Rare Adventures and Painful Peregrinations

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In 1603, the 21-year-old Scottish tailor William Lithgow sings beneath the window of his beloved, only to have her brothers cut off both his ears. Determined to escape, he embarks on a journey to the Orient, where the loss of two ears goes unnoticed. Traveling mostly on foot, he traverses vast regions of the world. His three "painful peregrinations" take him across Europe and into Arabia, Egypt, and Abyssinia, making him one of the first eyewitnesses in unknown territories. Lithgow is a vividly detailed and often unintentionally humorous narrator, driven not by pleasure but by a strong aversion to his circumstances. His travelogue is remarkable not only for its rich descriptions and wide-ranging scope but also for the stubbornness of a man propelled by necessity. As a pioneering figure in travel writing, Lithgow's unique character and sweeping judgments offer a fresh perspective on a world rarely seen.