View PDF version of this page

Amache- 15 Italian miles. Upon the sayd hill is a certaine crosse, which is, they say, a holy Crosse. This Crosse in times past did by their report of the Island, hang in the ayre, but by a certaine earthquake, the crosse and the chappell it hung in were overthrowen, so that never since it wonld hang againe in the aire. But it is now covered with silver, and hath 3 drops of our Lordes blood on it (as they say) and there is in the midst of the great crosse, a little crosse made of the Cross of Christ, but it is closed in the silver, you must (if yon will) believe it is so, for see it you cannot This crosse hangeth nowe by both endes in the wall, that you may swing it up and downe, in token that it did once hang in the aire. This was told race by my fellow pilgrhnes, for I sawc it not. The 10 at night we went aboord by warning of the patron: and the Π iu the morning we set saile, and crept along the shore, but at night we ankered by reason of contrary windes. The 12 we set saile toward Limisso, which is from Salmis 50 miles, and there we went on land that night. The 13 and 14 we remained still on land, and the 15 the patrone sent for us; but by leason that ono of our company was not well, we went not presently, but we were forced afterward to hire a beate, and to overtake the ship tenue miles into the sea. At this Limisso all the Venetian ships lade wine for their provision, and some for to sell, and also vineger. They lade also great store of Carrobi: for all the conntry thereabout adjoining, and all the mountaines are full of Carobi trees, they lade also cotton wolle there. In the sayd towne we did see a certaine fonie of the land (whereof there are many in this Island) named in the Italian tongue Vulture. It is a fowle that is as big as a Swanne, and it liveth upon caribù. The skinue is full of soft donne, like to a fine fnrre, which they use to ocenpie when they have evill stomacica, and it luaketli good digestion. This bird (as they say) will eate as much at one meale as shall serve him fortie dayes after, and within the compassé of that time careth for no more incate. The countrey people, when they have any dead beast they cary it into the mountaines, or where they suppose the sayd Vultures to haunt, they seeing the carion doe immediately greedily seaze upon it, and doe so ingraft their talents that they cannot speedily rìse againe, by reason whereof the people come and kill them : sometimes they kill tliein with dogs, and sometimes with such weapons as they have. This fonie is very great & hardy, much like an eagle in the feathers of her wings and backe, but under her great feathers she is onely donne, her necke also long and fülle of doune. She hath on the necke boue, between the necke and the shoulders, a heape of fethers like a tassell, her thighs unto her knees are covered with doune, her legs strong and great, and dareth with her talents assault a man. They have also in the Island a certaine small bird much like unto a Wagtaile in f e then and making, these are so extreme fat that yon can perceive nothing els in all (heir bodies : these birds arc now in season. They take great quantifie of them, and they nse to pickle them with vineger and salt, and to put them in pots and send them to Venice and other places of Italy for present of great estimation. They say they send almost 1200 jarres or pots to Venice, besides those which are consumed in the Island, which are a great number. These are so plentiful] that when there is no shipping, you may buy them for 10 Cardites, which coinè are 4 to a Venetian Soldo, which is peny farthing the dozen, and when there is store of shipping, 2 pence the dozen, after that rate of their money. They of the limites of Famagusta do keep the statutes of the Frenchmen which sometimes did rule there. And the people of Nicosia observe the order of the Genoveses, who sometimes also did mie them. All this day we lay iu the sea with little wind. The 16 we met a Venetian ship....Toward night we ankered under Cavo Bianco, but because the winde grewe faire, we set saile againe presently. 72 EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

View PDF version of this page