CHAP. XXIII.

How I took fhip at Tripolis in Syria, and fail'd back from thence to Venice, and travell'd home again to my own relations at Augfpurg.

T my arrival at Tripolis, when I hoped that fomething might have been done for the good of Hans Ulrich Krafft, whom I left in prifon behind, as is above mention'd, towards his deliverance; that we, feeing we came out together, might have rcmained together a while longer, and have ended our journey to our content, I found there was not only nothing done to the purpose, but his caufe came to be worfe and worse, so that it was even or odd whether I fhould not have been caft into prifon alfo, and beaten feverely to boot. When thus he was detain'd in prifon, I receiv'd a letter and command, as well from his adverfary, as from my own friends, defiring me to take the caufe in hand earneftly, to bring them both to an accommodation; and that if I would do fo, I should do him greater fervice, than if I should stay a whole year longer at Tripoli, expecting his deliverance. Now altho' many means were used after my departure, for his liberty, yet they proved all fruitlefs, unfuccefsful and vain, fo that he was forced to fpend three intire years miferably in this fevere Turkish imprisonment, until at length he was miraculously deliver'd. Wherefore I got everything ready my departure, and went aboard the fhip called the St Matthew, on the day of St Leonhard, being the fixth day of November in the year 1575, having firft taken my leave of the above-mention'd my dear friend Hans Ulrich Krafft. whom I loved as my own brother, and the next day we put out, having a very good wind. So our navigation proceeded in the beginning very fuccefsfully, and we discover'd on the third day early the great ifland of Cyprus. But when we approach'd unto it, a hurricane. arofe fuddenly, and blew fo fiercely upon us, that it wound

for

Y 4

our

Our great fail round about our main maft, fo that it was a wonder to me, that it did not bring it by the board, or (as it would if the feamen had not ftruck it down immediately) turn the fhip over, and fink her. These winds arife from a wind that is call'd by the Greeks, Typhon; and Pliny calleth it Vertex and Vortex; but as dangerous as they are, as they arise fuddenly, fo quickly they are laid again alfo. The feamen pretend, that one fhall fooner perceive them in the fhip below, because they come up from the depth of the fea, than above deck. After this had continued about a quarter of an hour it was quite over, fo that it was perfectly calm, and the sea very quiet. So our feamen hoifted up their fail again, and steered towards the Capo del Græco, with an intention to run in ftill before fun-fet into the harbour of the metropolis call'd Famagusta; but before we were aware of it, another wind arofe that did fend us back again, fo we ftood out at fea, and went on with it fo well, that we paffed the island that is one hundred and fixty Italian miles long. Not long after the wind did change, and it came to be foul weather, and fo contrary to us, that we went on but very flowly, and we were forced to drive upon the sea only for feveral days, until at length we came before the land of Pamphylia and Lycia, which came in fight now and then, nearer to the island of Rhodes; then arose a northerly wind that helped us into our true road again, and blew fo fresh, that in a few hours we went by that mountainous ifland Scarpanthus, and afterwards by Solomon's point of the isle of Candia out towards the fouth, which is forty leagues farther; and we had been almoft quite thrown over into Africa, if we had not sheltered ourselves under the next mountains, fo we got clear of the noife and turbulency of the wind and fea; but instead of that our fhip came fo near unto the fhoar of Candia, that we feared every moment to have been fhipwreck'd, which had certainly befallen us, if our Nacchier, that managed the fails, with his feamen (who wrought very hard, until they brought the ship out at fea again) had not for two days and nights done their utmoft endeavour. When we kept thus out at fea, foul weather befel us again, and contrary and rough winds blew afresh, so that it was very dangerous

dangerous failing; wherefore our mafter as well as the men thought it beft to get into an harbour; but finding that it was very dangerous to get in there, they went back again to the island Calderon, which lieth not above a German mile from Candia, to land there, and to stay for better weather. This ifland is fmall, and fo rough and fandy within, that it cannot be inhabited; but yet being full of bushes, thofe of Candy, turn, chiefly in the fummer, their cattel into it. Here I found a kind of Mandrake with blew flowers in great quantity, and alfo very many Oxycedri like unto our Juniper buthes, which are almost as high as our Pine-trees. When we, during this hard weather, were in this ifland Calderon for shelter, we saw fometimes clouds in the fhape of a pillar, that came down from the skies to the next mountain, and so extended themselves floping down into the next fea. Pliny makes mention alfo of them in his forty ninth chapter of the fecond book. When this did touch the fea, it begun to fuck, as it were, thro' a spout fo fiercely, that the water began to move in that place, as if it were in a storm, fo that we could not only hear the noise, but also see the great motion thereof. In the beginning it was pretty clear, but the longer it remained there the darker it grew, until at length it arose up again and afcended into the skies like unto a thick cloud. Wherefore it may very well be, that fometimes worms, frogs, funguffes, fnails, mufcles, &c. may fall down. with the the rain, chiefly in those places that are near to the fea; for I have myself feen it many times in my travels between Bononia and Florence on the high mountains, where I have found feveral of them. When the wind blew fair for us again, and we had fufficiently provided ourfelves with wood and fresh water, we hoisted up our fails again and came away; and at length, not without great labour and changing of the wind, we got out before the island of Candy, which is about two hundred and fifty Italian leagues long, into the open fea, with an intention to go ftrait away for Venice. In the mean time one of our feamen did catch on a hook, that he had baited with some meat, a large fish, by the Latins call'd Lamia, but this fifh being of fome hundred weight in bulk, he brought him upon the hook by degrees to the

fhip, then they fastened a rope about his gills, and fo drew him up very fafely. When they did cut it open to falt it, I found that it's bones were but very fmall, and not harder than a cartilage. They gave us now and then fome of it to eat, but it was fo much falted, that we could not eat it, so that at last they were forced to leave it. Soon after one of the Pilgrims, that was a Priest at Lille in Flanders, got a bloody flux fo violently, that he was in danger of his life, fo I took care of him, and gave him what phyfic I had by me in the fhip. When we came to the island of Cerygo, elfe call'd Cithera, belonging to the Venetians, lying near to the Morea, (from whence Paris took away the Queen of King Menelaus, and carry'd her to Troy) upon a fudden a hurricane arose towards night with blowing, thundering and lightening, fo that we at feveral times did despair of our lives. For when the waves fwelled as big as large rocks, and pressed very hard upon our fhip, fo that they did fling it now on this, and then on the other fide again, with great vioJence; fo that not only our goods, arms, trunks, and boxes were tumbled up and down in the fhip, but that also we were forced to take great care of ourselves during this tempeft, that we might not tumble over board, of which we were in great danger. But how terribly fcever this looked in the dark night, yet it ftill increased; for in a little while after the place that held the cannon shot that were near unto the steerage, where I had my cabin, broke open, fo that the balls ran up and down over all the fbip according as fhe rolled. Soon after the beating of the waves knock'd off the garland that was behind at the outfide of the ship, and left fome nails about a finger thick, that held it in the wood, with fuch a power, that one might hear it almost all over the ship. After all this the great fail was also torn off and fell down into the fea, fo that we thought no lefs than that we were all loft; for then the fhip was wholly left to the mercy of the roaring waves, that flung her, and toffed her about like a football from place to place, (which you may deduce from thence, that the Guardian that held himfelf faft by the main maft upon the deck, was fometimes above a man's depth under water) fo that every moment we expected to be overturned, and drown'd. Yet in all this calamity,

we

we did not give over all, but did what we could for our fafety, feeing that we could not do what we would, we ftood together and pulled the fail out again, yet we did not all pull together, for it was fo dark that we could not fee one another but when it lightened, and in the place of the torn one we put up another new one; for generally in fuch fhips they are provided with two fails, and also with two masts and rudders. After the feamen had put on the new fail, not without great labour, difficulty and danger, they fell down upon their knees, and began to pray to their interceffors and patrons, which every one chufed for himself, by their names, fome to Peter, others to St Paul, others to the holy Virgin Mary, but chiefly and before all the reft to St Nicholas, who in the like imminent dangers, neceffities and calamities, hath oftenest before all the reft fhew'd himself by fundry tokens, according to their opinion, ready to affift and to help, fo that they might be fure of his help, and fo comfort themselves with a certain deliverance.

After they had faid their prayers, they let me under ftand that they had feen three burning candles on the top of the main maft, wherefore fome of them for joy vowed folemnly to go a Pilgrimage to certain Holy Places, or elfe to give a certain Sum to one of their churches. This tempeftuous weather held on all the night long and also for a great part of the next day, so that the seamen prayed three several times; I cannot justly tell whether I was more astonished at their prayers or at the tempeftuoufness of the fea, but chiefly when I understood, that they fought, without Chrift our true Saviour and Helper, in this great danger to others, and fuch that did not only know nothing of us, as we may fee by the words of Efaiah, when he faith, Abraham knoweth nothing of us, and Ifrael doth not know us; but that they alfo (if they had been still alive) would have directed us themselves to the true and only Mediator Jefus Chrift. And fo we read, That the virgin Mary her felf did not know what was become of her Son, until fhe found him fitting amongst the teachers in the temple of Jerufalem: and also at the wedding of Cana in Galilea, fhe did direct the fervants (that told her that they wanted wine) herself to her fon our Lord Chrift, (that they might not look upon her any

more)