Travels to Tana and Persia — Key Ideas to Explore

ffers of assistance. I waited for them in Nuremberg until the 14th of March.

March 14th. On this day we started from Nuremberg in company with the abovementioned ambassadors. There was also an ambassador of the King of Bohemia, the eldest son of the King of Poland; and there might have been sixty horsemen. Riding through Germany, we lodged sometimes in very good towns, but generally in cities and fortresses, of which there are many both handsome and strong and worthy of being remembered. But as Germany is pretty well known, either by sight or report, I shall refrain from mentioning her cities and castles. From the above-named day, until the 25th, we continued travelling in Germany, in the country of the Marquis of Brandenburg, Duke of Saxony. Again entering the territory of the Marquis of Brandenburg we reached a fine walled city called Frankfort, where we remained till the 29th. As this city is on the confines of Germany and Poland, the Marquis sent a number of armed men, in excellent order, to escort the ambassadors until they arrived in their own country.

On the 31st, we entered Messariga,[152] the first town belonging to the King of Poland. It is small, but handsome, and has a small castle.

On the 2nd of April, 1474, we arrived at Posnama[153] without having passed any place of importance. Posnama deserves notice on account of the beauty of its streets and houses; it is also much frequented by merchants.

On the 3rd, we left Posnama, with the idea of finding the king. In travelling through Poland we found neither cities nor castles worth mentioning; and with regard both to lodgings and other things the country is very different to Germany.

On the 9th, which was Holy Saturday, we entered a city named Lancisia, where the King of Poland was then residing. His Majesty sent two gentlemen (knights) to receive me, and I was accommodated with very good lodgings, considering the place. The next day being Easter Sunday, I did not think it would be proper to visit His Majesty.

On the 11th, in the morning, I received from His Majesty a coat of black damask, and a request to attend his presence. And as such was the Polish custom, I donned the garment, and went accompanied by many men of rank. Having made the requisite salutations, I delivered the presents which were sent to him by our Illustrious Signory, and told him my business. I was then invited to dine with his Majesty. Dinner is conducted in nearly the same manner as with us, and everything was exceedingly well prepared and in abundance. When dinner was over I took leave of His Majesty, and returned to my lodgings.

On the 13th, the king sent for me again, and replied to what I had said on the part of our Illustrious Signory, in such kind and courteous terms as to confirm what is said among us, that there has not been a more just king than he, for many years. He ordered that I should be provided with two guides, one for Poland and the other for Lower Russia, as far as a place called Chio or Magraman, situated, beyond his territories, in Russia. Having returned thanks in the name of our Illustrious Signory, I took leave of His Majesty.

On the 14th, I left Lancisia with the above-mentioned guides, and travelled through Poland, which is a flat country, but with forests. Every day and night we found lodgings, which were sometimes good and sometimes otherwise. Poland has the appearance of being a poor country.

On the 19th, I arrived at a pretty good city called Lumberli, where there is a castle in which reside four of the king’s sons (the eldest of whom may have been about fifteen years of age), with a most excellent preceptor, from whom they receive instruction. They requested me (I believe by command of their father) to visit them, which I did. The words addressed to me by one of them were very appropriate, and showed great esteem for the master. After making a suitable reply, and thanking their Royal Highnesses, I took my leave.

On the 20th, we left Poland, and entered Lower Russia, which also belongs to the said king. Journeying till the 25th, almost all the way through forests, and lodging sometimes at a small castle and sometimes in a village, we arrived at a city called Iusch, where there is a good castle, though built of timber. Here we staied till the 24th (?), not without peril, on account of the celebration of a couple of weddings: nearly all the population being drunk, and, on that account, very dangerous. They have no wine, but make a kind of beverage with apples, which is more intoxicating.

April 25th. We left here and arrived, in the evening, at a town with a castle called Aitomir, built entirely of timber. Leaving this place, we travelled on the whole of the 29th through forests, which were very dangerous, from being infested with discontented men of all conditions. Not having found a lodging at night, we were obliged to sleep in this forest without anything to eat, and I had to mount guard all night.

On the 30th, we came to Beligraoch, a white castle, used as a dwelling by the king, where we lodged in great discomfort.

On the 1st of May, 1474, we arrived at a city called Chio or Magraman, beyond the confines of the above-mentioned Russia. It is governed by a Catholic Pole, named Pammartin, who, when he had heard of my arrival from the king’s guides, provided me with very bad quarters, for the country, and sent me provisions, which were very acceptable. This city is on the confines of Tartary, and is frequented by merchants who bring furs from High Russia, and pass in caravans to Capha, but are often captured by the Tartars. The country abounds in bread and meat. It is the custom of the people to work from morning to tierce, and then to spend the rest of their time till night in caves, frequently quarrelling like drunkards.

May 2nd. Pammartin sent many of his gentlemen to invite me to dine with him. After the proper salutations had been exchanged, he made me great offers, and informed me that he had been commanded by his sovereign, to treat me with honour, protect me from every danger, and give me the means of passing through Tartary as far as Capha. I thanked him, and begged him to do so; when he said that he was expecting an ambassador from Lithuania, with presents for the Emperor of the Tartars, and that the emperor was going to send two hundred Tartar horsemen as an escort. He recommended me, therefore, to wait for this ambassador, in whose company I might pass in safety, which I resolved to do. We sat down to dinner, which was exceedingly well prepared and abundant, and I received most honourable attention. There were present a bishop, brother to the governor, and many gentlemen; and there were also several singers, who sang during the repast. I was made to remain at table a very long time, to my great annoyance, as I required rest more than anything else. When dinner was over, I took leave of his lordship, and went to my lodgings, which were in the town, the governor remaining in his quarters at the castle, which was constructed of wood. There is a river, called Danambre in their language, and Leresse in ours, which passes by the town and flows into the Mar Maggiore. We waited here ten days for the arrival of the Lithuanian ambassador. On the morning we were about to depart, the governor wished that we should hear Mass, although I had previously told him that I had done so. When Mass was over we embraced each other, and Pammartin made me shake hands with the ambassador, whom he requested, with much warmth, to consider me as the person of his own king, and conduct me in safety to Capha. The ambassador replied that the command of His Majesty the King should be observed, and that I should be treated in the same manner as if I were the king himself. And with this I took leave of the governor, thanking him to the best of my ability, as he deserved, for the great honour he had done me. During the time I staid here I often received provisions. I presented the governor with a German saddle-horse, which was one of those I had brought from Mestre; and, as the others were entire horses, he wished me to leave them there, and take horses of the country. The king’s guides were the best of company, and I treated them with courtesy.

On the 11th, we left here with the ambassador. I was on a carriage, which I had used since I left the king, on account of a bad leg, which prevented me from riding on horseback. We journeyed until the 9th (?), when we arrived at a village called Cercas, which also belonged to the said king. Here we remained till the 15th, when the ambassador heard that the Tartars had arrived; we then left Cercas in their company, and entered upon a desert country.

On the 15th, we reached the above-mentioned river, which we had to cross. This river separates Tartary from Russia towards Capha, and, as it was more than a mile in breadth and very deep, the Tartars began to cut timbers, which they tied together, and covered with branches to form a raft, and our things being placed on it the Tartars entered the river holding on to their horses’ necks, while our raft was attached to their tails by cords. Thus mounted, the horses were driven across the river, which we passed by the help of God. How great our peril was, I leave my readers to consider,—in my opinion it could not have been greater. When we had landed on the opposite bank, every one put his things in order, and we remained the whole day with the Tartars. Some of the Tartar chiefs eyed me closely, and I appeared to be the subject of many surmises among them. We set out from the river and travelled through the desert country, suffering many discomforts of every kind. And as we were passing through a wood, the ambassador sent to tell me, by his interpreter, that the Tartars felt it their duty to conduct me to their emperor. He said that, as they had heard of the rank I held, I could not be allowed to pass Capha without being previously presented to their emperor. At this I was very much annoyed, so I urged my case to the interpreter, begging him to remember the promise which had been made as much to Pammartin as to the King of Poland, and I promised to give him a sword. Saying he would serve me, and bidding me take comfort, he returned to the ambassador, and repeated what I had said. He then sat down to drink with the Tartars, whom he assured with many words that I was a Genoese, and the affair was arranged by means of fifteen ducats: before hearing this, however, I was in great anxiety. In the morning we rode on and travelled till the 24th, with much hardship, having passed a day and a night without water, came to a pass where the ambassadors and the Tartars had to take the road to a castle called Chercher, where the Tartar emperor was staying. A Tartar was here appointed to accompany me to Caphà, and I took leave of the ambassador. Although we were alone and in constant fear lest the Tartars should send after us, I was well pleased to be free from those confounded dogs who smelt of horse-flesh to such a degree that there was no standing near them. Travelling with my guide, we lodged, in the evening, in the open air among some Tartar carts with their skin covering. Many of the Tartars immediately surrounded us, and wished to know who we were: on hearing from our guide that I was a Genoese, they presented me with sour milk.

On the morning of the 26th, we left here before daybreak, and, about the hour of Vespers, entered the town of Caphà, thanking our Lord God, who had taken pity on our trouble. Having gone secretly to a church, I sent the interpreter to our consul, who immediately sent his brother to tell me to stay till the evening and then to come secretly to one of his houses in the town, which I did. At the appointed time we came to the consul’s house, where we were well received, and where I met Ser Polo Ogniben, who had been sent by our Illustrious Signory three months before me.

His Excellency the Ambassador leaves Caphà, and after crossing the Mar Maggiore, reaches Fasso; then passing Mengrelia, Giorgiana, and part of Armenia, arrives at the country of Ussuncassan.

I cannot give many particulars concerning the town of Caphà, as I remained indoors nearly all the time I was there, that I might not be seen; but I will mention what little I saw and heard. The town is situated on the Mar Maggiore; it is very mercantile, with a numerous population composed of natives of every nation, and has the reputation of being very wealthy. While there, as it was my intention to go to Fasso, I hired a ship lying in the Sea of Zabacche, of which was master Antonio di Valdata, and I had to ride on horseback to this ship to complete the engagement. When I had concluded the business, a proposal was made to me by an Armenian named Morach, who had been to Rome and who acted as ambassador to Ussuncassan, and another old Armenian, to the effect that, instead of going, as was my intention, to Fasso, I should go to another place named Tina, about a hundred miles from Trebizond, and belonging to the Turk, and that, as soon as we had landed, we should take horses, and I was promised that, in four hours, I should be taken to the castle of a certain Ariam, who was a subject of Ussuncassan, giving me also to understand that at Tina there was only a castle belonging to Greeks, in which I should certainly be placed in safety. This project did not please me in any way; but I was so persuaded by the consul and his brother, that I consented to it, although against my will.

On the 3rd of June, 1474, we left Caphà, accompanied by the consul, and, the next day arrived at the place where the ship I had hired was lying. I had engaged to pay seventy ducats for our passage; but, as we had altered our course I was obliged to pay a hundred. And, as I was informed that there were no horses at the place at which we intended landing, I took nine on board for the use of the guides, and also to enable us to carry provisions through Mengrelia and Giorgiania.

On the 15th, the horses being embarked, we set sail and entered the Mar Maggiore; and, then bending our course towards the said Tina, sailed with a favourable wind. Having sailed about twenty miles, however, without seeing that place, the wind veered to the east, contrary to us while we kept on the same course. Having noticed that the sailors were talking together, and wishing to know the subject of their conversation, I was told that they were willing to do whatever I wished, but was assured that Tina was a very dangerous place. Hearing this, and seeing that it appeared as though our Lord God did not wish me to come to harm, I determined to make for Leati and Fasso; and having come to this determination, the weather became favourable shortly afterwards, and we sailed with good winds.

On the 29th, we reached Varti, and as the horses were out of condition, I had them put on shore and sent to Fasso,[154] a distance, I was told, of sixty miles. At this place a certain Bernardino, the brother of our captain, came on board, who, hearing that we had intended to go to Tina, said that, if we had done so, we should all have been taken as slaves, as he knew for certain that that place was frequented by a _Sobassi_ with many horsemen, who acted according to their usual custom. Returning thanks to God, we left this place. Varti, in Mengrelia, consists of a castle surrounded by a town of small extent, and belongs to a lord named Gorbola. There is another town on the Mar Maggiore, of little importance, called Caltichea, trading in silks, canvass, and wax, of little value, and the people of every condition are very miserable.

On the 1st of July, 1474, we arrived at the mouth of the Fasso, and a boat came alongside filled with Mengrelians, who behaved like madmen. Leaving the ship, we went, in this boat, to the mouth of the river, where there is an island over which, it is said, reigned King Areta, the father of the poisoner Medea. We slept there that night and were annoyed by so many gnats that we could scarcely guard against them.

On the morning of the 2nd, we went up the river in the boats of the country to a city called Asso, situated on the river and surrounded by woods. The river is as wide as two shots of a crossbow. When we had landed at the city I found a certain Nicolò Capello da Modone, who had settled there and become a Mahometan; a Circassian woman, named Marta, who was the slave of a Genoese; and a Genoese, who was also settled and married there. I lodged with the woman Marta, who certainly treated me well, and staid till the 4th. Fasso belongs to the Mengrelians, whose chief is named Bendian. He has not much territory, as it may be traversed in three days, and consists principally of woods and mountains. The men are brutal, and shave their heads after the fashion of minor friars. There are stone quarries in the country, and a little corn and wine is also produced, but of no great value. The men live miserably on millet made hard like polenta, and the women fare more miserably still; and were it not for a little wine and salt fish imported from Trebisond, and salt from Capha, they would be very badly off. They produce canvas and wax, but in small quantities. If they were industrious they might procure as much fish as they required from the river. They are Christians, and worship according to the rites of the Greek Church, but they have many heresies.

On the 4th, we left Fasso with the above-mentioned Nicolò Capello as guide, and crossed a river named Mazo in a boat.

On the 5th, after passing through woods and over mountains, we arrived in the evening at the place where Bendian, the Lord of Mengrelia, was staying. This prince, with his court, was seated in a small plain under a tree. I made known to him by the said Nicolò that I wished to speak to His Highness, and he had me sent for. He was seated on a carpet with his wife and some of his sons by his side, and he made me sit before him. When I had spoken to him and made him presents, he merely said that I was welcome. I asked him for a guide, which he promised to let me have, on which I returned to my quarters. He sent me, as a present, a pig’s head, a little beef badly cooked, and some bad bread, which we were compelled to eat from necessity, and I waited for the guide the whole day. In this plain there were a great many trees like box trees, but much larger, and all of an equal height, with a path in the middle of them. Bendian was about fifty years of age, rather handsome, but his manners were those of a madman.

On the 7th we left, and travelled continually through woods and over mountains, and on the 8th crossed a river which divides Mengrelia from Giorgiania, and slept in a meadow on the fresh grass, without much provision.