Όλα όσα είπε ο Dallam για τη Ζάκυνθο

Το Hector, με το οποίο ήρθε, έφυγε και ξανάφυγε ο Dallam. Ήταν ένα ισχυρότατο για την εποχή του πλοίο των 300 τόνων. Είχε πλήρωμα 108 ανδρών και 27 κανόνια.

Λυπάμαι αλλά δεν έχω χρόνο να το μεταφράσω ολόκληρο. Αν όμως κάποιος πείσμων και γενναιόφρων αψηφήσει τα πεπαλαιωμένα Αγγλικά και την τρομερή ανορθογραφία του Dallam θα προσπαθήσω να βοηθήσω σε περίπτωση που κολλήσει κάπου.

At this porte of Saffranee (1) thare be tow

tounes, and a moste singuler good harber. Neare unto it is

the iland caled Sante, but rether Zante. The same Daye we

came to an anker before the greate toune of that ilande, the

which theye Do call Zante, by the name of the ilande ;

thar is also a good harbur. The toune or Cittie of Zante

is Cittiwated cloce to the seae, and is a good myle in

lengthe ; behinde it, upon a verrie hie and stepie hill, Dothe

stande a large platforme of a castell, whearin Dothe live the

governer of that castell and towne ; he is caled the Providore. (2)

Within the wales of this castell is diverse other

dwelers, and many housis ; within that place the Providore

(1) Saffranee = Sovrano, or Windward, the modern Bay of Argostoli

in Cephalonia.

(2) Each of the Ionian Islands was governed by a Proveditore from

Venice until the downfall of the Republic in 1797.

dothe tow dayes in the weeke hould a courte, and heare

diverse causes, as well of the Grekes as of the Venition

and Italians ; for this ilande is under the Ducke of Venis,

but he houldes it under the greate Turke, and Dothe

paye tribute yearlye or quarterly for it. The greateste

parte of the people in this ilande be Greekes, and theye

doo labur harde in planting and triminge the corron (currant)

gardins, ollive gardins, and vinyards. Hear growethe

verrie litle corne, but from hence comethe the moste of

our Corrance and beste ayle (oil) ; thar is also good

wyne. There provition of breade, beefe, gotese, shepe, and

swyne and pullin (fowls), they have it from Castle Turne (1)

in Morea, the which place is neare the playnes of Arcadia,

whear plentie of catle ar. The Providore, and those which

ar nexte unto him in office, whome they do cale sinyors of

healthe, would not suffer us to com on shore because we

came from Argeare, whear Turks do live, and we broughte

from thence som Turkes in our shipp ; yeate, at the End of

six dayes, we had proticke, (2) which is, Leve to com a shore.

The order thar is, that all Those which doo com out of any

parte of Turkie, havinge not a letter of healthe from som

Venition or Ittalion, muste remayne ether a borde the ship,

or in the prison which they do cale the lazerett, for ten

Dayes; yf in the meane time any man hapene to be sicke,

they muste all reste thare for ten dayes more, and so still

for ten Dayes untill the have there healthe.

Whyleste we laye thus for sixe dayes upon the seae

before the towne, I touke greate notis of a little mountayne,

the which, as I thought, did ly close to the seae, and

semed to be a verrie pleasante place to take a vew of the

whole iland and the seae before it. It showed to be verrie

greene and playen ground on the tope of it, and a whyte

thinge lyke a rocke in the mydle tharof I touke suche

(1) Castel Tornese. (2) Pratique.

pleasur in behouldinge this hill that I made a kinde of vow

or promise to my selfe that assowne as I sett foute on

shore I would nether eate nor Drinke untill I had bene on

the tope tharof ; and in the meane time did labur with tow

of my companyons, and perswaded them to beare me company.

One of there names was Myghell Watson, my

joyner ; the other's name Edward Hale, a Cotchman. The

day beinge come that we should go a shore, I chalinged

my associates with there promise, and gott there good wils

to go with me before we wente into the towne. This hill is

called by the Greekes Scopo {i.e., outlook). It is from the

town more than a myle, but I gave our sayleres somthinge to

carrie us in the coke boote, as we thoughte to the foute of

the hill ; but when we weare sett a shore we found it to be

almoste tow myles unto it. When we cam to the foute of

it, by greate fortune we hapened on the ryghte waye, the

which was verrie narrow and crouked. It was arlye in the

morninge, and we weare toulde, 2 or 3 dayes before, that no

man muste carrie any weapern with him when he wente

a shore, and tharfore we wente only with cudgels in our

handes. So, assendinge the hill aboute halfe a myle, and

loukinge up, we sawe upon a storie of the hill above us a

man goinge with a greate staffe on his shoulder, havinge a

clubed end, and on his heade a cape which seemed to hus

to have five horns standinge outryghte, and a greate heard

of gootes and shepe folloed him.

My frende Myghell Watson, when he saw this, he

seemed to be verrie fearfull, and would have perswaded us

to go no farther, tellinge us that surly those that did inhahite

thare weare savidge men, and myghte easalye wronge

us, we hauinge no sordes or dageres, nether any more

Company ; but I tould him that yf thei weare divers, I

would, with Godes help, be as good as my worde. So, with

muche adow, we gott him to go to that storie wheare we

sawe the man with his club ; and than we saw that that

man was a heardman. Yeate, for all this, Myghell Watson

swore that he would goo no farther, com of it what would.

Edward Hale sayd somthinge fayntly that he would not

leave me, but se the end. So we tow traveled forwarde,

and when we cam somthinge neare the topp, we saw tow

horsis grasinge, with packe sadls on ther backes, and one

man cominge downe the hill towardes us, having nothinge

in his handes. Cothe I to my fellow: Nede, we shall see

by this man what people they be that inhabit heare.

When this man came unto us he lay his hand upon his

breste, and boued his head and bodye with smylinge countinance,

makinge us a sine to go up still. Yeat than Ned

Hall began to diswade me from goinge any further ; but I

tould him it would not stand with my othe to go backe

untill I had bene as farr as I could go. Cominge to the

top thare was a prittie fair grene, and on one sid of it a

whyte house bulte of lyme, and some square, the whyche

had bene the house of an ancoriste, who, as I harde after

wardes, Died but a litle before our cominge thether, and

that she had lived five hundrethe years. Ryghte before us,

on the farther side of the greene, I saw a house of som 20

pacis longe, and waled aboute one yarde hie, and than

opene to the eaves, which was aboute a yarde more. And

I se a man on the inside reatche oute a coper kettell to one

that stood with oute the wale. Than saide I to Ned Hale:

I will go to yender house and gitt som drinke, for I have

greate neede. The wether was verrie hote, and I was

fastinge. But Ned Hale tould me that I had no reason to

drinke at there handes, nether to go any nearer them.

Yeate I wente bouldly to the sid of the house, whear I

saw another man drinke, and made a sine to him within

that I woulde drinke. Than he touke up the same ketle

which had water in it, and offer it me to drinke. And

when I did put out my hande to take it, he would

not give it me, but sett it further of, and than cam

near the wale againe, and llfte up a carpit which lay

on the ground, and thar was six bottels full of verrie good

wyne, and a faire silver cupe, and he filed that silver boule

full of a redeishe wyne, which they do cale Rebola, and he

gave it me to drinke ; and when I had it in my hande

I caled to my frende Nede Hale, who stood a far of, for he

was a fraide to com neare. Hear, Nede, cothe I, a carrouse

to all our frendes in Inglande. I pray you, cothe he, take

heede what you dow. Will you take what drinke they

give you ? Yeae, truly, cothe I ; for it is better than

I have as yeat disarved of When I had give God thankes

for it, I drank it of, and it was the beste that ever

I dranke. Than he filled me the same boule with whyte

Rebola, the which was more pleasante than the other.

When I had muche comended the wyne, and tould Ned

Hale that he was a foule to refuse suche a cup of wyne,

than he come neare the house, and desiered to have som

water ; so he had the kettle to drinke in. When this was

all done, I was so well pleasede with this entertaynmente,

that I knew not how to thanke this man. I had no mony

aboute me but one halfe Dolor of Spanyshe mony, and

that mony is best accepted of in that countrie. I offered

to give that peece of silver to this man, but he would not

by any means take it. Than I remembered that I had tow

severall (Seville ?) knyfes in my pocket. I toke one of them

and gave it him, and the blad gilded and graven. When

he had taken it oute of the sheathe and louked upon it, he

caled with a loude voyce : Sisto, Sisto ! Than another man

Came runninge, unto whom he showed but only the hafte

of it, and than they began to wrastell for the knife ; but

he that I gave it unto kepte it, and leape ower the wale to

the side whear I was, and, bowinge him selfe unto me, he

toke me by the hande, and led me aboute by the ende of

that house, and so into a litle cloyster, throughe the

whyche we passed into a Chappell, whear we found a preste

at mass and wex candls burninge. He pute me into

a pue, whear I satt and saw the behaveour of the people,

for thare weare about 20 men, but not a woman emongste

them ; for the wemen weare in a lower chapell by them

selves, (1) yeate myghte they heare and se. Ned Hale cam

after, but hauinge loste sighte of me, at his cominge into

the chappell he kneled Downe neare unto the wemen, but

saw them not ; but they saw him, and wondred at his

behaveour ; for, after I had kneeled Downe, I stode up in

my pue to louk for him, and than I saw tow wemen put

oute there heades and laughed at him – as indeed they

myghte, for he behaved him selfe verrie foolishly. Nether

he nor I had ever sene any parte of a mass before, nether

weare we thinge the wyser for that. This chapell was verrie

curiusly paynted and garnished round aboute, as before

that time I had never seene the lyke. Sarvis beinge

ended, we Departed out of the chapell ; but presently one

cam after us, who did seme verrie kindly to intreat me to

goo backe againe, and he leed us throughe the chappell

into the cloyster, wheare we found standing eyghte verrie

fayre wemen, and rychly apparled, som in reed satten, som

whyte, and som in watchell Damaske, (2) there heads verrie

finly attiered, cheanes of pearle and juels in there eares,

7 of them verrie yonge wemen, the eighte was Anchante

(ancient), and all in blacke. I thoughte they hade bene

nones, but presently after I kenewe they wear not. Than

weare we brought into that house wheare before I had

dranke. Clothe beinge layde, we weare requested to sitt

downe, and sarved with good breade and verrie good

wyne and egges, the shels of them collored lyke a

damaske Rose, (3) and these mad lyke an alla compana

{alla campagna) (4) Route, for they keep it in the earthe,

(1) The γυναικείον, or woman's quarter in a Greek church.

(2) Watchet silk, so called from the colour of the dye of woad, Saxon

Wadchet.

" Who like a mighty king doth cast his Watchet robe

Far wider than the land, quite round the globe."

(Drayton, Bk. xx, p. 1044.)

(3) Easter eggs.

(4) Eggs for a country festivity.

because nothinge will thar take salte. My fellow, Need

Hale, would nether eate nor drinke anythinge but water,

yeat I did eate one egge, bread and chese, and I dranke

tow boules of wyne. Whylste we satt there, the Jentelwemen

came in, and thre of them came verrie neare

us, and louked earnestly upon us. I offered one of them

the cup to drinke, but she would not. Than I offered to

give him that tended upon us my halfe Dollor, but he

would not take any monye. These wemen standing all to

gether before us, I thoughte they had bene Dwelleres

there, because no mony would be taken. I presented my

other knyfe, of 2s. price, unto the ould Jentlewoman, the

which she was unwilling to take, but at laste she tooke it,

and than they all flocked together, and, as it semed to me,

they wondered muche at it. When thei had well louked

upon it, they came altogether towardes me and bowed

there bodies, to show ther thankfulnes. So Ned Hale and

I Touke our leves and wente awaye verrie merrily ; but

when we came to the place wheare we lefte our fainteharted

frend Myghell Watson, who all this whyle has

layen in a bushe, when we had tould him the wonderes

that we had sene, and of our kinde entertainmente, he

would not beleve us, for he was a shamed, and desiered us

to make haste to the towne that he myghte git som vittals ;

but we mad the less haste for that, and wente to se another

monestarie. Near unto the place upon this mountaine

growed many sweete floweres, in stead of heathe, time, and

other good earbes, and fine springes of watere. Cominge

to the towne of Zante, we Inquiered out the house wheare

our marchants and other passingeres weare, which was at

the sine of the Whyte Horse ; but Myghell Watson, for

shame, would not go in with us. When our martchantes

saw us, they began to be verrie angrie, sayinge that they

had soughte alaboute, and thoughte that we had bene

drowned, or com to som evell fortune ; but I bid them

hould ther peace, and lett me tell them my adventurs.

When I had toulde them all the storie, they wondered at

my bouldnes, and some Grekes that weare thare sayde

that they never hard that any Inglishe man was ever thare

before. It was than aboute 12 of the clocke, and nyne

of these Jentlmen would needes go presently thether to se

That which I had done, and bcause I would not go againe,

beinge wearie, for it was 4 myles thether, they hiered a gide,

and yeate, when they came to the mountaine, they myste

of the Ryghte way, and did climbe upon the Rockes, so

that som of them gott fales and broke there shins ; but at

laste they got thether, and the waye for them by me

beinge preparede, thei weare bid verrie welcom ; but there

gide hade Instrucktede them with that which I never thought

on, the which was, that at ther firste cominge they should

go Into the chappell, and thar offer som mony, as litle as

they would, and than theye should have all kinde entertainmente.

So, verrie late in the evininge, they Returned

safly againe, and gave me thankes for that which theye

had sene.

The 30th day I wente with 3 more, havinge a Greke to

show us the way into the Castle.

MAYE

The firste day of maye we saw there greatest traverses (1)

or sportes that they have in all the yeare, for that day

dothe meete at the toune of Zante all the able men of the

Greeks with there best horsis and artillerie, which is nothinge

but staves to Rvne at the Ringe, or at quintan. (2) They

borroed our five trompateres to sounde whe[n] they Run at

1 " Many shiftes and subtle traverses were overwrought by this

occasion." {Proceedings against Garnet^ 1606.)

2 A game with a beam and sack of sand.

Ringe the prizis ; the maner of it was so simple, that it

is not worthe keping in memorye. In the fore noune they

Run Quintan for a prize, the after noone at Ringe.

The second of Maye we departed from Zante.

The Turkes which weare passingeres in our shipp, and

came with us from Argeare in Barbaria, and were to goo

wythe us to Scandarowne, did somwate hasten us on of

our voyege, and, the wynd beinge fayer, we sett sayle the

second of Maye. The sam daye we sailed verrie neare an

Ilande called Travallie, (1) in the which we did se a Castle,

and in that Castell, or in som monestarie near unto it, thar

be alwayes Thirtie fryeres, and no wemen in that Ilande,

nether any more housis : it is low ground and levell, and

litle above one myle in lengthe.

(1) Probably the Strophades, the largest of which is still called

Convent Island, and has a convent on it of monks only.

At nyghte we came to a Castell, caled Castell Turneaes, (2)

the which dothe stand upon a verrie hie hill, posseste with

a garreson of Turkes, and is 3 myles from the seae. It is

a Castele that may be kepte with a verrie few men. The

waye to it is so lade (3) that ordenance cannot be broughte

anythinge near it.

On St. Stevn's Day we did thinke to have croste a parte

of the sea to the iland Zante, but the wynde was so hie

that we could not.

On St. John's Day, the wynde beinge somwhat abatted,

we carried our supports (4) and other Lugedge to the seasid,

wheare we weare in hoope to find som boats. Cominge

thether, we founde a great markett of swyne and other

cattell, and so thar is everie day, beinge faire weather. The

iland Zante hathe all theire provition of vittell from thence.

From this place it is but 12 or 18 myles by sea, yeate we

had muche adow to hier a hogge boate to carrie us to

Zante. For our passage and carriege of our stufe we payed

seven Chickens (sequins), or 7 pecis of gould which weare

nyne shillinges a peece.

Heare, at the sea sid, we parted from our drugaman,

or the Turke that was our gidd from Constantinople.

Thoughe he was a Turke, his righte name was Finche,

borne at Chorlaye in Longcashier.

(2) Castel Tornese.

(3) Ugly, Fr. laide. (4) Supportes, i.e., provisions.

Beinge come to Zante, we could not be permited to goe

a shore, because the governers of the toune did understand

that we came from Constantinople, or oute of Turkie.

It (is) ther Custom to deale so with all straingers that come

out of Turkie, if they have not a letter of health from some

Venitian or Ittalian.

So by the judgimente of the Provodore and the tow

Sinyors of Healthe, we wear comited to the lazaretto, which

is a prison for all suche travelers, and thare to remaine for

10 dayes ; and if, at the ende of 10 dais, any man be

founde sicke when the Sinyors of Healthe com to examon

and se them, than they muste remaine thare for 10 daies

more.

JENNARIE

By suche meanes as our martchantes who ar facktors

thare did use, we had poticke (pratique) the 6 of Jenuarie,

but at our firste cominge we weare in doubte to have laine

thare longer in this prison, but we hade a greate favor

showede us, for we weare not put into the ordenarie preson,

but into a new house wheare never any bodie had dwelte,

and it was cloce to the seae. Also the water men which

brought us from Cstell Turneas (1) was commited with us,

because they broughte us in theire boote ; and we weare

constrained to finde them vittals for 7 dayes ; for than the

Sinyors of Healthe came unto us to se if any man weare

(1)  Castel Tornese.

sicke. Than Mr. Paule Finder desiered that they would

releace the water men, and ease us of that charge. So

theye weare contented that the water men should have proticke,

or libertie, if theye would leape out at a window into

the sea, and washe them selues over heade with theyer

clothis on ; the which theye weare verrie lothe to dow, but

Mr. Connisbye drew his simmeterie, and swore a greate

othe that if they would not leape out quickly he would cut

of theier legges, and made them perforce leap oute ; and so

we weare rid of them.

Many thinges which hapened in the time of our impresoment,

for wante of time I doo omit.

FEBRUARIE

We stayed in the iland of Zante fortie and 6 dayes, ever

expectinge som ship to com in thare that would Carrie us

to Venis, or els for Inglande, but the firste that came war

the Heckter, in the which I wente out of Inglande ; and we

did thinke that she by that time had bene in Inglande.

When I saw her I was somwhat sorie, for I had a great

desier to have gone to Venis ; but yeat I was glad againe,

because I knew that in her was a sur passidge, and

emongste men that did know me.

The 26 of Februarie, in the morninge, we departed from

Zante.

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Όπως έχει ήδη αναφερθεί το κείμενο είναι από το βιβλίο 'Early voyages and travels in the Levant', έκδοση του 1893.