THE TRAGICALL LIFE AND DEATH OF MVLEY ABDALA MELEK the late King of Barbarie With A PROPOSITION OR PETITION TO ALL Christian Princes annexed therevnto VVritten by a Gentleman imployed into those parts Printed at Delph ANNO 1633. TO THE MOST ILLVSTRIOVS AND HOPEFVLL young Prince CHARLES Prince Elector Palatine of the Rhyne c. MOST ILLVSTRIOVS PRINCE The great respect I receiued from your Highnes at Leyden two severall times after my comming out of Barbarie and the great desire your Highnes expressed as becometh Princes to vnderstand and be informed in foraigne afaires and the State of other countries hath encouraged me hauing novv againe been imployed into that countrie to present to your Highnes for a Nevv-years-gift this short relation of the life death of the late King Muley Abdala Melek as vvas related to me by vvaie of discourse onlie at seuerall times by those vvho for the most part vvere eye-vvitnesses Oculati testes VVhich also may serue your Highnes for matter of discourse and further information likewise to discerne betwixt a blessed Christian gouernment vvhereunto God hath ordained you and a cruell tyrannous Mahometan gouernment as is the Turkish vnder vvhich those miserable mis-belieuers yea and manie Christians likevvise there in most miserable slauerie groane the Lord deliuer them from it And giue vs grace to make vse of it both Prince people and acknovvledge our owne happines Prince vvho commaund ouer Christian obedient and dutifull subiects and subiects vvho liue vnder so peaceable and Christian a gouernement bona si sua norit agricola free from tyrannie rebuel as and tumults vvhereunto that countrie of Barbaric hath this long time been subiect Such is the miserable state and condition of tyrannie and of tyrants euen of Kings as your Highnes may perceiue by the sodaine fearefull and miserable end of this King qualis vita sinis ita his life vvas bloodie and so it ended in blood in his owne blood And thereafter may your Highnes and all other yong Princes vvho haue so good tuitors and ouerseërs to informe them learne as that famous Buchanan tuitor to your grand Father King Iames of blessed memorie in his epistle dedicatorie before his Tragaedie called Baptistes admonisheth vvorthie to be read ouer and ouer and remembred of all yong Princes his vvords as I remember are these maturé odisse quod tibi semper est fugiendum VVhich I pray God both your Highnes and all other Princes may remember and make vse of Hoping your Highnes vvill accept of this small present out of a Barbarous countrie for vvant of a better vvhither I should haue returned for the releasse of the remainder of my poore countrymen in captiuitie vnder the new King Muley Elvvalid vpon a new treatie Hauing alreadie been a means to releasse aboue two hundreth and threescore from Sallie and threescore mee as yet remaining vnder this king at Morocco and Sallie by them taken againe vpon a late breach besides vvhat are dispersed vp and dovvne the countrie all promised by that King to be releassed vpon his treatie VVhither I say I should haue returned long before this time longed and long looked for by those poore captiues For the captiue hasteneth to be loosed c. as it is in the Prophet But vvhether I shall returne at all or those poore captiues be loosed or releassed at all is in Gods hands vvho can make their verie enemies and all those that haue caried them avvaie captiues to pitie them othervvise no hope at all And so I leaue them to Gods mercie and both them all others in like distresse both there and elsvvhere to your Highnes and all other Christian princes to commiscrate according to a proposition or petition I haue hereunto annexed highlie concerning them in honour to consider of vvhich is also in Gods hands For the hearts of Kings as Salomon saith are in Gods hands he turneth thē vvhich vvaiesoeuer he pleaseth In the meane time as my dutie is hauing been imployed in these affaires I can but sollicit and petition though vvithout effect in hope contrarie to hope hauing hitherto receiued so small encouragement but discouragements and so goe on mourning still and like to doe finis vnius mali gradus futuri One crosse after an other still readie to receiue me VVhich I must beare patientlie so commaunded so resolued To take vp the crosse of Christ and follovv him vvhither soeuer he commaundeth from one conntrie to an other from one part of the vvorld to an other and to the vvorlds end Quem statues finem Rex magne laborum And so goe on mourning still as I haue don these manie years Hoc continuis agimus annis a countinuall mourner euer since the death of prince Henry my maister novv renewed by the death of your Royall Father that renovvmed King of Svveden vvho died that verie day of the month prince Henry died the 6. of Nouember the date after the povvder plot ominous For both vvhich the vvhole church of Christ hath cause to mourne and that continuallie not onlie outvvardlie but invvardlie euerie familie a part as vvas that great mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon For that good King Iosiah continuallie continuis annis euen to posteritie to be continued I say as vvas that for these two so good Kings so sodainlie so vntimelie taken avvate To mourne I say continuallie and invvardlie for our sins vvhich are the cause of these disasters Verus luctus est occultus that is the true mourning so to condole and mourne And so let vs continue our mourning and goe on mourning still euerie familie a part euerie true Christian a part to beare a part in this so great a mourning vvith our deare mother the church that comfortles Rachel vvho vveepeth for her children and vvill not be comforted because they are not Yea let the vvhole church of Christ renevve her vveeping and mourning againe till it Echo againe not onlie the last vvords vltima verba as it is in Seneca Sed totos reddat Troiae gemitus for her children first and last taken from her one after an other because they are not Queene Elizabeth of famous memorie is not King Iames is not Prince Henry is not And the other hopefull young prince Henry your brother is not Your Royall Father the King of Bohemia is not The King of Svveden is not Hovv is the valiant man fallen that deliuered Israel Besides other vvorthies the old prince of Orange and others they are not Yea manie other poore Christian soules of late slaine massacred perished and lost both vnder the Antichristian Mahometan tyrannie they are not For vvhom the vvhole church of Christ hath cause to mourne neuer more cause neuer more seasonable VVherunto now I betake myself euen to praiers and teares the vveapons of Gods church VVhich shall be the second part And my Account hereafter mentioned the third and last If God permit and other obstacles hinder not And
his Almahalla hauing been all the daie abroad drinking as he vsed and coming riding in late at night vpon the spur as he passed by the ordnance vvhereof the English had the chardge he commaunded on the sodaine svvearing a great English oath giue fire vvhich they presentlie did they durst doe no othervvise so shot avvaie his ovvne vncle being in companie vvith him all to peeces His yongest brother yea and his ovvne yong sonne sometimes vvould he hang vp by the legs and beate them vvith his ovvne hands No merveile then if he vvere cruell to others being so vnnaturall to his owne flesh and blood Euerie daie must see blood blood shed vvere it but of a hen els not satisfied Possessed as some of the Moores haue told me manie are that he vvas vvith a she deuill frequent amongst them as it seemeth amongst the heathen in times past vvhereof a heathen philosopher writeth a set treatise of Incubus and succubus And the partie vvho told me this said that one daie going a hawking hauing other Moores vvith him one follovving a good distance in the high vvaie on a sodaine stood still and not long after they savv a smoake arise in the same place vvhereat they vvondered vvent back finding the man much amazed Asking the reason he said a vvoman met him there verie faire in good attyre vvho offered herself to be his wife he ansvvered he had one alreadie she replyed he might take an other for so the Moores may by their lavv being verie importunate vvith him at length looking dovvnevvards perceiued her clubbed feet vvhat she vvas wherevpon he vvent back and absolutly refused and therevpon she vanished in that maner in a great snuffe The man presently therevpon falling sick and so continued a good vvhile Hovv true this is I can not say but vvas reported to me verie seriously and for a certaintie But of this I am sure that the deuill can transforme himself into an Angel of light much more take vpon him the shape of a man or a vvoman as God permitteth to delude those that obey not the truth And this likevvise I knovve to be true and certaine that he is both a lyer the Father of lyes and a murderer from the beginning euer a thirst and neuer satisfied vvith blood And therefore no merveile if this tyrant vvere so possessed as before that euerie daie he must see blood els not satisfied And if euery day hovv much blood may be thought he shed in that time of his life raigne Sometimes he vvould cut of mens heads vvith his ovvne hands and vvith his ovvne sharp svvord saying those vvhom he commaunded did not cut them of vvell and at once vvhich don vvould aske one of the Englishmen if it vvere not vvell done he must say yea Muley Yea six or seauen mens heads in one day Once by euermuch drinking distempered in his bodie hauing his armes and hands benummed his Doctor persvvaded him to enter into a bath After his bathing meeting vvith one of his concubines drevv out his svvord and cut of her head to trie the strength of his arme if it vvere sound againe Also an other for going out of her bite or chamber to the next doore to one of her fellovves for the Moores are iealous euen of their vvomen and vvill not suffer them to companie together Made one man stand still vvhile he threvv stones at his face threatning if he offered to stir or moue he vvould cut of his head So likevvise abroad in the fields ofttimes vvould cause some one of his seruants to lie dovvne grovelling sit vpon him in steed of a stoole a vvhole night together drinking and the man durst not for his life stir And some to stand by him vvhole daies and nights vvithout moouing hand or foote othervvise vvould haue cut of their heads VVould cause men to be drubbed or beaten almost to death in his presence vvhich vvas but a common gentle correction fiue or six hundreth blovves at once and after they must kisse the ground giue him thanks To whom in this particular others likevvise I may paralel a great Lord in this part of the vvorld vvho hauing slaine an other in a privat duell and vpon iust occasion offered taxed by one to vvhom he had don vvrong disgracing disabling him and that in an open assemblie displacing him too and therefore had the partie reason there also to right himself and reply par pari referre and disable him likevvise for shedding of blood vvhich by the Lavv of God is murder caused the partie to be committed to prison closse prisoner at the first and there kept and fed vvith the bread of affliction till in the end he vvas forced his imprisonment and punishment both of bodie and purse besides the disgrace no sufficient satisfaction to kisse the ground that is make an humble submission and subscribe that he had offended and abused his Lordship vvith opprobrious and vnciuill language c. that is to say that the Lavv of God is an opprobrious vnciuill language vvhich saith He that smiteth an other vvith an instrument of yron that he dy is a murderer c. vvhich submission he novv vtterly disclaimeth as most blasphaemous against God his Lavv don of infirmity and by dares of imprisonment hauing no meanes at all to maintaine himself any longer in prison but there to starve praying God to forgiue him and them likevvise vvho imposed it To vvhom euen to that great God that great Lord ought rather to make submission for violating his holie Lavv as David did a King and vvas not ashamed I haue sinned c. yea and after fell to the ground and kissed the ground vvith manie teares Therefore is he a saint in heauen and Muley Abdala Melek and all such bloodie tyrants murderers vvithout repentance deuills in hell For Topheth is praepared of old euen for Kings and Lords too if they repent not For vvith God there is no respect of persons Nor vvas vvith this King Muley Abdala Melek in the cruell course of his tyrannie vvherevnto all both great and small vvere subject Yea he vvould cause some to be beaten on the soles of their feet and after make them run vp and dovvne among the stones and thornes And so also vsed some that vvere lame hurt pulling of there shooes making them run barefooted in such places or els vvould cut of their heads Did cause one of his Alkaids his chieffe falconer to be drubbed and beaten manie hundreth blovves on the buttocks as himself told me and after forced him to ride in that painfull maner after him a havvking Also the same Alkaid told me that the girth of his sadle being broken and he allighted an other Alkaid comming to help him and holding his stirrop the King called that Alkaid to him and caused him to be drubbed for holding his stirrop and not long after the like occasion falling out againe caused the same
forced and are daily taken perforce I say and circumcised yea made Eunuches and so disabled at once both from being men and Christian men othervvise most shamefullie abused by those filthy sodomites not to be vttered Quis Italia fando c. temperet a lachrymis Indignities I say maiora lachrymis don not onlie to those poore Christians but euen to Christ Iesus himself and his vvhole Church and so to be apprehended vvithout any Nationall difference vvhose members vve all are and ought to haue a fellovv-feeling of one an others miseries or els vve are no Christians at all nor vvorthy that name I say hauing been an eye-vvitnes of those great miseries and indignities don to the poore members of Iesus Christ and consequently to himselfe as a poore member of his bodie I could not but be sensible thereof And present the bodies and soules of those poore members of Christ like that Leuite in the booke of Iudges dismembred cut in peeces and quartered to the eyes likevvise of all the tribes of Israel that is to say the vvhole church of Christ both Prince and people of vvhat nation soeuer all members of that his mysticall bodie all alyke interest therein obliged like the Israelites to ioyne together as one man to right and revenge euen vvith the hazard of their liues estates these so great injuries and indignities consider of it take aduice and speake your mindes Open thy mouth for the dumme in the cause of all those that are appointed to destruction Those poore sheepe appointed for the slaughter the slaughter both of bodie soule bought vvith so deare a price vvhose blood els vvill be required required I say at the hands of all those to vvhom God hath giuen power meanes For to vvhom much is giuen of him much shall be required but vvant hearts and mindes to right and redresse it speak your mindes Consider of it noble Princes and States by your Embassadors one vvith an other both for the present hovv to relieue all those poore soules that are in miserie both vnder the Turks and Moores and hovv to prevent the miseries of others for the time to come like to be taken by their ships at sea more and more and made slaues that is to say more than miserable if not preuented VVhich a fevv good ships had Christian Princes considered of it all this time and been so minded that is to say of one minde hinc illae lachrymae might haue prevented and may yet for the time to come To youe I speak most noble Princes and States that are of one minde consider of it take aduice speak your minds And in youe to the whole church of Christ let it be a freevvill offering both of Prince and people to Christ Iesus tovvards this so Christian honourable and charitable a vvorke A seacond redemption of his poore distressed members out of the hands of those infidels verie easie to be tamed and subdued vvith no great chardges to any out of a voluntarie contribution of manie And if I vvere vvorthie to advise and this my proposition and petition to take effect this free vvill offering or contribution to be deposited in the hands of the Lords the States Generall of the vnited Prouinces and the Prince of Orange vvho haue so great store of ships and can most convenientlie manage such affaires by sea and are so noble and so honourable as no doubt they vvould advance it to the vtmost That so this sacred seruice being managed by one vndertaking State consisting of so manie vvise States-men and prudent Senators may by Gods blessing receiue better successe than those expeditions in former times frustrated by the dissention of diuers Princes vndertakers as in the Turkish history may appeare The greatnes of vvhich Monarchie novv dravveth to a period as that of Rome magnitudine laboranssua both the one and the other as I said before novv in these last daies to be finallie destroyed and the Kingdome of Iesus Christ to be erected neuer to be dâ—stroyed c. I speak not these things of my self neither doe I now come from my self but haue the holy Prophets Apostles and Disciples of my Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus for my vvarant And in his name onlie and no other euen from the King of Kings doe I novv come I magnifie my imployment more than an Embassadour and yet vvithall a petitioner to treat and entreat in the behalfe of his poore afflicted members vvho are not able buth vvith prayers and teares to treat or entreat for themselues Open thy mouth for the dumme in the cause of all those that are appointed to destruction There is my commission there is my vvarrant And I must in dutie and vvill stand vpon it it standing so highlie vpon the King my maisters honour the King of Kings expecting novv hovv I shall be receiued the successe vvhereof I refer to him And so conclude vvith prayers teares the vveapons of Gods church Quid enim nisi vota supersunt Praying God to put into the hearts of Christian princes vvith one mind to fulfill his vvil for the finall destruction both of that Antichristian this Mahometan tyrannie and the finall establishment of his aeternall Monarchie neuer to be destroyed AMEN AMEN FINIS Isa. 51. 14 Pâ— 46 The 6. Stilo 〈◊〉 in The 1â— Stilo novo Zec. 12 12. â—2 18. Isa. 51. A cast is a tribe or kinred Cus-cus a dish of meat in great request with them Gago froÌ„ whence al their gold cometh conquered by his praedecessors