'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎67] (104/1024)

Chap. IV. 0/ Moniieur Tavernier.
fome Ambufcade, rode thither before to view the place, but finding it em^ty and
free, we relied there that night, and the nest night ca ! me to lye at Mtz^ara^ which
is only a ftnall Village without an Inn : Neither wa? there any thing remarkable upon
that Road. Oaly that near the Cave, in the Mountain, there is very good Water s
And formerly upon the Mountain ftood a Caftle, of which fome fuines are ftill re
maining. From the top of the Mountain there is a fair Profpeift as far as you can fee*
over very fair Plains on every fide, and in ieveral places very gooa Land, water'd
by divers Channels which are brought from the River Euphrates. All the Rivolets
alfo that you crofs from Aleppo to Bir come from the fame River.
The fourth day after we parted from Aleppo, being the ninth of March., we
came to the banks of Euphrates. Bir is on the other fide of theRiver ^ andbecaufe
that fometimes the Goods cannot be unladen all in a day; their is a fair and large
Inn, to defend the Merchants from the which would elfe difturb and rob
them, were not they and their Goods in that manner fecur’d*
1 s You crofs the Euphrates in large Ferry Boats, and as foon as you are got over the
other fide of the River, the Cuftomer and his Odker^comes and tells the Bales,
and writes down the names of the Merchants to whom they belong. The Caravan
does not lye in the Town, which is built like dx\ JAmphiiheatre upon the brow of a
very craggy Mountain, but pafies forward over ;a feurvy Road to an Inn upon the
top of the Mountain. Near the Inn there are feveral Chambers p it out of the Rock,
where they that cannot get room in the Inn are forc’d to lye. That Evening the
Cuftom-OfBcer comes to receive his duties, being two Piaflers upon e ery load of
Goods, whether upon Horfe or Mule, though the Mules carry more than the
Horfes*, and half a Ptafter for every Bead that carries Provifions. But for Saddle
Hotfes or Mules there is nothing demanded.
The Bir, or Btrygeon^ as the Natives call it, is a large City for an Eadern City,
fituated upon the brow of a Hill. Below upon the River ftands a Cadle that de
clares its Antiquity, it its half as long as thie City, but narrow, and without any
other Fortification, faving only a Tower that fcours the River, in which there are
. eight or nine pitiful Culverins. In the highedpart of the Town dands another Cadle
where the Governour refides, who is an Aga, whom fome call a Bajha, having un
der him two hundred Janifaries^ and four hundred SpahPs. The City is ill built*
as are the mod part of the Cities of Turkic : But there are an extrordmar pi; nty
of all things, excellent Bread, good Wine j and great dore of the bed fort of
Fi(h. , ‘ ..... _ 4 . ? ,
The tenth day after we had travePd ekv’n hours In the fird Lands of Mefopo r
tamia, that lye between the two Rivers Euphrates and Tigre, which at prefent they
call Diarbtki we came in the evening to Sharmley. This is a very good Town,
with a fair Inn, and Baths round about it. About twice Mufquet-Shot from thence,’
ftands a Mountain alone by. it felf, like Montmartre near Paris : Round about it
are Plains, and at the top of it ftands a Fortrefs, with a Garrifon of two hundred
Spahis, by reafonthat the vMrabs fometimes crofs Euphrates, and make incurfioris
upon that fide. In the year 1631, the Grand returning from Bagdat, where
he had loft the greateft part of the Grand $ ignores Army, not being able to take
the City; fearing the lofs of his head if he return’d to Conftantinople, and knowing
himfelf to be in great edeem among the Souldiers, refolv’d to quarter himfelf upop
this Mouirain, and to eredt a Fortrefs to feciire himfelf from the temped that
threaten’d, him. No doubt but if he could have brought about his deftgn, he
might have made himfelf Mafter of all Mefopotamia, and would have put the Grand
Signor to a great deal of trouble. For if you intend for Aleppo, whether it be
from Tauris, Mojful, or Bagdat, unlefs you travel thorough the Dcfert, you mud
pafs through Sharmley, under the command of this Fortrefs, for Provifion and Wa
ters fake. The work was gone fo far forward, that there was a good defence ras’d,
ahd the Ftfier had already enclos’d all the Mountain together with the Inn, with a
Wall almoft twenty foot thick, and three fathom high, when he was ftrangl’d by
thofe in whom he mod confided, the Grand Signor having gain'd them either by
threats or by rewards. ... _ , ....
The eleventh, after a Journey of ten hours we came to. where theC^r^-
trrfttufually days eight or ten days; for here it is that they live that hire the Horfes
and the Mules, who' have always fome bufinefs in this place. We lay at an Inn
.. . / • I 2 " k three