1 il K S
I 4* 3:
You have, no- doubt,, often heard the Mbrlacchi' defcnbcct
as a race o f men, fierce, unreafo’nable, void o f humanity,,
and capable o f any^xime, The inhabitants o f the fea coaft o f
Dalmatia tell many frightful frories about' the cruelty o f thofe.
pCiipl^j t’hàtihiitìdùriedr .by - the avidity ibf plunder», they of-,
ten proceeded to the moifcaihbcrousVexceflfcs o f violence, by fire:
and fwòrdi B u t theffe'fssa#l(.thaugh the truth, o f them is fuffi,-
ciently authenticated, by the fcnownrveracity o f thofe who relate,
them) are cither o f ancient date», or i f .feme have happened in,
teted thnes,, theyidughtéirntlier». from; the. characters they bear.,,
to be-aferibed to the corruption erf a- few- individuals» than to>
the bad difpofition ofi-ithe nation^fe general., It-is but toovtr.ue>,
that, aftefcithedate wars wkhiAbe/lp.iydi&i^ie JVferlaaehi,.habitp-
ateJ to murder and plunder , with impunity, gave feme examples,
o f cruelty and-,Tapina ; ’ but whab-inRan.ce can. be given o f
troops ju ft returned.from- war, and-.djfiuiiTed from- the exerciie
è f -artns» agafiift.'the,- -enwayl o f : thgirr fevereign»., that have, not;
'peopled the Woods and-highways,wifch chieves^and: affaflins-b
I think it, however, a, duty: incumbent on me,, to write what
I perfonally few. relative to their cu(toms,, and inclinations, andi
thereby 'toW fib ini.-Tome apology for-., that nation,., by which L
was fe'well received, and treated, with fo much humanity..: And.
I am the more readily difpofcd to do this, as it can hardly,
be thought to proceed from interefted views ; it being unlikely
that 1 fhfl.ll eyer peturn. into-.-.thefe parts, o f Morlaychia»..
•where I have already been», ,It is.ufual for travellers to magnify
the dangers to which they have beenexpofed,. and th.e hatdlhips
tKejf'bavfe fùfférèd-iri.'iembte countries ; but l am far from that
kind o f affectation, and you will fes by the detail that I ain.
going to give you, o f the manners and cuiloms of the Morlac-
• chi, with how great fecurity and eafe I travelled amongff them,
and
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f # 1
a n d w i th h o w w e f f g ro u n d e d a .c o n f id e n c e I flhould b e a n im a te d
to p to fe c u te my- r e fe a r c h e s , i f c i r c u n i flagees^ p e rm it t e d .
Origin o f the IVÍQR LÂcàhïc,
The'origin o f the Molacchi, who inhabit ¡the ■pleafent valleyç-
©f Kotar,. along the rivers Kerka^ Cettina, Narcnta, and among,
the mountains o f inland Dalmatia,: inVolved.-ih thg darknç-f#
o f barbarous âges, together with, that x)f many .other - natione,
refembling them fo much in cudotns and language, that, they
maybe taken for one people, difperfed in the,- .vaft trails from
the coafts o f our. fea to the froecn -onean.. T h e enaigratioria o f
the various tribes o f therSia'Vt,nwît®3 uiidèr the names .of Bcy-
thiansf Geti,: Gaths,-&u«y-SIav.toipievoats^ A;vari .ànd..Yànda]S,.
inundated the RománpTOvintíésjvanff'particukrly the IUyÁan,
during the decline of-the empire, t e t f l have.ftrangely. perplexed
the genealogies o f thcnations wliichinhabitctl it, and which»,
perhaps,., removed, thither in : thé. fameimannertiat iEEVore remote
periods- o f time. The reitdue o f t he. A All ei, Autariati, and other
Hlyrian p.eopl c, a n ci d ntly. Te tt 1 e d ' in Dalmatia, who pro bahly
could not reconcile thefnfêlves: to >;aidependaft.ee on the Rocn^np,,
might neVerthelefë, n.ituraiiy “enough unite theiniplves.to foreign
invaderjs, not unlike theniCelees in dialect and cuiloms.- •{" A-pd .
oh ol bnloqhih vliL'Eai siorn 3rh me
»-The c o u n t r y i n h a b i t e d - b y Mórlacchí i s ó f ínuch lirger extent,' ri’o f only-
towards Greece, but towards Geímány and HóHgáry $ but í confiné my account
to the fmall pârt of i t which I faw.'ii id 3)
f It cannot be doubted that theiSda^iTianilanguage.exiftednn Dáimatiai. eyOT.
from the times of the Román r^publick., X^e names o f many, cities, rivers,
mountains, families and people in thofe parts, preferved to us by Greek and Latin -
writers, are manifeftly Sciàvoniarv. Promonâ, Alvona, Seniaj.Jàdera, Rataneum,..
'. >i Stîupj*