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A31229
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An account of the present war between the Venetians & Turk with the state of Candie (in a letter to the king, from Venice) / by the Earl of Castlemaine.
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Castlemaine, Roger Palmer, Earl of, 1634-1705.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing C1239; ESTC R7289
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17,121
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117
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out and in danger also to awake his Enemies so far that all Christian Princes might again joyn in a League which is the only thing he fears To avoid therefore this when Christendom is at Peace does he commonly begin a War with Persia and if afterwards differences break out he leaves then that usually fruitless Enterprize to gain upon them who were they united would Conquer more in Five years then ever he yet got in Fifty I cannot think this Royal Sir altogether a Christian Bravado but that which may be probably imagined if I look upon what the glorious Venetians themselves with a small Number have done or consider how destitute of Men and Strong Places all his Provinces are or lastly reflect upon the wideness of his Dominions on this Sea so that 't were impossible to defend them all were they ordinarily populous but they are not so as I said and besides most of the people there are also Christians I cannot estimate his Strength by what it is in Hungary and thereabouts for those Frontiers being but comparatively little he can defend them with his prime Men and therefore if ever his ruine be by force he must be plaid with on that side only and attaqu'd on this Here his Enemies may pick and chuse and if by chance one Country be found well mann'd the Wind without charge in 24 hours will carry them to another which a hundred to one will yield without resistance Doubtless he is but weak as may be seen by his late utmost endeavour against the Emperour And yet his seeming Greatness strikes such terrors in every body neer him that all now allow there is no medium left but either Christianity must destroy this Antichrist or he it that is in their Earthly Rule and Dominion The present State then of the Venetian Affairs is The City of Candie is in a good condition the Island lost in Dalmatia and the Sea they have had the better and yet the Turk expects his ends And this is a Misfortune the Republique has That their nearest Neighbours think they want no help And thus may they be tired out if not beaten at last to the infinite loss of Christendom Gracious Sir To conclude No War as hitherto was ever more extravagant then this for in it the Republique has lost a Kingdom and yet are still Victorious And though the Turks be Conquerors the World may nevertheless see That they are no longer Invincible Venice Novemb. 14. 1665. A Postscript to the Reader ON the 15th of April 1664. the present Generalissimo Andrea Cornaro Embarqu'd himself at Malamocco who civilly received my Resolution of accompanying him into the Levant It was then the expectation of all that much would be done that year since the Turk had drain'd himself to the utmost in his great Preparations against the Emperour But yet the Venetians did nothing wanting what they said they expected and so on the 20th of October following I returned to Venice with Nicolo Cornaro the General of Candie to whom I was particularly obliged for many favours in his Government on the Seas and in the Lazaretto also You must know none comes ever from the East into Italy without keeping a Quarantena which is fourty days Separation to try whether he be infected with the Plague or not and the reason is because they have a received Opinion That the Grand Signiors Dominion is never free from that Pestilential Contagion In the Lazaretto then or place of Sequestration I had time to digest these Observations and this I can assure you Reader that the matter of fact is undoubtedly true since I made use of nothing which was not affirmed by the chiefest Commanders and those of different Nations and Interests Here we had News of the dishonourable Peace made with the Vizier by the Court-party at Vienna which sav'd his Head but brought them little Honour and Reputation for the Christians were not only the death of old Ali Bassa their best Commander with ten thousand Janizaries but put the whole Army into such a consternation that had Montecuculi pursued his advantage it had been the greatest Victory perchance that ever was Never were the Venetians more troubled then at this Accommodation for now their Enemy had no body to divert his Fury and was ready also on the Confines with all manner of Necessaries to fall the next Spring upon Dalmatia Cataro was the place they feared would be first assaulted nor is it so strong but that they might well apprehend a danger Thus stood their Affairs when I took leave of the General for Rome nor did the Senate then think of any thing but defence having quitted all thoughts of regaining the Kingdom of Candie Yet this real occasion of fear at last blew over for the Turkish Army as it were quite mouldred away through the loosness of the Grand Signior having wholly abandoned himself to pleasure Nor did the Vizier's coolness contribute little who was newly escaped from an eminent danger in Hungary and therefore now cautious how to begin a new project seeing his utter ruine must needs accompany the unsuccesfulness of the Action This prime Minister is Son and immediate Successor to the late Vizier a thing not to be parallell'd as I take it in all their Story He is esteem'd a man of Wit and a great pretender to Astrology but no Souldier which though it may well agree with the Constitution of a Christian Government yet never can suit theirs for not to go forward in Conquest with them is assuredly to effeminate their Men and presently to relapse into a far worse condition His being otherwise bred makes him not beloved by the Militia and this is encreased by the hatred they bore his Father for after the Men at Arms had murthered Ibraim the late Emperour upon the Proclaiming of him that now Reigns an Act of Indempnity passed to pardon the numerous Guilty Nevertheless the old Bassa found means by degrees upon other pretences to bring all to execution which thing though by Providence it has half ruined the Empire in scarce leaving one good Officer behind yet the punishing of Regicides has entailed such a Blessing on him that he went not only with gray hairs to the grave but left his Son also Heir to his wonderful Greatness and Power The Venetians having weather'd this Storm and thereby discover'd the incurable Lethargy of the Port resolved to be offensive again and now to provide for the driving them out of the Island The Marquess Villa they appointed General of the Arms who is a Ferrarese by birth and was formerly in the Service of Savoy He was not in the Army during my stay Vert-Miller a Switz having then this Office but now the Affair is recommended to him and in it he has had Success for the Turks are both hindred from expected Supplies and also at present closely Besieg'd in Canea which if the Republique can take as it is verily hoped at Venice no body then doubts of a through Conquest Nor will any thing ever be greater in Story then this That a handful of men perfidiously surprised by the dreadfullest Enemy on earth should yet continue a War more then 20 years and at last send him home naked after so unexpressible a loss both of Blood and Treasure FINIS IMPRIMATUR May 12. 1666. Roger L'Estrange 63 65