Hubbard Imaginary Voyages PR 3318 B32 M5 1786 ARTES 1837 LIBRARY VERITAS SCIENTIA OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PLURIBUS UNUM TUEBOR SI QUERIS PENINSULAM-AMⱭNAI CIRCUMSPICE GIFT OF REGENT LL-HUBBARD : Hubbard Imag. Voy. ре 3318 .B32 M5 1786 THE ADVENTURES OF Signor Gaudentio di Lucca. BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF HIS EXAMINATION BEFORE THE FATHERS OF THE INQUISITION, AT BOLOGNA, IN ITALY, GIVING AN > ACCOUNT OF AN UNKNOWN COUNTRY IN THE MIDST OF THE DESARTS OF AFRICA. COPIED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT IN ST. MARK'S LIBRARY, AT VENICE. WITH CRITICAL NOTES BY THE LEARNED SIGNOR RHEDI, TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN. LONDON:. Printed for HARRISON and Co. No. 18, Paternofter-Row. M DCC LXXXVI. ! Berington, Simon." Ref: Hubbard Gift 1-22-27 THE PUBLISHER TO THE TO THE READER. Ira T is very natural to think the reader would willingly be apprifed of two things relating to thefe Memoirs: Firft, how this curious manuſcript came to light, confidering the dark and deep fecrecy with which all things are tranfacted in the Inquifition. Secondly, how it came into the tranflator's hands. To fatisfy fuch a commendable cu- riofity, he is to be informed, that the manufcript was fent by the ſe- cretary of the Inquifition at Bologna to the learned Signor Rhedi, keeper of the library of St. Mark at Venice, his intimate friend and correfpondent, with the whole account how the author was taken up, and fecured in the Inquifition, as the letter of the fecretary to the fame Signor Rhedi will fhew: which letter, as it contains a great many curious particulars in the examination of the criminal, (for he was taken up as fuch, though nothing very material was proved againſt him; for which reaſon, he received a more favourable treatment than is generally believed to be cuftomary in that dreadful tribuna!) fo it difcovers no indirect practices of the Inquifition, but, on the contrary, fhews they proceed with a great deal of circumfpection within their walls, though all things are involved in impenetrable darkneſs to thoſe without. Befide, the fucceffion of new popes, and, generally fpeak- ing, the change of other officers attending it, might make them be lefs upon their guard, as the fecretary feems to hint in his letter. Neither is there any thing that might do him any harm, in cafe he were diſcovered; efpecially writing to a friend of his own communion, and a prieſt, as Signor Rhedi was; which is likewife feen by the letter. J As to the fecond Quære, The manufcript came into the publisher's hands, by the means of the fame Signor Rhedi, who is an honour to his church, profeffion, and country, and one of the moſt learned and polite men in the world. He is not fo bigotted to his religion or pro- feffion, as to fhun the company of the Heretical Tramontani, a title the Italians generally give us, but loves and efteems a learned man though of a different perfuafion. One reafon for this may be, that he breathes a freer air at Venice, than they do in the other parts of Italy. The Inquifition has nothing to do in the Venetian territories. Though they are Roman Catholicks, the ftate admits of no tribunal indepen- dent of itſelf. Befides, as they are a trading people, their commerce obliges them to be civil to perfons of all perfuafions, efpecially tran- gers. But of all others they feem to have the greatest respect for the English; whether it be on account of their power at fea, or their frank- nefs in fpending their money, fo many of the English nobility and gentry travelling that way; or from the candour and fincerity of our nature, fo oppofite to the Italians, and therefore the more valued by A 2 them: iv PREFACE. } C them be that as it will, the publisher, who had feveral times made the tour of Italy, was not only intimately acquainted, but had con- tracted a particular friendship with Signor Rhedi, as well on account of their mutual inclinations for learning and antiquity, as for feveral reciprocal obligations paffing between them. The last time he was at Venice, which was in company of a perſon of the first rank, who liked the place as well as he did; he ftaid there upwards of fifteen months, during which time he had the opportunity of enjoying the conver- fation of his learned friend, with as much liberty, as if he had been of the fame perfuafion. But the prefent of a gold repeating watch, with fome other of our English curiofities, fo won his heart, that one day being together in the great library, he unlocks a little grate where he kept his rarities, and turning to me with a fmile Signor Inglefe,' fays he, holding a manufcript in his hand, here is fuch a curiofity, as, I am fure, you never faw, and perhaps never heard of; 'tis the life of a perfon who is now in the Inquifition at Bologna, taken from his own confeflion before the Inquifitors; with the account of acountry in the heart of the vaft defarts of Africa, whofe inhabitants have lived unknown to all the world upwards of three thousand years, and inac- ceffible to all the world, but by the way he was carried thither. The Inquifitors are fo far perfuaded of the truth of it, that they have promifed him his liberty, if he will undertake to conduct fome mif- fionaries the fame way, to preach the gospel to a numerous people, who, by his account, have the greateſt knowledge of natural religion and polity of any heathen nation yet known, even beyond the Chinefe. For my own part, I could fcarce have believed it, had not the fecretary of the fame Inquifition, who, you may be fure, by his poft, is not a man to be impofed upon, affured me of the truth of it: nay, that he himself was prefent at his feizure and ex- amination, and fent me a copy of his life, which he was ordered to give in by the Inquifitors; with the whole account of the occafion and manner of his feizure.' < It ſeems he had lived fome time in Bologna in quality of a phyfician, under the name of Signor Gaudentio di Lucca, which he fays is his true name, and confirms it by the place of his birth, the names of his. parents, time of his captivity, &c. He had dropped fome words of feveral frange fecrets he was mafter of, with mutterings of an unknown nation, religion, and cuftoms, quite new to the Italian ears; for which reafon the Inquifition thought fit to feize him, and, by ways and means made ufe of in that tribunal, obliged him to give an account of his whole life, which is the most furpriſing I ever read. Here is the ſe. cretary's letter, giving a fuccinct account of the whole affair. • I have A added,' continued he, fome critical remarks in proper places, to fhew that this account is not fo incredible as it may appear at firſt fight, and that it agrees with fome hints left us in the remains of ancient history. Befides, the man ftands to the truth of it with a fedfastnefs that is furprizing. He is a perfon of a very handſome prefence, well read, good fenfe, and, as it appears to the Inquifi- ters, (who are nice judges) of feemingly good morals. He profeffes himfelf a zealous Roman-Catholick, and that he always was fo; ⚫ for which reafon, the Inquifitors are more civil to him than ordinary.': ile gives fuch a rational and circumftantial account of his adventures, that I am of the fecretary's opinion, as to the truth of it. But,' • added PREFA CE. added he, 'I'won't foreftall the fatisfaction you will find in the perufal:' fo delivered the manufcript and the fecretary's letter into the publisher's hands, who running his eyes over it for fome time, was fo ftruck with the novelty of the thing, that he asked Signor Rhedi, whether he might not take a copy of it. He was answered, he could not permit the ma- nufcript to be taken out of the library; nor could he, with fafety to himſelf, allow a ftranger, and of a different religion too, the liberty of ſtaying fo long in the library by himfelf, as the tranfcribing would take up. The publiſher faid he might put what guards upon him he pleaſed, provided he might but tranfcribe it. No,' fays he, that's • inconvenient too; but I will order one of my under-librarians I can confide in, to write you out an exact copy, with the fecretary's let- ter, and my own remarks, if you think them worth your notice ;" which he did moft faithfully; generously commanding the tranfcriber, at the fame time, not to take any thing of me for his pains. Thus this curious manufcript came to hand, to the infinite fatisfaction of the publiſher, and he hopes it will prove no lefs to the readers, in the perufal of it. The character of Signor Gaudentio cannot be called in queftion; nor is the publifher a perfon fo little verfed in the nature and ways of the Italians, as to be impofed upon. The tranflation from the Italian is as exact as poffible. This is the previous account the publisher thought proper to give of this affair. с N. B. Great part of the matters treated of in thefe Memoirs, being tranfacted in a Roman Catholick country, and among Roman Ca- tholicks, the reader must not wonder, if they fpeak of their religion as if it were the only true one in the world. It will not be improper to admonish the reader, not to difcredit immediately fome of the relations contained in thefe Memoirs; but to fufpend his judgment till he has read Signor Rhedi's remarks; par- ticularly, when he comes to the origin and antiquity of the people the author ſpeaks of. The learned will find in them ſuch a vaſt know- ledge in hiſtory, and the moſt intricate remains of antiquity, as will render them very well worth their notice. The fame Signor Rhedi told the publiſher, he had enquired into what happened at Venice; particularly what the author mentions of Monfieur Godart, one of the most improbable parts of his adventures, and found the whole to be just as he relates it. The publiſher is fatisfied the reader will be extremely forry, as well as himſelf, for the lofs of fome fheets belonging to the middle part of this hiftory. How they came to be loft, he cannot tell; but he fup- pofes, by the incivility of the custom-houſe officers at Marſeilles; for they tumbled over his effects at a very rude rate, and while he had an eye on other matters, they either took fome of the loofe fheets, or they dropped out in the tumbling; he was very much troubled when he came to mifs them in the courfe of the tranflation. INTRO. INTRODUCTION. GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE CAUSES AND MANNER OF THE SEIZURE OF SIGNOR GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA, AND THE FIRST PART OF HIS EXAMINATION: IN A LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE INQUISITION TO SIGNOR RHEDI. * SIR, TH HE prefent turn of + affairs which fills the heads of other people with intrigues of ſtate, gives me an opportunity of returning my beſt thanks, for the rich prefent you were pleaſed to fend to a perfon who was yours before by the ftricteſt ties of gratitude. The cabinet, with the other curiofities, came fafe to hand, and ſhew, that whoever is fo happy, as to oblige Signor Rhedi, fows a feed which returns a hundred fold. The poverty of our profeffion, hinders me from being capable of making a fuitable return for your magnificent prefent; but nothing ought to take from me the defire of expreffing my acknowledgments. In teftimony of it, and to fhew that poverty itſelf may be grateful, I fend you by the bearer, the account of a man, whofe life has filled our Inquifitors with wonder and aſtoniſhment. He has been in the Inquifition at this place about two years: we have employed all our en- gines to find out the truth of what he is, and can find nothing material against him, unless it be the unheard-of account he gives of himſelf. Our firft Inquifitor has obliged him to write his own life, with all the particulars, as fuccinctly as poffible, adding threats withal, that, if we find him in a falfe ſtory, it ſhall be worſe for him. He tells us ftrange ftories of one of the most beautiful countries in the world, in the very heart of the vaft defarts of Africa, inacceffible to all the world but by one way, which feems as extraordinary as the country it leads to. As you are a perfon of univerfal knowledge in antiquity, and an admirer of curiofities of this nature, I fend you a copy of the manufcript, to have your opinion of it; and to give you as clear a notion of the man as I can, you muſt know, that about three years before he was taken up by the Inquifition, he took a neat houſe at Bologna in quality of a phyfician, paffing through fome flight examination for form fake, and paying his fees as is cuftomary with ftrangers. His name, as he fays, is Gaudentio di Lucca, originally of Lucca§, but born in Ragufall. He is a tall, handfome, clean-built man, as you fhall fee in a thoufand, of a very polite addrefs, and ſomething fo very en- gaging in his afpect, as befpeaks your favour at firft fight. He feems to be near fifty; he is a man of good fenfe and fine difcourfe, though his accent is not pure Italian, from his living, as he fays, fo long in foreign countries. He ſpeaks almoft all the oriental languages, and has a very competent ſhare of other parts of learning, as well as that of his profeffion. We ſent to Ragufa and Lucca to enquire about him, but could not get the leaft information of his being known in thofe places. The reafon of which he has given in his life, as you will fee; only at Ragufa, fome people re- membered there had been a merchant of that name, about five and twenty or thirty years ago, who was either loft, or taken by pirates, and never heard of more. The Inquifition, as you know, Sir, has eyes every where, eſpecially on ſtrangers; *The Italian titles of Illuftriffimo, &c. are left out, as not uſed in our language. He either means the death of fome pope, or fome extraordinary crifis in the Romish œconomy. The fecretary was a Dominican Friar; the Dominicans being mafters of the Inquifition. SA little republick in Italy. A republick in Dalmatia, and tributary to the Turks. we viii INTRODUCTION. I am con- we kept an eye upon him from his first fettling at Bologna; but as we proceeded with juftice as well as caution, we could not diſcover any fufficient reafon to take him up. His life was as regular as that of others of his profeffion, which he did not follow very clofely, but only for form fake, being chiefly confulted at his own houfe, on account of foine extraordinary fecrets he pretended to be mafter of, without making any viſits but to ladies, with whom he grew in prodigious request. Theyfaid he had a fweetnefs and eafe in converfation, that was almoft bewitching. This un- accountable fondnefs of the ladies gave us the firſt fufpicion, left he ſhould inftil fome ill notions into that fex, fo credulous where they are fond, and fo incredulous where they diflike. He profeffed himſelf a Roman Catholick; feemed to have a competent knowledge, and even veneration, confidering he was a phyfician, for our holy myfteries: fo we had nothing against him on that account. We could not fiud that he wanted for money, though he lived rather genteclly than magnificently: we found on ſeveral occafions, that money, the idol of other people, was the leaft of his care; and that he had fome fecret fprings we could not fathom. His houſe was but decently, though compleatly, furnished for one of his rank; he kept two ſervants in livery and a valet de chambre; who, being of this town, knew no more of him than we did. There was an elderly lady we thought had been his wife, but it proved fhe was not; a foreigner, for whom he feemed to have a great refpect, and her maid a foreigner alfo; and an elderly maid-ſervant of the town. We have them all fecured in the Inquifition, though he does not know it. The lady has the re- mains of a wonderful fine face, and an air of quality; fhe ſpeaks a broken Italian, fo that we can get very little out of her, but what agrees with his account. fident you will rather be pleafed with thefe particulars than think them tedious. There is fomething fo extraordinary in the man, I ought not to omit the leaft circumſtance;. we had ſeveral confultations about him in our Inquifition, as well as our Leiger intelligences, but could difcover nothing of moment. We examined what inter- courſe he had in other parts, by ordering the poft-mafter to ſend us all his letters, which we could eaſily open, and feal up again with the greatest nicety. But we found he had only two correfpondents, one poffeffed of a moderate income of about four thousand crowns in the bank of Genoa; the other a lady of your city of Ve- nice, whom we difcovered to be a celebrated courtezan, who fubfcribes herfelf Favilla. We find by her last letter, that he had given her very good advice, and perfuaded her to become a penitent; you'll oblige us if you will enquire what the is. Amorous intrigues not falling under our cognizance, we let him alone for f me time, having a perfon under our examination on fufpicion of being a Jew in mafque- rade, and a ſpy from the Grand Signor, who kept us employed for fome time. Befides, the good advice he gave the courtezan, and he being paft his prime, nade us lefs fufpicious of the ladies; we fuppofed they had recourfe to him on account of fome female infirmities. Though the young ladies were moft fond of him, his be- haviour to them was more an endearing fweetnefs and courtefy, than love, with very little figns, at least he had the addrefs to conceal them, of more kindneſs for one than another. In fine, perfons of the best rank, of both fexes, began to have a pro- digious liking for his company; he ftole upon them infentibly. As he increased in this good opinion, he opened himſelf with greater freedom; he made no ſhew at all at firit, more than a fine prefence and a polite addrefs: but after farther acquaint- ance, they difcovered he was mafter of moit fciences, and fhewed a fuperior genius in any thing they could difcourfe of. We employed proper perfons to infinuate themfelves into his good liking, and confult him as a friend on feveral nice points; but he had fuch a prefence of mind, yet appeared fo unconſtrained in his difcourfe, that they owned themfelves novices in comparifon to him. If they talked of poli- ticks, he ſaid very judiciously, it was not for men of his rank to meddle with affairs of ſtate, or examine what perfons did in the cabinet. If of religion, he feemed to underſtand it very well for one of his profeffion; fo that nothing came from him but what was confonant to the Catholick faith; expreffing on all occafions a great deference for the authority of the Church. But ftill the more fagacious were per- fuaded fomething more than ordinary lay hid under that ſpecious cover. At length, talking one day with fome of our fpies about the cuſtoms of foreign countries, he faid, he had met with a nation in one of the remoteft parts of the world, who, though they were Heathens, had more knowledge of the law of nature and common mo- rality, than the moſt civilized Chriſtians. This was immediately carried to us, and 1 explained INTRODUCTION. ix explained as a reflection on the Chriſtian religion. Another time, as he had a great knowledge in philofophy, he dropt fome words as if he had ſome ſkill in judiciary aftrology; which you know, Sir, is a capital crime with us. We were as • good as refolved to ſeize him, when we were determined to it by the following ac- cident. Two of the moſt beautiful women in all Bologna had fallen in love with him, either on account of the handſomeneſs of his perfon, or, by a whimſicalneſs pe- culiar to fome women, becauſe he was a ſtranger, or thinking he might keep their fecrets better under the cloak of being a phyſician; or, in fine, drawn in by fome love potion or other, we cannot tell; but the matter grew to fuch a height, that on his fhewing more diftinguiſhing favour to one of them, as it is natural for our wo- men to be violent in their jealoufy, as well as love, the other, to be revenged, faid he had bewitched her; which he was fure of, for that, fince the very firſt time ſhe ſaw him, the thought there was fomething more in him, than ever the faw in any man in her life. Befides, fhe faid, fhe had often found him drawing circles and figures on paper, which to her looked like conjuration. Her friends immediately informed our fathers of it; fo we refolved to feize him, if it were but to find out his fecrets, and fee what the man was. There was another reafon induced us to it, which the world will hardly believe, though it is matter of fact: that is, we were afraid, the man would be affaffinated by fome fecret means or other, for being fo great with our ladies; fo, to fave his life, and not lofe the diſcoveries we expected from him, it was determined he ſhould be feized immediately. Accordingly, I was deputed, with three under-officers, to do the buſineſs, but with all the caution and fecrecy ufual in fuch cafes. It was done about midnight, when we had watched one of the two ladies he favoured moft, into his houfe. We went in a clofe coach, and myſelf and one of the officers ftopping at the door, as foon as the fervant opened it, ftepped in, telling him what we were, and charging him, at his peril, not to make the leaft noife. The fervants being Italians, and knowing the confequence of the leaft refift- ance, ſtood as mute as fishes. We immediately went into the inner parlour, and, contrary to our expectation, found our gentleman, the young lady with her gover- nante, and the elderly lady that belonged to him, fitting very decently at an elegant collation of fruits and fweetmeats, brought, as we fuppofed, by the fair lady as a prefent. At our first appearance, he feemed more furprized than terrified; as we make no ceremonies in thofe cafes, we told him our errand, and commanded him to come along with us without the leaft refiftance, or elfe it fhould be worfe for him. Then we turned to the young lady, whofe friends and perfon we knew, and told her we wondered to find her in fuch company, at fuch unfeaſonable hours; but on ac- count of her friends, would not meddle with her, but bid her, for her own fake, as fhe tendered her life and honour, never to take the leaft notice of the affair. She trembling, and ready to faint away, after fome heſitation, was able to fay, that ſhe was come to confult about her health; that he brought her governante along with her to take off all fufpicion, and as flie was miftrefs of herfelf and fortune, it was not unufual for perfons of her rank to be out at that time, confidering the heat of the feafon. She had fearce pronounced thefe words, when the fell directly into a ſwoon. Her governante having things proper for fuch occafions, revived and comforted her as well as the could. But when we were going to take the gentleman along with us, the elderly lady, to whom we fuppofed he had told his misfortunes, inftead of falling into fits, flew at us like a tigrefs, with a fury I never faw in any human creature in my life; tearing at us with her nails and teeth, as if he had been in the moſt rag- ing madneſs. We, not accuftomed to refiftance, confidering our character and cloth, and the a woman, were almoft motionlefs, when the fervants at the noiſe came up. We commanded them, in the name of the Inquifition, to feize her; the gentleman in- terpoſed in our favour, faying fome words to her in an unknown language, which he affured us, were to beg her to be pacified, as the tendered his life as well as her own; then the violence of her paffion turned another way, and threw her into the ſtrongeſt convulfions I ever faw. By this time the other two officers were come up, wonder- ing at our delay, and to find refiftance against the officers of the Inquifition. The gentleman, with a becoming fubmiffion, rather than fear, yielded himſelf a prifoner, and begged us to pardon the fudden tranfports of a perfon unacquainted with our cuftoms, whofe life in fome manner depended on his. That ſhe was a Perfian lady of quality, brought into this country by great misfortunes, who had once faved his life, B as x INTRODUCTION. 1 as he had been afterwards inftrumental in faving her's. That he was difpofed to turn Chriftian, with intention, after fome time, to end her days in a convent. That for his own part, relying on his innocence, he readily fubmitted to our authority, and of- fered himſelf to be carried wherever we pleaſed; he uttered all this with an air of conftancy that was furprizing. We immediately took him into the coach, leaving two of the officers with the elderly lady, and commanding them and the gentleman's fervants not to ftir out of the room till further orders. As foon as we arrived at the Inquifition, we lodged him in a handſome ſtrong room; not fo much like a criminal, as like a perfon for whom we had fome refpect. There we left him to his own thoughts, and returned to his houfe to feize the elderly lady and his papers, having difmiffed the young lady and her governante before. I forgot to tell you, that Signor Gaudentio, by our permiffion, had spoke to the elderly lady coming out of her fits in Italian, (for we would not let him ſpeak to her in the unknown language, for fear of a combination) and with much pains made her underſtand, that he begged her by all that was dear, to ſubmit to whatever we ſhould enjoin her; aſſuring her by that means all would be well for her fafety and his own: which laft words feemed to give fome calm to her tempeltuous fpirits. You may believe, Sir, we were much furprized at the novelty of the thing, and the account he gave of her quality. But as we often meet with falfe ftories in our employment, that did not hinder us from doing our duty. So I took her by the hand with a great deal of reſpect, and her put into the coach between myfelf and my companion; not without apprehenfions of fome extravagant follies, confidering the violence of her temper; but the continued pretty fedate, only feemed to be overwhelmed with grief. We brought her to the. Inquifition, and lodged her in a very handſome apartment feparate froni the convent, on account of her fex; with two waiting-women to attend her with all respect, till we were better apprized of the truth of her quality. This obliged me to take another journey to Signor Gaudentio's houfe, to fecure his papers, with whatever elfe might contribute to further our difcovery. I found all things in the fame order I left them; but being extremely fatigued, I fat down to the elegant collation that was left, and after a fmall repaft, went to bed in his houfe, to have the morning before us for fe- curing his effects. I fealed up all the papers I could find, to examine them at more leifure; took an inventory of all the moveables, that they might be reſtored to him in cafe he was found innocent; and fent for a proper officer to remain in the houſe, who was to be refponfible for every thing. There were two little cabinets of cu- rious workmanship; one of them, as it appeared, belonged to him, the other to the ftrange lady; but being full of intricate drawers or tills, we took them both along with us. Thefe and the papers we delivered to the head Inquifitors, not being willing to proceed in either of their examinations, till we had got all the light we could, to find out the truth, for that was all our aim; then we could tell what courfe to take with them. We placed two cunning lay-brothers, in the nature of fervants, for Signor Gaudentio, who were to infinuate themſelves into his favour by their kind offices, compaffionating his misfortunes, and advifing him to diſcover the whole truth, in the account of his life, quality, profeffion, opinions, and, in fine, whatever articles he was to be interrogated on, to confefs ingenuously what he knew: that that was the only way to find favour at the hands of the Inquifitors; that they par- doned almoſt all faults on a fincere confeffion, and an affurance of amendment. I vifited him myfelf feveral times before his examination, and gave him the fame ad- vice and affurance; he promifed me faithfully he would, and feemed fo fteady and confirmed in his own innocence, with fuch an agreeable, yet fincere way in his dif- courfe, as really furprized me, and caufed me already to be prejudiced in his fa- vour; adding with a finile, that the hiftory of his life would adminifter more caufe of wonder than indignation. Not to be too particular, the chief of the Inquifition, with myfelf along with them, fet to the fcrutiny of his papers: we examined them with all the care imaginable, but could find nothing to ground any material accufa- tion, except fome imperfect memoirs of the cuſtoms of a country and people unheard of to us, and I believe to all the world befide, with fome odd characters, or words, which had no affinity with any language or characters we ever faw. We diſcovered he had a great knowledge in natural philofophy, with fome remarks that were very curious. There was a rough draught of a map of a country, with towns, rivers, lakes, &c, but no climate marked down. In ſhort, all his papers contained nothing • but INTRODUCTION. * but fome ſmall ſketches of philofophy and phyfick, with fome pieces of poetry of an uncommon tafte. Neither could we find any footsteps of judiciary aftrology, or cal- culations of nativities, of which we had the greateſt fufpicion; only a pair of globes, a fet of mathematical inftruments, charts of navigation, forms of unknown trees and plants, and fuch like things, as all gentlemen who delight in travelling are cu rious to have. There were indeed fome lines, circles, fegments of circles, which we fuppofed the informing lady meant; but looked like an attempt to find out the lon- gitude, rather than any magical fchemes. His books were of the fame nature; no- thing of herefy that we could fee, but fuch as belonged to a man of learning. There were feveral common books of devotion, fuch as are approved by our church, and feemed pretty well ufed; by which we judged him to be really a Catholick, and a perfon of no bad morals. But as nothing looks fo like an honeft man as a knave, this did not take away all our fufpicion. When we came to open the cabinets, in the first of them, which belonged to him, we found in one of the drawers about four hundred and fifty Roman crowns, with other fmall money, and fome foreign coin along with it, as Turkish fequins, and fome we knew nothing of. The fum not In another being very extraordinary, we could conclude nothing from thence. drawer we found feveral precious ftones, fome fet, fome unfet, of a very great value, fo far from being counterfeit, that we never faw any fo brilliant. Befides, feveral pieces of native gold, of fuch fineness, as nothing with us can come up to it. In a third, we found a fmall heap of medals moft of gold, but of an unknown ftamp and antiquity. There were outlandish ftones of odd figures enough, which to others might look like talifmans, but we took them for fome out-of-the-way curiofities. In a private drawer in the centre of the cabinct, there was fomething wrapt up in a piece of green filk of wonderful fincnefs, all embroidered with hearts and hands. joined together, wrought in gold with prodigious art, and intermixed with different flowers, unknown in our part of the world; in the midft of it was an azure ftone, as large as the palm of one's hand, fet round with rubies of very great value, on which was moft artfully painted in miniature, a woman at length, holding a little boy in her left hand, the most beautiful creature that ever eyes beheld; clad likewife in green filk fpangled with golden funs: their complexion was fomething darker than that of our Italian ladies; but the features, eſpecially the woman's, fo uncommonly beautiful as if ſhe had been of another fpecies. Underneath was engraved with a diamond in a modern hand- Queſto folo. You may be fure, Sir, this raiſed our ideas of the man: at firft, we thought he had the fecret of the philofo, her's ftone; but in all his inventory we could find no implements of that art. Then we thought he muft have been fome famous pirate, or one who had robbed the cabinet of fome great prince, and was come to live at Bologna in that private manner, under the dif guife of a phyfician. But having been three years in the town, if it had been any European prince, the world would have had an account of it before now: fo we concluded that either what he faid of that unknown country was true, or that he had robbed fome of the Eaſtern princes, and got off clear with his prize. But the picture of the woman made us incline to think he had married fome outlandish queen, and on her death had retired with his effects. The rest of the drawers were full of natural curiofities of foreign plants, roots, bones of animals, birds, inte&ts, &c. from whence very likely he took his phyfical fecrets. The other cabinet, which belonged to the elderly lady, was very rich, but nothing equal to the firft; there were a great many ſmall jewels, and fome very fine pearls, with bracelets, pendants, and other curious ornaments belonging to women; and a little picture of a very handſome man about thirty, nothing like our gentleman, in a warlike dreſs, with a Turkiſh ſcy- mitar by his fide, who by his mien feemed to be a man of note. But we could find nothing that could give us any knowledge what they were; fo that we were at a loís with all our fagacity what to think of the matter, or to find any juſt cauſe to keep them in the Inquifition: for though we do not diſcover our motives to other people, we never proceed againſt any one but on very strong fufpicions. On which account we were refolved to make his confinement as eafy as poflible, till we could fee further into the affair. We had thoughts of examining the woman firft, to get what we could from her to interrogate him upon; but the not underſtanding Italian enough, we fent to Venice with our accuſtomed privacy, for fome of your people, that trade to the Levant, to be our interpreters. In the mean time we refolved to try what we could B 2 get ། xii INTRODUCTION. get out of him by his own confeffion; fo we fent for him before us. He came into the room with a modeft unconcernednefs, that rather argued wonder than fear: we `had the cabinet and jewels all before us, fhewed them to him all together, with the inventory of his goods, affuring him they fhould be forth-coming, in cafe we were apprized of his innocence; but withal advifing him, as well as commanding him to confefs the truth, and then not a hair of his head fhould be touched. But if ever we caught him in a falfe ftory, all ſhould be confifcated, and he never fee fun or moon more. He affured us with great reſpect, he would own the truth to every thing we fhould interrogate him about, in an accent that would have perfuaded any one of his fincerity, humbly defiring to know what accufations we had againſt him. We anfwered, that was not the method of the Inquifition; but that he fhould anſwer di- rectly to our interrogatories. As the holy office chiefly concerns itself about religion, we aſked him firſt, what religion he was of. The reafon of this was, becauſe, though he profeffed himself a Catholick, we were to keep up the forms: neither did we know but that he might be fome Jew or Turkiſh ſpy in maſquerade: then his name; place of his birth; where he was educated; how he came by thofe jewels; what was the occafion of his fettling at Bologna; who that elderly lady was; in-fine, every thing in general and particular we could think of at firft, the better to compare his anfwers afterwards. He told us he was a Catholick bred and born; always pro- feffed himſelf fuch; and in that faith would live and die, let what would happen to him. He explained himself on the chief heads, to fhew that he was well inſtructed in his religion: he appealed to all the enquiries we could make, whether he had not behaved as a Catholick on all occafions, naming a Capuchin in the town, who was his father confeffor; to whom, he faid, he gave leave to declare all he knew on that head. As to his name, he faid, his true name was Gaudentio di Lucca, though born at Ragufa. That his father was a merchant trading to the Levant; which employ- ment he deſigned to follow himfelf; but in his firſt voyage was taken by an Al- gerine pirate, who carried him a flave to Grand Cairo, and fold him to a merchant, of what country no body knew; which merchant took him along with him, through the vast defarts of Africa, by a way he would defcribe to us if we required it, till he came to a country, perhaps the moft civilized and polite in the whole univerfe. In that country he lived near five and twenty years, till on the death of his wife, and his only furviving fon, whofe pictures were in that cabinet, the melancholy difafter made him induce his father-in-law, who was the merchant that had firſt bought him, to take another journey to Grand Cairo, from whence he might be able to re- turn to his native country. This the merchant, (for he paſſed for fuch, though he was a great ruler in his own country) complied with: but happening to come thither when the plague raged in the city, his father-in-law and feveral of his attendants died of it; leaving him heir to most of his effects, and part of the jewels we ſaw be- fore us. That being now entirely at liberty, he returned in a French fhip trading from Marſeilles to the Levant, the mafter's name François Xavier Godart, who by agreement was to land him at Venice; but touching at Candy, they accidentally fived the life of that elderly lady, and brought her off along with them, for which they were purfued by two Turkish veffels, and carried prifoners to Conftantinople, but relcafed by the order of the fultanefs mother, That Monfieur Godart was well known at Venice; particularly by Signor Coiridani, an eminent merchant there, who could affure us of the truth of what he faid. That, in fine, having ftaid fome time at Venice, to fee the curiofities and the carnival, an affair relating to the young lady we faw with him, when he was feized, and the love he had for learning, Bo- logna being a famous univerfity, induced him to fettle there, where he prefumed we had been very well informed of his behaviour ever fince. This," faid he, is the most fuccinct account I can give to your Reverences, on the interrogatories you have propofed to me; though my life has been chequered with fuch a variety of incidents, as would take a great deal of time to defcend to particulars.' We looked at one another with fome furprize at this ftrange account, which he delivered with fuch an air of steadinefs, as fcarce left any room to doubt of the truth of it. How. ever, our fuperior turning to him, faid Signor Gaudentio, we neither believe, nor diſbelieve, what you tell us; as we condemn no man without a full convic- tion of his crine, fo we are not to be impofed upon, by the accounts people may give of themfcives. What is here before us, fhews there is fomething extraordinary in the cafe. If we find you to be an impoftor, you ſhall fuffer as fuch; in the mean • time, INTRODUCTION. Xus ◄ time, till we can be better informed, we enjoin you to give in your whole life, ⚫ with all occurrences, except your private fins, if you have any, in writing; which you ſhall read to us, and be croſs-examined, as we think proper. It will côncern you therefore to be very exact; for nothing will paſs here but innocence, or a ún- cere repentance.' This, Sir, is the manufcript I ſend you, given in by himſelf as ordered; with the Inquifitors interrogatories as we examined it, article by article. Which interroga- tories I have inferted as they were propofed, with a further account at the end, for the better clearing of the whole. We beg you to inform yourſelf of the facts, which his memoirs fay happened to him at Venice, particularly about Monfieur Godart. Befides, Sir, you that can trace all the branches of ancient hiſtory to the fountain head, are able to form a better judgment of the probability of his relation. He is ftill in the Inquifition, and offers himself to conduct fome of our mithionaries, to preach the Gospel to thofe unknown people. The length of this only gives me leave to affure you, that I am with the greateft efteen imaginable, Sir, &c. BOLOGNA, JULY 29, 1721. F. ALISIO DE ST. IVORIO. 1 THE 1 1 THE ADVENTURES OF SIGNOR GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. I Should be infenfible, re- verend Fathers, if I were not highly concerned to find myself under any ac- cufation before this holy tribunal, which I revere with all the powers of my foul: but ef- pecially if your Reverences fhould har- bour any finifter opinion of my religion; for I was born and bred up in the bo- fom of the most holy Catholick church, as well as my parents before me; in the defence of which my anceſtors ſpent part of their blood, againſt the infidels, and enemies of our faith; and for which faith I am ready to lay down my life. But I am as yet a ſtranger to your Reverences, and on feveral accounts may be liable to fufpicion. Wherefore, I blame not the juſtice of your proceeding, but rather extol your goodneſs in allowing me the liberty to clear myfelf, by a true and fin- cere declaration of my whole life, wherein, I own, have happened feveral aftonishing and almoſt incredible occurrences; all which I thall lay before your Reverences, according to the commands impoſed on me, with the utmoſt candour and fin- cerity. My name is Gaudentio di Lucca: I was fo called, becauſe my anceſtors were faid to be originally of that place; though they had been fettled for fome time at Ragufa, where I was born: both which places are not fo far off, but they may be very well known to your Reverences. My father's name was Gafparino di Lucca, heretofore a merchant of fome note in thoſe parts. My mother was a Cor- fican lady, reported to be deſcended from thofe who had been the chief perfonages in that iſland. My grandfather was likewife a merchant: but my great grand- father, Bernardino di Lucca, was a fol- dier, and captain of the great Venerio's own galley, who was general for the Venetians in the famous battle of Le- panto against the Turks. We had a tradition in our family, that he was Ve- nerio's fon by a Grecian lady of great quality, fome fay defcended from the Pa- leologi, who had been emperors of Con- ftantinople. But the dying in childbed, and they having been only privately mar- ried, Venerio bred him up as the fon of a friend of his who was killed in the wars. That famous battle, in which the Chrif- tians and Venerio got fo great renown against the Turks, instead of raifing my great grandfather's fortune, was the oc- cafion of his retiring from the wars, and turning merchant. The reafon was this: Venerio the Venetian admiral had caufed a Spaniſh captain to be hung up at the yard-arm for mutiny t; which fevere difcipline fo difpleafed Don John of This part of the account is certainly true; there was fuch a captain in the lift of the officers in that famous battle. It is likewife true, that there was fuch a quarrel between Don John of Auftria, the generalißimo, and Venerio, admiral of the Venetian gallies; which had like to have put the 1 16 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. of Auſtria, generaliffimo of the whole feet, that, after the battle, the Vene- tians, to appeafe Don John, and not to be deprived of the fuccours of the Spaniards against the Turks, were forced to facri- fice Venerio's honour to the refentment of the Spaniards, and put him out of commiffion*. After this difgrace, Ve- nerio retired ; and my great grandfather, whole fortune depended on his having been bred up to the fea, turned merchant, or rather privateer against the Moors; and, with the Knights of Malta, not only did great fervice against them, but made a confiderable fortune in the world. But, to return to myfelf: my father having a plentiful fortune, took particu- Iar care of the education of his children. He had only two fons, of whom I was the youngeſt; and a daughter, who died young. Finding I had a great inclina- tion to learning, he promoted it, by pro- viding me with the beft mafters, till I was fit to go to the univerfity. The knowledge of languages being of great ufe as well as ornament to young gen- tlemen, he himfclf, by way of recrea- tion, taught me that mixed language called Lingua Franca, fo neceffary in eaftern countries. It is made up of Ita- lian, Turkiſh, Perſian, and Arabian, or rather a jargon of all languages toge- ther. He fcarce ever ſpoke to us but in that language, faying, we might learn Latin from our mafters, and our mother- tongue from our play-fellows. The fame reaſon induced him to fend me to the famous univerfity of Paris, to learn French at the fame time with my other ftudies. I lived in the College desQuatre Nations, and maintained my thefes of univerfal philofophy under the celebrated Monfieur Du Hamel, who was one of the firft in the univerfity who decried Aristotle's philofophy, and leaned to- wards the opinions of Defcartes. [Secretary. Here the inquifitors mut- tered a little, fearing he was inclined to the Copernican fyftem, which has been condemned at Rome. But, fince it regarded philofophical matters only, they paffed it over.] • I was entering into my nineteenth year, and had fome thoughts of taking to the church, when my brother wrote me the melancholy account of my father and mother's death, and the unfortunate oc- cafion of it; which in fhort was, that having loft his richeſt ſhip, with all his effects, by piratcs, and his chief factor at Smyrna being gone off, his other cor- the whole Chriftian fleet at variance together, before the battle, and ruined the hopes of all Chriftendom. The occafion was, as he relates it; Don John, as generaliffimo, view- ing the whole fleet before the fight, and finding the Venetian gallies too thinly manned, or- dered four thoufand Spaniards to be put on board the faid gallies. But one Mutio Tor- tona, a Spanish captain, proving mutinous, after a great many injurious words, came to blows with the captain of the Venetian galley where he was; upon which the whole fleet fell to it. Venerio, hearing the uproar, fent his own captain to fee what was the matter; but the proud Spaniards treated him no better than they did the reft; fo that Venerio himſelf was forced to come to appcafe them; but feeing the Spanish captain perfift in his mutinous temper, and the affront he had put upon his captain, who was reported to be his fon, or- dered Tortona and his enfign to be hung at the yard-arm. At this all the Spaniards in the fleet were up in arms, and threatened to cut the Venetians to pieces; but, by the interpo- fition of the other generals, the matter was made up till after the fight; when Venerio, who had behaved with incomparable valour, and, according to Don John's own confeffion, was the chief occafion of the victory, to appeafe the haughty Spaniard, had his commiffion taken from him, and was recalled by the fenate. *It was Fuſcarini, who was made general of the Venetians in Venerio's ſtead. Every one who is the leaft acquainted with hiftory, knows that the battle of Lepanto was the greatest fea-fight that ever was fought between the Chriftians and Turks; and the vic- tory on the Chriftians fide the moft fignal. The Spaniſh gallies were commanded by Don John of Auftria, generaliffimo: the Pope's gallies by the famous Colonna: the Genoefe by old Doria, who had gained fo much renown againſt the Turks and French, under Charles V. the Venetians by the grear Venerio, one of the bravest foldiers of his time. Haly the Turk, great baffa of the fea, was flain, and almoſt all the Turkiſh commanding officers killed or taken. Amongst the prifoners, were Haly's two fons, nephews to the Grand Signior. Of the common foldiers of the Turks, were flain two-and-thirty thouſand: a hundred and forty-one of the enemies gallies were taken, forty funk or burnt; of galliots and other ſmall veffels were taken about fixty. Vide the Turkiſh hiftory, and other accounts of this famous battle, and the whole affair as is there related. The battle was fought on the 7th of October 1571. reſpondents GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 17 t · up with them, and they crowded toge- ther, we fired our piftols fo luckily, that fcarce one miffed doing execution. See- ing them in this confufion, we made a push at them on each fide, ftill keeping our ranks, and drove the remainder headlong off the deck. This we did twice before any of our men dropt. We were grappled fo cloſe, they had no uſe of their cannon or mufkets, and fcarce thought of firing their piftols at us, ex- pecting we should yield immediately, or to have borne us down with their weight. I am more particular in defcribing this petty fight, fince there are but few ex- amples where a handful of men made fuch a long refiftance. The arch-pirate, who was a ftout, well-built, young man, raged like a lion, calling his men a thou- fand cowards, fo loud, that his voice was heard above all the cries of the foldiers. The edge of their fury was a little abat- refpondents came upon him thick; and not being in a condition to anfwer their calls, it threw him and my mother into a deep melancholy, which fhortened their days, both dying in three weeks of one another. My brother told me he was not able to maintain me longer at the univerſity, as before; but acquainted me, he had made a fhift to fit out a fmall veffel, wherein he had put his all; and invited me to join the fmall portion that fell to my ſhare along with him, with which, he ſaid, we could make a pretty good bottom; and fo retrieve the fhat tered fortune of our family. Not to be too prolix, I followed his advice: he fold his houſe and gardens to pay his father's creditors, and put what was left, toge- ther with my little ſtock, into that unfor- tunate bottom. We fet fail from Ra- gufa the third of March, Anno Dom. 1688, very inauſpiciouſly for my dear brother, as will appear by the fequel. We touched ed at Smyrna, to fee if we could hear any thing of my father's factor: and were told, that he was turned Turk, and gone off, very magnificently dreffed up in borrowed feathers, to fettle at Conftantinople; however, we picked up fomething of fome honeft Chriftian mer- chants, with whom he had lodged a part of his effects. This encouraged us to proceed to Cyprus and Alexandria; but, as we were purſuing our voyage one morning, in a prodigious fog, as if the fea was fatal to our family, we fpied on a fudden two Algerine rovers bearing down upon us, one on each fide. We had fcarce time to clear our little veffel, when they fired upon us, and called to us to ſtrike, or we were dead men. My brother and I, confidering that our all was at stake, and that we had better die honourably than be made flaves by thofe unbelieving miscreants, called up our men, who were but twenty-three in all, of whom five were young gentlemen who had engaged to try their fortune along with us. We were armed only with fwords, and pistols under our gir- dles. After a fhort confultation, it was agreed to fight it out to the last man; and we turned back to back to make head againſt both fides, my brother in the middle of one rank, and myſelf in the other. The enemy boarded us in great numbers, looking on us as mad- men to pretend to make any refiftance; but they were foon made to leap back, At leaſt all that were able; for being clofe, after the dropping of fo many men; and they began to fire at fome diſtance; which did us more harm than their molt furious attacks. My brother, ſeeing his men begin to drop in their turn, order- ed me to face the one ſhip, while he with his rank leaped in amongst the enemies in the other. He did it with fuch a noble intrepidity, that he made a gap among the thickest of them immediately. But their numbers clofing together, their very weight drove him back in fpite of all he could do, and he loft feveral of his men before he could recover his poft. The enemy would neither board us, nor leave us; but firing at us continually, ſtill killed fome of our men. There were now only eleven of us left; and no hopes of victory, or of quarter after fuch ob- ftinate refiftante. They durft not come to a clofe engagement with us for all this; when my brother, to die as honourably as he could, once more leaped into the pirate's fhip, and feeing their captain in the midft of them, made at him with all his might, calling on the few he had left to fecond him. He foon cut his way through; but juſt as he was coming up to him, a cowardly Turk clapt a piftol just below his two fhoulder blades, and, I believe, fhot him quite through the heart, for he dropped down dead on the fpot. The Turk that fhot him was run through the body by one of our men, and he himself, with the others that were left, being quite overpowered, were all cut in pieces. I had yet four rien left on my fide against the leffer hip, and had b 18 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. t had till then kept off the enemy from boarding, but the pirates giving a great fhout at my brother's fall, the captain of the fhip I was engaged with, who was the arch-pirate's brother, cried out to his crew, that it was a fhame to ftand all day firing at five men; and leaping on my deck, made at me like a man of honour, with his piſtol ſteadily poiſed in his hand. I met him with equal refolution. He came boldly up within fword's length, and fired his piftol directly at my face; he aimed his hot ſo well, that one of the balls went through my hair, and the other grazed the fide of my neck. But before he could fecond his fhot, I gave him fuch a froke with my broad fword, between the temple and the left-ear, that it cut through part of his ſkull, his cheek bone, and going crofs his mouth, almoft fevered the lower part of his face from the upper. I had juſt the fatisfaction to fee him fall, when a mufket ball went through the brawny part of my right arm, and, at the fame time, a Turk hit ne just in the rape of the neck with the butt end of his mufket, that I fell down Hat on my face, on the body of my flain enemy. My companions, all but one, who died of his wounds foon after, fell ho- nourably by my fide. The Turks poured in from both fhips like wolves upon their prey. After their barbarous fhouts and yel- ling forthevictory, they fell to ftripping the dead bodies, and threw them into the fea without any further ceremony. All our crew, betide myſelf, were flain, or gafp- ing, with threefcore and fifteen of the enemy. The reaſon why we fought fo defperately was, that we knew very well, having killed fo many at the first attacks, we were to expect no quarter; fo we were relolved to fell our lives as dear as we could. When they came to ftrip me Mkelthe reſt, I was just come to myſelf, being only ſtunned by the ſtroke of the mufket. They found by my cloaths, that I was one of the moft confiderable perfons of the crew. I was got upon I was got upon my knees, endeavouring to rife, and aching for my fword to defend myself to the laft gafp, I found I could not hold it in my hand, by reafon of the wound in my arm, though if I could, it had been needlefs; for three of them fell down upon me, and preffed me to the deck, while others brought cords and tied my hands, to carry me to the cap- tain. He was drefling a flight wound he had in his leg with a piftol fhot; and four women in Perfian habits were ſtand by; three of whom ſeemed to be attendants to the fourth, who was a perfon of the largeft fize, about five or six-and-twenty, a moft exquifite beauty, except that the had an Amazonian kind of fierceness in her looks. When I was brought thus bound to the captain, they affured him I was the man that had flain his brother, and done the moft harm of any. Upori which, ſtarting up in the greateſt fury a barbarian was capable of, and calling for a new fcymitar he had in his cabin, he faid- Let me cleave, if I can, the head of this Chriftian dog, as he did my poor brother's: and then độ you chop him into a thouſand pieces.' With that he drew the fcymitar, and was going to ftrike, when, to the afto- nifhment of the very Barbarians, the trange lady cried out O fave the brave < young man!' and immediately falling down on her knees by me, catched me in her arms, and clafping me cloſe to her bofom, covered my body with hers, and cried out-Strike, cruel man, but ſtrike through me, for otherwife a hair of his head fhall not be hurt. The Bar barians that stood round us were ftruck dumb with amazement; and the pirate himself lifting up his eyes towards hea- ven, faid, with a groan enough to break his heart- How, cruel woman! fhall this ftranger in a moment obtain more ⚫ than I can with all my fighs and tears Is this your paramour that robs me of what I have fought for with the dan- ger of life? No, this Chriftian dog fhall be no longer my curfed rival!” and lifting up his hand, was again go- ing to ftrike, when, covering me more clofely with her delicate body, fhe cried out again Hold, Hamet! this is no rival; I never faw his face before, nor ever will again, if you will but fpare his life grant me this, and you ſhall obtain more from me, than all your • fervices could ever do.' Here he be- gan to paufe a little. For my part, I was as much in amaze as he was. After a little paufe-Cruel woman, faid he, what is the meaning of this?" Says The There is fomething in this young man,' (for I was but turned of nine- teen) that he muft not dic. But, if you will engage and fwear by the most holy Alcoran, that you will do him ni harm, I not only promife to be your wife, but, to take off all umbrage of jealoufy, I give you leave to fell him te GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 19 ▾ to fome honourable perſon for a ſlave; and will never fee him more.' Nor would the part from me, till he had fworn in that folemn manner, never to do me any hurt directly or indirectly; and, for greater fecurity, the ordered one of her own fervants to attend me conſtantly. So I was unbound; and the lady, without ſo much as locking at me, or ftaying to regeive my thanks, retired with her women into the cabin. The pirate, who had fomething very noble in his looks for a Turk, confirm- ed again to me in the hearing of her of- ficer, that I ſhould receive no harm; and then ordered me to be carried under deck to the other end of the fhip; com. manding his men to ſteer back for Alex- andria, in order, as I fuppofed, to diſpoſe of me the first opportunity, that he might be rid, as he thought, of fo formidable @ rival.* Secretary. Here the fuperior of the Inquifition receiving a meſſage on fome other buſineſs, we told him we would confider further of the account he had given us, which, we faid, might be true, though the adventure was ex- traordinary; and that we would hear the remaining narrative of his life an- other time. He affared us with the moſt natural air, that the whole, let it ſeem never ſo extraordinary, was real fact, Whether it were true or falſe, it did not much concern the holy office, only fo far as we might catch him tripping in his ſtory: however, fome of the inquifitors aſked him the following queſtions A Inquifitor. Why did you not yield. at firſt, confidering the prodigious in- equality of your ſtrength and num- bers, when you might have been ran- fomed afterwards; and not, like mad- men, expofe yourſelves to be cut in pieces, as they all really were, except yourself? Gaudentio. I told your Reverences, we had put our all in that bottom; which once loft, we had nothing to ranfom ourſelves with, but in all like- lihood muſt have remained in miferable flavery all our life. We were most of us ramh young men, of more courage ¿ than prudence; we did not doubt but we could keep them off from board- ing us, as we did; and thought, by their warm reception, they would have been forced to fheer off; befides, fighting against Turks and infidels though for our lives and fortunes, we judged meritorious at the fame time, and that it might be looked upon as laying down our lives for our holy re- ligion. 2d Inquifitor. You faid that the ſtrange lady cried out-There is fomething in that young man, that tells me, he • must not die: I hope you do not pretend to the ſcience of phyfiognomy; which is one of the branches of divi nation; or that an infidel or Heathen woman could have the fpirit of pro- phecy? Gaudentio. I cannot tell what was her motive for faying fo; I only relate mat- ter of fact. As for phyfiognomy, I do not think there can be any certain- ty in it. Not but that a perſon of pes netration, who has obferved the hu mours and paffions of men, and con- fidering the little care the generality of the world take to conceal them; I fay, fuch a perfon may give a great gucfs, à pofteriori, how they are in clined, though reaſon and virtue may indeed overcome the most violent. But I entirely ſubmit my opinion to your better judginents. Secretary, I cannot fay, we were dif fatisfied with thefe anfwers: we ſaw he was a very noble preſence; and muſt have been extremely handſome in his youth: therefore no wonder a Barbarian woman fhould fall in love with him, and make uſe of that turħ to fave his life. However, for the prefent, we remanded him back to his apartment, Some days after he was called again to profecute his ftory.] While I was under deck in confine- ment with the pirates, feveral of thei were tolerably civil to me; knowing the afcendant the lady had over their captain, and being witneffes how ſhe had ſaved my life. But yet fhe would not confent to marry him, till ſhe was affured I fafe out of his hands. The arch-pirate was * This is an odd adventure enough; but the circumſtances are pretty well connected to~ gether. There happen very ftrange accidents among those lawless Eaftern people, and the vild Arabs, who obferve no rules but what the lions and tigers, could they fpeak, would make for their own prefervation, I fear there are ſome who profefs themſelves Chriftians Would do the fame. C. ↑ hever 25 GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. never came to ſee me himſelf, not being willing to truft his paffion; or elfe to watch all favourable opportunities of waiting on his miſtreſs. One day, being indifpofed for want of air, I begged to be carried upon deck to breathe a little; when I came up, I faw the lady, with her women, ftanding at the other end of the thip on the fame account. I made her a very reſpectful bow at a diſtance; but as foon as ever the cast her eye on me, ſhe went down into the cabin, I fuppofe, to keep her promife with the captain, and not to adminifter any caufe of jealoufy. I defired to be carried down again, not to hinder, my benefactrefs from taking her diverfion. I cannot fay I found in myfelf the leaft inclination or emotion of love, only a fenfe of gratitude for fo great a benefit; not without fome admiration of the oddneſs of the adventure. When I was below, I aſked the moſt ſenſible and civilized of the pirates, who their captain was, and who was my fair deli- verer. How long, and by what means The came to be among them; becauſe fhe feemed to be a perfon of much higher rank. He told me his captain's name was Hamet, fon to the Dey of Algiers; who had forfaken his father's houfe on account of his young mother-in-law's falling in love with him. For which reafon his father had contrived to have him affaffinated, believing him to be in the fault. But his younger brother by the fame mother, difcovered the defign. So gathering together a band of tout young men like themselves, they ſeized two of their father's beft fhips, and re- folved to follow the profeffion they were ,now of, till they heard of their father's death. That as for the lady who had daved his life, fhe was the late wife of a C • petty prince of the Curdi*, tributary to the King of Perfia, whoſe huſband had been lately killed by treachery, or in an ambuſcade of the wild Arabs. That, as far as he had been informed, the prince her huſband had been fent by the king his mafter to Alexandriat; who, ap prehending an infurrection among his fubjects f, had ordered him to treat for fome troops of Arabian horſe §. That he went there with a very handfome'equi→ page, and took his beautiful wife along with him. Our captain,' continued he, happened to be there at the fame time to fell his prizes, and had not ⚫ only fold feveral things of great value to the Curdiſh lord and lady, but had contracted a particular friendship with, him, though, as we found fince, it was more on account of his fair wife than any thing elfe. Nothing in the world could be more obfequious than our captain. He attended them, and of- fered his fervice on all occafions: you fee, he is a very handfome man, and daring by his profeffion. We could not imagine of a long while, why he made fuch a stay at that town, cón- trary to his cuftom; living at a very high rate, as men of our calling gene- rally do. At length the Curdiſh lord having executed his commiffion, was upon the return, when we perceived our captain to grow extremely penfive and melancholy, but could not tell what was the cauſe of it. He called his brother, who loft his life by your hand, and me to him, and told us in private, he had obferved fome of the Arabian ftrangers muttering together, as if they were hatching fome plot or other, whether against himſelf, or the Curd, he could not tell; but bid us be • с * The Curdi, or people of Curdiſtan, are a warlike nation, paying a ſmall tribute to the Teifans, and fometimes to the Turks; their very women are martial, and handle the fword nd pike. The country runs from the Aliduli, a mountainous people, made tributary to the Turks by Selim I. father of Seliman the Magnificent, and reaches as far as Armenia. + Alexandria is a fea-port, at the further end of the Mediterranean, belonging to the Turks, but much frequented by Arabian merchants, both by land and fea. One point of Curdistan is not far from this port. This infurrection he ſpeaks of, might be the feeds, or the first plotting of the grand rebellion of Merowits, which began about the date of this account, and caufed fuch a ter- rible revolution in the Perfian empire; which no one who understands any thing cap be ignorant of. The Arabian horfes are the best in the world, though not very large. The horfemen are very dextrous in the Eaftern way of fighting. On which account one cannot wonder if the King of Perfia, and his rebellious fubjects, made it their intereft to procure as many auxiliaries as they could. It is very likely the lit le parties would always be on watch, to furprize one another whe they could find an opportunity. And this petty Curdian prince being zealous for the fervice of his king, m ght be taken off by the rebels that way. ? fure GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 21 • up fure to attend him well armed wherever he went. The event proved he had reafon for his fufpicions; for one even- ing, as the Curd and his wife were taking the air, with our captain, who was always of the party, paffing through a little grove about a league out of town, fix Arabian horfemen, exceed- ingly well mounted, came full gallop < to us; and without faying a word, two of them fired their piftols directly at the Curdish lord, who was the fore- moſt, but by good fortune miffed us all. The Curd, as all that nation are naturally brave, drew his fcymetar, and rushing in .among them, cut off the foremoſt man's head, as clean as • if it had been a poppy; but advancing too far, unarmed as he was, one of them turned fhort, and ſhot him in the flank, that he dropped down dead im- mediately. Our captain feeing him fall, ruſhed in like lightning, his bro- *ther and myſelf falling on them at the fame time: but the affaffins, as if they • wanted nothing but the death of the Curd, or faw by our countenances their ftaying would coft them dear, imme- diately turned their horfes, and fled fo fwiftly on their jennets, that they were out of fight in an inftant. We con- ducted the poor difconfolate lady and •her dead huſband back to the town, where thoſe people made no more of it (being accuſtomed to fuch things) than if it had been a common accident. • When her grief was a little abated, our captain told the lady, that it was not • fafe for her to return home the fame way the came; that in all probability, thoſe who killed her huſband were in confederacy with the difaffected party, and would way-lay her, either for his papers, or her goods. That he had two fhips well manned at her fervice, and would conduct her fafe by fea to fome part of the Perfian empire, from whence the might get into her own country. She confented at laſt, having feen how gallantly my mafter had be- haved in her defence. So the came aboard with her attendants and effects, in order to be tranfported into her own country. Our captain, you may be fure, was in no hafte to carry her home, being fallen moft defperately in love with her ſo that instead of carrying < < I her to any of the Perfian dominions, he directed his courfe for Algiers, hearing his father was dead; but meet- ing with you, it has made him alter his ⚫ meaſures for the preſent. He has tried all ways to gain her love, but the would not give him the leaft encourage 'ment, till this late accident, by which fhe faved your life.' When he had ended his relation, I reflected on it a good while, and confidering the nature of thofe pirates, I thought I ſaw a piece of treachery in the affair, much more black than what he defcribed, and could not forbear compaflionating the poor lady, both for her difafter, and the com- pany fhe was fallen into. However, f kept my thoughts to myſelf. Not long after we arrived at Alexandria, where the pirate fold all our effects, that is, the merchandize he had taken aboard our fhip, except fome particular things that belonged to my brother and myſelf, as books, papers, maps and fea-charts, pic- tures, and the like. He determined to carry me to Grand Cairo*, the firſt op- portunity, to fell me, or even give me away to a ſtrange merchant he had an acquaintance with, where I ſhould never be heard of more. Nothing remarkable happened during our ſtay at Alexandria; they told me the captain had been in an extraordinary good humour, ever fince the lady's pro- mife to marry him. But the, to be fure he fhould not deceive her by doing me any injury when I was out of the ſhip, ordered her officer to attend me wherever I was carried, till I was put in ſafe hands, and entirely out of the pirate's power. When we were arrived at Grand Cairo, I was carried to the place where the merchants meet to exchange their commodities; there were perfons of almoſt all the eaſtern and Indian nations. The lady's officer, according to his mistress's order, never ſtirred an inch from me, to witness the performance of articles. At length, the pirate and a ſtrange merchant fpied one another almoft at the inftant, and ad- vancing the fame way, faluted each other in the Turkish language, which I under- ſtood tolerably well. After fome mu- tual compliments, the pirate told him he had met with fuch a perfon he had pro- mifed to procure for him two years be - forc, meaning myſelf, only I was was not an * Grand Cairo is the place of refidence of the great Baffa of Egypt, higher up the coun- try, on the river Nile. cunuch, [ 22 DI LUCCA. GAUDEN TIO eunuch, but that it was in his power to make me fo, if he pleafed. Your Reve rouces cannot doubt but I was a littla Bartled at ſuch a ſpeech, and was going to reply, that I would lofe my life a thou fand times, before I would fuffer fuch an injury. But the lady's officer turned to the pirate, and faid, he had engaged to his lady I fhould receive no harm; and that he must never expect to obtain her for his wife, if ſhe had the leaft fufpicion of fuch a thing. But the merchant foon put us out of doubt, by affuring us, that it was againſt their laws to do fuch an injury to any one of their own fpecies; but if it were done before, they could not help it. Then turning to me, he faid in very good Lingua Franca Young man, if I buy you, I shall foon con- vince you, you need not apprehend any fuch ufage from me.' He eyed me from top to toe, with the inoft penetrat- ing look I ever faw in my life; yet feemed pleafed at the fame time. He was very richly clad, attended with two young men in the fame kind of drets, though not rich, who feemed rather fons than fervants. His age did not appear to me to be above forty, yet had the inoft ferene and almoft venerable look imaginable. lis complexion was rather browner than that of the Egyptians, but it ſeemed to be more the effect of travelling, than na- tural. In fhort, he had an air fo uncom- mon, that I was amazed, and began to have as great an opinion of him, as he fecmed to have of me. He asked the pirate, what he must give for me; he told him, I had coft him very dear, and with that recounted to him all the circum- ftances of the fight wherein I was taken; and, to give him his due, reprefented it no ways to my difadvantage. However, theſe were not the qualifications the mer- chant defired; what he wanted was a perfon who was a ſcholar, and could give him an account of the arts and fciences, laws, cuſtoms, &c. of the Chriſtians. This the pirate affured him I could do; that I was an European Chriſtian, and a ſcholar, as he gueffed by my books and writings; that I underſtood navigation, geography, aftronomy, and feveral other ciences. I was out of countenance to hear him talk fo; for though I had as nuch knowledge of thofe fciences as could be expected from one of my years, vet my age would not permit me to be after of them, but only to have the firft A principles, by which I might improve myſelf afterwards. Secretary. The Inquifitors demurred a little at this, fearing he might be ad- dicted to judicial aftrology; but con fidering he had gone through a courfe of philofophy, and was defigned for the fea, they knew he was obliged to have fome knowledge in thofe fciences.] The pirate told him, I had ſome ſkill in mufick and painting, having feen ſome inftruments and books of thofe arts a- mong my effects, and aſked me if it were not fo. I told him, all young gentle- men of liberal education in my country, learnt theſe arts, and that I had a com- petent knowledge and genius that way. This determined the merchant to pur- chafe me. When they came to the price, the pirate demanded forty ounces of na. tive gold, and three of thofe filk carpets, he faw there with him, to make a prefent to the Grand Signior. The merchant agreed with him at the first word; only demanded all the books, globes, mathe- matical inftruments, and, in fine, what- ever remained of my effects, into the bar- gain. The pirate agreed to this, as cafily as the other did to the price; fo, upon performance of articles on both fides, I was delivered to him. As foon as I was put into his power, he embraced me with a great deal of tenderness, faying, I should not repent iny change of life. His attendants came up to me, and em- braced me in the fame manner, calling me Brother, and expreffing a great deal of joy for having me of their company. 'The merchant bid them take me down to the caravanfera or inn, that I might re- fresh myself, and change my habit to the fame as they worc. I was very much furprized at fuch unexpected civilities from ftrangers. But, before I went, I turned to the pirate, and faid to him with an air, that made the merchant put on a very thoughtful look, that I thanked him for keeping his promife in faving my life, but added, that though the fortune of war had put it in his power to fell me like a beaſt in the market, it might be, in mine fome time or other to sender the like kindneſs. Then turning to the lady's officer, who had been my guardian fo faithfully, and embracing. him with all imaginable tenderness, I. begged him to pay my best respects to my fair deliverer; and affure her, that I • Should GAUDENTIO DI LUCCA. 23 1 · hould efteem it the greatest happiness to be one day able to make a return for fo unparalleled a favour, though it were at the expence of that life he had fo gene- roufly faved. So we parted, the pirate grumbling a little within himfelf; and I in an amazing ſuſpenſe, to know what was likely to become of me. As they were conducting me to the caravanfera where they lodged, I was full of the for- rowful reflection, that I was ſtill a ſlave, though I had changed my maſter: but my companions, who were fome of the handfomeft young men I ever faw in my life,comforted me with the molt endearing words, telling me, that I need fear no- thing; that I fhould eſteem myſelf one of the happiest men in the world, when they were arrived fafe in their own country, which they hoped would be before long; that I fhould then be as free as they were, and follow what employment of life my inclinations led me to, without any re- fraint whatfoever. In fine, their dif courfe filled me with fresh amazement, and gave ine at the fame time an eager longing to fee the event. I perceived they did not keep any ftrict guard on me; that I verily believed I could eafily have given them the flip; and might have got- ten fome Armenian Chriftian to conceal me, till I should find an opportunity of returning into my own country. But, having loft all my effects, I thought I could ſcarce be in a worfe condition, and was refolved to run all hazards. When I came to the houſe, I was ftruck with wonder, at the magnificence of it, efpe- cially at the richness of the furniture. It was one of the best in all Grand Cairo, though built low according to the cul- tom of the country. It feems they al- ways ftaid a year before they returned into their own country, and fpared no coft to make their baniſhinent, as they called it; as eafy as they could. I was entertained with all the raritics of Egypt; the most delicious fruits, and the richest Greek and Afiatick wines that could be tafted; by which I faw they were not Mahometans. Not knowing what to make of them, I aſked them who they were; of what country, what fect and profeffion, and the like. They fimiled at my queftions, and told me they were children of the Sun, and were called Me- zoranians; which was as unintelligible to me as all the reft. But their country, they told me, I fhould fee in a few months, and bid me afk no further quef, tions. Prefently my mafter came in, and embracing me, once more bid me welcome, with fuch an engaging affabili- ty, as removed almoſt all my fears, But what followed, filled me with the utmoft furprize. • Young man,' faid he, by the laws of this country you are mine; I have bought you at a very high price, and would give twice as much for you, if it were to be done ' again, But,' continued te, with a more ferious air, I know no juſt laws < in the univerfe, that can make a free- • born man become a flave to one of his C own fpccies. If you will voluntarily go along with us, you ſhall enjoy as inuch freedom as I do myſelf; you • fhall be exempt from all the barbarous . < • laws of thefe inhunian countries, whole • brutal cuſtoms are a reproach to the dignity of a rational creature, and • with whom we have no commerce, but to enquire after arts and fciences, • which may contribute to the common benefit of our people. We are bleſt with the most opulent country in the world: we leave it to your choice, to go along with us, or not; if the latter, I here give you your liberty, and re- ftore to you all that remains of your effects, with what afliftance you want • to carry you back again into your own country. Only, this I muft tell you,