Page:The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier.djvu/11
THE
DESIGN
OF THE
AUTHOR.
Where he gives a brief Relation of his first Travels through the best parts of Europe as far as Constantinople.
If the effect of Education may be liken'd to a second Birth, I may truly say, that I came into the World with a desire to travel. The daily discourses which several Learned men had with my Father upon Geographical subjects, which my Father had the reputation of understanding very well, and to which, though very young, I was with much delight attentive, inspir'd me betimes with a design to see some part of those Countries, which were represented to me in the Maps, from which I never could keep off my Eyes. By two and twenty years of Age, therefore I had seen the fairest Regions of Europe, France, England, the Low Countries, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, and Italy; and I spake indifferently well the Languages most necessary and most generally spoken.
My first sally was into England, where at that time Reigned King James; from thence I pass'd into Flanders to see Antwerp, my Father's Native Country, and so into the Low Countries, where my inclination to travel became the stronger, by reason of the great concourse of Strangers which I met at Amsterdam, that crouded thither from all parts of the World.
Having seen what was most considerable in the united Provinces, I pass'd into Germany, and when I came to Norimbergh, by the way of Frankfort and Auspurgh, the noise of the Armies that were marching into Bohemia to retake Prague, instill'd into me a desire to go to the Wars, where I might learn something that might be useful to me in the series of my travels. I was not above a days journey from Norimbergh, when I met a Colonel of Horse, whose name was Hans Brener, the Son of Philip Brener, Governour of Vienna, who engag'd me to follow him into Bohemia. Sometime after I bore the same Colonel company to Vienna, who presented me to the Governour of Raab, his Uncle, then Viceroy of Hungary also, who receiv'd me into his Family as one of his Pages. For it is a usual thing in Germany for Gentlemen's Sons to serve in that quality 'till five and twenty years of age, and seldom to quit that service, 'till they have a Commission for a Cornet, or Ensigns place. Four years and a half I serv'd the Viceroy, when the Prince of Mantua came to Vienna, to engage the Emperour in certaindesigns