… The journey back took place like this: on May 1st (Julian / old-style calendar) in the morning at 9 o` clock I went off from Bakhchisaray (3) out of the Tartar slavery in good health with the help of God. The khan (4) showed a high esteem to me according to the Tartar custom and sent his man-servant to accompany me for a stretch as far as on the other side of the hill…
On May 12th, on a very hot day, I suffered a lot because of the mosquito and other small insects; I ate in the open fields late in the evening, I arrived at the Dniester in front of The White Citadel (5) around sunset and I spent the evening on a high hill. In order to let the boatmen from The White Citadel know of our arrival I fired a rifle shot and the janissaries unloaded their guns as well. I had placed a charge of powder as for six muskets therefore they boomed as though firing with cannon. After that I had to ask to light a fire so that my people would bring together right round it the tired horses that had scattered there and everywhere. As this night was still and windless we were overwhelmed by clouds of mosquito that would not let us sleep.
On the morning of May the 13th, about six o` clock, a big sailing boat came; we had all our work cut out with finding native people because they would not rely on my interpreter; they imagined that we were Cossacks, the way these invade the country, and I did not arrive at once to them, for to take care of the horse on that extreme heat I was riding leisurely far behind my interpreter. However the moment they saw me they started to laugh and welcomed me (for they crossed me the river on leaving too as well (6) ). And they recounted me marvelling at how frightened the Turks were last night when they heard our reports: they stored up their bazaars and ran away in the fortress thinking the Cossacks from Don came with the four Turkish sailing vessels that were down by the Black Sea and these launched the attack against them. Since there, further down the town, there were many sand banks and rapids I saw myself compelled to follow this boatman as down on the river as the sea, a good mile journey; there was a large rapid that parted the Black Sea and the Dniester; \\ the horses passed on this rapid, but we had to go over swimming in two places, one of them about 60 paces long, the second more than 100 paces. I was traversed with my luggage directly by boat, a good mile journey. On that rapid there were a few Turks with the women they had bought and who were Christians. The women bathed and washed themselves in the Dniester. When the women came out of the water the Turks wrapped them up in beautiful bath sheets with many slips, helped them to wipe dry, caressed them with heart and soul then they walked away with them for a walk towards the sailing vessels and on the way everyone was kissing and fondling his women. They treated them decently and honourably, unlike the Tartars, who behave towards their subjects as if they were dogs, abusing and beating them brutally. For this reason the women hold captive by them, if they cannot regain their freedom, they are more pleased about being sold to the Turks, for there they are very well looked after as far as the clothing and the care is concerned. In the harbour, on the other side, there were four Turkish sailing vessels loaded with muscatel and with other sour wines (7) , as well as with French and Turkish walnuts. One of these ships was from Anatolia, from Trebizond. The shipmaster or reis başî named Frangul Kyrikoszowic from Trebizond, who was a Greek (8) , as all of his sailors were, \\ allowed me to come on board of his ship and to fill up my empty barrels with wine at a price of 6 groschen an amount. The people were doing everything to gratify me aboard their ship: they treated me with the best muscatel, with oranges, with walnuts and with dried crusts and they showed very friendly; they were bright people and they wished for, among other things, God should goad some Christian prince to attack the Turks unhesitatingly; they had no doubt God would favour the Christians. They told me still that in Constantinople merely a tenth of the inhabitants are Turks, as the city is resided almost solely by Christians (9) . This shipmaster ordered to be written on the tablets of my man-servant for a keepsake and wishing for me the following Greek words: Ιησούς Χριστός Νικά (10) ... He sent me with his boat to the seashore and he gave me companions who fired a salute out of a small iron canon; once by land I got rid of them with much difficulty for they brought with them a decanter with muscatel and they boozed all my people and pledged to visit me in town the second day. This night I spent under the open sky on the bank of the Dniester.
On the 14th in the morning on my way to Dniester I bought a 9.7 kilos (11) carp with 9 groschen (?) from a fisherman. I could have acquired it with 4 groschen (?) if I had wanted to haggle; however I gave him how much he asked for since for all that I got much more than was worth. The same day in the afternoon I arrived safely at Akerman or The White Citadel and I took a room with my old landlord, a Greek. The moment I settled at the landlord the caimacan or the head of this place sent for my interpreter; I gave him one of my men to accompany him. When they arrived at the caimacan the latter asked him about me at once, showing his satisfaction for my coming; \\ he treated my men according to the Tartar custom, offering them slop to drink. In addition they had to empty the glass toasting him. On that extreme heat this drink suited them very well; otherwise they would have drunk wine willingly. He pledged share to me too, yet hardly anything followed until the evening when I was given six masses (12) of wine. The same evening the Turkish sailing vessels with wine arrived to town and at the same time from Trebizond came in town also. The shipmaster, Frangul, casted anchor right in front of my landlord; he asked about me at once and sent for a jug of the best muscatel and welcomed me with this. He was overwhelmed with joy, still with all decency and stayed with me at my table for a carp and a grilled sturgeon.
On May the 15th I had to stay here because the horse of my guardsman (13) grew ill. Today the caimacan sent me a sack of barley-corn for my horses. Some Greek Christians came to me as well, they ate and drank with me and they were very glad about my arrival for I was a Christian. In the afternoon two Crimean Tartars came and they told me about the Cossacks, how these with the help of the sultan (14) Murad chased away the Poles as far as across the Vistula and they beat them ferociously. Other people declared to me as well that the Poles seem to have agreed with the Cossacks. A Greek merchant from Karasubazar (15) , in Crimea, was saying that he was sent to Circassia (16) by the caimacan of the pasha from Silistra (17) to purchase for him two \\ young and very beautiful Circassian girls and that he might have returned recently and might have brought him two girls. For them he had to pay two hundred ducats each.
On the 16th of that month in the morning before sunrise I set out from The White Citadel. Not far from the town I met an old janissary from Crimea and three Moldavian (18) peasants. That janissary corroborated all that was told by the two Tartars I mentioned earlier, saying that all the Poles ran away across the Vistula and that Khmelnytsky (19) sent from Kamianets (20) a deputation to the Hungarian Palatine (21) offering him the Polish Crown. And Khmelnytsky wanted to keep in exchange the territory from Kamianets as far as Lviv and therefore all Ukraine and the Hungarian Palatine should have ruled over all the remainder but help him to ruin the Poles. On the contrary the Moldavian peasants were telling that at Kamianets might have broken down recently a great number of Cossacks and Tartars; that they had to abandon the camp and turn their back and at the same time many of the Poles and especially of the German hirelings were crushed. After the rout of the Cossacks an ox was sold at Kamianets with one thaler, such a great number of cattle and eatables they left behind – and they abandoned a few cannons as well. I met a Tartar too who came from Palanca (22) (a small Turkish town I had passed by) and was saying that at Kamianets might have not been any attack on the part of Cossacks and their people and that \\ the Tartars from Dobrudja (23) might still be found on this side of the Dniester, not far from Palanca; and some of them might be at Bender (24) , a Turkish citadel nearby that I also saw from a hill during my journey, and they would not set out on their way until they get an order from the khan.
On the same evening, not long before our holt for the night, I shot down a pelican that I took a good grip of only with great bother although it had an injured wing. It is an odd but beautiful bird and much bigger than a swan, I brought it alive with me. I spent the night at Olăneşti (25) , a big and inhabited village and we were satisfied with adequate nourishment however we had nothing to drink but water unmixed with anything for I could not drink their millet beer (26) .
On the 17th at Ciubărciu (27) I bought at noon four carps of medium size that worth together as much as a big one and I had the midday meal in that place as well. I spent the night at Leonteva (28) , a big Turkish village, yet in that place only Greek Christians (29) were living. My host had heard that we were coming from the Tartar khan and that Her Majesty the Queen of Sweden (30) was a Christian queen with a lot of power. He was sitting by the fireplace keeping his hands in his pockets and sighing out he was talking to himself saying in Moldavian with a loud voice: “Oh, Christians, what have you done that you humiliated yourself to such an extent before a pagan? And by this you make him be so arrogant and so conceited”. I explained to him, through my interpreter, he should not imagine that this journey was made for the khan` s sake // for my all glorious queen does not submit to anybody but to God, the king of all kings, and that beside him she is not obliged to submit to any other Christian king, so much the less to such a pagan king.
On the 18th in the same village, Leonteva, I celebrated the first day of Whitsuntide / Pentecost, in the afternoon Feriz aga himself came from The White Citadel (the one who keeps a watch upon the villages and the Tartars from The White Citadel); he welcomed me and he wanted to give me a few cavalry men (31) to accompany me as far as beyond the border lines since further on, at the bounds of Moldavia, the insecurity was reigning because the Tartars from Dobrudja might have killed 7 Moldavians three days earlier and might have taken with them a slave (32) (?) in the Turkish citadel Bender. One of my guardsmen had to leave with him at once and he was given aga` s waxen seal. With this I was to receive a few cavalry men in the neighbouring village Cârnățeni (33) . I made the journey during the night towards that village Cârnățeni. There the guardsman lost my confidence for he took the liberty to tickle his palm and permitted the peasants to destroy the seal of Feriga Aga. I told him to act the way he knows better and secure me a safe passing the way he was ordered both by the khan and by Feriz Aga. A little while before my arrival “Kenan Bassa”, a boyar of the Prince of Moldavia had passed by that place, going through Bender towards Crimea to the khan and conveying him 5 Moldavian horses. He brought the news that the Cossacks were beyond Kamianets and that the Poles were retreating in haste. In the evening 6 Tartars from Dobrudja wearing red turbans on their head came from Bender in that village to see if there might be something to loot, they \\ were boasting there might be 6 thousand horsemen and they were saying that the pasha from Silistra might send another 6 thousand horsemen of their people still together with other Turkish units, in all more than 20 thousand horsemen in order to help Khmelnytsky. I requested they should be inquired why won` t they cross the Dniester at instance in order to go to Khmelnytsky. They replied they had no order from the khan. As soon as the six tartars went out of the village they turned to a high village through a flock of sheep, snatched up three sheep in full gallop with such rapidity in the extraction, the swinging and the pushing of the sheep and they set out at full speed that one marvelled at seeing it.
The peasants from the village, who were birds of this kind as well, had to laugh at their loss also.
On the 19th of the month my guardsmen came with a forged seal, maintaining that during the night the peasants might have sent somebody to Feriz aga and that they brought me this seal as a proof that the old one, that was sent to me by Feriz aga, had no authority and that they had to be exempt from the obligation to afford cavalry men. However I caught them all dealing in lies and I reprimanded the guardsmen through my interpreter for, as even some of the peasants confessed, the guardsmen had taken a lot of money from them. I scolded them awfully as some ill-intended scoundrels. They were listening without offence and were shaking how the dog is shaking off the hot beetroot potage. I had to resume my journey all by myself with them and as soon could be realized God was my guide for after I went out of the village if I had turned to right I would have come across the six thousand Tartars from Dobrudja I mentioned earlier, yet God showed me the way to left, through the dip between the hills and I had a safe passage. // Because there, on the hills, the people of the prince of Moldavia were on guard with the standards upright counter the Tartars. On that day I ate in the open field about ten. It was then when one of the horsemen from the hill came riding towards me and asked the interpreter where we were coming from. The same horseman told us that almost as far as Iaşi we will not find any people at all inside the villages for all the people ran away in the woods from the hills and live there fearing the Tartars. However they were commissioned by // the prince to watch over on the hills, here and there. In the evening, about ten o` clock we stopped in the field and spent the night there.
On the 20th of the month I passed by several Romanian villages as I was looking for food, yet I found neither people nor cattle inside any of them. At noon I ate in a cluster of bushes but prior to my arrival to this place my Moldavian grey hound (34) caught a big hare on a hill and brought it in his mouth to my man-servant. I had no bread anymore and instead of bread I had to order to boil some rice out of which I still had sufficiently and I ate it instead of bread. There was a brook in that place. My people caught a beautiful carp there while watering the horses and this is how God presented me with nourishment in the wasteland on that day, all of a sudden and by some miracle.
In the afternoon I met on the way four small units of Moldavian cavalrymen that were making their way towards the hills. Their centurion (35) or their lieutenant came riding to greet me and wishing me welcome in a friendly manner gave me two more horsemen to accompany me as far as the other watch post where they were to be replaced by others. Towards the evening came to greet me in the woods the supreme commander of the army of the prince, mister Ştefan, „high cavalry commander” (36) , accompanied by 30 horsemen. He met me in a very friendly manner and invited me to his place the night there. On the way he was complaining bitterly about the Tartars who brought about heavy losses to him, they set on fire three beautiful manors, together with 12 villages; he had to manage henceforth with great difficulty and rather poorly and shabbily and he could not build them again since people could not be sure they would enjoy them. After we descended from the woods to the open field, not far from his small manor, he ordered to pitch a beautiful Turkish tent and invited me perseveringly and he went to his manor. Soon afterwards he sent me through his captain of cavalrymen a ram, half of plump lamb, a tureen filled with fine white bread, a big bottle with very good mead, a big bottle with good Cotnari wine. In an hour he came to me himself accompanied by one of his colonels (37) and treated me very honourably and in a very friendly manner. Then he told me that the prince of Wallachia (38) might be at Floci (39) with 15 thousand people and that he might have vowed honourably to the prince of Moldavia (40) his sovereign that they stand against the Tartars and they would not attempt the slightest thing against him. And he also said that one cannot swear by the Tartars at all, even if they pledge themselves, for they never keep their promise. This is why the prince of Moldavia declared to him firmly that he` ll bet anything one likes that savoured of in advance his losses and the losses of his subjects from the Tartars, which he estimates at several hundred of thousands of imperial thalers, and even more, and he does no doubt at all that God would help them, provided the Polish rulers should keep their promise and they should make a good beginning. He (41) was also saying that Khmelnytsky might have dispatched to the prince of Wallachia // and might have asked him to come to his assistance however he might have been given nothing but a very indefinite answer (42) . From there he might have gone immediately to the Hungarian Palatine where he still lingers and he is expected everyday. After this he said goodbye and hearing I wanted to leave in the early morning he wished me a good journey and provided me at hand two cavalrymen.
On the 21st of the month the best of my draughthorses grew ill and my pelican that my manservant had put on the water during the night thinking it would hearten up in the water perished because many leeches (43) got into its body through its wound.
I went towards Lăpuşna. This small town was completely burned down by the Tartars. I spent the night in the open field, on the banks of the Prut (44) and I was so badly bitten by the mosquito that my hands and my face looked as if I had smallpox; the same happened to my people as well.
On the day of 22nd at twelve o` clock I crossed the Prut and I arrived at Ţuțora, this is where I ate. From here my herald Osman aga went on to Iaşi (45) with the letter of the khan for the prince of the country. In the evening at 8 o` clock I arrived to Iaşi. The prince was not at home but he came in an hour. His marshal of the royal household, the high seneschal Andronachi (46) secured through his steward (47) even prior to my arrival that I should be satisfied with all sorts of victuals that were brought to the place for my housing. Here lasts the news that the Poles might have chased from Kamianets the Cossacks and the Tartars so that the Cossacks had to leave in the lurch all the spoils they had taken in the surroundings of Kamianets, at Zwaniec and at Paniowcze, and they had to turn their back.
On the 23rd of the month at Iaşi my horses rested and were very well fed. Mister Kotnarsky (48) , the secretary of the prince came to me today and welcomed me on the behalf of his prince. He imparted me the same news from Poland and mentioned me a Tartar noble called Charasz which might have passed away in battles. The Tartar high messenger, named Mustafa Celebi (49) , arrived before noon. He was coming back from Warsaw, in Poland and heading towards Crimea. That same day “the wachtmeister” of the prince, a German who came here from Constantinople 3-4 years ago, paid me a visit. This told me… etc… (50) .
On the 24th, in the morning at 10 o` clock the prince sent to me the high equerry or hofmaister, marshal of the royal household Nacul (51) and the secretary Kotnarsky to take me to him in a coach. He met me in the friendliest manner and he asked me how did I appreciate \\ the Tartar politics and relating to this he agreed I should be accompanied by his people as far as the Polish frontier, and this not as a consequence of the khan` s letter but as an honour to the all glorious queen of Sweden, my merciful ruler. He advised me not to make my way towards Kamianets, but towards Sniatyn through Pokuttya since that is the safest way. Then he asked me to wish on his behalf to her majesty the queen a long life and plenty of good fortune with her rule, to me he wished a safe journey. After that he ordered to his secretary to set up everything so that I could cross there and everywhere safely. And soon he sent ahead to Cotnari an important boyar of the court called Gavrilaş “Skules” and to me he sent a horseman to ride in front of me and show me the way. Today, towards evening, I sent my interpreter to the Tartar high messenger, Mustafa Bej, to ask him which is, to his mind, the safest way towards Poland and what does he advise me: should I go through Khotyn (52) to Kamianets or through Sniatyn in Pokuttya? He offered me at once the best counsel: for both the Cossacks and the Poles have a lot of army and the Cossacks can reach as far as Kamianets and as for the question which of the routes he holds safer, the one through Khotyn or through Sniatyn and Pokuttya towards Poland he added as well that the Poles might have got assistance a few thousand Swedish soldiers and that these might have overcome recently the Cossacks and the Tartars at Kamianets.
The oldest manservant of prince Wisniowiecki (53) , Zlotnicky, came to me also and brought me the news that the king of Poland (54) might have concluded, through his commissioners, at Lübeck, a treaty with her majesty the queen of Sweden, whereby he was abjuring for good and all to his claims for Livonia and was willing to live in peace and eternal friendship henceforth and was asking still for the assistance of her majesty the queen of Sweden against the Tartars, since the beginnings the enemies of the whole Christendom, who broke the peace actually and keep on with the war.
On the 25th of the month: I left early from Iaşi, I ate in the open field near by a // ravaged village. Here 150 Cossack carts loaded with salt passed beside me; from the Moldavian salt-mines (55) to Umova (56) , in Ukraine. In the evening I arrived at Cotnari and I was very well met and treated by my guard Gavrilaş “Skules” Dvornicul (57) ; yet he could not stay with me that evening since the Orthodox fasting of Saint Peter began and he had pledged to celebrate the Shrovetide together with a few boyars and friends who were living there. The small town Cotnari was left unharmed by the Cossacks and the Tartars because it did not defend itself (yet it was not able to hit back anyway), but it ransomed itself with a sum of money and a few casks of wine. There are just wooden houses, yet some of them are, in their own way, roomy and made fine enough; it is situated amidst the vineyards that stretch round about for half a mile distance. The vine turned up very fine at that time, a man` s height and even higher. The occupation and the living of the people of Cotnari are based on wine solely.
26 of the month. I ate in the village “Kurenia” (58) . This day I had a difficult journey because it rained hard all night long, the earth was soft and heavy it was sticking in heaps to the wheels and was going beneath the horseshoes so that the horses were moving with great difficulty and this is why I arrived rather late at Botoşani, a sacked small town and I spent the night here.
On the 27th I had launch in the small town Dorohoi. I remember now // the words the prince told us concerning the khan. That is to say that he, the prince, wrote to the khan: “The Turkish emperor demands the customary tribute from me whereas you not only that you set on fire my country and carried out of the country 200,000 big and small cattle and horses, but you also took a few thousands (59) of my subjects; I ask you therefore, in order to prove your harmlessness, as you maintained in a letter, to send back to me my poor subjects in no time so that I can restore again the country razed to the earth and so that I can send to the Turkish emperor the customary tribute (60) ”. And this is how eight days prior to my arrival in Crimea the khan set free 300 people yet these ones are all disfigured, lame, blind or they are quite small boys and girls, inapt people who are not able to work. He kept the best people, in the prime of life, robust and healthy; these crippled and feeble people who came back just four days before my arrival, I found them again in this small town. Here it was an old Moldavian, skilful warrior, who had been in the service of the company of the head of // Kamianets with an effective force of 117 horsemen and who took part in the seizure of the Paniowcza stronghold. This one told me how things happened there, that is to say: how the Cossacks came and letting behind Paniowcza they went to the fortress Zwaniec which they pillaged and set on fire; after that they made their way towards Paniowcza and they went on with the same game in the villages situated much further away. At that time the head of Kamianets launched his company to attack (61) yet he himself together with a few comrades (62) and together with the townspeople stayed inside the stronghold. The soldiers (?) sent to attack (63) rushed upon the Cossacks indeed, however after many of them were knocked down and the head saw this he entrusted his comrade with the command of the stronghold and he run away to Kamianets accompanied by a manservant; most of the other soldiers who fought with the adversary were cut off, the standard bearer took with him the pair of colours and ran away at full speed to Kamianets; he was hunt after by a great many of Cossacks, yet he could not be captured and he (64) was considering that if the Cossacks had seized the colours they would have set out at once against Kamianets and they would have taken hold of the city. After that the Cossacks set upon the small town Paniowcza, they pillaged it and set in on fire. We had to spend the night here (65) .
On the 28th I ate near the Molnița brook in a waterside. At 3 o` clock I arrived at Chernivtsi, a small town, here I was also well met and fed by the head.
On the 29th. The head of Chernivtsi together with mister the Minister of internal affairs (66) with two small units of cavalrymen that included together three hundred people saw me off as far as the Polish frontier. About half way the Minister of internal affairs bid me farewell and recommended me mister the head who had to accompany me with his two small units of cavalrymen. From that place I sent somebody with my passport to mister the vice-head . Afterwards I kept on talking for a quarter of an hour (?) (67) to the head of Chernivtsi who bid me farewell and left with his horsemen on the way that goes at the foot of the small town to their border towards Hungary and Transylvania. When I arrived in the small town the vice-head of Sniatyn, Siebrydowsky with 20 horsemen stood in my way; he welcomed me; he led me into town to a good host and in the evening he treated me to his place in the stronghold.
On the 30th of the month. On this day mister the head got the news that N. N., a Polish captain (68) seized the letters of the khan and of Khmelnytsky which they were writing to one another, also a manservant of the prince with letters who was carrying 6000 ducats that Khmelnytsky was to get; the letters he // sent them to the king, yet he brought the couriers to Kamianets and kept the money.


Footnotes

(3) The residence of the khans of Crimea \ the capital of the Crimean Khanate.
(4) Islam Giray the 3rd (1644-1654).
(5) Romanian Cetatea Albă = nowadays Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Ukraine.
(6) Id est on December, 1650.
(7) Unlike the Greek wines, exceedingly sweet.
(8) His name is expressed in a Slavonic form. Most of the home trade of the Ottoman Empire was at the Greeks` disposal.
(9) Inaccurate allegation.
(10) Jesus Christ, triumph.
(11) The author offers contradictory weight measures: 8 oca (1 oca = 1.272 kg in Moldavia) of 24 litre (1 litra = 1\4 of 1 oca in Moldavia, id est 0.318 kg).
(12) Mass = old German measure whose value varied here and there between 1.069 and 1.945 l.
(13) Przystaven. A member of the escort the Tartars offered on departure.
(14) The title of sultan is offered to the brothers of the khan of Crimea.
(15) Karasu or Karasubazar, a town in Crimea, one of the residences of the khans. Nowadays Bilohirsk in Ukraine.
(16) Circassia (also known as Cherkessia in Russian) was a province in Caucasia. The Circassians or, the way they were named, the Cherkessians were considered the most beautiful people in the world. The beauty of the Circassian women was sung preferably by the Turkish poets.
(17) Sylystryski (nowadays Drastar in Bulgaria). Derviş Mehmed-pasha, the future great vizier.
(18) Wallasche. The author uses the term valah, according the Polish manner, in order to designate the Moldavians.
(19) Chimiel. Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky, the hetman of the Cossacks (1648-1657).
(20) Nowadays Kamianets-Podilskyi in Ukraine.
(21) Gheorghe Rakoczy the 2nd, prince of Transylvania (1648-1660).
(22) Palanka, a village on the bank of the Dniester.
(23) Romanian Dobrogea nowadays, a region on the Black Sea coast. The author uses the name of Tartars from Dobrudja for the Tartars from Budjak / Budzhak (Romanian Buceag), the historical region of Bessarabia (nowadays Republic of Moldavia and south-west of Ukraine).
(24) Nowadays Tighina in the Republic of Moldavia (under de facto control of the unrecognized breakaway Autonomous Region of Trans-Dniester).
(25) Olesnest, a village on the bank of the Dniester about 40 km from The White Citadel (Cetatea Albă).
(26) Braha.
(27) Czuburc, a village along the Dniester.
(28) Lionty (=Leonteva), a village on the bank of the Dniester.
(29) Id est of Orthodox/Eastern church./rite. In of the following sentence one realizes they are Moldavians.
(30) The notorious Queen Christina, the daughter of Gustav Adolf (1632-1654).
(31) Caralassen. Romanian “călăraşi”.
(32) Babendie. In Turkish bendie means slave, bondsman.
(33) Kiernicienie, a village on the bank of the river Botna, affluent of the Dniester, district Căuşani, Republic of Moldavia.
(34) Mein Wallacher Wind = Windhund.
(35) Isbas. Romanian iuzbaşa, a commanding officer of 100 soldiers in Moldavia during the Middle Ages.
(36) Serdar wielky. Might be Ştefan Serdarul (Stephen the Cavalry Commander) who would be killed two years later, in 1653, by Vasile Lupu, the prince of Moldavia (1634 -1653).
(37) Romanian polcovnic during late Middle Ages.
(38) Der Muldansche Hospodar. Muldansche = Muntenian / Wallachian (Romanian muntean, belonging to Muntenia / Greater Wallachia, the larger province of Wallachia).
(39) Falzin, the City of Floci, a market town that has disappeared sometime in the 18th century.
(40) Der Wallachschen Hopsodaren, according to the Polish manner to name Moldavia – Wallachia.
(41) Id est the Cavalry Commander, the collocutor of the author.
(42) Sehr strumpfe Antwort.
(43) Viel bluttmalen (Blutegel means leech).
(44) The river Prut is nowadays the frontier between Romania and the Republic of Moldavia for 681 km.
(45) Iaşi is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859, the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia between 1859–1862 and Romania between 1916–1918.
(46) Andronaky Wielky Postelnik.
(47) Schaffer.
(48) Gheorghe Kotnarsky (or Kutnarsky, in Latinized from Kotnarius) the secretary of Moldavian prince Vasile Lupu, interpreter for Latin and Poland.
(49) Mustafa Cilibi Bej or simply Mustafa Bej. In the winter of 1650 he had been sent by Islam Giray the 3rd to the queen of Sweden with letters; on his journey back to Crimea he was accompanied by Mayer. Mustafa Bej was sent afterwards to Poland with the mission to negotiate the peace. Now he was coming back from Warsaw without reaching any agreement.
(50) He refers to the rumour that the old Byzantine religious pictures might have reappeared miraculously on the walls of Hagia Sophia from underneath the Turkish whitewashing.
(51) Nakul. Former chief magistrate of the district Suceava. High equerry 18 February 1651-14 April 1652. He was sent in 1653 as a messenger to the Cossacks.
(52) Romanian Hotin, the town was part of the Principality of Moldavia (1359–1812), nowadays in north-western Ukraine.
(53) Des Fursten Wisniowiecken ältester Diener. Most likely Yaremia (Ieremia) Wisniowiecki, the grandson of the Moldavian prince Ieremia Movilă (Jeremi Mohyła in Polish, 1595-1606), who carried on a fierce fight against the Cossacks of Khmelnytsky.
(54) John Casimir the 2nd (1648-1668).
(55) Wallachschen Saltzbergen.
(56) Umanowa.
(57) Vornic = Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Justice in Moldavia during Middle Ages.
(58) Kurenia, unidentified. It might be a misreading for Hârlău, whereby the route of the author should have passed.
(59) Etzliche 1000.
(60) Den gewölichen Dan.
(61) Seine Companie ausscommendiret.
(62) Towarsziszen, denomination for the Polish noblemen who fought as volunteers.
(63) Sothanes (?) auskommendiertes Volk.
(64) The Moldavian who is recounting the battle.
(65) Id est in Dorohoi, where the author had arrived on May, 27th.
(66) Dwornic. Romanian vornic in Middle Ages.
(67) Ein ½ viertelluhr.
(68) Rittmesiter.


In English by Lucian Bâgiu
October, 2009,
Trondheim, Norway