Beauplan.
than a Farthing, there are more of them than will serve the longest Winter night. The Chimneys are sold in the Market; which is very comical, as is their manner of dressing Meat. Their Weddings, and other Ceremonies, we shall speak of hereafter. And yet from hence came that brave People, known at present by the Zaporousky Cossacks. name of Zaporousky Cossacks, spread of late Years into so many Places along Boristhenes, and the neighbouring Parts, whose number at present amounts to 120000 disciplin'd Men, and ready in less than eight days upon the least command they receive from the King. These are the People, who very often, and almost every Year, make excursions upon the Euxine Sea, to the great detriment of the Turks. They have several times plunder'd the Crim Tartary, ravag'd Anatolia, sack'd Trebisond, and run to the Mouth of the Black Sea, within three Leagues of Constantinople, where they have put all to Fire and Sword, and then return'd home with a rich Booty, and some Slaves, which are generally young Children whom they breed up to serve them, or present them to some Lord of their Country; for they keep none that are grown up, unless they think them rich enough to pay a good Ransom. They are never more than between six and ten thousand Men when they make their Ravages, and cross the Sea miraculously in pitiful Boats they make themselves, and of whose shape and structure I shall speak hereafter.
Having mention'd the Bravery of the Cossacks, it will not be amiss to give an account of their Manners and Employment. It is therefore to be understood, that among those People in general there are Men expert in all sorts of Trades necessary for human Life, as House and Ship-Carpenters, Cartwrights, Smiths, Armourers, Tanners, Curriers, Shoomakers, Coopers, Tailors, &c. They are very expert at preparing of Salt-peter, whereof there is great plenty in those Parts, and make excellent Cannon-Powder. The Women spin Flax and Wool, whereof they make Cloth and Stuffs for their own use. They all understand Tilling, Sowing, Reaping, making of Bread, dressing of Meal, brewing of Beer, making of Hydromel, Breha, Aqua Vita, &c. There is no body among them, of what Age, Sex, or Condition soever, that does not strive to outdo another in drinking, and carousing effectually; and no Christians trouble themselves less for to morrow than they do.
There is no doubt but all of them in general are capable of all Arts; yet some are more expert than others in certain Professions, and others there are more universally knowing than the common sort. In short, they are all ingenious enough, but they go no further than what is necessary and profitable, particularly in Country Affairs.
The Land is so fruitful, it often produces such plenty of Corn, they know not what to do with it, because they have no navigable Rivers that fall into the Sea, except the Boristhenes, which is not navigable 50 Leagues below Kiow, or Kiovia, by reason of 13 Falls on it, the last of which is seven Leagues distant from the first, which makes a good days Journey, as may be seen in the Map. This it is that hinders them carrying their Corn to Constantinople, and is the cause of their sloth, and that they will not work but just when Necessity obliges them, and that they have not wherewithal to buy what they stand in need of, chusing rather to borrow of the Turks, their good Neighbours, than to take pains to earn it. So they have Meat and Drink, they are satisfy'd.
Their religion They are of the Greek Church, which in their Language they call Rus; have a great veneration for Festivals, and Fasting-days, which take up eight or nine Months of the Year, and consist in abstaining from Flesh. They are so positive in this Formality, that they believe their Salvation depends on this distinction of Meats: and I believe there is no Nation in the World like this for liberty in Drinking; for no sooner is one drunken Fit off, but they take a Hair of the same Dog. But this is to be understood when they are at leasure; for whilst they are in War, or projecting some Enterprize, they are extraordinary sober. Nothing belonging to them is so coarse as their Habit, for they are subtil and crafty, ingenious and free-hearted, without any design or thought of growing Rich; but are great lovers of their Liberty, without which they do not desire to live: and for this reason it is, they are so subject to revolt, and rebel against the Lords of the Country, when they see themselves crush'd, so that they are scarce seven or eight Years without mutinying against them. In other respects they are a faithless People, treacherous, perfidious, and not to be trusted but upon good Security.
They are of a strong Constitution, able to endure Heat and Cold, Hunger andThirst;
