leagers inflicted vpon the Lady aforesaid and her three waiting Maides onely for deliuering the keyes which they had in their custody These were massacred in this manner first they were all stripped naked in a fielde wherein they were executed they were all seuerally by the hands and legges bound to the feet of foure sundry horses prouided for that purpose and euery one being made fast vpon a suddaine to the horses some whipped each horse forward and then with axes swordes and hatchets quartered them aliue which reporte when the King vnderstoode thereof hee vowed to reuenge their death vpon those tyrannous Tormentors Thus haue you heard the manner of my tedious and grieuous trauaile my miserie slauerie and captiuitie which I suffered therein the manner of some olde monuments and the customes of such as dwell in forraine Nations farre off and in places where our Sauiour and his Apostles were resident and preached vpon the earth my seruices done vnder the great Turke in Persia Tartaria Grecia and places of seruice I omit herein my seruice at the taking of Tunnys and what I did in the Royle vnder don Iohn de Austria and many other thinges which I could here discouer vnto you onely let this suffise that I shall be glad and do daily desire that I may be imployed in some such seruice as may be profitable to my Prince and Countrie FINIS