William Lithgow, Travels & Voyages through Europe, Asia, and Africa, nineteen years: Illustrated with notes from later travellers, Leith: printed by William Reid & Co., 1814.
Venus feast-day, through Cyprus hallowed came, Whose feasts her presence dignified the same.
William Lithgow, was born in Lanark, Scotland in the year 1582, the oldest son of the merchant James Lithgow. He was a well-known seventeenth century traveller, writer and alleged spy.
Lithgow set off from his homeland in 1609 and after passing through France, Italy and Greece, he arrived to Constantinople. From there he headed for Izmir, Rhodes, Tripoli, Aleppo, Damascus, Jerusalem and Cyprus. He must have visited the island sometime between 1609 -1612. In his narrative about his nineteen years of travel, he claims to have walked thirty-six thousand miles more often than not found himself in frequent peril from storms to shipwrecks, robbers and pirates.
In Lithgow’s Travels & Voyages through Europe, Asia, and Africa, nineteen years: Illustrated with notes from later travellers, his impressions and adventures are lengthily described and are of considerable importance for the historical information they contain since, they shed some light into the manners and customs of the people and the places he visited.
Lithgow speaks very sympathetically of the Cypriots, whom he describes as very kind and hospitable, and good warriors, if they could appropriately equip themselves.
“The inhabitants are very civil, courteous, and affable ; and not withstanding of their delicious and delicate fare, they are much subject to melancholy , of a robust nature, and good warriors if they might carry arms.”
Interesting also, is Lithgow's reference to the products of Cyprus, among which he included sugar, cotton, olive oil, silk and salt. He also mentions that in Cyprus there were many kinds of precious stones, such as emeralds and diamonds and that in Troodos there were mines of gold, iron, asbestos and copper.
“Here are also mines of gold in it, of chrysocole, of calthante, of alum, iron and exceeding good copper. And besides these mines, there are divers precious stones found in this isle, as emeralds, diamonds, crystal, coral red and white and the admirable stone amiante […].”
Briefly to conclude, Lithgow’s Travels is a wonderful read in a charming, humorous writing style with a hint of Don Quixotism.
Join us in the Research Centre of CVAR and request to view Lithgow’s Travels along with many more delightful books.
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