Retrospect of Domestic Literature—Voyages and Travels, 628 
gives peculiar interest to the latter part 
of his narration; it was no less than that 
of travelling back to France by land. 
After a variety of difficulties and discou- 
ragements, he completed his intention in 
1433; recording the particulars of bis 
travels at the express desire of the duke 
his master, The journey from Ghent 
across the Apennines to Venice, and 
from Venice to Jaila, in a galley, afferds 
scarcely any thing to interest. At Jeru- 
salem, after performing the customary 
pilgrimages, La Brocquiere performed 
with his companions those to the moun- 
tain where our Saviour tasted forty days; 
to the Jordan, where he was baptized; 
to the church of Saint John, near to that 
river; to that of Saint Martha and Saint 
Mary Magdalen, where our Lord raised 
Lazarus trom the dead; to Bethlehem, 
where he was born; to the birth-place 
of St. John the Baptist; to the House of 
Zachariah; and, lastly, to the Holy Cross, 
where the tree grew that formed the real 
cross. ‘ For the information of others, 
says La Brocquiere, “ who lke myself 
may wish to visit this country, I ‘shall 
say, that the custom (in going farther 
into Palestine) is to treat with the chief 
interpreter at Jerusalem, who receives a 
tax for the sultan, and one for himself, 
and then sends to inform the interpreter 
at Gaza, who in his turn negotiates a 
passage with the Arabians of the desert. 
These Arabs enjoy the right of conduct- 
mg pilgrims ; and, as they are not always 
under due subjection to the sultan, their 
camels must be used, which they let to 
hire at ten ducats a head.” Damascus 
is still more particularly described than 
Jerusalem; though La Brocquiere seems 
to have received no favourable impres- 
sions of the ivhabitants, From Damas- 
cus, having parted with ‘his friends who 
had hitherto accompanied him, he set 
out upon his meditated journey, having 
in the first instance only a moucre (or 
Mameluke guide) for his companion: but 
joining a caravan, he proceeded onward 
in company. “ On the road (says our 
author) | made acquaintance with some 
of my fellow-travellers, who, when they 
found out that I lodged with a Frank, 
came to ask me to procure them some 
wine. This liquor is forbidden them by 
their religion, and they dare not drink 
it before their own countrymen, but they 
hoped to do it without risk at the house 
of a Frank, and yet they were returning 
from Mecca! I spoke of it to my host 
Laurent; but he said he was afraid to 
comply, from the great danger he shouid 
MOonTHLY Mac., No. 166, 
run were it known. I went to carry 
them this answer; but they had been 
1nore fortunate elsewhere, in procuring 
some at the house of a Greek. They 
proposed that I should accompany them 
to partake, whether from pure friendship 
or to authorize them to drink wine in the 
presence of the Greek. This man con- 
ducted us to a small gallery, where we 
all six seated ourselves in a circle on the 
floor. He first placed in the midst of us 
a large and handsome earthen jug, that 
might contain four gallons at least; he 
then brought for each of us a pot full of 
wine, which he poured into the jug, and 
placed beside it two earthen porringers 
to serve tor glasses. The first who be-= 
gan drank to his companion, according 
to their custom; this did the same to the 
next, and so on to the others. We drank 
in this manner for a long time without 
eating; at length, I perceived that ‘EL 
could no longer continue it without suf- 
fering, and begged of them, with up- 
lifted hands, to permit me to leave off; 
but they grew very angry, and complained 
as if I had been resolved to interrupt 
their pleasure and do them an injury. 
Fortunately there was one among them 
more acquainted with me than the rest, 
and who loved me so that he called me 
‘ Kardays,’ that is to say, Brother. He 
offered to take my place, and to drink 
for me when it should be my turn. This 
appeased them, and, having accepted 
the offer, the party continued until even- 
ing, when it was necessary for us to return 
to the khan.” On leaving Syria, our tra- 
veller came to Antioch, at that time the 
capital of Turcomania; and afterwards 
traversed the country round the gulf of 
Asacs: but, at Bursa, in consequence 
of the zeal of a renegado slave, he was’ 
necessitated to separate himself from the 
caravan. Of Pera, which at that time - 
belonged to the Genoese, we have a par- 
ticular account; whence La Brocquiere 
crossed the haven to Constantinople. 
Here we have sufficient details to ac- 
count for the successes of the Turks in. 
1453. The description of the empress, 
as La Brocquiere saw her, is entertaining. 
“She were in her ears broad and flat 
rings, sét with several precious stones, 
especially rubies. She looked young and 
fair, and handsomer than when I saw her 
in church. In one word, I should not 
have had a fault to find with her, had 
she not been painted, and assuredly she 
had not any need of it.” The most im- 
portant portion of the work, however, is 
that which relates to the policy, the mili- 
4M - tary 
