The history of Charles XII King of Sweden by Mr De Voltaire sixth edition.
MD CC XXXII 1732 It has a handwritten date 3. 6. 1740 in the flyleaf
Some fascinating bits within it.There are more it is a small book and I can only type slowly more will follow;
Muscovy or Russia takes in the North of Asia and of Europe, and from the frontiers of China extends fifteen hundred leagues to the Borders of Poland and Sweden. And yet this immense Country was scarce known to Europe before the Czar Peter. The Muscovites were less civilised than the Mexicans, when discovered by Cortez.
-----
The AEra of the Muscovites began with the Creation of the World: They reckoned up 7207 Years at the Beginning of the last Century, without being able to give a reason why they did so.Their first Day of their Year answer'd to the 13th of our Month of September. And they alledged this Reason for it, that it was highly probable that God created the World in Autumn, in the Season when the Fruits of the Earth are in their full Maturity.
-----
Thus the only Appearances of Knowledge they had among them were founded upon gross Mistakes;
They did not so much as know the use of Figures, but in all their computations made use of little beads, which were strung upon a piece of Wire, nor had they any other way of reckoning in all their Countng Houses, nor even in the Treasury of the Czar.
-----
Their Religion was, and still is that of the Greek Church, but intermixed with Superstitions to which they more firmly adhered in Proportion to their Extravagance, and the heavier Weight of their Yoke.
Thus setting the stall out as thick superstitious folk far inferior to the author and possibly the general feeling in the educated portion of Europe. Too dumb to use the modern vernacular, unable to do or organise anything until the Czar Peter came along (from where? certainly not from among the Muscovites). Even worse they ran their lives to a non Christian natural calendar (he doesn't mention their month of the new year!) and they didn't appear 'do commerce'.
Born the Slaves of Masters as barbarous as themselves, they were sunk deep in ignorance, unaquainted with all Arts and Sciences, and so insensible of their life, that all Industry was lost amongst them.
Half a step up from useless then. It reveals a lot about the mind set of folks who consider themselves to be educated, today as back in the day this book was written. In short these Muscovites didn't have much clue about anything the author had in his world save the Greek Religion, how did that get there?
The Czar on foot held his Horses Bridle, and the People in the Streets fell prostrate upon their Faces before him, as the Tartars before their grand Lama.
-----
The Czar in his vast Dominions had many other Subjects, who were not Christians, the Tartars, who inhabit the Western Coasts of the Caspian Sea, and the Palus Maotis, were Mahometans. The Siberians, Ostiacks, and Samoides, who live near the Frozen Sea, were Pagans, some of them Idolaters, and others without the least Notion of a God; and yet the Swedes, who were sent Prisoners amongst them, were better pleas'd with their Manners, than with those of the antient Moscovites.
No mention of the religion of the Tartars. Lama is title used in both Hindu and Buddhist religion.
Once again everyone is inferior to the people in the world of the author and the Muscovites are consigned once again to the lowest level of humanity, below Idolaters, Pagans, Muslim and even those who don't know god!
(My money is on those who appear to not know god simply have no need of religion.)
It's fascinating to realise that the only Christians in the Czars vast Dominions are the uncouth, uneducated, ill mannered, lazy barbarians the author calls Muscovites.
Here is a large swathe of the peopled lands of the past still living the life of the past devoid of what we get sold as civilsation which in reality is slavery. No wonder these folk get hidden in the folds of 'history'.
Among the Prisoners taken at the Battle of Narva, there was one, who was of great Instance of the Revolutions of Fortune. He was the eldest Son and Heir to the King of Georgia. They called him Czarasis, a Name which signifies Prince, or son of Czar among all the Tartars, as well as in Muscovy. For the Word Czar signified King among the ancient Scythians, from whom all these People are descended, and is by no means derived from the Caesers of Rome, so long unknown to the Barbarians.
His father Mitelleski Czar, who was Master of the most beautiful Part of the Country situate between the Mountains of Ararat, and the Eastern Extremity of the Black Sea had been driven from his Kingdom by his own Subjects in 1688 and chose to throw himself into the arms of the Emperor of Muscovy, than apply to the Turks.
I have just noticed that in all of the dates the numeral is actually printed I not 1.
All Tartars and Muscovites descended from Scythians and words in use coming through from Scythians not Romans. (what indeed have the Romans ever done for anyone?)
Barbarians people who do not know Rome? It would appear so. Tartars to the author at least are an undefinable group of people living in a defined area of land who are Barbarian in nature?
Questions always questions.
Georgia sounds like a pretty good back then. Not sure if the Mount Ararat of today is the same Mount Ararat the author is talking about nor how present day Georgia lines up on the map with the Georgia he is talking about. Still the people had the sense to boot the Czar out, one wonders why.
Upon taking his leave the King could not avoid making aloud in the hearing of his officers a natural Reflection upon the strange Fate of an Asiatic Prince, born at the Foot of Mount Caucasus, who was going to live a Prisoner among the snows of Sweden "It is, says he, as if I was to be one "Day a Prisoner among the Crim Tartars."
My take is the Crim Tartars were nice people.
A Diete was appointed to meet there, and all other Obstacles were removed; only the Court of Rome were disposed to cross it.
It was natural to imagine, that this Court should declare in Favour of King Augustus, who from a Protestant was turned Roman Catholick to gain the Crown,in Oppoition to Stanislaus who was placed on the throne by the great Enemy of the Romish Religion. Clement XI, the then Pope, sent Briefs to all the Prelates of Poland and in particular to the Cardinal Primate, by which he threatned them with Excommunication, if they presumed to assist at the Consecration of Stanslaus or form any Attempt against the pretensions of King Augustus.
The Primate at that Time retired to Dantzwick was suspected of having occasioned these Briefs to be brought from Rome in order to re-kindle a Fire, which he durst not blow up with His own Hands.
Catholic Christian meddling and manipulating the lives of people way back then. The Court of Rome has to be the best name for the Vatican I have yet come across. Interesting that he 'retired' to Danzig without losing his life. Danzig must have been a Catholic stronghold.
The Czar aspired farther than the Destruction of Towns. He was at that Time laying the Foundations of a City nor far from Narva in the midst of his new Conquests. This was the city of St Petersburg, which he has since made the Seat of his Residence and the Center of his Trade.
-----
He drew himself the Plan of the Town, the Fortress, the Port, the Keys which adorn it and the forts which defend the Entrance into it, this Desart and uncultivated Island, which was nothing but a Heap of Mud in the short summer of those Climates and in Winter a frozen Pool, which was not to be approached by land but by passing over wild Forests and deep Morasses and had been 'till then the Habitation of Bears and Wolves was in I703 filled with upards of three hundred thousand Men, whom the Czar had called together from the farthest Parts of his Dominions.
The Peasants of the Kingdom of Astracan and those who inhabit the Frontiers of China, were transported to St Petersburg. He was obliged to break through Forestss, to open Ways, to dry up Moors, to raise banks before he could lay the Foundation of the Town.
-----
Not the Inundations which ruined his Works, not the Barrenesses of the soil, not the Ignorance of the Workmen nor even a Mortality which carried of two hundred thousand of his Men at his first setting out could shake his fixt Resolution.
-----
Petersburg was become a City in 1705 and its port was filled with Vessels.
-----
The Swedish Generals who frequently beat his Troops in every other Quarter were not able to do the least Damage to this growing Colony.
Well what a tale. The Battle of Narva, basically a siege and assault with the Swedish king and army occupied elsewhere, which the Czar won, was fought in 1704. Being kicked in the nuts at almost every turn by the Swedish generals this Czar ruling over 'scum level' but Christian Muscovites and most of the landmass of Europe and a fair bit of Asia peopled by folks who were not Christian decides to build a brand new town on an island of mud that freezes solid in winter, that is surrounded by forests and who knows what else, by transporting three hundred thousand men vast distances on foot one presumes losing two thirds of them before they get 'on site' and yet just two years later he and they have overcome all obstacles and set the town and port of sufficient size to attract numerous vessels.
Not sure how far Narva is from the St Petersburg mud island but somehow these omnipotent Swedes simply left the place alone!
Two years to achieve all that. Makes no sense. It was at this point on reading this book it felt as th0ugh the author had been 'spun a yarn' or 'told a tale' or was himself doing the story telling.
The bits in-between these postings I am not copying out reveal a world of constant warring and fighting with the hands of the Catholic Christians and 'educated people' kings/czars/emperors/cardinals/popes/nuncios/princes/generals all pulling the population around from this conflict to that killing many in the process and imprisoning many more leaves no time to do anything but breed, eat and fight.
On the 22d of September in this year I708 the King attacked a Body of ten thousand Horse and six thousand Calmmouks near Smolentsko. These Calmouks are Tartars, living between the Kingdom of Astracan which is part of the Czars Dominions and those of Samarcande, belonging to the Usbeck Tartars and the country of Timur which is known by the name Tamerlane. The country of the Calmouks reaches from the East to the Mountains which separate the Mogul from the Western part of Asia
So the Calmouks land is NOT under the Czars control neither is Samarcande nor Timur/Tamerlane. It abuts the Himalayas as they are called today. Those better with maps than I will be able to place their land more precisely so please add it in on this thread.
Those who inhabit near Astracan are tributary to the Czar; he pretends to an absolute Dominion over them but their wandering Way of Life hinder him from enjoying it and obliges him to deal with them as the Grand Signoir with the Arabs, sometime bearing with their Robberies and other times punishing them. There are always some of these Calmouks in the Troops of Muscovy and the Czar had reduced even them to Discipline, like the rest of his soldiers.
So now the author is saying some of the Calmouks paid tribute to the Czar without any mention of a 'ruler' or 'leader' or 'prince' who would be the person sending tribute. Makes no sense.
Who the Grand Signoir is I don't know.
he therefore resolved to quit the Road to Moscow and turn to the South towards Ukrania into the Country of the Cosaques situate between the Lesser Tartary, Poland and Moscovy. This Country extends about a hundred French Leagues from the South to the North and almost as many from the East to the West. 'Tis divided into two Parts, which are very ner equal, by the Borysthenes which runs across from the North-West to the South-East and the principal Town is Bathurine upon the litle river Sem.
The most Northern Part of Ukrana is cultivated and rich; the most southern situate on the 48th Degree is one of the most fertile Countries in the World and the most desolate; illl Management still suppressing all if the effort of Bounteous Nature to mke them happy.
The Inhabitants of those Cantons, that lie near the Lesser Tartars neither plant nor sow, left to the Tartars of Bougiac, Precop, and Moldovia who subsist by Robbery should carry off their Harvest.
Interesting collection of names for Tartar lands there. Is the Borysthenes the Bosphorus of today?
What is modern day Bathurine called?
The Czar retained all the Swedes that were taken at Pultawa.
These unhappy Creatures were afterwards dispersed in the Czar's Dominions and particularly in Siberia, a vast Province of the greater Tartary which extends itself Eastwards to the Frontiers of the Chinese Empire.
-----
After five Days March he found himself upon the Banks of the River Hippanis now called Bogh by the Barbarians, who have spoiled even to their very Names the Countries which the Grecian Colonies formerly made to flourish. This River joins the Borysthenes some Miles lower and falls with it into the Black-Sea.
Again the geography of this eludes me as does the origin of the Grecian Colonies and the river Hippanis.
-----
This Proposal says the Sultan to Him in his Letter requires a deliberate Examination. I shall leave it to the Wisdom of my great Divan. I value your Friendship and grant you mine together with my Protection. I have given Orders to the Basha Serasquier of Bender to provide a Guard to conduct you safely where youu think proper. Jussus the Basha Serasquier of Bender will advance you 500* Dollars a Day with all necessary Provisions for your self and your Attendants and Horses that you may live as becomes a King.
Given at Constantinople the first Day of the Month Sheval, the II21 Year of the Hegira.
* A Dollar is worth about a French Crown of three Livres.
And here is me thinking all these years that dollars originated in America.
The date is intriguing as it is NOT a Gregorian date. It is actually written in the book as II and the two and the one are in printed smaller with one being the same form as the first pair(?) as in capital form.
He was deprived of His Dignity and Wealth his Wife taken from him, was the Daughter to the last Sultan Mustapha and himself banished to the Cassa formerly called Theodosia in Crim Trtary.
-----
It is the Custom of the Turks to begin with seizing the Ministers of those princes against whom they declare War.
Tho' strict Observers of Hospitality in everything else; in this they violate the most sacred Law of Nations.
And there is the truth of the state of play in operation. There is nothing new about the United Nations, nothing at all. The Law of Nations being the most sacred aka the God of the money cult that enslaves.
The Han of Crim Tartary whom we call the Kam had orders to be in readiness with 40,000 Tartars. This Prince reigns over Nogai, Bondgiac, Part of Circassia and all of the Crim Country known to Antiquity by the name of Taurica Chersonesus whither the Greeks carred their Commerce and their Arms building large Cities there, and whither the Genoese have since penetrated, when they were Masters of the Trade of Europe.
Han as in Han Chinese?
Why change the title from Han to Kam?
More geography to wrangle and the Greeks getting a mention again. (Feels like the Scaliger 'correction' is very real unless the Greeks were there relatively recentlya nd why would the Crim Tartar put up with the Greeks buying and selling on their land. Makes no sense.
Taurica Chersonesus the ncient name for Crim Tarty, who knew!
Found Taurica Chersonesus on a Map done by Witsen in 1685 so a good few years earlier than the book i have been posting excerpts from.
MD CC XXXII 1732 It has a handwritten date 3. 6. 1740 in the flyleaf
Some fascinating bits within it.There are more it is a small book and I can only type slowly more will follow;
Muscovy or Russia takes in the North of Asia and of Europe, and from the frontiers of China extends fifteen hundred leagues to the Borders of Poland and Sweden. And yet this immense Country was scarce known to Europe before the Czar Peter. The Muscovites were less civilised than the Mexicans, when discovered by Cortez.
-----
The AEra of the Muscovites began with the Creation of the World: They reckoned up 7207 Years at the Beginning of the last Century, without being able to give a reason why they did so.Their first Day of their Year answer'd to the 13th of our Month of September. And they alledged this Reason for it, that it was highly probable that God created the World in Autumn, in the Season when the Fruits of the Earth are in their full Maturity.
-----
Thus the only Appearances of Knowledge they had among them were founded upon gross Mistakes;
They did not so much as know the use of Figures, but in all their computations made use of little beads, which were strung upon a piece of Wire, nor had they any other way of reckoning in all their Countng Houses, nor even in the Treasury of the Czar.
-----
Their Religion was, and still is that of the Greek Church, but intermixed with Superstitions to which they more firmly adhered in Proportion to their Extravagance, and the heavier Weight of their Yoke.
Thus setting the stall out as thick superstitious folk far inferior to the author and possibly the general feeling in the educated portion of Europe. Too dumb to use the modern vernacular, unable to do or organise anything until the Czar Peter came along (from where? certainly not from among the Muscovites). Even worse they ran their lives to a non Christian natural calendar (he doesn't mention their month of the new year!) and they didn't appear 'do commerce'.
Born the Slaves of Masters as barbarous as themselves, they were sunk deep in ignorance, unaquainted with all Arts and Sciences, and so insensible of their life, that all Industry was lost amongst them.
Half a step up from useless then. It reveals a lot about the mind set of folks who consider themselves to be educated, today as back in the day this book was written. In short these Muscovites didn't have much clue about anything the author had in his world save the Greek Religion, how did that get there?
The Czar on foot held his Horses Bridle, and the People in the Streets fell prostrate upon their Faces before him, as the Tartars before their grand Lama.
-----
The Czar in his vast Dominions had many other Subjects, who were not Christians, the Tartars, who inhabit the Western Coasts of the Caspian Sea, and the Palus Maotis, were Mahometans. The Siberians, Ostiacks, and Samoides, who live near the Frozen Sea, were Pagans, some of them Idolaters, and others without the least Notion of a God; and yet the Swedes, who were sent Prisoners amongst them, were better pleas'd with their Manners, than with those of the antient Moscovites.
No mention of the religion of the Tartars. Lama is title used in both Hindu and Buddhist religion.
Once again everyone is inferior to the people in the world of the author and the Muscovites are consigned once again to the lowest level of humanity, below Idolaters, Pagans, Muslim and even those who don't know god!
(My money is on those who appear to not know god simply have no need of religion.)
It's fascinating to realise that the only Christians in the Czars vast Dominions are the uncouth, uneducated, ill mannered, lazy barbarians the author calls Muscovites.
Here is a large swathe of the peopled lands of the past still living the life of the past devoid of what we get sold as civilsation which in reality is slavery. No wonder these folk get hidden in the folds of 'history'.
Among the Prisoners taken at the Battle of Narva, there was one, who was of great Instance of the Revolutions of Fortune. He was the eldest Son and Heir to the King of Georgia. They called him Czarasis, a Name which signifies Prince, or son of Czar among all the Tartars, as well as in Muscovy. For the Word Czar signified King among the ancient Scythians, from whom all these People are descended, and is by no means derived from the Caesers of Rome, so long unknown to the Barbarians.
His father Mitelleski Czar, who was Master of the most beautiful Part of the Country situate between the Mountains of Ararat, and the Eastern Extremity of the Black Sea had been driven from his Kingdom by his own Subjects in 1688 and chose to throw himself into the arms of the Emperor of Muscovy, than apply to the Turks.
I have just noticed that in all of the dates the numeral is actually printed I not 1.
All Tartars and Muscovites descended from Scythians and words in use coming through from Scythians not Romans. (what indeed have the Romans ever done for anyone?)
Barbarians people who do not know Rome? It would appear so. Tartars to the author at least are an undefinable group of people living in a defined area of land who are Barbarian in nature?
Questions always questions.
Georgia sounds like a pretty good back then. Not sure if the Mount Ararat of today is the same Mount Ararat the author is talking about nor how present day Georgia lines up on the map with the Georgia he is talking about. Still the people had the sense to boot the Czar out, one wonders why.
Upon taking his leave the King could not avoid making aloud in the hearing of his officers a natural Reflection upon the strange Fate of an Asiatic Prince, born at the Foot of Mount Caucasus, who was going to live a Prisoner among the snows of Sweden "It is, says he, as if I was to be one "Day a Prisoner among the Crim Tartars."
My take is the Crim Tartars were nice people.
A Diete was appointed to meet there, and all other Obstacles were removed; only the Court of Rome were disposed to cross it.
It was natural to imagine, that this Court should declare in Favour of King Augustus, who from a Protestant was turned Roman Catholick to gain the Crown,in Oppoition to Stanislaus who was placed on the throne by the great Enemy of the Romish Religion. Clement XI, the then Pope, sent Briefs to all the Prelates of Poland and in particular to the Cardinal Primate, by which he threatned them with Excommunication, if they presumed to assist at the Consecration of Stanslaus or form any Attempt against the pretensions of King Augustus.
The Primate at that Time retired to Dantzwick was suspected of having occasioned these Briefs to be brought from Rome in order to re-kindle a Fire, which he durst not blow up with His own Hands.
Catholic Christian meddling and manipulating the lives of people way back then. The Court of Rome has to be the best name for the Vatican I have yet come across. Interesting that he 'retired' to Danzig without losing his life. Danzig must have been a Catholic stronghold.
The Czar aspired farther than the Destruction of Towns. He was at that Time laying the Foundations of a City nor far from Narva in the midst of his new Conquests. This was the city of St Petersburg, which he has since made the Seat of his Residence and the Center of his Trade.
-----
He drew himself the Plan of the Town, the Fortress, the Port, the Keys which adorn it and the forts which defend the Entrance into it, this Desart and uncultivated Island, which was nothing but a Heap of Mud in the short summer of those Climates and in Winter a frozen Pool, which was not to be approached by land but by passing over wild Forests and deep Morasses and had been 'till then the Habitation of Bears and Wolves was in I703 filled with upards of three hundred thousand Men, whom the Czar had called together from the farthest Parts of his Dominions.
The Peasants of the Kingdom of Astracan and those who inhabit the Frontiers of China, were transported to St Petersburg. He was obliged to break through Forestss, to open Ways, to dry up Moors, to raise banks before he could lay the Foundation of the Town.
-----
Not the Inundations which ruined his Works, not the Barrenesses of the soil, not the Ignorance of the Workmen nor even a Mortality which carried of two hundred thousand of his Men at his first setting out could shake his fixt Resolution.
-----
Petersburg was become a City in 1705 and its port was filled with Vessels.
-----
The Swedish Generals who frequently beat his Troops in every other Quarter were not able to do the least Damage to this growing Colony.
Well what a tale. The Battle of Narva, basically a siege and assault with the Swedish king and army occupied elsewhere, which the Czar won, was fought in 1704. Being kicked in the nuts at almost every turn by the Swedish generals this Czar ruling over 'scum level' but Christian Muscovites and most of the landmass of Europe and a fair bit of Asia peopled by folks who were not Christian decides to build a brand new town on an island of mud that freezes solid in winter, that is surrounded by forests and who knows what else, by transporting three hundred thousand men vast distances on foot one presumes losing two thirds of them before they get 'on site' and yet just two years later he and they have overcome all obstacles and set the town and port of sufficient size to attract numerous vessels.
Not sure how far Narva is from the St Petersburg mud island but somehow these omnipotent Swedes simply left the place alone!
Two years to achieve all that. Makes no sense. It was at this point on reading this book it felt as th0ugh the author had been 'spun a yarn' or 'told a tale' or was himself doing the story telling.
The bits in-between these postings I am not copying out reveal a world of constant warring and fighting with the hands of the Catholic Christians and 'educated people' kings/czars/emperors/cardinals/popes/nuncios/princes/generals all pulling the population around from this conflict to that killing many in the process and imprisoning many more leaves no time to do anything but breed, eat and fight.
On the 22d of September in this year I708 the King attacked a Body of ten thousand Horse and six thousand Calmmouks near Smolentsko. These Calmouks are Tartars, living between the Kingdom of Astracan which is part of the Czars Dominions and those of Samarcande, belonging to the Usbeck Tartars and the country of Timur which is known by the name Tamerlane. The country of the Calmouks reaches from the East to the Mountains which separate the Mogul from the Western part of Asia
So the Calmouks land is NOT under the Czars control neither is Samarcande nor Timur/Tamerlane. It abuts the Himalayas as they are called today. Those better with maps than I will be able to place their land more precisely so please add it in on this thread.
Those who inhabit near Astracan are tributary to the Czar; he pretends to an absolute Dominion over them but their wandering Way of Life hinder him from enjoying it and obliges him to deal with them as the Grand Signoir with the Arabs, sometime bearing with their Robberies and other times punishing them. There are always some of these Calmouks in the Troops of Muscovy and the Czar had reduced even them to Discipline, like the rest of his soldiers.
So now the author is saying some of the Calmouks paid tribute to the Czar without any mention of a 'ruler' or 'leader' or 'prince' who would be the person sending tribute. Makes no sense.
Who the Grand Signoir is I don't know.
he therefore resolved to quit the Road to Moscow and turn to the South towards Ukrania into the Country of the Cosaques situate between the Lesser Tartary, Poland and Moscovy. This Country extends about a hundred French Leagues from the South to the North and almost as many from the East to the West. 'Tis divided into two Parts, which are very ner equal, by the Borysthenes which runs across from the North-West to the South-East and the principal Town is Bathurine upon the litle river Sem.
The most Northern Part of Ukrana is cultivated and rich; the most southern situate on the 48th Degree is one of the most fertile Countries in the World and the most desolate; illl Management still suppressing all if the effort of Bounteous Nature to mke them happy.
The Inhabitants of those Cantons, that lie near the Lesser Tartars neither plant nor sow, left to the Tartars of Bougiac, Precop, and Moldovia who subsist by Robbery should carry off their Harvest.
Interesting collection of names for Tartar lands there. Is the Borysthenes the Bosphorus of today?
What is modern day Bathurine called?
The Czar retained all the Swedes that were taken at Pultawa.
These unhappy Creatures were afterwards dispersed in the Czar's Dominions and particularly in Siberia, a vast Province of the greater Tartary which extends itself Eastwards to the Frontiers of the Chinese Empire.
-----
After five Days March he found himself upon the Banks of the River Hippanis now called Bogh by the Barbarians, who have spoiled even to their very Names the Countries which the Grecian Colonies formerly made to flourish. This River joins the Borysthenes some Miles lower and falls with it into the Black-Sea.
Again the geography of this eludes me as does the origin of the Grecian Colonies and the river Hippanis.
-----
This Proposal says the Sultan to Him in his Letter requires a deliberate Examination. I shall leave it to the Wisdom of my great Divan. I value your Friendship and grant you mine together with my Protection. I have given Orders to the Basha Serasquier of Bender to provide a Guard to conduct you safely where youu think proper. Jussus the Basha Serasquier of Bender will advance you 500* Dollars a Day with all necessary Provisions for your self and your Attendants and Horses that you may live as becomes a King.
Given at Constantinople the first Day of the Month Sheval, the II21 Year of the Hegira.
* A Dollar is worth about a French Crown of three Livres.
And here is me thinking all these years that dollars originated in America.
The date is intriguing as it is NOT a Gregorian date. It is actually written in the book as II and the two and the one are in printed smaller with one being the same form as the first pair(?) as in capital form.
He was deprived of His Dignity and Wealth his Wife taken from him, was the Daughter to the last Sultan Mustapha and himself banished to the Cassa formerly called Theodosia in Crim Trtary.
-----
It is the Custom of the Turks to begin with seizing the Ministers of those princes against whom they declare War.
Tho' strict Observers of Hospitality in everything else; in this they violate the most sacred Law of Nations.
And there is the truth of the state of play in operation. There is nothing new about the United Nations, nothing at all. The Law of Nations being the most sacred aka the God of the money cult that enslaves.
The Han of Crim Tartary whom we call the Kam had orders to be in readiness with 40,000 Tartars. This Prince reigns over Nogai, Bondgiac, Part of Circassia and all of the Crim Country known to Antiquity by the name of Taurica Chersonesus whither the Greeks carred their Commerce and their Arms building large Cities there, and whither the Genoese have since penetrated, when they were Masters of the Trade of Europe.
Han as in Han Chinese?
Why change the title from Han to Kam?
More geography to wrangle and the Greeks getting a mention again. (Feels like the Scaliger 'correction' is very real unless the Greeks were there relatively recentlya nd why would the Crim Tartar put up with the Greeks buying and selling on their land. Makes no sense.
Taurica Chersonesus the ncient name for Crim Tarty, who knew!
Found Taurica Chersonesus on a Map done by Witsen in 1685 so a good few years earlier than the book i have been posting excerpts from.
