Travels and adventures of Wm. Lithgow (1)

THE

TRAVELS

AND

ADVENTURES OF

Wm. LITHGOW,

IN

EUROPE, ASIA, and AFRICA,

DURING

NINETEEN YEARS.

GLASGOW,

PRINTED FOR THE BOOKSELLERS.

THE

TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES

OF

WILLIAM LITHGOW.

THE sufferings and perigrinations of this Scotsman, who far out walked the late famous Coryate, “seem,” says Mr. Granger, “to raise him almost to the rank of a martyr, and a hero.” His book being very searee, and little known, a short abridgment may be aeeeptable; in which we shall, in general, omit his desecription and insert only his adventures, After making two voyages to the Orkney and Shetland islands, and walking over all Germany, Bohemia, Switzerland, and the Low Countries, our author visited Paris, where he resided ten months.

From thence, on March 7th 1609, he set out on foot for Italy and in forty days passing through Savoy, and over the. Alps arrived at Rome. There probably being too free and unguarded in speech, and not observing the advice given to Milton by Sir Henry Wotton, I pensieri strelli, ed it viso scioitc; after a stay of twenty-eight days he eould not have escaped the “blood sueking inquisitors,” most of whom were his own countrymen, had it not been for the assistance of Robert Meggat, a Scotsman also, then residing in Burgo di Roma with the old Earl of Tyrone, who concealed him three days at the top of his lord’s palace, and on the fourth at midnight when all the streets and gates were watched for him, conveyed him away, and leaped the wall with him. He then visited Naples, Virgil’s tomb, &c. Having walked four times from one end of Italy to the other, viz, from Vallese, the first town in Piedmont, to Cape Blancho in Calabria, he affirmed it to be 900 ltalian miles in length, and in breadth 240, from the Adriatic coast to the Riviera of Genoa, by the sea side, Campagna di Roma and the duchy of Spoleto, he returned to Loretto. Here he met with a countryman named Mr. Js. Arthur, whose company was most acceptable to him. One day, as they were viewing the image of the Virgin, a lusty young woman, busy at her beads, overpowered by the heat of the throng fainted away; at which the woman near her exclaimed, that “our blessed lady had appeared to her.” immediately she was carry’d out, and laid on the steps that led from the chapel to the church door, some hundreds more saluting her with “Saint, saint, O ever blessed saint!” This being Friday, the woman having travelled all night, to save the expense of fish, had privately eaten a bit of her own eold meat, and drank half a buckale of red wine in a tavern. At last said our author, “Brother Arthur, I will go and open that mothers bosom.” He did so, and raising up her head, a flood or vingarba, of sour wine, sprung down the alabaster stairs, mixed with lumps of indigested meat; at whieh the people being amazed from the saint swore she was a devil; and, had not our travellers earried her in haste from the ehureh to the tavern, they would doubtless have stoned her to death. Embarking in a frigate at Ancona. Arthur and Lithgow in three days arrived at Veniee, where as soon as they landed at St. Mark’s Plaee, pereeived a great erowd of people, and in the midst of them a great smoke, inquiring the cause, they were told, that a grey-friar of the Franciscan order was burning alive at St. Mark’s Pillar, for debauching fifteen noble nuns, and all within a year. Pressing forward, they eame to the Pillar, just as half his body and his right hand fell into the fire. This friar was forty-six years old, and had been confessor of that nunnery of Sancia Lucia five years. Most of these nuns were Senitors’ daughters.-Fifteen (all pregnant) were sent home to their father’s palaces; the lady prioress and the rest were banished for ever; the nunnery was razed to the ground; the revenues were given to the poor, and the church converted into an hospital. Here our travellers separated. Arthur returned homeward, and Lithgow proceeded to Greece and Asia; but first visiting Padua, Verona, and Ferrara. At Padua he staid three months learning Italian of one of his countrymen, Dr. John Wedderburn, an eminent mathematician, who afterwards settled in Moravia. At his return to Venice, he embarked in a carmoesalo Zara Nova, in Dalmatia; but meeting with a violent storm, they were driven for shelter into the port of Parenzo, in Istria. Thence sailing by the isles Briani, the ruins of Pola, the isles Sangego, Osero, on the 8th day they; arrived at Zira where our traveller got a passage into a Greek carmoesalo for Lesina, the largest island in Adriatica. He afterwards sailed successsively to Ragusa, and the island of Corfu, Near the island of St. Maure the vessel was attacked by a Turkish galley of Biserta, from which after a long and doubtful fight they escaped by favour of a storm, and took shelter in Copholonia (formerly Ithaca,) having seven of the crew killed, and eleven wounded; among the latter our traveller, in his right arm. Over this island he travelled, and on the second day hired a little boat to carry him to Zant, (anciently Zacynthus, just twenty five miles distant, where a Greek surgeon cured his wound. He there embarked in a frigate for Peterasso, (or Patras,) the capital of the Morea, where quitting the sea, he joined a caravan of Greeks bound for Athens, passing through Laeonia, and the hilly and now barren country of Arcadia, encamping one night in the uninhabited villages of Argos and Myeenae; and finding in short no remains of aneient Greece, but the name. In seven days he arrived at Athens from whcnee he took shipping for the isle of Serigo, where during his stay at Capsalo, the eaptain of that fortress having killed a priest, whom he had found one night in a brothel, the governor of the island deposed and banished him. In the same boat Lithgow also embarked, and sailed to Candia, or Crete. Through this whole island he travelled twice, whieh no traveller in Christendom had done before. On setting out for Canea, being informed of the danger of robbers, he put his money in exehange, and had searce got twelve miles, when he was beset by three Greeks and an Italian, who beat him cruelly, robbed him of all his elothes, and striped him naked, adding many threats; till at length, the Italian perceiving he was a stranger, and eould not speak the Cretan tongue, asked him in his own language, where was his money? He replied, he had only 80 byzantinos, which scarce amounted to eightpenee English Not crediting these words, the robbers, searched all his elothes and budget, but found nothing exeept his linen and reeommendatory letters from several princes, partieularly the Doge of Veniee, whose subjects they were: this moved the Italian to eompassion, and he earnestly intreated the others to save our traveller’s life, at length they restored to him his pilgrim’s clothes and letters, but kept his blue gown and byzantinos, and as a passport gave, him a stamped piece of clay, to shew to any of their eompanions, if he met them, the band eonsisting of twenty. Travelling that day thirty seven miles, he reaehed at night the miserable village of Pickehorno, where he eould find neither meat, drink, lodging, nor any refreshment. The Candiots, a barbarous people thronging round him, seeming amaxed at his wanting both eompany and their language, a compassionate female having privately made him signs that his death was eoncerted, he stole away from them in the night, and lay till morning in a eave by the seaside hungry and thirsty, and his heart fainting in him.

At sun-rising, he quitted his lurking plaee, and about noon reached Canea, the seeond city of Crete, aneiently Cydon. While he was there, six gallies arrived Iron Veniee, in one of which was a young French gentleman, a protestant born in Languedoe, who had been condemned by the senate to the gallies for life, for being aceessary to the death of a young noble Venetian, in a quarrel eoncerning a eourtezan. Having leave from his captain to ~eome on shore with a keeper wearing an iron bolt on his leg, our author eommenced an acquaintance with him, and greatly compassionating his misfortune, (being at Veniee when the aeeident happened,) eontrived his escape at the hazard of his own life, by means of an old Greek woman, his laundress, who lent him an old gown and a black veil for a disguse, Accordingly, Lithgow invited the keeper to a tavern, where, with deep draughts of Leatic, he intoxicated this Argus, and left him asleep. Then disburdening his friend of his irons, he elothed him in a female habit, and sent him out of the town, conducted by the Greek woman, and when past the guard and gate, our traveller followed him with his clothes, and, interehanging them, direeted him over the mountains to a Greek eonvent, where he might be entertained till the Maltese gallies or men-of-war should touch there, on their way to the Levant.

In his way back our author was met by two soldiers of his nation, Smith and Hurgrave, who were coming to inform him that the offieers of the gallies, and several soldiers were searching the city and the fields for him. Advising with them how to reach the Julian monastery, St. Salvador, where they lodged, they conducted him in at the eastern the least frequented gate of the city, where three other Englishmen of the garrison were that day on guard, and with them happened to be eight French soldicrs, their friends, who also agreed to escort him. Near his lodgings, four officers and five galley soldiers ran to seize him, when the English and French drawing their swords, desperately wounded two of the officers. Meantime, a reinforcement coming from the gallies, Smith, leaving the rest engaged, ran with Lithgow to the monastery. At length the officers, of the garrison relieved their own soldiers, and drove back the others to the gallies. Soon after, the general of the gallies came to the monastery, and examining our traveller concerning the fugitive, he made such a defence that nothing could be proved against him. Nevertheless, he chose to remain in safeguard in the cloister till the gallies were gone. Being disappointed of a passage to the Archipelago, Lithgow resolved to visit the city of Candia; and in his way passed by the famous haven and through the pleasant valley of Suda, by the city of Reshimos, the labyrinth of Daedalus, and mount Ida; near which, ha disproved the assertion of there being no venomous creature in Crete, by killing two serpents and a viper. Being disappointed at Candia, he was forced to return to Canea the same way he went, where, soon after, an English renegado, named Wilson arrived from Paris, in his way to Phodes; and, after some conversation with his countrymen, the English soldiers hearing that Lithgow was a Scotsman, he spoke as follows. “My elder brother, the master of a ship, was killed at Brunt island in Scotland, by one Keere; and though he was beheaded, I have long since sworn to be revenged on the first Scotsman I should see or meet, and therefore I am determined to stab this man to night as he goes home to his lodging;” desiring their assistance, which two of them promised, but the other three refused, meantime Smith found him at supper in a cutler’s house, where, acquainting him with this conspiracy, he was escorted to his lodging by Smith and three Italian soldiers, passing by the ruffian and his confederates, who, seeing his treachery discovered, made his escape.

Smith having thus most eminently served him twice, first in freeing him from the danger of galley slavery, and now in saving his life, Lithgow resolved to return the obligation, by discharging his debt to the captain, which was only forty-eight shillings Sterling and thereby procuring him his liberty, after having served three captains fifteen years. This our traveller happily accomplished, and embarked him for Venice.

Lithgow staid in Canea near a month, before he could procure a passage for the Archipelago, and at last left the monastery he says, with regret, as the four friars his hosts, gave him frequent and large draughts of malmsey, though often against his will. Every night, too, they forced him to dance with them; but their music was drunkenness, and these beastly swine were every night so drenched, that they had not power to go to their beds, but where they fell, they lay till next morning. In short, during the twenty days of his being there, he never saw any of them truly sober.

In this island, he travelled on foot about 400 miles, and, after a stay of fifty-eight days, he embarked in a fishing-boat for Milo, one of the Cyclades, distant 100 miles.

From Milo our traveller proceeded to Zephano, another small island, from whence Lucullus first transported marble to Rome; and to Angusa, where he was wind bound sixteen days, and all that time was never in bed, but lodged on the stones in a little chapel the Greeks intreating him not to enter their sanctuary, because he was not of their religion: however, as the nights were long and cold, he was forced every night to creep into the midst of it to keep himself warm. From thence he went to Mecano, anciently Delos, the chief of the fifty-four Cyclades, where the custom still continues of never suffering men to die, or children to be born in it; but when the men are sick and the woman big-bellied they are sent to Rhena, two miles distant, Zea, Tino, and Palmosa, once Patmos, where St. John wrote his Revelation, were the next islands which he visited; and thence sailing to Nicaria, his vessel, in sight of it was chaced by two Turkish galliots into a bay, where, leaving the loaded boat, he and eight more fled to the rocks, from whence they annoyed the Turks with huge stones. The master and two other old men were taken and made slaves, and the boat and goods seized. In his way from Nicaria to Sio, they were driven by a storm into a creek between two rocks, where the shore being shelfy and the anchors coming home a great lake was made, and seven of the crew drowned: the other eleven just before the boat sunk, by hasty rowing reached a cave within the mountain; Lithgow disembarked the last, as the rest had sworn if he pressed to escape before they were all in safety they would throw him into the sea. Nothing was saved but his eoffer made of reeds in which he earried his papers and linen, and held it always in his arms. In this eave, which was 30 paees long, they abode three days without meat and drink, till, on the fourth, the tempest eeasing some fishing boats relieved them. Seventeen other boats were cast away on this coast and not a man saved. Through this island Lithgow travelled with a thankful heart to Sio the eapital, where, passing by an old castle, he was told that Homer’s sepulchre was still extant there; and being desirous to see it, hedeseended by sixteen steps into a dark cell, and through that to another square room, where he saw an aneient tomb on which were engraven some aneient Greek letters, which he eould not understand. By Mitylene, or Lesboa he next sailed in a earmoesalo to Negropoint (of old Euboea,) and in their way they were ehased by two Turkish galliots into a long creek, where the Turks were deterred from attacking them, by bonfires made by the Greeks for six sueeeeding nights, our traveller, as a stranger, being exposed every night to stand eentinel in the midst of frost and snow, on the top of a high promontory whieh however invited his mule to bewail his toilsome life, his solitary wandering, and his long distance from his native eountry.

On the 7th day, two Venetian gentlemen, who had been ten years banished for murder, eame down to see them with two servants, all well armed; and hearing our traveller’s eomplaints against the Greeks for detaining his budget, and forcing him to endanger his life for their good, they soundly drubbed the master, and forced him to restore Lithgow’s things; carrying him within five miles of the town where they then resided, kindly entertaining him ten days, and, at his departure, made him a present of forty gold sequins; the first gift he ever received in all his travels.

From thence he proceeded to Salonica in Macedonia, and then sailed along the Thessalian shore, saw the “Two topped hill” Parnassus, and a little more east, a ruinous village and castle, once the eity of Thebes. In three days from Ralonica he arrived at Tenedos, when meeting with two French merchants of Marseilles bound to Constantinople he and they resolving to view Troy, hired a janizary for their conductor and guard, and a Greek for their interpreter. Landing there, they saw many relicts of old walls, and many ruined tombs some of which were pointed out to them as the the tombs of Hector, Ajax, Achilles, Troilus, &c. and also those in Hecuba, Cressida, and other Trojan dames, They were shown also the ruins of King Priam’s palace, and where old Anchises dwelt. On a piece of a high wall, at the N. E. corner of Troy, our author found three pieces of rustcd money; two of which he afterwards gave to the younger brothers of the Duke of Florence, then studying at Pratolina; the third and fairest, with a large picture on one side, he bestowed, at Aix in province, on his countryman Mr. Strachan then mathematician to the Duke of Guise, who presented it to his Lord.

On discharging their covenant with the janizary, who was not contented with the former condition, the Frenchmen objected to pay the same that Lithgow did, the Turk belaboured, them both with a cudgel till the blood sprang from their heads, and compelled them to double his wages. Such is the extortion of those rascals, who regard Christians no more than dogs; and it is always best for a travaller to content them at first, or he will be forced with blows, to pay twice as much. At Sutos and Abydos, so famed for the loves of Hero and Leander, but now called the castles of Gallipoli (at present the Dardenelles,) they arrived in a small frigate, where, two days after, eighty Christians, slaves, having murdered their captian, and the other Turks, and run away with the galley, passed the straits at mid-night, with little hurt, though the cannon thundered incessantly for two hours; and at last arrived in the road to Zante. Another galley attempting the same the year following; the poor slaves, in passing, were so wounded and galled with the great shot, and the galley ready to sink that they were forced to run on shore: where, being apprehended, they were miserably put to death.

Leaving the Frenchman with a Greek barrier. Lithgow embarked in a Turkish frigate for Constantinople, “a little world, which he describes as yielding at a distance such an outward splendour to the amazed beholder, of goodly churches, stately towers, gallant steeples &c. that the world cannot equal it.” At his landing however, he “had a hard welcome for on leaving the boat the master saying Adio Christiano, four French rengenadoes standing on the quay and hearing these words fell desperately upon him, blaspheming the name of Jesus, and throwing him down, beat him cruely, so that had not his friendly Turks leaped out of their boat and relived him, they would doubtless have murdered him. The other infidels standing by, said to him. “Behold what a Saviour thou hast, when those that were Christians, now turned Mahometans, cannot abide nor regard the name of thy God!” Entering into a Greek lodging, he was much eased of his blows, by their anointing him with divers oils, and kindly received and refreshed gratis, beeause he had suffered so much for Christ’s sake. Next day he went to pay his duty to Sir Thomas Glover, the English ambassador, who eourteously entertained him three months in his house

“A more eomplete gentleman,” he says. “he never met with, nor one in whom true worth did more illustrate virtue.” His mother was a Polish lady who coming from Danzick to London was delivered of him at sea. Afterwards he was brought up at Constantinople, and spoke and wrote the Selavonian tongue perfeetly; and thenee returning to London he was the first ambassador sent there by king James I. after his coming to the erown of England. The duke of Moldavia, being deprived of his principalities by Achmet was reeeived and chargeably maintained by Sir Thomas, in his house, for two years, but his embassy being expired and Sir Paul Pinda being expected in his place this prinee stole away from him, turned Turk, and was cireumeised receiving only, for his dukedom, a palace, and a yearely pension of 121,000 gold sequins for life. He owed the ambassador about 151,000 half ⟨of⟩ which in half an year, he recovered the other half he was forced to forgoe.

The winter being expired, Lithgow sailed in an English ship to Smyrna, and thence to Rhodes, where he saw the remains of the Colossus, and to Limisso, in Cyprus, from whence he went with an interpreter to visit Nioosia, the capital; and, on his return, meeting four Turks, they would have his mule to ride upon, which his interpreter refused., they pulled him off its back, beat him pitifully, and left him almost dead. His companion fled and escaped; and had not some Greeks accidently come by and relieved him, he must have perished. He sailed from thence to Tripoli, in Syria, and while he waited there for a caravan to Aleppo, being mindful to visit Babylon, he agreed with three Venetian merchants to go a days journey to seethe cedars of Libanus. Aseending the mountain, their guide mistaking their way amidst an intricate path of the rocks, two of their asses fell over a bank, and broke their necks; and had they not met, by chance, with a Christian Amaronite, they must have been lost among the rocks, heaps of snow, and violent torrents. At the place where the cedars grow, they saw but twenty-four in all; and nine miles eastward, there are seventeen more. He was there shown the tomb of Joshua, all of one stone, seventeen feet long, and was kindly entertained by the Bishop, or Patriarch at Eden, and the Amaronites, or Nazaritans, of the other villages.

Returning to Tripoli, he set out with a caravan of Turks for Aleppo, but before his arrival there, the caravan for Babylon, to his great grief was departed: but, being told that it staid at Beershaek on Euphrates, on account of some Arabs who waylaid them in the desarts, he hired a jannizary and three soldiers to overtake them. But though they had stayed they were gone three days before he got there. Beershack is by some supposed to be Padeharium. To Aleppo, therefore, he was forced to return. While he was there, the Bashaw, having the year before rebelled against the grand Signor, he sent him a chiaux and janizaries in an embass, proffering, that if he would acknowledge his rebellion, and for that treason send Achmet his head, his eldest son should inherit his possessions and Bashawship; otherwise the Sultan would eome in person and utterly eraze him and all his from the faee of the earth. The messengers met the Bashaw on horseback, aeeompanied by his two sons and 500 horsemen. Hearing this he dismounted consulting with his sons and friends, he and they concluded, that it was best for him being an old man to die to save his race from destruction and preserve his son in his authority and inheritance.

This done, he went to prayer; and taking leave of them all and sitting down on his knees, the chiaux struck off his head, and put it Into a box to carry to Constantinople. The corpse was honourably buried at Aleppo, of which Lithgow as an eye-witness.

And immediately the chiaux by proclamation, fully invested the son in his father’s lands, offices &c.

Being disappointed going with the caravan to Babylon in the autumn, as has been already routed, our traveller returned to Aleppo where b« staid till the spring, when he joined a caravan of Armenians and Turks, well guarded, bound to Jerusalem, hiring a mule from a Turk to carry his victuals.

Their number was about 600 Armenians, Christian pilgrims, men and women, 600 Turks trafficking for their own business, 100 soldiers three chiauses, and six janizaries. The confusion of this multitude he describes as most grevious, on account of the extreme heat and scarcity of water, and narrow stony passages in which they often fell one over another in great heaps, and the Christians were often well beaten by the conducting Turks. The owner of his mule was for three days very favorable to him, in order to have a share (he found) of his tobacco, of which he then freely gave him a pound, which he always carried with him, to procure the good-will of the Turks. At his walking, which he often did at dismounting, to streach his legs that were stiffned by a stumbling beast they laughed and mocked him, it being their custom, at alighting to sit down immediately, and fold their feet under them. On the ninth day they arrived at Damascus, and were lodged three days there in a great khan, at the grand signior’s expence; ⟨a⟩ privilege allowed to all strangers who come with a caravan.

On Palm Sunday, in the morning, 1612, the caravan entering Jerusalem, and at the gate, they were all searched for arms and ammunition. The Amenians were obliged to deliver up their wepons, and Lithgow’s name was written in the clerks book, that his tribute for the gates, and for seeing the sepulchre, might before his departure, be, paid together. The gates were of iron inwardly, and above each gate was planted ⟨brazen⟩ cannon.

Taking his leave of his compainons, who lodged with their own Patriarch, our author ⟨was⟩ met and received in the streets by the guardian and twelve friars, each carrying a lighted ⟨wax⟩ candle, and one for him also, and singing Te Deum all the way to their Monastery, they greatly rejoiced that a Christian had come from such a far country as Scotland to visit Jerusalem. But, when they knew afterwards, that he was no Popish Catholic, they sorely repented of their labour. He found there ten branks, just come from Venice, six of then Germans, and also good Protestants, who were wonderfully pleased to hear him flatly tell the guardian, that he was no Roman Catholic, nor never thought to be so. After staying some days at Jerusalem, and seeing every thing worthy of his notice, he made the best of his way to Joppa, where, after seeing the remains of the house in whichs Peter fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, he embarked in a small vessel for Alexandria. He arrived there in safety, and soon sailed for his native land.

ANECDOTE OF HENRY IV. OF FRANCE.

Henry had seduced the daughter of an officer at Rochelle, which had disgraeed a worthy family, and given great offence to the people of that city. Just befere a battle, when prayers were going to be read in front of the line, a protestant minister, his chaplain, took the liberty to remonstrate to him, that he could not expeet that the Divine Being would favour his arms, if he did not previously ask pardon for this offence, and repair the scandal which he had given by the most public satisfaction. The King heard this remonstrance with the greatest humility, fell upon his knee, implored forgiveness of God, and desired all to witness his contrition, and his solemn assurance that, if Providence spared his life, he would repair as much as possible, the injury he had done. All who were present at this uncommon scene were melted into tears; and there was scarce one who would not have devoted his life for a prince, who thus evinced such instant readiness to do justice to his inferiors.

FINIS.