Page:The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier.djvu/137

free through the Territories of his Government, which he freely and courteously granted me: Come, said he, and dine with me to morrow, and you shall have it.

The twenty-sixth of September we departed from Erivan, and the ninth of November we came to Tauris, taking the ordinary Road.

At Erivan two of my Servants, the one a Watch-maker, the other a Gold-smith, dy'd; I left them sick there, but caus'd them to be buried in the Church-yard belonging to the Armenians. One of them dy'd in fifteen days, of a Gangrene, which eat out his Mouth and Throat; being the Disease of the Country. Though had the Armenians known that one of them had been a Protestant, they would never have allow'd him to have been bury'd in their Church-yard.

Here observe the exact justice, wherewith the Persians preserve the Goods of Strangers. For the Civil Judge hearing of the death of the Watch-maker, caus'd his Chamber to be seal'd up, to the end the Goods might be preserv'd for the kindred of the deceas'd, if they came to demand them. I return'd to Tauris a twelve-month after, and found the Chamber close seal'd up.

We staid twelve days at Tauris: during which time I resolv'd to attend the Kan of Shamaqui, a frontier Town of Persia toward the Caspian Sea; but I found him not there, in regard it was Harvest season, at what time he goes to gather the King's and his own Duties.

Two days journey on this side Shamaqui you pass the Aras, and for two days journey you travel through a Country all planted with white Mulberry-Trees; the Inhabitants being all Silk-Weavers. Before you come to the City, you must cross over several Hills: But I think I should rather have call'd it a great Town, where there was nothing remarkable but a fair Castle which the Kan built himself; I speak of the time past: For as I return'd from this present Voyage of which I now write, when I came to Tauris I understood, that there had happen'd such a terrible Earthquake in the Town as had laid all the Houses in a heap; none escaping that dismal subversion, but only one Watch-maker of Geneva, and one more who was a Camel-driver. I had several times design'd to return into France through Muscovy; but I durst never adventure, being certainly inform'd that the Muscovite never permitted any person to go out of Muscovy into Persia, nor to come out of Persia into Muscovy. So that it was by particular connivence that that favour was granted to the Duke of Holstein's Ambassadors. This last time I was resolv'd to have try'd whether I could have open'd a Passage from Persia through Muscovy into France, but the Ruine of Shamaqui deterr'd me.

We departed from Tauris the twenty-second of November, from whence to Cashan we met with nothing considerable, but only one of the Muscovite Ambassadors upon his return into his own Country, with a small Retinue of sixty, his Companion dying at Ispahan.

Upon Sunday the fourteenth of December taking Horse by three of the Clock in the morning, the Ice bearing very well, we came to Ispahan about noon: but in regard it was slippery before day, and very plashy after the Sun was up, the Journey was both tedious and troublesom.

There are two Roads more remaining to be describ'd; one through the North part of Turkie, the other through the South. The first through Diarbequir and Van, and so to Tauris; the second through Anna, and the small Desert leading to Bagdat.

I will describe the first of these Roads, and make a skip at the first leap to Bir, whither I have already led you in the Road from Aleppo.

From Bir or Beri, you travel all along the River Euphrates to Cachemé.

From Cachemé you come to Milesara, where you pay the Customs of Ourfa,when