Embassy to Tamerlane, 1403-1406 / translated from the Spanish by Guy Le Strange with an introduction.
- Ruy González de Clavijo
- Date:
- [1928]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Embassy to Tamerlane, 1403-1406 / translated from the Spanish by Guy Le Strange with an introduction. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![feaáf, we were left for a time to sit under an awning placed at some distance from the great Pavilion where we had been entertained on the previous occasion. Further we noticed that in the field lying round the tents and the great Pavilion of his Highness there had now been placed a number of great jars containing wine. These were Stood at intervals, between each being the distance that one might caSt a sdone, and thus they surrounded the field aforesaid where the circuit may have been upwards of half a league in extent. In the field space lying between this line of jars and the great Pavilion no one was allowed to pass, and men on horse-back were on guard here armed with bow and arrows, also they carried maces and if anyone ever approached to come within the line of jars these men would shoot him with their arrows, or Strike him down with their maces. We noticed indeed that many thus had been wounded for their inadvertence, and some had been thrown out almoSt for dead men and were lying at the gates of the Enclosure, for thus those guards were ordered to do no matter who it might be who trespassed. In this field round and beyond a vaSt number of people had now assembled awaiting the coming forth of his Highness to take his seat in the great Pavilion. Round this and encircling it had been set up many awnings, and under each awning had been placed one of those big wine jars, and the same indeed was of such size as to hold at leaSt the measure of fifteen cantaras of wine [which is equivalent to about sixty gallons]. As explained above we had sat waiting in this place under the awning for some space when they came and took us thence, for they told us that we should now go and pay our respefts to a grandson of Timur, who a day or two before this had arrived in Samarqand from India the Less [namely Afghanistan] where he was Governor General: he having been sent for by Timur to come to him, his grandfather not having seen his](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b31354932_0285.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
