Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

A Letter From a Gentleman in Transilvania to his Friend in America - 3

which is said to be, the Waywode’s taking the advantage of the simplicity and ignorance of the Natives in purchasing their Lands, with regard to their nature and situation, as well as description; and cheating them out of ten times more than ever they sold. This, (with the trade driven on among them by some Christians, who first made them drunk, and defrauded them, and prostituted their Females,---a System of religion unknown to them and their Forefathers) disgusted them to such a degree, that they immediately declared War. The Turks joining them, there was then a necessity for the Waywode and his Subjects to raise money. The Delegates being assembled to consult the welfare of the Country; insisted that a Tax shou’d be laid upon all the Cow-kine in the Province. The Waywode agreed, but upon condition, that all his own shou’d be exempted, as he had large flocks all over the Country-----This, the Delegates refus’d, because his Cows were as liable to be made a prey of by the Enemy, as their own. He then told them his Bulls were free from Taxes, as they could not come under the denomination of the Cow-kine, but Bull-kine; this construction however the Delegates wou’d not admit of. A long dispute then ensued. His Excellency told them that if Bulls shou’d be taxed, which he cou’d not believe was just, yet certainly Heffers and Calves of all kings were clear. The Delegates reply’d, they saw no reason why his Excellency’s Bulls, Heffers and Calves shou’d be exempted and not their own. The Barbarians in the mean time, laid waste the Frontiers with fire and sword.

Contents of this annotation: