SANDYS TRAVELS

Sandys Travells; Containing an History of the Original and Present State of the Turkish Empire; Their laws, Government, Policy, Military Force, Courts of Justice and Commerce: The Mahometan Religion and Ceremonies; A Description of Constantinople, The Grand Signior's Seralgio and his manner of living: AIso of Greece, with the Religion and Customs of the Grecians. Of Egypt; the Antiquity, Hieroglyphics, Rites & Customs, Discipline and Religion of the Aegyptians. A Voyage on the River NYLUS: Of Armenia, Grand Cairo, Rhodes, The Pyramids of Colossus; The former flourishing and present state of Alexandria....
by George Sandys (1578-1644)
Printed for Rob. Clavel, Tho. Passinger, Will Cadman, Tho. Sawbridge, and Will Birch: London, 1670.

Travel in the 17th century was not easy. A voyage through the Mediterranean was fraught with danger. There was the risk of illness, attack by pirates, perilous winds, and shipwreck. Despite the dangers, young aristocrats of the 17th and 18th century considered travel as an opportunity to expand their horizons and broaden their knowledge. They would often embark on a “Grand Tour” as the culmination of their Classical formal education.

George Sandys (1578-1644), the author of this immensely popular literary travelogue, was born into a wealthy, Protestant  family in England. He was educated at Oxford and received acclaim as both a poet and translator of latin poetry. In 1610, at the age of 32, he began a two-year journey throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, covering much of the Ottoman Empire.

​The first published account of his travels appeared in 1615. Over the next 50 years, several more editions were published, including translations in Dutch and German. Our library holds the 6th edition of this work. 

The book is beautifully illustrated with engraved maps and images of the people and places he observed. His innovative approach differed from the travel literature of his time in that the narrative is interspersed with poetry, allusions to classical history, literature and religion. It incorporates detailed cultural information about the land, people and places he visits. 

The frontispiece, engraved by Francis Delaram, encapsulates a visual statement of the scope and message of the book.  
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Although Sandys is credited with attempting to provide an unbiased account of other lands and people, his attitude towards Ahmed I, shown in the left side of the illustration, is decidedly negative. He is depicted as a tyrant, holding an orb in one hand, which signifies the world he wishes to dominate, and a yoke in the other, showing his desire to enslave those he disfavors. The message is further emphasized by having him stand on books and a broken scale, which symbolize justice, thus emphasizing his distain for the truth.

The woman to the right of Ahmed is the Egyptian goddess Isis. In between the two is the original title of the book: A Relation of a Journey begun in An: Dom: 1610.  A the top of the page is an image of an ascending Christ implying the eventual triumph of Christianity over the Turkish empire.

Sandys' scholarship and familiarity with classical sources is emphasized with  the depiction of the Cumaean Sibyl, or prophetess, in the front of her cave sanctuary in the lower center of the page. Virgil made references to her in The Aeneid, believing that this cave marked the entrance to the underworld. Throughout the text, Sandys weaves quotations from ancient literature and mythology. The literary associations serve to connect us with a shared cultural history, providing the reader with history and literature lessons to an otherwise entirely foreign lands.

The text is comprised of four books which correspond to the places Sandys visited. Book one focuses on the Turkish Empire, the second explores Egypt, the Holy Land  is the subject of book three, and book four covers Italy. Each section provides details on the history, politics, religion, architecture, plants, animals, culture, and customs of the places he explored. Numerous black-and-white illustrations enhance the narrative bringing to life the inhabitants of the various regions.

Sandys book was well received in the literary world. Francis Bacon, Ben Johnson, and John Milton were among the luminaries who chose to incorporate information from this book into their own works.