An abridgement of the book of acts and monuments of the ChurchAn abridgement of the booke of acts and monumentes of the Church

and therefore such as have been brought up in learning, or be noble men, and such other, whose tender education can abide no hardness, are the least reputed of by him which hath the sale and keeping of them: and no cost is bestowed upon them, but they are carried about barehead, and barefooted, both summer, and Winter, in frost and snow: and if any be faint, or sick in the way, there is no resting for him in any Inn, but first he is driven forward with whips: and if that will not serve, he is set peradventure upon some horse: and if his weakness be such, that he cannot sit, then is he laid overthwart the horseback, on his belly like a calf: and if he chance to die, they take of his garments, such as he hath and throw him into a ditch. Beside, in the way, they are all manicled by the hands, least they should harm their leaders. For many times x. persons have the leading of fifty captives: and when the night ⟨p. 401⟩cometh, their feet also are fettered, so that they lodge in no house, but lie upon the ground all night. The young women have a little more gentleness showed them, being carried in paniards on the day time: but when the night cometh, pity it is, so hear the miserable crying out, by reason of the filthy injuries they suffer by their carriers, in so much that the young tender age of six or seven years, as well of the one sex as of the other, can not save them from the filthy villainy of the beastly Turks. When the morning cometh, they are brought forth to the market to sale: where the buyer (if he be disposed) plucking of their garments, vieweth all the bones and joints in their bodies. And if he like them, he giveth his price, and carrieth them away into miserable servitude; in so much that some Christian captives have been yoked like Oxen to draw the plough. The maid servants likewise are kept in perpetual toil, in close places, where neither they come in sight of any man, neither be they permitted to have any talk with their fellows servants. Such as are committed to keep beasts, lie abroad both day and night in the wild fields, and at spare hours are employed also in handy labours. Out of these miseries there is no way for them to flee, especially they that are carried into Asia beyond the seas:¹

and therfore such as haue béene brought vp in learning, or be noble men, and such other, whose tender education can abide no hardnes, are the least reputed of by him which hath the sale and kéeping of them: and no cost is bestowed vpon them, but they are caried about barehead, and barefooted, both sommer, and Winter, in frost and snow: and if any be faint, or sick in the way, there is no resting for him in any Inne, but first he is driuē forward with whippes: and if that will not serue, he is sette peraduenture vpon some horse: and if his weaknes be such, that he cannot sitte, then is hee laide ouerthwart the horsebacke, on his bellie like a calfe: and if he chaunce to die, they take of his garments, such as he hath and throw him into a ditch. Beside, in the way, they are all manicled by the hands, least they shoulde harme their leaders. For many times x. persons haue the leading of fiftie captiues: and when ye night