A New Description of the World, Section 1 · Account of region 15
A Description of Dacia, in its sundry Principalities and Provinces, &c.
DACIA, properly so held in the time of the flourishing Roman Empire, is bounded on the North with Podolia, and some other part of the Realm of Poland; on the South with part of Thrace and Macedonia; on the East with the rest of Thrace; and on the West with Hungary and Sclavonia; held at present to comprehend the Principalities of Transilvania, Moldavia, Wallachia, Rascia, Servia and Bulgaria; extending from the 7 to the 10 Clime, so that in the most Southern parts, the days are 15 hours 3 quarters at the longest, and 17 in the most Northern.
TRANSILVANIA the first Division of Dacia, takes its name from its lying behind the great Hungarian Woods, and is in time of Peace an exceeding Fruitful Country; abounding in Fruits, Corn, Cattle, Fish, Salt-pits, Stone-quarries, Mines of Gold and Silver, Quicksilver, and other Metals; and in the Woods are found many wild Bulls, and wild Cattle; and the Pastures breed many fair Horses, the best for War in all those parts; and in the Frontiers they have Seven Towers to guard the approach from Hungary, which gives the Dutch occasion to call it Seven-Burg; though the chief Towns are Clusenburg, Carolstaat, Harmanstadt, and many others, and are Governed by a Prince of their own, who has a long time been Tributary to the Turks; but since their late bad success, put himself and his Country under the Protection of the Emperor.
MOLDAVIA Quasi Maetavia, said so to be called from its nearness to the Fenns of Maeotis, is a Country abounding with Woods, yet very plenteous in Wine, Corn and Pastures, producing great store of Cattle though thinly peopled, by which means it is but slenderly Tilled; however they have out of this small Province, supplyed the great and populous City of Constantinople, with store of Provisions; so that together with what they send to Poland, the tenth Peny, by way of Custom, amounts to 150000 Crowns yearly, though the Gentry and Clergy are excused from paying any thing of this nature, Constantinople receiving from hence every year 500 Ship Loads of Provision only.
The chief Towns are Occaz…ma the Seat of the Vaivod or Prince Cotiim a strong Fortress Biolograde and Bender, and has in it two Arch-Bishops Sees; the people in Religious matters following the Traditions of the Greek Church.
WALACHIA is another Province of Dacia, held to derive its name from Flacous, a noble Roman, who was Governor of it in the time of Trajan the Emperor; so that the people at this day speak a kind of a corrupt Latin or Italian; and this Country is in length 500 miles, in breadth 120, being for the most part plain and full of Pastures, flourishing Medows which feed a great many Cattle, and bring up excellent Horses for War and Service of any kind; here are found likewise Salt-pits and Iron Mines; Mines of Gold and Silver▪ the which for fear it should entice the Turks to … their Country, they keep for the most part concealed; they also in sundry places have store of Vines, yielding plenty of Wine; and have for their chief Towns Galatza on the Influx of the River Pruth, into the Danube; Frescortum, Prai…aba, and Zorza; and is watered with the Rivers Danube, Teln, Alluta, Fulmina, Stertius and Herasius; and is as the former, Gove… … a Vai…od▪ and dependant in Religious …gean and … Church; the Ecclesiastical Affairs being Governed by an Arch-Bishop and two Bishops, and pays at this day Tribute to the Turks.
RASCIA, another Province of Dacia, has in it the Towns of Bodon, Zarnovia, Covin, Novebard, Severine, Colambes and Columbella; but continually lying in the way of War; the Turks and Tartars, by their often marching through it, have by the Waste and Plunder they made, so impoverished the Inhabitants, that the Towns and Villages are extreamly thin; and although the Soil is in many parts capable of producing Corn and Fruits, yet wanting men to Till it, it produces nothing material; nor are those that Inhabit it any ways incouraged to Manure the Fields, as knowing others will reap the Fruits of their Labour.
SERVIA is a Country by Nature more Fruitful, and was Antiently very Rich and Flourishing, till the Turks made themselves masters of it, by the fatal overthrow of Lazarus the Despot, on the plains of Cossovia, and was well stored with Mines of Gold and Silver, especially near the Town▪ of Zorbenick…; but now they are either Exhausted, or thrown in, so that little advantage accrues by them; and the people indeed are degenerated from their former manners and behaviour, as being Rude, Gluttonous, and much given to Wine.
Their principal Towns are Nissa, Vidina, Cra…, Zorbenic and Semunder, and the Province is commodiously watered by the Rivers Colubra, Lem, Ibra and Moravia, with some others, very pleasant and plentiful in many places.
BVLGARIA was Antiently a Kingdom, and called by the Romans Missa Inferior, as Servia was Missa Superior; and is a Country very Mountainous and full of rugged Hills, steep Rocks, and fearful Water-falls, taking its name from … Bulgars a Scythian people, who in the…g with Woo…d, upon it, driving out the Antient Inhabitants; and is divided from Thrace by the great Mountain Haemus, whose Spurs and Branches in a manner over-run it; yet the Kings hereof have been accounted very powerful; insomuch that they have worsted in sundry Battles, the Latin and Greek Emperors of Constantinople: and received the Christian Faith, towards the end of the Reign of Justinian the Second.
The places of most note are Mesembria, Divogatia, Axium, Nicopolis, Marcionopolis, and are watered by the Danube; which in part of this Country takes the name of Ister, and is now Tributary to the Turks; who for the most part imploy the Natives in their Wars, as being very Valiant and Daring,