‘The perillous and most unhappy voyages of John Struys, through Italy, Greece, Lifeland, Moscovia, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other places in Europe, Africa and Asia. Containing, I. Most accurate remarks and observations of the distinct qualities, religion, politie, customs, laws and properties of the inhabitants: II. A due description of the several cities, towns, forts and places of trust, as to their site and strength, fortifications by nature, or art, &c. with other things worthy of note: and III. An exact memorial of the most disastrous calamities which befell the author in those parts (viz) by ship-wrack, robberies, slavery, hunger, tortures, with other incommodities and hardships’ [‎219] (278/470)

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C hap . XIX. The Voyages of lohnStruys. up
He would give me , two of the faireft Damofels in the Countrey iuV.
for Wives j but this his proffer I refufed without making much ftu- i6 7 0 '
dy in framing of an Anfwer, defiring him rather to fevere my head
from my body, than to urge me to what myGonfcience would not
difpence with: yet not fadffied with this Reply, he perfifted on,
and told me that he would give me fo many Acres of Ground ) be-
fides Orchards and Slaves: yet all he could imagine to perfwade me
to embrace the Turkish Faith, would not move me fo much as to
give him the left hopes : infomuch that for that time he broke off
without giving me any fharp Language. Shortly after he fent 2 fair
Girls , who at firft entrance'faluted me very friendly , and begin
ning with a trifling difcourfe , they proceeded on to more ferious
matters, and confequently proffered themfelves to me as Wives,
making ufe of a Rtipan Slave to be their Interpreter: and to make
their requeft prove the more effectual, they began to ftroak me, and
play a hundred wanton tricks to allure me , which when I perceiv
ed , pray'd them to dellft and not to trouble me any longer , for
it was againft my Confcience to violate the Laws of Chriftianity,
which forbid Polygamy , having already a Wife by whom I had
two Children , and although I were in the moft remote parts
of the World, I Ihould not alienate my Love and Troth, by mar
rying of another fo long as Ihe was alive. To this they made an-
fwer, That I fliould never fee either my own Coantrey or Rela
tions again , and that many thoufands would be glad of what was
proffered me, and therefore willed me to accept of it, left: I Ihould
afterwards repent when it could not be revoked, See. After they had
ufeda few fuch like Arguments they left me. Hardly were they got
out but my Patron came in , who fell to work again with greater,
and more fpecious promifes than before, as. That if I would be-
come a Mufulmm [or True Beleever] he would advance me to the
Dignity of a Commander in the Guards. This perplexed me very
much when I faw him fo earneft, thinking that if lie could not
|cfe get his will by fair means, he would proceed to rigour, and being
abfolute Lord and Soveraign , as well of the Countrcy, as of my
Perfon, would force me to embrace the iMdumetm Religion, how
ever I had already flood out fo much Torture, that being a lide
hardned to it I feared it fo much the lefs : but gave him a Ihort
E e 2. An»
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