together with these counterfeit letters from the Emperour the Prince with a chéerefull and vnsuspected countenance giues him his hand bids him welcome demands of the Prince his health and the newes at Court all is deliuered in faire manner and coloured ouer with dissembled words the Prince beléeues all and distrusteth nothing receiues and reads the letter without suspition making himselfe ready for his iourny to Mosco Thus whilest the tongue and the heart of truth are in one line paralel the heart and tongue of treason are as farre sundered as the Poales such distance there is from their artike words to the antartike purposes the Prince is soone ready kisseth his faire Lady making more hast then good spéed to goe on with this traitour to the Mosco from whence he is neuer to returne nor euer to behold his wife againe shée wéepes at parting as bedewing his hidden fate with her open teares whether of present loue or fore signifying sorrow they mount on horse-backe and with halfe a doozin of the Princes followers they post towards the Mosco till they came within the compasse of the Ambuscado that all this while laie as still as midnight the larum being giuen on the sudden they surprise him and detaine him prisoner there could be no resistacne the Prince seeing himselfe thus vildly betraied and by him also whom he especially trusted bouldly desired to know the cause and whether it was the Emperours pleasure that he should be thus held in captiuity they answered him churlishly that he should know the rest at his comming to Mosco and when he began in goodly tearmes as he was an excellent wel spoken man to bewray his innocense they staied not the end of his speech but rudely put him forward at which the Prince sighed but it booted not All this was done within view of the Princes house and in the Ladies sight Now iudge all you houourable dames that loue your Lords and husbands with intire affections with what heart the sad eyes of this desolate Lady could behould this miserable obiect to sée her husband thus betraied within her view such was the sorrow of that euer memorable Roman Lady Cornelia wife to Pompey the great when from a farre off shée saw her Lord and husband in a little Boate betrayed and slaine by the treacherous Councellers and bloudy ministers of that periured Prince Ptolomie King of Aegypt when after his ouerthrow in Thessalie hée put himselfe vpon his protection And this poore Ladies sorrowes were the greater because shée neither knew the cause their purposes nor the meanes to helpe him but wee must leaue her in her passions and follow him in his captiuity whom they soone brought in a poasting iourney to Mosco and lodged him in a strong prison CHAP. 7. Tragus is arraighned condemned and iudged vniustly in the Mosco who out of the greatnesse of his minde to mocke Vansusces tyranny kils himselfe NOw were their daily counsels and consultations held in the Citty concerning the progresse of this businesse with this Noble-man by Vansusce and those of his secrets who â—ooâ—e grew to be powerfull by reason of his strong Guards and plurality of friends that from all parts flocked vnto him The day was soone appointed for this young Lords tryall not from his knowen innocence to cléere him but from their preiudicated doombes to confound him the publike place of iudgement was appointed the Theatre vpon which must be acted this Gentlemans tragedy thither at the day set downe comes Vansusce in a Princes Roabe together with his friends allies and a strong guard of souldiers the principal Officers in the Citty accompanying him and hauing all taken their places this Princly prisoner is brought in before them who with a chéerefull and vnaffrighted countenance beholds them all The allegations of treason obiected against him were that by his procurement the last warre with the Tartars was commenced that cost more treasure and bloud then the victory was worth that by his sollicitation that vnhappy marriage with the Polish Princes was mediated and concluded that the Polish Guard was by his meanes brought in by which so many outrages were committed that they were driuen to take the course they did for their slaughter in which the Emperor himselfe past an vnhappy destiny the guilt of whose death was laid vpon him as being the originall though not the efficient cause thereof that the bringing in of tenthousand Poles more was by his counsell vrged that the Princes treasure was by his prodigal profuse of mony much wasted that he had allowed the title of the Dukedome of Seuere to the Crowne and Kingdome of Poland with other matters not so much as thought vpon to all which the Prince answered so fully and so nobly as euery vnpartiall eare found his innocence howbeit truth neuer told her tale but enuy was either ready to wrong herby suggestion or falshood by subornation for vniust witnesses were produced against him by whose testimony this innocent Prince was condemned Vansusce then rising from his Throne began with a studied and premeditated spéech after this maner I cannot tell my louing Country-men in what tearmes or with what words I shall procéed in iudgement against this Noble-man late kinsman and néere Alley vnto our deare Soueraigne Lord the Emperour for when I thinke of the times past and compare them with the present the thought and consideration thereofso strikes me with astonishment my minde being diuersly distracted betwixt my Countries care and this Noble-mans respect that I stand deuided in my iudgment the one pleading rigor the other pitty what I shall definatiuly set downe in censure for him or against him first giue him his due who doth not sorrow that so noble a Gentleman so fully stuft with such excellent parts of mind of so admirable composure and constitution of body in the prime of his youth and beauty in the pride of his state and pleasures in the solace and comfort of his wife and children his ouer-héedlesse actions and ouer-wéening conceit his owne greatnesse in abusing the Princes fauour should now make him vnworthy of his life by reason of the states present condition whereas otherwise his life should haue bene most desired For mine owne part I would I had not liued at all or at least not till this time wherein sauing my countries care and the entire respect and affection I beare to all your liues and safeties I am otherwise euen against the consent of my soule and my best genious enforst to pronounce peremptory sentence of iudgement against such a man to whom but of late I gaue place to in honour For thus say my priuate thoughts to my common cares where Nobility greatnesse a Princes fauour or what excellent parts or qualities soeuer either of body or mind be in the same subiect that owes them transferred vnto it selfe without respect of common good to the which he owes a duty he growes not onely an vnprofitable but also a dangerous member to
fauour committing many outrages in the Citty and in short time fall into great hatred with the Muscouite Kneseuansusce Iaying hold of this occasion ioynes with the Muscouite and growes discontent NOw while the Emperour with his Lady delighted in nothing but what might please his fancy spending whole dayes and nights in Banqueting and Reuels thinking all safe and secure the Poles being a people proud in their owne nature and that pride nowe doubled in them by the Princes fauour commit without controlement many outrages in the Mosco and other places adioyning so that by degrées in short time they came to be extreamely hated of the Muscouite which Vansusce perceiuing would oftentimes complaine so farre as he durst to diuerse of his friends the Muscouites both of the Indulgence of the Prince and insolency both of the Pole alleaging probability of a Tyranny in the sonne more vnsufferable then that of his fathers Who foresées not saith Vansusce that perceiues any thing how this new Alliance with Poland is like to proue fatall to Rushia who sées not that these rude beginnings are certaine signes foregoing much greater mischiefes if they be not in time preuented we are scarse now secured of our wiues children and goods but that many times they passe the hazard of their barbarous cruelty if six thousand Poles kéepes vs thus in awe committing such outrages whereof there are daily complaints without controulement what will their greater numbers doe whereof there is a continuall expectance the Prince sleepes and dallies in the delights of his new loue forgetting his old friends his owne people are disestéemed the Pole hath all estimation no Rushian sues at Court but if he will thriue must haue a Pole to his Aduoacte nothing that is by the Pole begged but is by the Prince granted without respect of common profit the principall Offices begin already to be transposed both in Court and Citty what shall we looke for but a declination still from bad to worse vntill we haue lost all and the Pole hath got all These words together with their outrages had so incensed the Muscouite that there wanted but occasion to raise an innouation which vnluckely was soone after proffered for a Polish Gentleman casting by chance his eye vpon a Marchants daughter of Mosco a virgine of excellent bewty was so infangled in her loue that hauing tried all waies for the obtayning his desire by intreaties and gifts and finding stil his suite to returne in vaine was neuerthelesse so ardent in his outragious lust that hauing trayned her by deuise into a place of conueniency where in the pursuite of his desire all faire waies being denied him he in a most barbarouse manner rauisht her This deflowred damsell with great sorrow and heauinesse complained to her frinds of this vile abuse When the causes of our griefes excéede all bounds it workes in our minds diuersity of effectes not immoderatly those that follow our ordinary afflictions or the customary crosses of fortune which draw our sighes teares and other common tokens of calamity but in the excesse of grief when the obiect there of presents a veiw beyond al patience or sufferance it so distracts the minde and astonisheth the senses that reason giuing way to sorrow we fall into a boundlesse Ocean of the extreamest passtons such was the inuolued heart with griefe in that spectacle of all misery Hecuba Quéene of Troy who seeing herselfe betraid 〈◊〉 set on fire her Lord Priame flaine her children murdered and that flowre of al beauty Polixena in the loue of whom that mirror of all knighted Achilles fight slaine in her owne armes by vnrelenting Pirrhus in the view of these miserable obiects she was so far from finding ease in the vtterance ofsorrow that shée lost herselfe in the Maze and Labrinth of madnesse the like was that of Niobe vpon the slaughter of her seuen sonnes by the Goddesse Latona who in the fight thereof was so astonished with sorrow that the Poet fained her turned into a stone not much vnlike was the state of the friends of this deflowred damsell who hauing séene their daughters teares and knowen the cause of hir grieuance fell presently from the passion of sorrow to the passion of rage and in a furious manner with resolued purposes but vnguided steps ran to Court complaines of this abuse with frantike and vnséemly gesture set forth the guilt of this abhominable fact in the presence of the Emperour and after a violent manner rather commanding then crauing iustice what haue we committed saith the father to this wronged damsell that we your natural people hauing béene so long brought vp vnder your Lawes Religion and Gouernment should be so farre distrusted of our loyalties and so much distasted in our affections that you should repose your selfe in a strange guard and expose vs to their cruelty what outrages haue they committed since the comming of your Quéene into Mosco sparing neither age sex nor quality how many complaints haue béene made of their abuses but no redresse and I the sad father to this deflowred virgin perceiue by your lookes that I speake in vaine the way to oppression is plaine and open the path to Iustice is vntrodden the King is a stranger to his subiects and a King to strangers the Muscouite held himselfe wretched vnder the gouernment of your father but wee much more vnder your tyrannie these last words did so incense the Prince that with his foote he spurned the father of this damsell from him and being by rage wholy transported from reason without any respect either to the complainants cause or the Muscouites discontent committed him as a mutiner together with his wife and this wronged damsell to prison who causing them there to be laden with Irons did there by so ouerlade himselfe with the hatred of his people that in short time it proued a burden too heauy for him to beare ouer-pressing him so much that it depriued him of his Empire in the end of his life as the sequell shall declare CHAP. IIII. Vansusce with the aide of the Muscouite rebels surpriseth the great Castle or Pallace of Mosco kils all the Poles in one night in this garboile the Emperour is bruted to be slaine but with the aid of a trusty seruant escapes secretly with his 〈◊〉 disguised THe newes being spread abroad the great Citty of the vsage of his Marchant his wrongs and vniust imprisonment together with his wife and daughter the Muscouite in more open manner bewray their discontents on to another and all against the Pole so farre forth that they begin to mutiny flocking togther in great Companies with mindes of resolution to reuenge themselues for the wrongs receiued which the Pole vnderstanding kéepe within the great Pallace not daring to stirre abrdad The Prince looking but too late into the danger imploie certaine Noble men of his Court such whom he knew to be gracious with the people for the quieting of these tumults by whose care and
that Common-wealth and where from such a mind there be acts committed though but criminall and feares depending of greater consequence in this case it is more then a politicke or nationall Lawe it is Religious Iustice and the seruice of our God to take away the life of such greatnesse and make it the peoples sacrifice and therefore with your consents since things cannot otherwise stand or be established I giue him ouer to the rigour of the Law and the ministers thereof All this while this captiue Prince although he saw how closely and indirectly euery thing was carried and had heard during the time of his imprisonment the supposed death of the Emperour the murther of the Poles and many of great place and office in the Palace actions so bloudy and so fatall that albeit be knew the world to be full of mischiefe and the pathes thereof troden with vnsanctifyed féet yet he thought there wanted that venemous matter in the minde of man to beget bréed and bring forth such hideous and horred murders he doth yet neuerthelesse neither in the conceit of these inhumane massacers past nor in the iudurance of his owne vnauoidable miseries present shew tokens of any feare or affrightment but with the same countenance he held before in his prosperous estate he now beheld the tiranous authors and bloody actors of his tragedy so nobly had the inward vertues of his minde framed and composed the outward actions and gestures of his body And thus with words as bould and as vndanted as his lookes he spake in this manner vnto them I haue strained withall my best within me to heare and beare patiently all your vnkind handlings vniust presumtions furious Inforcements your malicious and manifold appliments foule wrestings and impossible constructions and all to make me séeme to be a member dangerous to the state to take away my life as a common enemy which onely must be remoued to make smooth the way to your present ends and intendments for this cause was the true noble bloud of my royall Lord and kinsman shed to make you grow vp in this false greatnesse I speake to the Vansusce whose inward saule knowes my innocence in all my accusations and that al this shew of Law is but a form a méere ingine or deuice to set a glosse vpon your horred murders past and to take away my life by a pretext of iustice which you persue in mallice haue I showne my selfe dangerous to my Country when in the last wars with the Tartars I so little regarded mine owne life that I spent most of her bloud in that action and returned victorious against the eie and opinion of all that saw and knew the danger of that day did I wrong my Country when with your consents and allowances I made that honourable contract with the Polish Princes was that the Treasure I exhausted in that expedition when mine owne priuate Coffers are yet empty with that charge For the Polish guard it was rather my enforced consent then my voluntary counsell or approuement for the title of the Dukedome with the rest of the Articles which I scorne to repeate the great God of my hope knowes me to be as frée either in action or intention as he knowes the Vansusce to be guilty of these horrid treasons I doe not plead mine innocence to saue my life for that is foredoomed by an vnchanged decrée but only to ease my heart of an ouerburdening wait of griefe which your base wrongs and false wouen iniuries haue contracted there and it is one comfort yet that I am suffered to speake I doe not raile either against thy tyranny or the maleuolence of my starres there is no man greater then his destiny neither haue I set the gard of vertue so weakly within me against the spight of Fortune or your malice but that my spirit and resolution can suffer either in thy inhumaine cruelty Vansusce or thy vnnatural treachery vild Glasco or all your hates you vnkind Muscouites or what else is precious vnto mée as the losse of wife and children depriuation of lands and honours or torment or death or whatsoeuer can happen in humanity All these or what else is in the power of enuy hate malice or tiranouse oppression is beneath me Life is not my Paramour I stand not inamourad of her pleasures the world hath to me adulterated his faire protestations of loue and respect with the foule prostetucions of the times mischiefe I haue séene an end of my fortunes and haue set an end to all my desires all the ambition that is left in mée is the hopefull enioyment of a far more glorious kingdome thether doth my soule aspire and thither shall my spirit mount before your time prefixt if there be any therefore in this assembly that either is at this time or shall happen héereafter to rome into the like danger and would know how to mocke Vansusces tyranny let him learne it thus by my example And with that word hauing closly drawne a short dagger hid of purpose for this houre he stabbed himselfe to the heart an a◠though in it selfe séeming desperate and full of horror yet in circumstance and considerate respects truly noble and ful of honour that would not suffer his opposite and mortall enemeies to triumph ouer his vertues and the freedome of his spirit in his end The sudden and voluntary death of this Noble man put them all into amasement and some there were present and those not of the meaner sort did for the time so inwardly sorrow for the hard disaster of the Prince his innocence and iniuries that they made outward manifestation thereof by there teares which Vansusce perceiuing and in their generall silence a generall sadnesse that from thence his Plots and Proiects might be more narrowly looked into with considerate eies began to looke about and to gather his wits together to draw this inward créeping suspition from the heart of the Muscocite vpon whose loue and opinion did principally depend the hope and meanes of his procéedings hée therefore spake againe vnto them so fully for the times condition so colourable against the guilty life and rash death of the Prince and so carefully for the security of the state together with all their safties that hée soone turned the gentle currant of their passionate sorrowes into the vast Ocean of their wonted rage crying out against the house of Demetrius his name and family and in this new humour like the flattering Iewes to Herod after his Oration to the people they falsly guild his words with an Angels eloquence crying out after their wonted manner Vansusce God saue Vansusce such a turning Phane is the peoples breath with these much looked for acclamations the Court was presently dissolued the dead body of the Prince carried backe to Prison from whence the next day it was brought forth againe and poorely buried making the world to stand at amasement that the earth which neuer failes of meanes in
at Stock-holland and some in other places as the vncertaintie of winde and weather draue them But being all at length met at Stockhollam entertained mustered and sworne vnto King Charles our Forces together with the French and Dutch which by this time were all mette stayed there the most part of the Summer vntill the latter end of August in which time the King had made his preparations ready for his Intendments towardes Russia About the beginning of September these Forces tooke shipping for Russia but by contrary windes were driuen vpon Fynland where because the Commaunders had no directions to land their men the frost ouertaking them and victualls failing aboorde our people vnaccustomed to so colde a climate dyed in great numbers for want of foode and abundance of colde insomuch that being not able to indure the extremitie they landed their Forces by directions from the Gouernour of Abo a towne scituate vppon the Sea from thence to march to the Cittie of Wyborrough being distant from the place of landing thrée score and tenne leagues in which march they lost by the extremity of the colde many of their men by the way and many were left behinde sicke that neuerthelesse did afterward recouer the Army At the last being come to the Cittie of Wyborrough in Fynnland our Troupes reléeued themselues after this long weary march and being kindly entertained of the Bourgers kept their Christmasse in the citie and rested there for the space of fouretéene dayes wanting no necessaries that their present case required After this time expired our Troupes marched thrée daies iourney to the Sea side that Sea being narrow in that place parting Fynland and Russia héere they marched eight leagues vppon the Ice and hauing once set footing in Russia the people of the Countrey being vnacquainted of their comming forsooke their houses fléeing into the woods and other vnknowne places for the miserie of the warre was so great by the outrages of the Souldiers that they found cause to distrust all aswel those that came to defend them as such as came to destroy them Yet our troupes committed no other spoile in their march but onely in their prouision for victualls which in all places they found in aboundance our Troupes marched in small iourne is the foure moneths following Ianuarie Februarie March and Aprill vnder the guide and conduct of one Burrisse a Noble man of the Countrey appoynted by Vansusce for that businesse in which march they fréeed those partes of the Countrey which the Pole before was possessed of as the first a towne of import called Stallarusse which the Pole forsooke vppon their comming and fled But Monsieur la Vile following them with a few horse cut them in péeces They marched from thence to a Towne of defence called Costasco which the Pole had a little before beleagerd but vpon an assault made hauing found an vnexpected resistance And hearing the approach of the strangers they fled before our comming By this time the Sunne in his delight some progresse hauing passed the Equinoctiall had turned the wearie wrackes of wastefull winter into the cheerefull view of the Summers beauty at which time it being in the beginning of Maie our Troupes recouerd a very pleasant country where in great plenty they found all necessaries for horse and man After some few dayes march in this champian countrey our Troupes receiued intelligence where the Enemy lay to the number of seauen or eight thousand at a Towne called Arioua some foure score verts which is thrée score English miles from them This Arioua was a great Towne scituate on the side of a hill pleasant to looke vppon the great riuer of Vollga running through it and as it were equally parting it in the middest with a strong and faire Castle in it howbeit the Towne vnwalled and vndefensible Our men hauing receiued true relation both concerning the Towne the Poles strength the distance and the best way that leadeth vnto it they entered into councell what best was to be done for the surprize of this Towne and a non slaught of the Poles and as alwayes in such cases of weight there are diuersitie of Iudgements and Opinions some giuing councell one way some another the brauest spirites stirred vp with honourable emulation of others fame and greatnes presse forward for employment Coronell Coborne being the first that desired to haue the vndertaking of this businesse with fiue hundred horse but his plot being disliked as being too full of danger Monsieur la Vile the French Coronell vndertooke with foure hundred horse to doe some notable seruice or other as occasion should be proffered For many times in such doubtfull cases vnlooked for Accidents and vnplotted attempts finde better opportunitie and successe in preuayling vppon the sudden than premeditated and fore-decréed Councells Thus hauing taken some of euery Troupe English Scottish and French with the aide of thrée other Captaines as Captaine Cosmorre a Moore a very valiant Souldier brought vp in the warres of the Netherlands the other Captaine Crale an Englishman and Captaine Creton a Scottishman with this number of foure hundred horse La Vile earely in the morning leauing the Armie in their quarters marched towards Arioua by the way they mette with a Conskippe of the Enemy being a hundred horse vppon the skirt of a wood if beeing sent from the maine Armie in Arioua as a scowt-watch to discouer our Troupes for they had Intelligence before of our being in the Countrey Their Vancurriers hauing espied our forces gaue the larum and presently turned backe and fled but our Troupe followed flew some forced others to take the riuer of Vollga tooke many prisoners the rest fled fyring the Countrey as they went and brought the newes of our approach to Arioua La Vile with his troups held on his course méeting with no other Occurrents by the way till hée came to a little riuer which they found so déepe and the current running so swift by reason of the late dissoluing of the Snowe that they knew not how to passe ouer La Vile himselfe proffered to giue the attempt but was stayed by others that looked into the daunger a French Souldier of his Troupe shewing more courage than foresight tooke the riuer with his horse and by the violence of the Streame were both drowned Here they spent some time to séeke out a foord but found none at last they espied a narrow place where pulling downe an olde house standing hard by with the rafters thereof they made a little bridge vppon which they passed on foote swimming ouer with their horses in their hands Thus they marched forward till they came within sight of Arioua about the noone time of the day La Vile when he came within view of the Towne and saw how it stoode parted by the riuer of Vollga might perceiue afarre off on the other side of the Towne the Enemies colours displayed in great numbers the sodainenesse of the action bred a terrour on both partes the