town on the river Leytha, which divides Austria from Hungary, at a distance of six miles from Vienna. The second, at the small fortified town of Ovar (in German, Altenburg), a distance of five miles. The third, in the town of Jaurinum, which is the seat of a bishopric, and called by the Hungarians, Turr, and by the Germans, Rab, from the river Raba, which washes the town, and falls into the Danube. This place is distant from Ovar five miles. The fourth, which is six miles below Jaurinum, is situated in the district of Cotzi, from which the coachmen derive the name which they give to their vehicles, from whence the coaches are promiscuously called "cotzi".[1] The last was in the district of Vark, five miles from Cotzi, where the horses' feet were examined, to see whether the nails have fallen out or become bent, and the carriage and harness were mended; all these repairs having been attended to, five miles further on we reached Buda, which is the seat of royalty.
After explaining and completing my embassy in the royal town of Buda, and having finished my audiences, which are commonly called "rakhusch", from the place where they are held, and which is not far from the city, I was dismissed with great honour by the king, and returned to the emperor, whose death occurred in the following January, in the year of our Lord 1519.
I have thought proper to add this allusion to my expedition into Hungary, because it formed almost a continuation of my journey from Moscow.
But as I have thus fallen into an allusion to the kingdom of Hungary, I cannot refer to it without the deepest grief and lamentation, inasmuch as this kingdom, which was previously in a most flourishing and powerful condition, has now so suddenly become, in the sight of all men, subject to the greatest afflictions. Truly, there is a certain term allotted to kingdoms and empires, as to everything else; but the noble
- ↑ For a note on this subject, see page cxiv of the Introduction.
