"In Tenedos I met by accident, two French Merchants of Marseills, intending for Constantinople, who had lost their ship at Sio, when they were busie at venereall tilting, with their new elected Mistresses, and for a second remedy, were glad to come thither in a Turkish Carmoesalo. The like of this I have seene fall out with Seafaring men, Merchants, and Passengers, who buy sometimes their too much folly, with too deare a repentance. They and I resolving to view Troy, did hire a Jenisarie to be our conductor and protector, and a Greeke to be our Interpreter. Where when we landed, we saw here and there many relicts of old walles, as we travelled through these famous bounds. And as we were advanced toward the East part of Troy, our Greeke brought us to many Tombes, which were mighty ruinous, and pointed us particularly to the Tombes of Hector, Ajax, Achilles, Troylus, and many other valiant Champions, with the Tombes also of Hecuba, Cresseid, and other Trojane Dames: Well I wot, I saw infinite old Sepulchers, but for their particular names, and nomination of them, I suspend, neither could I beleeve my Interpreter, sith it is more then three thousand and odde yeares agoe, that Troy was destroyed.Here Tombes I viewd, old monuments of Times, And fiery Trophees, fixd for bloody crimes: For which Achilles ghost did sigh and say, Curst be the hands, that sakelesse Trojanes slay; But more fierce Ajax, more Ulysses Horse, That wrought griefes ruine; Priams last divorce: And here inclosd, within these clods of dust, All Asiaes honour, and cros’d Paris lust."
January 1, 1970