The Pnblijher unto the %eader. 



had fecured his own Dominion. After this Succefs he did for clivers years attend 

 other Cohquefts,and having fubdued a great part of India, all Perfia, Midia, Armenia, 

 Ajjjria, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and Syria, he refolved to requite the Invafion of llm- 

 tlamijh: whereupon having drawn together an Army of 500000 men, he marched 

 through Media Atropatia, then and itill called Shcrvan \ patted the Port£ Caucaji£ t 

 which.the Perfians name Vcrbcnt i thence through Vabefhn, and the great Defart be- 

 tween that and Ajhacan (then named GHtxrcban ) and having wafred all that foacious 

 Countrey on the Weft-fide of the Volga, depopulated and difmantled divers fair Ci- 

 ties Cthc mines of fevcral being yet vifible to thofe who Navigate the Volga, zi 

 we are informed by Olearim ) hepaffed^the Volga, and on the Eaft-fide cn'coun- 

 tred Tbuttamifcb , who had collected a mighty Force, having bolides his own Hordr, 

 the aflifiance of the Tartars of Cajfan, lumen, Kaltmike, and Vakjtan : and his Army 

 by this acceliion was more numerous than that of his Enemy. The Battel was long 

 doubtful, and exceeding all that happened in that Age for carnage and cruelty, both 

 Parties being full of hatred unto their Advcrfarics > and knowing that this Fight 

 would lofe or gain thema mighty Empire. They fought three days with little in- 

 termirlion, and it could not be difcerncd which had the advantage. But that which 

 is thought chiefly to have occafioned Tamerlane*s Victory, was the departure of a gre.it 

 Tribe from Tbuftamifcb, whole Prince Eftave pretended he had received ferric great 

 injury or affront, but 'twas indeed thought he was corrupted : For retreating unto 

 Amuratb the Tttrlqfb Emperour, he after the fame manner betrayed Bajazet, wlu> 

 foon after fucceeded •, revolting at the beginning of the fight unto lamer Line. Tbitftor 

 mifeb being defeated, with great difficulty made his efcapc, leaving his Countrey c*;- 

 pofed unto the fury of the Zagataians, whom fo great a ilaughter of their own 

 Friends had highly exafperated. They fparcd nothing that was capable of being 

 fpoiled => demolilhed Serai, together with Seraicbich^ upon the Jaick^, and Gtttnrcban^ 

 which were the only confiderable Cities on the Eaft-iide of the Volga, and leaving 

 the Countrey a meer Defart, killing, or captivating the Inhabitants, driving away the 

 Cattle, they returned into Perfia with great Booty. This happened in the 75? 1 year 

 of the Hcgir a. A. C. 1388. Serai, and Saraicbick^ never regained their former fplen- 

 dour •, but (Giturcan now Ajhacan) did by degrees recover, but never arrived to that 

 heighth it attained unto during the Empire of the Cbatari and Eavolgcnfian Tar- 

 tars. 



For Jofapbat Barbara, and Ambrofw Contarini , who were both Ambafladors from 

 the Venetians unto Vfun Cajfan Emperour of Pcrfu, and well acquainted with thofe 

 Parts ; Barbara living (ixteen years at the City Tana on the mouth of the River Ta- 

 nais\ and Contarini being forced in his return from Perfia to refide there fomc months: 

 They, 1 fay, both tell us, That this City before its deftrudrion by Tamerlane, was a 

 very famous Emporium ■■> all the Silks, molt of the Spices and other Commodities, 

 which were afterwards brought down to Syria, were then carried by Shipping tm 

 Aftracxn (which they both name Citracban) and thence by Land in a few days to Ta- 

 na, whether the Venetians fent every year fix-teen great Gallics. But after its fubver- 

 fion by Tamerlane, this Commerce ceaied, and the Gallies received their Ladir.^ in 

 Syria, and at Alexandria of JEgypt. In the time of the forementioned Writers,* 

 which was from the year 1436, when Barbaro firft went to Tana, until his return out 

 of Perfia in 1488. And Contarini, who returned not long before him, Citracban was 

 a mean Town, confifting chiefly of Tartarian Huts, and encompafTed with a pitiful 

 mud-Wall, a place of no confiderable Traffick, only the Muscovites fetche'd thence 

 Filh and Salt. But Juan Vaflilorvich having reduced it in the' year 1554 under his 

 Dominion, it hath been by fucceedingEmperours both fortified and enlarged : I (hall 

 fay no more concerning it, Olearius a moft diligent and judicious Writer, having left 

 us fo prticulara Defcription thereof. I (hall only add , That I fuppofe the caufe of 

 fo different names, as Gittercban, Citracban , and Afiracban, were occafioned by the 

 Princes, who fucceffively prariided, as is very obvious to any who are acquainted with 

 the Cuitomes of the Arabians, Perfians, Turks, and other Eaftern People. 



But to return unto our Zavolgentian Tartars , fo called by the Neighbouring 

 Slavonic^ Nations, becaufe the Seat of their Empire,-and • their chiefeft places of Re- 

 iidence were on , or near the Volga (which River did alfo almoft equally divide 

 their Territory ; Za being only an Expletive Particle, as I could manifeft by In- 

 duction 



