and every Citie hath his particular Councell and place of assemblie save only when they are to sit upon matters of importance and such as concerne the generall estate then they appoint a generall Diet and that to be held in some one of the Cities which they thinke most convenient whereunto foure or five of the most principall of every Citie are bound to resort In their consultations for the most part they are comfortable one to another and because one Citie is as free as another having no one chiefe Governour superiour to any other in case the cause be it peace or warre concerne the universall State of all the Cantons looke how the major part of voices shall sway in the Senate so it prevaileth and that which the greater number resolve upon is without more adoe put in execution The benefit which they gaine by a common warre Is divided in common but if sometimes two or three united Cantons purchase any bootie by their peculiar Armes of that purchase the residue can claime no share Yet hath it happened that the residue thinking themselves injured in not participating generally have raised divers controversies and because as aforesaid they are equally free and as great is the soveraigne authoritie of one Citie as of another both parties have appealed unto the French King who upon hearing of the cause in question gave judgement That a particular gaine appertained to particular persons And so the rest Therefore when they are either occasioned or determined to make any particular warre the united Cantons erect lights and make bone-fires but when they are to raise forces in generall as suppose they should for the French King first they strike up their Drumme then all the Cities doe presents as many persons as they thinke good which may be to the number of five and thirtie or fortie thousand of whom after the Captaines have culd out their limited portions the residue are licensed to depart to their owne homes Every Citie hath his principall Standard with their peculiar armes and devices therein to distinguish one people from another And because no politike body can stand without a head although in no case they will tolerate one absolute Governour over the whole yet are they contented to submit themselves to the government of one particular Magistrate in every particular Citie him they terme Vnama The elect on of which Officer is on this manner On the first Sunday in May the principall of all the houses and families thoâ—ow every Canton of all sorts and qualities assemble themselves either in some meadow or else in the chiefest streets of their Citie where all of them taking their places in order the Vnama whose time of office is now expired seating himselfe in a place somewhat above the rest after some stay riseth up and maketh a speech to the people excusing himselfe in good termes of his insufficiencie to discharge the weight of the office committed unto his charge and craveth pardon of that which he hath through ignorance or negligence committed to the prejudice of the common good and therewithall offereth to resigne his determined office into the hands of the people Immediately upon this resignation with a loud voice hee nominateth the partie whom in his judgement he thinketh worthy to succeed in his place He that is nominated commeth forth before the multitude and presenting himselfe before them after some speeches nominateth a second the second with like ceremonie a third The nomination being ended the chiefe of the companies demand of the people which of these three thus nominated they are willing to elect So naming them anew one by one the multitude lift up their hands at the naming of him whom they desire to be their Governour And oft-times it falleth out that he that hath beene once Vnama in desert of his justice and good carriage towards them hath beene chosen againe the second time This election finished they proceed to the choice of other Officers This Officer continueth in his place three yeares and although he be the chiefest amongst them yet goeth hee but little better attired than the meanest only attended with five or six persons He dwelleth in his owne house because they imploy the publike places for the holding of the Diets the keeping of their Munition and Artillerie and other furniture belonging to the warres In criminall causes he can doe nothing without the counsell of the fifteene but in civill matters he hath larger limitation Next the Vnama is that Officer of Iustice who is as it were the Chancellor and the second person in that State After him are certaine Counsellors men well experienced in affaires of Princes and occurrence of Provinces Then the Chamberlaine and his is the charge of the Munition and publike Treasure Next to him are the foure Deputies in authoritie greater than the Counsellors and may doe many things in absence of the Vnama so as the Chancellor be present These with the Vnama make the fifteene which governe the State as well in peace as in warre and are ever present at the hearing and deciding of all occurrences arising within the Territorie of their owne Canton These are from yeare to yeare confirmed by the people although as doth the Vnama they continue their office for three yeares These send Governours to the Castles on the Frontiers and to decide inferiour matters they allow ten persons chosen out of the meaner sort but the parties in controversie may appeale to the fifteene other Iudges or further appeales as in the Civill Law they have not to flie unto For their chiefest care is their tillage and warfare coveting to live simply and plainly and not to intrap one another in quarrels and suits of Law The partie evicted is severely punished Neither will they suffer any of their people to appeale out of their owne Countries and if any offend therein he is grievously chastened Thorow the whole world Lawes are not observed with lesse partialitie for they are never-altered according to the humours of the inconstant multitude nor violated without due penaltie inflicted for as of those five sorts of populâ—r governments which Aristotle discourseth of there is none more dangerous than that wherein the will of the people beareth sway above reason and standeth for Law as Zenophon writeth of the Athenians so no forme of government can be compared to that wherein the Commonaltie without dâ—tinction live subject to the censure of the Law in regard of which policie wee ought not to marvell if this Common-weale have flourished now these two hundred and fiftie yeares in great reputation of valour For â—â—y two meanes hath this estate beene preserved viz. by unpartiall administration of justice and frequencie of neighbourly feastings whereas the scornfull ambition of great men hath heretofore ruinated the popular estates of the Megarians the Romans the Florentines the Syennois and the Genoese Of which sort the Swizzers have none at all or if there be any as there are but
They be good foot and better than their neighbours as we may say now adayes of the English and Swissers And in another place where he opineth of the manner of service he saith My opinion is that in battels Archers are the weight that turnes the balance And of Archers the English are the flower where he likewise discourseth how dangerous a thing it is to abide a battell except your foot be much the better which in my opinion was no little cause why the French King fought not with the Cardinall in the yeare 97 before Amiens because the enemies foot were holden in number eighteene thousand though I hardly thinke they were so many A number full as great as the French and the souldier farre better they being all French except some three thousand English and Swissers and theirs the choice men of all his Garrisons and experienced souldiers in those Low-Countries For true it is that the Kings Gens d'armes were two for one and holden also much the better men as well because there was in a manner all the Nobilitie and flower of France as also that they had the advantage in the manner of weapon for that the French serveth with the Pistoll and the Spaniard still holds him to his Launce But I make no question that the consideration of the oddes on foot was not the chiefe cause why there was no battell that day for wee had a goodly faire field and plaine as might bee possible as also large a singular advantage for him which is strongest in Horse So had wee the wind and Sunne in our backes which are holden no small helpes But this was the reason the King thought it no policie to play all his Rest at once where hee might have lost more at one Game than he had got in eight yeares he had no reason but to make the Card that was now going a Bridge of Gold as the Proverbe is considering that by this meanes he should gaine the Towne of Amiens re-assure other Cities that then stood wavering and recover his reputation in the world which by the losse of that Towne was much disputed It now remaineth I speake of his Expence which chiefly consisteth in these two things before spoken of namely his Court and his Forces wherein it is very hard to relate an exact proportion considering not only the variety and difference of Writers but also the uncertaintie of the number of Pensionaries or provisioned And lastly the change and alteration of their allowance not continuing alwaies the same Howbeit that which is most commonly reported and seemeth neerest the truth is this The maintenance of five Regiments of foot at six crowns the moneth commeth to foure hundred sixty eight thousand crownes the yeare besides the pension of five Collonels at two thousand crownes apeece thirtie Captaines at one thousand pension a man as many Lieutenants at five hundred and Ensigns at three hundred apeece which is in all seventie foure thousand which added to the first summe makes the whole charge of these Regiments yearely to amount to the summe of five hundred fortie two thousand crownes This proportion differeth not much from that of Bodin where he saith The King might maintaine in ordinary twentie thousand foot at the rate of three million and five hundred thousand Livres which if you reduce to crownes and to one number of six thousand foot commeth to a lesse rate than that other namely to foure hundred eight thousand three hundred thirty three crownes but I thinke that former is neerer the truth For the allowance of his Gens d'armes which are reckoning at six thousand as is before said though in truth there bee but foure for he payeth thus many I follow the proportion of them that say that 51750. crownes is the ordinary allowance for one company of an hundred yearely for where are six thousand men at Armes in the field are eighteene thousand Horse in all After this rate then of the hundred before set down the whole Gens d'armery amounteth to 3105000. crownes For the expence of his Court you shall heare it to be thus rated The Table of the King and those of the Gentlemen of the Chamber at 112000. crownes for his pettie pleasures a thousand crownes a day in all 165000. But this was a proportion for the last King who was a great giver For the great and little Stable 190000. For the Constable 24000. For the Gran Maistre great Master 20000. For the Marshals of France 18000. apeece when they were but foure for now it is a Title only without either pension or command save only in the foure chiefe For the Admirall 15000. For the Grana Veneur great Hunt 16000. For the Governours of his Provinces in all 188000. For the Gentlemen of his Chamber their pension 1200. crowns a peece in all six hundred thousand For the Captains of his Guards on Horse two thousand apeece For their Lieutenants eight hundred For two thousand Swisses of his Guard ten crowns a moneth 24840. For all other domesticall Officers one hundred thousand For Heraults six thousand For Marshals of lodgings and Fourriers 4600. For Prevost Marshals of Provinces a thousand apeece in all twentie foure thousand For twenty foure hundred Archers to attend these Prevosts in the execution of their Office seven hundred and twenty thousand crownes For his Ambassadours in divers Countries two hundred and fiftie thousand For his Officers of Finances Treasurers Receivers Controllers and such other like Offices thorow France an infinite and incredible summe As also for such numbers of horse and foot as the Cabinet setteth downe besides these Gens d'armes and Regiments which ye heare provided for and in the Kings pay But yee must observe that of all these Court-charges and others here before mentioned except those of his forces yee are not to make any ground as of a truth they being only the supposed charges set downe by the said Author who for his errours in other matters hath also lost his credit in this To speake either particularly of the Court-expences or generally what they be certaine I cannot not having heard any thing thereof but only that it is supposed the charge of the Kings House is five hundred crownes a day It now remaineth to speake of his Entrade or Revenue for a Prince cannot have peace without warre nor warre without men nor men without money nor money without meanes nor are there any meanes but these Domaine Conquests Gifts of his friends Pension of his Confederates Trafficke Impositions upon Merchandize brought in or carried out Impositions upon Subjects And yet one other which the Kings of France have lately invented to helpe when all other failed which is Sales of Offices more dangerous and prejudiciall to the State than any other Of these eight meanes I will give you particular observations and then conclude what is generally holden to bee the whole Revenue of the Crowne of France by all these meanes First the Domaine is
well maintained there is the house of Piety called Il monte della pieta which by ordinary Revenues and gifts may dispend yeerely 60000. Crownes wherewith amongst other charitable workes it maintaineth thorow the Kingdome two thousand Infants It is one of the regions belonging to the Kingdome of Naples It is bounded with the River Iano and the Terrhene and Ionian Seas it is in compasse above five hundred miles and is divided into two Provinces the one lieth on the Terrhene Sea where in ancient times the Brutians did inhabit and that part is properly called Calabria the other lieth on the Ionian and called Magna Graecia It is divided into the higher and lower Of the higher the chiefe seat is Cosenza of the lower Catanzara Cosenza is a large Citie Catanzara a strong Betweene the Cape of the Pillars and the Cape Alice is Corone a place of very wholesome aire Vpon this territorie Anno 1551. the Navie of the Great Turke landed and made some stay which was the cause that moved Charles the fifth to fortifie this Citie It is a thing worthy to be noted how much the Inhabitants of this country in former ages exceeded the numbers of this present for in those dayes this Citie sent more men against the Locrians than the whole Kingdome of Naples is now able to afford being numbred to an hundred and thirty thousand A little above that doe inhabit the Sabarits who were alwayes able to arme thirty thousand At Tarent beginneth the Country of Otranto in ancient times called Iapigia It containeth all that corner of land almost invironed with the Sea which lieth betweene Tarent and Brundusium In it as Strabo writeth were once thirteene great Cities but in his time onely two Tarent and Brunduse The aire is very healthfull and though the superficies of the soile seeme rough and barren being broken with the plough it is found to bee excellent good mold It is scarce of water neverthelesse it yeeldeth good Pasture and is apt for Wheat Barley Oats Olives Cedars excellent Melons Oxen Asses and Mules of great estimation The people are in their manners dangerous superstitious and for the most part beastly The Gentlemen lovers of liberty and pleasure scoffers at Religion especially at that which we terme the reformed and yet themselves of their owne great blasphemers For outward shew they live in great pompe and make the City more stately because they are not permitted to live in the Countrey yet as they dare they bitterly grone under the Viceroyes controll who exerciseth the Spanish pride amongst them so that in these dayes they come nothing neere their native glory nor customary wantonnesse In this Country is bred the Tarantola whose venome is expelled with Fire and Musicke as Gellius reporteth out of Theophrash his History of living creatures There are likewise bred the Chersidi serpents living both on the land and in the Sea yea there is no part of Italy more cumbred with Grashoppers which leave nothing where they come but would utterly consume in one night whole fields full of ripe corne if Nature by sending the birds called the Gaive into those quarters had not provided a remedie against this misery The place at all times of the yeare endureth much dammage by Haile Thunder is as usuall in Winter as in Summer This Province is situated betweene two Seas The Citie is seated in an Island like unto a ship and joyned to the Continent with bridges where the tide setteth violently on the other side the two Seas joyne together by meanes of a trench cut out by mans hand and is of largenesse sufficient to receive a Gally Where the Citie now standeth was before a rocke and is holden to be the strongest fortresse of the Kingdome From thence along the shore lieth Caesaria now ruined by them of Gallipoli Gallipolis is seated on a ridge of land running into the Sea like a tongue On the furthest point whereof standeth the Citie and is of great strength by reason of the situation being fenced with unaccessible rocks well walled and secured by a Castle with which motives of encouragement in the warres betweene the French and the Arragons the citizens thereof to their great honour continued ever faithfull to the fortunes of the Arragons It hath beene counted one of the chiefest Cities of Italy it is now by their civill dissentions almost desolated the cause as I take it wherefore the aire thereabouts is become so unhealthfull an influence incident to all great Cities For as nothing doth better temper the aire than the frequencie of Inhabitants because by husbandry and industry they drie up Fennie and unwholesome places prune such woods as grow too thicke and obscure with their fires purge noysome exhalations and with their high buildings extenuate grosse vapours So on the contrary there is nothing apter to breed infection than desolation for so the places are not onely deprived of the aforesaid helps but even the houses and their ruines are receptacles of infection and matter of corruption Which appeareth to be true by the ruines of Aquilea Rome Ravenna and Alexandria in Aegypt For which inconvenience the Grecians never built huge Cities Plato would not that his should exceed 500. families and Aristotle wished that all his people might at once heare the voice of one Crier This Province extendeth from the confines of Brunduse to the River Fortore It is divided into two territories the one at this day called Bari and by the Latines Peucetia the other Puglia and by them Dawnia divided each from other by the River Lofanto In the second part it comprehendeth Capitanato containing in it many great Cities places of trade and Fortresses of good account Amongst the number whereof is Mansredonia built by K. Manfredi in a high place healthfull with a convenient and safe harbour It lieth under the hill Gargano at this day called S. Angelo because of the appearing of S. Michael who is honoured there with great devotion It should seeme that in this hill all the riches of Puglia are heaped together it hath plenty of water an element rare in this Province The Sarazens finding the opportunitie of the situation thereof did there fortifie therein maintained themselves a long time for in truth there is no place better to molest the Kingdome and to command the Adriatike Sea Puglia is another Province of this Kingdome it is bounded with the River Fortorie and the River Tronto in which circuit are contained many people Towards the Sea it is a fruitfull Country in the middest rough and mountainous and the coldest Region in the Kingdome The wealth thereof consisteth in Cattell and Saffron The Country of Malsi is divided with the River Pescara the Governour thereof resideth in San-Severino This Province hath no famous place upon the Sea-coast but in the Inland Benevento was given to the Church by Henry the fourth in recompence of
especially if they were not naturally Spaniards first with an empty title and lastly being not otherwise able to pay or recompence them with a Spanish sico. A great and a maine advancer of a cause and enlarger of Empire is Religion or the pretence of it Religion is well called the soule of the State and is ever the prime thing to be looked into most bitter dissentions and hinderances of all great actions still proceeding from discontentments in Religion Anima est actus corporis sayes the Philosopher T is the soule that gives action and motion to the body and if the affections and passions of the soule bee composed to a well ordered and contented tranquillity and serenity there followes health strength and growth in all the limbs and members of the body The conscience is an active sparke and can easily man up all the powers of soule and body either for the maintenance or enlargement of it's libertie Bonum est sui communicativum Religion contrary to counsell desires ever to be made publike the spirituall man as well as the naturall ever having a desire generare sibi simile to beget others in his owne likenesse to compasse Sea and Land to make a Proselyte As therefore Princes have still accounted it a dangerous thing to arme Religion against themselves so have they most willingly accepted of the countenance of Religion No such encouragement could come to the Israelites or disheartning to the Philistines as when the Arke of God was in the host of Israel who is able to stand against these mighty gods say they Most surely is the kingdome of the Pope founded whose ground is layed in the conscience The Turke pretending to propagate his Religion with fire and sword we see how that hath advanced his conquests and what advantage hath the Spaniard more made use of in these late warres than a specious pretence of rooting out the Protestants and the re-establishing of the Catholike Religion by which secret he hath not onely staved off the popish Princes and Erectors of Germany not onely from defending the common libertie of their country but to enter that which they call the holy league with him whereby for zeale of enlarging their Religion they in the meane time weaken themselves that he at last picking a slight quarrell with them may swallow them up one after another having long before designed them Papists as well as Protestants to a common destruction for though the Spaniard pretends Religion yet he intends Monarchie This plot beginning to be discovered we see most of the Princes of Christendome drawing to a leaguer war that is to a cōfederacy of all Protestant Princes against all Popish who sees not that if the Romish religion prevailes the King of Spaines Monarchie must needs prove as Catholike that is universall as his religion and then will he prove the Catholike King indeed Now that the pretence of Religion may take the better 't is necessary that there be an union in it among all the subjects of the grand pretender or at least that those of the adverse opinion be so few and weake that they be not able to put an Armie into the field tolerations of Religion are most dangerous and surely should the King of England much exhaust his land forces to make a potent invasion upon the Spanish dominions the Iesuites would presently stirre up our Papists to call him backe againe for the stinting of a domestike rebellion for to be feared it is that though all our Recusants be the King of Englands subjects yet too many of them be the King of Spaines servants No sooner on the otherside did the French King this present yeare lead his Army over the Alpes into Italy but the Duke de Rohan thought it a fit opportunity for the Protestants to struggle for their liberty And therefore plainly as of all good causes Religion is the chiefe so in Religion there must be unitie and that makes it irresistable Finally as naturall bodies are best nourished by things of that nature and kinde whereof they consist even so that Empire which is gained or inlarged by Religion must ever be maintained by it T was therefore the old rule amongst the Conquerours to bring in their owne language lawes and religion among their new subjects The Romanes did this every where and the Norman did it in England The Spaniard indeed hath not much stood upon lawes and language but hath ever beene diligent for his Religion and though in the Palatinate he suffered some Protestant Ministers awhile to make the conquest the sweeter yet those being either dead or wearied out he never suffered another Protestant to succeed The diligence and fury of the Emperour for rooting out those of the Augustane confession in Bohemia c. may well confirme the truth of this observation The qualities of weapons and the order of discipline are important instruments of this martiall greatnesse Advantage of weapons is like good casting and strict discipline like skilfull playing both which must needs winne the game The Macedonians by their Pikes and the Romans by their Pyles the Parthians and English by their long bowes have still beene victorious The same thing doth engine and fortification The gunne hath brought all weapons to an equality that onely domineeres now Nothing resists it but the spade T is a weapon of terrible execution serviceable both by Sea and Land yet are not the slaughters made by the gunne any way comparable for numbers to those bloudy battels wonne by the sword The charges of this disables Princes from levying Armies equall for multitudes to the Ancient which now adayes beginne to be incredible Infinite were it to speake of the new invented engines and fire-workes and of the severall provisions to prevent them and whether after-ages shall invent a more terrible weapon than the gun is to us uncertaine which if it proves the Inventor gets incredible advantage Treasure is an advantage of great importance forasmuch as there is nothing more necessary in warres or of more use in peace By meanes hereof the Florentines became Lords of a great part of Tuscany they bought many Cities they freed themselves from the incursions of divers enemies they maintained the warres many yeares against the Pisans and against the prowesse of those peoples and the power of those Princes which did aid them and at the last brought that warre to good end By meanes hereof the Venetians made themselves Lords of a good part of Lumbardy and endured the forces of the King of Hungary the Arch-duke of Austria and of divers other Princes Whereby it appeareth that money worketh two notable effects to the augmentation and continuance of the greatnesse of kingdomes and estates The one to provide and gather forces and those being gotten to uphold and maintaine with supplies of Souldiers victuals munition and armes The other that it doth offer us opportunity if not to weaken and vanquish the enemy having gotten the
distresses and labours of warre but by night they never goe upon any service By it selfe alone this Nation hath done nothing of reckoning but accompanied with others it hath made good assaies of its owne valour alwayes boasting of the taking of the French King of the victories of Germany of the enterprise of the Tercers and of the happy fight at the Curzolary without once remembring their contrary successes of Goletta Algiers and England Of ordinary revenues from Italy it receiveth foure millions of gold Much of that of Naples is pawned the which the Kingdome of Sicilie doth yearly supply by sending thither ordinarily foure thousand crownes and the Councell of Spaine taking order for the rest These States in Italy are defended from the forces of bordering Princes partly by nature of site and partly by the aid of strong Forts ordinarily maintaining in the presidiarie places ten thousand Spanish foot-men 1200. men at Armes three hundred light-horse and thirty six Gallies for guard of the Sea-coasts Of sixteene are of Genoa twentie five of Naples twelve of Sicilie and three of Savoy This is the appointed number but you shall seldome see it so strong For notwithstanding this Armada the coasts are badly secured as it appeared by the late yeares example in the dammages done by the Turkish Navie upon Puglia and Calabria amounting as it is reported to the summe of more than a million and a halfe of gold He serveth himselfe also when occasion requireth with the Gallies of Malta with the Popes which are eighteene and sometimes also with those of the great Duke of Tuscan And all these charges are nothing neere defrayed by the foure millions of revenue so that Italy stands the Spaniard in much more than hee gets by it The witty Boccalini brings in Lorenzo Medices weighing the Estates of Europe and when the Spaniards saw the revenue of Spaine alone to weigh within a few millions as much as France with great chearefulnesse they gate on their spectacles and would needs cast their dominions of Italie into the scale but perceiving the beame to turne contrary to their expectation all ashamed they tooke them out againe and durst not put in their dominions in Africa and the Low-Countries The mindes of these his Italian subjects are exceedingly exasperated through the insolencie of their government their intolerable charges and the burthen of infinite taxations which are continually imposed upon them finding out daily one meanes or other to raise new summes of money The Neapolitans are most doubted for revolt by reason of the instability of that people alwayes desirous of change and novelties Millaine is also suspected by reason of the dammage which they undergoe by lodging of souldiers at discretion being growne to a custome with the small desolation of divers families The Indies are divided into Orientall and Occidentall the King pretending to be sole Lord both of the one and the other The Orientall not only are indangered by the English Navies which in time of warre doe continually trouble them but in hazard also if not to be lost yet to be forced to share quiet and peaceable Trafficke both to the English and Netherland Merchants The King maintaineth there for custodie of those Countries many ships of Warre having also distributed eight thousand foot-men for the ordinary safegard of the Forts The West-Indies exceeding rich and abounding with gold and silver are divided into two parts Peru and New Spaine These Countries are full of Mines in which is found great store of gold keeping therein the Indians continually at worke living very barely and undergoing the punishment of their ignorance and pusilanimity in suffering themselves to be easily overcome and so basely subjected The King hath the fifth part of all extracted from the Mines These Indies in the time of Charles the fifth yeâ—â—ded no more than five hundred thousand crownes of gold by yeare but they now yeeld an exceeding commodity to this King for in some yeares past comprehending the Buls of the Crosse and other confiscations in those parts he hath received from thence ten millions of gold yea fifteene and seventeene millions many yeares since that His Highnesse Ministers doe still procure some new gaine in those parts and the people still continue their Navigation thither with more gaine upon their returne than one hundred for another The Merchants carry thither Wines Woollen-cloth and other merchandize of these parts and bring from thence in lieu thereof over and besides divers sorts of Spices a great quantitie of Goldiâ— by extraction of which the fruitfulnesse of the Mines is no whit diminished but it seemeth that they doe rather daily more and more increase and multiply in such sort that the Countrey-men in tilling the ground doe finde great-store thereof together with the clods of earth when they dig it up and in my time there was discovered a Mine of Quicksilver which will yeeld exceeding profit and incredible gaine True it is that all these profits have their interest but they arise not to above twenty in the hundred laid out by reason of Convoyes for security of the Fleet. For there is alwayes maintained strong guards in the Isle of Iava apt by reason of the situation to give the Empire of all these parts to him that can make himselfe once Master thereof The souldiers which hee sent into these parts have for their pay two crownes a moneth in such sort that the Land-souldiers the guarders of the Forts and the Gallies which he maintaineth for this purpose is a speciall cause that his Majestie expendeth in interests and charges amongst the Indies more by a great deale than a million and a halfe of gold Which maketh me nothing to wonder that although this King by reason of his abundance of Treasure and many other infinite riches brought yearely from the Indies should seeme to be richer than other Princes and his state much more wealthy and aboundant yet in truth the great Turke not having any mines of gold is more mightier and farre wealthier And so in true interpretation is France England and Netherland as late experience the touch-stone of ambiguities hath fully discovered Whereupon it must needs follow that this Crowne is either much hindred by ingagement in war want of home-bred necessities or by uncertaine returnes of its Fleets subject every yeare to the casualties of Seas currents and surprisals If these be not the causes of so many crosses as our eyes have lately discovered then surely his neighbouring Princes must be thought to be Lords of a valianter people than are his Spanish For say they it appeareth by record from time to time kept in the Citie of Sivil that in threescore and fourteene yeares space there have come into Spaine two hundred and threescore millions of gold Of all which summe there remaineth now in Spaine by conjecture in ready money and plate wherewith this Nation is much delighted about six and fifty millions Five and twenty the
effusion of bloud than any the mercilesse Tyrants of the former Monarchies As for the College of Cardinals It stretcheth out the Westerne Churches on the Tenter-hookes of Vain-glory and Authority suffering no man no not so much as in thought if it were possible to depresse or question the privileges of religious persons who according to their meanes live in great State keepe Curtizans travell in Carosses though but for a quarter of a mile to the Consistory solemnize feasts and banquets make shew of ceremonies and are in truth of no Religion So that if a man were an Atheist and had no conscience to beleeve that God must one day call us to account for our transgressions I had rather live a religious man in Rome than be a Nobleman in Naples who of all men living wash their hands most in carelesnesse being never disturbed with worldly cares or incumbrances The great Duke of Tuscanie IT lieth betweene the Apenine and the Sea and containeth from Magra to Tenere above two hundred threescore and ten miles It hath larger Champians than Liguria because the Apenine stretcheth not so neere the Sea and so inlargeth the plaine In it are many large valleyes populous and rich in commodities But to speake of particulars when we are past Magra Sarazana offereth it selfe to our view a Citie holden by the Genoise with great jealousie by reason of the neighbour-hood of the great Duke and a little higher lieth Pentrimoli a Castle belonging to the King of Spaine of great account and situated not farre from the Sea then Massa and Carrara places famous for their quarries of white Marble Lucca standeth on the River Serichio Pisa on Arno and beyond the Citie of Florence To the State whereof belongeth Pistoia Volterra Montepulcino Arezzo Cortona Those of Lucca doe stand upon their guard for maintenance of their liberties The Citie is three miles in compasse strong in situation and wals and well stored with Artillery and Munition On the North it confineth Carfagnana a fruitfull Valley and well inhabited with serviceable people on the other parts it is incompassed with the Territories appertaining to the Great Duke Pisa was once of such wealth that at one instant the Citizens thereof held warre against the Venetians and the Genois They grew great by the overthrow which the Sarazens gave to the Genois in the yeare 1533. the remainder of which defeature was received into the protection of their Citie and declined by the slaughter of their people and also of their Navie given them by the Genois neere to the Isle Giglio For thereby they became so weake that not able to sustaine their wonted reputation they were forced to submit themselves under the protection of Florentines against whom when Charles the eighth invaded Italy they rebelled But being againe reduced to their former obedience the Citie notwithstanding was in a manner left desolate because the Citizens impatient of the Florentines government passed into Sardinia Sicil and other places to inhabit So that the place wanting Inhabitants and the Countrey people to manure it the situation thereof being low and moorish by reason of Fens and Marishes it became infectious Cosmo the great Duke undertooke to re-people it againe and to further his intention he builded there a stately house for the receit of the Knights of Saint Stephen gracing it with many privileges which yet to this day remaine unaltered As also by founding an Vniversitie by easing the people of many taxes and by dwelling himselfe amongst them two or three moneths in the yeare Florence is the fairest Citie in Italy it is in compasse six miles It is divided into foure and fortie Parishes and into one and twentie Companies It hath in it threescore and six Monasteries and seven and thirtie Hospitals The Citizens bought their freedome of the Emperour Rodolfe for six thousand Crownes as they of Lucca theirs for 10000. In whose time and ever since it hath flourished in great prosperity For upon occasion the City is able to arme 30000 men and the Country 60000. It is strongly walled the situation thereof being low especially on the North side but on the other parts is somewhat subject to the command of certaine hills which overlooke it the inconvenience whereof they have prevented by fortifications It hath a Citadell built by Duke Alexander and after inlarged by Cosmo. The streets thereof are straight large and very cleane kept There are to be seene the most artificiall buildings of all Europe both publike and private Charles Arch-Duke of Austrich was wont to say that it was a City not to be showne but on Holidaies No soile is tilled with more art diligence and curiosity for you shall see one little peece of ground to bring forth Wine Oyle Corne Pulse and Fruits Notwithstanding it will not afford sufficient victuals for a third part of the yeere to remedy which scarcity it was not without good reason that they spent two millions of Crownes for the recovery of Pisa. The last Duke became an earnest Petitioner to the Pope that he might be created King of Tuscanie but the Pope not brooking so lordly a Title in so neere a neighbour answered that hee was content that hee should bee King in Tuscanie but not King of Tuscanie which scholler-like distinctions great Princes cannot well digest The qualities of the Tuscans appeare by the excellency of the Florentines whom Nature above all the Provinces of Italy hath adorned with sharpnesse of wit frugality providence industry and speciall insight into the Negotiations of Peace and Warre yea their continuall dissentions and hazzards wherein they have almost lived from the first foundation of their city I doe to nothing so much attribute as to the sharpnesse of their wits So the civill discords of the Pistolians did not onely ruinate their owne estate but therein likewise ingaged Florence yea and as a man may say drew all Tuscanie after it by the factions of the Neri and Bianchi for thus it happened Two young men descended of Noble Families falling out the one of them chanced to be lightly hurt the Father of the other to extinguish all sparkes of malice and that no further inconveniencie should arise upon that quarrell sent his sonne to aske forgivenesse of him that was hurt but the effect insued contrary to his expectation for the Father of the wounded Gentleman caused his servants to lay hold on him and cut off his hands and so sending him backe againe willed him to tell his Father that wounds were not cured with Words but with Weapons Hereupon grew betweene those two Families a mortall and cruell warre which drew the rest of the Cities into the quarrell and was the cause of great effusion of bloud yea the Florentines in stead of executing due punishment upon the principall authors of the faction received the banished on both sides into their City where the Donati undertaking the protection of the Neri and the Chersi of the Bianchi
And Ravenna which was situated in a Lake as Venice is was once of such respect that it was thought fit and chosen first by Honorius and afterwards by the Gothes and Exarchs for the seat of the Empire In our daies by the conjuration of Cambraie it was besieged by Maximilian with seven hundred French Launces a thousand two hundred men at Armes Italians 18000. Dutch foot six thousand Spaniards two thousand Italians in pay and six hundred Adventurers of divers Nations with a huge quantitie of Artillery and all other Munition Against this force the Seigniory opposed as great a force for defence and put into the Citie six hundred men at Armes fifteene hundred light-Horse as many Carabines under very expert Commanders And for foot they had above twelve thousand Italians ten thousand drawne out of the Gallies a great number of Gentlemen of Venice and Peasants of the Country without number together with an Army of inestimable quantity of Munition and victuall with which quantity of men and provisions the greatnesse of their workes and fortifications well answered Now there being about and in Padoa two so great and populous Armies one to assault it another to defend it and that this infinite number of Horse on both sides did never cease from boot-haling and forraging the Country about setting fire on all that they could not carry away and that the Peasants had also conveyed away as much as they could into the Citie and the adjoyning holds yet did neither of these Armies ever want victuals during all that siege And yet as fruitfull as is Padoa the Country of Crema is no whit behinde it for all things for store and finenesse of flax beyond it Of Polesine it shall only suffice to say that it holdeth the like proportion with Padoa The Country of Vicenza hath the Champian exceeding fat and for that part thereof which is hilly few Countries come neere it for pleasantnesse It leaneth its shoulders upon the Alpes it hath on the right hand the new River on the left Bronta in the middest of it runnes Bacchilion Remon c. it is the Garden of Venice The Territory of Trevisa as it cannot bee reckoned amongst the fertillest yeâ— it is numbred amongst the pleasantest Now the Countries where the industrie of the people is more than the goodnesse of the soile are those of Verona Bergamo and Friuli For in the Bergamash there is more than forty miles of mountaine the Veronese hath many miles of champian altogether barren and sandy The like hath Friuli whence it commeth that these parts are much subject to dearths and scarcity of corne but what they want in Bread is re ompenced in Wine abundantly so that as I understand the Island alone of Scala which is one great Village in the Veronesse doth rent in this commodity to the number of five thousand crownes yearely Nor are they destitute of very good Wooll whereof they of Verona doe weave Cloths and Felts The Burgamash an infinite quantity of Dornix besides Broad-clothes and Kersies which they vent partly into Lombardie and partly into Almaigne The fruitfulnesse of the soile and industry of the people together is notably discovered in the territory of Brescia insomuch that I beleeve that no part of Italy in these two points can be compared thereto for opulencie and plenty in those two parts which for goodnesse of soile wee count to be fertill There is no private mans Garden for art and gracefulnesse of compartment or order more exquisitely cast or more diligently planted or more neatly kept and dressed than this whole territory Now touching that part of the â—rescian territory that is unfruitfull impossible it were to declare the diligence and art that is there used for ploughing of mountaines and for planting of Vines throughout the said mountaines But a sufficient testimonie thereof will bee that the barrenest part of this territory is no lesse well inhabited than is the best In the towne of Cordove alone it is knowne that if need require they are able in one day to make two hundred Harquibushes at all points out of the Masse although there be no Harquebush that goeth through lesse than ten hands at the least No Iron is brought in more than groweth in the Country and yet little goeth out imwrought Some is sold made into barres but most into wares In the City of Brescia are accounted more than two hundred Smiths shops of which fifty at least are Cutlers There are also some Iron Mines in Vâ—â—l Coâ—â—â—â—â—â— which yeeld water for six furnaces and six mills in which they make plate for Armour In the Citie of Cordove are made in great quantity Swords Daggers Halberds Knives and other like weapons In the Marquisate of Trevisae great quantity of excellent steele and so in Alphaga Soldo and in Cador exceeding good Swords are wrought in Belluno Felire and Seravalle The dominion which the Venetian hath by Sea is of two kinds as hath formerly bin said partly Continent partly Islands The greatest territory of the Continent is Istria and the best unlesse it were for that the ayre thereof is naturally unwholesome or rather to speak freely contagious and pestilent especially about Nola. For which cause that it grow not to be disinhabited the Seigniory alloweth to all men that will dwell there a certaine quantity of land with divers immunities and privileges besides It yeeldeth great abundance of Oyle Fish and Salt Dalmatia Sclavonia and Albania afford excellent wines and in these quarters partly by the commodiousnesse of the Sea and partly by reason of the entértainment and pay that runs there amongst the garrisons with the carefull industry of the Inhabitants the people live indifferently well there The Islands belonging to this State and lying within the Gulfe are not many The names of them are Veggia Arbe Brazza Pago Liesina Curzola Lissa with the Islands of Zara and Sesa They all yeeld in generall Wines of reasonable goodnesse Cherso with some other doe exceed for plenty of Cattell Milke Meats and Wooll Pago hath Salt-pits and yeeldeth great profit Veggia hath store of Pulse light Wines Wood and Horse though small They are all beautified with Havens excepting Arbe which defect is there recompenced with the naturall pleasantnesse of the Country They have very rich Fishings especially Lesina whose Sea yeeldeth Pilchers in great abundance The greatest of these Islands is Lesina containing in compasse fifty miles The best peopled is Curzola The most delicious Arbe and both with the parts of the Continent over against them whereof wee spake before doe yeeld great number of serviceable men for the field and the Gallies It remaineth to speake of the Islands out of the Gulfe Of which the first inorder is Corfu for commodiousnesse of situation of great account For it lieth in a manner in the very centre of all the Sea-dominious belonging to this State betweene the Adriatike and the Ionike Seas equally distant from Venice and
and their valour the battell fought at Lepanto to the utter rowting of the Turkish Navie is a sufficient Testimony Besides these they maintaine six thousand men at Armes well mannaged and appointed the like whereof is not to be found in all Italy besides Touching their sea-forces they have on the firme Land ten thousand men inrolled to serve at the Ore And of these kind of Men all Dalmatia and Sclavonia doth yeeld them what numbers they will besides and that at a reasonable hand The City of Venice alone armeth upon occasion fifty Gallies and Candy forty What their whole power and forces every way may amount unto they shewed in the Warre of Ferrara wherein they had on foot two severall Armies one about Ferrara the other on the Confines of Millan They had at the same time besides two severall Navies the one upon the Po the other upon the sea to observe the proceedings of Naples and all this without associats In the warre against Lewis the twelfth King of France their Armie was composed of two thousand men at armes three thousand light-horse and thirty thousand foot In the yeare 1570. they armed forth one hundred and fiftie lesser Gallies eleven great Gallies one Gallion and twenty five tall ships alâ—eit that number by occasion of Pestilence happening in the Navie was reduced to one hundred and twenty and seven lesser Gallies and fourteene ships the other Vessels remaining untoucht like as had befalne them before in the yeere 36. when as they had the name onely to make one part of three but indeed they made a full halfe of all the Christian forces besides But because there is nothing that can give more certaine conjecture of the power of any State than to have sustained and gone through with great and perillous warres it will not be unpleasant to set downe some of their most important actions which in that kind they have supported Anciently they had warre with the Kings of France and in that warre they discomfited Pepin sonne to Charlemagne They warred afterward with the King of Hungarie and tooke from them the Townes which they now hold in Dalmatia and Sclavonie They fell at debate with the Emperours of Constantinople and gat from them the Cities of Salonich and of Moria One the most dangerous warre that they ever had was that which they managed with the Genois and yet at length such was the issue thereof that howsoever having lost to the Enemy Chiozza and were neere driven to their utter desolation yet was the Enemy so far off from gaining an intire victory upon them that in the pursuit thereof he most of all destroied himselfe insomuch that having for maintenance of that warre engaged the Revenues of the State of Saint Georgo so by little and little through feeblenesse growing upon them they were compelled to throw the City within the armes and protection sometimes of France and sometimes of Millan so that to this day they could never recover their pristinat fortunes Then had they to doe with the Visconti Princes of Millan who were at that time dreadfull thorow Italie yet by that warre the Venetian not only gained profit but honour also They opposed themselves against all the Princes of Italie in the prosecution of Ferrara and that with such successe that in fine they annexed to their owne Dominion all the Polesine of Raviso And after they had irritated the Princes of Italie these letted not to draw upon themselves a warre undertaken by all the Potentates of Christendome combined against them in the confederation concluded at Cambray which warre as it was the most haplesse and despairefull that ever they managed through the miscarriages of their Armies at Carravaggio at Brescia and at Vicenza yet in the end they remained Lords still of their owne and of being conquered at last remained with Conquest They have for many ages together waged warre with the Turke especially with Amurath the second Mahomet the second with Bajazeth and with Selim the second They maintained a sixteene yeares warres with Mahomet the second even him which had the fortune to have subdued two Empires Constantinople and Trapisond to have destroyed twelve Kingdomes and to have sacked two hundred Cities Which warre they finished although not altogether to their profit They held warres for seven yeares without intermission with all the Princes of Christendome and went away winners neither in all these occasions were they destitute either of men or money In our memorie they warred with Selim the second and in that warre they disbursed above twelve millions of money The like excessive summes they spent in their warres with Michael Emperour of Constantinople in the enterprize of Ferrara and in the warre undertaken of the confederacie at Cambray All which so inestimable summes notwithstanding at this day whether they were parcels of their owne treasure or lones of money from others they have re-imbursed or extinguished The Princes that border and confine upon the Venetian are these the Turke the King of Spaine the Pope and the house of Austria As touching the Turke whose State and power hath been so regarded in the worlds opinion hee seemeth at this time rather to be impaired than otherwise Whereof one great signe is his protraction of the warre in Hungarie these many yeeres with Armies of much better qualitie than any his Predecessors were wont to lead or send thither Whereupon it hath happened that not onely his forces have oftentimes beene broken and discomfited but also the Prince himselfe hath hardly escaped from being taken or slaughtered if on our parts there had beene either better Chiefes to temporize with him or more agreement in those Heads to assaile him Notwithstanding hee hath there lost the Townes of â—ilâ—ch Lippa Rab and Strigonium places of great consideration He hath also the second time lost Invarine These losses doe more than countervaile the winning of Agria from us being a fortresse of many knowne imperfections for site and building besides the withdrawing of â—ranâ—lvania and Valachia from his subjection with the alienation of many rich Provinces in Asia The State of these presents considered the Venetian for that part of dominion that confineth upon the Turke had never more cause to thinke himselfe better secured from violence especially having all Maritime Townes both by Sea and Land gallantly fortified which strength is also the greater by the facility the Sea affordeth to succour his owne and to distresse his enemie Touching the King of Spaine upon whom they doe border as well in the Adriatique as in Lombardie it is now more than threescore yeares that there hath beene any variance at all befallen them Neither in truth can it turne the Venetian to any great gaine to have warre with so powerfull a King nor the King of Spaine to make warre in Italy where by putting things in uprore and tumult hee might perhaps hazzard some part of his owne For that Warre as Emanuel Duke of Savoy was
cause why none of them rise by their owne industry to any great wealth They never combate amongst themselves but revenge injuries with words except upon objection of cowardize whereof the charged is never disburthened untill he have proved himselfe in singular combate with a Turke It hath beene an ancient custome amongst them that none should weare a feather but hee who hath killed a Turke to whom it was lawfull to shew the number of his slaine Enemies by the number of feathers in his Cap. They punish Adulterie and Fornication with death the Husband forcing his Wife the Father his Daughter and the Brother his Sister to the place of Execution The Sonnes inhabit equally after the death of their fathers occupying for the most part the possessions left them in common The Daughters have the value of the part of the Lands in money They are desirous of warres above measure they admit no unprofitable man into their Campe but such as hold servants are served with men They march in troopes both Horse and Foot lodging apart but not in that good order which is used by the Germans who distinguish both their Companies and Regiments into streets placing their baggage at their backs or flankes according to necessity They goe no round neither in their Campes nor Townes but in stead thereof one Sentinell whoopeth to another as in like case doe the Turkes The Horse-men in battell range themselves in files after the German order as doe also their foot placing all their shot on front They give a furious charge and the Enemie broken fall presently to spoile leaving to follow the execution for any small booty but being broken they fly every man home without ever turning head lying in wait by the way for their enemies whom they rob in their flight counterfeiting for the more terrour the clamour of the Tartars from whom they differ in the fashion of their Caps The Government in the times of the Kings of Hungarie which in these latter ages were still elective was administred partly by the great Officers of the Spirituality and of the Secular powers The chiefe of the Spirituality was the Archbishop of Strigonium who was ever to be the Lord Keeper or Chancellour principall Secretary of Estate and Primate of Hungaria The other Archbishop was hee of Colozza these two had fourteene Suffragan Bishops under them all now swallowed up by the Turke except Sirigonium Nitria â—averâ—ne and â—â—cia The chiefe Officer of the Secularitie is the Palatine of Hungaria chosen by the States and Lords of the Kingdome his authoritie is marvellous large both in the Court of the King the Courts of Justice in the ordinary Diets and especially in the vacancie of the Throne The Kingdome of Hungaria is now divided betweene three First the Turke who hath the greater part and is Master of Buda it selfe the chiefe Citie of the Kingdome Secondly Bethien Gabor who possesses most of the upper Hungarie lying betwixt Transilvania and the River Tibiscus and the third part is in possession of the Emperour whose sonne was lately chosen King of Hungaria For the due administration of Justice under the Secular the ancient Lords divided their Land into twenty Counties appointing to every County a Baron for Governour with one and twenty Doctors of Law to be his Assistants reserving ever to themselves an Appeale for the redresse of Injustice and preventing of extortion Now since the Princes of Austria got the Crowne their tyrannie so yoketh the Peasants that nothing may bee done without the Lords leave Insomuch that these people living in the true condition of slavery want nothing but the name thereof In the time of the ancient government when the Kings would alter any thing in the administration of the Common-weale undertake a forren warre or conclude a peace there assembled together at one place three degrees of Subjects Barons Bishops and Gentlemen with consent of the greater part whereof the Kings had authority to confirme abrogate or institute lawes to denounce warre to conclude peace and to charge their Land with impositions fit for their necessities This assembly is still in use but the freedome thereof is altered nothing being at this day propounded to the assembled by the new Governours but a contribution of money to which demand at a day given the Nobility give their resolutions which in the yeere 96. and 97. when the Turkish Emperour threatned to descend himselfe in person was That the Nobility would put themselves in Campania with their Forces and promised for their subjects for so they terme their Peasants that every Housholder should send a man and give two Dollars of money for entertainment of Souldiers but the Turkish Emperour not comming in person the Gentiles did not further bind themselves than that their subjects should pay every house one Dollar with which money were to be waged 20000. horse and foot the halfe of which never appeared in field there being not at any time in armes under the three Generals of Teufeubach in upper Hungarland of Palfeis upon the border of Danubius and of Zerius in nether Hungarland above nine thousand men And at the battell of Keresture in 96. where were assembled the greatest forces that could bee made by the three Confederates Germany Hungary and Transilvania the Combatants amounted not to above 51000. viz. out of Hungarland arrived six thousand horse and 10000. foot out of Transilvania six thousand horse and 12000. foot out of Germany nine thousand five hundred horse and seven thousand foot The Germans were so well appointed horse and foot as for quantity of Armes and goodnesse of horse nothing could be better devised Of the foot the third part were Pikes armed compleat the rest were shot whereof three parts were Muskets the Horsemen were allarmed many of whose Curases were Musket-proofe some of them carried five Pistols most foure all two That which was indeed a want amongst them was that three parts were Servants according to the German custome many of whom tooke pay for eight Horses The Hungarish and Transilvanian foot were all naked part of whom carried Fire-lockes of two foot and the residue Pikes of nine foot long either Armes of small or no use either in offence or defence whether in Forts Streights or Campania The Horse-men carried hollow Launces of twelve foot long which they brake by the helpe of a leather thong fastened to their saddles for the rest they were armed according to their meanes the rich with Curaâ—es the meane with Shirts the poore with Sleeves of Male and all with Caskes which kind of arming as it maketh them much defective in proofe so are they of lesse worth for their horses which for their manner of riding bridles and saddâ—â—s are more forceable to doe execution upon victory to make excursions and to discover than they be either to give or to sustaine a charge Their forces by Water or to speake more properly the Emperours were much impaired by the losse of
for State and not only did put his owne person into many and hazardous attempts but also did leave his life in one of them which was at the siege of Sigeth yet did he suffer his Sonne Selim to lie shamefully rioting and consuming himselfe at Court. By which custome once taken he never after his fathers time would abandon the City but managed all his affaires abroad by his Captaines and Ministers The selfe-same course held Amurath also Selims sonne Mahomet indeed his son hath not wanted to shew both spirit and valour enough by his personall going into Hungarie and forcing of Agria But for all that whether through the indisposition of their own persons or through the over-deepe rooting of disorders growne in the Empire he was neither able to recover the old reputation of his predecessors nor to reforme the lost discipline of his souldiers Besides since those times men are now weighed by the abundance of their fortunes not of their vertues who buying their greatnesse of the Prince like Merchants must make their profit of the people which violent humor in the great Ones hath bred disobedience in the inferiours So that the Princes commandement is no more esteemed in any remote part than it fitteth with the profit of him to whom it commeth From hence have budded all these so great inconveniences For the Ianizars lying idle and having nothing to doe are swollen unto such insolence that they make every thing lawfull for them as it were by prescription nor forbearing to sacke and pillage the naturall Townes of the State in stead of the enemies yea falling into further fury and insurrection they were these few yeares passed the causes that Amurath was forced at their instance to behead his best beloved Bassa Hebraim In which mutinie they also fired above five thousand houses in Constantinople And even the last day almost at the importunate request of the Spahi he was saine to behead his Capi Aga who was the greatest personage for counsell and the most deare Servitor he had in Court Albeit indeed his death was afterward reasonably well revenged with the heads of three of the principall of the said seditious Spahi And of late yeares they proceeded to such an height of insolencie as to murther their Emperour himselfe because hee had a purpose to change their Militia to correct the lazinesse and cowardise of those Ianizars and to prove a Prince of activity And forasmuch as through the want of exercise of Armes and imployment of the Ianizars their valour also is much abated For contrary to their first institution the Ianizars are now married have families and trades in Constantinople from which profit pleasure the Emperors will scarce ever againe be able to draw then to any hazardous long or forren expedition they will mutiny and fire the Towne rather for recompence of such defaults they have beene saine to increase their number from twelve to twenty and nine thousand Which number also being not able to bee made up of Christian children and the Azamoglam of Europe they have beene fame to supply it with Asians and Mahumetans contrary to the first and ancient ordinance of the Ianizars Neither are lesse the inconveniences and mischiefes that doe arise from prolonging of warres whereas by contrary usages the Ottomans were wont to reape two notable benefits One was that by leading a full force into the field whether they wanne any Towne or had the better of a field they evermore in the same instant oppressed their adversaries and againe on the other side by making speedy and short warres they gave respit and leasure unto the subjects of those parts where their Armies lay to repaire themselves againe unto which subjects otherwise the neerenesse of the Ottoman Campe doth bring unrecoverable dammage for it is observed that the Ottoman Prince never doth conquer so much of the enemies Country but that he destroyeth more of his owne Nor can they otherwise chuse having no peaceable or orderly way of provision but for want of necessaries they must make prey of all they can come by And the reason is that because the vast extent of that Empire and the distance of the frontier parts from the head they are faine to march more upon their owne ground than upon other mens And they passe it not once but twice first in setting forth and againe in the retreit Whereby the people and especially the husbandmen being pilled and spoiled of their substance are consequently constrained to forsake their tenures and to leave their land unmanured Another benefit which they received by making great but short warres was that thereby they kept their owne souldiers in continuall practice and exercise of warre without giving their enemie so much breath as to doe the like For as soone as any one exploit was ended their order was suddenly to bring the adversary asleepe by negotiating of some truce or peace that done as suddenly they transferred the warre upon another part and enemie never giving time to their owne to lay downe or to their neighbours to take up their weapons With these practices they tooke from the Venetian Cyprus and making peace with them they presently transferred the warre into Africke where they surprized Goletta and Tunis and that warre being finished Amurath himselfe without intermission put himselfe into the expedition of Persia. And this course is indeed in it selfe of so great consideration that Lycurgus amongst the three Lawes only which he left to the Spartan Common-wealth left this for one first that they should use no written Lawes secondly that they should admit of no other architecture but of such as might be performed with an Axe and a Saw and lastly that they should never fight twice together with one enemie In this point Philip the second amongst many other errours committed the greatest over-sight in protracting the wars so many years in the Low-Countries For by meanes thereof the people of Holland and Zeland who in former times had little or no experience in the warres became one of the most warlike and souldier-like Nations of Europe So Amurath contrary to the custome of all his predecessors made warre in Persia that lasted twenty two yeares or more And albeit he tooke from the Persian at that time a good peece of his State yet doe I not thinke but that the losse thereby received did more than counterpoise the gaine not so much by fight and fortune of the field as by length and tediousnesse of the journies wherein partly through want and distresse of victuall with other sinister accidents arising from the quality of those Countries hee lost the flower and vigour of all his forces namely above two hundred thousand horse and five hundred thousand men leaving the Country besides so naked of Inhabitants so poore and ruinous that in one Province alone Armenia Osman Basha was forced to destroy and set fire on above two hundred thousand houses Moreover by occasion of so long a warre not onely the
and consequence For the River Vistula arising in the extremest bounds of Silesia watereth all Poland the lesse and part of the Greater Mazovia and Prussia and then it falleth into the Baltike Sea below Danske whither it transporteth the greatest quantity of Rye Corne Honey and Wax of the whole Kingdome a journy of foure hundred miles From another coast the most famous River Duina arising out of the Lake Ruthenigo and parting Livonia into equall portions falleth into the Sea about Riga a City of great concourse There are in Prussia and Livonia many Lakes amongst which one is called the New-Sea 100 miles long in Livonia is a Lake called Beybas more than 400. miles long from thence spring the Rivers which running by Pernovia and Narâ—e make two notable Havens for traffike Betweene these two Cities stands Rivalia giving place to neither in beauty Samogithia is more rude and barbarous than the other Provinces and Podalia more barren which is not to be attributed to the nature of the soile for it is plentifull of those Commodities which the climate under which it lieth can afford but to the cruelty of the Tartars which so vex it with continuall inrodes that the Inhabitants are driven either to flie for feare or to bee led away captives by these barbarous people The riches of Poland are the abundance of Corne and all sorts of graine which grow there in such plentifull sort that in it selfe it never suffered want but evermore as in the yeare 1590. and 1591 it releeved not onely the bordering Nations oppressed with famine and scarcity but also yeelded some portion of releese to the wants of Genoa Tuscanie and Rome It floweth with Honey and Wax And whereas in all these Northerly Nations of Poland Lituania Russia Muscovia there are no Wines growing in stead thereof Nature hath bestowed upon them incredible quantities of Honey whereof these people doe brew an excellent kinde of Beverage The Bees make Honey either in Woods where they finde the trees made hollow by rottennesse or mans industry or in Hives set in open field by the Country people or in holes of the earth or in any place where they can finde never so small a liking It aboundeth with Flax Hempe with Sheepe with Cattell tell and with Horses Amongst the beasts of the wood are sound wilde Oxen wilde Horses and the Buste which cannot live out of the Wood of Nazovia The riches of the land consist in the Salt-pits of Bozena and Velisca in the territory of Cracovia The Revenues of the Kingdome for the most part are equally divided between the Noblemen he Gentlemen for no man is left so rich by inheritance that hee may exceed others above measure and the greatest Revenue of all exceedeth not five and twenty thousand Ducats Onely the Dukes of Curland and Regimount exceed this meane For although they are feodaries of the Kingdome and acknowledge the King as their superiour yet are they not as lively members of the State they come not to the Diets of the Kingdome they have not their voices in the election of the Prince neither are they accounted as naturall Lords of the Kingdome but for strangers as in truth they are the Duke of Curland being of the house of Ketlert and the Duke of Regimount of the family of Brandenburge All Prussia did belong to the Dutch Knights who had their Great Master resident there but he not being able to withstand the force of the Polonians yeelded himselfe feodarie to King Casimere Afterwards when Albert of Brandenburge their Great Master became a Protestant hee was created Duke of Prussia and the Country was divided into two parts the one regall mediately holden of the Crowne the other Ducall allotted to Albert and his successors to hold by fealty In the Kings parâ—ition stand Marieburge Torovia Culma Varnia and Daâ—â—keâ— in the Duchie which yeelded an hundred and twenty thousand Ducats yearely the chiefe Towne is Regimount the Germans call it Conningsburgh and there the Duke keepeth his Court. The Government of Polonia is altogether elective and representeth rather an Aristocracie than a Kingdome the Nobility who have great authority in the Diets chusing the King and at their pleasure limiting him his authority and making his soveraignty but a slavish royalty These diminutions of Regality beganne first by default of King Lewis and Iagello who to gaine the succession in the Kingdome contrary to the Lawes one for his daughter and the other for his sonne departed with many of his Royalties and Prerogatives to buy the voyces of the Nobility Whereupon by degrees the King of Poland as Stanislaus Orichovius confesses is little more than the Mouth of the Kingdome which speakes not but what his Councell prompts him The great Officer whom they call the President of their liberty and Guardian of it is still joyned with the King as it were to Tutor him and to moderate his desires The power royall there is no more but what King Sigismund assumed in full Parliament at Petricovia Anno 1548. which was to conclude nothing but by advice of his Councell To give instances of the power of these great Counsellours they made void the testament of King Casimire forbade King Iagello to warre upon the Knights Hospitalers unto whom in his expedition into Lituania they adjoyned the Bishop of Cracovia limiting their King to doe nothing but with his approbation Casimire the third had foure Commissioners joyned with him Without their leaves the King cannot chuse his owne wife for which reason King Iagello was by them perpetually perplexed Appeales the supreme marke of Soveraignty are not made to the King but to the States King Alexander Anno 1504. was faine to remit the disposing of the publike treasure unto the Lord Treasurer to which Officer Iagello Anno 1422. could not but grant the royalty of coining monies also Well therefore as Cromerus reporteth might Queene Christina complaine That her Husband was but the shadow of a Soveraigne They have neither law nor statute nor forme of government written but by custome from the death of one Prince to the election of another the supreme authority resteth in the Archbishop of Gesna who is President of the Councell appointeth the Diets ruleth the Senate and proclaimeth the new elected King Before King Stephen erected new Bishops Palatines and Castellanes in Livonia few other besides the Archbishop of Leopolis and his thirteene Suffragans eight and twenty Palatines and thirty of the chiefest Castellanes were present at the election of the new King They hold an assembly of the States every yeare for two causes the one to administer Justice in Soveraigne causes unto which are brought appeales from all the Judges of the Country the other to provide for the safety of the Common-weale against their next Enemies the Tartars who make often incursions upon them In the time of their Diets these men assemble in a place neere unto the Senate-house where they chuse two Marshals by whom
Moscovie will suffer any of their subjects to travell out of their Dominions nor any stranger to enter in unlesse he come as an Ambassadour neither in this case is it lawfull for him to converse freely or to range at pleasure They live under divers Princes the principall whereof are those that weare greene on their Turbants These as aforesaid inhabit Shamercand and are at continuall enmity with the Persians Next are those of Bochan Mahumetans then those of Mogor of whom you shall heare hereafter and lastly those of Kataia whereof wee now intreat Never was there any Nation upon the face of the earth that enjoyed a larger Empery than they doe or have undertaken haughtier exploits and I would that they had had some who might have recommended by writing their doings to the World M. Paul Venetus writeth that this people once inhabited Ciurga and Barge Provinces situated upon the Scythicke Ocean without Citie Castle or House wandering like the Arabians from place to place according to the season of the yeare They as before acknowledged Un-cham whom some interpret Prester Iohn for their Soveraigne Lord to whom they gave the tenth of their cartell In processe of time they multiplied to such numbers and Un-cham being jealous of their neighbour-hood began to lessen their numbers and forces by sending them now hither now thither upon most long and desperate voyages as occasion offered Which when they perceived they assembled themselves resolving to leave their naturall soile and to remove so farre from the borders of Vn-cham that never after hee should have cause to suspect them this they performed After certaine yeares they elected amongst them a King called Changis to whom for the greatnesse of his glory and victories they added the Sir-name and Great This Changis departing from his owne Territories in the yeare of our Lord 1162. with a most fearefull Armie subdued partly by force and partly by the terrour of his name nine Provinces At last being denied the daughter of Un-cham in mariage he made warre upon him and overcomming him in battell cast him out of his Kingdome After the death of Changis his successours afflicted Europe In the yeare 1212. they drove the Polesochi from the bankes of the Euxine Sea In the yeare 1228. they spoiled Russia In the yeare 1241. they razed Kiovia the chiefe Citie of the Rutheni and Batu their Captaine wasted Polonia Silesia Moravia and Hungarie Innocent the fourth amazed with the tempest of these invasions in the yeare 1242. sent certaine Friers of the orders of Dominicke and Francis to the Court of this Great Cham to intreat a peace for Christendome The circuit of this Empire in the times above spoken of stretched from the uttermost bounds of Asia to Armenia and from Bengala to Volga yea their incursions pierced to Nilus and Danubius The Macedonian and Roman Empires were never so large But because they were rather Runnagates than men of warre wanting politicke government and military discipline sometime ruling one Province sometime another they rather wrought spoile and terrour to the conquered Nations than feare of bondage or subjection and at last seated themselves beyond the Mountaine Caucasus After it became divided into many Principalities yet so that the Title and Majestie of the Empire remained alwayes to the Cham who as wee said before tooke the originall of this name from the Great Changis The Region for the most part is very populous full of Townes rich and civill which you may the rather beleeve first for that the Tartars choosing this for their Countrey beautified it with the spoiles of Asia China and that part of Europe which they harried and were never wonne or taken from thence againe to this day next for that the Provinces are most commodiously situated for Trafficke and Negotiation partly by reason of their admirable Plaines and huge Lakes Amongst which are Cazaia whose waters are salt Guian Dangu Xandu and Catacora and partly by reason of their large Rivers which with a long course doe run by the Provinces of Curato Polisango Zaiton and Mecon Paulus Venetus calleth it Quion A great helpe hereunto likewise is the variety of fruits and the abundance of Graine Rice Wooll Silke Hempe Rhubarbe Muske and excellent fine Chamlets Paul writeth that it affordeth Ginger Cinamon and Cloves which I can hardly beleeve In many Rivers are found graines of gold Their coine is not all of one value In Kataia a coine is currant made of the blacke rinde of a certaine tree growing betweene the body and the barke this rinde being smoothed rounded and tempered with a gummie substance is stamped with the Image of the Great Cham. In the Kingdoms of Caâ—acan and Carazan certaine sea-fish shels are currant which some men terme Porcelline This kinde of money is frequent in many places of India and Aethiope By this meanes the Princes get to themselves all the Gold and Silver of the Provinces which they cause to be molten and laid up in most safe places without ever taking any thing from thence againe In like sort Prestâ—r Iohn is thought to be Lord of inestimable Treasure while he maketh graines of Salt and Pepper to passe for currant Coine amongst his subjects They brew an excellent beverage of Rice and Spice which sooner procureth drunkennesse than Wine As the Arabians so they delight in sowre milke or Cosmus a kinde of churned sowre Mares-milke very forcible to turne the braine His force consisteth first as we told you in situation in spacious Territorie in goodly Cities in plenty of provision and in rich Revenues for amongst other things hee taketh the tenths of Wooll Silke Hempe Graine Cattell and is absolute Lord of all but the chiefe sinews of his State consisteth in his armed troopes These live alway in the field 4. or 5. miles remote from the Cities Over and above their Salarie they are allowed to make profit of their Cattell Milke and Wooll When he goeth to warre according to the custome of the Romans hee mustreth part of the Souldiery which lyeth dispersed thorow the Provinces For the most part all the Nations of the Tartars except the Varcheni who are not subject to the Great Cham fight on horseback Their Weapons are the Bow and Arrow with which they fight very desperately They are very swift their Tents are made of woven Wooll under which they keepe in foule weather Their chiefest meat is milke dried in the Sunne after the Butter is squeezed out yea the bloud of their horses if famine enforce them They fight not pell-mell with their enemies but sometime on the front sometime on the flanke after the Parthian manner overwhelming them as it were with a showre of arrowes Whosoever carrieth himselfe valiantly standeth assured of reward and is graced with honour immunities and gifts Twelve thousand horsemen are appointed for the guard of this Prince and it is said that of this kinde of force he is able to levie a greater power than any other
it is well knowne but at this day it is Turkish and without any famous Cities save in a peece of Albania In it is nothing memorable but the Mount Athos or the holy Mount It is 75. miles in compasse three dayes journey long and halfe a dayes journey broad resembling the shape of a man lying with his face upward whose highest Cone alwayes covered with snow is seene thirtie miles off at Sea It is exceeding fertile in Grasse Fruit Oyle and Wine Long agoe it was dedicated in honour of Saint Basile to the Greeke Caloieri and endowed with privileges which at this day it enjoyeth by the Turkes good favour that is to say that no man neither Grecian nor Turke may inhabit in this place except he be a Priest So that their number in these dayes are about six thousand dispersed into twentie and foure Monasteries ancient and warlike so built for feare of theeves and pyrats although there be no such great cause In these Monasteries are many relickes which cause great concourse of people and they are stately built and richly adorned This hill is in as great request with the Grecians for their sanctimonious strictnesse of life as is Rome with the Latines yea the Turks themselves doe send hither many bountifull almes None of them live idly but must doe somewhat and so doe daily for the oeconomike of the house as to dresse Vines fell Timber yea to build ships and such like mechanicall labours They are poorely clad like Hermits neither weare they shirts of Linnen but Woollen and them they spin and sow themselves never giving themselves to studie and that more is many of them can neither write nor read And yet notwithstanding if any man have occasion to journey by their houses he shall if he please finde viands scot-free according to his calling Epyre now Albania was once a very famous Province as witnesseth P. Aemilius It had in it seventie Cities now destroyed and turned into ruines or Villages meanly inhabited For the most part it is woodie and barren but neere the sea fertile and adorned with very beautifull havens Achaia is a very goodly Region as may be gathered by the goodly Cities which therein once flourished viz. Delphos Thebes Athens Megara many moe now destroyed So is Peloponnesus termed by Plinie the bulwarke of Greece It yeeldeth all things that man can desire either for life or pleasure And although the ancient Cities be now defaced yet is it for quantitie the best peopled part of Greece It is now under the Turke and counted the best Sangiak-ship in Turkie as bound to bring at the commandment of the Beglerbeg of Greece one thousand horsemen under his owne pay It is worth yearely fourteene Ducats The Ilands adjoyning unto these large continents I will not discourse of for as they are diverse in worth and estimation so are they many in number and for the most part not worthy relation Dalmatia is at this day divided into Sclavonia Dalmatia and Albania Sclavonia lieth upon the West Albania upon the East and in the middle Dalmatia In all fertilitie it is as good as Italy Of a Countrie first wasted by Caesar Augustus secondly by the Gothes thirdly by the Turkes and at this day shared amongst three such Lords as are the Venetians the Turke and the Emperour it may be said to be reasonable well inhabited And so it is having many fine Cities in it as Iadera Ragusa c. Howbeit that part which is subject to the Turke lieth almost desart by reason of their continuall inrodes Bossina or Maesia superior is also a parcell of Illyria and erected into a Turkish Beglerbeg-ship having under it nine Sangiaks Servia now Rascia lieth between Bosnia and Bulgaria it was taken by the Turke 1438. and reduced into a Sangiak-ship under the Beglerbeg of Buda Bulgaria which some take for the lower Maesia is so famous a Province that the Turkish Emperour hath erected it for the cheife Seat of the Beglerbeg of Europe under whose command are twentie and one Sangiaks Valachia containeth the two Provinces of Moldavia and Transalpina Valachia is a plaine and fertile Countrey smally inhabited and destitute of fire-wood but stored with excellent Horse Cattell and Mines of Gold and Silver if the people durst dig them for feare of the Turkes It is 500. miles long and 120. broad It hath one Archbishop and two Bishops and is more populous than Moldavia They speake both one language being almost halfe Italian This Countrey and Moldavia are plagued with three bad neighbours viz. the Turkes the Tartars and the Cassoks They follow the Greeke Church and in matters of Religion obey the Patriarch of Constantinople They are the same which in ancient times were called Daci The Turks have often attempted with their mightiest powers to have made a small conquest of these Provinces but they have hitherto bin valiantly resisted and repulsed partly by the Natives and partly by the Polonians Transylvanians and the Cassoks in dislike of each others bad neighbourhood Yet is it tributarie to the Grand Seignior and payeth him yearely twentie foure thousand Chechini Moldavia being in a manner round is almost 300. English miles over every way It hath two Archbishopricks and two Bishopricks and is exceeding fertile in Corne Wine Grasse and Wood. It affordeth great plentie of Beefe and Mutton and therwith feedeth Polonia a great part of Germanie the populous citie of Constantinople A great fat Oxe in this Country is valued but at thirtie shillings a Sheepe at three shillings The tenth whereof which of duty is yearely payed to the Prince amounteth to 150000. The Clergie and Gentrie for they alwayes can make best shift for themselves contribute no parcell hereof It hath a small River passing thorow the Country and falleth into Danubius neere unto Gallatz called Pruta the water whereof as also of Danubius is unwholsome to drinke for it causeth the body to swell In 1609. certaine English Gentlemen travelling 240. miles in this Country could meet but with nine Towns and Villages in all the way and yet for above a hundred miles space together the Grasse groweth at least one yard high and rotteth every yeare upon the ground for want of Cattell and manurance On the East it hath the black Sea on the West Podalia on the North the Tartars and on the South the Danubie and the Country of Bulgaria It payeth yearely unto the Great Turke by way of Tribute 3200. Chechini besides one thousand horses sent yearely unto Constantinople for a present from both these Princes of Moldavia and Valachia It also payeth tribute to the Polander but how much I cannot shew you Therin dwell many Armenians Iewes Hungarians Saxons and Ragusians who forestall the whole traffick in those parts bartering their Corne and Wine into Russia and Polonia and their Skins Wax Hony powdered Beefe Butter and Pulse into Constantinople The Malmesey likewise which is
the mountaines but Amazar detesting the tyranny of his Lord conveied the children to his owne house and brought them up like Gentlemen amongst his owne sonnes and falling sicke of a deadly disease forecasting what might happen after his decease gave them horses and money willing them to flie and to betake themselves to their mothers house and tuition Ismael the eldest was no sooner returned to his mothers place but he vowed revenge for his fathers death and after some fortunate expeditions tooke upon him the cause and protection of the followers of Halie from whom hee derived his pedegree Hee made the Turbant higher and sent Ambassadours to all the Orientall Mahumetans to exhort them to unity in Religion and Cognisances By these meanes and fortune of his armes he became a terror to the East and slew Ossan then Usurper of the Persian State with his ten brethren except Marabeg who saved himselfe and sled to Soliman first Emperour of the Turkes imploring his aid This Ismael at the Lake Vay overthrew with a great slaughter the Prince of the Tartars Zagatai and in heat of his victory had passed the River Abbian if his Astrologian in whom he greatly trusted had not foretold him that his passage should bee prosperous but his returne unfortunate Hee left to his sonnes a most spacious Empire bounded with the Caspian Sea the Persian Gulfe the Lake Sioc the Rivers Tygris and Oxus and the Kingdome of Cambaia which Provinces containe more than twenty degrees from East to West and eighteene from North to South And although these Kingdomes lying within these bounds held not immediatly of the Crowne of Persia yet all acknowledge the Persian for their soveraigne Prince that is to say the Kings of Matam Patan Guadel and Ormus Georgia and Mengrellia being Christian Countries according to the superstition of the Greeke Church submitted to certaine conditions as toleration of Religion payment of Tribute and disclaiming to assist the Turke against them and so obtained a kind of peace and protection untill againe the Persians declined by the fortunes of the Ottomans The like course ranne Media now called Servan Dierbechia once Mesopotamia Cusistan the inhabitation of the Susiani Farsistan the Country of the Persians Strava once Hircania Parthia at this day called Arac Caramanie now Sigestan Carassa Sablestan and Istigiu whose ancient names were Drangia Bactria Parapamisus Margiana Of these Regions those which lie neerest to the Persian Sea are most plentifull by reason of the Rivers every where dispersed thorow the whole Land Amongst these Rivers the most famous is Bindimir to whose waters the Inhabitants are much beholding conveying it by trenches and other inventions into their grounds to their great ease and commodity The Provinces lying upon the Caspian Sea for their Rivers and temperature doe likewise participate of the said fertility especially all those quarters which are watered with the River Puly-Malon falling into the Lake Burgian the residue of the Province is dry by reason whereof Townes and Villages are seldome seene in those places unlesse it be by some springs or waters side The most ample and magnificent Cities of Persia are Istigias the chiefe seat of Bactria thought to be one of the pleasantest Cities of the East Indion the chiefe City of Margiana situated in so fat and fertile a territory that therefore Antiochus Soler caused it to be walled about Candahar the chiefe seat of Pamaparisus famous for the trafficke of Indiae and Cathaia whither the Merchants of those Countries doe resort E rt the chiefe City of Aria so abounding with Roses that thereof it should seeme to take the name Barbarus saith it is of thirteene miles compasse Ispaa the chiefe seat of Parthia so spacious for the circuit thereof that the Persians hyperbolically terme it the halfe World Chirmaine is the chiefe seat of Caramania renowmed for the excellent cloth of gold and silver woven therein Eor is a noble City and so is Custra of Susiana But all these for beauty and magnificence may bow and bend to Syras seated upon the River Bindimire It was once the chiefe seat of Persia and as some thinke called Persepolis Alexander the Great burnt it to the ground at the intreatie of his Concubine but afterward being ashamed of so vile an action caused it to bee re-edified It is not at this time so great as in times past yet it is thought to bee one of the greatest Cities in all the Orient with its suburbs which are in compasse twenty miles It is a Proverbe among the Persians Quando Suars erat Siras tunc Cairus 〈◊〉 Pagus yet they account it not very ancient neither are they of their opinions who will have it the head of â—â—â—ia Tauris and Casbin are famous Cities and besides their magnificence they may glory that in them the Kings of Persia for the most part keepe their residences The forme of Government of this Nation is not like the Government of any other Mahumetan people neither is â—â— There are also many desarts and many mountaines disjoyning the Provinces farre asunder Herein it resembleth Spaine where for want of navigable Rivers except towards the Sea-coast traffike is little used and mountaines and Provinces lie unmanured for scarcity of moisture But Nature unwilling that humane life should want any easement hath so provided for mutuall commerce in these sandy and barren places that through the labour of Camels the want of Navigation is richly recompenced thorowout Persia the bordering Countries These beasts carry wondrous burdens and will longer continue than either Horse or Mule They will travell laden with a thousand pound weight and will so continue forty dayes and upward In sterile and deepe sandy Countreyes such as are Lybia Arabia and Persia they drinke but once every fifth day and if extremity enforce they will endure the want of water ten or twelve When their burdens are off a little grasse thorns or leaves of trees will suffice them There is no living thing lesse chargeable and more laborious certainly ordained of nature a fit creature for those sandy and deepe places of Asia and Africke wherein even man himselfe feeleth the want of food and water Of these there are three sorts upon the lesser men travell the middle sort have bunches on their backs fit for carrying of Merchandize the greater and stronger are those which carry burdens of one thousand pound weight these are their ships the sands their Seas What numbers of horsemen this King is able to levie was manifested in the warres betweene Selim the first and Ismael betweene Ismael and Soliman and betweene Codabanda and Amurath Not one of them brought above thirty thousand horse into the field but so throughly furnished that they had little cause to feare greater numbers The richer and abler sort arme themselves after the manner of our men at Armes the residue being better than the third part of their Cavalry content themselves with a Scull a Jack and
yeares he died in the height of his prosperity leaving his sonne Mamudza behinde him whom the King graced with his fathers regencie upon condition to pay him a yearely tribute which payment the young man neither regarded nor she wed himselfe loyall to his Soveraigne in many things It happened that Sanosaradin dying in the warre which he made against Persia left behinde him a sonne of so abject and base a spirit that Mamudza hereupon tooke courage to entitle himselfe King of Canora calling the Countrey Decan and the people Decainai that is illegitimate After this hee erected eighteene Captaineships and divided his dominion among them assigning to everyone his limits onely with this penalty to finde alwayes in a readinesse a certaine number of footmen and horsemen To prevent future rebellion hee chose these Captaines not out of the orders of his Nobility but from the number of his slaves Nay more than this to be assured of their loyalty he coÌ„manded that every one of them should build him a house in his royall City Bider in which their children should remaine and that once every yeare at the least they should make their appearance in his Court. But because all authority which is not as well underpropped with its proper vertues as grounded upon the affections of the people is of small continuance so happened it to this Prince for his slaves and vassals having soveraigne authority put into their hands made no more account of him than of a Cipher stripping him poore Prince without respect of reverence of all his dominions saving his chiefs Citie Bidor with the territory adjoyning For every one of a Lieutenant became an Usurper of those States which were committed to his trust the mightier alwayes oppressing the weaker so that all in the end became a prey to a feâ— Two of them are famous at this day the one stretching his dominion to the borders of Cambaia the other to the skirâ—s of Narsynga the first called by the Portugals Nissamalucco the other Idalcan either of them being so puissant that in the yeare 1571. Idalcan beleagâ—ed God with an Army of five and thirty thousand Horse threescore thousand Elephants and two hundred and fifty peeces of Ordnance Nissamalucco besieged Chaul with lesse forces but better fortune For though he did not force it yet he brought into a hard-pinch with the slaughter of twelve thousand Mooreâ—s In those Countries in which Sâ—â—adorasin began hos Empire not above threescore and ten yeares agone a great Prince whom the East people call the great Mogor in the same sense as we call the great Turke laid the foundation of a mighty Empire for as the King of Bierma in our timeâ— greatly hazarded the States of Pegu and Siam and the bordering Nations even so the Mogor turned topsie turvy the Kingdomes lying on the River Ganges The received opinion is that they tooke their originall from Tartaria and that they came from the coast where the ancient Massagecae a people accounted invincible at armes did once inhabit and liuing as it were lawlesse and under no manner of government by invading of their neighbours procured unto themselves the soveraignty of spacious Kingdomes By the River Oxus they border upon the Persians and are at continuall enmity with them sometime for Religion and sometimes for enlargement of the bounds of their Empire The chiefe City is Shamarchand from whence came Tamerlan and of whose bloud these Mogor Princes doe boast that they are descended The predecessor of him who is now Prince of the Mogors was very famous in the East for in the yeare 1436. being solicited by King Mandao of the North from whom Badurius King of Cambaia had taken his Kingdome to aid him against the Cambaian he is reported to have brought with him an infinite number of souldiers which wee may conjecture out of that which Masseus writeth of the army of the said King Badurius to wit that this King had under his Standard one hundred and fifty thousand horse whereof five and thirty thousand were barbed The number of footmen was five hundred thousand Amongst these were fifteene thousand forren souldiers and fourescore Christians French and Portugals At which by what meanes or by what way they should come thither I doe not a little wonder Their Galleon which they called Dobriga suffered Ship-wracke in the Chanell of Cambaia I know that if these preparations and provisions for war be compared with our forces of Christendome they will hardly be taken for true but we have already declared the causes why the Princes of the East and South may gather greater Armies than wee can and consequently that those things which are spoken of their incredible store and wonderfull provision of furniture may be answerable to their levies and proportions And as they are able to levie millions of men for arming and for feeding them they take no great care so likewise doe the Provinces afford great plenty of provision and an inestimable multitude of their usuall warlike Engines for they carry nothing with them save that which is necessary and needfull for service Wines Cates and such like which cannot but with great expence labour and trouble be carried along with Armies are by these men wholly omitted and utterly rejected All their thoughts tend to warlike provision as to get Brasse Iron Steele and Tinne to forge Pieces and cast great Ordnance Iron and Lead to make Bullets Iron and Steele to temper Cemiters Oxen and Elephants to draw their Artillery Graine to nourish their bodies Metals to arme them and Treasure to conserve them They are all tyrants and to preserve their estate and induce submissive awednesse they hold hard hands over the commonalty committing all government into the hands of slaves and souldiers And to make these men faithfull and loyall they ordaine them Lords of all things committing unto their trust Townes Castles and expeditions of great weight but the expectation of the Prince is often deceived by the rebellion of these vassals for sometimes they usurpe whole Provinces and impose upon the people all kinde of injuries But let good Princes thinke it as necessary to build their safety on the love of their subjects as upon the force of their souldiers Feare admitteth no securitie much lesse perpetuity and therefore these tyrants expecting no surety at the hands of their subjects trust wholly upon their men of warre flattering them with promise of liberty and bestowing upon them the goods of their subjects as rewards of their service So with vs the Turke strengtheneth his State with Ianizars and as he coveteth to be beloved and favoured of them to that end bestowing upon them the riches and honours of the Empire so they acknowledge no other Lord and master I may very well say father and protector And so many of the Malabor Princes using accounting the Commons but as beasts lay all their hopes and fortunes on the Naiors the Kings of Ormus Cambaia Decan and Achan lay all upon the
their libertie of Trafficke carrying so heavie a hand toward them that they would faine give them occasion to leave Macao of their owne wâ—ls and retire backe into India from whence they came The Kingdome of Siam VPon the borders of China to speake nothing of Cauchinchina because wee know nothing worth relation of that Territory joyneth the Countrey of Siam accounted one of the greatest amongst these great Kingdomes of Asia It tooke its name of the Citie Siam situated upon the entrance of the River Menon it is also called Gorneo It reacheth by Fast and West from the Citie Campaa to the Citie of Tavaâ— in which tract by the Sea-coast are contained five hundred leagues whereof the Arabians once usurped two hundred with the Cities of Patan Paam Ior Perca and Malaco now in the possession of the Portugals From the South toward the North it reacheth from Sincapura situate in degrees to the people called Guconi in nine and twentie degrees The Lake Chimai is distant from the Sea six hundred miles the upland circuit stretcheth from the borders of Cauchinchina beyond the River Avan where lieth the Kingdome of Chencra Besides the Lake of Chimai the Rivers Menon Menam Caipumo and Ana which cause greater fertilitie of Graine thorow the whole Region than a man would beleeve are all his The better part of his Kingdome is environed with the Mountaines Ana Brema and Iangoma the residue is plaine like Aegypt abounding with Elephants Horse Pepper Gold and Tinne In the West part are huge Woods and therein are many Tygers Lions Ounces and Serpents It containeth these Provinces Cambaia Siam Muantai Bremo Caipumo and Chencra The Inhabitants of Lai which border upon the North of the Provinces of Muantai and Caipumo and are divided into three Principalities are under his obeysance The first is that of Iangoma The second of Currai The third Lanea neere Cauchinchina They inhabit a plaine and wealthie Countrey into which the Gueoni Marke Paul calleth their Countrey Gangigu descending from the Mountains to hunt for men make oftentimes cruell butcheries amongst them The people of Lai for feare of those Anthropophagi acknowledge the soveraigntie of Siam but they often rebell and obey as they list The wealth of the Countrey may be conjectured by the fertilitie for being situated in a Plaine and watered with most famous Rivers like another Aegypt it cannot but abound with plentie of all good things It bringeth forth Rice graine of all sorts Horses Elephants infinite store of Cattell Gold and Tinne Silver is brought thither by the people of Lai By reason of this plentie the people are drowned in pleasure and wantonnesse They follow husbandrie but take no great delight in manuall occupations which causeth the Kingdome to be poore in merchandize Amongst many other Cities three are famous Cambaia seated upon the River Menon which rising in Chinae is so hugely augmented by the falling in of many Rivers that his owne Channell not sufficing for receit thereof it rendeth the earth to disgorge it selfe into a thousand Islands making a second Meoâ—is more than threescore miles long Meican signifieth the Captaine Menon the mother of waters The second is the Citie of Siam whose statelinesse giveth the name to the whole Countrey It is a most goodly Citie and of admirable Trafficke which may the better bee imagined by the writing of a certaine Jesuite who reporteth that besides the naturall Inhabitants there are more than thirtie thousand Arabian housholds The third Citie is called Vdia greater than Siam consisting of foure hundred thousand families It is said that two hundred thousand Boats belong to this Citie and the River Caipumo whereon it is seated This King to shew his majestie and magnificence keepeth a Guard of six thousand Souldiers and two hundred Elephants of these beasts he hath thirtie thousand whereof hee traineth three thousand for the Warre This is a very great matter if you weigh their worth and their charges in keeping His Government is rather tyrannicall than King-like for he is absolute Lord over all the demeanes of the Kingdome and either setteth them out to husbandmen or giveth them to his Nobles for maintenance during life and pleasure but never passeth the right of inheritance Hee bestoweth on them likewise Townes and Villages with their Territories but on condition to maintaine a certaine number of horsemen footmen and Elephants By this policie without any peny pay or burthen to the Countrey he is able to levie twentie thousand horsemen and two hundred and fiftie thousand footmen Upon occasion he can wage a greater number by reason of the largenesse of his Kingdomes and the populousnesse of his Townes For Vdia only the chiefe seat of his Kingdome mustered fiftie thousand men And although he be Lord of nine Kingdomes yet useth he no other Nation in the Warre but the Siamits and the Inhabitants of the two Kingdomes of Vdia and Muantai All honours and preferments are bestowed upon men of service in this Kingdome In times of peace they have their warlike exercises and in certaine pastimes which the King once a yeare exhibiteth at Vdia are shewed all military feats of armes upon the River Menon where more than three thousand vessels which they terme Paraos divided into two squadrons skirmish one against another Upon the land run the Horses and Elephants and the footmen trie it out at sword and buckler with point and edge rebated the remainder of their dayes they spend in not and wantonnesse Their borders toward the East reach to Cauchinchina betweene whom are such huge Woods Lions Tygers Leopards Serpents and Elephants that they cannot infest one another by armes Toward the Lake China they border upon the Chinois Toward the Sea they affront the Arabians and Portugals The one tooke from them Paiam Paam Ior and Peam the other Malaca and the Territory adjoyning so betweene them they bereaved him of two hundred miles of land and contenting themselves with the command of the Sea-coasts and with the customes arising upon the carrying out and bringing in of merchandize they abstaine from further invasion of the Inland Provinces and hold it good policie to keepe firme peace with this King and his Countries Towards the West lieth the Kingdome of Pegu like a halfe Moone betweene the Mountaines of Brama and Iangoma Towards the North lie the Gudoni inhabiting the barren and sharpe Mountaines betweene whom and Siam dwell the people of Lay. This people is subject to the crowne of Siam for feare of these Canibals of whom if it had not beene for his protection they had long agoe beene utterly devoured Not forty yeares since the King made a journey against them with twenty thousand horse their horse are small but excellent good in travell five and twentie thousand footmen and ten thousand Elephants part imployed for service and part for carriage No kingdome hath greater store of these beasts or doth more use them An innumerable number of Oxen Buffals