CHAP. XI.

Of the Turkish Phyficians and Apothecaries; of my comrade Hans Ulrich Krafft of Ulm's hard Imprisonment. Of the great danger that I was in, in the towns of Aleppo and Tripoli. Of the murdering of fome Merchants, and what else did happen when I was there.

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T my return to Aleppo, where my business obliged me to stay a while, I came to understand, that during my abfence, feveral Italians and French-men were in their fickness but very flightly served by the Jews their Phyficians; wherefore I did not only foon recover my former acquaintance and practice by them, but might have alfo ftept into great business with the Turks; for I was prefently fo well known, that I had much to do to excufe my felf with difcretion to get off of them, that I might efcape their anger and difpleafure, which I must have got, if I had ferved them never fo faithfully, which I knew feveral had before me found by experience. Wherefore at the inftance of feveral good friends, I only cured two great perfons, whereof one was a Georgian, and at that time Sangiack of Jerufalem, which were very well pleased with me, and requited me accordingly. The Phyficians generally in these parts, agree before hand for the cure with their patients for a certainty, according to the condition of the patient and his distemper, and have fecurity for their money, but yet it is not paid to them before the patient is cured. They have a great many Phyficians, but they are very unskilful, chiefly the Turks, which know none but their own language, and fo cannot read the authors of Phyfick that have writ in another language as the Jews can. But feeing that the Jews are very much addicted to covetoufnefs, they endeavour rather to promote their own intereft than that of their patiente

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patients; so that the Turks are but flightly provided with Physicians, and therefore rather die like flies, than take advice of their Physicians, chiefly of the Jews, which are not contented with a small reward; to this add also that the Turks never put any confidence in the Jews, and esteem their counsel but little; and befides, they believe that God hath already pre-ordained every one his death, so that he that is born to be drown'd cannot be hang'd. And befides all this, the Jews do not stick close to them in time of neceffity, but fly prefently, and first of all in time of ficknefs (which certainly happens once in feven years, if not in five or fooner) just like hirelings, as they have fufficiently experienced in the laft plague in the year 72, with the lofs of feveral perfons of worth and quality; chiefly among the reft a Turkish Pay-Mafter, by them called Dafteddr, and another eminent Turk, and their own fons, which both of them (although this proferr'd to lay 3000 duckets, and the other 10000 into the hands of a third perfon) yet were neglected and left by their Phyficians and died. It is very much in use among them, that if any body doth find himself not well, another puts his arms crofs before him, and so grafpeth him about his back, and lifteth him up, and fets him down again, and shaketh him feveral times, just as they use to do facks with corn, to make them lie the clofer, and to hold the more. As the Physicians are, fo are alfo the Apothecaries, where you find nothing of any great compofitions, nor purging electuaries, as Elect.Diacatholicon, Diaphonicon,&c. although they have the best ingredients thereof, for we have them all fent from them, except they be fent to them from Marseilles or Venice, &c. If you have occafion for any herbs, roots, or feeds, &c. you must go yourself, not without great trouble and lofs of time, and find them either in the fields, or elfe at the Grocers and other fhop-keepers. Among the rest of the things they had, I foon knew the Rob Ribes by it's antient name and pleasent sourish tafle, whereof they make a great quantity in this place, and fend it farther into other countries, but chiefly to the Turkish Emperor; wherefore in the Eafter week they had already gathered feveral facks full of the

ftalks

ftalks of the true Ribes of the Arabians, (which are hairy almost two foot long, and of the thickness of an inch, of a greenifh colour, and underneath, as alfo Serapio mentioneth, reddish) from the mount Libanus, and brought it to the Cadi to make Rob of it for him. I faw them lie in his court-yard, and feveral of them were given me to tafte, and to take away with me. What herbs I found at my return elfe, because there are but a few of them, therefore I have put them among the rest here above in a peculiar chapter. I faw there several strange birds, and among others, fome of a delicate green and blue colour, which were about the bigness of our nut-crackers, by them called Sucuruck, and by others Alfecrach. I alfo found their Alhabari, which are not unlike our Peacocks, and almoft as big, and could not fly much. Of four footed bcafts, I faw feveral, and among them fome civet cats, which were brought thither in caravans from remote parts, and the Indies. In the Fundique of the Conful of the Venetians, I saw a very sharp fighted one like unto a Lynx, exactly of the fhape of a cat, fo that it was not eafily diftinguished from it, save only in it's bignefs, for it is much higher and flimmer. This is a very wild and fierce beast, so that his keeper himself was afraid of it. It once got loofe, and got through the yard below into an Apothecaries fhop, wherein he had juft then put a great many glaffes that were fent him from Venice, whereof it broke the greateft part before it could be taken again. When I was there, a young Rhinoceros was carried through the town to Conftantinople. It came from the most eastern parts, and had killed above 20 men before they could take it. They alfo lead daily fome Lions about the town in fmall chains, which have fmall bells before, that every body may take the fooner notice of them; they are fo tame, that their keepers fometimes wrestle with them in open places, neither do they eafily grow wild, except they fhould fee fheep, then their keepers have enough to do to keep them off and to appease them. Without in the fields in high and bufhy places, are fometimes found Camelions, which are fomewhat bigger than our green Lizards, but a great deal leaner and higher upon their legs; they walk very

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flowly

flowly and lazily, they live a great while without meat like the Serpents, and are a very ugly creature. If we put it upon a coloured, red, yellow, or black cloth, it hath by degrees changed it's natural green colour into the fame that the cloth was of.

Having ended my bufinefs I had, and in the mean time received a letter from my comrades that were at Tripoli, I parted from thence according to their defire, and came on the 5th of May, Anno 75, to them in Tripoli. After fome days, arrived alfo with fome goods, one of their chiefeft Carriers, which they call Mockeri, which fwore to me by his head, that is, he affirmed upon his faith and reputation, that the Sub-Bafhaw of Aleppo, when he was departing from thence, had fent his Bailiffs to my lodging to apprehend me, and to fling me into the publick Turkish gaol, because they were very well affured that when I was on the hills (where they had feen me look for plants) I had obferved the fituation of the town, and all the country very diligently, that I might, when I fhould have an opportunity, betray them to their enemies, and ihew them the best way to take it. But all this was contrived that they might have an opportunity to take an Avaria on me, as the Merchants call it there in these countries, that is to fay, they would accufe me fafly to make me punishable, that they might get a fum of money out of me. And the Carrier alío really believed, for as much as he heard of them, that they would not have let me come off for lefs than 200 Saraffi or ducats, one whereof maketh two of their gilders. Thanks be to our Lord God, who hath delivered me from their unjuft accufations and contrivances, and brought me fafe to this place. At my arrival at Tripoli, when I expected to live fecurely and quietly, and thought that I was paffed all danger, I fell, notwithstanding all this into another; for when my comrades, and with them alfo Hans Ulrich Krafft (yet without any tranf greffion) were flung into the Turkish gaol, by the contrivances of fome Turks, the fame rogues had also a mind to contrive fomething against me, to bring me in alfo. But the French Vice-Conful, Andrew Bianchi, who was my very good patron, took my part, info

much

much that he did recover my liberty by the Turks, in fpite of my accufers, and not only got me licence to walk freely without moleftation in and about the city. where-ever I pleafed, but did alfo procure me a free and fafe access to my comrades, to fee them in prison as often as I pleased. Into the prifon wherein they were kept, I must always go through three fmall and low doors, which the keepers did always very freely and without any grumbling open unto me, to go in or out, and fometimes I have ftaid there all night with them. I was always in very great hopes that God Almighty would have ordered it fo, that their adverfaries might have agreed with them, so that I and my dear friend, whom I loved as my own brother, Hans Ulrich Krafft, might have been returned home again with joy. But it pleased God to order it otherways, for the differences grew the longer the more difficult, and were fo long produced, that these young gentlemen, particularly Hans Ulrich, was kept there in this hard imprisonment very near three years. To tell all that he fuffered and indured there, would be too long here; only this I cannot omit to tell you, that he did endure and conquer all these troubles and adverfities (as I did fee myself) with fuch a courage, patience and good conduct, that notwithstanding all these, although he was almost left quite comfortless, he was rather fit to comfort others than to be comforted. When I went thus in and out to them, I obferved very well that the Turks have very great compaffion on poor diftreffed prifoners, and are very free to give them alms; and a man used to come in daily with bread or boiled meat, as rice, and other forts of boiled corn, chiefly on feast days after the afternoons lecture was over, and when he diftributed them, he did alfo always as he went by, fling in for each of them a little loaf (very like unto them they bake in lent in our country) into their apartment before them upon the ground, wherewith they must make fhift, except they could live on their own means, or get fomething by their hand labour, whereof there was a good many that did, to maintain themselves. These alms, the Turks give rather freely, without being ask'd N 4

for