Page:Busbecq, Travels into Turkey (1744).pdf/89

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worthy of my Notice in those Countries, where I met with an unknown Herb in the Meadow, which smelt like Garlick. After I had pluck'd some Leaves of it, I gave them to my Physician to know his Judgment; he looked wistly upon it, and told me, 'twas Scordium, and lifting up his Hands to Heaven, he gave God thanks for sending us so opportune a Remedy against the Plague; hereupon he gathers a great quantity of it, and putting it into a large Pot, boiled it over the Fire. Then he bid the Hungarians take heart, and parted the Decoction amongst them, prescribing the taking of it very hot, as they were going to Bed, mix'd with some Lemnian Earth, and Diascordium, and that they should not sleep till they had fallen into a great Sweat. Observing his Directions, the next Day after they were much better, and desired the same Portion again, and when they had drunk it, they grew perfectly well. And thus, by God's Blessing, we avoided that Infection.

And yet, the residue of our Journey was not without Peril. After we had passed the Country of the Thracians and Bulgarians, which reaches as far as Nissa, and came into the Servians Country, reaching from Nissa to Simandria, where the Rascians Country begins; we came at last to Belgrade, the Weather being excessively hot and parching, for 'twas the hottest time of the Dog-days.

At Belgrade, upon one of our Fish-days, we were presented with abundance of choice Fish, and amongst the rest, with large full-bodied Carps, taken in the Danube, whose Carps are very much commended: My People did eat very greedily of them, and that was either the cause, or the occasion, which cast many of them into a Fever; yet all that quantity of Fish, which was enough to satisfy forty