Beauplan.
After which Peace was concluded between the two Crowns of Sweden and Poland, by the Mediation of Monfieur Davavy, his most Christian Majesty's Ambassador, to the satisfaction of both Kings. Besides their Generosity in other respects, they entertain their Friends in their Houses very civilly, being honour'd and visited by them; nay, they are most obliging to Strangers they never saw before in their lives, and treat them with the same civility as if they had been long acquainted.
There are in that Country some very rich Lords, for there are those whose Personal Estates amount to 800000 Livers per Annum, without reckoning those that hold by Gift of the Crown, which are the 6th part of the Kingdom; and the cause of this great Wealth is, because the Peasants can have no Inheritance, so that all belongs to the Nobility, being fallen in to them, either by Conquest, or by Confiscations from Rebels and turbulent Persons, whose Estates have been confiscated, and annext to the Demesn. The Nobility fearing left the King, if possess'd of such vast Estates, might make himself absolute, they obstruct his being master of them, and are themselves gainers by it.
These People, when they go to War, serve after a strange manner; and should we see such as them in our Armys, we should rather gaze at than fear them, tho they are loaded with all sorts of Offensive Arms. I will give a description of them by what I saw my self in the Person of Monsieur Deczeinsky Rostemaster[1] of a Troop of Cossacks,[2] who was thus arm'd. In the first place he had his Scimiter over his Coat of Mail, his Headpiece, which is a Steel Cap, with Labels of the same sort as his Coat of Mail, hanging down on both sides, and behind over his back, his Carabine, or else his Bow and Quiver; there hung about his Waste a Czidela,[3] a Steel,[4] a Knife, six silver Spoons made to lie one within another in a Purse of red Turky-Leather; a Pistol in his Girdle, a fine Handkerchief, a Purse of dress'd Leather that folds, holding about a pint and half, which they use to take up Water to drink in the Field; a Sabletas,[5] a Naiyque,[6] two or three fathom of silk Rope about the thickness of half a Man's little Finger to bind the Prisoners they take. All these things hang on the side opposite to the Scimeter, and besides all this a Horn to drench their Horses. There also hung by the Saddle on the off-side, a wooden Bowl that would hold half a Pail to water his Horse; also three Noganst[7] to hold his Horse whilst he feeds. Besides, when he had not his Bow, instead of it he carried his Carbine at his Belt: he had, moreover, a Ladonnequis,[8] a Worm for the Carbine, and a Flask. Judg whether a Man thus loaded be in a condition to fight.
The Housarts are Lancers, and all of them Gentlemen of considerable Estates, as far as 50000 Livers a Year; are excellently mounted, the worst of their Horses worth 200 Ducats, being all Turkish Horses brought from Caramania, a Province in Anatolia. Every one of them serves with five Horses, for in a Company of a hundred Lancers, there are but twenty Masters, who all march in the Front, being File-leaders ; and the four other Ranks are their Servants each in his File. Their Lances are nineteen foot long, the Spear hollow, the rest of solid Wood. At the point of their Lances they wear a Streamer or Flag red and white, or blue and green, or black and white, but always of two Colours, four or five Ells long, which, I suppose, is to fright the Enemies Horses; for when they have couch'd their Lances, running with all the swiftness their Horses heels can carry them, these Streamers twirle about, and discompose the Enemies Horses they are to charge. They are arm'd Back and Breast, Arms, Head, &c. By their side they have only their Scimiter, a Palache under the left Thigh; and on the right side of the pomel of the Saddle is fastned a long Sword, broad at hand, and tapering downwards with a square Point, which is to run a Man thro as he lies on the Ground if he is not yet dead; and therefore this Sword is five foot long, and has a round Pomel that they may the better thrust against the Ground
to
- ↑ That is, a Captain.
- ↑ Who are Horsemen with Bows and Arrows.
- ↑ An Awl.
- ↑ This Steel serves to sharpen his Scimeter and Knife, and to strike fire.
- ↑ It is a great flat Pouch of red Cloth to carry Papers, their Combs, and they Mony.
- ↑ A little leather Whip to put on his Horse.
- ↑ Leather Fetters, holding three of the Horses of Leather Legs as he feeds.
- ↑ A Cartridg Box for Carbine and Pistol.
