2796124019

596    TJN DEBAT ; JjES MEN T AUT Es COLŁECTIVES    |

gown with long Sleeves ending before at a searlet girdle tyed very high a thin gauze-like handkerchief (who I believe of netted silk) crossed in a single fold tight over her Bosom & fastened under the Cestus over all a silk Cloak trimnied with Fur & descending to her heels with half Sleeves edged with Fur. — Her head dress was a high, red, fiat topped Cap bound round with a coloured Shawl on the forehead & her hair which was very black hung loose over her shoulders. — This dress with their fine black Eyes is verv beautiful but so loose a habit is verv unfavourable to their shape & the gene-rality of women here have very bad ones but morę espeeially the lower order. — Our Hostess howerer though from age & matrimony un peu passe was certainly a strikingly fine woman. — She had with her an old woman who seemed her mother in law & a ehild who was dressed in long loose linen Trowsers, a Test with long Sleeves edged with fur, long loose Shirt, Sash, Cap like his mothers & little Slippers. — The mens dress is a good deal like this but they wear also a long upper garment & often a Pelisse which must be detestable in this eliinate. She was attended by several Ser-rants of both Sexes who stood round at the farther side of the room & she showed us a little boy which she had bought of the soldiers in the turkish wars. — The lower Slaves & all the poorer people wear a sort of red Caps which seem to denote the contrary of what they do in France. — They brought us milk, butter, sausages, Eggs, Liąueurs, Winę & sent all over for w^rhat they had not in the house. — The whole furniture of the room consisted of a large Divan covered with red Cloth & furnished with large & eomfortable pushions on which they sit or lean with their legs up. — Low stools set upon these serve as tables. — After supper we held some conversation with her by means of our Interpreter & played with her little Boy who appeared to be spoiled, till bed time w^rhen she & her people left the room telling us the Divan was om^- Bed. — By the help of our sheets & the Cushions we madę very eomfortable Beds. — In the morning w^rhen dressed we werO again yisited by our Hostess & her little Boy, who brought us in a Saucer some conserve of Bose leaves & sweet meat of exqui-site flavour- — We got after each a smali cup of coffee & set out highly pleased with our nights lodging & the novelty of the Scene & manners attending the cordial hospitality we had expe-rienced. — Our little friend her Son was so pleased with his guests that he would have left his mother to accompany us.” ²⁸

If Stockdale proTided the morę detailed description, Wilbraham at least gave the one essential piece of information about their hostess : her name. It was, he confided to his diary, “Hina Agaye Kokonna”.²⁷ From this evidence it has been possible to identify the lady as being most probably Binca, the wife of the Aga Argintoianu, an Oltenian boyar. ²⁸

²⁶ Ibid.

³⁷ The MS. Diary of Randlc Wilbraham, the Baker Wilbraham Papers.

²⁸ The authors cxpress their appreciation to Dr. Paul Cemovodeanu of the N. Iorga Institute of History, Bucliarest, for this Identification.